An alternative GUI, a detailed proposal - GSOC 2011

[Nitish Kumar]

Key-Implementations: Unified Transaction Dialog, First Person Overview,
Backlog fetching, Auto-Suggest.

Hello,

I am Nitish. I am interested in developing an alternative GUI for GnuCash.
Using Qt as the UI framework to integrate and provide rich interactive front
end for GnuCash core, through CuteCash..

First I would like to list out the goals which I envision from a general
user's perspective. Then later, I talk about the specific technical
implementations that I would like to contribute to the project within the
period of GSOC. Deliverables and Timeline present at the end with a brief
description on what I have done till now.

Goals:
=====
1) To use the current prototype to integrate existing report views using
webkit.
2) To focus on most used interfaces and enhance them, with a goal to better
integrate and make it more user friendly.
3) Implement a "dynamic and interactive" reporting view, based on an idea of
First Person Dynamic Reporting.
4) Document development activities and project workflow and layout, so as to
encourage other developers to easily get in and contribute. Also document
user ideas and suggestions about UI obtained during the period.
4) Develop ideas and discuss on how the vast library of Qt can be used to
rapidly extend the functionality of CuteCash.

Description of Goals:
===============

1)    To create a basic usable version of CuteCash by offering atleast two
report views. In practice, after creating two report view, it would be
easier to create more types within project period. But for the sake of
numerical deliverables, 2 is chosen.

2)    The next immediate goal is to enhance the front end of data entry
system for transactions (transaction entry dialog box). Working on the idea
to provide a central "unified interface" to enter transactions "to and from
different accounts". Also to provide a fluid and rich experience to enter
data into fields with three specific areas to improve on: a) to users who
prefer to use only the keyboard b) to users who prefer use the mouse 3) Make
possible to enter multiple entries involving multiple accounts through this
single interface + taking care of point a) and b).

Here is a mockup of the dynamic sort field for Transfer From / To fields, it
is a rough draft done in a limited time, designed to put out the idea on
this email:
http://cdn.nishmu.com/cutecash/mockups/dynamic-search-drop-down.png

The field dynamically matches account name based on first few characters
entered.

The idea behind this. Currently the option to select From / To is non
intuitive in transaction dialog. Also in the tab based entering method,
there is redundancy of category name appearing in front of each account name
in the From / To fields, making it difficult to select the appropriate
account name quickly. This can be avoided by a tree based view + dynamic
search.

Here is a rough mockup of the unified transaction entry dialog:
http://cdn.nishmu.com/cutecash/mockups/unified-transaction-entry-dialog.png

The "Another" button would allow a user to rapidly feed entries where the