Re: [GNC] Migrating and updating version 2 to 4

[Geert Janssens]

Op woensdag 7 april 2021 02:30:30 CEST schreef Roger Oliver:
> I'm running GnuCash 2.6.21 on a Windows 7 computer. I need to migrate the
> system to a Windows 10 computer. Just need to be sure I understand any
> complications I may encounter. Some questions.
> 
> 1. Will I have any problems updating to version 4?

Depends on how you will go about the update. I would certainly  suggest to make 
a test 
conversion using a copy of your datafile (or have a backup of that data file 
just in case).

The general procedure is to migrate from one major version to the next and not 
skipping one. 
As you are coming from 2.6, you should first update to the last 3.x version 
(3.11), and only 
then update to 4.5. Your situation is slightly more complicated because you 
also switch 
computers at the same time.

> 2. Reading about version 4 on the GnuCash website, I think the only thing
> we won't be able to migrate will be the saved customized reports and
> preferences. Is that correct?

"Saved customized reports" is slightly ambiguous to me. It can refer to reports 
you have 
written yourself in the scheme language (perhaps starting from a pre-existing 
report), or it can 
refer to the report configurations you have tweaked while using the program and 
saved there 
via "Saved report configurations".

For the former, you can just copy over the scheme files (*.scm). You may have 
to tweak them 
as our scheme interface has had a few changes from 2.6.x to 4.5.

For the latter, the migration could take care of them. The tricky part is you 
are migrating from 
one computer to another so you have to make sure the migration runs in an 
environment that 
has the old data available. Our migration tool is also quite picky so the order 
in which you do 
things matters.

Preferences can be copied over but it requires some advanced Windows registry 
manipulation 
(that is, you'll have to export part of a registry tree and import it in the 
registry on the new 
PC). Depending on your skills it may be easier to just reconfigure your 
preferences manually 
on the new PC.

The preferences aside there are two possible ways forward to arrive with 
GnuCash 4 on your 
new PC:
1. You do the updates via 3 to 4 on your Windows 7 PC and once that's to your  
satisfaction 
you copy over all data and metadata.
2. You start by copying your data and metadata to the new PC and do the updates 
there.

The latter has the advantage your original data and GnuCash program on the 
Windows 7 PC 
remain untouched. That way you are sure you have a working backup. I'll write 
steps for this 
second approach later.

> 3. Am I reading the manual correctly that all we need to migrate our data
> is to copy the current data file to the location where version 4 keeps
> these files. Is that still Documents/GunCash?

Yes and no. GnuCash doesn't "keep" data files anywhere in particular.  You can 
store your data 
file anywhere you like and then use "File->Open..." within gnucash to use it. 
Just like you 
would in a word processor or a spreadsheet.

There is a bit more to it though, so I'll summarize here, describing the steps 
for method 2:

0. Important! Under no circumstance open gnucash on the new PC before you have 
copied 
data and metadata from your Windows 7 PC to the appropriate locations on the 
Windows 10 
PC. If you did, you'll have to manually remove the following directory from the 
Windows 10 PC 
for the migration to kick in:
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\GnuCash
Replace  with the appropriate name. Also note AppData may be a 
hidden 
directory on your system. Use whatever tricks available to make it visible. The 
easiest I have 
found so far for me is to enter "%APPDATA%" in the location bar.
It may be useful to check beforehand anyway whether that directory already 
exists or not and 
remove it if so. Removing or renaming this directory is also the way to reset 
any previous 
metadata migration. If this directory doesn't exist, the migration tool will 
run the next time 
you start gnucash.

1. For your accounting data, you can copy the data file to somewhere you find 
convenient on 
your new PC. You will later be able to locate it using "File->Open" as written 
above.

2. For your metadata (as you're still on GnuCash 2.6.x) copy the directory
C:\Users\\.gnucash
from your Windows 7 PC to your Windows 10 PC. Note this directory starts with a 
'.'. That dot 
is important so be sure the directory name on the new PC has that as well 
(Windows may 
complain about extensions).

3. If you feel like it you can use the RegEdit tool to export the registry tree
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/GSettings
from your old PC and import it in the new PC. That will take care of your 
preferences.

4. Optionally, if you're an Online banking user you can also copy your Online 
banking settings 
by copying the directory
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Re: [GNC] Migrating and updating version 2 to 4

[Alan A Holmes]

Roger,

Adrian Monteleone gave a brilliant answer to this in the past. I can't work
out how to link to his reply so, with apologies to Adrian, his reply was as
follows :-




Per the FAQ in the Wiki, only upgrading from one major to the next
major release is supported. Skipping major releases is *not* supported.

Thus for you, 2.6.21 > 3.11 > 4.2 would be okay.

However, 2.6.21 > 4.2 *might* result in issues which *may* include
data loss or corruption. (no guarantees either way) You might get lucky, you
might not. You might not, and not realize it for some time depending on the
nature of the corruption/loss.

Properly upgrading *should* result in custom reports and other
settings being migrated properly. There were some migration issues with the
early 3.x series, but that was solved at some point. (not sure of the cutoff
release, see release notes starting with 3.0 till about 3.3 or so if
curious.)

Also per the FAQ and the Wiki, after opening your data file for the
first time with each new major version, you should run Action > Check &
Repair > Check & Repair All to make sure your book is adjusted to reflect
any changes to how GnuCash internally records data. This also can prevent
previous versions from reading the file after this point. 
(this will vary by book, according to what features you were using in the
prior edition) The release notes for 3.0 and 4.0 should detail these
changes.

Regards,
Adrien


__

The only difference is that GnuCash is now on version 4.5 rather than 4.2.

As you're coming from 2.6.21 on Windows 7 you should be able to install 3.11
on Windows 10, and use the data file from your Windows 7 PC.

Good luck.

Alan A Holmes

-Original Message-
From: gnucash-user
 On Behalf Of
Roger Oliver
Sent: 07 April 2021 01:31
To: Gnucash 
Subject: [GNC] Migrating and updating version 2 to 4

I'm running GnuCash 2.6.21 on a Windows 7 computer. I need to migrate the
system to a Windows 10 computer. Just need to be sure I understand any
complications I may encounter. Some questions.

1. Will I have any problems updating to version 4?
2. Reading about version 4 on the GnuCash website, I think the only thing we
won't be able to migrate will be the saved customized reports and
preferences. Is that correct?
3. Am I reading the manual correctly that all we need to migrate our data is
to copy the current data file to the location where version 4 keeps these
files. Is that still Documents/GunCash?
4. As in the past, will version 4 update the data file automatically?

Probably obvious answers, just that we update once in a blue moon. Hope I
haven't overlooked any protocols for this group.

Thanks so much for the help,
Roger
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Re: [GNC] Migrating and updating version 2 to 4

[Roger Oliver]

Thanks, very helpful. Roger

On Wed, Apr 7, 2021, 11:38 AM Alan A Holmes 
wrote:

> Roger,
>
> Adrian Monteleone gave a brilliant answer to this in the past. I can't work
> out how to link to his reply so, with apologies to Adrian, his reply was as
> follows :-
>
> 
>
> 
> 
>
> Per the FAQ in the Wiki, only upgrading from one major to the next
> major release is supported. Skipping major releases is *not* supported.
>
> Thus for you, 2.6.21 > 3.11 > 4.2 would be okay.
>
> However, 2.6.21 > 4.2 *might* result in issues which *may* include
> data loss or corruption. (no guarantees either way) You might get lucky,
> you
> might not. You might not, and not realize it for some time depending on the
> nature of the corruption/loss.
>
> Properly upgrading *should* result in custom reports and other
> settings being migrated properly. There were some migration issues with the
> early 3.x series, but that was solved at some point. (not sure of the
> cutoff
> release, see release notes starting with 3.0 till about 3.3 or so if
> curious.)
>
> Also per the FAQ and the Wiki, after opening your data file for the
> first time with each new major version, you should run Action > Check &
> Repair > Check & Repair All to make sure your book is adjusted to reflect
> any changes to how GnuCash internally records data. This also can prevent
> previous versions from reading the file after this point.
> (this will vary by book, according to what features you were using in the
> prior edition) The release notes for 3.0 and 4.0 should detail these
> changes.
>
> Regards,
> Adrien
>
> 
>
> 
> __
>
> The only difference is that GnuCash is now on version 4.5 rather than 4.2.
>
> As you're coming from 2.6.21 on Windows 7 you should be able to install
> 3.11
> on Windows 10, and use the data file from your Windows 7 PC.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Alan A Holmes
>
> -Original Message-
> From: gnucash-user
>  On Behalf Of
> Roger Oliver
> Sent: 07 April 2021 01:31
> To: Gnucash 
> Subject: [GNC] Migrating and updating version 2 to 4
>
> I'm running GnuCash 2.6.21 on a Windows 7 computer. I need to migrate the
> system to a Windows 10 computer. Just need to be sure I understand any
> complications I may encounter. Some questions.
>
> 1. Will I have any problems updating to version 4?
> 2. Reading about version 4 on the GnuCash website, I think the only thing
> we
> won't be able to migrate will be the saved customized reports and
> preferences. Is that correct?
> 3. Am I reading the manual correctly that all we need to migrate our data
> is
> to copy the current data file to the location where version 4 keeps these
> files. Is that still Documents/GunCash?
> 4. As in the past, will version 4 update the data file automatically?
>
> Probably obvious answers, just that we update once in a blue moon. Hope I
> haven't overlooked any protocols for this group.
>
> Thanks so much for the help,
> Roger
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>
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Re: [GNC] Tax deferred account transfers suggestion

[David G. Pickett via gnucash-user]

Yes, GNUCash does not do this, it was a suggestion, see the subject, for 
account structures to enhance the tax report.
Yes, ROTH's are not taxable.  The suggestion is about IRA and 401K accounts 
that are not ROTH, where the overwhelming probability is that transfers in from 
other account types are tax reducing and out are taxable income.  There is a 
small chance of post-tax excess contributions by those so inclined (but perhaps 
not wise, as they could have been into a ROTH).
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[GNC] When Do Account Totals Update When Updating Prices

[Jack Frillman via gnucash-user]

I have an IRA account set up where the parent account is a Bank Account 
and under that are a number of Stock and Mutual Funds accounts.
When I update the prices by importing a CSV file the total $ amount for 
the parent (IRA Account) account does not always update right away. 
Sometimes it take a while and I'm a bit confused on what's going on.


What triggers the account totals to update?

--
Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null
- Anonymous

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Re: [GNC] When Do Account Totals Update When Updating Prices

[David Carlson]

Thank you for bringing to my attention the existence of this relatively new
feature.  I have not tried it so we together await help from users more
familiar with it.

I would imagine that the answer, however, depends on where you are looking
to see the updated prices.  Since many reports have different ways of
choosing the price source in their settings, the answer might be more
complex if you are using reports.

On Wed, Apr 7, 2021 at 7:16 PM Jack Frillman via gnucash-user <
gnucash-user@gnucash.org> wrote:

>
> I have an IRA account set up where the parent account is a Bank Account
> and under that are a number of Stock and Mutual Funds accounts.
> When I update the prices by importing a CSV file the total $ amount for
> the parent (IRA Account) account does not always update right away.
> Sometimes it take a while and I'm a bit confused on what's going on.
>
> What triggers the account totals to update?
>
> --
> Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null
> - Anonymous
>
> ___
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-- 
David Carlson
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Re: [GNC] When Do Account Totals Update When Updating Prices

[Jack Frillman via gnucash-user]

I'm referring to the totals you see in the Accounts Tab.

On 4/7/21 8:41 PM, David Carlson wrote:
Thank you for bringing to my attention the existence of this 
relatively new feature.  I have not tried it so we together await help 
from users more familiar with it.


I would imagine that the answer, however, depends on where you are 
looking to see the updated prices.  Since many reports have different 
ways of choosing the price source in their settings, the answer might 
be more complex if you are using reports.


On Wed, Apr 7, 2021 at 7:16 PM Jack Frillman via gnucash-user 
mailto:gnucash-user@gnucash.org>> wrote:



I have an IRA account set up where the parent account is a Bank
Account
and under that are a number of Stock and Mutual Funds accounts.
When I update the prices by importing a CSV file the total $
amount for
the parent (IRA Account) account does not always update right away.
Sometimes it take a while and I'm a bit confused on what's going on.

What triggers the account totals to update?

-- 
Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null

- Anonymous

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--
David Carlson


--
Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null
- Anonymous

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[GNC] Ghost Equity Accounts

[David T. via gnucash-user]

Hello,

I thought I saw something about this not too long ago, but cannot put my 
finger on the thread.


I am using GC4.4 on Windows 10, and have been using GnuCash since 2005.

Basically, I recently purchased shares of a new stock, and I followed my 
usual procedure in GnuCash: I created a new asset account of type Stock 
for the new equity under my brokerage account (Assets:Brokerage:XXX 
Stock). While creating the account, I used the new commodity option to 
create the entry in the security database. Having done this, I then 
opened the register and entered the buy transaction in the usual way.


All good to this point.

However, now I find a new account in the Equity hierarchy for the new 
commodity: Equity: Opening Balances - XXX


This account is empty, so I can just delete it, BUT...

Why is this account getting created? I didn't set up an existing 
holding, which might ostensibly have required an opening balances 
transaction (but which I would not have done in this way anyhow). And I 
didn't explicitly ask for a new equity account to be created.


Will I get Equity accounts created when I add other kinds of accounts? 
I'll note that I also have a new Equity account for a mutual fund 
account I added at the same time. But, what about Bank accounts? 
Liabilities? And if not, why not?


And why am I only seeing this NOW? As I've said, I've used GnuCash for a 
long long time, and none of the OTHER equities I've created over the 
years (and there have been a LOT!) have generated these spurious Equity 
accounts. So, why now?


Finally, Is there some way to NOT have GnuCash create these accounts 
every time I create a new Stock or Mutual Fund Account?


Cheers,

David T.

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[GNC] Hand-over on Succession or Short Term Absence

[Michael Hendry]

I’m shortly to undergo surgery, and although I expect to be home in three or 
four days, it’ll be several weeks before I’m fully up and running again. As a 
retired doctor, I’m well aware that bad stuff can happen during or after 
surgery.

As well as managing my personal accounts, I’m treasurer of a club and two small 
charities, and I’d like to be able to prepare a hand-over bundle for a 
temporary (or permanent) successor.

This process should ideally be reversible, so that I can take over again after 
my recovery.

Sharing the .gnucash files is an obvious first step, but I’d need to share the 
reports I’ve refined over the years which apply only to one set of books, along 
with any other necessary settings.

There’s some overlap with a 2013 topic “sequential use of Gnucash on multiple 
computers”, but I haven’t found any recent references to this.

Before I reinvent the wheel, does anyone have a ready-to-use solution?

Regards,

Michael
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