GNUCash Import QIF - Help Please!

[Derek Atkins]

GT-I9070 H <gti9070h at gmail.com> writes:

> 2015-07-09 9:28 GMT-04:00 Derek Atkins <warlord at mit.edu>:
>
>     GT-I9070 H <gti9070h at gmail.com> writes:
>
>     > As far as I know currently CSV importer does not import CATEGORIES.
>     > Do you suggest extending the CSV importer to allow assigning categories
>     too?
>    
>     Sure, you could do that; effectively pre-assigning a destination
>     account. 
>
>  
> I did not understand. What are you saying? That The CSV importer currently
> imports categories?

No, it does not currently support it.  By "do" I mean "create" or
"implement", as in "you could implement that".

>     I have no objection to adding that as an option to the CSV
>     importer.
>
> Ok. Thank you very very much!
>
>   
>
>     >     For interfacing with GnuCash Android I'd suggest the
>     data-file-sharing
>     >     approach if you actually use multiple currencies.
>     >
>     > Ok, I'll start the tests, but as far as I know GnuCash Android does not
>     yet
>     > support multiple currencies.
>    
>     I think it does, but I don't know to what extent.
>
> We have accounts in multiple currencies but still can't make transfers between
> accounts with different currencies.
> Ngewi Fet said it's because he needs to develop to get online rates.

I'm not sure I understand why you have to "get online rates"; in GnuCash
desktop you can tell it what the exchange rate is.  The online rate
lookup is just a guestimate; it's never "exactly" what you get.

>     > I think my case is very unusual, I live in one country and my assets are
>     in
>     > another.
>    
>     Then why not just track everything in the currency where your assets are
>     and ignore the "local" currency?
>
> I do not see how to do this if I do exchange and spent money on "local".
> This would be record the exchange direct how spending and not as a transfer of
> assets?

I travel a lot.  The way I do it is that I maintain Asset accounts
denominated in my local currency and just track the foreign currencies
in the transaction description.  E.g.:

6/15/15  Schwartz Deli (10CAD)        (credit) USD 8.24

At the end of the trip I reconcile the cash account based on the amount
of foreign currency I have left and calculate my exchange rate based on
the ATM rates (I look at my bank account).

Sometimes I have to delay the actual USD amount until I know what the
actual exchange rate was (e.g. if I use a credit card).

> Also, we are addicted to information, the more the better until it leads us to
> the hospital!
>
> I like to make price comparisons from different countries, an idea the cost of
> living for me.

Sure, but you don't need to account in multiple currencies to do this.

> My transactions record the date, the local price, the rate that cost "that"
> money and a idea of price in my default currency.

Sure, and as you see, my method does that, too.  Although I admit it's a
bit harder to automatically "add up" the amount of foreign currency I
still have -- which is why I enter those reconciliation transactions at
the end of every trip.

> We have an expensive or cheap notion much better in our default currency.

Sure, but again, this type of price shopping does not need to happen
inside GnuCash (and indeed, GnuCash is not the right place to do this
kind of price comparison).

> Thanks
>
> Regards
> GTI

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available