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Bug 149241 - Use Split Memo instead of Txn Desc with multiple splits in one acct.
Use Split Memo instead of Txn Desc with multiple splits in one acct.
Status: RESOLVED OBSOLETE
Product: GnuCash
Classification: Other
Component: Register
unspecified
Other Linux
: Normal enhancement
: ---
Assigned To: David Hampton
Chris Shoemaker
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
 
Reported: 2004-08-04 05:39 UTC by Duaine Hechler
Modified: 2018-06-29 20:45 UTC
See Also:
GNOME target: ---
GNOME version: ---


Attachments
Liabilities (581.13 KB, image/jpeg)
2004-08-17 14:23 UTC, Duaine Hechler
Details
Cost Of Goods Sold (576.51 KB, image/jpeg)
2004-08-17 14:24 UTC, Duaine Hechler
Details
Impossible to tell these splits apart (26.81 KB, image/png)
2010-01-05 09:47 UTC, Matthijs Kooijman
Details

Description Duaine Hechler 2004-08-04 05:39:11 UTC
When I enter a split line transaction in the ledger, the split items have a
separate line a comment which is ok. But when I go to the ledger that the line
items are in, only the main line is displayed - not the split line comments.

Example:

Liabilities/Accounts Payable
date     Shaff Piano Supply                                    charge   balance
         387-128 - PVC-E glue      costofgoodssold     payment
         1407 - Protek             costosgoodssold     payment
                                   liabilities:AP               charge

costofgoodssold
date      Shaff Piano Supply        -- split transaction         exp     balance
date      Shaff Piano Supply        -- split transaction         exp     balance

*** Shouldn't it read **

costofgoodssold
date      387-128 - PVC-E glue      -- split transaction         exp     balance
date      1407 - Protek             -- split transaction         exp     balance

------------------

This way everyone can benefit by seeing what was ordered and using this as a way
of tracking inventory.

Thanks,
Duaine
Comment 1 Derek Atkins 2004-08-04 20:45:21 UTC
No.  The "-- split transaction" implies you have multiple splits.  If you want
to see them, you need to expand the basic register to either an auto-split or
journal style to see the splits.

This sounds like bug #105797.
Comment 2 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-04 22:30:52 UTC
I know how to use the split transaction. What I mean is that the split
transaction should show the split transaction desc instead of the main
transaction desc over and over.

In the example, every split transaction, in the costofgoodsold, currently shows
Shaff Piano Supply for each split, instead of showing, 378-128 ... glue and 1407
- protek which is the real split trans desc.

I hope this is clearer
Comment 3 Derek Atkins 2004-08-05 17:58:50 UTC
wait -- are you talking about the results of an invoice???

A transaction has a single transaction description.  A basic ledger ALWAYS shows
the transaction description.  It does not automatically detect if you have a
split transaction with multiple splits in the same account (like you may get
with a posted invoice).  Is this what you mean?

Looking back at your example, where you're using AP, it looks like you might
actually mean this..  So.. You are correct that it doesn't handle this correctly
because the register is displaying "splits" not "transactions" and doesn't
actually understand that multiple splits actually refer to the same transaction.

I've fixed the summary to be more clear.  Feel free to adjust if you believe it
is not accurate.
Comment 4 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-06 02:35:11 UTC
The AP is showing the transaction corretly. 

The COGS is not showing the same split desc, that the AP split shows. 

Shouldn't the COGS splits show the same descs as the AP splits ?
Comment 5 Derek Atkins 2004-08-06 03:21:00 UTC
AP is only showing it "correctly" when you expand the splits in the transaction,
or turn on Auto-split or Journal mode.  So I disbelieve that AP is showing the
transaction "correctly"..  AP and COGS would both show the same Transaction
Description.

Let me state this again:  In Basic Ledger Mode, the register shows the
Tranasction Description.  It never shows the Split Memo.  The only time you see
the Split Memo is when you expand the transaction via the "split button",
auto-split mode, or journal mode.
Comment 6 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-06 04:43:30 UTC
I totally agree. Except that I'm looking for the COGS split entries to show the
memo that I typed in on the AP trans. Currently, the COGS split entries are
showing the main trans memo.
Comment 7 Derek Atkins 2004-08-06 05:07:18 UTC
This is a posted Vendor Bill?

The Vendor->Bill interface will put the Vendor name into the Transaction
Description and your "Post Description" in each memo.  The line-item
descriptions in the vendor bill are not stored in the transaction.

Looking at the transaction, however, it's unlikely this was an auto-posted
transaction -- the business features would have combined the entries into a
single split.  So, if this was a manually entered transaction then it's STILL
behaving correctly because, as I said, it's showing each split as if it were a
single transaction (not realizing that it's the same transaction).

What's your register style?
What happens if you click on the "split" button?

Could you take a couple of screen shots and attach them here?
Comment 8 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-17 14:23:34 UTC
Created attachment 30656 [details]
Liabilities
Comment 9 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-17 14:24:45 UTC
Created attachment 30657 [details]
Cost Of Goods Sold
Comment 10 Duaine Hechler 2004-08-17 14:25:56 UTC
I don't know how to take computer screen shots, however I took camera shots
which I hope are clear enough to show what I'm doing.

The first picture is Liabilities:Accounts Payable:Credit Card(USB) with the
Split button on and style of basic ledger

The second picture is Cost of Goods Sold:Materials and Supplies with no Split
button on and style of basic ledger.

If there is a way the capture the screen, please let me know.
Comment 11 Derek Atkins 2004-08-17 16:29:05 UTC
Thanks, these definitely show what I thought they would, and my analysis above
is correct.  When you have a multi-split transaction where multiple splits are
in the same account then that account view shows each "split" as a separate
transaction.

I think it's clear what you want now, so I'll leave this open for one of the
devs to decide to implement it.  I don't see a straightforward implementation
path to make this happen.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Comment 12 Matthijs Kooijman 2010-01-05 09:47:18 UTC
I've been bitten by this a few times as well. Is there any interest for implementing this still?

My main usecase is when I buy two completely unrelated things in a single transaction. I use a split to separate the two products with proper descriptions, but the COGS doesn't show these. This is even an issue when the two splits are on different COGS accounts, since I can't put both (or sometimes even more than two) product names in the transaction description (That would get messy real quick).

A related issue caused by this, is that's its impossible to tell transaction splits apart from each other when they have the same amount. This is best illustrated by an example, I will upload a screenshot in a minute. In the screenshot, you see three items on a CGOS (in Basic Ledger mode). The first of the three has been expanded using the "Split" button, to show the full structure of the transaction.

Now, it is impossible to see which of the EUR 10 lines correspond to which transaction splits, since the transaction description and the amount are the same for each. Even when you expand the split like the first item, you can't tell which transaction split it is.

This issue would be solved by using the transaction split memo instead of the transaction description as well.
Comment 13 Matthijs Kooijman 2010-01-05 09:47:58 UTC
Created attachment 150827 [details]
Impossible to tell these splits apart
Comment 14 John Ralls 2018-06-29 20:45:54 UTC
GnuCash bug tracking has moved to a new Bugzilla host. The new URL for this bug is https://bugs.gnucash.org/show_bug.cgi?id=149241. Please continue processing the bug there and please update any external references or bookmarks.