One click export from spreadsheets to GnuCash

[Derek Atkins]

Hi, whoever you are,

One Click To Qif <oneclicktoqif at gmail.com> writes:

> Hi,
>
> I have used GnuCash for a long time now. It is great and useful
> software with lots of features.
>
> However, my main complaint about it is regarding the GnuCash
> interface: IMHO, it is not the best way to enter the details of
> transactions for daily use.

Could you please elaborate these complaints?  Why do you feel that "it
is not the best way to enter the details of transactions for daily use"?

> By contrast, spreadsheets provide a faster and simpler interface. It
> is much easier to enter data via MS Excel or Calc than via GnuCash
> interface or similar applications.

This sounds like a stretch to me.  For data entry the GnuCash register
is (to me) as fast and convenient as a spreadsheet.

> In addition, most banks and credit card issuers provide account
> statements in spreadsheet format. I usually download the transactions
> of my bank accounts and credit cards from the web of banks and
> financial institutions, in Excel format. I find it faster and more
> manageable to view these transactions in the spreadsheet. However, I
> want to have them synchronized in GnuCash.

Really?  My banks supply QIF, OFX, and sometimes CSV.  I've never had
one offer XLS as a download format.  Could you suggest some banks that
actually supply XLS data?

> Also for accounts with split transactions, I find it much easier to
> enter data via spreadsheets, than via GnuCash interface.

SERIOUSLY!?!?  Could you go into more details about this?

I can't even imagine how you would set up a spreadsheet to deal with
split transactions!

But if there are usability issues we would certainly like to know and,
if possible, make it easier to enter.  But I honestly can't imagine that
using a spreadsheet for split transaction entry is easier than entering
it into GnuCash.

> On the other hand, I do not want to give up all the benefits of
> GnuCash, especially to manage on one site all accounts for assets,
> liabilities, income and expenses, and generate reports from them.
>
> For these reasons I created OneClickToQIF: a freeware and open source
> project: with OneClickToQIF is very quick and easy to move data from
> spreadsheets to GnuCash or other bookkeeping application, using the
> former for insertion and some calculations, and the latter for all the
> functionality of a double-entry bookkeeping application.
>
> Github project:  https://github.com/OneClickToQif/OneClickToQif
>
> Email list / forum for the project is found here:
> https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/oneclicktoqif
>
> I created this software for my own use, but then I uploaded it as an
> open source project at GitHub because I hope it could be useful for
> many GnuCash users.

Good Luck,

> Regards

> 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