Grisbi - Getting started

Copyright © 2001-2003 Daniel Cartron

Last update: 2003-04-02

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So don't wait, do it just now!

Chapter 1  Create an Account File

1.1  Import QIF files

We'll suppose you have exported your accounts as QIF files with your former accounting program (you need a QIF file for each account). Now you can import them in Grisbi: Grisbi will process your files for a few seconds, and that will be it.

1.2  New Account File

You don't have any file to import. Click on the menu File/New to create a new accounts file, then on Account/New to create the accounts you need.

Now click on the tab Transactions, then on the left icon Show/mask the form.

You are ready to enter your transactions.

Chapter 2  Grisbi's Tabs

2.1  Home

Displays your accounts list, their balance, and the warnings.

2.2  Transactions

Displays in the right part the transactions of the account you selected in the left part. Allows you to enter transactions. For this you must first click on the left icon of the tool bar, or double-click in the first empty line of the transactions list.

The transactions can be displayed with more or less information. Use the icons with white and blue lines to change the number of information lines displayed. You can also choose to display or not the reconciliated transactions by clicking on the R or crossed R icons.

For creating a third part that doesn't exist in your file, just enter its name in the combo box, and it will be added.

For creating a new category or budgetary-line, do the same but be careful with the syntax: you must separate the name of the category and the one of the sub-category with: or else Grisbi will not understand.

For creating a new financial year click on the menu Setup/Financial years.

2.3  Scheduler

Allows you to schedule repetitive transactions.

2.4  Accounts

Displays the list of all your accounts and their properties, and allows you to edit them.

2.5  Third parts

Displays the list of all the third-parts, the complementary information about them, and allow you to edit them. Also displays the transactions sorted by account (you can use the icons for quickly opening or closing the tree). Allows you to access a given transaction immediately by double-clicking on it.

2.6  Categories

The same as the Third parts tab, it allows you to classify your incomes and outgoings. You can add or edit a category or sub-category, and display the transactions of one or all categories.

2.7  Budgetary lines

The same as the former ones, it allows you to manage your budgetary lines.

2.8  Reports

Allows you to create and display all the reports you need. Some are already built-in, and you can customize them with a very powerful tool.

For the moment you can't print them (this is planned for the 0.4.3 version).

Chapter 3  Grisbi's menus

The File and Accounts menus are quite intuitive. The Setup menu allows you to setup Grisbi's general behaviour, and is explicit.