David T,
I think you're right. I misunderstood you. It looks like we're in
agreement on this. If GnuCash is saving the Column Widths, it should
also be saving the other settings as well. My main focus is on the
register's View Style (Basic vs. Transaction Journal). But it makes
sense to save the filtering and sorting as well.
In checking Bugzilla today, there was only one earlier bug/request that
seemed similar to this issue. It was Bug #168705 titled "RFE : ability
to set STICKY view style per account". The status of that bug is listed
as "Verified Incomplete"; but I didn't bother following up on it since
it was last modified back in August 2009. So I pretty much wrote that
off as ancient history.
Instead I submitted a new bug/request specific to the issue of a
register's View Style. I didn't include anything about filtering or
sorting; since Bugzilla's guidelines encourage keeping submissions to a
single topic. Anyway, my request today is Bug #799708 titled
"Register's View Style should be saved just like Column Widths". In
case you're interested, here's the text of what I wrote:
===============
When a user opens a register, the Column Widths can be adjusted. And
when the register is closed those adjusted Column Widths are saved in
the .gcm file. So when the user reopens that register the Column Widths
are exactly the same as how the user saved them when the register was
closed.
But if the user changes a register's View Style (e.g., from Basic Ledger
to Transaction Journal) that change is discarded and lost once the user
closes that register. The register view always reverts back to the
GnuCash Register Default Style.
The enhancement I would like to see is for the register's View Style to
be saved in the .gcm file along with the Column Widths whenever the
register is closed. Doing so will let the user set each register's View
Style individually as needed rather than being forced to use the Default
Style for all registers.
===============
Anyway, that's what I submitted. If you're interested in following up
on it, you can login to Bugzilla and add yourself to the Cc list.
Depending on what response I get, you might consider making your own
request regarding filtering and sorting.
Tom
On 12/17/2025 6:09 AM, [email protected] wrote:
Tom,
I think you've misunderstood me regarding the view style.
I agree that *as long as a register remains opened*, the view is
retained-- even if you close and reopen GnuCash. I very specifically
noted that "once a register is closed" the view reverts to the default
view when reopened. I think you will see what I'm getting at if you
try setting a view style for a register, closing the register and then
reopening it.
This is in contradiction to the column width behavior, which is
retained even when the register is closed and then reopened.
Personally, I think this divergent behavior is incorrect.
I do not intend to leave every account perpetually opened so that my
view preferences are retained. With a couple hundred accounts, this
would be terrible. I would much prefer to have the view setting saved.
I think that if GnuCash is going to remember register settings in one
aspect (column widths), it would be preferable for it to remember them
for other aspects as well (view style, and [as my namesake has pointed
out] view filter and sorting).
David T.
On Dec 17, 2025, at 11:44 AM, Tom Route36 <[email protected]> wrote:
David T,
You're only somewhat confused. You're absolutely correct about
the Column Widths. When you change Column Widths, those changes
persist without you having to do anything. Whether you close the
register, or close GnuCash altogether, those changes to Column
Widths will persist. The changes are updated in the gcm file as
soon as you make them. And that's great for the Column Widths.
And you're partially correct about the View Style. When you close
a register, and then reopen it, the register always reverts back
to whatever your Default View Style is. But there is one case
where a register does keep the View Style that you've set for it.
And that case is where you LEAVE THE REGISTER OPEN, and CLOSE
GNUCASH WHILE THAT REGISTER REMAINS OPEN. In that case, when you
reopen GnuCash that register will still have whatever View Style
you set for it -- even if it's NOT the Default View.
Please try testing that and let us know your results.
Tom
You're also correct regarding the View Style.
On 12/16/2025 9:53 PM, David T. via gnucash-user wrote:
So, now *I'm* confused. My tests show different results.
Gnucash 5.13 (Nightly from 2025-12-10). Windows 11.
When I change a register's *column widths*, the changes persist,
regardless. I do not have to do any File->Save/File->Quit
procedures. I can adjust the columns, close the window, close
Gnucash, restart Gnucash, and the column settings are preserved
for that account. I will note that changing just column widths
does not mark the file as dirty (i.e., requiring a save); the
column changes appear to be saved automatically. I will also say
that this is what I would hope for and expect to happen if I
adjust column widths for a register.
On the other hand, when I change a register's *view style*, the
changes do not persist. Once the register is closed, it will open
in the default view mode the next time that register is opened. I
have seen no exceptions to this. It does not matter whether you
save the file, close the file and reopen it again with that
register open, or any other mechanism. Once you close the
register, it reopens in the default view style.
Perhaps this is a Windows-only feature, or perhaps it is an
addition to one of the nightlies--but I most definitely do not
see the view style persist from one instance of the register to
the next.
David T.
On 12/17/2025 9:39 AM, David Carlson wrote:
I am still confused. Whenever I want to save a register view
aka 'style'
and/or column widths for GnuCash in the particular window size
on the
display resolution that I am currently using, I simply leave the
register
set as desired and click File > Save, File > Quit. Once I have
done that,
it no longer matters if I close the register after the next
re-start. The
settings persist. Similarly for reports if I choose to leave
them open
rather than saving the settings under a custom report name, except
those settings are lost if they weren't saved as a custom report.
Further, somewhere in the middle of the 5.x series of releases
the settings
for registers with children started to persist independently if
child
accounts are included.
While it is less convenient to close the program instead of
clicking on an
icon in order to update the dotGCM file, it works. However, this
discussion makes it clear that there are several types of
settings that a
user may or may not want to make persistent, which is likely the
reason
that the developers have not programmed them already.
On Tue, Dec 16, 2025 at 6:56 PM Kalpesh Patel
<[email protected]> wrote:
While sequencing it in certain order works to preserve the
setting which I
think is consequence of the sequencing, nonetheless it is not a
mechanism
by which settings can be saved persistently IMHO (I’m wearing
my developer
hat here). If they are truly settable and saved, then it should
persist
across anyway of GNC restart.
Having an account register open when closing GNC is anathema
for me – I
like nothing but COA pop open and go from there.
From: Tom Route36 <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 9:27 PM
To: Kalpesh Patel <[email protected]>
Cc: 'Liz' <[email protected]>; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [GNC] Possible to Set and Save an Individual
Register's
Default Style?
Kalpesh,
Actually, what I found was that the Register Style (just like
Column
Width) DOES persist across GnuCash restarts. That part does
work as
expected. What DOESN'T work is that only the Column Widths are
being saved
during the restart, and not the Register Style.
If the Column Widths are being saved, why wouldn't that include
the
Register Style? It seems like a program bug (or maybe a
feature request?)
that could be fixed just by saving the current Style setting at
the same
time that the Column Widths are being saved.
I'm still relatively new to GnuCash; but hasn't anyone else
commented on
this issue before?
Tom
On 12/15/2025 6:38 PM, Kalpesh Patel wrote:
That means there is not a way to save the Register Style and
persist across
GNC restarts., unlike column widths which persists across GNC
restarts.
-----Original Message-----
From: Liz <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 7:37 PM
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [GNC] Possible to Set and Save an Individual
Register's
Default
Style?
On Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:11:15 -0600
David Carlson <mailto:[email protected]> <
[email protected]> wrote:
Tom, you did it backwards. Leave the register open and close
GnuCash.
Then re-open Gnucash.
If you follow Tom's exact steps you will get Tom's result.
I did.
Liz
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