Controlling Gnucash from 2 computers

Nelson Handcock nelson.handcock at gmail.com
Wed Feb 14 18:22:00 EST 2018


I have been using Gnucash by putting the file on a dropbox folder, and then
using the dropbox app for Windows 10 on each of the computers to access and
synch the dropbox folder and its contents. The LCK file that Gnucash
creates is saved to the dropbox account, and so other users on other
computers will be alerted.

Most of the time it works fine. I sometime keep a local copy of the file
just in case.

You do need to be a bit patient each time you want to use it by making sure
the dropbox app has completely synched the account before you start
editing. I usually make sure the other user is aware of the date/time last
saved of the main file - that way they can see if they are opening the most
recent one on their computer.

There have been a couple of times things have gotten out of synch - I put
it down to user error - loss of network connectivity, etc - causing the
dropbox account to be out of synch with the local instance. Fortunately
I've been able to re-build from one of the older stable archive versions
without too much drama.

Hope this helps...


Thanks & Regards,

Nelson Handcock
0409 149919

http://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonhandcockaustralia

On Thu, Feb 15, 2018 at 3:22 AM, Adrien Monteleone <
adrien.monteleone at gmail.com> wrote:

> Martijn,
>
> It is not a good idea to have two people editing the data file at the same
> time. At some point in the future, this will be possible, but it is not
> safe right now.
>
> Two people can use the software from two different machines (with the file
> access over a network) but only one should have the file open at a time.
>
> Also, please be sure to not click ‘reply’ when you want to start a new
> topic and be sure to create a meaningful subject line so your discussion
> will thread properly.
>
>
> Regards,
> Adrien
>
> > On Feb 9, 2018, at 4:38 PM, Martijn <usadutchies at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > Can GNU Cash be controlled by 2 computers?
> > I have an XP computer and a Windows 10 computer and it would be great if
> somehow I can make the XP computer see the Windows 10 computer GNU file.
> This way 2 people could create invoices at the same time, maybe?
> >
> > Sent from cell phone
> > On Feb 9, 2018 12:00 PM, gnucash-user-request at gnucash.org wrote:
> >>
> >> Send gnucash-user mailing list submissions to
> >> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >>
> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> >> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> >> gnucash-user-request at gnucash.org
> >>
> >> You can reach the person managing the list at
> >> gnucash-user-owner at gnucash.org
> >>
> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> >> than "Re: Contents of gnucash-user digest..."
> >>
> >>
> >> Today's Topics:
> >>
> >>    1. Re: p2x modelling in gnc, help me think, please (Wm)
> >>    2. Re: How to Manually Track a Collection of Stocks & Stuff
> >>       Combined into a Single Share (Wm)
> >>    3. Latest version for Windows? (cicko)
> >>    4. Re: Price Retrieval Failure, Part 2 (John Ralls)
> >>    5. Re: Latest version for Windows? (John Ralls)
> >>
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 1
> >> Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2018 20:50:40 +0000
> >> From: Wm <wm_o_o_o at yahoo.co.uk>
> >> To: gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org
> >> Subject: Re: p2x modelling in gnc, help me think, please
> >> Message-ID: <p5id33$agn$1 at blaine.gmane.org>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> >>
> >> On 07/02/2018 18:17, Adrien Monteleone wrote:
> >>
> >>> Go to Preferences > General > Numbers. You can increase your decimal
> precision. Did that solve the small fraction issue?
> >>
> >> That isn't a good way to go if your base currency is a 2 decimal one.
> >> Creating a commodity with the appropriate number of decimals and using
> >> that is better.
> >>
> >> By chance there is another more recent but simpler thread
> >>
> >> ===
> >> Subject: How to Manually Track a Collection of Stocks & Stuff Combined
> >> into a Single Share
> >> ===
> >>
> >> it is the same basic problem.  "put the other leg in equity" doesn't
> >> work for me and the variance is actually the value not the price which
> >> is what makes them different to traded investments which gnc deals with
> >> well as you can just put the the date and price in for market traded
> things.
> >>
> >>> As for modeling the investment, I?m not familiar with p2x. I?ll let
> someone else chime in who is.
> >>>
> >>> On that note, I tried looking it up but didn?t come up with anything
> useful explaining it. Do you have a few info links I could pour over? Once
> I understand what it is, I might be able to help modeling it in Gnucash.
> >>>
> >>> The only related thing I found was Peer-to-Peer lending but that
> didn?t involve negative interest rates as far as I could tell.
> >>
> >> peer to peer is now p2x in common terms because the second peer is no
> >> longer an individual in most cases and almost all lending goes through
> >> an intermediary.  very few actual p2p transactions happen.
> >>
> >> the lending can now involve: personal loans (how it started), mortgages,
> >> agriculture loans, 3rd world specific investments, invoice factoring,
> >> business loans, pawnbroking, etc and possibly some other stuff you and I
> >> probably don't want to know about or get involved in :)  I stick to
> >> reliable exchanges.
> >>
> >> Perhaps I should have left out the word "interest" if it is confusing.
> >> A non zero return occurs if you buy an interest bearing instrument at
> >> anything other than par.  You are buying someone else's interest (a
> >> premium) or getting some of their interest because they don't want the
> >> risk of the principle (a discount).  There are loads of other reasons
> >> for buying and selling, of course.
> >>
> >> The point is interest and other returns are *traded* and I'm not finding
> >> it obvious how to do this in gnc as part of a composite tx.
> >>
> >> gnc likes simple investment returns
> >>
> >> one leg asset receiving
> >> one leg income to balance
> >> third leg asset to join them up
> >>
> >> or similar.
> >>
> >> Maybe I should change the way I work so that I produce 3 tx per month
> >>
> >> asset change
> >> income
> >> and the one gnc wants
> >>
> >> I'm certain my tx is right in accounting terms but somehow it isn't
> >> being  "seen" by gnc for what it is.
> >>
> >> Anyway, it has been useful to me to explain so no harm done.  Who knows
> >> I may wake up with the answer tomorrow, I am certainly closer in my own
> >> mind.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Wm
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 2
> >> Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2018 21:17:49 +0000
> >> From: Wm <wm_o_o_o at yahoo.co.uk>
> >> To: gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org
> >> Subject: Re: How to Manually Track a Collection of Stocks & Stuff
> >> Combined into a Single Share
> >> Message-ID: <p5iem0$lm9$1 at blaine.gmane.org>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> >>
> >> On 08/02/2018 14:28, David Carlson wrote:
> >>> If you want to create a fictional stock and manually enter prices from
> time
> >>> to time that is easy.
> >>>
> >>> Just use the security editor and invent a name and symbol, possibly
> under
> >>> the group called Fund.  Do not set an online quote source.  Then
> manually
> >>> use the price editor to enter prices for whatever dates you like.
> >>
> >> I think you'll find it is the value that alters not the supposed price
> >> which is probably a nominal 1 for the OP.
> >>
> >> gnc deals well with the price changes but not so well with value
> changes.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Wm
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 3
> >> Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2018 06:57:37 -0700 (MST)
> >> From: cicko <alen.siljak at gmx.com>
> >> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >> Subject: Latest version for Windows?
> >> Message-ID: <1518184657460-0.post at n4.nabble.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >>
> >> I find a bit confusing as to where to find the latest version for
> Windows.
> >> The maintainance releases are apparently going out but somehow I can't
> >> figure out what the flow is.
> >>
> >> The main www.gnucash.org page points to
> >> http://downloads.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/gnucash/
> gnucash-2.6.19-1.setup.exe
> >> which does not exist.
> >>
> >> The Installation page simply points to the Windows directory on
> SourceForge.
> >> The Stable version there is
> >> https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/
> gnucash%20%28stable%29/2.6.19/gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe/download
> >> which looks like the first 2.6.19 version?
> >> However, on the same page there is a hash
> >> 1fa83d9578e8c62bd7dcef3b953e0e7610bf03bed9c1a037a72a6eee1ac79e37
> >> gnucash-2.6.19-3.setup.exe
> >> which refers to 2.6.19-3 version for Windows(!).
> >>
> >> And, finally, Windows wiki page (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Windows)
> >> points to
> >> https://code.gnucash.org/builds/win32/maint/
> >> which shows what I believe are the weekly maintenance builds, based on
> the
> >> info in their names and the description on the wiki page.
> >>
> >> So, if I want to get the *latest stable version* for Windows, which one
> >> should I use?
> >> Thanks!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-
> f1415819.html
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 4
> >> Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2018 07:33:39 -0800
> >> From: John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us>
> >> To: "David T." <sunfish62 at yahoo.com>
> >> Cc: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >> Subject: Re: Price Retrieval Failure, Part 2
> >> Message-ID: <290B6D85-E714-495A-8B23-277350CB1C74 at ceridwen.us>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> >>
> >> GnuCash on the Mac doesn?t install anything. You drag the bundle to
> wherever you like, and you can have as many as you like. If you want to try
> a ?fresh installation? (shouldn?t make any difference, nothing in the
> bundle should change with use) just open up the dmg and drag Gnucash.app
> somewhere else.
> >>
> >> The variables in the environment file are overridden by those variables
> being set in the launcher script (Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/Gnucash). In
> 2.7.4 and later there is no launcher script and the code that writes the
> environment file is changed to use paths relative to {GNC_HOME}.
> >>
> >> You?re right that GnuCash shouldn?t be overwriting files in
> GNC_DOT_DIR. I?ll have a look at that.
> >>
> >> Regards,
> >> John Ralls
> >>
> >>> On Feb 8, 2018, at 9:14 PM, David T. via gnucash-user <
> gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> In reply to my own message, in the interest of trying to run a fresh
> installation of GnuCash, I logged in to a different (new) Mac user account
> and replicated the test there. In other words, I opened GnuCash and created
> a simple file with AAPL and tried to retrieve prices. I receive the same
> error.
> >>>
> >>> Because GnuCash on the Mac installs the application bundle at the
> system level, the environment file there is still invoked (a check in that
> account confirms that this file is accessible in the new account), so I
> wonder whether there is something going on there that causes my problem.
> >>>
> >>> I don?t know whether this is a problem, but digging through the
> enviroment file yields two variables with John?s folder structures:
> >>>
> >>> GNC_DBD_DIR=/Users/john/Development/Gnucash-Build/
> Gnucash-2.6-Leopard/inst/lib/dbd
> >>> XDG_DATA_DIRS=/Users/john/Development/Gnucash-Build/
> Gnucash-2.6-Leopard/inst/share;{XDG_DATA_DIRS};/usr/local/share;/usr/share
> >>>
> >>> These should be removed, or scrubbed to be generically valid.
> >>>
> >>> At this point, I am at a loss for how to proceed.
> >>>
> >>> I would try for a ?clean slate,? but I would have thought that
> downloading and installing the newer version would have done that. Since I
> have been using GnuCash so long, and have sporadically attempted to
> contribute to the project, my machine has numerous development tools (git,
> SourceTree, etc.) and GnuCash content (gnucash-docs, gnucash-htdocs)
> installed; I imagine I could delete all of that as well, and try from
> there. Given how much trouble it has been for me to get these development
> technologies to work, I am loathe to take this step, however.
> >>>
> >>> Geert mentioned that the Alphavantage settings will be incorporated
> into 3.0; when is that slated for release? Is the feature active on
> 2.7.4?and should I try using that (*he shudders*)?
> >>>
> >>> David
> >>>
> >>>> On Feb 9, 2018, at 9:40 AM, David T. via gnucash-user <
> gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Unfortunately, adding these lines to my config.user did not result in
> any further information.  I am stumped, and disappointed.
> >>>>
> >>>> <aside>
> >>>> It seems that an upgrade of GnuCash not only tanks one?s customized
> environment file in the application bundle (understandable), but also any
> additional files that a user might have put into the DOT_GNUCASH_DIR
> folder?like, custom scheme reports, or a config.user file that a user might
> have created in vain attempts to get said custom reports to load into their
> personal installation of GnuCash. I find this circumstance to be rather
> troubling, as the files that a user has put into this folder should not be
> summarily sent to the executioner by the next version of the application.
> This is especially troubling given that the authorized methods for creating
> and using custom scheme reports (as convoluted and sensitive as they are)
> specifically directs such reports to be placed into this folder. If *I*
> were to have written a custom report for GnuCash (as opposed to simply
> copying someone else?s work to my own system) I would be pretty ticked off
> to find my work discarded this way. Thank g
> >> oodness I had backups, but really, one shouldn?t have to restore from a
> backup on this.
> >>>> </aside>
> >>>>
> >>>> I have now created a simple file to test out price retrieval. I put
> one stock account that uses AAPL, a cash account and Equity, and created a
> simple buy transaction (to create one price entry). For me, this file fails
> in the same way. I attach it here, so that someone else can test it. If it
> works for you, then there is something about my Mac that F::Q doesn?t like.
> And then I am really up the creek, because it?s a big operating system out
> there?
> >>>>
> >>>> David
> >>>>
> >>>> <TestAlpha.gnucash>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Feb 8, 2018, at 11:40 PM, Geert Janssens <
> geert.gnucash at kobaltwit.be> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> David,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> You can put the attached config.user file in your DOT_GNUCASH_DIR
> ($HOME/
> >>>>> Library/Application Support/Gnucash)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> If you then start gnucash from the command line, it should print out
> the value
> >>>>> of your API key there, together with the version of Finance::Quote
> that got
> >>>>> installed. Unless the OS X edition doesn't print this early boot
> >>>>> information...
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Regards,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Geert<config.user>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> gnucash-user mailing list
> >>>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >>>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> >>>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> >>>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> >>>> -----
> >>>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> >>>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> gnucash-user mailing list
> >>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> >>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> >>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> >>> -----
> >>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> >>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 5
> >> Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2018 07:41:52 -0800
> >> From: John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us>
> >> To: cicko <alen.siljak at gmx.com>
> >> Cc: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >> Subject: Re: Latest version for Windows?
> >> Message-ID: <C33AA7CB-22B7-4D87-96A3-F443F8DCC9FE at ceridwen.us>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Feb 9, 2018, at 5:57 AM, cicko <alen.siljak at gmx.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I find a bit confusing as to where to find the latest version for
> Windows.
> >>> The maintainance releases are apparently going out but somehow I can't
> >>> figure out what the flow is.
> >>>
> >>> The main www.gnucash.org page points to
> >>> http://downloads.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/gnucash/
> gnucash-2.6.19-1.setup.exe
> >>> which does not exist.
> >>>
> >>> The Installation page simply points to the Windows directory on
> SourceForge.
> >>> The Stable version there is
> >>> https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/
> gnucash%20%28stable%29/2.6.19/gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe/download
> >>> which looks like the first 2.6.19 version?
> >>> However, on the same page there is a hash
> >>> 1fa83d9578e8c62bd7dcef3b953e0e7610bf03bed9c1a037a72a6eee1ac79e37
> >>> gnucash-2.6.19-3.setup.exe
> >>> which refers to 2.6.19-3 version for Windows(!).
> >>>
> >>> And, finally, Windows wiki page (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Windows
> )
> >>> points to
> >>> https://code.gnucash.org/builds/win32/maint/
> >>> which shows what I believe are the weekly maintenance builds, based on
> the
> >>> info in their names and the description on the wiki page.
> >>>
> >>> So, if I want to get the *latest stable version* for Windows, which one
> >>> should I use?
> >>
> >> You should use https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/
> gnucash%20%28stable%29/2.6.19/gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe/download <
> https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/gnucash%20(stable)/2.6.19/
> gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe/download> or https://github.com/Gnucash/
> gnucash/releases/download/2.6.19/gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe <
> https://github.com/Gnucash/gnucash/releases/download/2.6.
> 19/gnucash-2.6.19-setup.exe>
> >>
> >> (They?re the same file; Github lacks SourceForge?s annoying
> advertising).
> >>
> >> And I?ll get the mess of wrong pointers and names cleaned up.
> >>
> >> Regards,
> >> John Ralls
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Subject: Digest Footer
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >>
> >> gnucash-user mailing list
> >> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> >> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> >> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> >> -----
> >> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> >> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> End of gnucash-user Digest, Vol 179, Issue 32
> >> *********************************************
> > _______________________________________________
> > gnucash-user mailing list
> > gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> > -----
> > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
>
> _______________________________________________
> gnucash-user mailing list
> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> -----
> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.


More information about the gnucash-user mailing list