[GNC] Possible to Set and Save an Individual Register's Default Style?
Tom Route36
tom.route36 at gmail.com
Thu Dec 18 18:12:37 EST 2025
David T,
I think you're right. I misunderstood you. It looks like we're in
agreement on this. If GnuCash is saving the Column Widths, it should
also be saving the other settings as well. My main focus is on the
register's View Style (Basic vs. Transaction Journal). But it makes
sense to save the filtering and sorting as well.
In checking Bugzilla today, there was only one earlier bug/request that
seemed similar to this issue. It was Bug #168705 titled "RFE : ability
to set STICKY view style per account". The status of that bug is listed
as "Verified Incomplete"; but I didn't bother following up on it since
it was last modified back in August 2009. So I pretty much wrote that
off as ancient history.
Instead I submitted a new bug/request specific to the issue of a
register's View Style. I didn't include anything about filtering or
sorting; since Bugzilla's guidelines encourage keeping submissions to a
single topic. Anyway, my request today is Bug #799708 titled
"Register's View Style should be saved just like Column Widths". In
case you're interested, here's the text of what I wrote:
===============
When a user opens a register, the Column Widths can be adjusted. And
when the register is closed those adjusted Column Widths are saved in
the .gcm file. So when the user reopens that register the Column Widths
are exactly the same as how the user saved them when the register was
closed.
But if the user changes a register's View Style (e.g., from Basic Ledger
to Transaction Journal) that change is discarded and lost once the user
closes that register. The register view always reverts back to the
GnuCash Register Default Style.
The enhancement I would like to see is for the register's View Style to
be saved in the .gcm file along with the Column Widths whenever the
register is closed. Doing so will let the user set each register's View
Style individually as needed rather than being forced to use the Default
Style for all registers.
===============
Anyway, that's what I submitted. If you're interested in following up
on it, you can login to Bugzilla and add yourself to the Cc list.
Depending on what response I get, you might consider making your own
request regarding filtering and sorting.
Tom
On 12/17/2025 6:09 AM, sunfish62 at yahoo.com wrote:
> Tom,
>
> I think you've misunderstood me regarding the view style.
>
> I agree that *as long as a register remains opened*, the view is
> retained-- even if you close and reopen GnuCash. I very specifically
> noted that "once a register is closed" the view reverts to the default
> view when reopened. I think you will see what I'm getting at if you
> try setting a view style for a register, closing the register and then
> reopening it.
>
> This is in contradiction to the column width behavior, which is
> retained even when the register is closed and then reopened.
> Personally, I think this divergent behavior is incorrect.
>
> I do not intend to leave every account perpetually opened so that my
> view preferences are retained. With a couple hundred accounts, this
> would be terrible. I would much prefer to have the view setting saved.
>
> I think that if GnuCash is going to remember register settings in one
> aspect (column widths), it would be preferable for it to remember them
> for other aspects as well (view style, and [as my namesake has pointed
> out] view filter and sorting).
>
> David T.
> On Dec 17, 2025, at 11:44 AM, Tom Route36 <tom.route36 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> David T,
>
> You're only somewhat confused. You're absolutely correct about
> the Column Widths. When you change Column Widths, those changes
> persist without you having to do anything. Whether you close the
> register, or close GnuCash altogether, those changes to Column
> Widths will persist. The changes are updated in the gcm file as
> soon as you make them. And that's great for the Column Widths.
>
> And you're partially correct about the View Style. When you close
> a register, and then reopen it, the register always reverts back
> to whatever your Default View Style is. But there is one case
> where a register does keep the View Style that you've set for it.
> And that case is where you LEAVE THE REGISTER OPEN, and CLOSE
> GNUCASH WHILE THAT REGISTER REMAINS OPEN. In that case, when you
> reopen GnuCash that register will still have whatever View Style
> you set for it -- even if it's NOT the Default View.
>
> Please try testing that and let us know your results.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> You're also correct regarding the View Style.
>
> On 12/16/2025 9:53 PM, David T. via gnucash-user wrote:
>> So, now *I'm* confused. My tests show different results.
>>
>> Gnucash 5.13 (Nightly from 2025-12-10). Windows 11.
>>
>> When I change a register's *column widths*, the changes persist,
>> regardless. I do not have to do any File->Save/File->Quit
>> procedures. I can adjust the columns, close the window, close
>> Gnucash, restart Gnucash, and the column settings are preserved
>> for that account. I will note that changing just column widths
>> does not mark the file as dirty (i.e., requiring a save); the
>> column changes appear to be saved automatically. I will also say
>> that this is what I would hope for and expect to happen if I
>> adjust column widths for a register.
>>
>> On the other hand, when I change a register's *view style*, the
>> changes do not persist. Once the register is closed, it will open
>> in the default view mode the next time that register is opened. I
>> have seen no exceptions to this. It does not matter whether you
>> save the file, close the file and reopen it again with that
>> register open, or any other mechanism. Once you close the
>> register, it reopens in the default view style.
>>
>> Perhaps this is a Windows-only feature, or perhaps it is an
>> addition to one of the nightlies--but I most definitely do not
>> see the view style persist from one instance of the register to
>> the next.
>>
>> David T.
>>
>> On 12/17/2025 9:39 AM, David Carlson wrote:
>>> I am still confused. Whenever I want to save a register view
>>> aka 'style'
>>> and/or column widths for GnuCash in the particular window size
>>> on the
>>> display resolution that I am currently using, I simply leave the
>>> register
>>> set as desired and click File > Save, File > Quit. Once I have
>>> done that,
>>> it no longer matters if I close the register after the next
>>> re-start. The
>>> settings persist. Similarly for reports if I choose to leave
>>> them open
>>> rather than saving the settings under a custom report name, except
>>> those settings are lost if they weren't saved as a custom report.
>>>
>>> Further, somewhere in the middle of the 5.x series of releases
>>> the settings
>>> for registers with children started to persist independently if
>>> child
>>> accounts are included.
>>>
>>> While it is less convenient to close the program instead of
>>> clicking on an
>>> icon in order to update the dotGCM file, it works. However, this
>>> discussion makes it clear that there are several types of
>>> settings that a
>>> user may or may not want to make persistent, which is likely the
>>> reason
>>> that the developers have not programmed them already.
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 16, 2025 at 6:56 PM Kalpesh Patel
>>> <kalpesh.patel at usa.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> While sequencing it in certain order works to preserve the
>>>> setting which I
>>>> think is consequence of the sequencing, nonetheless it is not a
>>>> mechanism
>>>> by which settings can be saved persistently IMHO (I’m wearing
>>>> my developer
>>>> hat here). If they are truly settable and saved, then it should
>>>> persist
>>>> across anyway of GNC restart.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Having an account register open when closing GNC is anathema
>>>> for me – I
>>>> like nothing but COA pop open and go from there.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> From: Tom Route36 <tom.route36 at gmail.com>
>>>> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 9:27 PM
>>>> To: Kalpesh Patel <kalpesh.patel at usa.net>
>>>> Cc: 'Liz' <edodd at billiau.net>; gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>>>> Subject: Re: [GNC] Possible to Set and Save an Individual
>>>> Register's
>>>> Default Style?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Kalpesh,
>>>>
>>>> Actually, what I found was that the Register Style (just like
>>>> Column
>>>> Width) DOES persist across GnuCash restarts. That part does
>>>> work as
>>>> expected. What DOESN'T work is that only the Column Widths are
>>>> being saved
>>>> during the restart, and not the Register Style.
>>>>
>>>> If the Column Widths are being saved, why wouldn't that include
>>>> the
>>>> Register Style? It seems like a program bug (or maybe a
>>>> feature request?)
>>>> that could be fixed just by saving the current Style setting at
>>>> the same
>>>> time that the Column Widths are being saved.
>>>>
>>>> I'm still relatively new to GnuCash; but hasn't anyone else
>>>> commented on
>>>> this issue before?
>>>>
>>>> Tom
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 12/15/2025 6:38 PM, Kalpesh Patel wrote:
>>>>
>>>> That means there is not a way to save the Register Style and
>>>> persist across
>>>> GNC restarts., unlike column widths which persists across GNC
>>>> restarts.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Liz <mailto:edodd at billiau.net> <edodd at billiau.net>
>>>> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 7:37 PM
>>>> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org <mailto:gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
>>>> Subject: Re: [GNC] Possible to Set and Save an Individual
>>>> Register's
>>>> Default
>>>> Style?
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:11:15 -0600
>>>> David Carlson <mailto:david.carlson.417 at gmail.com> <
>>>> david.carlson.417 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Tom, you did it backwards. Leave the register open and close
>>>> GnuCash.
>>>> Then re-open Gnucash.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If you follow Tom's exact steps you will get Tom's result.
>>>>
>>>> I did.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Liz
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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