Where does Gnucash Save itself when it closes

[L. D. James]

On 04/16/2015 10:36 PM, Mary Ann Wallace wrote:
> Richard, I was asking myself this question this afternoon as I started 
> to work with the new 2.6.6 after downloading it and installing it in 
> place of an earlier version I had and discovered it was looking for a 
> file to open in my external drive which at the time was not connected 
> to the PC.
>
> I am using Windows, so don't know if my response is relevant to what 
> you are using, but other readers on this list may also be using 
> Windows and asking themselves the same question.  I went through both 
> the Help and Guide pdf's and think that a section on file directory 
> locations, how to update the name for a more useful file name, and 
> essential files to backup if you're not backing up the whole Gnucash 
> directory with all its subdirectories - especially for Window PCs - in 
> a future update would be welcomed by many of us.
>
> If you do a simple "Save As" (not Save) while you are using the 
> program, it may also open up and show you what the file's current name 
> is.
>
> 1) When you open Gnucash, it will show you the name of the file on the 
> top header in Windows.  My data file is 
> gnuxmlaccounts.gnucash.20141103145723.gnucash. (screen shot attached)
>
>
>
> 2)  When you open a file, this is the screen that comes up showing the 
> location of your data file.  My location was the external drive and 
> the main folder was ACERXP\Backup\Wallace\My Documents\Gnucash\bin. 
> (screen shot attached).  This, I believe, is what L.D. James was 
> referring to when he said it was the same way LibreOffice and 
> Microsoft Word work.  The only shortcoming of this view is that it 
> doesn't show the Drive (something I would like to suggest in a future 
> update).  Personally, when I discovered that Gnucash was saving to my 
> external drive, I really didn't want to keep all the files in that 
> particular location for active use since it's a backup of another 
> computer, and plan to investigate doing a "Save As" to another 
> location where I have first copied the folders.
>
>
>
> 3) Finally, here is a screen shot of the BIN folder sorted by date so 
> the relevant files appear on top.  Outlined in red is my data file, 
> and I am assuming that this is THE critical file that contains 
> everything I need should a disaster occur.  Again, I would welcome an 
> addition to the Guide/Help pdfs that would enable non-programmers to 
> know which files are essential.  If this is the only essential file 
> that by using with a new downloaded copy of Gnucash on another 
> computer would pick up where one left off, then I want to say that the 
> developers of Gnucash have done a fantastic job.  As an accountant, my 
> concern is knowing which files I need to backup as a safeguard against 
> corruption or computer failure.
>
>
>
> I hope that this helps make things a little clearer and that if I have 
> misstated anything, that the Gnucash team will correct me.
>
> Mary Ann
>
> On 4/16/2015 6:00 PM, L. D. James wrote:
>> On 04/16/2015 05:14 PM, Richard Barmann wrote:
>>> I have been using Guncash since 2012 and now it cannot find the file 
>>> when I open it up.
>>> I am using version 6.5.2 in Xfce. It was doing all right up until a 
>>> few days ago. I cannot find anything newer than 2014. all my 2015 
>>> entries are unavailable. Is this a problem with Xfce? I am using it 
>>> because Kubuntu version 15.04 would not open up . Any help is really 
>>> appreciated. I have Quotes and Invoices in 2015 that I need to find.
>>> Thank you.
>>> Dick Barmann
>>> -- You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot 
>>> strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about 
>>> prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner 
>>> up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the 
>>> brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build 
>>> character and courage by taking away people's initiative and 
>>> independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, 
>>> what they could and should do for themselves. .....Abraham Lincoln
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>> The file is saved by the name of the file you are working with in the 
>> directory where that file is located.  This is the same way 
>> Libreoffice and Microsoft Word saves the files that you are working 
>> with.
>>
>> Gnucash's file extension is "*.gnucash".
>>
>> You can execute this command from the command prompt and search for 
>> all the *.gnucash files on your system:
>>
>> locate -r ".gnucash$"
>>
>> This will give you the name and location of all the files that has 
>> the *.gnucash extension.
>>
>> -- L. James

Hi, Mary Ann.

All your data is in one file.  It is the *.gnucash file.  That is the 
only file that you have to backup.  Backing that single file will have 
your data ready and available for any computer or any disaster recovery  
situation.

This is the same way it is with Libreoffice writer and Microsoft Word 
files.  You only have to backup (or open) a single file to start your 
work or updates.

As far as where you're working.  If you open up a Microsoft Word file on 
your pen drive, when you close Microsoft Word, saving the file would be 
the same place you opened it.  If that is a backup, you shouldn't open 
it up from your backup drive.  You should leave the backup in tact.  
Copy the backup file to a convenient place where you want your 
accounting data to be and open up the file (the *.gnucash file) from 
that location.  You can open up the file for working just by double 
clicking on the file (the same way you do with Microsoft Word).  When 
you close the file it'll save it in the same place you closed the file.  
The next time you start Gnucash it will open up the last date file 
(*.gnucash file) that you closed. You can go to File menu option to 
choose a different recent file if to open if you want to work on a 
different file.  Again, this is no different from working with 
Libreoffice Writer or Microsoft Word files.

By the way, both Libreoffice Writer and Microsoft Word have options for 
saving backup versions.  Gnucash has this activated by default. That is 
why you have more than one version of the file in a directory where you 
happen to be working.

For conveniences and having a consistent place to look for your data, 
you might consider making a subdirectory off your "Documents" directory 
called "Accounting" (you could even go further by making a subdirectory 
of that by a version name) and copy your *.gnucash file there.  This way 
you'll know exactly where the location is and can easier control the 
versions and backups you're working on.

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
ljames at apollo3.com
www.apollo3.com/~ljames

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
ljames at apollo3.com
www.apollo3.com/~ljames