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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:04 am 
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I have been using since I do not know when FileMaker to manage my bank accounts. I have created a very complex FM file which I duplicate (empty) year after year, so that I can always compare expenses monthly and by categories.
Now I should add a few categories, but FM has very much changed in the years, so I am a little at loss (with FM 9 Advanced).
That's why I have bought and am beginning to use CheckBook Pro.
But what a disappointment it has been to discover that I can not make those very useful comparisons!
Or maybe it is possible and I do not understand how?
Would be very grateful for an answer. MTIA


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:52 am 
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I'm a big proponent of Smart Folders. By making a smart folder for each year, you can easily search for categories, payees, or anything else, within a specific year. You could also make specific smart folders for the criteria you want to compare regularly, and search for dates within the categories. Spend some time learning this feature; I'm sure you'll find it meets your needs.

See: viewtopic.php?p=6698#p6698


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:03 am 
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t3rockhall wrote:
I'm a big proponent of Smart Folders. By making a smart folder for each year...


I was already thinking this, but I must say that the manual is rather poor as far as this issue (and not only this) is concerned. I will surely follow your kind advice, many thanks


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:03 pm 
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You might also check out the Summary section, if you haven't done so already, since you want to see your Category breakdowns. In there, you'll find some preloaded Account Summaries listed to the left, which are already set-up to show Category subtotals with everything broken down by month.

Also, to further customize your Summary experience, click on the New button at the top of the window. Then, you'll be able to adjust various settings to hopefully get you exactly what you're looking for.

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:36 am 
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Allan W. wrote:
You might also check out the Summary section, if you haven't done so already, since you want to see your Category breakdowns. In there, you'll find some preloaded Account Summaries listed to the left, which are already set-up to show Category subtotals with everything broken down by month.

Also, to further customize your Summary experience, click on the New button at the top of the window. Then, you'll be able to adjust various settings to hopefully get you exactly what you're looking for.


Many thanks Allan, I have already looked at that section and will look at it more carefully, but I do not think it gives me what I need: comparisons this_year/last_year of expenses by months and by categories.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:28 am 
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With CheckBook Pro's Summary features, you certainly could create a Custom Summary for each year and compare those side-by-side. For that, you might even save the Summaries as PDF files and have them open at the same time outside of the application. This just involves choosing 'Print...' from the File menu and then , instead of actually sending the job to the printer, clicking on the PDF button at the bottom and selecting 'Save as PDF...'. Do that while each Account Summary is selected and you'll have two PDF files to have opened simultaneously. Would that work?

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:41 am 
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Allan W. wrote:
With CheckBook Pro's Summary features, you certainly could create a Custom Summary for each year and compare those side-by-side. For that, you might even save the Summaries as PDF files and have them open at the same time outside of the application. This just involves choosing 'Print...' from the File menu and then , instead of actually sending the job to the printer, clicking on the PDF button at the bottom and selecting 'Save as PDF...'. Do that while each Account Summary is selected and you'll have two PDF files to have opened simultaneously. Would that work?


Mmm… pretty complicated (even if I know very well the story of printing .pdfs: I have used Mac since 1984). I am already doing the monthly comparison with a very simple Numbers file. I will do the same for Categories but beginning 2013, because I have changed my categories from FileMaker to CheckBook Pro. As for now I am updating both FileMaker and CheckBook Pro, so that I can go on seeing the Categories comparisons in the old configuration. Many thanks


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