Documentation

AloxBook is built to give you a clear view of everyday finances with a simple structure. Your financial data is stored in local SQLite files you control, and the interface keeps double-entry understandable even if you are just getting to know it.

Overview

AloxBook uses double-entry bookkeeping: each transaction moves from a source account to a destination account. That simple rule gives you a reliable view of where money came from, where it went, and why balances changed.

Installation

System Requirements

• Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• macOS 15 Sequoia or later (Apple Silicon or Intel)
• Linux: Flatpak on x86_64 or aarch64, or AppImage on x86_64

Install

On Windows, install AloxBook from the Microsoft Store (recommended). It is the primary installation path and provides Store-managed updates. The direct Setup.exe and WinGet packages remain available as alternatives. For other platforms, choose your package in the download section. Its installation guide contains the current steps and known platform-specific notes. AloxBook packages are self-contained; you do not need to install .NET or other application dependencies separately.

Updates

• Microsoft Store: updates for Store installations are delivered through Microsoft Store.
• Setup.exe, WinGet, macOS DMG, and AppImage: when update checks are enabled, AloxBook downloads a new version in the background and applies it after you exit; the new version starts next time.
• Flathub: your software center or flatpak update installs updates. AloxBook therefore hides its own update setting inside Flatpak.
• Direct Flatpak bundle: this advanced fallback has no managed update source. Install from Flathub when you want automatic package updates.

Verify a direct download

The checksum link beside the current version in the download section lists each release file's SHA-256 digest. A matching digest shows that your file matches the published release file; because the manifest is served from the same website, it does not independently prove publisher identity. The signed macOS package and verified Flathub listing provide additional publisher checks.

First Steps

1. Create a new book - use File → New and choose where your .aloxbook file should live so backups stay simple
2. Set a password - this protects the book whenever someone else can access the same device (optional, but recommended)
3. Choose an account template - start with a structure you can rename and adapt later, instead of beginning from a blank list
4. Add your first transactions - begin with salary, rent, groceries, transfers, or other repeating money movements

Accounts

Accounts in AloxBook are organized in a hierarchical tree with three root categories:

• Assets & Debts - bank accounts, cash, savings, real estate, and debts such as loans or credit cards (entered as negative balances)
• Income - salary, interest, dividends, refunds, ...
• Expenses - rent, groceries, utilities, entertainment, ...

You can create sub-accounts at any level. For example, under Expenses you might have Housing → Rent, Housing → Utilities, etc. Balances aggregate up the tree.

Creating an Account

Switch to the Accounts tab, right-click on a parent account (or use the toolbar), and select Insert Account. Give it a name.

Transactions

A transaction in AloxBook always involves two accounts - money flows from one account to another. This is the core principle of double-entry bookkeeping.

Examples:

• Income: Salary → Assets & Debts: Bank Account - you receive your paycheck
• Assets & Debts: Bank Account → Expenses: Groceries - you buy groceries
• Assets & Debts: Bank Account → Assets & Debts: Savings - you transfer to savings
• Income: Salary → Expenses: Groceries - you pay for the canteen meal via payroll

Creating a Transaction

In the Transactions tab, click the plus icon. Fill in the date, source account, destination account, amount, and description text.

Templates

Templates let you save frequently-used transactions for quick re-use. A template stores the source account, destination account, amount, and description text (all optional).

To create a template, go to the Templates tab and click the plus icon. To apply a template, select it from the list in the "Create new transaction" dialog - this automatically fills in the template's values into the new transaction.

CSV Import

AloxBook can import bank statements from CSV files. The import system is highly configurable:

• Import profiles are automatically created and saved after you assign an account to them
• Import rules automatically assign imported transactions to a template based on text patterns and amounts
• Each imported transaction is visible in a preview and can be edited individually before committing
• Duplicate detection prevents importing the same transactions twice

Setting Up CSV Import

1. Switch to the Transactions tab
2. Click the Import CSV button in the toolbar
3. Select your CSV file
4. Column mapping is detected automatically; you can adjust the details manually
5. Review the preview and click Import

Automatic format detection

The CSV import is intentionally generic. It auto-detects the separator, text encoding, date format, decimal mark, header rows and column roles, so most bank and credit-card exports import without any manual setup. If something is detected incorrectly, you can adjust it in the import details. Separate debit/credit sign columns and pipe-separated reference, description and payee fields are supported as well.

Verified bank formats

The export formats below are checked automatically on every release against real-world sample files, so they are known to be detected out of the box. This is only a selection of what works - not a complete list - and many other banks use very similar formats that import just as well.

CSV Export

AloxBook can export the currently visible transaction view to a CSV file. The export follows the same rows and order you see in the transaction table, including active filters and sorting.

• The first CSV rows describe the active filter and sorting, so exported files keep their context
• Dates and amounts are formatted according to the current locale
• The separator follows the locale: semicolon for comma-decimal cultures, comma otherwise
• The file is written as UTF-8 CSV with a byte order mark for better spreadsheet compatibility

Exporting transactions

1. Switch to the Transactions tab
2. Apply any filter or sorting you want to export
3. Click the Export CSV button in the toolbar
4. Choose the target file name and location

Close & Carry Forward

If you prefer to keep one file per financial period (e.g. one per year), the Close & Carry Forward feature makes this easy:

1. Go to File → Close & Carry Forward
2. AloxBook creates a new file with your full account structure
3. All asset account balances are carried forward as starting balances
4. All templates are carried over
5. Income and expense accounts start fresh at zero
6. Your old file remains untouched and is marked as write-protected

This gives you a clean start for the new period while preserving your complete history in the previous file.

Encryption

Password protection is optional. When a password is set, SQLCipher encrypts the book with AES-256; without a password, the book is an unencrypted SQLite database. Forgotten passwords cannot be recovered.

Language & Locale

AloxBook supports English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. You can switch the language at any time via Settings - the entire UI updates immediately without restarting.

Numbers and dates use the regional format selected separately in Settings. Choose System to preserve the operating system format or Match app language to follow the interface language.

File Format

Each book is one portable .aloxbook file in the location you choose. It contains the accounts, transactions, templates, import settings, and book-specific preferences; there is no separate data folder to move with it.

• Close AloxBook before copying, moving, or backing up the file. This ensures all database changes have finished. If the file is in a synchronized folder, also let synchronization finish before opening the copied file elsewhere.
• Keep the password with your backup records, but separate from the book itself. An encrypted book cannot be recovered without it.
• Before opening an important older book with a newer AloxBook release for the first time, make a normal file copy.

Database upgrades

A newer AloxBook release may upgrade the database structure in place when it opens an older book. Your records remain in the same file, but an older AloxBook version may then be unable to open it. AloxBook refuses to open a database created by a newer, unsupported version rather than attempting an unsafe downgrade.

Access and export

An unencrypted book is a SQLite database and can be inspected with ordinary SQLite tools. A password-protected book requires a SQLCipher-compatible tool and the correct password. For normal interchange, use CSV Export to export the currently displayed transaction rows, including their active filter and order. No AloxBook account or cloud service is required to access or move your data.

Troubleshooting

Installation or startup problem

Official AloxBook packages include their application dependencies, so installing .NET separately should not be necessary. Download the current package again, follow the note in its installation guide, and compare the file with the published SHA-256 checksum. If it still fails, contact support with your AloxBook version, operating-system version and architecture, installation source, exact error message, and the step that failed.

File won't open

If you get an error when opening a file, check:

• Is the file a valid .aloxbook file?
• Are you entering the correct password?
• Was the file created or upgraded by a newer AloxBook version? Update AloxBook before trying again.
• If the file was copied from a synchronized folder, did copying and synchronization finish after AloxBook was closed?
• Is the file write-protected? AloxBook can open write-protected files in read-only mode.

CSV import issues

If your bank's CSV doesn't import correctly, check the import profile settings: delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab), date format, decimal separator, and column mapping. You can preview the parsed data before importing to verify the settings are correct.

CSV export looks different in a spreadsheet

CSV export uses your current locale for dates, decimal separators, and the CSV delimiter. The first two rows intentionally record the active filter and sorting so the file can be understood later.