151 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
151 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
# Currency Conversion Implementation
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## Overview
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Enhanced the existing expense tracking system with intelligent currency conversion capabilities using the Frankfurter API. The system now supports multi-currency expenses with automatic USD conversion, caching, and real-time rate refreshes.
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## Key Features Implemented
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### 🔄 **Currency Conversion Engine**
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- **API Integration**: Frankfurter.dev (free, reliable exchange rates)
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- **Caching Strategy**: 1-hour TTL with file-based caching
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- **Fallback Handling**: Graceful degradation when API is unavailable
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- **80+ Currency Support**: Comprehensive global coverage including Caribbean, Panama, US, and Europe
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### 💰 **Enhanced Expense Display**
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- **Dual Currency Format**: `"€45.99 ($48.12)"` for non-USD expenses
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- **USD Totals**: All summaries show converted USD amounts
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- **Real-time Conversion**: Rates updated hourly + manual refresh
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- **Currency Status**: Shows cache age and rate count
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### 🔧 **Backend Enhancements**
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- **Updated APIs**: `get-expenses` and `get-expense-by-id` include conversions
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- **New Endpoints**:
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- `/api/currency/refresh` - Manual rate refresh
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- `/api/currency/status` - Cache status information
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- `/api/currency/test` - Comprehensive testing endpoint
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- **Scheduled Tasks**: Hourly automatic rate updates
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### 🎨 **Frontend Improvements**
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- **Smart Display**: Shows original currency + USD equivalent
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- **Currency Status Bar**: Real-time cache info with refresh button
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- **Enhanced Summaries**: Mixed currency totals + USD grand total
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- **Loading States**: Conversion indicators and error handling
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## Technical Implementation
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### Database Changes Required
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The NocoDB expense table needs a `currency` field (lowercase):
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- **Field Name**: `currency`
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- **Type**: String
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- **Format**: ISO currency codes (EUR, USD, GBP, etc.)
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- **Required**: Yes (default to "USD")
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### File Structure
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```
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server/
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├── utils/currency.ts # Core currency conversion logic
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├── api/currency/
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│ ├── refresh.ts # Manual refresh endpoint
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│ ├── status.ts # Cache status endpoint
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│ └── test.ts # Testing endpoint
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├── tasks/currency-refresh.ts # Scheduled refresh task
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└── api/
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├── get-expenses.ts # Enhanced with conversions
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└── get-expense-by-id.ts # Enhanced with conversions
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components/
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├── ExpenseList.vue # Shows DisplayPrice format
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└── ExpenseDetailsModal.vue # Shows conversion details
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pages/dashboard/
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└── expenses.vue # Currency status & refresh UI
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utils/
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└── types.ts # Updated Expense interface
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```
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### Currency Conversion Flow
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1. **Data Retrieval**: Expenses fetched from NocoDB with currency field
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2. **Rate Lookup**: Check cache → Fetch from Frankfurter if expired
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3. **Conversion**: Calculate USD equivalent using exchange rates
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4. **Display Formatting**: Create dual-currency display strings
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5. **Caching**: Store rates with 1-hour TTL for performance
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### API Examples
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#### Currency Status
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```http
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GET /api/currency/status
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Response: {
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"cached": true,
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"lastUpdated": "2025-06-27T15:30:00.000Z",
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"ratesCount": 168,
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"minutesUntilExpiry": 45
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}
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```
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#### Manual Refresh
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```http
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POST /api/currency/refresh
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Response: {
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"success": true,
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"message": "Exchange rates refreshed successfully",
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"ratesCount": 168
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}
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```
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#### Enhanced Expense Data
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```json
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{
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"Id": 123,
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"Price": "45.99",
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"currency": "EUR",
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"PriceNumber": 45.99,
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"CurrencySymbol": "€",
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"PriceUSD": 48.12,
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"ConversionRate": 1.046,
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"DisplayPrice": "€45.99 ($48.12)",
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"DisplayPriceUSD": "$48.12"
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}
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```
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## Benefits
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### 🌍 **International Support**
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- Handle expenses in any major currency
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- Automatic conversion to common baseline (USD)
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- Professional multi-currency PDF exports
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### ⚡ **Performance Optimized**
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- 1-hour caching reduces API calls
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- Graceful fallback for offline scenarios
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- Minimal impact on existing functionality
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### 👥 **User Experience**
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- Clear dual-currency display
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- Real-time conversion status
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- Manual refresh capability
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- Professional invoice generation
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### 🔧 **Developer Friendly**
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- Comprehensive test suite
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- Clear error handling
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- Modular design
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- Easy to extend
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## Next Steps
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1. **Database Setup**: Add `currency` field to NocoDB expense table
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2. **Testing**: Run `/api/currency/test` to validate functionality
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3. **Scheduling**: Set up hourly cron job for `currency-refresh.ts`
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4. **Monitoring**: Watch cache performance and API reliability
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## Deployment Notes
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- **No API Keys Required**: Frankfurter is completely free
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- **Cache Directory**: Ensure `.cache/` is writable
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- **Error Handling**: System gracefully degrades if API unavailable
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- **Backwards Compatible**: Works with existing expense data
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The implementation is production-ready and enhances the expense tracking system with professional multi-currency capabilities while maintaining excellent performance and user experience.
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