a Quicken user tests out GnuCash...

[John Reynolds]

> On 2003-02-21 at 10:03:31-0500 plussier at mindspring.com wrote:
> > > What is GnuCash's equivalent of Quicken's "adjust split total"
> > > button?
> >
> > AFAIK, you just hit Enter, and if it's unbalanced, GnuCash will pop
> > up a window asking what you want to do.  One of the choices is to
> > allow GnuCash to balance the transaction.
>
> But as far as I can tell, the only way it balances is by adding
> another entry into the split.  I want a button that says "balance the
> transaction by totaling up all of the splits, and then setting the
> transaction amount to that total".
>
> Or have I misunderstood the interface?

James, 
I think you are expirencing something different than me. When I enter a 
transaction (I have auto-split on), frequently the tranaction is "remembered" 
(nice) and so... say I pay the gas bill... I enter 'ConEdison'... *BAM*, I've 
got all the information from the last time I entered the gas bill (memorized 
transaction)... (I'm getting to the point)

Now each month the amount of my bill changes, but the rest of the information 
is correct. so, the first line (the main line with payee) shows the old $ 
amount, but I don't sweat it, I move on to the first split line (tab, tab, 
tab...) to the $ field where I enter the new amount. *As Soon As* I tab out 
of the field *BAM* I get a third split line which shows the difference 
between the two amounts (original or old amount and the new amount I just 
entered). Again, I keep tabbing.... to the second split line $ field, change 
the amount to the new $ amount and provided I enter the same amount as on 
split line one... you guessed it *BAM* , the third split line disappears.

Now, What more are you looking for? The way I see it, as I enter a split I get 
the difference betweent the entries automagically. This is true regardless of 
the number of split lines, or if it is a new or mimorized transaction 
(although if it is a new tranx than you need to put the transaction total on 
the first/payee line so that there is something to add/subtract form). 

Ahhhhha.... I think I cut off your other question regarding the split order. 
In my version (1.7.8), the splits stay in the order I entered them *Except* 
for the credit entry which is moved to the last transaction (my paycheck 
entry; lists the tax deductions in the same order as I entered them, but the 
gross amount of the check is the last entery, it is the credit entry). Again, 
I thing GnuCash is providing what you are asking for already.

John

>
> On 2003-02-21 at 10:03:31-0500 plussier at mindspring.com wrote:
> > > In Quicken, when entering a transaction with splits, I find it
> > > very handy to enter the total transaction amount first, before I
> > > start entering splits; that way, if all of the splits total to the
> > > amount I entered, I know I've gotten the splits correct.  In
> > > GnuCash, however, I haven't found a way to edit the transaction
> > > total directly; I can only change it via entering splits.  How do
> > > I change it directly?
> >
> > Ahm, has something drastic changed between 1.6.6 and 1.8.x?  I
> > always enter the transaction total first, then add splits in in
> > exactly the way you describe.
>
> Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the interface, but I simply can't enter
> the transaction total.  I *have* to do it in the split.
>

>
> Regards,
> James