Files
TimeTracker/docs/development/SEED_DEV_DATA.md
T
Dries Peeters 0a4b29c50d feat: add development-only data seeding with inventory and finance
- Add run_seed() in app/utils/seed_dev_data.py: users, clients, projects,
  tasks, time entries, expenses, comments, warehouses, stock items,
  warehouse stock, stock movements, currencies, tax rules, invoices,
  invoice items, and payments. Only runs when FLASK_ENV=development.
- Register 'flask seed' CLI command with options (users, clients,
  projects-per-client, tasks-per-project, days-back).
- Add scripts/seed-dev-data.py and docker/seed-dev-data.sh for local
  and Docker runs. Include seed scripts in image via Dockerfile chmod.
- Document in docs/development/SEED_DEV_DATA.md; update
  DATABASE_RECOVERY.md, DOCKER_COMPOSE_SETUP.md, and development README.
2026-02-20 09:28:30 +01:00

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Development Data Seeding

The application can be seeded with rich test data for local development. Seeding only runs when FLASK_ENV=development and is disabled in production and testing.

What Gets Seeded

Category Data Default counts
Users Admin (if missing), dev users devuser1devuser4 (password: dev) 4 extra users
Clients Named clients with contact details and hourly rates 20
Projects Projects per client (e.g. Website, Mobile App, API) 4 per client
Tasks Tasks per project (todo / in progress / review / done) 12 per project
Time entries Closed entries over the last 120 days, linked to tasks Up to 1500
Expenses Expense categories (Travel, Meals, etc.), expenses on projects 7 categories, 50 expenses
Comments Internal comments on tasks 80
Inventory Warehouses, stock items, warehouse stock levels, stock movements 3 warehouses, 15 items, ~40 movements
Finance Currencies (EUR, USD), tax rules (VAT), invoices with line items, payments 2 currencies, 2 tax rules, 25 invoices, payments on up to 20 invoices

How to Run

Local (no Docker)

Set the environment to development, then run the seed:

# Required: development only
export FLASK_ENV=development   # Linux/macOS
# or: set FLASK_ENV=development   (Windows CMD)
# or: $env:FLASK_ENV="development" (PowerShell)

# Option A: Flask CLI
flask seed

# Option B: Standalone script (sets FLASK_ENV=development by default when unset)
python scripts/seed-dev-data.py

Docker

From the host, run the seed inside the app container. The image defaults to FLASK_ENV=production, so use the wrapper script or pass the env explicitly:

# Option A: Wrapper script (recommended)
docker compose exec app /app/docker/seed-dev-data.sh

# Option B: Flask CLI with env
docker compose exec -e FLASK_ENV=development app flask seed

Flask seed options

You can tune some counts via CLI options:

flask seed --users 2 --clients 10 --projects-per-client 3 --tasks-per-project 8 --days-back 60

Inventory and finance counts use defaults; to change them, call run_seed() from code or extend the CLI (see app/utils/seed_dev_data.py and app/utils/cli.py).

When to Use

  • After a database reset (e.g. scripts/reset-dev-db.py or docker compose exec app python3 /app/scripts/reset-dev-db.py) to get a full dataset.
  • On a fresh database (after migrations) to avoid entering data by hand.
  • To test reports, dashboards, and filters with realistic volume.

Safety

  • The seed refuses to run unless FLASK_ENV=development. In production it raises an error.
  • Running the seed multiple times is additive: it skips entities that already exist (e.g. clients by name, invoices by number) and adds new ones where applicable (e.g. more time entries, tasks).

Files

File Purpose
app/utils/seed_dev_data.py Core logic: run_seed() and data constants
app/utils/cli.py flask seed command registration
scripts/seed-dev-data.py Standalone script for local or CI
docker/seed-dev-data.sh Docker wrapper that sets FLASK_ENV=development and runs the Python script