How to Create, Update, and Delete Expense Categories

Available in: All Plans
User Permissions Needed: Account Administrator

Overview

Kantata OX has six default expense categories: Entertainment, Food, Lodging, Mileage, Travel, and Other. You can create, update, and delete expense categories via the Kantata OX API. You must be an Account Administrator to modify expense categories.

Before you begin, download and install an API client. We recommend Postman.

To use the API to create, update, or delete expense categories, you’ll first need an OAuth token.

How to Obtain an OAuth Token

1. In Kantata OX, select Settings > API from the left navigation.
2. On the API Settings page, click View your Account's Registered Applications.
3. At the bottom of the Your registered Kantata OX Applications page, click Register a new Kantata OX Application.
4. Enter an Application Name. We recommend a name that makes it clear who the application belongs to and what it’s used for.
5. In Application Callback URI, enter https://localhost.
   
6. Click Save. The application details page opens.
7. In the Your OAuth Token section, click Show your OAuth Token.
   
8. Copy the value that appears and save it for later.
   

How to Create an Expense Category

1. In Postman, select New from the sidebar.
   
2. In the modal that opens, select HTTP. A new tab opens within the center pane.
3. In the request tab, change the method type from GET to POST using the drop-down menu.
   
4. Enter https://api.mavenlink.com/api/v1/expense_categories as the request URL.
   
5. Select the Authorization tab, which appears below the method and request URL.
   
6. In the Type drop-down menu, select Bearer Token.
   
7. In the Token field, paste the OAuth token you copied earlier.
   
8. Select the Body tab, then select raw.
   
9. In the content type drop-down menu, select JSON.
   
10. In the text area, paste the following JSON code, making sure to replace category_name_here with your actual desired name.
    

    { 
       "expense_category": 
         { 
            "name": "category_name_here"
         }
    }

    
11. Click Send.
12. If the creation is successful, you’ll see a green 200 OK status in the bottom pane. You’ll also see JSON containing details about the new category in the Body tab.
    
13. To see the new expense category in Kantata OX, go to Time & Expense > Expenses and open the Category drop-down menu.
    

How to Update an Expense Category

You can update the name of an expense category via the API. You can rename custom and default expense categories, except for the Other expense category.

1. In Postman, select New from the sidebar.
   
2. In the modal that opens, select HTTP. A new tab opens within the center pane.
3. Enter https://api.mavenlink.com/api/v1/expense_categories as the request URL.
   
4. Select the Authorization tab, which appears below the method and request URL.
   
5. In the Type drop-down menu, select Bearer Token.
   
6. In the Token field, paste the OAuth token you copied earlier.
   
7. Click Send. In the Body tab in the bottom pane, details about the expense categories on your account will appear.
8. Locate the expense category you want to update, then copy its id.
   
9. In the request tab, change the method type from GET to PUT using the drop-down menu.
   
10. At the end of the request URL, add / then paste the ID you copied.
    
11. Select the Body tab, then select raw.
    
12. In the content type drop-down menu, select JSON.
    
13. In the text area, paste the following JSON code, making sure to replace new_category_name_here with your actual desired name.

    { 
       "expense_category": 
         { 
            "name": "new_category_name_here"
         }
    }

    
14. Click Send.
15. If the update is successful, you’ll see a green 200 OK status in the bottom pane. You’ll also see JSON containing details about the updated category in the Body tab.
    
16. To see the updated expense category in Kantata OX, go to Time & Expense > Expenses and open the Category drop-down menu.
    

How to Delete an Expense Category

Deleting an expense category prevents people from logging expenses against the category in the future. When you delete an expense category, expenses previously logged against the category are not affected.

1. In Postman, select New from the sidebar.
   
2. In the modal that opens, select HTTP. A new tab opens within the center pane.
3. Enter https://api.mavenlink.com/api/v1/expense_categories as the request URL.
   
4. Select the Authorization tab, which appears below the method and request URL.
   
5. In the Type drop-down menu, select Bearer Token.
   
6. In the Token field, paste the OAuth token you copied earlier.
   
7. Click Send. In the Body tab in the bottom pane, details about the expense categories on your account will appear. 
8. Locate the expense category you want to delete, then copy its id.
   
9. In the request tab, change the method type from GET to DELETE using the drop-down menu.
   
10. At the end of the request URL, add / then paste the ID you copied.
    
11. Click Send.
12. If the expense category is deleted successfully, you’ll see a green 204 No Content status in the bottom pane and no response body.
    
13. To confirm the expense category was deleted, go to Time & Expense > Expenses in Kantata OX and open the Category drop-down menu.