Make Filters in FiQu: your own unique view

A filter is a combination of two or more categories and/or hashtags. With this selection option you can view unique cross-sections of your FiQu data, beyond one category or one hashtag.

You can use a filter to see transactions together with one or more selected hashtags. Or create a graph of them. A filter also allows you to create a budget for a number of categories combined.

Selection options screen

You add, update and delete your filters via the Selection Options screen. This screen opens if you tap the Selection Options button on the Settings screen. Tap the Filter radio button on the top of the screen and then the + button on the bottom of the screen to add a new filter:

FiQu personal finance expense tracker app create new custom filter

1 Unique filter name

Enter any name for your new filter. You can change it later at any time.

2 Add at least two categories or hashtags

Tap the blue + button to select one category or hashtag from the list:

fiqu budgeting app select additional category or hashtag in your filter selection option — After tapping ‘Select’ this category is added to your filter

Categories or hashtags that you already included in this filter are no longer visible in the list.

3. Tap on Create this Filter

You must confirm creation of a new filter by tapping the Create button. The button will only be activated (turn from grey to blue) after you have entered a unique name and at least two categories and/or hashtags.

How does filtering work in FiQu?

If you select one category or one hashtag as selection option, you are analyzing a subset of your transaction. If you add another category or hashtag using a filter, you get an extended selection. Like this:

fiqu budgeting app transaction selection on category — Transaction selection using one category

fiqu budgeting app filter details screen — A filter combining one category and one hashtag. You can add multiple categories and/or hashtags. Or create a filter with only categories and use it as a “supercategory” selection

Tap on a row to remove a category or hashtag from the filter. Please keep in mind that a filter must at least contain two rows.

Filtering in action: transaction example

fiqu budgeting app transaction selection on a filter — Applying the filter results in an extended selection of transactions: not only category Household expenses but also transactions with other categories but having the hashtag #essential. Of course the transactions that have both this category and hashttag from the filter (the first one) are included as well.

You can also use this filter to visualize this combined view of transactions with graphs or monitor spending of this combination via a budget. In all cases you will see the blue filter icon and the name of the filter as selection option, in the top right of the screen.

Next steps with filters

You expect a filter to work like the above example: the selection is extended when you include more elements in the filter. That is also how filtering works in Excel and many other apps.

To get a deeper insight in your expenses and boost your financial IQ, this standard type of filtering is more than enough.

However, FiQu offers you filters that do not only extend the selection but also allow to exclude elements from the selection. This filtering is more powerful but also a lot harder to understand. So feel free to skip it.

You activate this advanced filter logic via the checkbox in the Settings screen. How advanced filtering works is explained in a separate article here.