September 2007

Q. How do I view the transactions for an account?
A. In the Accounts View, highlight the account that you want to see and press Enter.

Q. In the Transactions View, what do the totals C:, T:, R: mean?
A. C: stands for Current Balance from all transactions in the account including future-dated ones. T: stands for Today's Balance. R: stands for Reconciled Balance.

Q. How do I mark a transaction as reconciled?
A. In the Transactions View, highlight the transaction and press Enter.

Q. Can I import data from, or export data to, other personal finance programs?
A. Yes, if your device runs MIDP Java 2.0 and has the optional File Connection API from Java (ie. uses JSR-75) then you can use the program JabpFile to send or receive QIF files to/from your device's external memory card. JabpFile will also allow you to backup your data.  See http://www.freepoc.org for a copy of JabpFile.

Q. Can you recommend a freeware personal finance program which works well with JabpLite?
A. We recommend Jabp, which runs on Windows and Mac platforms.  Jabp can both import from and export to JabpLite.  See http://www.freepoc.org for a copy of Jabp.

Q. What are Standing Orders and how do I use them?
A. Standing Orders are sometimes called scheduled transactions.  They are for receipts or payments which occur at standard intervals (eg. every month, every year) and where you know the amount in advance.  When entering a Standing Order, you will specify a processing date and an end date.  JabpLite will automatically create the transaction on the next processing date.

Q. What about Direct Debits?
A. If the amount is always the same, create a Standing Order.  If the amount differs each time, you can create a future-dated transaction when you receive your bill.

Q. How do I page up and page down the display?
A. Left key goes up a page. Right key goes down a page. If you have a touch-screen phone then touch the header pane to go up one page and touch the footer pane to go down one page.

Q. How does the JabpLite calculate future balances?
A. JabpLite takes your current balance, then adds or subtracts any future-dated transactions and standing orders (sometimes known as scheduled transactions).

Q. What is a Regular Transaction and how do I create one?
A. Regular Transactions are those that you use regularly! Whenever you are entering a new transaction, you can select the Save As Regular option. This will save the Description, Amount, Reference and Category as a new Regular Transaction.

Q. I want to create a Regular Transaction, and the amount can change each time. How do I handle that?
A. Leave the Amount field blank when you use the Save As Regular option.

Q. I want to create a Regular Transaction, and the amount is always the same. How do I handle that?
A. Fill in the Amount field when you use the Save As Regular option. Additionally if the transaction happens at regular intervals then consider setting it up as a Standing Order.

Q. I want to change the details of a Regular Transaction?
A. In the Transaction View, select the Regular Transaction. Make any changes you require and then use the Save As Regular option. If the Description field is unchanged, the existing Regular Transaction will be updated. If the Description field has changed, then a new Regular Transaction will be created.

Q. Can I use multiple categories for a single transaction?
A. Yes. These transactions are sometimes known as 'Splits'. Select two or more categories for the transaction. Once you select Create, you will be presented with a further input screen where you can split the total transaction amount between the categories.

Q. How do I remove old transactions without deleting each one manually?
A. From the Accounts View, use Extra Options > Purge.

Q. Can I use foreign currencies?
A. Yes. Set up a new currency in the Currency View screen. You can then enter transactions in this new currency and they will be converted to your home currency at the exchange rate that you have specified. This will obviously be an approximation, when you receive your account statement, you can edit the transaction to be the correct amount.

Q. How do foreign currency accounts work?
A. All transactions you enter in these accounts default to the currency of the account. Those transactions are still stored in your home currency, you will see that happen when you go back to the Transaction View. However the Account Totals at the bottom of the screen are shown in the foreign currency so that you can agree them to your account statement.

Q. In foreign currency accounts, what are FX Adjustment transactions?
A. If you have foreign currency accounts, or foreign currency investments, then these are re-valued each time you update the exchange rate for that currency. The FX Adjustment transactions are how the program re-values your accounts.

Q. What is the 'Re-use Forms' option in Extra Options > Preferences?
A. By default this option is set to No. Users of UIQ devices can speed up the display of new transaction forms by setting this option to Yes. On some devices this will result in the forms being partially scrolled on the screen instead of starting at the top. If this happens, keep this option set to No.

Q. How do I enable Quick Start?
A. In Extra Options > Preferences set Quick Start to Yes. With Quick Start selected, JabpLite starts in 'entry mode' so that you can quickly enter a New or Regular transaction. The New option includes your account list and will default to the last-used account. Although you can select from your Regular transaction list, you cannot create, edit or delete a new Regular transaction in Quick Start mode - you must go to the main program to do that. To go to the main program, select Main. If you have set a password, you will be asked to specify it now.

Q. What is Load Data In Background?
A. You can make Quick Start faster by setting this option to Yes. On a few devices this causes a crash, so it is set to No by default.

Q. In Quick Start and Transaction Views, what is New (select Categories)?
A. If you have many categories, it can be time-consuming to scroll through and find the right one.  This option allows you to select the first few characters of your category.  Cannot be used for 'split' transactions where there is more than one category.

Q. What is the Match Description option for when entering a new transaction?
A. Type a few characters into the description field and select Match Description.  JabpLite will search the most recent 50 transactions in the account.  It will display a match or 'not found'.  Select Match Description again to search the next 50 transactions, and so on.