Creating Transaction Filters

Creating Transaction Filters:

1. Select the Transaction Filters View by selecting "Transaction Filters" from the Account List.
2. Click the "+" button on the bottom left of the Transaction Filters View.
   You can rename the new filter by double clicking the name in the filters table.
3. In the constraints table select the item for the constraint in the "Constraint Item" column setting it to "Account", "Payee", "Type", "Category", "Memo", "Security Type", "Security Name", "Security Symbol", "Security CUSIP" or "Amount".
4. In the constraints table select the type of constraint in the "Constraint" column setting it to "Contains", "Equal to", "Like"*, "Begins With", "Ends With", "Less Than" or "Greater Than".
5. In the constraints table double click the "Value" column setting it to whatever value you want to filter for.
   
   Add as many constraints as you want for the filter by clicking the "+" button under the bottom left of the constraints table. When the filter is run it will check the transaction(s) the filter is run on and if the constraint(s) is matched to the transaction(s) being filtered the filter will impose the filter's action, setting the filters values for the transaction.
6. In the "Selected Filter Action" box select whether all the filter's constraints must be met or if just one of the constraints needs to be met to impose the filter's action.
7. Fill in payee, type, category, and memo information (you can even split the transaction and set amount information too). You can also set security specific values for investment transactions.
8. Make sure the "Activate Filter" checkbox is checked and you're done!
9. To run a filter on transaction(s) you have two options. You can choose to run the selected filter on all accounts using the "Run Filter on Transactions" button on the bottom right OR you can select the desired transaction(s) in an account and from the Menu Bar and select "Transactions" then "Run Filters on Selection". Confirm you do want to run the filters on the selection and you're done!

Notes:

• Transactions that are filtered will only have the values changed that are set for the filter's action. For example, if the selected filter's action only has a category set, then a transaction which has been run through the filter and matches the filter's constraints will only have the category changed and nothing else.
• Using the "Like" constraint allows you to use wildcard characters. The "?" character is a wildcard that will take the place of any single character and the "*" character is a wildcard will take the place of any number of multiple characters.
• When filtering transactions by Amount the amounts are taken as absolute values. You should use the Constraint options of "Equal To", "Less Than" and "Greater Than" to filter by amount.
• Transaction filters applied to transactions that contain splits can only change the category and memos of those split transactions.
• You can easily create a transaction filter from an existing transaction by selecting the desired transaction in an account's register and choosing "Create Filter From Selected Transaction..." from the Transactions Menu. This will create and select a new transaction filter based on the transaction's payee.

Example of a Transaction Filter for Setting Payees:
For example, when downloading or importing transactions you may have several transactions for gas stations that looks like "Gas Station #134", "Gas Station #135", "Gas Station #136", etc and you want these transactions to get the payee of just "Gas Station".

1. Select the Transaction Filters Viewfrom the Account List.
2. Click the "+" button on the bottom left of the Transaction Filters View.
   You can rename the new filter "Gas Station Payee Filter" by double clicking the name in the filters table.
3. In the constraints table select "Payee" for the "Constraint Item".
4. In the constraints table select "Contains" for the "Constraint" ("Like" and "Begins With" can work also).
5. In the constraints table double click the "Value" column and set it to "Gas Station".
6. In the "Selected Filter Action" box select "All" the filter's constraints must be met (any can work too).
7. Then set the "Payee" to "Gas Station" (accepting to add it to the payee list if not already there).
8. Leave the other transaction values blank.
9. Then activate the filter by making sure the "Activate Filter" checkbox is checked.

When this filter is run on transactions it will set any transaction that has a payee that contains the words "Gas Station" to have the payee of "Gas Station".

Example of a Transaction Filter for Setting Categories:
For example, you may have several transactions for gas purchases at different gas stations that you want to have the category of "Auto - Fuel".

1. Select the "Transaction Filters" view from the Account List.
2. Click the "+" button on the bottom left of the Transaction Filters View.
   You can rename the new filter "Auto - Fuel Category Filter" by double clicking the name in the filters table.
3. In the constraints table select "Payee" for the "Constraint Item".
4. In the constraints table select "Contains" for the "Constraint" ("Like" and "Begins With" can work also).
5. In the constraints table double click the "Value" column and set it to the name of a gas station you frequent such as "Mobil".
6. You can add more constraints referencing other gas stations by clicking the "+" button under the constraints table and repeating steps 3-5, but for a different gas station's name.
7. In the "Selected Filter Action" box select "Any" the filter's constraints must be met.
8. Then set the "Category" to "Auto - Fuel" (accepting to add it to the category list as an expense category if not already there).
9. Leave the other transaction values blank.
10. Then activate the filter by making sure the "Activate Filter" checkbox is checked.

When this filter is run on transactions it will set any transaction that has a payee that contains a name of one of the gas stations set in the constraints to have the category of "Auto - Fuel"