Weird behaviour with trading accounts?

[Derek Atkins]

Mark,

Mark <msalists at gmx.net> writes:

> 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.

You should never see an Imbalance account.  Ever.  If you do, you're
doing something wrong.

All the importers allow you to assign proper accounts during the import
process, and indeed that is the right time to do it.  If you are
"finishing" the import before you assign the target accounts then you
are doing it wrong.

In the OFX importer you can assign the target account by IIRC
double-clicking on the account column on the right.  (I don't use the
importer personally).  Even better, if you turn on Bayesian matching,
the importer will learn your assignments over time and help auto-assign
your transactions down the road.

> So even if I skip it now in the trial, I would have to deal with them
> later on in "real live".

Nope, you're doing it wrong.

> 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.

Yes, there is a major difference between Enter and Tab.  The code-path
is different.  You *must* use Tab for the exchange rate dialog to
appear.

> 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".

Each Split has two numbers, the Amount (which is denoted in the
Split-Account commodity) and the Value (which is denoted in the
Transaction Common Currency).  In most registers only the Amount is
shown.  Both are shown in Stock and Mutual fund accounts.

The exchange rate dialog lets you set the ratio of Amount to Value for
registers that don't show the value.

Also note that the Transaction Currency is something you cannot set
yourself.  GnuCash chooses the currency based on the account register in
which the transaction is *created*.  So if you create the transaction in
a EUR account, the common currency will be EUR, and all amounts you
enter will be the EUR number.  Even if you later open that transaction
in a USD account, you still need to convert everything to/from EUR.

> Lastly - do you create the currency exchange price beforehand in the
> price editor, or only through the popup?

Either way works.  The exchange rate dialog will pick a rate if there's
already one for that day, and will save the rate to the PriceDB if one
doesn't already exist.

> Thanks,
>
> Mark

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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