GNUCash Import QIF - Help Please!

[GT-I9070 H]

2015-07-10 9:14 GMT-04:00 Derek Atkins <warlord at mit.edu>:

> GT-I9070 H <gti9070h at gmail.com> writes:
>
> > 2015-07-09 9:28 GMT-04:00 Derek Atkins <warlord at mit.edu>:
> >
> >     GT-I9070 H <gti9070h at gmail.com> writes:
> >
> >     > As far as I know currently CSV importer does not import CATEGORIES.
> >     > Do you suggest extending the CSV importer to allow assigning
> categories
> >     too?
> >
> >     Sure, you could do that; effectively pre-assigning a destination
> >     account.
> >
> >
> > I did not understand. What are you saying? That The CSV importer
> currently
> > imports categories?
>
> No, it does not currently support it.  By "do" I mean "create" or
> "implement", as in "you could implement that".
>

I Understood.

Remember that I don't write code in C, Shema or Pyton (API requirement)
then once you suggest making these necessary implementations the only thing
I can do is hope that a kind soul to do.

That's why I did not understand.

Until then I will be with my pending imports.


>
> >     I have no objection to adding that as an option to the CSV
> >     importer.
> >
> > Ok. Thank you very very much!
> >
> >
> >
> >     >     For interfacing with GnuCash Android I'd suggest the
> >     data-file-sharing
> >     >     approach if you actually use multiple currencies.
> >     >
> >     > Ok, I'll start the tests, but as far as I know GnuCash Android
> does not
> >     yet
> >     > support multiple currencies.
> >
> >     I think it does, but I don't know to what extent.
> >
> > We have accounts in multiple currencies but still can't make transfers
> between
> > accounts with different currencies.
> > Ngewi Fet said it's because he needs to develop to get online rates.
>
> I'm not sure I understand why you have to "get online rates"; in GnuCash
> desktop you can tell it what the exchange rate is.  The online rate
> lookup is just a guestimate; it's never "exactly" what you get.
>

I agree with you.
It's been a while since I talked to Ngewi Fet about that and I do not
remember well what he said exactly. But one thing was clear he had other
priorities and did not want to worry about it at that time we spoke and I
agreed with him.



> >     > I think my case is very unusual, I live in one country and my
> assets are
> >     in
> >     > another.
> >
> >     Then why not just track everything in the currency where your assets
> are
> >     and ignore the "local" currency?
> >
> > I do not see how to do this if I do exchange and spent money on "local".
> > This would be record the exchange direct how spending and not as a
> transfer of
> > assets?
>
> I travel a lot.  The way I do it is that I maintain Asset accounts
> denominated in my local currency and just track the foreign currencies
> in the transaction description.  E.g.:
>
> 6/15/15  Schwartz Deli (10CAD)        (credit) USD 8.24
>

I've done look like this, that was how came this my current multicurrency
vision discussed here. I had all my accounts in the default currency when I
was an expense on foreign currency, I recorded the value of foreign
currency in the description of the transaction and I calculated at the time
(or after) and recorded as an expense in the default currency, but the
calculations gave a lot of work to record the transaction.

These are most of my pending transactions for import into GnuCash Desktop.



> At the end of the trip I reconcile the cash account based on the amount
> of foreign currency I have left and calculate my exchange rate based on
> the ATM rates (I look at my bank account).
>
> Sometimes I have to delay the actual USD amount until I know what the
> actual exchange rate was (e.g. if I use a credit card).
>

I also use ATM's rates, but my trip never ends, perhaps in 2019! I move by
several countries.

You use the same fixed rate practiced in the purchase of foreign currency
(ATM's, Credit Card, ...) so that I mentioned here in my discussions.

If I understand well, you do well like me except that my money goes through
an account in foreign currency and back to the default currency. So I have
the values of foreign currencies into fields for numbers and not in a field
for text and can do calculations with them in the SW.

You keep an account for local money and I hold an account for foreign
currency and rate. I use a fixed rate for each quantity of foreign currency
and you use an average of the rates for all local money, but the
mathematical result is the same.



> > Also, we are addicted to information, the more the better until it leads
> us to
> > the hospital!
> >
> > I like to make price comparisons from different countries, an idea the
> cost of
> > living for me.
>
> Sure, but you don't need to account in multiple currencies to do this.
>

Yes, but this is not the only reason to have accounts in other
currencies is more to be closer to what was practiced.



> > My transactions record the date, the local price, the rate that cost
> "that"
> > money and a idea of price in my default currency.
>
> Sure, and as you see, my method does that, too.  Although I admit it's a
> bit harder to automatically "add up" the amount of foreign currency I
> still have -- which is why I enter those reconciliation transactions at
> the end of every trip.
>

That's one of the reasons I prefer to keep the values of foreign currencies
in the field for number and not in the text.
I have a precise control of the amount of foreign currency that I have and
that's what triggers me to a new bank withdrawal.
I do not use credit card. I'm alone, I and my money!

Your method is very good! I think your method is my method simplified !



> > We have an expensive or cheap notion much better in our default currency.
>
> Sure, but again, this type of price shopping does not need to happen
> inside GnuCash (and indeed, GnuCash is not the right place to do this
> kind of price comparison).
>

Yes, but GnuCash is what I have is what I use for everything. Sometimes
even as a memories projector, a movie !
Have you ever wondered where you were in that year on that day, what were
you doing? GnuCash can answer.

Thanks.

Regards
GTI