First, let's create a file to store your real data. Open GnuCash and go through the New Account Hierarchy Setup dialog. You will create a file and accounts to be used for your home finances, so choose the accounts that pertain to you. If you are not sure what accounts you will need, click the Select All option to create all of the accounts provided. When you have completed the setup, save this file with a filename you want to use for your home data.

Next, create a file to store test data. This is the file that will be used in the tutorials throughout this manual. Click File -> New to create a new file, and name it gcashdata. Your main window should now look something like this:

This image shows the Account Tree window with a set of accounts loaded from the druid.

Now, adjust some preferences in the account tree window. Select Edit -> Preferences -> General and change the tool bar buttons so that they display only text, not icons. Click Apply and look at the tool bar buttons in the main window. Return to the Preferences dialog and change the tool bar buttons back to the default setting by clicking Default. From the tool bar, select Options and select the “Type” item in the Account Fields to display option. The main window should now look like this:

This image shows the effect of changing the display options.

If you plan to import QIF data from another program, let's try a practice file first. (If not, skip to the next chapter on account setup.) First, create a new file called gcashimport. From the main menu, select File -> Import -> Import QIF... to start the import. When you are prompted for a filename, select (???GnuCash should have a sample QIF file available for this tutorial - can that be done easily?) Load the file and look at the results of the account match. Complete the import and take a look at the results. The main window should now look like this: (?Insert a screen shot here that corresponds to an imported test file) Save your file.