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EMAIL_NOTIFICATIONS.md

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ExpenseFlow Email Notifications System

Features Implemented

📧 Email Notification System

  • Welcome emails on user registration
  • Monthly expense summary reports
  • Weekly spending reports
  • Budget limit alerts
  • Password reset emails (structure ready)

New Files Created

Backend Files:

  1. services/emailService.js - Complete email service with templates
  2. services/cronJobs.js - Automated email scheduling
  3. routes/notifications.js - Manual email trigger endpoints
  4. Updated routes/auth.js - Welcome email on registration
  5. Updated server.js - Cron jobs initialization
  6. Updated package.json - Added nodemailer and node-cron
  7. Updated .env - Email configuration variables

Email Types

✅ Welcome Email

  • Sent automatically on user registration
  • Includes getting started guide
  • Professional HTML template

✅ Monthly Reports

  • Automated on 1st of every month at 10 AM
  • Total income, expenses, and balance
  • Top 5 spending categories
  • Financial health summary

✅ Weekly Reports

  • Automated every Sunday at 9 AM
  • Daily spending breakdown
  • Weekly total and daily average
  • Spending pattern insights

✅ Budget Alerts

  • Daily check at 8 PM
  • Triggered at 80% budget usage
  • Category-wise spending alerts
  • Remaining budget information

✅ Password Reset (Ready)

  • Secure reset token generation
  • Time-limited reset links
  • Professional email template

API Endpoints

Manual Email Triggers:

  • POST /api/notifications/test - Send test welcome email
  • POST /api/notifications/monthly-report - Generate monthly report
  • POST /api/notifications/weekly-report - Generate weekly report

Automated Schedules

Cron Job Schedule:

// Weekly reports - Every Sunday at 9 AM
'0 9 * * 0'

// Monthly reports - 1st day of month at 10 AM  
'0 10 1 * *'

// Budget alerts - Daily at 8 PM
'0 20 * * *'

Setup Instructions

  1. Install dependencies:
npm install nodemailer node-cron
  1. Configure email in .env:
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USER=[email protected]
EMAIL_PASS=your-app-password
EMAIL_FROM=ExpenseFlow <[email protected]>
  1. Gmail Setup:
    • Enable 2-factor authentication
    • Generate app-specific password
    • Use app password in EMAIL_PASS

Email Templates

Professional HTML Templates:

  • Responsive design - Works on all devices
  • Brand colors - Consistent with ExpenseFlow theme
  • Rich formatting - Tables, charts, and visual elements
  • Call-to-action buttons - Interactive elements
  • Financial data - Formatted currency and percentages

Usage Examples

Welcome Email:

await emailService.sendWelcomeEmail(user);

Monthly Report:

const reportData = {
  totalExpenses: 25000,
  totalIncome: 50000,
  balance: 25000,
  topCategories: [...]
};
await emailService.sendMonthlyReport(user, reportData);

Budget Alert:

await emailService.sendBudgetAlert(user, 'food', 8500, 10000);

Benefits

📧 Automated Communication - Users stay informed without manual intervention
📊 Financial Insights - Regular spending analysis and trends
⚠️ Proactive Alerts - Budget warnings before overspending
🎯 User Engagement - Regular touchpoints to maintain app usage
📱 Multi-channel - Email + in-app notifications

The email notification system ensures users stay connected with their financial data and receive timely insights to make better spending decisions.

Resolves: #47