GnuCash - Loading Pre-downloaded Transactions - mission accomplished

[J S]

Derek

Again thanks and also an excellent tip that a foo.qif file name will force
GnuCash to map to a 'foo' account. Very interesting.  I will try that out
with Sept Transactions.

Now the good news :)

I have found the issue blocking/stopping me loading the so called Aug
Transactions files.  As I had said I had no issue with July transactions so
literally I thought I will compare the Aug to Jul files.

Sure enough, there is/was a format error but rather a very invisible one.
The !Type:Bank line had a some spaces after the word Bank.  I have raised
the issue with this Bank & will see what thy say about it.

Refer to the display I am attaching with my email and you will clearly see
the extra spaces. The first box is the before image (follow the BLUE
highlight) and the other is after image after I had edited out the extra
spaces & no issues loading into GnuCash! 

I do not know what you guy's do with these kinds of issues but sure it
perhaps will qualify to be included in a knowledge base or some FAQs.

Which brings me to ask .. is there a FAQ or a tips & hints site?

And again thanks by staying the full course with me and who knows I may
throw another curly one to the community.  I will now try to convert my XL
based to GnuCash and am looking forward to utilize the full power of this
application.

Have a nice day.

JS 

    

-----Original Message-----
From: Derek Atkins [mailto:warlord at MIT.EDU] 
Sent: Monday, 17 September 2007 1:46 AM
To: J S
Cc: 'Josh Sled'; 'Singh, John'; gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org
Subject: RE: GnuCash - Loading Pre-downloaded Transactions

Quoting J S <singhj at iprimus.com.au>:

> Derek
>
> Thanks .. I will maintain my sense of humor here.  I know I maybe a pain
but
> facts are facts.  I have had a read of the QIF format but will revisit it
> again, but let me state my position again.

Good... Humor is a good thing to keep, and makes conversations
much less threatening, and hopefully a little more fun.  I'm sure
it can be very frustrating when it appears that something isn't working
and you spend hours and days trying to get it to work.  Trust me, I
know!  :-D

> The QIF files I have are NOT direct unloads from Quicken application.  As
I
> said, they are unloaded from my Bank which gives an option for QIF & other
> formats, like CSV or Microsoft Money.  All the files I have unloaded from
> the Bank has !Type:Bank, even for Credit Card.  The Bank does not know if
I
> use Quicken or GnuCash or some other accounting application, it only gives
> me an option to unload my transactions in various formats.

Yes, I understand that.  You're downloading files from a bank, which
implies that you're NOT going to have any !Account entries in your
QIF file.  So unless your QIF contains any L[Acct] entries you wont
have ANY QIF Account fields in your downloaded QIF.  This is normal.

> Now to your last paragraph, I have NOT been a deer, I have been to the end
> of QIF import session, many times, but just did not 'apply' BECAUSE
GnuCash
> did not indicate into which account it will apply the transactions. Well
in
> fact I just did 'apply' & guess what ... I do not know where GnuCash has
> applied those transactions ....  I have checked each account & there is no
> trace of them!  Explain that to me!!

Well, you certainly didn't say that.  Your messages always ended with
the empty Qif Account window.  This is why I tend to ask for step by
step instructions; they are more precise and less verbose.

The importer assumes that the name of the file is the "account" into
which you want to record your data.  So if the file is named "foo.qif"
then it will assume you're loading into account "foo".  The importer
SHOULD give you the option to map "foo" to some gnucash account.

> As I stated before I have had no issues loading the same QIF files that
were
> unloaded from my BANK with July 07 transactions, why GnuCash cannot import
> transactions for August 07? Why the rule is different for August
> transactions??

I dont know?  Send me the two QIF files and I'll take a look?

> The 70% failure to import QIF files for August transactions is perhaps
90%,
> I have not tried the Visa QIF file as yet, all the rest disappears into
some
> void when 'apply' is clicked.

90% of what?  What does "70% failure" or "90% failure" mean?  Those
numbers mean nothing to me!  Do you mean that out of 10 transaction in
the file the importer only sees 3 of them?  Or it only gets three of them
correct?  Or...???

> I will send you a screenshot of each of the steps I take, if that helps,
but
> as I said I will read the QIF format BUT I hampered as I have no control
> over that format .. al I can do is discuss with my Bank that the QIF
format
> is potentially wrong BUT I need evidence as I can happily load same QIF
> format files into another accounting application with no issues!!

I dont care about screenshots.  I know what the screen looks like.  I
dont need to see it again.  I need to see the data you're attempting to
feed it.

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available
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