Quicker and easier data entry
After using MoneyDance for about 2 months now and contributing to bugs and suggestion postings, I have only a couple of additional suggestions that I think will make it easier to use and enter data more quickly and smoothly.
1) after clicking on an account on the left panel, I'd like to see MD open up to a NEW TRANSACTION entry, without having to press "Command-N". This would save quit a bit of time.
2) I'd really like to see a smoother way to use split entries. Let's get a "Command-E" or something like this that will bring open the "split-entry" window (did I miss any command key for this?? Can MD already do this??). AND, after it's open, allow tabbing to go from one line to another without have to move your mouse and click "new split". This current process take way too much time and slows data entry. As you enter data and tab to the next line it could also have the remaining amount balance (that needs to equal the total charge or amount).
Overall, I'm liking MD and would love to continue with it and forget about Quicken all together!! Keep up the good work and keep working on a better reporting interface to generate great reports for printing or exporting to Excel!!!
Thanks,
Marty
2 Posted by -Kevin N. on 04 May, 2010 12:39 AM
Hi MWA_LAS,
1. There is a setting in 'Preferences' to Auto-create New Transaction however, I can't see any difference with it checked or unchecked. Creating a new transaction each time a user accesses an account could become annoying. Often the user is just looking.
2. Ctrl + L
HTH -Kevin N.
3 Posted by MWA_LAS on 04 May, 2010 03:37 AM
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, the auto-create is for only after you first press "Control N" or new transaction and after you enter your first entry, it auto-creates the next entry (if you wanted to enter another one). But not for the first entry after clicking on the account from the left side list.
Thanks for the "Ctrl + L" input.... if I could only do that again for multiple entries after the first one... one still has to use the mouse on the second line, third, etc.
Regards,
Marty
4 Posted by rc on 10 Jun, 2010 05:42 PM
I second Marty's request for automatic split creation after first split is filled in, rather than the tab just cycling through the current split.
Also, it would be very helpful to enter in a total amount, and have the splits keep creating until that amount is matched, then put an "Adjust Total" button if you want MD to do the math and make the transaction total equal the amount of the sum of the splits. It is a bit taxing to have multiple splits and not have a "rest of the stuff" balance.
For instance, I go to Walmart and buy a car battery, a tool for my business, and groceries for a total of $200. Battery is $73.15 in Car Repair category, tool is $23.67 in Business Expense category, and balance is groceries. So, how much was groceries? Now, I enter the $200 in the "Deposit" side, get $103.18 as a difference, then have to type that in by memory. Very messy.
5 Posted by selwoodml on 16 Jun, 2010 09:07 PM
I agree with comments already made. However I would also like to see a larger "Transaction form" to enter data for new entries or amend data in existing entries. This could be switched on or off according to the user's preference. Having to squint at the line on the bottom of the screen makes data entry very tiresome.
(A diferent product from MS & no longer available had this option)
Support Staff 6 Posted by Ben Spencer on 21 Jun, 2010 04:47 PM
Hi All
the creation of new split list is something that I personally find quite awkward in Moneydance. I have created a suggestion ticket proposing that a new line be created if necessary automatically each time the enter key is pressed in the current line. This would keep an available line at the end of the splits. Here is the link to the ticket:
http://moneydance.com/trac/ticket/2914
If you register and log into trac you can vote on tickets to show your support. I will also bring this issue up with the developers.
In the mean time you can use ctrl-N (command-N on mac) to create new split line while you are in the split editor. You can also use ctrl-D to delete the currently select split line.
selwoodml,
With regard to increasing the size of the transaction entry form. If you select File->Preferences->General. You can set the "font size" to something other than default. (You need to save your file and restart the program for the changes to take effect) This will change the size of the fonts used throughout the program including the transaction entry form.
Sincerely
Ben Spencer
Moneydance Support
7 Posted by jkwood82 on 22 Jun, 2010 01:28 AM
I have added my vote to the above ticket. Using Ctrl-N for the next line is helpful for now.
I agree with others that having a way to set a default New Transaction form at the bottom of the page would streamline the process of updating accounts - even a blank line that opens a new transaction when clicked would be great (& exactly like what I'm used to with MS Money).
Also, related to fonts: Somewhere I read a comment that indicated the writer could use more fonts than the 5 I find in Preferences: Dialog, SansSerif, Serif, Monospaced, & DialogInput. Is there a way I can use other fonts with MD?
Thank you.
8 Posted by jkwood82 on 22 Jun, 2010 01:39 AM
Just for reference: The comment I read about changing fonts was in this discussion on "Printing Transactions": http://help.infinitekind.com/discussions/questions/1563-printing-tr...
Support Staff 9 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 22 Jun, 2010 01:17 PM
The fonts available for printing are limited to the five above. Some users will see other fonts available as referenced in the thread above due to the printer's capabilities but it is not possible to do through Moneydance. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance,
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
10 Posted by Earl on 22 Jun, 2010 10:35 PM
I'd like to second the suggestions by MWA about handling split detail lines. To go a bit further, I'd like to see some streamlining in data entry using the keyboard. Right now, for example, entering a new checking transaction goes like this:
Date/Tab Tab/Payee/Tab Tab Tab/Payment/Enter
For most transactions, the categories are already correct, so eliminating all the extra tabbing would be a good idea. Or, a 'Preferences' choice could be created that specified the field order of entry? After all, for those of us who prefer to use the keyboard, most of our time is spent entering transactions.
Thank You!
Ralph
11 Posted by Shelly Marsh on 26 Jun, 2010 02:13 PM
I also agree with smoothing out the splits and being able to tab after one split to automatically add a new split. One other suggestion is to have a clear splits option for when transactions are recalled. For example, when I go to Target or Walmart, I usually have multiple splits. It is a pain when I shop there next to have to go through and delete the splits line by line. In the split entry screen a clear splits button would be great.
Support Staff 12 Posted by Ben Spencer on 26 Jun, 2010 02:21 PM
Shelly
If you select all the line items in the split window (select one and press ctrl-A) then click the delete button (or press the delete key) Moneydance will delete all but one split line.
Ben
13 Posted by Diane on 27 Jun, 2010 08:29 PM
I agree with the suggestions made by MWA_LAS especially "As you enter data and tab to the next line it could also have the remaining amount balance (that needs to equal the total charge or amount)." This is the way Quicken handles split transactions - much more convenient and it just makes sense.
Support Staff 14 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 09 Aug, 2010 12:11 AM
Hi all,
I have created a ticket for this issue. The ticket is attached to this discussion. By posting in this discussion your interest in the ticket has been registered. This is equivalent to voting for it.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance,
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
15 Posted by Jose Montanha on 22 Aug, 2010 03:30 PM
As all transitions are at a proper time ##:## it would be desirable if time was an extension for Date
16 Posted by gerd on 24 Aug, 2010 01:31 AM
I come from MS Money and use MD for a month. So far I like it.
When entering a split transaction I would like to enter FIRST the amount paid to my bank account, then the split transactions. This will assue that any differences are calculated and displayed as such on the split screen before the transaction is posted.
Now I have to enter all the split lines first, which subsequently calculates the amount posted.
17 Posted by jkwood82 on 24 Aug, 2010 03:47 AM
I would also like that feature in MD (introduced by gerd), which I believe others have posted in a different discussion in this forum.
Support Staff 18 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 24 Aug, 2010 04:02 AM
Gerd and JKWood82,
I have created a ticket for this issue. The ticket is attached to this discussion. By posting in this discussion your interest in the ticket has been registered. This is equivalent to voting for it.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance,
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
19 Posted by TJ Finlinson on 24 Aug, 2010 04:11 AM
Gerd and JKWood82,
I also liked how the splits worked in the other software. I have discovered that if you enter the amount first in the payment field and then go back and do the split in the categories that it will calculate the balance for you as you create new lines in the split. I'm can't remember exactly how Quicken and Money did it, but doing it in MD seems almost like an extra step. Sounds like in the next version of MD more development will be put into these types of things and making entry quicker and easier.
20 Posted by Patrick Litton on 01 Sep, 2010 03:31 PM
Can I add my vote here too. I second (third/whatever) the countdown method of posting a split.
Also, a vary small quibble - given my aging eyes, would it be possible to make the split window bigger (or allow the user to resize it). It is very small at the moment.
Thanks
Patrick
Support Staff 21 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 05 Sep, 2010 01:16 AM
Patrick,
You can adjust the font size in the split window (and other dialogue boxes) by going to File->Preferences->General and adjusting the font size. You can find other great tips like this in the Moneydance 2010 user guide, which is located here.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance,
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
22 Posted by Patrick Litton on 06 Sep, 2010 02:15 PM
Angie
Thanks for the tip: it has helped, although the data entry biox still remains at one/two row(s) at most visible. Why can't all the rows be shown. Still, a minor quibble as I say and the increase font size has helped a lot.
Thanks again
Patrick
23 Posted by -Kevin N. on 06 Sep, 2010 03:56 PM
Moneydance 2010r3 (752)
OS: Windows Vista 6.0 x86
Java: 1.6.0_21 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
Hi Patrick,
The Split Window in my version of Moneydance IS resizeable. Have you tried grabbing the edges of the Split Window to resize it?
-Kevin N.
24 Posted by Patrick Litton on 06 Sep, 2010 07:03 PM
Kevin
You are right! I can re-size the windows after all. I did try originally and I couldn't do it, but I have upgraded to the latest version of Moneydance, and had not tried agian.
Thank you for pointing this out. Suddenly, life is much easier as I seem to have a lot of split transactions.
Patrick
25 Posted by Patrick Litton on 06 Sep, 2010 07:07 PM
Kevin
Thank you for this. I have succeeded in resizing the windo. I did try before
and couldn't do it - perhaps because I was using an earlier version of
Moneydance or something just relating to my computer.
Anyway, it is all OK now
Now, my one remaining issue is to understand how to do stock quotes. I have
read (& entiely do not undertand) the Pythin instructiosn for obtaioning
prices from non-Yahoo sites. I'll raise a case for this or see if can vote
for an improvement if someone has already raised it.
Thanks again for your help
Patrick
On 6 September 2010 16:58, kmnugent <
***@tenderapp.com<tender%***@tenderapp.com>
> wrote:
26 Posted by -Kevin N. on 06 Sep, 2010 07:17 PM
Hi Patrick,
Glad to hear you're now able to resize your Split Window. You're not alone dealing with 'aging eyesight' ;)
Have you looked at the new Stock Quote Synchronizer Extention?
http://www.mennesoft.com/yahooqt/
HTH -Kevin N.
27 Posted by Patrick Litton on 06 Sep, 2010 09:33 PM
Hi Kevin
Thanks for the link - I will give it a go and see how it goes. I see from
the help forums that there are quite a few UK users out there, like me
refugees from Quicken/Money, so I hope Moneydance continues to offer/improve
its UK (and other countries) links. I must say, I like the product a lot - I
have been using personal finance software since 1990, and I like what I have
seen so far in Moneydance. The graphics in the others were superior, but the
feel and user friendliness of Moneydance is great.
Thanks again
Patrick
On 6 September 2010 20:20, kmnugent <
***@tenderapp.com<tender%***@tenderapp.com>
> wrote:
Support Staff 28 Posted by Angie Rauscher on 06 Sep, 2010 11:07 PM
Patrick,
I'm glad you're enjoying Moneydance, and do let us know if you have other questions or there is some way I can be of assistance.
Angie Rauscher
Moneydance Support
29 Posted by MWA_LAS on 06 Sep, 2010 11:51 PM
Marty Allison
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1.702.241.9521 cell
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On Sep 6, 2010, at 4:09 PM, Angie Rauscher<***@tenderapp.com> wrote:
> ignore