More questions

[Benoit Grégoire]

On December 17, 2002 11:53 pm, Greg Stark wrote:
> So I fear this will rapidly become an FAQ, but is there any way to set the
> opening balance after a file has already been created?
>
> Some ideas:
>
> It would be cool if I could hook a perl script to fetch an OFX update from
> the bank up so calling import automatically checked for updates and then
> processed them. Perhaps we could collect a series of such scripts and allow
> users to choose from them. I am a bit leery of asking users to put their
> banking info into random perl scripts though.

You would need a different script for each bank (and change them each time a 
bank decide to rework their web interface).  That's an almost impossible 
race...  

However, we do need a way to have gnuash be invoked as a helper application 
from a web browser, so you at least don't have to go fishing for the file you 
just downloaded.

The "real" solution is off course for me to add bi-directional support to 
LibOFX.  So many projects, so little time...

> Also, the automatic matching of transactions on import does in fact work,
> but I suspect it will have to be made more sophisticated. All my check
> deposits are going to the whatever account the last one went to. It doesn't
> seem to take into account the dollar amounts in keeping track of matches. I
> fear the final solution will be to throw a bayesian filter like the
> spam-filtering systems at transactions to guess the matching account.

Well, it does, but only when looking for duplicates.  You are talking about 
the account matching for autobalance which currently only use memo and 
description.  I never thought about checks, which don't have a payee (at 
least not electronically), so their memo and description is always the same.  

However, I don't know how we could match on amount without wrecking havoc on 
the matching.  Or even how gnucash would know when to match on amount.  It 
has no way to know that the exact string match it just found is actually a 
check (Well I suppose if a check number is present, but I don't know if all 
online systems support that.   OFX does, but that info may not always be 
sent).    

But tell me, you must write a LOT of checks for this to be a problem ;)  Humor 
aside, I hate to end mails without a solution, sorry.  
-- 
Benoit Grégoire
http://step.polymtl.ca/~bock/