software defect on mixed currency splits

[Fred Bone]

On 12 September 2010 at 17:32, cognitive.libertarian+ml at gmail.com said:

> I'm running into a problem when a split transaction involves both
> mixed currencies, and like currencies.
> 
> Here's the scenario.  Rent is €500, and utilities is €50.  The bill is
> paid on a USD-denominated credit card.  The credit card has a FX
> commission cost to account for.  So here's what the transaction *should*
> look like (assuming the realtime market FX rate is 1.28 EURUSD, for
> example):
> 
> [liabilities:credit card:usd] 
> 
>   rent  $640  --->  500 [expense:rent:eur]
>   utils $ 64  --->   50 [expense:utils:eur]
>   FX    $ 10  --->   10 [expense:banking:forex:usd]
> 
>   total USD debited: 714
>   total EUR costs:   550
> 
> The above entry is impossible because of a software defect that forces all
> transactions in the group to do a currency conversion, even when the
> accounts at both ends are in the same currency (in this case, the FX line
> item that does not involve euros).
> 
> So GC does this:
> 
> [liabilities:credit card:usd] 
> 
>   rent  $640  --->  500    [expense:rent:eur]
>   utils $ 64  --->   50    [expense:utils:eur]
>   FX    $ 10  --->    7.81 [expense:banking:forex:usd]
> 
>   total USD debited: 714
>   total EUR costs:   557.81 <- false amount
> 
> This means the euro costs are 7.81 in excess of the actuals.  GC
> actually forces an exchange rate to be entered on the FX cost, even
> when both accounts involved are USD accounts.  
> 
> The workaround is to enter all the non-mixed currencies as separate
> transactions from the group of splits.  It's messy, but seems like the
> only option.

I fail to see the problem. What do you expect the EUR equivalent of the 
USD10 to come to? If something other than EUR7.81, you can enter it at 
the time you enter the FX charge - at least, you can every way I've tried 
entering such a txn (though there may be procedures I haven't thought of, 
but I'd be surprised if you can't enter different exchange rates).