"Tools > Close Book" doesn't seem to do what I want, i.e., to shrink gnucash file by rolling up transactions

[hendrik at topoi.pooq.com]

On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 03:34:15PM +0100, Marcus Wolschon wrote:
> 2008/11/26  <hendrik at topoi.pooq.com>:
> > That is the tool we need.  Take a gnucash file and a date, and
> > generate two gnucash files -- one with all the trandactions before
> > that date, and one with the rest, inserting a few initial-balance
> > transactions so things will work out properly.
> >
> > Some people will use this soon after the start of a new year, some long
> > after, when the original file gets unwieldy.
> >
> > It's what the perl script that was posted here a few years ago did
> > (though I recall it had problems with multiple currencies).  It no
> > longer works, I'm told, because of a change in gnucash's file format.
> >
> > To make the tool remain viable, it should use gnucash's API, and, if
> > possible, get embedded into the gnucash code base.
> 
> Well, I have absolutely no issues with multiple currencies
> (I'm using them all the time) but if you want it to use the gnucash-codebase
> you'll have to write it yourself.

It always puzzled me why it had that restriction.

> I can build such a tool in a few hours in Java  as that's what I'm used to do.
> Then you are free to write it again in C or Python or whatever.

I'd be happy to use it whatever language it's written in.

It's just that the gnucash developers seem to be talking of migrating 
from XML to a data base, and that would render an XML-based tool less 
useful.

I'm using an XML-based tool to generate the reports I need end-of-year.  
I dread the day I'll have to rewrite them.

- hendrik

> 
> I' m changing jobs this weekend so I guess I'll write it late next week.
> Definately before Xmas.
> 
> Marcus