[GNC] Confusing and inconsistent headers in transaction entry and report forms

[Peter S. Shenkin]

Actually on the Mac, that setting is in Gnucash > Preferences > Accounts >
Label

On Mon, Aug 1, 2022 at 7:29 PM Peter S. Shenkin <shenkin at gmail.com> wrote:

> That is useful information! Thank  you. I found Increase and Decrease
> perfectly understandable until it didn't work. 😊
>
> -P.
>
> On Mon, Aug 1, 2022 at 7:28 PM Gyle McCollam <gmccollam at live.com> wrote:
>
>> Under "Edit/Preferences/Accounts/Labels" if you check the box you will
>> get standard accounting labels with Debits and Credits.  This may be less
>> confusing to you than Increase and Decrease.
>>
>> Thank You,
>>
>> *Gyle McCollam*
>>
>> Gyle McCollam
>>
>> gmccollam at live.com <gmccollam at gyleshomes.com>           email
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* gnucash-user <gnucash-user-bounces+gylemc=gmail.com at gnucash.org>
>> on behalf of Peter S. Shenkin <shenkin at gmail.com>
>> *Sent:* Monday, August 1, 2022 5:13 PM
>> *To:* gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org <gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org>
>> *Subject:* [GNC] Confusing and inconsistent headers in transaction entry
>> and report forms
>>
>> Hi, I'm using Gnucash 4.11 on MacOS 11.6.8.
>>
>> There are two images attached, labeled Transaction entry and Transaction
>> report. They are two different views of the same transaction, to a non
>> profit that I am doing the books for.
>>
>> The transaction involves a deposit to our checking account from Wepay.
>> It's
>> a donation, which we account for under Revenue:Donations, which increases
>> with a Credit, and the bank account will increase with a Debit, so this
>> should be properly balanced.
>>
>> However, from the Transaction-entry screen shot, where the column labels
>> are Increase and Decrease, I have to enter the Donation as a Decrease in
>> order to make the Donation record increase. This is bizarre, is it not?
>>
>> You can see in the same image that the checking balance goes up. so it
>> seems to be properly recorded as a debit; in addition, though not shown,
>> the sum of Donations does goes up, which seems contrary to having to enter
>> it as a Decrease.
>>
>> Now look at the second screenshot, the Transaction-report view for this
>> transaction. What is especially strange here is that the labels of the
>> Debit and Credit columns are exactly reversed. It says that the Checking
>> side of the transaction is a Credit and the Donation side is a Debit,
>> which
>> is exactly backwards.
>>
>> Any insight, including any aspect due to my own foolishness and/or
>> inexperience, would be appreciated.
>>
>> -P.
>>
>