Features Guide¶

Complete guide to all MessWala features and how to use them.

💰 Expenses¶

The expenses module helps track shared costs and calculate fair distribution.

Recording Expenses¶

Access: Manager and Treasurer only

Steps:

1. Navigate to Expenses page
2. Click [Add New Expense]
3. Fill the form:
   - Category: Select from predefined list
   - Amount: Enter in rupees (₹)
   - Description: Add details (e.g., "Weekly vegetables from market")
   - Date: Defaults to today, change if needed
4. Click [Save]
5. Confirmation message appears

Expense Categories¶

Default categories (configurable by admin): - Vegetables — Produce and greens - Rice — Staple grains - Gas — Cooking fuel - Salary — Cook or helper payment - Dairy — Milk and dairy products - Spices — Seasonings - Miscellaneous — Other expenses

Custom categories: Admins can add: - WiFi charges - Water tank maintenance - Cleaning supplies - Electricity (if not included) - Any other regular expense

Viewing & Managing Expenses¶

Table View: - Date (newest first) - Category (color-coded) - Amount - Description - Recorded by (who added it)

Filters:

By Category:
├─ Vegetables
├─ Rice
├─ Gas
└─ [All others]

By Date Range:
├─ This week
├─ This month
├─ Last month
└─ Custom range

Actions: - View details (click row) - Edit (if you recorded it) - Delete (if you recorded it) - Download CSV report

Fair Share Calculation¶

Formula:

Your Fair Share = (Total Expenses ÷ Active Members) × Your Attendance

Active Members: Those who attended ≥1 meal in the month

Example:

Month: March 2026
Total expenses: ₹10,000
Active members: 20 people
You attended: 25 out of 30 meals

Your share = (₹10,000 ÷ 20) × (25÷30)
           = ₹500 × 0.833
           = ₹416.50

Expense Alerts¶

The system flags unusual spending:

✋ Meal Attendance¶

Track who eats which meals for fair expense distribution.

Marking Attendance¶

Access: All user roles

Steps:

1. Go to Attendance page
2. See meal cards for today:
   ├─ Breakfast (7:30 AM - 9:00 AM)
   ├─ Lunch (12:30 PM - 2:00 PM)
   └─ Dinner (7:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
3. For each meal:
   ├─ Click [Mark Present] if you ate
   ├─ Click [Mark Absent] if you didn't
   └─ Or leave blank if not marked yet
4. Status updates in real-time

Attendance Status¶

Viewing Attendance History¶

This Week: - See attendance for past 7 days - View as table or calendar - See who attended each meal

This Month: - Overall participation percentage - Meal-wise breakdown - Attendance trends

By Member (Managers only): - View specific person's attendance - Identify patterns - Track consistency

Attendance Analytics¶

Available in Analytics page:

Participation Summary:
├─ Breakfast attendance: 85%
├─ Lunch attendance: 90%
└─ Dinner attendance: 88%

Your Stats:
├─ Days attended: 25/30
├─ Meals marked: 72/90
└─ Participation rate: 80%

Member Ranking:
├─ Most consistent: [Member name]
├─ Least active: [Member name]
└─ Average per member: 87%

🍽️ Menu Management¶

View and plan meal schedules for the mess.

Viewing Menu¶

Access: Everyone can view

Steps:

1. Go to Menu page
2. Select view: Week / Month
3. See schedule organized by:
   ├─ Day of week
   ├─ Meal time (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
   └─ Dishes prepared
4. Read notes: Spice level, allergies, etc.

Menu Format¶

┌─ Monday ─────────────────┐
│                           │
│ Breakfast (7:30 - 9:00)  │
│ • Dosa                   │
│ • Sambar                 │
│ • Chutney               │
│ 🌶️ Spicy                 │
│                           │
│ Lunch (12:30 - 2:00)     │
│ • Rice                   │
│ • Chole bhature         │
│ • Yogurt                │
│ 🟡 Mild                  │
│                           │
│ Dinner (7:30 - 9:00)    │
│ • Roti                  │
│ • Dal                   │
│ • Salad                 │
│                           │
└───────────────────────────┘

Planning Menu (Manager Only)¶

Steps:

1. Go to Menu page
2. Click [Edit Menu]
3. Select day
4. Select meal time
5. Enter dishes:
   ├─ Separated by commas
   ├─ E.g., "Dosa, Sambar, Chutney"
   └─ Keep it short & clear
6. Add notes (optional):
   ├─ Spice level (Mild/Medium/Spicy)
   ├─ Contains nuts/dairy/allergens
   ├─ Vegan/Vegetarian info
   └─ Any special info
7. Click Save

Menu Accessibility¶

Good menu planning: - ✅ Include variety week-to-week - ✅ Indicate allergens clearly - ✅ Plan based on feedback & attendance - ✅ Consider availability of ingredients

💬 Feedback & Ratings¶

Members rate meals and provide improvement suggestions.

Submitting Feedback¶

Access: All user roles

Steps:

1. Go to Feedback page
2. Select a meal:
   ├─ Date (defaults to today)
   ├─ Meal type (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
   └─ Time period
3. Rate the meal: 1-5 stars
   ├─ 1 star: Poor (bad taste/quality)
   ├─ 2 stars: Below average
   ├─ 3 stars: Average (OK)
   ├─ 4 stars: Good
   └─ 5 stars: Excellent (would eat again)
4. Add optional comment:
   ├─ What you liked
   ├─ What could improve
   ├─ Suggestions for next time
   └─ Any concerns (allergic, etc.)
5. Click [Submit]

Feedback Fields¶

Required: - Meal date - Meal type - Rating (1-5)

Optional: - Comment (max 500 characters)

Viewing Feedback (Manager)¶

Filters:

By Meal Type:
├─ All
├─ Breakfast
├─ Lunch
└─ Dinner

By Rating:
├─ All ratings
├─ 5 stars (excellent)
├─ 4 stars (good)
├─ 3 stars (average)
├─ 2 stars (below avg)
└─ 1 star (poor)

By Time:
├─ Today
├─ This week
├─ This month
└─ Custom range

Analytics from Feedback¶

Insights:

Meal Quality Score:
├─ Breakfast avg: 4.2/5
├─ Lunch avg: 3.8/5
└─ Dinner avg: 4.0/5

Trends:
├─ 📈 Improving (good feedback)
├─ 📉 Declining (more 1-2 stars)
└─ ➡️ Stable (consistent ratings)

Suggestions Summary:
├─ More variety requested
├─ Less spicy preferred
├─ Appreciate sweet items
└─ [Other feedback themes]

📊 Analytics & Reports¶

Comprehensive insights for managers and admins.

Expense Analytics¶

Available Reports:

1. Monthly Breakdown
2. Total spent
3. Per category

4. Trend vs previous month

5. Category Distribution

6. Pie chart of spending
7. Identify highest costs

8. Budget allocation

9. Expense Trends

10. Line chart over months
11. Identify patterns

12. Forecast next month

13. Per-Person Fair Share

14. Calculate who owes what
15. Export for settlement
16. Print for bulletin board

Attendance Analytics¶

Available Reports:

1. Meal Attendance Rates
2. Breakfast: X% average
3. Lunch: Y% average

4. Dinner: Z% average

5. Member Participation

6. Most active members
7. Least active members

8. Participation trend

9. Time-Based Analysis

10. Peak meal times
11. Quiet meal times
12. Day-of-week patterns

Health Score¶

Overall Mess Score (1-5):

Factors:
├─ 📊 Expense fairness (are costs distributed evenly?)
├─ 👥 Participation (do people attend meals?)
├─ 🍽️ Feedback average (are members satisfied?)
└─ 💰 Sustainability (is budget sustainable?)

Exporting Data¶

Available Formats: - CSV (Excel compatible) - PDF (printable) - JSON (for integration)

What you can export: - Expense report - Attendance sheet - Feedback summary - Fair share calculation - Monthly statements

⚙️ Dashboard¶

Your personal home page with key information.

Dashboard Widgets¶

Mess Overview: - Mess name & members - Current month summary - Recent activity

Your Statistics: - Your fair share amount - Your attendance rate - Your feedback submissions

Quick Actions: - Mark today's attendance - Add expense (for managers) - View menu - Submit feedback

Alerts: - Outstanding payment - Pending registrations (admin) - System notifications

FAQs¶

Expenses¶

Q: How do I record an expense? A: Manager/Treasurer navigates to Expenses > Add New Expense > Fill form > Save

Q: Can students record expenses? A: No. Only managers and treasurers.

Q: How is fair share calculated? A: (Total ÷ Active members) × Your attendance meals

Q: What if someone doesn't mark attendance? A: Defaults to absent (they don't pay for that meal)

Q: Can I edit old expenses? A: Yes, if you recorded it. Other expenses can't be edited.

Attendance¶

Q: When should I mark attendance? A: Mark immediately after each meal, or by end of day.

Q: Can I mark past attendance? A: Yes, for up to 30 days past.

Q: What if I forget to mark? A: Contact manager to mark manually, or it counts as absent.

Q: Do I have to mark daily? A: No, only mark meals you actually ate.

Menu & Feedback¶

Q: Who plans the menu? A: Manager/Treasurer (or whoever is responsible for cooking)

Q: How often is the menu updated? A: Usually weekly (customizable)

Q: Why should I give feedback? A: It helps improve meals & identifies problems

Q: Is my feedback anonymous? A: No, but it's only visible to managers/admins

Fair Share¶

Q: Why is my fair share different each month? A: Because it depends on: - Total expenses that month - How many times you attended meals - How many other members attended

Q: Can I dispute my fair share? A: Yes, discuss with manager. If expenses wrong, they can edit or delete.

Q: What if I attended less than 1 meal? A: You still pay a share (you're still part of the mess).

🎯 Best Practices¶

For Managers: 1. Record expenses same day 2. Categorize correctly 3. Update menu weekly 4. Review analytics monthly 5. Communicate with members

For Members: 1. Mark attendance immediately 2. Provide honest feedback 3. Check menu before meals 4. Verify your fair share payment 5. Report discrepancies quickly

Last Updated: March 17, 2026
Version: 2.0