new user on windowns 7: customer and invoice disappear

[Derek Atkins]

Hi Monica,

Please remember to CC gnucash-user on all your replies using your
mailer's reply-to-list or reply-all functionality.  This will keep other
people in the loop who also might be able to better answer your
question.

"Monica Grover" <monica.grover at usa.com> writes:

> Hi Derek,
>  
> I don't see an "search inactive" check box. I do see "search only active data"
> Once I check that and hit "Find" , it takes me to next screen. Hitting Find
> again shows the customer.
> Same results with Invoice.
> Is this the best way to view records ? It seems that default option should be
> to show all data. 

Hmm, I think that field is mis-labeled in the UI.  At least when it was
first implemented the default search only searched through Active items,
so that flag was to enable searching of inactive items as well (to
search history).  The reason is that you wouldn't want to search through
your history of potentially thousands of (old) customers or invoices
automatically.

I'm not sure why you have to hit find twice.  But one thing to check is
whether you have the "Active" field checked or unchecked in your
Customer.  Is the "Active" checkbox checked or unchecked in your
Customer (and Invoice)?

> Also the check box seems to be named incorrectly - should be called "search
> for active data too".

I agree it is probably named incorrectly -- or somehow the default got
changed in the interim.

> am I missing something ? Is the customer inactive on creation ? that also
> doens't seem like a good default option.

No, a Customer and Invoice is absolutely "active" by default.  You would
need to manually remove the checkbox to make it "inactive".  The point
of that flag is to specifically hide the Customer or Invoice from the
default search when you are done with it.  It's all supposed to work
seamlessly.  You create something new and it's automatically 'active',
and the default search would show it.  Only if the flag gets changed in
the Customer or Invoice would you have to also change the flag in the
search to view it.  At least that is how is it SUPPOSED to work.

> Is there any way to feed this back to developers ?

File a bug report in Bugzilla.  See
http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Bugzilla for more information.

But before you do, please verify that your Customer and Invoice are
marked "Active".

> thanks
> Monica

-derek

>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>    
>     From: Derek Atkins
>    
>     Sent: 02/19/13 01:29 PM
>    
>     To: Monica Grover
>    
>     Subject: Re: new user on windowns 7: customer and invoice disappear
>    
>      
>    
>     Monica, 
>     
>     "Monica Grover" <monica.grover at usa.com> writes: 
>     
>     > Hi , 
>     > 
>     > I have just downloaded and installed gnucash - so please bear with me if this old question. 
>     > I created a Customer but the "find" menu form shows blank if I enter "." in text field. 
>     > I was able to see it after a few tries and created an invoice. 
>     > Then I had same trouble with both customer and invoice. 
>     > Maybe I am doing something silly - I tried repeatedly and only once it showed up. 
>     
>     Did you, perhaps, mark the customer as InActive, by clicking away the 
>     "Active" checkbox?  (same question for the invoice?) 
>     
>     You can click on the 'search inactive.." checkbox on the search dialog 
>     to search for your inactive customers and invoices. 
>     
>     If this STILL doesn't show up -- perhaps you accidentally created 
>     multiple data files by opening a backup file instead of your main data 
>     file? 
>     
>     > Monica 
>     
>     > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. 
>     > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. 
>     
>     -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
>     
>  
>

-- 
       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