Add option for 2-line/row display in Quicken For Mac (175 Legacy Votes +2 Merged Votes)

smayer97

Provide option to show 2 rows of data in the account registers instead of only one.

With the current 1-line display, it is hard to show as many columns or as much detail per column.

Also add the following capabilities:
- allow setting global default to apply to all applicable account register types
- allow overriding setting on an individual account register

- continue to allow resizing of columns (or if they have to be fixed sizes, allow the column widths to resize as the window for the account register is resized).

For a summary of reasons why this feature is needed, see this comment below:

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/18001560/#Comment_18001560

Be sure to click the little dark gray triangle under the VOTE count in the yellow banner below, so your vote will count (it may take a moment for your vote to register).

(If the triangle is light gray, your vote has already been counted). Your VOTES matter!

P.S. I have about 180 accounts, with over 90 of those as active accounts, so a global setting would be very helpful.

Unknown

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Allow two-line register displays.


A major UI change in Quicken 2017 (Mac) from earlier versions of Quicken (2014 Windows) is that it no longer appears to be possible to have a two-line register, so that the payee and figures are on one line and the categories & memo are on a separate line. Would it be possible to add this back? Thank you.

smayer97

I also highly recommend that you browse through the IDEAS section of this forum and VOTE for the request of each of the missing features to be added back into Quicken for Mac....to help direct the priorities of the developers.

To do that, I suggest you read this FAQ on how to filter the IDEAS on this forum to just show the ones for the Mac version, then VOTE to your heart's content:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-getsat-faq-how-to-filter-conversations-d...

The following are some of the many feature requests you will find:

• List of Requests for Report Types and Related Features
• Restore Transactions Downloading Acceptance and Matching workflow 
• Option to Have Debits and Credits Tallied Separately for Reconciliation Process
• Add ability to track/store Prior Reconciled Statements/periods
  
• True multi-currency conversion support
  
• many requests for configuration options

and many others.

Be sure to scroll down the page, as some contain lists of related features. Click on the link to EACH IDEA separately that you are interested in, then click the VOTE button at the top of EACH page that opens up respectively to increase the count and therefore its visibility to the developers.

If you do not click VOTE at the top of the page of each feature, your vote will NOT be counted for THAT specific feature!

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Unknown

@smayer97: Thanks for the tidbit, it's appreciated.

smayer97

I also highly recommend that you browse through the IDEAS section of this forum and VOTE for the request of each of the missing features to be added back into Quicken for Mac....to help direct the priorities of the developers.

To do that, I suggest you read this FAQ on how to filter the IDEAS on this forum to just show the ones for the Mac version, then VOTE to your heart's content:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-getsat-faq-how-to-filter-conversations-d...

The following are some of the many feature requests you will find:

• List of Requests for Report Types and Related Features
• Restore Transactions Downloading Acceptance and Matching workflow 
• Option to Have Debits and Credits Tallied Separately for Reconciliation Process
• Add ability to track/store Prior Reconciled Statements/periods
  
• True multi-currency conversion support
  
• many requests for configuration options

and many others.

Be sure to scroll down the page, as some contain lists of related features. Click on the link to EACH IDEA separately that you are interested in, then click the VOTE button at the top of EACH page that opens up respectively to increase the count and therefore its visibility to the developers.

If you do not click VOTE at the top of the page of each feature, your vote will NOT be counted for THAT specific feature!

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

 The following are some additional organized highlights of the many feature requests you will find:

• List of Requests for Reconciliation Process
  
• List of Requests for Bill Reminders (aka Scheduled Transactions) and Graph Features (aka Cash Flow Forecast or Projected Balance)
  
• Add QuickMath functionality
  
• Loan Amortization
  
• List of Requests Related to Investments
• List of Requests Related to Budgets
  
• List of Requests for Data Entry and Usability Options and Features
  
• List of Requests for User Interface Options and Features
  

and many others.

Click on each link above, then be sure to scroll down each page, as some contain lists of related features. Then VOTE on EACH IDEA separately that you are interested in.

If you do not click VOTE at the top of the page of each feature, your vote will NOT be counted for THAT specific feature!

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

smayer97

This post is in response to Quicken Marcus's reply here: https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-for-mac-2017-v4-3-released?topic-reply-l... indicating that he does not currently see Quicken adding this back. But with enough demand may re-consider.

This is a copy a a reply from here: 
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/17997922#Comment_17997922

The big problem is being able to see more info at the same time. And when you need to work with multiple registers at the same time, having all the data on one row makes it difficult to size windows side by side, or overlapping but still keeping essential data visible. 

The "new" Quicken has different fields for Transfers and for Categories and Tags. The 'old' Quicken, QM2007 has Transfers and Tags (called Classes) all in the Category field. Now in v4.3, the Transfer field can be eliminated if one chooses, which is helpful. 

But when you have long category names that you need displayed, have lots of tags or long tags, want to display the separate Payment/Debit and Deposit/Credit columns, and want to display the memo field, you quickly run out of room. Having 2-line display (at least for the main line, not split lines, though would be helpful too) would help a great deal to managing multiple windows with lots of data to view.

"Old" Quicken (both QM2007 and QWin) make this possible and easier to manage with the 2-line display.

P.P.S. This has NOTHING to do with seeing a check book or not. It is just more functional for some users.

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Alice Giancola

The thing I miss most about the old QUicken was the ability to make the account windows smaller so I could fit several on the screen at one time.

smayer97

exactly.

smayer97

Please go place that same comment below Marcus' response so he can see it.

smayer97

As a continuation of the conversation with Marcus, I wanted to capture here the main advantages of a 2-line display which are mainly functional efficiency (for those who want to take advantage of it):

• can have narrower windows. This enables having more open side by side
• can display more data fields simultaneously
• can display more data fields and still have them wide enough to read the content (e.g. category, tags, memo)
• reduces, or even eliminates, horizontal scrolling
• EDIT: makes it more compatible with macOS Split Screen view, allowing to display more fields
  

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Unknown

I am one of those Quicken 2007 users that is waiting for two line transactions to be added.  I was just about to buy on the Black Friday special, when I read Marcus's reply that it is unlikely.  I was assuming it would be coming soon, now I'll continue to hold on this purchase and check out other products.  Appreciate your work on the other parts of the software.

New User

I just bought this and converted my 1st Account from QW.  No color on register and no two lines?  Will not even bother converting the rest of the accounts - simply return the product.  Too painful to use without.  Will check again for Quicken MAC 2018

John Kostenbader

Yes. I miss the two line display as well. There is an area here to vote for improvements to the product and the two line display is on there but it does not seem to get much traction. I really hope they add this feature it is somewhat limiting with only one line

smayer97

I just bought this and converted my 1st Account from QW.  No color on register and no two lines?  Will not even bother converting the rest of the accounts - simply return the product.  Too painful to use without.  Will check again for Quicken MAC 2018

Still add your vote above. This will help make the transition easier for you when you are ready to upgrade by seeking to have the features you are used to in Quicken end up in the latest version.

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Unknown

For me, the value of a two line display is that more information is available at a glance for a given transaction. Consider how much easier it is to read a page in portrait orientation, rather than landscape. In a single glance I can take in several lines of text if the line width is sufficiently narrow.


Is it not possible that the desire to make each transaction a single line is influenced by the fact the most displays have a landscape aspect ratio, and therefore a window is more pleasing if it conforms to a similar geometry? If so, then, this is a design decision without basis in function, at least for the way I process visible information.


Please consider adding the two line register display option back into Quicken 2017.

John Kostenbader

Well said Julie...I really, really they still opt to add this feature. 


John

Unknown

I made the mistake of choosing to upgrade to Q2017 during a transition from PC version to Mac.  Mac version appears to be far inferior to the PC version.  Wish I could return it and download the previous so I could have two line display.  So much for downloading to save time.

New User

They do offer a 60 day money back warranty. So if you are within the 60 days you can process the return on their web site (even if you purchased your copy elsewhere). Your original Window version files were left intact on the conversion - so you can go back to them with the software version you were using or purchase a current Quicken Windows version.  I am still within my 60 days and have been using both versions in parallel until I decide. But the two line register is something that is convincing me to return the Mac version and continue on the Windows version for now.

Unknown

Thank you for the info.  I may end up doing the same, but sounds pretty arduous to run in parallel until making the final call.  Will have to contemplate why they refer to the new version as an upgrade!

Preecz

I agree with Julie's comments; cannot improve on her explanation! For me, I also like the color option so that I know at a glance which file I have open, as I have multiple files.

Unknown

Even with Q17 for Windows I had the option of using a 2 line register. The same with every other version w/Windows but with Windows 17 for Mac.  Why?

smayer97

QM2007 used to have it too. But when Quicken rebuilt the Mac version and started from scratch and released QEM in 2010 this feature was not added and has not been added back in. That is what the vote is for.

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Unknown

A large number of my transactions are with the same companies; Fred Meyer, Costco, Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.  I use the memo field to list any large purchases (tools, appliances, home improvement) or items that I might be more likely to return (clothes, housewares, media).  This makes Quicken the center of my financial and consumer life by providing a simple and quick method to find information on my purchases back to January 1, 1994.  That's how long I've been using Quicken.  

While I was pleased to see Quicken for the Mac bought by a company willing to put resources into the software and had planned to upgrade to 2017 from 2007, the lack of a two line display, which is in your Windows version, keeps me from upgrading.

jacobs

Jeff, as a longtime Quicken for Mac user, I can tell you that I originally felt strongly that I wanted the traditional two-line display. Over time, I've found that I actually prefer the one-line display in the modern Quicken. The ability to show and hide columns, arrange their order, and change their width beats the fixed format in Quicken 2007. And it's much easier to scroll through a list of transactions looking for something with all the transactions on one line. I didn't expect to like the one-line display, and it took some getting used to, but I found I liked it after getting used to it. Your mileage may vary; I'm just telling you my experience.

(The users who have the most trouble with the one-line display are those who are running Quicken on a smaller laptop, where the screen can't be made too wide.) 

smayer97

Having a 2-line display has NO bearing on being able to adjust field widths individually. In fact QM2007 started to implement this exact thing. You can see it in action in any Brokerage account register...simply drag the separator line between the Transfer and Memo fields and the width adjusts. SO it is very possible to preserve field resizing in a 2-line display.

And I have a 27" monitor AND a 24" monitor and I can tell you that I would be VERY FRUSTRATED being limited to a 1-line display of transactions...I have too much going on and too much data in many fields to be FORCED to a 1-line display, for all the reasons posted in this earlier post above highlighting all the benefits: 
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/add-option-for-2-line-row-display-in-quicken-for...

So let users vote as they please. It is not necessary to try to convince a user they do not need a feature who has voted for one. There are enough VERY GOOD REASONS to want and have it. And that should be good enough. If 1-line works for you, great. It does not for everyone.

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jacobs

@smayer97: woa! Scolding me for sharing my experience is uncalled for; I didn't tell anyone not to vote for this feature, or that their reasons for wanting it were invalid. I only shared what I experienced moving from Quicken 2007 to 2015: that I started out thinking I'd really dislike not having the 2-line display, but finding that I came around to preferring the 1-line display after using it for awhile. Jeff wrote that this is the one issue that keeps him from moving to Quicken 2017, and I wanted to share with him that it may or may not be the showstopper he perceives it to be. We all use Quicken differently, which is why I simply shared my experience and said "your mileage may vary."

Unknown

I know this thread is about the 2line issue, but is anyone else having as much trouble as I am with the new reporting format? I had a bunch of reports formatted to give me the info. I wanted and now zilch.; with the new configuration I can not seem to get the same type of report I want.

John Kostenbader

@smayer97: I agree with @jacobs...your tone was a little harsh. I've been using Quicken 2017 for almost a year now. I too desire the two line display as an option but truth be told, I'm living with it. Its not negatively affected what I'm doing on a daily basis. I think, for me, scanning up and down the register espeically a busy checking account would be easier for my eyes if I had a two line display. I can take in more information scanning vertically than I can horizontally but that is me. Its probably more frustrating with those who don't have a sufficient resolution or a small display.

I think the take home point @jacobs was trying to say is....try it...you may not be as relient on it as you think. 

@Alstuff,  as you point out...you'll get more milege out of your posts if you put them in the proper threads. Additionally your post lacks some details that might help others here help you better. Be specific about the problems your having. What, specifically, is the report that is not working. 

John

smayer97

My comments were not intended to be harsh. And I appreciate that you are trying to help the user overcome a possibly perceived obstacle. And I agree it should not be a show-stopper type issue.

But you say you are not trying to tell others not to vote but what is the point of sharing your experience if you are not offering an alternative other that to say "yah, but just try it..."? if you are not offering a work-around or alternative, what other value other that to dissuade? 

I have no problem with someone sharing their experience but more so I do see a problem when the wording and structure of your response presents a faulty implication that the benefits of a 1-line display is the flexibility to adjust field widths and the 2-line display is only a fixed-field format. So I am correcting this implication.

Also, I too am sharing my experience. For you to consider this scolding is being rather sensitive. After all, this is an IDEA thread. Its purpose is for users to be able to express their desire for a new feature or improvement.  I do not see the benefit to challenge each comment affirming their desire for it (or any other IDEA for that matter). 

And offering a work-around makes sense. But as long as there is good justification for the feature, why try to dissuade users from asking for it? Quicken is a tool set...as such it should be able to provide more than one way of doing things to accommodate the different ways that users like to work, not dictate only one way, especially when such accommodations exist in all other versions and there is still a demand for the feature.That is my point.

Anyway, I do not mean to get into a back and forth on this. I hope what I am saying makes sense.

Unknown

I'm biting the bullet and using Quicken for Mac.  But like others, I don't like that the 2-line option is gone, as well as the Inventory and Emergency Info that is attached to Quicken for Windows.

smayer97

for the ERO and HI apps, take a look at the following to see if it helps: 
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-mac-faq-how-can-i-run-the-quicken-emerge...

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