Manual

Pangolog - a minimalist personal expense tracker.

System requirements

Any modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) with JavaScript enabled. IndexedDB is required for local storage - all major browsers support it. Google Drive sync requires a Google account and is entirely optional.

Installing as an app

Pangolog can be installed as a standalone app on your device for a better experience - no browser chrome, faster access from your home screen.

iOS (Safari)

Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen, then select "Add to Home Screen". Safari only - Chrome and Firefox on iOS do not support installation.

Android (Chrome)

Tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select "Add to Home Screen" or "Install app". You may also see an install prompt appear automatically.

Desktop (Chrome / Edge)

Click the install icon in the address bar, or open the browser menu and select "Install Pangolog".

Other browsers

PWA installation support varies by browser and OS. Check your browser's documentation or look for extensions that add PWA support - for example, PWAs for Firefox.

Basic concepts

Small Dimes

Everyday transactions logged by month - groceries, meals, subscriptions. Stored and queried per month.

Big Bucks

Large or irregular transactions logged by year - gadgets, travel, medical. Stored and queried per year.

Categories

Labels attached to transactions. Each category has a name, colour, and emoji icon. Categories can be marked as income-only or Big Bucks-only to filter them from irrelevant pickers.

Pages

Transactions

View and manage Small Dimes or Big Bucks. Switch between modes with the toggle. Filter by month (Dimes) or year (Bucks). Optionally include Big Bucks alongside Dimes for a combined view.

Categories

Create, edit, and reorder categories. Drag to change priority - order is reflected in the category picker when adding transactions.

Summary

Segmented bar charts showing spending by category, for expenses and income separately. Available in monthly and yearly views.

Recurring rules

Set up rules that automatically generate transactions on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly schedule.

Settings

Configure display currency, Google Drive sync, and data export/import.

Keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl/Cmd + K opens the command palette for quick navigation and actions anywhere in the app.

Ctrl/Cmd + Enter opens the create dialog on the Transactions, Categories, and Recurring rules pages.

Ctrl/Cmd + B toggles between Small Dimes and Big Bucks on the Transactions and Summary pages.

Ctrl/Cmd + B switches between the Categories and Recurring Rules tabs on the Manage page.

Ctrl/Cmd + I toggles "Include Big Bucks" on the Transactions and Summary pages when viewing Small Dimes.

Recurring rules

Rules are checked and executed on app launch and whenever the app becomes visible again (e.g. switching back from another tab or app).

Each rule generates at most one transaction per execution, regardless of how much time has passed. If you have not opened the app in a long time, only the most recent missed occurrence is created - earlier gaps are silently skipped.

Debug

A hidden debug section is available in Settings. Tap the "Settings" heading 5 times quickly to reveal it.

View logs

Opens a dialog showing all in-memory log entries recorded during the current session and recent sessions. Logs are retained for 30 days and capped at 500 entries. From the dialog you can export the log as a JSON file or copy the content to the clipboard.

Clear Logger entries

Permanently deletes all stored log entries.

Google Drive sync

Sync is optional and can be enabled or disabled from Settings. When connected, data is synced automatically after changes and whenever the app becomes visible again. Syncing is debounced - the app waits 30 seconds after the last change before uploading, rather than sending a request on every edit. This reduces unnecessary API calls and avoids hitting Google Drive's rate limits.

Conflicts are resolved by last-write-wins using the record's updatedAt timestamp.

Storage structure

  • Pangolog/
  • YYYY-MM.json
  • YYYY-bucks.json
  • categories.json
  • recurring-rules.json
  • settings.json