Register UI Improvement Suggestions [Edited]

DPB1956

I am a Quicken user since 2001, and recently upgraded from Quicken 2008 under duress when I built a new system. Here are my impressions of the current version of Quicken Deluxe:

Not happy with the changes to the register layout as it is now more cumbersome to use. I use notes on entries occasionally and with 2008 I would Tab to that field only when needed. Now, however, I have to Tab past the Notes field for every single entry. Very inefficient.

I also find the loss of the Credit and Debit columns odd as I occasionally have put in a negative sign whereas in the past saved transactions would automatically take me to the proper column.

If I wanted to quickly scan an account looking at the Categories field for a particular type like Groceries, it was simple, as that field was by itself to the right of the main entry. Now it is directly below the main entry making scanning problematic. Yes, I know I can run Reports, but that is overkill for simple searches.

In my bank account I keep post-dated entries for my upcoming credit card payments dated for their respective due dates. In the past these lines were clearly delineated by obvious background contrasting. Now the contrast is almost indistinguishable:

[Edited - Corrected display issue with screenshot]

The only other oddity is that if I have a File Explorer window open and then initialize Quicken, it loads and immediately returns focus to the File Explorer window.

Windows 11 Pro
Quicken R51.12 / 27.1.51.12

DPB1956

Had this inline image that for whatever reason became lines of code… sorry…

Jim_Harman

You can add the Payment and Deposit columns to banking account registers or Charge and Payment for credit cards. Click on the gear at the top right then Register columns to select the columns to show. Usually you would choose either the pair of columns or the Amount column.

Also it sounds like your registers are set up in 2-line mode. To toggle between display modes, hit Ctrl-2 or pick the setting from the gear menu.

Chris_QPW

The only other oddity is that if I have a File Explorer window open and then initialize Quicken, it loads and immediately returns focus to the File Explorer window.

A recent Windows 11 change the "new File Explorer" has a bug where it will randomly force itself to the front/focus. It is really irritating, but it isn't Quicken doing it.

There are lots of times I have a File Explorer window open, and I will switch to other windows, and then all of a sudden it will popup in front of the window I'm working in. The only way to prevent it is to minimize the File Explorer window. People should complain to Microsoft to get this fixed.

In the past these lines were clearly delineated by obvious background contrasting. Now the contrast is almost indistinguishable

A lot of people can't see it, but in fact I can see the difference in colors in your screenshot, but it is a gray/white combination.

This coloring can be changed.

Edit → Preferences → Register → Colors…

DPB1956

Ah, thank you… I just got rid of the default Amount column and added the Spend/Receive and Charge/Payment choices that I had somehow missed in my looking for Credit/Debit. Much appreciated!

I also just discovered that I needed to add the Memo column, not the Notes column. Now everything is back to the efficient layout I had before, which was the default arrangement in Quicken 2008. Yay!!!

Thanks, Chris for clarifying the focus issue. With respect to the color difference, yes, I can see the difference, but it's far too subtle to be as useful as it should be, and unfortunately, I could not find any way to change colors for post-dated entries in the Colors dialog box.

Thanks again, everyone!!!

Boatnmaniac

@DPB1956 - Another thing you might want to check out is something I do to make the Registers more useful in not only showing the historical data but in planning spending and income requirements for the future: Account Register > Gear Icon > Register Columns > check the box for Status > Done.

This will add a column on the left side of the register. The column header will have a blue dot. For the transactions that you enter that have not been cleared that column will show the status of the transactions as "Uncleared".

This column can also be used to show the status of Bill and Income Reminders as "Upcoming", "Due", "Overdue" or "Uncleared". To get the Reminders to show up in the register, click on the Clock icon next to the Gear icon and select the time period you want for Reminders to be shown.

Chris_QPW

What do you mean by "post-dated" entries?

The colors I pointed you at affect all lines in the register:

Mine:

Credit card account single line mode:

Two-line mode:

Chris_QPW

Now that I think of it, you probably mean "future dated" transactions. Yes, unfortunately they don't follow the coloring (no matter if they are reminders or actual entries).

EDIT: One more reason I would have for only having future reminders, not future entered transactions and limit how far in the future to show them. But it does seem like that might be a reasonable request for improving the register UI.

DPB1956

Thanks much for your input boatnmaniac and Chris_QPW (seems odd one can't reply to a particular response here…), I do appreciate it.

I refer to these post-dated, future-dated credit card entries in my bank account every day, keeping them updated so it's all in one place with all the pertinent info (current balance, current statement balance, close and due dates, next actual payment due date, and the overall negative or positive balance of these credit cards against my current funds on hand). With me and my two kids in college using my cards, it's critical to have this organization (I also track the occasional intra-family debts in this section).

So, yes, Chris, hopefully they will eventually make the contrast of future-dated items considerably more obvious as they did in the past.

Chris_QPW

I suggest that you post this as an idea so that people can vote on it.

Go to the Home page and select New Post → New Idea.

Allan Richardson

I use future transactions in my checking register to account for known/expected income transactions, and (grouped into single split "transactions" between income dates) known/expected bills due and automatic debits. The only problem is that I have so many that when I pay a bill (or detect it was paid automatically), I have to remove the item from the split it currently resides in and move it, with updated due/pulled date, to the next month or other cycle. This can involve so many closes and opens of split transactions that I keep a "shadow copy" of all these transactions in a Notepad (.txt) file that I can edit. So I delete the transactions in the Quicken split, move the .txt line down to put it in sequence by its new due date, and repeat for all transactions being paid. Then I make another pass through, inserting pasted transactions from the .txt file into the splits.

I have made a suggestion elsewhere that a drag and drop interface would be a good improvement: then I could drag a line up or down within a split transaction, or drag it to a main register line indicating the split (later I could open the destination split, find the dropped item(s) at the bottom, and drag them to their proper sequence). If you would also like such a facility, or some other feature using drag and drop, please copy these remarks with your name, in hopes that Quicken will implement such an improvement. Perhaps drag and drop could also be used for transfers between accounts. The attached sample screen has some typos, but you can get the idea.

Quicken drag and drop splits.jpg