Book a call with an Expert

Starting a new venture? Need to upgrade your web app? RapidDev builds application with your growth in mind.

How to build Finance tracker with Lovable?

Creating a New Lovable Project and Setting Up Files

Open Lovable and create a new project.
Create the following files in your project’s directory:
- index.html – This file will contain the structure of your Finance Tracker.
- style.css – This file will contain the styling for your tracker.
- script.js – This file will include the code logic to manage and update financial data.
Since Lovable does not include a terminal, all dependencies must be included via CDN links inside your index.html file.

Building the HTML Structure

Open your index.html file and insert the following HTML structure. This markup creates a header, a form for entering transactions, and sections to display the current balance and a list of transactions.


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Finance Tracker</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
    <!-- Include any third-party library via CDN if needed, for example Chart.js for charts -->
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <header>
      <h1>My Finance Tracker</h1>
    </header>
    
    <section id="tracker">
      <div id="balance">
        <h2>Current Balance: $0.00</h2>
      </div>
      <div id="transaction-form">
        <h3>Add Transaction</h3>
        <form id="add-transaction">
          <label for="description">Description:</label>
          <input type="text" id="description" name="description" required>
          
          <label for="amount">Amount:</label>
          <input type="number" step="0.01" id="amount" name="amount" required>
          
          <select id="type" name="type">
            <option value="income">Income</option>
            <option value="expense">Expense</option>
          </select>
          
          <button type="submit">Add Transaction</button>
        </form>
      </div>
    </section>
    
    <section id="transactions">
      <h3>Transaction History</h3>
      <ul id="transaction-list">
        <!-- List of transactions will be appended here by script.js -->
      </ul>
    </section>
    
    <!-- Optionally, include a canvas element for displaying a chart -->
    <section id="chart-section">
      <h3>Spending Chart</h3>
      <canvas id="spending-chart" width="400" height="200"></canvas>
    </section>
    
    <script src="script.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

Styling the Finance Tracker

Open your style.css file and add styling to make the application look neat and organized. You can customize colors and layout as desired.


/_ Basic reset _/
- {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

body {
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
  background: #f9f9f9;
  padding: 20px;
}

header, section {
  margin-bottom: 20px;
  background: #fff;
  padding: 15px;
  border-radius: 5px;
  box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
}

h1, h2, h3 {
  margin-bottom: 10px;
}

form {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
}

form label {
  margin-top: 10px;
}

form input, form select, form button {
  margin-top: 5px;
  padding: 8px;
  font-size: 16px;
}

#transaction-list {
  list-style-type: none;
}

#transaction-list li {
  padding: 10px;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;
}

Adding Interactivity with JavaScript

Open your script.js file and paste the following JavaScript code. This script manages transactions by capturing form submissions, updating the balance, and dynamically adding transaction details to the page. All dependencies are loaded via the HTML file, so no further installations are required.


// Array to store all transactions
let transactions = [];

// Function to update balance display
function updateBalance() {
  const balanceElement = document.getElementById('current-balance');
  const balance = transactions.reduce((acc, transaction) => {
    return transaction.type === 'income' ? acc + transaction.amount : acc - transaction.amount;
  }, 0);
  balanceElement.textContent = balance.toFixed(2);
}

// Function to render transaction history
function renderTransactions() {
  const transactionList = document.getElementById('transaction-list');
  transactionList.innerHTML = '';
  transactions.forEach((transaction, index) => {
    const listItem = document.createElement('li');
    listItem.textContent = `${transaction.description}: ${transaction.type === 'income' ? '+' : '-'}$${transaction.amount.toFixed(2)}`;
    transactionList.appendChild(listItem);
  });
}

// Handle form submission to add new transaction
document.getElementById('add-transaction').addEventListener('submit', function(e) {
  e.preventDefault();
  const description = document.getElementById('description').value;
  const amountValue = document.getElementById('amount').value;
  const type = document.getElementById('type').value;
  
  // Convert amount to a number
  const amount = parseFloat(amountValue);
  if(isNaN(amount)) {
    alert('Please enter a valid number for the amount.');
    return;
  }
  
  // Create a new transaction object and add to the array
  const newTransaction = { description, amount, type };
  transactions.push(newTransaction);
  
  // Reset the form
  this.reset();
  
  // Update the UI
  updateBalance();
  renderTransactions();
  updateChart(); // Optional: update the chart if you are using one
});

// Optional: Function to update a spending chart using Chart.js
function updateChart() {
  if(window.spendingChart) {
    window.spendingChart.destroy();
  }
  
  const ctx = document.getElementById('spending-chart').getContext('2d');
  const income = transactions.filter(t => t.type === 'income')
                             .reduce((sum, t) => sum + t.amount, 0);
  const expense = transactions.filter(t => t.type === 'expense')
                              .reduce((sum, t) => sum + t.amount, 0);
  
  window.spendingChart = new Chart(ctx, {
    type: 'doughnut',
    data: {
      labels: ['Income', 'Expense'],
      datasets: [{
        data: [income, expense],
        backgroundColor: ['#4caf50', '#f44336']
      }]
    },
    options: {
      responsive: true,
      maintainAspectRatio: false
    }
  });
}

// Initialize chart on load if there are existing transactions
updateChart();

Testing and Using Your Finance Tracker

After saving all files in Lovable, preview your project by opening the built-in display view.
Add transactions using the form. Verify that the current balance updates correctly and that transactions appear in the history list.
If using the Chart.js component, ensure the spending chart updates as new transactions are added.
In case of errors, re-check the code snippets and ensure that all files have been saved properly.

How to set up an Express API with MongoDB for your finance tracker


const express = require('express');
const mongoose = require('mongoose');
const app = express();

// Connect to MongoDB
mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/financeTracker', { useNewUrlParser: true, useUnifiedTopology: true });

// Define Transaction schema
const transactionSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  title: String,
  type: { type: String, enum: ['income', 'expense'], required: true },
  amount: { type: Number, required: true },
  category: String,
  date: { type: Date, required: true }
});

const Transaction = mongoose.model('Transaction', transactionSchema);

// API endpoint to add a transaction
app.post('/api/finance/transaction', express.json(), async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const { title, type, amount, category, date } = req.body;
    if (!title || !type || !amount || !date) {
      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing required fields.' });
    }
    const newTransaction = new Transaction({ title, type, amount, category, date: new Date(date) });
    await newTransaction.save();
    res.status(201).json({ message: 'Transaction added successfully', transaction: newTransaction });
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error adding transaction:', error);
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Internal server error' });
  }
});

// API endpoint to get a monthly summary grouped by transaction type
app.get('/api/finance/summary', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const { month, year } = req.query;
    if (!month || !year) {
      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Month and year parameters are required.' });
    }
    const startDate = new Date(year, month - 1, 1);
    const endDate = new Date(year, month, 1);

    const summary = await Transaction.aggregate([
      { $match: { date: { $gte: startDate, $lt: endDate } } },
      {
        $group: {
          \_id: '$type',
          totalAmount: { $sum: '$amount' },
          transactions: { $push: { title: '$title', amount: '$amount', category: '$category', date: '$date' } }
        }
      }
    ]);

    const result = {
      income: { total: 0, transactions: [] },
      expense: { total: 0, transactions: [] }
    };

    summary.forEach(item => {
      result[item.\_id] = {
        total: item.totalAmount,
        transactions: item.transactions
      };
    });

    res.json(result);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching finance summary:', error);
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Internal server error' });
  }
});

// Start the backend server
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

How to schedule recurring transactions for your finance tracker with Lovable?


const express = require('express');
const mongoose = require('mongoose');
const cron = require('node-cron');
const app = express();

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost:27017/financeTracker', { useNewUrlParser: true, useUnifiedTopology: true });

const recurringSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  title: String,
  type: { type: String, enum: ['income', 'expense'], required: true },
  amount: { type: Number, required: true },
  category: String,
  frequency: { type: String, enum: ['daily', 'weekly', 'monthly'], required: true },
  nextOccurrence: { type: Date, required: true }
});

const transactionSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  title: String,
  type: { type: String, enum: ['income', 'expense'], required: true },
  amount: { type: Number, required: true },
  category: String,
  date: { type: Date, required: true }
});

const Recurring = mongoose.model('Recurring', recurringSchema);
const Transaction = mongoose.model('Transaction', transactionSchema);

app.use(express.json());

app.post('/api/finance/recurring', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const { title, type, amount, category, frequency, nextOccurrence } = req.body;
    if (!title || !type || !amount || !frequency || !nextOccurrence) {
      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing required fields.' });
    }
    const newRecurring = new Recurring({
      title,
      type,
      amount,
      category,
      frequency,
      nextOccurrence: new Date(nextOccurrence)
    });
    await newRecurring.save();
    res.status(201).json({ message: 'Recurring transaction scheduled.', recurring: newRecurring });
  } catch (error) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: 'Internal server error.' });
  }
});

cron.schedule('0 0 _ _ \*', async () => {
  const today = new Date();
  const dueTransactions = await Recurring.find({ nextOccurrence: { $lte: today } });
  for (let recurring of dueTransactions) {
    const newTransaction = new Transaction({
      title: recurring.title,
      type: recurring.type,
      amount: recurring.amount,
      category: recurring.category,
      date: new Date()
    });
    await newTransaction.save();

    const next = new Date(recurring.nextOccurrence);
    switch (recurring.frequency) {
      case 'daily':
        next.setDate(next.getDate() + 1);
        break;
      case 'weekly':
        next.setDate(next.getDate() + 7);
        break;
      case 'monthly':
        next.setMonth(next.getMonth() + 1);
        break;
    }
    recurring.nextOccurrence = next;
    await recurring.save();
  }
});

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server started on port ${PORT}`);
});

Book a call with an Expert

Starting a new venture? Need to upgrade your web app? RapidDev builds application with your growth in mind.

Book a free No-Code consultation

Best Practices for Building a Finance tracker with AI Code Generators

Prerequisites

A computer with an internet connection.
Basic understanding of finance concepts such as budgeting, expense tracking, and income management.
An interest in AI and how code generators work (no deep technical skills are needed, but familiarity with concepts helps).
A modern web browser to use online tools and platforms.
Access to an AI code generator platform (such as ChatGPT or similar tools) to assist with coding.

Planning Your Finance Tracker

Begin by outlining the key features of your tracker. For instance:
- Expense and income logging
- Budget planning
- Visual graphs and charts
- Reports and summaries
Sketch a simple design or flowchart showing how users will interact with your tracker.
Decide on the platforms where your tracker will run (web, mobile, or desktop).

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Choose a programming language suitable for your project (Python is widely recommended for beginners due to its readability).
Find an integrated development environment (IDE) or code editor that you are comfortable using (Visual Studio Code, Atom, etc.).
Install any necessary tools:
- Python (if you choose Python)
- A web framework like Flask or Django for web-based trackers
- Database systems such as SQLite for storing financial data
Create a dedicated folder on your computer for your project files.

Integrating AI Code Generators in Your Workflow

Sign up for an AI code generator service if you haven't already.
Familiarize yourself with the service by reading its guidelines and tutorials.
When starting a new feature, describe what you want the code to do. For example, instruct the AI: "Generate Python code to create a basic expense entry form."
Review and understand the AI-generated code. This helps you learn and ensures the code fits your application’s needs.

Building the Core of Your Finance Tracker

Create the user interface (UI) for entering financial data. Use HTML and CSS for web applications or a UI framework if needed.
Implement the backend logic to process and store data using your chosen programming language.

Use an AI code generator to help write boilerplate code. For example, you may request code to handle form data submission:


# Example Python code for processing a form submission in Flask
from flask import Flask, request, redirect, url_for, render_template

app = Flask(name)
@app.route('/', methods=['GET', 'POST'])
def index():
    if request.method == 'POST':
        expense = request.form['expense']
        amount = request.form['amount']
        # Here, add code to save the expense to a database
        return redirect(url_for('index'))
    return render_template('index.html')
if name == 'main':
    app.run(debug=True)

Enhance your project gradually by integrating additional features like charts, budgets, and reporting sections. Use AI suggestions to speed up repetitive coding tasks.

Implementing Data Security and Compliance

Ensure user data is securely stored by incorporating encryption when necessary.
Follow best practices on data protection, especially if handling sensitive financial information.
Consult simple tutorials or guides about securing your chosen framework (e.g., Flask security tips).
Use an AI code generator to suggest improvements, but always double-check the results for compliance with security standards.

Testing Your Finance Tracker

Perform manual testing by entering sample data and confirming that all functionalities work as expected.
Use AI tools to help generate unit tests if available. For example, you might ask for a Python testing script:


# Example unit test in Python using unittest
import unittest
from my_finance_tracker import app

class TestFinanceTracker(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.app = app.test_client()
def test_index_page(self):
    result = self.app.get('/')
    self.assertEqual(result.status\_code, 200)

if name == 'main':
    unittest.main()

Collect feedback from potential users or friends to identify any issues or improvements that can be made.

Optimizing and Debugging Your Application

Review the code generated by the AI to understand its structure and optimize where necessary.
Use debugging tools integrated in your IDE to pinpoint issues.
Ask your AI code generator for optimized snippets if you run into performance bottlenecks.

Deploying and Maintaining Your Finance Tracker

Select a deployment platform that suits your application, such as Replit, Heroku, or any other web hosting service.
Follow the hosting platform’s specific instructions to deploy your application. You may use AI suggestions to write deployment scripts.
Keep your application updated:
- Monitor user feedback and error logs.
- Regularly update security patches and dependencies.
- Continuously use AI tools to generate code for new features or improvements.

By following these steps, non-technical users can build a finance tracker with the assistance of AI code generators. This approach not only streamlines the coding process but also helps in learning important fundamentals of app development while ensuring best practices in security and performance.

Client trust and success are our top priorities

When it comes to serving you, we sweat the little things. That’s why our work makes a big impact.

Rapid Dev was an exceptional project management organization and the best development collaborators I've had the pleasure of working with. They do complex work on extremely fast timelines and effectively manage the testing and pre-launch process to deliver the best possible product. I'm extremely impressed with their execution ability.

CPO, Praction - Arkady Sokolov

May 2, 2023

Working with Matt was comparable to having another co-founder on the team, but without the commitment or cost. He has a strategic mindset and willing to change the scope of the project in real time based on the needs of the client. A true strategic thought partner!

Co-Founder, Arc - Donald Muir

Dec 27, 2022

Rapid Dev are 10/10, excellent communicators - the best I've ever encountered in the tech dev space. They always go the extra mile, they genuinely care, they respond quickly, they're flexible, adaptable and their enthusiasm is amazing.

Co-CEO, Grantify - Mat Westergreen-Thorne

Oct 15, 2022

Rapid Dev is an excellent developer for no-code and low-code solutions.
We’ve had great success since launching the platform in November 2023. In a few months, we’ve gained over 1,000 new active users. We’ve also secured several dozen bookings on the platform and seen about 70% new user month-over-month growth since the launch.

Co-Founder, Church Real Estate Marketplace - Emmanuel Brown

May 1, 2024

Matt’s dedication to executing our vision and his commitment to the project deadline were impressive.
This was such a specific project, and Matt really delivered. We worked with a really fast turnaround, and he always delivered. The site was a perfect prop for us!

Production Manager, Media Production Company - Samantha Fekete

Sep 23, 2022

How to build Finance tracker with Lovable?

How to build Finance tracker with Lovable?

Want to explore opportunities to work with us?

How to set up an Express API with MongoDB for your finance tracker

How to build a currency conversion endpoint for your Finance Tracker with Lovable?

How to schedule recurring transactions for your finance tracker with Lovable?

Want to explore opportunities to work with us?

Best Practices for Building a Finance tracker with AI Code Generators

Client trust and success are our top priorities