CashFlo - Cash Flow Projection & Reconciliation App

A Qt-based cash flow projection application with SQLite backend for managing financial transactions and forecasting future cash flow.

Features

Core Functionality

• Transaction Management: Add, edit, and delete transactions with date, amount, account, and description
• Transaction Types:
• Estimated: Future projections based on recurring rules
• Actual: Confirmed transactions after reconciliation
• Recurring Rules: Define repeating transactions with various schedules:
• Daily
• Weekly (specify day of week)
• Bi-Weekly (every 2 weeks)
• Monthly (specify day of month)
• Yearly
• Projection Generation: Automatically create estimated future transactions from recurring rules
• Reconciliation: Convert estimated transactions to actuals with updated amounts
• Date Range Filtering: View transactions within specific date ranges
• Running Balance: See projected balance based on selected date range

Building the Application

Prerequisites

• Qt 6 (with Widgets and SQL modules)
• C++17 compiler
• SQLite (included with Qt)

Build Instructions

cd /home/calvin/CashFlo
qmake6
make
./CashFlo

Usage Guide

1. Setting Up Recurring Rules

1. Click the "Recurring Rules" tab
2. Click "Add Recurring Rule"
3. Enter details: - Name (e.g., "Rent", "Salary") - Frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc.) - Start Date - Number of occurrences (-1 for indefinite) - Amount (negative for expenses, positive for income) - Account name - Description

Examples: - Monthly Rent: Frequency: Monthly, Day: 1, Amount: -2350.00, Occurrences: 12 - Bi-weekly Salary: Frequency: Bi-Weekly, Day: Friday (5), Amount: 3500.00 - Weekly Grocery: Frequency: Weekly, Day: Saturday (6), Amount: -250.00

2. Generating Projections

1. Set your desired date range (From/To dates)
2. Click "Generate Projection"
3. The system will create estimated transactions based on your recurring rules
4. View all projected transactions in the Transactions tab - Yellow rows = Estimated transactions - Green rows = Actual transactions

3. Adding Manual Transactions

1. Go to the "Transactions" tab
2. Click "Add Transaction"
3. Enter date, amount, account, description, and type (Estimated/Actual)

4. Reconciliation (Closing the Books)

When an estimated transaction occurs and you want to record the actual amount: 1. Select the estimated transaction in the table 2. Click "Reconcile (Est → Actual)" 3. Enter the actual amount (can be different from estimate) 4. The transaction is now marked as "Actual" and the amount is updated

5. Viewing Cash Flow

• The "Projected Balance" shows the cumulative balance for the selected date range
• Sort transactions by clicking column headers
• Adjust date range to see different projection periods

Database Schema

Transactions Table

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY
date TEXT (ISO format)
amount REAL (negative=expense, positive=income)
account TEXT
description TEXT
type TEXT ('estimated' or 'actual')
recurring_id INTEGER (links to recurring rule, -1 if manual)

Recurring Rules Table

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY
name TEXT
frequency TEXT ('daily', 'weekly', 'biweekly', 'monthly', 'yearly')
start_date TEXT
end_date TEXT (optional)
amount REAL
account TEXT
description TEXT
day_of_week INTEGER (1=Mon, 7=Sun, -1 if not applicable)
day_of_month INTEGER (1-31, -1 if not applicable)
occurrences INTEGER (-1 for indefinite)

Database Location

The SQLite database is stored at: - Linux: ~/.local/share/CashFlo/cashflow.db - Created automatically on first run

Use Cases

Example: 3-Month Budget Planning

1. Add recurring rules for: - Rent (-$2,350/month on 1st) - Salary (+$7,000/month, bi-weekly) - Utilities (-$150/month on 15th) - Groceries (-$250/week on Saturdays)
2. Set date range: Jan 1 - Mar 31
3. Generate projection
4. View projected balance to see cash flow over 3 months

Example: Reconciling Actual Expenses

1. At end of month, review estimated transactions
2. Select each estimate (e.g., "Grocery estimated $250")
3. Reconcile with actual amount (e.g., actual was $267.43)
4. Transaction converts to "Actual" with correct amount
5. Projected balance updates to reflect reality

Tips

• Use negative amounts for expenses (outflows)
• Use positive amounts for income (inflows)
• Generate projections after adding/updating recurring rules
• Reconcile regularly to keep projections accurate
• Use descriptive account names (e.g., "Checking", "Savings", "Credit Card")

Future Enhancements (Potential)

• Multiple accounts with transfers
• Categories and reporting
• CSV import/export
• Charts and visualizations
• Budget vs actual comparison
• Search and filtering