RECEIPT CAPTURE V1.03 - WINDOWS 10 / WINDOWS 11
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
----------------------
I truly hope you and your family are safe. I understand that dealing with a
wildfire evacuation or insurance loss can be a terrible and stressful time.
My hope is that Receipt Capture saves you some administrative time so you can
spend more of it with your family.

Please also be patient with your claims adjuster. They are doing the best they
can to work through your claim with you, and they understand some of the stress
you are going through.

WHAT IT DOES
------------
Receipt Capture turns a smart phone into a wireless receipt camera. Take a
photo on the phone, review it immediately on the computer, verify/edit the
merchant, receipt date and amount, then save it into a local SQLite database.
It exports XLSX workbooks and tracks insurance submission batches so the same
receipt is not accidentally sent twice.

FIRST INSTALL OR UPDATE
-----------------------
1. Extract this ZIP anywhere (Downloads is fine).
2. Double-click INSTALL-RECEIPT-CAPTURE.bat.
3. Receipt Capture always installs/updates the SAME directory:
       C:\ReceiptCapture
4. Receipt data is stored separately and preserved under:
       %USERPROFILE%\Documents\ReceiptCapture
5. The installer creates/updates a Receipt Capture Desktop shortcut.

CLEAN-SLATE OPTION
------------------
Every install/update asks whether to start with a clean slate. The prompt waits
5 seconds and defaults to NO, so normal upgrades preserve all receipts/settings
without requiring input. Choose YES only when intentionally troubleshooting or
starting over. Before resetting, the installer moves the previous data into one
rolling safety folder named ReceiptCapture-PRE-RESET beside the normal data
folder.

NORMAL DAILY USE
----------------
Do NOT run the installer every time. Start Receipt Capture using:
  * the Receipt Capture Desktop shortcut, or
  * C:\ReceiptCapture\RUN-RECEIPT-CAPTURE.bat

SMART PHONE PAIRING
-------------------
1. Start Receipt Capture on the computer.
2. Make sure the computer and smart phone are on the same PRIVATE Wi-Fi.
3. Scan the QR code shown on the dashboard.
4. The QR includes a temporary pairing token that changes on every app start.
5. Tap Take Receipt on the phone, photograph the receipt, then review it on
   the computer.

The dashboard and exports are restricted to the computer itself. The paired
phone receives only the capture/upload/status functions needed for the current
session.

INSURANCE CLAIM INFORMATION
---------------------------
At the top of the dashboard you can save:
  * Claimant / Household Name
  * Insurance Company
  * Policy Number
  * Insurance Claim Reference
  * Currency (three-letter code such as CAD, USD, EUR or GBP)

After Save Claim Information, the entry form collapses into a compact summary
at the top of the dashboard. Use Edit Claim Information whenever a change is
needed. These values are stored locally and included in Master XLSX exports and
insurance submission packages. Currency applies to the whole claim; Receipt Capture does not convert exchange rates or mix currencies within one
claim. Each submission batch snapshots the claim information that existed when that package was created.

SUBMISSIONS
-----------
Use Create New Submission Package when you are ready to send receipts to the
insurance company. Only currently Unsubmitted receipts are included. After all
required package files are created successfully, those records are marked
Submitted. Later receipts remain Unsubmitted for the next package.

Before creating the package you can choose the image size used ONLY for outgoing
submission copies:
  * Standard - current insurance-ready image quality.
  * Email-friendly - smaller copies intended to retain good receipt readability.
  * Compact - stronger reduction for difficult email attachment limits.

Your stored Originals and local receipt images are never reduced by these
submission settings. Receipt Capture estimates the package size before creation.
If the estimate is over 10 MB, the recommended option is to split the submission
into multiple normal ZIP files. Each ZIP is independently extractable and is
labelled Part X of N; the adjuster does not need special software to recombine
anything. You can instead choose to keep one larger ZIP if your email or claim
portal accepts it.

If a previously submitted receipt is edited, the historical submission remains
unchanged and the corrected receipt is reopened for correction/resubmission.

SENDING A SUBMISSION TO YOUR CLAIMS ADJUSTER
--------------------------------------------
1. Create the submission package and note the Submission Date and Claim Reference.
2. If your insurer provides a secure claim portal, prefer that method. Otherwise
   attach the generated ZIP to email only after verifying the adjuster's address.
   The ZIP contains the XLSX workbook and its matching receipt images.
3. If Receipt Capture created Part 1 of N, Part 2 of N, etc., send EVERY part.
   If they fit within your provider's limit, they can be attached to one message.
   Otherwise send separate messages clearly labelled Part X of N using the same
   Claim Reference and Submission Date.
4. If your adjuster asks for the spreadsheet as a separate attachment, open the
   ZIP and copy out the XLSX file, then attach that XLSX alongside the ZIP.
5. Before sending, verify the recipient address/claim portal, Claim Reference,
   receipt count, amounts and attachment list.
6. Keep the sent email/portal confirmation and the generated package file(s) for
   your own records.

Email and insurer portal limits vary. The 10 MB threshold in Receipt Capture is
a conservative convenience threshold, not a statement about your provider's
actual maximum attachment size.

DELETE RECEIPT
--------------
Use Delete Receipt for an accidental or unwanted scan. Receipt Capture asks for
confirmation, then removes the live database record plus both the original and
processed image files. A previously submitted receipt receives a stronger
warning: deleting the live record does not retract or alter a package that may
already have been sent, and the historical submission snapshot remains intact.
A deleted live receipt can only be recovered from a backup.

BACKUP AND RESTORE
------------------
Create Backup ZIP creates a consistent SQLite snapshot and includes originals,
processed receipt images, exports, and any pending image files.

Restore Backup ZIP validates the selected backup before changing live data. It
refuses to restore while a receipt is awaiting review and automatically creates
a PRE-RESTORE-SAFETY backup of the current data before restoring the selected
backup. Older Receipt Capture backups that contain a valid receipts.db are also
supported.

Keep occasional backup ZIPs on a different drive or storage location from the
computer being used for the claim.

XLSX DONATIONS TAB
------------------
Exported workbooks include an optional Donations tab. Receipt Capture remains
free to use.

OCR
---
Tesseract OCR is used to suggest merchant/date/amount. The installer attempts
to install it through WinGet. OCR can make mistakes: always verify the values
before saving or submitting.

FIREWALL
--------
On first start Windows may ask whether Python can accept network connections.
Allow PRIVATE networks only. Do not enable Public networks.

SHUTDOWN
--------
Use Exit Receipt Capture in the dashboard. The green SAFE TO EXIT indicator
confirms all accepted receipts are saved. A pending image is preserved if you
explicitly exit while it is awaiting review.

PRIVACY / DISCLAIMER
--------------------
See NOTICE.txt. No cloud service is required. Use Smart Phone capture only on
a private Wi-Fi network you trust. Do not use public, hotel, airport, campground
or other shared/guest Wi-Fi. Receipt Capture uses local HTTP for phone transfer;
the pairing token controls access but the application does not add TLS encryption.

Your own OneDrive/iCloud or other Documents-folder synchronization settings may
still apply. Consider BitLocker/device encryption for claim data stored at rest.

Receipt Capture is provided AS-IS, WITHOUT WARRANTY. It is an organizational
tool, not legal, insurance, tax or financial advice. Always verify all exported
information and your insurer's submission requirements.
