Invoice - Custom Design Header for No. 9 Double Window Envelope

Fast Radio fastradio at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 20 12:25:53 EDT 2015


I feel confident in upcoming years that this invoice situation will be addressed.For me GNU Cash has been extremely beneficial.  The modest invoice issue is just something that I will live with. 
 


     On Friday, March 20, 2015 9:16 AM, L. D. James <ljames at apollo3.com> wrote:
   

 On 03/19/2015 01:57 PM, Mike or Penny Novack wrote:
>
>> For my modest company, spending a lot of time (hours, days, months) 
>> to get a template of this time would save a lot of time in the end. 
>> From your comment, it appears that this isn't going to be an easy 
>> task.  But hopefully someone with some knowledge of the details of 
>> accessing the templates can help me with where to start.  If nothing 
>> else, just the request might inspire the developers of gnucash to 
>> feature a more diverse style editor for the various reports.
>>
>> Thanks for the comment on the "batch editor".  Being new to gnucash, 
>> this might be where the desired template/feature exist. I'll be 
>> studying the details of what that is in meantime.
>>
>> -- L. James
>>
> You didn't say what operating system you were using so I don't know 
> what "tools" you have available or experience using.
>
> The "shell" plus library of standard utilities is the sort of thing 
> you might use for a batch edit script if you were under a 'nix type 
> operating system (like linux, unix, etc.)
>
> Yes, the developers of gnucash could take on the task of creating full 
> power editors. But these already exist, so why do that?
>
> I appreciate that I was writing from the experience of working for one 
> of the world's largest "financials" and in a small business you might 
> not have the need for things like "batching mailings by zip code" (for 
> the bulk mail discount). I was simply making a point that if the 
> developer provided OTHER things requested, the sort of thing likely 
> left out and so somebody else's need not addressed. The diverse needs 
> are infinite.
>
> But in that large business context, I wore multiple hats. So I did do 
> things like specs for a subsystem that would produce something that 
> would end up getting mailed. I would NEVER put the "adjust so fits 
> mailer window" into the program producing the output (letters, 
> notices, statements, etc.). That way, when changes needed to be made 
> (new envelops) the programmers assigned the task didn't need to know 
> about the main part of the program, didn't have to touch it, no chance 
> of introducing an error into it.
>
> This is a "keep it simple" issue, pays big in the long run. Adjusting 
> where print physically appears on the paper has nothing to do with 
> accounting.
>
> Michael D Novack
>
> PS: You have perhaps seen references here to somebody using "awk". 
> That is an example of one of the utilities found in the 'nix standard 
> library of utilities (each doing some particular tasks very well, 
> string together under control of the "shell" to complete the task). 
> Awk does editing. Mind they look rather strange, arcane arguments. The 
> reason for that is that when C and unix came into being at Bell labs 
> many years ago, none of the folks involved could touch type, and 
> thinking as engineers, preferred commands with few keystrokes they 
> could memorize instead of easily readable but longer to hunt and peck. 
> The classic example; the command to mount is "mount" but to unmount is 
> "umount" (saves a character typing).
>
> Not easy for somebody who has never used these before.
I'm using Linux/Ubuntu.  I always stay with the latest LTS.  At present 
it's 14.04.  I am a consultant and do provide support for clients 
including a Law Firm who I'm planning on recommending the Gnucash 
package.  They won't be performing the high volume mailing that you 
frequently bring up.  None of my clients have an accounting department 
(nor I).

I didn't start a separate thread on Invoice stock, which many people 
(including me) use.

You appear to be very stern on devaluing a feature of custom form 
(namely in this case invoice) output.  Most GNU developers appreciate 
input and feedback from their users.  This functionality has been 
brought up many times.  In my experience being able to customize reports 
output is always a basic feature of all programs. The developers of 
Gnucash appears to realize this also as they have a nice start with 
their style editor.

I'm sure discussions like this may inspire the developers to give this a 
higher priority.

You have a lot of workarounds, just as a number of others have mentioned 
in this thread.  To me the workarounds take a lot of valuable time and 
energy.

The Gnucash authors have shown a lot of concern to make their 
application friendly, versatile with custom aesthetics.  Window 
envelopes and stock paper for invoices and reports is very much a part 
of the who accounting process... the report delivery.  Some of my 
expensive stock paper even have perforation so that the customer can 
return a portion and kept a portion for their records.

I can't identify with a problem arising by the envelop suddenly changing 
and suddenly causing the forms not to fit.  It hasn't happened in twenty 
years.  If suddenly the envelope window did change I would hope to be 
able to easily shift the header addresses to match.

The Gnucash accounting program has (like all accounting packages) a 
report output.  I believe you are underestimating the value of custom 
formating the report output as an intricate part of the overall package.

I have visited Gnucash a number of times over the years.  It has grown 
each time.  I'm sure it's still growing.  The direction and priority of 
features implemented will naturally depend on feedback and apparent 
merit of the feature request from the users.  Again, I'm surprised that 
you don't see merit.  Some how you feel that a small company should hire 
(or implement) a department to do that. However, most people who have 
the money to do what you suggest would most likely already have 
purchased a high powered accounting program which would already have 
this feature.

By the way, I started looking for Linux accounting software because I 
want to totally drop Windows.  Peachtree has a Linux version, but the 
cost is over my company's budget.  The last time I checked it was over a 
thousand dollars.  I don't think a program should loose functionality 
just because it isn't expensive.  Look at the features of Gimp, 
Kdenlive, Thunderbird, LibreOffice.  As I mentioned above, I believe the 
ability to present formated output really should be as much as a part of 
any accounting package as it is to LibreOffice Calc.

-- L. James

-- 
L. D. James
ljames at apollo3.com
www.apollo3.com/~ljames





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