expense-tracker-python

Personal Expense Tracker

A simple command-line application to track expenses. This application allows users to add, view, delete expenses, and generate reports on their spending habits. It uses a JSON file to store data and matplotlib to visualize expense distribution.

Features

• Add Expense: Enter details for new expenses including amount, category, date, and description.

• View Expenses: Display all expenses or filter by category.

• Delete Expense: Remove an expense entry by its index.

• Generate Report: Create a bar chart showing the distribution of expenses by category.

Requirements

• Python 3.x

• Matplotlib library

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Atpswift/expense-tracker-python.git
   
   

2. Navigate to the Project Directory:

   cd expense-tracker
   
   

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   
   

Usage

1. Run the application:

   python expense_tracker.py
   
   

2. Follow the On-Screen Instructions:

   • Add an Expense: Enter the amount, category, date (or leave blank for today), and description.

   • View Expenses: Filter by category or view all expenses.

   • Delete an Expense: Provide the index of the expense you want to delete.

   • Generate a Report: View a bar chart of expenses categorized by type.

Code Overview

• ExpenseTracker Class:

  • __init__(): Initializes the class and loads existing expenses.

  • load_data(): Loads expenses from a JSON file.

  • save_data(): Save expenses to a JSON file.

  • add_expenses(): Adds a new expense.

  • delete_expense(): Deletes an expense by index.

  • view_expenses(): View expenses with optional category filtering.

  • generate_report(): Generates a bar chart of expenses by category.

  • run(): Main loop to handle user interactions.

Manual Testing

I performed the following tests to validate functionality of the program:

1. Add Expense: Verified that expenses are added and saved correctly.

2. View Expenses: Ensured all expenses are displayed and filtering works.

3. Delete Expense: Confirmed that the correct expense is deleted and the list updates.

4. Generate Report: Checked that the bar chart accurately represents expense distribution.

Deployment

You can see the deployment here: https://python-expense-tracker896-f8aa49a1c241.herokuapp.com/