GnuCash setup for multi-country use

[Derek Atkins]

Hi,

cognitive.libertarian+ml at gmail.com writes:

> * Derek Atkins <warlord at MIT.EDU> [2010-02-20 18:23]:
>> 
>> Note that a Split itself doesn't have a currency -- it takes the
>> currency from the Split->Account->Currency.  But you're proposing
>> that an Account no longer have a single currency, which is where we
>> have the disconnect.
>
> I'm not necessarily proposing that expense accounts do not have a
> currency.  I was deliberately vague.  I'm proposing that they at least
> *appear* to be currency-free.  I could also imagine a simple solution
> where the GUI merely hides the fact that expense accounts are
> mono-currency.
>
> Eg. in the register view, the user sees the expense account:
>
>   Expense:Transport:Train
>
> But perhaps /internally/ this really unfolds into multiple mono
> currency accounts that are created on an as-needed basis (but
> invisible to the user):
>
>   Expense:Transport:Train:_eur
>   Expense:Transport:Train:_gbp
>   Expense:Transport:Train:_chf
>
> Maybe in some cases the user would have to see these account names,
> but it would be a small price to pay for the current maintenance
> burden of having to select from a massive tree on every transaction,
> and then have to pick through the clutter in the accounts page.  
>
> The internal account names could probably be hidden in most views, if
> not all.

AHH..  That is a clever idea.  Something like this could work for
display, but you'd still have a heck of a time doing data entry.  But
you're right, at that point it's purely a UI issue, and not a data
format issue.

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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