Guide

Quick Start Guide

Learn how to use zillurl Ledger effectively to track your finances and collaborate with others.

Quick Start

01. Create Your First Ledger

A ledger is where you track income and expenses for a specific purpose (e.g., personal budget, project expenses, shared household costs).

  1. Navigate to the Ledgers page from the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the "Create ledger" button.
  3. Enter a name for your ledger (e.g., "Monthly Budget" or "Vacation Fund").
  4. Choose a currency and set an optional initial balance, then save.

Tip: You can create multiple ledgers for different purposes and switch between them easily.

02. Add Income/Expense Transaction

Entries are individual transactions that track your income or expenses. You can add them manually or use AI parsing for faster entry.

  1. Open a ledger and click the "Add entry" button (or use the floating action button).
  2. Select the entry type: Income or Expense.
  3. Enter the amount, date, and an optional description (e.g., "Grocery shopping", "Freelance payment").
  4. Choose a category if you want to organize your entries (e.g., Food, Transportation, Salary).
  5. Optionally attach a receipt image for record keeping, then save.

Tip: Use AI parsing (see Section 04) to automatically extract information from text descriptions or receipts.

03. Recurring Transactions

Set up recurring transactions to automatically record fixed income or expenses, such as monthly rent, subscriptions, or salary.

  1. Open your ledger, click 'Add Entry' and enable the 'Make Recurring' option.
  2. Set the repeat frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
  3. Choose the start date and end condition (forever, specific count, or end date).
  4. The system will automatically create entries at the scheduled times.

Supported Frequencies

  • Daily - Track daily fixed expenses
  • Weekly - For weekly salary or regular fees
  • Monthly - Most common for rent, utilities, subscriptions
  • Yearly - For insurance, annual fees

Tip: You can pause or modify recurring entries anytime from the recurring management page.

05. View Assets Overview

The Assets page provides a consolidated view of your linked ledgers, showing total balance, income, and expenses across all your financial tracking.

  1. Navigate to the Assets page from the top navigation bar.
  2. View your total balance, which aggregates all linked ledgers converted to your preferred currency.
  3. Explore balance trends over time using the interactive chart to understand your financial health.

Category cards & quick actions

Every system or custom category is represented by a card with totals, balance buckets, and shortcuts so you can act without leaving the overview.

  1. Swipe through the horizontal card rail to review each category. Tap a card to open the full asset list that belongs to that slug.
  2. Use the "Manage Categories" button to review slugs, custom fields, and sharing rules before linking new assets.
  3. From any card, click the transfer or reassignment actions to move balances between ledgers while keeping reports consistent.

Monthly reports & exports

Generate a monthly snapshot directly from the Assets hero card whenever you need a budgeting or stakeholder handoff.

  1. Select "Generate Monthly Report" and choose the month plus base currency (defaults to your profile).
  2. The app collects portfolio positions, bucket splits, and ledger deltas for that window. Large portfolios may take a few seconds.
  3. Download the PDF/CSV bundle or share the secure link. Reports always respect your latest category mappings.

06. Create Asset & Custom Fields

Each asset stores balances, category metadata, and optional custom fields so dashboards and cards stay accurate.

  1. From the Assets intro card click "New Asset" and fill in name, currency, and initial balance.
  2. Select a category and confirm the category_id. System categories (e.g., savings) automatically provide the slug dashboards use to group cards.
  3. If the category supports balance buckets, enter liquid/term amounts so allocation charts reflect the right split.
  4. Provide any required custom_field_values. Field types follow the category definition, so text, number, select, or date inputs are validated before save.

Tip: Not sure which category fits? Start with the closest system template, then create a custom category later and reassign the asset from the card actions.

07. Budget Management

Set budgets to control spending and avoid overspending. You can set monthly budget goals for overall spending or specific categories.

  1. Go to the 'Budget' page and click 'Set Budget'.
  2. Choose budget type: overall or category budget.
  3. Enter the budget amount and applicable period.
  4. The system will send alerts when you're close to or exceeding your budget.

Budget Types

  • Category Budget - Set limits for specific categories (e.g., dining, entertainment)
  • Total Budget - Set monthly overall spending limit
  • Savings Goal - Set monthly savings target

Tip: We recommend tracking actual spending for 2-3 months before setting realistic budget goals.

08. Using Dashboard Analytics

The Dashboard provides visual insights into your spending patterns, income trends, and category breakdowns to help you make informed financial decisions.

  • View spending by category with interactive pie and bar charts.
  • Track income vs. expense trends over time (daily, weekly, monthly views).
  • See top spending categories and identify areas where you can save.
  • Filter data by ledger, date range, or currency to customize your analysis.

04. AI Smart Parsing

Use our AI-powered smart parsing to quickly create entries from natural language descriptions or receipt text, saving you time on manual data entry.

  1. When adding an entry, look for the "AI Parse" or smart input option.
  2. Type or paste a description like "Spent $45 on groceries at Whole Foods yesterday".
  3. The AI will automatically extract amount, category, date, and description. Review and save.

Example: Input: "Coffee at Starbucks $6.50 this morning" → Output: Expense $6.50, Category: Food & Drink, Date: today.

09. Collaboration

Share ledgers with family, roommates, or team members to collaborate on shared expenses and track group finances together.

  1. Open a ledger and navigate to the "Sharing" section in ledger settings.
  2. Generate a share link or enter the email addresses of people you want to invite.
  3. Invited members can view and add entries to the shared ledger in real-time.

Permission Levels

  • Viewer - Can only view entries
  • Editor - Can add and edit entries
  • Admin - Can manage members and settings

Note: Only the ledger owner can delete the ledger or change sharing permissions. All participants can see a complete history of entries.

10. Export Data

Export your financial data for backup, tax filing, or integration with other tools.

  1. Go to ledger or assets page and click the export icon.
  2. Select export format and date range.
  3. Download the file or choose cloud storage.

Supported Export Formats

  • CSV - Edit in Excel or Google Sheets
  • Excel (.xlsx) - Preserves formatting and formulas
  • PDF - For printing or archiving

Tip: We recommend exporting data monthly as a backup.

11. Keyboard Shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow and improve efficiency.

Shortcut Action
N New Entry
S Search
? Show Help
Esc Close Dialog

12. FAQ

Can I export my ledger data?

Yes, you can export your ledger data to CSV or PDF format from the ledger's export menu. This allows you to use the data in spreadsheet applications or for offline record keeping.

How do I change my ledger's currency?

You can change the currency in the ledger settings. Note that this does not convert existing entries; it only changes the display currency for new entries. For currency conversion, use the Assets page which automatically converts balances.

Is my financial data secure?

Yes, all data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We use industry-standard security practices and never share your data with third parties. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.