Create a Simple Expense Tracking App Using Google AppSheet — Part1

Welcome!

In this blog post, I am going to show you how to create a simple Expense Tracking app using Google AppSheet. This app can be used to track your expenses. Additionally, I will demonstrate how you can download a csv file at the end of every week or month that contains all the expenses made by the user.

This blog is divided into two parts:

1. In the first part, I will show you how to create the app and make your first expense entry in it.
2. In the second part I will show you how to organise and beautify the entries made by the user, and how to export a csv file with all the entries in it.

So let’s get started.

Step1: Sample Google Sheet:

In this blog I am going to use a spreadsheet that contains two sheets. If you prefer working with the spreadsheet click here to make a copy of the spreadsheet.

The first sheet contains the following details:

1. Timestamp
2. User’s Email Address
3. Category
4. Name of the Expenditure
5. Amount Spent

The second sheet contains the key and the categories under which an expenditure can be made.

Step2: Create the App:

After you are done setting up the sheets, it’s time to create the app. To create the app go to appsheet.com.

In order to get started, you have to click on login.Just enter your email address and accept all the permissions.

To create the app click on the plus sign. As soon as you click on the plus sign, it will show you the following options.

Here you will be asked whether you want to start with your data, use a sample or start with an idea. Since we have our data we have to click on Start with your own data.

When you click on Start with your own data it will ask you to give a name, choose the category of the app and then choose the spreadsheet that we just created.

When you click Choose your data, you have to paste the name of the sheet that you created.After you choose the spreadsheet you will see something like this.

It will take a few seconds to set up.After the app is set up, this should appear.

On the right side of the screen you can see the preview of the app.It will show you how the app looks. At the bottom there are two tabs one is the Spending and the second one is the calendar. But here you cannot see the second sheet in the app. In order to do that, follow these steps.

1. Click on Data.

2. Next, you have to click on the Tables button

3. Next you have to click on the plus sign that says New Table.

4. After clicking you will see something like this.

Here it will ask you to choose the name of the spreadsheet. After selecting the spreadsheet, you have to specify the second sheet called categories .

5. After selecting the sheet, click on Add this Table.

6. Now you can see that the sheet has been added to the app.

Even after adding the sheet, you cannot see it in the app preview. In order to add categories in the app view, follow these steps.

1. Click on UX

2. When you click on UX it will show you the views in the app.

3. In order to add a new view you have to click on the button New View.

4. Here it will ask you to give a name to the view and then ask you to specify the name of the sheet. After this if you want you can make some other changes to it.

5. Click on save after you have made the changes.

6. This is what you will see after you click on save.

Now we have added the second sheet to the data and the UX. Now we have to use the sheet in the spending section. As soon as the user clicks on categories, we have to show all the categories under which the user can make expenses. In order to do that, follow these steps.

• First go to the data section and click on the Columns tab.

• After clicking on the Columns tab, you have to click on the spending which will show you all the data and their details, such as data type,etc.

• Here we have to change the Category part, so click on the edit button next to Category.

• On clicking the edit button you will be shown the properties of the column.

• Here we have to change the data type to Ref, so that it can take the Category sheet for reference.

• After clicking reference, it will ask you for the sheet name, in that you have to select the Category sheet.

• After doing this, click on Done, and then go ahead and save it.

• After saving it. Go to the app preview and click on the plus sign.

Now when you click on it you will see something like this.

Next to Category, you can see a dropdown arrow. When you click on it you can see all the categories that we had mentioned on the sheet.

Now we have everything setup. Now let’s go ahead and make our first expense.To do that follow these steps:

• Click on the plus sign.

• Now enter the email address, select the category, enter the name of the expenditure and then specify the amount spent.
• After entering the details click on save. After clicking save you will see something like this.

• Here you can see that the expense has been added.

That’s all for this blog. In the next blog I am going to show you how to organise and beautify the expenses made by the user, followed by exporting a csv containing all the expenses.