Finding Transactions



Finding Transactions

You can find transactions in ACCOUNTS from two places - register windows, and the File Find Transactions menu option on the main window (which can also be done with Ctrl+F). Both features are quite similar, but the second one allows you to find transactions in any register, or even unusual journal entries that cannot be displayed on a register. (Journal entries can always be displayed on a register, as long as they include at least one asset, liability, or fund/equity account.)


You can find on the Payee / Description, Memo, Number (for example cheque or journal entry number), and/or Amount fields.


On register windows, you can also search independently by transaction date, with the Go to Date option from the right-click popup menu, or Ctrl+G.


Finding from a Register Window


From any register window, right-click and pick Find Transactions on the popup menu, or press Ctrl+F, to bring up the following window:




You can fill in values in any or all of the fields, to search on them.


The Payee / Description field can be dropped down to see all previously used values from this register, or you can start typing and matches will come up. You can also type in just a partial value to match on, and any transaction that includes that value (case-insensitive) will match.


The Number field is for a cheque or journal entry number, and must match exactly.


The Memo field will also do partial matches (case-insensitive), like Payee / Description. It only matches the memo actually displayed on the register, not memo lines for any additional split rows, for transactions that have splits.


The Amount field can match either amount field in a register transaction (such as Payment or Deposit, in a register for a bank account), and must be a positive number.


If the Use Or field is unchecked (the default), then all of the values you fill in must match. If Use Or is checked, then transactions will be found if any one or more of the values you fill in match. (If you only fill in one value, there is no point in checking Use Or!)


If you have the Backward checkbox checked (the default), searching will be upwards in the register. If you have the Forward checkbox checked, searching will be downwards in the register.


Click Find Next to search upwards or downwards in the register, depending on the Backward or Forward radio button, to find the next match to your entered criteria. As you keep clicking Find Next, it will find successive matches, wrapping around back to the bottom of the register (or top of the register if searching Forward) if necessary. It will also keep cycling through the same matches if you press Find Next more times than the number of matches. If there are no matches at all, it will beep.


Unlike most popup windows in the program, this one does not stop you from clicking back into the register window and doing things. You can also click and drag on this window's title bar to get it more out of the way, so you can see what is selected on the register underneath it. The window will remember where you left it, and open it in the same place the next time you use it.


Click Close or press ESC to close this window when you are finished using it.


Finding All Transactions


Use the File Find Transactions menu option on the main window to bring up the following window, which can find all transactions, not just ones in a single account's register:




Most of it works exactly like the window for finding in a register window, as described above, so this section just describes what is different.


The Payee / Description field drop-down will include all previously used descriptions from all registers and journal entries.


The Memo field will match on any split row's memo, not just the main transaction's memo that is displayed in a register window. (However, in the window shown below this, only the transaction's main memo will be displayed, which will not necessary match your entered Memo, if the match was indeed on a split row's memo.)


There are no Backward / Forward radio buttons, because this window always finds all matches, not one at a time.


Clicking Find All brings up a window such as the following, showing all of the matches, if there are any. (If there aren't any matches, it tells you so, and lets you change your criteria for the find.)




This was for a search on the Payee / Description "Office Depot". Positive values in the Amount column are debits, negative ones are credits. However, finding on the Amount is always done with a positive value (which will match either debits or credits, as mentioned above), so you really don't have to worry about that.


From this window, you can double-click on a row (or click on it and click Show Transaction, or press Enter) and it will appear either in its register window, or in a journal entry editing window. (It will be in a journal entry window if you see "GENJRNL" as part of the Reference column in this window's display.)


When you close the register or journal entry window, you will come back to this window, from which you can look at further transactions if you wish. When you are done, click Close to close the window. (That also closes the original Find Transactions window.)