# Common Transaction Operations

A transaction represents the movement of money from one account to another account. Whenever you spend or receive money, or transfer money between accounts, that is a transaction. In GnuCash transactions always involve at least two accounts.

GnuCash uses accounts as a way of grouping or organizing the recording of transactions. This section describes the methods GnuCash has to help enter transactions quickly into the register.

GnuCash has several methods available for entering transactions.

- Entering directly into the register window is the most common way of entering transactions.

- Using the Transfer Funds Window.

- Importing transactions either from a QIF/OFX file or via "OFX on-line banking".

Where should the "Importing of data from downloaded files" and "On-line" banking be covered?.

## Changing the Register View

GnuCash has several options to change the way the register looks so transactions can be seen more clearly. The default style is the Basic Ledger. This presents a single line view of transactions to allow the most concise view with all the relevant details.

The default view or style can be changed by going to View menu, three radio buttons will select the desired option. When the window closes the style will revert to the Basic Ledger style. To make this change permanent change the style in the Edit > Preferences > Register Defaults in the Register display.

- Basic Ledger: The default one line per transaction style. Splits are shown as a summary. The Splits icon and Actions > Split Transaction are enabled.

- Auto-Split Ledger: This style will automatically expand the splits in any transaction selected.

- Transaction Journal: This style expands all transactions so the complete transaction can be seen.

- Double Line: This check-box changes any of the above styles so that an additional line for notes about the transaction is added.

The two other options to change the view of the register are; to restrict displayed items with the View > Filter By ..., and changing the sort order View > Sort Order. .

## Transfer Funds Window

The method described here uses the Transfer Funds Window to enter a single transaction. This is mainly used as a quick way to enter a single transaction without opening the account registers. When entering multiple transactions it is recommended to use the register directly. The Transfer Funds window is accessed from Action > Transfer, or by pressing the Transfer icon from the account register tab.

1. Enter in the "Transfer Information" pane the Amount, Date and Description. The Num and Memo fields are optional.

2. Choose the "Transfer From" account. If this account is an income or expense account select the check-box at the bottom of the "Transfer From" pane.

3. Choose the "Transfer To" account. If this account is an income or expense account select the check-box at the bottom of the Transfer From pane.

4. If one of the accounts above is a different currency from the other account the Currency Transfer pane will be enabled to add either an "Exchange Rate" or a "To Amount".

5. Select OK to commit the transaction or Cancel to dismiss the dialog without entering the transaction.

## Enter Transaction via register

When the Account Register Window for an account is opened the list of transactions for that account is shown. This window has the name of the account on its tab. The menus contain several functions that alter the display of transactions. The toolbar also contains several functions that are often used when entering or manipulating transactions. These are described in the section of this document.

### Entering Directly in the Register Window

The register window will look slightly different depending on the style options you have chosen. The following describes entering simple transactions in the basic ledger style. The cursor is placed in the date field by default when the register window is opened.

1. Selecting the small icon on the right of the date field drops down a date selection calender. Use the arrows to select the correct month and year for the transaction then select the date. Selecting the icon once more will close the date selection calender. It is also possible to type in the date or part of the date and let GnuCash fill the rest.

2. Press Tab to move to or select the "Num" field. Here you can enter a check or transaction number. Pressing + (plus) will automatically advance the number by one from the last transaction to have a number.

3. Press Tab to move or select the "Description" field. This field is used to enter either a payee or other description for the transaction. It will automatically attempt to fill the payee name as you type.

4. At this stage one of two things will happen if tab is pressed. If GnuCash matches an existing transaction the cursor will jump to one of the amount fields, automatically filling in the transfer account. Selecting any field with the mouse instead of tabbing will not automatically fill the transferring account field. If there is no matching (existing) transaction, GnuCash will move the cursor to the "Transfer" field with only one line of the transaction supplied.

5. When typing into the account field GnuCash will also attempt to automatically match the account name with an existing account. It does this alphabetically, so typing 'Ex' will match the Expenses section of the account list. When the section is matched, it is possible to move to a child account by pressing : (colon). If after typing 'Ex' you press : then the cursor will move to the first child account in the list. Typing combinations of letters and : will allow movement down the tree of accounts quickly. The triangle icon on the right of the Transfer box can be used as an alternate way of selecting accounts. Up & down arrow keys will also move up/down the displayed list of accounts.

6. The next field (R) is used for reconciliation. This is described in the Reconcile an Account to a Statement section.

7. Press tab to move to the first of the amount fields. The names of the next two columns are different according to what type of account is opened. For example, Bank accounts show Deposit and Withdrawal here, Credit Card accounts show Payment and Charge, and Stock accounts show Shares, Price, Buy and Sell.

8. Enter an amount for the transaction in the correct fields. When the transaction is "balanced" pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Transaction -> Enter Transaction will finish the transaction. Selecting the Cancel icon or going to Transaction -> Cancel Transaction will erase the transaction.

9. Transactions with just one transfer account will show the name of that account in the Transfer field in completed transactions. (The "Transfer field" is the fourth (4) from the left in the register display.)

10. To move to the blank transaction at the bottom of the register, press the Blank toolbar icon or go to Actions -> Blank Transaction.

## Multiple Split Transactions

The register window will look slightly different depending on the style options you have chosen. The following describes entering transactions with multiple splits in the basic ledger style. GnuCash describes as a "Split" when money is transferred to or from more than two accounts in a transaction. The cursor is placed in the date field by default when the register window is opened.

The multiple account lines will not be displayed in the Basic Ledger unless the Split icon or the Action > Split Transaction option have been selected.

1. Selecting the triangle icon on the right of the date field drops down a date selection dialog. Use the arrows to select the correct month and year for the transaction then select the date. Selecting the icon once more will close the date selection calendar. It is also possible to type in the date or part of the date and let GnuCash fill the rest.

2. Press Tab to move to or select the "Num" field. Here you can enter a check or transaction number. Pressing + (plus) will automatically advance the number by one from the last transaction to have a number.

3. Press Tab to move to or select the "Description" field. This field is used to enter either a payee or other description for the transaction. It will automatically attempt to fill the payee name as you type.

4. At this stage one of two things will happen if tab is pressed. If GnuCash matches an existing transaction the cursor will jump to one of the amount fields, automatically filling in the transfer account. Selecting any field with the mouse instead of tabbing will not automatically fill the transferring account field. If there is no matching (existing) transaction, GnuCash will move the cursor to the "Transfer" field with only one line of the transaction supplied.

5. When typing in the Transfer field GnuCash will also attempt to automatically match the account. It does this alphabetically, so typing 'Ex' will match the Expenses section of the account list. When the section is matched, it is possible to move to a child account by pressing : (colon). If after typing 'Ex' you press : then the cursor will move to the first child account in the list. Typing combinations of letters and : will allow movement down the tree of accounts quickly. The icon on the right of the Transfer box can be used as an alternate way of selecting accounts.

6. The next field is used for reconciliation. This is described in the To Reconcile an Account to a Statement section.

7. Press Tab to move to the first of the amount fields. The names of the next two columns are different according to what type of account is opened. For example, Bank accounts show Deposit and Withdrawal here, Credit Card accounts show Payment and Charge, and Stock accounts show Shares, Price, Buy and Sell.

8. Enter the total amount for the transaction in the correct field. Before pressing Tab or Enter read next step.

9. To enter the additional splits, press the Split button on the toolbar or select Actions -> Split Transaction. Transactions with more than one split show '--Split Transaction--' and the Split button will need to be used to show the details.

10. The display will expand, the titles of the amount columns will be renamed and the Transfer column name will be blank. The first line contains the description and the amount of the transaction. The second line contains the currently opened account name in the Account field and the amount of the transaction. The third line contains the transfer account name in the Account field. If the amount is not balanced GnuCash will indicate this by placing gray check-boxes in the amount columns with the unbalanced amount in a blank last row.

11. When one of the short lines is selected, the column titles will change. The very first and last (Date and Balance) columns will have blank titles. Num will change to Action, Description to Memo, the now blank Transfer column will change to Account. The last two amount columns will show the name described in step seven.

12. The Action and Memo columns are optional to fill out at this stage. Action is used to describe what kind of account transfer is involved. Memo is an additional description of the transfer.

13. Move to the missing amount field on the third line and fill in the amount. Pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Actions -> Enter will now move the cursor to the next line.

14. The Account column contains the list of transfer accounts. This column is the one that is used to add splits. The method described in step five can be used to select another account on a blank line. Add as many additional splits as needed.

15. When the transaction is balanced the gray check-boxes will disappear and the last blank line will not have an amount.

16. Pressing Enter as described above past the blank line will jump to the next transaction. Selecting the next transaction will close the split or it can be manually closed by pressing the Split icon or selecting Actions -> Split Transaction.

## Multiple Currency Transactions

Currently transfers between different currencies are only supported by using the Transfer Funds Window described above (. It is necessary to use this dialog to add an exchange rate.

To setup an account as a different currency edit the account properties and change the Commodity field to the foreign currency. This account will now enable the Currency Transfer pane in the Transfer Funds Window.

## Editing a Transaction

Editing a transaction involves just selecting the part of the transaction that needs to be changed. Once the changes are complete pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Transaction -> Enter Transaction will now move the cursor to the next line or transaction.

To see a more detailed view of a transaction for editing in Basic Ledger, press the Split button on the toolbar or select Actions -> Split Transaction .

## Deleting a Transaction

If a transaction needs to be removed from the register, select the transaction and press either the Delete icon on the toolbar or go to Transaction -> Delete Transaction.

A window will appear to confirm the delete, unless the preference has been changed. The window presents two options; "Remember and don't ask again", and "Remember and don't ask again this session". The response will be set according to the selected checkbox. The preference can also be reset via Actions -> Reset Warnings . .

Parts of a transaction can also be removed by pressing the Split button on the toolbar or selecting Actions -> Split Transaction. The part of the transaction that needs to be deleted can be then selected for deletion.

## Removing Transaction Splits

Removing Transaction Splits involves erasing all splits except the one for the account that is opened. This is a useful way of reusing a previous transaction that has multiple splits that need to be changed. (Note this can be done without opening the split, but doing so makes the effect more visible)

1. If in Basic Ledger, press the Split button on the toolbar or Select Action -> Split Transaction to open the transaction. If in other modes select transaction.

2. Select Transaction -> Remove Transaction Splits.

   A window will appear to confirm the delete, unless the preference has been changed. The window presents two options; "Remember and don't ask again", and "Remember and don't ask again this session". The response will be set according to the selected checkbox. The preference can also be reset via Actions -> Reset Warnings . .

3. All Accounts and their related details will be removed except for the currently opened account.

4. The amount is not balanced and GnuCash will indicate this by placing gray check-boxes in the amount columns with the unbalanced amount in the blank last row.

5. Edit the transaction to fill in the new details.

## Copying a Transaction

Copying Transactions is available from the Transaction menu. The Transaction menu has Cut Transaction, Copy Transaction and Paste Transaction which allows a whole transaction to be cut or copied and pasted to a new transaction line. This way of copying a transaction will use the date showing in the new transaction blank line.

The Transaction -> Duplicate Transaction... or the toolbar Duplicate which, unlike the Copy method, allows for choosing a different date.

- Select the transaction to duplicate.

- Go to Transaction -> Duplicate Transaction...

- A dialog called Duplicate Transaction will prompt for a new Date and Num for the transaction.

- Press OK to add the transaction to the register.

## Jump to another Account Register

When using the Account Register Window it is frequently useful to be able to view another account and also the transfer account at the same time. GnuCash allows you to do this quickly by using 'Jump'. This is available Jump icon on the toolbar and in the Actions > Jump menu in the Account Register Window.

Select the transaction in the Account Register Window and either click the jump icon or select Action > Jump to open the Account Register Window target. If the transaction is split between more than one transfer account then you will need to show all the split transfer accounts first and select the transfer account to jump to.

## Scheduling Transactions

Scheduled Transactions provide the ability to have reminders scheduled or transactions scheduled to be entered at a specified date. This is combined with the Since Last Run druid () to review and enter the transactions. The Mortgage & Loan Repayment druid () is used to setup a scheduled transaction to repay a compounding interest loan. The Scheduled Transaction Editor () is used to create and edit transactions that are to be added to the register in an automated way.

The easiest way to setup a scheduled transaction is to use an existing transaction in an account register as a template. Select the transaction you wish to use as a template and then either select the Schedule icon on the toolbar or go to Actions -> Schedule.... This will bring up the Make Scheduled Transaction dialog.

- Name: Enter a name to use for the scheduled transaction. This will be used in the Description file of the transaction.

- Frequency: Choose the time period you want between scheduled entries. The dates that the transactions will be entered will show in the mini calendar pane to the right.

- Start Date: Choose a date for the scheduled transaction to start.

- Never End: This scheduled transaction has no finish date.

- End Date: Choose a date for the scheduled transaction to end.

- Number of Occurrences: Enter the number of times you wish the scheduled transaction to be added to the register.

The Advanced... button brings up the Scheduled Transaction Editor's dialog to Edit the Scheduled Transaction. This is described in the section Scheduled Transaction Editor.

### Scheduled Transactions Window

The Scheduled Transaction Window is used to access the list of scheduled transactions and create, edit or remove them. It also provides a calendar which displays upcoming scheduled transactions. Clicking on the calendar view and hovering over any date will pop up a small dialog that shows the transactions scheduled for that day. The yellow highlight in the calendar indicates which days have scheduled transactions. To dismiss the hover dialog click once more.

The top pane of the Scheduled Transaction Window contains the list of scheduled transactions that are currently setup. This window lists the Name of the transaction, if the transaction is enabled for scheduling, the Frequency (month and day) that the transaction is to be entered, the last time the transaction was entered and the next time the transaction will be entered.

The right side of this pane contains a down arrow button that when "clicked" will pull-down a window to allow selection of the characteristics displayed in the list. Unchecking the appropriate box will remove the characteristic from the display.

The tool bar of this window contains three buttons to create, delete and edit scheduled transactions. New and Edit opens the Edit Scheduled Transaction dialog. Delete removes the selected scheduled transaction. The same options are available thru Schedule -> New/Edit/Delete, from the Scheduled Transaction Tab.

Below the list of scheduled transactions is the Upcoming calendar. This calendar displays up to the next year and highlights the dates that the scheduled transactions are scheduled to occur so it is easy to see when the transactions are scheduled. Clicking on a date in the calendar brings up a list of scheduled transactions for that date. Moving the mouse over other dates changes to the list of transactions on those dates. Clicking once more on the calendar removes the transaction list.

The Scheduled Transaction Window is activated from the Account tab or the Transaction Register via Actions -> Scheduled Transactions -> Scheduled Transaction Editor,

## Edit Scheduled Transaction Window

The Edit Scheduled Transaction Window is divided into a Name area, Options area, Occurrences area, Recurrence Frequency area, mini calendar and Template Transaction pane.

The Name a name to use for the scheduled transaction. This will be used in the Description of the transaction.

The Options area contains check-boxes to set if the transaction is automatically created and how many days in advance the transaction is created and/or a reminder posted.

The Occurrences area contains selections to set for dates limits on transactions to be entered or the number of transactions to be entered.

The Recurrence Frequency area contains selections to set how often the transaction is scheduled to be added and on what dates this occurs.

The mini calendar provides a visual indication of what transactions are already scheduled.

The Template Transaction pane allows you to setup the transaction as you would like it to be entered into the register.

These options are described in more detail in

- From the Scheduled Transaction tab selecting a transaction from the list and pressing the Edit or pressing New icons will bring up the Edit Scheduled Transaction Editor.

## Printing Checks

Checks are printed in GnuCash from the account register. GnuCash provides the ability to print to standard Quicken Checks (US Letter) or to make a custom check format. Check position and Date formats are also customizable.

To access the check printing feature in GnuCash, select the transaction to print a check for and go to File -> Print Check. This will open the Print Check properties dialog.

The Print Check dialog has two tabs. The first tab, Options, is used to setup the most common options to print a check. The second tab, Custom format, is used to setup the position of various fields on the check. It is useful to print a test check to a plain piece of paper first and use that to make any adjustments needed.

The default selection in Options is for Quicken/Quickbooks (tm) US-Letter checks.

- Check format: Test with Quicken first then use custom if the position is incorrect.

- Check position: This sets if the Top, Middle or Bottom check is printed. Custom is used if the position of the checks on the page is incorrect.

- Date format: The default here is set in the Preferences International section. Choose a date format. This can also be adjusted by the Use of the Months: and Years: lines. Custom allows the date format to be set in the Format: box (%m means month, %d means day, %Y means year) A Sample of the format chosen is displayed below.

The Custom check format contains two columns to enter in the X and Y co-ordinates of the field position on the check. Positions in the Custom Check Format entry area are specified with x = 0 at the left edge of the check with x increasing to the right, and y = 0 at the top edge of the check with y increasing as you travel down. (If you are using a version of GTK prior to 2.10, then y = 0 is at the bottom of the page and y increases as you travel up.)

- Payee:

- Date:

- Amount (words):

- Amount (numbers):

- Memo:

- Check position:

- Date format:

- Units: Set the unit to use for the above positions.

Once OK is pressed on the Print Check dialog the Print GnuCash Document dialog is presented. Press OK to print the check.

## Online Actions ...

This section is "under construction - any input will be welcome !!".

### Get Balance

### Get Transactions ...

### Issue Transaction

### Direct Debit

## General Ledger

The General Ledger is an advanced register used to enter transactions without needing to open individual accounts. The General Ledger shows the transaction entries for all accounts on one register.

Entering transactions in the General Ledger is more complicated than entering them in the individual account registers. The advantage is the General Ledger provides a more comprehensive view of the transactions you have entered in all your accounts.

The General Ledger defaults to showing only the previous month of transactions. This is changeable by using the Date Range on the View menu.