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Welcome to SlugShare!

This guide will walk you through everything you need to start sharing dining points with fellow UCSC students.
You’ll need a valid email address and access to the UCSC campus dining system to use SlugShare.

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Sign Up

1

Navigate to SlugShare

Visit the SlugShare application. You’ll be automatically redirected to the login page if you’re not signed in.
2

Choose Your Sign-Up Method

You have two options to create your account:Option 1: Sign up with Google (Recommended)Click the “Google” button to sign up with your UCSC Google account. This is the fastest way to get started.Option 2: Sign up with Email/PasswordFill out the sign-up form:
  • Name: Your display name (optional but recommended)
  • Email: Your email address
  • Password: At least 6 characters
Click “Create account” to continue.
If you see “An account already exists with that email address”, use the sign-in page instead.
3

Access Your Dashboard

After signing up, you’ll be automatically logged in and redirected to your dashboard.Your dashboard shows:
  • Your current points balance (starts at 0)
  • Quick action buttons to create and view requests
  • Access to the donation calculator and additional resources

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Set Up Your Points Balance

Before you can accept requests from others, you need to tell SlugShare how many dining points you have.
1

Find Your Current Points

Check your dining points balance:
  1. Log in to the UCSC Dining Portal
  2. View your current Slug Points balance
  3. Note the exact amount
2

Update Your Balance

On your SlugShare dashboard:
  1. Look for the “Your Points Balance” card
  2. Enter your current points in the “Update Balance” field
  3. Click “Update”
// The app stores your balance like this:
interface Points {
  userId: string;
  balance: number;  // Your current dining points
}
Keep your balance updated! SlugShare uses this to ensure you have enough points before accepting requests.

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Create Your First Request

Now you’re ready to request points from the community.
1

Navigate to Create Request

From your dashboard, click the blue “Create Request” button.
2

Select a Location

Choose where you need dining points:
  1. Browse the accordion menu with four categories:
    • Dining Halls (automatic pricing based on meal time)
    • Markets (custom amount)
    • Perks Coffee Bar (custom amount)
    • Cafes and Restaurants (custom amount)
  2. Only currently open locations are selectable
  3. Each location shows:
    • Current open/closed status
    • Closing time if open
    • Meal period and cost for dining halls
Dining halls automatically calculate the cost. For example, if it’s lunch time (11:30 AM - 2:00 PM), the cost will be $13.65.
Example of what you’ll see:
// Cowell/Stevenson (Open)
// Open until 23:00
// LUNCH: $13.65
3

Enter Points Amount (Non-Dining Halls Only)

If you selected a market, cafe, or Perks location:
  1. Enter the exact number of points you need
  2. This should match the cost of what you plan to purchase
For dining halls, this field is hidden and automatically set based on the meal period.
4

Add an Optional Message

You can include a message with your request:
  • Explain your situation
  • Specify timing (“Need by 7 PM tonight”)
  • Add any helpful context
This helps donors understand your needs better.
5

Submit Your Request

Click “Create Request” to post your request to the community.You’ll be redirected to the requests page where you can see:
  • Your newly created request in the “My Requests” section
  • Its status (will be “pending” initially)
  • When it was created
// Your request looks like this in the system:
interface Request {
  id: string;
  location: "Cowell/Stevenson";
  pointsRequested: 13.65;  // Auto-calculated for dining halls
  status: "pending";  // Can be: pending, accepted, declined
  message: "Need lunch today, low on points";
  createdAt: Date;
}

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Accept a Request

Help out a fellow Slug by accepting their request.
1

Browse Available Requests

  1. From your dashboard, click “View All Requests”
  2. You’ll see two sections:
    • My Requests - Requests you’ve created
    • Other Requests - Requests from other students you can help with
You can only accept requests from other students. Your own requests appear in a separate section.
2

Use Filters (Optional)

Use the “Filters” dropdown to narrow down requests:Filter by Location:
  • Check boxes next to specific dining locations
  • Only requests for those locations will show
  • Leave all unchecked to see requests for all locations
Filter by Max Donation:
  • Enter the maximum points you’re willing to donate
  • Requests above this amount will be hidden
  • Leave blank for no limit
// Filter example: Only show requests for Cowell/Stevenson
// that need 15 points or less
selectedLocations: Set(['Cowell/Stevenson'])
maxDonation: 15
Click “Clear filters” at any time to reset.
3

Review Request Details

Each request card shows:
  • Location (e.g., “Cowell/Stevenson”)
  • Requester name or email
  • Points needed (in large blue text)
  • Optional message from the requester
  • Status (pending, accepted, declined)
  • Creation timestamp
Make sure you have enough points in your balance before accepting!
4

Accept or Decline

For any pending request:To Accept:
  1. Click the “Accept” button
  2. The system will:
    • Verify you have sufficient points
    • Deduct points from your balance
    • Add points to the requester’s balance
    • Update the request status to “accepted”
    • Send a notification to the requester
To Decline:
  1. Click the “Decline” button
  2. The request status updates to “declined”
  3. The requester is notified
Behind the scenes, this is what happens when you accept:
// Atomic transaction ensures data consistency
await prisma.$transaction([
  // Deduct from your balance
  prisma.points.update({
    where: { userId: yourId },
    data: { balance: { decrement: pointsRequested } }
  }),
  // Add to requester's balance
  prisma.points.update({
    where: { userId: requesterId },
    data: { balance: { increment: pointsRequested } }
  }),
  // Update request status
  prisma.request.update({
    where: { id: requestId },
    data: { 
      status: "accepted",
      donorId: yourId 
    }
  })
]);
If you don’t have enough points, you’ll see an error message and the transaction won’t go through.
5

Coordinate the Transfer

After accepting a request:
  1. Both you and the requester can see each other’s contact info
  2. Coordinate timing and location through email or messaging
  3. Complete the actual points transfer through the UCSC dining system
SlugShare tracks the commitment, but you still need to complete the actual transfer through UCSC’s system.

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Manage Your Requests

Keep track of your activity on the requests page.

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View Your Requests

Your requests appear in the “My Requests” section with:
  • Pending - Waiting for someone to accept (shown in yellow)
  • Accepted - Someone accepted your request (shown in green with donor name)
  • Declined - Someone declined your request (shown in red with donor name)

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Delete a Request

If you no longer need points:
  1. Find your pending request in the “My Requests” section
  2. Click the red “Delete” button
  3. Confirm the deletion
You can only delete requests with “pending” status. Once accepted or declined, requests cannot be deleted.

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Refresh the List

Click the “Refresh” button to see the latest updates to all requests in real-time.

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Check Your Notifications

Stay informed about your request activity through the inbox.
1

Access Your Inbox

Click “Inbox” in the navigation menu to see all notifications.
2

View Notifications

Each notification shows:
  • A message about what happened (e.g., “Your request for Cowell/Stevenson was accepted”)
  • Timestamp of when it occurred
  • Read/unread status (unread notifications have a blue dot)
3

Mark as Read

Keep your inbox organized:
  • Click “Mark as Read” on individual notifications
  • Click “Mark All as Read” to clear all unread notifications
Unread notifications are highlighted and show in bold.

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Pro Tips

Update your points balance regularly, especially after:
  • Using meal swipes
  • Adding more points to your account
  • Accepting requests from others
This ensures the system can accurately validate your donations.
When creating requests, include helpful details:
  • Timing: “Need by 6 PM for dinner”
  • Urgency: “Low on points until next week”
  • Context: “Last meal of the day”
This helps donors prioritize and connect with your request.
Before the quarter ends, use the donation calculator to:
  • See how many points you have remaining
  • Calculate how many meals you can donate
  • Plan your point usage efficiently
Access it from the dashboard under “Donation Calculator”.
Dining locations have different hours by day:
  • Some dining halls are closed on weekends
  • Markets close at 8 PM on weekdays
  • Late-night options are limited
The app shows real-time open/closed status when creating requests.
Use filters to find requests you’re most likely to help with:
  • Filter by locations near your dorm or classes
  • Set a max donation based on your available points
  • Clear filters when you want to see all opportunities

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Need More Help?

Points Management

Learn all the features of your dashboard

Donation Calculator

Calculate how many points you can donate

Food Resources

Explore additional food security resources on campus

API Reference

Technical documentation for developers
Questions or feedback? Reach out to the SlugShare team through our GitHub repository or contact the developers directly.

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