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0001 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 0002 <chapter id="firsttime"> 0003 <chapterinfo> 0004 <authorgroup> 0005 <author> &Michael.T.Edwardes; &Michael.T.Edwardes.mail; </author> 0006 <author> &Jack.H.Ostroff; &Jack.H.Ostroff.mail; </author> 0007 </authorgroup> 0008 <date>2018-02-01</date> 0009 <releaseinfo>5.0.0</releaseinfo> 0010 </chapterinfo> 0011 0012 <title>Using &kmymoney; for the first time</title> 0013 0014 <sect1 id="firstime-1"> 0015 <title>Running &kmymoney; for the first time</title> 0016 0017 <note> 0018 <para> 0019 When you run &kmymoney;, it might not look exactly like the screenshots in 0020 this manual. Many details, such as fonts, colors, and icons, can be 0021 customized, either using the 0022 <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Configure 0023 &kmymoney;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item or the &kde; &systemsettings; 0024 application, depending on your operating system. 0025 </para> 0026 </note> 0027 0028 </sect1> 0029 0030 <sect1 id="firsttime.mainwindow"> 0031 <title>The main window</title> 0032 0033 <para> 0034 <screenshot> 0035 <screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo> 0036 <mediaobject> 0037 <imageobject> 0038 <imagedata fileref="mainwindow_numbered.png" format="PNG" /> 0039 </imageobject> 0040 <textobject> 0041 <phrase>The Main Window</phrase> 0042 </textobject> 0043 </mediaobject> 0044 </screenshot> 0045 </para> 0046 0047 <para> 0048 The &kmymoney; main window consists of four major parts 0049 </para> 0050 0051 <itemizedlist> 0052 <listitem><para>A. The menu bar</para></listitem> 0053 <listitem><para>B. The toolbar</para></listitem> 0054 <listitem><para>C. The View selector</para></listitem> 0055 <listitem><para>D. The view</para></listitem> 0056 </itemizedlist> 0057 0058 <para> 0059 The menu and toolbars provide access to the features of &kmymoney; and allow 0060 you to <link linkend="firsttime.3">Create</link> files or configure how 0061 &kmymoney; operates. 0062 </para> 0063 0064 <para> 0065 On the left side of the main window, the view selector consists of at least 0066 eleven icons with optional labels, depending upon the software provided by 0067 your system. More icons could be added by various plugins. By clicking on an 0068 icon, the view window on the right hand side is loaded with the appropriate 0069 view of your financial data. Each view provides a unique representation of 0070 your financial situation and allows you to view or edit the information shown. 0071 </para> 0072 0073 <para> 0074 The view selector may contain the following icons 0075 </para> 0076 0077 <itemizedlist> 0078 <listitem> 0079 <para> 0080 <guiicon> 0081 <inlinemediaobject> 0082 <imageobject> 0083 <imagedata fileref="home_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0084 </imageobject> 0085 <textobject> 0086 <phrase>Home View</phrase> 0087 </textobject> 0088 </inlinemediaobject> 0089 </guiicon> 0090 Home: A configurable overview of your current financial situation (or an 0091 introduction page when no data file is open). 0092 </para> 0093 </listitem> 0094 0095 <listitem> 0096 <para> 0097 <guiicon> 0098 <inlinemediaobject> 0099 <imageobject> 0100 <imagedata fileref="institutions_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0101 </imageobject> 0102 <textobject> 0103 <phrase>Institutions View</phrase> 0104 </textobject> 0105 </inlinemediaobject> 0106 </guiicon> 0107 Institutions: All of your institutions and accounts displayed in a 0108 hierarchy. 0109 </para> 0110 </listitem> 0111 0112 <listitem> 0113 <para> 0114 <guiicon> 0115 <inlinemediaobject> 0116 <imageobject> 0117 <imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0118 </imageobject> 0119 <textobject> 0120 <phrase>Accounts View</phrase> 0121 </textobject> 0122 </inlinemediaobject> 0123 </guiicon> 0124 Accounts: All of your accounts displayed in a hierarchy. 0125 </para> 0126 </listitem> 0127 0128 <listitem> 0129 <para> 0130 <guiicon> 0131 <inlinemediaobject> 0132 <imageobject> 0133 <imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0134 </imageobject> 0135 <textobject> 0136 <phrase>Schedules View</phrase> 0137 </textobject> 0138 </inlinemediaobject> 0139 </guiicon> 0140 Scheduled Transactions: Your recurring bills and deposits. 0141 </para> 0142 </listitem> 0143 0144 <listitem> 0145 <para> 0146 <guiicon> 0147 <inlinemediaobject> 0148 <imageobject> 0149 <imagedata fileref="categories_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0150 </imageobject> 0151 <textobject> 0152 <phrase>Categories View</phrase> 0153 </textobject> 0154 </inlinemediaobject> 0155 </guiicon> 0156 Categories: Special accounts that provide a means for you to group 0157 associated transactions. 0158 </para> 0159 </listitem> 0160 0161 <listitem> 0162 <para> 0163 <guiicon> 0164 <inlinemediaobject> 0165 <imageobject> 0166 <imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/> 0167 </imageobject> 0168 <textobject> 0169 <phrase>Tags View</phrase> 0170 </textobject> 0171 </inlinemediaobject> 0172 </guiicon> 0173 Tags: Special accounts that provide an additional means to Categories for 0174 you to group associated transactions. 0175 </para> 0176 </listitem> 0177 0178 <listitem> 0179 <para> 0180 <guiicon> 0181 <inlinemediaobject> 0182 <imageobject> 0183 <imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0184 </imageobject> 0185 <textobject> 0186 <phrase>Payees View</phrase> 0187 </textobject> 0188 </inlinemediaobject> 0189 </guiicon> 0190 Payees: All Payees used by &kmymoney;. These are all the people or 0191 organizations you pay money to or receive money from. 0192 </para> 0193 </listitem> 0194 0195 <listitem> 0196 <para> 0197 <guiicon> 0198 <inlinemediaobject> 0199 <imageobject> 0200 <imagedata fileref="ledgers_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0201 </imageobject> 0202 <textobject> 0203 <phrase>Ledgers View</phrase> 0204 </textobject> 0205 </inlinemediaobject> 0206 </guiicon> 0207 Ledgers: Your account transactions. 0208 </para> 0209 </listitem> 0210 0211 <listitem> 0212 <para> 0213 <guiicon> 0214 <inlinemediaobject> 0215 <imageobject> 0216 <imagedata fileref="investments_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0217 </imageobject> 0218 <textobject> 0219 <phrase>Investments View</phrase> 0220 </textobject> 0221 </inlinemediaobject> 0222 </guiicon> 0223 Investments: Your portfolio summary. 0224 </para> 0225 </listitem> 0226 0227 <listitem> 0228 <para> 0229 <guiicon> 0230 <inlinemediaobject> 0231 <imageobject> 0232 <imagedata fileref="reports_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0233 </imageobject> 0234 <textobject> 0235 <phrase>Reports View</phrase> 0236 </textobject> 0237 </inlinemediaobject> 0238 </guiicon> 0239 Reports: A collection of useful reports, providing alternate, customizable 0240 views of your financial data. 0241 </para> 0242 </listitem> 0243 0244 <listitem> 0245 <para> 0246 <guiicon> 0247 <inlinemediaobject> 0248 <imageobject> 0249 <imagedata fileref="budgets_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0250 </imageobject> 0251 <textobject> 0252 <phrase>Budgets View</phrase> 0253 </textobject> 0254 </inlinemediaobject> 0255 </guiicon> 0256 Budgets: Your budgets. 0257 </para> 0258 </listitem> 0259 0260 <listitem> 0261 <para> 0262 <guiicon> 0263 <inlinemediaobject> 0264 <imageobject> 0265 <imagedata fileref="forecast_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0266 </imageobject> 0267 <textobject> 0268 <phrase>Forecast View</phrase> 0269 </textobject> 0270 </inlinemediaobject> 0271 </guiicon> 0272 Forecast: This view provides a forecast of your accounts and categories. 0273 </para> 0274 </listitem> 0275 0276 <listitem> 0277 <para> 0278 <guiicon> 0279 <inlinemediaobject> 0280 <imageobject> 0281 <imagedata fileref="outbox_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0282 </imageobject> 0283 <textobject> 0284 <phrase>Outbox View</phrase> 0285 </textobject> 0286 </inlinemediaobject> 0287 </guiicon> 0288 Outbox: Used by the online banking module to provide feedback on running 0289 processes. This view is provided by the KBanking plugin and may not be 0290 present on your system. 0291 </para> 0292 </listitem> 0293 </itemizedlist> 0294 </sect1> 0295 0296 <sect1 id="firsttime.3"> 0297 <title>Creating a new file</title> 0298 0299 <para> 0300 &kmymoney; keeps all the data about your finances in a file. As was stated in 0301 <link linkend="makingmostof.basicaccounting.personalaccounts">Defining the 0302 accounts (personal records)</link>, you can keep more than one set of 0303 accounts, but the data for each will be kept in a separate file, and 0304 &kmymoney; can only have one file open at a time. See the chapter on <link 0305 linkend="details.formats">File Formats</link> for more details about 0306 &kmymoney;'s data files. 0307 </para> 0308 0309 <para> 0310 To create a new file you can either select 0311 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0312 menu item or choose the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata 0313 fileref="new.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> new 0314 icon from the toolbar. In addition, if the main welcome page is displayed, 0315 you can also select the first link: "Get started and setup accounts." 0316 </para> 0317 0318 <para> 0319 &kmymoney; will then open the <quote>New File Setup Wizard</quote> which will 0320 guide you through the process of creating the file. 0321 </para> 0322 0323 <para> 0324 <screenshot> 0325 <screeninfo>Personal Data Page</screeninfo> 0326 <mediaobject> 0327 <imageobject> 0328 <imagedata fileref="newfile.png" format="PNG" /> 0329 </imageobject> 0330 <textobject> 0331 <phrase>Personal Data Page</phrase> 0332 </textobject> 0333 </mediaobject> 0334 </screenshot> 0335 </para> 0336 0337 <para> 0338 Since all fields are optional, you can use &kmymoney; without entering any 0339 information now. Any information entered here is used only to personalize 0340 your file. In the future, it may be used in some reports and for online 0341 banking. If &kmymoney; requires any personal information in future releases 0342 and finds none, you will be prompted to enter the relevant data then. 0343 </para> 0344 0345 <para> 0346 Please enter your name and address or nothing and press 0347 <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. 0348 </para> 0349 0350 <para> 0351 In case you have an address for yourself stored in the &kaddressbook;, the 0352 button <guibutton>Load from Addressbook</guibutton> is enabled and pressing it 0353 imports all information into &kmymoney;. 0354 </para> 0355 0356 <para> 0357 &kmymoney; supports multiple currencies. To set your base currency (the 0358 currency you use day to day and which will be used for your reports), select 0359 the appropriate entry from the list provided and press 0360 <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. A default will be selected from &kmymoney; based 0361 upon your locale settings. 0362 </para> 0363 0364 <para> 0365 In the following example, US Dollar has been selected as the base currency. 0366 </para> 0367 0368 <para> 0369 <screenshot> 0370 <screeninfo>Base currency selection Page</screeninfo> 0371 <mediaobject> 0372 <imageobject> 0373 <imagedata fileref="newfile-2.png" format="PNG" /> 0374 </imageobject> 0375 <textobject> 0376 <phrase>Base currency selection page</phrase> 0377 </textobject> 0378 </mediaobject> 0379 </screenshot> 0380 </para> 0381 0382 <para> 0383 The following page allows you to create an initial account. For the typical 0384 &kmymoney; user this is a checking account. 0385 </para> 0386 0387 <para> 0388 <screenshot> 0389 <screeninfo>Checking account creation Page</screeninfo> 0390 <mediaobject> 0391 <imageobject> 0392 <imagedata fileref="newfile-3.png" format="PNG" /> 0393 </imageobject> 0394 <textobject> 0395 <phrase>Checking account creation page</phrase> 0396 </textobject> 0397 </mediaobject> 0398 </screenshot> 0399 </para> 0400 0401 <para> 0402 Enter the name of the account and a possible account or reference number 0403 assigned by the institution managing the account. Enter the opening date of 0404 the account and the opening balance of the account. For example, you want to 0405 use &kmymoney; to manage all your finances as of 2008-01-01, then enter the 0406 balance of the account at the beginning of this date. The number can possibly 0407 be obtained from a paper statement. You may also enter the name and the bank 0408 code of the institution. The latter, known as the routing number in the US or 0409 the sort code in the UK, is optional and only required for online banking 0410 purposes, but it may also be helpful when importing bank statements in some of 0411 the formats supported (OFX, QFX). 0412 </para> 0413 0414 <para> 0415 In case you don't want to setup an initial account, please uncheck the check box. 0416 </para> 0417 0418 <para> 0419 Once finished, press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to proceed. 0420 </para> 0421 0422 <para> 0423 <screenshot> 0424 <screeninfo>Account template selection Page</screeninfo> 0425 <mediaobject> 0426 <imageobject> 0427 <imagedata fileref="newfile-4.png" format="PNG" /> 0428 </imageobject> 0429 <textobject> 0430 <phrase>Account template selection page</phrase> 0431 </textobject> 0432 </mediaobject> 0433 </screenshot> 0434 </para> 0435 0436 0437 <para> 0438 Choose the appropriate country and account template(s). Each template provides 0439 a different set of categories for organizing your finances. Multiple 0440 templates, even from different countries, can be selected using a combination 0441 of &Ctrl; and &Shift; together with the &LMB;. The account 0442 hierarchy to be setup will be shown in a preview part of the wizard. In case 0443 you cannot find a template that suits your needs, don't select a template at 0444 this time, and you can manually set up categories later. 0445 </para> 0446 0447 <para> 0448 Once finished with the template selection press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to 0449 proceed. 0450 </para> 0451 0452 <para> 0453 The next page of the wizard allows you to setup user preferences. If you 0454 select the checkbox, the application settings dialog will be displayed after 0455 you have completed the account setup wizard. Press 0456 <guibutton>Next</guibutton> if you are done and want to proceed. 0457 </para> 0458 0459 <para> 0460 <screenshot> 0461 <screeninfo>Preference Page</screeninfo> 0462 <mediaobject> 0463 <imageobject> 0464 <imagedata fileref="newfile-5.png" format="PNG" /> 0465 </imageobject> 0466 <textobject> 0467 <phrase>Preference page</phrase> 0468 </textobject> 0469 </mediaobject> 0470 </screenshot> 0471 </para> 0472 0473 <para> 0474 The last page of the wizard allows you to select the location and filename 0475 that will be used to store your financial data. Initial values will be 0476 constructed out of your HOME folder and user name. In case the file exists, a 0477 warning will be displayed which reminds you to select a name of a non-existing 0478 file. 0479 </para> 0480 0481 <para> 0482 <screenshot> 0483 <screeninfo>Filename selection Page</screeninfo> 0484 <mediaobject> 0485 <imageobject> 0486 <imagedata fileref="newfile-6.png" format="PNG" /> 0487 </imageobject> 0488 <textobject> 0489 <phrase>Filename selection page</phrase> 0490 </textobject> 0491 </mediaobject> 0492 </screenshot> 0493 </para> 0494 0495 <para> 0496 Now you have entered all relevant information to create the file. Press 0497 <guibutton>Finish</guibutton> and &kmymoney; will create the file for you and 0498 open it. 0499 </para> 0500 0501 </sect1> 0502 0503 <sect1 id="firsttime.4"> 0504 <title>Creating accounts</title> 0505 0506 <para> 0507 There are multiple ways you can create an account, which are described here: 0508 </para> 0509 0510 <variablelist> 0511 <varlistentry> 0512 <term>Using the menu</term> 0513 <listitem> 0514 <para> 0515 To create an account using the menu select 0516 <menuchoice><guimenu>Accounts</guimenu><guimenuitem>New 0517 account</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0518 </para> 0519 </listitem> 0520 </varlistentry> 0521 0522 <varlistentry> 0523 <term>Using the Accounts view</term> 0524 <listitem> 0525 <para> 0526 To create an account using the accounts view click on the <guiicon> 0527 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png" 0528 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> accounts icon 0529 in the view selector to display the Accounts View. Right click on the 0530 either the Asset tree icon or the Liability tree icon in the right hand 0531 view and select <guimenuitem>New account</guimenuitem> from the popup 0532 menu. The Asset tree holds all of your accounts that are an asset, such 0533 as savings and investments. Liabilities are accounts that represent 0534 money you owe, such as loans and credit cards. These and all the other 0535 account types are discussed in more detail later in this manual. 0536 </para> 0537 </listitem> 0538 </varlistentry> 0539 0540 <varlistentry> 0541 <term>Using the toolbar</term> 0542 <listitem> 0543 <para> 0544 If the <guibutton>New Account...</guibutton> button is displayed on the 0545 toolbar, you can click it to create an account. 0546 </para> 0547 </listitem> 0548 </varlistentry> 0549 0550 </variablelist> 0551 0552 <tip> 0553 <para> 0554 Note that &kmymoney; uses context menus a lot throughout the whole 0555 application. If you find yourself stuck trying to figure out how to do 0556 something, try right-clicking where you would expect to see a feature. 0557 </para> 0558 </tip> 0559 0560 <para> 0561 Creating a new account by either method opens the <emphasis>New Account 0562 Wizard</emphasis>. This wizard will take you step by step through the process 0563 of creating an account, gathering the required information at each step. To 0564 navigate through the pages click on the <guibutton>Next</guibutton> and 0565 <guibutton>Back</guibutton> buttons. 0566 </para> 0567 0568 <para> 0569 Create an account using any of the previously mentioned methods to continue. 0570 A full description of creating accounts can be found in the <link 0571 linkend="details.accounts">Accounts</link> section. 0572 </para> 0573 0574 <para> 0575 Now that one or more accounts exist in &kmymoney;, your account summary is 0576 shown in the Home view. You can create transactions manually in the <link 0577 linkend="details.ledgers">Ledgers</link> view, or set up automatic 0578 transactions through the <link linkend="details.schedules">Schedules</link> 0579 view. 0580 </para> 0581 </sect1> 0582 0583 <sect1 id="firsttime.schedules"> 0584 <title>Schedules</title> 0585 0586 <para> 0587 Sometimes called a recurring transaction, a <link 0588 linkend="details.schedules">Schedule</link> is a transaction that occurs one 0589 or more times over a certain period of time. A typical example is your pay 0590 check that you receive every month or week. Rather than have to enter the 0591 transaction details each time you get paid, you can instruct &kmymoney; to 0592 create a schedule that will enter a transaction for you when you get paid. 0593 </para> 0594 0595 <para> 0596 To maintain <link linkend="details.schedules">schedules</link> click on the 0597 <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png" 0598 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> schedules icon in 0599 the view selector. 0600 </para> 0601 </sect1> 0602 0603 <sect1 id="firsttime.categories"> 0604 <title>Categories</title> 0605 0606 <para> 0607 To maintain <link linkend="details.categories">categories</link> click on the 0608 <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="categories_view.png" 0609 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> categories icon in 0610 the view selector. 0611 </para> 0612 0613 <para> 0614 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0615 linkend="details.categories">Categories</link> section. 0616 </para> 0617 </sect1> 0618 0619 <sect1 id="firsttime.tags"> 0620 <title>Tags</title> 0621 0622 <para> 0623 To maintain <link linkend="details.tags">tags</link> click on the <guiicon> 0624 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/> 0625 </imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> tags icon in the view selector. 0626 </para> 0627 0628 <para> 0629 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0630 linkend="details.tags">Tags</link> section. 0631 </para> 0632 </sect1> 0633 0634 <sect1 id="firsttime.payees"> 0635 <title>Payees</title> 0636 0637 <para> 0638 To maintain your list of payees click on the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject> 0639 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject> 0640 </inlinemediaobject></guiicon> payees icon in the view selector. 0641 </para> 0642 0643 <para> 0644 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0645 linkend="details.payees">Payees</link> section. 0646 </para> 0647 </sect1> 0648 0649 <sect1 id="firsttime.import"> 0650 <title>Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) Import</title> 0651 0652 <para> 0653 If you currently use another financial manager application, &kmymoney; can 0654 import an account's transactions as long as they can be exported or saved in a 0655 format &kmymoney; understands. The most common of these is the Quicken 0656 Interchange Format (QIF). Most financial programs can export this format, 0657 although the different applications' methods of exporting QIF is not discussed 0658 here for brevity. 0659 </para> 0660 0661 <para> 0662 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0663 linkend="details.impexp.qifimp">QIF Import</link> section. 0664 </para> 0665 </sect1> 0666 0667 <sect1 id="firsttime.find"> 0668 <title>Searching for transactions</title> 0669 0670 <para> 0671 &kmymoney; provides a useful and powerful transaction search facility in the 0672 form of the search dialog. 0673 </para> 0674 0675 <para> 0676 The search dialog can be opened from the toolbar using the <guiicon> 0677 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="transaction_find.png" 0678 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> find icon or by 0679 selecting the <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Find 0680 Transaction</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0681 </para> 0682 0683 <para> 0684 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0685 linkend="details.search">Search</link> section. 0686 </para> 0687 0688 </sect1> 0689 0690 <sect1 id="firsttime.reconcile"> 0691 <title>Reconciliation</title> 0692 0693 <para> 0694 At some point you will want to reconcile the transactions you have entered 0695 with the transactions listed in a statement, be it a bank statement, credit 0696 card statement, loan statement, or any other statement. Reconciliation 0697 involves matching what you have entered with what the statement lists. If any 0698 discrepancies are found then either you or the person who created the 0699 statement have made a mistake. 0700 </para> 0701 0702 <para> 0703 To reconcile an account, first select the account, either from 0704 <guiicon>Accounts</guiicon> view or from <guiicon>Ledgers</guiicon> 0705 view. Then, either click on the <guiicon>Reconcile</guiicon> icon on the 0706 Toolbar, or select the <menuchoice><guimenu>Account</guimenu> 0707 <guimenuitem>Reconcile</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0708 </para> 0709 0710 <para> 0711 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0712 linkend="details.reconcile">Reconciliation</link> section. 0713 </para> 0714 </sect1> 0715 0716 <sect1 id="firsttime.backup"> 0717 <title>Backing up</title> 0718 0719 <para> 0720 Now that you have created some accounts and entered transactions it's a good 0721 idea to perform a backup. Because the file used by &kmymoney; is a standard 0722 Unix file you can just copy the file to another location to back it up or use 0723 the dialog provided by &kmymoney;. Using the dialog is the preferred method 0724 because if &kmymoney; ever starts using other file formats, such as SQL, then 0725 it would be much harder to copy the file manually. 0726 </para> 0727 0728 <para> 0729 To backup your file through &kmymoney; Select 0730 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Backup</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0731 menu item and enter the folder where you wish the file to be saved. If the folder 0732 needs mounting first and you have the sufficient privileges then check the 0733 tick box labeled <guilabel>Mount this folder before backing up</guilabel> 0734 and click on <guibutton>OK</guibutton>. 0735 </para> 0736 0737 <para> 0738 The file will be saved to the folder specified with the current date appended 0739 to the filename so it is easy to see the date the file was backed up. 0740 </para> 0741 </sect1> 0742 0743 <sect1 id="firsttime.launch"> 0744 <title>Launching &kmymoney;</title> 0745 0746 <para> 0747 Most commonly, you will launch &kmymoney; from an icon or a start menu of your 0748 window manager. In this case, the default behavior is that &kmymoney; will 0749 open the last file you had open. However, in some circumstances, you will 0750 want or need to launch &kmymoney; from the command line. 0751 </para> 0752 0753 <para> 0754 For a complete description of all the available command line options, see the 0755 man page for &kmymoney;. However, there are two special cases which we 0756 describe here. 0757 </para> 0758 0759 <formalpara><title><command>kmymoney -n</command></title> 0760 <para> 0761 The -n option tells &kmymoney; not to open the last file it had open. This 0762 can be useful if the program crashes on startup. 0763 </para> 0764 </formalpara> 0765 0766 <formalpara><title><command>kmymoney <path to file></command></title> 0767 <para> 0768 Giving &kmymoney; a filename on the command line tells it to open that file 0769 instead of the last file it had open. You can use the name of any valid 0770 &kmymoney; file, as described in the chapter on <link 0771 linkend="details.formats">file formats</link>. In addition, this can be 0772 used to import a <link linkend="details.impexp.gnucash">&gnucash;</link> file. 0773 </para> 0774 </formalpara> 0775 </sect1> 0776 0777 <sect1 id="firsttime.newpc"> 0778 <title>How to move &kmymoney; to a new computer</title> 0779 0780 <sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.data"> 0781 <title>Moving your data</title> 0782 0783 <para> 0784 If you get a new computer, it's very easy to move your data. In fact, all you 0785 have to do is to copy your &kmymoney; data file. The name of the file is 0786 shown in the title bar when &kmymoney; is running, it usually ends in <filename 0787 class="extension">.kmy</filename>. The first time you run the application on the 0788 new computer you will have to tell it where you have put the data file, either 0789 by running from the command line, or from the 0790 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Open...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0791 menu item. You should even be able to move between &Windows;, &MacOS;, and &Linux; systems. 0792 </para> 0793 0794 <para> 0795 If you have encrypted your data file, be sure the appropriate software and 0796 keys have also been set up on the new computer. 0797 </para> 0798 0799 <para> 0800 If your data is in an SQL database, refer to documentation for your database 0801 software for guidance on migrating your data. 0802 </para> 0803 0804 <para> 0805 Note that this assumes you have installed the same version of &kmymoney; on the new 0806 computer as you were running on the old computer. Installing a newer version should 0807 also be safe, but you need to be aware of any issues related to that upgrade. Any such 0808 issues should be noted in the release notes for the new version. 0809 </para> 0810 </sect2> 0811 0812 <sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.settings"> 0813 <title>Moving your settings</title> 0814 0815 <para> 0816 If you only move your data file to the new machine, as described in the 0817 previous section, &kmymoney; will work correctly, but you will have lost any 0818 settings you changed from the default on your old machine. To maintain these 0819 settings, you also need to copy your configuration file. This file is called 0820 <filename>kmymoneyrc</filename>. This file will be in a folder with other &kde; 0821 application configuration files. On a &Linux; system, this will be in 0822 <filename class="directory">$KDEHOME/share/config</filename> where <envar>$KDEHOME</envar> is usually 0823 <quote>.config</quote> within your home folder. If you are migrating from 0824 a version of &kmymoney; prior to 5.0 or later, the old location 0825 of <envar>$KDEHOME</envar> was <filename class="directory">.kde4</filename>. 0826 </para> 0827 0828 <sect3 id="firsttime.newpc.settings.plugins"> 0829 <title>Moving plugin settings</title> 0830 0831 <para> 0832 If you have run any &kmymoney; plugin, such as the csv importer or exporter, 0833 it may also have created a configuration file in that same folder, such as 0834 <filename>csvimporterrc</filename> or <filename>csvexporterrc</filename>. 0835 These should also be copied to the new computer. 0836 </para> 0837 0838 <para> 0839 As with the main data file, this assumes the same version of the plugin on 0840 both computers. Upgrades are generally safe, but if the functionality of the 0841 plugin has changed greatly, it is advisable to carefully test using the old 0842 configuration file, to be sure the plugin behaves as you expect. 0843 </para> 0844 0845 <para> 0846 Note that when upgrading from a previous version to version 5.0 or higher, the 0847 location of the template files used by the plugin for printing checks has 0848 changed. Please consult the release notes or the project <ulink 0849 url="https://www.kmymoney.org/faq.php">website</ulink> for more details. 0850 </para> 0851 0852 <note> 0853 <para> 0854 These instructions are solely for moving your &kmymoney; data and settings. 0855 However, there may be important items which are stored by &kde; and not by 0856 &kmymoney;, such as passwords stored in Keychain. Moving other parts of 0857 your &kde; setup is beyond the scope of this manual, although many of the 0858 relevant files are also stored under <envar>$KDEHOME</envar>. 0859 </para> 0860 </note> 0861 </sect3> 0862 </sect2> 0863 </sect1> 0864 0865 <sect1 id="firsttime.contact"> 0866 <title>Contacting the Developers / Reporting Bugs</title> 0867 0868 <sect2> 0869 <title>Contacting the developers</title> 0870 0871 <para> 0872 For general questions or comments about &kmymoney;, there is a users' mailing 0873 list &userlist;. (<ulink 0874 url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney">more details 0875 here</ulink>.) In addition, you can contact the developers through their 0876 mailing list &devlist;. (<ulink 0877 url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney-devel">more details 0878 here</ulink>.) Since replies are often sent only to the list, you may not get 0879 any response unless you subscribe to one of the lists before sending to it. 0880 </para> 0881 0882 <para> 0883 We're happy to hear about your experiences using &kmymoney;. 0884 </para> 0885 </sect2> 0886 0887 <sect2> 0888 <title>Reporting bugs</title> 0889 0890 <para> 0891 To report a bug please use the interface provided by &kmymoney; by selecting 0892 <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report 0893 Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item and filling in the required information. 0894 However, in case you have any difficulties with that method, you can report a 0895 bug (or file a wish-list or enhancement request) directly at the <ulink 0896 url="https://bugs.kde.org">&kde; bug reporting web site</ulink>. Reports 0897 should be filed against the product <quote>kmymoney</quote>. 0898 </para> 0899 0900 <para> 0901 In any case, before reporting a bug, please read through the guidelines below. 0902 Following them will make it more likely that the developers will be able to 0903 quickly identify the problem without having to ask you for more information. 0904 </para> 0905 0906 <sect3 id="firsttime.bugs.quality"> 0907 <title>Writing High Quality Bug Reports</title> 0908 0909 <para> 0910 We encourage users to take extra time to write high-quality bug reports when 0911 submitting them. This reduces wasted effort on all sides, as the reporter and 0912 the developer who will fix it trade emails until this information is really 0913 in place. 0914 </para> 0915 0916 <para> 0917 Eli Goldberg wrote the canonical Bug-Writing Guideline, available at <ulink 0918 url="https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html">https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html</ulink>. 0919 Generally, you'll be well-served by following these guidelines: 0920 </para> 0921 0922 <formalpara><title>Include your system information</title> 0923 <para> 0924 The <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report 0925 Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item will fill this in automatically, 0926 but if you would prefer not to use this interface, there are several items 0927 you need to include in the report. We will need to know what operating 0928 system you are using (&Linux;, &MacOS;, or &Windows;), the version of &kde;, 0929 and the version of &kmymoney; you're running, and either the version of 0930 &MacOS; or &Windows; or the name and version of your &Linux; distribution 0931 and the version of your kernel. 0932 </para> 0933 </formalpara> 0934 0935 <formalpara><title>Include a backtrace for crashes</title> 0936 <para> 0937 The backtrace is often the single most useful piece of information in 0938 solving crashes. 0939 </para> 0940 </formalpara> 0941 0942 <formalpara><title>Try to reproduce it</title> 0943 <para> 0944 Let us know if you were able to do so. It's useful to know whether the bug 0945 only happened once and you couldn't get it to happen again or happens every 0946 time or happens sometimes but not others. 0947 </para> 0948 </formalpara> 0949 0950 <formalpara><title>Include specific steps</title> 0951 <para> 0952 This is a bad bug report: <quote>I entered a transaction, and &kmymoney; 0953 crashed.</quote> A much better bug report is: <quote>Using the transaction 0954 form, I entered a new transaction in my Credit Card account. I selected the 0955 Transfer tab, entered in an amount, then changed to the Deposit tab, and 0956 back to the Transfer tab. When I returned to the Transfer tab, &kmymoney; 0957 crashed. This bug is fully reproducible for me.</quote> 0958 </para> 0959 </formalpara> 0960 0961 <formalpara><title>Tell us what you expected to happen</title> 0962 <para> 0963 In some cases, this is obvious, but in more subtle bugs, sometimes you'll 0964 see a bug report where it is not obvious what the reporter expected to 0965 happen. Always tell us what you think should have happened. 0966 </para> 0967 </formalpara> 0968 0969 <formalpara><title>Consider running with debugging enabled</title> 0970 <para> 0971 By compiling a version configured with --enable-debug=full you can ensure 0972 that the best possible backtraces are generated. If you encounter a crash, 0973 run &kmymoney; again from within gdb, and reproduce the crash. When it 0974 crashes, type <quote>bt</quote> to generate a backtrace. 0975 </para> 0976 </formalpara> 0977 0978 <para> 0979 Running this way is a bit more difficult, so we don't expect all users to do 0980 this. However, if you're interested in helping &kmymoney; become as stable as 0981 possible, this is the best way to do it short of finding the bug in the code 0982 and sending in a patch. 0983 </para> 0984 </sect3> 0985 </sect2> 0986 </sect1> 0987 </chapter>