GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 692957
Update Section 4.2.2 of Tutorial
Last modified: 2018-06-29 23:13:11 UTC
Modifications to improve the text. Original text: To add the paycheck split transaction from the Assets:Checking account register window, click on a new transaction line and click Split. Enter the description of this transaction on the first line (e.g. “Employers R Us”). In the split line below this, enter the various splits that make up this transaction, one by one. To enter the splits, first choose the account, then enter the amount by which to change the account. Then click the next split line and repeat the process. Modified text: To add the paycheck split transaction from the Assets:Checking account register window, click on a new transaction line and click Split. Note that if you have set your register view to Auto-Split or Transaction Journal, the splits will be opened for you. Enter the description of this transaction on the first line (e.g. “Employers R Us”). In the split line below this, enter the various splits that make up this transaction, one by one. To enter the splits, first choose the account, then enter the amount by which to change the account. Then click the next split line and repeat the process. Note that if you are using the keyboard to navigate the transaction, use Tab to move from field to field, as using Enter will commit the transaction and create splits to an Imbalance account.
Additional text: For the Assets:Checking account line the amount should be entered in the left hand 'Deposit' column. Other deductions itemized also go in the left hand 'Deposit' column. The Income:Salary amount goes into the right hand 'Withdrawal' line. While you are entering the data, a line at the bottom of the transaction will show the net amount of 'Imbalance'. If that amount is not zero when you press the Enter key, a line will be added with the account name "Imbalance' and that amount. Note: Actually the lines can be entered in any order but when the Enter key is pressed to complete the transaction, all left hand column amounts will jump ahead of all right hand column amounts. Keep that in mind if you want the order of the lines in the transaction to approximately match the order on the pay stub.
I think that the information you provide here would be better placed in section 2.2.3, which addresses Transactions directly. The Left column/Right column point needs to be rewritten to explain the underlying accounting principle, which I don't have in my brain. The rearranging splits information will fit in easily in 2.2.3. I will work up another bug for all this.
Sounds good to me.
One of the points that I wanted to address in the Left Column/Right Column explanation is that many people will find it counter-intuitive to enter Income as a "Withdrawal' if the columns have the informal labels.
Take a look at Bug 693493. I'm not sure it goes far enough in explaining your point about the headings for income accounts, but there is a complicating factor regarding the column labels, which is that users have the option of formal accounting terms or the Quicken-friendly headings. I believe that's already described somewhere, though, so any such discussion should refer to that existing text.
Is it correct that bug 693493 superseded this one, and since the changes there have been committed, this one can be closed too?
I don't think so. 693493 covers a concern raised in comment 1. The basic emendation proposed here still needs to be added. However, the Left/Right column explanation never got added. Here is another version: To add the paycheck split transaction from the Assets:Checking account register window, click on a new transaction line and click Split. Note that if you have set your register view to Auto-Split or Transaction Journal, the splits will be opened for you. Enter the description of this transaction on the first line (e.g. “Employers R Us”). In the split line below this, enter the various splits that make up this transaction, one by one. To enter the splits, first choose the account, then enter the amount by which to change the account. Keep in mind that when in an asset account register, amounts entered in the left column increase the transaction value, while amounts entered in the right column decrease the value (for more about this, see 2.2.3). Tab or click the next split line and repeat the process. Note that if you are using the keyboard to navigate the transaction, use Tab to move from field to field, as using Enter will commit the transaction and create splits to an Imbalance account.
OK, r23601 with one small change: The column the amount is in affects whether the split increases or decreases the *account balance*. It has no effect on the *transaction value*, which is always 0 because the transaction must balance.
*** Bug 521046 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
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