[GNC] Splitting a Transaction (Newbie Question)

[Michael or Penny Novack]

> At this point things look good.  So what does one do next? Press 
> Return seems like a safe bet.  However it is far from it.  All that 
> happens is that the whole transaction disappears.  The alternative, 
> using another Tab is almost as bad.  The £1.99 debit in Groceries is 
> now replaced by a £5.25 credit and the £7.24 credit from the bank has 
> disappeared.  Ok, it makes the books appear to balance since double 
> entry is maintained but the whole process seem astonishingly random.
>
> If any kind reader can advise on the correct way yo handle this simple 
> task I would be most grateful as I do simple domestic accounting but 
> have lots of split debit analysis. 

You might have completed the split (depends on what you meant by "whole 
thing disappeared").

Some background might help. In the old days of double entry (before 
computer apps to shortcut bits) a transaction was FIRST entered into a 
book called a "journal" and later each line of the journal entry was 
ported to the ledger (in the account on that line). Here gnucash is 
letting you skip entering into the journal (has a "virtual journal") for 
simple transactions affecting just two accounts. But when you enter a 
split, you are in "journal mode".

I think what you meant by "disappeared" is that the journal view 
disappeared and you were back in the account view in which you started 
(but something about what you see there indicates the transaction was a 
split). You could go to one of the other accounts affected (or all of 
the other accounts) to see if what appears there is right. If so, all done.

Michael D Novack