Chapter 4. Using Skrooge (advanced)

Scheduled

This plugin shows you the list of all scheduled operations.

This is where you can set up each scheduled operation to have its own parameters.

Next Occurrence

Displayed for information, but can also be used to force the date of the next occurrence.

Once every

You can set an operation to be repeated over a given number of days, months, or years.

Number of Occurrences

If the occurrence has a limited number of occurrences, you can check this option and define either the number of remaining occurrences, or the date of the last occurrence.

Remind me

If you want Skrooge to display a notification to remind you about the upcoming scheduled operation, you may check this option and set the number of days before term when the warning shall occur.

Automatically Write

If you want Skrooge to automatically write the upcoming scheduled operation, you may check this option and set the number of days before term when it will be written.

To modify the operation (category, amount, etc.), you have to click on Jump to the operation.

Double clicking on a scheduled operation will display the list of operations already registered for this scheduled operation in a new tab.

Scheduled Operations

If you schedule an operation, it will be used as a reference when inserting the next occurrence. Let us see an example, with this operation:

Table 4.1. Scheduled Operations (step 1)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€

Now, if you schedule this operation, it will be written exactly like this for the next occurrence:

Table 4.2. Scheduled Operations (Step 2)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€
20/07/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€

If you change something in the last occurrence, it will become the new reference for the next occurrence. For example, if you raise your monthly contribution to KDE to 25€ in July, the next occurrence will also have an amount of 25€:

Table 4.3. Scheduled Operations (step 3)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€
20/07/2009KDEDonations > Open Source25€
20/08/2009KDEDonations > Open Source25€

All in all, a scheduled operation is a dynamic object, where the last occurrence is the reference. But maybe you'd like all occurrences to be static, i.e. the same values are always inserted for each new occurrence ? Enter Scheduled Templates.

Scheduled Templates

Templates are a kind of reference operations. When scheduling a template, every new occurrence will be exactly equal to the template. Let's reuse our previous chapter example, by creating a template like this:

Table 4.4. Scheduled Templates (step 1)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€

The next occurrence will be:

Table 4.5. Scheduled Templates (step 2)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€
20/07/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€

Now change your July contribution to KDE to 25€. Because you have scheduled a template with 20€ as amount, the next occurrence will also have an amount of 20€:

Table 4.6. Scheduled Templates (step 3)

DatePayeeCategoryAmount
20/06/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€
20/07/2009KDEDonations > Open Source25€
20/08/2009KDEDonations > Open Source20€

If you need to change the monthly value, just edit the template, and all future occurrences will have the new value.

Assign Schedule

If you scheduled an operation that is being repeated on a regular basis, you can link some old operations to this schedule using the "Assign schedule" context menu of an operation. This menu also allow to unlink an operation from a schedule or link it to a different one.