Invoice Generator CLI

A simple command-line tool to generate professional HTML invoices that can be easily converted to PDF.

Features

• Interactive CLI interface for entering invoice details
• Support for multiple tasks per invoice
• Configurable company details and branding
• Custom hourly rates (fixed or variable per task)
• Professional HTML output with print-optimized styling
• Easy conversion to PDF using browser print function

Setup

1. Ensure you have Python installed on your system
2. Clone this repository
3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create necessary directories (will be created automatically on first run):
   • assets/ - for storing logo files
   • invoices/ - for generated invoice files

Configuration

The tool uses a config.json file for basic settings. You can create or modify it with the following structure:

{
    "company": {
        "name": "Your Company Name",
        "address": "123 Main St, City, State, ZIP",
        "phone": "555-1234",
        "email": "[email protected]"
    },
    "tasks": [
        {
            "name": "Task 1",
            "rate": 50
        },
        {
            "name": "Task 2",
            "rate": 60
        }
    ]
}

Configuration Options:

• company: Your business details
  • name: Company name that appears on invoices
  • address: Full company address
  • phone: Contact phone number
  • email: Contact email address
• tasks: Predefined list of tasks with default rates
  • name: Task name/description
  • rate: Default hourly rate for this task type

If no config file exists, the tool will create one with default values.

Using the CLI

Starting the Tool

python cli.py

Interactive Prompts

1. Client Information

   Enter client/organization name: [Client Name]
   

2. Task Selection

   Select task type or enter custom task:
   1. Task 1 ($50/hr)
   2. Task 2 ($60/hr)
   3. Custom task
   

3. Task Details

   Enter task date (YYYY-MM-DD): [Date]
   Enter hours spent: [Hours]
   

4. Adding More Tasks

   Add another task? (y/n): [y/n]
   

Example Session

$ python cli.py
Enter client/organization name: Acme Corp
Select task type:
1. Task 1 ($50/hr)
2. Task 2 ($60/hr)
3. Custom task
Choice: 1
Enter task date (YYYY-MM-DD): 2024-03-15
Enter hours spent: 8
Add another task? (y/n): n

Output

The tool will generate an HTML invoice in the generated-invoices directory. The filename will include the client name and date.

Converting to PDF

1. Open the generated HTML file in your browser
2. Press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac)
3. Select "Save as PDF" in the print dialog
4. Click "Save"

Tips

• Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format
• You can press Ctrl+C at any time to cancel invoice generation
• The generated HTML is optimized for A4 paper size
• All monetary values are in USD