Documentation v1.0

Know exactly
where it's gone.

A complete guide to every feature in WhereItsGone — what each screen does, what you put in, and what you get out.

01 — Overview

How the app is structured

WhereItsGone is built around wallets — each wallet is a separate budget you track independently. Everything else (entries, categories, recurring transactions, members) belongs to a wallet.

👛
Wallets
Top-level containers. One per budget — personal spending, joint household, a holiday, a business account.
📝
Entries
Individual income or expense transactions. Each has a date, amount, description, and category.
🏷
Categories
Custom labels (with emoji) you assign to entries. Used to group and analyse your spending patterns.
Two main views: the left panel shows Transactions (your running log) and the right panel shows the Breakdown (analysis by category). Both update in real time as you add entries.
02 — Signing in

Authentication

You can sign in with Google for one-tap access, or use an email and password if you prefer not to link a Google account.

Inputs
  • Google account — tap "Continue with Google", approve once
  • Email + password — enter and confirm on sign up; just email + password to sign back in
  • Forgot password — enter your email, receive a reset link
Outputs
  • Authenticated session, persisted across browser closes
  • Your wallets, categories, and entries load automatically
  • Profile preferences (theme, display name) are restored
Note: Google sign-in and email sign-in create separate accounts even if the email address is the same. Use the same method each time.
03 — Wallets

Creating & managing wallets

Wallets appear as tabs across the top of the app. You can have multiple — each is completely separate with its own entries, categories, and settings.

1
Open Settings
Tap the ⚙️ gear icon in the top-right header. The settings panel slides in from the right.
2
Create a wallet
Scroll to the Wallets section, tap + Create Wallet. Give it a name, pick an emoji icon, and set a currency symbol.
3
Switch between wallets
Tap any tab in the wallet tab bar at the top. Everything — transactions, breakdown, categories — switches to that wallet instantly.
4
Edit wallet settings
In Settings → Wallets, select the wallet tab to rename it, change its icon/currency, set spending limits per category, or delete it.
Wallet inputs
  • Name — displayed in the tab bar
  • Emoji icon — shown next to the name
  • Currency symbol — e.g. £, $, €, displayed on all amounts
  • Category limits — optional monthly spend cap per category
Wallet outputs
  • Isolated transaction log per wallet
  • Separate category set per wallet
  • Independent breakdown and summary data
  • Category limit progress bars in the breakdown
04 — Adding entries

Logging income & expenses

The entry form lives in the left sidebar. Every transaction you add is stored in real time and immediately reflected across both the transactions list and the breakdown.

Entry form
📅 Date
Defaults to today
💬 Description
Free text, autocompletes past descriptions
💷 Amount
Supports calculator input (e.g. 12+8)
🏷 Category
Dropdown, autocompletes on description
🧾 Receipt
Optional — attach image or PDF
Inputs
  • Date — pick any past or future date
  • Description — what was it (e.g. "Tesco", "Salary")
  • Amount — plain number or calculator expression like 12.50 + 3
  • Category — select from your wallet's categories
  • Expense / Income toggle — the + Add Expense button sign flips to negative; income entries are positive
Outputs
  • Entry appears immediately in the transaction list
  • Category breakdown bars update in real time
  • Summary card totals recalculate instantly
  • Activity log records the addition
  • Recurring balance forecast updates (if applicable)
Calculator bubble: Type a maths expression in the amount field (e.g. 45/4 or 12.99+8.50) and a floating bubble will show the result. Press Enter or tap the bubble to confirm.
Autocomplete: The description field remembers what you've typed before and suggests matching past entries. Selecting a suggestion also pre-fills the category, saving you time on repeat purchases.
05 — Transactions

Viewing & managing entries

The transactions panel shows all entries for the active wallet, grouped by date. Use the period tabs to filter what you see.

📅
Period tabs
Day / Week / Month / All — filter to a time window. Use the ← → arrows to navigate backwards and forwards through periods.
✏️
Editing an entry
Tap any transaction row to open the detail modal. Change any field and tap Save. Changes sync instantly.
🗑
Deleting an entry
Open the entry detail modal, scroll to the bottom, tap Delete. The entry is removed from all views and the activity log records the deletion.
🧾
Attaching receipts
Inside the entry modal, tap Add receipt to upload a JPG, PNG, WebP or PDF. Multiple receipts per entry are supported.
Real-time sync: If you have the app open on two devices, entries added on one appear on the other within seconds without refreshing.
06 — Breakdown

Category breakdown

The right panel analyses your spending by category for any time period. It's the most powerful view in the app for understanding where your money goes.

📊
Bar chart / Donut
Toggle between a horizontal bar chart and a donut chart using the icons in the breakdown header. Both show the same data differently.
🗓
Period filters
Day / Week / Month / Year / All time / Custom range / By month / Compare — each changes what data the breakdown analyses.
🔍
Category drilldown
Tap any category row to open a drilldown panel showing every transaction in that category for the selected period, plus a 6-month sparkline chart.
📅
By month view
Shows each category broken out month by month. Navigate between months using the ← → arrows in the breakdown header.
⚖️
Compare view
Pick two months to compare side by side. See which categories went up or down between them.
🌫
Row dimming
Categories below a configurable threshold are faded out to reduce visual noise. Set the threshold in Settings → Preferences.
Inputs
  • Period tab — selects the date window to analyse
  • Custom range — pick from/to dates for any arbitrary period
  • Chart mode — bars or donut
  • Amount display — show £ amount, % of total, or both (set in Settings)
Outputs
  • Sorted category bars with relative widths showing proportion
  • Income and expense sections separated
  • Category limit progress bars (if limits are set)
  • Dimmed rows below threshold
  • Drilldown panel with transactions + sparkline on tap
Sparkline: Inside a category drilldown, a small bar chart shows your spending in that category over the last 6 months (or 12 months — toggle with 6M / 1Y). The dashed line is your average. You can disable sparklines in Settings if you prefer a cleaner drilldown.
07 — Summary cards

Summary cards

Three collapsible cards sit above the breakdown — Income, Expenses, and Net. Each shows totals for the selected breakdown period and can be expanded to reveal sub-breakdowns.

⬆️
Income card
Total positive entries for the period. Tap to expand and see a per-category income breakdown.
⬇️
Expenses card
Total negative entries. Tap to expand. Shows the same category breakdown as the main bars but scoped to expenses only.
⚖️
Net card
Income minus expenses. Green when positive (saved money), red when negative (overspent).
09 — Recurring transactions

Recurring transactions

Set up transactions that repeat on a schedule. WhereItsGone can auto-post them silently, or hold them for your approval before they appear in the list.

Inputs
  • Description — e.g. "Netflix", "Rent"
  • Amount — fixed recurring amount
  • Category — assigned automatically each time
  • Frequency — daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly
  • Start date — when the first occurrence fires
  • Approval mode — auto-post or require manual approval
Outputs
  • Entries automatically created on schedule
  • Pending approval items appear in the notifications bell
  • Approved items post to the transaction list immediately
  • Skipped occurrences are recorded in the activity log
Approval mode: If set to "Requires approval", the recurring transaction appears as a pending item each period. You can approve it (posts the entry), skip it (this occurrence only), or edit the amount before posting — useful for bills that vary slightly.
10 — Receipts

Receipt attachments

Attach photos or PDFs of receipts to any entry. Receipts are stored securely and accessible any time you open that entry.

📎
Attaching before saving
In the entry form (before you tap Add), tap the paperclip icon to upload a receipt. It will be linked to the entry when saved.
🖼
Attaching after saving
Open any existing entry. Tap Add receipt inside the detail modal to attach files after the fact.
👁
Viewing receipts
Attached receipts show as thumbnails inside the entry modal. Tap any thumbnail to view the full image or PDF in a new tab.
🗑
Removing receipts
Inside the entry modal, tap the × on a receipt thumbnail to permanently delete it from storage.
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, and PDF. Multiple receipts can be attached to a single entry.
11 — Shared wallets

Shared wallets & collaboration

Invite other people to a wallet so you can track shared expenses together. Each member can add entries; the breakdown shows totals contributed by everyone.

1
Invite a member
In Settings → Wallet → Members, enter the email address of the person you want to invite. They'll receive an invitation email.
2
Accept the invitation
The invited person opens the link in the email. If they already have an account they join immediately; if not they'll be prompted to sign up first.
3
Collaborate in real time
Both members see the same wallet. Entries added by one member appear on the other's screen within seconds. The breakdown shows totals for all members combined.
By Member view: Inside the category drilldown, if a wallet has multiple members, a By Member tab appears alongside By Date. This shows how much each member spent in that category.
Permissions: All members have equal access — anyone can add, edit, or delete entries. The wallet owner is the only person who can delete the wallet itself.
12 — Activity log

Activity log

A chronological record of everything that has happened in your wallet — who added what, when, and what was deleted.

What gets logged
  • New entries — amount, description, category, who added it
  • Deleted entries — what was removed and by whom
  • Recurring approvals — when a pending transaction is approved or skipped
  • Member changes — joins and departures
How to use it
  • Tap the activity icon in the header (clipboard icon)
  • Navigate months using the ← → arrows
  • Each event shows a timestamp, member name, and a summary
  • Useful for auditing shared wallets or recovering deleted entry details
13 — Export

Exporting data

Export your transaction data from the breakdown panel. Two formats are available — CSV for spreadsheet use and PDF for sharing or filing.

📄
CSV export
Downloads a spreadsheet-compatible file with all entries for the selected period: date, description, amount, and category columns.
📑
PDF export
Generates a formatted report with a summary header, income/expense totals, and a full category breakdown split into income and expenses sections — sorted largest to smallest.
How to export: In the breakdown panel, tap ⬇ Export in the filter tabs row, then choose CSV or PDF. The export covers whatever period is currently selected in the breakdown.
14 — Categories

Managing categories

Categories are per-wallet and fully customisable. Each has a name, an emoji, and a colour used in charts and breakdown bars.

1
Open category manager
Go to Settings → Wallet → tap Manage Categories. A panel slides in showing all current categories.
2
Create a category
Tap + Add category, type a name, pick an emoji from the picker (or paste any emoji), and choose a colour. Tap Save.
3
Edit or delete
Tap any existing category to edit its name, emoji, or colour. Deleting a category does not delete its entries — they become uncategorised.
4
Set spending limits
In Settings → Wallet Settings, each category has an optional monthly limit field. If set, a progress bar appears in the breakdown showing how close you are to the cap.
15 — Settings & preferences

Preferences

All preferences are saved to your profile and sync across devices automatically.

🌙
Theme
Choose between Dark (🌙), Light (☀️), or Auto (⚡). Auto switches automatically based on time of day — dark from 8:00 pm to 7:59 am, light from 8:00 am to 7:59 pm. Saved to your profile and synced across all your devices.
📆
Week starts on
Choose whether weeks start on Sunday or Monday. Affects the Day and Week period filters in both the transaction list and breakdown.
🔢
Category amounts
In the breakdown, display category values as a £ amount, % of total, or both.
🌫
Dim rows below
Set a threshold — categories below it are faded. Choose % of total, a fixed £ amount, or No dim. Adjust the slider for the threshold value.
📈
Category sparkline
Toggle whether the 6-month chart appears when you open a category drilldown. Off by default on low-bandwidth connections.
📲
Install as app
On mobile browsers, an Install WhereItsGone button appears. Adds the app to your home screen for a full-screen, native-like experience.
16 — Mobile

Using on mobile

On small screens the layout adapts significantly. The desktop two-panel layout collapses into a single panel with a floating bubble navigation bar at the bottom.

🫧
Bubble nav
A floating menu at the bottom of the screen. Tap the centre + to add an expense, or use the icons to jump to Transactions, Breakdown, or Activity Log.
📸
Receipt capture
On mobile, the receipt attachment button opens your camera directly for a quick photo, in addition to the file picker. No need to save to camera roll first.
🏠
Install to home screen
In Settings, tap Install WhereItsGone to add it to your home screen. It opens full-screen, with no browser chrome, like a native app.
🔔
Push notifications
Recurring transaction approvals and wallet invitations trigger push notifications when the app is installed. Tap any notification to go directly to the relevant item.
Tip: Installing to your home screen also enables background push notifications for recurring transaction reminders and wallet invitation alerts, which don't work in a regular browser tab.
17 — Limits

Platform limits

These are the hard limits enforced by the app and database. The app will show a clear error message if you hit any of them.

Entries & transactions
📝 Description length
Max 500 characters
📅 Entries per day per wallet
Max 100 entries
🔁 Recurring transaction description
Max 500 characters
Receipts
🧾 Receipts per transaction
Max 2 files
📦 File size per receipt
Max 5 MB
📄 Accepted formats
JPEG, PNG, WebP, PDF
Wallets & categories
👛 Wallets per account
Max 20 wallets
✏️ Wallet name length
Max 100 characters
🏷 Categories per wallet (income)
Max 50 categories
🏷 Categories per wallet (expense)
Max 50 categories
✏️ Category name length
Max 50 characters
Account & security
🔐 Password minimum length
Min 8 characters
🔔 Notifications loaded
Latest 50 shown
📜 Activity log entries loaded
Up to 1,000 per month
Daily entry limit: If you hit the 100-entry-per-day limit, the app will show an error and block the add. Use a different date or split entries across multiple days. This limit resets at midnight and is enforced per wallet, not per user.
Category limits: Income and expense categories are counted separately — you can have up to 50 income and 50 expense categories in the same wallet (100 total).
Receipt images are compressed before upload — so even if your original photo is larger than 5MB, the app will attempt to compress it first. PDFs are not compressed and must be under 5MB as-is.