Average users *need* custom reports

[Andrew Sackville-West]

On Thu, Jul 01, 2010 at 01:14:25AM +0200, cognitive.libertarian+ml at gmail.com wrote:
> * Derek Atkins <warlord at MIT.EDU> [2010-07-01 00:24]:
> > 
> > Really?  I'd like to see a list of necessary reports that GnuCash
> > doesn't already have.  As a non-programmer you should be able to
> > help by coming up with the set of requirements for included-reports.
> > 
> > the average user shouldn't have to write a report.  GnuCash should
> > supply the reports that the average user needs.  It certainly
> > provides 100% of the reporting that *I* need (and also 100% of the
> > reporting that my company needs to send to the accountant at the end
> > of the year).
> > 
> > You seem to be implying that absolutely anyone needs to be able to
> > create a report, and I HIGHLY disagree with that!
> 
> The average user absolutely needs custom reports.

[...]
perhaps some clarification is needed. 

By custom reports, developers around here generally mean a new piece
of code written to provide a particular kind of report that differs in
form and function from the existing reports.

There is also to concept of "customizing" a standard report, that is
setting the options to only select certain accounts, certain date
ranges, toggle various options that come with that standard report

> Those who have used commercial proprietary off-the-shelf tools know
> what I'm talking about.  The ability to simply get a report on fuel
> expenses between Jan 1, 2008 and Dec, 31, 2008, for example, is very
> useful.  But it would be naive to expect gnucash to have a pull-down
> menu item for "2008 fuel expenses".

This report can easily be had by "customizing", or *setting the
options* on th e standard reports.


> 
> It would be absurd to expect some canned report to be in place for
> this.  You cannot possibly predict even 50% of the reports that might
> be useful to a particular user, and have them available.  And even if
> you could, it would be foolish to make such reports part of the
> tool.

of course. For this purpose, the user's specific, repeated need for a
particular set of options on a standard report, there exists the
"Saved Report" feature. To make use of this, the user sets up the
report options the way they like and then, and this is crucial, change
the name of the report in the options. This will allow saving of the
report and make it available under the "Custom Report" menu
item. (perhaps at next run of gnucash, depending on the version). 

[...]
 
> Does the average user need custom reports?
> 
> Of course average user needs custom reports.  Most reports are custom.
> Canned reports are (necessarily) too broad and generic to be of
> significant interest.

of course. But most of what you are suggesting is just a matter of
properly setting the options on a standard report and, perhaps, saving
the report. Although this is called a "Custom" report in the reports
menu, it is not, per se, a custom report in the manner described
elsewhere in this thread. 

The type of custom report described elsewhere in this thread is
substantially different and requires the actual writing of code to
implement (as it would in any other program if the report required was
*outside the current functionality and options of a standard
report*). This type of custom report provides something that is not
provided in some form by the standard report. Your mention (snipped by
me, sorry) of including a search string in the report specification is
not available in any existing report to my knowledge and would
require writing new code to implement. I think this is what Derek is
referring to as a "custom report"

So I hope I've made some distinction between the different ideas of
custom reports. 

With that in mind, the statement that the average user does *not* need
a custom report makes sense. The standard reports, with options
properly set, surely provide the vast majority of uses the typical
user would want. 

hope this helps.

A
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