[GNC] Report - Income Statement - Layout problem

[Michael or Penny Novack]

On 3/23/2022 9:48 AM, Carl-Kensaku HERBORT wrote:

> I already have to use two separate software: an ERP/CRM for invoicing 
> and daily accounting and GnuCash for heavier monthly/yearly 
> accounting, mainly to produce the Income Statement Report and Balance 
> Sheet report (or so was my plan). I didn't know that GnuCash was not 
> made for that and that a third software (or SCHEME/HTML coding & 
> modifications) was needed just to get even basic reports that all SME 
> business need.
>
> I guess there is a first for everything: I am giving up. 


Hopefully you are still here to read this, but if not, might clarify a 
misconception others might also have.

That an "application" might not all be implemented in the same computer 
language does NOT make it "multiple software". In fact, it is advisable 
to design any sizeable program in pieces (for SEVERAL reasons) and the 
pieces can be in different languages, choosing the language based on 
what makes that part easier to code. Keep in mind that the pieces, once 
compiled, aren't "in" their source code language any more.

OK, all the programmers in a large "shop" might not know all of the 
languages and so only work on a part of the system whee they do know the 
language. Others, like myself, might be fluent in all the main languages 
used and a least be able to read all of them.

You CAN write anything in any "complete" computer language but some are 
particularly well suited to some task but clumsy for other things. To 
give you an example, early in my working days, when learning the IBM 
mainframe string processing language CLIST I came up with a "case 
problem" for myself, a "palindrome tester" -- prompts the user to enter 
a string and reports if that string is a palindrome (by TEXT palindrome 
rules, not mathematical palindrome rules which it trivial) and then asks 
the user for another or to quit. After that I used this "case problem" 
with every new language I learned to investigate its string processing 
capability. Typically a program of a hundred or two lines. But if having 
the standard tools of any 'nix operating system (linux, for example) can 
be done in bash + the library of standard 'nix utilities in about 5 
lines (say a hundred or two CHARACTERS).

BUT ---- this is very much to the point here. Gnucash is accounting 
software. I expect it to be able to do THAT well. I do not expect of it 
the capabilities of a powerful general purpose editor (program designed 
to edit/format data). So while I could get by in SCHEME (not fluent in 
LISP but can read it OK and it doesn't take me long to learn another 
language) I do NOT try to edit gnucash reports IN GNUCASH. I don't care 
how messed up in appearance as long as all the DATA is present in the 
report and correct. I can simply export the raw report and then edit to 
my heart's content with a powerful editor designed for THAT purpose.

Michael D Novack