[GNC] New Australian user questions
Geoff
cleanoutmyshed at gmail.com
Mon Sep 9 20:53:02 EDT 2024
Hi Megan
Welcome to the wonderful world of GnuCash! IMHO it will certainly
deliver what you are seeking, once you have made the mindshift leap to
double entry book keeping :--))
Further to Stephen M. Butler's excellent response, here are some
additional answers.
> Question 1: how do I uninstall all of this stuff?
Open the Windows Control Panel, navigate to "Programs and Features",
scroll to find GnuCash, right click and select "Uninstall" - see
attached screenshot: gnc_uninstall.jpg
> Question 2: What else do I have to do?
When you have uninstalled both GnuCash and Strawberry Perl, reinstall them.
> Question 3: Can I not just reinstall over top of what I have already
> done?
Yes you can.
> Question 10: how often do I need to update my GC install?
It is entirely up to you. Some people like to always be on the very
latest release, others prefer to minimise change in their IT lives.
Things to consider before upgrading:
* Does the new release have useful features?
* Does the new release fix annoying bugs?
* Has the new release introduced any new bugs?
> am I notified of a new release or do I just watch this channel?
If you are subscribed to this mailing list you will be notified of new
releases, otherwise check the GnuCash News from time to time:
https://gnucash.org/news.phtml
> Question 11: how often do I need to update Strawberry Perl?
Rarely. Current release is 5.40.1, I am still running 5.30.1 from 2019.
> and where do I find that?
https://strawberryperl.com/
> Question 12: do I need to anything else regularly with respect to GC
No, just make sure you backup your data regularly and securely.
> and the 'subroutines' used within it (F::Q, etc.)?
Yes, because Finance::Quote obtains its data from a myriad of third
party web sites and APIs, whenever these sources change, Finance::Quote
may stop working. We are then reliant on volunteers with the necessary
skills to donate their time to troubleshoot the problem, come up with a
fix, and release a new version of Finance::Quote. There is usually
discussion on this mailing list when such an event occurs.
See also https://finance-quote.sourceforge.net/
> Question 13: how is the update process managed? How do you do an
> update to GC? Download and run a new version?
Correct:
https://gnucash.org/download.phtml
https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Installation
There is generally no need to uninstall before upgrading.
Note that if you are upgrading from a very old version, it may be
necessary to do a series of incremental upgrades, for example from 3.x
to 4.x to 5.x.
> As I was hoping to initiate the automatic updates for Banking
> balances, stock prices and currency rates,
For prices of securities that are listed on the ASX, I have found the
"Australia (ASX, ...)" quote source to be reliable - see attached
screenshot: gnc_security_editor.jpg
Finally, I concur with Stephen's advice re PayPal:
> But first, do you really need to handle the exchange rates into those
> other currencies? If there is no balance kept in Paypal and it handles
> all the currency conversion why not just record everything in AUD?
Keep things simple to start with, you can always venture into multiple
currencies down the track.
Hope this helps, let us know if you require any further assistance, and
be sure to reply to this mailing list at: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
Geoff
=====
On 8/09/2024 1:40 pm, Megan Tilley wrote:
> Hi everyone!
>
> You all appear to have a good handle on GnuCash, but I am a brand newbie!!!
>
> My environment is:
> Local Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
> Exchange Rates required for:
> == USD
> == GBP (UK)
> == EUR
> == SEK (Sweden)
> - and are usually purchases that I pass through Paypal (no balance in
> Paypal, at all) => buy with AUD and currency conversion made by Paypal into
> seller's currency
> All my investments are AUD
>
> Computer info:
> --- Windows 10 Home version x64-based PC 10.0.19045 Build 19045
> --- apparently Strawberry Perl (5.40.0.1-64bit)
> --- apparently GnuCash Version: 5.6 Build ID: 5.6+(2024-03-30)
> --- and while "Finance::Quote: " appears in my "About GnuCash" help window,
> I can not see the version
>
> I downloaded the "gnucash-5.8.setup" installation executable from the
> Windows component (https://www.gnucash.org/download.phtml).
>
> As I was hoping to initiate the automatic updates for Banking balances,
> stock prices and currency rates, I followed the instructions and ran the
> AqBanking Setup, but nothing happened as I could not get the Help button to
> operate in GC === terminology between the US and Australia is significantly
> different so I could not figure out the corollaries between my
> understanding of Australian banking terms and what appears in the AqBanking
> window (Ids and Bank Codes, etc.)
>
> I moved on to Finance::Quote (F::Q) and followed the instructions to set up
> Quote Retrieval (
> https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/finance-quote.html) in the
> "Procedure 11.3. On Windows" the instructions stated to "run the program
> Install Online Price Retrieval for GnuCash" which I found in my
> installation data under "C:\Program Files
> (x86)\gnucash\bin\install-fq-mods.cmd".
>
> Guidelines indicated a long installation process: 20-30 mins. The first run
> took 45 mins and did not work at all as I interrupted it. The second run
> took 55 mins and terminated with a 'success' message but when I ran the
> module within GC I received a "finance::quote not installed properly"
> message. Apparently I have to uninstall and reinstall the entire package...
>
>
> Question 1: how do I uninstall all of this stuff?
> Question 2: What else do I have to do?
> Question 3: Can I not just reinstall over top of what I have already done?
>
>
> I have used Quicken and Quicken Home & Business for over 25 years, so I am
> very used to that data structure. I spend something and one account goes
> down in value and I acquire an asset - a coat, for example.
> I understand that GC is a double-entry bookkeeping program, each
> transaction has an accompanying transaction in another account. However, I
> am very unsure where in the account register the transaction should be put
> to "buy" the coat = in Quicken it is a Debit (out of my pocket) in the
> Debit column of the Banking account.
>
>
> Question 4: Which perspective should I adopt when looking at a transaction?
> I stand in my account and pay out using the Debit column, or I stand in the
> Coat account and use the debit column (correspondingly, the bank account is
> the credit column)?
>
>
> Further to this last, as I said, I use Paypal as a pass through conversion
> channel- my Aussie bank account is used to pay for an item in a US market
> (NOT an investment/shares/stocks) - say, a 'Reference Book'. I know that I
> have to have 3 entries in a transaction: origin (Aussie Bank account), into
> Paypal as AUD, conversion by Paypal to USD, payment to US company for my
> 'Reference Book'. Referring to Question 4 :-
>
>
> Question 5: which of the columns in the transaction should host my Aussie
> bank? Debit column or Credit Column?
> Question 6: which of the columns should reflect AUD into Paypal?
> Question 7: which of the columns should reflect USD from Paypal to the Book
> company?
> Question 8: which of the columns should reflect the Book company receiving
> my USD?
> Question 9: should I bypass Paypal completely and just use my bank account
> and the Book company?
>
>
> Question 10: how often do I need to update my GC install? - am I notified
> of a new release or do I just watch this channel?
> Question 11: how often do I need to update Strawberry Perl? and where do I
> find that?
> Question 12: do I need to anything else regularly with respect to GC and
> the 'subroutines' used within it (F::Q, etc.)?
> Question 13: how is the update process managed? How do you do an update to
> GC? Download and run a new version?
>
> Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this...
>
> Megan in Sydney, Australia
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