Account specification of multiple transactions during/after import

[Derek Atkins]

Hi,

Please remember to CC Gnucash-user on all replies using your mailer's
Reply-To-All or Reply-List functionality.

Quoting Jodi Phelps <jpjphelps at gmail.com>:

> Okay, with a word document, I "save as", rename it and it saves right 
> there in the same directory.

Or you can drag and drop..
Or you can open the folder, right click, and Send To.

Using Save As to actually SAVE to your other disk is probably NOT
the best idea, because then gnucash will try to open up that alternate
location next time.

I only suggested it as a way to find the directory where you saved
your data file.

> In Gnucash, when I "save as", I tell it to save in drive "D", it says 
> "The folder content could not be displayed..error getting info for 
> "D": device is not ready".

I have no idea what this is about.

> So I gave up on the disc and tried saving
> it again to the desktop and emailing it to my gmail acct on the other 
> computer.  That was successful but when all is said and done, I have 
> lost 30 days somehow!  The last posted date is 1/16/09, so I guess 
> that was all that messing around with exporting.  I tried pulling up 
> files from the trash, but now can't open it because it is "not a 
> valid Win32 application", even when I tell it to open with Gnucash.  
> It is not showing gnucash in the location, just the desktop...any 
> hope of retrieving that
> last month?

Most likely you opened up a Backup File.  let's say your datafile
was originally called "data".  Then GnuCash will create files of
the form "data.YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.xac" as backup data files.  E.g., it
will create a file named "data.20090116124523.xac".   If you accidentally
did a File->Open on one of these files that would explain why you
appear to have lost data...   OR if you double-clicked on one.

> Jodi

-derek

> Derek Atkins wrote:
>> Hi Jodi,
>>
>> Please remember to CC gnucash-user on all your replies...
>>
>> Your gnucash data file is wherever you saved it.  Think of it like
>> a Word Document that Word remembers and automatically reopens every
>> time you restart the application.  If you don't remember where you
>> saved it you can do File -> Save As and it /should/ open up to the
>> directory where your datafile is located.
>>
>> You do NOT need to export anything..  And exporting to QSF is completely
>> useless.  There *is* nothing you can do with a QSF file.
>>
>> If you run File -> Export -> Export Accounts that will create a GnuCash
>> data file with your Account Tree but it will be completely empty.
>>
>> All you need to do is use the normal file tools to copy your data file
>> from wherever you saved it, the same way you would copy a Word file.
>>
>> -derek
>>
>> Quoting Jodi Phelps <jpjphelps at gmail.com>:
>>
>>> Derek,
>>> I know I am a newbie, a dense one, but I need more specifics.  I 
>>> clicked on x-export to QSF file,
>>> x-chose the date, x-export again, typed the name of my file, 
>>> x-export again.  So then what?  Nothing.  Is a copy made somewhere? 
>>> If so where?  I tried creating a folder on the desktop. Put the 
>>> file in it (I thought), and sent it by email to myself.  Opened my 
>>> email from the laptop, downloaded it successfully, but it was just 
>>> the empty chart of accounts.  No current data.  Is the .log file 
>>> the one
>>> with the data?  The manual says a backup file is a .zek, I believe, 
>>> but I found no such file...I am so
>>> sorry to be so dense...would appreciate a little further 
>>> explanation if you have time.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Jodi
>>>
>>> Derek Atkins wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> Just copy your data file across.  Then File -> Open it on the other side.
>>>>
>>>> -derek
>>>>
>>>> Quoting Jodi Phelps <jpjphelps at gmail.com>:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> My transition from QB to Gnucash has gone quite smoothly, several 
>>>>> months, until now.  All I want to do is get my personal books on 
>>>>> my new laptop for planned trip this week.  I have never done a 
>>>>> back
>>>>> up, but it seems it should be simple to save a back-up copy on a 
>>>>> disc and pop it into my laptop, but I
>>>>> have spent hours now, trying to do that.  Can anybody give me 
>>>>> specifics? The manual does not.
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> Jodi
>>>>>
>>>>> Derek Atkins wrote:
>>>>>> Pascal Wolkotte <p.t.wolkotte at gmail.com> writes:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am a newbie on this mailinglist and I just started to work with
>>>>>>> gnucash. I have not been able to solve the following situation.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> >From my bank account I obtained all the transactions of a few years
>>>>>>> into a csv file. I have found a tool that converts it to either QIF or
>>>>>>> OFX, such that I can import it into gnucash. That works!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> However, all transactions are in "imbalance" after the import and per
>>>>>>> transaction I have to specify a specific expense or income account.
>>>>>>> This is quite a lot of work. I would like to speed this up.
>>>>>>> Furthermore, I would like to automate this for future imports for all
>>>>>>> known transactions, for example my monthly salary. Does anybody have
>>>>>>> tips how to achieve this?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> During the import map the transactions to the proper 
>>>>>> Income/Expense accounts.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Can I, for example:
>>>>>>> - specify the account/category in OFX, or
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Not in OFX (but you can in QIF)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> - select multiple transactions and specify a single expense or income
>>>>>>> account, or
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> During import, yes.   But not from the register.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> - does gnucash support regular expresions that can match the
>>>>>>> transaction's descriptions or other transaction details
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> No.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thank you in advance.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>> Pascal Wolkotte
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>>>>>>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -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