Managing monthly expenses is an essential part of budgeting and financial planning. With the advancement of web technologies, we can create a simple yet effective monthly expenses calculator using HTML, jQuery, AJAX, and PHP. In this article, we will walk through the code for building such a calculator, step by step.
HTML FORM
We start by creating an HTML form that allows users to input their expenses for different categories such as rent, utilities, groceries, entertainment, and other expenses. We use Bootstrap CSS classes to style the form and make it visually appealing. The form includes input fields for each expense category and a submit button for submitting the form.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Monthly Expenses Calculator</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.5.2/css/bootstrap.min.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="container mt-5">
<h1 class="text-center">Monthly Expenses Calculator</h1>
<form id="expensesForm">
<div class="form-group">
<label for="rentInput">Rent</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="rentInput" placeholder="Enter rent expense">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="utilitiesInput">Utilities</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="utilitiesInput" placeholder="Enter utilities expense">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="groceriesInput">Groceries</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="groceriesInput" placeholder="Enter groceries expense">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="entertainmentInput">Entertainment</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="entertainmentInput" placeholder="Enter entertainment expense">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="otherInput">Other</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="otherInput" placeholder="Enter other expense">
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Calculate</button>
</form>
<div id="result" class="mt-3"></div>
</div>
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.5.2/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
jQuery for Form Submission
Next, we use jQuery to handle the form submission event. When the form is submitted, we retrieve the input values from the form fields using jQuery selectors. We then perform validation to ensure that the input values are valid numbers. If a field is empty or not a valid number, we set a default value of 0.
AJAX Request to PHP Script
Once we have the validated input values, we send them as data in an AJAX request to a PHP script. We use the '$.ajax()' function in jQuery to send the request asynchronously to the server without reloading the page. The PHP script will receive the input values as POST data.
$(document).ready(function() {
$("#expensesForm").submit(function(event) {
event.preventDefault(); // Prevent form submission
var rent = parseFloat($("#rentInput").val()) || 0;
var utilities = parseFloat($("#utilitiesInput").val()) || 0;
var groceries = parseFloat($("#groceriesInput").val()) || 0;
var entertainment = parseFloat($("#entertainmentInput").val()) || 0;
var other = parseFloat($("#otherInput").val()) || 0;
$.ajax({
url:"calculate_expenses.php",
type:"POST",
data: {
rent: rent,
utilities: utilities,
groceries: groceries,
entertainment: entertainment,
other: other
},
success: function(response) {
$("#result").html("<h4>Total Expenses: " + response + </h4>);
}
});
});
});
PHP Script for Calculating Total Expenses
On the server side, we create a PHP script that calculates the total expenses based on the input values received from the AJAX request. We use PHP's '$_POST' global variable to retrieve the input values. We then perform the necessary calculations, such as summing up the values to calculate the total expenses.
// Retrieve input values
$rent = floatval($_POST['rent']) ?? 0;
$utilities = floatval($_POST['utilities'])?? 0;
$groceries = floatval($_POST['groceries']) ?? 0;
$entertainment = floatval($_POST['entertainment']) ?? 0;
$other = floatval($_POST['other']) ?? 0;
// Calculate total expenses
$totalExpenses = $rent + $utilities + $groceries + $entertainment + $other;
// Send total expenses as response
echo $totalExpenses;
AJAX Response and Result Display
The PHP script returns the total expenses as a response to the AJAX request. The JavaScript code in the AJAX request's success callback function retrieves the response and updates the result element in the HTML with the calculated total expenses. Bootstrap classes are used to style the result element, making it visually appealing.
Conclusion:
In this article, we have seen how to create a simple monthly expenses calculator using HTML, jQuery, AJAX, and PHP. By following the step-by-step code explanation, you can easily implement this calculator in your web projects. Managing monthly expenses becomes much easier with this calculator, helping users budget and plan their finances effectively.