Library Management System (Python + Tkinter)

This is a small “library app” you run on your computer.

Think of it like a digital notebook where you can:

• keep a list of books,
• keep a list of members (people),
• lend books out (check out),
• take books back (return),
• and see what’s overdue (late).

It also has a login screen with two-step sign-in:

1. password (saved as a SHA‑256 hash)
2. a changing 6‑digit code from an Authenticator app (TOTP)

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Pictures (what you will see)

Sign-In Window

Main Window

Add Book

Edit Book

Check Out

Members

Analytics

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What this app can do (features)

Books

• Add a book (ID, title, author, category)
• Edit a book (title/author/category)
• Remove a book
• See all books in a table
• Search books (by ID, title, author, or category)
• Filter books: All / Available / Checked Out / Overdue

Borrowing (Loans)

• Check out a book to a member
• Return a book
• Due date is stored and “Overdue” is shown if it’s late
• Tracks how many times a book was borrowed

Members

• Add / update members (ID, name, email)
• Delete members (but only if they have no active loans)
• Suggests member IDs like member-1, member-2, … so you don’t have to think

Reports / Extras

• Overdue report (shows late books)
• Analytics (top borrowed books, active loans, total loans)
• Export books list to CSV
• Export everything to JSON
• Import a JSON backup (it merges data)

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How it saves your work (important)

When you add books or members, the app saves automatically.

• Your library data is stored in library_data.json
• Your login info is stored in library_credentials.json

Both files live in the same folder as the Python app.

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How to run (Windows, easy)

1. Install Python 3.

2. Open this project folder.

3. In the address bar (top of File Explorer), type powershell and press Enter.

4. Run this command:

   python "main.py"
   

5. The Sign-In window opens.

Default login (unless you changed it):

• Username: admin
• Password: your-new-password

You must also enter the 6-digit authenticator code (see next section).

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Two-step sign-in (Authenticator / TOTP) — explained

The app asks for a 6-digit code because it wants to be extra safe.

That 6-digit number comes from an app like Google Authenticator. It changes about every 30 seconds.

Step 1: Find your secret key

Open library_credentials.json. You will see something like:

• username: who you are
• password_hash: a long hash (not the real password)
• totp_secret: this is the secret key for the authenticator app

Step 2: Add the secret to Google Authenticator (enroll)

Google Authenticator (similar in other apps):

1. Open Google Authenticator
2. Tap +
3. Choose Enter a setup key (or “Manual entry”)
4. Fill in:
   • Account name: Library (admin) (or anything you want)
   • Key / Secret: paste your totp_secret
   • Type: Time based
5. Save

Now the app will show a changing 6-digit code.

Step 3: Sign in

In the login window:

1. Type your username
2. Type your password
3. Type the current 6-digit code from your authenticator
4. Press Continue

If the code says “expired”, just wait for the next one and try again.

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Changing the password (SHA‑256 hashing)

The app does not store your password as normal text. Instead it stores a SHA‑256 hash (a one-way “scrambled” version).

That means:

• You can change the password
• But you must store the hash, not the real password

Option A (what you said you do): use the KeyCDN SHA‑256 tool

You said you use: https://tools.keycdn.com/sha256-online-generator

Steps:

1. Type your new password into the website
2. Copy the SHA‑256 output
3. Open library_credentials.json
4. Replace the value of password_hash with the new hash
5. Save the file and restart the app

Option B (offline): generate SHA‑256 using Python

In PowerShell, run:

python -c "import hashlib; print(hashlib.sha256('your-new-password'.encode('utf-8')).hexdigest())"

Copy the printed hash into password_hash.

Safety note: putting passwords into websites is not ideal for real security. For learning/projects it’s okay, but for real use, prefer the offline Python method.

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How to use the app (quick guide)

• Add Book: click Add Book → fill fields → Save
• Edit Book: click a row → Edit Book → change fields → Save
• Remove Book: click a row → Remove Book
• Check Out: click a book → Check Out → pick a member OR add a new one → choose days (default 14) → Confirm
• Return: click a checked-out book → Return
• Members: click Members to add/update/delete members
• Overdue: click Overdue to see late books
• Analytics: click Analytics to see top borrowed + loan counts
• Export CSV: saves the book table as a .csv file
• Export JSON: saves books + members + loans as .json
• Import JSON: loads a backup .json and merges it

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Common problems (and easy fixes)

• “Invalid or expired 6-digit code.”

  • Wait for the next code in your authenticator and try again
  • Make sure your computer time is correct

• “Authenticator not set. Ask an admin to add totp_secret.”

  • Make sure your user in library_credentials.json has a totp_secret

• “Member has active loans; return books first”

  • Return their books, then delete the member

• “Enter username, password, and code.”

  • Make sure you filled in all 3 boxes on the Sign-In screen

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Tips: Make a Windows EXE (powershell)

If you want, you can turn this app into a .exe file so you can open it like a normal program.

1) Install PyInstaller

Run these in PowerShell:

py -m pip install --upgrade pip
py -m pip install pyinstaller

Verify it installed:

py -m PyInstaller --version

2) Build the one-file EXE (no console window)

Go to the folder that contains your .py file:

cd "C:\path\to\your\project"

Then run:

py -m PyInstaller --onefile --windowed --name "Library Management System" "main.py"

After it finishes, your EXE will be here:

dist\Library Management System.exe

Then change the password_hash AND totp_secret from dist\library_credentials.json

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Files in this project

• Main app: main.py
• Saves your library data: library_data.json
• Stores login + 2FA secret: library_credentials.json
• Tiny helper example: SHA-256 hash.py

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