Currency Converter

💱 Description

The Currency Converter is a command-line application that converts an amount from one currency to another using real-time exchange rates fetched from an external API. Users can input the amount, the source currency, and the target currency to receive the converted amount.

🧰 Key Concepts Covered

Making HTTP requests
Working with APIs
Handling JSON data
User Input and Output
Error Handling
Arithmetic Operations

🚀 How to Use the Currency Converter

Prerequisites

Python 3.x installed on your machine.
Access to a command-line interface (CLI) or terminal.
An API key from ExchangeRate-API or another currency conversion API (free account).

Steps

Navigate to the project directory:
```
cd currency_converter
```

Install required dependencies: bash Copy code pip install -r requirements.txt Run the application: bash Copy code python main.py Follow the on-screen instructions to perform currency conversions. 📖 Usage Instructions

Upon running the application, you will be prompted to:

Enter the amount to convert. Enter the source currency code (e.g., USD, EUR). Enter the target currency code (e.g., GBP, JPY). Example Output: vbnet Copy code Welcome to the Currency Converter!

Enter the amount to convert: 100 Enter the source currency code (e.g., USD): USD Enter the target currency code (e.g., EUR): EUR

Fetching exchange rate...

100 USD is equivalent to 84.50 EUR 🛠️ Code Overview

The application consists of functions to handle API requests and perform the conversion:

get_exchange_rate(api_key, base_currency, target_currency): Fetches the exchange rate between two currencies. convert_currency(amount, rate): Calculates the converted amount. Modules Used requests: For making HTTP requests to the currency conversion API. 🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have ideas to enhance this currency converter, feel free to fork the repository and submit a pull request.

📧 Contact

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out by creating an issue in the repository.

Code Explanation and Best Practices

Modular Functions

get_exchange_rate(): Handles the API request and returns the exchange rate between two currencies. main(): Manages user interaction and orchestrates the conversion process. 2. API Integration

ExchangeRate-API: Uses a free API to fetch current exchange rates. Error Handling: Checks for successful responses and handles errors gracefully. 3. User Input Handling

Amount Validation: Ensures the user enters a valid numerical amount. Currency Codes: Accepts currency codes and converts them to uppercase for consistency. 4. Arithmetic Operations

Conversion Calculation: Multiplies the amount by the exchange rate to get the converted amount. 5. User Experience

Clear Prompts: Guides the user through each step of the conversion process. Formatted Output: Displays the converted amount with two decimal places for clarity. Enhancements and Extensions Consider adding the following features to enhance the Currency Converter:

Support for More Currencies: Ensure the application handles all ISO currency codes. Historical Rates: Allow users to fetch historical exchange rates. Graphical User Interface (GUI): Create a GUI version using Tkinter or another library. Caching Rates: Implement caching to reduce API calls and improve performance. Testing the Currency Converter Valid Inputs: Test with different amounts and currency codes to ensure accurate conversions. Invalid Inputs: Enter invalid amounts or currency codes to verify that the program handles them appropriately. API Key Validation: Test with both valid and invalid API keys.

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