actualbudget/actual

[Bug]: YNAB4 import leads to malformed split transactions

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#3,561 opened on Oct 4, 2024

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 (4 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)JavaScript (7,129 stars) (603 forks)batch import
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Description

Verified issue does not already exist?

  • I have searched and found no existing issue
  • I will be providing steps how to reproduce the bug (in most cases this will also mean uploading a demo budget file)

What happened?

After migrating to Actual from a large YNAB4 install I found that my split transactions did not show up correctly: image

There is evidence that the data was imported behind the scenes but is not displayed: image

I suspect this is because YNAB4 [can] tracks payees for split transactions solely at parent transaction level, and does not require payees for the splits, while Actual computes the parent payee name from that of the splits?

This doesn't break the app but introduces the dangerous gotcha that these transactions will not show up in reports and filters based on Payee name.

Split transfers do not seem to be affected: image

The repair split transactions tool seems to handle this correctly, but ideally the situation should not exist in the first place: image

Where are you hosting Actual?

Pikapods

What browsers are you seeing the problem on?

Desktop App (Electron)

Operating System

Mac OSX

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
full stack
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
familiarity with Actual's import systemknowledge of YNAB4 data formatunderstanding of split transactions
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Focus on the YNAB4 import code and how split transactions are parsed. Examine the logic that assigns payees to parent vs child transactions. Cross reference with the 'repair split transactions' tool to understand the intended behavior. Consider modifying the import to preserve the parent payee from the YNAB4 data.