AssetPulse – Integrated Asset & Equipment Management System

1. Prerequisites

• Windows (or any OS with Python)
• Python 3.9 or newer (added to PATH)

1. Get the source code

• Clone the repo or unzip the archive into a folder, e.g. C:\Projects\AssetPulse.

1. Open a terminal and go to the project folder

powershell


cd C:\Projects\AssetPulse

1. Create a virtual environment (keeps packages isolated)

powershell


python -m venv venv
.\venv\Scripts\activate   # PowerShell  
# (or venv\Scripts\activate.bat for cmd.exe)

1. Install required Python packages

powershell


pip install -r requirements.txt

1. If requirements.txt is missing, install the core set manually:

powershell


pip install Flask Flask-Login Flask-Mail APScheduler SQLAlchemy Werkzeug qrcode

1. Configure e‑mail (optional, needed for alerts)

• Open app.py and replace the placeholder values for MAIL_SERVER, MAIL_PORT, MAIL_USERNAME, MAIL_PASSWORD.
• Or set them as environment variables before starting the app:

powershell


$env:MAIL_SERVER="smtp.yourmail.com"
$env:MAIL_PORT="587"
$env:MAIL_USERNAME="you@domain.com"
$env:MAIL_PASSWORD="yourpassword"

1. Create the SQLite database

powershell


python setup_db.py

1. (Optional) Load demo data – helps you see the UI populated instantly

powershell


python seed_data.py

1. Tell Flask which app to run

powershell


$env:FLASK_APP="app.py"
$env:FLASK_ENV="development"   # enables debug mode

1. Start the development server

powershell


flask run

1. You’ll see a line like: Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000/.
2. Open the application in any browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:5000/.
3. (Optional) Production mode – use a WSGI server such as Waitress:

powershell


pip install waitress
waitress-serve --listen=0.0.0.0:8000 app:app

1. Then visit http://<your‑ip>:8000/.
2. 
   

1. Create the first account

• Click Sign‑up on the landing page.
• The first registered user automatically becomes Admin.

1. Log in with your credentials.
2. Set company branding (Admin only)

• Go to Settings → enter the company name and upload a logo.
• The branding appears on all pages.

1. Dashboard

• See quick stats: total assets, available vs. assigned, upcoming warranty expiries, and a bar chart of assets by type.

1. Manage Vendors

• Add Vendor → fill name and contact details.
• Vendors can be linked to assets when you create or edit an asset.

1. Manage Assets

• Add Asset → fill name, type, category, serial number, purchase info, warranty date, location, status, optional image.
• On the asset detail page a QR code is displayed; scanning it opens the same detail view.

1. Assign an Asset (Manager role)

• Choose an employee and an available asset, set the assignment date, and click Assign.
• The employee receives an email notification (if e‑mail is configured).

1. My Assets (Employee view)

• Employees can see a list of assets currently assigned to them.

1. Return an Asset

• Go to Return Asset, select the assignment, set the return date, and submit.
• The asset’s status switches back to Available.

1. Log Maintenance

• Choose an asset, enter the maintenance date, cost, description, and set status (e.g., “In Progress”).
• The asset’s status becomes Under Maintenance automatically.

1. Reports

• Visit Reports to see total purchase value, total maintenance spend, and a chart of assets by category.

1. CSV Export / Import

• Export Assets → downloads a CSV file with all asset data.
• Import Assets → upload a correctly‑formatted CSV to bulk create assets.

1. Audit Log (Admin only)

• View a chronological list of all significant actions (sign‑ups, logins, asset CRUD, assignments, etc.).

1. Logout when you’re done.

AssetPulse – System Requirements

Operating System

• Windows 10/11 (or any OS that can run Python 3)
• macOS 12+ or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian, Fedora, etc.) – all supported if Python is installed

Hardware

• CPU: 1 GHz + dual‑core (any modern x86‑64 processor)
• RAM: 2 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended for smooth operation while the scheduler runs
• Disk space: 200 MB for the code base + ≈ 5 MB per 1 000 assets (SQLite DB grows with data). Allocate at least 100 MB free for logs, uploads, and backups.
• Network: Internet access needed only for sending e‑mail alerts (SMTP). No external ports required for the local development server.

Software / Runtime

• Python 3.9 or newer (latest stable version recommended)
• pip (Python package manager) – comes with Python ≥ 3.4
• Git (optional, for cloning the repo)

Python Packages (installed via requirements.txt)

• Flask 2.x
• Flask‑Login
• Flask‑Mail
• APScheduler
• SQLAlchemy
• Werkzeug
• qrcode (Pillow dependency)

Optional Production Server (if you don’t want to use the built‑in dev server)

• Waitress (Windows) or Gunicorn (Linux/macOS)

External Services

• SMTP server for e‑mail alerts (any provider that allows TLS on port 587, e.g., Gmail, Outlook, your corporate mail server).

Permissions

• Write permission to the project directory (to create the SQLite file, log files, uploaded asset images, and generated QR‑code images).
• Read permission for the static/ and templates/ folders (served by Flask).

Browser

• Any modern browser that supports HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari).

Meeting the above minimum specs will let you run AssetPulse locally; the recommended specs provide a smoother experience, especially when handling larger numbers of assets or concurrent users.