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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 &lt;path to file&gt;</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>