[GNC] column widths

Mon Aug 11 19:52:02 EDT 2025

Interestingly, I believe this issue has been brought up many times before.  Not sure the reason why it is what it is - but how about this for a suggestion:

Make the column widths independent completely (i.e., let someone make the width of each column whatever they want it to be WITHOUT effecting any of the other columns).  I'm thinking about Excel and how it handles it.  Allow for the user to resize the column anyway they want - and manually (i.e., enter is the column width they want by inches, cms, or pixels - which is what Excel does.)

This has probably been suggested before - and, without beating a dead horse - it has probably been investigated and been decided it is too difficult to do.  I totally understand that.  Therefore, I will mention it as a nice to have - and if it cannot be done - live with what we have.  But it doesn't hurt to at least bring it to the table once again.

Incidentally, regardless of this small shortfall, the program is still the best of bread for it's type and area!   Thanks to all the hard work of the developers who keep it going strong.

Ken

________________________________
From: gnucash-user <gnucash-user-bounces+pyz01=outlook.com at gnucash.org> on behalf of Stan Brown (using GC 4.14) <stan+gc at fastmail.fm>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2025 4:38 PM
To: arthur brogard <abrogard at yahoo.com>
Cc: GnuCash User List <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
Subject: Re: [GNC] column widths

Arthur, I'm sorry you're having trouble. With the size of the
Description field, you're far from alone, which is why it's in the FAQ.

It may help you to think of it this way:

Theorem: The width of the description field is the width of the window,
mins the widths of all the other columns.

Corollary: To resize the Description field without affecting anything
else, resize your GnuCash window.

Corollary: If you increase/decrease the width of any other field, the
Description field shrinks/grows by that same amount.

Stan Brown
Tehachapi, CA, USA
https://BrownMath.com

On 2025-08-11 16:06, arthur brogard via gnucash-user wrote:
> Thank you for that.  I should have stated that I'd seen the manual instructions and they don't work for me.To me it appears the whole problem is that the Description does NOT resize to fit.If it did all would be well.The 'instruction' itself contains a contradiction I think.  If the Description resizes then we don't need to size everything else first, as it suggests and the resize Description do we?  Resizing everything else would  be suffice.  Description looking after itself.Or, to put it another way:  rezing Description is as easy as resizing anything else: for whatever you resize leads to an immediate alteration in Description size.But that IS the problem.Such actions do not lead to an alteration in Description size.  Not on my computer,  this (win10) computer.Resizing something else to make it bigger, say,  leads to the overall dimensions of the page being bigger than the screen.Making something smaller leaves one with a column smaller than it should be, than is useful, and now I'm faced with the problems of making it big again.For instance right now.  I have a page that is somewhat larger than the screen - the slider shows perhaps one inch available on the right.I make the overall page smaller using the left of the date column and now I have three inches on the slider.I put it back where it was and attempt to make  more room for the date.  Exaggerate it to four inches for the date.  Does Description shrink to accommodate this?  No. The slider simply shows I have now four inches available on the rights.I want  more room in Transfers?  I expand Transfers using the side away from Description to avoid the uncertainty of its operation and suddenly I've got  more 'hidden space' on the left.  The slider showing room on the left.I go back and reduce that Date I exanded earlier and - suddenly BAM !  It's all okay.That's where it is now  I won't touch it again.How it happened, what the procedure, the rationale is,  I don't know.Best I can come up with is:  fidget and fidget but don't use the bounds of Description and suddenly it will come right when its ready.So all's well that ends well.  That appears to have ended well.    :)
>
>
>    On Monday 11 August 2025 at 10:36:22 pm ACST, sunfish62 at yahoo.com <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  Specifically: https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-guide/basics-running-gnucash.html#basics-register2
>
> ⁣David T.
>
> On Aug 11, 2025, 8:59 AM, at 8:59 AM, sunfish62--- via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
>> This is covered in the Guide.
>>
>> ⁣David T.
>>
>> On Aug 11, 2025, 2:34 AM, at 2:34 AM, arthur brogard via gnucash-user
>> <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
>>> On my ledger pages the description column  takes up 75% of the room
>> and
>>> I don't seem to be able to change it.I can move the right border okay
>>> but it just snaps back when I let go.Moving the left border is fine
>> but
>>> that just makes the num field big and pushes everything on the right
>>> off screen...Is it possible to control this..  ?
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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.

_______________________________________________
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.