[GNC] New User Needs Install Help

[John Ralls]

> On Oct 1, 2018, at 3:49 PM, Jack Stewart <jacks at amug.org> wrote:
> 
> About a year ago I installed a version of MacOS GNUCash and made some set-up mistakes from which I could not back out. (e.g. I found that after creating some accounts I could not delete them.) It was suggested that I uninstall GNUCash and begin all over again. Uninstalling was a very arduous, time consuming, and expensive process for me and has left me afraid to try using GNUCash again. I want to try again with v3.3 but while maintaining my ability to escape from user errors and incorrect set-up judgements.
> 
> I would appreciate any guidance I cn be given on how I can get GNUCash going without becoming mired in "undoing" things which, in hindsight, I want to change. I know double entry book keeping but am a total novice with GNUCash.
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions you can offer on how I can avoid having to repeat this depressing process. I need the freedom to experiment with ideas and back away from the bad ones.
> 
> Thanks for your help,

Uninstalling GnuCash on a Mac involves dragging two files, a directory (two directories if you set up online banking), and your data files to the trash and emptying the trash. Hardly arduous.

But it’s also unnecessary to starting over: All you need do to start over is create a new book with File>New. You can trash the old file and its logs and backups or not as you please. 

We do recommend that you keep your data files in a separate accounts directory; GnuCash creates a lot of backups and logs in the same directory as the main file and many new users who create their file on their Desktop are dismayed at the resulting clutter.

I don’t know why you’d be unable to delete accounts you created by mistake; the only limitation is that if the account you want to delete contains splits then you must decide what to do with them: Transfer to another account or delete the transactions (and consequently the other splits) that they’re associated with. But you can also move accounts to another place in the hierarchy or rename them at will, so it isn’t often necessary to delete them. There are constraints on changing the type of an account if it has splits in it to protect the integrity of those transactions.

After reading at least the parts of the Tutorial and Content Guide that apply to your situation, create a test book and play around a bit until you have a grasp on how GnuCash applies double-entry accounting. When you feel comfortable that you’ve worked out the procedures you need start on your real accounts. If you have questions, look again in the Tutorial and Concepts Guide, search the Wiki. If you don’t find an answer there or the answer you find isn’t clear, ask here or on IRC.

Regards,
John Ralls