Invoice Generator

The Invoice Generator is a Python script that automates the creation of professional-looking invoices in PDF format and their transmission via email. It leverages the ReportLab library for PDF generation and the smtplib library for email transmission. Designed as a cost-effective solution, it provides a free alternative to expensive invoice applications, offering essential features without unnecessary costs.

Features

• Generate customised invoices with:
  • item details
  • invoice number
  • amount
  • billed-to information
  • payment details
• Automatically populate the invoice date with the current date.
• Save commonly used emails for effeciency
• Attach the generated PDF invoice to an email and send it to the recipient.
• Support for environment variables to securely store payment details.

Run the script

python3 main.py 

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Installation Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

git clone git@github.com:IsaacCavallaro/Invoice-Generator.git
cd invoice-generator

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2. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

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3. Set Up Environment Variables

• If you haven't already installed direnv, you can do so using Homebrew (for macOS users):

brew install direnv

• Create a file called .envrc and add the following:

export PAYMENT_METHOD='Bank Transfer'
export ACCOUNT_NO='YourAccountNumber'
export ACCOUNT_NAME='YourAccountName'
export BSB='YourBSB'
export SENDER_EMAIL='YourEmailAddress'
export SENDER_PASSWORD='YourEmailPassword'
export INVOICE_FROM='YourName'

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• Allow the .envrc file to be loaded:

direnv allow

• Note: Ensure to keep your .envrc file secure and do not share it publicly.

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4. Create initial emails

• Create a file called email_addresses.json and add your common emails with a short name which will map to the email address:

{
    "test-name": "test-email@test.com",
    "test-again": "test-again@test.com"
}

Additional Tips

• Ensure Python 3.x is installed on your system. To check your Python version, run:

python3 --version

• Make sure the version displayed is compatible with the dependencies specified in requirements.txt.

• Customise invoice_template.pdf for your specific invoice layout if needed.