Weird behaviour with trading accounts?

[Mark]

   Oh, I just noticed that I didn't make this clear:
   even if I enter the dining account directly without ever using an
   imbalance account, I still get the same result as originally
   described...
   Mark
   Am 23.08.2012 22:25, schrieb Mark:

   Hi Mike,
   during my tests, the imbalance account is created automatically if I
   don't make sure that I set the correct account in there right away.
   Plus, later on, I will be downloading transactions through online
   banking and then they all end up in the imbalance account automatically
   before I ever get to touch them.
   So even if I skip it now in the trial, I would have to deal with them
   later on in "real live".
   I have not been able to get your result, but maybe David had a point
   regarding using ENTER vs TAB, but I tried all kinds of things and
   always end up with the same outcome.
   Also, how do you get the distinction between amount and value? I only
   have one column. Or do you mean "balance" when you say "value".
   Lastly - do you create the currency exchange price beforehand in the
   price editor, or only through the popup?
   Thanks,
   Mark
   Am 23.08.2012 06:21, schrieb Mike Alexander:

     --On August 21, 2012 11:17:31 PM +0200 Mark [1]<msalists at gmx.net>
     wrote:

     Hello all,
     I am trying to figure out the trading accounts for using multiple
     currencies.
     I also read Peter Selinger's tutorials that has been quoted in the
     past:
     [2]http://www.mscs.dal.ca/~selinger/accounting/gnucash.html and
     [3]http://www.mscs.dal.ca/~selinger/accounting/tutorial.html
     I am using a simple example with one transaction only, but do not
     get
     the expected result.
     1. I create a new gnucash file using USD as default currency.
     2. I add a "EUR checking" account under "Current Assets"
     3. I create a USD/EUR exchange price in the price editor (currency
     USD, security EUR, rate 1,247 using the "Get Quotes" button.
     4. I create a new transaction in "EUR checking":
          EUR checking     -100
          Imbalance-EUR    +100
     5. I change the transaction account from Imbalance-EUR to
     Expenses:Diner.
          This pops up the exchange rate account with the exchange rate
     from step 3 as default. I accept this rate and click OK
     6. GnuCash now splits my transaction from step 4 into this:
          Expenses:Dining                        +100,00 USD
          Imbalance-EUR                          +19,81 (no currency
     shown
     - I guess EUR)
          Trading:CURRENCY:EUR                 +80,19 (no currency shown
     -
     I guess EUR)
          Assets:Current Assets:EUR checking    -100,00 (no currency
     shown
     - I guess EUR)
          Trading:CURRENCY:USD                -100,00 USD
     I admit I still have not fully grasped the entire trading account
     theory up to the last detail, but a few things about this example
     still seem very odd to me:
          - shouldn't the Expenses:Dining entry be +124,70 instead of
     +100,00?
          - Why is there still an entry in Imbalance-EUR? How can I get
     rid of that???
     What I would have expected to get in 6. is something like this:
          Expenses:Dining                        +124,70 USD
          Trading:CURRENCY:EUR                 ???,?? ???
          Assets:Current Assets:EUR checking    -100,00 (no currency
     shown
     - I guess EUR)
          Trading:CURRENCY:USD                 ???,?? ???
     This is happening with both 2.4.10 and 2.4.11.
     Is CnuCash doing the right thing???

     Why create the imbalance account?  Just set the other side of the
     transaction correctly in the first place and it works better.  I did
     what I think you were trying to do:
     1. Create a EUR checking account
     2. Add a transaction that spends €100 from that account to
     Expenses:Dining
     When I tabbed out of that transaction it asked for an exchange rate
     and I gave it 1.247.  This created a transaction with 4 splits:
        Dining              Amount $124.70  Value €100.00
        Trading:EUR         Amount €100.00  Value €100.00
        EUR Checking        Amount -€100.00 Value -€100.00
        Trading:USD         Amount -$124.70 Value -€100.00
     This is pretty much what I would expect.
     Each split has an amount that is in the currency of the account
     associated with the split and a value which is in the currency of
     the transaction (EUR in this case).  The value and the amounts in
     each currency must all sum to zero.  The exchange rate is the ratio
     between the value and the amount if they are in different
     currencies.
     There may be some problems entering exchange rates, especially in
     the 2.4.xx versions, but things work pretty well if you follow
     simple steps like this.

References

   1. mailto:msalists at gmx.net
   2. http://www.mscs.dal.ca/%7Eselinger/accounting/gnucash.html
   3. http://www.mscs.dal.ca/%7Eselinger/accounting/tutorial.html