Interesting idea; improving documentation is always welcome, but the devil is in the details...
Item 2 in your suggestions isn't documentation, but requires a change in code. As for "split", "multi-split" and GnuCash usage of the same, there has been a long standing ambiguity on their use. There was a discussion some years back concerning this, with some pointing out that the documentation was inconsistent. Sometimes, "split" referred to a single entry in a transaction, while other times, it referred to the presence of more than two entries in a transaction. Similarly, "multi-split" has been used inconsistently, although in general it refers to the presence of more than two entries in a transaction. I believe that in the Guide, we settled on referring to Note that I used the term "entry" to refer to the lines in a transaction that link an amount to an account. One person in the earlier discussion suggested using "entry" for each line so as to disambiguate the language, and I think they were right in that assessment. David T. On Nov 8, 2025, 12:28 PM, at 12:28 PM, flywire <[email protected]> wrote: >I'd like to raise a documentation issue for discussion. > >I didn’t fully understand the import functionality for multi-line >transactions until Geert Janssens explained it a few years ago. It's a >neat >feature that works very well, but the manual section could be clearer, >particularly for users trying to understand how GnuCash handles CSV >imports >with multi-line transactions. > >The relevant documentation pages are: > > - CSV Transaction Import: >https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-import.html#trans-import-csv > - Multi-split Transactions: >https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-manual/trans-multi-enter.html > >GnuCash uses the term "Split" for transactions involving more than two >accounts. "Multi-split" is an unreasonable term for a file with a >simple >two-account transaction. "Multi-line" would be a clearer and more >accurate >term for users trying to understand CSV imports, equally inclusive of >simple two-account and split transactions. > >Also, it’s not always clear which account the term "Account" refers to >in >the documentation or the import dialog, since both the form and the CSV >file may contain an account field. The only way to tell is by reading >the >surrounding text carefully. > >To make the documentation clearer, I suggest: > >1. Use the term "Import Account" consistently instead of "import or >base > account" >2. Rename the form field currently labeled "Account" to "Import >Account" > 3. Add a "File Fields" label above the CSV file grid to make it easier > to refer to those fields > 4. Update documentation to describe the two supported CSV formats more > explicitly: > - One line per transaction, imported into a single account as a > simple transaction, using either a transfer account field or one > automatically assigned by the Import Matcher > - Multiple lines per transaction, with each line specifying its own > account, imported as either a simple or split transaction > 5. Use the term/label "Multi-line" instead of "Multi-split" > >These tweeks could help users better understand the CSV format, >particularly the multi-line format. > >I’d appreciate any comments. > >Regards >_______________________________________________ >gnucash-user mailing list >[email protected] >To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: >https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user >----- >Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. >You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list [email protected] To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
