# Using This Document & Getting Help

This document is organized in two dimensions:

- From the GUI (Graphical User Interface) explaining the available options and their functions, with links to deeper descriptions and usage. GUIMenus

- By classifying Operations, Tasks, or Functions based on whether it is an Account, Transaction, Reporting or other oriented operation. Examples are:

  - Account Actions - setup-accounts

  - Transaction/Register Actions - ch_Common_Trans_Ops

  - Tools and Assistants - ch_AccRegTools

  - Reporting & Charting - Reports

  - Customization - custom-gnucash

## Accessing Help

When &app; is running and this documentation is installed, this window is accessed by

- pressing the F1 key or

- selecting from the menu Help Contents.

- Ctrl H Help Tutorial and Concepts Guide will open the other part of this documentation.

- In most dialogs the Help button will lead you directly to the page which decribes that dialog.

The complete help menu is explained in AccTree-help-menu.

## Operating System and Help Viewer

Depending on your operating system we use different programs to display this help document:

`Linux`

- Gnome Yelp

`MacOS`

- default web browser

`Windows`

- Windows help viewer

See their respective manuals to get help about help.

### &app; Tutorial and Concepts Guide

The guide is the counterpart to this help. It explains the concepts used in &app; and has a tutorial that takes you through using &app; to manage your accounts. It will appear if you choose Open the new user tutorial in the Welcome to &appname;! menu.

To open this Guide manually go to Help Tutorial and Concepts Guide or press Ctrl H.

It is strongly recommended to read this guide if you are new to &app; or unfamiliar with accounting concepts.

### &app; Wiki

An immense amount of less-formal, but often more recent documentation, both of &app; itself and its maintenance and development may be found in the &app; Wiki ; the Frequently Asked Questions page should be a first stop whenever you encounter difficulty using &app;.

You should also try its search page.

### &app; On-line Assistance

Mailing Lists

The primary source of user support is the user mailing list. If English is not your primary language, see wiki:user mailing lists for local lists. If you prefer a web forum-like presentation, you can use it via Nabble. One must subscribe before posting, even if using Nabble.

IRC

Several of the developers and experienced users monitor the #gnucash channel at irc.gnome.org. They're usually doing something else, too, and of course aren't always at their computers. Log in, ask your question, and stay logged in; it may be several hours before your question is noticed and responded to. To see if you missed anything check the IRC logs. Requirements, netiquette and other details are explained in the IRC wiki page.

### &app; Website

The &app; website has more details on these channels. You will also find pointers there to additional useful resources such as the bug tracking system.