[GNC] Any resolution to the 'red flagged' transactions on batch import problem?

[Kalpesh Patel]

Hmm, I have not encountered red colored transaction that is very good match (case 2) in six plus years of importing both CSV and OFX/QFX files. I would have thought that it would set "C" and show green but I guess possibility is there for CSV import. Have you encountered as such in imports?

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Siegerman <pub08-gnc at davor.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 7:12 PM
To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
Subject: Re: [GNC] Any resolution to the 'red flagged' transactions on batch import problem?

On Wed, Aug 19, 2026 at 11:14:30AM -0400, Paul Kroitor wrote:
> I think what's confusing the issue here is the choice the developers 
> made to use red to denote this particular status (combination of 
> facts). It doesn't actually represent an error, and perhaps grey would 
> have been a clearer choice.

Agreed.  A red entry seems to mean either "very bad" or "very good":
  1. Very Bad:  GnuCash can't figure out how to proceed; thus, to be
     safe, it will do nothing.  You (the user) will have to figure it out

  2. Very Good: This new transaction is an exact match of an
     existing one, so there's nothing *to* do

Those situations have the same practical outcome -- GnuCash will make no changes in either case -- but the reasons for that outcome are diametrically opposite, in ways that the user very much cares about.

Also, in case (2), I want to see which txn(s) GnuCash decided this new one is an exact match for, so that I can double-check its work.  (Not sure, but I think I might have seen a false match once or twice.)

For case (2), what I'd love to see is:
  a. Colour: Green, or grey as Paul Kroitor suggests, or some
     other colour that doesn't scream "ERROR"
 
  b. "Info" column: maximum bars displayed, because it's an
     excellent match
 
  c. There should be a dropdown with the matching transction(s),
     as is done for good-but-not-perfect matches

  d. Action checkboxes: none checked (i.e. the current behaviour)

Note that the manual (https://gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-import.html,
Table 6.1) only describes case (1), with no mention of case (2):
    "Transaction has poor matches and no action was set: – Not to
    be imported.  Intervention required."

>From the user's point of view, a perfect match is a special case
of "good", but GnuCash basically treats it (and documents it) as a special case of "awful".  That's a confusing UI.

  - Eric