[GNC] difficulties I am having

Sat Apr 24 23:22:21 EDT 2021

Thanks. I probably will take your advice.

Jay

On Sat, Apr 24, 2021, 7:39 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:

> Please copy the list on all replies unless you're including confidential
> information like a screenshot of your register.
>
> Since you've got your file back the way you want it you should save it and
> make a copy, then consider also making a copy on a service like Dropbox or
> Google Drive so that you're protected if something should happen to your
> computer. Do that again every year after you finish entering the previous
> year's data.
>
> Regards,
> John Ralls
>
> > On Apr 24, 2021, at 5:18 PM, Jay Bouxsein <diananjay at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Well, I have good news and bad news, good first. I did manage to get my
> original data entry screen, that is the one that we were using, and it
> seems to be working just like it did when we were entering the data for tax
> year 2020.  All of the data we entered for transactions in Jan and Feb were
> all still where we put them and it was waiting for us to enter the new data
> starting with March 1.  I can also print P & L for past years as well as
> this year.
> >
> > The bad news is that your suggested go back via backup will not work for
> me because the newest back up the system has for me dates all the way back
> to 2017.  It appears that ever since we used the system since 2017 I was
> simply exiting the program without posting the new data ignoring any error
> messages that may have appeared.  You know, as you get older, you start to
> mentally age back to your youth, and I am proof of that. I really cannot
> tell you how I got back to the setup I had, I just started punching buttons
> that looked like they might help. I really did not want to go back and
> start again from 2017 so I figured what the Hell.  I only remember hitting
> the "revert" option from the file menu and nothing after that.
> >
> > In any event, my plan is to get 2020 out of the way and then maybe start
> all over again setting up a new and improved chart of accounts under a new
> company name.  It shouldn't be too bad because we really do have a simple
> operation here with limited vendors and limited things which only pop up
> rarely as issues. I promise , I hope, to not need to trouble you in the
> future, I'll make good use of the program's help feature.
> >
> > I thank you and all of your mates who stepped up to try to lend a
> helping hand. It is pleasant to run into people like you who are willing to
> help strangers.
> >
> > VTY
> >
> > Jay Bouxsein
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 22, 2021 at 7:45 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> > That's not what I hoped to see.
> > It looks like instead of changing the type of the checking account you
> deleted it and told GnuCash to move all of its transactions to Expenses.
> >
> > It's possible to fix this but it will be a little tedious. If you have a
> backup from before all of this happened (see
> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Q:_What_are_all_these_.gnucash_and_.log_files_filling_up_my_directory.3F
> if you don't know about GnuCash's automatic backups) then you can just quit
> GnuCash without saving, rename the backup to the working name, and start
> over.
> >
> > Otherwise you'll need to:
> > 1. Leave the current Expenses account as type Expense but rename it to
> Checking.
> > 2. Make a new top level expenses account
> > 3. Edit each direct child account of Checking and change its parent to
> Expenses.
> > 4. When Checking has no more children edit it, change its type to Bank,
> and change its parent to Assets:Current Assets.
> >
> > Regards,
> > John Ralls
> >
> > > On Apr 22, 2021, at 5:21 PM, Jay Bouxsein <diananjay at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Thanks so much for such a prompt reply. I have attached a couple of
> photos of the screens that I have up on my computer right now which should
> answer your question and give you more understanding about the way my
> system is set up.
> > >
> > > I thank you again for all your help.
> > >
> > > Jay BOUXSEIN
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 7:09 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> > > Whether you want to change the children depends on how you've
> structured your accounts. What are the children?
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > John Ralls
> > >
> > > > On Apr 22, 2021, at 5:04 PM, Jay Bouxsein <diananjay at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Thanks so much. I am at the computer right now and made the change
> you recommended in the lower left hand corner of the edit account screen to
> bank. I pressed OK and got a pop-up screen that says "give the children the
> same type ?" And wonder whether I should accept this change. I'm going to
> try to give you a screenshot of what I'm looking at right now.
> > > >
> > > > No go on the screenshot I can't figure out how to do it from my
> phone which is what I am using to send this email.
> > > >
> > > > If you can answer based on the earlier paragraphs in this email
> please do so and I'll hit okay and if it doesn't work out well I can get
> back to you.
> > > >
> > > > Many thanks
> > > >
> > > > Jay
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 6:13 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> > > > "IIUC" means "if I understand correctly".
> > > >
> > > > No, Register2 is an attempt to rewrite of the register code to use
> GtkTreeView[1]. It didn't work out but its remains, er, remain.
> > > > But I see that I'm wrong about that anyway, Expense and Rebate are
> the informal labels on the debit and credit columns for expense accounts on
> the regular register too.
> > > >
> > > > The screenshot is perfect. I'll guess that you've managed to change
> the account named "Expenses' from type Bank to  Expense. Select Edit>Edit
> Account... from the menu and in the lower left of the dialog box that pops
> up see if you can select Bank, then click OK. That should put your column
> headings back. While you're at it I suggest that you change the account
> name (first line in the dialog box) to something more descriptive of a
> checking account, maybe "Business Checking" or "Bank Name Checking".
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > > John Ralls
> > > >
> > > > > On Apr 22, 2021, at 3:48 PM, Jay Bouxsein <diananjay at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Dear John
> > > > >
> > > > > At the outset I would like to sincerely thank you and the other
> members who have weighed in on my problem. I must admit that I am confused
> because of my lack of technical understanding of the matters you guys have
> been discussing.  Firstly what does IICU mean?  Is "Register 2 a technical
> term of art? Secondly I illustrated the problem with transaction reports
> because they were the easiest things I could attach. I am not so good at
> screenshots, links and the like. Windows as an operating system has
> expanded so much that I really have not been able to keep up with it.
> > > > >
> > > > > I think that I have attached a screenshot of the register which I
> have been dealing with. What I really want, which is what you suggested, is
> our checking account. I don't want to change the view, I want to open our
> checking account in the standard Account Register view we have always had
> in the past so we can add our new data. I just can't figure out how to do
> that. I hope that you can forgive me.
> > > > >
> > > > > Kindest regards,
> > > > >
> > > > > Jay Bouxsein
> > > > >
> > > > > PS  If you would like to speak with me to make life easier at your
> end, let me know off list and I will be happy to provide you with my
> telephone number.  I live in the Chicago Metro area and am thus in the
> central daylight time zone.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 11:34 AM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > On Apr 21, 2021, at 3:51 PM, Jay Bouxsein <diananjay at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I have been using GNUCASH for several years to basically track
> income and
> > > > > > expenses for rental properties my wife and I own.  I do not use
> it for any
> > > > > > other purposes, I enter all of our expenses and income and then
> produce a P
> > > > > > $ L report and send that to our accountant who keeps our
> historical books
> > > > > > and prepares our tax returns.  Obviously I could use a
> spreadsheet as my
> > > > > > accountant suggested, but I really like your aids in completing
> the entry
> > > > > > process, the plus and minus feature, and typing just the first
> few
> > > > > > characters and so forth.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >     In the past, we have done all of the data entry in March of
> the next
> > > > > > year and it goes fast because we do not have a lot of units
> (less than 10 )
> > > > > > and limited suppliers (less than 30).  My procedure is to call
> up the
> > > > > > program and it opens to a register automatically, displaying all
> of our
> > > > > > transactions from the previous year and all I need to do is
> update the date
> > > > > > of the first transaction which by default is the current date.
> For
> > > > > > example, the date displayed was April 21, 2021 and our first
> transaction
> > > > > > was for January 2, 2020.  All was going well until we got to
> March of 2020
> > > > > > when I could not find an expense account and tried to add a new
> expense
> > > > > > account and all hell broke loose. I could not get back to the
> account
> > > > > > register data entry screen we always used.  Eventually I figured
> out that
> > > > > > the account that I thought was missing actually was not and what
> I had done
> > > > > > was to create a nearly duplicate account so I deleted the
> account that I
> > > > > > had just created and then I was able to get a screen that looked
> just like
> > > > > > the one we always had, but we noticed some differences.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On our old register screen we used to have a column for deposits
> to our
> > > > > > checking account and checks written out of that account.  Now
> our screen
> > > > > > shows "Expense" in the column which used to have "Deposit" and
> "rebate" has
> > > > > > been substituted for the check amount. That does not seem right
> to me.  I
> > > > > > am 72 years old and actually was pretty good with the software
> which was
> > > > > > available back in the 70's, 80's & 90's but not so much any
> more.  I have a
> > > > > > feeling that my problem should be a simple one to fix, but my
> weakness in
> > > > > > dealing with accounting software is holding me back.  I should
> add that I
> > > > > > do have a hard copy of a "transction report, Income statement
> and P&L which
> > > > > > I have attached to this email in the hope it will give you enough
> > > > > > information to understand my missive.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > IIUC the difference is in the column headings in a register view.
> If that's the case you're looking at an Expense (not Bank, which is what a
> checking account should be) account in Register2 view. That's hard to do:
> You have to start GnuCash with the --extra command-line option and open
> registers from the Extensions>Reg2>Open Account menu item.
> > > > >
> > > > > But you chose to illustrate the problem with transaction reports
> from 2018 and 2019 instead of a screen shot so I wonder if you really mean
> something else.
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > > John Ralls
> > > > >
> > > > > <Screenshot (1).png>
> > > >
> > >
> > > <IMG_20210422_191712704.jpg><IMG_20210422_191634558.jpg>
> >
>
>