File > Import... remembers last directory

Jugdish Chatterjee's Avatar

Jugdish Chatterjee

01 Feb, 2021 05:29 PM

I am using Moneydance 2019.3 for Window. I regularly import data from .ofx files downloaded from my banks.

It has always bothered me over the years how the File > Import... dialog never remembers the last directory I imported from. It always defaults to the Desktop folder. My .ofx file are downloaded to the Downloads folder, so I have to browse to it every. single. time.

Please can this be fixed?

  1. 1 Posted by -Kevin N. on 01 Feb, 2021 05:50 PM

    -Kevin N.'s Avatar

    Hi Jugdish,

    Take a look at the Import List extension. It monitors a user-defined location (e.g. the Downloads folder). It then presents any files found there in the widget on the Summary Page.

    It's even easier than if File > Import remembered it's prior path.

    -Kevin N. (not a member of MD support)

  2. 2 Posted by tgilbert666 on 01 Feb, 2021 09:57 PM

    tgilbert666's Avatar

    I also raised this some time back and it should be honoured by MD in the Import dialog JUST THE SAME AS IT IS HONOURED in the Export Backup dialog.
    So far as I can tell, it is neither a difficult, nor an onorous enhancement/fix and it has no downside impact for existing users and yet IK Support keep ignoring my requests to raise it as a defect or enhancement.

    However, take a look at jeff_l's "hands-dirty" solution here at post 2:
    https://infinitekind.tenderapp.com/discussions/general-questions/10...
    which I've overlooked till now and will be trying!

    Kevin N. - unfortunately the Import List extension doesn't cut it for me - I couldn't get it to run reliably. It may be time to revisit but I think I'm going to try modifying my config.dict first. Again, this is a cumbersome and onerous method that doesn't take into account that I have several folders, depending upon the action of the day. In each case, I process multiple files.

    Stuart Beesley – JUST A MONEYDANCE HERO, is there an opportunity to add the action from post 2 here: https://infinitekind.tenderapp.com/discussions/general-questions/10...
    to your toolkit? (I'm happy to get my hands dirty, but others may not be)

    SUPPORT - please revisit this as a defect and bring it to Sean's attention. A fellow user

  3. 3 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Feb, 2021 10:04 PM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    Funnily enough, I'm playing with this API right now... No promises, but I'll let you know..

  4. 4 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 01 Feb, 2021 11:18 PM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    @tgilbert66. You can already edit config.dict in toolbox in hacker mode. Select the edit system settings button. Select this key: gen.import_dir. Carefully enter new value. Is this what you were after? However, I don’t think this is used by the import file function...

  5. 5 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 02 Feb, 2021 11:55 PM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    Out of interest how do you trigger the import?
    - File>Import?
    - drag and drop onto moneydance sidebar?
    - some other way?

    If the drag n drop you could just keep the folder open and drag and drop?

  6. 6 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 03 Feb, 2021 07:42 AM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    Hi all, I have knocked up this very simple extension - zip file attached. It's unsigned at the moment. It does the same as File Import, but it loads and saves the directory to/from config.dict setting "gen.special_file_import_dir". You don't need to pre-set it, it will save after first usage.. I don't know if this is helpful..? Let me know. If so, I will issue it as a formal extension (until IK add this as standard).

    You will need to unzip the zip. Extract the *.mxt file. Either drag n drop this into the sidebar, or Extensions/Manage/Add from file.. It's unsigned, so ignore /accept signing warnings. To run, just Extensions, execute file import.

    Let me know how it goes and if this is useful?

  7. 7 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 05 Feb, 2021 04:55 PM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    @ Jugdish Chatterjee and @ tgilbert666 is this little extension I wrote for you any good?

  8. 8 Posted by tgilbert666 on 05 Feb, 2021 11:06 PM

    tgilbert666's Avatar

    Hi Stuart,
    Well I certainly appreciate your effort!! I'm in Melbourne and (at last) NOT locked-down so I'm on the road with only an Android tablet and no appreciable method of commenting.

    I will definitely do a deep-dive and feedback when I'm able, but it won't be in the next 7 days.

    As an aside, I've never been able to get THIS feature to work which I think you mentioned somewhere in your suggestions:
    * When importing QIF files from the file chooser, double-clicking a file, or using drag-and-drop, use the currently selected account as the default import destination if the account type is even remotely compatible with the file

    There's no detail of what "remotely compatible" means but my self-generated QIF with categories is NEVER imported into my Credit Card account without intervention. MD always tries to create a new BANK account. Perhaps this is the root of my other frustrations with the import so your script will definitely get every opportunity when the time comes.

    Thanks again. You're high on my hero-list regardless!! :-

  9. 9 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 06 Feb, 2021 06:45 AM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    Hi, from the sounds of your issue, my little extension here is not what you need as this will only fix your remembered import location issue (as per this post subject). However, my (demo/educational) script on this post below can be tinkered with to force things like the account and also the MIGRATED (ie. not downloaded from a bank flag). In fact you can force most parameters that the system wants to guess at....

    https://infinitekind.tenderapp.com/discussions/moneydance-developme...

  10. 10 Posted by tgilbert666 on 07 Mar, 2021 03:07 AM

    tgilbert666's Avatar

    Stuart,
    Yes, thanks, agreed.

    Unfortunately, still no method of keeping the QIF categories whilst setting the downloaded flag so far as I can see. Not your limitation, i know.
    Thanks again for all you do on MD and these forums.

    Cheers,
    Tony

  11. 11 Posted by avp2 on 12 Mar, 2021 08:44 PM

    avp2's Avatar

    I would be nice if MD remembered your last used download/import folder.

    MD used to default to the system's "user downloads" folder, which worked pretty well for me, and is pretty much the standard OS default (for downloads).

  12. System closed this discussion on 11 Jun, 2021 08:50 PM.

  13. Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox) re-opened this discussion on 14 Aug, 2021 04:29 PM

  14. 12 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 14 Aug, 2021 04:29 PM

    Stuart Beesley (Mr Toolbox)'s Avatar

    FYI - preview 3094 is out which should address this issue (remember last used import folder used).

    https://infinitekind.com/preview

  15. 13 Posted by avp2 on 15 Aug, 2021 03:05 PM

    avp2's Avatar

    Thanks for the heads up Stuart.

  16. System closed this discussion on 14 Nov, 2021 03:10 PM.

Comments are currently closed for this discussion. You can start a new one.

Keyboard shortcuts

Generic

? Show this help
ESC Blurs the current field

Comment Form

r Focus the comment reply box
^ + ↩ Submit the comment

You can use Command ⌘ instead of Control ^ on Mac