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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 <para> 0018 Once &kmymoney; has fully loaded two windows will be opened. The top window, 0019 'Tip of the Day' offers one of a series of important or useful pieces of 0020 information about the application. 0021 <screenshot> 0022 <screeninfo>Tip of the Day</screeninfo> 0023 <mediaobject> 0024 <imageobject> 0025 <imagedata fileref="tipofday.png" format="PNG" /> 0026 </imageobject> 0027 <textobject> 0028 <phrase>Tip of the Day</phrase> 0029 </textobject> 0030 </mediaobject> 0031 </screenshot> 0032 </para> 0033 0034 <para> 0035 You are recommended to quickly read through these tips by pressing on the 0036 <guibutton>Previous</guibutton> and <guibutton>Next</guibutton> buttons at the 0037 bottom of the window. 0038 </para> 0039 0040 <para> 0041 Once you have read the tips the window can be closed; it will re-open each 0042 time &kmymoney; is started. To stop this default behavior, uncheck the 0043 appropriate option on the Tip of the Day window. 0044 </para> 0045 0046 <note> 0047 <para> 0048 Tips can be read at anytime by selecting the <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu> 0049 <guimenuitem>Show tip of the day</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item within &kmymoney;. 0050 </para> 0051 </note> 0052 0053 <para> 0054 All tips have been extracted from the Frequently Asked Questions list (&FAQ;) 0055 that provides more detailed help and can be found on the project <ulink 0056 url="https://www.kmymoney.org/faq.php">website</ulink> and in <link 0057 linkend="faq">this manual</link>. 0058 </para> 0059 0060 <para> 0061 Please click on <guibutton>Close</guibutton> to close the Tip of the Day 0062 dialog. 0063 </para> 0064 0065 <note> 0066 <para> 0067 When you run &kmymoney;, it might not look exactly like the screenshots in 0068 this manual. Many details, such as fonts, colors, and icons, can be 0069 customized, either using the 0070 <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Configure 0071 &kmymoney;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item or the &kde; &systemsettings; 0072 application, depending on your operating system. 0073 </para> 0074 </note> 0075 0076 </sect1> 0077 0078 <sect1 id="firsttime.mainwindow"> 0079 <title>The main window</title> 0080 0081 <para> 0082 <screenshot> 0083 <screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo> 0084 <mediaobject> 0085 <imageobject> 0086 <imagedata fileref="mainwindow_numbered.png" format="PNG" /> 0087 </imageobject> 0088 <textobject> 0089 <phrase>The Main Window</phrase> 0090 </textobject> 0091 </mediaobject> 0092 </screenshot> 0093 </para> 0094 0095 <para> 0096 The &kmymoney; main window consists of four major parts 0097 </para> 0098 0099 <itemizedlist> 0100 <listitem><para>A. The menu bar</para></listitem> 0101 <listitem><para>B. The toolbar</para></listitem> 0102 <listitem><para>C. The View selector</para></listitem> 0103 <listitem><para>D. The view</para></listitem> 0104 </itemizedlist> 0105 0106 <para> 0107 The menu and toolbars provide access to the features of &kmymoney; and allow 0108 you to <link linkend="firsttime.3">Create</link> files or configure how 0109 &kmymoney; operates. 0110 </para> 0111 0112 <para> 0113 On the left side of the main window, the view selector consists of at least 0114 eleven icons with optional labels, depending upon the software provided by 0115 your system. More icons could be added by various plugins. By clicking on an 0116 icon, the view window on the right hand side is loaded with the appropriate 0117 view of your financial data. Each view provides a unique representation of 0118 your financial situation and allows you to view or edit the information shown. 0119 </para> 0120 0121 <para> 0122 The view selector may contain the following icons 0123 </para> 0124 0125 <itemizedlist> 0126 <listitem> 0127 <para> 0128 <guiicon> 0129 <inlinemediaobject> 0130 <imageobject> 0131 <imagedata fileref="home_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0132 </imageobject> 0133 <textobject> 0134 <phrase>Home View</phrase> 0135 </textobject> 0136 </inlinemediaobject> 0137 </guiicon> 0138 Home: A configurable overview of your current financial situation (or an 0139 introduction page when no data file is open). 0140 </para> 0141 </listitem> 0142 0143 <listitem> 0144 <para> 0145 <guiicon> 0146 <inlinemediaobject> 0147 <imageobject> 0148 <imagedata fileref="institutions_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0149 </imageobject> 0150 <textobject> 0151 <phrase>Institutions View</phrase> 0152 </textobject> 0153 </inlinemediaobject> 0154 </guiicon> 0155 Institutions: All of your institutions and accounts displayed in a 0156 hierarchy. 0157 </para> 0158 </listitem> 0159 0160 <listitem> 0161 <para> 0162 <guiicon> 0163 <inlinemediaobject> 0164 <imageobject> 0165 <imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0166 </imageobject> 0167 <textobject> 0168 <phrase>Accounts View</phrase> 0169 </textobject> 0170 </inlinemediaobject> 0171 </guiicon> 0172 Accounts: All of your accounts displayed in a hierarchy. 0173 </para> 0174 </listitem> 0175 0176 <listitem> 0177 <para> 0178 <guiicon> 0179 <inlinemediaobject> 0180 <imageobject> 0181 <imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0182 </imageobject> 0183 <textobject> 0184 <phrase>Schedules View</phrase> 0185 </textobject> 0186 </inlinemediaobject> 0187 </guiicon> 0188 Scheduled Transactions: Your recurring bills and deposits. 0189 </para> 0190 </listitem> 0191 0192 <listitem> 0193 <para> 0194 <guiicon> 0195 <inlinemediaobject> 0196 <imageobject> 0197 <imagedata fileref="categories_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0198 </imageobject> 0199 <textobject> 0200 <phrase>Categories View</phrase> 0201 </textobject> 0202 </inlinemediaobject> 0203 </guiicon> 0204 Categories: Special accounts that provide a means for you to group 0205 associated transactions. 0206 </para> 0207 </listitem> 0208 0209 <listitem> 0210 <para> 0211 <guiicon> 0212 <inlinemediaobject> 0213 <imageobject> 0214 <imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/> 0215 </imageobject> 0216 <textobject> 0217 <phrase>Tags View</phrase> 0218 </textobject> 0219 </inlinemediaobject> 0220 </guiicon> 0221 Tags: Special accounts that provide an additional means to Categories for 0222 you to group associated transactions. 0223 </para> 0224 </listitem> 0225 0226 <listitem> 0227 <para> 0228 <guiicon> 0229 <inlinemediaobject> 0230 <imageobject> 0231 <imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0232 </imageobject> 0233 <textobject> 0234 <phrase>Payees View</phrase> 0235 </textobject> 0236 </inlinemediaobject> 0237 </guiicon> 0238 Payees: All Payees used by &kmymoney;. These are all the people or 0239 organizations you pay money to or receive money from. 0240 </para> 0241 </listitem> 0242 0243 <listitem> 0244 <para> 0245 <guiicon> 0246 <inlinemediaobject> 0247 <imageobject> 0248 <imagedata fileref="ledgers_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0249 </imageobject> 0250 <textobject> 0251 <phrase>Ledgers View</phrase> 0252 </textobject> 0253 </inlinemediaobject> 0254 </guiicon> 0255 Ledgers: Your account transactions. 0256 </para> 0257 </listitem> 0258 0259 <listitem> 0260 <para> 0261 <guiicon> 0262 <inlinemediaobject> 0263 <imageobject> 0264 <imagedata fileref="investments_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0265 </imageobject> 0266 <textobject> 0267 <phrase>Investments View</phrase> 0268 </textobject> 0269 </inlinemediaobject> 0270 </guiicon> 0271 Investments: Your portfolio summary. 0272 </para> 0273 </listitem> 0274 0275 <listitem> 0276 <para> 0277 <guiicon> 0278 <inlinemediaobject> 0279 <imageobject> 0280 <imagedata fileref="reports_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0281 </imageobject> 0282 <textobject> 0283 <phrase>Reports View</phrase> 0284 </textobject> 0285 </inlinemediaobject> 0286 </guiicon> 0287 Reports: A collection of useful reports, providing alternate, customizable 0288 views of your financial data. 0289 </para> 0290 </listitem> 0291 0292 <listitem> 0293 <para> 0294 <guiicon> 0295 <inlinemediaobject> 0296 <imageobject> 0297 <imagedata fileref="budgets_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0298 </imageobject> 0299 <textobject> 0300 <phrase>Budgets View</phrase> 0301 </textobject> 0302 </inlinemediaobject> 0303 </guiicon> 0304 Budgets: Your budgets. 0305 </para> 0306 </listitem> 0307 0308 <listitem> 0309 <para> 0310 <guiicon> 0311 <inlinemediaobject> 0312 <imageobject> 0313 <imagedata fileref="forecast_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0314 </imageobject> 0315 <textobject> 0316 <phrase>Forecast View</phrase> 0317 </textobject> 0318 </inlinemediaobject> 0319 </guiicon> 0320 Forecast: This view provides a forecast of your accounts and categories. 0321 </para> 0322 </listitem> 0323 0324 <listitem> 0325 <para> 0326 <guiicon> 0327 <inlinemediaobject> 0328 <imageobject> 0329 <imagedata fileref="outbox_view.png" format="PNG"/> 0330 </imageobject> 0331 <textobject> 0332 <phrase>Outbox View</phrase> 0333 </textobject> 0334 </inlinemediaobject> 0335 </guiicon> 0336 Outbox: Used by the online banking module to provide feedback on running 0337 processes. This view is provided by the KBanking plugin and may not be 0338 present on your system. 0339 </para> 0340 </listitem> 0341 </itemizedlist> 0342 </sect1> 0343 0344 <sect1 id="firsttime.3"> 0345 <title>Creating a new file</title> 0346 0347 <para> 0348 &kmymoney; keeps all the data about your finances in a file. As was stated in 0349 <link linkend="makingmostof.basicaccounting.personalaccounts">Defining the 0350 accounts (personal records)</link>, you can keep more than one set of 0351 accounts, but the data for each will be kept in a separate file, and 0352 &kmymoney; can only have one file open at a time. See the chapter on <link 0353 linkend="details.formats">File Formats</link> for more details about 0354 &kmymoney;'s data files. 0355 </para> 0356 0357 <para> 0358 To create a new file you can either select 0359 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0360 menu item or choose the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata 0361 fileref="new.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> new 0362 icon from the toolbar. In addition, if the main welcome page is displayed, 0363 you can also select the first link: "Get started and setup accounts." 0364 </para> 0365 0366 <para> 0367 &kmymoney; will then open the <quote>New File Setup Wizard</quote> which will 0368 guide you through the process of creating the file. 0369 </para> 0370 0371 <para> 0372 <screenshot> 0373 <screeninfo>Personal Data Page</screeninfo> 0374 <mediaobject> 0375 <imageobject> 0376 <imagedata fileref="newfile.png" format="PNG" /> 0377 </imageobject> 0378 <textobject> 0379 <phrase>Personal Data Page</phrase> 0380 </textobject> 0381 </mediaobject> 0382 </screenshot> 0383 </para> 0384 0385 <para> 0386 Since all fields are optional, you can use &kmymoney; without entering any 0387 information now. Any information entered here is used only to personalize 0388 your file. In the future, it may be used in some reports and for online 0389 banking. If &kmymoney; requires any personal information in future releases 0390 and finds none, you will be prompted to enter the relevant data then. 0391 </para> 0392 0393 <para> 0394 Please enter your name and address or nothing and press 0395 <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. 0396 </para> 0397 0398 <para> 0399 In case you have an address for yourself stored in the &kaddressbook;, the 0400 button <guibutton>Load from Addressbook</guibutton> is enabled and pressing it 0401 imports all information into &kmymoney;. 0402 </para> 0403 0404 <para> 0405 &kmymoney; supports multiple currencies. To set your base currency (the 0406 currency you use day to day and which will be used for your reports), select 0407 the appropriate entry from the list provided and press 0408 <guibutton>Next</guibutton>. A default will be selected from &kmymoney; based 0409 upon your locale settings. 0410 </para> 0411 0412 <para> 0413 In the following example, US Dollar has been selected as the base currency. 0414 </para> 0415 0416 <para> 0417 <screenshot> 0418 <screeninfo>Base currency selection Page</screeninfo> 0419 <mediaobject> 0420 <imageobject> 0421 <imagedata fileref="newfile-2.png" format="PNG" /> 0422 </imageobject> 0423 <textobject> 0424 <phrase>Base currency selection page</phrase> 0425 </textobject> 0426 </mediaobject> 0427 </screenshot> 0428 </para> 0429 0430 <para> 0431 The following page allows you to create an initial account. For the typical 0432 &kmymoney; user this is a checking account. 0433 </para> 0434 0435 <para> 0436 <screenshot> 0437 <screeninfo>Checking account creation Page</screeninfo> 0438 <mediaobject> 0439 <imageobject> 0440 <imagedata fileref="newfile-3.png" format="PNG" /> 0441 </imageobject> 0442 <textobject> 0443 <phrase>Checking account creation page</phrase> 0444 </textobject> 0445 </mediaobject> 0446 </screenshot> 0447 </para> 0448 0449 <para> 0450 Enter the name of the account and a possible account or reference number 0451 assigned by the institution managing the account. Enter the opening date of 0452 the account and the opening balance of the account. For example, you want to 0453 use &kmymoney; to manage all your finances as of 2008-01-01, then enter the 0454 balance of the account at the beginning of this date. The number can possibly 0455 be obtained from a paper statement. Also enter the name and routing number of 0456 the institution, though this information is optional and only required for 0457 online banking purposes. 0458 </para> 0459 0460 <para> 0461 In case you don't want to setup an initial account, please uncheck the check box. 0462 </para> 0463 0464 <para> 0465 Once finished, press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to proceed. 0466 </para> 0467 0468 <para> 0469 <screenshot> 0470 <screeninfo>Account template selection Page</screeninfo> 0471 <mediaobject> 0472 <imageobject> 0473 <imagedata fileref="newfile-4.png" format="PNG" /> 0474 </imageobject> 0475 <textobject> 0476 <phrase>Account template selection page</phrase> 0477 </textobject> 0478 </mediaobject> 0479 </screenshot> 0480 </para> 0481 0482 0483 <para> 0484 Choose the appropriate country and account template(s). Each template provides 0485 a different set of categories for organizing your finances. Multiple 0486 templates, even from different countries, can be selected using a combination 0487 of &Ctrl; and &Shift; together with the &LMB;. The account 0488 hierarchy to be setup will be shown in a preview part of the wizard. In case 0489 you cannot find a template that suits your needs, don't select a template at 0490 this time, and you can manually set up categories later. 0491 </para> 0492 0493 <para> 0494 Once finished with the template selection press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to 0495 proceed. 0496 </para> 0497 0498 <para> 0499 The next page of the wizard allows you to setup user preferences. If you 0500 select the checkbox, the application settings dialog will be displayed after 0501 you have completed the account setup wizard. Press 0502 <guibutton>Next</guibutton> if you are done and want to proceed. 0503 </para> 0504 0505 <para> 0506 <screenshot> 0507 <screeninfo>Preference Page</screeninfo> 0508 <mediaobject> 0509 <imageobject> 0510 <imagedata fileref="newfile-5.png" format="PNG" /> 0511 </imageobject> 0512 <textobject> 0513 <phrase>Preference page</phrase> 0514 </textobject> 0515 </mediaobject> 0516 </screenshot> 0517 </para> 0518 0519 <para> 0520 The last page of the wizard allows you to select the location and filename 0521 that will be used to store your financial data. Initial values will be 0522 constructed out of your HOME folder and user name. In case the file exists, a 0523 warning will be displayed which reminds you to select a name of a non-existing 0524 file. 0525 </para> 0526 0527 <para> 0528 <screenshot> 0529 <screeninfo>Filename selection Page</screeninfo> 0530 <mediaobject> 0531 <imageobject> 0532 <imagedata fileref="newfile-6.png" format="PNG" /> 0533 </imageobject> 0534 <textobject> 0535 <phrase>Filename selection page</phrase> 0536 </textobject> 0537 </mediaobject> 0538 </screenshot> 0539 </para> 0540 0541 <para> 0542 Now you have entered all relevant information to create the file. Press 0543 <guibutton>Finish</guibutton> and &kmymoney; will create the file for you and 0544 open it. 0545 </para> 0546 0547 </sect1> 0548 0549 <sect1 id="firsttime.4"> 0550 <title>Creating accounts</title> 0551 0552 <para> 0553 There are multiple ways you can create an account, which are described here: 0554 </para> 0555 0556 <variablelist> 0557 <varlistentry> 0558 <term>Using the menu</term> 0559 <listitem> 0560 <para> 0561 To create an account using the menu select 0562 <menuchoice><guimenu>Accounts</guimenu><guimenuitem>New 0563 account</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0564 </para> 0565 </listitem> 0566 </varlistentry> 0567 0568 <varlistentry> 0569 <term>Using the Accounts view</term> 0570 <listitem> 0571 <para> 0572 To create an account using the accounts view click on the <guiicon> 0573 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png" 0574 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> accounts icon 0575 in the view selector to display the Accounts View. Right click on the 0576 either the Asset tree icon or the Liability tree icon in the right hand 0577 view and select <guimenuitem>New account</guimenuitem> from the popup 0578 menu. The Asset tree holds all of your accounts that are an asset, such 0579 as savings and investments. Liabilities are accounts that represent 0580 money you owe, such as loans and credit cards. These and all the other 0581 account types are discussed in more detail later in this manual. 0582 </para> 0583 </listitem> 0584 </varlistentry> 0585 0586 <varlistentry> 0587 <term>Using the toolbar</term> 0588 <listitem> 0589 <para> 0590 If the <guibutton>New Account...</guibutton> button is displayed on the 0591 toolbar, you can click it to create an account. 0592 </para> 0593 </listitem> 0594 </varlistentry> 0595 0596 </variablelist> 0597 0598 <tip> 0599 <para> 0600 Note that &kmymoney; uses context menus a lot throughout the whole 0601 application. If you find yourself stuck trying to figure out how to do 0602 something, try right-clicking where you would expect to see a feature. 0603 </para> 0604 </tip> 0605 0606 <para> 0607 Creating a new account by either method opens the <emphasis>New Account 0608 Wizard</emphasis>. This wizard will take you step by step through the process 0609 of creating an account, gathering the required information at each step. To 0610 navigate through the pages click on the <guibutton>Next</guibutton> and 0611 <guibutton>Back</guibutton> buttons. 0612 </para> 0613 0614 <para> 0615 Create an account using any of the previously mentioned methods to continue. 0616 A full description of creating accounts can be found in the <link 0617 linkend="details.accounts">Accounts</link> section. 0618 </para> 0619 0620 <para> 0621 Now that one or more accounts exist in &kmymoney;, your account summary is 0622 shown in the Home view. You can create transactions manually in the <link 0623 linkend="details.ledgers">Ledgers</link> view, or set up automatic 0624 transactions through the <link linkend="details.schedules">Schedules</link> 0625 view. 0626 </para> 0627 </sect1> 0628 0629 <sect1 id="firsttime.schedules"> 0630 <title>Schedules</title> 0631 0632 <para> 0633 Sometimes called a recurring transaction, a <link 0634 linkend="details.schedules">Schedule</link> is a transaction that occurs one 0635 or more times over a certain period of time. A typical example is your pay 0636 check that you receive every month or week. Rather than have to enter the 0637 transaction details each time you get paid, you can instruct &kmymoney; to 0638 create a schedule that will enter a transaction for you when you get paid. 0639 </para> 0640 0641 <para> 0642 To maintain <link linkend="details.schedules">schedules</link> click on the 0643 <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png" 0644 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> schedules icon in 0645 the view selector. 0646 </para> 0647 </sect1> 0648 0649 <sect1 id="firsttime.categories"> 0650 <title>Categories</title> 0651 0652 <para> 0653 To maintain <link linkend="details.categories">categories</link> click on the 0654 <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="categories_view.png" 0655 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> categories icon in 0656 the view selector. 0657 </para> 0658 0659 <para> 0660 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0661 linkend="details.categories">Categories</link> section. 0662 </para> 0663 </sect1> 0664 0665 <sect1 id="firsttime.tags"> 0666 <title>Tags</title> 0667 0668 <para> 0669 To maintain <link linkend="details.tags">tags</link> click on the <guiicon> 0670 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/> 0671 </imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> tags icon in the view selector. 0672 </para> 0673 0674 <para> 0675 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0676 linkend="details.tags">Tags</link> section. 0677 </para> 0678 </sect1> 0679 0680 <sect1 id="firsttime.payees"> 0681 <title>Payees</title> 0682 0683 <para> 0684 To maintain your list of payees click on the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject> 0685 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject> 0686 </inlinemediaobject></guiicon> payees icon in the view selector. 0687 </para> 0688 0689 <para> 0690 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0691 linkend="details.payees">Payees</link> section. 0692 </para> 0693 </sect1> 0694 0695 <sect1 id="firsttime.import"> 0696 <title>Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) Import</title> 0697 0698 <para> 0699 If you currently use another financial manager application, &kmymoney; can 0700 import an account's transactions as long as they can be exported or saved in a 0701 format &kmymoney; understands. The most common of these is the Quicken 0702 Interchange Format (QIF). Most financial programs can export this format, 0703 although the different applications' methods of exporting QIF is not discussed 0704 here for brevity. 0705 </para> 0706 0707 <para> 0708 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0709 linkend="details.impexp.qifimp">QIF Import</link> section. 0710 </para> 0711 </sect1> 0712 0713 <sect1 id="firsttime.find"> 0714 <title>Searching for transactions</title> 0715 0716 <para> 0717 &kmymoney; provides a useful and powerful transaction search facility in the 0718 form of the search dialog. 0719 </para> 0720 0721 <para> 0722 The search dialog can be opened from the toolbar using the <guiicon> 0723 <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="transaction_find.png" 0724 format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> find icon or by 0725 selecting the <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Find 0726 Transaction</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0727 </para> 0728 0729 <para> 0730 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0731 linkend="details.search">Search</link> section. 0732 </para> 0733 0734 </sect1> 0735 0736 <sect1 id="firsttime.reconcile"> 0737 <title>Reconciliation</title> 0738 0739 <para> 0740 At some point you will want to reconcile the transactions you have entered 0741 with the transactions listed in a statement, be it a bank statement, credit 0742 card statement, loan statement, or any other statement. Reconciliation 0743 involves matching what you have entered with what the statement lists. If any 0744 discrepancies are found then either you or the person who created the 0745 statement have made a mistake. 0746 </para> 0747 0748 <para> 0749 To reconcile an account, first select the account, either from 0750 <guiicon>Accounts</guiicon> view or from <guiicon>Ledgers</guiicon> 0751 view. Then, either click on the <guiicon>Reconcile</guiicon> icon on the 0752 Toolbar, or select the <menuchoice><guimenu>Account</guimenu> 0753 <guimenuitem>Reconcile</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item. 0754 </para> 0755 0756 <para> 0757 A full description of this topic can be found in the <link 0758 linkend="details.reconcile">Reconciliation</link> section. 0759 </para> 0760 </sect1> 0761 0762 <sect1 id="firsttime.backup"> 0763 <title>Backing up</title> 0764 0765 <para> 0766 Now that you have created some accounts and entered transactions it's a good 0767 idea to perform a backup. Because the file used by &kmymoney; is a standard 0768 Unix file you can just copy the file to another location to back it up or use 0769 the dialog provided by &kmymoney;. Using the dialog is the preferred method 0770 because if &kmymoney; ever starts using other file formats, such as SQL, then 0771 it would be much harder to copy the file manually. 0772 </para> 0773 0774 <para> 0775 To backup your file through &kmymoney; Select 0776 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Backup</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0777 menu item and enter the folder where you wish the file to be saved. If the folder 0778 needs mounting first and you have the sufficient privileges then check the 0779 tick box labeled <guilabel>Mount this folder before backing up</guilabel> 0780 and click on <guibutton>OK</guibutton>. 0781 </para> 0782 0783 <para> 0784 The file will be saved to the folder specified with the current date appended 0785 to the filename so it is easy to see the date the file was backed up. 0786 </para> 0787 </sect1> 0788 0789 <sect1 id="firsttime.launch"> 0790 <title>Launching &kmymoney;</title> 0791 0792 <para> 0793 Most commonly, you will launch &kmymoney; from an icon or a start menu of your 0794 window manager. In this case, the default behavior is that &kmymoney; will 0795 open the last file you had open. However, in some circumstances, you will 0796 want or need to launch &kmymoney; from the command line. 0797 </para> 0798 0799 <para> 0800 For a complete description of all the available command line options, see the 0801 man page for &kmymoney;. However, there are two special cases which we 0802 describe here. 0803 </para> 0804 0805 <formalpara><title><command>kmymoney -n</command></title> 0806 <para> 0807 The -n option tells &kmymoney; not to open the last file it had open. This 0808 can be useful if the program crashes on startup. 0809 </para> 0810 </formalpara> 0811 0812 <formalpara><title><command>kmymoney <path to file></command></title> 0813 <para> 0814 Giving &kmymoney; a filename on the command line tells it to open that file 0815 instead of the last file it had open. You can use the name of any valid 0816 &kmymoney; file, as described in the chapter on <link 0817 linkend="details.formats">file formats</link>. In addition, this can be 0818 used to import a <link linkend="details.impexp.gnucash">&gnucash;</link> file. 0819 </para> 0820 </formalpara> 0821 </sect1> 0822 0823 <sect1 id="firsttime.newpc"> 0824 <title>How to move &kmymoney; to a new computer</title> 0825 0826 <sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.data"> 0827 <title>Moving your data</title> 0828 0829 <para> 0830 If you get a new computer, it's very easy to move your data. In fact, all you 0831 have to do is to copy your &kmymoney; data file. The name of the file is 0832 shown in the title bar when &kmymoney; is running, it usually ends in <filename 0833 class="extension">.kmy</filename>. The first time you run the application on the 0834 new computer you will have to tell it where you have put the data file, either 0835 by running from the command line, or from the 0836 <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Open...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> 0837 menu item. You should even be able to move between &Windows;, &MacOS;, and &Linux; systems. 0838 </para> 0839 0840 <para> 0841 If you have encrypted your data file, be sure the appropriate software and 0842 keys have also been set up on the new computer. 0843 </para> 0844 0845 <para> 0846 If your data is in an SQL database, refer to documentation for your database 0847 software for guidance on migrating your data. 0848 </para> 0849 0850 <para> 0851 Note that this assumes you have installed the same version of &kmymoney; on the new 0852 computer as you were running on the old computer. Installing a newer version should 0853 also be safe, but you need to be aware of any issues related to that upgrade. Any such 0854 issues should be noted in the release notes for the new version. 0855 </para> 0856 </sect2> 0857 0858 <sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.settings"> 0859 <title>Moving your settings</title> 0860 0861 <para> 0862 If you only move your data file to the new machine, as described in the 0863 previous section, &kmymoney; will work correctly, but you will have lost any 0864 settings you changed from the default on your old machine. To maintain these 0865 settings, you also need to copy your configuration file. This file is called 0866 <filename>kmymoneyrc</filename>. This file will be in a folder with other &kde; 0867 application configuration files. On a &Linux; system, this will be in 0868 <filename class="directory">$KDEHOME/share/config</filename> where <envar>$KDEHOME</envar> is usually 0869 <quote>.config</quote> within your home folder. If you are migrating from 0870 a version of &kmymoney; prior to 5.0 or later, the old location 0871 of <envar>$KDEHOME</envar> was <filename class="directory">.kde4</filename>. 0872 </para> 0873 0874 <sect3 id="firsttime.newpc.settings.plugins"> 0875 <title>Moving plugin settings</title> 0876 0877 <para> 0878 If you have run any &kmymoney; plugin, such as the csv importer or exporter, 0879 it may also have created a configuration file in that same folder, such as 0880 <filename>csvimporterrc</filename> or <filename>csvexporterrc</filename>. 0881 These should also be copied to the new computer. 0882 </para> 0883 0884 <para> 0885 As with the main data file, this assumes the same version of the plugin on 0886 both computers. Upgrades are generally safe, but if the functionality of the 0887 plugin has changed greatly, it is advisable to carefully test using the old 0888 configuration file, to be sure the plugin behaves as you expect. 0889 </para> 0890 0891 <para> 0892 Note that when upgrading from a previous version to version 5.0 or higher, the 0893 location of the template files used by the plugin for printing checks has 0894 changed. Please consult the release notes or the project <ulink 0895 url="https://www.kmymoney.org/faq.php">website</ulink> for more details. 0896 </para> 0897 0898 <note> 0899 <para> 0900 These instructions are solely for moving your &kmymoney; data and settings. 0901 However, there may be important items which are stored by &kde; and not by 0902 &kmymoney;, such as passwords stored in kwallet. Moving other parts of 0903 your &kde; setup is beyond the scope of this manual, although many of the 0904 relevant files are also stored under <envar>$KDEHOME</envar>. 0905 </para> 0906 </note> 0907 </sect3> 0908 </sect2> 0909 </sect1> 0910 0911 <sect1 id="firsttime.contact"> 0912 <title>Contacting the Developers / Reporting Bugs</title> 0913 0914 <sect2> 0915 <title>Contacting the developers</title> 0916 0917 <para> 0918 For general questions or comments about &kmymoney;, there is a users' mailing 0919 list &userlist;. (<ulink 0920 url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney">more details 0921 here</ulink>.) In addition, you can contact the developers through their 0922 mailing list &devlist;. (<ulink 0923 url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney-devel">more details 0924 here</ulink>.) Since replies are often sent only to the list, you may not get 0925 any response unless you subscribe to one of the lists before sending to it. 0926 </para> 0927 0928 <para> 0929 We're happy to hear about your experiences using &kmymoney;. 0930 </para> 0931 </sect2> 0932 0933 <sect2> 0934 <title>Reporting bugs</title> 0935 0936 <para> 0937 To report a bug please use the interface provided by &kmymoney; by selecting 0938 <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report 0939 Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item and filling in the required information. 0940 However, in case you have any difficulties with that method, you can report a 0941 bug (or file a wish-list or enhancement request) directly at the <ulink 0942 url="https://bugs.kde.org">&kde; bug reporting web site</ulink>. Reports 0943 should be filed against the product <quote>kmymoney</quote>. 0944 </para> 0945 0946 <para> 0947 In any case, before reporting a bug, please read through the guidelines below. 0948 Following them will make it more likely that the developers will be able to 0949 quickly identify the problem without having to ask you for more information. 0950 </para> 0951 0952 <sect3 id="firsttime.bugs.quality"> 0953 <title>Writing High Quality Bug Reports</title> 0954 0955 <para> 0956 We encourage users to take extra time to write high-quality bug reports when 0957 submitting them. This reduces wasted effort on all sides, as the reporter and 0958 the developer who will fix it trade emails until this information is really 0959 in place. 0960 </para> 0961 0962 <para> 0963 Eli Goldberg wrote the canonical Bug-Writing Guideline, available at <ulink 0964 url="https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html">https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html</ulink>. 0965 Generally, you'll be well-served by following these guidelines: 0966 </para> 0967 0968 <formalpara><title>Include your system information</title> 0969 <para> 0970 The <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report 0971 Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item will fill this in automatically, 0972 but if you would prefer not to use this interface, there are several items 0973 you need to include in the report. We will need to know what operating 0974 system you are using (&Linux;, &MacOS;, or &Windows;), the version of &kde;, 0975 and the version of &kmymoney; you're running, and either the version of 0976 &MacOS; or &Windows; or the name and version of your &Linux; distribution 0977 and the version of your kernel. 0978 </para> 0979 </formalpara> 0980 0981 <formalpara><title>Include a backtrace for crashes</title> 0982 <para> 0983 The backtrace is often the single most useful piece of information in 0984 solving crashes. 0985 </para> 0986 </formalpara> 0987 0988 <formalpara><title>Try to reproduce it</title> 0989 <para> 0990 Let us know if you were able to do so. It's useful to know whether the bug 0991 only happened once and you couldn't get it to happen again or happens every 0992 time or happens sometimes but not others. 0993 </para> 0994 </formalpara> 0995 0996 <formalpara><title>Include specific steps</title> 0997 <para> 0998 This is a bad bug report: <quote>I entered a transaction, and &kmymoney; 0999 crashed.</quote> A much better bug report is: <quote>Using the transaction 1000 form, I entered a new transaction in my Credit Card account. I selected the 1001 Transfer tab, entered in an amount, then changed to the Deposit tab, and 1002 back to the Transfer tab. When I returned to the Transfer tab, &kmymoney; 1003 crashed. This bug is fully reproducible for me.</quote> 1004 </para> 1005 </formalpara> 1006 1007 <formalpara><title>Tell us what you expected to happen</title> 1008 <para> 1009 In some cases, this is obvious, but in more subtle bugs, sometimes you'll 1010 see a bug report where it is not obvious what the reporter expected to 1011 happen. Always tell us what you think should have happened. 1012 </para> 1013 </formalpara> 1014 1015 <formalpara><title>Consider running with debugging enabled</title> 1016 <para> 1017 By compiling a version configured with --enable-debug=full you can ensure 1018 that the best possible backtraces are generated. If you encounter a crash, 1019 run &kmymoney; again from within gdb, and reproduce the crash. When it 1020 crashes, type <quote>bt</quote> to generate a backtrace. 1021 </para> 1022 </formalpara> 1023 1024 <para> 1025 Running this way is a bit more difficult, so we don't expect all users to do 1026 this. However, if you're interested in helping &kmymoney; become as stable as 1027 possible, this is the best way to do it short of finding the bug in the code 1028 and sending in a patch. 1029 </para> 1030 </sect3> 1031 </sect2> 1032 </sect1> 1033 </chapter>