Re: [GNC] gnucash-user Digest, Vol 226, Issue 69
Peter, First could you please respond to the individual meassages or if you do respond to the digest please change the subject in your reply to that of the message you are responding to in the digest. The digest is a summary of a day's posts and contains posts from multiple threads and we don't know which one you are responding to and the digest itself does not appear to get posted to the mail archive. Not everyone uses Sqlite or even the DBMS backend. Many of us use the XML version with no problems, particularly for personal finances where it is low volume. On Linux (Mint 20.2) closing using Window close X (upper right) does invoke a dialog (which may be an OS feature and not necessarily programmed in the GnuCash code explicitly- not sure about that) which allows you to cancel the close dialog then save the data before closing. On LM File->Quit invokes a dialog prompting you to save data, as does using the Window X close, if there is any unsaved transaction data (Save button on toolbar not grayed out). Again not sure about other Linux distributions and or other OS. The lock file is always removed if I exit cleanly using the File->Quit procedure. The presence of the .LCK file can always be overridden on strtup if it is still present and you are sure there is not another instance of GnuCash which might have GnuCash open. I can open any of my data files from any of three computers on my LAN (and externally where a computer has been granted access to my Dropbox account where I store the data files). I personally don't rely on GnuCash automatically having saved data before exiting the program and forcible Save before exiting as a matter of habit after each data import or data entry session. I have only very occasionally lost a transaction or two (or a single import) when another program crashes the system while GnuCash has been running in the background. AFAIK the recommended procedure is to use the File->Quit menu entry to exit the program (File->Close from the menu closes open register tabs and not the program). David Cousens On Sun, 2022-01-23 at 10:28 +0800, Peter wrote: > I would like to thank all those who has responded to my initial email > about a possible error on exiting from gnucash while using XML > My next question has anybody been able to verify my observed problem? > As I said it is an interesting problem to me at least. As it happens I > have found the same issue in Linux(Ubantu). > > Last Friday I was talking to a colleague about this issue of how I found > a possible issue with the closing of gnucash while using XML. > We wondered if it would evolve into why are we using XML and not like > the rest of the world that use SQLite. How old fashion can we be? > > Unlike the vast majority of folks that have replied with it seems with > the possible exception John Layman - I make mistakes. > I also share John's thoughts on RDBMS and XML. For the size of my > database XML is just fine. > > I think the first course on RDBMS I did was some 30 years ago. Since > then my field experience with customers that ran RDBMS. > Some did snapshots others didn't Most of them had no idea how to restore > if they had a problem. I think I would still be correct. > This is like Apple approach to fixing a problem - bring out a new model > and dazzle everyone. Then the problem will go away. > > I don't really care if the issue is fixed, I really don't. It would seem > that there is this product called gnucash that has a problem if you use XML. > > My last question if this is known and everybody uses SQLite then why > don't change the documentation as to reflect the problem and then on > release 5 remove the support for XML? > As I said that's the Apple solution. > > Lastly I also think that the folks that are developing gnuscah do a > wonderful job and thank them whole heartedly. > > > On 23/01/2022 01:00, gnucash-user-requ...@gnucash.org wrote: > > Send gnucash-user mailing list submissions to > > gnucash-user@gnucash.org > > > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > > gnucash-user-requ...@gnucash.org > > > > You can reach the person managing the list at > > gnucash-user-ow...@gnucash.org > > > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > > than "Re: Contents of gnucash-user digest..." > > > > Today's Topics: > > > > 1. Re: Exiting gnucash Lock file Vol 226, Issue 57 (John Layman) > > 2. Re: Split transaction (Liz) > > 3. Re: Split transaction (David Carlson) > > 4. Re: Split transaction (David Carlson) > > 5. Re: Split transaction (Michael or Penny Novack) > > > > ___ > > > > gnucash-user mailing list > > gnucash-user@gnucash.org > > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > > https://lists.gnucash
Re: [GNC] gnucash-user Digest, Vol 226, Issue 69
I would like to thank all those who has responded to my initial email about a possible error on exiting from gnucash while using XML My next question has anybody been able to verify my observed problem? As I said it is an interesting problem to me at least. As it happens I have found the same issue in Linux(Ubantu). Last Friday I was talking to a colleague about this issue of how I found a possible issue with the closing of gnucash while using XML. We wondered if it would evolve into why are we using XML and not like the rest of the world that use SQLite. How old fashion can we be? Unlike the vast majority of folks that have replied with it seems with the possible exception John Layman - I make mistakes. I also share John's thoughts on RDBMS and XML. For the size of my database XML is just fine. I think the first course on RDBMS I did was some 30 years ago. Since then my field experience with customers that ran RDBMS. Some did snapshots others didn't Most of them had no idea how to restore if they had a problem. I think I would still be correct. This is like Apple approach to fixing a problem - bring out a new model and dazzle everyone. Then the problem will go away. I don't really care if the issue is fixed, I really don't. It would seem that there is this product called gnucash that has a problem if you use XML. My last question if this is known and everybody uses SQLite then why don't change the documentation as to reflect the problem and then on release 5 remove the support for XML? As I said that's the Apple solution. Lastly I also think that the folks that are developing gnuscah do a wonderful job and thank them whole heartedly. On 23/01/2022 01:00, gnucash-user-requ...@gnucash.org wrote: Send gnucash-user mailing list submissions to gnucash-user@gnucash.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to gnucash-user-requ...@gnucash.org You can reach the person managing the list at gnucash-user-ow...@gnucash.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of gnucash-user digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Exiting gnucash Lock file Vol 226, Issue 57 (John Layman) 2. Re: Split transaction (Liz) 3. Re: Split transaction (David Carlson) 4. Re: Split transaction (David Carlson) 5. Re: Split transaction (Michael or Penny Novack) ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - 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@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Report Options - Closing Entries Pattern
On Sat, 22 Jan 2022 13:34:10 -0500 Louise wrote: > I like > to keep one file with multiple bank accounts and businesses together. > So, I wanted to use @bookkeeping, @rental and @personal etc in the > description field to be able to pull a P&L and filter only to show > transactions with @bookkeeping or @rental in the description. Then I > would be able to separate a P&L for each rental or business. I keep several sets of books. It makes it much easier for my accountant. I have to pay for their services by the hour, so having my information close to what they want to see helps with that. Think about selling one of the rental properties. You want to be able to produce accounts showing what you really paid on upkeep and the true income. A P&L report is just a summary and your purchaser might want more details. You would not want them to know how much cash you had in the bank, nor what other businesses you operate. Such information could change the price offered. Your tax rules may be clear on separate accounts. I need to show separate bank accounts and separate accounting. Liz ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Exiting gnucash Lock file Vol 226, Issue 57
Hello, It's been quite a while since I have chimed in here. At the risk of going off-topic for a moment, I'd like to start by expressing my gratitude to the entire team that develops and maintains GnuCash. I switched from Quicken on 1/1/2020 and have never looked back. I started with GnuCash 2.8, then a few months ago I upgraded to a more recent release. The feature that got added to allow me to type any part of an account name when entering splits has been a game-changer for me and has made me so much more efficient. So consider this a belated thank you just for that! Back to the topic at hand, I actually have been running MySQL as the data store for the past two years. I agree wholeheartedly that it's not for the user who is not well seasoned with the setup and care of an RDMS. I have twice had to deal with the server instance randomly not wanting to start and ended up having to reinstall the server. On the other hand, I also do a lot of my own custom reporting and analytics from MS Access, and the performance that the MySQL back-end is providing me is pretty impressive. I too have danced with the devil (a.k.a. "voided the warranty") by doing selective data updates. I am mostly on Windows and as far as I can tell the Python bindings were not an option for me like they might be on Linux? Regardless, I tend to mostly update transaction descriptions (or notes or memos, I always get the 3 confused) values to implement my homegrown naming rules. On occasion, I'll manually clean up funky data -- such as a bunch of splits that have no $ value. I only do these updates when the GnuCash app is closed. I learned pretty quickly to stay away from anything that the GnuCash application is actually managing in memory such as the budget data. I work on back-end database systems for a living and am used to having to figure out the *rules* and logic that I may wish were in the DB layer but are not. The ability to get any the raw data store when and how I want is one thing that makes GnuCash so appealing to me vs a product like Quickbooks which basically abstracts everything (and can be painfully slow to boot). One thing that I have never been able to figure out is if I leave the regular GnuCash application running for a few hours when I return to my PC and try to do anything it will tell me "Unable to Save to Database" and I then must exit GnuCash and restart it to clear that error. Thank You once again for everything! On Fri, Jan 21, 2022 at 11:44 AM john wrote: > Very few users will be able to manage a MySQL database server safely. > Fortunately GnuCash provides a SQLite3 backend that doesn't require any > database admin skills. The only caveat is that unlike XML it doesn't write > a fresh file every session so you need to arrange backups on your own; the > OS's built-in snapshotting facility (rather grandly named Time Machine on > macOS and simply Windows Backup on Windows) is good for this, just make > sure that your GnuCash data folder is included in its list of things to > back up. > > Regards, > John Ralls > > > > On Jan 21, 2022, at 6:45 AM, Thomas Forrester > wrote: > > > > Seems like a lot of work. No doubt you're finding interesting anomalies, > > but... > > > > Rather than using xml data files, which have always seemed odd to me (a > la, > > this thread), if you use a MySQL database instead, all saves are > automatic > > and completely bypass the need for all this testing. You still have to > > save each transaction, or edits to a transaction (Enter key), but > otherwise > > you can freely close the program without any worries about loosing data, > > and there is no save prompt on the way out. I've run with a MySQL > database > > from the start without any problems at all. Just a thought, and I > > recognize some may have reasons not to choose that path, although I'm not > > sure what they would be. > > > > On Thu, Jan 20, 2022, 11:22 PM Peter wrote: > > > >> John, > >> Well yes it did terminate or close. > >> gnucash was closed and was then reopened without any reported issue. > >> Other than it failed to save the changes and delete the lock file. > >> Maybe if you could tell me how to confirm it closed or terminated > >> correctly, I will go and test and see what happens. > >> This issue I noted in Test#2 was actually caused by me not following > my > >> own test process. > >> > >> On 21/01/2022 04:48, John Layman wrote: > >> > >> The test cases that appear to have failed aren't conclusive, however, > >> without co > >> nfirming that GnuCash had actually terminated, and terminated normally. > >> > >> -Original Message- > >> From: gnucash-user [1] >> ieee@gnucash.org> On > >> Behalf Of Peter > >> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2022 9:39 AM > >> To: [2]gnucash-user@gnucash.org > >> Subject: Re: [GNC] Exiting gnucash Lock file Vol 226, Issue 57 > >> > >> Here is the testing methods I used to verify the issue I have noted. > >> > >> Selected a known small good gnucash
Re: [GNC] Report Options - Closing Entries Pattern
HI, On Sat, January 22, 2022 1:34 pm, Louise wrote: > I'm trying to set up a sort of classes in Gnucash like Quickbooks. I like > to keep one file with multiple bank accounts and businesses together. So, > I wanted to use @bookkeeping, @rental and @personal etc in the description > field to be able to pull a P&L and filter only to show transactions > with @bookkeeping or @rental in the description. Then I would be able to > separate a P&L for each rental or business. > > My issue is that I'm trying to use Options > Entries > Closing Entries > Pattern to filter a P&L. When I put @bookeeping in the field it is > showing > me exactly the opposite. I get totals of everything that does NOT > have @bookeeping in the description field. I'm having a hard time finding > any documentation on how to use the closing entries pattern to help filter > a report. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way? Any help is > appreciated! Yes, I think you are going about this the wrong way. The "Closing Pattern" option is how you tell GnuCash what to look for in the Close Book transactions. When you run Tools -> Close Books, it creates a closing transaction to move all your value from Income/Expense to Equity. However, when you run a report, you need to "ignore" those transactions. Hense, you use the option to tell GnuCash how to find those transactions to ignore... And this is why you're seeing the "opposite" of what you want. GnuCash does not have Classes, and really there is no good way to replicate that behavior. However, I question why you are including Business and Personal transactions in one set of books? Note that there are SOME filtering options you can use within, e.g., the transaction report.. But the MAIN reports (P&L, BS, etc) do not have those same features. Good Luck, > Thanks, > > Louise > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. -derek -- Derek Atkins 617-623-3745 de...@ihtfp.com www.ihtfp.com Computer and Internet Security Consultant ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
[GNC] Report Options - Closing Entries Pattern
I'm trying to set up a sort of classes in Gnucash like Quickbooks. I like to keep one file with multiple bank accounts and businesses together. So, I wanted to use @bookkeeping, @rental and @personal etc in the description field to be able to pull a P&L and filter only to show transactions with @bookkeeping or @rental in the description. Then I would be able to separate a P&L for each rental or business. My issue is that I'm trying to use Options > Entries > Closing Entries Pattern to filter a P&L. When I put @bookeeping in the field it is showing me exactly the opposite. I get totals of everything that does NOT have @bookeeping in the description field. I'm having a hard time finding any documentation on how to use the closing entries pattern to help filter a report. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way? Any help is appreciated! Thanks, Louise ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Split transaction
On 1/22/2022 9:05 AM, David Carlson wrote: Heidi, One day last month you went to the grocery store and bought $200.00 worth of groceries, paying for them with your credit card. Another day you went to the furniture store and bought two chairs, paying with your credit card. Those two separate transactions would be recorded between your credit card liability account and your grocery expense account and your furniture expense account in transactions dated on the days that you made those purchases. Then at the end of the month you paid your credit card bill from your bank account. That was a different transaction, but it was simply a payment to the credit card company. Just keep each transaction separate in Gnucash, like you did in real life. Then those other suggestions will make more sense. This is correct. When you bought the X that was one transaction, in which you paid for X by assuming a liability on that date. When you later pay some (or all) of your credit card liability that is simply a reduction of current assets and a reduction of the liability (they are on opposite sides) on some different date. The only reason I am posting this "addition" to the correct answers you have already received is that it works the other way around too. When you receive a check for Y you enter that transaction THEN (as of that date), perhaps against an account named "undeposited checks". When you later get around to depositing checks for Y and Z, etc. that is again a simple transaction (not a split) debiting "bank account" and crediting "undpeosited". The money is yours when you get the check, not only later when you get around to depositing it. If what we are telling you seems strange, stop for a moment and think about how a credit card works. Suppose you didn't pay the balance off, only the minimum due. The way you were trying to do it, it might be LONG time before you saw the expense for "food" (what you charged THIS month at the grocery store). That would be clearly wrong. Might I suggest that you are perhaps looking for OTHER (different) information, what is known as "cash flow". Don't worry, even though you keep your books correctly (the way we are telling you to enter these transactions) gnucash can produce a report on that too. What is important is to realize that these are different. You can be in a good financial condition for the long term (income > expenses) but in trouble with "cash flow" in the short term or vice versa (you have cash in hand to pay bills as they come due but because income < expenses your liabilities keep growing). Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Split transaction
Heidi, One day last month you went to the grocery store and bought $200.00 worth of groceries, paying for them with your credit card. Another day you went to the furniture store and bought two chairs, paying with your credit card. Those two separate transactions would be recorded between your credit card liability account and your grocery expense account and your furniture expense account in transactions dated on the days that you made those purchases. Then at the end of the month you paid your credit card bill from your bank account. That was a different transaction, but it was simply a payment to the credit card company. Just keep each transaction separate in Gnucash, like you did in real life. Then those other suggestions will make more sense. On Sat, Jan 22, 2022 at 4:56 AM Liz wrote: > On Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:16:35 -0800 > "Stephen M. Butler" wrote: > > > Heidi, > > > > Also, this sounds like a credit card being used for several purchases > > throughout the month. In which case it is better to record the > > individual purchases as they occur. Or, download the individual > > lines to import. > > > > In that case, you will have a Liability:Credit Card:nameofcc account > > against which all the transactions will post with the other side of > > the post (the other split) being the relevant expense account. > > > > When you pay the credit card off, you record the payment against the > > checking account on the one side and the Liability account on the > > other. > > > > Otherwise, if you have a lot of purchases throughout the month there > > would be one humongous transaction with gobs of splits and you would > > lose the date for each purchase. > > This is the best way to proceed, once you have followed David Cousen's > suggestion and read the tutorial and concepts guide. > > Liz > ___ > gnucash-user mailing list > gnucash-user@gnucash.org > To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see > https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. > - > Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. > You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > -- David Carlson ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Split transaction
On Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:16:35 -0800 "Stephen M. Butler" wrote: > Heidi, > > Also, this sounds like a credit card being used for several purchases > throughout the month. In which case it is better to record the > individual purchases as they occur. Or, download the individual > lines to import. > > In that case, you will have a Liability:Credit Card:nameofcc account > against which all the transactions will post with the other side of > the post (the other split) being the relevant expense account. > > When you pay the credit card off, you record the payment against the > checking account on the one side and the Liability account on the > other. > > Otherwise, if you have a lot of purchases throughout the month there > would be one humongous transaction with gobs of splits and you would > lose the date for each purchase. This is the best way to proceed, once you have followed David Cousen's suggestion and read the tutorial and concepts guide. Liz ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
