Troubleshooting

This section provides solutions to common issues and errors encountered while using the Portfolio and Options Tracker.

Installation and Setup Issues

Dependency Installation Problems

• Issue: Error installing required packages with pip
• Solution:
  • Ensure you’re using Python 3.7 or higher
  • Try upgrading pip: pip install --upgrade pip
  • Install packages individually if batch installation fails
  • Consider using a virtual environment to avoid conflicts

Application Won’t Start

• Issue: Python script fails to launch or crashes immediately
• Solution:
  • Verify all dependencies are correctly installed
  • Check Python version compatibility
  • Ensure you’re running from the correct directory
  • Look for error messages in the terminal/command prompt

Stock Trading Issues

Cannot Buy Stocks

• Issue: “Insufficient funds” error when attempting to purchase stocks
• Solution:
  • Verify you have enough cash in your account balance
  • Add cash using the “Cash Management” section before purchasing
  • Check that purchase amount (shares × price) doesn’t exceed available cash

Stock Prices Not Updating

• Issue: Prices appear outdated or don’t refresh
• Solution:
  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify the stock ticker symbol is correct and supported by Yahoo Finance
  • Try refreshing the portfolio view
  • Some stocks may have delayed pricing outside market hours

Cannot Sell Stocks

• Issue: Error when attempting to sell shares
• Solution:
  • Ensure you own the number of shares you’re trying to sell
  • Check that shares aren’t tied up in covered call contracts (only “available” shares can be sold)
  • Verify the stock ticker is entered correctly

Options Trading Issues

Cannot Create Covered Call

• Issue: Error when trying to add a covered call position
• Solution:
  • Verify you have exactly 100 or more available (non-contracted) shares of the target stock
  • Ensure the stock ticker matches exactly with your holdings
  • Check that the expiration date is in the future and in YYYY-MM-DD format
  • Confirm strike price and premium are entered as valid numbers

Options Not Expiring Automatically

• Issue: Expired options remain in the system
• Solution:
  • Ensure your system date and time are correct
  • Restart the application to trigger expiration processing
  • Verify the expiration date was entered correctly in YYYY-MM-DD format
  • Check that system clock is set to correct timezone

Manual Exercise Not Working

• Issue: “Call Away” button doesn’t work
• Solution:
  • Confirm the option position exists and is active
  • Verify you have the correct number of shares in the contract
  • Check that the option hasn’t already been exercised or expired

Data and File Issues

Data Not Saving

• Issue: Changes don’t persist between sessions
• Solution:
  • Check file permissions in the application directory
  • Ensure you have write access to the folder
  • Verify data files aren’t marked as read-only
  • Run application with appropriate permissions

Missing Data Files

• Issue: Application can’t find portfolio.txt, cash.txt, or other data files
• Solution:
  • Files are created automatically on first run
  • Ensure you’re running the application from the correct directory
  • Check if files were accidentally deleted or moved
  • Application will recreate missing files with default values

Corrupted Data Files

• Issue: Application fails to load existing data
• Solution:
  • Backup existing data files
  • Try opening data files in a text editor to check for formatting issues
  • Restore from backup if available
  • Clear problematic entries manually from the text files

Dividend Tracking Issues

Dividends Not Detected Automatically

• Issue: Known dividends aren’t appearing in the system
• Solution:
  • Check internet connection for dividend data retrieval
  • Verify you owned the stock before the ex-dividend date
  • Some dividend data may be delayed; try restarting the application later
  • Add dividends manually using the dividend tracking section if automatic detection fails

Missing Historical Dividends

• Issue: Past dividends aren’t being credited
• Solution:
  • Historical recovery only covers the past 6 months
  • Manually add older dividends using the dividend tracking interface
  • Verify stock ownership dates align with ex-dividend dates
  • Check that dividend amounts and dates are accurate

User Interface Issues

Theme Not Changing

• Issue: Dark/light theme toggle doesn’t work
• Solution:
  • Restart the application after changing themes
  • Ensure sv_ttk theme package is properly installed
  • Try closing and reopening the application

Display or Layout Problems

• Issue: Text is cut off or interface elements are misaligned
• Solution:
  • Try resizing the application window
  • Check system display scaling settings
  • Ensure you’re using a supported screen resolution
  • Restart the application to reset the interface

Performance Issues

Slow Loading or Updates

• Issue: Application is sluggish or takes time to update
• Solution:
  • Check internet connection speed for market data retrieval
  • Close other applications to free up system resources
  • Consider the number of positions - large portfolios may take longer to update
  • Restart the application periodically to clear memory

Application Freezing

• Issue: Application becomes unresponsive
• Solution:
  • Close the application and restart
  • Check system resources and available memory
  • Verify internet connection is stable
  • Look for error messages that might indicate the cause

Network Connectivity Issues

No Internet Connection Errors

• Issue: Cannot retrieve stock prices or dividend data
• Solution:
  • Verify internet connection is working
  • Check firewall settings that might block the application
  • Try using a different network connection
  • Some corporate networks may block financial data APIs

Yahoo Finance API Issues

• Issue: Stock data retrieval fails
• Solution:
  • Check if Yahoo Finance is experiencing service issues
  • Try again later as API issues are usually temporary
  • Verify stock ticker symbols are correct and supported
  • Some delisted or inactive stocks may not have data available

General Troubleshooting Steps

First Steps for Any Issue

1. Check internet connection
2. Restart the application
3. Ensure all dependencies are up to date
4. Verify system date and time are correct
5. Check that data files aren’t corrupted or missing

When to Report Issues

If problems persist after trying these solutions, please report the issue with:

• Detailed description of the problem
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Error messages (if any)
• Your operating system and Python version
• Screenshot of the problem (if applicable)

Emergency Data Recovery

If critical data is lost:

1. Check for backup files in the application directory
2. Look for temporary files that might contain recent data
3. Restore from your personal backups of the data files
4. Contact support with details about the data loss incident