Documentation Regarding GnuCash Import Features

[David T.]

John,

I am moving this thread to Devel, since it has moved beyond typical user threads.

Further digging in the Help Manual shows section "3.3. Import QIF Files," which explains that particular import process, but no other. I suspect the interest in putting this information here has to do with the fact that many newcomers to GnuCash will be importing their data from Quicken. However, I think it a little oddly placed and sadly alone (not to mention hard to find).

Additional scanning in the Help Manual (I almost never use it, alas!) turns up "Chapter 6. Common Transaction Operations," under which a section on importing might be placed. 

As an aside, I will note that this chapter and Chapter 4 of the Tutorial include largely similar content, and I wonder which document would be the better repository for this information. Ultimately, I believe that one of these chapters should be merged into the other, and all reference elsewhere should go to the one spot.

If a section on importing should be added to the Help Manual, I would propose putting it in chapter 6, moving 3.3 into it (with appropriate updates), and inserting a general note in 3.3 that discusses importing in general, and refers readers to the appropriate section in chapter 6.

If instead, it should go into the Tutorial, I imagine it would go in either as a new section in Chapter 4, or as a separate chapter immediately after this chapter.

Cheers,
David

> On Aug 26, 2015, at 5:27 PM, John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On Aug 26, 2015, at 3:45 PM, David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Does anyone know where (or whether) there is documentation about GnuCash’s various import features? I was sure that there was information in the documentation about this rather important aspect of GnuCash, but can’t seem to locate it right now.
> 
> The only thing I could find is http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/CSV_Import_(MasterCard), clearly not sufficient. There should be a chapter in the Help Guide for imports.
> 
> Regards,
> John Ralls
>