[GNC] Problem with losing personal limits on transfer choices [was: Re: MacBook Pro problems]

[Jim DeLaHunt]

Welcome to the GnuCash-user email list, Grant!

On 2023-08-18 12:20, Grant Neie via gnucash-user wrote:
> I have been a GnuCash user for years using various Windows devices, but have recently started using a MacBook Pro and have experienced several problems....

You don't explicitly ask for help solving these problems. Are you 
looking for solutions, or are you just reporting your experiences for 
the list's information?

In either case, with your experience using computers I'm sure you will 
know that some key information will help clarify your reports. What 
version of GnuCash did you use on Windows?  What version are you using 
now, on MacOS? How did you transfer your data from the old computer to 
the new?

>   The initial installation did not allow personal limits of transfer choices so that I waste a lot of time scrolling through a long list unless I remember the exact choice to manually enter it. I am a simple user and have no need of the plethora of choices.

I am not sure what you mean by "transfer choices", or "personal limits" 
of transfer choices.  Where do these transfer choices come into play?  
Do you mean, when you are entering a transaction, and you click in the 
column for the other account in the transaction, the list of possible 
account names which appear as a pop-up menu? If so, I would call that 
the "account selection list". Are you familiar with the option to type 
parts of the account names, and the ":" which separates account names, 
to winnow this list?

And, where do you recall setting limits on these transfer choices? Was 
it perhaps part of the preferences of the GnuCash app?  In that case, 
finding the exact UI pane where you set these choices would help you use 
the terminology that will point others to the feature.

If the limits are indeed part of your personal user preferences, then 
maybe none of your personal preferences got migrated from your Windows 
computer to your Mac when you transferred your book file. If that is the 
case, then there is a page on the GnuCash wiki about how to migrate all 
of your preferences, reports, customisations, etc. from one computer to 
another. That information might help you.

> ...Secondly, the totals listed for some of the accounts in the summary window are much higher than what the actual account has for the last entry’s running total....

Another tip for getting good results from an email list like this is to 
limit each discussion thread to one topic. It looks like you are 
encountering two different problems. I suggest raising this second 
problem in a separate email thread, with a second (and descriptive) 
Subject: line.

> .... Here now, I am confused as to why GnuCash programmers don’t let me keep it simple, but, like a lot of programs now, insist on loading the system down with controls that seem to be making the choices for me....

Finally, please don't blame the GnuCash programmers for trying to load 
your system down and to make choices for you. Believe me, they have 
nothing against you personally. They are volunteers, writing complex 
software which you are free to use without paying for it. They implement 
features which empower a range of users, not just you, to get a variety 
of work done. And, when there is complexity, there is often a path 
through the complexity… but it is up to us users to read the 
documentation and educate ourselves about how to find that path.

And, if you want software with fewer capabilities which does what you 
want more simply, you are welcome to make it happen. The source code of 
GnuCash is freely available to you. You can learn how to program that 
code, modify the application, and make your own variant which keeps 
things simple for you. Of course, modifying an application like GnuCash 
is hard work. Aren't we grateful to the skilled people who do that work 
for us, for free?

Best regards,
     —Jim DeLaHunt