[GNC] Reports Options: Unexpected Behavior

[Old Sawmill]

I am a new GnuCash user, and I successfully exported more than 10,000
transactions in several hundred multi-level accounts from QuickBooks
and imported that dataset into GnuCash Version 5.5 (Build ID:
5.5+2023-12-16) running on Windows 11.

While applying GnuCash capabilities to this imported dataset, I
encountered an unexpected behavior with Reports Options, which I have
distilled into the scenario below (feel free to follow along with the
attached GnuCash data file and associated screenshots image):

1. The data file contains three accounts (MyBank, MyHiddenIncome, and
MyExpense), one $708.00 transaction between MyBank and MyHiddenIncome
(a hidden account), and one $666.00 transaction between MyBank and
MyExpense.

2. After opening the data file, go directly to the Reports menu and
select (the built-in) Income Statement, which creates an Income
Statement that shows $42.00 of net income, the expected difference
between $708.00 of income and $666.00 of expense.

3. Next, select Report Options, and select the General tab.  Note that
the dates are "Start of accounting period" and "End of accounting
period" (corresponding to the current calendar year).

4. Then, select the radio button for entering a custom Start Date, but
do not change that custom Start Date value.  Instead, just immediately
re-select the radio button for "Start of accounting period", and click
OK to apply and close the Options dialog.

5. Note that the Income Statement now shows a $666.00 net loss, merely
because of back-and-forth radio button changes on the Options/General
tab.


Now, I have come to understand what GnuCash is doing in this scenario
and in various real-world scenarios from which this scenario was
distilled.  So, I have just one question for the GnuCash Community:

Is the behavior that occurs in this scenario a Feature, or a Bug?

Dave
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