Navigation Basics

The main areas most people use #

The main rail navigation is built around a small set of core areas:

• Dashboard for dashboard-style summaries
• Budget for assigning money, reviewing categories, and managing targets
• Accounts for accounts, payees, labels, and the full transaction list
• Reports for deeper review and analysis

If you are brand new, you will spend most of your time in Dashboard, Budget, and Accounts.

Use the File Menu for file-level actions #

The File menu in the top bar is where you manage the current Common Cents file.

Use it when you need to:

• create or open a file
• save changes
• use Save As to write the current data to a new file
• create a backup copy
• export transaction or category-balance data
• manage whether the current file auto-loads when the app starts

If the app is working from recovered local data instead of a bound file, the File Menu is also where you can use Save As or Create Backup to write that data back out to a .cents file.

Use the Combo Palette for speed #

The fastest way to move around Common Cents is the Combo Palette.

Open it with Command + K on macOS or Control + K on Windows and Linux.

From there you can:

• run actions
• jump into transaction search
• search documentation and find help
• use the calculator

That makes it useful both for navigation and for getting work done without hunting for a button or through menus.

Use the Month Picker for periods and date ranges #

The month picker in the app header changes its role based on the page you are viewing. The current calendar month is always visually indicated, but it is not always an active filter.

On Budget, the picker moves the working budget month. On Dashboard, it normally does the same for monthly cards and details blocks. If the Dashboard contains a report using Selected Period or Selected 12 Months, the picker becomes a reporting-period picker instead: it starts at the current working month, and clicking or Shift-clicking months changes that report period without changing the Dashboard’s other month-based cards and blocks.

On Accounts and account detail pages, the current month is selected when you arrive. Click a month to review that period, or Shift-click another month to select the inclusive range between the two months. Account balances continue to show the ending balance for the selected period, while the transaction list can also be switched to All Activity when you need the full account history.

On All Transactions, Payees, and Labels, pages start with all recorded activity and no month selected. Click a month to apply that full calendar month as a date filter, or Shift-click another month to select an inclusive range. The page updates to show activity in that period; the current month remains only a visual reference until you make a selection.

Click an already selected single month to clear that month filter. On pages with transaction filters, Clear Filters also removes the date range. If you set a custom date range that does not exactly cover whole months, the picker shows the affected months with a partial selection style.

Future periods are handled differently by page. All Transactions can include pending scheduled transactions through its Future filter. Payees and Labels remain recorded-activity views, so selecting a future period does not turn them into forecasts.

On Reports, Selected Period works the same way. It starts with the current working month, then you can Shift-click another month to create an inclusive calendar-month range. The resolved period is shown in the Reports header. Selected 12 Months remains a separate date option; when a period range is selected, it uses that range’s ending month as its anchor. Reporting-period selections are local to Dashboard or Reports and reset when you leave that page.

What the Combo Palette is good at #

Use it when you want to do something quickly, such as:

• add an account
• add a category
• add a transaction
• save your file
• open settings
• search the docs

You can also set a default Combo Palette mode later if you end up using one mode more than the others.

Use the Add Button for common create tasks #

If the Combo Palette is the fastest keyboard-first tool, the Add Button is the fastest on-screen tool for creating something new.

The main button opens your current default add action (ether single or bulk transaction entry). The menu attached to it lets you choose from common create flows such as:

• add a transaction
• add or import multiple transactions
• add a transfer
• add an account
• add a category
• add a payee

Depending on which features are enabled, you may also see options like labels or scheduled transaction tools.

Use the Add Button when you know you need to create something, but you do not want to stop and search for the right form first.

Look for Related Actions when you already found the item #

Around the app, many rows and lists include a Related Actions button or menu.

This is one of the main places to look when you already found the thing you want to work with, but you are not sure which action is available.

Use it to find context-specific actions for that row, such as:

• edit
• move
• archive
• match
• refund

The exact options change depending on what the row represents and what state it is in.

If you are looking at a transaction, category, payee, label, or planning row and wondering what you can do next, check Related Actions first.

A simple way to stay oriented #

If you are not sure where to go next, use this shortcut:

• go to Budget when you are deciding what money is for
• go to Accounts or Transactions when you are recording what happened
• go to Dashboard when you want a quick current-month summary
• open the Combo Palette when you know the action you want but not the screen

That is enough to stay productive while the rest of the app becomes familiar.

Next in Getting Started: Create an Account.