Perl API

[Clinton Popetz]

On Fri, Oct 27, 2000 at 04:47:25PM -0500, Rob Browning wrote:
 
> > So while I don't have a long history with gnucash, and I don't have a
> > large vested interest in the Perl interface (I've only put about 10
> > hours into the ncurses interface), I'd be sad to see it go, unless
> > someone could point me towards an equally-easy method to use the
> > gnucash engine from perl.
> 
> Don't hesitate to say *HELL NO*, but do you have any interest in
> trying to do this stuff from guile, presuming you had some help? :>

Well, I'm somewhat familiar with scheme.  But last I checked,
guile-curses was in pretty sad shape.  Has it improved?  

> If not, then do you have any interest in helping maintain the
> perl-swig stuff?  If you're *really* interested, we might even think
> about breaking it out as a separate project.
> 
> No big deal either way, just trying to figure out which way we should
> go.

I wouldn't mind maintaining the perl/swig code.  It would be nice if
it had more of a perlish object interface.  It'll take me a bit to
come up to speed on the gnucash sources though, so don't expect
anything next week :)

> > P.S.  I also have some perl scripts hacked together to download my
> > credit card transactions from the web and stuff them into my gnucash
> > accounts; I'd miss those too.
> 
> Those might really be useful if translated to guile.  Actually, I
> wonder if Bill would be interested in them...

They are only about 100 lines of perl, using Net::SSLeay to grab the
pgae, parsing the html with HTML::Parser, checking for previously-seen
transactions with NDBM_File, and using the gnucash interface to add
the transactions, which I basically just pulled from gnc-prices.

I have no problem posting them, but they are severely limited.  They
only work with the quicken.com website (which can track several credit
cards/bank accounts/etc.)  Also, they depend on the struture of the
site and the layout of the pages, so they'll break on a whim.  So I
don't think they're something you want people depending on.  But until
an OFX interface is available, it's better than typing in my own
transactions :)

			-Clint