<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<chapter id="firsttime">
<chapterinfo>
  <authorgroup>
    <author> &Michael.T.Edwardes; &Michael.T.Edwardes.mail; </author>
    <author> &Jack.H.Ostroff; &Jack.H.Ostroff.mail; </author>
  </authorgroup>
  <date>2024-12-01</date>
  <releaseinfo>5.2.0</releaseinfo>
</chapterinfo>
<title>Using &kmymoney; for the first time</title>

<sect1 id="firstime"><title>Running &kmymoney; for the first time</title>
<note><title>Screenshots may differ</title>
  <para>
    When you run &kmymoney;, it might not look exactly like the screenshots in this
    manual.  Many details, such as fonts, colors, and icons, can be customized, using
    the <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Configure
    &kmymoney;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item or the &kde; &systemsettings;
    application, depending on your operating system or distribution.
  </para>
</note>

<sect2 id="firsttime.mainwindow"><title>The main window</title>
<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="mainwindow_numbered.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>The Main Window</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  The &kmymoney; main window consists of four major parts
</para>

<itemizedlist>
  <listitem><para>A. The menu bar</para></listitem>
  <listitem><para>B. The toolbar</para></listitem>
  <listitem><para>C. The View selector</para></listitem>
  <listitem><para>D. The view</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>
  The menu and toolbar provide access to the features of &kmymoney; and allow you to
  <link linkend="firsttime.newfile">Create a new data file,</link> open an existing
  data file, or configure how &kmymoney; operates.  The toolbar can be configured to
  show icons for the operations you use most frequently.  <!-- I would prefer to use
  a link for this, but it is not described within this handbook, and the fundamentals
  link on configuring toolbars seems too generic.  I'm open to suggestions.  -->
</para>

<para>
  On the left side of the main window, the View Selector consists of at least eleven
  icons with optional labels, depending upon the software provided by your system, as
  some features can be included or excluded when the program is compiled.  More icons
  could be added by various plugins.  By clicking one of the icon, the view window on
  the right hand side is loaded with the appropriate view of your financial data.
  Each view provides a unique representation of your financial situation and allows
  you to view or edit the information shown.
</para>

<para>
  The View Selector may contain the following icons
</para>

<itemizedlist>
  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="home_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Home View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Home:  a configurable overview of your current financial situation (or an introduction
      page when no data file is open.)
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
        <inlinemediaobject>
          <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="institutions_view.png" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Institutions View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Institutions: your institutions and accounts displayed in a hierarchy.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Accounts View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Accounts: your accounts displayed in a hierarchy.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Schedules View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Scheduled transactions: your recurring payments, income, and transfers.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
        <inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="categories_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Categories View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Categories: special accounts that provide a means for you to group associated
      transactions.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
        <inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Tags View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Tags: special accounts that provide an additional means similar to Categories
      for you to group associated transactions.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
        <inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Payees View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Payees: your payees - the people and organizations you pay money to or receive
      money from.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="ledgers_view.png" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Ledgers View</phrase>
          </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Ledgers: your transactions in each account.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="investments_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
        <phrase>Investments View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Investments: your portfolio summary
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="reports_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Reports View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Reports: a collection of various, customizable displays of your financial data.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="budgets_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Budgets View</phrase>
      </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Budgets: your budgets.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="forecast_view_icon.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Forecast View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Forecast: forecast of the balances of your accounts and categories.
    </para>
  </listitem>

  <listitem>
    <para>
      <guiicon>
	<inlinemediaobject>
	  <imageobject>
	    <imagedata fileref="outbox_view.png" format="PNG"/>
	  </imageobject>
	  <textobject>
	    <phrase>Outbox View</phrase>
	  </textobject>
	</inlinemediaobject>
      </guiicon>
      Outbox: a display provided by the KBanking plugin to provide feedback on
      running processes.
    </para>
  </listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>
  Remember that some of these may not be present on your system; it depends on how
  your copy of &kmymoney; was configured and built.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.newfile"><title>Creating a new file</title>
<para>
  &kmymoney; keeps all the data about your finances in a file.  As was stated in
  <link linkend="makingmostof.basicaccounting.personalaccounts">Defining the accounts
  (personal records)</link>, you can keep more than one set of accounts, but the data
  for each will be kept in a separate file, and &kmymoney; can only have one file
  open at a time.  See the chapter on <link linkend="details.formats">File
  Formats</link> for more details about &kmymoney;'s data files.
</para>

<para>
  In addition to that data file with all the financial data for that set of accounts,
  &kmymoney; uses additional files to store data regarding configuration settings and
  display preferences.  The exact location of these files depends on your specific
  Operating System or Distribution.
</para>

<para>
  To create a new file you can either select the
  <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu
  item or choose the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata
  fileref="new.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon>
  <guilabel>new</guilabel> icon from the toolbar.  In addition, if the main welcome
  page is displayed, you can also select the first link: <quote>Get started and setup
  accounts.</quote>
</para>

<para>
  &kmymoney; will then open the <quote>New File Setup Wizard</quote> which will
  guide you through the process of creating the file.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Personal Data Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-1.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Personal Data Page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  Any information entered hereon the <guilabel>Personal Data</guilabel> page is used
  only to personalize your file.  All these fields are optional, so you can use
  &kmymoney; without entering any information now.  In the future, this information
  may be used in some reports and for online banking.  If &kmymoney; requires any
  personal information in future releases and finds none, you will be prompted to
  enter the relevant data then.
</para>

<para>
  In case you have an address for yourself stored in the &kaddressbook;, the
  button <guibutton>Load from Addressbook</guibutton> is enabled and pressing it
  imports all information into &kmymoney;.
</para>

<para>
  Once you have completed entering data, press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.
</para>

<para>
  If you need to change any of this information in the future, you can access this
  form with the <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Personal
  Data...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.
</para>

<para>
  &kmymoney; supports multiple currencies.  To set your base currency (the currency
  you use day to day and which will be used for your reports,) select the appropriate
  entry from the list provided and press <guibutton>Next</guibutton>.  A default will
  be selected based upon your locale settings, but you can easily choose a different
  currency, if appropriate for you situation.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Base currency selection Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-2.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Base currency selection page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  In this example, US Dollar has been selected as the base currency.
</para>

<para>
  After you click <guibutton>Next</guibutton>, the following page allows you to
  create an initial account. For the typical &kmymoney; user this is a checking
  account.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Checking account creation Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-3.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Checking account creation page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  Enter the name of the account and a possible account or reference number assigned
  by the institution managing the account.  The name is arbitrary, and is simply how
  the account will be referenced and displayed by &kmymoney;. Enter the opening date
  and the opening balance of the account.  For example, if you want to use &kmymoney;
  to manage all your finances as of 2008-01-01, then enter the balance of the account
  at the beginning of this date.  The number can possibly be obtained from a paper
  statement.  You may also enter the name and the bank code of the institution.  The
  latter, known as the routing number in the US or the sort code in the UK, is
  optional and only required for online banking purposes, but it may also be helpful
  when importing bank statements in some of the formats supported (OFX, QFX.)
</para>

<para>
  In case you don't want to setup an initial account or don't have a checking
  account, just uncheck the checkbox.
</para>

<para>
  Once finished, press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to proceed.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Account template selection Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-4.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Account template selection page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  Choose the appropriate country and account template(s). Each template provides a
  different set of categories for organizing your finances. Multiple templates, even
  from different countries, can be selected using a combination of &Ctrl; and &Shift;
  together with the &LMB;.  The account hierarchy to be setup will be shown in a
  preview part of the wizard. In case you cannot find a template that suits your
  needs, don't select a template at this time, and you can manually set up categories
  later.
</para>

<para>
  Once finished with the template selection press <guibutton>Next</guibutton> to
  proceed.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Preference Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-5.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Preference page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  This is the final page of the wizard.  If you select the checkbox <quote>Configure
  preferences after finishing the wizard</quote>, the application settings dialog
  will be displayed after you have completed the account setup wizard.
</para>

<screenshot>
  <screeninfo>Filename selection Page</screeninfo>
  <mediaobject>
    <imageobject>
      <imagedata fileref="newfile-6.png" format="PNG" />
    </imageobject>
    <textobject>
      <phrase>Filename selection page</phrase>
    </textobject>
  </mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>
  At this point, clicking <quote>Finish</quote> will start the <quote>Save storage
  as...</quote> dialog, where you choose the type of storage (XML, possibly with
  encryption, or SQL) and specify the details of that storage method, such as file
  name and location or sql database details.  See the <link
  linkend="details.formats">File Formats</link> and <link
  linkend="details.database">File Formats</link> chapters for more information about
  each storage type.
</para>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.4"><title>Creating accounts</title>
<para>
  There are multiple ways you can create an account:
</para>

<variablelist>
  <varlistentry>
    <term>Using the menu</term>
    <listitem>
      <para>
        To create an account using the menu select the
        <menuchoice><guimenu>Accounts</guimenu><guimenuitem>New
        account</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.
      </para>
    </listitem>
  </varlistentry>

  <varlistentry>
    <term>Using the Accounts View</term>
    <listitem>
      <para>
        To create an account using the Accounts View, click the <guiicon>
        <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="accounts_view.png"
        format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> accounts icon in
        the View Selector to display the Accounts View.  Right-click either the Asset
        tree icon or the Liability tree icon in the display and select
        <guimenuitem>New account</guimenuitem> from the popup menu.  The Asset tree
        holds all of your accounts that are assets, such as savings and investments.
        The Liability tree holds all of your accounts that represent money you owe,
        such as loans and credit cards.  These and all the other account types are
        discussed in more detail in the <link linkend="details.accounts">Accounts
        Chapter.</link>
      </para>
    </listitem>
  </varlistentry>

  <varlistentry>
    <term>Using the toolbar</term>
    <listitem>
      <para>
        If the <guibutton>New Account...</guibutton> button is displayed on the
        toolbar, you can click it to create an account.
      </para>
    </listitem>
  </varlistentry>

</variablelist>

<tip>
  <para>
    Note that &kmymoney; uses context menus throughout the whole application. If you
    find yourself stuck trying to figure out how to do something, try clicking the
    &RMB; where you would expect to see a feature.
  </para>
</tip>

<para>
  Creating a new account by any of the above methods opens the <emphasis>New Account
  Wizard</emphasis>.  This wizard will take you step by step through the process of
  creating an account, gathering the required information at each step.  To navigate
  through the pages click <guibutton>Next</guibutton> and
  <guibutton>Back</guibutton>.  A full description of creating accounts can be found
  in the <link linkend="details.accounts">Accounts</link> section.
</para>

<para>
  Now that one or more accounts exist in &kmymoney;, your account summary is
  shown in the Home View.  You can create transactions manually in the <link
  linkend="details.ledgers">Ledgers</link> View, or set up automatic
  transactions through the <link linkend="details.schedules">Schedules</link>
  View.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.schedules"><title>Scheduled transactions</title>
<para>
  A <link linkend="details.schedules">scheduled transaction</link>, sometimes called
  a schedule or a recurring transaction, is a transaction that occurs one or more
  times at a specified interval over a certain period of time.  A typical example is
  your pay check that you receive every week or month, or a utility bill you pay
  every month.  Rather than having to enter the transaction details each time you get
  paid, you can instruct &kmymoney; to create a schedule that will enter a
  transaction for you when you get paid.
</para>

<para>
  To maintain your <link linkend="details.schedules">schedules</link>, click the
  <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="schedule_view.png"
  format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> Scheduled transaction
  icon in the View Selector.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.categories"><title>Categories</title>
<para>
  To maintain your <link linkend="details.categories">categories</link>, click the
  <guiicon><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="categories_view.png"
  format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> Categories icon in the
  View Selector.
</para>

<para>
  A full description of this topic can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.categories">Categories</link> section.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.tags"><title>Tags</title>
<para>
  To maintain your <link linkend="details.tags">tags</link>, click the <guiicon>
  <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="mail-tagged.png" format="PNG"/>
  </imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> Tags icon in the View Selector.
</para>

<para>
  A more detailed description of this topic can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.tags">Tags</link> section.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.payees"><title>Payees</title>
<para>
  To maintain your <link linkend="details.payees">payees</link>,
  click the <guiicon><inlinemediaobject>
  <imageobject><imagedata fileref="payees_view.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject>
  </inlinemediaobject></guiicon> Payees icon in the View Selector.
</para>

<para>
  A more detailed description of this topic can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.payees">Payees</link> section.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.import"><title>Importing financial data from other applications</title>
<para>
  If you currently use another financial manager application, it is very likely that
  &kmymoney; can import much or all of the data from that program, as long as they
  can be exported or saved in a format &kmymoney; understands.  The most common of
  these is the Quicken Interchange Format (QIF).  Most financial programs can export
  this format, although the different applications' methods of exporting QIF is not
  discussed here for brevity.
</para>

<para>
  A full description of importing data in this format can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.impexp.qifimp">QIF Import</link> section.
</para>

<para>
  In addition to importing QIF format files, &kmymoney; can directly open data files
  used by <link linkend="details.impexp.gnucash">&gnucash;</link> file.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.find"><title>Searching for transactions</title>
<para>
  &kmymoney; provides a useful and powerful transaction search facility in the
  form of the search dialog.
</para>

<para>
  The search dialog can be opened from the toolbar using the <guiicon>
  <inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="transaction_find.png"
  format="PNG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></guiicon> find icon or by
  selecting the <menuchoice><guimenu>Edit</guimenu><guimenuitem>Find
  Transaction</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.
</para>

<para>
  A full description of this topic can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.search">Search</link> section.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.reconcile"><title>Reconciliation</title>
<para>
  At some point, you will want to reconcile your records and details of an account
  with the actual account to assure they match.  This is generally done by comparing
  the account in &kmymoney; with a printed or electronic statement for the account
  issued by the institution, such as bank, credit card, loan, or any other statement.
  Reconciliation involves matching what you have entered, specifically the
  transactions since the previous reconciliation, with what the statement lists.  If
  any discrepancies are found, either you or the person who created the statement has
  made a mistake.
</para>

<para>
  To reconcile an account, first select the account, either from the
  <guiicon>Accounts</guiicon> View or in the <guiicon>Ledgers</guiicon> View. Then,
  either click the <guiicon>Reconcile</guiicon> icon on the Toolbar, if it is
  visible, or select the <menuchoice><guimenu>Account</guimenu>
  <guimenuitem>Reconcile</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item.
</para>

<para>
  A more detailed description of this topic can be found in the <link
  linkend="details.reconcile">Reconciliation</link> section.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.backup"><title>Backing up</title>
<para>
  Now that you have created some accounts and entered transactions it's a good idea
  to perform a backup.  Because the file used by &kmymoney; is a standard &Linux; file
  (or &macOS; or &Windows; file, depending on your operating system) you can just
  copy the file to another location to back it up or use the dialog provided by
  &kmymoney;.  Using the dialog is the preferred method because if &kmymoney; ever
  starts using other file formats, such as SQL, then it would be much harder to copy
  the file manually.
</para>

<para>
  To backup your file through &kmymoney; Select
  <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Backup</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
  menu item and enter the folder where you wish the file to be saved. If the folder
  needs mounting first and you have the sufficient privileges then check the
  tick box labeled <guilabel>Mount this folder before backing up</guilabel>
  and click <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
</para>

<para>
  The file will be saved to the folder specified with the current date appended
  to the filename so it is easy to see the date the file was backed up.
</para>

<para>
  For more details about the actual format of the data file, and the backup process,
  see the <link linkend="details.formats">File Formats</link>.
</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.launch"><title>Launching &kmymoney;</title>
<para>
  Most commonly, you will launch &kmymoney; from an icon or a start menu of your
  window manager or desktop environment.  In this case, the default behavior is that
  &kmymoney; will open the last file you had open.  However, in some circumstances,
  you will want or need to launch &kmymoney; from the command line.
</para>

<para>
  For a complete description of all the available command line options, see the
  man page for &kmymoney;.  However, there are two special cases which we
  describe here.
</para>

<formalpara><title><command>kmymoney -n</command></title>
<para>
  The -n option tells &kmymoney; not to open the last file it had open.  This can be
  useful if the program crashes on startup.
</para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title><command>kmymoney &lt;path to file&gt;</command></title>
<para>
  Giving &kmymoney; a filename on the command line tells it to open that file instead
  of the last file it had open.  You can use the name of any valid &kmymoney; file,
  as described in the chapter on <link linkend="details.formats">file formats</link>.
  In addition, this can be used to import a <link
  linkend="details.impexp.gnucash">&gnucash;</link> file.
</para>
</formalpara>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.newpc"><title>How to move &kmymoney; to a new computer</title>

<sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.data"><title>Moving your data</title>
<para>
  If you get a new computer, it's very easy to move your data.  In fact, all you
  have to do is to copy your &kmymoney; data file.  The name of the file is
  shown in the title bar when &kmymoney; is running; it usually ends in <filename
  class="extension">.kmy</filename>. The first time you run the application on the
  new computer you will have to tell it where you have put the data file, either
  by running from the command line, or from the
  <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Open...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
  menu item. You should even be able to move between &Windows;, &MacOS;, and &Linux; systems.
</para>

<para>
  If you have encrypted your data file, be sure the appropriate software and
  keys have also been set up on the new computer.
</para>

<para>
  If your data is in an SQL database, refer to documentation for your database
  software for guidance on migrating your data.
</para>

<para>
  Note that this assumes you have installed the same version of &kmymoney; on the new
  computer as you were running on the old computer.  Installing a newer version should
  also be safe, but you need to be aware of any issues related to that upgrade.  Any such
  issues should be noted in the release notes for the new version.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="firsttime.newpc.settings"><title>Moving your settings</title>
<!-- FIXME: confirm we don't need to consider/mention that there might also be KMM related files under .local/share or
     even elsewhere.  Also, do we want/need a section on OS specific issues beyond what is mentioned here? -->
<para>
  If you only move your data file to the new machine, as described in the previous
  section, &kmymoney; will work correctly, but you will have lost any configuration
  settings you changed from the default on your old machine.  To maintain these
  settings, you also need to copy your configuration file.  This file is called
  <filename>kmymoneyrc</filename>.  The location of this file depends on your
  operating system and distribution.  On a &Linux; system, this will most likely be
  <filename class="directory">.config</filename> within your home folder.  If you are
  migrating from a version of &kmymoney; prior to 5.0, the old location was <filename
  class="directory">.kde4</filename>.
</para>

<sect3 id="firsttime.newpc.settings.plugins"><title>Moving plugin settings</title>
<para>
  If you have run any &kmymoney; plugin, such as the csv importer or exporter,
  it may also have created a configuration file in that same folder, such as
  <filename>csvimporterrc</filename> or <filename>csvexporterrc</filename>.  These
  files should also be copied to the new computer.
</para>

<para>
  As with the main data file, this assumes the same version of the plugin on both
  computers.  Upgrades are generally safe, but if the functionality of the plugin has
  changed greatly, it is advisable to carefully test using the old configuration
  file, to be sure the plugin behaves as you expect.  Of course this applies even
  when upgrading the version of &kmymoney; on a single PC.
</para>

<para>
  Note that when upgrading from a previous version to version 5.0 or higher, the
  location of the template files used by the plugin for printing checks has
  changed.  Please consult the release notes or the project <ulink
  url="https://www.kmymoney.org/faq.php">website</ulink> for more details.
</para>

<note>
<para>
  These instructions are solely for moving your &kmymoney; data and settings.
  However, there may be important items which are stored by &kde; and not by
  &kmymoney;, such as passwords stored in Keychain.  Moving other parts of
  your &kde; setup is beyond the scope of this manual, although many of the
  relevant files are also stored under <envar>$KDEHOME</envar>.
</para>
</note>
</sect3>
</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="firsttime.contact"><title>Getting Help / Contacting the Developers / Reporting Bugs</title>
<para>
  Since support channels change over time, you can refer to the <ulink
  url="https://kmymoney.org/support.html">Support page</ulink> at the <ulink
  url="https://kmymoney.org/">&kmymoney; web site</ulink> for the most up-to-date
  information on where to get help with &kmymoney;.
</para>

<para>
  If you simply have questions about using &kmymoney;, you want to confirm you
  understanding of how the application works, or need assistance figuring out the
  best way to handle a particular financial situation, please consider using one of
  the information sources, forums, mailing lists, or chat channels listed at the
  above link.
</para>

<sect2><title>Contacting the developers</title>
<para>
  For general questions or comments about &kmymoney;, there is a users' mailing list
  &userlist; with more details <ulink
  url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney">here</ulink>. This list is
  suitable for general questions and discussion.  There is also a developers' mailing
  list &devlist; with more details <ulink
  url="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kmymoney-devel">here</ulink>.  This list
  is intended for more technical discussions. Since replies are often sent only to
  the list, you may not get any response unless you subscribe to the list you send
  to.
</para>

<para>
  Note that the developers generally monitor the various contact channels mentioned
  above, so direct email contact is rarely necessary.  However, we're happy to hear
  about your experiences using &kmymoney; over whatever channel you prefer.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2><title>Reporting bugs</title>
<para>
  To report a bug please use the interface provided by &kmymoney; by selecting
  <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report
  Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item and filling in the required information.
  However, in case you have any difficulties with that method, you can report a
  bug (or file a wish-list or enhancement request) directly at the <ulink
  url="https://bugs.kde.org">&kde; bug reporting web site</ulink>.  Reports
  should be filed against the product <quote>kmymoney</quote>.
</para>

<para>
  In any case, before reporting a bug, please read through the guidelines below.
  Following them will make it more likely that the developers will be able to quickly
  identify the problem without having to ask you for more information.  Also try to
  be sure that what you are reporting really is a bug (or wishlist/enhancement
  request.)  If things are just not working they way you expect, or you need help
  using some feature of &kmymoney;, please use one of the alternate support channels
  listed above.
</para>

<sect3 id="firsttime.bugs.quality"><title>Writing High Quality Bug Reports</title>
<para>
  We encourage users to take extra time to write high-quality bug reports when
  submitting them.  This reduces wasted effort on all sides, as the reporter and
  the developer who will fix it trade emails until this information is really
  in place.
</para>

<para>
  Eli Goldberg wrote the canonical Bug-Writing Guideline, available at <ulink
  url="https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html">https://issues.apache.org/bugwritinghelp.html</ulink>.
  Generally, you'll be well-served by following the guidelines and advice from that
  page.  Some of those points are repeated below:
</para>

<formalpara><title>Include your system information</title>
<para>
  The <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>Report
  Bug</guimenuitem></menuchoice> menu item will fill this in automatically, but if
  you would prefer not to use this interface, there are several items you need to
  include in the report.  We will need to know what operating system you are using
  (&Linux;, &MacOS;, or &Windows;), the version of &kde;, and the version of
  &kmymoney; you're running, and either the version of &MacOS; or &Windows; or the
  name and version of your &Linux; distribution and the version of your kernel.  This
  information is extremely important, as many bugs (as well as behaviors
  mis-identified as bugs) depend on the Operating System.
</para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title>Include a backtrace for crashes</title>
<para>
    The backtrace is often the single most useful piece of information in solving
    crashes.
</para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title>Try to reproduce it</title>
<para>
  Let us know if you were able to do so.  It's useful to know whether the bug only
  happened once and you couldn't get it to happen again or if it happens every time
  or if it happens sometimes but not others.
  </para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title>Include specific steps</title>
<para>
  This is a bad bug report: <quote>I entered a transaction, and &kmymoney;
  crashed.</quote> A much better bug report is: <quote>Using the transaction form, I
  entered a new transaction in my Credit Card account.  I selected the Transfer tab,
  entered an amount, then changed to the Deposit tab, and back to the Transfer tab.
  When I returned to the Transfer tab, &kmymoney; crashed.  This bug is fully
  reproducible for me.</quote>
</para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title>Tell us what you expected to happen</title>
<para>
  In some cases, this is obvious, but in more subtle bugs, sometimes you'll see a bug
  report where it is not obvious what the reporter expected to happen.  Always tell
  us what you think should have happened, as well as what did happen.
</para>
</formalpara>

<formalpara><title>Consider running with debugging enabled</title>
<para>
  By compiling a version configured with --enable-debug=full you can ensure that the
  best possible backtraces are generated.  If you encounter a crash, run &kmymoney;
  again from within gdb, and reproduce the crash.  When it crashes, type
  <quote>bt</quote> to generate a backtrace.
</para>
</formalpara>

<para>
  Running this way is a bit more difficult, so we don't expect all users to do this.
  However, if you're interested in helping &kmymoney; become as stable as possible,
  this is the best way to do it short of finding the bug in the code and sending in a
  patch.
</para>
</sect3>
</sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>
