Currency Exchange Rate Calculator

Version: 1.0.0
Author: Jeffrey R. Dotson
Email: jeffreyrdotson@vt.edu
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Jeffrey214/VUT-PP2-CurrencyConverter

Overview

The Currency Exchange Rate Calculator is a Python application developed for the Winter 2024 semester, providing real-time and historical currency conversion using data from the Frankfurter API. It includes a user-friendly GUI built with Tkinter, graphical displays of historical exchange rates, and persistent conversion history.

Features

• Real-Time Currency Conversion:
  Instantly converts currency using live data.

• Historical Exchange Rates:
  Retrieves historical data, displaying minimum, maximum, and average rates.

• Interactive Graphs:
  Visualizes historical exchange rates with Matplotlib graphs.

• Persistent Conversion History:
  Saves conversion details, with options to export history to a file or reset it.

• User-Friendly GUI:
  Interactive interface with dropdown currency selectors, integrated calendar for date selection, and clear visual indicators.

• Visual Enhancements:
  Displays national flags corresponding to selected currencies for enhanced usability.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or newer
• Pip

Install Dependencies

pip install requests Pillow matplotlib tkcalendar

Package Installation

Alternatively, install directly from the provided setup.py:

pip install .

Project Structure

Ensure the project directory structure matches:

your_project/
├── icons/
│   ├── convert.png
│   ├── price_history.png
│   ├── conversion_history.png
│   ├── currency-conversion.ico
│   ├── currency-conversion.png
│   ├── save_icon.png
│   ├── reset.png
│   ├── flip.png
│   └── calendar.png
├── flag_folder_png/
│   ├── us.png
│   ├── eu.png
│   └── ... (other flag images)
├── main.py
├── README.md
└── setup.py

Usage

Launch the Application

Run from the command line:

currency_converter

or

python currency_converter.py

Currency Conversion

1. Select currencies and enter the amount.
2. Click the convert button.
3. View results immediately and saved in history.

View Conversion History

• Click on the history icon to access past conversions.
• Options provided for saving or resetting the history.

Historical Price Data

1. Click the price history icon.
2. Select date range and currencies.
3. Click Show Price History for results and graphical view.

Technical Details

• API Integration: Frankfurter API for accurate exchange rate data.
• GUI Components: Tkinter-based interface enhanced by Pillow for image handling.
• Multithreading: Efficient data fetching with progress indicators.
• Data Management: Persistent storage of conversion history.

Contributing

Contributions are encouraged! Fork the repository and submit pull requests for improvements or fixes.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Frankfurter API: Reliable source of currency data.
• Tkinter, Pillow, Matplotlib, tkcalendar: Robust libraries for GUI and visualization.
• Prosymbols Premium: Icon design (Currency icons by Prosymbols Premium - Flaticon).