New account type

[David Carlson]

On 10/18/2013 8:31 AM, Sam Liddicott wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 2:27 PM, Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 18 October 2013 14:02, Sam Liddicott <sam at liddicott.com> wrote:
>>> On Fri, Oct 18, 2013 at 1:50 PM, Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> On 18 October 2013 13:47, John G Sullivan <sullij_27615 at att.net> wrote:
>>>>> The process which your wife is using seems backwards. Why not start
>>>>> from where the money originates. If she paid out of pocket, just use
>>>>> cash as the base account, and enter the expense as the account field.
>> If
>>>>> paid from checking, start there.
>>>> That is why I asked the OP to explain exactly what she is doing, I
>>>> suspect she does not understand how transactions should be entered.
>>>>
>>> This is one view, but the user will select software based on how well
>> it's
>>> idea of how things should be done coincides with their own.
>>> If software cannot do it "their way" it is discarded, and after all -
>> most
>>> humans are not accountants.
>> You have said she is frustrated with the way she currently does it,
>> but it is not clear (to me anyway) exactly what she is doing.  If we
>> knew that then we may be able to suggest an alternative that she was
>> unaware of and would prefer.
>>
> Daily, she goes to each asset-account tab and enters a categorized expense
> against that account.
> She finds the need to select an account tabs for 1 or 2 item to be
> frustrating and wishes for a single view in which she can enter categorized
> expenses against any asset-account, with usefulness somewhat like ^T dialog
> but in table view.
>
>
>>> I didn't really want to have to find an alternative to gnu cash, and in
>> my
>>> view whatever makes it work for what a person needs, IS what they need.
>>>
>>> And as I'm not doing the accounts, whatever helps her do it solves my
>>> problem :-)
>>>
>>> So I'm grateful to the authors and mailing contributors.
>>>
>>> Prior to this we had a large spread sheet with a pair of columns for each
>>> account or expense (a running balance and an adjustment) so data entry
>> was
>>> very quick and simple. Try telling someone who is used to that how it
>>> "should" be done :-)
>> We are not trying to tell her how it should be done, we just want to
>> make sure she is doing it the way that best suits her needs.  Hence if
>> we knew exactly what she is doing we may be able to suggest a better
>> way for her.
>>
> Sure, but I tried telling her how it should be done last night...
>
> Sam
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Never tell a woman that she is wrong ;).  However, another suggestion to
ask her if she has tried is to leave the most commonly used account
windows open when closing the program.  Then the tabs automatically
re-appear in the header when the program is opened and can be clicked to
switch easily between accounts.  This might be an adequate simulation of
your multi-column spreadsheet ledger from paper and pen days.  I still
have some 12 column paper somewnere in my basement.

David C