[GNC] gnucash-user Digest, Vol 202, Issue 27

[Matthew Lybanon]

> From: Matthew Lybanon <lybanon at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [GNC] Lost Data
> Date: January 7, 2020 at 4:31:14 PM CST
> To: "<gnucash-user at gnucash.org> User" <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> 
> 
> Gnucash 3.5-1 running on a MacBook Pro under macOS 10.14.6. I’m been using Gnucash for years for very simple accounting, primarily just maintaining a checkbook register. Today I had trouble reconciling a bank statement. After clicking “Finish” the reconciled transactions had a “y” in the appropriate column, but when I tried to quit Gnucash I got a message saying that something hadn’t been saved and asking if I wanted to save it. Sorry to be so vague, but I don’t recall exactly what the message was.
> 
> When I restarted Gnucash the transactions that were previously reconciled weren’t; they had “n” in place of “y”. I tried to reconcile again, but the next time I started Gnucash and looked at the register I got the message
> 
> "Report error
> 
> An error occurred while running the report."
> 
> I tried opening an earlier version of the data file (NAME.gnucash.string of numbers.gnucash) but got the same error message. I have not deleted anything. I have _.gnucash files, one _.LNK files, _.log files.
> 
> What went wrong and–more important–how can I get the data back?
> 
> 
> 
> From: David Cousens <davidcousens at bigpond.com>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Lost Data
> Date: January 7, 2020 at 9:18:47 PM CST
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> 
> 
> Matthew 
> 
> Not sure what is going on. Were you opening using a recent entry in the File
> Open dialog? If so try navigating explicitly to your data file and opening
> it explicitly. Before doing so check there are no files with a .LCK
> extension in the directory with your data file as these will normally block
> opening the file  although that should bring uop a dialog allowing you to
> override it. Deleting the files with the .LCK extension should not cause any
> problems as long as you don't have GnuCash open in another instance. They
> are intended to stop multiple instances of the program from opening the same
> file at the same time.  AFAIK ".LNK" files are Windows created files and
> shouldn't have any effect on MacOSX or Linux. The report error tends to
> indicate that GnuCash is trying to open a report. Did you have a report tab
> open when you last closed the file? 
> 
> David Cousens
> 
> 
> 
> -----
> David Cousens
> --
> Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

Normally I open the Gnucash application which, I understand, by default opens the _.gnucash data file. That now gives the error message. The same thing happens when I open  the _.gnucash file explicitly, and the same thing happens when I open one of the the _.gnucash.string of numbers.gnucash files explicitly.

Here is a list of all the Gnucash data (and related) files I now have (I got this list from the Terminal application).

-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff  52409 Jan  7 16:02 
-rw-------  1 matthewlybanon  staff      0 Jan  7 15:54 MAGS Show.gnucash.0.33401.LNK
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff   2380 Jan  7 11:23 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107111856.log
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff    359 Jan  7 15:40 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107112457.log
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff    779 Jan  7 15:55 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107155416.log
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff  52283 Jan  7 11:24 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107155657.gnucash
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff   4370 Jan  7 15:57 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107155657.log
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff   4581 Jan  7 16:01 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107155856.log
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff  52402 Jan  7 15:56 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107160232.gnucash
-rw-r--r--@ 1 matthewlybanon  staff    170 Jan  7 16:02 MAGS Show.gnucash.20200107160232.log

I could try to open an older version of MAGS Show.gnucash from a Time Machine backup, but since opening one of the MAGS Show.gnucash.numbers.gnucash files didn’t work I don’t see why that would work, either. It seems as if the problem may be something else. I’m open ot suggestions.