Naming your Account

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• The first thing you should do is name your new Account to reflect what you'll do with it. Is it where you'll keep a record of your checking account? If so, you could name it "Checking". Or, let's say your bank is named Second National. In that case, you might name the Account "Second National".

Your Starting Balance

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• If you plan to begin using CheckBook without entering your previous financial history by hand or importing it from another application, you'll probably need to account for your Real World Balance. The easiest way to do that is by entering your current Balance in the Starting Balance field.

Currency

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• CheckBook is designed to accommodate the currency symbol and formatting appropriate for each of your Accounts. These options are grouped together in what CheckBook calls a Currency. As you set up your first Account you'll be able to choose from a default set of Currencies. Don't worry if the Currency for your locale isn't in the list - use one of the defaults for now. You can set up your own Currencies and reconfigure your Account's Currency later.

Password Protection

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• Sometimes, it's necessary to prevent other users who have access to your Mac from looking at your Accounts. CheckBook provides an optional password protection feature for each Account. This allows you to protect some Accounts but not others.

Autocompletion

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• CheckBook keeps track of some of the Entry details you've used before, then compares those details with what you're typing in the current Entry. When it knows you've typed the words "Groceries at Corner Mart" some time in the past, and sees you're typing in "Groceries" in the current Entry, then it will fill in the rest automatically - so you don't have to.

Descriptions

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• This is where you can set up AutoCompletion for each Entry's Description field. First, you need to choose how CheckBook comes up with possible matches to what you type.

To/From Items

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• This is where you can set up AutoCompletion for each Entry's To/From field. The process is almost the same as when you set up your Descriptions. Just choose the way you want CheckBook to AutoComplete, and if you pick the third option set up a list of To/From items in the proper section of the list.

About Types

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• CheckBook's Types are an easy way to group your Entries by how they were transacted.

Types Part One

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• The Types section has two parts: the Types list, where you can set up your Types, and an area where you can select the default Type for Debits and the default Type for Deposits.

Types Part Two

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• Try this: press the button with the plus symbol. An Edit Type window should appear.

Types Part Three

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• Here you can see two popup menus for selecting the default Type for Debits and Deposits. Just select the proper Type for each and you're all set. Those will be the defaults for all new Entries.