Patrick I think your suggestions have some merit. Ire wrote a lot of the CSV import documnetation a number of years ago after Geert had rewritten the CSV importer and tended to use the terminology that had been in common use in the GnuCash community at the time. There is also however a need for consistency with the rest of the documentation in making changes. The origin of "split" is in the code itself as that is the name given to the data structure which stores each entry in a transaction. My accounting background makes me tend to prefer "entry" as the name for the components of a transaction. Changing the complete code base is however an even more massive task that changing the documentation
In the context of the CSV file itself multi-line makes some sense as each entry of a multi entry transaction is on a new line with the first line having the information relevant to the transaction as a whole(date, description etc) and those fields are blank in the subsequent lines in the CSV file for that multi-entry transaction. I tend to favour using multi-entry, entry when referring to the components of a transaction in a general sense and multiline when referring to the representation of that multi-entry transaction within the csv file. It would be nice to have a glossary of Gnucash terminology with appropriate definitions up front possibly after or before the basics section in the guide and then move towards a consistent use of that terminology throughout the documnetation as a whole. That however is a large task and as the documentation is maintained by a fairly diverse group, not necessarily going to be easy to get consistent agreement on terminology or to co-ordinate such an effort. On Thu, 2026-01-01 at 13:17 -0800, Patrick James via gnucash-user somesomewrote: > flywire, > > I'm addressing your proposed UI changes 1 to 3. > > 1. Rename Multi-split to Multi-line > 2. Move Account field under Multi-line checkbox > 3. Dim/disable Account field when Multi-line enabled > > ---------- > > I agree with the basic premise that the "multi-split" could/should be > changed to better align with its accounting objective and/or a better > user experience. That said, I'm not convinced that "multi-line" is > better than "mutli-split." I would be nice if one could find the term > that incorporates accounting terminology and improve the user > interface. > > I propose something like: > > "Simple import" > and > "Complex import" > > This avoids the question of what does "multi-line" mean with a csv > file that's 100 lines. This also alerts the user that "complex > import" probably needs something more than a simple bank download. > Hopefully the user would ask the basic question, "What is a complex > import?" Or, alternatively, think something like, "I don't know what > a 'complex import' is, but I only need a 'simple import' for my > workflow." > > Now moving forward to the justification: > > 1. Simple Journal Entry [=standard accounting terminology for a > journal entry with exactly one debit and one credit] > > 2. Complex Journal Entry [=standard accounting terminology for a > journal entry that has more than one debit or more than one credit; > "compound journal entry" is also equally acceptable terminology] > > 3. Then there is another type of entry which does not meet either > definition above, and that's a "Memorandum Journal Entry" [=no debit > entry, and thus no credit entry]. > > Although the accounting definitions above are mutually exclusive, in > that a simple journal entry cannot be a compound journal entry, and, > a compound journal entry cannot be a simple journal entry, the same > is not true when importing a "Multi-split" CSV file. A "Multi-split" > import can result in both simple journal entries as well as compound > journal entries. > > I realize that you point out, "Single-line/Multi-line terms are > equivalent to Simple/Split Transaction terms used in the Guide for > 2/2+ accounts respectively and also related to Register View styles > for Basic Ledger and Transaction Journal." I suggest the > documentation should be updated, or, at a minimum, the csv > documentation should be updated if it is not > appropriate/practical/favorable to change the documentation for the > basic ledger. > > As far as your suggestions around the "multi-split" checkbox, I > generally agree a change would be favorable. > > I personally suggest something like two radio buttons, where only one > can be selected: > > * "Simple import" above the select account pull down. > * "Complex Import" > > The radio button selection should take care of your proposed UI > change 3, as the selection of one would disable the other option. > > These changing of only the terms/UI would not be breaking changes in > that the actual import would not change. That said, I don't know how > much work it would be to make the changes to the UI and use the > previously saved settings. > > > > > On 12/31/2025 9:26 PM PST flywire <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Continuing on from the thread > > https://lists.gnucash.org/pipermail/gnucash-user/2025-November/118164.html > > > > My concern is the GnuCash CSV Importer UI and docs are confusing > > because > > the terminology is not clear and the Account field (for single-line > > mode) > > appears before the Multi-split checkbox decision point that > > determines the > > import mode. > > > > Single-line mode (one line = one transaction, two accounts): > > * Source Account: Set once in the assistant or via CSV column > > * Transfer Account: CSV column or Import Matcher (defaults to > > Imbalance) > > > > Multi-line mode (one line = one split, 2+ accounts): > > * All data per-line; no common Account field > > * Groups consecutive lines by identical/blank transaction info > > (Date, > > Description, etc.) > > > > Every transaction needs: Date, Description, Amount(s), Account(s). > > > > Single-line/Multi-line terms are equivalent to Simple/Split > > Transaction > > terms used in the Guide for 2/2+ accounts respectively and also > > related to > > Register View styles for Basic Ledger and Transaction Journal. > > > > References: > > * > > https://github.com/Gnucash/gnucash/blob/stable/gnucash/gtkbuilder/assistant-csv-trans-import.glade#L46-L55 > > * > > https://github.com/Gnucash/gnucash/blob/stable/gnucash/gtkbuilder/assistant-csv-trans-import.glade#L527-L530 > > > > ---------------- > > > > Proposed UI changes: > > > > 1. Rename Multi-split to Multi-line > > 2. Move Account field under Multi-line checkbox > > 3. Dim/disable Account field when Multi-line enabled > > 4. Update tooltip-text > > 5. Update documentation to describe > > > > Multi-linetooltip-text: > > > > * Disable: Each CSV line is one complete transaction. > > * Enable: Multiple consecutive lines form one transaction. Each > > line > > provides details for a single account or split, and the first line > > must > > include the main transaction information such as Date and > > Description. > > > > The importer groups consecutive lines into the same transaction > > until it > > finds a line where any transaction‑specific field (Transaction ID, > > Date, > > Number, Description, Notes, Transaction Commodity, or Void Reason) > > contains > > different, non‑empty information. > > Accounttooltip-text: > > > > Apply a single source account to all imported transactions. The > > other side > > of the transaction can be provided in a Transfer Account column, or > > left > > for the Import Matcher to assign. > > > > 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. -- David Cousens _______________________________________________ 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. 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