Argo Books

Argo Books is easy-to-use accounting software for small and medium sized businesses, with purchase and sales tracking, product management, receipts, report generation, and an analytics dashboard. It fills the gap between a basic spreadsheet and an enterprise accounting suite: the features you actually need, without the learning curve.

This is version 1, the original Windows-only release, built on WinForms. It has been superseded by Argo Books 2, a full rewrite on Avalonia that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This repository is kept for reference.

• Import data from spreadsheets: Import your existing transactions, products, and other data from spreadsheets.
• Track Purchases and Sales: Track your purchases and sales using a simple GUI.
• Product management: Add, edit, and organize your products with ease.
• Return products: Track returned products and the reasons they were returned.
• Mark products as lost: Track lost or damaged products with detailed loss reasons and analytics.
• Receipts: Attach receipts to your transactions and keep them organized.
• Custom date ranges: Filter transactions using custom date ranges.
• Report generation: Create professional, customizable reports with a drag-and-drop layout design, and export to PDF or high-quality images.
• Analytics dashboard: Visualize your data using charts to gain insights into sales trends and performance.

• C# .NET 9: Core framework for the application's logic and UI.
• WinForms: Windows Forms is used for the graphical interface.
• Guna UI: Enhances the look and feel of the application with modern controls and components.
• LiveCharts: Used to visualize data through beautiful and interactive charts.

• .NET 9 SDK: Make sure you have the latest .NET 9 SDK installed on your machine. You can download it here.
• Visual Studio 2022 or later: This project is developed using Visual Studio.
• API Keys: You'll need to obtain the .env file containing the API keys from Evan Di Placido.

1. Clone the repository to your local machine.
2. Place the .env file in the project root directory (where the .sln file is located).
3. Build the project by pressing Ctrl + Shift + B.

After building the solution, press F5 to run the application in Debug mode, or Ctrl + F5 to run it in Release mode.

To use the program effectively, follow these steps:

1. Add companies: Enter the companies you will be buying from.
2. Add categories: Organize your products by creating categories, making it easier to manage inventory and track sales. For example, if your company buys many different types of robotic components, you can add the categories "Bolts, nuts, screws, ball bearings, etc.
3. Add products: Once categories are set, you can create products within those categories.
4. Add transactions: Now you can start adding purchases and sales into the system and watch the charts update in real time.

The .exe installer for Argo Books is built using Advanced Installer Professional Edition to ensure a smooth and professional installation experience. Feel free to contact me directly to request the Advanced Installer project files. Note that the professional edition is a paid product.