Customising the accounts hierarchy when beginning

[David T.]

> On Apr 18, 2017, at 5:35 PM, Maf. King <maf at chilwell.net> wrote:
> 
> On Tuesday, 18 April 2017 13:23:22 BST Stroller wrote:
>>> On 18 Apr 2017, at 13:08, Maf. King <maf at chilwell.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> If you still need to add an opening balance to an account, then I suggest
>>> you create a new account first, and use its opening balance transaction
>>> as a template to copy into your existing accounts.
>> 
>> Is there any chance you could expand on the part that I've quoted above?
>> 
>> I see that I can create a new account with a balance of £123.45 on 1/4/2017
>> - what do you mean about using a template to copy into existing accounts,
>> please?
>> 
>> Stroller.
> Hi Stroller, 
> 
> I mean that if you are unclear as to how an Opening Balance txn should appear, 
> then use one of the Auto-created ones as a template or guide, for accounts 
> that perhaps need a manual balance setting.
> 
> HTH,
> Maf.


Stoller,

More to the point: there is nothing special about an opening transaction in GnuCash. It is just another transaction that you can create at any point in time (i.e., not just when using the New File wizard). If, for example, you wanted to create your account manually, then you’d create the account, open the register, and add a transaction (on 1 Jan. 2017, say) that transfers 123.45 from Equity:Opening Balances into your new account. Enter “Opening balance” in the Description, and you have an opening balance transaction.

HTH,
David