I need to enter some transactions manually and I am disappointed with the way it is implemented in KMyMoney V4.7.2.

I enter them through the keyboard using as many shortcuts and auto entry features as possible. Hopefully I will find a few more time-saving features. (If you use the mouse then good luck to you but you don't understand efficient data entry where file import is not available.)

The first annoyance is the "Cannot enter transaction with postdate prior to account's opening date" error which is a bug apparently fixed in the Master but not available to me because I run the Windows version. So I edited every Category to ensure that the Date was earlier than my transactions.

I use dd/mm/yy format and many transactions happen at the end of the month (eg bank interest) so the date fails the validation test if the month has more days than the previous month. To make matters worse the focus is set to the Payee field so I have to go back to the date field, often the month sub-field and enter it.

Payee would have been OK if I didn't go back to the date but if I did then the pre-filled Payee is not selected (highlighted) so I would have to select it again and over-type it.

My preference here would be to continue straight to the amount column, prefilled with the amount from the last use of this payee, selected so I can just over-type or press enter to accept transaction.

What about the Category, Tag and Memo? Chances are they will be the same as last time the payee was used so they should be prefilled and selected as I move into the field. If I don't like them then I could just over-type or press the del key.

Let me use an example from the Cheque Statement file in Files to Test Importing Bank Transactions.

Code: Select all

Cheque Statement
  Date, No, Payee, Amount
Assume that I have entered:
  31 Mar 2015, , Service Charge, $5.00
Assume that I am entering Rent on a Holiday Apartment (ie not a scheduled payment):
  28 Apr 2015, 107, Apartment 4 Rent, $350.00


I type:
284Tab
Tab (assume that the 107 is autofilled otherwise over-type)
ApEnter (assume that the Payee was autofilled with Service Charge and it was selected. Typing 'A' prefilled 'ABC Hardware' then the p prefilled 'Apartment 4 Rent'. Amount was prefilled.)

Transaction entered in 8 keystrokes including changing the date to a new month (assuming this is not a scheduled payment).

Alternatively, if the amount changed press tab on Payee and over-type selected (highlighted) amount. Similar for Category, Tag and Memo if required.

I would like to optionally hide Tag and/or Memo if I choose and only display them for the irregular occasions that I use them.

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In my opinion the best way of entering transactions currently is to type them into a spreadsheet as Date, Payee, Amount; convert to qif; use a utility to add categories (eg qifqif.py) and import them.

Look at the 13 keystrokes for Libre Calc:
28/4 [cursor right] Ap[end]350[Home][cursor down]
Note that even Libre Calc can recognise the Date and Payee

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I'm not saying don't use KMyMoney but hopefully this has demonstrated that Entering Transactions in KMyMoney could be better.

I'd welcome any feedback on my post. There are a few options in Settings, Configure kmymoney, Ledger, Data entry which can be customised.

The transaction input form is a weak point in KMyMoney. It has grown beyond its original scope and it's now really hard to maintain.
We're slowly working on a replacement, but it will take some time to get a new version that can hopefully fix most of the current quirks.