Possible problem with splits

[Derek Atkins]

Mike or Penny Novack <stepbystepfarm at mtdata.com> writes:

> I was probably not being clear enough?
>
> With most transactions, even most split transactions, it is perfectly 
> reasonable that the transaction description be the same everywhere. The 
> point is that the "description" give MEANINGFUL information about the 
> transaction. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the default behavior 
> -- if there is NO description provided for some line of the split, use 
> the "main" description.

Eh?  non-sequitor.  First you're talking about the description, but
then you say "if there is no description provided for some line of the
split"...  which makes no sense.  Please use correct terminology.  The
default behavior (indeed, the ONLY behavior) is to always display the
txn description in the main window, and the split memos in expanded
mode.  There is no other view mode behavior.

> However there are other sorts of splits where this is not so, and a bank 
> deposit transaction is a good example. From the point of view of the 
> account "bank account" perfectly reasonable that the description be 
> "deposit". But for each of the lines of the split, that is an unuseful 
> description. OF COURSE the checks were deposited (what else could have 
> been done with them -- a business or organization doesn't cash received 
> checks, or at least shouldn't be doing that).

I wouldn't ever put "deposit" in a transaction description.  It's
completely meaningless.  I can tell it's a deposit by the fact that
it debit's my checking account.  Instead, put the source of the
deposit.  For example, "Mom's gift to me".

> And yes of course, possible to expand the split in the other account to 
> see the description. But if there were MANY items in that deposit, 

You don't have to expand the transaction to see the description.  It's
always visible from all accounts.  And the split memos are also always
visible from all accounts when you expand the transaction.

> onerous to look at it that way. To answer the explanation "but the split 
> simply appears in each affected account" (when not expanded) might I 
> point out that this is NOT so. GnuCash correctly displays for an 
> "amount" the amount from that line. Presumably not all that difficult to 
> have it also display the description entered for that line of the split 
> IF there was one (if blank, use the main description just as now). In 
> the expanded view should of course use the main description just as it 
> does now.
>
> Understand? In many/most cases you ARE interested in the other parts of 
> a split transaction. But in the case of splits for things like bank 
> deposits there is no real connection between the items except that they 
> were all deposited on one trip to the bank entered on the same deposit slip.

Then expand it.

> Please note that it took me a year's worth of data before I noticed 
> this. Our volume is very low and and usually I don't have multiple items 
> on a deposit slip.

Then it clearly isn't a high priority ;)

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-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