As a new user I was dismayed when i was "locked" out of my main file. I tried all the solution suggestions that google brought up with no luck. The website seemed to be unavailable. The manual was no help. I subscribed to this group, as it was said to be the best place to get help. Eventually I just wandered around looking at all the gnucash files (this particular thread did not yet exist.) After reinstalling the program for the umpteenth time, instead of trying to open a file through the program, I just accessed the file directly. Voila, success. No further problems. Still don't understand what caused the issue, just glad I can carry on. And yes, I do regular backups to a separate hard drive.
from Maggi's cell phone On Fri, Jun 19, 2026, 12:12 PM <[email protected]> wrote: > Send gnucash-user mailing list submissions to > [email protected] > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > [email protected] > > You can reach the person managing the list at > [email protected] > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of gnucash-user digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Logs and Backups (Kalpesh Patel) > 2. Fw: Logs and Backups (Ken Pyzik) > 3. Re: GnuCash and USD tenths and mils (Clint Chaplin) > 4. Re: Fw: Logs and Backups (Wm Tarr) > 5. Re: GnuCash and USD tenths and mils (Clint Chaplin) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:17:07 -0400 > From: "Kalpesh Patel" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Putting "backup" in calling them out is what most likely is confusing > folks. > > They are transactions rollback archives. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael or Penny Novack <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 10:06 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > I realize people are treating THESE backups as satisfying the need to back > up your data. But better to think of these as "session backups" and not > replacement For your general backup procedure. > > Michael D Novack > > > On 6/18/2026 9:48 PM, Ken Pyzik wrote: > > OK - I think I may have found the answer to my own question. In the > EDIT>>Preferences>>General, there is a setting to Retain Logs/Backup files > with three options - Never, For X number of days or Forever. The default > appears to be 30 days. Now this is interesting. > > > > If this is true - which I believe it is - this means that if you go into > Gnucash every day, you can end up with up to 30 or 31 logs and backup > files. So, someone could assume that they could just change it to 3 days > and that would be fine. However, if you do NOT open Gnucash everyday - but > instead open it up once a week, you would need keep the logs for 21 days in > order to have 3 backups. By the same token, if you are someone who only > opens Gnucash once a month - or only once every couple of months, you would > need to keep the files for up to 60 or 90 days in order to get 3 full > backups. > > > > I am guessing that this is the behavior and that it has probably been > this way forever. I am also guessing that if you only want 3 backups > definitively - you have to adjust the days accordingly to the way you use > the system - i.e., how often you open and work with the files. And if you > go into the system multiple times a day - you could end up with A LOT of > backups and logs files. > > > > Is this behavior correct? If yes, would changing it to be a definitive > number be difficult? I assuming it is, otherwise I would have thought it > would have been changed by now. > > > > Ken > > ________________________________ > > From: gnucash-user > > <[email protected]> on behalf of Ken > > Pyzik <[email protected]> > > Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:05 PM > > To: Gnucash Users <[email protected]> > > Subject: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > > > This may have been mentioned in the past - and if so - sorry for the > repeat. However, I noticed today 10 ".log" and 10 ".<<date>>.gnucash" > files. So, I am assuming that gnucash is keeping 10 transaction and log > file backups. Is this correct? If so, is this the default and if it is > the default, can this be changed to only 2 or 3? Thanks for the reply. > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > > -- > There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the > equality of the grave. > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 17:29:51 +0000 > From: Ken Pyzik <[email protected]> > To: Gnucash Users <[email protected]> > Subject: [GNC] Fw: Logs and Backups > Message-ID: > < > co1pr05mb8588f12cb1999baa789988b5ae...@co1pr05mb8588.namprd05.prod.outlook.com > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Not sure this made it the first time. Sorry if it's a duplicate. > > ________________________________ > From: Ken Pyzik <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 8:20 AM > To: Paul Kroitor <[email protected]>; [email protected] < > [email protected]> > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > Excellent analysis - everyone. So, out of curiosity, I took a look at one > of the logs. While a little difficult to fully decipher, they are indeed, > just a log of transactions entered during that particular session. I did > not look at the backup gnucash files - my assumption is that they are just > a snapshot of the gnucash file at the point in time immediately before or > after those session transactions were posted. > > So - what this tells me - is that these log files are "backup snapshots" > to provide an effective audit trail for someone to go back and re-create > the situation as it was at a point in time. In other words, today I > discover that one of my accounts is out of whack. Effectively (and > theoretically), I could use the logs to trace back every transaction that > happened and possibly (and probably if I am a good forensic IT/Audit > person) could figure out what caused the account to get out of whack. > > So technically, as Paul pointed out - these really are NOT backups in the > sense of a catastrophic situation. They are merely snapshots to use for > forensic investigations (i.e., can use them to trace back where you may > have screwed something up). > > Therefore, if someone wants to - they could effectively change the value > to 0 if they are doing backups and did not care to trace back old > transactions. On the reverse side, you could keep them forever, > particularly if you are using them for company books and need to keep them > for regulatory purposes (some business jurisdiction requirements). > > Thanks for the discussion. Learned something today! > > Ken > > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: gnucash-user <[email protected]> > on behalf of Paul Kroitor <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 7:43 AM > To: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > As an IT person for more than 50 years, a copy of the data on the same > device as the original (or even online in the same attached network) is > NOT A BACKUP. It's a restore point, rollback snapshot, or something > along those lines. > > If you take inventory of the possible risks to a live database, only > three are mitigated by such copies: > - erroneous / mistaken updates (eg. bad imports, trainee entry mistakes) > - data corruption due to software / logic issues > - data corruption due to (very) local hardware flaws (eg unrecoverable > disk sectors) > > Half a dozen other risks aren't mitigated at all, including disk > failure, loss of access due to credential issues (eg. full disk > encryption lockout), equipment loss (eg. theft, fire, earthquakes), > ransomware attacks, malfeasance, etc. > > A backup is what you use when you don't have your usual daily tools to > do your tasks, be it your current data file, OS, login, computer, or > even your building. > > Paul > > > On 2026-06-19 10:05 a.m., Michael or Penny Novack via gnucash-user wrote: > > I realize people are treating THESE backups as satisfying the need to > > back up your data. But better to think of these as "session backups" > > and not replacement For your general backup procedure. > > > > Michael D Novack > > > > > > On 6/18/2026 9:48 PM, Ken Pyzik wrote: > >> OK - I think I may have found the answer to my own question. In the > >> EDIT>>Preferences>>General, there is a setting to Retain Logs/Backup > >> files with three options - Never, For X number of days or Forever. > >> The default appears to be 30 days. Now this is interesting. > >> > >> If this is true - which I believe it is - this means that if you go > >> into Gnucash every day, you can end up with up to 30 or 31 logs and > >> backup files. So, someone could assume that they could just change > >> it to 3 days and that would be fine. However, if you do NOT open > >> Gnucash everyday - but instead open it up once a week, you would need > >> keep the logs for 21 days in order to have 3 backups. By the same > >> token, if you are someone who only opens Gnucash once a month - or > >> only once every couple of months, you would need to keep the files > >> for up to 60 or 90 days in order to get 3 full backups. > >> > >> I am guessing that this is the behavior and that it has probably been > >> this way forever. I am also guessing that if you only want 3 backups > >> definitively - you have to adjust the days accordingly to the way you > >> use the system - i.e., how often you open and work with the files. > >> And if you go into the system multiple times a day - you could end up > >> with A LOT of backups and logs files. > >> > >> Is this behavior correct? If yes, would changing it to be a > >> definitive number be difficult? I assuming it is, otherwise I would > >> have thought it would have been changed by now. > >> > >> Ken > >> ________________________________ > >> From: gnucash-user > >> <[email protected]> on behalf of Ken > >> Pyzik <[email protected]> > >> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:05 PM > >> To: Gnucash Users <[email protected]> > >> Subject: [GNC] Logs and Backups > >> > >> This may have been mentioned in the past - and if so - sorry for the > >> repeat. However, I noticed today 10 ".log" and 10 > >> ".<<date>>.gnucash" files. So, I am assuming that gnucash is keeping > >> 10 transaction and log file backups. Is this correct? If so, is > >> this the default and if it is the default, can this be changed to > >> only 2 or 3? Thanks for the reply. > >> _______________________________________________ > >> 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. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:58:55 -0700 > From: Clint Chaplin <[email protected]> > To: "David T." <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected], John Ralls <[email protected]>, Derek > Atkins <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [GNC] GnuCash and USD tenths and mils > Message-ID: > <CAEf=QbBPmnufT_3hE8y8nE+-hApKPGnO49pQh3=K8mfFqYq2= > [email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Well, the stock has been through three (that I can remember) different > share registries, and has never been with a broker. The latest share > registry's records only go back to 2007, so the onus on keeping the records > is on me. > > On Fri, Jun 19, 2026 at 2:10?AM David T. <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Well, yes-- but you'd have to track basis anyhow. My point was that you > > could do all the transactions in one account, split at the end, and only > > have to split the shares and basis at the end. > > > > If, on the other hand, your concern is that calculating basis and gains > on > > a large series of smaller events is difficult, well, yes that's true. > > > > And the options there are: > > 1) let the GnuCash lots feature calculate gains on a lot-by-lot basis > > (works, but results in complex splits); > > 2) enter all these same details yourself manually (augh!); or > > 3) use aggregated figures provided by the brokerage. > > > > I can tell you from experience that the first two are tricky to handle, > > and even determining whether your numbers are accurate can be deeply > > challenging. > > > > I decided for myself that I wasn't going to be challenging the numbers > the > > brokers provided anyway, so I might as well use their numbers throughout. > > > > IANAA and YMMV. > > > > David T. > > > > > > On June 19, 2026 12:02:06 PM GMT+05:30, Clint Chaplin <[email protected] > > > > wrote: > > > >> For use case 1, the distribution did not happen immediately; in fact it > >> was delayed for five years (families, amirite?). In that time, the > >> original and 20 DRIPs accumulated, and for tax purposes we have to keep > >> track of the basis of the DRIPs. > >> > >> On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 9:55?PM David T. <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > >>> Clint, > >>> > >>> With use case 1: was the inheritance split as a percentage or as a set > >>> number of shares? If, as I suspect, it was a percentage, then why not > >>> simply take the final share count at the time of distribution and split > >>> that in half? I don't see any point in doing it the other way round. > >>> Presumably, the aggregated shares all appreciate at the same rate, and > two > >>> equal holdings would have appreciated at the rate rate as well. So, > half at > >>> the beginning will be half at the end. > >>> > >>> As for the stock spinoff, you "sell" the shares and "receive" a total > >>> dollar amount, then you "buy" a different number of shares for that > same > >>> dollar amount. Technically, the rates don't really matter that much. > Just > >>> the number of shares involved at each stage. Note that in many spinoff > >>> situations, your original number of shares results in a fractional > number > >>> of new shares (you are spun back 55.3 shares, say). This is usually > handled > >>> by the brokerage as "Cash in lieu." I have usually handled this in > GnuCash > >>> by creating a single transaction that has the accurate spinoff amount > in > >>> shares and dollars, with a separate split to sell the fractional share > at > >>> the cash in lieu amount. It is then quite clear what happened, the > basis is > >>> accurate, and you can derive the gain on the fractional sale easily. I > add > >>> notes to the splits to explain what's going on. > >>> > >>> David T. > >>> > >>> > >>> On June 19, 2026 8:58:42 AM GMT+05:30, John Ralls <[email protected]> > >>> wrote: > >>> > >>>> You can. But as you might have discovered empirically it?s not > consistently used: A rough grep finds 35 uses of > xaccAccountGetCommoditySCU, which returns the fraction set in the Account > Edit Dialog, and 104 uses of gnc_commodity_get_fraction, which returns the > fraction set in the currency editor. > >>>> > >>>> Regards, > >>>> John Ralls > >>>> > >>>> On Jun 18, 2026, at 15:49, Clint Chaplin <[email protected]> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> What I find interesting is that GnuCash has the ability for me to > set any arbitrary USD cash accounts to 3, 4, 5 or more decimal digits, and > yet that ability cannot be carried over to the USD cash side of > conversions/transfers to and from non-USD accounts. > >>>>> > >>>>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 10:46?AM John Ralls <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>> Clint, > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Don?t sweat the pennies in stock basis, they don?t make a practical > difference anywhere. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> For splitting the DRIPs bases alternate the rounding so that for > the first one your basis is (e.g.) .45 and your sister?s is .46, the second > your basis is .46 and your sister?s is .45, and so on. Notice that if there > are an even number of such dividends you come out even and if there are an > odd number your sister comes out .01 ahead. That?s to promote familial > peace. It doesn?t actually matter, > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Regards, > >>>>>> John Ralls > >>>>>> > >>>>>> On Jun 18, 2026, at 09:30, Clint Chaplin <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>> wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> Hmm, I actually have two use cases, neither of which involve stock > splits, sorry for the deke. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> I and my sister inherited some stock from our father, split > 50/50. It took several years to settle the estate, and meanwhile the stock > split 2 for 1 twice and kept DRIPping. When it came time to actually > distribute the stock, we had to split the original stock with the basis at > the time of death, and also the subsequent DRIPs. If the total value of a > DRIP happened to be odd, then the amount bequeathed to each person when > split 50/50 would have a half cent. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> Second use case: spinoffs. To record the split, the original > stock is "sold" for the original value and basis, and then "bought" for the > modified value and basis, which could be any fraction of the original value > and basis (in my case, .9581688 of the original amount and basis), while > the remainder value is used to "purchase" the spun off stock (in my case, > .0418312 of the original value). This ain't gonna be an even number of > cents... > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 8:54?AM Derek Atkins <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> Keep in mind that gnucash does not store the price in the > register, it stores the #shares and total $value. Are you saying you would > have a mil in the total value of the split? > >>>>>>>> -derek > >>>>>>>> Sent using my mobile device. Please excuse any typos. > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> On June 18, 2026 11:38:28 Clint Chaplin <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> Unfortunate. My use case is stock that has split. The suggested > way to > >>>>>>>>> record this change in basis in GnuCash is to sell all the stock, > and then > >>>>>>>>> rebuy at the split quantities at the new pricing. This will > lead to > >>>>>>>>> amounts that are fractions of a penny, but simply cannot be > recorded in > >>>>>>>>> GnuCash with the current restriction. > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> Even worse is when a spinoff happens and needs to be recorded. > The basis > >>>>>>>>> of the stock needs to be modified, but the only way I can see is > to "sell" > >>>>>>>>> and "buy" at the new basis, but the total amount per purchase > cannot be in > >>>>>>>>> fractions of a penny. > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> When I have over 100 lots to do this to, the rounding to the > nearest penny > >>>>>>>>> will catch up... > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jun 17, 2026 at 2:53?PM John Ralls <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto: > [email protected] <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> No, no more than you can get a 10th of a penny at the bank or > the grocery > >>>>>>>>>> store. Prices can be in fractions of a penny, amounts cannot. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> Regards, > >>>>>>>>>> John Ralls > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> On Jun 16, 2026, at 10:39?PM, Clint Chaplin <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> Is there a way to set GnuCash to take USD tenths and mils on > some > >>>>>>>>>>> accounts? My default is USD, if that matters... > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>>>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>>>>>>>> ------------------------------ > >>>>>>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>>>>>>>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>>>>>> ------------------------------ > >>>>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>>>>>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>>>> > >>>>>> ------------------------------ > >>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> -- > >>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>> > >>>> ------------------------------ > >>>> 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 T. > > > > > -- > Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 19:04:41 +0100 > From: Wm Tarr <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [GNC] Fw: Logs and Backups > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed > > You can even replay log files, see > > 2.5.?Backing Up and Recovering Data > <https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v5/C/gnucash-guide/basics-backup1.html> > > for more. > > Wm > > > On 2026-06-19 18:29, Ken Pyzik wrote: > > Not sure this made it the first time. Sorry if it's a duplicate. > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Ken Pyzik<[email protected]> > > Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 8:20 AM > > To: Paul Kroitor<[email protected]>;[email protected] < > [email protected]> > > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > > > Excellent analysis - everyone. So, out of curiosity, I took a look at > one of the logs. While a little difficult to fully decipher, they are > indeed, just a log of transactions entered during that particular session. > I did not look at the backup gnucash files - my assumption is that they are > just a snapshot of the gnucash file at the point in time immediately before > or after those session transactions were posted. > > > > So - what this tells me - is that these log files are "backup snapshots" > to provide an effective audit trail for someone to go back and re-create > the situation as it was at a point in time. In other words, today I > discover that one of my accounts is out of whack. Effectively (and > theoretically), I could use the logs to trace back every transaction that > happened and possibly (and probably if I am a good forensic IT/Audit > person) could figure out what caused the account to get out of whack. > > > > So technically, as Paul pointed out - these really are NOT backups in > the sense of a catastrophic situation. They are merely snapshots to use > for forensic investigations (i.e., can use them to trace back where you may > have screwed something up). > > > > Therefore, if someone wants to - they could effectively change the value > to 0 if they are doing backups and did not care to trace back old > transactions. On the reverse side, you could keep them forever, > particularly if you are using them for company books and need to keep them > for regulatory purposes (some business jurisdiction requirements). > > > > Thanks for the discussion. Learned something today! > > > > Ken > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: gnucash-user<[email protected]> > on behalf of Paul Kroitor<[email protected]> > > Sent: Friday, June 19, 2026 7:43 AM > > To:[email protected] <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: [GNC] Logs and Backups > > > > As an IT person for more than 50 years, a copy of the data on the same > > device as the original (or even online in the same attached network) is > > NOT A BACKUP. It's a restore point, rollback snapshot, or something > > along those lines. > > > > If you take inventory of the possible risks to a live database, only > > three are mitigated by such copies: > > - erroneous / mistaken updates (eg. bad imports, trainee entry mistakes) > > - data corruption due to software / logic issues > > - data corruption due to (very) local hardware flaws (eg unrecoverable > > disk sectors) > > > > Half a dozen other risks aren't mitigated at all, including disk > > failure, loss of access due to credential issues (eg. full disk > > encryption lockout), equipment loss (eg. theft, fire, earthquakes), > > ransomware attacks, malfeasance, etc. > > > > A backup is what you use when you don't have your usual daily tools to > > do your tasks, be it your current data file, OS, login, computer, or > > even your building. > > > > Paul > > > > > > On 2026-06-19 10:05 a.m., Michael or Penny Novack via gnucash-user wrote: > >> I realize people are treating THESE backups as satisfying the need to > >> back up your data. But better to think of these as "session backups" > >> and not replacement For your general backup procedure. > >> > >> Michael D Novack > >> > >> > >> On 6/18/2026 9:48 PM, Ken Pyzik wrote: > >>> OK - I think I may have found the answer to my own question. In the > >>> EDIT>>Preferences>>General, there is a setting to Retain Logs/Backup > >>> files with three options - Never, For X number of days or Forever. > >>> The default appears to be 30 days. Now this is interesting. > >>> > >>> If this is true - which I believe it is - this means that if you go > >>> into Gnucash every day, you can end up with up to 30 or 31 logs and > >>> backup files. So, someone could assume that they could just change > >>> it to 3 days and that would be fine. However, if you do NOT open > >>> Gnucash everyday - but instead open it up once a week, you would need > >>> keep the logs for 21 days in order to have 3 backups. By the same > >>> token, if you are someone who only opens Gnucash once a month - or > >>> only once every couple of months, you would need to keep the files > >>> for up to 60 or 90 days in order to get 3 full backups. > >>> > >>> I am guessing that this is the behavior and that it has probably been > >>> this way forever. I am also guessing that if you only want 3 backups > >>> definitively - you have to adjust the days accordingly to the way you > >>> use the system - i.e., how often you open and work with the files. > >>> And if you go into the system multiple times a day - you could end up > >>> with A LOT of backups and logs files. > >>> > >>> Is this behavior correct? If yes, would changing it to be a > >>> definitive number be difficult? I assuming it is, otherwise I would > >>> have thought it would have been changed by now. > >>> > >>> Ken > >>> ________________________________ > >>> From: gnucash-user > >>> <[email protected]> on behalf of Ken > >>> Pyzik<[email protected]> > >>> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:05 PM > >>> To: Gnucash Users<[email protected]> > >>> Subject: [GNC] Logs and Backups > >>> > >>> This may have been mentioned in the past - and if so - sorry for the > >>> repeat. However, I noticed today 10 ".log" and 10 > >>> ".<<date>>.gnucash" files. So, I am assuming that gnucash is keeping > >>> 10 transaction and log file backups. Is this correct? If so, is > >>> this the default and if it is the default, can this be changed to > >>> only 2 or 3? Thanks for the reply. > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> 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. > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:08:42 -0700 > From: Clint Chaplin <[email protected]> > To: "David T." <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected], John Ralls <[email protected]>, Derek > Atkins <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [GNC] GnuCash and USD tenths and mils > Message-ID: > <CAEf=QbBg_DR=dennojZx9UtwXKV=e=dG27bh-Y_uoV8= > [email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Interestingly enough, when IBM spun off KD, my shares were registered with > the registry agent ComputerShare, and I got to keep the fractional share, > since the registry agent already handles fractional shares easily. No > broker involved. > > On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 9:55?PM David T. <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Clint, > > > > With use case 1: was the inheritance split as a percentage or as a set > > number of shares? If, as I suspect, it was a percentage, then why not > > simply take the final share count at the time of distribution and split > > that in half? I don't see any point in doing it the other way round. > > Presumably, the aggregated shares all appreciate at the same rate, and > two > > equal holdings would have appreciated at the rate rate as well. So, half > at > > the beginning will be half at the end. > > > > As for the stock spinoff, you "sell" the shares and "receive" a total > > dollar amount, then you "buy" a different number of shares for that same > > dollar amount. Technically, the rates don't really matter that much. Just > > the number of shares involved at each stage. Note that in many spinoff > > situations, your original number of shares results in a fractional number > > of new shares (you are spun back 55.3 shares, say). This is usually > handled > > by the brokerage as "Cash in lieu." I have usually handled this in > GnuCash > > by creating a single transaction that has the accurate spinoff amount in > > shares and dollars, with a separate split to sell the fractional share at > > the cash in lieu amount. It is then quite clear what happened, the basis > is > > accurate, and you can derive the gain on the fractional sale easily. I > add > > notes to the splits to explain what's going on. > > > > David T. > > > > > > On June 19, 2026 8:58:42 AM GMT+05:30, John Ralls <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > >> You can. But as you might have discovered empirically it?s not > consistently used: A rough grep finds 35 uses of > xaccAccountGetCommoditySCU, which returns the fraction set in the Account > Edit Dialog, and 104 uses of gnc_commodity_get_fraction, which returns the > fraction set in the currency editor. > >> > >> Regards, > >> John Ralls > >> > >> On Jun 18, 2026, at 15:49, Clint Chaplin <[email protected]> wrote: > >>> > >>> What I find interesting is that GnuCash has the ability for me to set > any arbitrary USD cash accounts to 3, 4, 5 or more decimal digits, and yet > that ability cannot be carried over to the USD cash side of > conversions/transfers to and from non-USD accounts. > >>> > >>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 10:46?AM John Ralls <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>> wrote: > >>> > >>>> Clint, > >>>> > >>>> Don?t sweat the pennies in stock basis, they don?t make a practical > difference anywhere. > >>>> > >>>> For splitting the DRIPs bases alternate the rounding so that for the > first one your basis is (e.g.) .45 and your sister?s is .46, the second > your basis is .46 and your sister?s is .45, and so on. Notice that if there > are an even number of such dividends you come out even and if there are an > odd number your sister comes out .01 ahead. That?s to promote familial > peace. It doesn?t actually matter, > >>>> > >>>> Regards, > >>>> John Ralls > >>>> > >>>> On Jun 18, 2026, at 09:30, Clint Chaplin <[email protected] <mailto: > [email protected] <[email protected]>>> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> Hmm, I actually have two use cases, neither of which involve stock > splits, sorry for the deke. > >>>>> > >>>>> I and my sister inherited some stock from our father, split 50/50. > It took several years to settle the estate, and meanwhile the stock split 2 > for 1 twice and kept DRIPping. When it came time to actually distribute > the stock, we had to split the original stock with the basis at the time of > death, and also the subsequent DRIPs. If the total value of a DRIP > happened to be odd, then the amount bequeathed to each person when split > 50/50 would have a half cent. > >>>>> > >>>>> Second use case: spinoffs. To record the split, the original stock > is "sold" for the original value and basis, and then "bought" for the > modified value and basis, which could be any fraction of the original value > and basis (in my case, .9581688 of the original amount and basis), while > the remainder value is used to "purchase" the spun off stock (in my case, > .0418312 of the original value). This ain't gonna be an even number of > cents... > >>>>> > >>>>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2026 at 8:54?AM Derek Atkins <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>> Keep in mind that gnucash does not store the price in the register, > it stores the #shares and total $value. Are you saying you would have a > mil in the total value of the split? > >>>>>> -derek > >>>>>> Sent using my mobile device. Please excuse any typos. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> On June 18, 2026 11:38:28 Clint Chaplin <[email protected] <mailto: > [email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Unfortunate. My use case is stock that has split. The suggested > way to > >>>>>>> record this change in basis in GnuCash is to sell all the stock, > and then > >>>>>>> rebuy at the split quantities at the new pricing. This will lead > to > >>>>>>> amounts that are fractions of a penny, but simply cannot be > recorded in > >>>>>>> GnuCash with the current restriction. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> Even worse is when a spinoff happens and needs to be recorded. > The basis > >>>>>>> of the stock needs to be modified, but the only way I can see is > to "sell" > >>>>>>> and "buy" at the new basis, but the total amount per purchase > cannot be in > >>>>>>> fractions of a penny. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> When I have over 100 lots to do this to, the rounding to the > nearest penny > >>>>>>> will catch up... > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> On Wed, Jun 17, 2026 at 2:53?PM John Ralls <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto: > [email protected] <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> No, no more than you can get a 10th of a penny at the bank or the > grocery > >>>>>>>> store. Prices can be in fractions of a penny, amounts cannot. > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> Regards, > >>>>>>>> John Ralls > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> On Jun 16, 2026, at 10:39?PM, Clint Chaplin <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> Is there a way to set GnuCash to take USD tenths and mils on some > >>>>>>>>> accounts? My default is USD, if that matters... > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>>>>>> ------------------------------ > >>>>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>>>>>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> -- > >>>>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>>>> ------------------------------ > >>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>>>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]>> <mailto:[email protected] < > [email protected]> <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> -- > >>>>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>>>> > >>>> ------------------------------ > >>>> gnucash-user mailing list > >>>> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected] < > [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. > >>>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > >>> > >> ------------------------------ > >> 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. > >> > >> > > -- > Clint (JOATMON) Chaplin > > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > > 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. > > > ------------------------------ > > End of gnucash-user Digest, Vol 279, Issue 37 > ********************************************* > _______________________________________________ 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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