Image enabling gnucash?

linas@linas.org linas@linas.org
Thu, 22 Feb 2001 19:19:39 -0600 (CST)


Hi Dave,

> > The only modifications to gnucash would be that register windows have 
> > additional buttons called 'scan', 'attach', 'documents'. These buttons 
> > would be tied to method calls into the imaging client with index info. 
> > Scan and attach commands would invoke a scan program via 'SANE' or allow 
> > attachments much like email. Additional index fields could be defined 
> > and filled in (vendor id#, account# or whatever) in addition to the 
> > automatic fields such as date, transaction id etc. Seperate window would 
> > display the images and/or other apps launched based on mime types. Back 
> > end could be mysql and the imaging engine can have its own API so that 
> > other apps can share the functionality.
>
> To be honest I had never even heard of this application, 

which one?
sane -- scanner access made easy -- an old linux project to support
scanners.

or the idea of document scanning for accounting support in general?
For companies above a certain size, it beats keeping paper documents
around...

> It sounds like this would be a fairly specialized application, so it
> would need to be something that was turned off by default so as not
> to clutter up the interface for personal users. But as long as the

No no no! 
(well, ok, maybe it should be enabled via user-preferences ...)

I know my paper-n-filing-cabinet-driven wife might start thinking that 
computers are actually good for something if I could demo scanned
documents in gnucash.  Our house is slowly filing with filing cabinets.
Having to keep paper around is one of the stickier parts of things
like irs audits, but I beleive that scanned documents are acceptable ...

-------

Note also: he mentions email.  For business accountants, the ability
to snarf an email, and associate it with a transaction is an excellent,
desirable thing.  I've seen email chains where employee submits an
expense account with an error or missing receipt, so the accountatn
writes the boss who writes the employee who writes the accountant, etc.

The large-company accounting systems use a specialized interface which 
isn't normal email, but is a specialized work-queue thing.  Kind of 
like a bug tracking system.  You have to look at what you have in 
your queue, and reply to it.   But then, these are old, and predate email
as we know it today ... 

If we could integrate gnucash with pgp-ified email or some email-ified
bug-tracker, some small segment of businesses would think this is a 
pretty cool thing ...

--linas