Where is gnucash register?

Henry Fallon henryf61 at gmail.com
Sat Jan 26 11:31:58 EST 2008


Charles Day wrote:

>
You can just enter all the checks in your checking account like you do in
Quicken. I'm confused as to why you'd need to open multiple registers.
(Maybe you could explain what you are doing in further detail.)
>

(This is all from memory:) When I opened gnucash, I followed the wizard to
import my Quicken QIF file, including categories.  After ignoring the bogus
duplicates screen, I ran a summary report to verify that my final balance
was correct.  Then I clicked on all the menu options that seemed to have
anything to do with finding a complete register without success. I still
have had no success even after having followed the suggestions of several
people here.

If I read your complete reply properly, I gather that the designers of
gnucash should setup certain account trees for us quicken users or maybe we
should be doing it *before* importing (not that I know how to do that).

After criticizing the gnucash structure, I can now see how the separate
registers for individual accounts can be very helpful. I could do the same
thing in Quicken but I would have to setup individual reports each time I
wanted to do so. Setting up the reports would take some fair amount of time
whereas it is just a mouse click in gnucash.

To give a shorter answer to your question, I don't need to open individual
registers. I only did that in desperation while looking for a general
register.

Henry Fallon

On Jan 25, 2008 9:07 PM, Charles Day <cedayiv at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Jan 25, 2008 5:41 PM, Henry Fallon <henryf61 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Charles (and Josh),
> >
> > Thanks for your informative replies. This experience makes me appreciate
> > the genius of Quicken. It just looks like a checkbook. I'm not sure how to
> > describe gnucash but it looks entirely too professional for my simple
> > requirements in keeping my personal checkbook. For example, when I post a
> > batch of checks to the register, I want to use a single register since my
> > checks will be written to random accounts. I don't want to have to open up
> > an account for each individual check and then close each account before they
> > stretch way beyond the screen's boundaries.
> >
>
> You can just enter all the checks in your checking account like you do in
> Quicken. I'm confused as to why you'd need to open multiple registers.
> (Maybe you could explain what you are doing in further detail.)
>
> Disclaimer: The tutorial and help files didn't come with my copy of
> > gnucash. I have since discovered them on the web and realize I have to do
> > some homework before using gnucash again.
> >
> > Let me try to make a few constructive comments:
> > --If memory serves me, the import screen was one of the first ones
> > displayed when I opened gnucash. If I should have been setting up accounts
> > prior to import, then why not warn me of that fact and give me the option to
> > do so? Hint: maybe this would be a good fix for the next release.
>
>
> I'm not sure what the best way to go is, but something ought to be done...
>
> Regarding accounts: Without reading the manual first, Quicken users
> wouldn't realize that accounts should be put in to a tree. Perhaps the
> importer should by default offer to map an QIF account named Checking to
> Assets:Current Assets:Checking rather than just plain "Checking". Similarly,
> if the QIF file includes a category list then by default Salary could be
> Income:Salary, Groceries could become Expenses:Groceries, and so on.
>
> Plus... if there were no accounts in GnuCash prior to importing, and there
> is no Accounts tab displayed in the main window, then it would be nice to
> have one automatically opened when the import finishes (the New Account
> Hierarchy Setup druid offers this feature).
>
> --Thanks for warning be about import bugs. I got maybe a hundred duplicate
> > entries on my import and quickly decided to ignore them. The duplicates did
> > not exist in Quicken and the final balance in GnuCash was correct. It
> > wouldn't have been if the duplicates were real.
>
>
> Those duplicates are indeed bogus and that bug has been fixed. Hopefully
> the fix will make it into the 2.2.4 release.
>
>
> > --I will definitely wait for version 2.2.4 and go back to Quicken
> > meanwhile.
> >
>
> I'm working with both at the moment... with an eye towards dropping
> Quicken as soon as its convenient. I do a lot of portfolio stuff and GnuCash
> is a bit behind in that area. GnuCash certainly has its disadvantages, but
> there are advantages too, and the "killer" advantage to GnuCash is that
> users can fix what they don't like, and add new features that they do.
> Quicken users are at Intuit's (not so tender) mercy.
>
> Before returning, I have a question about downloads from my bank but let
> > me first search the forum to see if it has been answered. If not, I will
> > start a new thread.
> >
>
> I'm not sure what the planned release date is for 2.2.4 but there has been
> talk of releasing every few weeks. Some of the developers that participate
> in this mailing list would have a good idea.
>
>
> > Thanks again. I am impressed by the speed and quality of the answers.
> >
> > Henry Fallon
> >
> >
> > On Jan 25, 2008 7:39 PM, Charles Day <cedayiv at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > On Jan 25, 2008 2:10 PM, henrymds <henryf61 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I can't find the register. I imported a single QIF file from Quicken
> > > in
> > > > Windows XP to gnucash 2.2.1 in Ubuntu 7.10. Gnucash recognizes all
> > > my
> > > > categories/accounts. A report summary has the correct final balance.
> > > A
> > > > transaction report appears to have all the transactions listed but I
> > > can't
> > > > find the register anywhere.
> > > > File > Open > Open is supposed to open an account tree somehow but
> > > all it
> > > > does is list the backups of my file.
> > >
> > > I know... the GnuCash GUI is brutally confusing for first-time users
> > > coming from Quicken, particularly if you don't create GnuCash accounts
> > > *before* importing the QIF file.  If you create the GnuCash accounts first,
> > > it's a lot easier. Plus, there are a number of important bugs in the GnuCash
> > > 2.2.1 QIF importer, so I'd really suggest that you start over and
> > > import your QIF using GnuCash 2.2.3.  If you can wait for 2.2.4, so
> > > much the better, because I've patched a number of QIF importer bugs even
> > > since the release of 2.2.3. Hopefully these will get released in 2.2.4
> > > .
> > >
> > > But starting from where you are already... Go to File -> New -> New
> > > Accounts Page. You'll see a list of accounts. Since you're a Quicken user,
> > > you probably don't want to see income and expense accounts in the list, at
> > > least initially, so go to View -> Filter By... and uncheck Income and
> > > Expense. Now click on any of those accounts and you'll bring up that
> > > account's register. If the register comes up blank (like shown in bug
> > > 502649 <http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=502649>) then click
> > > anywhere in the register and the transactions will magically appear.
> > > Hopefully someone can fix this soon, but for now its just an annoyance.
> > >
> > > To the general GnuCash community: Why is the option to display a new
> > > accounts page under the File menu anyway? It has nothing to do with files or
> > > printing. The View menu seems more appropriate.
> > >
> > > -Charles
> > >
> > > >
> > > > TIA,
> > > > henrymds
> > > > --
> > > > View this message in context:
> > > http://www.nabble.com/Where-is-gnucash-register--tp15097829p15097829.html
> > > > Sent from the GnuCash - User mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> >
>


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