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 Thunder Munchkin Software, LLC

 

BeMyCheckbook 1.3 User's Guide


Use in General

Upon opening BeMyCheckbook for the first time the user will find a blank startup screen similar to the figure below, however without any accounts present. This guide will use the included sample file of accounts "BMC_Sample_Accounts" in the installation directory. If the user wishes to open this file and follow along that may prove to be very helpful in this introduction.

The opening screen (Accounts Manager) provides the user with a starting point for all major account needs. A new account is created by simply clicking on the "New Account" button in the bottom right corner of the screen. (Similarly, an account is deleted by selecting the account from the listing and press the "Delete" button.) This will bring up a blank account information screen:

After the user has filled in all of the appropriate information, pressing the "Enter" button will save the new account and return the user to the Accounts Manager screen. Although only the account name is required when creating a new account, further personalization by adding all of the bank and account information will be useful, as this can serve as a central location for looking these things up in the future. Since we have already created accounts in the sample file, we will continue by using the pre-made Checking account. The account information screen may also be accessed after the creation of an account by selecting the account from the list in the Account Manager and then pressing the "Account Info" button at the bottom of the screen.

In order to access an account's register the user may either select the account from the pop-down menu in the left-hand bar (sidebar) of the Accounts Manager, or double-click on the account in the listing.

The user is now viewing the register and entry forms for the account:

This area is where all of the transactions are entered for the account. There are four types of forms: one each for a check, withdrawal, deposit, and transfer. The layouts of the check, withdrawal and deposit forms are the same:

The transfer form differs slightly, allowing the user to pick which account the transfer is from and which account it is going to. There must be two accounts in order to use the transfer entry form:

When the user clicks an item in the register its information will appear in the bottom form for modification, reference, etc. If the user desires a blank form, pressing the "New" button will provide one. In order to switch between forms simply click on the desired blue radio button to the left of the forms:

To enter a new transaction into the register, the user should obtain the desired form by clicking on the type in the form selection area. The cursor will then be ready start in the number entry area. This area holds the user's reference numbers or a small phrase that describes the transaction for easily finding similar types in the register. The sample file uses several different types of "number" entries to describe transactions. The current date is provided for the user's convenience in the date field. The user may change this to the desired date, either before or after the current date. (Note: The range of date setting ability will depend upon the computer's BIOS, and usually ranges from somewhere in the 1960's or earlier until at least 2034). The next field is the field that holds who the transaction was written to or what it was for. This is where the user can enter the payee for a check, the reason or type of deposit, or a memo to remember what the transaction was for. Following this is the amount entry area. Please remember that the amount of the transaction must be entered following the currency settings for the account. (See the section on Currency Settings for more information.)

The category and subcategory entries in the form consist of pop-down menus that allow the user to chose categories and subcategories to help to organize the transactions. Note that the subcategory menu remains inactive until a category is chosen since the subcategories are dependent upon this choice. Categories and subcategories will become important in the reports section of this program for graphical representations of the money flow within an account. In general, the more meaningful the categories and subcategories (along with their consistent use) the better the reports for the account will be. (See the section on the Category Manger for more information on how to manage the categories and subcategories.) By clicking on the new category (or subcategory) item in the pop-down menu, a dialog will be brought up asking for the new category or subcategory name:

The last field in the form is the memo field, where the user may type additional useful information about the transaction. By pressing the "Enter" button, the transaction will be inserted into the register. The "New" and "Cancel" buttons will not save the transaction information and will provide the user with a blank form. The transactions are put into the register according to the sorting method specified for the account by using the pop-down menu in the sidebar:

This sidebar is the area that provides easy navigation through the programs various features and also serves to change settings specific to the screen that is on the right-hand side. It also contains various hints and tips for each program view. For instance, the sidebar suggests here that a right-click will allow additional modifications:

The right-click menu allows the user to delete a transaction from the register as well as set the reconciliation flags. (See the Balancing Your Checkbook section for more information.)

From the sidebar the user can enter the reports section of the program by clicking on the "Account Reports..." text button. These buttons change color when the mouse is moved over them:

This opens the account's reports screen. The reports refer only to the specific account the user has active at the time the reports are accessed. The reports appear with the transaction listing report for the past 30 days:

By selecting a different type of report from the pop-down menu in the sidebar, the user may also enter the spending habits report:

or the balance history report:

These three reports help the user to visualize account activity in many ways. To change to a different time period of activity, simply select a different time frame from the pop-down menu in the sidebar:

 

We hope that this guide provides the user with the ability to begin using and exploring BeMyCheckbook thoroughly. For additional information on specific features and settings for this program please see the remainder of the help files.