❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)¶

Import¶

Q: What does "Skipped N records" mean during import?¶

The system automatically deduplicates: records with the same order ID from the same platform won't be imported twice. Re-importing the same CSV will automatically skip existing records.

Q: Which platforms are supported for order import?¶

Currently supports five platforms for batch import — JD.com, Taobao/Tmall, Steam, WeChat, and Alipay — with more platforms on the way:

✅ Now Supported (auto-detection · auto-dedup · auto emoji matching)

• 🐶 JD.com — one-click CSV export via the browser extension
• 🛒 Taobao / Tmall — one-click CSV export via the browser extension
• 🎮 Steam — one-click CSV export via the browser extension
• 💬 WeChat Bills — "Download Bill" inside the WeChat app (CSV / Excel)
• 💳 Alipay — "Transaction Details" export inside the Alipay app (CSV / Excel)

⏳ Coming Soon (in the pipeline)

• 🛍️ Pinduoduo
• 🐟 Xianyu
• 📱 Douyin Mall

Other platforms (e.g., Meituan, Dewu) can be entered manually via the "Add Item" feature.

Q: Why are some orders missing after import?¶

The following orders are automatically filtered during import: - JD/Taobao: Incomplete orders (pending payment, cancelled, etc.) - Steam: Refunds, wallet top-ups (total amount ≤ 0) - WeChat: non-expense records (income / not-expense); refund or abnormal statuses (Fully Refunded, Refunded ¥X, Counterparty Refunded, etc.); records with amount ≤ 0 or duplicate transaction IDs - All platforms: Duplicate existing orders

💡 WeChat transfers, red packets, QR-code payments, and group collections are kept and imported (product name falls back to the counterparty), so you can see your full daily spending.

Q: Will JD / Taobao orders paid with WeChat / Alipay be counted twice?¶

No. Besides within-platform dedup (JD by order number, WeChat / Alipay by transaction ID), DailyCost Vault now also deduplicates across platforms: WeChat Pay can pay for JD / Taobao and Alipay can pay for Taobao, so the same purchase can appear in both a platform order CSV and a payment bill. Any bill record whose merchant order number ends with a platform order number and whose amount matches is treated as the same purchase and skipped automatically (the import result reports "N cross-platform duplicates"). Both import orders avoid double-counting, but we recommend importing the platform orders (JD / Taobao CSV) first, then the WeChat / Alipay bills — dedup keeps the first-imported record, and platform CSVs carry richer info (product links, item numbers); in practice about ¼ of Alipay spending (Taobao orders) can be completed with product info this way, while the rest (transport / dining, etc.) has the bill as its only source.

Recommendation: still treat the platform's own order export as the source of truth and use WeChat / Alipay bills for daily spending that cannot be exported.

Q: What if JD.com triggers risk control during export?¶

We recommend exporting by year segments rather than all history at once. For example: export 2024 first, then 2025 after completion.

Q: Where is the exported Taobao CSV file?¶

Chrome automatically downloads to your system's "Downloads" folder after export. File naming format: tb-orders-YYYYMMDD-HHmmss-complete.csv.

Q: Can I import Excel files?¶

Both CSV and Excel (.xlsx) formats are supported. WeChat bills can be exported as Excel and imported directly; other Excel files are also supported (if a specific file fails to parse, save it as CSV with Excel/WPS first, then import).

Q: Can I edit data after import?¶

Yes. Click any item card to open the detail popup, then click "Edit" to modify any field.

Daily Average Cost¶

Q: How is daily average cost calculated?¶

• Items in use: Daily cost = Purchase price ÷ Days from purchase to today
• Sold items: Daily cost = (Purchase price - Sale price) ÷ Days held
• Retired items: Daily cost = Purchase price ÷ Days held

Q: What's the daily cost of a ¥0 free gift?¶

¥0 gifts have a daily cost of exactly 0 and are excluded from daily cost sorting.

Q: Will daily cost update if I change the purchase date?¶

Yes. Daily cost is calculated dynamically on every query — it updates automatically when you modify the purchase date.

Q: Why does daily cost equal the purchase price?¶

This usually happens when the purchase date is today or yesterday, making the holding period just 1 day. The daily cost will gradually decrease as holding days increase.

Data Management¶

Q: Where is data stored?¶

Q: Will my data be lost?¶

• Desktop/Android: Data stored in SQLite database, won't be lost on app close
• Web: Data stored in browser — clearing browser cache/data will cause loss. Export backups regularly

Q: How to migrate data to a new device?¶

1. On the old device, go to Settings and click "Export Database"
2. Transfer the .db file to the new device
3. On the new device, go to Settings and click "Import Database" to select the file

Q: Will importing a database overwrite my existing data?¶

Yes. Importing a database replaces all current data. We recommend exporting your current data as a backup first.

Q: Can I sync data across multiple devices?¶

Cloud sync is not currently supported. You can manually sync between devices by exporting/importing the database.

Q: Can I recover data after clearing all data?¶

No. "Clear All Data" is irreversible — always export a backup before proceeding.

Usage¶

Q: How do I quickly find a specific item among many?¶

• Use the search bar at top of home page — supports fuzzy search by name, store, model, order ID
• Use the platform filter dropdown to show only items from a specific platform
• Sort by daily cost (descending) to quickly find your biggest "money-burners"

Q: How do I hide an item without deleting it?¶

Use the "Archive" feature. In the item detail popup, click the "📦" button — the item hides from home but data is preserved. Archived items can be viewed and restored in Settings → Archive Management.

Q: How do I restore an archived item?¶

Go to Settings → Archive Management → find the item → click "📥" to restore.

Q: How do I permanently delete an item?¶

Items must be archived first, then permanently deleted. After archiving, click "🗑️" in the item detail popup — confirm and it's irreversible.

Q: Does the app have ads?¶

No. DailyCost Vault is completely free during Beta with zero ads.

Q: Is dark mode supported?¶

Yes. Settings page lets you switch between Light / Dark / Follow System. You can also choose from 5 color schemes (Matcha Green / Sky Blue / Berry Purple / Peach Pink / Tangerine Orange).

Q: Can I set different colors for different platforms?¶

Yes. In Settings, each platform has a colored dot button — click to open the color picker. Choose from 10 preset colors or enter a custom HEX value. Changes take effect immediately.

Q: What are custom emojis and how do I use them?¶

DailyCost Vault has 37 built-in custom emojis across 4 categories: Party Parrots (15 parrot GIF animations), Reactions (12 Blob-style SVGs), Cats (6 cat GIFs), Mascots (4 GitHub-style icons). Select them in the icon picker when adding or editing items.

Q: What if search returns no results?¶

When search or filters return no results, the page shows contextual guidance: distinguishing between "keyword-only search," "platform-only filter," and "combined" scenarios, with a "Clear All Filters" button to reset.

Q: How do I record a sold item?¶

Edit the item → expand "Optional Info" → set status to "Sold" → set end date and sale price. The system automatically calculates actual net cost and profit/loss (profit shown in green).

Q: What's the daily cost of a ¥0 free gift?¶

¥0 items (price = 0) have a daily cost of exactly 0 and are excluded from sorting and comparison. These items are mainly for asset recording rather than cost tracking.

Q: The app crashes or errors — how do I view the log files?¶

DailyCost Vault saves runtime logs locally (enabled since the 2026-08 release), which are very useful for troubleshooting crashes, errors, or unexpected behavior.

Log file locations & how to open them (on desktop you can also open the folder in one click via Settings → Backup & Restore → Log location):

Notes:

• The log file has a fixed name logs.log (not rotated daily). When it grows beyond ~500KB, the old content is overwritten, so reproduce the issue first before reporting
• Logs are only written when there is output: CSV imports, runtime errors, uncaught JS exceptions, Rust panics, etc. The file may stay empty during normal browsing / bookkeeping
• They include both backend errors (e.g., CSV parse failures) and frontend runtime errors (e.g., UI exceptions)
• Recommended workflow: reproduce the issue → quit the app → send the logs.log file to the developer for fast diagnosis

💡 Logs are stored only on your device and are never uploaded to any server — your privacy is safe.

Platform¶

Q: Is macOS supported?¶

Yes. Download the matching .dmg installer (Apple Silicon / Intel) from the 🚀 Installation guide.

Q: Is iOS supported?¶

The iOS version is being planned. You can use the web version for now.

Q: Is Linux supported?¶

Yes. Download the .deb or .AppImage installer from the 🚀 Installation guide.

Q: What's the difference between the desktop and web versions?¶

Q: Android shows "Parse error" during installation?¶

Make sure the .apk file is complete (not truncated) and your Android version is ≥ 8.0.

Security¶

Q: Is my order data secure?¶

DailyCost Vault runs completely offline — all data is stored locally and never uploaded to any server. See PRIVACY.

Q: Do browser extensions leak my shopping data?¶

No. Browser extensions run only in your local Chrome and don't upload data to third parties. You can remove extensions anytime after exporting.

Q: What if exported CSV files contain personal information?¶

• JD/Taobao extensions enable "Mask" by default — recipient name, phone, and address are partially hidden
• You can uncheck "Mask" during export for full info, but keep exported files safe
• Do NOT commit CSV files to GitHub or share with untrusted parties

Project¶

Q: Is the project open source?¶

Not at the moment — All Rights Reserved. BunnyChen solemnly commits: we never collect, upload, or peek into any of your data. Your data belongs only to you, so please keep it safe. See the Privacy Policy.

Didn't find an answer? Submit an Issue to ask.