Documentation

AloxBook is built to give you a clear view of everyday finances with a simple structure. Your financial data stays in encrypted local SQLite files, 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)
• ~35 MB disk space

Install

1. Download the installer from the download section
2. Run AloxBook-Setup.exe
3. The app installs per-user (no admin rights needed)
4. AloxBook registers the .aloxbook file extension for double-click opening

Updates

AloxBook supports automatic updates. When a new version is available, the app will notify you and update in the background.

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 — bank accounts, cash, savings, loans, real estate, ...
• 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: Bank Account — you receive your paycheck
• Assets: Bank Account → Expenses: Groceries — you buy groceries
• Assets: Bank Account → Assets: 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

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

AloxBook files (.aloxbook) are SQLite databases encrypted with SQLCipher. When you create or open a file, you can set a password — the entire database is then AES-256 encrypted at rest.

Language & Locale

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

Numbers and dates are always formatted according to your system's locale settings (e.g. 1.234,56 in German vs. 1,234.56 in English).

File Format

AloxBook uses .aloxbook files — these are standard SQLite databases (optionally encrypted with SQLCipher). This means:

• Your data is a single file — easy to back up, copy, or move
• No dependency on cloud services or external databases
• The format is open and can be inspected with any SQLite tool (if unencrypted)

Troubleshooting

App won't start

AloxBook is compiled as a native Windows executable and should run on any 64-bit Windows 10+ system without additional dependencies. If the app fails to start, try running it from the command line to see error messages:

AloxBook.exe

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?
• 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.