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User Documentation
HarperCC101 edited this page Apr 11, 2025
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This document explains how to run and use Aria's Budget Tracker application.
You can follow the steps in the Deployment Guide to run the application. Once the application is running, you will see the main menu.
The Budget Tracker application allows you to manage your budget by adding income and expenses.
Welcome to Aria's Budget Tracker!
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Main Menu: In a moment, you will see the following main menu:
Please choose an option: > Add Expense View Remaining Budget Set Spending Limits Exit- The
>symbol highlights an option (in cyan) and can be moved using the up and down arrow keys. - Press Enter to select the highlighted option.
- The
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Add Expense:
- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight "Add Expense" (in cyan). - Press Enter to continue.
- The console will display the "Add a New Expense" screen, with the options to either "Select a category" or go "Back":
Add a New Expense Select a category: > Communication Eating Out Entertainment Groceries Miscellaneous Back- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight a category (or "Back"). - Press Enter to continue.
- If a category is selected, you will be prompted to input a value for the expense amount.
- For example, if you selected "Communication":
Enter the amount spent on Communication:- Type the numerical value of the expense (e.g.,
100, no '$' necessary) and press Enter. - You will be forwarded to the "View Remaining Budget" section to view the confirmation message that the expense has been added (in cyan) and the "Budget Status":
Expense Added: $100.00 to Communication Budget Status Groceries: Remaining = $17.00 [================== ] 92% WARNING: Groceries budget is almost met! Eating Out: Remaining = $0.00 [====================] 100% WARNING: Eating Out budget is met! Entertainment: Remaining = -$25.00 [====================] ∞% WARNING: Entertainment budget exceeded! Communication: Remaining = $100.00 [========== ] 50% Miscellaneous: Remaining = $200.00 [ ] 0% Press Enter to continue...- Press Enter to return to the main menu.
Note: The process for adding expenses to other categories (Eating Out, Entertainment, Groceries, Miscellaneous) follows the same process: select the category, enter the amount, and press Enter to confirm.
- Move the
-
View Remaining Budget:
- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight "View Remaining Budget" (in cyan). - Press Enter to continue.
- The console will display the "Budget Status" screen, showing the remaining budget for each category, along with a visual representation (a progress bar) and any warnings if a budget limit is close to being met (in yellow text) or has been met or exceeded (in red text). For example:
Budget Status Groceries: Remaining = $17.00 [================== ] 92% WARNING: Groceries budget is almost met! Eating Out: Remaining = $0.00 [====================] 100% WARNING: Eating Out budget is met! Entertainment: Remaining = -$25.00 [====================] ∞% WARNING: Entertainment budget exceeded! Communication: Remaining = $100.00 [========== ] 50% Miscellaneous: Remaining = $200.00 [ ] 0% Press Enter to continue...- Press Enter to return to the main menu.
- Move the
-
Set Spending Limits:
- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight "Set Spending Limits" (in cyan). - Press Enter to continue.
- The console will display the "Set Spending Limits for Categories" screen, with the current limit, amount spent, and a progress bar for each category:
Set Spending Limits for Categories > Groceries: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $183.00 [================== ] 92% Eating Out: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $200.00 [====================] 100% Entertainment: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $225.00 [====================] ∞% Communication: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $100.00 [========== ] 50% Miscellaneous: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $0.00 [ ] 0% Back- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight a category (or "Back") and set a new spending limit (e.g., "Groceries"). - Press Enter to continue.
- If a category is selected, you will be prompted to input a value to set a new spending limit.
- For example, if you selected "Groceries":
Enter new limit for Groceries:- Type the numerical value of the new spending limit (e.g.,
300, no '$' necessary) and press Enter. - The console will refresh, displaying the updated spending limit and the adjusted visual bar for the selected category.
Set Spending Limits for Categories > Groceries: Current Limit: $300.00 Amount Spent: $183.00 [============ ] 61% Eating Out: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $200.00 [====================] 100% Entertainment: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $225.00 [====================] ∞% Communication: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $100.00 [========== ] 50% Miscellaneous: Current Limit: $200.00 Amount Spent: $0.00 [ ] 0% Back- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight "Back" (in cyan) to return to the main menu.
Note: The process for setting spending limits for other categories (Eating Out, Entertainment, Communication, Miscellaneous) follows the same process: select the category, enter the amount, and press Enter to confirm.
- Move the
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Exit:
- Move the
>symbol (using the up and down arrow keys) to highlight "Exit" (in cyan). - Press Enter to exit.
- The console will display a "Goodbye!" message, and the application will close:
Please choose an option: Add Expense View Remaining Budget Set Spending Limits > Exit Goodbye! - Move the
- All data is stored in the
Budget.txtfile.
If you encounter any issues while using the application, please open an issue on the GitHub Issues page of this repository.
Thank you for using Aria's Budget Tracker!