Expense Manager

A C-based command-line application for managing personal expenses with multi-user support, administrative capabilities, and date tracking.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• User Guide
• Admin Guide
• Features
• Data Organization

Getting Started

Compilation

To compile the program, use the following command in your terminal:

gcc main.c user.c account.c expenses.c appmenu.c login.c signup.c filehandler.c admin.c -o expense_manager

Running the Program

After compilation, run the program using:

./expense_manager

User Guide

Main Menu Options

1. Signup - Create a new user account
2. Login - Access existing user account
3. Admin Login - Access administrative features
4. Exit - Save and exit the program

User Operations

After logging in, users can:

1. Add Account

   • Create a new account with initial balance
   • One account per user

2. Add Expense

   • Add new expenses with title and amount
   • Enter expense date (DD MM YYYY format)
   • System validates date input
   • System checks for sufficient balance

3. List Expenses

   • View all recorded expenses
   • Shows expense date, title, and amount
   • Expenses displayed in chronological order

4. Check Balance

   • View current account balance

5. Add Balance

   • Add more money to account

6. Logout

   • Return to main menu

Admin Guide

Admin Login Credentials

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123

Admin Features

1. View All Users

   • Lists all registered users in a formatted table
   • Shows user count
   • Displays names and email addresses with proper spacing
   • Clean and organized presentation

2. View Specific User Details

   • Search user by email
   • Shows user's personal information in a structured table
   • Displays account details and expenses with proper formatting
   • Clear visual separation of different data sections

3. View All Expenses

   • Lists expenses for all users in a well-formatted table
   • Shows per-user totals with clear separation
   • Displays grand total across all users
   • Organized presentation with proper spacing

4. View Expenses by Date Range

   • Enter start date (DD MM YYYY)
   • Enter end date (DD MM YYYY)
   • Shows expenses within specified date range in a formatted table
   • Displays per-user totals for date range
   • Shows summary statistics:
     • Total number of expenses in range
     • Total amount of expenses
     • Average expense amount
   • Date validation included:
     • Validates date format
     • Checks for valid dates (including leap years)
     • Ensures start date is before or equal to end date
   • Displays expenses in a clean, formatted table with:
     • User name
     • Expense title
     • Date (DD/MM/YYYY format)
     • Amount
   • Shows "No expenses found" message if no expenses exist in range

5. View Total Expense Statistics

   • Total number of users
   • Number of users with expenses
   • Total expenses across all users
   • Average expense per user
   • User with highest expenses
   • All statistics displayed in a clean, formatted table

6. Clean All User Data

   • Option to remove all user data and files
   • Useful for system maintenance or testing
   • Removes both user accounts and expense records
   • Cleans up the entire userdata directory

Features

User Management

• Multi-user support
• Secure login system
• Persistent data storage

Account Management

• Single account per user
• Balance tracking
• Expense recording
• Balance validation

Data Organization

• All user data stored in a dedicated userdata directory
• Separate files for user accounts and expenses
• Organized file structure for better management
• Automatic directory creation if not exists

Data Persistence

• User data saved automatically
• Expenses stored per user
• Data loaded on startup
• Auto-save on important operations

Administrative Tools

• Secure admin access
• Comprehensive user monitoring
• Expense tracking and statistics
• Detailed user information access
• Data cleanup functionality
• Formatted table displays for better readability

Security Features

• Password protection
• Separate user accounts
• Protected admin access
• Data integrity checks

Date Management

• Date tracking for all expenses
• Date range filtering
• Date validation
• Chronological expense listing
• Date-based expense analysis
• Support for expenses from year 2000 onwards

Data Organization

The program maintains data in an organized structure:

• userdata/ directory for all user-related files
• userdata/users.dat - Stores user account information
• userdata/expenses_[email].dat - Stores expenses for each user

Data Format

Expense Entry Format

• Title: Description of expense
• Amount: Cost in floating-point format
• Date: DD MM YYYY format
• Valid date ranges:
  • Day: 1-31
  • Month: 1-12
  • Year: 2000 onwards

Tips

• Enter dates in DD MM YYYY format (e.g., 15 03 2024)
• Invalid dates will be rejected
• Date range queries show summary statistics
• Expenses are automatically sorted by date
• Use date ranges to track periodic spending
• Admin tables provide better readability with proper spacing

Notes

• All data is automatically saved after important operations
• Keep your email and password safe
• Admin credentials should be changed in production
• Regular backups of userdata directory recommended
• Use the cleanup feature carefully as it removes all user data