New Invoice Dialog Box

[Geert Janssens]

On Saturday 16 January 2010, Derek Atkins wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Yawar Amin <yawar.amin at gmail.com> writes:
> > On 1/12/10 9:02 PM, Bill Jacqmein said:
> >> http://www.ghacks.net/2010/01/11/invoicing-with-gnucash/
> >
> > I just looked through this article (it's pretty good) and looks like the
> > New Invoice dialog box is asking the exact same information  (invoice
> > ID, customer ID, date opened etc.) that can be input in the invoice
> > while it's being edited. Wouldn't it be simpler to have the Business >
> > Customer > New Invoice command immediately open up a new invoice that
> > can then be edited as the user wishes?
> 
> No, you cannot input or change the invoice ID, customer ID, date opened,
> etc in the main Invoice page where you enter your invoice line items.
> Think of it like an Account and an Account Register; you cannot edit the
> Account information from the Register; you have to open up an "Edit
> Account" dialog to change the account properties (vs. the account
> contents -- the splits/transactions).
> 
> The Invoice is designed in exactly the same way.  You have the Invoice
> Information (IDs, dates, etc) and then the Invoice Contents (the line
> item entries).  In order to change the Info you need to 'edit' the
> invoice "metadata" (by clicking on the Edit Invoice button).
> 
The first time I read this, I didn't fully grasp the comparison you make here.

I can see the resemblance between the Account design and the Invoice design. 
There is however IMHO one important difference between Accounts and Invoices:
accounts are set up infrequently and the reused all the time while invoices 
are setup very frequently and reused rarely.

This difference is not reflected in the current design. Creating a new 
invoice, which happens frequently, isn't efficient in the current design.

I'm not suggesting the "New invoice..." dialog in itself is not effective and 
efficient. It's the way to get there. It takes several clicks (which means 
removing my hand from the keyboard) or a number of break-finger keyboard 
sequences.

> The only meta-information you can edit from the main invoice window is
> the Notes field and the 'active' button.
> 
> Would it be SIMPLER?  Maybe..  But it would be wrong.  It exists as a
> dual window in order to protect the invoice from corruption by errant
> inputs.
> 
> > Y.
> 
> -derek
> 

Geert