Copyright: Copyright © 1997-2002 Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
Citation: Copyright © 1997-2002 Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.


Expense Overview

Use Expense to track and view your business or personal expenses in Palm™ Desktop software. You can also transfer the information to Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel; for example, to add Expense items to an existing Word document.

You can use Expense on your handheld to track expenses, including:

•	The date of the Expense item, amount spent, and payment type

•	Category to which the Expense item is assigned

•	Vendor and people involved

•	Specific notes about the Expense item

•	Mileage for a particular date or event

What do you want to do?

 Learn about the Expense window

 Add a new Expense item

 Edit an Expense item

 Delete an Expense item

 Change the default currency type

 Add a custom currency type

 Choose the currency type for displaying total expenses

 Import Expense items

 Export Expense items

 Change how to view Expense items

 Send Expense Items to Word or Excel

Tip   Expense always uses the Expense data for the current user. The name of the current user account displays in the User box in the Palm Desktop toolbar. If Expense cannot determine the current user account, select the user account from the displayed Users dialog box.


Currency Dialog Box

Use the Currency dialog box to select the currency type for the following:

•	Displaying the total of all expenses in the current category

•	Changing the currency conversion rates

Select the Currency for the Expense Total	Select the currency type for displaying the total expenses. Expense automatically converts all items to that currency type.
Display the Currency Conversion in the Details	Select this check box to display each expense's amount in the original currency and the converted amount. If you look at the item in the Record pane, you see both currencies. For example, if the Expense item was entered in French Francs (FRF100.00) and you select AU$ (Australia), then the Record pane shows the amount in Francs as well as Australian dollars.
Adjust Currency Rates	Click to display the Conversion Rate dialog box where you can enter the currency exchange rate for each currency type used in your Expense items. See Conversion Rate Dialog Box for more information. If you click this button and all of the Expense items are in the same type of currency, a message tells you that the total and the Expense items all have the same currency rate.


Conversion Rate Dialog Box

Use the Conversion Rate dialog box to specify the exchange rate for each currency type used in the current Expense category.

Currency Type	Determine the current exchange rate for each currency type used in this category of Expense items. For example, if you selected $US (United States dollars) to display the total of all Expense items, you select each currency type that needs to be converted to US dollars, and then enter the exchange rate value for US dollars.

Exchange Rate	Type the currency exchange rate value to use for this currency type. When you click OK, you must enter the exchange rate for any other currency types.


Edit Expense Dialog Box (General Tab)
New/Edit Expense Dialog Box (General Tab)

Use the General tab of the New/Edit Expense dialog box to enter an Expense item.

Amount	Select the type of currency in which the Expense item was purchased, and then enter the item's cost in the Amount box. If you want to record miles or kilometers traveled, select Mileage or Kilometers first from the Type selector.
Type	Select the Expense item's type, such as Business Meals, Entertainment, Mileage, or Airfare. Use Type to organize and track your expenses.
Payment	Select how you paid for the item, such as Credit Card, Check, or Cash.
Vendor	Enter the name of the company or person from whom you purchased the item. The vendor's name can be up to 24 characters.
City	Enter the name of the city where the item was purchased or occurred. The city name can be up to 24 characters.
Date	Select the item's date by clicking the Date arrows or using the calendar.
Today	Click to display today's date in the Date field. The date highlights in the calendar.
Category	Select a specific category for the item. By default, the Expense item goes in the current category. If the current category is All, the item goes into Unfiled. Select Edit Categories to add, delete, or rename categories.
Private	Select the Private check box to mark the item private. A padlock icon [image] appears in the View or Record pane for a private record. Marking a record private allows you to mask or hide the record so that others cannot view it. See Marking Records Private for more information.


Edit Expense Dialog Box (Attendees Tab)
New/Edit Expense Dialog Box (Attendees Tab)

Use the Attendees tab of the New/Edit Expense dialog box to enter the names associated with this item. For example, if you entertain clients at a business dinner, enter each person's name for which you purchased the dinner. You can separate multiple names with a comma or by pressing Enter.

In List view, the Attendee icon [image] shows if you entered attendee names.


Edit Expense Dialog Box (Note Tab)
New/Edit Expense Dialog Box (Note Tab)

Use the Note tab of the New/Edit Expense dialog box to add notes to items. When you add a note, a Note icon [image] displays in the Note column.


Preferences Dialog Box
Preferences Dialog Box (Expense Tab)

Use the Expense tab in the Preferences dialog box to select a default currency type, enter custom currency types, or select the units for mileage.

Default	Click the Default list and select the default currency type used when creating new Expense items.
Custom 1 through 4	Create up to four custom currency types. Enter the custom currency type's symbol, and then the country's name. The currency symbol can be up to 3 characters and the country's name can be up to 15 characters.
Mileage Units	Click the Mileage Units and select Miles or Kilometers. When you enter an Expense item in the New/Edit Expense dialog box and select Mileage as the Expense Type, Expense automatically displays the units.


Import Dialog Box (Expense)

You can import information in various Supported Import and Export File Formats.

If you are importing records with categories, before using the Import dialog box to import files, you should

•	Create categories for importing information, if necessary.

•	Click the Category selector in the View pane and select All.

Look In	Click the Look In selector and select a different drive or folder to look in for the file to import.

File & Folder area	View the folders and files in the selected location. Click a file to select it.

File Name	Display the name of the import file when you select it from the File and Folder area.

Files of Type	Click the Files of Type selector and select the file format of the file you are importing. Only files that use the file format listed in this box display in the File and Folder area.

Import	Click to continue the import procedure.

Tip   If you are importing to a non-archive file format, the Specify Fields dialog box displays, which you can use to change the field order.


Export As Dialog Box (Expense)

Use the Export dialog box to export selected records or all records. You can export information to various Supported Import and Export File Formats.

Export	Select the folder in which to save the file.

File Name	Type a name for the file. Be sure to include the file type extension, such as .txt or .csv.

Export Type	Click the Export Type selector and select a file format.

Range	Select the items to export

•	All

•	Currently Selected Records

Export	Click to create the export file.

Tip  If you are exporting to a non-archive file format, the Specify Fields dialog box displays, which you can use to change the field order.


Supported Import and Export File Formats (Expense)

Expense can import and export information in the following formats:

•	Expense Archive (.exa)

•	Comma Separated (.csv and .txt)

•	Tab Separated Values (.tab, .tsv, and .txt)

Many other Microsoft Windows applications can import or export comma delimited, tab delimited values, or text files.

Use the Archive file format (.exa) to share information with other handheld users or to create a copy of your important information.


Adding Expenses
Adding Expense Items

To add a new Expense item

1.	Click the New Expense button.

2.	On the General tab, select or enter the settings you want:

Amount	Select a currency type, and then enter the item's cost in the Amount box on the right. Expense uses the last currency type selected. See Changing the Default Currency Type for more information.
Type	Select the item's type. If you don't find the type you want, select Other.
Payment	Select how you paid for the item, for example, Credit Card or Cash. The default is Unfiled.
Vendor	Enter the name of the company or person from whom you purchased the item.
City	Enter the name of the city where you purchased the item or the event occurred.
Date	Click the date of the item in the calendar or use the arrows to select the date. To display today's date, click Today.
3.	On any tab, click the Category selector, and then select the category for the item, such as London or New York. See Creating or Changing a Category for information about categories.

Note   You can use a Category to group expenses for a particular trip or project. See Assigning Records to Categories for more information.

4.	On any tab, select the Private check box to mark the item private. See Marking Records as Private for more information.

5.	On the Attendees tab, enter the names of anyone associated with the Expense item.

6.	On the Note tab, enter any additional information about the item. Notes can contain approximately 800 words.

7.	Click OK.

Tip  In List view, you can click the Note icon [image] to display the Note tab and edit an existing note, or click the Attendee icon [image] to edit the attendees' information.

 Related Topics


Deleting Expenses
Deleting Expense Items

When you delete Expense items, Palm™ Desktop software deletes the items from your handheld the next time you perform a HotSync® operation. If you choose to archive deleted records, Palm Desktop software adds the items to an archive file the next time you perform a HotSync operation.

To delete an Expense item

1.	In List view, select the item to delete.

2.	Press the Delete key.

Tip   If you selected the Confirm Before Deleting Records option on the General tab in the Options dialog box, you can delete a record without viewing the confirmation dialog box by pressing Shift+Delete.

  Related Topics


Changing the Default Currency Type

When entering new Expense items, you want one currency type, such as your country's, as the default. If you travel internationally, then you can change the currency type when you enter a new Expense item.

To change the default currency type

1.	From the Tools menu, choose Preferences.

2.	In the Preferences dialog box, click the Default list, and then select the currency type you want as the default, such as $CN (Canada) or AU$ (Australia).

3.	To change the units for mileage, select Kilometers or Miles from the Mileage Units selector.

4.	Click OK.

  Related Topics


Adding a Custom Currency Type

Expense has many common worldwide currency types; however, you can enter an additional custom currency type in the Preferences.

To add a custom currency type

1.	From the Tools menu, choose Preferences.

2.	Enter the currency symbol in the appropriate box for this currency type using up to 3 characters.

3.	Enter the name of the country that uses this symbol. The country name can be a maximum of 15 characters.

4.	Click OK.

  Related Topics


Printing Expenses

You can print a summary of your expenses or a detailed report.

To print Expense reports

1.	From the File menu, choose Print.

2.	In the Print dialog box, select the standard printer options.

3.	In Print Range, select which items to print.

Viewed Category	Prints all the records in the category you are viewing.

Selection	Prints only the selected items.

4.	Select the report Print Options.

Expense Summary Only	Prints a summary of expenses with the total cost for each day of the week, the weekly total for each type of Expense item, and a total of all expenses for the week. The grand total appears at the end of the report.

Expense Item Details Only	Prints a detailed summary of each Expense item, including Date, Amount, Payment, Vendor, and City, and groups the expenses by type.

Print Both	Prints the Expense Summary and Expense Item Details report.

Convert Currencies	Converts each item's amount to the selected currency. The top of the report displays the conversion rate used for each currency type.

Print Notes	Prints any attached notes.

5.	Click OK.


Changing Views

You can see Expense items in the following views: List, Large Icons, or Small Icons. You can also select which columns appear in the List view and change the size of the columns.

To change how you view expenses

•	Click the View tab at the bottom of the View pane.

Tip   To resize the View pane and Record pane, place the pointer on the pane divider. When the pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, drag the arrow.

To display items by creation date or type

•	Click the Sort By selector, and then select Date or Type.

Tip   To resize a column in List view, point to the column divider, and when the pointer becomes a double-headed arrow, drag the column divider.


Learning About the Expense Window

Click the illustration below to learn about the Expense window.

Other Columns Not Shown

Security	Identify private records.

Payment	View the type of payment, such as Check or Credit Card.

Vendor	View the company or person from which the item was purchased.

City	Display the city where the Expense item occurred.

Country	Display the country where the Expense item occurred.


Category Selector

Filter items so only the selected category or all categories display. Click the Category selector, and then select a category.

Add, delete, or rename categories by selecting Edit Categories from the Category selector. You can use Categories to group Expense items for a particular trip, such as New York, Vacation, or  Sales Conference, or for a more broad category, such as Office Supplies or Mileage.


Sort By

Change the order of the expenses in the View pane. Display expenses by the creation date or Expense type in the View pane.


Record Pane

View all of the information about an Expense item.


Show/Hide Details Button
Show or Hide Details Button

Display or hide the Record pane that displays the information about the selected Expense item.


View Tabs

Display Expense items in the View pane in any of the following formats: List, Large Icons, or Small Icons. Click the associated tab to change the View pane display.


New Expense Button

Add a new Expense item.


Edit Expense Button

Change the information about an Expense item.


Currency Button

Display the Currency dialog box. Use the Currency dialog box to specify the currency type used to calculate the total of all Expense items in the current category and to define the exchange rate for different currency types.


View Pane

View information about Expense items. You can view items in three views:  List, Large Icons, or Small Icons. Click an Expense item to view its details in the Record pane.

Drag column handles to resize a column. You can also hide or display columns.


Date Column

View the date the item occurred.


Type Column

View the kind of Expense item, such as Business Meals, Car Rentals, or Gas.


Amount Column

View an Expense item's amount.


Attendees Column

View any attendees that have been entered.


Private Column

View whether a record is private or not.


Note Column

View whether notes were added for the Expense item.


Importing Expenses
Importing Expense Items

You can import records from any of the supported import file formats into Expense.

To import items into Expense

1.	If you are importing items with categories:

•	Verify that the categories in the file you are importing exist. If they don't, those items go into the Unfiled category.

•	Click the Category selector in the View pane and select All.

2.	From the File menu, choose Import.

3.	In the Import dialog box, locate and select the file you want to import.

4.	Click Import.

5.	In the Specify Import Fields dialog box, match Palm™ Desktop software fields to import data fields by dragging a Palm Desktop software field to an import data field.

•	To see other records in the file you are importing, click the right or left Scan Records button.

•	Field name order is saved in the Specify Import Fields dialog box. To revert to the default order, click Reset.

Important   If you selected a category other than All before importing the file, the Category check box does not appear. All records will be imported to the selected category.

If you import records that include category information, Expense matches only available categories. Unmatched categories will be imported to the Unfiled category.

6.	To prevent a field of information from being imported, deselect the check box next to the Palm Desktop software field that matches the field.

7.	If the import file was exported from a DOS or Mac application, select the appropriate character set from the Source File Character Set list.

8.	Click OK.

  Related Topics


Exporting Expenses

You can export information to various supported export file formats.

When you export records, you can specify whether to export all the records or only selected records.

Important   Hidden private records are not exported.

To export records from Expense

1.	To export only selected records, select the records to export.

2.	From the File menu, choose Export.

3.	In the Export As dialog box, type a name for the file in the File Name box.

Note   Be sure to include the file type extension, such as .txt or .csv.

4.	Click the Export Type list and select a file format for the file.

5.	Use the Folders and Drives selectors to choose a location for the file.

6.	Select All or Currently Selected Records in the Range area.

7.	Click Export.

If you are exporting to a file format other than archive, you can:

•	Change the order in which fields are exported by dragging a field up or down in the Specify Export Fields dialog box.

•	Export only selected fields by selecting or deselecting checks in the Field Name check boxes. All selected field name check boxes will be exported.

8.	Click OK.

Tip   You can copy items directly to Microsoft Word or Excel by using the Send To command. See Copying Expense Items to Word or Excel for more information.

 Related Topics


Sending Expense Items to Word or Excel

You must have Microsoft Word or Excel installed on your computer to send Expense items to Word or Excel.

To send Expense items to Word or Excel

1.	In List view, select the items you want to copy.

2.	From the Edit menu, choose Send To, and then choose MS Word or MS Excel.

 Related Topics


New Expense Command

Purpose	Displays the New Expense dialog box where you can create an Expense item

Location	Edit menu


Edit Expense Command

Purpose	Displays the Edit Expense dialog box where you can change information about an Expense item

Location	Edit menu


Sort By Date Command

Change the order of the Expense items in any of the Expense views. Display Expense items by the creation date.


Sort By Type Command

Change the order of the Expense items in any of the Expense views. Display Expense items by the type.


Importing Records from Archive Files
Importing Items from Archive Files

To import items from an archive file

1.	If you are importing items with categories:

•	Verify that the categories in the file you are importing exist in Expense. If they don't, those items go into the Unfiled category.

•	Click the Category selector in the View pane and select the All category.

3.	From the File menu, choose Import.

4.	In the Import dialog box, locate and select the archive file, which has the extension .exa.

5.	Click Import.

6.	Click OK.

 Related Topics


Import Command
Import Command (Expense)

Purpose	Displays the Import dialog box where you select the file name, folder, and supported file format type to import.

Location	File menu


Export Command
Export Command (Expense)

Purpose	Displays the Export As dialog box where you specify the file name, folder, export supported file formats, and items to export

Location	File menu


Copyright and Trademarks

Copyright © 1997-2002 Palm, Inc. All rights reserved. HotSync is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc. Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc. Other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.


Expense Command

Purpose	Starts Expense, a Palm™ Desktop Extension

Location	View menu


Displaying Total Expenses in a Specific Currency Type

If you travel and record Expense items in different currency types, you can display the total Expense items in one currency type. You can use categories to group Expense items, and then display the total for a specific category. Expense automatically converts all items in the current category to that currency type.

To display the total in a specific currency type

1.	Click the Currency icon [image] at the bottom of the Expense View pane.

2.	Select the type of currency to display the Expense items total. See Currency Dialog Box for more information.

3.	Click OK.

  Related Topics


Show Columns Dialog Box

Use the Show Columns dialog box to select and arrange the columns that appear in the View pane of most Palm™ Desktop software applications.

Column check boxes	Select the columns you want to appear in the List view.
Move	Select the column you want to move, and then click the arrows to reposition the item in the list.
Important   Column names that appear in gray are required and cannot be moved or disabled.


Show Columns Command (Expense)

Purpose	Displays the Show Columns dialog box where you can select and arrange the columns in the Expense List view

Location	View menu
Column heading menu


Editing Expenses
Editing Expense Items

To edit an Expense item

1.	In the View pane or Record pane, double-click the Expense item.

2.	On the General tab, edit the settings you want:

Amount	Edit the currency type and the item's cost.
Type	Select the item's type.
Payment	Select how you paid for the item, for example, Credit Card or Cash.
Vendor	Edit the vendor's name.
City	Edit the name of the city where you purchased the item or the event occurred.
Date	Select a new date in the calendar or use the arrows to select the date.
3.	Click the Category selector, and then select the item's category.

4.	(Optional) Select the Private check box to mark the item private.

5.	On the Attendees tab, edit the names of anyone associated with the Expense item.

6.	On the Note tab, edit or add any additional information.

7.	Click OK.

 Related Topics


Edit Categories Dialog Box

The title of the dialog box includes the name of the current Palm™ Desktop software application; for example, Edit Address Categories.

Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad each have their own set of categories.

Category list	Displays the existing categories for the Address Book, To Do List, or Memo Pad. Select a category to delete or rename from the list.

New	Displays the New Category dialog box, where you can enter the name for a new category.

Delete	Deletes the selected category.

Tip   You can select to move all records in the deleted category to Unfiled, or delete all records in the deleted category.

Rename	Displays the Rename Category dialog box, where you can type a new name for the category.