Thank you for your interest in my post.
I suggest adding expenditure category recognition and auto-filling for transactions that are added manually without linking a bank account. Currently it needs to be selected manually for each transaction.
The problem I see - -
Is that with Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, BJ's, Costco, etc. (any kind of store with a variety of types of items in stock)
The category can vary, for example, "Groceries", "Clothing", "Pharmacy", "Entertainment" or "Books", "Electronics" and more
So I don't know if I would want it to autofill a category.
I realize I am not the only user here. Others may want that.
Thanks Rob. Yes your point is correct. I think tagging can help in some cases, but not all cases.
Hi. This is not a new idea particularly on your site. But I feel I can present it in a different way. I would like to request that the Simplifi Development Team add the feature to create and maintain Manual Entry Payee and Category Rules. I believe this feature will be used my a large portion of your Users and be able to draw in more Users that are currently using other Apps and Software.
Manual Entry is a preferred method for myself, and I am sure many others, because I check and maintain my finances on a daily and per transaction basis. So when I purchase something I like my account to reflect the expense or income immediately. Unfortunately banking apps, even when synced immediately, do not always reflect same day transactions. There are also accounts and financial institutions that do not connect with your software as of today. To me, this is a strong reason to add this feature to both the mobile and web apps.
The way these features would work is that once a Rule is created, you will be able to select a Payee from a selection menu when you are entering the Payee name. For Example: I make two purchases from Amazon. One is a gift. The other is a new item for my household. So, assuming I had already created the corresponding Manual Entry Payee and Category Rules, when I am creating my new Manual Transaction and begin entering the Payees name, a drop down menu with the Payees that have Manual Entry Rules associated with them display.
Steps: 1.) I have already created or imported my Manual Payee and Category Rules. 2.) I select the "+" icon to add a new transaction. 3.) I enter the transaction amount and date. 4.) I begin entering the Payee name. Back to the example. I have typed in "Amaz". 5.) A drop down menu appears displaying the Manual Entry Rules I have created: "1. Amazon - Gifts, 2. Amazon - Household, 3. Amazon - Pets, ...". 6.) I select an already made Manual Entry Rule or I enter a the same Payee name, but select a different Category best organizing this transaction.
This is somewhat similar to the Downloaded Entry Payee Rules, except instead if automatically assigning a Payee name and/or Category, the User can select the Rule they want to used based on the Payee name they are entering.
I was playing with the new advanced rules, but noticed I manually entered many transactions — and thought it would be helpful if:
When I enter Payee Name and/or Amount, if i have not manually entered the category, have it pre-filled with the rule-based category if there is one.
This would save me time/effort in scrolling through categories.
My rules are not triggering when importing manual transactions from a non-connected non-auto-syncing account. They all just import using the uncategorized category. Please just make rules also trigger for manual transactions. Some banks and credit card companies are not compatible with your auto-sync features. I am trying to do this in the web app since it's easier to manage and see things.
@nateks0492, Transaction Rules not being triggered when importing transactions is a bug that has already been escalated here:
So, this particular issue will be fixed in a future release of Quicken Simplifi.
@RobWilk I agree with you, and have upvoted it. Thanks!
I am a manual account user. Let's say that I am entering a new manual transaction with a Payee of "McDonalds". Simplifi recognizes that I have entered previous transactions with the same payee as soon as I type the letter "M". Under the "Choose from existing" list I select "McDonalds". In the "Create transaction" dialogue, Simplifi fills in the payee, today's date, and the Account I'm using. Then it defaults to a Category of "Uncategorized". Why? Why not default to the same category that I used last time, e.g. Dining & Drinks / Fast Food? This would save users a lot of wasted time having to search for and select the same category that they always use for a given payee.
I don’t recall if I’ve seen a similar enhancement request or if I’ve just thought about it, but I’d suggest listing any previously used categories as the top suggested ones for the payee for manually edited or created transactions, regardless of account sync status. This works for your use case and also simplifies the selection for payees with multiple categories - think the gas station/convenient store where you get gas and sometimes go inside for a snack. I also still have the default restaurant and fast food categories and never remember which I used for those “in between” casual places. I sometimes add transactions to synced accounts manually before they sync and then find myself going to look for previous transactions to ensure consistency. My former app listed the previously used categories in this manner and it was very helpful!
Great idea!
