Python Desktop Double-Entry Accounting System Development Prompt

Project Overview

Develop a comprehensive double-entry accounting desktop application in

Technical Requirements

Core Technologies

 GUI Framework: PyQt6 or Tkinter (PyQt6 recommended for modern

 Database: SQLite3 for local data storage

 Data Processing: pandas for data manipulation and analysis

 Reporting: matplotlib/plotly for charts, reportlab for PDF generation

 File Handling: openpyxl for Excel export/import, csv module for CSV
operations

 Validation: Custom validation classes for double-entry rules

Project Structure

finaccel_desktop/

├── main.py # Application entry point

├── config/

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── database.py # Database configuration

│ └── settings.py # Application settings

├── models/

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── account.py # Account data model

│ ├── voucher.py # Voucher and entry models

│ ├── employee.py # Employee and payroll models

│ └── company.py # Company settings model

├── database/

│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── connection.py # Database connection manager

│ ├── migrations.py # Database schema setup

│ └── queries.py # SQL query definitions

├── gui/

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── main_window.py # Main application window

│ ├── login_dialog.py # Login authentication

│ ├── dashboard.py # Dashboard with widgets

│ ├── accounts/

│ │ ├── chart_of_accounts.py

│ │ ├── account_dialog.py

│ │ └── account_import_export.py

│ ├── vouchers/

│ │ ├── voucher_posting.py

│ │ ├── journal_ledger.py

│ │ └── voucher_dialog.py

│ ├── reports/

│ │ ├── trial_balance.py

│ │ ├── balance_sheet.py

│ │ ├── income_statement.py

│ │ ├── cash_flow.py

│ │ └── financial_reports.py

│ ├── payroll/

│ │ ├── payroll_management.py

│ │ ├── employee_dialog.py

│ │ └── payroll_processing.py

│ └── settings/

│ ├── company_settings.py

│ ├── user_preferences.py
│ ├── security_settings.py

│ └── backup_restore.py

├── utils/

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── accounting_utils.py # Double-entry validation

│ ├── format_utils.py # Currency and date formatting

│ ├── export_utils.py # PDF/Excel export functions

│ └── validators.py # Input validation

├── resources/

│ ├── icons/ # Application icons

│ ├── stylesheets/ # CSS-like styling

│ └── templates/ # Report templates

└── tests/

├── __init__.py

├── test_models.py

├── test_accounting.py

└── test_gui.py

Data Models

Account Model

class Account:

def __init__(self):

self.id = None

self.code = ""

self.name = ""

self.type = "" # Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, Expense

self.category = ""

self.balance = 0.0

self.is_active = True

self.parent_id = None
 self.created_date = None

self.updated_date = None

Voucher and Entry Models

class Voucher:

def __init__(self):

self.id = None

self.date = None

self.voucher_type = "" # Journal, Payment, Receipt, Sales, Purchase

self.voucher_number = ""

self.description = ""

self.entries = []

self.total_debit = 0.0

self.total_credit = 0.0

self.is_balanced = False

self.created_by = ""

self.created_date = None

class VoucherEntry:

def __init__(self):

self.id = None

self.voucher_id = None

self.account_id = None

self.account_name = ""

self.description = ""

self.debit = 0.0

self.credit = 0.0

self.reference = ""

Employee and Payroll Models

class Employee:
 def __init__(self):

self.id = None

self.name = ""

self.position = ""

self.salary = 0.0

self.start_date = None

self.is_active = True

class PayrollEntry:

def __init__(self):

self.id = None

self.employee_id = None

self.period = ""

self.basic_salary = 0.0

self.allowances = 0.0

self.deductions = 0.0

self.net_salary = 0.0

self.date_processed = None

Core Functionality Requirements

1. Authentication & User Management

 Login dialog with username/password

 User session management

 Role-based access control (if needed)

 Password security and encryption

2. Dashboard Features

 Key financial metrics display

 Recent transaction summary

 Quick action buttons

 Interactive charts showing:

 Expense breakdown

 Asset/Liability trends

3. Chart of Accounts Management

 Hierarchical account structure

 Account creation, editing, deletion

 Account type validation (Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, Expense)

 Account code auto-generation

 CSV import/export functionality

 Account activation/deactivation

4. Voucher Posting System

 Multi-entry voucher creation

 Real-time double-entry validation

 Automatic voucher numbering

 Support for different voucher types:

 Journal entries

 Payment vouchers

 Receipt vouchers

 Sales vouchers

 Purchase vouchers

 Entry editing and deletion

 Balance verification before saving

5. Journal Ledger

 Comprehensive transaction listing

 Advanced filtering options:

 Date range

 Account selection

 Voucher type

 Search functionality
  Export capabilities

 Transaction drill-down details

6. Financial Reports

Trial Balance

 Real-time balance calculation

 Date-specific reporting

 Balance verification

 Export to PDF/Excel

Balance Sheet

 Standard balance sheet format

 Assets, Liabilities, and Equity sections

 Automatic balance verification

 Comparative period analysis

Income Statement

 Revenue and expense categorization

 Gross profit calculation

 Operating income analysis

 Net income determination

 Profit margin calculations

Cash Flow Statement

 Operating, Investing, Financing activities

 Indirect method calculation

 Net cash flow analysis

 Beginning and ending cash positions

7. Payroll Management

 Employee master data management

 Salary structure setup

 Automatic payroll calculation

 Allowances and deductions handling

 Payroll history tracking

 Integration with accounting entries

8. Reports and Analytics

 Interactive charts and graphs

 Financial ratio analysis

 Trend analysis

 Custom report generation

 Automated report scheduling

 Multiple export formats (PDF, Excel, CSV)

9. Settings and Configuration

Company Settings

 Company information management

 Logo and branding

 Default account settings

 Fiscal year configuration

Accounting Settings

 Account numbering schemes

 Default accounts setup

 Currency settings

 Decimal precision

User Preferences

 Interface customization

 Default date formats

 Report preferences

 Language settings

Security Settings

 Password policies

 Session timeout
  Data encryption

 Access logging

Backup and Restore

 Database backup functionality

 Automated backup scheduling

 Data restore capabilities

 Export/import complete datasets

Technical Implementation Details

Database Schema

-- Accounts table

CREATE TABLE accounts (

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,

code VARCHAR(20) UNIQUE NOT NULL,

name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,

type VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,

category VARCHAR(50),

balance DECIMAL(15,2) DEFAULT 0,

is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,

parent_id INTEGER,

created_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,

updated_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

);

-- Vouchers table

CREATE TABLE vouchers (

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,

date DATE NOT NULL,

voucher_type VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,

voucher_number VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,

total_debit DECIMAL(15,2) DEFAULT 0,

total_credit DECIMAL(15,2) DEFAULT 0,

is_balanced BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0,

created_by VARCHAR(50),

created_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

);

-- Voucher entries table

CREATE TABLE voucher_entries (

id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,

voucher_id INTEGER NOT NULL,

account_id INTEGER NOT NULL,

description TEXT,

debit DECIMAL(15,2) DEFAULT 0,

credit DECIMAL(15,2) DEFAULT 0,

reference VARCHAR(100),

FOREIGN KEY (voucher_id) REFERENCES vouchers(id),

FOREIGN KEY (account_id) REFERENCES accounts(id)

);

Key Validation Logic

def validate_double_entry(entries):

"""Validate that total debits equal total credits"""

total_debits = sum(entry.debit for entry in entries)

total_credits = sum(entry.credit for entry in entries)

return abs(total_debits - total_credits) < 0.01

def generate_voucher_number(voucher_type, last_number):

"""Generate sequential voucher numbers"""

year = datetime.now().year

number = str(last_number + 1).zfill(4)

return f"{prefix}{year}{number}"

GUI Design Requirements

Main Window Layout

 Menu bar with File, Edit, Reports, Tools, Help

 Toolbar with quick access buttons

 Navigation panel (sidebar) with module icons

 Main content area for forms and reports

 Status bar with user info and system status

Key Windows and Dialogs

1. Login Dialog: Simple username/password form

2. Dashboard: Card-based metrics with charts

3. Account Management: Tree view with CRUD operations

4. Voucher Entry: Form-based with dynamic entry rows

5. Report Viewers: Tabular data with export options

6. Settings Dialogs: Tabbed interface for configurations

UI/UX Considerations

 Modern, clean interface design

 Consistent color scheme and fonts

 Keyboard shortcuts for power users

 Context menus for quick actions

 Progress indicators for long operations

 Error handling with user-friendly messages

 Help system integration

Development Phases

Phase 1: Core Infrastructure (Weeks 1-2)

 Database setup and migrations

 User authentication

 Configuration management

Phase 2: Account Management (Weeks 3-4)

 Chart of accounts implementation

 Account CRUD operations

 Import/export functionality

 Account validation

Phase 3: Transaction Processing (Weeks 5-7)

 Voucher posting system

 Double-entry validation

 Journal ledger

 Transaction search and filtering

Phase 4: Financial Reporting (Weeks 8-10)

 Trial balance generation

 Balance sheet creation

 Income statement

 Cash flow statement

 PDF export functionality

Phase 5: Payroll Module (Weeks 11-12)

 Employee management

 Payroll calculation

 Payroll processing

 Integration with accounting

Phase 6: Advanced Features (Weeks 13-14)

 Reports and analytics

 Dashboard charts

 Settings management

 Backup/restore functionality
Phase 7: Testing and Refinement (Weeks 15-16)

 Comprehensive testing

 Bug fixes

 Performance optimization

 Documentation completion

Success Criteria

 All features from the React web application successfully

 Intuitive and responsive user interface

 Accurate double-entry accounting validation

 Comprehensive financial reporting

 Robust data management and backup

 Professional-quality PDF exports

 Stable and error-free operation

 Complete user documentation

Additional Considerations

 Performance: Handle databases with 10,000+ transactions

 Scalability: Support multiple companies/databases

 Compliance: Follow standard accounting principles

 Security: Protect sensitive financial data

 Usability: Design for accounting professionals

 Maintenance: Code structure for easy updates

 Documentation: Comprehensive user and developer guides

This prompt provides a complete roadmap for developing a professional