Custom Balances Extension: Questions and Answers
Stuart Beesley has developed some amazing extensions (Toolbox!) for Moneydance, but I feel one needs a bit more attention and usage - Custom Balances.
It's on my top right on my summary page. To put it simply, it allows you to create balances to view, on your summary page.
But it's much more powerful than that.
It's basically a custom report generator. You can create your own reports to view, and flip through them with the group id filter (i.e. a group id identifies a specific report you made)
It's basically a custom view into multiple reports. You just add another group id (i.e. "CustomView") and you can see important lines from multiple reports you created.
It's basically a warning window - you can place in hidden rows that trigger if a problem value is found (i.e. too low, too high, etc) and it will suddenly show up, and even blink if necessary.
You can change colors, show title bars, separation lines, etc.
You can do ratios, percentages, and so on. You can show categories by timeline - i.e. how much did I spend on gas THIS MONTH, or THIS YEAR?
It's uber powerful.
That said, anything uber powerful might elicit "how do I do this or that" questions. So far, these questions have shown up in "strange places" or in threads with a totally different title. As Stuart's main tester for Custom Balances, I can certainly answer such questions, and Stuart will probably check in as well. We would also entertain suggestions for improvement, but we both think CB is fairly mature at this point.
So, feel free to ask about Custom Balances here. It's a FANTASTIC extension (IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion)
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151 Posted by dtd on 29 Dec, 2023 09:49 PM
The only question here would still be a trigger to display a % versus a currency symbol...
152 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 02:05 AM
PREVIEW build 1044 now available from my site:
https://yogi1967.github.io/MoneydancePythonScripts/
NEWS (including changes since build 1038):
NEW: Balance AsOf dates.
NEW: Ability to include Reminders
ENHANCED: Date asof/range options, also offset periods
ENHANCE: Account picklist controls
ENHANCED: Ability to save/undo changes from widget Home Screen
NEW: Row name tag variables (refer help)
NEW: Cost basis, with cash, unrealised gains, Capital Gains, also short-term/long-term gains. I believe CB to now have better/more comprehensive cost basis/gains calculation routines than MD, with known issues fixed. If you find otherwise, please let me know? I would like to build a comprehensive and fully fixed cost basis engine (to then retrofit back into MD).
NEW: (this) Row Maths Calculation. Operates after avg/by, before UOR. Allows manual adjust to a row, and perhaps even to create a 'constant' variable (reference by row number) - known as 'RMC'. NOTE: When no accounts are selected in the selection picklist, RMC will enable a value to be calculated (whereas before it would just say ).
UPDATED: Use Other Rows allows chaining go other rows. Known as 'UOR'
NEW: Final Row Maths Calculation (adj/by has been eliminated). Operates (nearly) last. Manual adjustment to final balances. Known as 'FMC'
NEW: Final / single Format as % and Multiply * 100 option.
NEW: warning when trying to mix currencies between UORs
ENHANCED: now maintains an internal value with full decimal precision, so that despite what's displayed (to 2dpc), the full decimal result will be passed into consuming UORs. All maths will use and preserve full precision. NOTE: If you enable debug, then you can view the precision result - e.g. '$22.99 (22.98765)' could be shown (example only).
Probably other stuff too (refer comprehensive help file)
Thanks to @dtd for his dedication to testing, and 'pushing' on various issues/improvements...
We would love to hear all feedback, results, good or bad... Thanks
HAPPY NEW YEAR
153 Posted by dtd on 01 Jan, 2024 04:24 AM
This is definitely a major upgrade in abilities.
To @spaulding, you (and maybe others) will definitely need to make one change - with format % now being in one place at the end, if you use multiply by 100, you will need to change -100 in what was adj/by to -1 (+) [or 1 (-)] in FMC to accommodate the 100 issue (i.e. changing 103.22% to 3.22%).
As to RMC, you (@spaulding) asked for constants. Available now, but not as you requested. I've already created quite a few constants, like Net Worth (which is calculated by CB) and Credit Limit Total (which I grab from another list) and things like TaxRate (which I just input) - using the +/- part of RMC.
For these rows, I use the row name <##rn> (whatever the item is) with a groupid of Constant. Then I can create a list of these items, and the row name is shown. I can also filter groupid by Constant, and get a list of each constant row without interference from other rows.
These can be used in the uor, and you know what the row number is. You can then change the value in that row to whatever you like and it propagates through the UOR number.
There are other improvements like this, but they may be subtle until one figures them out. One reason we have this thread.
@Anyone - let us know if the improvements work, and if you don't understand the concepts behind the changes, just ask or read the new documentation.
154 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 02:54 PM
Happy New Year
RMC - Constants - Thanks, great compromise to request, and helpful usage suggestion.
FMC - Nice, really expands the possibilities.
Question:
Hide Decimals - Should/Could rounding be applied to displayed value? $123.66 to $124? I believe currently $123.66 displays as $123
155 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 03:33 PM
Hmmm. Hide decimals triggers the round towards x feature. I’ll have to remind myself how this works.
156 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 04:36 PM
Feature to sum (net) multiple rows would also be useful.
I stumble across these while applying real world examples. Income + CG is a use other row calc that has to be manipulated using FMC.
If sum (net) multiple rows income + CG could be done, then it could be multiplied by a use other row RMC constant. Avoiding the need to adjust the FMC row by row.
hopefully not too verbose. :)
157 Posted by dick on 01 Jan, 2024 04:58 PM
dtd - would you explain how you generate a constant?
158 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 05:14 PM
Sure I just create a row using Row maths calculation. I can't currently apply it to another row if the other row is calculated with a use other row.
I must use final maths calculation instead.
159 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 05:21 PM
@dick. As @robert has posted above. Constants don’t really exist… or put another way they are simply rows with no accounts selected, and only the RMC line of config setup - e.g. 20.0 PLUS (or 0.20 plus) for a 20% constant. You then consume this row in another row using the maths using other row (UOR). In this example UOR x *
160 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 05:32 PM
So put another way. Currently you have (for example):
Rows 1-4:
Salary FYTD
Interest FYTD
Dividends FYTD
CG FYTD
… and to create an income row, you would have to create 5 new rows (5-9) and then poss a 6th row (10) to calc tax. Your idea is a ‘thing’ that would add the 4 rows above to create income, and/or income/tax in a single operation/row.
Yes?
I do see the use case. The only concern I have is where does this stop? Eg, is there an equal case for multi row minus, mult, divide?
161 Posted by dick on 01 Jan, 2024 05:46 PM
Thanks. That is a nice change.
162 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 05:48 PM
It's all about the CG really. Since they are not an income category in MD and the only way to get them as an income category is to create a convoluted set of pass through accounts to see them included as income.
I could calc
income * constant
CG * constant
but still can't sum the 2 final values.
You are correct I don't see a lot of other use cases, for such a feature.
163 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 06:05 PM
@Robert... The help says this:
So in essence, if you hide decimals AND specify auto-hide row when balance=X, then round towards x is triggered.
Otherwise, 1.99 will show as 1 (for example) - YES it is chopped off...
The engine could easily apply rounding when hiding decimals... The question is whether it should....?? Hmmmmm.....
164 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 06:14 PM
@Robert - what I do for CG is this.
I have a Capital Gains income account and also a JUNK-TAX account which is excluded from all reports.
In MD, in the register. Whenever I perform a sell txn, I calculate the CG and then create two extra txns using Xfr as the type. They debit CH and credit JUNK (or visa-versa). Then my income reports include CGains and they are in the register forever, rather than being a calculated number.
165 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 06:36 PM
@Stuart Thanks setting this up now, just struggling with the Capital Losses and getting it to sum correctly. Just have to reverse income and expense categories. I'll get it done. Thanks for the advice.
Was trying to use the DivXfr, to also capture the asset, worked great for gains, but would not accommodate the losses.
Juggling is not my strong suit.
166 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 07:32 PM
yes, for a loss, you reverse the debit/credits to/from the CG / JUNK accounts
167 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 07:33 PM
so get it working for gains, then repeat and reverse for losses
168 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 08:44 PM
@Stuart got the manual entries figured out for CG and basically matches what your tool had calculated negating the need for the calculation and the sum rows feature for CG. However just came up with another sum rows issues, based on a similar issue that cannot be worked around using inc/exp categories.
Rounding question on decimal is for display only when decimals hidden. Seems all significant digits would always be used in the calculations.
169 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 08:55 PM
Trying to sum rows 19 and 21 and struggling to come up with the answer of -651.01, any suggestions?
170 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:14 PM
Enable debug mode. What do the (precise) numbers look like?
171 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:17 PM
.
172 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:19 PM
Well. My calculator says that:
So, what’s the issue?
EDIT
173 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:30 PM
Trying to create a new row that would sum (spreadsheet term) 19 and 21. For the -651.01 number, give me 18,378.72 or -21,578.72 depending on +/- when trying to use the values of rows in 19 and 21. I know back to order of operations. :(
174 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:37 PM
Without seeing the account sums per row and the individual row setups, hard to say.
But as I said, turn on debug. What are each rows’ (precise) numbers?
175 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:49 PM
Would screenshots of each row be helpful? I've turned on debug, but not sure what to do with it.
176 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 09:52 PM
With debug on
A) the simulation will show precise decimals (if there are any). Top right. Eg 22.32 (22.316789)
B) the home page widget will show the same by row.
Do you not see any?
177 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 10:00 PM
Yes, the precise decimals do not seem to be the issue, It's having the numbers right there and not being able to combine them for a total. Call me lazy. :)
I think it's back to my original issue of thinking I could somehow take any two rows value and combine them. This is true as long as one of the 2 rows is not using another row.
178 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Jan, 2024 10:10 PM
Ah. Correct.
Row 1. Accounts = 100
Row 2. Accounts = 200 + UOR 1 = 300
You cannot then create extra rows that add row 1 (100) and row 2 (200) = 300. You can only add row 1 (100) and row 2 (300) = 400.
Is this what you were trying to do?
179 Posted by dtd on 01 Jan, 2024 10:29 PM
Hmmm..any fmc calc is for display purposes only, so whatever you did there would never sum with another row. fmc comes next to last (after uor) and percent comes last. Row 19 shows an fmc calc, so you could never bring that across in a uor summation.
Without fmc, and you don't need to maintain row 21, you should just be able to put uor 19 and get the sum (without fmc)
Without fmc, if you do need to separately maintain row 21, you could duplicate row 21 (row 22) and then put uor 19 in row 22, then you have 19, 21, and 22 (sum)?
The problem is assuming you can take a value that uses fmc to reach the displayed value and assuming the fmc will be kept when trying to sum with another row. (since uor comes BEFORE the fmc calcs)
180 Posted by robert.l.spauld... on 01 Jan, 2024 10:42 PM
Yep (bang head on wall), was trying to sum 2 rows that both use FMC. So close. I'll keep the calculator handy and take what I can get. Appreciate all the effort and great extension.