CheckBook & CheckBook Pro 3.0.1 now available

February 6, 2025 • Keith Gugliotto

The first minor update for CheckBook 3 and CheckBook Pro 3 is ready. As minor updates go, this one’s major. Read on for some highlights or skip to the updates.

We resolved a crash

Fairly early on, we learned of a crash for folks coming out of the Schedule Reminder and found it’s triggered by having your Mac set to display scrollbars full-time. That’s all better now.

Now you can choose light or dark mode

We’ve received a ton of feedback about CheckBook 3’s support for dark mode – and its lack of support for overriding the system’s appearance mode with your preference. To be clear, 3.0 let you choose the colors for each appearance mode but flipping between the two sets of colors doesn’t override the system appearance. Now 3.0.1 lets you have the appearance you want. Light? Dark? System? It’s all good. Check it out: Go to the CheckBook or CheckBook Pro menu at the top left corner of your screen, next to the Apple () menu, click Settings… or Preferences…, and look for the new Appearance setting just below your appearance colors.

We miss the drawer, too!

Throughout the week we’ve heard a steady murmur of low-key unrest over the new Accounts sidebar, how it isn’t fit to carry water for CheckBook 2’s Accounts drawer. One person took it quite a bit further, comparing the experience to Windows, tossing that grenade over their shoulder while hustling back to good ol’ CheckBook 2. Ouch! And yet…well…we feel you on this because we loved Mac OS X’s drawers. They made perfect sense for things you didn’t want to see full-time, or for things you didn’t want trampling your carefully manicured column layout. Sadly for drawer lovers, Apple put them to bed seven years ago. We, despite hearing every nail Apple pounded into that coffin, just kept finding ways to make them work – up to a point. When we laid plans for 3 with dark mode support and real fullscreen compatibility, the Accounts drawer had to go. Yeah, we could’ve hacked on them a bit longer but their appearance was already dated, they never got full fullscreen support, and it’s only a matter of time before something vital breaks. Every year we dreaded the major macOS beta season, from WWDC to early fall, holding our breath waiting for Apple to fix the inevitable drawer glitches, wondering if this is the year a major bug escapes out into the wild. It couldn’t go on.

Enter the sidebar.

Sidebars are the modern way of handling a lot of what drawers used to, but what we gave you in 3.0 was a bit of a punt, a sidebar that simply traveled into your window, trampling whatever it had to. It didn’t do anything to your columns, but it covered them so once you had things just right, showing or hiding the sidebar from there didn’t feel right. It worked…but did it bring joy? No. We just didn’t fully get how much that would crimp your style. With 3.0.1, that’s all in the past. The sidebar now expands away from the window, keeping its mitts off your column layout. While there’s still room for improvement, it feels a lot more like 2’s drawer, save for what you grab, and how you push or pull, to resize things. We hope you enjoy it!

Get the update

Learn more and update CheckBook

Learn more and update CheckBook Pro

Questions, comments, or ideas?

Please reach out to support@splasm.com and we’ll be happy to help!

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Crashing when dismissing CheckBook 3’s Schedule Reminder? Here’s a workaround and a plan.

February 2, 2025 • Keith Gugliotto

If you’re seeing a crash when you click the Later or OK button in CheckBook 3’s Schedule Reminder, you’re in a small group of folks we’ll have fixed up soon with CheckBook 3.0.1. The crash happens when the list of pending Scheduled Entries extends into or below the horizontal scrollbar along the bottom of the list, a condition you won’t see very often because most don’t have scrollbars turned on full-time and those that do don’t have enough pending Scheduled Entries to make it to the scrollbar in the first place. But enough about why. Let’s get a workaround set up so you can get on with your personal finances, then talk about when we’ll get this taken care of.

To work around the issue on macOS 13 and later

  1. Go to the Apple () menu at the top left corner of your screen and click the System Settings… menu item.
  2. Click the Appearance item in the list on the left side of the window.
  3. Click the Show scroll bars > When scrolling option on the right side of the window.

To work around the issue on macOS 12 and earlier

  1. Go to the Apple () menu at the top left corner of your screen and click the System Preferences… menu item.
  2. Click the General icon.
  3. Click the Show scroll bars > When scrolling option.

What are we doing to resolve this issue?

The issue is resolved in CheckBook and CheckBook Pro 3.0.1, now available. Get the update.

Thank you, once again, for your support and patience!

Questions?

Reach out to support@splasm.com and we’ll be happy to help out!

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CheckBook and CheckBook Pro 3 now available

January 28, 2025 • Keith Gugliotto

CheckBook and CheckBook Pro 3 are ready to take your personal finance management to the next level. You’ll find major appearance enhancements that leave the basics alone so you’ll feel right at home, an all-new, easy Budget feature, supercharged Account Summaries, and a whole lot more.

Appearance enhancements

Grey window backgrounds are out, brightening your day with a more modern look and feel right from the start. We’ve moved buttons further apart and enlarged fonts for better readability, as well. Dark mode support, with independent color settings, brings less eye strain and increased readability while you focus on those all-too-important amounts, totals, and balances. You’ll also enjoy better fullscreen compatibility with the new Accounts sidebar.

Budget with ease

Click the Budget button at the bottom of your document window to see daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly totals for your Categories. Double-click a Category to set up a Budget Goal with a Target so you can track your activity over time. Try out the Year by Month view to see all twelve months of a year and set a custom Target per month. And don’t forget a hard copy or PDF version of what you see is always just a visit to the File menu and click of the Print… command away.

Supercharged Account Summaries

Have you ever wanted to report on just one or a few Categories without fiddling with the Search or Smart Folders? Now you can. How about turning off the activity bars next to your subtotals? Doable. Hiding some of the totals at the bottom of each subtotal period? You have the power. Need to exclude Transfers? Yes, yes! And Account Summaries now come with a handful of new figures, like In, Out, and Opening balance, to help you make the most of your data.

Tax-deductible split line items

Ace those itemized taxes with the handy new split line item Tax-deductible checkbox. Deductible subtotals are now at your command.

Claim your upgrade!

If you purchased on or after June 18, 2023, you have a free upgrade coming. If you purchased before that date, we still have a sweet deal for you.

Claim your CheckBook 3 upgrade!

Claim your CheckBook Pro 3 upgrade!

Recent questions and answers

Here are a handful of questions folks have asked about the upgrade, followed by our answers.

How much does the upgrade cost?

If your upgrade isn’t free, here’s what to know:

CheckBook 3 is now US $19.99, so a 35% discount brings that down to around US $12.99.

CheckBook Pro 3 is now US $29.99, so a 40% discount brings that down to around US $17.99.

You can upgrade later from CheckBook 3 to CheckBook Pro 3 for the approximate price difference.

Pricing in your locale may be slightly higher, depending on currency conversion and/or Mac App Store pricing tiers. Local taxes will apply.

You’re purchasing a major version license – not a yearly or monthly subscription. The major version is 3 so all updates with a version number that starts with “3.” will be free with your upgrade.

Why upgrade?

While CheckBook 3 comes with quite an array of new features and changes designed to power your personal finance management beyond what you could do with CheckBook 2.7.34 and earlier, the truth is you don’t have to upgrade. At least, not yet. If you’re comfortable with CheckBook 2.7.34 and the goodies in CheckBook 3 don’t move you, what you have right now will continue to work on macOS 15 Sequoia 15.3 and earlier, the same as ever. There’s no technical reason to spring for the upgrade before this fall, and you may have even longer than that. Why the fall? Because that’s when we expect Apple’s next major macOS upgrade, likely macOS 16. It might break things in CheckBook 2.7.34 you rely on – but it might not. Bottom line: as long as it works for you, feel free to keep using CheckBook 2.7.34. If something breaks, the upgrade awaits.

Will I lose my data if I upgrade?

No. CheckBook 3 copies your previous settings and data so your previous version will continue to work as before.

The upgrade only found one of my documents. How do I upgrade the others?

CheckBook 3 attempts to locate and upgrade the document you most recently worked in. If you have other documents, open CheckBook 3, drag the other documents to the CheckBook 3 icon on your Dock one at a time, agree to let each be upgraded, and save them wherever you like. To get back to the document you started with, go to the File menu at the top of your screen, down to Open Recent, and click the name of that document, likely near or at the bottom of the list.

Can I remove CheckBook 2 after I upgrade?

Yes, you sure can. CheckBook 3 is a full replacement for CheckBook 2 so, as long as you see your data at the end of the upgrade and everything seems to be in order, you won’t need CheckBook 2 anymore. Drag the CheckBook 2 application, with the full-sized checkbook, credit card, and pen icon, to the Trash. There’s no rush to remove CheckBook 2, though. Take your time, make sure you’re comfortable after the upgrade, and toss CheckBook 2 when you’re ready.

Questions or comments?

Please reach out to support@splasm.com and we’ll be happy to help!

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Upgrade to CheckBook 3 for free or around 35% off

January 28, 2025 • Keith Gugliotto

If you purchased any version of CheckBook 2 on or after June 18, 2023 you’re entitled to a free upgrade to CheckBook 3. If you purchased CheckBook 2 before that date, you’re welcome to a sweet deal: roughly 35% off CheckBook 3. Or, if you’re ready to go Pro, no matter when you purchased you can get roughly 40% off CheckBook Pro 3 – head here for details. Here’s how to claim your upgrade offer, depending on where you purchased:

Splasm Store

For purchases made on the Splasm Store, check your email for an upgrade offer. Don’t see it? Don’t panic. Reach out to customerservice@splasm.com, include the email address you purchased with, and we’ll get you squared away.

Mac App Store

For purchases made on the Mac App Store, visit the CheckBook 3 product page on the Mac App Store and click the Get button next to the CheckBook 3 icon at the top of the page. You’re “purchasing” CheckBook 3 for free, but you’ll need to complete an In-App Purchase to claim your upgrade offer.

When you open CheckBook 3 the first time it’ll offer to upgrade your data and settings. When you get to where you can see your Entries, it’ll either present your upgrade offer or ask you to purchase for the full price if it doesn’t automatically find your previous purchase. If CheckBook 3 asks you to purchase and you believe you’re entitled to an upgrade offer, click the Look for Upgrades button in the same window. Locate your copy of CheckBook 2 and CheckBook 3 will present an upgrade offer. If it doesn’t, send a message to customerservice@splasm.com, include a copy of the CheckBook 2 receipt you received from Apple, and we’ll help you from there.

Recent questions and answers

Here are a handful of questions folks have asked about the upgrade, followed by our answers.

How much does the upgrade cost?

If your upgrade isn’t free, here’s what to know:

CheckBook 3 is now US $19.99, so a 35% discount brings that down to around US $12.99.

You can upgrade later from CheckBook 3 to CheckBook Pro 3 for the approximate price difference.

Pricing in your locale may be slightly higher, depending on currency conversion and/or Mac App Store pricing tiers. Local taxes will apply.

You’re purchasing a major version license – not a yearly or monthly subscription. The major version is 3 so all updates with a version number that starts with “3.” will be free with your upgrade.

Why upgrade?

While CheckBook 3 comes with quite an array of new features and changes designed to power your personal finance management beyond what you could do with CheckBook 2.7.34 and earlier, the truth is you don’t have to upgrade. At least, not yet. If you’re comfortable with CheckBook 2.7.34 and the goodies in CheckBook 3 don’t move you, what you have right now will continue to work on macOS 15 Sequoia 15.3 and earlier, the same as ever. There’s no technical reason to spring for the upgrade before this fall, and you may have even longer than that. Why the fall? Because that’s when we expect Apple’s next major macOS upgrade, likely macOS 16. It might break things in CheckBook 2.7.34 you rely on – but it might not. Bottom line: as long as it works for you, feel free to keep using CheckBook 2.7.34. If something breaks, the upgrade awaits.

Will I lose my data if I upgrade?

No. CheckBook 3 copies your previous settings and data so your previous version will continue to work as before.

The upgrade only found one of my documents. How do I upgrade the others?

CheckBook 3 attempts to locate and upgrade the document you most recently worked in. If you have other documents, open CheckBook 3, drag the other documents to the CheckBook 3 icon on your Dock one at a time, agree to let each be upgraded, and save them wherever you like. To get back to the document you started with, go to the File menu at the top of your screen, down to Open Recent, and click the name of that document, likely near or at the bottom of the list.

Can I remove CheckBook 2 after I upgrade?

Yes, you sure can. CheckBook 3 is a full replacement for CheckBook 2 so, as long as you see your data at the end of the upgrade and everything seems to be in order, you won’t need CheckBook 2 anymore. Drag the CheckBook 2 application, with the full-sized checkbook, credit card, and pen icon, to the Trash. There’s no rush to remove CheckBook 2, though. Take your time, make sure you’re comfortable after the upgrade, and toss CheckBook 2 when you’re ready.

We’re happy to help

If you need any additional details or hit a snag, we’re here for you. Send a message to customerservice@splasm.com so we can help out!

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Upgrade to CheckBook Pro 3 for free or around 40% off

January 28, 2025 • Keith Gugliotto

If you purchased any version of CheckBook Pro 2 on or after June 18, 2023 you’re entitled to a free upgrade to CheckBook Pro 3. If you purchased CheckBook Pro 2 before that date, you’re welcome to a sweet deal: roughly 40% off CheckBook Pro 3. And, if you’re using CheckBook 2 but you’d like to go Pro, now’s your chance: any previous purchase of CheckBook 2, no matter when, qualifies you for the same 40% discount. Here’s how to claim your upgrade offer, depending on where you purchased:

Splasm Store

For purchases made on the Splasm Store, check your email for an upgrade offer. Don’t see it? Don’t panic. Reach out to customerservice@splasm.com, include the email address you purchased with, and we’ll get you squared away.

Mac App Store

For purchases made on the Mac App Store, visit the CheckBook Pro 3 product page on the Mac App Store and click the Get button next to the CheckBook Pro 3 icon at the top of the page. You’re “purchasing” CheckBook Pro 3 for free, but you’ll need to complete an In-App Purchase to claim your upgrade offer.

When you open CheckBook Pro 3 the first time it’ll offer to upgrade your data and settings. When you get to where you can see your Entries, it’ll either present your upgrade offer or ask you to purchase for the full price if it doesn’t automatically find your previous purchase. If CheckBook Pro 3 asks you to purchase and you believe you’re entitled to an upgrade offer, click the Look for Upgrades button in the same window. Locate your copy of CheckBook Pro 2 (or CheckBook 2, if you’d like to go Pro – you’ll get the same discount) and CheckBook Pro 3 will present an upgrade offer. If it doesn’t, send a message to customerservice@splasm.com, include a copy of the CheckBook Pro 2 (or CheckBook 2) receipt you received from Apple for your original purchase, and we’ll help you from there.

Recent questions and answers

Here are a handful of questions folks have asked about the upgrade, followed by our answers.

How much does the upgrade cost?

If your upgrade isn’t free, here’s what to know:

CheckBook Pro 3 is now US $29.99, so a 40% discount brings that down to around US $17.99.

Pricing in your locale may be slightly higher, depending on currency conversion and/or Mac App Store pricing tiers. Local taxes will apply.

You’re purchasing a major version license – not a yearly or monthly subscription. The major version is 3 so all updates with a version number that starts with “3.” will be free with your upgrade.

Why upgrade?

While CheckBook Pro 3 comes with quite an array of new features and changes designed to power your personal finance management beyond what you could do with CheckBook Pro 2.7.34 and earlier, the truth is you don’t have to upgrade. At least, not yet. If you’re comfortable with CheckBook Pro 2.7.34 and the goodies in CheckBook Pro 3 don’t move you, what you have right now will continue to work on macOS 15 Sequoia 15.3 and earlier, the same as ever. There’s no technical reason to spring for the upgrade before this fall, and you may have even longer than that. Why the fall? Because that’s when we expect Apple’s next major macOS upgrade, likely macOS 16. It might break things in CheckBook Pro 2.7.34 you rely on – but it might not. Bottom line: as long as it works for you, feel free to keep using CheckBook Pro 2.7.34. If something breaks, the upgrade awaits.

Will I lose my data if I upgrade?

No. CheckBook Pro 3 copies your previous settings and data so your previous version will continue to work as before.

The upgrade only found one of my documents. How do I upgrade the others?

CheckBook Pro 3 attempts to locate and upgrade the document you most recently worked in. If you have other documents, open CheckBook Pro 3, drag the other documents to the CheckBook Pro 3 icon on your Dock one at a time, agree to let each be upgraded, and save them wherever you like. To get back to the document you started with, go to the File menu at the top of your screen, down to Open Recent, and click the name of that document, likely near or at the bottom of the list.

Can I remove CheckBook Pro 2 after I upgrade?

Yes, you sure can. CheckBook Pro 3 is a full replacement for CheckBook Pro 2 so, as long as you see your data at the end of the upgrade and everything seems to be in order, you won’t need CheckBook Pro 2 anymore. Drag the CheckBook Pro 2 application, with the full-sized checkbook, credit card, and pen icon, to the Trash. There’s no rush to remove CheckBook Pro 2, though. Take your time, make sure you’re comfortable after the upgrade, and toss CheckBook Pro 2 when you’re ready.

We’re happy to help

If you need any additional details or hit a snag, we’re here for you. Send a message to customerservice@splasm.com so we can help out!

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Resolved vs. Reconciled, and other life mysteries

November 29, 2024 • Keith Gugliotto

CheckBook, our beloved personal finance manager, uses two terms – Resolved and Reconciled – that may sound similar and throw you right off, so let’s sort them out right here.

Resolved is what you’ll think of as “cleared” or “posted”. Click an Entry’s Resolved checkbox, in the column with a checkmark at the top, to tell CheckBook the Entry has posted at your bank or other financial institution. The Resolved Balance, then, is the total of all Entries marked as Resolved and the Unresolved Balance is the total of what’s left – what’s Unresolved, or outstanding.

Reconciled is a bit, well, more than Resolved. A Reconciled Entry’s Amount can’t be changed and its Resolved checkbox can’t be unchecked. Clicking the Resolved checkbox of each Entry on your statement is part of getting your Entries to this point, but you’ll need to go through an official, honest-to-goodness reconciliation before you make it all the way there: Click the Reconcile button at the bottom of the window, enter your statement’s ending balance, mark each Entry on the statement as Resolved, and, as long as your work is spot on, the Unreconciled total will be zero and a smaller Reconcile button, at the bottom of the Statement column, will light up. Click that button to complete your reconciliation. There. Now all of your Resolved Entries are also Reconciled.

So, you see, Resolved Entries aren’t necessarily Reconciled, but Reconciled Entries must be Resolved first. A very quick, practical way to tell the difference is Resolved Entries have a colored checkmark you can click and Reconciled Entries have a grey checkmark you can’t.

The Reset Unreconciled Entries button may not be for you

One common way of getting into a jam is to click the Reset Unreconciled Entries button next to the small Reconcile button at the bottom of the Statement column. That button removes the Resolved checkmark from every Entry that isn’t Reconciled, taking your Resolved Balance back to what it was when you completed your last official reconciliation. If you’ve never clicked the small Reconcile button, though, then you’ve never officially reconciled, so every Entry will lose its Resolved checkmark. In short, if you’ve never clicked the small Reconcile button, you probably won’t want to use Reset Unreconciled Entries.

If you need to undo Reset Unreconciled Entries

While there isn’t a single step to undo Reset Unreconciled Entries, here’s how to get back to where you started:

  1. Go to the View menu at the top of your screen, down to Columns, and click the Date Modified menu item. The Date Modified column will appear at the far right of the list of Entries. It could appear so far to the right you’ll have to scroll to the right or make your window wider to see it. Make sure you can see it.
  2. Click the Date Modified column header, the actual words “Date Modified” at the top of the column. All of the Entries that just lost their Resolved checkmark will appear grouped together with the same Date Modified.
  3. Scroll to one end of the group of Entries that lost their Resolved checkmark and single-click the first Entry in the group.
  4. Scroll to the other end of the group of Entries and hold the Shift key on your keyboard while you single-click the last Entry in the group. All of the Entries in between will be highlighted.
  5. Go to the Entry menu at the top of your screen, down to Mark, and click the As Resolved menu item. All of the selected Entries will be marked as Resolved.
  6. Return to the View menu, down to Columns, and click the Date Modified menu item.
  7. Click the Date column header, the word “Date” at the top of the column of dates.

These steps assume no Entries have been changed since Reset Unreconciled Entries was used. It’s OK if you’ve changed an Entry or three, in the meantime – you’ll just need to recall which were Resolved before and mark them that way one at a time.

We’re happy to help

We want you to make the most of CheckBook’s reconciliation features. Please reach out to support@splasm.com with any questions and we’ll be happy to provide all the details you need!

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