If your bank has no OFX direct connect capability, the next best way is via Web Connect. In case you're not aware of this, instead of downloading your OFX statement then importing it into KMM, it's possible to do this in one step (with a bit of setting up!).


It would seem that the difficulties I encountered below were caused by a local issue. See later postings by M Beenham. Apologies to the confused.

I've found out how to do this on openSuse 11.1, with Konqueror/Dolphin. No doubt it's possible using Firefox, but I haven't yet found how, and no doubt it's possible on U/Kubuntu with a bit of experiment.

Open Konqueror, then Settings/Configure Konqueror/File Management/File Associations then click application, then Add. Then in Group, select 'text', and in name enter 'OFX', then OK. Now, under 'text' you should find 'OFX', so click it. Under File name patterns, click Add, then enter '*.ofx', and under Application Preference Order click Add, and enter the name kmymoney2 then OK. Click Apply, system settings will be updated, then click OK.

Now, still in Konqueror, browse to you bank's download site, click on your OFX file, and a pop-up will open asking if you want to open with kmm. Click the appropriate button, and magically, kmm will open to your last-opened file, and your OFX file will be imported. You're given the opportunity to create/confirm/select the account into which to import.

Dolphin, doesn't seem to have the same set-up capability, but, once Konqueror is set up, Dolphin works too. It's magic - I'm really impressed. Now, a caution. I can't download OFX files from my bank as it has direct connect, but I have tested this with a network file. So, hopefully, it should work for you. I just don't know how your bank presents your files to you.

EDIT
See follow-up posting regarding problems during further testing.

aga

The method described is known as Web Connect and explained (in less detail than here) in the KMyMoney manual.

ipwizard wrote:The method described is known as Web Connect and explained (in less detail than here) in the KMyMoney manual.

Yes, I referred to Web Connect on the first line. It was in the process of reviewing the manual, where I had reached that section, that I decided to check the functionality again. The manual says to set up Web Connect, but made no mention of browser setup. I did in fact post the latest updates to the manual a few hours earlier. I had also been reminded of it by a recent posting by another user on a difficulty in establishing a direct connection.

aga

aga wrote:.......
Now, a caution. I can't download OFX files from my bank as it has direct connect, but I have tested this with a network file. So, hopefully, it should work for you. I just don't know how your bank presents your files to you.

aga

I've been trying to get Firefox to perform, and in the process I've discovered some possible snags.

Whilst I'd tested with a file on my lan, when I tried to download from my web-site, the file downloaded as a text file, both with Konqueror and with Firefox. This is because the file info indicated that the mime type was text/plain, whereas I had set up to receive text/OFX.

This might be because of a problem with my host's web server, whereas a bank might just have their server set up to send the appropriate mime type. I was in fact able to get both Konqueror and Firefox to download to and open kmm correctly, but only after uploading to my web-site an appropriate .htaccess file.

So, sadly, unless someone with a bank which allows ofx download says otherwise, web connect seems to have problems. What it does allow, though, is for a downloaded file to be clicked on to trigger the opening and import into kmm, without using kmm menus

It would be interesting to hear if anyone achieves any success.

aga

I have had no problem with Firefox on Xubuntu:

I logged onto my Bank website and chose the OFX download option.
I chose "Open WIth" and selected /usr/bin/kmymoney2
I ticked the box "Do this automatically for files like this from now on."

Now whenever I click on the Bank's OFX download option KMyMoney opens and imports the OFX seamlessly to the correct account (MS Money had a problem sometimes determining the correct account).

Xubuntu: Jaunty
KMyMoney: 0.9.3
Firefox: 3.0.11

mbeenham wrote:I have had no problem with Firefox on Xubuntu:

I logged onto my Bank website and chose the OFX download option.
I chose "Open WIth" and selected /usr/bin/kmymoney2
I ticked the box "Do this automatically for files like this from now on."

Now whenever I click on the Bank's OFX download option KMyMoney opens and imports the OFX seamlessly to the correct account (MS Money had a problem sometimes determining the correct account).

Xubuntu: Jaunty
KMyMoney: 0.9.3
Firefox: 3.0.11

Hi

That's great news! I've tried on Kubuntu downloading from my own web-site and that didn't work until I changed my web server settings with an .htaccess file. It may be that I'm not a bank and that's the top and bottom of it.

There's one more thing I'd like to try. You've now made KMM the default app. to handle the files, so presumably you can't now just save them? There is a way to reset this, but I can't until later check how to do this. If it is possible to download and save a file, that would allow its mime type to be established.

Unless you are able to do this in the meantime, I'll come back later.

Thanks

aga

I can select the option to save if I want to because Firefox still pops up the dialogue box.

However the default is to run kmymoney2 with the OFX which is what happens if I just hit OK

I suspect that if I clear the option to "Always ask me where to save files" then the dialogue box would not appear, but I don't want to do that.

Is that what you wanted to know?

P.S. This works with four accounts on two separate banks.

mbeenham wrote:I can select the option to save if I want to because Firefox still pops up the dialogue box.

Ah, good. In that case, would you mind saving a file, then right click and select properties. It should show, amongst other things, file type. Thats what I'm interested in knowing. When I originally downloaded from my web site, the file was text/plain, so Firefox just displayed the text. There was no option to save or choose a helper application. I had to edit the server to assign a different type, one I invented - text/OFX - but if there is another file type in general use, it would be useful to know.

[...]

I suspect that if I clear the option to "Always ask me where to save files" then the dialogue box would not appear, but I don't want to do that.

Is that what you wanted to know?

Not quite. I was assuming you had opted automatically to use KMM, and that no dialogue was now appearing. I had seen how to reset that, but as you still get the dialogue, that's not necessary.

[/quote]

aga

If I save the OFX the properties are "plain text document" and opening with Mousepad so the link to kmymoney seems to be restricted to Firefox.

mbeenham wrote:If I save the OFX the properties are "plain text document" and opening with Mousepad so the link to kmymoney seems to be restricted to Firefox.

Oh, that's a B.... So, how does your Firefox know and mine not? Mine is 3.0.11 too

If you don't mind, could you do this for me? Into Firefox address bar, enter about:config . You'll get a dire warning, but if you carry on, click to proceed. You'll get a list of its config parameters. Into the filter box at the top, enter ofx. I get nothing with that. Then try 'kmymoney', and let me know if anything turns up there.

Thanks for helping.

aga

Nothing for kmymoney or ofx I'm afraid.

My Firefox preferences->Applications includes the lines:
OFX file (application/x-ofx) Use kmymoney2
OFX file (text/ofx) Use kmymoney2

mbeenham wrote:Nothing for kmymoney or ofx I'm afraid.

My Firefox preferences->Applications includes the lines:
OFX file (application/x-ofx) Use kmymoney2
OFX file (text/ofx) Use kmymoney2

Hmm... Neither of my main PCs had any ofx entries initially. On a third system, I've just installed KMM and on downloading an ofx, I was asked what to do with it. After specifying KMM, a text/ofx entry did appear. Then, KMM opened but said that the .ofx extension wasn't recognised. So, I added that in system settings, but same again. I think now though that that was because for quickness (always a mistake) I installed the stock KMM and it doesn't have the ofx plugin installed.

I'll try again tomorrow. Meanwhile though, it seems from your experience, that web connect is alive and well, which was what I was trying to establish.

Thanks for helping.

aga

aga wrote:
Hmm... Neither of my main PCs had any ofx entries initially. On a third system, I've just installed KMM and on downloading an ofx, I was asked what to do with it. After
I'll try again tomorrow. Meanwhile though, it seems from your experience, that web connect is alive and well, which was what I was trying to establish.

Just to complete this thread (for now), I removed my .htaccess file and that stopped the OFX import working, and I removed the alterations I had made to Firefox mime types file. I no longer have ofx entries in Firefox Applications.

So, what I've learned is that on Xununtu, Web Connect works well, but no one else has reported success with other distros. Also, I can't test this feature as I don't have a suitable bank.

aga