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Overview

The inventory management system uses environment variables for configuration, primarily for email delivery credentials. This guide covers all configuration options available in the system.

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Environment Variables Setup

The system uses the python-dotenv library to load configuration from a .env file located in the project root directory.

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Creating the .env File

1

Create the file

Create a new file named .env in the root directory of the project (same level as src/ folder):
touch .env
2

Add email credentials

Open the .env file and add your email configuration:
EMAIL_REMITENTE=[email protected]
EMAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-password-here
EMAIL_DESTINATARIO=[email protected]
3

Save the file

Save the .env file. The system will automatically load these variables when it runs.
Never commit the .env file to version control. Add it to your .gitignore file to prevent accidentally exposing credentials.

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Configuration Variables

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Email Configuration

These variables are loaded in src/config.py:6-8:
VariableDescriptionRequiredExample
EMAIL_REMITENTESender email address (Gmail)Yes*[email protected]
EMAIL_PASSWORDGmail app passwordYes*abcd efgh ijkl mnop
EMAIL_DESTINATARIORecipient email addressYes*[email protected]
*Required only if you want to enable automatic email delivery. The system will work without these variables, but email sending will be skipped.

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File Paths Configuration

These paths are defined in src/main.py:9-11 and can be modified if needed:
VariableDefault ValueDescription
RUTA_INVENTARIOdata/inventario.xlsxInput inventory Excel file
RUTA_REPORTEoutput/reporte_inventario.xlsxOutput report Excel file
CARPETA_GRAFICOSoutput/graficosDirectory for generated charts
The output/ directory and output/graficos/ subdirectory are created automatically if they don’t exist when the system runs.

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How Configuration is Loaded

The configuration loading process (from src/config.py:1-8): 
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

EMAIL_REMITENTE = os.getenv("EMAIL_REMITENTE")
EMAIL_PASSWORD = os.getenv("EMAIL_PASSWORD")
EMAIL_DESTINATARIO = os.getenv("EMAIL_DESTINATARIO")
1

Load .env file

The load_dotenv() function reads the .env file from the project root
2

Parse variables

Environment variables are parsed and made available to the application
3

Access via os.getenv()

Each variable is accessed using os.getenv() and stored as a module-level constant

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Email Validation

The system validates email configuration before attempting to send emails (from src/main.py:23-40): 
if (
    EMAIL_REMITENTE
    and EMAIL_PASSWORD
    and EMAIL_DESTINATARIO
    and EMAIL_PASSWORD != "la_contraseña_generada"
    and EMAIL_REMITENTE != "[email protected]"
    and EMAIL_DESTINATARIO != "[email protected]"
):
    enviar_reporte(...)
else:
    print("⚠️ Envío de correo omitido (credenciales no configuradas)")
The system checks that:
  • All three email variables are defined
  • Variables are not set to placeholder/example values
  • Configuration appears to be valid
If any validation check fails, the system continues running but skips email delivery and displays a warning message.

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Modifying File Paths

To change the default input or output locations, edit the constants in src/main.py:9-11: 
RUTA_INVENTARIO = "data/inventario.xlsx"  # Change input path
RUTA_REPORTE = "output/reporte_inventario.xlsx"  # Change output path
CARPETA_GRAFICOS = "output/graficos"  # Change graphics folder
Ensure the input file exists at the specified path, and that the application has write permissions for the output directory.

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SMTP Configuration

The system uses Gmail’s SMTP server with SSL encryption (configured in src/emailer.py:30): 
with smtplib.SMTP_SSL("smtp.gmail.com", 465) as smtp:
    smtp.login(remitente, password)
    smtp.send_message(mensaje)
SMTP Settings:
  • Server: smtp.gmail.com
  • Port: 465 (SSL)
  • Authentication: Required
  • Encryption: SSL/TLS
These settings are hardcoded for Gmail. To use a different email provider, you’ll need to modify src/emailer.py:30 with the appropriate SMTP server and port.

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Configuration Checklist

Before running the system, verify:
  • .env file exists in project root
  • Email credentials are correctly configured
  • Gmail app password is generated (not regular password)
  • Input file exists at data/inventario.xlsx
  • Application has write permissions for output/ directory
  • All required dependencies are installed (pip install -r requirements.txt)

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Next Steps

Email Setup

Configure Gmail app passwords and test email delivery

Running the System

Learn how to execute the system and understand the output

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