[GNC] Change Linked Document Path

[Jim DeLaHunt]

Geoff:

One tenet of GnuCash-user email list etiquette is to cc the gnucash-user 
email list on all replies. We want this discussion to take place on the 
list.

Thus I am replying to you, and cc'ing the list, so that the thread stays 
on the list.  I will reply to this message from the email that reaches 
me via the list.
     —Jim DeLaHunt

On 2022-09-01 03:57, Geoff Storer wrote:
> Hi Jim
>
> Thanks for coming back to me. Sorry I have taken so long to respond.
>
> In answer to your questions:
>
> Q: Are you familiar with the difference in behaviour between relative file
> paths and absolute file paths?
>
> Ans; No this is not one of my strong points
>
> Q: Are you familiar with the difference in spelling (C:\ prefixes and
> backslashes etc.) between relative file paths and absolute file paths?
>
> Ans:  No
>
> Q: In your GnuCash Book (bookkeeping file), have you associated files to
> transactions using relative path File Associations, absolute path File
> Associations,  or Location Associations?
>
> Ans: I think the answer here is relative path. What I actually did in 
> GNU was:
> Edit / preferences / General / Linked Files and with the drop down 
> arrow selected the folder location of my invoices
> The reason I say "relative path" is because GNU program details on the 
> referenced edit field the comment
> "Path head for Linked Files Relative Paths"
> The location I selected is -  D:\PDF\GNU Invoices
>
> Q: Were all your attached documents within a single directory on your old
> computer? Do you know the absolute path to that directory?
>
> Ans: Yes all invoices are in the one folder   "D:\PDF\GNU Invoices"  
> (the output here I copied directly from my explorer view so I should 
> have that correct)
>
> Q: Are all your attached documents within a single directory on your new
> computer? Do you know the absolute path to that directory?
>
> Ans: The invoices are in the exact location as on the initial install 
> of GNU.
>         I only re-installed windows on the C:\ partition. The other 
> partitions remain exactly as they were
>         The invoices are in "D:\PDF\GNU Invoices"
>
> I hope I have answered all your queries. Let me know if you need any 
> further clarification.
>
> Thanks again
>
> Regards
>
> John Murdoch
>
> On Tue, Aug 30, 2022 at 3:46 PM Jim DeLaHunt <list+gnucash at jdlh.com 
> <mailto:list%2Bgnucash at jdlh.com>> wrote:
>
>     Hello, John:
>
>     Your question rings a bell! I did an overhaul on the file
>     associations
>     on my transactions a couple of years ago.
>
>     On 2022-08-29 04:10, john murdoch wrote:
>     > ...My problem now is that [GnuCash] looks for the attached
>     document in the
>     > windows document folder on the C Drive. I have tried editing the
>     > preferences in [GnuCash] to point to the correct location of the
>     documents
>     > on the alternate partition but this doesn't automatically link
>     to the
>     > document.
>     >
>     >
>     > I can then manually link each document by using  the "manage
>     document
>     > link" function on the right click menu in the account field of GNU
>     > cash. That  of course will be quite tedious and I was enquiring if
>     > there is a "global fix" so that all files could be re-linked in one
>     > procedure? Perhaps editing settings or the system registry?
>     >
>     >
>     > I did try a feature as per the attached screenshot [of the
>     Change Linked Document path head dialogue] without any success.
>
>     Well, the Change Linked Document path head dialogue, which your
>     screenshot showed, is the best tool in GnuCash for this job. However,
>     you have to know a few things to use it well. I'll bet the UI does
>     not
>     do a complete job of walking a person through it.
>
>     To set some groundwork, some questions:
>
>     Are you familiar with the difference in behaviour between relative
>     file
>     paths and absolute file paths?
>
>     Are you familiar with the difference in spelling (C:\ prefixes and
>     backslashes etc.) between relative file paths and absolute file paths?
>
>     In your GnuCash Book (bookkeeping file), have you associated files to
>     transactions using relative path File Associations, absolute path
>     File
>     Associations,  or Location Associations?
>
>     Were all your attached documents within a single directory on your
>     old
>     computer? Do you know the absolute path to that directory?
>
>     Are all your attached documents within a single directory on your new
>     computer? Do you know the absolute path to that directory?
>
>     Based on answers to those questions — and once I run GnuCash to
>     refresh
>     my memory about how the Change Linked Document path head dialogue
>     works,
>     and once I translate from macOS to Windows in my head — I can try to
>     help you further.
>
>     Best regards,
>           —Jim DeLaHunt
>
>
>     Are all your attached documents within a single directory on your new
>     computer?
>
>
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     gnucash-user mailing list
>     gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>     To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
>     https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
>     -----
>     Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>     You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
>