Thread: Suggestions for my Check Book program

Hi everyone. I've made a Check Book program and i need some feedback.
This was an old console project my 8th grade teacher assigned me and i've upgraded it with mfc.
feature include:
1.) Database - add/remove/insert/edit
2.) Balance for each transaction
3.) Simple Entry methods. - Date/Type/Location/Amount
4.) List Control for display/selection
5.) Basic Statics - average deposits/average withdraw
6.) View mode - 30days/60days/90days/uncleared
7.) Identifier for transactions which have not been validated yet.
8.) Simple File format with an improvised checksum validation.
9.) Text file export.
10.) Program options stored in file
11.) Way 2 Save option - for WalkAllOverYa Members
12.) Round Up option - for Bank of America Members
13.) Location Search (F3)
I also keep track of the way2save and roundup totals as well as a total balance

If anyone can think of something good to add, please post.
Thanks
Nor.
P.S. ms visual studio.net 2003 If you want to see the code PM me. its well commented.

Reading your description of features, I can tell you are a programmer. When you are describing you Check Book program, and your first features is "Database add/remove/insert/edit", you need to tell people about the feature, not the back-end technology. Add and insert, to me, are the same thing.

Simple file format...? If you are running a database, why is there a simple file format? Did you create the database manager system?

Perhaps you can describe it by saying things like:

1) Transaction Entering, Editing and Deleting
2) Running Balance, displayed on a per-transaction basis

When a transaction is entered, wouldn't all of "data, type, location and Amount" be entered? How is it simple? (And where did "location" come from? Is this like "I was in Hawaii when I wrote a check"? ) Where is Payee? Memo?

If you upgraded your console application to use a GUI, you are still in "console dark ages" by describing your us to us in "console mode" (ie, one liners). Let's see some screen shots! Be proud of your work.

Reports / Graphs would be nice. Quicken does this, and when I used Quicken, it was nice.

One shortcoming Quicken had when I used it was it only had one Category. A Cataegory might be "Automobile" or "House". You could subset a category (like Auto:Fuel or Auto:Repairs, etc.), but I was looking for more.

For instance, I wanted an option to mark a transaction as "monthly fixed recurring" (ie Mortgage or car payment) or "monthly varying recurring" (groceries, electric, gasoline) or as "one time only" (replace water heater), and so on. When budgeting this would give a nice hi/lo picture of what I spend.

Let's see some screen shots! Be proud of your work

Before you look at the screen shots, please know that I'm trying to keep all options visible to the end user. Personally I hate having to shift through menus to find the command I need.

Attachment 8555
Attachment 8556
Attachment 8557

And where did "location" come from? Is this like "I was in Hawaii when I wrote a check"? ) Where is Payee? Memo?

Great Idea. This is what I've been needing to hear. I'm going to start adding extra comment space tonight. I'll have to figure out a new layout but I like the idea.

A Category might be "Automobile" or "House". You could subset a category (like Auto:Fuel or Auto:Repairs, etc.), but I was looking for more.

Another Great Idea. I've been thinking about adding a sorted list. ( like goggles search box) to the locations control. I could do the same to the Transaction Type Drop-down list and let users enter custom subcategories from the keyboard.

For instance, I wanted an option to mark a transaction as "monthly fixed recurring" (ie Mortgage or car payment) or "monthly varying recurring" (groceries, electric, gasoline) or as "one time only" (replace water heater), and so on.

Yet another Great Idea. how about I try weekly, biweekly, monthly, and quarterly.
With weekly I can let the user select a day of the week.
Monthly a specific day of the month(Like the 15th), But how would quarterly work?

When budgeting this would give a nice hi/lo picture of what I spend.

I've never worked with bitmaps before. got any good links?

Thank you Dino. You've given me the push I have been needing.
Also I'd like to post my code but I can't upload a zip. There are 19 .cpp .h files and i don't think attaching them all would be a good use of this form