[GNC] Confusing and inconsistent headers in transaction entry and report forms
davidcousens49 at gmail.com
davidcousens49 at gmail.com
Mon Aug 1 23:56:17 EDT 2022
Peter,Yes it is working correctly in Gnucash 4.11 on Linux Mint 20.3 and has
always worked that way in the past. The coding for the transaction reports is
in Scheme and separate from the main GnuCash code so I would not expect a change
in the preferences for the register display to affect the Transaction Report in
any case but it was a simple test. A bug of that type in the main code will
likely be picked up very quickly and similarly with the Transaction Report. It
is hard to think why it would be specific to the MacOSX unless it was perhaps a
bug in a library on the Mac b ut John Ralls may have some more insight.. I
have rechecked both the register and rerun the transaction report again and the
same items show up as debits and credits in both the register and the
Transaction report on my machine.
Can you repost the same transaction in the checking account register using the
formal accounting labels and perhaps then rerun the Transaction Report. The
latter doesn't rerun automatically . You have to edit the report options and
then hit Apply. I usually change a date on the date range , run the report and
change it back and then rerun it to force it to regenerate the report as the
Apply button is greyed out unless you change one of the report options.There
likely is a clever way to do it as well.David
On Mon, 2022-08-01 at 23:08 -0400, Peter S. Shenkin wrote:
> Regarding my question ("Possible GC bug?"), I just reread your response and
> realized that you actually said that in your hands it works correctly; I had
> thought you said the opposite.
>
> So though it could possibly be a bug just on MacOS (unless you're also on
> MacOS), I rather suspect that there is something screwy in the settings
> somewhere.
>
> -P.
> On Mon, Aug 1, 2022 at 11:04 PM Peter S. Shenkin <shenkin at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi, David,
> >
> > I did try using both Increase/Decrease and Debit/Credit labeling in the
> > register, but the transaction report is unchanged.
> >
> > I also saw an option in Preferences for Reversing either Credit Accounts, or
> > Income & Expense Accounts, or None. I really have no idea what that is
> > about, but GC seems to have been supplied with Credit Accounts selected, so
> > I thought I'd try with None. It didn't change the transaction report, so I
> > set it back to Credit Accounts. I'll RTFM on that sometime, but it doesn't
> > appear to have anything to do with this...
> >
> > Possible GC bug?
> >
> > -P.
> > On Mon, Aug 1, 2022 at 10:52 PM <davidcousens49 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Peter
> > >
> > > I do agree the Debit and Credit column headers appear to be reversed on
> > > the
> > >
> > > Transaction Report in your original post . I have just run a Transaction
> > > report
> > >
> > > (GC 4.11) on one of my bank accounts and it reports my income (payments
> > > into
> > >
> > > the account) correctly as debits and expenses (payments from the account)
> > > as
> > >
> > > credits. I thought it could possibly be related to the use of the non-
> > > accounting
> > >
> > > labels which I tend to use rather than the informal headers. I have just
> > > changed
> > >
> > > to the informal headers in my preferences and rerun the transaction report
> > > and
> > >
> > > the column headers are still correct so that does not appear to be the
> > > problem.
> > >
> > > Did that transaction come out with debits and credits correctly in the
> > > account
> > >
> > > register when you selected the formal accounting labels preference?
> > >
> > > David Cousens
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, 2022-08-01 at 19:35 -0400, Peter S. Shenkin wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi,
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > > I made up the name "transaction entry" because I didn't know what to
> > > call
> > >
> > > > it. 😊 I didn't know there was such a thing as a transaction entry
> > > window.
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > > If I had the Donations account open, I would have had the same kind of
> > >
> > > > problem.
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > > Per Gyle's suggestion it looks like I can switch to the good old Credit
> > > /
> > >
> > > > Debit labels.
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > > Also, the second part of my question involved the Transaction report.
> > > There
> > >
> > > > the headings at the top seem backwards. They are labeled Credit and
> > > Debit, but
> > >
> > > > where I entered a Debit, it appears in the Credit column and vice
> > > versa. Any
> > >
> > > > comment on this?
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > > -P.
> > >
> > > > On Mon, Aug 1, 2022 at 6:23 PM <davidcousens49 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > > Peter
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > The terms Increase and Decrease in the header only apply to the
> > > account
> > >
> > > > > whose
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > register you have open not to the accounts which are the target of the
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > individual split(entry) of the transaction and not to the account
> > > which is
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > designated in the second split. It would appear that you have the
> > > register
> > >
> > > > > for
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > your checking account open and a debit entry is an Increase in that.
> > > If
> > >
> > > > > there
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > was a credit split/entry to your checking account it would appear in
> > > the
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > decrease column. The second line of the transaction is the
> > > corresponding
> > >
> > > > > credit
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > entry to the revenue account. This is why we accountants find the
> > > headers
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > Increase/Decrease confusing.
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > You are not making entries in a "transaction entry" window in GnuCash
> > > but
> > >
> > > > > you
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > are performing the transaction entry directly into the register for
> > > that
> > >
> > > > > account
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > itself.
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > David Cousens
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > On Mon, 2022-08-01 at 17:13 -0400, Peter S. Shenkin wrote:
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > > > > 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.
> > >
> > > > >
> > >
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> > >
> > > > >
> > >
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