From b8f0900edb6160a928795599c86e7a1a7400b308 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Simon Michael Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2021 14:38:44 -1000 Subject: [PATCH] ;dev: doc: update manuals --- dir | 8 +- hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info | 404 +-- hledger-web/hledger-web.info | 336 +-- hledger/hledger.1 | 325 ++- hledger/hledger.info | 5076 +++++++++++++++++++--------------- hledger/hledger.txt | 1063 +++---- 6 files changed, 4034 insertions(+), 3178 deletions(-) diff --git a/dir b/dir index 4ccd3fd48..5db15a72d 100644 --- a/dir +++ b/dir @@ -15,8 +15,6 @@ File: dir, Node: Top This is the top of the INFO tree * Menu: User Applications -* hledger: (hledger/hledger). Command-line plain text accounting tool. -* hledger-ui: (hledger-ui/hledger-ui). - Terminal UI for the hledger accounting tool. -* hledger-web: (hledger-web/hledger-web). - Web UI/API for the hledger accounting tool. +* hledger: (hledger/hledger). Command-line plain text accounting tool. +* hledger-ui: (hledger-ui/hledger-ui). Terminal UI for the hledger accounting tool. +* hledger-web: (hledger-web/hledger-web). Web UI/API for the hledger accounting tool. diff --git a/hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info b/hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info index 03b8752ac..9958474e6 100644 --- a/hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info +++ b/hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ -This is hledger-ui.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.7 from stdin. +This is hledger-ui/hledger-ui.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 +from stdin. INFO-DIR-SECTION User Applications START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY @@ -6,36 +7,36 @@ START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY  -File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Top, Next: OPTIONS, Up: (dir) +File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Top, Up: (dir) hledger-ui(1) ************* hledger-ui is a terminal interface (TUI) for the hledger accounting -tool. This manual is for hledger-ui 1.22. +tool. This manual is for hledger-ui 1.22. - 'hledger-ui [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]' -'hledger ui -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]' + `hledger-ui [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]' +`hledger ui -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]' hledger is a reliable, cross-platform set of programs for tracking money, time, or any other commodity, using double-entry accounting and a -simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely +simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely compatible with ledger(1). hledger-ui is hledger's terminal interface, providing an efficient full-window text UI for viewing accounts and transactions, and some -limited data entry capability. It is easier than hledger's command-line +limited data entry capability. It is easier than hledger's command-line interface, and sometimes quicker and more convenient than the web interface. Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in hledger -journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with '-f', or -'$LEDGER_FILE', or '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). For more about this see hledger(1), +journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f', or +`$LEDGER_FILE', or `$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). For more about this see hledger(1), hledger_journal(5) etc. Unlike hledger, hledger-ui hides all future-dated transactions by -default. They can be revealed, along with any rule-generated periodic +default. They can be revealed, along with any rule-generated periodic transactions, by pressing the F key (or starting with -forecast) to enable "forecast mode". @@ -54,146 +55,143 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: OPTIONS, Next: KEYS, Prev: Top, Up: Top 1 OPTIONS ********* -Note: if invoking hledger-ui as a hledger subcommand, write '--' before +Note: if invoking hledger-ui as a hledger subcommand, write `--' before options as shown above. Any QUERYARGS are interpreted as a hledger search query which filters the data. -'--watch' - +`--watch' watch for data and date changes and reload automatically -'--theme=default|terminal|greenterm' +`--theme=default|terminal|greenterm' use this custom display theme -'--register=ACCTREGEX' +`--register=ACCTREGEX' start in the (first) matched account's register screen -'--change' +`--change' show period balances (changes) at startup instead of historical balances -'-l --flat' +`-l --flat' show accounts as a flat list (default) -'-t --tree' +`-t --tree' show accounts as a tree hledger input options: -'-f FILE --file=FILE' - - use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: - '$LEDGER_FILE' or '$HOME/.hledger.journal') -'--rules-file=RULESFILE' +`-f FILE --file=FILE' + use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: + `$LEDGER_FILE' or `$HOME/.hledger.journal') +`--rules-file=RULESFILE' Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules) -'--separator=CHAR' +`--separator=CHAR' Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',') -'--alias=OLD=NEW' +`--alias=OLD=NEW' rename accounts named OLD to NEW -'--anon' +`--anon' anonymize accounts and payees -'--pivot FIELDNAME' +`--pivot FIELDNAME' use some other field or tag for the account name -'-I --ignore-assertions' +`-I --ignore-assertions' disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance assignments) -'-s --strict' +`-s --strict' do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared) hledger reporting options: -'-b --begin=DATE' - +`-b --begin=DATE' include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to preceding subperiod start when using a report interval) -'-e --end=DATE' +`-e --end=DATE' include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following subperiod end when using a report interval) -'-D --daily' +`-D --daily' multiperiod/multicolumn report by day -'-W --weekly' +`-W --weekly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by week -'-M --monthly' +`-M --monthly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by month -'-Q --quarterly' +`-Q --quarterly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter -'-Y --yearly' +`-Y --yearly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by year -'-p --period=PERIODEXP' +`-p --period=PERIODEXP' set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using period expressions syntax -'--date2' +`--date2' match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects) -'-U --unmarked' +`-U --unmarked' include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C) -'-P --pending' +`-P --pending' include only pending postings/txns -'-C --cleared' +`-C --cleared' include only cleared postings/txns -'-R --real' +`-R --real' include only non-virtual postings -'-NUM --depth=NUM' +`-NUM --depth=NUM' hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep -'-E --empty' +`-E --empty' show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in hledger-ui/hledger-web) -'-B --cost' +`-B --cost' convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time -'-V --market' +`-V --market' convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities -'-X --exchange=COMM' +`-X --exchange=COMM' convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM -'--value' +`--value' convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X -'--infer-market-prices' +`--infer-market-prices' use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market prices, as if they were P directives -'--auto' +`--auto' apply automated posting rules to modify transactions. -'--forecast' +`--forecast' generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for - the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also + the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible. -'--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' +`--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output. 'auto' (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting terminal. 'always' or 'yes': always, useful eg - when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A + when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this. When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, @@ -203,25 +201,24 @@ the last one takes precedence. hledger help options: -'-h --help' - +`-h --help' show general or COMMAND help -'--man' +`--man' show general or COMMAND user manual with man -'--info' +`--info' show general or COMMAND user manual with info -'--version' +`--version' show general or ADDONCMD version -'--debug[=N]' +`--debug[=N]' show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1) A @FILE argument will be expanded to the contents of FILE, which -should contain one command line option/argument per line. (To prevent -this, insert a '--' argument before.) +should contain one command line option/argument per line. (To prevent +this, insert a `--' argument before.)  File: hledger-ui.info, Node: KEYS, Next: SCREENS, Prev: OPTIONS, Up: Top @@ -229,94 +226,94 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: KEYS, Next: SCREENS, Prev: OPTIONS, Up: Top 2 KEYS ****** -'?' shows a help dialog listing all keys. (Some of these also appear in -the quick help at the bottom of each screen.) Press '?' again (or -'ESCAPE', or 'LEFT', or 'q') to close it. The following keys work on +`?' shows a help dialog listing all keys. (Some of these also appear in +the quick help at the bottom of each screen.) Press `?' again (or +`ESCAPE', or `LEFT', or `q') to close it. The following keys work on most screens: - The cursor keys navigate: 'right' (or 'enter') goes deeper, 'left' -returns to the previous screen, 'up'/'down'/'page up'/'page -down'/'home'/'end' move up and down through lists. Emacs-style -('ctrl-p'/'ctrl-n'/'ctrl-f'/'ctrl-b') movement keys are also supported + The cursor keys navigate: `right' (or `enter') goes deeper, `left' +returns to the previous screen, `up'/`down'/`page up'/`page +down'/`home'/`end' move up and down through lists. Emacs-style +(`ctrl-p'/`ctrl-n'/`ctrl-f'/`ctrl-b') movement keys are also supported (but not vi-style keys, since hledger-1.19, sorry!). A tip: movement speed is limited by your keyboard repeat rate, to move faster you may -want to adjust it. (If you're on a mac, the karabiner app is one way to +want to adjust it. (If you're on a mac, the karabiner app is one way to do that.) With shift pressed, the cursor keys adjust the report period, limiting the transactions to be shown (by default, all are shown). -'shift-down/up' steps downward and upward through these standard report -period durations: year, quarter, month, week, day. Then, -'shift-left/right' moves to the previous/next period. 'T' sets the -report period to today. With the '--watch' option, when viewing a +`shift-down/up' steps downward and upward through these standard report +period durations: year, quarter, month, week, day. Then, +`shift-left/right' moves to the previous/next period. `T' sets the +report period to today. With the `--watch' option, when viewing a "current" period (the current day, week, month, quarter, or year), the -period will move automatically to track the current date. To set a -non-standard period, you can use '/' and a 'date:' query. +period will move automatically to track the current date. To set a +non-standard period, you can use `/' and a `date:' query. - '/' lets you set a general filter query limiting the data shown, -using the same query terms as in hledger and hledger-web. While editing -the query, you can use CTRL-a/e/d/k, BS, cursor keys; press 'ENTER' to -set it, or 'ESCAPE'to cancel. There are also keys for quickly adjusting + `/' lets you set a general filter query limiting the data shown, +using the same query terms as in hledger and hledger-web. While editing +the query, you can use CTRL-a/e/d/k, BS, cursor keys; press `ENTER' to +set it, or `ESCAPE'to cancel. There are also keys for quickly adjusting some common filters like account depth and transaction status (see -below). 'BACKSPACE' or 'DELETE' removes all filters, showing all +below). `BACKSPACE' or `DELETE' removes all filters, showing all transactions. As mentioned above, by default hledger-ui hides future transactions - both ordinary transactions recorded in the journal, and periodic -transactions generated by rule. 'F' toggles forecast mode, in which +transactions generated by rule. `F' toggles forecast mode, in which future/forecasted transactions are shown. - 'ESCAPE' resets the UI state and jumps back to the top screen, -restoring the app's initial state at startup. Or, it cancels minibuffer + `ESCAPE' resets the UI state and jumps back to the top screen, +restoring the app's initial state at startup. Or, it cancels minibuffer data entry or the help dialog. - 'CTRL-l' redraws the screen and centers the selection if possible + `CTRL-l' redraws the screen and centers the selection if possible (selections near the top won't be centered, since we don't scroll above the top). - 'g' reloads from the data file(s) and updates the current screen and -any previous screens. (With large files, this could cause a noticeable + `g' reloads from the data file(s) and updates the current screen and +any previous screens. (With large files, this could cause a noticeable pause.) - 'I' toggles balance assertion checking. Disabling balance assertions + `I' toggles balance assertion checking. Disabling balance assertions temporarily can be useful for troubleshooting. - 'a' runs command-line hledger's add command, and reloads the updated -file. This allows some basic data entry. + `a' runs command-line hledger's add command, and reloads the updated +file. This allows some basic data entry. - 'A' is like 'a', but runs the hledger-iadd tool, which provides a -terminal interface. This key will be available if 'hledger-iadd' is + `A' is like `a', but runs the hledger-iadd tool, which provides a +terminal interface. This key will be available if `hledger-iadd' is installed in $path. - 'E' runs $HLEDGER_UI_EDITOR, or $EDITOR, or a default ('emacsclient --a "" -nw') on the journal file. With some editors (emacs, vi), the + `E' runs $HLEDGER_UI_EDITOR, or $EDITOR, or a default (`emacsclient +-a "" -nw') on the journal file. With some editors (emacs, vi), the cursor will be positioned at the current transaction when invoked from the register and transaction screens, and at the error location (if possible) when invoked from the error screen. - 'B' toggles cost mode, showing amounts in their transaction price's -commodity (like toggling the '-B/--cost' flag). + `B' toggles cost mode, showing amounts in their transaction price's +commodity (like toggling the `-B/--cost' flag). - 'V' toggles value mode, showing amounts' current market value in -their default valuation commodity (like toggling the '-V/--market' -flag). Note, "current market value" means the value on the report end -date if specified, otherwise today. To see the value on another date, -you can temporarily set that as the report end date. Eg: to see a + `V' toggles value mode, showing amounts' current market value in +their default valuation commodity (like toggling the `-V/--market' +flag). Note, "current market value" means the value on the report end +date if specified, otherwise today. To see the value on another date, +you can temporarily set that as the report end date. Eg: to see a transaction as it was valued on july 30, go to the accounts or register -screen, press '/', and add 'date:-7/30' to the query. +screen, press `/', and add `date:-7/30' to the query. At most one of cost or value mode can be active at once. There's not yet any visual reminder when cost or value mode is -active; for now pressing 'b' 'b' 'v' should reliably reset to normal +active; for now pressing `b' `b' `v' should reliably reset to normal mode. - With '--watch' active, if you save an edit to the journal file while -viewing the transaction screen in cost or value mode, the 'B'/'V' keys -will stop working. To work around, press 'g' to force a manual reload, + With `--watch' active, if you save an edit to the journal file while +viewing the transaction screen in cost or value mode, the `B'/`V' keys +will stop working. To work around, press `g' to force a manual reload, or exit the transaction screen. - 'q' quits the application. + `q' quits the application. Additional screen-specific keys are described below. @@ -339,48 +336,47 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Accounts screen, Next: Register screen, Up: SCRE 3.1 Accounts screen =================== -This is normally the first screen displayed. It lists accounts and -their balances, like hledger's balance command. By default, it shows -all accounts and their latest ending balances (including the balances of -subaccounts). If you specify a query on the command line, it shows just +This is normally the first screen displayed. It lists accounts and their +balances, like hledger's balance command. By default, it shows all +accounts and their latest ending balances (including the balances of +subaccounts). If you specify a query on the command line, it shows just the matched accounts and the balances from matched transactions. - Account names are shown as a flat list by default; press 't' to -toggle tree mode. In list mode, account balances are exclusive of + Account names are shown as a flat list by default; press `t' to +toggle tree mode. In list mode, account balances are exclusive of subaccounts, except where subaccounts are hidden by a depth limit (see -below). In tree mode, all account balances are inclusive of -subaccounts. +below). In tree mode, all account balances are inclusive of subaccounts. - To see less detail, press a number key, '1' to '9', to set a depth -limit. Or use '-' to decrease and '+'/'=' to increase the depth limit. -'0' shows even less detail, collapsing all accounts to a single total. -To remove the depth limit, set it higher than the maximum account depth, -or press 'ESCAPE'. + To see less detail, press a number key, `1' to `9', to set a depth +limit. Or use `-' to decrease and `+'/`=' to increase the depth limit. +`0' shows even less detail, collapsing all accounts to a single total. +To remove the depth limit, set it higher than the maximum account +depth, or press `ESCAPE'. - 'H' toggles between showing historical balances or period balances. + `H' toggles between showing historical balances or period balances. Historical balances (the default) are ending balances at the end of the report period, taking into account all transactions before that date (filtered by the filter query if any), including transactions before the -start of the report period. In other words, historical balances are -what you would see on a bank statement for that account (unless -disturbed by a filter query). Period balances ignore transactions -before the report start date, so they show the change in balance during -the report period. They are more useful eg when viewing a time log. +start of the report period. In other words, historical balances are what +you would see on a bank statement for that account (unless disturbed by +a filter query). Period balances ignore transactions before the report +start date, so they show the change in balance during the report period. +They are more useful eg when viewing a time log. - 'U' toggles filtering by unmarked status, including or excluding -unmarked postings in the balances. Similarly, 'P' toggles pending -postings, and 'C' toggles cleared postings. (By default, balances + `U' toggles filtering by unmarked status, including or excluding +unmarked postings in the balances. Similarly, `P' toggles pending +postings, and `C' toggles cleared postings. (By default, balances include all postings; if you activate one or two status filters, only those postings are included; and if you activate all three, the filter is removed.) - 'R' toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored. + `R' toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored. - 'Z' toggles nonzero mode, in which only accounts with nonzero + `Z' toggles nonzero mode, in which only accounts with nonzero balances are shown (hledger-ui shows zero items by default, unlike command-line hledger). - Press 'right' or 'enter' to view an account's transactions register. + Press `right' or `enter' to view an account's transactions register.  File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Register screen, Next: Transaction screen, Prev: Accounts screen, Up: SCREENS @@ -389,44 +385,46 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Register screen, Next: Transaction screen, Prev: =================== This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account, like -a check register. Each line represents one transaction and shows: +a check register. Each line represents one transaction and shows: - * the other account(s) involved, in abbreviated form. (If there are - both real and virtual postings, it shows only the accounts affected - by real postings.) + * the other account(s) involved, in abbreviated form. (If there are + both real and virtual postings, it shows only the accounts + affected by real postings.) * the overall change to the current account's balance; positive for an inflow to this account, negative for an outflow. * the running historical total or period total for the current - account, after the transaction. This can be toggled with 'H'. - Similar to the accounts screen, the historical total is affected by - transactions (filtered by the filter query) before the report start - date, while the period total is not. If the historical total is - not disturbed by a filter query, it will be the running historical - balance you would see on a bank register for the current account. + account, after the transaction. This can be toggled with `H'. + Similar to the accounts screen, the historical total is affected + by transactions (filtered by the filter query) before the report + start date, while the period total is not. If the historical total + is not disturbed by a filter query, it will be the running + historical balance you would see on a bank register for the + current account. + Transactions affecting this account's subaccounts will be included in the register if the accounts screen is in tree mode, or if it's in list mode but this account has subaccounts which are not shown due to a depth -limit. In other words, the register always shows the transactions -contributing to the balance shown on the accounts screen. Tree -mode/list mode can be toggled with 't' here also. +limit. In other words, the register always shows the transactions +contributing to the balance shown on the accounts screen. Tree mode/list +mode can be toggled with `t' here also. - 'U' toggles filtering by unmarked status, showing or hiding unmarked -transactions. Similarly, 'P' toggles pending transactions, and 'C' -toggles cleared transactions. (By default, transactions with all + `U' toggles filtering by unmarked status, showing or hiding unmarked +transactions. Similarly, `P' toggles pending transactions, and `C' +toggles cleared transactions. (By default, transactions with all statuses are shown; if you activate one or two status filters, only those transactions are shown; and if you activate all three, the filter is removed.) - 'R' toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored. + `R' toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored. - 'Z' toggles nonzero mode, in which only transactions posting a + `Z' toggles nonzero mode, in which only transactions posting a nonzero change are shown (hledger-ui shows zero items by default, unlike command-line hledger). - Press 'right' (or 'enter') to view the selected transaction in + Press `right' (or `enter') to view the selected transaction in detail.  @@ -444,11 +442,11 @@ description, comments, along with all of its account postings are shown. Simple transactions have two postings, but there can be more (or in certain cases, fewer). - 'up' and 'down' will step through all transactions listed in the -previous account register screen. In the title bar, the numbers in -parentheses show your position within that account register. They will + `up' and `down' will step through all transactions listed in the +previous account register screen. In the title bar, the numbers in +parentheses show your position within that account register. They will vary depending on which account register you came from (remember most -transactions appear in multiple account registers). The #N number +transactions appear in multiple account registers). The #N number preceding them is the transaction's position within the complete unfiltered journal, which is a more stable id (at least until the next reload). @@ -460,8 +458,8 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: Error screen, Prev: Transaction screen, Up: SCRE ================ This screen will appear if there is a problem, such as a parse error, -when you press g to reload. Once you have fixed the problem, press g -again to reload and resume normal operation. (Or, you can press escape +when you press g to reload. Once you have fixed the problem, press g +again to reload and resume normal operation. (Or, you can press escape to cancel the reload attempt.)  @@ -470,27 +468,28 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: ENVIRONMENT, Next: FILES, Prev: SCREENS, Up: To 4 ENVIRONMENT ************* -*COLUMNS* The screen width to use. Default: the full terminal width. +*COLUMNS* The screen width to use. Default: the full terminal width. - *LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'. -Default: '~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). + *LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with `-f'. +Default: `~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). - A typical value is '~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a -version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or -'~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to + A typical value is `~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a +version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or +`~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal. - On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables in -a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the GUI -(say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a -'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables +in a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the +GUI (say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a +`~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + { "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal" } - To see the effect you may need to 'killall Dock', or reboot. + To see the effect you may need to `killall Dock', or reboot.  File: hledger-ui.info, Node: FILES, Next: BUGS, Prev: ENVIRONMENT, Up: Top @@ -499,9 +498,9 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: FILES, Next: BUGS, Prev: ENVIRONMENT, Up: Top ******* Reads data from one or more files in hledger journal, timeclock, -timedot, or CSV format specified with '-f', or '$LEDGER_FILE', or -'$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). +timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f', or `$LEDGER_FILE', or +`$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal').  File: hledger-ui.info, Node: BUGS, Prev: FILES, Up: Top @@ -509,18 +508,18 @@ File: hledger-ui.info, Node: BUGS, Prev: FILES, Up: Top 6 BUGS ****** -The need to precede options with '--' when invoked from hledger is +The need to precede options with `--' when invoked from hledger is awkward. - '-f-' doesn't work (hledger-ui can't read from stdin). + `-f-' doesn't work (hledger-ui can't read from stdin). - '-V' affects only the accounts screen. + `-V' affects only the accounts screen. - When you press 'g', the current and all previous screens are -regenerated, which may cause a noticeable pause with large files. Also + When you press `g', the current and all previous screens are +regenerated, which may cause a noticeable pause with large files. Also there is no visual indication that this is in progress. - '--watch' is not yet fully robust. It works well for normal usage, + `--watch' is not yet fully robust. It works well for normal usage, but many file changes in a short time (eg saving the file thousands of times with an editor macro) can cause problems at least on OSX. Symptoms include: unresponsive UI, periodic resetting of the cursor position, @@ -529,30 +528,31 @@ and possibly a small but persistent build-up of CPU usage until the program is restarted. Also, if you are viewing files mounted from another machine, -'--watch' requires that both machine clocks are roughly in step. +`--watch' requires that both machine clocks are roughly in step. +  Tag Table: -Node: Top232 -Node: OPTIONS1646 -Ref: #options1743 -Node: KEYS6144 -Ref: #keys6239 -Node: SCREENS10558 -Ref: #screens10663 -Node: Accounts screen10753 -Ref: #accounts-screen10881 -Node: Register screen13096 -Ref: #register-screen13251 -Node: Transaction screen15248 -Ref: #transaction-screen15406 -Node: Error screen16276 -Ref: #error-screen16398 -Node: ENVIRONMENT16642 -Ref: #environment16756 -Node: FILES17563 -Ref: #files17662 -Node: BUGS17875 -Ref: #bugs17952 +Node: Top243 +Node: OPTIONS1636 +Ref: #options1733 +Node: KEYS6128 +Ref: #keys6223 +Node: SCREENS10519 +Ref: #screens10624 +Node: Accounts screen10714 +Ref: #accounts-screen10842 +Node: Register screen13046 +Ref: #register-screen13201 +Node: Transaction screen15196 +Ref: #transaction-screen15354 +Node: Error screen16221 +Ref: #error-screen16343 +Node: ENVIRONMENT16585 +Ref: #environment16699 +Node: FILES17504 +Ref: #files17603 +Node: BUGS17816 +Ref: #bugs17893  End Tag Table diff --git a/hledger-web/hledger-web.info b/hledger-web/hledger-web.info index 75b6bef81..01d9fcc80 100644 --- a/hledger-web/hledger-web.info +++ b/hledger-web/hledger-web.info @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ -This is hledger-web.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.7 from stdin. +This is hledger-web/hledger-web.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 +from stdin. INFO-DIR-SECTION User Applications START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY @@ -6,7 +7,7 @@ START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY  -File: hledger-web.info, Node: Top, Next: OPTIONS, Up: (dir) +File: hledger-web.info, Node: Top, Up: (dir) hledger-web(1) ************** @@ -14,32 +15,31 @@ hledger-web(1) hledger-web is a web interface (WUI) for the hledger accounting tool. This manual is for hledger-web 1.22. - 'hledger-web [OPTIONS]' -'hledger web -- [OPTIONS]' + `hledger-web [OPTIONS]' +`hledger web -- [OPTIONS]' hledger is a reliable, cross-platform set of programs for tracking money, time, or any other commodity, using double-entry accounting and a -simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely +simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely compatible with ledger(1). - hledger-web is hledger's web interface. It starts a simple web + hledger-web is hledger's web interface. It starts a simple web application for browsing and adding transactions, and optionally opens -it in a web browser window if possible. It provides a more -user-friendly UI than the hledger CLI or hledger-ui interface, showing -more at once (accounts, the current account register, balance charts) -and allowing history-aware data entry, interactive searching, and -bookmarking. +it in a web browser window if possible. It provides a more user-friendly +UI than the hledger CLI or hledger-ui interface, showing more at once +(accounts, the current account register, balance charts) and allowing +history-aware data entry, interactive searching, and bookmarking. hledger-web also lets you share a ledger with multiple users, or even -the public web. There is no access control, so if you need that you -should put it behind a suitable web proxy. As a small protection -against data loss when running an unprotected instance, it writes a -numbered backup of the main journal file (only ?) on every edit. +the public web. There is no access control, so if you need that you +should put it behind a suitable web proxy. As a small protection against +data loss when running an unprotected instance, it writes a numbered +backup of the main journal file (only ?) on every edit. Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in hledger -journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with '-f', or -'$LEDGER_FILE', or '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). For more about this see hledger(1). +journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f', or +`$LEDGER_FILE', or `$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). For more about this see hledger(1). * Menu: @@ -59,168 +59,165 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: OPTIONS, Next: PERMISSIONS, Prev: Top, Up: Top ********* Command-line options and arguments may be used to set an initial filter -on the data. These filter options are not shown in the web UI, but it +on the data. These filter options are not shown in the web UI, but it will be applied in addition to any search query entered there. - Note: if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write '--' + Note: if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write `--' before options, as shown in the synopsis above. -'--serve' - +`--serve' serve and log requests, don't browse or auto-exit -'--serve-api' +`--serve-api' like -serve, but serve only the JSON web API, without the server-side web UI -'--host=IPADDR' +`--host=IPADDR' listen on this IP address (default: 127.0.0.1) -'--port=PORT' +`--port=PORT' listen on this TCP port (default: 5000) -'--socket=SOCKETFILE' +`--socket=SOCKETFILE' use a unix domain socket file to listen for requests instead of a - TCP socket. Implies '--serve'. It can only be used if the - operating system can provide this type of socket. -'--base-url=URL' + TCP socket. Implies `--serve'. It can only be used if the operating + system can provide this type of socket. +`--base-url=URL' set the base url (default: http://IPADDR:PORT). You would change this when sharing over the network, or integrating within a larger website. -'--file-url=URL' - set the static files url (default: BASEURL/static). hledger-web +`--file-url=URL' + set the static files url (default: BASEURL/static). hledger-web normally serves static files itself, but if you wanted to serve - them from another server for efficiency, you would set the url with - this. -'--capabilities=CAP[,CAP..]' + them from another server for efficiency, you would set the url + with this. +`--capabilities=CAP[,CAP..]' enable the view, add, and/or manage capabilities (default: view,add) -'--capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER' +`--capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER' read capabilities to enable from a HTTP header, like X-Sandstorm-Permissions (default: disabled) -'--test' - run hledger-web's tests and exit. hspec test runner args may +`--test' + run hledger-web's tests and exit. hspec test runner args may follow a -, eg: hledger-web -test - -help hledger input options: -'-f FILE --file=FILE' - - use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: - '$LEDGER_FILE' or '$HOME/.hledger.journal') -'--rules-file=RULESFILE' +`-f FILE --file=FILE' + use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: + `$LEDGER_FILE' or `$HOME/.hledger.journal') +`--rules-file=RULESFILE' Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules) -'--separator=CHAR' +`--separator=CHAR' Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',') -'--alias=OLD=NEW' +`--alias=OLD=NEW' rename accounts named OLD to NEW -'--anon' +`--anon' anonymize accounts and payees -'--pivot FIELDNAME' +`--pivot FIELDNAME' use some other field or tag for the account name -'-I --ignore-assertions' +`-I --ignore-assertions' disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance assignments) -'-s --strict' +`-s --strict' do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared) hledger reporting options: -'-b --begin=DATE' - +`-b --begin=DATE' include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to preceding subperiod start when using a report interval) -'-e --end=DATE' +`-e --end=DATE' include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following subperiod end when using a report interval) -'-D --daily' +`-D --daily' multiperiod/multicolumn report by day -'-W --weekly' +`-W --weekly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by week -'-M --monthly' +`-M --monthly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by month -'-Q --quarterly' +`-Q --quarterly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter -'-Y --yearly' +`-Y --yearly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by year -'-p --period=PERIODEXP' +`-p --period=PERIODEXP' set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using period expressions syntax -'--date2' +`--date2' match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects) -'-U --unmarked' +`-U --unmarked' include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C) -'-P --pending' +`-P --pending' include only pending postings/txns -'-C --cleared' +`-C --cleared' include only cleared postings/txns -'-R --real' +`-R --real' include only non-virtual postings -'-NUM --depth=NUM' +`-NUM --depth=NUM' hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep -'-E --empty' +`-E --empty' show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in hledger-ui/hledger-web) -'-B --cost' +`-B --cost' convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time -'-V --market' +`-V --market' convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities -'-X --exchange=COMM' +`-X --exchange=COMM' convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM -'--value' +`--value' convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X -'--infer-market-prices' +`--infer-market-prices' use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market prices, as if they were P directives -'--auto' +`--auto' apply automated posting rules to modify transactions. -'--forecast' +`--forecast' generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for - the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also + the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible. -'--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' +`--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output. 'auto' (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting terminal. 'always' or 'yes': always, useful eg - when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A + when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this. When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, @@ -230,62 +227,62 @@ the last one takes precedence. hledger help options: -'-h --help' - +`-h --help' show general or COMMAND help -'--man' +`--man' show general or COMMAND user manual with man -'--info' +`--info' show general or COMMAND user manual with info -'--version' +`--version' show general or ADDONCMD version -'--debug[=N]' +`--debug[=N]' show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1) A @FILE argument will be expanded to the contents of FILE, which -should contain one command line option/argument per line. (To prevent -this, insert a '--' argument before.) +should contain one command line option/argument per line. (To prevent +this, insert a `--' argument before.) By default, hledger-web starts the web app in "transient mode" and -also opens it in your default web browser if possible. In this mode the +also opens it in your default web browser if possible. In this mode the web app will keep running for as long as you have it open in a browser window, and will exit after two minutes of inactivity (no requests and -no browser windows viewing it). With '--serve', it just runs the web -app without exiting, and logs requests to the console. With -'--serve-api', only the JSON web api (see below) is served, with the +no browser windows viewing it). With `--serve', it just runs the web +app without exiting, and logs requests to the console. With +`--serve-api', only the JSON web api (see below) is served, with the usual HTML server-side web UI disabled. By default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible -only to local requests. You can use '--host' to change this, eg '--host +only to local requests. You can use `--host' to change this, eg `--host 0.0.0.0' to listen on all configured addresses. - Similarly, use '--port' to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if you + Similarly, use `--port' to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if you are running multiple hledger-web instances. - Both of these options are ignored when '--socket' is used. In this -case, it creates an 'AF_UNIX' socket file at the supplied path and uses -that for communication. This is an alternative way of running multiple -hledger-web instances behind a reverse proxy that handles authentication -for different users. The path can be derived in a predictable way, eg -by using the username within the path. As an example, 'nginx' as -reverse proxy can use the variable '$remote_user' to derive a path from -the username used in a HTTP basic authentication. The following -'proxy_pass' directive allows access to all 'hledger-web' instances that -created a socket in '/tmp/hledger/': + Both of these options are ignored when `--socket' is used. In this +case, it creates an `AF_UNIX' socket file at the supplied path and uses +that for communication. This is an alternative way of running multiple +hledger-web instances behind a reverse proxy that handles +authentication for different users. The path can be derived in a +predictable way, eg by using the username within the path. As an +example, `nginx' as reverse proxy can use the variable `$remote_user' +to derive a path from the username used in a HTTP basic authentication. +The following `proxy_pass' directive allows access to all `hledger-web' +instances that created a socket in `/tmp/hledger/': + proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket; - You can use '--base-url' to change the protocol, hostname, port and + You can use `--base-url' to change the protocol, hostname, port and path that appear in hyperlinks, useful eg for integrating hledger-web -within a larger website. The default is 'http://HOST:PORT/' using the -server's configured host address and TCP port (or 'http://HOST' if PORT +within a larger website. The default is `http://HOST:PORT/' using the +server's configured host address and TCP port (or `http://HOST' if PORT is 80). - With '--file-url' you can set a different base url for static files, + With `--file-url' you can set a different base url for static files, eg for better caching or cookie-less serving on high performance websites. @@ -300,28 +297,32 @@ journal and to add new transactions, but not to change existing data. You can restrict who can reach it by - * setting the IP address it listens on (see '--host' above). By + * setting the IP address it listens on (see `--host' above). By default it listens on 127.0.0.1, accessible to all users on the local machine. + * putting it behind an authenticating proxy, using eg apache or nginx + * custom firewall rules You can restrict what the users who reach it can do, by - * using the '--capabilities=CAP[,CAP..]' flag when you start it, - enabling one or more of the following capabilities. The default - value is 'view,add': - * 'view' - allows viewing the journal file and all included + * using the `--capabilities=CAP[,CAP..]' flag when you start it, + enabling one or more of the following capabilities. The default + value is `view,add': + * `view' - allows viewing the journal file and all included files - * 'add' - allows adding new transactions to the main journal + + * `add' - allows adding new transactions to the main journal file - * 'manage' - allows editing, uploading or downloading the main + + * `manage' - allows editing, uploading or downloading the main or included files - * using the '--capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER' flag to specify a HTTP - header from which it will read capabilities to enable. hledger-web + * using the `--capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER' flag to specify a HTTP + header from which it will read capabilities to enable. hledger-web on Sandstorm uses the X-Sandstorm-Permissions header to integrate - with Sandstorm's permissions. This is disabled by default. + with Sandstorm's permissions. This is disabled by default.  File: hledger-web.info, Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING, Next: RELOADING, Prev: PERMISSIONS, Up: Top @@ -329,8 +330,8 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING, Next: RELOADING, 3 EDITING, UPLOADING, DOWNLOADING ********************************* -If you enable the 'manage' capability mentioned above, you'll see a new -"spanner" button to the right of the search form. Clicking this will +If you enable the `manage' capability mentioned above, you'll see a new +"spanner" button to the right of the search form. Clicking this will let you edit, upload, or download the journal file or any files it includes. @@ -339,13 +340,13 @@ visitor) can alter or wipe the data files. Normally whenever a file is changed in this way, hledger-web saves a numbered backup (assuming file permissions allow it, the disk is not -full, etc.) hledger-web is not aware of version control systems, +full, etc.) hledger-web is not aware of version control systems, currently; if you use one, you'll have to arrange to commit the changes yourself (eg with a cron job or a file watcher like entr). Changes which would leave the journal file(s) unparseable or non-valid (eg with failing balance assertions) are prevented. -(Probably. This needs re-testing.) +(Probably. This needs re-testing.)  File: hledger-web.info, Node: RELOADING, Next: JSON API, Prev: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING, Up: Top @@ -355,7 +356,7 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: RELOADING, Next: JSON API, Prev: EDITING UPLOAD hledger-web detects changes made to the files by other means (eg if you edit it directly, outside of hledger-web), and it will show the new data -when you reload the page or navigate to a new page. If a change makes a +when you reload the page or navigate to a new page. If a change makes a file unparseable, hledger-web will display an error message until the file has been fixed. @@ -369,14 +370,16 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: JSON API, Next: ENVIRONMENT, Prev: RELOADING, ********** In addition to the web UI, hledger-web also serves a JSON API that can -be used to get data or add new transactions. If you want the JSON API -only, you can use the '--serve-api' flag. Eg: +be used to get data or add new transactions. If you want the JSON API +only, you can use the `--serve-api' flag. Eg: + $ hledger-web -f examples/sample.journal --serve-api ... You can get JSON data from these routes: + /version /accountnames /transactions @@ -389,6 +392,7 @@ $ hledger-web -f examples/sample.journal --serve-api command). (hledger-web's JSON does not include newlines, here we use python to prettify it): + $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/accountnames | python -m json.tool [ "assets", @@ -408,6 +412,7 @@ $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/accountnames | python -m json.tool Or all transactions: + $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/transactions | python -m json.tool [ { @@ -429,24 +434,25 @@ $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/transactions | python -m json.tool Most of the JSON corresponds to hledger's data types; for details of what the fields mean, see the Hledger.Data.Json haddock docs and click -on the various data types, eg Transaction. And for a higher level +on the various data types, eg Transaction. And for a higher level understanding, see the journal manual. In some cases there is outer JSON corresponding to a "Report" type. -To understand that, go to the Hledger.Web.Handler.MiscR haddock and look -at the source for the appropriate handler to see what it returns. Eg -for '/accounttransactions' it's getAccounttransactionsR, returning a -"'accountTransactionsReport ...'". Looking up the haddock for that we +To understand that, go to the Hledger.Web.Handler.MiscR haddock and +look at the source for the appropriate handler to see what it returns. +Eg for `/accounttransactions' it's getAccounttransactionsR, returning a +"`accountTransactionsReport ...'". Looking up the haddock for that we can see that /accounttransactions returns an AccountTransactionsReport, which consists of a report title and a list of AccountTransactionsReportItem (etc). You can add a new transaction to the journal with a PUT request to -'/add', if hledger-web was started with the 'add' capability (enabled by -default). The payload must be the full, exact JSON representation of a -hledger transaction (partial data won't do). You can get sample JSON -from hledger-web's '/transactions' or '/accounttransactions', or you can -export it with hledger-lib, eg like so: +`/add', if hledger-web was started with the `add' capability (enabled +by default). The payload must be the full, exact JSON representation of +a hledger transaction (partial data won't do). You can get sample JSON +from hledger-web's `/transactions' or `/accounttransactions', or you +can export it with hledger-lib, eg like so: + .../hledger$ stack ghci hledger-lib >>> writeJsonFile "txn.json" (head $ jtxns samplejournal) @@ -455,6 +461,7 @@ export it with hledger-lib, eg like so: Here's how it looks as of hledger-1.17 (remember, this JSON corresponds to hledger's Transaction and related data types): + { "tcomment": "", "tpostings": [ @@ -541,9 +548,10 @@ corresponds to hledger's Transaction and related data types): "tstatus": "Unmarked" } - And here's how to test adding it with curl. This should add a new + And here's how to test adding it with curl. This should add a new entry to your journal: + $ curl http://127.0.0.1:5000/add -X PUT -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data-binary @txn.json  @@ -552,25 +560,26 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: ENVIRONMENT, Next: FILES, Prev: JSON API, Up: 6 ENVIRONMENT ************* -*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'. -Default: '~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). +*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with `-f'. +Default: `~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). - A typical value is '~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a -version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or -'~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to + A typical value is `~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a +version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or +`~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal. - On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables in -a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the GUI -(say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a -'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables +in a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the +GUI (say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a +`~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + { "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal" } - To see the effect you may need to 'killall Dock', or reboot. + To see the effect you may need to `killall Dock', or reboot.  File: hledger-web.info, Node: FILES, Next: BUGS, Prev: ENVIRONMENT, Up: Top @@ -579,9 +588,9 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: FILES, Next: BUGS, Prev: ENVIRONMENT, Up: Top ******* Reads data from one or more files in hledger journal, timeclock, -timedot, or CSV format specified with '-f', or '$LEDGER_FILE', or -'$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). +timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f', or `$LEDGER_FILE', or +`$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal').  File: hledger-web.info, Node: BUGS, Prev: FILES, Up: Top @@ -589,10 +598,10 @@ File: hledger-web.info, Node: BUGS, Prev: FILES, Up: Top 8 BUGS ****** -The need to precede options with '--' when invoked from hledger is +The need to precede options with `--' when invoked from hledger is awkward. - '-f-' doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin). + `-f-' doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin). Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored. @@ -600,24 +609,25 @@ awkward. Does not work well on small screens. +  Tag Table: -Node: Top235 -Node: OPTIONS1898 -Ref: #options2003 -Node: PERMISSIONS9436 -Ref: #permissions9575 -Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING10787 -Ref: #editing-uploading-downloading10968 -Node: RELOADING11802 -Ref: #reloading11936 -Node: JSON API12369 -Ref: #json-api12483 -Node: ENVIRONMENT17973 -Ref: #environment18089 -Node: FILES18822 -Ref: #files18922 -Node: BUGS19135 -Ref: #bugs19213 +Node: Top247 +Node: OPTIONS1887 +Ref: #options1992 +Node: PERMISSIONS9405 +Ref: #permissions9544 +Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING10756 +Ref: #editing-uploading-downloading10937 +Node: RELOADING11768 +Ref: #reloading11902 +Node: JSON API12334 +Ref: #json-api12448 +Node: ENVIRONMENT17937 +Ref: #environment18053 +Node: FILES18785 +Ref: #files18885 +Node: BUGS19098 +Ref: #bugs19176  End Tag Table diff --git a/hledger/hledger.1 b/hledger/hledger.1 index 7330e426e..9aea1fca7 100644 --- a/hledger/hledger.1 +++ b/hledger/hledger.1 @@ -3676,124 +3676,259 @@ close, equity .PD 0 .P .PD -Prints a \[dq]closing balances\[dq] transaction and an \[dq]opening -balances\[dq] transaction that bring account balances to and from zero, -respectively. -These can be added to your journal file(s), eg to bring asset/liability -balances forward into a new journal file, or to close out -revenues/expenses to retained earnings at the end of a period. +Prints a sample \[dq]closing\[dq] transaction bringing specified account +balances to zero, and an inverse \[dq]opening\[dq] transaction restoring +the same account balances. .PP -You can print just one of these transactions by using the -\f[C]--close\f[R] or \f[C]--open\f[R] flag. -You can customise their descriptions with the \f[C]--close-desc\f[R] and -\f[C]--open-desc\f[R] options. +If like most people you split your journal files by time, eg by year: at +the end of the year you can use this command to \[dq]close out\[dq] your +asset and liability (and perhaps equity) balances in the old file, and +reinitialise them in the new file. +This helps ensure that report balances remain correct whether you are +including old files or not. +(Because all closing/opening transactions except the very first will +cancel out - see example below.) .PP -One amountless posting to \[dq]equity:opening/closing balances\[dq] is -added to balance the transactions, by default. -You can customise this account name with \f[C]--close-acct\f[R] and -\f[C]--open-acct\f[R]; if you specify only one of these, it will be used -for both. +Some people also use this command to close out revenue and expense +balances at the end of an accounting period. +This properly records the period\[aq]s profit/loss as \[dq]retained +earnings\[dq] (part of equity), and allows the accounting equation +(A-L=E) to balance, which you could then check by the bse report\[aq]s +zero total. +.PP +You can print just the closing transaction by using the +\f[C]--close\f[R] flag, or just the opening transaction with the +\f[C]--open\f[R] flag. +.PP +Their descriptions are \f[C]closing balances\f[R] and +\f[C]opening balances\f[R] by default; you can customise these with the +\f[C]--close-desc\f[R] and \f[C]--open-desc\f[R] options. +.PP +Just one balancing equity posting is used by default, with the amount +left implicit. +The default account name is \f[C]equity:opening/closing balances\f[R]. +You can customise the account name(s) with \f[C]--close-acct\f[R] and +\f[C]--open-acct\f[R]. +(If you specify only one of these, it will be used for both.) .PP With \f[C]--x/--explicit\f[R], the equity posting\[aq]s amount will be -shown. -And if it involves multiple commodities, a posting for each commodity -will be shown, as with the print command. +shown explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, there will be +a separate equity posting for each commodity (as in the print command). .PP -With \f[C]--interleaved\f[R], the equity postings are shown next to the -postings they balance, which makes troubleshooting easier. +With \f[C]--interleaved\f[R], each equity posting is shown next to the +posting it balances (good for troubleshooting). +.SS close and prices .PP -By default, transaction prices in the journal are ignored when -generating the closing/opening transactions. -With \f[C]--show-costs\f[R], this cost information is preserved -(\f[C]balance -B\f[R] reports will be unchanged after the transition). -Separate postings are generated for each cost in each commodity. -Note this can generate very large journal entries, if you have many -foreign currency or investment transactions. -.SS close usage +Transaction prices are ignored (and discarded) by closing/opening +transactions, by default. +With \f[C]--show-costs\f[R], they are preserved; there will be a +separate equity posting for each cost in each commodity. +This means \f[C]balance -B\f[R] reports will look the same after the +transition. +Note if you have many foreign currency or investment transactions, this +will generate very large journal entries. +.SS close date .PP -If you split your journal files by time (eg yearly), you will typically -run this command at the end of the year, and save the closing -transaction as last entry of the old file, and the opening transaction -as the first entry of the new file. -This makes the files self contained, so that correct balances are -reported no matter which of them are loaded. -Ie, if you load just one file, the balances are initialised correctly; -or if you load several files, the redundant closing/opening transactions -cancel each other out. -(They will show up in print or register reports; you can exclude them -with a query like -\f[C]not:desc:\[aq](opening|closing) balances\[aq]\f[R].) +The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal\[aq]s end date, +whichever is later. .PP -If you\[aq]re running a business, you might also use this command to -\[dq]close the books\[dq] at the end of an accounting period, -transferring income statement account balances to retained earnings. -(You may want to change the equity account name to something like -\[dq]equity:retained earnings\[dq].) +Unless you are running \f[C]close\f[R] on exactly the first day of the +new period, you\[aq]ll want to override the closing date. +This is done by specifying a report period, where \[dq]last day of the +report period\[dq] will be the closing date. +The opening date is always the following day. +So to close on 2020-12-31 and open on 2021-01-01, any of these work +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]-p 2020\f[R] +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]date:2020\f[R] +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]-e 2021-01-01\f[R] (remember \f[C]-e\f[R] specifies an exclusive +end date) +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]-e 2021\f[R] +.SS Example: close asset/liability accounts for file transition .PP -By default, the closing transaction is dated yesterday, the balances are -calculated as of end of yesterday, and the opening transaction is dated -today. -To close on some other date, use: -\f[C]hledger close -e OPENINGDATE\f[R]. -Eg, to close/open on the 2018/2019 boundary, use \f[C]-e 2019\f[R]. -You can also use -p or \f[C]date:PERIOD\f[R] (any starting date is -ignored). +Carrying asset/liability balances from 2020.journal into a new file for +2021: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities +# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2020.journal +# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2021.journal +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +Or: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --open >> 2021.journal # add 2021\[aq]s first transaction +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --close >> 2020.journal # add 2020\[aq]s last transaction +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +Now, +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger bs -f 2021.journal # just new file - balances correct +$ hledger bs -f 2020.journal -f 2021.journal # old and new files - balances correct +$ hledger bs -f 2020.journal # just old files - balances are zero ? + # (exclude final closing txn, see below) +\f[R] +.fi +.SS Hiding opening/closing transactions +.PP +Although the closing/opening transactions cancel out, they will be +visible in reports like \f[C]print\f[R] and \f[C]register\f[R], creating +some visual clutter. +You can exclude them all with a query, like: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger print not:desc:\[aq]opening|closing\[aq] # less typing +$ hledger print not:\[aq]equity:opening/closing balances\[aq] # more precise +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +But when reporting on multiple files, this can get a bit tricky; you may +need to keep the earliest opening balances, for a historical register +report; or you may need to suppress a closing transaction, to see +year-end balances. +If you find yourself needing more precise queries, here\[aq]s one +solution: add more easily-matched tags to opening/closing transactions, +like this: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +; 2019.journal +2019-01-01 opening balances ; earliest opening txn, no tag here +\&... +2019-12-31 closing balances ; close:2019 +\&... +\f[R] +.fi +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +; 2020.journal +2020-01-01 opening balances ; open:2020 +\&... +2020-12-31 closing balances ; close:2020 +\&... +\f[R] +.fi +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +; 2021.journal +2021-01-01 opening balances ; open:2021 +\&... +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +Now with +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +; all.journal +include 2019.journal +include 2020.journal +include 2021.journal +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +you could do eg: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger -f all.journal reg -H checking not:tag:\[aq]open|close\[aq] + # all years checking register, hiding non-essential opening/closing txns + +$ hledger -f all.journal bs -p 2020 not:tag:close=2020 + # 2020 year end balances, suppressing 2020 closing txn + +$ hledger -f 2020.journal bs not:tag:close + # 2020 year end balances, easier case +\f[R] +.fi +.SS close and balance assertions +.PP +The closing and opening transactions will include balance assertions, +verifying that the accounts have first been reset to zero and then +restored to their previous balance. +These provide valuable error checking, alerting you when things get out +of line, but you can ignore them temporarily with \f[C]-I\f[R] or just +remove them if you prefer. .PP -Both transactions will include balance assertions for the -closed/reopened accounts. You probably shouldn\[aq]t use status or realness filters (like -C or -R -or \f[C]status:\f[R]) with this command, or the generated balance +or \f[C]status:\f[R]) with \f[C]close\f[R], or the generated balance assertions will depend on these flags. -Likewise, if you run this command with --auto, the balance assertions -will probably always require --auto. +Likewise, if you run this command with \f[C]--auto\f[R], the balance +assertions would probably always require \f[C]--auto\f[R]. .PP -Examples: -.PP -Carrying asset/liability balances into a new file for 2019: +Multi-day transactions (where some postings have a different date) break +the balance assertions, because the money is temporarily +\[dq]invisible\[dq] while in transit: .IP .nf \f[C] -$ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --open - # (copy/paste the output to the start of your 2019 journal file) -$ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --close - # (copy/paste the output to the end of your 2018 journal file) -\f[R] -.fi -.PP -Now: -.IP -.nf -\f[C] -$ hledger bs -f 2019.journal # one file - balances are correct -$ hledger bs -f 2018.journal -f 2019.journal # two files - balances still correct -$ hledger bs -f 2018.journal not:desc:closing # to see year-end balances, must exclude closing txn -\f[R] -.fi -.PP -Transactions spanning the closing date can complicate matters, breaking -balance assertions: -.IP -.nf -\f[C] -2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year +2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 - assets:bank:checking -5 ; [2019/1/2] + assets:bank:checking -5 ; date: 2021/1/2 \f[R] .fi .PP -Here\[aq]s one way to resolve that: +To fix the assertions, you can add a temporary account to track such +in-transit money (splitting the multi-day transaction into two +single-day transactions): .IP .nf \f[C] -; in 2018.journal: -2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year +; in 2020.journal: +2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 liabilities:pending -; in 2019.journal: -2019/1/2 clearance of last year\[aq]s pending transactions +; in 2021.journal: +2021/1/2 clearance of last year\[aq]s pending transactions liabilities:pending 5 = 0 - assets:checking + assets:bank:checking +\f[R] +.fi +.SS Example: close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings +.PP +Here, the opening transaction is supressed with \f[C]--close\f[R], as +it\[aq]s probably not needed. +Also you\[aq]ll want to use a different equity account name: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger close -f 2021.journal -p 2021Q1 --close --close-acct=\[aq]equity:retained earnings\[aq] revenues expenses >> 2021.journal + # close 2021 first quarter revenues/expenses +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +Or, operating on the default journal: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger close -p Q1 --close --close-acct=\[aq]equity:retained earnings\[aq] revenues expenses >> $LEDGER_FILE + # close current year\[aq]s first quarter revenues/expenses +\f[R] +.fi +.PP +Now, eg: +.IP +.nf +\f[C] +$ hledger bse -p Q1 + # Q1 full balance sheet, total should be zero + +$ hledger is -p Q1 not:\[aq]retained earnings\[aq] + # Q1 income statement, must suppress the closing txn \f[R] .fi .SS codes @@ -6016,8 +6151,6 @@ versions). Directives\[aq] behaviour and interactions can get a little bit complex, so here is a table summarising the directives and their effects, with links to more detailed docs. -Note part of this table is hidden when viewed in a web browser - scroll -it sideways to see more. .PP .TS tab(@); @@ -6082,8 +6215,8 @@ T}@T{ T}@T{ declare a commodity and its number notation & display style T}@T{ -number notation: following entries in that commodity in all files ; -display style: amounts of that commodity in reports +number notation: following entries until end of current file; display +style: amounts of that commodity in reports T} T{ \f[C]D\f[R] @@ -6107,7 +6240,7 @@ T}@T{ what the included directives affect T} T{ -[\f[C]payee\f[R]] +\f[C]payee\f[R] T}@T{ T}@T{ T}@T{ diff --git a/hledger/hledger.info b/hledger/hledger.info index 1a8abd427..9bf247c4f 100644 --- a/hledger/hledger.info +++ b/hledger/hledger.info @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ -This is hledger.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.7 from stdin. +This is hledger/hledger.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from +stdin. INFO-DIR-SECTION User Applications START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY @@ -6,57 +7,58 @@ START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY  -File: hledger.info, Node: Top, Next: OPTIONS, Up: (dir) +File: hledger.info, Node: Top, Up: (dir) hledger(1) ********** This is the command-line interface (CLI) for the hledger accounting -tool. Here we also describe hledger's concepts and file formats. This +tool. Here we also describe hledger's concepts and file formats. This manual is for hledger 1.22. - 'hledger' + `hledger' - 'hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTIONS] [ARGS]' + `hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTIONS] [ARGS]' - 'hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTIONS] [ARGS]' + `hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTIONS] [ARGS]' hledger is a reliable, cross-platform set of programs for tracking money, time, or any other commodity, using double-entry accounting and a -simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely +simple, editable file format. hledger is inspired by and largely compatible with ledger(1). The basic function of the hledger CLI is to read a plain text file describing financial transactions (in accounting terms, a general journal) and print useful reports on standard output, or export them as CSV. hledger can also read some other file formats such as CSV files, -translating them to journal format. Additionally, hledger lists other +translating them to journal format. Additionally, hledger lists other hledger-* executables found in the user's $PATH and can invoke them as subcommands. hledger reads data from one or more files in hledger journal, -timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with '-f', or -'$LEDGER_FILE', or '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). If using '$LEDGER_FILE', note this -must be a real environment variable, not a shell variable. You can -specify standard input with '-f-'. +timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f', or +`$LEDGER_FILE', or `$HOME/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). If using `$LEDGER_FILE', note this +must be a real environment variable, not a shell variable. You can +specify standard input with `-f-'. Transactions are dated movements of money between two (or more) named accounts, and are recorded with journal entries like this: + 2015/10/16 bought food expenses:food $10 assets:cash Most users use a text editor to edit the journal, usually with an -editor mode such as ledger-mode for added convenience. hledger's +editor mode such as ledger-mode for added convenience. hledger's interactive add command is another way to record new transactions. hledger never changes existing transactions. To get started, you can either save some entries like the above in -'~/.hledger.journal', or run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts. Then -try some commands like 'hledger print' or 'hledger balance'. Run -'hledger' with no arguments for a list of commands. +`~/.hledger.journal', or run `hledger add' and follow the prompts. Then +try some commands like `hledger print' or `hledger balance'. Run +`hledger' with no arguments for a list of commands. * Menu: @@ -101,140 +103,137 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: General options, Next: Command options, Up: OPTIONS =================== To see general usage help, including general options which are supported -by most hledger commands, run 'hledger -h'. +by most hledger commands, run `hledger -h'. General help options: -'-h --help' - +`-h --help' show general or COMMAND help -'--man' +`--man' show general or COMMAND user manual with man -'--info' +`--info' show general or COMMAND user manual with info -'--version' +`--version' show general or ADDONCMD version -'--debug[=N]' +`--debug[=N]' show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1) General input options: -'-f FILE --file=FILE' - - use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: - '$LEDGER_FILE' or '$HOME/.hledger.journal') -'--rules-file=RULESFILE' +`-f FILE --file=FILE' + use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: + `$LEDGER_FILE' or `$HOME/.hledger.journal') +`--rules-file=RULESFILE' Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules) -'--separator=CHAR' +`--separator=CHAR' Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',') -'--alias=OLD=NEW' +`--alias=OLD=NEW' rename accounts named OLD to NEW -'--anon' +`--anon' anonymize accounts and payees -'--pivot FIELDNAME' +`--pivot FIELDNAME' use some other field or tag for the account name -'-I --ignore-assertions' +`-I --ignore-assertions' disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance assignments) -'-s --strict' +`-s --strict' do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared) General reporting options: -'-b --begin=DATE' - +`-b --begin=DATE' include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to preceding subperiod start when using a report interval) -'-e --end=DATE' +`-e --end=DATE' include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following subperiod end when using a report interval) -'-D --daily' +`-D --daily' multiperiod/multicolumn report by day -'-W --weekly' +`-W --weekly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by week -'-M --monthly' +`-M --monthly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by month -'-Q --quarterly' +`-Q --quarterly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter -'-Y --yearly' +`-Y --yearly' multiperiod/multicolumn report by year -'-p --period=PERIODEXP' +`-p --period=PERIODEXP' set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using period expressions syntax -'--date2' +`--date2' match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects) -'-U --unmarked' +`-U --unmarked' include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C) -'-P --pending' +`-P --pending' include only pending postings/txns -'-C --cleared' +`-C --cleared' include only cleared postings/txns -'-R --real' +`-R --real' include only non-virtual postings -'-NUM --depth=NUM' +`-NUM --depth=NUM' hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep -'-E --empty' +`-E --empty' show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in hledger-ui/hledger-web) -'-B --cost' +`-B --cost' convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time -'-V --market' +`-V --market' convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities -'-X --exchange=COMM' +`-X --exchange=COMM' convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM -'--value' +`--value' convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X -'--infer-market-prices' +`--infer-market-prices' use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market prices, as if they were P directives -'--auto' +`--auto' apply automated posting rules to modify transactions. -'--forecast' +`--forecast' generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for - the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also + the next 6 months or till report end date. In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible. -'--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' +`--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)' Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output. 'auto' (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting terminal. 'always' or 'yes': always, useful eg - when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A + when piping output into 'less -R'. 'never' or 'no': never. A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this. When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, @@ -249,14 +248,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Command options, Next: Command arguments, Prev: Gen =================== To see options for a particular command, including command-specific -options, run: 'hledger COMMAND -h'. +options, run: `hledger COMMAND -h'. Command-specific options must be written after the command name, eg: -'hledger print -x'. +`hledger print -x'. Additionally, if the command is an add-on, you may need to put its -options after a double-hyphen, eg: 'hledger ui -- --watch'. Or, you can -run the add-on executable directly: 'hledger-ui --watch'. +options after a double-hyphen, eg: `hledger ui -- --watch'. Or, you can +run the add-on executable directly: `hledger-ui --watch'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Command arguments, Next: Special characters, Prev: Command options, Up: OPTIONS @@ -268,32 +267,36 @@ Most hledger commands accept arguments after the command name, which are often a query, filtering the data in some way. You can save a set of command line options/arguments in a file, and -then reuse them by writing '@FILENAME' as a command line argument. Eg: -'hledger bal @foo.args'. (To prevent this, eg if you have an argument -that begins with a literal '@', precede it with '--', eg: 'hledger bal +then reuse them by writing `@FILENAME' as a command line argument. Eg: +`hledger bal @foo.args'. (To prevent this, eg if you have an argument +that begins with a literal `@', precede it with `--', eg: `hledger bal -- @ARG'). Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or -argument. Avoid the use of spaces, except inside quotes (or you'll see -a confusing error). Between a flag and its argument, use = (or -nothing). Bad: +argument. Avoid the use of spaces, except inside quotes (or you'll see a +confusing error). Between a flag and its argument, use = (or nothing). +Bad: + assets depth:2 -X USD Good: + assets depth:2 -X=USD For special characters (see below), use one less level of quoting -than you would at the command prompt. Bad: +than you would at the command prompt. Bad: + -X"$" Good: + -X$ See also: Save frequently used options. @@ -318,15 +321,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters, Next: Double e -------------------------------------------- In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as -spaces, '<', '>', '(', ')', '|', '$' and '\' - should be "shell-escaped" -if you want hledger to see them. This is done by enclosing them in -single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash before them. Eg to -match an account name containing a space: +spaces, `<', `>', `(', `)', `|', `$' and `\' - should be +"shell-escaped" if you want hledger to see them. This is done by +enclosing them in single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash +before them. Eg to match an account name containing a space: + $ hledger register 'credit card' or: + $ hledger register credit\ card  @@ -336,17 +341,19 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters, N --------------------------------------------------------- Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such -as '.', '^', '$', '[', ']', '(', ')', '|', and '\' - may need to be +as `.', `^', `$', `[', `]', `(', `)', `|', and `\' - may need to be "regex-escaped" if you don't want them to be interpreted by hledger's -regular expression engine. This is done by writing backslashes before +regular expression engine. This is done by writing backslashes before them, but since backslash is typically also a shell metacharacter, both -shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed. Eg to match a literal -'$' sign while using the bash shell: +shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed. Eg to match a literal +`$' sign while using the bash shell: + $ hledger balance cur:'\$' or: + $ hledger balance cur:\\$  @@ -358,25 +365,28 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands, Next: Less esca When you use hledger to run an external add-on command (described below), one level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or arguments intended for by the add-on command, so those need an extra -level of shell-escaping. Eg to match a literal '$' sign while using the -bash shell and running an add-on command ('ui'): +level of shell-escaping. Eg to match a literal `$' sign while using the +bash shell and running an add-on command (`ui'): + $ hledger ui cur:'\\$' or: + $ hledger ui cur:\\\\$ If you wondered why _four_ backslashes, perhaps this helps: -unescaped: '$' -escaped: '\$' -double-escaped: '\\$' -triple-escaped: '\\\\$' +unescaped: `$' +escaped: `\$' +double-escaped: `\\$' +triple-escaped: `\\\\$' Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable directly: + $ hledger-ui cur:\\$  @@ -387,11 +397,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Less escaping, Prev: Triple escaping for add-on comm Options and arguments are sometimes used in places other than the shell command line, where shell-escaping is not needed, so there you should -use one less level of escaping. Those places include: +use one less level of escaping. Those places include: * an @argumentfile + * hledger-ui's filter field + * hledger-web's search form + * GHCI's prompt (used by developers).  @@ -409,12 +422,13 @@ hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly: * they should be displayed correctly by all hledger tools, and on-screen alignment should be preserved. - This requires a well-configured environment. Here are some tips: + + This requires a well-configured environment. Here are some tips: * A system locale must be configured, and it must be one that can - decode the characters being used. In bash, you can set a locale - like this: 'export LANG=en_US.UTF-8'. There are some more details - in Troubleshooting. This step is essential - without it, hledger + decode the characters being used. In bash, you can set a locale + like this: `export LANG=en_US.UTF-8'. There are some more details + in Troubleshooting. This step is essential - without it, hledger will quit on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all GHC-compiled programs). @@ -428,11 +442,12 @@ hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly: double width (for report alignment) * on Windows, for best results you should run hledger in the same - kind of environment in which it was built. Eg hledger built in the + kind of environment in which it was built. Eg hledger built in the standard CMD.EXE environment (like the binaries on our download page) might show display problems when run in a cygwin or msys terminal, and vice versa. (See eg #961). +  File: hledger.info, Node: Regular expressions, Prev: Unicode characters, Up: OPTIONS @@ -442,41 +457,49 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Regular expressions, Prev: Unicode characters, Up: hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places: * query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search - form: 'REGEX', 'desc:REGEX', 'cur:REGEX', 'tag:...=REGEX' - * CSV rules conditional blocks: 'if REGEX ...' - * account alias directives and options: 'alias /REGEX/ = - REPLACEMENT', '--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' + form: `REGEX', `desc:REGEX', `cur:REGEX', `tag:...=REGEX' - hledger's regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library. If + * CSV rules conditional blocks: `if REGEX ...' + + * account alias directives and options: `alias /REGEX/ = + REPLACEMENT', `--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' + + hledger's regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library. If they're not doing what you expect, it's important to know exactly what they support: 1. they are case insensitive + 2. they are infix matching (they do not need to match the entire thing being matched) + 3. they are POSIX ERE (extended regular expressions) - 4. they also support GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B', '\<', '\>') - 5. they do not support backreferences; if you write '\1', it will - match the digit '1'. Except when doing text replacement, eg in + + 4. they also support GNU word boundaries (`\b', `\B', `\<', `\>') + + 5. they do not support backreferences; if you write `\1', it will + match the digit `1'. Except when doing text replacement, eg in account aliases, where backreferences can be used in the replacement string to reference capturing groups in the search regexp. - 6. they do not support mode modifiers ('(?s)'), character classes - ('\w', '\d'), or anything else not mentioned above. + + 6. they do not support mode modifiers (`(?s)'), character classes + (`\w', `\d'), or anything else not mentioned above. Some things to note: - * In the 'alias' directive and '--alias' option, regular expressions - must be enclosed in forward slashes ('/REGEX/'). Elsewhere in + * In the `alias' directive and `--alias' option, regular expressions + must be enclosed in forward slashes (`/REGEX/'). Elsewhere in hledger, these are not required. - * In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like '$' as - a literal character, prepend a backslash. Eg to search for amounts - with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write 'cur:\$'. + * In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like `$' as + a literal character, prepend a backslash. Eg to search for amounts + with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write `cur:\$'. + + * On the command line, some metacharacters like `$' have a special + meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more. See + Special characters. - * On the command line, some metacharacters like '$' have a special - meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more. - See Special characters.  File: hledger.info, Node: ENVIRONMENT, Next: DATA FILES, Prev: OPTIONS, Up: Top @@ -484,31 +507,32 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: ENVIRONMENT, Next: DATA FILES, Prev: OPTIONS, Up: 2 ENVIRONMENT ************* -*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'. -Default: '~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). +*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with `-f'. +Default: `~/.hledger.journal' (on windows, perhaps +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). - A typical value is '~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a -version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or -'~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to + A typical value is `~/DIR/YYYY.journal', where DIR is a +version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year. Or +`~/DIR/current.journal', where current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal. - On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables in -a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the GUI -(say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a -'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + On Mac computers, you can set this and other environment variables +in a more thorough way that also affects applications started from the +GUI (say, an Emacs dock icon). Eg on MacOS Catalina I have a +`~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' file containing + { "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal" } - To see the effect you may need to 'killall Dock', or reboot. + To see the effect you may need to `killall Dock', or reboot. - *COLUMNS* The screen width used by the register command. Default: + *COLUMNS* The screen width used by the register command. Default: the full terminal width. *NO_COLOR* If this variable exists with any value, hledger will not -use ANSI color codes in terminal output. This overrides the +use ANSI color codes in terminal output. This overrides the -color/-colour option.  @@ -517,20 +541,23 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: DATA FILES, Next: TIME PERIODS, Prev: ENVIRONMENT, 3 DATA FILES ************ -hledger reads transactions from one or more data files. The default -data file is '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (or on Windows, something like -'C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). +hledger reads transactions from one or more data files. The default data +file is `$HOME/.hledger.journal' (or on Windows, something like +`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal'). + + You can override this with the `$LEDGER_FILE' environment variable: - You can override this with the '$LEDGER_FILE' environment variable: $ setenv LEDGER_FILE ~/finance/2016.journal $ hledger stats - or with one or more '-f/--file' options: + or with one or more `-f/--file' options: + $ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats - The file name '-' means standard input: + The file name `-' means standard input: + $ cat some.journal | hledger -f- @@ -551,31 +578,32 @@ any of the supported file formats, which currently are: Reader: Reads: Used for file extensions: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -'journal'hledger journal files and some Ledger '.journal' '.j' - journals, for transactions '.hledger' '.ledger' -'timeclock'timeclock files, for precise time '.timeclock' - logging -'timedot'timedot files, for approximate time '.timedot' - logging -'csv' comma/semicolon/tab/other-separated '.csv' '.ssv' '.tsv' - values, for data import +-------------------------------------------------------------------------- +`journal'hledger journal files and some Ledger `.journal' `.j' + journals, for transactions `.hledger' `.ledger' +`timeclock'timeclock files, for precise time `.timeclock' + logging +`timedot'timedot files, for approximate time `.timedot' + logging +`csv' comma/semicolon/tab/other-separated `.csv' `.ssv' `.tsv' + values, for data import These formats are described in their own sections, below. hledger detects the format automatically based on the file extensions -shown above. If it can't recognise the file extension, it assumes -'journal' format. So for non-journal files, it's important to use a +shown above. If it can't recognise the file extension, it assumes +`journal' format. So for non-journal files, it's important to use a recognised file extension, so as to either read successfully or to show relevant error messages. You can also force a specific reader/format by prefixing the file -path with the format and a colon. Eg, to read a .dat file as csv -format: +path with the format and a colon. Eg, to read a .dat file as csv format: + $ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats - Or to read stdin ('-') as timeclock format: + Or to read stdin (`-') as timeclock format: + $ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -ftimeclock:- @@ -585,17 +613,19 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Multiple files, Next: Strict mode, Prev: Data forma 3.2 Multiple files ================== -You can specify multiple '-f' options, to read multiple files as one big -journal. There are some limitations with this: +You can specify multiple `-f' options, to read multiple files as one +big journal. There are some limitations with this: * most directives do not affect sibling files + * balance assertions will not see any account balances from previous files If you need either of those things, you can * use a single parent file which includes the others - * or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg: 'cat + + * or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg: `cat a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD'.  @@ -604,19 +634,22 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Strict mode, Prev: Multiple files, Up: DATA FILES 3.3 Strict mode =============== -hledger checks input files for valid data. By default, the most +hledger checks input files for valid data. By default, the most important errors are detected, while still accepting easy journal files without a lot of declarations: * Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ? + * Are all transactions balanced ? + * Do all balance assertions pass ? - With the '-s'/'--strict' flag, additional checks are performed: + With the `-s'/`--strict' flag, additional checks are performed: - * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an 'account' directive ? + * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an `account' directive ? (Account error checking) - * Are all commodities declared with a 'commodity' directive ? + + * Are all commodities declared with a `commodity' directive ? (Commodity error checking) You can also use the check command to run these and some additional @@ -641,37 +674,35 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Smart dates, Next: Report start & end date, Up: TIM 4.1 Smart dates =============== -hledger's user interfaces accept a flexible "smart date" syntax. Smart +hledger's user interfaces accept a flexible "smart date" syntax. Smart dates allow some english words, can be relative to today's date, and can have less-significant date parts omitted (defaulting to 1). Examples: -'2004/10/1', exact date, several separators allowed. Year -'2004-01-01', is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31 -'2004.9.1' -'2004' start of year -'2004/10' start of month -'10/1' month and day in current year -'21' day in current month -'october, oct' start of month in current year -'yesterday, today, -1, 0, 1 days from today -tomorrow' -'last/this/next -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period +`2004/10/1', exact date, several separators allowed. Year +`2004-01-01', `2004.9.1' is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31 +`2004' start of year +`2004/10' start of month +`10/1' month and day in current year +`21' day in current month +`october, oct' start of month in current year +`yesterday, today, -1, 0, 1 days from today +tomorrow' +`last/this/next -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period day/week/month/quarter/year' -'20181201' 8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and - day -'201812' 6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month +`20181201' 8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day +`201812' 6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month Counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising results: -'201813' 6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of +`201813' 6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 6-digit year -'20181301' 8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of +`20181301' 8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 8-digit year -'20181232' 8 digits with an invalid day gives an error -'201801012' 9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error +`20181232' 8 digits with an invalid day gives an error +`201801012' 9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error  File: hledger.info, Node: Report start & end date, Next: Report intervals, Prev: Smart dates, Up: TIME PERIODS @@ -680,43 +711,46 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Report start & end date, Next: Report intervals, Pr =========================== By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time -represented by the journal data. The report start date will be the +represented by the journal data. The report start date will be the earliest transaction or posting date, and the report end date will be the latest transaction, posting, or market price date. Often you will want to see a shorter time span, such as the current -month. You can specify a start and/or end date using '-b/--begin', -'-e/--end', '-p/--period' or a 'date:' query (described below). All of +month. You can specify a start and/or end date using `-b/--begin', +`-e/--end', `-p/--period' or a `date:' query (described below). All of these accept the smart date syntax. Some notes: * As in Ledger, end dates are exclusive, so you need to write the date _after_ the last day you want to include. + * As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with - _options_, the last (i.e. right-most) option takes precedence. + _options_, the last (i.e. right-most) option takes precedence. + * The effective report start and end dates are the intersection of - the start/end dates from options and that from 'date:' queries. - That is, 'date:2019-01 date:2019 -p'2000 to 2030'' yields January + the start/end dates from options and that from `date:' queries. + That is, `date:2019-01 date:2019 -p'2000 to 2030'' yields January 2019, the smallest common time span. + * A report interval (see below) will adjust start/end dates, when needed, so that they fall on subperiod boundaries. Examples: -'-b begin on St. Patrick's day 2016 -2016/3/17' -'-e 12/1' end at the start of december 1st of the current year +`-b begin on St. Patrick's day 2016 +2016/3/17' +`-e 12/1' end at the start of december 1st of the current year (11/30 will be the last date included) -'-b all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month -thismonth' -'-p all transactions in the current month -thismonth' -'date:2016/3/17..'the above written as queries instead ('..' can also be - replaced with '-') -'date:..12/1' -'date:thismonth..' -'date:thismonth' +`-b all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month +thismonth' +`-p all transactions in the current month +thismonth' +`date:2016/3/17..'the above written as queries instead (`..' can also be + replaced with `-') +`date:..12/1' +`date:thismonth..' +`date:thismonth'  File: hledger.info, Node: Report intervals, Next: Period expressions, Prev: Report start & end date, Up: TIME PERIODS @@ -731,26 +765,26 @@ separate row or column. The following "standard" report intervals can be enabled by using their corresponding flag: - '-D/--daily', '-W/--weekly', '-M/--monthly', '-Q/--quarterly', -'-Y/--yearly'. + `-D/--daily', `-W/--weekly', `-M/--monthly', `-Q/--quarterly', +`-Y/--yearly'. - These standard intervals always start on natural interval boundaries: -eg '--weekly' starts on mondays, '--monthly' starts on the first of the -month, '--yearly' always starts on January 1st, etc. + These standard intervals always start on natural interval +boundaries: eg `--weekly' starts on mondays, `--monthly' starts on the +first of the month, `--yearly' always starts on January 1st, etc. - Certain more complex intervals, and more flexible boundary dates, can -be specified by '-p/--period'. These are described in period + Certain more complex intervals, and more flexible boundary dates, +can be specified by `-p/--period'. These are described in period expressions, below. Report intervals can only be specified by the flags above, and not by query arguments, currently. Report intervals have another effect: multi-period reports are always -expanded to fill a whole number of subperiods. So if you use a report -interval (other than '--daily'), and you have specified a start or end -date, you may notice those dates being overridden (ie, the report starts -earlier than your requested start date, or ends later than your -requested end date). This is done to ensure "full" first and last +expanded to fill a whole number of subperiods. So if you use a report +interval (other than `--daily'), and you have specified a start or end +date, you may notice those dates being overridden (ie, the report +starts earlier than your requested start date, or ends later than your +requested end date). This is done to ensure "full" first and last subperiods, so that all subperiods' numbers are comparable.  @@ -759,65 +793,61 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Period expressions, Prev: Report intervals, Up: TIM 4.4 Period expressions ====================== -The '-p/--period' option accepts period expressions, a shorthand way of +The `-p/--period' option accepts period expressions, a shorthand way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report interval all at once. Here's a basic period expression specifying the first quarter of 2009. Note, hledger always treats start dates as inclusive and end dates as exclusive: - '-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"' + `-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"' Keywords like "from" and "to" are optional, and so are the spaces, as -long as you don't run two dates together. "to" can also be written as -".." or "-". These are equivalent to the above: +long as you don't run two dates together. "to" can also be written as +".." or "-". These are equivalent to the above: -'-p "2009/1/1 2009/4/1"' -'-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1' -'-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1' +`-p "2009/1/1 2009/4/1"' +`-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1' +`-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1' Dates are smart dates, so if the current year is 2009, the above can also be written as: -'-p "1/1 4/1"' -'-p "january-apr"' -'-p "this year to 4/1"' +`-p "1/1 4/1"' +`-p "january-apr"' +`-p "this year to 4/1"' If you specify only one date, the missing start or end date will be the earliest or latest transaction in your journal: -'-p "from 2009/1/1"' everything after january 1, 2009 -'-p "from 2009/1"' the same -'-p "from 2009"' the same -'-p "to 2009"' everything before january 1, 2009 +`-p "from 2009/1/1"' everything after january 1, 2009 +`-p "from 2009/1"' the same +`-p "from 2009"' the same +`-p "to 2009"' everything before january 1, 2009 A single date with no "from" or "to" defines both the start and end date like so: -'-p "2009"' the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to - 2010/1/1” -'-p "2009/1"' the month of jan; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to - 2009/2/1” -'-p "2009/1/1"' just that day; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to - 2009/1/2” +`-p "2009"' the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1” +`-p "2009/1"' the month of jan; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2009/2/1” +`-p "2009/1/1"' just that day; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2009/1/2” Or you can specify a single quarter like so: -'-p "2009Q1"' first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to - 2009/4/1” -'-p "q4"' fourth quarter of the current year +`-p "2009Q1"' first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1” +`-p "q4"' fourth quarter of the current year - The argument of '-p' can also begin with, or be, a report interval -expression. The basic report intervals are 'daily', 'weekly', -'monthly', 'quarterly', or 'yearly', which have the same effect as the -'-D','-W','-M','-Q', or '-Y' flags. Between report interval and -start/end dates (if any), the word 'in' is optional. Examples: + The argument of `-p' can also begin with, or be, a report interval +expression. The basic report intervals are `daily', `weekly', +`monthly', `quarterly', or `yearly', which have the same effect as the +`-D',`-W',`-M',`-Q', or `-Y' flags. Between report interval and +start/end dates (if any), the word `in' is optional. Examples: -'-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"' -'-p "monthly in 2008"' -'-p "quarterly"' +`-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"' +`-p "monthly in 2008"' +`-p "quarterly"' - Note that 'weekly', 'monthly', 'quarterly' and 'yearly' intervals + Note that `weekly', `monthly', `quarterly' and `yearly' intervals will always start on the first day on week, month, quarter or year accordingly, and will end on the last day of same period, even if associated period expression specifies different explicit start and end @@ -825,19 +855,18 @@ date. For example: -'-p "weekly from starts on 2008/12/29, closest preceding -2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"' Monday -'-p "monthly in starts on 2018/11/01 -2008/11/25"' -'-p "quarterly from starts on 2009/04/01, ends on 2009/06/30, -2009-05-05 to which are first and last days of Q2 2009 -2009-06-01"' -'-p "yearly from starts on 2009/01/01, first day of 2009 -2009-12-29"' +`-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 starts on 2008/12/29, closest preceding Monday +to 2009/4/1"' +`-p "monthly in starts on 2018/11/01 +2008/11/25"' +`-p "quarterly from starts on 2009/04/01, ends on 2009/06/30, +2009-05-05 to 2009-06-01"' which are first and last days of Q2 2009 +`-p "yearly from starts on 2009/01/01, first day of 2009 +2009-12-29"' The following more complex report intervals are also supported: -'biweekly', 'fortnightly', 'bimonthly', 'every -day|week|month|quarter|year', 'every N +`biweekly', `fortnightly', `bimonthly', `every +day|week|month|quarter|year', `every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years'. All of these will start on the first day of the requested period and @@ -845,42 +874,41 @@ end on the last one, as described above. Examples: -'-p "bimonthly from periods will have boundaries on 2008/01/01, -2008"' 2008/03/01, ... -'-p "every 2 weeks"' starts on closest preceding Monday -'-p "every 5 month from periods will have boundaries on 2009/03/01, +`-p "bimonthly from 2008"' periods will have boundaries on 2008/01/01, + 2008/03/01, ... +`-p "every 2 weeks"' starts on closest preceding Monday +`-p "every 5 month from periods will have boundaries on 2009/03/01, 2009/03"' 2009/08/01, ... If you want intervals that start on arbitrary day of your choosing and span a week, month or year, you need to use any of the following: - 'every Nth day of week', 'every WEEKDAYNAME' (eg -'mon|tue|wed|thu|fri|sat|sun'), 'every Nth day [of month]', 'every Nth -WEEKDAYNAME [of month]', 'every MM/DD [of year]', 'every Nth MMM [of -year]', 'every MMM Nth [of year]'. + `every Nth day of week', `every WEEKDAYNAME' (eg +`mon|tue|wed|thu|fri|sat|sun'), `every Nth day [of month]', `every Nth +WEEKDAYNAME [of month]', `every MM/DD [of year]', `every Nth MMM [of +year]', `every MMM Nth [of year]'. Examples: -'-p "every 2nd day of periods will go from Tue to Tue -week"' -'-p "every Tue"' same -'-p "every 15th day"' period boundaries will be on 15th of each - month -'-p "every 2nd period boundaries will be on second Monday of -Monday"' each month -'-p "every 11/05"' yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of Nov -'-p "every 5th Nov"' same -'-p "every Nov 5th"' same +`-p "every 2nd day of periods will go from Tue to Tue +week"' +`-p "every Tue"' same +`-p "every 15th day"' period boundaries will be on 15th of each month +`-p "every 2nd Monday"' period boundaries will be on second Monday of + each month +`-p "every 11/05"' yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of Nov +`-p "every 5th Nov"' same +`-p "every Nov 5th"' same Show historical balances at end of 15th each month (N is exclusive end date): - 'hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"' + `hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"' Group postings from start of wednesday to end of next tuesday (N is start date and exclusive end date): - 'hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"' + `hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"'  File: hledger.info, Node: DEPTH, Next: QUERIES, Prev: TIME PERIODS, Up: Top @@ -888,11 +916,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: DEPTH, Next: QUERIES, Prev: TIME PERIODS, Up: Top 5 DEPTH ******* -With the '--depth N' option (short form: '-N'), commands like account, +With the `--depth N' option (short form: `-N'), commands like account, balance and register will show only the uppermost accounts in the account tree, down to level N. Use this when you want a summary with -less detail. This flag has the same effect as a 'depth:' query argument -(so '-2', '--depth=2' or 'depth:2' are equivalent). +less detail. This flag has the same effect as a `depth:' query argument +(so `-2', `--depth=2' or `depth:2' are equivalent).  File: hledger.info, Node: QUERIES, Next: COSTING, Prev: DEPTH, Up: Top @@ -901,108 +929,110 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: QUERIES, Next: COSTING, Prev: DEPTH, Up: Top ********* One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on precise -subsets of your data. Most commands accept an optional query -expression, written as arguments after the command name, to filter the -data by date, account name or other criteria. The syntax is similar to -a web search: one or more space-separated search terms, quotes to -enclose whitespace, prefixes to match specific fields, a not: prefix to -negate the match. +subsets of your data. Most commands accept an optional query expression, +written as arguments after the command name, to filter the data by date, +account name or other criteria. The syntax is similar to a web search: +one or more space-separated search terms, quotes to enclose whitespace, +prefixes to match specific fields, a not: prefix to negate the match. We do not yet support arbitrary boolean combinations of search terms; instead most commands show transactions/postings/accounts which match (or negatively match): * any of the description terms AND + * any of the account terms AND + * any of the status terms AND + * all the other terms. The print command instead shows transactions which: * match any of the description terms AND + * have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND + * have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND + * match all the other terms. - The following kinds of search terms can be used. Remember these can -also be prefixed with *'not:'*, eg to exclude a particular subaccount. + The following kinds of search terms can be used. Remember these can +also be prefixed with *`not:'*, eg to exclude a particular subaccount. -*'REGEX', 'acct:REGEX'* - - match account names by this regular expression. (With no prefix, - 'acct:' is assumed.) same as above - -*'amt:N, amt:N, amt:>=N'* +*`REGEX', `acct:REGEX'* + match account names by this regular expression. (With no prefix, + `acct:' is assumed.) same as above +*`amt:N, amt:N, amt:>=N'* match postings with a single-commodity amount that is equal to, less than, or greater than N. (Multi-commodity amounts are not - tested, and will always match.) The comparison has two modes: if N + tested, and will always match.) The comparison has two modes: if N is preceded by a + or - sign (or is 0), the two signed numbers are - compared. Otherwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, + compared. Otherwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, ignoring sign. -*'code:REGEX'* +*`code:REGEX'* match by transaction code (eg check number) -*'cur:REGEX'* +*`cur:REGEX'* match postings or transactions including any amounts whose currency/commodity symbol is fully matched by REGEX. (For a partial - match, use '.*REGEX.*'). Note, to match characters which are - regex-significant, like the dollar sign ('$'), you need to prepend - '\'. And when using the command line you need to add one more - level of quoting to hide it from the shell, so eg do: 'hledger - print cur:'\$'' or 'hledger print cur:\\$'. -*'desc:REGEX'* + match, use `.*REGEX.*'). Note, to match characters which are + regex-significant, like the dollar sign (`$'), you need to prepend + `\'. And when using the command line you need to add one more level + of quoting to hide it from the shell, so eg do: `hledger print + cur:'\$'' or `hledger print cur:\\$'. +*`desc:REGEX'* match transaction descriptions. -*'date:PERIODEXPR'* - match dates within the specified period. PERIODEXPR is a period - expression (with no report interval). Examples: 'date:2016', - 'date:thismonth', 'date:2000/2/1-2/15', 'date:lastweek-'. If the - '--date2' command line flag is present, this matches secondary - dates instead. (Report intervals will adjust start/end dates to +*`date:PERIODEXPR'* + match dates within the specified period. PERIODEXPR is a period + expression (with no report interval). Examples: `date:2016', + `date:thismonth', `date:2000/2/1-2/15', `date:lastweek-'. If the + `--date2' command line flag is present, this matches secondary + dates instead. (Report intervals will adjust start/end dates to preceding/following subperiod boundaries.) -*'date2:PERIODEXPR'* +*`date2:PERIODEXPR'* match secondary dates within the specified period. -*'depth:N'* +*`depth:N'* match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this depth -*'note:REGEX'* - match transaction notes (part of description right of '|', or whole - description when there's no '|') -*'payee:REGEX'* +*`note:REGEX'* + match transaction notes (part of description right of `|', or whole + description when there's no `|') +*`payee:REGEX'* match transaction payee/payer names (part of description left of - '|', or whole description when there's no '|') -*'real:, real:0'* + `|', or whole description when there's no `|') +*`real:, real:0'* match real or virtual postings respectively -*'status:, status:!, status:*'* +*`status:, status:!, status:*'* match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively -*'tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'* - match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value. Note a tag: - query is considered to match a transaction if it matches any of the - postings. Also remember that postings inherit the tags of their - parent transaction. +*`tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'* + match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value. Note a tag: + query is considered to match a transaction if it matches any of + the postings. Also remember that postings inherit the tags of + their parent transaction. The following special search term is used automatically in hledger-web, only: -*'inacct:ACCTNAME'* - +*`inacct:ACCTNAME'* tells hledger-web to show the transaction register for this - account. Can be filtered further with 'acct' etc. + account. Can be filtered further with `acct' etc. Some of these can also be expressed as command-line options (eg -'depth:2' is equivalent to '--depth 2'). Generally you can mix options +`depth:2' is equivalent to `--depth 2'). Generally you can mix options and query arguments, and the resulting query will be their intersection -(perhaps excluding the '-p/--period' option). +(perhaps excluding the `-p/--period' option).  File: hledger.info, Node: COSTING, Next: VALUATION, Prev: QUERIES, Up: Top @@ -1010,8 +1040,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: COSTING, Next: VALUATION, Prev: QUERIES, Up: Top 7 COSTING ********* -The '-B/--cost' flag converts amounts to their cost or sale amount at -transaction time, if they have a transaction price specified. If this +The `-B/--cost' flag converts amounts to their cost or sale amount at +transaction time, if they have a transaction price specified. If this flag is supplied, hledger will perform cost conversion first, and will apply any market price valuations (if requested) afterwards. @@ -1024,9 +1054,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: VALUATION, Next: PIVOTING, Prev: COSTING, Up: Top Instead of reporting amounts in their original commodity, hledger can convert them to cost/sale amount (using the conversion rate recorded in the transaction), and/or to market value (using some market price on a -certain date). This is controlled by the '--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]' -option, which will be described below. We also provide the simpler '-V' -and '-X COMMODITY' options, and often one of these is all you need: +certain date). This is controlled by the `--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]' +option, which will be described below. We also provide the simpler `-V' +and `-X COMMODITY' options, and often one of these is all you need: * Menu: @@ -1047,9 +1077,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: -V Value, Next: -X Value in specified commodity, Up 8.1 -V: Value ============= -The '-V/--market' flag converts amounts to market value in their default -_valuation commodity_, using the market prices in effect on the -_valuation date(s)_, if any. More on these in a minute. +The `-V/--market' flag converts amounts to market value in their +default _valuation commodity_, using the market prices in effect on the +_valuation date(s)_, if any. More on these in a minute.  File: hledger.info, Node: -X Value in specified commodity, Next: Valuation date, Prev: -V Value, Up: VALUATION @@ -1057,7 +1087,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: -X Value in specified commodity, Next: Valuation dat 8.2 -X: Value in specified commodity ==================================== -The '-X/--exchange=COMM' option is like '-V', except you tell it which +The `-X/--exchange=COMM' option is like `-V', except you tell it which currency you want to convert to, and it tries to convert everything to that. @@ -1075,8 +1105,8 @@ prices will be used. specified, that will be used as the valuation date; otherwise the valuation date is the journal's end date. - For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last day -of the period, by default. + For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last +day of the period, by default.  File: hledger.info, Node: Market prices, Next: --infer-market-price market prices from transactions, Prev: Valuation date, Up: VALUATION @@ -1090,7 +1120,7 @@ this order of preference : 1. A _declared market price_ or _inferred market price_: A's latest market price in B on or before the valuation date as declared by a - P directive, or (with the '--infer-market-price' flag) inferred + P directive, or (with the `--infer-market-price' flag) inferred from transaction prices. 2. A _reverse market price_: the inverse of a declared or inferred @@ -1104,10 +1134,11 @@ this order of preference : including both forward and reverse prices (1 and 2 above), leading from A to B. + There is a limit to the length of these price chains; if hledger reaches that length without finding a complete chain or exhausting all possibilities, it will give up (with a "gave up" message visible in -'--debug=2' output). That limit is currently 1000. +`--debug=2' output). That limit is currently 1000. Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not converted. @@ -1119,32 +1150,33 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: --infer-market-price market prices from transactions, ======================================================== Normally, market value in hledger is fully controlled by, and requires, -P directives in your journal. Since adding and updating those can be a +P directives in your journal. Since adding and updating those can be a chore, and since transactions usually take place at close to market value, why not use the recorded transaction prices as additional market -prices (as Ledger does) ? We could produce value reports without -needing P directives at all. +prices (as Ledger does) ? We could produce value reports without needing +P directives at all. - Adding the '--infer-market-price' flag to '-V', '-X' or '--value' -enables this. So for example, 'hledger bs -V --infer-market-price' will -get market prices both from P directives and from transactions. (And if + Adding the `--infer-market-price' flag to `-V', `-X' or `--value' +enables this. So for example, `hledger bs -V --infer-market-price' will +get market prices both from P directives and from transactions. (And if both occur on the same day, the P directive takes precedence). There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in -confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries. If this happens to +confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries. If this happens to you, read all of this Valuation section carefully, and try adding -'--debug' or '--debug=2' to troubleshoot. +`--debug' or `--debug=2' to troubleshoot. - '--infer-market-price' can infer market prices from: + `--infer-market-price' can infer market prices from: - * multicommodity transactions with explicit prices ('@'/'@@') + * multicommodity transactions with explicit prices (`@'/`@@') - * multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no '@', two - commodities, unbalanced). (With these, the order of postings - matters. 'hledger print -x' can be useful for troubleshooting.) + * multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no `@', two + commodities, unbalanced). (With these, the order of postings + matters. `hledger print -x' can be useful for troubleshooting.) + + * but not, currently, from "more correct" multicommodity + transactions (no `@', multiple commodities, balanced). - * but not, currently, from "more correct" multicommodity transactions - (no '@', multiple commodities, balanced).  File: hledger.info, Node: Valuation commodity, Next: Simple valuation examples, Prev: --infer-market-price market prices from transactions, Up: VALUATION @@ -1152,13 +1184,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Valuation commodity, Next: Simple valuation examples 8.6 Valuation commodity ======================= -*When you specify a valuation commodity ('-X COMM' or '--value +*When you specify a valuation commodity (`-X COMM' or `--value TYPE,COMM'):* hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a suitable market price (including by reversing or chaining prices). - *When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified ('-V' or '--value -TYPE'):* + *When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified (`-V' or +`--value TYPE'):* For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as follows, in this order of preference: @@ -1166,22 +1198,24 @@ follows, in this order of preference: on or before valuation date. 2. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A - on any date. (Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred + on any date. (Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred prices before the valuation date.) 3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the - '--infer-market-price' flag is used: the price commodity from the + `--infer-market-price' flag is used: the price commodity from the latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date. + This means: - * If you have P directives, they determine which commodities '-V' + * If you have P directives, they determine which commodities `-V' will convert, and to what. - * If you have no P directives, and use the '--infer-market-price' + * If you have no P directives, and use the `--infer-market-price' flag, transaction prices determine it. + Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not converted. @@ -1191,7 +1225,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Simple valuation examples, Next: --value Flexible va 8.7 Simple valuation examples ============================= -Here are some quick examples of '-V': +Here are some quick examples of `-V': + ; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1 P 2016/11/01 € $1.10 @@ -1206,16 +1241,19 @@ P 2016/12/21 € $1.03 How many euros do I have ? + $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros €100 assets:euros What are they worth at end of nov 3 ? + $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V -e 2016/11/4 $110.00 assets:euros - What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ? (no report end date -specified, defaults to today) + What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ? (no report end date specified, +defaults to today) + $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V $103.00 assets:euros @@ -1226,7 +1264,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: --value Flexible valuation, Next: More valuation exa 8.8 -value: Flexible valuation ============================== -'-V' and '-X' are special cases of the more general '--value' option: +`-V' and `-X' are special cases of the more general `--value' option: + --value=TYPE[,COMM] TYPE is then, end, now or YYYY-MM-DD. COMM is an optional commodity symbol. @@ -1238,28 +1277,27 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: --value Flexible valuation, Next: More valuation exa The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date: -'--value=then' - +`--value=then' Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using market prices on each posting's date. -'--value=end' +`--value=end' Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using market prices on the last day of the report period (or if unspecified, the journal's end date); or in multiperiod reports, market prices on the last day of each subperiod. -'--value=now' +`--value=now' Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using current market prices (as of when report is generated). -'--value=YYYY-MM-DD' +`--value=YYYY-MM-DD' Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using market prices on this date. - To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional ',COMM' -part: a comma, then the target commodity's symbol. Eg: -*'--value=now,EUR'*. hledger will do its best to convert amounts to + To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional `,COMM' +part: a comma, then the target commodity's symbol. Eg: +*`--value=now,EUR'*. hledger will do its best to convert amounts to this commodity, deducing market prices as described above.  @@ -1268,8 +1306,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: More valuation examples, Next: Effect of valuation o 8.9 More valuation examples =========================== -Here are some examples showing the effect of '--value', as seen with -'print': +Here are some examples showing the effect of `--value', as seen with +`print': + P 2000-01-01 A 1 B P 2000-02-01 A 2 B @@ -1287,6 +1326,7 @@ P 2000-04-01 A 4 B Show the cost of each posting: + $ hledger -f- print --cost 2000-01-01 (a) 5 B @@ -1299,6 +1339,7 @@ $ hledger -f- print --cost Show the value as of the last day of the report period (2000-02-29): + $ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03 2000-01-01 (a) 2 B @@ -1309,6 +1350,7 @@ $ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03 With no report period specified, that shows the value as of the last day of the journal (2000-03-01): + $ hledger -f- print --value=end 2000-01-01 (a) 3 B @@ -1322,6 +1364,7 @@ $ hledger -f- print --value=end Show the current value (the 2000-04-01 price is still in effect today): + $ hledger -f- print --value=now 2000-01-01 (a) 4 B @@ -1334,6 +1377,7 @@ $ hledger -f- print --value=now Show the value on 2000/01/15: + $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15 2000-01-01 (a) 1 B @@ -1345,7 +1389,8 @@ $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15 (a) 1 B You may need to explicitly set a commodity's display style, when -reverse prices are used. Eg this output might be surprising: +reverse prices are used. Eg this output might be surprising: + P 2000-01-01 A 2B @@ -1353,6 +1398,7 @@ P 2000-01-01 A 2B a 1B b + $ hledger print -x -X A 2000-01-01 a 0 @@ -1360,10 +1406,11 @@ $ hledger print -x -X A Explanation: because there's no amount or commodity directive specifying a display style for A, 0.5A gets the default style, which -shows no decimal digits. Because the displayed amount looks like zero, -the commodity symbol and minus sign are not displayed either. Adding a +shows no decimal digits. Because the displayed amount looks like zero, +the commodity symbol and minus sign are not displayed either. Adding a commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A: + P 2000-01-01 A 2B commodity 0.00A @@ -1371,6 +1418,7 @@ commodity 0.00A a 1B b + $ hledger print -X A 2000-01-01 a 0.50A @@ -1383,51 +1431,49 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Effect of valuation on reports, Prev: More valuation =================================== Here is a reference for how valuation is supposed to affect each part of -hledger's reports (and a glossary). (It's wide, you'll have to scroll -sideways.) It may be useful when troubleshooting. If you find -problems, please report them, ideally with a reproducible example. -Related: #329, #1083. +hledger's reports (and a glossary). (It's wide, you'll have to scroll +sideways.) It may be useful when troubleshooting. If you find problems, +please report them, ideally with a reproducible example. Related: #329, +#1083. -Report '-B', '-V', '-X' '--value=then' '--value=end''--value=DATE', -type '--cost' '--value=now' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -*print* +Report `-B', `-V', `-X' `--value=then' `--value=end'`--value=DATE', +type `--cost' `--value=now' +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +*print* posting cost value at value at posting value at value amounts report end date report or at - or today journal DATE/today - end + or today journal end DATE/today balance unchanged unchanged unchanged unchanged unchanged -assertions/assignments -*register* +assertions/assignments + +*register* starting cost value at valued at day value at value balance day before each historical day before at (-H) report or posting was made report or DATE/today - journal journal - start start + journal journal + start start posting cost value at value at posting value at value amounts report end date report or at - or today journal DATE/today - end + or today journal end DATE/today summary summarised value at sum of postings value at value -posting cost period in interval, period at -amounts ends valued at ends DATE/today -with interval start -report -interval +posting cost period ends in interval, period ends at +amounts valued at DATE/today +with interval start +report +interval running sum/average sum/average sum/average of sum/average sum/average -total/averageof of displayed values of of +total/averageof of displayed values of of displayed displayed displayed displayed values values values values -*balance -(bs, -bse, cf, -is)* + +*balance +(bs, bse, +cf, is)* balance sums of value at value at posting value at value changes costs report end date report or at - or today journal DATE/today - of sums of end of of - postings sums of sums - postings of + or today of journal end DATE/today + sums of of sums of of sums + postings postings of postings budget like like like balance like like amounts balance balance changes balances balance @@ -1435,87 +1481,84 @@ amounts balance balance changes balances balance grand sum of sum of sum of displayed sum of sum of total displayed displayed valued displayed displayed values values values values -*balance -(bs, -bse, cf, -is) with -report -interval* -starting sums of value at sums of values value at sums -balances costs of report of postings report of -(-H) postings start of before report start of postings - before sums of start at sums of before - report all respective all report - start postings posting dates postings start - before before - report report - start start -balance sums of same as sums of values balance value -changes costs of -value=end of postings in change in at -(bal, postings period at each DATE/today -is, bs in period respective period, of --change, posting dates valued at sums -cf period of --change) ends postings -end sums of same as sums of values period end value -balances costs of -value=end of postings from balances, at + +*balance +(bs, bse, +cf, is) +with +report +interval* +starting sums of value at sums of values of value at sums of +balances costs of report postings before report postings +(-H) postings start of report start at start of before + before sums of all respective sums of all report + report start postings posting dates postings start + before before + report start report start +balance sums of same as sums of values of balance value +changes costs of -value=end postings in change in at +(bal, is, postings in period at each DATE/today +bs period respective period, of sums +-change, posting dates valued at of +cf period ends postings +-change) +end sums of same as sums of values of period end value +balances costs of -value=end postings from balances, at (bal -H, postings before period valued at DATE/today -is -H, from start to period period of -bs, cf) before end at ends sums - report respective of +is -H, from before start to period period ends of sums +bs, cf) report end at respective of start to posting dates postings - period end + period end budget like like like balance like like amounts balance balance changes/end balances balance (-budget) changes/end changes/end balances changes/end balances balances balances -row sums, sums, sums, averages sums, sums, -totals, averages averages of displayed averages averages -row of of values of of -averages displayed displayed displayed displayed -(-T, -A) values values values values -column sums of sums of sums of sums of sums -totals displayed displayed displayed values displayed of - values values values displayed - values +row sums, sums, sums, averages of sums, sums, +totals, averages of averages of displayed values averages of averages +row displayed displayed displayed of +averages values values values displayed +(-T, -A) values +column sums of sums of sums of displayed sums of sums of +totals displayed displayed values displayed displayed + values values values values grand sum, sum, sum, average of sum, sum, total, average of average of column totals average of average grand column column column of average totals totals totals column totals - '--cumulative' is omitted to save space, it works like '-H' but with + + `--cumulative' is omitted to save space, it works like `-H' but with a zero starting balance. *Glossary:* _cost_ - calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s). -_value_ +_value_ market value using available market price declarations, or the unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found. -_report start_ +_report start_ the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:, otherwise today. -_report or journal start_ +_report or journal start_ the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:, otherwise the earliest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today. -_report end_ +_report end_ the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:, otherwise today. -_report or journal end_ +_report or journal end_ the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:, otherwise the latest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today. -_report interval_ +_report interval_ a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperiods). @@ -1527,26 +1570,28 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: PIVOTING, Next: OUTPUT, Prev: VALUATION, Up: Top ********** Normally hledger sums amounts, and organizes them in a hierarchy, based -on account name. The '--pivot FIELD' option causes it to sum and -organize hierarchy based on the value of some other field instead. -FIELD can be: 'code', 'description', 'payee', 'note', or the full name -(case insensitive) of any tag. As with account names, values containing -'colon:separated:parts' will be displayed hierarchically in reports. +on account name. The `--pivot FIELD' option causes it to sum and +organize hierarchy based on the value of some other field instead. FIELD +can be: `code', `description', `payee', `note', or the full name (case +insensitive) of any tag. As with account names, values containing +`colon:separated:parts' will be displayed hierarchically in reports. - '--pivot' is a general option affecting all reports; you can think of -hledger transforming the journal before any other processing, replacing -every posting's account name with the value of the specified field on -that posting, inheriting it from the transaction or using a blank value -if it's not present. + `--pivot' is a general option affecting all reports; you can think +of hledger transforming the journal before any other processing, +replacing every posting's account name with the value of the specified +field on that posting, inheriting it from the transaction or using a +blank value if it's not present. An example: + 2016/02/16 Member Fee Payment assets:bank account 2 EUR income:member fees -2 EUR ; member: John Doe Normal balance report showing account names: + $ hledger balance 2 EUR assets:bank account -2 EUR income:member fees @@ -1555,6 +1600,7 @@ $ hledger balance Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead: + $ hledger balance --pivot member 2 EUR -2 EUR John Doe @@ -1564,6 +1610,7 @@ $ hledger balance --pivot member One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query, described below): + $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=. -2 EUR John Doe -------------------- @@ -1572,6 +1619,7 @@ $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=. Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted "account name"): + $ hledger balance --pivot member acct:. -2 EUR John Doe -------------------- @@ -1594,22 +1642,24 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Output destination, Next: Output format, Up: OUTPUT 10.1 Output destination ======================= -hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default. You can +hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default. You can of course redirect this, eg into a file, using standard shell syntax: + $ hledger print > foo.txt Some commands (print, register, stats, the balance commands) also -provide the '-o/--output-file' option, which does the same thing without -needing the shell. Eg: +provide the `-o/--output-file' option, which does the same thing +without needing the shell. Eg: + $ hledger print -o foo.txt $ hledger print -o - # write to stdout (the default) hledger can optionally produce debug output (if enabled with -'--debug=N'); this goes to stderr, and is not affected by -'-o/--output-file'. If you need to capture it, use shell redirects, eg: -'hledger bal --debug=3 >file 2>&1'. +`--debug=N'); this goes to stderr, and is not affected by +`-o/--output-file'. If you need to capture it, use shell redirects, eg: +`hledger bal --debug=3 >file 2>&1'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Output format, Prev: Output destination, Up: OUTPUT @@ -1618,38 +1668,42 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Output format, Prev: Output destination, Up: OUTPUT ================== Some commands (print, register, the balance commands) offer a choice of -output format. In addition to the usual plain text format ('txt'), -there are CSV ('csv'), HTML ('html'), JSON ('json') and SQL ('sql'). -This is controlled by the '-O/--output-format' option: +output format. In addition to the usual plain text format (`txt'), +there are CSV (`csv'), HTML (`html'), JSON (`json') and SQL (`sql'). +This is controlled by the `-O/--output-format' option: + $ hledger print -O csv - or, by a file extension specified with '-o/--output-file': + or, by a file extension specified with `-o/--output-file': + $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.html # write HTML to foo.html - The '-O' option can be used to override the file extension if needed: + The `-O' option can be used to override the file extension if needed: + $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O html # write HTML to foo.txt Some notes about JSON output: * This feature is marked experimental, and not yet much used; you - should expect our JSON to evolve. Real-world feedback is welcome. + should expect our JSON to evolve. Real-world feedback is welcome. * Our JSON is rather large and verbose, as it is quite a faithful - representation of hledger's internal data types. To understand the + representation of hledger's internal data types. To understand the JSON, read the Haskell type definitions, which are mostly in https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Types.hs. + * hledger represents quantities as Decimal values storing up to 255 - significant digits, eg for repeating decimals. Such numbers can + significant digits, eg for repeating decimals. Such numbers can arise in practice (from automatically-calculated transaction - prices), and would break most JSON consumers. So in JSON, we show - quantities as simple Numbers with at most 10 decimal places. We + prices), and would break most JSON consumers. So in JSON, we show + quantities as simple Numbers with at most 10 decimal places. We don't limit the number of integer digits, but that part is under - your control. We hope this approach will not cause problems in - practice; if you find otherwise, please let us know. (Cf #1195) + your control. We hope this approach will not cause problems in + practice; if you find otherwise, please let us know. (Cf #1195) Notes about SQL output: @@ -1658,13 +1712,14 @@ $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O html # write HTML to foo.txt * SQL output is expected to work with sqlite, MySQL and PostgreSQL - * SQL output is structured with the expectations that statements will - be executed in the empty database. If you already have tables + * SQL output is structured with the expectations that statements + will be executed in the empty database. If you already have tables created via SQL output of hledger, you would probably want to - either clear tables of existing data (via 'delete' or 'truncate' + either clear tables of existing data (via `delete' or `truncate' SQL statements) or drop tables completely as otherwise your postings will be duped. +  File: hledger.info, Node: COMMANDS, Next: JOURNAL FORMAT, Prev: OUTPUT, Up: Top @@ -1672,10 +1727,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: COMMANDS, Next: JOURNAL FORMAT, Prev: OUTPUT, Up: *********** hledger provides a number of commands for producing reports and managing -your data. Run 'hledger' with no arguments to list the commands -available, and 'hledger CMD' to run a command. CMD can be the full +your data. Run `hledger' with no arguments to list the commands +available, and `hledger CMD' to run a command. CMD can be the full command name, or its standard abbreviation shown in the commands list, -or any unambiguous prefix of the name. Eg: 'hledger bal'. +or any unambiguous prefix of the name. Eg: `hledger bal'. Here are the built-in commands, with the most often-used in bold: @@ -1685,62 +1740,91 @@ or any unambiguous prefix of the name. Eg: 'hledger bal'. journal file. * *add* - add transactions using guided prompts + * *import* - add any new transactions from other files (eg csv) *Data management:* * check - check for various kinds of issue in the data + * close (equity) - generate balance-resetting transactions + * diff - compare account transactions in two journal files + * rewrite - generate extra postings, similar to print -auto *Financial statements:* * *aregister (areg)* - show transactions in a particular account + * *balancesheet (bs)* - show assets, liabilities and net worth + * balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity + * cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets + * *incomestatement (is)* - show revenues and expenses + * roi - show return on investments *Miscellaneous reports:* * accounts - show account names + * activity - show postings-per-interval bar charts + * *balance (bal)* - show balance changes/end balances/budgets in any accounts + * codes - show transaction codes + * commodities - show commodity/currency symbols + * descriptions - show unique transaction descriptions + * files - show input file paths + * help - show hledger user manuals in several formats + * notes - show unique note segments of transaction descriptions + * payees - show unique payee segments of transaction descriptions + * prices - show market price records + * *print* - show transactions (journal entries) + * print-unique - show only transactions with unique descriptions + * *register (reg)* - show postings in one or more accounts & running total + * register-match - show a recent posting that best matches a description + * stats - show journal statistics + * tags - show tag names + * test - run self tests *Add-on commands:* - Programs or scripts named 'hledger-SOMETHING' in your PATH are add-on -commands; these appear in the commands list with a '+' mark. Two of -these are maintained and released with hledger: + Programs or scripts named `hledger-SOMETHING' in your PATH are +add-on commands; these appear in the commands list with a `+' mark. +Two of these are maintained and released with hledger: * *ui* - an efficient terminal interface (TUI) for hledger + * *web* - a simple web interface (WUI) for hledger And these add-ons are maintained separately: * iadd - a more interactive alternative for the add command + * interest - generates interest transactions according to various schemes + * stockquotes - downloads market prices for your commodities from AlphaVantage _(experimental)_ @@ -1790,16 +1874,17 @@ accounts Show account names. This command lists account names, either declared with account -directives (-declared), posted to (-used), or both (the default). With +directives (-declared), posted to (-used), or both (the default). With query arguments, only matched account names and account names referenced -by matched postings are shown. It shows a flat list by default. With -'--tree', it uses indentation to show the account hierarchy. In flat -mode you can add '--drop N' to omit the first few account name -components. Account names can be depth-clipped with 'depth:N' or -'--depth N' or '-N'. +by matched postings are shown. It shows a flat list by default. With +`--tree', it uses indentation to show the account hierarchy. In flat +mode you can add `--drop N' to omit the first few account name +components. Account names can be depth-clipped with `depth:N' or +`--depth N' or `-N'. Examples: + $ hledger accounts assets:bank:checking assets:bank:saving @@ -1821,14 +1906,15 @@ Show an ascii barchart of posting counts per interval. The activity command displays an ascii histogram showing transaction counts by day, week, month or other reporting interval (by day is the -default). With query arguments, it counts only matched transactions. +default). With query arguments, it counts only matched transactions. Examples: + $ hledger activity --quarterly 2008-01-01 ** 2008-04-01 ******* -2008-07-01 +2008-07-01 2008-10-01 **  @@ -1838,19 +1924,19 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: add, Next: aregister, Prev: activity, Up: COMMANDS ======== add -Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal. Any arguments will +Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal. Any arguments will be used as default inputs for the first N prompts. Many hledger users edit their journals directly with a text editor, or generate them from CSV. For more interactive data entry, there is the -'add' command, which prompts interactively on the console for new +`add' command, which prompts interactively on the console for new transactions, and appends them to the journal file (if there are -multiple '-f FILE' options, the first file is used.) Existing -transactions are not changed. This is the only hledger command that +multiple `-f FILE' options, the first file is used.) Existing +transactions are not changed. This is the only hledger command that writes to the journal file. - To use it, just run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts. You can -add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished, enter '.' + To use it, just run `hledger add' and follow the prompts. You can +add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished, enter `.' or press control-d or control-c to exit. Features: @@ -1858,22 +1944,31 @@ or press control-d or control-c to exit. * add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by description) recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a template. + * You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments. + * Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry. + * The tab key will auto-complete whenever possible - accounts, - descriptions, dates ('yesterday', 'today', 'tomorrow'). If the + descriptions, dates (`yesterday', `today', `tomorrow'). If the input area is empty, it will insert the default value. - * If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to any - bare numbers entered. + + * If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to + any bare numbers entered. + * A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date. + * Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount. - * If you make a mistake, enter '<' at any prompt to go one step + + * If you make a mistake, enter `<' at any prompt to go one step backward. + * Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal supports it. Example (see the tutorial for a detailed explanation): + $ hledger add Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal Any command line arguments will be used as defaults. @@ -1883,18 +1978,18 @@ An optional ; COMMENT may follow descriptions or amounts. If you make a mistake, enter < at any prompt to go one step backward. To end a transaction, enter . when prompted. To quit, enter . at a date prompt or press control-d or control-c. -Date [2015/05/22]: +Date [2015/05/22]: Description: supermarket Account 1: expenses:food Amount 1: $10 Account 2: assets:checking -Amount 2 [$-10.0]: +Amount 2 [$-10.0]: Account 3 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): . 2015/05/22 supermarket expenses:food $10 assets:checking $-10.0 -Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: +Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: Saved. Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit) Date [2015/05/22]: $ @@ -1909,56 +2004,57 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: aregister, Next: balance, Prev: add, Up: COMMANDS ============== aregister, areg +Show the transactions and running historical balance in an account, with +each line item representing one transaction. - Show the transactions and running historical balance in an account, -with each line item representing one transaction. + `aregister' shows the transactions affecting a particular account +and its subaccounts, with each line item representing a whole +transaction - as in bank statements, hledger-ui, hledger-web and other +accounting apps. - 'aregister' shows the transactions affecting a particular account and -its subaccounts, with each line item representing a whole transaction - -as in bank statements, hledger-ui, hledger-web and other accounting -apps. - - Note this is unlike the 'register' command, which shows individual + Note this is unlike the `register' command, which shows individual postings and does not always show a single account or a historical balance. A reminder, "historical" balances include any balance from transactions before the report start date, so (if opening balances are -recorded correctly) 'aregister' will show the real-world balances of an +recorded correctly) `aregister' will show the real-world balances of an account, as you would see in a bank statement. - As a quick rule of thumb, use 'aregister' for reconciling real-world -asset/liability accounts and 'register' for reviewing detailed + As a quick rule of thumb, use `aregister' for reconciling real-world +asset/liability accounts and `register' for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses. - 'aregister' shows the register for just one account (and its -subaccounts). This account must be specified as the first argument. -You can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive -regular expression which will select the alphabetically first matched -account. (Eg if you have 'assets:aaa:checking' and -'assets:bbb:checking' accounts, 'hledger areg checking' would select -'assets:aaa:checking'.) + `aregister' shows the register for just one account (and its +subaccounts). This account must be specified as the first argument. You +can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive regular +expression which will select the alphabetically first matched account. +(Eg if you have `assets:aaa:checking' and `assets:bbb:checking' +accounts, `hledger areg checking' would select `assets:aaa:checking'.) Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the transactions shown. - Each 'aregister' line item shows: + Each `aregister' line item shows: * the transaction's date (or the relevant posting's date if different, see below) + * the names of all the other account(s) involved in this transaction (probably abbreviated) + * the total change to this account's balance from this transaction + * the account's historical running balance after this transaction. Transactions making a net change of zero are not shown by default; -add the '-E/--empty' flag to show them. +add the `-E/--empty' flag to show them. - 'aregister' ignores a depth limit, so its final total will always + `aregister' ignores a depth limit, so its final total will always match a balance report with similar arguments. This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', and `json'. * Menu: @@ -1972,24 +2068,26 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: aregister and custom posting dates, Up: aregister Transactions whose date is outside the report period can still be shown, if they have a posting to this account dated inside the report period. -(And in this case it's the posting date that is shown.) This ensures -that 'aregister' can show an accurate historical running balance, -matching the one shown by 'register -H' with the same arguments. +(And in this case it's the posting date that is shown.) This ensures +that `aregister' can show an accurate historical running balance, +matching the one shown by `register -H' with the same arguments. - To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the '--txn-dates' -flag. If you use this flag and some of your postings have custom dates, -it's probably best to assume the running balance is wrong. + To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the +`--txn-dates' flag. If you use this flag and some of your postings have +custom dates, it's probably best to assume the running balance is wrong. Examples: Show all transactions and historical running balance in the first account whose name contains "checking": + $ hledger areg checking Show transactions and historical running balance in all asset accounts during july: + $ hledger areg assets date:jul  @@ -2001,15 +2099,15 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: balance, Next: balancesheet, Prev: aregister, Up: balance, bal Show accounts and their balances. - 'balance' is one of hledger's oldest and most versatile commands, for -listing account balances, balance changes, values, value changes and -more, during one time period or many. Generally it shows a table, with + `balance' is one of hledger's oldest and most versatile commands, +for listing account balances, balance changes, values, value changes and +more, during one time period or many. Generally it shows a table, with rows representing accounts, and columns representing periods. - Note there are some higher-level variants of the 'balance' command -with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use: 'balancesheet', -'balancesheetequity', 'cashflow' and 'incomestatement'. When you need -more control, then use 'balance'. + Note there are some higher-level variants of the `balance' command +with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use: `balancesheet', +`balancesheetequity', `cashflow' and `incomestatement'. When you need +more control, then use `balance'. * Menu: @@ -2033,54 +2131,69 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: balance features, Next: Simple balance report, Up: 11.5.1 balance features ----------------------- -Here's a quick overview of the 'balance' command's features, followed by -more detailed descriptions and examples. Many of these work with the +Here's a quick overview of the `balance' command's features, followed +by more detailed descriptions and examples. Many of these work with the higher-level commands as well. - 'balance' can show.. + `balance' can show.. + + * accounts as a list (`-l') or a tree (`-t') + + * optionally depth-limited (`-[1-9]') - * accounts as a list ('-l') or a tree ('-t') - * optionally depth-limited ('-[1-9]') * sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount ..and their.. * balance changes (the default) - * or actual and planned balance changes ('--budget') - * or value of balance changes ('-V') - * or change of balance values ('--valuechange') + + * or actual and planned balance changes (`--budget') + + * or value of balance changes (`-V') + + * or change of balance values (`--valuechange') ..in.. * one time period (the whole journal period by default) - * or multiple periods ('-D', '-W', '-M', '-Q', '-Y', '-p INTERVAL') + + * or multiple periods (`-D', `-W', `-M', `-Q', `-Y', `-p INTERVAL') ..either.. * per period (the default) - * or accumulated since report start date ('--cumulative') - * or accumulated since account creation ('--historical/-H') + + * or accumulated since report start date (`--cumulative') + + * or accumulated since account creation (`--historical/-H') ..possibly converted to.. - * cost ('--value=cost[,COMM]'/'--cost'/'-B') - * or market value, as of transaction dates ('--value=then[,COMM]') - * or at period ends ('--value=end[,COMM]') - * or now ('--value=now') - * or at some other date ('--value=YYYY-MM-DD') + * cost (`--value=cost[,COMM]'/`--cost'/`-B') + + * or market value, as of transaction dates (`--value=then[,COMM]') + + * or at period ends (`--value=end[,COMM]') + + * or now (`--value=now') + + * or at some other date (`--value=YYYY-MM-DD') ..with.. - * totals ('-T'), averages ('-A'), percentages ('-%'), inverted sign - ('--invert') - * rows and columns swapped ('--transpose') - * another field used as account name ('--pivot') + * totals (`-T'), averages (`-A'), percentages (`-%'), inverted sign + (`--invert') + + * rows and columns swapped (`--transpose') + + * another field used as account name (`--pivot') + * custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only) - ('--format') + (`--format') This command supports the output destination and output format -options, with output formats 'txt', 'csv', 'json', and (multi-period -reports only:) 'html'. In 'txt' output in a colour-supporting terminal, +options, with output formats `txt', `csv', `json', and (multi-period +reports only:) `html'. In `txt' output in a colour-supporting terminal, negative amounts are shown in red.  @@ -2089,16 +2202,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Simple balance report, Next: Filtered balance report 11.5.2 Simple balance report ---------------------------- -With no arguments, 'balance' shows a list of all accounts and their +With no arguments, `balance' shows a list of all accounts and their change of balance - ie, the sum of posting amounts, both inflows and -outflows - during the entire period of the journal. For real-world +outflows - during the entire period of the journal. For real-world accounts, this should also match their end balance at the end of the journal period (more on this below). Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any, and then -alphabetically by account name. For instance, using +alphabetically by account name. For instance, using examples/sample.journal: + $ hledger bal $1 assets:bank:saving $-2 assets:cash @@ -2108,11 +2222,12 @@ $ hledger bal $-1 income:salary $1 liabilities:debts -------------------- - 0 + 0 Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree -mode - see below) are hidden by default. Use '-E/--empty' to show them -(revealing 'assets:bank:checking' here): +mode - see below) are hidden by default. Use `-E/--empty' to show them +(revealing `assets:bank:checking' here): + $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal -E 0 assets:bank:checking @@ -2124,10 +2239,10 @@ $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal -E $-1 income:salary $1 liabilities:debts -------------------- - 0 + 0 The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless -'-N'/'--no-total' is used. +`-N'/`--no-total' is used.  File: hledger.info, Node: Filtered balance report, Next: List or tree mode, Prev: Simple balance report, Up: balance @@ -2136,13 +2251,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Filtered balance report, Next: List or tree mode, P ------------------------------ You can show fewer accounts, a different time period, totals from -cleared transactions only, etc. by using query arguments or options to -limit the postings being matched. Eg: +cleared transactions only, etc. by using query arguments or options to +limit the postings being matched. Eg: + $ hledger bal --cleared assets date:200806 $-2 assets:cash -------------------- - $-2 + $-2  File: hledger.info, Node: List or tree mode, Next: Depth limiting, Prev: Filtered balance report, Up: balance @@ -2150,12 +2266,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: List or tree mode, Next: Depth limiting, Prev: Filt 11.5.4 List or tree mode ------------------------ -By default, or with '-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with +By default, or with `-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with their full names visible, as in the examples above. - With '-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts' + With `-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts' "leaf" names indented below their parent: + $ hledger balance $-1 assets $1 bank:saving @@ -2173,31 +2290,33 @@ $ hledger balance Notes: * "Boring" accounts are combined with their subaccount for more - compact output, unless '--no-elide' is used. Boring accounts have - no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg 'assets:bank' - and 'liabilities' above). + compact output, unless `--no-elide' is used. Boring accounts have + no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg `assets:bank' + and `liabilities' above). * All balances shown are "inclusive", ie including the balances from - all subaccounts. Note this means some repetition in the output, + all subaccounts. Note this means some repetition in the output, which requires explanation when sharing reports with - non-plaintextaccounting-users. A tree mode report's final total is + non-plaintextaccounting-users. A tree mode report's final total is the sum of the top-level balances shown, not of all the balances shown. * Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted separately. +  File: hledger.info, Node: Depth limiting, Next: Multi-period balance report, Prev: List or tree mode, Up: balance 11.5.5 Depth limiting --------------------- -With a 'depth:N' query, or '--depth N' option, or just '-N', balance +With a `depth:N' query, or `--depth N' option, or just `-N', balance reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding the -deeper subaccounts. Account balances at the depth limit always include -the balances from any hidden subaccounts (even in list mode). This can -be useful for getting an overview. Eg, limiting to depth 1: +deeper subaccounts. Account balances at the depth limit always include +the balances from any hidden subaccounts (even in list mode). This can +be useful for getting an overview. Eg, limiting to depth 1: + $ hledger balance -N -1 $-1 assets @@ -2205,14 +2324,15 @@ $ hledger balance -N -1 $-2 income $1 liabilities - You can also hide top-level account name parts, using '--drop N'. + You can also hide top-level account name parts, using `--drop N'. This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account names: + $ hledger bal expenses --drop 1 $1 food $1 supplies -------------------- - $2 + $2  File: hledger.info, Node: Multi-period balance report, Next: Sorting by amount, Prev: Depth limiting, Up: balance @@ -2220,53 +2340,66 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Multi-period balance report, Next: Sorting by amount 11.5.6 Multi-period balance report ---------------------------------- -With a report interval (set by the '-D/--daily', '-W/--weekly', -'-M/--monthly', '-Q/--quarterly', '-Y/--yearly', or '-p/--period' flag), -'balance' shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive -time periods (and a title): +With a report interval (set by the `-D/--daily', `-W/--weekly', +`-M/--monthly', `-Q/--quarterly', `-Y/--yearly', or `-p/--period' +flag), `balance' shows a tabular report, with columns representing +successive time periods (and a title): + $ hledger balance --quarterly income expenses -E Balance changes in 2008: - || 2008q1 2008q2 2008q3 2008q4 + || 2008q1 2008q2 2008q3 2008q4 ===================++================================= - expenses:food || 0 $1 0 0 - expenses:supplies || 0 $1 0 0 - income:gifts || 0 $-1 0 0 - income:salary || $-1 0 0 0 + expenses:food || 0 $1 0 0 + expenses:supplies || 0 $1 0 0 + income:gifts || 0 $-1 0 0 + income:salary || $-1 0 0 0 -------------------++--------------------------------- - || $-1 $1 0 0 + || $-1 $1 0 0 Notes: * The report's start/end dates will be expanded, if necessary, to fully encompass the displayed subperiods (so that the first and last subperiods have the same duration as the others). + * Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are - not shown, unless '-E/--empty' is used. + not shown, unless `-E/--empty' is used. + * Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless - '-E/--empty' is used. + `-E/--empty' is used. + * Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless - '--no-elide' is used. _(experimental)_ - * Average and/or total columns can be added with the '-A/--average' - and '-T/--row-total' flags. - * The '--transpose' flag can be used to exchange rows and columns. - * The '--pivot FIELD' option causes a different transaction field to - be used as "account name". See PIVOTING. + `--no-elide' is used. _(experimental)_ + + * Average and/or total columns can be added with the `-A/--average' + and `-T/--row-total' flags. + + * The `--transpose' flag can be used to exchange rows and columns. + + * The `--pivot FIELD' option causes a different transaction field to + be used as "account name". See PIVOTING. Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy -viewing in the terminal. Here are some ways to handle that: +viewing in the terminal. Here are some ways to handle that: + + * Hide the totals row with `-N/--no-total' + + * Convert to a single currency with `-V' - * Hide the totals row with '-N/--no-total' - * Convert to a single currency with '-V' * Maximize the terminal window + * Reduce the terminal's font size - * View with a pager like less, eg: 'hledger bal -D --color=yes | less - -RS' - * Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata ('hledger bal -D - -O csv | vd -f csv'), Emacs' csv-mode ('M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a'), or - a spreadsheet ('hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv') - * Output as HTML and view with a browser: 'hledger bal -D -o a.html + + * View with a pager like less, eg: `hledger bal -D --color=yes | + less -RS' + + * Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata (`hledger bal -D + -O csv | vd -f csv'), Emacs' csv-mode (`M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a'), + or a spreadsheet (`hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv') + + * Output as HTML and view with a browser: `hledger bal -D -o a.html && open a.html'  @@ -2275,14 +2408,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Sorting by amount, Next: Percentages, Prev: Multi-p 11.5.7 Sorting by amount ------------------------ -With '-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive) -balances are shown first. Eg: 'hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your +With `-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive) +balances are shown first. Eg: `hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your biggest averaged monthly expenses first. Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so -'-S' shows these in reverse order. To work around this, you can add -'--invert' to flip the signs. (Or, use one of the higher-level reports, -which flip the sign automatically. Eg: 'hledger incomestatement -MAS'). +`-S' shows these in reverse order. To work around this, you can add +`--invert' to flip the signs. (Or, use one of the higher-level reports, +which flip the sign automatically. Eg: `hledger incomestatement -MAS').  File: hledger.info, Node: Percentages, Next: Balance change end balance, Prev: Sorting by amount, Up: balance @@ -2290,30 +2423,33 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Percentages, Next: Balance change end balance, Prev 11.5.8 Percentages ------------------ -With '-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value expressed -as a percentage of the (column) total: +With `-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value +expressed as a percentage of the (column) total: + $ hledger bal expenses -Q -% Balance changes in 2008: - || 2008Q1 2008Q2 2008Q3 2008Q4 + || 2008Q1 2008Q2 2008Q3 2008Q4 ===================++================================= - expenses:food || 0 50.0 % 0 0 - expenses:supplies || 0 50.0 % 0 0 + expenses:food || 0 50.0 % 0 0 + expenses:supplies || 0 50.0 % 0 0 -------------------++--------------------------------- - || 0 100.0 % 0 0 + || 0 100.0 % 0 0 Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a -column have mixed signs. In this case, make a separate report for each +column have mixed signs. In this case, make a separate report for each sign, eg: + $ hledger bal -% amt:`>0` $ hledger bal -% amt:`<0` Similarly, if the amounts in a column have mixed commodities, convert -them to one commodity with '-B', '-V', '-X' or '--value', or make a +them to one commodity with `-B', `-V', `-X' or `--value', or make a separate report for each commodity: + $ hledger bal -% cur:\\$ $ hledger bal -% cur:€ @@ -2324,25 +2460,25 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Balance change end balance, Next: Balance report typ ---------------------------------- It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in -balance reports. Here is some terminology we use: +balance reports. Here is some terminology we use: A *_balance change_* is the net amount added to, or removed from, an account during some period. - An *_end balance_* is the amount accumulated in an account as of some -date (and some time, but hledger doesn't store that; assume end of day -in your timezone). It is the sum of previous balance changes. + An *_end balance_* is the amount accumulated in an account as of +some date (and some time, but hledger doesn't store that; assume end of +day in your timezone). It is the sum of previous balance changes. We call it a *_historical end balance_* if it includes all balance -changes since the account was created. For a real world account, this -means it will match the "historical record", eg the balances reported in -your bank statements or bank web UI. (If they are correct!) +changes since the account was created. For a real world account, this +means it will match the "historical record", eg the balances reported +in your bank statements or bank web UI. (If they are correct!) In general, balance changes are what you want to see when reviewing revenues and expenses, and historical end balances are what you want to see when reviewing or reconciling asset, liability and equity accounts. - 'balance' shows balance changes by default. To see accurate + `balance' shows balance changes by default. To see accurate historical end balances: 1. Initialise account starting balances with an "opening balances" @@ -2351,9 +2487,10 @@ historical end balances: 2. Include all of of the account's prior postings in the report, by not specifying a report start date, or by using the - '-H/--historical' flag. ('-H' causes report start date to be + `-H/--historical' flag. (`-H' causes report start date to be ignored when summing postings.) +  File: hledger.info, Node: Balance report types, Next: Useful balance reports, Prev: Balance change end balance, Up: balance @@ -2362,91 +2499,101 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Balance report types, Next: Useful balance reports, For more flexible reporting, there are three important option groups: - 'hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE] -...' + `hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] +[VALUATIONTYPE] ...' The first two are the most important: calculation type selects the basic calculation to perform for each table cell, while accumulation type says which postings should be included in each cell's calculation. Typically one or both of these are selected by default, so you don't -need to write them explicitly. A valuation type can be added if you +need to write them explicitly. A valuation type can be added if you want to convert the basic report to value or cost. *Calculation type:* -The basic calculation to perform for each table cell. It is one of: +The basic calculation to perform for each table cell. It is one of: - * '--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*) - * '--budget' : like -sum but also show a goal amount - * '--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance + * `--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*) + + * `--budget' : like -sum but also show a goal amount + + * `--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance values *Accumulation type:* -Which postings should be included in each cell's calculation. It is one +Which postings should be included in each cell's calculation. It is one of: - * '--change' : postings from column start to column end, ie within - the cell's period. Typically used to see revenues/expenses. + * `--change' : postings from column start to column end, ie within + the cell's period. Typically used to see revenues/expenses. (*default for balance, incomestatement*) - * '--cumulative' : postings from report start to column end, eg to - show changes accumulated since the report's start date. Rarely + * `--cumulative' : postings from report start to column end, eg to + show changes accumulated since the report's start date. Rarely used. - * '--historical/-H' : postings from journal start to column end, ie + * `--historical/-H' : postings from journal start to column end, ie all postings from account creation to the end of the cell's period. Typically used to see historical end balances of - assets/liabilities/equity. (*default for balancesheet, + assets/liabilities/equity. (*default for balancesheet, balancesheetequity, cashflow*) + *Valuation type:* Which kind of valuation, valuation date(s) and optionally a target -valuation commodity to use. It is one of: +valuation commodity to use. It is one of: * no valuation, show amounts in their original commodities (*default*) - * '--value=cost[,COMM]' : no valuation, show amounts converted to - cost - * '--value=then[,COMM]' : show value at transaction dates - * '--value=end[,COMM]' : show value at period end date(s) (*default - with '--valuechange'*) - * '--value=now[,COMM]' : show value at today's date - * '--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : show value at another date - or one of their aliases: '--cost/-B', '--market/-V' or -'--exchange/-X'. + * `--value=cost[,COMM]' : no valuation, show amounts converted to + cost + + * `--value=then[,COMM]' : show value at transaction dates + + * `--value=end[,COMM]' : show value at period end date(s) (*default + with `--valuechange'*) + + * `--value=now[,COMM]' : show value at today's date + + * `--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : show value at another date + + or one of their aliases: `--cost/-B', `--market/-V' or +`--exchange/-X'. Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports, -but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know. The +but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know. The following restrictions are applied: - * '--valuechange' implies '--value=end' - * '--valuechange' makes '--change' the default when used with the - 'balancesheet'/'balancesheetequity' commands - * '--cumulative' or '--historical' disables '--row-total/-T' + * `--valuechange' implies `--value=end' + + * `--valuechange' makes `--change' the default when used with the + `balancesheet'/`balancesheetequity' commands + + * `--cumulative' or `--historical' disables `--row-total/-T' For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and valuation show: -Valuation:no valuation '--value= then' '--value= end' '--value= ->Accumulation: YYYY-MM-DD +Valuation:no valuation `--value= then' `--value= end' `--value= +>Accumulation: YYYY-MM-DD v /now' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -'--change'change in sum of period-end DATE-value - period posting-date value of of change in - market values change in period - in period period -'--cumulative'change from sum of period-end DATE-value - report start to posting-date value of of change - period end market values change from from report - from report report start start to - start to period to period end period end - end -'--historicalchange from sum of period-end DATE-value -/-H' journal start posting-date value of of change - to period end market values change from from journal - (historical end from journal journal start start to - balance) start to period to period end period end - end +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +`--change'change in period sum of period-end DATE-value of + posting-date value of change change in + market values in in period period + period +`--cumulative'change from sum of period-end DATE-value of + report start to posting-date value of change change from + period end market values from report report start + from report start to period to period end + start to period end + end +`--historicalchange from sum of period-end DATE-value of +/-H' journal start to posting-date value of change change from + period end market values from journal journal start + (historical end from journal start to period to period end + balance) start to period end + end  File: hledger.info, Node: Useful balance reports, Next: Budget report, Prev: Balance report types, Up: balance @@ -2454,54 +2601,57 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Useful balance reports, Next: Budget report, Prev: 11.5.11 Useful balance reports ------------------------------ -Some frequently used 'balance' options/reports are: +Some frequently used `balance' options/reports are: - * 'bal -M revenues expenses' - Show revenues/expenses in each month. Also available as the - 'incomestatement' command. + * `bal -M revenues expenses' + Show revenues/expenses in each month. Also available as the + `incomestatement' command. - * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities' - Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end. Also - available as the 'balancesheet' command. + * `bal -M -H assets liabilities' + Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end. Also + available as the `balancesheet' command. - * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities equity' + * `bal -M -H assets liabilities equity' Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end. - Also available as the 'balancesheetequity' command. + Also available as the `balancesheetequity' command. + + * `bal -M assets not:receivable' + Show changes to liquid assets in each month. Also available as the + `cashflow' command. - * 'bal -M assets not:receivable' - Show changes to liquid assets in each month. Also available as the - 'cashflow' command. Also: - * 'bal -M expenses -2 -SA' + * `bal -M expenses -2 -SA' Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average amount. - * 'bal -M --budget expenses' + * `bal -M --budget expenses' Show monthly expenses and budget goals. - * 'bal -M --valuechange investments' + * `bal -M --valuechange investments' Show monthly change in market value of investment assets. - * 'bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA + * `bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA [--invert]' Show top gainers [or losers] last week +  File: hledger.info, Node: Budget report, Next: Customising single-period balance reports, Prev: Useful balance reports, Up: balance 11.5.12 Budget report --------------------- -The '--budget' report type activates extra columns showing any budget -goals for each account and period. The budget goals are defined by -periodic transactions. This is very useful for comparing planned and +The `--budget' report type activates extra columns showing any budget +goals for each account and period. The budget goals are defined by +periodic transactions. This is very useful for comparing planned and actual income, expenses, time usage, etc. For example, you can take average monthly expenses in the common expense categories to construct a minimal monthly budget: + ;; Budget ~ monthly income $2000 @@ -2528,81 +2678,85 @@ expense categories to construct a minimal monthly budget: You can now see a monthly budget report: + $ hledger balance -M --budget Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31: - || Nov Dec + || Nov Dec ======================++==================================================== - assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $565 [ 118% of $480] - expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $53 [ 106% of $50] - expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $412 [ 103% of $400] - expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] 0 [ 0% of $30] - income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $2100 [ 105% of $2000] + assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $565 [ 118% of $480] + expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $53 [ 106% of $50] + expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $412 [ 103% of $400] + expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] 0 [ 0% of $30] + income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $2100 [ 105% of $2000] ----------------------++---------------------------------------------------- - || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] + || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] This is different from a normal balance report in several ways: - * Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are shown, - by default. + * Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are + shown, by default. * In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget - goal amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage. (Note: + goal amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage. (Note: budget goals should be in the same commodity as the actual amount.) - * All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode. Eg - assets, assets:bank, and expenses above. + * All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode. Eg assets, + assets:bank, and expenses above. * Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted, even in list mode. - This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up! Eg -above, the 'expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies -transactions, but the 'expenses:gifts' and 'expenses:supplies' accounts + + This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up! Eg +above, the `expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies +transactions, but the `expenses:gifts' and `expenses:supplies' accounts are not shown, as they have no budget amounts declared. - This can be confusing. When you need to make things clearer, use the -'-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted -ones, giving the full picture. Eg: + This can be confusing. When you need to make things clearer, use the +`-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted +ones, giving the full picture. Eg: + $ hledger balance -M --budget --empty Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31: - || Nov Dec + || Nov Dec ======================++==================================================== - assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] - expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $565 [ 118% of $480] - expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $53 [ 106% of $50] - expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $412 [ 103% of $400] - expenses:gifts || 0 $100 - expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] 0 [ 0% of $30] - expenses:supplies || $20 0 - income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $2100 [ 105% of $2000] + assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-2665 [ 107% of $-2480] + expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $565 [ 118% of $480] + expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $53 [ 106% of $50] + expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $412 [ 103% of $400] + expenses:gifts || 0 $100 + expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] 0 [ 0% of $30] + expenses:supplies || $20 0 + income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $2100 [ 105% of $2000] ----------------------++---------------------------------------------------- - || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] + || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] + + You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with `--cumulative': - You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with '--cumulative': $ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31: - || Nov Dec + || Nov Dec ======================++==================================================== - assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] - assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] - assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] - expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $1060 [ 110% of $960] - expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $102 [ 102% of $100] - expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $808 [ 101% of $800] - expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] $30 [ 50% of $60] - income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $4050 [ 101% of $4000] + assets || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] + assets:bank || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] + assets:bank:checking || $-2445 [ 99% of $-2480] $-5110 [ 103% of $-4960] + expenses || $495 [ 103% of $480] $1060 [ 110% of $960] + expenses:bus || $49 [ 98% of $50] $102 [ 102% of $100] + expenses:food || $396 [ 99% of $400] $808 [ 101% of $800] + expenses:movies || $30 [ 100% of $30] $30 [ 50% of $60] + income || $1950 [ 98% of $2000] $4050 [ 101% of $4000] ----------------------++---------------------------------------------------- - || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] + || 0 [ 0] 0 [ 0] For more examples and notes, see Budgeting. @@ -2619,12 +2773,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Budget report start date, Next: Nested budgets, Up: This might be a bug, but for now: when making budget reports, it's a good idea to explicitly set the report's start date to the first day of -a reporting period, because a periodic rule like '~ monthly' generates +a reporting period, because a periodic rule like `~ monthly' generates its transactions on the 1st of each month, and if your journal has no regular transactions on the 1st, the default report start date could -exclude that budget goal, which can be a little surprising. Eg here the +exclude that budget goal, which can be a little surprising. Eg here the default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15: + ~ monthly in 2020 (expenses:food) $500 @@ -2632,28 +2787,30 @@ default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15: expenses:food $400 assets:checking + $ hledger bal expenses --budget Budget performance in 2020-01-15: - || 2020-01-15 + || 2020-01-15 ==============++============ - || $400 + || $400 --------------++------------ - || $400 + || $400 To avoid this, specify the budget report's period, or at least the -start date, with '-b'/'-e'/'-p'/'date:', to ensure it includes the -budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want. Eg, -adding '-b 2020/1/1' to the above: +start date, with `-b'/`-e'/`-p'/`date:', to ensure it includes the +budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want. Eg, +adding `-b 2020/1/1' to the above: + $ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1 Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15: - || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 + || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 ===============++======================== - expenses:food || $400 [80% of $500] + expenses:food || $400 [80% of $500] ---------------++------------------------ - || $400 [80% of $500] + || $400 [80% of $500]  File: hledger.info, Node: Nested budgets, Prev: Budget report start date, Up: Budget report @@ -2661,7 +2818,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Nested budgets, Prev: Budget report start date, Up: 11.5.12.2 Nested budgets ........................ -You can add budgets to any account in your account hierarchy. If you +You can add budgets to any account in your account hierarchy. If you have budgets on both parent account and some of its children, then budget(s) of the child account(s) would be added to the budget of their parent, much like account balances behave. @@ -2671,6 +2828,7 @@ account, all its parents would have budget as well. To illustrate this, consider the following budget: + ~ monthly from 2019/01 expenses:personal $1,000.00 expenses:personal:electronics $100.00 @@ -2678,15 +2836,16 @@ account, all its parents would have budget as well. With this, monthly budget for electronics is defined to be $100 and budget for personal expenses is an additional $1000, which implicitly -means that budget for both 'expenses:personal' and 'expenses' is $1100. +means that budget for both `expenses:personal' and `expenses' is $1100. - Transactions in 'expenses:personal:electronics' will be counted both -towards its $100 budget and $1100 of 'expenses:personal' , and -transactions in any other subaccount of 'expenses:personal' would be -counted towards only towards the budget of 'expenses:personal'. + Transactions in `expenses:personal:electronics' will be counted both +towards its $100 budget and $1100 of `expenses:personal' , and +transactions in any other subaccount of `expenses:personal' would be +counted towards only towards the budget of `expenses:personal'. For example, let's consider these transactions: + ~ monthly from 2019/01 expenses:personal $1,000.00 expenses:personal:electronics $100.00 @@ -2709,39 +2868,41 @@ counted towards only towards the budget of 'expenses:personal'. liabilities As you can see, we have transactions in -'expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and 'expenses:personal:train +`expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and `expenses:personal:train tickets', and since both of these accounts are without explicitly defined budget, these transactions would be counted towards budgets of -'expenses:personal:electronics' and 'expenses:personal' accordingly: +`expenses:personal:electronics' and `expenses:personal' accordingly: + $ hledger balance --budget -M Budget performance in 2019/01: - || Jan + || Jan ===============================++=============================== - expenses || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] - expenses:personal || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] - expenses:personal:electronics || $100.00 [ 100% of $100.00] - liabilities || $-283.00 [ 26% of $-1100.00] + expenses || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] + expenses:personal || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] + expenses:personal:electronics || $100.00 [ 100% of $100.00] + liabilities || $-283.00 [ 26% of $-1100.00] -------------------------------++------------------------------- - || 0 [ 0] + || 0 [ 0] - And with '--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation + And with `--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation and consumption: + $ hledger balance --budget -M --empty Budget performance in 2019/01: - || Jan + || Jan ========================================++=============================== - expenses || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] - expenses:personal || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] - expenses:personal:electronics || $100.00 [ 100% of $100.00] - expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades || $10.00 - expenses:personal:train tickets || $153.00 - liabilities || $-283.00 [ 26% of $-1100.00] + expenses || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] + expenses:personal || $283.00 [ 26% of $1100.00] + expenses:personal:electronics || $100.00 [ 100% of $100.00] + expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades || $10.00 + expenses:personal:train tickets || $153.00 + liabilities || $-283.00 [ 26% of $-1100.00] ----------------------------------------++------------------------------- - || 0 [ 0] + || 0 [ 0]  File: hledger.info, Node: Customising single-period balance reports, Prev: Budget report, Up: balance @@ -2750,8 +2911,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Customising single-period balance reports, Prev: Bud ------------------------------------------------- For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you -can use '--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each line. -Eg: +can use `--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each +line. Eg: + $ hledger balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)" assets $-1 @@ -2768,10 +2930,10 @@ $ hledger balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)" 0 The FMT format string (plus a newline) specifies the formatting -applied to each account/balance pair. It may contain any suitable text, +applied to each account/balance pair. It may contain any suitable text, with data fields interpolated like so: - '%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)' + `%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)' * MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional) @@ -2779,31 +2941,39 @@ with data fields interpolated like so: * FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of: - * 'depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's + * `depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces. - * 'account' - the account's name - * 'total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified + + * `account' - the account's name + + * `total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified + Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how multi-commodity amounts are rendered: - * '%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default) - * '%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned - * '%,' - render on one line, comma-separated + * `%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default) - There are some quirks. Eg in one-line mode, '%(depth_spacer)' has no -effect, instead '%(account)' has indentation built in. Experimentation + * `%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned + + * `%,' - render on one line, comma-separated + + There are some quirks. Eg in one-line mode, `%(depth_spacer)' has no +effect, instead `%(account)' has indentation built in. Experimentation may be needed to get pleasing results. Some example formats: - * '%(total)' - the account's total - * '%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to + * `%(total)' - the account's total + + * `%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to 20 characters and clipped at 20 characters - * '%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50 + + * `%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50 characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities rendered on one line - * '%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for + + * `%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for the single-column balance report  @@ -2814,17 +2984,18 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: balancesheet, Next: balancesheetequity, Prev: balan balancesheet, bs This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending -balances of asset and liability accounts. (To see equity as well, use -the balancesheetequity command.) Amounts are shown with normal positive +balances of asset and liability accounts. (To see equity as well, use +the balancesheetequity command.) Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. The asset and liability accounts shown are those accounts declared -with the 'Asset' or 'Cash' or 'Liability' type, or otherwise all -accounts under a top-level 'asset' or 'liability' account (case +with the `Asset' or `Cash' or `Liability' type, or otherwise all +accounts under a top-level `asset' or `liability' account (case insensitive, plurals allowed). Example: + $ hledger balancesheet Balance Sheet @@ -2844,15 +3015,15 @@ Total: -------------------- 0 - This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and + This command is a higher-level variant of the `balance' command, and supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. -It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with +It is similar to `hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their sign flipped. This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and -(experimental) 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', `html', and +(experimental) `json'.  File: hledger.info, Node: balancesheetequity, Next: cashflow, Prev: balancesheet, Up: COMMANDS @@ -2862,16 +3033,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: balancesheetequity, Next: cashflow, Prev: balancesh balancesheetequity, bse This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending -balances of asset, liability and equity accounts. Amounts are shown -with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. +balances of asset, liability and equity accounts. Amounts are shown with +normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. The asset, liability and equity accounts shown are those accounts -declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash', 'Liability' or 'Equity' type, or -otherwise all accounts under a top-level 'asset', 'liability' or -'equity' account (case insensitive, plurals allowed). +declared with the `Asset', `Cash', `Liability' or `Equity' type, or +otherwise all accounts under a top-level `asset', `liability' or +`equity' account (case insensitive, plurals allowed). Example: + $ hledger balancesheetequity Balance Sheet With Equity @@ -2896,15 +3068,15 @@ Total: -------------------- 0 - This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and + This command is a higher-level variant of the `balance' command, and supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. -It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but +It is similar to `hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with their sign flipped. This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and -(experimental) 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', `html', and +(experimental) `json'.  File: hledger.info, Node: cashflow, Next: check, Prev: balancesheetequity, Up: COMMANDS @@ -2914,16 +3086,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: cashflow, Next: check, Prev: balancesheetequity, U cashflow, cf This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and -outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid) assets. Amounts are shown with +outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid) assets. Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. - The "cash" accounts shown are those accounts declared with the 'Cash' -type, or otherwise all accounts under a top-level 'asset' account (case -insensitive, plural allowed) which do not have 'fixed', 'investment', -'receivable' or 'A/R' in their name. + The "cash" accounts shown are those accounts declared with the +`Cash' type, or otherwise all accounts under a top-level `asset' +account (case insensitive, plural allowed) which do not have `fixed', +`investment', `receivable' or `A/R' in their name. Example: + $ hledger cashflow Cashflow Statement @@ -2938,14 +3111,14 @@ Total: -------------------- $-1 - This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and + This command is a higher-level variant of the `balance' command, and supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. -It is similar to 'hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment +It is similar to `hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment not:receivable', but with smarter account detection. This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and -(experimental) 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', `html', and +(experimental) `json'.  File: hledger.info, Node: check, Next: close, Prev: cashflow, Up: COMMANDS @@ -2957,13 +3130,14 @@ check Check for various kinds of errors in your data. hledger provides a number of built-in error checks to help prevent -problems in your data. Some of these are run automatically; or, you can -use this 'check' command to run them on demand, with no output and a -zero exit code if all is well. Specify their names (or a prefix) as +problems in your data. Some of these are run automatically; or, you can +use this `check' command to run them on demand, with no output and a +zero exit code if all is well. Specify their names (or a prefix) as argument(s). Some examples: + hledger check # basic checks hledger check -s # basic + strict checks hledger check ordereddates payees # basic + two other checks @@ -2984,7 +3158,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Basic checks, Next: Strict checks, Up: check ------------------- These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger -commands, including 'check': +commands, including `check': * *parseable* - data files are well-formed and can be successfully parsed @@ -2995,7 +3169,8 @@ commands, including 'check': transaction prices * *assertions* - all balance assertions in the journal are passing. - (This check can be disabled with '-I'/'--ignore-assertions'.) + (This check can be disabled with `-I'/`--ignore-assertions'.) +  File: hledger.info, Node: Strict checks, Next: Other checks, Prev: Basic checks, Up: check @@ -3003,9 +3178,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Strict checks, Next: Other checks, Prev: Basic chec 11.9.2 Strict checks -------------------- -These additional checks are run when the '-s'/'--strict' (strict mode) -flag is used. Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to -'check': +These additional checks are run when the `-s'/`--strict' (strict mode) +flag is used. Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to +`check': * *accounts* - all account names used by transactions have been declared @@ -3015,6 +3190,7 @@ flag is used. Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to * *balancednoautoconversion* - transactions are balanced, possibly using explicit transaction prices but not inferred ones +  File: hledger.info, Node: Other checks, Next: Custom checks, Prev: Strict checks, Up: check @@ -3022,7 +3198,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Other checks, Next: Custom checks, Prev: Strict che ------------------- These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to -'check'. They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, +`check'. They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, therefore optional: * *ordereddates* - transactions are ordered by date within each file @@ -3031,6 +3207,7 @@ therefore optional: * *uniqueleafnames* - all account leaf names are unique +  File: hledger.info, Node: Custom checks, Prev: Other checks, Up: check @@ -3046,6 +3223,7 @@ https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin: * *hledger-check-fancyassertions* - more complex balance assertions are passing + You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks. See: Cookbook -> Scripting. @@ -3056,109 +3234,246 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: close, Next: codes, Prev: check, Up: COMMANDS =========== close, equity -Prints a "closing balances" transaction and an "opening balances" -transaction that bring account balances to and from zero, respectively. -These can be added to your journal file(s), eg to bring asset/liability -balances forward into a new journal file, or to close out -revenues/expenses to retained earnings at the end of a period. +Prints a sample "closing" transaction bringing specified account +balances to zero, and an inverse "opening" transaction restoring the +same account balances. - You can print just one of these transactions by using the '--close' -or '--open' flag. You can customise their descriptions with the -'--close-desc' and '--open-desc' options. + If like most people you split your journal files by time, eg by +year: at the end of the year you can use this command to "close out" +your asset and liability (and perhaps equity) balances in the old file, +and reinitialise them in the new file. This helps ensure that report +balances remain correct whether you are including old files or not. +(Because all closing/opening transactions except the very first will +cancel out - see example below.) - One amountless posting to "equity:opening/closing balances" is added -to balance the transactions, by default. You can customise this account -name with '--close-acct' and '--open-acct'; if you specify only one of -these, it will be used for both. + Some people also use this command to close out revenue and expense +balances at the end of an accounting period. This properly records the +period's profit/loss as "retained earnings" (part of equity), and allows +the accounting equation (A-L=E) to balance, which you could then check +by the bse report's zero total. - With '--x/--explicit', the equity posting's amount will be shown. -And if it involves multiple commodities, a posting for each commodity -will be shown, as with the print command. + You can print just the closing transaction by using the `--close' +flag, or just the opening transaction with the `--open' flag. - With '--interleaved', the equity postings are shown next to the -postings they balance, which makes troubleshooting easier. + Their descriptions are `closing balances' and `opening balances' by +default; you can customise these with the `--close-desc' and +`--open-desc' options. - By default, transaction prices in the journal are ignored when -generating the closing/opening transactions. With '--show-costs', this -cost information is preserved ('balance -B' reports will be unchanged -after the transition). Separate postings are generated for each cost in -each commodity. Note this can generate very large journal entries, if -you have many foreign currency or investment transactions. + Just one balancing equity posting is used by default, with the amount +left implicit. The default account name is `equity:opening/closing +balances'. You can customise the account name(s) with `--close-acct' +and `--open-acct'. (If you specify only one of these, it will be used +for both.) + + With `--x/--explicit', the equity posting's amount will be shown +explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, there will be a +separate equity posting for each commodity (as in the print command). + + With `--interleaved', each equity posting is shown next to the +posting it balances (good for troubleshooting). * Menu: -* close usage:: +* close and prices:: +* close date:: +* Example close asset/liability accounts for file transition:: +* Hiding opening/closing transactions:: +* close and balance assertions:: +* Example close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings::  -File: hledger.info, Node: close usage, Up: close +File: hledger.info, Node: close and prices, Next: close date, Up: close -11.10.1 close usage -------------------- +11.10.1 close and prices +------------------------ -If you split your journal files by time (eg yearly), you will typically -run this command at the end of the year, and save the closing -transaction as last entry of the old file, and the opening transaction -as the first entry of the new file. This makes the files self -contained, so that correct balances are reported no matter which of them -are loaded. Ie, if you load just one file, the balances are initialised -correctly; or if you load several files, the redundant closing/opening -transactions cancel each other out. (They will show up in print or -register reports; you can exclude them with a query like -'not:desc:'(opening|closing) balances''.) +Transaction prices are ignored (and discarded) by closing/opening +transactions, by default. With `--show-costs', they are preserved; +there will be a separate equity posting for each cost in each commodity. +This means `balance -B' reports will look the same after the +transition. Note if you have many foreign currency or investment +transactions, this will generate very large journal entries. - If you're running a business, you might also use this command to -"close the books" at the end of an accounting period, transferring -income statement account balances to retained earnings. (You may want -to change the equity account name to something like "equity:retained -earnings".) + +File: hledger.info, Node: close date, Next: Example close asset/liability accounts for file transition, Prev: close and prices, Up: close - By default, the closing transaction is dated yesterday, the balances -are calculated as of end of yesterday, and the opening transaction is -dated today. To close on some other date, use: 'hledger close -e -OPENINGDATE'. Eg, to close/open on the 2018/2019 boundary, use '-e -2019'. You can also use -p or 'date:PERIOD' (any starting date is -ignored). +11.10.2 close date +------------------ - Both transactions will include balance assertions for the -closed/reopened accounts. You probably shouldn't use status or realness -filters (like -C or -R or 'status:') with this command, or the generated -balance assertions will depend on these flags. Likewise, if you run -this command with -auto, the balance assertions will probably always -require -auto. +The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date, +whichever is later. - Examples: + Unless you are running `close' on exactly the first day of the new +period, you'll want to override the closing date. This is done by +specifying a report period, where "last day of the report period" will +be the closing date. The opening date is always the following day. So to +close on 2020-12-31 and open on 2021-01-01, any of these work - Carrying asset/liability balances into a new file for 2019: + * `-p 2020' -$ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --open - # (copy/paste the output to the start of your 2019 journal file) -$ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --close - # (copy/paste the output to the end of your 2018 journal file) + * `date:2020' - Now: + * `-e 2021-01-01' (remember `-e' specifies an exclusive end date) -$ hledger bs -f 2019.journal # one file - balances are correct -$ hledger bs -f 2018.journal -f 2019.journal # two files - balances still correct -$ hledger bs -f 2018.journal not:desc:closing # to see year-end balances, must exclude closing txn + * `-e 2021' - Transactions spanning the closing date can complicate matters, -breaking balance assertions: + +File: hledger.info, Node: Example close asset/liability accounts for file transition, Next: Hiding opening/closing transactions, Prev: close date, Up: close -2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year +11.10.3 Example: close asset/liability accounts for file transition +------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Carrying asset/liability balances from 2020.journal into a new file for +2021: + + +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities +# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2020.journal +# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2021.journal + + Or: + + +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --open >> 2021.journal # add 2021's first transaction +$ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --close >> 2020.journal # add 2020's last transaction + + Now, + + +$ hledger bs -f 2021.journal # just new file - balances correct +$ hledger bs -f 2020.journal -f 2021.journal # old and new files - balances correct +$ hledger bs -f 2020.journal # just old files - balances are zero ? + # (exclude final closing txn, see below) + + +File: hledger.info, Node: Hiding opening/closing transactions, Next: close and balance assertions, Prev: Example close asset/liability accounts for file transition, Up: close + +11.10.4 Hiding opening/closing transactions +------------------------------------------- + +Although the closing/opening transactions cancel out, they will be +visible in reports like `print' and `register', creating some visual +clutter. You can exclude them all with a query, like: + + +$ hledger print not:desc:'opening|closing' # less typing +$ hledger print not:'equity:opening/closing balances' # more precise + + But when reporting on multiple files, this can get a bit tricky; you +may need to keep the earliest opening balances, for a historical +register report; or you may need to suppress a closing transaction, to +see year-end balances. If you find yourself needing more precise +queries, here's one solution: add more easily-matched tags to +opening/closing transactions, like this: + + +; 2019.journal +2019-01-01 opening balances ; earliest opening txn, no tag here +... +2019-12-31 closing balances ; close:2019 +... + + +; 2020.journal +2020-01-01 opening balances ; open:2020 +... +2020-12-31 closing balances ; close:2020 +... + + +; 2021.journal +2021-01-01 opening balances ; open:2021 +... + + Now with + + +; all.journal +include 2019.journal +include 2020.journal +include 2021.journal + + you could do eg: + + +$ hledger -f all.journal reg -H checking not:tag:'open|close' + # all years checking register, hiding non-essential opening/closing txns + +$ hledger -f all.journal bs -p 2020 not:tag:close=2020 + # 2020 year end balances, suppressing 2020 closing txn + +$ hledger -f 2020.journal bs not:tag:close + # 2020 year end balances, easier case + + +File: hledger.info, Node: close and balance assertions, Next: Example close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings, Prev: Hiding opening/closing transactions, Up: close + +11.10.5 close and balance assertions +------------------------------------ + +The closing and opening transactions will include balance assertions, +verifying that the accounts have first been reset to zero and then +restored to their previous balance. These provide valuable error +checking, alerting you when things get out of line, but you can ignore +them temporarily with `-I' or just remove them if you prefer. + + You probably shouldn't use status or realness filters (like -C or -R +or `status:') with `close', or the generated balance assertions will +depend on these flags. Likewise, if you run this command with `--auto', +the balance assertions would probably always require `--auto'. + + Multi-day transactions (where some postings have a different date) +break the balance assertions, because the money is temporarily +"invisible" while in transit: + + +2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 - assets:bank:checking -5 ; [2019/1/2] + assets:bank:checking -5 ; date: 2021/1/2 - Here's one way to resolve that: + To fix the assertions, you can add a temporary account to track such +in-transit money (splitting the multi-day transaction into two +single-day transactions): -; in 2018.journal: -2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year + +; in 2020.journal: +2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 liabilities:pending -; in 2019.journal: -2019/1/2 clearance of last year's pending transactions +; in 2021.journal: +2021/1/2 clearance of last year's pending transactions liabilities:pending 5 = 0 - assets:checking + assets:bank:checking + + +File: hledger.info, Node: Example close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings, Prev: close and balance assertions, Up: close + +11.10.6 Example: close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings +-------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Here, the opening transaction is supressed with `--close', as it's +probably not needed. Also you'll want to use a different equity account +name: + + +$ hledger close -f 2021.journal -p 2021Q1 --close --close-acct='equity:retained earnings' revenues expenses >> 2021.journal + # close 2021 first quarter revenues/expenses + + Or, operating on the default journal: + + +$ hledger close -p Q1 --close --close-acct='equity:retained earnings' revenues expenses >> $LEDGER_FILE + # close current year's first quarter revenues/expenses + + Now, eg: + + +$ hledger bse -p Q1 + # Q1 full balance sheet, total should be zero + +$ hledger is -p Q1 not:'retained earnings' + # Q1 income statement, must suppress the closing txn  File: hledger.info, Node: codes, Next: commodities, Prev: close, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3170,18 +3485,19 @@ codes List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed. This command prints the value of each transaction's code field, in -the order transactions were parsed. The transaction code is an optional +the order transactions were parsed. The transaction code is an optional value written in parentheses between the date and description, often used to store a cheque number, order number or similar. Transactions aren't required to have a code, and missing or empty -codes will not be shown by default. With the '-E'/'--empty' flag, they +codes will not be shown by default. With the `-E'/`--empty' flag, they will be printed as blank lines. You can add a query to select a subset of transactions. Examples: + 1/1 (123) (a) 1 @@ -3194,11 +3510,13 @@ will be printed as blank lines. 1/1 (126) (a) 1 + $ hledger codes 123 124 126 + $ hledger codes -E 123 124 @@ -3225,11 +3543,12 @@ descriptions List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions. This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in -transactions, in alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a +transactions, in alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of transactions. Example: + $ hledger descriptions Store Name Gas Station | Petrol @@ -3242,25 +3561,26 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: diff, Next: files, Prev: descriptions, Up: COMMAND ========== diff -Compares a particular account's transactions in two input files. It +Compares a particular account's transactions in two input files. It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not in the other. More precisely, for each posting affecting this account in either -file, it looks for a corresponding posting in the other file which posts -the same amount to the same account (ignoring date, description, etc.) -Since postings not transactions are compared, this also works when -multiple bank transactions have been combined into a single journal -entry. +file, it looks for a corresponding posting in the other file which +posts the same amount to the same account (ignoring date, description, +etc.) Since postings not transactions are compared, this also works +when multiple bank transactions have been combined into a single +journal entry. This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account's transactions -from your bank (eg as CSV data). When hledger and your bank disagree +from your bank (eg as CSV data). When hledger and your bank disagree about the account balance, you can compare the bank data with your journal to find out the cause. Examples: -$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro + +$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro These transactions are in the first file only: 2014/01/01 Opening Balances @@ -3277,8 +3597,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: files, Next: help, Prev: diff, Up: COMMANDS =========== files -List all files included in the journal. With a REGEX argument, only -file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown. +List all files included in the journal. With a REGEX argument, only file +names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown.  File: hledger.info, Node: help, Next: import, Prev: files, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3288,8 +3608,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: help, Next: import, Prev: files, Up: COMMANDS help Show the hledger user manual in one of several formats, optionally -positioned at a given TOPIC (if possible). TOPIC is any heading, or -heading prefix, in the manual. Some examples: commands, print, 'auto +positioned at a given TOPIC (if possible). TOPIC is any heading, or +heading prefix, in the manual. Some examples: commands, print, 'auto postings', periodic. This command shows the user manual built in to this hledger version. @@ -3297,9 +3617,9 @@ It can be useful if the correct version of the hledger manual, or the usual viewing tools, are not installed on your system. By default it uses the best viewer it can find in $PATH, in this -order: 'info', 'man', $PAGER (unless a topic is specified), 'less', or -stdout. When run non-interactively, it always uses stdout. Or you can -select a particular viewer with the '-i' (info), '-m' (man), or '-p' +order: `info', `man', $PAGER (unless a topic is specified), `less', or +stdout. When run non-interactively, it always uses stdout. Or you can +select a particular viewer with the `-i' (info), `-m' (man), or `-p' (pager) flags.  @@ -3310,15 +3630,15 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: import, Next: incomestatement, Prev: help, Up: COM import Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to -the main journal file. Or with -dry-run, just print the transactions -that would be added. Or with -catchup, just mark all of the FILEs' +the main journal file. Or with -dry-run, just print the transactions +that would be added. Or with -catchup, just mark all of the FILEs' transactions as imported, without actually importing any. - Unlike other hledger commands, with 'import' the journal file is an + Unlike other hledger commands, with `import' the journal file is an output file, and will be modified, though only by appending (existing -data will not be changed). The input files are specified as arguments, +data will not be changed). The input files are specified as arguments, so to import one or more CSV files to your main journal, you will run -'hledger import bank.csv' or perhaps 'hledger import *.csv'. +`hledger import bank.csv' or perhaps `hledger import *.csv'. Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most common import source, and these docs focus on that case. @@ -3336,43 +3656,45 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Deduplication, Next: Import testing, Up: import 11.17.1 Deduplication --------------------- -As a convenience 'import' does _deduplication_ while reading -transactions. This does not mean "ignore transactions that look the -same", but rather "ignore transactions that have been seen before". -This is intended for when you are periodically importing foreign data -which may contain already-imported transactions. So eg, if every day -you download bank CSV files containing redundant data, you can safely -run 'hledger import bank.csv' and only new transactions will be -imported. ('import' is idempotent.) +As a convenience `import' does _deduplication_ while reading +transactions. This does not mean "ignore transactions that look the +same", but rather "ignore transactions that have been seen before". This +is intended for when you are periodically importing foreign data which +may contain already-imported transactions. So eg, if every day you +download bank CSV files containing redundant data, you can safely run +`hledger import bank.csv' and only new transactions will be imported. +(`import' is idempotent.) Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming that: 1. new items always have the newest dates + 2. item dates do not change across reads + 3. and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across reads. These are often true of CSV files representing transactions, or true -enough so that it works pretty well in practice. 1 is important, but +enough so that it works pretty well in practice. 1 is important, but violations of 2 and 3 amongst the old transactions won't matter (and if you import often, the new transactions will be few, so less likely to be the ones affected). hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by -saving a hidden ".latest" state file in the same directory. Eg when -reading 'finance/bank.csv', it will look for and update the -'finance/.latest.bank.csv' state file. The format is simple: one or +saving a hidden ".latest" state file in the same directory. Eg when +reading `finance/bank.csv', it will look for and update the +`finance/.latest.bank.csv' state file. The format is simple: one or more lines containing the same ISO-format date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning "I have processed transactions up to this date, and this many of them on -that date." Normally you won't see or manipulate these state files -yourself. But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making +that date." Normally you won't see or manipulate these state files +yourself. But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all transactions "new"), or you can construct them to "catch up" to a certain date. Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by -'print --new', but this is less often used. +`print --new', but this is less often used.  File: hledger.info, Node: Import testing, Next: Importing balance assignments, Prev: Deduplication, Up: import @@ -3380,16 +3702,18 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Import testing, Next: Importing balance assignments, 11.17.2 Import testing ---------------------- -With '--dry-run', the transactions that will be imported are printed to +With `--dry-run', the transactions that will be imported are printed to the terminal, without updating your journal or state files. The output -is valid journal format, like the print command, so you can re-parse it. -Eg, to see any importable transactions which CSV rules have not +is valid journal format, like the print command, so you can re-parse +it. Eg, to see any importable transactions which CSV rules have not categorised: + $ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown or (live updating): + $ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c 'echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown'  @@ -3399,12 +3723,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Importing balance assignments, Next: Commodity displ ------------------------------------- Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit -(like 'hledger print -x'). This means that any balance assignments in +(like `hledger print -x'). This means that any balance assignments in imported files must be evaluated; but, imported files don't get to see -the main file's account balances. As a result, importing entries with +the main file's account balances. As a result, importing entries with balance assignments (eg from an institution that provides only balances and not posting amounts) will probably generate incorrect posting -amounts. To avoid this problem, use print instead of import: +amounts. To avoid this problem, use print instead of import: + $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE @@ -3427,18 +3752,18 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: incomestatement, Next: notes, Prev: import, Up: CO ===================== incomestatement, is - - This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and -expenses during one or more periods. Amounts are shown with normal -positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. +This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and expenses +during one or more periods. Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, +as in conventional financial statements. The revenue and expense accounts shown are those accounts declared -with the 'Revenue' or 'Expense' type, or otherwise all accounts under a -top-level 'revenue' or 'income' or 'expense' account (case insensitive, +with the `Revenue' or `Expense' type, or otherwise all accounts under a +top-level `revenue' or `income' or `expense' account (case insensitive, plurals allowed). Example: + $ hledger incomestatement Income Statement @@ -3460,15 +3785,15 @@ Total: -------------------- 0 - This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and + This command is a higher-level variant of the `balance' command, and supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. -It is similar to 'hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but -with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their -sign flipped. +It is similar to `hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but +with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with +their sign flipped. This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and -(experimental) 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', `html', and +(experimental) `json'.  File: hledger.info, Node: notes, Next: payees, Prev: incomestatement, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3480,12 +3805,13 @@ notes List the unique notes that appear in transactions. This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in -alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of -transactions. The note is the part of the transaction description after +alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of +transactions. The note is the part of the transaction description after a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description). Example: + $ hledger notes Petrol Snacks @@ -3506,11 +3832,12 @@ with payee directives (-declared), used in transaction descriptions The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description). - You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions. This + You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions. This implies -used. Example: + $ hledger payees Store Name Gas Station @@ -3523,11 +3850,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: prices, Next: print, Prev: payees, Up: COMMANDS ============ prices -Print market price directives from the journal. With -costs, also print -synthetic market prices based on transaction prices. With +Print market price directives from the journal. With -costs, also print +synthetic market prices based on transaction prices. With -inverted-costs, also print inverse prices based on transaction prices. -Prices (and postings providing prices) can be filtered by a query. -Price amounts are always displayed with their full precision. +Prices (and postings providing prices) can be filtered by a query. Price +amounts are always displayed with their full precision.  File: hledger.info, Node: print, Next: print-unique, Prev: prices, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3539,10 +3866,10 @@ print Show transaction journal entries, sorted by date. The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from -the journal file, sorted by date (or with '--date2', by secondary date). +the journal file, sorted by date (or with `--date2', by secondary date). Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg -the placement of commodity symbols will be consistent. All of their +the placement of commodity symbols will be consistent. All of their decimal places are shown, as in the original journal entry (with one alteration: in some cases trailing zeroes are added.) @@ -3556,6 +3883,7 @@ directives and file-level comments. Eg: + $ hledger print 2008/01/01 income assets:bank:checking $1 @@ -3579,9 +3907,10 @@ $ hledger print assets:bank:checking $-1 print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can -process it again with a second hledger command. This can be useful for +process it again with a second hledger command. This can be useful for certain kinds of search, eg: + # Show running total of food expenses paid from cash. # -f- reads from stdin. -I/--ignore-assertions is sometimes needed. $ hledger print assets:cash | hledger -f- -I reg expenses:food @@ -3591,40 +3920,42 @@ unparseable: * Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or balance assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail. + * Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts. Normally, the journal entry's explicit or implicit amount style is -preserved. For example, when an amount is omitted in the journal, it -will not appear in the output. Similarly, when a transaction price is -implied but not written, it will not appear in the output. You can use -the '-x'/'--explicit' flag to make all amounts and transaction prices +preserved. For example, when an amount is omitted in the journal, it +will not appear in the output. Similarly, when a transaction price is +implied but not written, it will not appear in the output. You can use +the `-x'/`--explicit' flag to make all amounts and transaction prices explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or for making your -journal more readable and robust against data entry errors. '-x' is -also implied by using any of '-B','-V','-X','--value'. +journal more readable and robust against data entry errors. `-x' is +also implied by using any of `-B',`-V',`-X',`--value'. - Note, '-x'/'--explicit' will cause postings with a multi-commodity + Note, `-x'/`--explicit' will cause postings with a multi-commodity amount (these can arise when a multi-commodity transaction has an implicit amount) to be split into multiple single-commodity postings, keeping the output parseable. - With '-B'/'--cost', amounts with transaction prices are converted to -cost using that price. This can be used for troubleshooting. + With `-B'/`--cost', amounts with transaction prices are converted to +cost using that price. This can be used for troubleshooting. - With '-m'/'--match' and a STR argument, print will show at most one + With `-m'/`--match' and a STR argument, print will show at most one transaction: the one one whose description is most similar to STR, and -is most recent. STR should contain at least two characters. If there -is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown. +is most recent. STR should contain at least two characters. If there is +no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown. - With '--new', hledger prints only transactions it has not seen on a -previous run. This uses the same deduplication system as the 'import' -command. (See import's docs for details.) + With `--new', hledger prints only transactions it has not seen on a +previous run. This uses the same deduplication system as the `import' +command. (See import's docs for details.) This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and -(experimental) 'json' and 'sql'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', and +(experimental) `json' and `sql'. Here's an example of print's CSV output: + $ hledger print -Ocsv "txnidx","date","date2","status","code","description","comment","account","amount","commodity","credit","debit","posting-status","posting-comment" "1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","","" @@ -3641,14 +3972,17 @@ $ hledger print -Ocsv * There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's fields repeated. + * The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong - to the same transaction. (This number might change if transactions + to the same transaction. (This number might change if transactions are reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a different order, etc.) + * The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount" (numeric quantity) fields. + * The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit" - column, for convenience. (Those names are not accurate in the + column, for convenience. (Those names are not accurate in the accounting sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and zero or greater amounts under debit.) @@ -3663,6 +3997,7 @@ Print transactions which do not reuse an already-seen description. Example: + $ cat unique.journal 1/1 test (acct:one) 1 @@ -3684,7 +4019,7 @@ Show postings and their running total. The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in date order, with their running total or running historical balance. -(See also the 'aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a +(See also the `aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a specific account.) register normally shows line per posting, but note that @@ -3694,6 +4029,7 @@ commodity). It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see that account's activity: + $ hledger register checking 2008/01/01 income assets:bank:checking $1 $1 2008/06/01 gift assets:bank:checking $1 $2 @@ -3702,43 +4038,47 @@ $ hledger register checking With -date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead. - The '--historical'/'-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed -prior postings to the running total. This is useful when you want to + The `--historical'/`-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed +prior postings to the running total. This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance: + $ hledger register checking -b 2008/6 --historical 2008/06/01 gift assets:bank:checking $1 $2 2008/06/02 save assets:bank:checking $-1 $1 2008/12/31 pay off assets:bank:checking $-1 0 - The '--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail + The `--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail displayed. - The '--average'/'-A' flag shows the running average posting amount + The `--average'/`-A' flag shows the running average posting amount instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the -average for the whole report period). This flag implies '--empty' (see -below). It is affected by '--historical'. It works best when showing +average for the whole report period). This flag implies `--empty' (see +below). It is affected by `--historical'. It works best when showing just one account and one commodity. - The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the + The `--related'/`-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown. - The '--invert' flag negates all amounts. For example, it can be used + The `--invert' flag negates all amounts. For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative -numbers. It's also useful to show postings on the checking account +numbers. It's also useful to show postings on the checking account together with the related account: + $ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per interval, aggregating the postings to each account: + $ hledger register --monthly income 2008/01 income:salary $-1 $-1 2008/06 income:gifts $-1 $-2 Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, -are not shown by default; use the '--empty'/'-E' flag to see them: +are not shown by default; use the `--empty'/`-E' flag to see them: + $ hledger register --monthly income -E 2008/01 income:salary $-1 $-1 @@ -3754,9 +4094,10 @@ $ hledger register --monthly income -E 2008/11 0 $-2 2008/12 0 $-2 - Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval. The '--depth' + Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval. The `--depth' option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated: + $ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h 2008/01 assets $1 $1 2008/06 assets $-1 0 @@ -3764,7 +4105,7 @@ $ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates these will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of -intervals. This ensures that the first and last intervals are full +intervals. This ensures that the first and last intervals are full length and comparable to the others in the report. * Menu: @@ -3777,14 +4118,15 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Custom register output, Up: register 11.24.1 Custom register output ------------------------------ -register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows. -You can override this by setting the 'COLUMNS' environment variable (not -a bash shell variable) or by using the '--width'/'-w' option. +register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows. You +can override this by setting the `COLUMNS' environment variable (not a +bash shell variable) or by using the `--width'/`-w' option. The description and account columns normally share the space equally -(about half of (width - 40) each). You can adjust this by adding a +(about half of (width - 40) each). You can adjust this by adding a description width as part of -width's argument, comma-separated: -'--width W,D' . Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help): +`--width W,D' . Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help): + <--------------------------------- width (W) ----------------------------------> date (10) description (D) account (W-41-D) amount (12) balance (12) @@ -3792,6 +4134,7 @@ DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa AAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAA and some examples: + $ hledger reg # use terminal width (or 80 on windows) $ hledger reg -w 100 # use width 100 $ COLUMNS=100 hledger reg # set with one-time environment variable @@ -3800,8 +4143,8 @@ $ hledger reg -w 100,40 # set overall width 100, description width 40 $ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40 # use terminal width, & description width 40 This command also supports the output destination and output format -options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and -(experimental) 'json'. +options The output formats supported are `txt', `csv', and +(experimental) `json'.  File: hledger.info, Node: register-match, Next: rewrite, Prev: register, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3811,9 +4154,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: register-match, Next: rewrite, Prev: register, Up: register-match Print the one posting whose transaction description is closest to DESC, -in the style of the register command. If there are multiple equally -good matches, it shows the most recent. Query options (options, not -arguments) can be used to restrict the search space. Helps +in the style of the register command. If there are multiple equally good +matches, it shows the most recent. Query options (options, not +arguments) can be used to restrict the search space. Helps ledger-autosync detect already-seen transactions when importing.  @@ -3827,7 +4170,7 @@ Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions. For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print -auto. - This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries. It + This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries. It reads the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY. The posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing @@ -3835,12 +4178,14 @@ transaction's first posting amount. Examples: + $ hledger-rewrite.hs ^income --add-posting '(liabilities:tax) *.33 ; income tax' --add-posting '(reserve:gifts) $100' $ hledger-rewrite.hs expenses:gifts --add-posting '(reserve:gifts) *-1"' $ hledger-rewrite.hs -f rewrites.hledger rewrites.hledger may consist of entries like: + = ^income amt:<0 date:2017 (liabilities:tax) *0.33 ; tax on income (reserve:grocery) *0.25 ; reserve 25% for grocery @@ -3851,17 +4196,18 @@ two spaces between account and amount. More: + $ hledger rewrite -- [QUERY] --add-posting "ACCT AMTEXPR" ... $ hledger rewrite -- ^income --add-posting '(liabilities:tax) *.33' $ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting '(budget:gifts) *-1"' $ hledger rewrite -- ^income --add-posting '(budget:foreign currency) *0.25 JPY; diversify' - Argument for '--add-posting' option is a usual posting of transaction -with an exception for amount specification. More precisely, you can use -''*'' (star symbol) before the amount to indicate that that this is a -factor for an amount of original matched posting. If the amount -includes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the new -commodity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting amount's + Argument for `--add-posting' option is a usual posting of +transaction with an exception for amount specification. More precisely, +you can use `'*'' (star symbol) before the amount to indicate that that +this is a factor for an amount of original matched posting. If the +amount includes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the +new commodity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting amount's commodity. * Menu: @@ -3877,13 +4223,15 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Re-write rules in a file, Next: Diff output format, -------------------------------- During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transactions" -found in any journal it process. I.e instead of specifying this +found in any journal it process. I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put them in a journal file. + $ rewrite-rules.journal Make contents look like this: + = ^income (liabilities:tax) *.33 @@ -3891,21 +4239,23 @@ $ rewrite-rules.journal budget:gifts *-1 assets:budget *1 - Note that ''='' (equality symbol) that is used instead of date in -transactions you usually write. It indicates the query by which you -want to match the posting to add new ones. + Note that `'='' (equality symbol) that is used instead of date in +transactions you usually write. It indicates the query by which you want +to match the posting to add new ones. + $ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal -f rewrite-rules.journal > rewritten-tidy-output.journal This is something similar to the commands pipeline: + $ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal '^income' --add-posting '(liabilities:tax) *.33' \ | hledger rewrite -- -f - expenses:gifts --add-posting 'budget:gifts *-1' \ --add-posting 'assets:budget *1' \ > rewritten-tidy-output.journal It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in -journal is important. You can re-use result of previously added +journal is important. You can re-use result of previously added postings.  @@ -3917,10 +4267,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Diff output format, Next: rewrite vs print --auto, To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may find useful output in form of unified diff. + $ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal '^income' --add-posting '(liabilities:tax) *.33' Output might look like: + --- /tmp/examples/sample.journal +++ /tmp/examples/sample.journal @@ -18,3 +18,4 @@ @@ -3936,14 +4288,14 @@ $ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal '^income' --add-posting ' income:gifts + (liabilities:tax) 0 - If you'll pass this through 'patch' tool you'll get transactions -containing the posting that matches your query be updated. Note that + If you'll pass this through `patch' tool you'll get transactions +containing the posting that matches your query be updated. Note that multiple files might be update according to list of input files -specified via '--file' options and 'include' directives inside of these +specified via `--file' options and `include' directives inside of these files. - Be careful. Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of -output from 'hledger print'. + Be careful. Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output +from `hledger print'. See also: @@ -3959,16 +4311,16 @@ This command predates print -auto, and currently does much the same thing, but with these differences: * with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all - other files. print -auto uses standard directive scoping; rules + other files. print -auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child files. * rewrite's query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are - printed. print -auto's query limits which transactions are - printed. + printed. print -auto's query limits which transactions are printed. * rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal. print -auto applies rules specified in the journal. +  File: hledger.info, Node: roi, Next: stats, Prev: rewrite, Up: COMMANDS @@ -3980,27 +4332,28 @@ Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on your investments. At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an -account name) to select your investment(s) with '--inv', and another -query to identify your profit and loss transactions with '--pnl'. +account name) to select your investment(s) with `--inv', and another +query to identify your profit and loss transactions with `--pnl'. If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually, or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR), -'--pnl' could be an empty query ('--pnl ""' or '--pnl STR' where 'STR' +`--pnl' could be an empty query (`--pnl ""' or `--pnl STR' where `STR' does not match any of your accounts). This command will compute and display the internalized rate of return (IRR) and time-weighted rate of return (TWR) for your investments for -the time period requested. Both rates of return are annualized before +the time period requested. Both rates of return are annualized before display, regardless of the length of reporting interval. Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate -'--cost' or '--value' flags (see VALUATION). +`--cost' or `--value' flags (see VALUATION). Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons: * Error (NotBracketed): No solution for Internal Rate of Return - (IRR). Possible causes: IRR is huge (>1000000%), balance of + (IRR). Possible causes: IRR is huge (>1000000%), balance of investment becomes negative at some point in time. + * Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Either search does not converge to a solution, or converges too slowly. @@ -4012,6 +4365,7 @@ display, regardless of the length of reporting interval. * Cookbook -> Return on Investment + * Menu: * Semantics of --inv and --pnl:: @@ -4020,44 +4374,49 @@ display, regardless of the length of reporting interval.  File: hledger.info, Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl, Next: IRR and TWR explained, Up: roi -11.27.1 Semantics of '--inv' and '--pnl' +11.27.1 Semantics of `--inv' and `--pnl' ---------------------------------------- -Query supplied to '--inv' has to match all transactions that are related -to your investment. Transactions not matching '--inv' will be ignored. +Query supplied to `--inv' has to match all transactions that are +related to your investment. Transactions not matching `--inv' will be +ignored. - In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match '--inv' -to be "investment postings" and other postings (not matching '--inv') + In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match `--inv' +to be "investment postings" and other postings (not matching `--inv') will be sorted into two categories: "cash flow" and "profit and loss", as ROI needs to know which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is due to the return on investment. * "Cash flow" is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment commodity - and any other commodity. Example: + and any other commodity. Example: + 2019-01-01 Investing in Snake Oil assets:cash -$100 investment:snake oil - + 2020-01-01 Selling my Snake Oil assets:cash $10 investment:snake oil = 0 * "Profit and loss" is change in the value of your investment: + 2019-06-01 Snake Oil falls in value investment:snake oil = $57 equity:unrealized profit or loss + All non-investment postings are assumed to be "cash flow", unless -they match '--pnl' query. Changes in value of your investment due to +they match `--pnl' query. Changes in value of your investment due to "profit and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment return. - Example: if you use '--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized', then + Example: if you use `--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized', then postings in the example below would be classifed as: + 2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1 assets:cash -$100 ; cash flow posting investment:snake oil ; investment posting @@ -4077,31 +4436,31 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: IRR and TWR explained, Prev: Semantics of --inv and 11.27.2 IRR and TWR explained ----------------------------- -"ROI" stands for "return on investment". Traditionally this was -computed as a difference between current value of investment and its -initial value, expressed in percentage of the initial value. +"ROI" stands for "return on investment". Traditionally this was computed +as a difference between current value of investment and its initial +value, expressed in percentage of the initial value. However, this approach is only practical in simple cases, where investments receives no in-flows or out-flows of money, and where rate -of growth is fixed over time. For more complex scenarios you need +of growth is fixed over time. For more complex scenarios you need different ways to compute rate of return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR. Internal rate of return, or "IRR" (also called "money-weighted rate of return") takes into account effects of in-flows and out-flows. Naively, if you are withdrawing from your investment, your future gains -would be smaller (in absolute numbers), and will be a smaller percentage -of your initial investment, and if you are adding to your investment, -you will receive bigger absolute gains (but probably at the same rate of -return). IRR is a way to compute rate of return for each period between -in-flow or out-flow of money, and then combine them in a way that gives -you a compound annual rate of return that investment is expected to -generate. +would be smaller (in absolute numbers), and will be a smaller +percentage of your initial investment, and if you are adding to your +investment, you will receive bigger absolute gains (but probably at the +same rate of return). IRR is a way to compute rate of return for each +period between in-flow or out-flow of money, and then combine them in a +way that gives you a compound annual rate of return that investment is +expected to generate. As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you personally put in or withdraw, and for the "roi" command, these are -the postings that match the query in the'--inv' argument and NOT match -the query in the'--pnl' argument. +the postings that match the query in the`--inv' argument and NOT match +the query in the`--pnl' argument. If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unrealized @@ -4112,21 +4471,21 @@ close to the days when in- or out-flows occur. In technical terms, IRR uses the same approach as computation of net present value, and tries to find a discount rate that makes net present -value of all the cash flows of your investment to add up to zero. This +value of all the cash flows of your investment to add up to zero. This could be hard to wrap your head around, especially if you haven't done -discounted cash flow analysis before. Implementation of IRR in hledger -should produce results that match the 'XIRR' formula in Excel. +discounted cash flow analysis before. Implementation of IRR in hledger +should produce results that match the `XIRR' formula in Excel. - Second way to compute rate of return that 'roi' command implements is -called "time-weighted rate of return" or "TWR". Like IRR, it will also -break the history of your investment into periods between in-flows, + Second way to compute rate of return that `roi' command implements +is called "time-weighted rate of return" or "TWR". Like IRR, it will +also break the history of your investment into periods between in-flows, out-flows and value changes, to compute rate of return per each period -and then a compound rate of return. However, internal workings of TWR +and then a compound rate of return. However, internal workings of TWR are quite different. TWR represents your investment as an imaginary "unit fund" where in-flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling "units" of your investment -and changes in its value change the value of "investment unit". Change +and changes in its value change the value of "investment unit". Change in "unit price" over the reporting period gives you rate of return of your investment. @@ -4143,15 +4502,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: stats, Next: tags, Prev: roi, Up: COMMANDS stats Show some journal statistics. - The stats command displays summary information for the whole journal, -or a matched part of it. With a reporting interval, it shows a report -for each report period. + The stats command displays summary information for the whole +journal, or a matched part of it. With a reporting interval, it shows a +report for each report period. Example: + $ hledger stats Main journal file : /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal -Included journal files : +Included journal files : Transactions span : 2008-01-01 to 2009-01-01 (366 days) Last transaction : 2008-12-31 (2333 days ago) Transactions : 5 (0.0 per day) @@ -4172,10 +4532,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: tags, Next: test, Prev: stats, Up: COMMANDS ========== tags -List the unique tag names used in the journal. With a TAGREGEX -argument, only tag names matching the regular expression (case -insensitive) are shown. With QUERY arguments, only transactions -matching the query are considered. +List the unique tag names used in the journal. With a TAGREGEX argument, +only tag names matching the regular expression (case insensitive) are +shown. With QUERY arguments, only transactions matching the query are +considered. With the -values flag, the tags' unique values are listed instead. @@ -4195,22 +4555,23 @@ test Run built-in unit tests. This command runs the unit tests built in to hledger and hledger-lib, -printing the results on stdout. If any test fails, the exit code will -be non-zero. +printing the results on stdout. If any test fails, the exit code will be +non-zero. This is mainly used by hledger developers, but you can also use it to -sanity-check the installed hledger executable on your platform. All +sanity-check the installed hledger executable on your platform. All tests are expected to pass - if you ever see a failure, please report as a bug! This command also accepts tasty test runner options, written after a -- (double hyphen). Eg to run only the tests in Hledger.Data.Amount, -with ANSI colour codes disabled: +- (double hyphen). Eg to run only the tests in Hledger.Data.Amount, with +ANSI colour codes disabled: + $ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options -('-- --help' currently doesn't show them). +(`-- --help' currently doesn't show them).  File: hledger.info, Node: About add-on commands, Prev: test, Up: COMMANDS @@ -4220,35 +4581,40 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: About add-on commands, Prev: test, Up: COMMANDS Add-on commands are programs or scripts in your PATH - * whose name starts with 'hledger-' + * whose name starts with `hledger-' + * whose name ends with a recognised file extension: - '.bat','.com','.exe', '.hs','.lhs','.pl','.py','.rb','.rkt','.sh' + `.bat',`.com',`.exe', `.hs',`.lhs',`.pl',`.py',`.rb',`.rkt',`.sh' or none + * and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user. Add-ons are a relatively easy way to add local features or experiment -with new ideas. They can be written in any language, but haskell -scripts have a big advantage: they can use the same hledger library -functions that built-in commands use for command-line options, parsing -and reporting. Some experimental/example add-on scripts can be found in -the hledger repo's bin/ directory. +with new ideas. They can be written in any language, but haskell scripts +have a big advantage: they can use the same hledger library functions +that built-in commands use for command-line options, parsing and +reporting. Some experimental/example add-on scripts can be found in the +hledger repo's bin/ directory. Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a -double dash ('--') preceding them. Eg you must write: +double dash (`--') preceding them. Eg you must write: + $ hledger web -- --serve and not: + $ hledger web --serve - (because the '--serve' flag belongs to 'hledger-web', not 'hledger'). + (because the `--serve' flag belongs to `hledger-web', not `hledger'). - The '-h/--help' and '--version' flags don't require '--'. + The `-h/--help' and `--version' flags don't require `--'. If you have any trouble with this, remember you can always run the add-on program directly, eg: + $ hledger-web --serve  @@ -4260,30 +4626,30 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: JOURNAL FORMAT, Next: CSV FORMAT, Prev: COMMANDS, hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal. hledger's usual data source is a plain text file containing journal -entries in hledger journal format. This file represents a standard -accounting general journal. I use file names ending in '.journal', but -that's not required. The journal file contains a number of transaction +entries in hledger journal format. This file represents a standard +accounting general journal. I use file names ending in `.journal', but +that's not required. The journal file contains a number of transaction entries, each describing a transfer of money (or any commodity) between two or more named accounts, in a simple format readable by both hledger and humans. hledger's journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, of ledger's journal format, so hledger can work with compatible ledger journal files -as well. It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on +as well. It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the same journal file, eg to validate the results you're getting. You can use hledger without learning any more about this file; just use the add or web or import commands to create and update it. Many users, though, edit the journal file with a text editor, and -track changes with a version control system such as git. Editor addons +track changes with a version control system such as git. Editor addons such as ledger-mode or hledger-mode for Emacs, vim-ledger for Vim, and hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier, adding colour, -formatting, tab completion, and useful commands. See Editor +formatting, tab completion, and useful commands. See Editor configuration at hledger.org for the full list. Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's -data model). These are mostly in the order you'll use them, but in some +data model). These are mostly in the order you'll use them, but in some cases related concepts have been grouped together for easy reference, or linked before they are introduced, so feel free to skip over anything that looks unnecessary right now. @@ -4325,25 +4691,30 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Transactions, Next: Dates, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT 12.1 Transactions ================= -Transactions are the main unit of information in a journal file. They +Transactions are the main unit of information in a journal file. They represent events, typically a movement of some quantity of commodities between two or more named accounts. Each transaction is recorded as a journal entry, beginning with a -simple date in column 0. This can be followed by any of the following +simple date in column 0. This can be followed by any of the following optional fields, separated by spaces: - * a status character (empty, '!', or '*') + * a status character (empty, `!', or `*') + * a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses) + * a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon) + * a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line, and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon) + * 0 or more indented _posting_ lines, describing what was transferred - and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also allowed, - but not blank lines or non-indented lines). + and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also + allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines). Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction: + 2008/01/01 income assets:bank:checking $1 income:salary $-1 @@ -4366,12 +4737,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Simple dates, Next: Secondary dates, Up: Dates 12.2.1 Simple dates ------------------- -Dates in the journal file use _simple dates_ format: 'YYYY-MM-DD' or -'YYYY/MM/DD' or 'YYYY.MM.DD', with leading zeros optional. The year may +Dates in the journal file use _simple dates_ format: `YYYY-MM-DD' or +`YYYY/MM/DD' or `YYYY.MM.DD', with leading zeros optional. The year may be omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the -current transaction, the default year set with a default year directive, -or the current date when the command is run. Some examples: -'2010-01-31', '2010/01/31', '2010.1.31', '1/31'. +current transaction, the default year set with a default year +directive, or the current date when the command is run. Some examples: +`2010-01-31', `2010/01/31', `2010.1.31', `1/31'. (The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart dates documented in the hledger manual.) @@ -4383,32 +4754,35 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Secondary dates, Next: Posting dates, Prev: Simple ---------------------- Real-life transactions sometimes involve more than one date - eg the -date you write a cheque, and the date it clears in your bank. When you +date you write a cheque, and the date it clears in your bank. When you want to model this, for more accurate daily balances, you can specify individual posting dates. Or, you can use the older _secondary date_ feature (Ledger calls it -auxiliary date or effective date). Note: we support this for +auxiliary date or effective date). Note: we support this for compatibility, but I usually recommend avoiding this feature; posting dates are almost always clearer and simpler. A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an -equals sign. If the year is omitted, the primary date's year is -assumed. When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by -default, but with the '--date2' flag (or '--aux-date' or '--effective'), +equals sign. If the year is omitted, the primary date's year is +assumed. When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by +default, but with the `--date2' flag (or `--aux-date' or `--effective'), the secondary (right) date will be used instead. The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it's best to follow -a consistent rule. Eg "primary = the bank's clearing date, secondary = +a consistent rule. Eg "primary = the bank's clearing date, secondary = date the transaction was initiated, if different", as shown here: + 2010/2/23=2/19 movie ticket expenses:cinema $10 assets:checking + $ hledger register checking 2010-02-23 movie ticket assets:checking $-10 $-10 + $ hledger register checking --date2 2010-02-19 movie ticket assets:checking $-10 $-10 @@ -4420,31 +4794,34 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Posting dates, Prev: Secondary dates, Up: Dates You can give individual postings a different date from their parent transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below) -like 'date:DATE'. This is probably the best way to control posting -dates precisely. Eg in this example the expense should appear in May +like `date:DATE'. This is probably the best way to control posting +dates precisely. Eg in this example the expense should appear in May reports, and the deduction from checking should be reported on 6/1 for easy bank reconciliation: + 2015/5/30 expenses:food $10 ; food purchased on saturday 5/30 assets:checking ; bank cleared it on monday, date:6/1 + $ hledger -f t.j register food 2015-05-30 expenses:food $10 $10 + $ hledger -f t.j register checking 2015-06-01 assets:checking $-10 $-10 DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will -use the year of the transaction's date. You can set the secondary date -similarly, with 'date2:DATE2'. The 'date:' or 'date2:' tags must have a -valid simple date value if they are present, eg a 'date:' tag with no +use the year of the transaction's date. You can set the secondary date +similarly, with `date2:DATE2'. The `date:' or `date2:' tags must have a +valid simple date value if they are present, eg a `date:' tag with no value is not allowed. Ledger's earlier, more compact bracketed date syntax is also -supported: '[DATE]', '[DATE=DATE2]' or '[=DATE2]'. hledger will attempt -to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the '0123456789/-.=' -characters in this way. With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the +supported: `[DATE]', `[DATE=DATE2]' or `[=DATE2]'. hledger will attempt +to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the `0123456789/-.=' +characters in this way. With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its year from DATE.  @@ -4459,43 +4836,42 @@ description or posting account name, separated from it by a space, indicating one of three statuses: mark status - ------------------ +----------------- unmarked -'!' pending -'*' cleared +`!' pending +`*' cleared - When reporting, you can filter by status with the '-U/--unmarked', -'-P/--pending', and '-C/--cleared' flags; or the 'status:', 'status:!', -and 'status:*' queries; or the U, P, C keys in hledger-ui. + When reporting, you can filter by status with the `-U/--unmarked', +`-P/--pending', and `-C/--cleared' flags; or the `status:', `status:!', +and `status:*' queries; or the U, P, C keys in hledger-ui. Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the "unmarked" -state is called "uncleared". As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to +state is called "uncleared". As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity. To replicate Ledger and old hledger's behaviour of also matching pending, combine -U and -P. Status marks are optional, but can be helpful eg for reconciling with -real-world accounts. Some editor modes provide highlighting and -shortcuts for working with status. Eg in Emacs ledger-mode, you can +real-world accounts. Some editor modes provide highlighting and +shortcuts for working with status. Eg in Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle transaction status with C-c C-e, or posting status with C-c C-c. What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actually mean is up to you. Here's one suggestion: status meaning --------------------------------------------------------------------------- +-------------------------------------------------------------------------- uncleared recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review pending tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconciliation) cleared complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered correct - With this scheme, you would use '-PC' to see the current balance at -your bank, '-U' to see things which will probably hit your bank soon -(like uncashed checks), and no flags to see the most up-to-date state of -your finances. + With this scheme, you would use `-PC' to see the current balance at +your bank, `-U' to see things which will probably hit your bank soon +(like uncashed checks), and no flags to see the most up-to-date state +of your finances.  File: hledger.info, Node: Code, Next: Description, Prev: Status, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4504,7 +4880,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Code, Next: Description, Prev: Status, Up: JOURNAL ========= After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally -write a transaction "code", enclosed in parentheses. This is a good +write a transaction "code", enclosed in parentheses. This is a good place to record a check number, or some other important transaction id or reference number. @@ -4515,9 +4891,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Description, Next: Comments, Prev: Code, Up: JOURN ================ A transaction's description is the rest of the line following the date -and status mark (or until a comment begins). Sometimes called the +and status mark (or until a comment begins). Sometimes called the "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you -wish, or left blank. Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike +wish, or left blank. Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments. * Menu: @@ -4530,11 +4906,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Payee and note, Up: Description 12.5.1 Payee and note --------------------- -You can optionally include a '|' (pipe) character in descriptions to +You can optionally include a `|' (pipe) character in descriptions to subdivide the description into separate fields for payee/payer name on -the left (up to the first '|') and an additional note field on the right -(after the first '|'). This may be worthwhile if you need to do more -precise querying and pivoting by payee or by note. +the left (up to the first `|') and an additional note field on the +right (after the first `|'). This may be worthwhile if you need to do +more precise querying and pivoting by payee or by note.  File: hledger.info, Node: Comments, Next: Tags, Prev: Description, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4542,19 +4918,20 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Comments, Next: Tags, Prev: Description, Up: JOURN 12.6 Comments ============= -Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (';') or hash ('#') or -star ('*') are comments, and will be ignored. (Star comments cause +Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (`;') or hash (`#') or +star (`*') are comments, and will be ignored. (Star comments cause org-mode nodes to be ignored, allowing emacs users to fold and navigate their journals with org-mode or orgstruct-mode.) You can attach comments to a transaction by writing them after the description and/or indented on the following lines (before the -postings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting +postings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting by writing them after the amount and/or indented on the following lines. -Transaction and posting comments must begin with a semicolon (';'). +Transaction and posting comments must begin with a semicolon (`;'). Some examples: + # a file comment ; another file comment * also a file comment, useful in org/orgstruct mode @@ -4573,8 +4950,8 @@ end comment ; another comment line for posting 2 ; a file comment (because not indented) - You can also comment larger regions of a file using 'comment' and -'end comment' directives. + You can also comment larger regions of a file using `comment' and +`end comment' directives.  File: hledger.info, Node: Tags, Next: Postings, Prev: Comments, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4588,29 +4965,35 @@ transactions, which you can then search or pivot on. A simple tag is a word (which may contain hyphens) followed by a full colon, written inside a transaction or posting comment line: + 2017/1/16 bought groceries ; sometag: Tags can have a value, which is the text after the colon, up to the next comma or end of line, with leading/trailing whitespace removed: + expenses:food $10 ; a-posting-tag: the tag value Note this means hledger's tag values can not contain commas or newlines. Ending at commas means you can write multiple short tags on one line, comma separated: + assets:checking ; a comment containing tag1:, tag2: some value ... Here, - * "'a comment containing'" is just comment text, not a tag - * "'tag1'" is a tag with no value - * "'tag2'" is another tag, whose value is "'some value ...'" + * "`a comment containing'" is just comment text, not a tag + + * "`tag1'" is a tag with no value + + * "`tag2'" is another tag, whose value is "`some value ...'" Tags in a transaction comment affect the transaction and all of its -postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. For -example, the following transaction has three tags ('A', 'TAG2', -'third-tag') and the posting has four (those plus 'posting-tag'): +postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. For +example, the following transaction has three tags (`A', `TAG2', +`third-tag') and the posting has four (those plus `posting-tag'): + 1/1 a transaction ; A:, TAG2: ; third-tag: a third transaction tag, <- with a value @@ -4626,25 +5009,27 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Postings, Next: Account names, Prev: Tags, Up: JOU ============= A posting is an addition of some amount to, or removal of some amount -from, an account. Each posting line begins with at least one space or +from, an account. Each posting line begins with at least one space or tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by: - * (optional) a status character (empty, '!', or '*'), followed by a + * (optional) a status character (empty, `!', or `*'), followed by a space - * (required) an account name (any text, optionally containing *single - spaces*, until end of line or a double space) + + * (required) an account name (any text, optionally containing + *single spaces*, until end of line or a double space) + * (optional) *two or more spaces* or tabs followed by an amount. Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are being removed. - The amounts within a transaction must always sum up to zero. As a + The amounts within a transaction must always sum up to zero. As a convenience, one amount may be left blank; it will be inferred so as to balance the transaction. Be sure to note the unusual two-space delimiter between account name -and amount. This makes it easy to write account names containing -spaces. But if you accidentally leave only one space (or tab) before +and amount. This makes it easy to write account names containing +spaces. But if you accidentally leave only one space (or tab) before the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name. * Menu: @@ -4662,17 +5047,19 @@ posting_ or _unbalanced posting_, which means it is exempt from the usual rule that a transaction's postings must balance add up to zero. This is not part of double entry accounting, so you might choose to -avoid this feature. Or you can use it sparingly for certain special -cases where it can be convenient. Eg, you could set opening balances +avoid this feature. Or you can use it sparingly for certain special +cases where it can be convenient. Eg, you could set opening balances without using a balancing equity account: + 1/1 opening balances (assets:checking) $1000 (assets:savings) $2000 - A posting with a bracketed account name is called a _balanced virtual -posting_. The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to -zero (separately from other postings). Eg: + A posting with a bracketed account name is called a _balanced +virtual posting_. The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must +add up to zero (separately from other postings). Eg: + 1/1 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else assets:cash $-10 ; <- these balance @@ -4683,8 +5070,8 @@ zero (separately from other postings). Eg: (something:else) $5 ; <- not required to balance Ordinary non-parenthesised, non-bracketed postings are called _real -postings_. You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the -'-R/--real' flag or 'real:1' query. +postings_. You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the +`-R/--real' flag or `real:1' query.  File: hledger.info, Node: Account names, Next: Amounts, Prev: Postings, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4693,13 +5080,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Account names, Next: Amounts, Prev: Postings, Up: ================== Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, -from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can -be anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five -top-level accounts: 'assets', 'liabilities', 'revenue', 'expenses', and -'equity'. +from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can be +anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five top-level +accounts: `assets', `liabilities', `revenue', `expenses', and `equity'. - Account names may contain single spaces, eg: 'assets:accounts -receivable'. Because of this, they must always be followed by *two or + Account names may contain single spaces, eg: `assets:accounts +receivable'. Because of this, they must always be followed by *two or more spaces* (or newline). Account names can be aliased. @@ -4710,12 +5096,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Amounts, Next: Transaction prices, Prev: Account na 12.10 Amounts ============= -After the account name, there is usually an amount. (Important: between +After the account name, there is usually an amount. (Important: between account name and amount, there must be *two or more spaces*.) hledger's amount format is flexible, supporting several international -formats. Here are some examples. Amounts have a number (the -"quantity"): +formats. Here are some examples. Amounts have a number (the "quantity"): + 1 @@ -4723,6 +5109,7 @@ formats. Here are some examples. Amounts have a number (the below), to the left or right of the quantity, with or without a separating space: + $1 4000 AAPL 3 "green apples" @@ -4731,17 +5118,20 @@ $1 is the default), The sign can be written before or after a left-side commodity symbol: + -$1 $-1 One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when parsing (but they won't be displayed in output): + + $1 $- 1 Scientific E notation is allowed: + 1E-6 EUR 1E3 @@ -4761,12 +5151,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Decimal marks digit group marks, Next: Commodity, U A decimal mark can be written as a period or a comma: + 1.23 1,23456780000009 In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), -groups of digits can optionally be separated by a "digit group mark" - a -space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark): +groups of digits can optionally be separated by a "digit group mark" - +a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark): + $1,000,000.00 EUR 2.000.000,00 @@ -4774,16 +5166,17 @@ INR 9,99,99,999.00 1 000 000.9455 Note, a number containing a single digit group mark and no decimal -mark is ambiguous. Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ? +mark is ambiguous. Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ? + 1,000 1.000 If you don't tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the above -are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1. To prevent confusion and -undetected typos, we recommend adding 'commodity' directives at the top +are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1. To prevent confusion and +undetected typos, we recommend adding `commodity' directives at the top of your journal file to explicitly declare the decimal mark (and -optionally a digit group mark) for each commodity. Read on for more +optionally a digit group mark) for each commodity. Read on for more about this.  @@ -4797,20 +5190,20 @@ number, and a "commodity", which is a currency symbol, stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are tracking. If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or -punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes ('"green -apples"', '"ABC123"'). +punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes (`"green +apples"', `"ABC123"'). If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with -name '""'; we call that the "no-symbol commodity". +name `""'; we call that the "no-symbol commodity". Actually, hledger combines these single-commodity amounts into more powerful multi-commodity amounts, which are what it works with most of -the time. A multi-commodity amount could be, eg: '1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 -TSLA'. In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in +the time. A multi-commodity amount could be, eg: `1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 +TSLA'. In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger's output; you can't write them directly in the journal file. (If you are writing scripts or working with hledger's internals, -these are the 'Amount' and 'MixedAmount' types.) +these are the `Amount' and `MixedAmount' types.)  File: hledger.info, Node: Commodity directives, Next: Commodity display style, Prev: Commodity, Up: Amounts @@ -4818,11 +5211,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Commodity directives, Next: Commodity display style, 12.10.3 Commodity directives ---------------------------- -You can add 'commodity' directives to the journal, preferably at the +You can add `commodity' directives to the journal, preferably at the top, to declare your commodities and help with number parsing (see -above) and display (see below). These are optional, but recommended. +above) and display (see below). These are optional, but recommended. They are described in more detail in JOURNAL FORMAT -> Declaring -commodities. Here's a quick example: +commodities. Here's a quick example: + # number format and display style for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity: commodity $1,000.00 @@ -4837,13 +5231,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Commodity display style, Next: Rounding, Prev: Comm ------------------------------- For the amounts in each commodity, hledger chooses a consistent display -style to use in most reports. (Exceptions: price amounts, and all -amounts displayed by the 'print' command, are displayed with all of +style to use in most reports. (Exceptions: price amounts, and all +amounts displayed by the `print' command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits visible.) A commodity's display style is inferred as follows. - First, if a default commodity is declared with 'D', this commodity + First, if a default commodity is declared with `D', this commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the journal. Then each commodity's style is inferred from one of the following, in @@ -4851,34 +5245,39 @@ order of preference: * The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol commodity), if any. + * The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal's transactions. (Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored, currently.) - * The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: '$1000.00'. + + * The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: `$1000.00'. (Symbol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.) A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows: * Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first amount + * Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group sizes), if any + * Use the maximum number of decimal places of all. Transaction price amounts don't affect the commodity display style directly, but occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a -posting's amount is inferred using a transaction price). If you find +posting's amount is inferred using a transaction price). If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the display style. To summarise: each commodity's amounts will be normalised to (a) the -style declared by a 'commodity' directive, or (b) the style of the first -posting amount in the journal, with the first-seen digit group style and -the maximum-seen number of decimal places. So if your reports are -showing amounts in a way you don't like, eg with too many decimal -places, use a commodity directive. Some examples: +style declared by a `commodity' directive, or (b) the style of the +first posting amount in the journal, with the first-seen digit group +style and the maximum-seen number of decimal places. So if your reports +are showing amounts in a way you don't like, eg with too many decimal +places, use a commodity directive. Some examples: -# declare euro, dollar, bitcoin and no-symbol commodities and set their + +# declare euro, dollar, bitcoin and no-symbol commodities and set their # input number formats and output display styles: commodity EUR 1.000, commodity $1000.00 @@ -4893,10 +5292,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Rounding, Prev: Commodity display style, Up: Amount Amounts are stored internally as decimal numbers with up to 255 decimal places, and displayed with the number of decimal places specified by the -commodity display style. Note, hledger uses banker's rounding: it -rounds to the nearest even number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal -places is "0"). (Guaranteed since hledger 1.17.1; in older versions -this could vary if hledger was built with Decimal < 0.5.1.) +commodity display style. Note, hledger uses banker's rounding: it rounds +to the nearest even number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal places is +"0"). (Guaranteed since hledger 1.17.1; in older versions this could +vary if hledger was built with Decimal < 0.5.1.)  File: hledger.info, Node: Transaction prices, Next: Lot prices lot dates, Prev: Amounts, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4905,22 +5304,24 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Transaction prices, Next: Lot prices lot dates, Pre ======================== Within a transaction, you can note an amount's price in another -commodity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or -selling price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful -to record purchases of a foreign currency. Note transaction prices are -fixed at the time of the transaction, and do not change over time. See +commodity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or +selling price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful to +record purchases of a foreign currency. Note transaction prices are +fixed at the time of the transaction, and do not change over time. See also market prices, which represent prevailing exchange rates on a certain date. There are several ways to record a transaction price: - 1. Write the price per unit, as '@ UNITPRICE' after the amount: + 1. Write the price per unit, as `@ UNITPRICE' after the amount: + 2009/1/1 assets:euros €100 @ $1.35 ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each assets:dollars ; balancing amount is -$135.00 - 2. Write the total price, as '@@ TOTALPRICE' after the amount: + 2. Write the total price, as `@@ TOTALPRICE' after the amount: + 2009/1/1 assets:euros €100 @@ $135 ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot @@ -4929,22 +5330,25 @@ certain date. 3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction: + 2009/1/1 assets:euros €100 ; one hundred euros purchased assets:dollars $-135 ; for $135 - 4. Like 1, but the '@' is parenthesised, i.e. '(@)'; this is for + 4. Like 1, but the `@' is parenthesised, i.e. `(@)'; this is for compatibility with Ledger journals (Virtual posting costs), and is equivalent to 1 in hledger. - 5. Like 2, but as in 4 the '@@' is parenthesised, i.e. '(@@)'; in + 5. Like 2, but as in 4 the `@@' is parenthesised, i.e. `(@@)'; in hledger, this is equivalent to 2. - Use the '-B/--cost' flag to convert amounts to their transaction -price's commodity, if any. (mnemonic: "B" is from "cost Basis", as in -Ledger). Eg here is how -B affects the balance report for the example + + Use the `-B/--cost' flag to convert amounts to their transaction +price's commodity, if any. (mnemonic: "B" is from "cost Basis", as in +Ledger). Eg here is how -B affects the balance report for the example above: + $ hledger bal -N --flat $-135 assets:dollars €100 assets:euros @@ -4954,13 +5358,15 @@ $ hledger bal -N --flat -B Note -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a transaction price is inferred: the inferred price will be in the commodity of the -last amount. So if example 3's postings are reversed, while the +last amount. So if example 3's postings are reversed, while the transaction is equivalent, -B shows something different: + 2009/1/1 assets:dollars $-135 ; 135 dollars sold assets:euros €100 ; for 100 euros + $ hledger bal -N --flat -B €-100 assets:dollars # <- the dollars' selling price €100 assets:euros @@ -4972,13 +5378,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Lot prices lot dates, Next: Balance assertions, Pre =========================== Ledger allows another kind of price, lot price (four variants: -'{UNITPRICE}', '{{TOTALPRICE}}', '{=FIXEDUNITPRICE}', -'{{=FIXEDTOTALPRICE}}'), and/or a lot date ('[DATE]') to be specified. +`{UNITPRICE}', `{{TOTALPRICE}}', `{=FIXEDUNITPRICE}', +`{{=FIXEDTOTALPRICE}}'), and/or a lot date (`[DATE]') to be specified. These are normally used to select a lot when selling investments. hledger will parse these, for compatibility with Ledger journals, but -currently ignores them. A transaction price, lot price and/or lot date -may appear in any order, after the posting amount and before the balance -assertion if any. +currently ignores them. A transaction price, lot price and/or lot date +may appear in any order, after the posting amount and before the +balance assertion if any.  File: hledger.info, Node: Balance assertions, Next: Balance assignments, Prev: Lot prices lot dates, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -4986,11 +5392,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Balance assertions, Next: Balance assignments, Prev 12.13 Balance assertions ======================== -hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. -These look like, for example, '= EXPECTEDBALANCE' following a posting's -amount. Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and +hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. These +look like, for example, `= EXPECTEDBALANCE' following a posting's +amount. Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after each posting: + 2013/1/1 a $1 =$1 b =$-1 @@ -5000,12 +5407,12 @@ b after each posting: b $-1 =$-2 After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance -assertions and report an error if any of them fail. Balance assertions +assertions and report an error if any of them fail. Balance assertions can protect you from, eg, inadvertently disrupting reconciled balances -while cleaning up old entries. You can disable them temporarily with -the '-I/--ignore-assertions' flag, which can be useful for -troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files. (Note: this flag currently -does not disable balance assignments, below). +while cleaning up old entries. You can disable them temporarily with the +`-I/--ignore-assertions' flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting +or for reading Ledger files. (Note: this flag currently does not +disable balance assignments, below). * Menu: @@ -5025,17 +5432,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and ordering, Next: Assertions and includ ------------------------------- hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and -then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is +then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is different from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order. (Also, Ledger assertions do not see the accumulated effect of repeated postings to the same account within a transaction.) So, hledger balance assertions keep working if you reorder -differently-dated transactions within the journal. But if you reorder +differently-dated transactions within the journal. But if you reorder same-dated transactions or postings, assertions might break and require -updating. This order dependence does bring an advantage: precise -control over the order of postings and assertions within a day, so you -can assert intra-day balances. +updating. This order dependence does bring an advantage: precise control +over the order of postings and assertions within a day, so you can +assert intra-day balances.  File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and included files, Next: Assertions and multiple -f options, Prev: Assertions and ordering, Up: Balance assertions @@ -5043,8 +5450,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and included files, Next: Assertions and 12.13.2 Assertions and included files ------------------------------------- -With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including -preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multiple +With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including +preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split across different files, and you also want to assert the account's balance on the same day, you'll have to put the assertion in the right file. @@ -5056,7 +5463,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and multiple -f options, Next: Assertions ------------------------------------------ Balance assertions don't work well across files specified with multiple --f options. Use include or concatenate the files instead. +-f options. Use include or concatenate the files instead.  File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and commodities, Next: Assertions and prices, Prev: Assertions and multiple -f options, Up: Balance assertions @@ -5066,17 +5473,18 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and commodities, Next: Assertions and pri The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in fact the assertion checks only this commodity's balance within the -(possibly multi-commodity) account balance. This is how assertions work -in Ledger also. We could call this a "partial" balance assertion. +(possibly multi-commodity) account balance. This is how assertions work +in Ledger also. We could call this a "partial" balance assertion. To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity's balance. You can make a stronger "total" balance assertion by writing a double -equals sign ('== EXPECTEDBALANCE'). This asserts that there are no +equals sign (`== EXPECTEDBALANCE'). This asserts that there are no other unasserted commodities in the account (or, that their balance is 0). + 2013/1/1 a $1 a 1€ @@ -5093,9 +5501,10 @@ other unasserted commodities in the account (or, that their balance is a 0 == $1 It's not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance -that has multiple commodities. One workaround is to isolate each +that has multiple commodities. One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount: + 2013/1/1 a:usd $1 a:euro 1€ @@ -5115,13 +5524,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and prices, Next: Assertions and subaccou Balance assertions ignore transaction prices, and should normally be written without one: + 2019/1/1 (a) $1 @ €1 = $1 We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them, even though they don't affect whether the assertion passes or -fails. This is for backward compatibility (hledger's close command used -to generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance +fails. This is for backward compatibility (hledger's close command +used to generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance _assignments_ do use them (see below).  @@ -5130,11 +5540,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and subaccounts, Next: Assertions and vir 12.13.6 Assertions and subaccounts ---------------------------------- -The balance assertions above ('=' and '==') do not count the balance -from subaccounts; they check the account's exclusive balance only. You -can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing '=*' or '==*', +The balance assertions above (`=' and `==') do not count the balance +from subaccounts; they check the account's exclusive balance only. You +can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing `=*' or `==*', eg: + 2019/1/1 equity:opening balances checking:a 5 @@ -5148,8 +5559,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and virtual postings, Next: Assertions an --------------------------------------- Balance assertions are checked against all postings, both real and -virtual. They are not affected by the '--real/-R' flag or 'real:' -query. +virtual. They are not affected by the `--real/-R' flag or `real:' query.  File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and precision, Prev: Assertions and virtual postings, Up: Balance assertions @@ -5158,8 +5568,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Assertions and precision, Prev: Assertions and virtu -------------------------------- Balance assertions compare the exactly calculated amounts, which are not -always what is shown by reports. Eg a commodity directive may limit the -display precision, but this will not affect balance assertions. Balance +always what is shown by reports. Eg a commodity directive may limit the +display precision, but this will not affect balance assertions. Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts.  @@ -5168,12 +5578,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Balance assignments, Next: Directives, Prev: Balanc 12.14 Balance assignments ========================= -Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like +Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like balance assertions, but with no posting amount on the left side of the equals sign; instead it is calculated automatically so as to satisfy the -assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when setting +assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when setting opening balances: + ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances 2016/1/1 opening balances assets:checking = $409.32 @@ -5183,6 +5594,7 @@ opening balances: or when adjusting a balance to reality: + ; no cash left; update balance, record any untracked spending as a generic expense 2016/1/15 assets:cash = $0 @@ -5191,7 +5603,7 @@ opening balances: The calculated amount depends on the account's balance in the commodity at that point (which depends on the previously-dated postings of the commodity to that account since the last balance assertion or -assignment). Note that using balance assignments makes your journal a +assignment). Note that using balance assignments makes your journal a little less explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it. @@ -5208,9 +5620,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Balance assignments and prices, Up: Balance assignme A transaction price in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have that price attached: + 2019/1/1 (a) = $1 @ €2 + $ hledger print --explicit 2019-01-01 (a) $1 @ €2 = $1 @ €2 @@ -5222,46 +5636,44 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Directives, Next: Directives and multiple files, Pr ================ A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword, -that influences how the journal is processed. hledger's directives are +that influences how the journal is processed. hledger's directives are based on a subset of Ledger's, but there are many differences (and also some differences between hledger versions). Directives' behaviour and interactions can get a little bit complex, so here is a table summarising the directives and their effects, with -links to more detailed docs. Note part of this table is hidden when -viewed in a web browser - scroll it sideways to see more. +links to more detailed docs. -directiveend subdirectivespurpose can affect (as of +directiveend subdirectivespurpose can affect (as of directive 2018/06) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -'account' any document account names, all entries in - text declare account types & all files, before - display order or after -'alias' 'end rewrite account names following entries +----------------------------------------------------------------------------- +`account' any document account names, all entries in all + text declare account types & files, before or + display order after +`alias' `end rewrite account names following entries aliases' until end of current file or end directive -'apply 'end prepend a common parent to following entries +`apply `end prepend a common parent to following entries account' apply account names until end of account' current file or end directive -'comment''end ignore part of journal following entries +`comment'`end ignore part of journal following entries comment' until end of current file or end directive -'commodity' 'format'declare a commodity and its number notation: +`commodity' `format'declare a commodity and its number notation: number notation & display following entries - style in that commodity - in all files ; + style until end of + current file; display style: amounts of that commodity in reports -'D' declare a commodity to be default - used for commodityless commodity: - amounts, and its number following - notation & display style commodityless - entries until end +`D' declare a commodity to be default commodity: + used for commodityless following + amounts, and its number commodityless + notation & display style entries until end of current file; number notation: following entries @@ -5272,39 +5684,39 @@ account' apply account names until end of amounts of that commodity in reports -'include' include entries/directives what the included +`include' include entries/directives what the included from another file directives affect -['payee'] declare a payee name following entries +`payee' declare a payee name following entries until end of current file -'P' declare a market price for amounts of that - a commodity commodity in +`P' declare a market price for a amounts of that + commodity commodity in reports, when -V is used -'Y' declare a year for yearless following entries +`Y' declare a year for yearless following entries dates until end of current file -'=' declare an auto posting all entries in +`=' declare an auto posting all entries in rule, adding postings to parent/current/child other transactions files (but not - sibling files, - see #1212) + sibling files, see + #1212) And some definitions: subdirectiveoptional indented directive line immediately following a parent directive number how to interpret numbers when parsing journal entries (the -notationidentity of the decimal separator character). (Currently each +notationidentity of the decimal separator character). (Currently each commodity can have its own notation, even in the same file.) -displayhow to display amounts of a commodity in reports (symbol side -style and spacing, digit groups, decimal separator, decimal places) -directivewhich entries and (when there are multiple files) which files -scope are affected by a directive +displayhow to display amounts of a commodity in reports (symbol side and +style spacing, digit groups, decimal separator, decimal places) +directivewhich entries and (when there are multiple files) which files are +scope affected by a directive As you can see, directives vary in which journal entries and files they affect, and whether they are focussed on input (parsing) or output -(reports). Some directives have multiple effects. +(reports). Some directives have multiple effects.  File: hledger.info, Node: Directives and multiple files, Next: Comment blocks, Prev: Directives, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5312,18 +5724,18 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Directives and multiple files, Next: Comment blocks, 12.16 Directives and multiple files =================================== -If you use multiple '-f'/'--file' options, or the 'include' directive, -hledger will process multiple input files. But note that directives +If you use multiple `-f'/`--file' options, or the `include' directive, +hledger will process multiple input files. But note that directives which affect input (see above) typically last only until the end of the file in which they occur. This may seem inconvenient, but it's intentional; it makes reports -stable and deterministic, independent of the order of input. Otherwise +stable and deterministic, independent of the order of input. Otherwise you could see different numbers if you happened to write -f options in a different order, or if you moved includes around while cleaning up your files. - It can be surprising though; for example, it means that 'alias' + It can be surprising though; for example, it means that `alias' directives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).  @@ -5332,9 +5744,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Comment blocks, Next: Including other files, Prev: 12.17 Comment blocks ==================== -A line containing just 'comment' starts a commented region of the file, -and a line containing just 'end comment' (or the end of the current -file) ends it. See also comments. +A line containing just `comment' starts a commented region of the file, +and a line containing just `end comment' (or the end of the current +file) ends it. See also comments.  File: hledger.info, Node: Including other files, Next: Default year, Prev: Comment blocks, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5345,6 +5757,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Including other files, Next: Default year, Prev: Co You can pull in the content of additional files by writing an include directive, like this: + include FILEPATH Only journal files can include, and only journal, timeclock or @@ -5353,19 +5766,19 @@ timedot files can be included (not CSV files, currently). If the file path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the current file's folder. - A tilde means home directory, eg: 'include ~/main.journal'. + A tilde means home directory, eg: `include ~/main.journal'. The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg: -'include *.journal'. +`include *.journal'. - There is limited support for recursive wildcards: '**/' (the slash is -required) matches 0 or more subdirectories. It's not super convenient + There is limited support for recursive wildcards: `**/' (the slash +is required) matches 0 or more subdirectories. It's not super convenient since you have to avoid include cycles and including directories, but -this can be done, eg: 'include */**/*.journal'. +this can be done, eg: `include */**/*.journal'. The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format, overriding the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input -files): 'include timedot:~/notes/2020*.md'. +files): `include timedot:~/notes/2020*.md'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Default year, Next: Declaring payees, Prev: Including other files, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5374,9 +5787,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Default year, Next: Declaring payees, Prev: Includi ================== You can set a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don't -specify a year. This is a line beginning with 'Y' followed by the year. +specify a year. This is a line beginning with `Y' followed by the year. Eg: + Y2009 ; set default year to 2009 12/15 ; equivalent to 2009/12/15 @@ -5399,10 +5813,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring payees, Next: Declaring commodities, Prev 12.20 Declaring payees ====================== -The 'payee' directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees -which may appear in transaction descriptions. The "payees" check will +The `payee' directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees +which may appear in transaction descriptions. The "payees" check will report an error if any transaction refers to a payee that has not been -declared. Eg: +declared. Eg: + payee Whole Foods @@ -5412,23 +5827,24 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring commodities, Next: Default commodity, Pre 12.21 Declaring commodities =========================== -You can use 'commodity' directives to declare your commodities. In fact -the 'commodity' directive performs several functions at once: +You can use `commodity' directives to declare your commodities. In fact +the `commodity' directive performs several functions at once: - 1. It declares commodities which may be used in the journal. This can - optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking. (Cf + 1. It declares commodities which may be used in the journal. This can + optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking. (Cf Commodity error checking) 2. It declares which decimal mark character (period or comma), to expect when parsing input - useful to disambiguate international - number formats in your data. Without this, hledger will parse both - '1,000' and '1.000' as 1. (Cf Amounts) + number formats in your data. Without this, hledger will parse both + `1,000' and `1.000' as 1. (Cf Amounts) 3. It declares how to render the commodity's amounts when displaying output - the decimal mark, any digit group marks, the number of - decimal places, symbol placement and so on. (Cf Commodity display + decimal places, symbol placement and so on. (Cf Commodity display style) + You will run into one of the problems solved by commodity directives sooner or later, so we recommend using them, for robust and predictable parsing and display. @@ -5436,18 +5852,20 @@ parsing and display. Generally you should put them at the top of your journal file (since for function 2, they affect only following amounts, cf #793). - A commodity directive is just the word 'commodity' followed by a + A commodity directive is just the word `commodity' followed by a sample amount, like this: + ;commodity SAMPLEAMOUNT commodity $1000.00 commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA ; optional same-line comment - It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the 'format' -subdirective, as in Ledger. Note in this case the commodity symbol + It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the `format' +subdirective, as in Ledger. Note in this case the commodity symbol appears twice; it must be the same in both places: + ;commodity SYMBOL ; format SAMPLEAMOUNT @@ -5466,6 +5884,7 @@ comma - followed by 0 or more decimal digits. A few more examples: + # number formats for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity: commodity $1,000.00 commodity EUR 1.000,00 @@ -5473,7 +5892,7 @@ commodity INR 9,99,99,999.0 commodity 1 000 000. Note hledger normally uses banker's rounding, so 0.5 displayed with -zero decimal digits is "0". (More at Commodity display style.) +zero decimal digits is "0". (More at Commodity display style.) * Menu: @@ -5485,10 +5904,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Commodity error checking, Up: Declaring commodities 12.21.1 Commodity error checking -------------------------------- -In strict mode, enabled with the '-s'/'--strict' flag, hledger will -report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not been declared -by a 'commodity' directive. This works similarly to account error -checking, see the notes there for more details. +In strict mode, enabled with the `-s'/`--strict' flag, hledger will +report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not been +declared by a `commodity' directive. This works similarly to account +error checking, see the notes there for more details.  File: hledger.info, Node: Default commodity, Next: Declaring market prices, Prev: Declaring commodities, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5496,20 +5915,21 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Default commodity, Next: Declaring market prices, P 12.22 Default commodity ======================= -The 'D' directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any +The `D' directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any subsequent commodityless amounts (ie, plain numbers) seen while parsing -the journal. This effect lasts until the next 'D' directive, or the end +the journal. This effect lasts until the next `D' directive, or the end of the journal. - For compatibility/historical reasons, 'D' also acts like a -'commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing + For compatibility/historical reasons, `D' also acts like a +`commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing and display style for output). - As with 'commodity', the amount must include a decimal mark (either -period or comma). If both 'commodity' and 'D' directives are used for -the same commodity, the 'commodity' style takes precedence. + As with `commodity', the amount must include a decimal mark (either +period or comma). If both `commodity' and `D' directives are used for +the same commodity, the `commodity' style takes precedence. + + The syntax is `D AMOUNT'. Eg: - The syntax is 'D AMOUNT'. Eg: ; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars ; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places) @@ -5525,13 +5945,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring market prices, Next: Declaring accounts, 12.23 Declaring market prices ============================= -The 'P' directive declares a market price, which is an exchange rate -between two commodities on a certain date. (In Ledger, they are called -"historical prices".) These are often obtained from a stock exchange, +The `P' directive declares a market price, which is an exchange rate +between two commodities on a certain date. (In Ledger, they are called +"historical prices".) These are often obtained from a stock exchange, cryptocurrency exchange, or the foreign exchange market. The format is: + P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the @@ -5539,14 +5960,15 @@ commodity being priced, and COMMODITY2AMOUNT is the amount (symbol and quantity) of commodity 2 that one unit of commodity 1 is worth on this date. Examples: + # one euro was worth $1.35 from 2009-01-01 onward: P 2009-01-01 € $1.35 # and $1.40 from 2010-01-01 onward: P 2010-01-01 € $1.40 - The '-V', '-X' and '--value' flags use these market prices to show -amount values in another commodity. See Valuation. + The `-V', `-X' and `--value' flags use these market prices to show +amount values in another commodity. See Valuation.  File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring accounts, Next: Rewriting accounts, Prev: Declaring market prices, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5554,27 +5976,33 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring accounts, Next: Rewriting accounts, Prev: 12.24 Declaring accounts ======================== -'account' directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places -that amounts are transferred from and to). Though not required, these +`account' directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places +that amounts are transferred from and to). Though not required, these declarations can provide several benefits: * They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a reference. + * They can help hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability, equity, revenue, expense), useful for reports like balancesheet and incomestatement. + * They control account display order in reports, allowing non-alphabetic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses). + * They can store extra information about accounts (account numbers, notes, etc.) + * They help with account name completion in the add command, hledger-iadd, hledger-web, ledger-mode etc. + * In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by transactions, which helps detect typos. - The simplest form is just the word 'account' followed by a + The simplest form is just the word `account' followed by a hledger-style account name, eg this account directive declares the -'assets:bank:checking' account: +`assets:bank:checking' account: + account assets:bank:checking @@ -5593,24 +6021,27 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Account error checking, Next: Account comments, Up: ------------------------------ By default, accounts come into existence when a transaction references -them by name. This is convenient, but it means hledger can't warn you -when you mis-spell an account name in the journal. Usually you'll find +them by name. This is convenient, but it means hledger can't warn you +when you mis-spell an account name in the journal. Usually you'll find the error later, as an extra account in balance reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling. - In strict mode, enabled with the '-s'/'--strict' flag, hledger will + In strict mode, enabled with the `-s'/`--strict' flag, hledger will report an error if any transaction uses an account name that has not -been declared by an account directive. Some notes: +been declared by an account directive. Some notes: * The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct account name capitalisation. + * The account directive's scope is "whole file and below" (see - directives). This means it affects all of the current file, and - any files it includes, but not parent or sibling files. The - position of account directives within the file does not matter, - though it's usual to put them at the top. - * Accounts can only be declared in 'journal' files (but will affect + directives). This means it affects all of the current file, and any + files it includes, but not parent or sibling files. The position of + account directives within the file does not matter, though it's + usual to put them at the top. + + * Accounts can only be declared in `journal' files (but will affect included files in other formats). + * It's currently not possible to declare "all possible subaccounts" with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared. @@ -5624,10 +6055,12 @@ Comments, beginning with a semicolon, can be added: * on the same line, *after two or more spaces* (because ; is allowed in account names) + * on the next lines, indented An example of both: + account assets:bank:checking ; same-line comment, note 2+ spaces before ; ; next-line comment ; another with tag, acctno:12345 (not used yet) @@ -5643,11 +6076,13 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Account subdirectives, Next: Account types, Prev: A We also allow (and ignore) Ledger-style indented subdirectives, just for compatibility.: + account assets:bank:checking format blah blah ; <- subdirective, ignored Here is the full syntax of account directives: + account ACCTNAME [ACCTTYPE] [;COMMENT] [;COMMENTS] [LEDGER-STYLE SUBDIRECTIVES, IGNORED] @@ -5661,16 +6096,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Account types, Next: Account display order, Prev: A hledger recognises five main types of account, corresponding to the account classes in the accounting equation: - 'Asset', 'Liability', 'Equity', 'Revenue', 'Expense'. + `Asset', `Liability', `Equity', `Revenue', `Expense'. These account types are important for controlling which accounts appear in the balancesheet, balancesheetequity, incomestatement reports (and probably for other things in future). - Additionally, we recognise the 'Cash' type, which is also an 'Asset', -and which causes accounts to appear in the cashflow report. ("Cash" -here means liquid assets, eg bank balances but typically not investments -or receivables.) + Additionally, we recognise the `Cash' type, which is also an +`Asset', and which causes accounts to appear in the cashflow report. +("Cash" here means liquid assets, eg bank balances but typically not +investments or receivables.) * Menu: @@ -5686,13 +6121,14 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Declaring account types, Next: Auto-detected account ................................. Generally, to make these reports work you should declare your top-level -accounts and their types, using account directives with 'type:' tags. +accounts and their types, using account directives with `type:' tags. - The tag's value should be one of: 'Asset', 'Liability', 'Equity', -'Revenue', 'Expense', 'Cash', 'A', 'L', 'E', 'R', 'X', 'C' (all case + The tag's value should be one of: `Asset', `Liability', `Equity', +`Revenue', `Expense', `Cash', `A', `L', `E', `R', `X', `C' (all case insensitive). The type is inherited by all subaccounts except where they override it. Here's a complete example: + account assets ; type: Asset account assets:bank ; type: Cash account assets:cash ; type: Cash @@ -5711,9 +6147,10 @@ If you happen to use common english top-level account names, you may not need to declare account types, as they will be detected automatically using the following rules: + If account's name matches this regular expression: | its type is: ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ - ^assets?(:|$) | + ^assets?(:|$) | and does not contain regexp (investment|receivable|:A/R|:fixed) | Cash otherwise | Asset ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$) | Liability @@ -5733,9 +6170,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Interference from auto-detected account types, Next: If you assign any account type, it's a good idea to assign all of them, to prevent any confusion from mixing declared and auto-detected types. Although it's unlikely to happen in real life, here's an example: with -the following journal, 'balancesheetequity' shows "liabilities" in both -Liabilities and Equity sections. Declaring another account as -'type:Liability' would fix it: +the following journal, `balancesheetequity' shows "liabilities" in both +Liabilities and Equity sections. Declaring another account as +`type:Liability' would fix it: + account liabilities ; type:Equity @@ -5754,6 +6192,7 @@ In some hledger journals you might instead see this old syntax (the letters ALERX, separated from the account name by two or more spaces); this is deprecated and may be removed soon: + account assets A account liabilities L account equity E @@ -5768,9 +6207,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Account display order, Prev: Account types, Up: Dec Account directives also set the order in which accounts are displayed, eg in reports, the hledger-ui accounts screen, and the hledger-web -sidebar. By default accounts are listed in alphabetical order. But if +sidebar. By default accounts are listed in alphabetical order. But if you have these account directives in the journal: + account assets account liabilities account equity @@ -5780,6 +6220,7 @@ account expenses you'll see those accounts displayed in declaration order, not alphabetically: + $ hledger accounts -1 assets liabilities @@ -5791,20 +6232,22 @@ expenses order. Note that sorting is done at each level of the account tree (within -each group of sibling accounts under the same parent). And currently, +each group of sibling accounts under the same parent). And currently, this directive: + account other:zoo - would influence the position of 'zoo' among 'other''s subaccounts, -but not the position of 'other' among the top-level accounts. This + would influence the position of `zoo' among `other''s subaccounts, +but not the position of `other' among the top-level accounts. This means: - * you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg 'account other' + * you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg `account other' above) that you don't intend to post to, just to customize their display order - * sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display 'x:y' in - between 'a:b' and 'a:c'). + + * sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display `x:y' in + between `a:b' and `a:c').  File: hledger.info, Node: Rewriting accounts, Next: Default parent account, Prev: Declaring accounts, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -5813,13 +6256,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Rewriting accounts, Next: Default parent account, P ======================== You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or -parts of them, before generating reports. This can be useful for: +parts of them, before generating reports. This can be useful for: * expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier data entry and a less verbose journal + * adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts + * experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy or combining two accounts into one + * customising reports Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives. @@ -5842,20 +6288,22 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Basic aliases, Next: Regex aliases, Up: Rewriting a 12.25.1 Basic aliases --------------------- -To set an account alias, use the 'alias' directive in your journal file. -This affects all subsequent journal entries in the current file or its -included files (but note: not sibling or parent files). The spaces +To set an account alias, use the `alias' directive in your journal +file. This affects all subsequent journal entries in the current file or +its included files (but note: not sibling or parent files). The spaces around the = are optional: + alias OLD = NEW - Or, you can use the '--alias 'OLD=NEW'' option on the command line. -This affects all entries. It's useful for trying out aliases + Or, you can use the `--alias 'OLD=NEW'' option on the command line. +This affects all entries. It's useful for trying out aliases interactively. - OLD and NEW are case sensitive full account names. hledger will + OLD and NEW are case sensitive full account names. hledger will replace any occurrence of the old account name with the new one. -Subaccounts are also affected. Eg: +Subaccounts are also affected. Eg: + alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking ; rewrites "checking" to "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking", or "checking:a" to "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking:a" @@ -5869,15 +6317,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Regex aliases, Next: Combining aliases, Prev: Basic There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression, indicated by the forward slashes: + alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT - or '--alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT''. + or `--alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT''. - REGEX is a case-insensitive regular expression. Anywhere it matches + REGEX is a case-insensitive regular expression. Anywhere it matches inside an account name, the matched part will be replaced by REPLACEMENT. If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced by the usual numeric backreferences in REPLACEMENT. Eg: + alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3 ; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to "assets:wells fargo checking" @@ -5895,31 +6345,34 @@ You can define as many aliases as you like, using journal directives and/or command line options. Recursive aliases - where an account name is rewritten by one alias, -then by another alias, and so on - are allowed. Each alias sees the +then by another alias, and so on - are allowed. Each alias sees the effect of previously applied aliases. In such cases it can be important to understand which aliases will be -applied and in which order. For (each account name in) each journal +applied and in which order. For (each account name in) each journal entry, we apply: - 1. 'alias' directives preceding the journal entry, most recently + 1. `alias' directives preceding the journal entry, most recently parsed first (ie, reading upward from the journal entry, bottom to top) - 2. '--alias' options, in the order they appeared on the command line + + 2. `--alias' options, in the order they appeared on the command line (left to right). In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry: * the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first + * the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on + * aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it. This gives nearby aliases precedence over distant ones, and helps provide semantic stability - aliases will keep working the same way independent of which files are being read and in which order. - In case of trouble, adding '--debug=6' to the command line will show + In case of trouble, adding `--debug=6' to the command line will show which aliases are being applied when.  @@ -5928,14 +6381,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Aliases and multiple files, Next: end aliases, Prev 12.25.4 Aliases and multiple files ---------------------------------- -As explained at Directives and multiple files, 'alias' directives do not -affect parent or sibling files. Eg in this command, +As explained at Directives and multiple files, `alias' directives do +not affect parent or sibling files. Eg in this command, + hledger -f a.aliases -f b.journal account aliases defined in a.aliases will not affect b.journal. Including the aliases doesn't work either: + include a.aliases 2020-01-01 ; not affected by a.aliases @@ -5945,6 +6400,7 @@ include a.aliases This means that account aliases should usually be declared at the start of your top-most file, like this: + alias foo=Foo alias bar=Bar @@ -5957,12 +6413,13 @@ include c.journal ; also affected  File: hledger.info, Node: end aliases, Prev: Aliases and multiple files, Up: Rewriting accounts -12.25.5 'end aliases' +12.25.5 `end aliases' --------------------- -You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases with the 'end +You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases with the `end aliases' directive: + end aliases  @@ -5972,9 +6429,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Default parent account, Next: Periodic transactions, ============================ You can specify a parent account which will be prepended to all accounts -within a section of the journal. Use the 'apply account' and 'end apply +within a section of the journal. Use the `apply account' and `end apply account' directives like so: + apply account home 2010/1/1 @@ -5985,12 +6443,14 @@ end apply account which is equivalent to: + 2010/01/01 home:food $10 home:cash $-10 - If 'end apply account' is omitted, the effect lasts to the end of the -file. Included files are also affected, eg: + If `end apply account' is omitted, the effect lasts to the end of +the file. Included files are also affected, eg: + apply account business include biz.journal @@ -5998,13 +6458,13 @@ end apply account apply account personal include personal.journal - Prior to hledger 1.0, legacy 'account' and 'end' spellings were also + Prior to hledger 1.0, legacy `account' and `end' spellings were also supported. - A default parent account also affects account directives. It does -not affect account names being entered via hledger add or hledger-web. -If account aliases are present, they are applied after the default -parent account. + A default parent account also affects account directives. It does not +affect account names being entered via hledger add or hledger-web. If +account aliases are present, they are applied after the default parent +account.  File: hledger.info, Node: Periodic transactions, Next: Auto postings, Prev: Default parent account, Up: JOURNAL FORMAT @@ -6012,7 +6472,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Periodic transactions, Next: Auto postings, Prev: D 12.27 Periodic transactions =========================== -Periodic transaction rules describe transactions that recur. They allow +Periodic transaction rules describe transactions that recur. They allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions to help with forecasting, so you don't have to write out each one in the journal, and it's easy to try out different forecasts. @@ -6022,24 +6482,30 @@ read this whole section - or at least these tips: 1. Two spaces accidentally added or omitted will cause you trouble - read about this below. - 2. For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with 'hledger - print --forecast tag:generated' or 'hledger register --forecast + + 2. For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with `hledger + print --forecast tag:generated' or `hledger register --forecast tag:generated'. + 3. Forecasted transactions will begin only after the last non-forecasted transaction's date. + 4. Forecasted transactions will end 6 months from today, by default. See below for the exact start/end rules. - 5. period expressions can be tricky. Their documentation needs + + 5. period expressions can be tricky. Their documentation needs improvement, but is worth studying. + 6. Some period expressions with a repeating interval must begin on a - natural boundary of that interval. Eg in 'weekly from DATE', DATE - must be a monday. '~ weekly from 2019/10/1' (a tuesday) will give + natural boundary of that interval. Eg in `weekly from DATE', DATE + must be a monday. `~ weekly from 2019/10/1' (a tuesday) will give an error. + 7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically - expanded to cover a whole number of that interval. (This is done + expanded to cover a whole number of that interval. (This is done to improve reports, but it also affects periodic transactions. - Yes, it's a bit inconsistent with the above.) Eg: '~ every 10th - day of month from 2020/01', which is equivalent to '~ every 10th + Yes, it's a bit inconsistent with the above.) Eg: `~ every 10th + day of month from 2020/01', which is equivalent to `~ every 10th day of month from 2020/01/01', will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10. @@ -6060,19 +6526,20 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Periodic rule syntax, Next: Two spaces between perio ---------------------------- A periodic transaction rule looks like a normal journal entry, with the -date replaced by a tilde ('~') followed by a period expression -(mnemonic: '~' looks like a recurring sine wave.): +date replaced by a tilde (`~') followed by a period expression +(mnemonic: `~' looks like a recurring sine wave.): + ~ monthly expenses:rent $2000 assets:bank:checking There is an additional constraint on the period expression: the start -date must fall on a natural boundary of the interval. Eg 'monthly from -2018/1/1' is valid, but 'monthly from 2018/1/15' is not. +date must fall on a natural boundary of the interval. Eg `monthly from +2018/1/1' is valid, but `monthly from 2018/1/15' is not. Partial or relative dates (M/D, D, tomorrow, last week) in the period -expression can work (useful or not). They will be relative to today's +expression can work (useful or not). They will be relative to today's date, unless a Y default year directive is in effect, in which case they will be relative to Y/1/1. @@ -6083,10 +6550,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Two spaces between period expression and description! ------------------------------------------------------------- If the period expression is followed by a transaction description, these -must be separated by *two or more spaces*. This helps hledger know +must be separated by *two or more spaces*. This helps hledger know where the period expression ends, so that descriptions can not accidentally alter their meaning, as in this example: + ; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as "every 2 months in 2020" ; || ; vv @@ -6098,6 +6566,7 @@ accidentally alter their meaning, as in this example: * Do write two spaces between your period expression and your transaction description, if any. + * Don't accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period expression. @@ -6107,25 +6576,26 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Forecasting with periodic transactions, Next: Budget 12.27.3 Forecasting with periodic transactions ---------------------------------------------- -The '--forecast' flag activates any periodic transaction rules in the -journal. They will generate temporary recurring transactions, which are +The `--forecast' flag activates any periodic transaction rules in the +journal. They will generate temporary recurring transactions, which are not saved in the journal, but will appear in all reports (eg print). This can be useful for estimating balances into the future, or -experimenting with different scenarios. Or, it can be used as a data +experimenting with different scenarios. Or, it can be used as a data entry aid: describe recurring transactions, and every so often copy the -output of 'print --forecast' into the journal. +output of `print --forecast' into the journal. These transactions will have an extra tag indicating which periodic -rule generated them: 'generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR'. And a +rule generated them: `generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR'. And a similar, hidden tag (beginning with an underscore) which, because it's never displayed by print, can be used to match transactions generated -"just now": '_generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR'. +"just now": `_generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR'. - Periodic transactions are generated within some forecast period. By + Periodic transactions are generated within some forecast period. By default, this * begins on the later of * the report start date if specified with -b/-p/date: + * the day after the latest normal (non-periodic) transaction in the journal, or today if there are no normal transactions. @@ -6133,19 +6603,19 @@ default, this months (180 days) from today. This means that periodic transactions will begin only after the -latest recorded transaction. And a recorded transaction dated in the -future can prevent generation of periodic transactions. (You can avoid +latest recorded transaction. And a recorded transaction dated in the +future can prevent generation of periodic transactions. (You can avoid that by writing the future transaction as a one-time periodic rule -instead - put tilde before the date, eg '~ YYYY-MM-DD ...'). +instead - put tilde before the date, eg `~ YYYY-MM-DD ...'). Or, you can set your own arbitrary "forecast period", which can overlap recorded transactions, and need not be in the future, by -providing an option argument, like '--forecast=PERIODEXPR'. Note the -equals sign is required, a space won't work. PERIODEXPR is a period -expression, which can specify the start date, end date, or both, like in -a 'date:' query. (See also hledger.1 -> Report start & end date). Some -examples: '--forecast=202001-202004', '--forecast=jan-', -'--forecast=2020'. +providing an option argument, like `--forecast=PERIODEXPR'. Note the +equals sign is required, a space won't work. PERIODEXPR is a period +expression, which can specify the start date, end date, or both, like +in a `date:' query. (See also hledger.1 -> Report start & end date). +Some examples: `--forecast=202001-202004', `--forecast=jan-', +`--forecast=2020'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Budgeting with periodic transactions, Prev: Forecasting with periodic transactions, Up: Periodic transactions @@ -6153,12 +6623,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Budgeting with periodic transactions, Prev: Forecast 12.27.4 Budgeting with periodic transactions -------------------------------------------- -With the '--budget' flag, currently supported by the balance command, +With the `--budget' flag, currently supported by the balance command, each periodic transaction rule declares recurring budget goals for the -specified accounts. Eg the first example above declares a goal of +specified accounts. Eg the first example above declares a goal of spending $2000 on rent (and also, a goal of depositing $2000 into -checking) every month. Goals and actual performance can then be -compared in budget reports. +checking) every month. Goals and actual performance can then be compared +in budget reports. See also: Budgeting and Forecasting. @@ -6170,40 +6640,46 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Auto postings, Prev: Periodic transactions, Up: JOU "Automated postings" or "auto postings" are extra postings which get added automatically to transactions which match certain queries, defined -by "auto posting rules", when you use the '--auto' flag. +by "auto posting rules", when you use the `--auto' flag. An auto posting rule looks a bit like a transaction: + = QUERY ACCOUNT AMOUNT ... ACCOUNT [AMOUNT] - except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: '=' suggests + except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: `=' suggests matching), followed by a query (which matches existing postings), and each "posting" line describes a posting to be generated, and the posting amounts can be: - * a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg '$2'. This will be - used as-is. - * a number, eg '2'. The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched + * a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg `$2'. This will be used + as-is. + + * a number, eg `2'. The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched posting will be added to this. - * a numeric multiplier, eg '*2' (a star followed by a number N). The + + * a numeric multiplier, eg `*2' (a star followed by a number N). The matched posting's amount (and total price, if any) will be multiplied by N. - * a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg '*$2' (a star, number N, + + * a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg `*$2' (a star, number N, and symbol S). The matched posting's amount will be multiplied by N, and its commodity symbol will be replaced with S. Any query term containing spaces must be enclosed in single or double -quotes, as on the command line. Eg, note the quotes around the second +quotes, as on the command line. Eg, note the quotes around the second query term below: + = expenses:groceries 'expenses:dining out' (budget:funds:dining out) *-1 Some examples: + ; every time I buy food, schedule a dollar donation = expenses:food (liabilities:charity) $-1 @@ -6221,6 +6697,7 @@ query term below: expenses:gifts $20 assets:checking + $ hledger print --auto 2017-12-01 expenses:food $10 @@ -6247,8 +6724,8 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Auto postings and multiple files, Next: Auto posting ---------------------------------------- An auto posting rule can affect any transaction in the current file, or -in any parent file or child file. Note, currently it will not affect -sibling files (when multiple '-f'/'--file' are used - see #1212). +in any parent file or child file. Note, currently it will not affect +sibling files (when multiple `-f'/`--file' are used - see #1212).  File: hledger.info, Node: Auto postings and dates, Next: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions, Prev: Auto postings and multiple files, Up: Auto postings @@ -6266,14 +6743,17 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred am 12.28.3 Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / -------------------------------------------------------------------- -balance assertions Currently, auto postings are added: +balance assertions + + Currently, auto postings are added: * after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked for balancedness, + * but before balance assertions are checked. Note this means that journal entries must be balanced both before and -after auto postings are added. This changed in hledger 1.12+; see #893 +after auto postings are added. This changed in hledger 1.12+; see #893 for background.  @@ -6284,18 +6764,20 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Auto posting tags, Prev: Auto postings and transacti Automated postings will have some extra tags: - * 'generated-posting:= QUERY' - shows this was generated by an auto + * `generated-posting:= QUERY' - shows this was generated by an auto posting rule, and the query - * '_generated-posting:= QUERY' - a hidden tag, which does not appear - in hledger's output. This can be used to match postings generated + + * `_generated-posting:= QUERY' - a hidden tag, which does not appear + in hledger's output. This can be used to match postings generated "just now", rather than generated in the past and saved to the journal. Also, any transaction that has been changed by auto posting rules will have these tags added: - * 'modified:' - this transaction was modified - * '_modified:' - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this + * `modified:' - this transaction was modified + + * `_modified:' - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this transaction was modified "just now".  @@ -6313,46 +6795,46 @@ transaction. (To learn about _writing_ CSV, see CSV output.) - We describe each CSV file's format with a corresponding _rules file_. -By default this is named like the CSV file with a '.rules' extension -added. Eg when reading 'FILE.csv', hledger also looks for -'FILE.csv.rules' in the same directory as 'FILE.csv'. You can specify a -different rules file with the '--rules-file' option. If a rules file is -not found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which you'll need to -adjust. + We describe each CSV file's format with a corresponding _rules +file_. By default this is named like the CSV file with a `.rules' +extension added. Eg when reading `FILE.csv', hledger also looks for +`FILE.csv.rules' in the same directory as `FILE.csv'. You can specify a +different rules file with the `--rules-file' option. If a rules file is +not found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which you'll need +to adjust. This file contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout, date format etc.), and how to construct hledger journal entries -(transactions) from it. Often there will also be a list of conditional -rules for categorising transactions based on their descriptions. Here's +(transactions) from it. Often there will also be a list of conditional +rules for categorising transactions based on their descriptions. Here's an overview of the CSV rules; these are described more fully below, after the examples: -*'skip'* skip one or more header lines or matched - CSV records -*'fields' list* name CSV fields, assign them to hledger +*`skip'* skip one or more header lines or matched CSV + records +*`fields' list* name CSV fields, assign them to hledger fields *field assignment* assign a value to one hledger field, with interpolation -*Field names* hledger field names, used in the fields - list and field assignments -*'separator'* a custom field separator -*'if' block* apply some rules to CSV records matched by +*Field names* hledger field names, used in the fields list + and field assignments +*`separator'* a custom field separator +*`if' block* apply some rules to CSV records matched by patterns -*'if' table* apply some rules to CSV records matched by +*`if' table* apply some rules to CSV records matched by patterns, alternate syntax -*'end'* skip the remaining CSV records -*'date-format'* how to parse dates in CSV records -*'decimal-mark'* the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, if +*`end'* skip the remaining CSV records +*`date-format'* how to parse dates in CSV records +*`decimal-mark'* the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, if ambiguous -*'newest-first'* disambiguate record order when there's only +*`newest-first'* disambiguate record order when there's only one date -*'include'* inline another CSV rules file -*'balance-type'* choose which type of balance assignments to +*`include'* inline another CSV rules file +*`balance-type'* choose which type of balance assignments to use - Note, for best error messages when reading CSV files, use a '.csv', -'.tsv' or '.ssv' file extension or file prefix - see File Extension + Note, for best error messages when reading CSV files, use a `.csv', +`.tsv' or `.ssv' file extension or file prefix - see File Extension below. There's an introductory Convert CSV files tutorial on hledger.org. @@ -6369,7 +6851,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Examples, Next: CSV rules, Up: CSV FORMAT 13.1 Examples ============= -Here are some sample hledger CSV rules files. See also the full +Here are some sample hledger CSV rules files. See also the full collection at: https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv @@ -6388,16 +6870,19 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Basic, Next: Bank of Ireland, Up: Examples At minimum, the rules file must identify the date and amount fields, and often it also specifies the date format and how many header lines there -are. Here's a simple CSV file and a rules file for it: +are. Here's a simple CSV file and a rules file for it: + Date, Description, Id, Amount 12/11/2019, Foo, 123, 10.23 + # basic.csv.rules skip 1 fields date, description, _, amount date-format %d/%m/%Y + $ hledger print -f basic.csv 2019-11-12 Foo expenses:unknown 10.23 @@ -6415,10 +6900,12 @@ Here's a CSV with two amount fields (Debit and Credit), and a balance field, which we can use to add balance assertions, which is not necessary but provides extra error checking: + Date,Details,Debit,Credit,Balance 07/12/2012,LODGMENT 529898,,10.0,131.21 07/12/2012,PAYMENT,5,,126 + # bankofireland-checking.csv.rules # skip the header line @@ -6445,6 +6932,7 @@ currency EUR # set the base account for all txns account1 assets:bank:boi:checking + $ hledger -f bankofireland-checking.csv print 2012-12-07 LODGMENT 529898 assets:bank:boi:checking EUR10.0 = EUR131.2 @@ -6465,13 +6953,15 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Amazon, Next: Paypal, Prev: Bank of Ireland, Up: E ------------- Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to -generate a third posting if there's a fee. (In practice you'd probably +generate a third posting if there's a fee. (In practice you'd probably get this data from your bank instead, but it's an example.) + "Date","Type","To/From","Name","Status","Amount","Fees","Transaction ID" "Jul 29, 2012","Payment","To","Foo.","Completed","$20.00","$0.00","16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL" "Jul 30, 2012","Payment","To","Adapteva, Inc.","Completed","$25.00","$1.00","17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL" + # amazon-orders.csv.rules # skip one header line @@ -6506,6 +6996,7 @@ if %fees [1-9] account3 expenses:fees amount3 %fees + $ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print 2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo. ; status:Completed assets:amazon @@ -6525,6 +7016,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Paypal, Prev: Amazon, Up: Examples Here's a real-world rules file for (customised) Paypal CSV, with some Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included: + "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Item Title","Item ID","Reference Txn ID","Receipt ID","Balance","Note" "10/01/2019","03:46:20","PDT","Calm Radio","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-6.99","0.00","-6.99","simon@joyful.com","memberships@calmradio.com","60P57143A8206782E","MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month","","I-R8YLY094FJYR","","-6.99","" "10/01/2019","03:46:20","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","6.99","0.00","6.99","","simon@joyful.com","0TU1544T080463733","","","60P57143A8206782E","","0.00","" @@ -6534,6 +7026,7 @@ Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included: "10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","2.00","0.00","2.00","","simon@joyful.com","3XJ107139A851061F","","","K9U43044RY432050M","","0.00","" "10/22/2019","05:07:06","PDT","Noble Benefactor","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","10.00","-0.59","9.41","noble@bene.fac.tor","simon@joyful.com","6L8L1662YP1334033","Joyful Systems","","I-KC9VBGY2GWDB","","9.41","" + # paypal-custom.csv.rules # Tips: @@ -6616,6 +7109,7 @@ Bank Deposit to PP Account if Currency Conversion account2 equity:currency conversion + # common.rules if @@ -6639,6 +7133,7 @@ if Google account2 expenses:online:apps description google | music + $ hledger -f paypal-custom.csv print 2019-10-01 (60P57143A8206782E) Calm Radio MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:memberships@calmradio.com, time:03:46:20, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed assets:online:paypal $-6.99 = $-6.99 @@ -6677,7 +7172,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: CSV rules, Next: Tips, Prev: Examples, Up: CSV FOR ============== The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order. -Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored. +Blank lines and lines beginning with `#' or `;' are ignored. * Menu: @@ -6698,15 +7193,16 @@ Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored.  File: hledger.info, Node: skip, Next: fields list, Up: CSV rules -13.2.1 'skip' +13.2.1 `skip' ------------- + skip N - The word "skip" followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells +The word "skip" followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines preceding the CSV data. -(Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically.) You'll need this -whenever your CSV data contains header lines. +(Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically.) You'll need this whenever +your CSV data contains header lines. It also has a second purpose: it can be used inside if blocks to ignore certain CSV records (described below). @@ -6714,43 +7210,51 @@ ignore certain CSV records (described below).  File: hledger.info, Node: fields list, Next: field assignment, Prev: skip, Up: CSV rules -13.2.2 'fields' list +13.2.2 `fields' list -------------------- + fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ... - A fields list (the word "fields" followed by comma-separated field +A fields list (the word "fields" followed by comma-separated field names) is the quick way to assign CSV field values to hledger fields. -(The other way is field assignments, see below.) A fields list does -does two things: +(The other way is field assignments, see below.) A fields list does does +two things: - 1. It names the CSV fields. This is optional, but can be convenient + 1. It names the CSV fields. This is optional, but can be convenient later for interpolating them. - 2. Whenever you use a standard hledger field name (defined below), the - CSV value is assigned to that part of the hledger transaction. + 2. Whenever you use a standard hledger field name (defined below), + the CSV value is assigned to that part of the hledger transaction. + Here's an example that says "use the 1st, 2nd and 4th fields as the transaction's date, description and amount; name the last two fields for later reference; and ignore the others": + fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield Tips: * The fields list always use commas, even if your CSV data uses another separator character. + * Currently there must be least two items in the list (at least one comma). - * Field names may not contain spaces. Spaces before/after field + + * Field names may not contain spaces. Spaces before/after field names are optional. + * If the CSV contains column headings, it's a good idea to use these, suitably modified, as the basis for your field names (eg lower-cased, with underscores instead of spaces). + * If some heading names match standard hledger fields, but you don't want to set the hledger fields directly, alter those names, eg by appending an underscore. - * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name (eg: '_' ), + + * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name (eg: `_' ), or no name.  @@ -6759,21 +7263,23 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: field assignment, Next: Field names, Prev: fields l 13.2.3 field assignment ----------------------- + HLEDGERFIELDNAME FIELDVALUE - Field assignments are the more flexible way to assign CSV values to -hledger fields. They can be used instead of or in addition to a fields +Field assignments are the more flexible way to assign CSV values to +hledger fields. They can be used instead of or in addition to a fields list (see above). To assign a value to a hledger field, write the field name (any of the standard hledger field/pseudo-field names, defined below), a space, -followed by a text value on the same line. This text value may +followed by a text value on the same line. This text value may interpolate CSV fields, referenced by their 1-based position in the CSV -record ('%N'), or by the name they were given in the fields list -('%CSVFIELDNAME'). +record (`%N'), or by the name they were given in the fields list +(`%CSVFIELDNAME'). Some examples: + # set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended amount %4 USD @@ -6782,8 +7288,9 @@ comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1 Tips: - * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like '" 1 "' - becomes '1' when interpolated) (#1051). + * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like `" 1 "' + becomes `1' when interpolated) (#1051). + * See also Tips below.  @@ -6793,7 +7300,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Field names, Next: separator, Prev: field assignmen ------------------ Here are the standard hledger field (and pseudo-field) names, which you -can use in a fields list and in field assignments. For more about the +can use in a fields list and in field assignments. For more about the transaction parts they refer to, see Transactions. * Menu: @@ -6815,7 +7322,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: date field, Next: date2 field, Up: Field names 13.2.4.1 date field ................... -Assigning to 'date' sets the transaction date. +Assigning to `date' sets the transaction date.  File: hledger.info, Node: date2 field, Next: status field, Prev: date field, Up: Field names @@ -6823,7 +7330,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: date2 field, Next: status field, Prev: date field, 13.2.4.2 date2 field .................... -'date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any. +`date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.  File: hledger.info, Node: status field, Next: code field, Prev: date2 field, Up: Field names @@ -6831,7 +7338,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: status field, Next: code field, Prev: date2 field, 13.2.4.3 status field ..................... -'status' sets the transaction's status, if any. +`status' sets the transaction's status, if any.  File: hledger.info, Node: code field, Next: description field, Prev: status field, Up: Field names @@ -6839,7 +7346,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: code field, Next: description field, Prev: status f 13.2.4.4 code field ................... -'code' sets the transaction's code, if any. +`code' sets the transaction's code, if any.  File: hledger.info, Node: description field, Next: comment field, Prev: code field, Up: Field names @@ -6847,7 +7354,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: description field, Next: comment field, Prev: code 13.2.4.5 description field .......................... -'description' sets the transaction's description, if any. +`description' sets the transaction's description, if any.  File: hledger.info, Node: comment field, Next: account field, Prev: description field, Up: Field names @@ -6855,11 +7362,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: comment field, Next: account field, Prev: descripti 13.2.4.6 comment field ...................... -'comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any. +`comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any. - 'commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment. + `commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment. - Tips: - Only single-line comments can be assigned. - Comments can + Tips: - Only single-line comments can be assigned. - Comments can contain tags, as usual.  @@ -6868,12 +7375,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: account field, Next: amount field, Prev: comment fi 13.2.4.7 account field ...................... -Assigning to 'accountN', where N is 1 to 99, sets the account name of +Assigning to `accountN', where N is 1 to 99, sets the account name of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to be generated. - Most often there are two postings, so you'll want to set 'account1' -and 'account2'. Typically 'account1' is associated with the CSV file, -and is set once with a top-level assignment, while 'account2' is set + Most often there are two postings, so you'll want to set `account1' +and `account2'. Typically `account1' is associated with the CSV file, +and is set once with a top-level assignment, while `account2' is set based on each transaction's description, and in conditional blocks. If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount is set (see @@ -6886,29 +7393,29 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: amount field, Next: currency field, Prev: account f 13.2.4.8 amount field ..................... -'amountN' sets the amount of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to -be generated. By assigning to 'amount1', 'amount2', ... etc. you can +`amountN' sets the amount of the Nth posting, and causes that posting +to be generated. By assigning to `amount1', `amount2', ... etc. you can generate up to 99 postings. - 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' can be used instead, if the CSV uses + `amountN-in' and `amountN-out' can be used instead, if the CSV uses separate fields for debits and credits (inflows and outflows). hledger assumes both of these CSV fields are unsigned, and will automatically -negate the "-out" value. If they are signed, see "Setting amounts" +negate the "-out" value. If they are signed, see "Setting amounts" below. - 'amount', or 'amount-in' and 'amount-out' are a legacy mode, to keep + `amount', or `amount-in' and `amount-out' are a legacy mode, to keep pre-hledger-1.17 CSV rules files working (and for occasional -convenience). They are suitable only for two-posting transactions; they -set both posting 1's and posting 2's amount. Posting 2's amount will be +convenience). They are suitable only for two-posting transactions; they +set both posting 1's and posting 2's amount. Posting 2's amount will be negated, and also converted to cost if there's a transaction price. If you have an existing rules file using the unnumbered form, you might want to use the numbered form in certain conditional blocks, -without having to update and retest all the old rules. To facilitate -this, posting 1 ignores 'amount'/'amount-in'/'amount-out' if any of -'amount1'/'amount1-in'/'amount1-out' are assigned, and posting 2 ignores -them if any of 'amount2'/'amount2-in'/'amount2-out' are assigned, -avoiding conflicts. +without having to update and retest all the old rules. To facilitate +this, posting 1 ignores `amount'/`amount-in'/`amount-out' if any of +`amount1'/`amount1-in'/`amount1-out' are assigned, and posting 2 +ignores them if any of `amount2'/`amount2-in'/`amount2-out' are +assigned, avoiding conflicts.  File: hledger.info, Node: currency field, Next: balance field, Prev: amount field, Up: Field names @@ -6916,11 +7423,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: currency field, Next: balance field, Prev: amount f 13.2.4.9 currency field ....................... -'currency' sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all postings' -amounts. You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency +`currency' sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all postings' +amounts. You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency symbol, eg if it is in a separate column. - 'currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's + `currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's amount.  @@ -6929,48 +7436,52 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: balance field, Prev: currency field, Up: Field name 13.2.4.10 balance field ....................... -'balanceN' sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting amount is +`balanceN' sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting amount is left empty, a balance assignment) on posting N. - 'balance' is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is -equivalent to 'balance1'. + `balance' is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is +equivalent to `balance1'. You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the -'balance-type' rule (see below). +`balance-type' rule (see below). See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.  File: hledger.info, Node: separator, Next: if block, Prev: Field names, Up: CSV rules -13.2.5 'separator' +13.2.5 `separator' ------------------ -You can use the 'separator' rule to read other kinds of -character-separated data. The argument is any single separator -character, or the words 'tab' or 'space' (case insensitive). Eg, for +You can use the `separator' rule to read other kinds of +character-separated data. The argument is any single separator +character, or the words `tab' or `space' (case insensitive). Eg, for comma-separated values (CSV): + separator , or for semicolon-separated values (SSV): + separator ; or for tab-separated values (TSV): + separator TAB - If the input file has a '.csv', '.ssv' or '.tsv' file extension (or a -'csv:', 'ssv:', 'tsv:' prefix), the appropriate separator will be + If the input file has a `.csv', `.ssv' or `.tsv' file extension (or +a `csv:', `ssv:', `tsv:' prefix), the appropriate separator will be inferred automatically, and you won't need this rule.  File: hledger.info, Node: if block, Next: if table, Prev: separator, Up: CSV rules -13.2.6 'if' block +13.2.6 `if' block ----------------- + if MATCHER RULE @@ -6981,10 +7492,9 @@ MATCHER RULE RULE - Conditional blocks ("if blocks") are a block of rules that are -applied only to CSV records which match certain patterns. They are -often used for customising account names based on transaction -descriptions. +Conditional blocks ("if blocks") are a block of rules that are applied +only to CSV records which match certain patterns. They are often used +for customising account names based on transaction descriptions. * Menu: @@ -7001,20 +7511,21 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Matching the whole record, Next: Matching individual Each MATCHER can be a record matcher, which looks like this: + REGEX REGEX is a case-insensitive regular expression that tries to match -anywhere within the CSV record. It is a POSIX ERE (extended regular -expression) that also supports GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B', '\<', -'\>'), and nothing else. If you have trouble, be sure to check our doc: +anywhere within the CSV record. It is a POSIX ERE (extended regular +expression) that also supports GNU word boundaries (`\b', `\B', `\<', +`\>'), and nothing else. If you have trouble, be sure to check our doc: https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions Important note: the record that is matched is not the original record, but a synthetic one, with any enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing whitespace) removed, and always comma-separated (which means -that a field containing a comma will appear like two fields). Eg, if -the original record is '2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc."; 1,000', the REGEX will -actually see '2020-01-01,Acme, Inc., 1,000'). +that a field containing a comma will appear like two fields). Eg, if the +original record is `2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc."; 1,000', the REGEX will +actually see `2020-01-01,Acme, Inc., 1,000').  File: hledger.info, Node: Matching individual fields, Next: Combining matchers, Prev: Matching the whole record, Up: if block @@ -7024,11 +7535,12 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Matching individual fields, Next: Combining matchers Or, MATCHER can be a field matcher, like this: + %CSVFIELD REGEX - which matches just the content of a particular CSV field. CSVFIELD + which matches just the content of a particular CSV field. CSVFIELD is a percent sign followed by the field's name or column number, like -'%date' or '%1'. +`%date' or `%1'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Combining matchers, Next: Rules applied on successful match, Prev: Matching individual fields, Up: if block @@ -7039,9 +7551,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Combining matchers, Next: Rules applied on successfu A single matcher can be written on the same line as the "if"; or multiple matchers can be written on the following lines, non-indented. Multiple matchers are OR'd (any one of them can match), unless one -begins with an '&' symbol, in which case it is AND'ed with the previous +begins with an `&' symbol, in which case it is AND'ed with the previous matcher. + if MATCHER & MATCHER @@ -7054,19 +7567,23 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Rules applied on successful match, Prev: Combining m .......................................... After the patterns there should be one or more rules to apply, all -indented by at least one space. Three kinds of rule are allowed in +indented by at least one space. Three kinds of rule are allowed in conditional blocks: * field assignments (to set a hledger field) + * skip (to skip the matched CSV record) + * end (to skip all remaining CSV records). Examples: + # if the CSV record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries" if groceries account2 expenses:groceries + # if the CSV record contains any of these patterns, set account2 and comment as shown if monthly service fee @@ -7078,26 +7595,28 @@ banking thru software  File: hledger.info, Node: if table, Next: end, Prev: if block, Up: CSV rules -13.2.7 'if' table +13.2.7 `if' table ----------------- + if,CSVFIELDNAME1,CSVFIELDNAME2,...,CSVFIELDNAMEn MATCHER1,VALUE11,VALUE12,...,VALUE1n MATCHER2,VALUE21,VALUE22,...,VALUE2n MATCHER3,VALUE31,VALUE32,...,VALUE3n - Conditional tables ("if tables") are a different syntax to specify -field assignments that will be applied only to CSV records which match -certain patterns. +Conditional tables ("if tables") are a different syntax to specify field +assignments that will be applied only to CSV records which match certain +patterns. MATCHER could be either field or record matcher, as described above. When MATCHER matches, values from that row would be assigned to the CSV -fields named on the 'if' line, in the same order. +fields named on the `if' line, in the same order. - Therefore 'if' table is exactly equivalent to a sequence of of 'if' + Therefore `if' table is exactly equivalent to a sequence of of `if' blocks: + if MATCHER1 CSVFIELDNAME1 VALUE11 CSVFIELDNAME2 VALUE12 @@ -7120,17 +7639,18 @@ if MATCHER3 empty) values for all the listed fields. Rules would be checked and applied in the order they are listed in -the table and, like with 'if' blocks, later rules (in the same or -another table) or 'if' blocks could override the effect of any rule. +the table and, like with `if' blocks, later rules (in the same or +another table) or `if' blocks could override the effect of any rule. Instead of ',' you can use a variety of other non-alphanumeric -characters as a separator. First character after 'if' is taken to be -the separator for the rest of the table. It is the responsibility of +characters as a separator. First character after `if' is taken to be +the separator for the rest of the table. It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that separator does not occur inside MATCHERs and values - there is no way to escape separator. Example: + if,account2,comment atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it %description groceries,expenses:groceries, @@ -7139,12 +7659,13 @@ atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it  File: hledger.info, Node: end, Next: date-format, Prev: if table, Up: CSV rules -13.2.8 'end' +13.2.8 `end' ------------ This rule can be used inside if blocks (only), to make hledger stop reading this CSV file and move on to the next input file, or to command -execution. Eg: +execution. Eg: + # ignore everything following the first empty record if ,,,, @@ -7153,27 +7674,32 @@ if ,,,,  File: hledger.info, Node: date-format, Next: decimal-mark, Prev: end, Up: CSV rules -13.2.9 'date-format' +13.2.9 `date-format' -------------------- + date-format DATEFMT - This is a helper for the 'date' (and 'date2') fields. If your CSV -dates are not formatted like 'YYYY-MM-DD', 'YYYY/MM/DD' or 'YYYY.MM.DD', +This is a helper for the `date' (and `date2') fields. If your CSV dates +are not formatted like `YYYY-MM-DD', `YYYY/MM/DD' or `YYYY.MM.DD', you'll need to add a date-format rule describing them with a strptime date parsing pattern, which must parse the CSV date value completely. Some examples: + # MM/DD/YY date-format %m/%d/%y + # D/M/YYYY # The - makes leading zeros optional. date-format %-d/%-m/%Y + # YYYY-Mmm-DD date-format %Y-%h-%d + # M/D/YYYY HH:MM AM some other junk # Note the time and junk must be fully parsed, though only the date is used. date-format %-m/%-d/%Y %l:%M %p some other junk @@ -7189,17 +7715,19 @@ time zone, dates can be "off by one".  File: hledger.info, Node: decimal-mark, Next: newest-first, Prev: date-format, Up: CSV rules -13.2.10 'decimal-mark' +13.2.10 `decimal-mark' ---------------------- + decimal-mark . - or: +or: + decimal-mark , hledger automatically accepts either period or comma as a decimal -mark when parsing numbers (cf Amounts). However if any numbers in the +mark when parsing numbers (cf Amounts). However if any numbers in the CSV contain digit group marks, such as thousand-separating commas, you should declare the decimal mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid misparsed numbers. @@ -7207,21 +7735,24 @@ misparsed numbers.  File: hledger.info, Node: newest-first, Next: include, Prev: decimal-mark, Up: CSV rules -13.2.11 'newest-first' +13.2.11 `newest-first' ---------------------- -hledger always sorts the generated transactions by date. Transactions -on the same date should appear in the same order as their CSV records, -as hledger can usually auto-detect whether the CSV's normal order is -oldest first or newest first. But if all of the following are true: +hledger always sorts the generated transactions by date. Transactions on +the same date should appear in the same order as their CSV records, as +hledger can usually auto-detect whether the CSV's normal order is oldest +first or newest first. But if all of the following are true: * the CSV might sometimes contain just one day of data (all records having the same date) - * the CSV records are normally in reverse chronological order (newest - at the top) + + * the CSV records are normally in reverse chronological order + (newest at the top) + * and you care about preserving the order of same-day transactions - then, you should add the 'newest-first' rule as a hint. Eg: + then, you should add the `newest-first' rule as a hint. Eg: + # tell hledger explicitly that the CSV is normally newest first newest-first @@ -7229,16 +7760,18 @@ newest-first  File: hledger.info, Node: include, Next: balance-type, Prev: newest-first, Up: CSV rules -13.2.12 'include' +13.2.12 `include' ----------------- + include RULESFILE - This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point. -'RULESFILE' is an absolute file path or a path relative to the current -file's directory. This can be useful for sharing common rules between +This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point. +`RULESFILE' is an absolute file path or a path relative to the current +file's directory. This can be useful for sharing common rules between several rules files, eg: + # someaccount.csv.rules ## someaccount-specific rules @@ -7252,21 +7785,23 @@ include categorisation.rules  File: hledger.info, Node: balance-type, Prev: include, Up: CSV rules -13.2.13 'balance-type' +13.2.13 `balance-type' ---------------------- Balance assertions generated by assigning to balanceN are of the simple -'=' type by default, which is a single-commodity, subaccount-excluding -assertion. You may find the subaccount-including variants more useful, -eg if you have created some virtual subaccounts of checking to help with -budgeting. You can select a different type of assertion with the -'balance-type' rule: +`=' type by default, which is a single-commodity, subaccount-excluding +assertion. You may find the subaccount-including variants more useful, +eg if you have created some virtual subaccounts of checking to help +with budgeting. You can select a different type of assertion with the +`balance-type' rule: + # balance assertions will consider all commodities and all subaccounts balance-type ==* Here are the balance assertion types for quick reference: + = single commodity, exclude subaccounts =* single commodity, include subaccounts == multi commodity, exclude subaccounts @@ -7300,15 +7835,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Rapid feedback, Next: Valid CSV, Up: Tips --------------------- It's a good idea to get rapid feedback while creating/troubleshooting -CSV rules. Here's a good way, using entr from +CSV rules. Here's a good way, using entr from http://eradman.com/entrproject : + $ ls foo.csv* | entr bash -c 'echo ----; hledger -f foo.csv print desc:SOMEDESC' - A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, transactions -of interest. "bash -c" is used to run multiple commands, so we can echo -a separator each time the command re-runs, making it easier to read the -output. + A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, +transactions of interest. "bash -c" is used to run multiple commands, +so we can echo a separator each time the command re-runs, making it +easier to read the output.  File: hledger.info, Node: Valid CSV, Next: File Extension, Prev: Rapid feedback, Up: Tips @@ -7316,10 +7852,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Valid CSV, Next: File Extension, Prev: Rapid feedba 13.3.2 Valid CSV ---------------- -hledger accepts CSV conforming to RFC 4180. When CSV values are -enclosed in quotes, note: +hledger accepts CSV conforming to RFC 4180. When CSV values are enclosed +in quotes, note: * they must be double quotes (not single quotes) + * spaces outside the quotes are not allowed  @@ -7329,14 +7866,16 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: File Extension, Next: Reading multiple CSV files, P --------------------- To help hledger identify the format and show the right error messages, -CSV/SSV/TSV files should normally be named with a '.csv', '.ssv' or -'.tsv' filename extension. Or, the file path should be prefixed with -'csv:', 'ssv:' or 'tsv:'. Eg: +CSV/SSV/TSV files should normally be named with a `.csv', `.ssv' or +`.tsv' filename extension. Or, the file path should be prefixed with +`csv:', `ssv:' or `tsv:'. Eg: + $ hledger -f foo.ssv print or: + $ cat foo | hledger -f ssv:- foo You can override the file extension with a separator rule if needed. @@ -7348,9 +7887,9 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Reading multiple CSV files, Next: Valid transactions 13.3.4 Reading multiple CSV files --------------------------------- -If you use multiple '-f' options to read multiple CSV files at once, +If you use multiple `-f' options to read multiple CSV files at once, hledger will look for a correspondingly-named rules file for each CSV -file. But if you use the '--rules-file' option, that rules file will be +file. But if you use the `--rules-file' option, that rules file will be used for all the CSV files.  @@ -7367,9 +7906,10 @@ the problem entry. There is one exception: balance assertions, if you have generated them, will not be checked, since normally these will work only when the -CSV data is part of the main journal. If you do need to check balance +CSV data is part of the main journal. If you do need to check balance assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger: + $ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print  @@ -7383,23 +7923,25 @@ transactions, the new file may overlap with the old one, containing some of the same records. The import command will (a) detect the new transactions, and (b) -append just those transactions to your main journal. It is idempotent, +append just those transactions to your main journal. It is idempotent, so you don't have to remember how many times you ran it or with which -version of the CSV. (It keeps state in a hidden '.latest.FILE.csv' -file.) This is the easiest way to import CSV data. Eg: +version of the CSV. (It keeps state in a hidden `.latest.FILE.csv' +file.) This is the easiest way to import CSV data. Eg: + # download the latest CSV files, then run this command. # Note, no -f flags needed here. $ hledger import *.csv [--dry] - This method works for most CSV files. (Where records have a stable + This method works for most CSV files. (Where records have a stable chronological order, and new records appear only at the new end.) A number of other tools and workflows, hledger-specific and -otherwise, exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and managing -CSV data. See: +otherwise, exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and +managing CSV data. See: * https://hledger.org -> sidebar -> real world setups + * https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion  @@ -7413,23 +7955,24 @@ Some tips on using the amount-setting rules discussed above. Here are the ways to set a posting's amount: 1. *If the CSV has a single amount field:* - Assign (via a fields list or a field assignment) to 'amountN'. - This sets the Nth posting's amount. N is usually 1 or 2 but can go - up to 99. + Assign (via a fields list or a field assignment) to `amountN'. This + sets the Nth posting's amount. N is usually 1 or 2 but can go up + to 99. 2. *If the CSV has separate amount fields for debit & credit (in & out):* - a. *If both fields are unsigned:* - Assign to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out'. This sets posting + Assign to `amountN-in' and `amountN-out'. This sets posting N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero value, and negates the "-out" value. b. *If either field is signed (can contain a minus sign):* - Use a conditional rule to flip the sign (of non-empty values). - Since hledger always negates amountN-out, if it was already - negative, we must undo that by negating once more (but only if - the field is non-empty): + Use a conditional rule to flip the sign (of non-empty + values). Since hledger always negates amountN-out, if it was + already negative, we must undo that by negating once more + (but only if the field is non-empty): + + fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out if %amount1-out [1-9] @@ -7438,17 +7981,19 @@ Some tips on using the amount-setting rules discussed above. c. *If both fields, or neither field, can contain a non-zero value:* hledger normally expects exactly one of the fields to have a - non-zero value. Eg, the 'amountN-in'/'amountN-out' rules + non-zero value. Eg, the `amountN-in'/`amountN-out' rules would reject value pairs like these: + "", "" "0", "0" "1", "none" So, use smarter conditional rules to set the amount from the - appropriate field. Eg, these rules would make it use only the + appropriate field. Eg, these rules would make it use only the value containing non-zero digits, handling the above: + fields date, description, in, out if %in [1-9] amount1 %in @@ -7457,22 +8002,25 @@ Some tips on using the amount-setting rules discussed above. 3. *If you are stuck with hledger <1.17, or you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:* - Assign to 'amount' (or to 'amount-in' and 'amount-out'). (The old + Assign to `amount' (or to `amount-in' and `amount-out'). (The old numberless syntax, which sets amount1 and amount2.) 4. *If the CSV has the balance instead of the transaction amount:* - Assign to 'balanceN', which sets posting N's amount indirectly via - a balance assignment. (Old syntax: 'balance', equivalent to - 'balance1'.) + Assign to `balanceN', which sets posting N's amount indirectly via + a balance assignment. (Old syntax: `balance', equivalent to + `balance1'.) * *If hledger guesses the wrong default account name:* When setting the amount via balance assertion, hledger may - guess the wrong default account name. So, set the account + guess the wrong default account name. So, set the account name explicitly, eg: + fields date, description, balance1 account1 assets:checking + +  File: hledger.info, Node: Amount signs, Next: Setting currency/commodity, Prev: Setting amounts, Up: Tips @@ -7483,21 +8031,22 @@ There is some special handling for amount signs, to simplify parsing and sign-flipping: * *If an amount value begins with a plus sign:* - that will be removed: '+AMT' becomes 'AMT' + that will be removed: `+AMT' becomes `AMT' * *If an amount value is parenthesised:* - it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: '(AMT)' becomes - '-AMT' + it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: `(AMT)' becomes + `-AMT' * *If an amount value has two minus signs (or two sets of parentheses, or a minus sign and parentheses):* - they cancel out and will be removed: '--AMT' or '-(AMT)' becomes - 'AMT' + they cancel out and will be removed: `--AMT' or `-(AMT)' becomes + `AMT' * *If an amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of parentheses):* - that is removed, making it an empty value. '"+"' or '"-"' or - '"()"' becomes '""'. + that is removed, making it an empty value. `"+"' or `"-"' or + `"()"' becomes `""'. +  File: hledger.info, Node: Setting currency/commodity, Next: Amount decimal places, Prev: Amount signs, Up: Tips @@ -7508,43 +8057,51 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Setting currency/commodity, Next: Amount decimal pla If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV's amount field(s): + 2020-01-01,foo,$123.00 you don't have to do anything special for the commodity symbol, it -will be assigned as part of the amount. Eg: +will be assigned as part of the amount. Eg: + fields date,description,amount + 2020-01-01 foo expenses:unknown $123.00 income:unknown $-123.00 If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field: + 2020-01-01,foo,USD,123.00 - You can assign that to the 'currency' pseudo-field, which has the + You can assign that to the `currency' pseudo-field, which has the special effect of prepending itself to every amount in the transaction (on the left, with no separating space): + fields date,description,currency,amount + 2020-01-01 foo expenses:unknown USD123.00 income:unknown USD-123.00 Or, you can use a field assignment to construct the amount yourself, -with more control. Eg to put the symbol on the right, and separated by -a space: +with more control. Eg to put the symbol on the right, and separated by a +space: + fields date,description,cur,amt amount %amt %cur + 2020-01-01 foo expenses:unknown 123.00 USD income:unknown -123.00 USD - Note we used a temporary field name ('cur') that is not 'currency' - + Note we used a temporary field name (`cur') that is not `currency' - that would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.  @@ -7554,7 +8111,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Amount decimal places, Next: Referencing other field ----------------------------- Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like -'amount1' influence commodity display styles, such as the number of +`amount1' influence commodity display styles, such as the number of decimal places displayed in reports. The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display @@ -7567,10 +8124,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Referencing other fields, Next: How CSV rules are ev -------------------------------- In field assignments, you can interpolate only CSV fields, not hledger -fields. In the example below, there's both a CSV field and a hledger +fields. In the example below, there's both a CSV field and a hledger field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the hledger field: + # Name the third CSV field "amount1" fields date,description,amount1 @@ -7583,14 +8141,16 @@ comment %amount1 Here, since there's no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a literal "amount1": + fields date,description,csvamount amount1 %csvamount USD # Can't interpolate amount1 here comment %amount1 When there are multiple field assignments to the same hledger field, -only the last one takes effect. Here, comment's value will be be B, or -C if "something" is matched, but never A: +only the last one takes effect. Here, comment's value will be be B, or C +if "something" is matched, but never A: + comment A comment B @@ -7604,37 +8164,43 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: How CSV rules are evaluated, Prev: Referencing other ----------------------------------- Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need -to). First, +to). First, - * 'include' - all includes are inlined, from top to bottom, depth - first. (At each include point the file is inlined and scanned for + * `include' - all includes are inlined, from top to bottom, depth + first. (At each include point the file is inlined and scanned for further includes, recursively, before proceeding.) - Then "global" rules are evaluated, top to bottom. If a rule is + Then "global" rules are evaluated, top to bottom. If a rule is repeated, the last one wins: - * 'skip' (at top level) - * 'date-format' - * 'newest-first' - * 'fields' - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial + * `skip' (at top level) + + * `date-format' + + * `newest-first' + + * `fields' - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial assignments to hledger fields Then for each CSV record in turn: - * test all 'if' blocks. If any of them contain a 'end' rule, skip - all remaining CSV records. Otherwise if any of them contain a - 'skip' rule, skip that many CSV records. If there are multiple - matched 'skip' rules, the first one wins. - * collect all field assignments at top level and in matched 'if' - blocks. When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only + * test all `if' blocks. If any of them contain a `end' rule, skip + all remaining CSV records. Otherwise if any of them contain a + `skip' rule, skip that many CSV records. If there are multiple + matched `skip' rules, the first one wins. + + * collect all field assignments at top level and in matched `if' + blocks. When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only the last one. + * compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELDNAME references), or a default + * generate a synthetic hledger transaction from these values. This is all part of the CSV reader, one of several readers hledger -can use to parse input files. When all files have been read +can use to parse input files. When all files have been read successfully, the transactions are passed as input to whichever hledger command the user specified. @@ -7646,22 +8212,24 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: TIMECLOCK FORMAT, Next: TIMEDOT FORMAT, Prev: CSV F The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger. - hledger can read time logs in timeclock format. As with Ledger, -these are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and -clock-out entries as in the example below. The date is a simple date. + hledger can read time logs in timeclock format. As with Ledger, these +are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and +clock-out entries as in the example below. The date is a simple date. The time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ]. Seconds and timezone are -optional. The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored +optional. The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored (currently the time is always interpreted as a local time). + i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some:account name optional description after two spaces o 2015/03/30 09:20:00 i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another account o 2015/04/01 02:00:34 hledger treats each clock-in/clock-out pair as a transaction posting -some number of hours to an account. Or if the session spans more than -one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day. For -the above time log, 'hledger print' generates these journal entries: +some number of hours to an account. Or if the session spans more than +one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day. For +the above time log, `hledger print' generates these journal entries: + $ hledger -f t.timeclock print 2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces @@ -7675,6 +8243,7 @@ $ hledger -f t.timeclock print Here is a sample.timeclock to download and some queries to try: + $ hledger -f sample.timeclock balance # current time balances $ hledger -f sample.timeclock register -p 2009/3 # sessions in march 2009 $ hledger -f sample.timeclock register -p weekly --depth 1 --empty # time summary by week @@ -7684,14 +8253,15 @@ $ hledger -f sample.timeclock register -p weekly --depth 1 --empty # time summa * use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-x.el and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el - * at the command line, use these bash aliases: 'shell alias ti="echo - i `date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'` \$* >>$TIMELOG" alias to="echo o - `date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'` >>$TIMELOG"' + * at the command line, use these bash aliases: `shell alias + ti="echo i `date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'` \$* >>$TIMELOG" alias + to="echo o `date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'` >>$TIMELOG"' - * or use the old 'ti' and 'to' scripts in the ledger 2.x repository. + * or use the old `ti' and `to' scripts in the ledger 2.x repository. These rely on a "timeclock" executable which I think is just the ledger 2 executable renamed. +  File: hledger.info, Node: TIMEDOT FORMAT, Next: COMMON TASKS, Prev: TIMECLOCK FORMAT, Up: Top @@ -7701,58 +8271,61 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: TIMEDOT FORMAT, Next: COMMON TASKS, Prev: TIMECLOCK hledger's human-friendly time logging format. Timedot is a plain text format for logging dated, categorised -quantities (of time, usually), supported by hledger. It is convenient +quantities (of time, usually), supported by hledger. It is convenient for approximate and retroactive time logging, eg when the real-time clock-in/out required with a timeclock file is too precise or too -interruptive. It can be formatted like a bar chart, making clear at a +interruptive. It can be formatted like a bar chart, making clear at a glance where time was spent. Though called "timedot", this format is read by hledger as commodityless quantities, so it could be used to represent dated -quantities other than time. In the docs below we'll assume it's time. +quantities other than time. In the docs below we'll assume it's time. - A timedot file contains a series of day entries. A day entry begins + A timedot file contains a series of day entries. A day entry begins with a non-indented hledger-style simple date (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, Y.M.D..) Any additional text on the same line is used as a transaction description for this day. This is followed by optionally-indented timelog items for that day, -one per line. Each timelog item is a note, usually a +one per line. Each timelog item is a note, usually a hledger:style:account:name representing a time category, followed by two -or more spaces, and a quantity. Each timelog item generates a hledger +or more spaces, and a quantity. Each timelog item generates a hledger transaction. Quantities can be written as: - * dots: a sequence of dots (.) representing quarter hours. Spaces - may optionally be used for grouping. Eg: .... .. + * dots: a sequence of dots (.) representing quarter hours. Spaces may + optionally be used for grouping. Eg: .... .. - * an integral or decimal number, representing hours. Eg: 1.5 + * an integral or decimal number, representing hours. Eg: 1.5 * an integral or decimal number immediately followed by a unit symbol - 's', 'm', 'h', 'd', 'w', 'mo', or 'y', representing seconds, - minutes, hours, days weeks, months or years respectively. Eg: 90m. + `s', `m', `h', `d', `w', `mo', or `y', representing seconds, + minutes, hours, days weeks, months or years respectively. Eg: 90m. The following equivalencies are assumed, currently: 1m = 60s, 1h = 60m, 1d = 24h, 1w = 7d, 1mo = 30d, 1y=365d. + There is some flexibility allowing notes and todo lists to be kept right in the time log, if needed: - * Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored. + * Blank lines and lines beginning with `#' or `;' are ignored. * Lines not ending with a double-space and quantity are parsed as items taking no time, which will not appear in balance reports by default. (Add -E to see them.) - * Org mode headlines (lines beginning with one or more '*' followed + * Org mode headlines (lines beginning with one or more `*' followed by a space) can be used as date lines or timelog items (the stars - are ignored). Also all org headlines before the first date line + are ignored). Also all org headlines before the first date line are ignored. This means org users can manage their timelog as an org outline (eg using org-mode/orgstruct-mode in Emacs), for organisation, faster navigation, controlling visibility etc. + Examples: + # on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc. 2016/2/1 inc:client1 .... .... .... .... .... .... @@ -7763,16 +8336,19 @@ biz:research . inc:client1 .... .... biz:research . + 2016/2/3 inc:client1 4 fos:hledger 3 biz:research 1 + * Time log ** 2020-01-01 *** adm:time . *** adm:finance . + * 2020 Work Diary ** Q1 *** 2020-02-29 @@ -7791,6 +8367,7 @@ adm:planning: trip Reporting: + $ hledger -f t.timedot print date:2016/2/2 2016-02-02 * (inc:client1) 2.00 @@ -7798,28 +8375,31 @@ $ hledger -f t.timedot print date:2016/2/2 2016-02-02 * (biz:research) 0.25 + $ hledger -f t.timedot bal --daily --tree Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03: - || 2016-02-01d 2016-02-02d 2016-02-03d + || 2016-02-01d 2016-02-02d 2016-02-03d ============++======================================== - biz || 0.25 0.25 1.00 - research || 0.25 0.25 1.00 - fos || 1.50 0 3.00 - haskell || 1.50 0 0 - hledger || 0 0 3.00 - inc || 6.00 2.00 4.00 - client1 || 6.00 2.00 4.00 + biz || 0.25 0.25 1.00 + research || 0.25 0.25 1.00 + fos || 1.50 0 3.00 + haskell || 1.50 0 0 + hledger || 0 0 3.00 + inc || 6.00 2.00 4.00 + client1 || 6.00 2.00 4.00 ------------++---------------------------------------- - || 7.75 2.25 8.00 + || 7.75 2.25 8.00 + + I prefer to use period for separating account components. We can make +this work with an account alias: - I prefer to use period for separating account components. We can -make this work with an account alias: 2016/2/4 fos.hledger.timedot 4 fos.ledger .. + $ hledger -f t.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal date:2016/2/4 --tree 4.50 fos 4.00 hledger:timedot @@ -7857,6 +8437,7 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Getting help, Next: Constructing command lines, Up: 16.1 Getting help ================= + $ hledger # show available commands $ hledger --help # show common options $ hledger CMD --help # show common and command options, and command help @@ -7865,7 +8446,7 @@ $ hledger help hledger # show hledger manual as info/man/text (auto-chosen) $ hledger help journal --man # show the journal manual as a man page $ hledger help --help # show more detailed help for the help command - Find more docs, chat, mail list, reddit, issue tracker: +Find more docs, chat, mail list, reddit, issue tracker: https://hledger.org#help-feedback  @@ -7874,19 +8455,23 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Constructing command lines, Next: Starting a journal 16.2 Constructing command lines =============================== -hledger has an extensive and powerful command line interface. We strive +hledger has an extensive and powerful command line interface. We strive to keep it simple and ergonomic, but you may run into one of the -confusing real world details described in OPTIONS, below. If that +confusing real world details described in OPTIONS, below. If that happens, here are some tips that may help: * command-specific options must go after the command (it's fine to - put all options there) ('hledger CMD OPTS ARGS') + put all options there) (`hledger CMD OPTS ARGS') + * running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing - ('hledger-ui OPTS ARGS') + (`hledger-ui OPTS ARGS') + * enclose "problematic" args in single quotes + * if needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression metacharacters from the shell - * to see how a misbehaving command is being parsed, add '--debug=2'. + + * to see how a misbehaving command is being parsed, add `--debug=2'.  File: hledger.info, Node: Starting a journal file, Next: Setting opening balances, Prev: Constructing command lines, Up: COMMON TASKS @@ -7895,17 +8480,19 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Starting a journal file, Next: Setting opening balan ============================ hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file, -'$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default: +`$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default: + $ hledger stats The hledger journal file "/Users/simon/.hledger.journal" was not found. Please create it first, eg with "hledger add" or a text editor. Or, specify an existing journal file with -f or LEDGER_FILE. - You can override this by setting the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment -variable. It's a good practice to keep this important file under -version control, and to start a new file each year. So you could do -something like this: + You can override this by setting the `LEDGER_FILE' environment +variable. It's a good practice to keep this important file under version +control, and to start a new file each year. So you could do something +like this: + $ mkdir ~/finance $ cd ~/finance @@ -7916,7 +8503,7 @@ $ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal" >> ~/.bashrc $ source ~/.bashrc $ hledger stats Main file : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal -Included files : +Included files : Transactions span : to (0 days) Last transaction : none Transactions : 0 (0.0 per day) @@ -7934,21 +8521,22 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Setting opening balances, Next: Recording transactio ============================= Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some -real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..) and liabilities (credit +real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..) and liabilities (credit cards..). To avoid a lot of data entry, you may want to start with just one or two accounts, like your checking account or cash wallet; and pick a -recent starting date, like today or the start of the week. You can +recent starting date, like today or the start of the week. You can always come back later and add more accounts and older transactions, eg going back to january 1st. Add an opening balances transaction to the journal, declaring the -balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: +balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: * The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an entry like this: + 2020-01-01 * opening balances assets:bank:checking $1000 = $1000 assets:bank:savings $2000 = $2000 @@ -7959,7 +8547,7 @@ balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: These are start-of-day balances, ie whatever was in the account at the end of the previous day. - The * after the date is an optional status flag. Here it means + The * after the date is an optional status flag. Here it means "cleared & confirmed". The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as @@ -7968,9 +8556,10 @@ balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra error checking. - * The second way: run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts to record + * The second way: run `hledger add' and follow the prompts to record a similar transaction: + $ hledger add Adding transactions to journal file /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal Any command line arguments will be used as defaults. @@ -7991,7 +8580,7 @@ balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: Account 4: liabilities:creditcard Amount 4 [$-3100]: $-50 Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances - Amount 5 [$-3050]: + Amount 5 [$-3050]: Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): . 2020-01-01 * opening balances assets:bank:checking $1000 @@ -7999,14 +8588,16 @@ balances on this date. Here are two ways to do it: assets:cash $100 liabilities:creditcard $-50 equity:opening/closing balances $-3050 - - Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: + + Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: Saved. Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit) Date [2020-01-01]: . + If you're using version control, this could be a good time to commit -the journal. Eg: +the journal. Eg: + $ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2020.journal @@ -8024,6 +8615,7 @@ convert CSV data downloaded from your bank. Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual and hledger.org for more ideas: + 2020/1/10 * gift received assets:cash $20 income:gifts @@ -8046,49 +8638,52 @@ Periodically you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported balances against external sources of truth, like bank statements or your bank's website - to be sure that your ledger accurately represents the real-world balances (and, that the real-world institutions have not made -a mistake!). This gets easy and fast with (1) practice and (2) -frequency. If you do it daily, it can take 2-10 minutes. If you let it +a mistake!). This gets easy and fast with (1) practice and (2) +frequency. If you do it daily, it can take 2-10 minutes. If you let it pile up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors and discrepancies. A typical workflow: - 1. Reconcile cash. Count what's in your wallet. Compare with what - hledger reports ('hledger bal cash'). If they are different, try - to remember the missing transaction, or look for the error in the - already-recorded transactions. A register report can be helpful - ('hledger reg cash'). If you can't find the error, add an - adjustment transaction. Eg if you have $105 after the above, and + 1. Reconcile cash. Count what's in your wallet. Compare with what + hledger reports (`hledger bal cash'). If they are different, try to + remember the missing transaction, or look for the error in the + already-recorded transactions. A register report can be helpful + (`hledger reg cash'). If you can't find the error, add an + adjustment transaction. Eg if you have $105 after the above, and can't explain the missing $2, it could be: + 2020-01-16 * adjust cash assets:cash $-2 = $105 expenses:misc - 2. Reconcile checking. Log in to your bank's website. Compare - today's (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance ('hledger - bal checking -C'). If they are different, track down the error or - record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment transaction, - similar to the above. Unlike the cash case, you can usually - compare the transaction history and running balance from your bank - with the one reported by 'hledger reg checking -C'. This will be - easier if you generally record transaction dates quite similar to - your bank's clearing dates. + 2. Reconcile checking. Log in to your bank's website. Compare today's + (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance (`hledger bal + checking -C'). If they are different, track down the error or + record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment + transaction, similar to the above. Unlike the cash case, you can + usually compare the transaction history and running balance from + your bank with the one reported by `hledger reg checking -C'. This + will be easier if you generally record transaction dates quite + similar to your bank's clearing dates. 3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts. + Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a -live-updating register while you edit the journal: 'hledger-ui --watch +live-updating register while you edit the journal: `hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C' After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled transactions' status as "cleared and confirmed", if you want to track -that, by adding the '*' marker. Eg in the paycheck transaction above, -insert '*' between '2020-01-15' and 'paycheck' +that, by adding the `*' marker. Eg in the paycheck transaction above, +insert `*' between `2020-01-15' and `paycheck' If you're using version control, this can be another good time to commit: + $ git commit -m 'txns' 2020.journal  @@ -8101,6 +8696,7 @@ Here are some basic reports. Show all transactions: + $ hledger print 2020-01-01 * opening balances assets:bank:checking $1000 @@ -8127,6 +8723,7 @@ $ hledger print Show account names, and their hierarchy: + $ hledger accounts --tree assets bank @@ -8146,6 +8743,7 @@ liabilities Show all account totals: + $ hledger balance $4105 assets $4000 bank @@ -8166,6 +8764,7 @@ $ hledger balance Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to depth 2: + $ hledger bal assets liabilities --flat -2 $4000 assets:bank $105 assets:cash @@ -8176,56 +8775,59 @@ $ hledger bal assets liabilities --flat -2 Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple balance sheet: + $ hledger bs --flat -2 Balance Sheet 2020-01-16 - || 2020-01-16 + || 2020-01-16 ========================++============ - Assets || + Assets || ------------------------++------------ - assets:bank || $4000 - assets:cash || $105 + assets:bank || $4000 + assets:cash || $105 ------------------------++------------ - || $4105 + || $4105 ========================++============ - Liabilities || + Liabilities || ------------------------++------------ - liabilities:creditcard || $50 + liabilities:creditcard || $50 ------------------------++------------ - || $50 + || $50 ========================++============ - Net: || $4055 + Net: || $4055 - The final total is your "net worth" on the end date. (Or use 'bse' + The final total is your "net worth" on the end date. (Or use `bse' for a full balance sheet with equity.) Show income and expense totals, formatted as an income statement: -hledger is + +hledger is Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 - || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 + || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 ===============++======================= - Revenues || + Revenues || ---------------++----------------------- - income:gifts || $20 - income:salary || $1000 + income:gifts || $20 + income:salary || $1000 ---------------++----------------------- - || $1020 + || $1020 ===============++======================= - Expenses || + Expenses || ---------------++----------------------- - expenses:food || $13 - expenses:misc || $2 + expenses:food || $13 + expenses:misc || $2 ---------------++----------------------- - || $15 + || $15 ===============++======================= - Net: || $1005 + Net: || $1005 The final total is your net income during this period. Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total: + $ hledger register cash 2020-01-01 opening balances assets:cash $100 $100 2020-01-10 gift received assets:cash $20 $120 @@ -8234,6 +8836,7 @@ $ hledger register cash Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart: + $ hledger activity -W 2019-12-30 ***** 2020-01-06 **** @@ -8247,10 +8850,10 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: Migrating to a new file, Prev: Reporting, Up: COMMO At the end of the year, you may want to continue your journal in a new file, so that old transactions don't slow down or clutter your reports, -and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history. See the +and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history. See the close command. - If using version control, don't forget to 'git add' the new file. + If using version control, don't forget to `git add' the new file.  File: hledger.info, Node: LIMITATIONS, Next: TROUBLESHOOTING, Prev: COMMON TASKS, Up: Top @@ -8258,11 +8861,11 @@ File: hledger.info, Node: LIMITATIONS, Next: TROUBLESHOOTING, Prev: COMMON TA 17 LIMITATIONS ************** -The need to precede add-on command options with '--' when invoked from +The need to precede add-on command options with `--' when invoked from hledger is awkward. When input data contains non-ascii characters, a suitable system -locale must be configured (or there will be an unhelpful error). Eg on +locale must be configured (or there will be an unhelpful error). Eg on POSIX, set LANG to something other than C. In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours @@ -8274,8 +8877,8 @@ running a hledger built in CMD in MSYS/CYGWIN, or vice-versa. In a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window, the tab key is not supported in hledger add. - Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax is supported. See file -format differences. + Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax is supported. See file format +differences. On large data files, hledger is slower and uses more memory than Ledger. @@ -8292,28 +8895,29 @@ tracker): *Successfully installed, but "No command 'hledger' found"* stack and cabal install binaries into a special directory, which should -be added to your PATH environment variable. Eg on unix-like systems, +be added to your PATH environment variable. Eg on unix-like systems, that is ~/.local/bin and ~/.cabal/bin respectively. *I set a custom LEDGER_FILE, but hledger is still using the default file* -'LEDGER_FILE' should be a real environment variable, not just a shell -variable. The command 'env | grep LEDGER_FILE' should show it. You may -need to use 'export'. Here's an explanation. +`LEDGER_FILE' should be a real environment variable, not just a shell +variable. The command `env | grep LEDGER_FILE' should show it. You may +need to use `export'. Here's an explanation. *Getting errors like "Illegal byte sequence" or "Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character" or "commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argument (invalid character)"* -Programs compiled with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.) need to +Programs compiled with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.) need to have a UTF-8-aware locale configured in the environment, otherwise they will fail with these kinds of errors when they encounter non-ascii characters. To fix it, set the LANG environment variable to some locale which -supports UTF-8. The locale you choose must be installed on your system. +supports UTF-8. The locale you choose must be installed on your system. Here's an example of setting LANG temporarily, on Ubuntu GNU/Linux: + $ file my.journal my.journal: UTF-8 Unicode text # the file is UTF8-encoded $ echo $LANG @@ -8324,10 +8928,11 @@ en_US.utf8 # here's a UTF8-aware one we can use POSIX $ LANG=en_US.utf8 hledger -f my.journal print # ensure it is used for this command - If available, 'C.UTF-8' will also work. If your preferred locale -isn't listed by 'locale -a', you might need to install it. Eg on + If available, `C.UTF-8' will also work. If your preferred locale +isn't listed by `locale -a', you might need to install it. Eg on Ubuntu/Debian: + $ apt-get install language-pack-fr $ locale -a C @@ -8342,485 +8947,498 @@ $ LANG=fr_FR.utf8 hledger -f my.journal print Here's how you could set it permanently, if you use a bash shell: + $ echo "export LANG=en_US.utf8" >>~/.bash_profile $ bash --login - Exact spelling and capitalisation may be important. Note the -difference on MacOS ('UTF-8', not 'utf8'). Some platforms (eg ubuntu) + Exact spelling and capitalisation may be important. Note the +difference on MacOS (`UTF-8', not `utf8'). Some platforms (eg ubuntu) allow variant spellings, but others (eg macos) require it to be exact: + $ locale -a | grep -iE en_us.*utf en_US.UTF-8 $ LANG=en_US.UTF-8 hledger -f my.journal print +  Tag Table: -Node: Top216 -Node: OPTIONS2610 -Ref: #options2711 -Node: General options2853 -Ref: #general-options2978 -Node: Command options6713 -Ref: #command-options6864 -Node: Command arguments7264 -Ref: #command-arguments7422 -Node: Special characters8302 -Ref: #special-characters8465 -Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters8628 -Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters8869 -Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters9270 -Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters9581 -Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands10107 -Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands10367 -Node: Less escaping11011 -Ref: #less-escaping11165 -Node: Unicode characters11489 -Ref: #unicode-characters11654 -Node: Regular expressions13066 -Ref: #regular-expressions13206 -Node: ENVIRONMENT14942 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FORMAT227954 -Ref: #csv-format228082 -Node: Examples230711 -Ref: #examples230814 -Node: Basic231022 -Ref: #basic231124 -Node: Bank of Ireland231666 -Ref: #bank-of-ireland231803 -Node: Amazon233265 -Ref: #amazon233385 -Node: Paypal235104 -Ref: #paypal235200 -Node: CSV rules242844 -Ref: #csv-rules242962 -Node: skip243295 -Ref: #skip243395 -Node: fields list243770 -Ref: #fields-list243909 -Node: field assignment245412 -Ref: #field-assignment245564 -Node: Field names246492 -Ref: #field-names246632 -Node: date field247012 -Ref: #date-field247132 -Node: date2 field247180 -Ref: #date2-field247323 -Node: status field247379 -Ref: #status-field247524 -Node: code field247573 -Ref: #code-field247720 -Node: description field247765 -Ref: #description-field247927 -Node: comment field247986 -Ref: #comment-field248143 -Node: account field248358 -Ref: #account-field248510 -Node: amount field249085 -Ref: #amount-field249236 -Node: currency field250481 -Ref: #currency-field250636 -Node: balance 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opening balances283875 -Ref: #setting-opening-balances284073 -Node: Recording transactions287214 -Ref: #recording-transactions287396 -Node: Reconciling287952 -Ref: #reconciling288097 -Node: Reporting290354 -Ref: #reporting290496 -Node: Migrating to a new file294495 -Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file294645 -Node: LIMITATIONS294944 -Ref: #limitations295072 -Node: TROUBLESHOOTING295815 -Ref: #troubleshooting295930 +Node: Top224 +Node: OPTIONS2594 +Ref: #options2695 +Node: General options2837 +Ref: #general-options2962 +Node: Command options6693 +Ref: #command-options6844 +Node: Command arguments7243 +Ref: #command-arguments7401 +Node: Special characters8279 +Ref: #special-characters8442 +Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters8605 +Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters8846 +Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters9248 +Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters9559 +Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands10085 +Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands10345 +Node: Less escaping10991 +Ref: #less-escaping11145 +Node: Unicode characters11471 +Ref: #unicode-characters11636 +Node: Regular expressions13045 +Ref: #regular-expressions13185 +Node: ENVIRONMENT14926 +Ref: #environment15042 +Node: DATA FILES16024 +Ref: #data-files16143 +Node: Data formats16684 +Ref: #data-formats16802 +Node: Multiple files18284 +Ref: #multiple-files18426 +Node: Strict mode18896 +Ref: #strict-mode19011 +Node: TIME PERIODS19662 +Ref: #time-periods19779 +Node: Smart dates19877 +Ref: #smart-dates20003 +Node: Report start & end date21307 +Ref: #report-start-end-date21482 +Node: Report intervals23152 +Ref: #report-intervals23320 +Node: Period expressions24594 +Ref: #period-expressions24734 +Node: DEPTH29113 +Ref: #depth29213 +Node: QUERIES29544 +Ref: #queries29643 +Node: COSTING33692 +Ref: #costing33795 +Node: VALUATION34068 +Ref: #valuation34176 +Node: -V Value34899 +Ref: #v-value35023 +Node: -X Value in specified commodity35217 +Ref: #x-value-in-specified-commodity35410 +Node: Valuation date35559 +Ref: #valuation-date35721 +Node: Market prices36158 +Ref: #market-prices36339 +Node: --infer-market-price market prices from transactions37521 +Ref: #infer-market-price-market-prices-from-transactions37785 +Node: Valuation commodity39134 +Ref: #valuation-commodity39344 +Node: Simple valuation examples40569 +Ref: #simple-valuation-examples40765 +Node: --value Flexible valuation41427 +Ref: #value-flexible-valuation41629 +Node: More valuation examples43271 +Ref: #more-valuation-examples43472 +Node: Effect of valuation on reports45478 +Ref: #effect-of-valuation-on-reports45660 +Node: PIVOTING53557 +Ref: #pivoting53662 +Node: OUTPUT55341 +Ref: #output55443 +Node: Output destination55494 +Ref: #output-destination55627 +Node: Output format56283 +Ref: #output-format56406 +Node: COMMANDS58569 +Ref: #commands58681 +Node: accounts62071 +Ref: #accounts62171 +Node: activity62863 +Ref: #activity62975 +Node: add63357 +Ref: #add63460 +Node: aregister66255 +Ref: #aregister66369 +Node: aregister and custom posting dates68564 +Ref: #aregister-and-custom-posting-dates68730 +Node: balance69551 +Ref: #balance69670 +Node: balance features70583 +Ref: #balance-features70723 +Node: Simple balance report72393 +Ref: #simple-balance-report72575 +Node: Filtered balance report74023 +Ref: #filtered-balance-report74210 +Node: List or tree mode74507 +Ref: #list-or-tree-mode74675 +Node: Depth limiting75992 +Ref: #depth-limiting76158 +Node: Multi-period balance report76916 +Ref: #multi-period-balance-report77108 +Node: Sorting by amount79364 +Ref: #sorting-by-amount79533 +Node: Percentages79995 +Ref: #percentages80151 +Node: Balance change end balance81083 +Ref: #balance-change-end-balance81274 +Node: Balance report types82698 +Ref: #balance-report-types82888 +Node: Useful balance reports87052 +Ref: #useful-balance-reports87233 +Node: Budget report88317 +Ref: #budget-report88501 +Node: Budget report start date93670 +Ref: #budget-report-start-date93839 +Node: Nested budgets95166 +Ref: #nested-budgets95315 +Node: Customising single-period balance reports98702 +Ref: #customising-single-period-balance-reports98911 +Node: balancesheet101068 +Ref: #balancesheet101206 +Node: balancesheetequity102504 +Ref: #balancesheetequity102655 +Node: cashflow104035 +Ref: #cashflow104159 +Node: check105305 +Ref: #check105410 +Node: Basic checks106043 +Ref: #basic-checks106161 +Node: Strict checks106713 +Ref: #strict-checks106854 +Node: Other checks107290 +Ref: #other-checks107430 +Node: Custom checks107787 +Ref: #custom-checks107907 +Node: close108325 +Ref: #close108429 +Node: close and prices110515 +Ref: #close-and-prices110644 +Node: close date111038 +Ref: #close-date111222 +Node: Example close asset/liability accounts for file transition111772 +Ref: #example-close-assetliability-accounts-for-file-transition112073 +Node: Hiding opening/closing transactions112935 +Ref: #hiding-openingclosing-transactions113206 +Node: close and balance assertions114672 +Ref: #close-and-balance-assertions114930 +Node: Example close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings116284 +Ref: #example-close-revenueexpense-accounts-to-retained-earnings116562 +Node: codes117276 +Ref: #codes117386 +Node: commodities118099 +Ref: #commodities118228 +Node: descriptions118310 +Ref: #descriptions118440 +Node: diff118744 +Ref: #diff118852 +Node: files119897 +Ref: #files119999 +Node: help120145 +Ref: #help120247 +Node: import120970 +Ref: #import121086 +Node: Deduplication121948 +Ref: #deduplication122073 +Node: Import testing123961 +Ref: #import-testing124126 +Node: Importing balance assignments124616 +Ref: #importing-balance-assignments124822 +Node: Commodity display styles125469 +Ref: #commodity-display-styles125642 +Node: incomestatement125771 +Ref: #incomestatement125906 +Node: notes127207 +Ref: #notes127322 +Node: payees127689 +Ref: #payees127797 +Node: prices128323 +Ref: #prices128431 +Node: print128770 +Ref: #print128882 +Node: print-unique134192 +Ref: #print-unique134320 +Node: register134606 +Ref: #register134735 +Node: Custom register output139179 +Ref: #custom-register-output139310 +Node: register-match140647 +Ref: #register-match140783 +Node: rewrite141131 +Ref: #rewrite141248 +Node: Re-write rules in a file143154 +Ref: #re-write-rules-in-a-file143317 +Node: Diff output format144467 +Ref: #diff-output-format144650 +Node: rewrite vs print --auto145742 +Ref: #rewrite-vs.-print---auto145902 +Node: roi146452 +Ref: #roi146552 +Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl148187 +Ref: #semantics-of---inv-and---pnl148369 +Node: IRR and TWR explained150215 +Ref: #irr-and-twr-explained150375 +Node: stats153437 +Ref: #stats153538 +Node: tags154325 +Ref: #tags154425 +Node: test154942 +Ref: #test155058 +Node: About add-on commands155803 +Ref: #about-add-on-commands155940 +Node: JOURNAL FORMAT157073 +Ref: #journal-format157201 +Node: Transactions159390 +Ref: #transactions159505 +Node: Dates160522 +Ref: #dates160638 +Node: Simple dates160703 +Ref: #simple-dates160823 +Node: Secondary dates161330 +Ref: #secondary-dates161478 +Node: Posting dates162812 +Ref: #posting-dates162935 +Node: Status164304 +Ref: #status164414 +Node: Code166119 +Ref: #code166231 +Node: Description166462 +Ref: #description166590 +Node: Payee and note166908 +Ref: #payee-and-note167016 +Node: Comments167350 +Ref: #comments167472 +Node: Tags168665 +Ref: #tags-1168776 +Node: Postings170174 +Ref: #postings170298 +Node: Virtual postings171322 +Ref: #virtual-postings171433 +Node: Account names172735 +Ref: #account-names172872 +Node: Amounts173358 +Ref: #amounts173495 +Node: Decimal marks digit group marks174453 +Ref: #decimal-marks-digit-group-marks174630 +Node: Commodity175502 +Ref: #commodity175662 +Node: Commodity directives176612 +Ref: #commodity-directives176786 +Node: Commodity display style177272 +Ref: #commodity-display-style177451 +Node: Rounding179559 +Ref: #rounding179679 +Node: Transaction prices180089 +Ref: #transaction-prices180255 +Node: Lot prices lot dates182685 +Ref: #lot-prices-lot-dates182868 +Node: Balance assertions183355 +Ref: #balance-assertions183533 +Node: Assertions and ordering184563 +Ref: #assertions-and-ordering184745 +Node: Assertions and included files185442 +Ref: #assertions-and-included-files185679 +Node: Assertions and multiple -f options186010 +Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-options186260 +Node: Assertions and commodities186391 +Ref: #assertions-and-commodities186617 +Node: Assertions and prices187772 +Ref: #assertions-and-prices187980 +Node: Assertions and subaccounts188421 +Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts188644 +Node: Assertions and virtual postings188968 +Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings189204 +Node: Assertions and precision189345 +Ref: #assertions-and-precision189532 +Node: Balance assignments189797 +Ref: #balance-assignments189967 +Node: Balance assignments and prices191130 +Ref: #balance-assignments-and-prices191296 +Node: Directives191522 +Ref: #directives191685 +Node: Directives and multiple files196987 +Ref: #directives-and-multiple-files197183 +Node: Comment blocks197845 +Ref: #comment-blocks198022 +Node: Including other files198197 +Ref: #including-other-files198371 +Node: Default year199295 +Ref: #default-year199453 +Node: Declaring payees199860 +Ref: #declaring-payees200026 +Node: Declaring commodities200271 +Ref: #declaring-commodities200452 +Node: Commodity error checking202828 +Ref: #commodity-error-checking202978 +Node: Default commodity203234 +Ref: #default-commodity203414 +Node: Declaring market prices204288 +Ref: #declaring-market-prices204477 +Node: Declaring accounts205289 +Ref: #declaring-accounts205469 +Node: Account error checking206676 +Ref: #account-error-checking206842 +Node: Account comments208019 +Ref: #account-comments208203 +Node: Account subdirectives208629 +Ref: #account-subdirectives208814 +Node: Account types209129 +Ref: #account-types209303 +Node: Declaring account types210038 +Ref: #declaring-account-types210217 +Node: Auto-detected account types210868 +Ref: #auto-detected-account-types211109 +Node: Interference from auto-detected account types212069 +Ref: #interference-from-auto-detected-account-types212346 +Node: Old account type syntax212829 +Ref: #old-account-type-syntax213026 +Node: Account display order213327 +Ref: #account-display-order213487 +Node: Rewriting accounts214638 +Ref: #rewriting-accounts214817 +Node: Basic aliases215576 +Ref: #basic-aliases215712 +Node: Regex aliases216454 +Ref: #regex-aliases216616 +Node: Combining aliases217336 +Ref: #combining-aliases217519 +Node: Aliases and multiple files218796 +Ref: #aliases-and-multiple-files218995 +Node: end aliases219576 +Ref: #end-aliases219723 +Node: Default parent account219825 +Ref: #default-parent-account220015 +Node: Periodic transactions220899 +Ref: #periodic-transactions221082 +Node: Periodic rule syntax222999 +Ref: #periodic-rule-syntax223199 +Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!223902 +Ref: #two-spaces-between-period-expression-and-description224215 +Node: Forecasting with periodic transactions224900 +Ref: #forecasting-with-periodic-transactions225199 +Node: Budgeting with periodic transactions227245 +Ref: #budgeting-with-periodic-transactions227478 +Node: Auto postings227885 +Ref: #auto-postings228021 +Node: Auto postings and multiple files230204 +Ref: #auto-postings-and-multiple-files230402 +Node: Auto postings and dates230610 +Ref: #auto-postings-and-dates230878 +Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions231053 +Ref: #auto-postings-and-transaction-balancing-inferred-amounts-balance-assertions231399 +Node: Auto posting tags231744 +Ref: #auto-posting-tags231953 +Node: CSV FORMAT232590 +Ref: #csv-format232718 +Node: Examples235342 +Ref: #examples235445 +Node: Basic235652 +Ref: #basic235754 +Node: Bank of Ireland236298 +Ref: #bank-of-ireland236435 +Node: Amazon237900 +Ref: #amazon238020 +Node: Paypal239741 +Ref: #paypal239837 +Node: CSV rules247485 +Ref: #csv-rules247603 +Node: skip247936 +Ref: #skip248036 +Node: fields list248408 +Ref: #fields-list248547 +Node: field assignment250052 +Ref: #field-assignment250204 +Node: Field names251130 +Ref: #field-names251270 +Node: date field251649 +Ref: #date-field251769 +Node: date2 field251817 +Ref: #date2-field251960 +Node: status field252016 +Ref: #status-field252161 +Node: code field252210 +Ref: #code-field252357 +Node: description field252402 +Ref: #description-field252564 +Node: comment field252623 +Ref: #comment-field252780 +Node: account field252994 +Ref: #account-field253146 +Node: amount field253720 +Ref: #amount-field253871 +Node: currency field255109 +Ref: #currency-field255264 +Node: balance field255520 +Ref: #balance-field255654 +Node: separator256026 +Ref: #separator256158 +Node: if block256700 +Ref: #if-block256827 +Node: Matching the whole record257225 +Ref: #matching-the-whole-record257402 +Node: Matching individual fields258205 +Ref: #matching-individual-fields258411 +Node: Combining matchers258635 +Ref: #combining-matchers258833 +Node: Rules applied on successful match259147 +Ref: #rules-applied-on-successful-match259340 +Node: if table259997 +Ref: #if-table260118 +Node: end261854 +Ref: #end261968 +Node: date-format262192 +Ref: #date-format262326 +Node: decimal-mark263323 +Ref: #decimal-mark263470 +Node: newest-first263807 +Ref: #newest-first263950 +Node: include264633 +Ref: #include264766 +Node: balance-type265208 +Ref: #balance-type265330 +Node: Tips266030 +Ref: #tips266121 +Node: Rapid feedback266420 +Ref: #rapid-feedback266539 +Node: Valid CSV266998 +Ref: #valid-csv267130 +Node: File Extension267322 +Ref: #file-extension267476 +Node: Reading multiple CSV files267905 +Ref: #reading-multiple-csv-files268092 +Node: Valid transactions268332 +Ref: #valid-transactions268512 +Node: Deduplicating importing269140 +Ref: #deduplicating-importing269321 +Node: Setting amounts270353 +Ref: #setting-amounts270510 +Node: Amount signs272951 +Ref: #amount-signs273105 +Node: Setting currency/commodity273792 +Ref: #setting-currencycommodity273980 +Node: Amount decimal places275160 +Ref: #amount-decimal-places275352 +Node: Referencing other fields275664 +Ref: #referencing-other-fields275863 +Node: How CSV rules are evaluated276761 +Ref: #how-csv-rules-are-evaluated276936 +Node: TIMECLOCK FORMAT278385 +Ref: #timeclock-format278525 +Node: TIMEDOT FORMAT280593 +Ref: #timedot-format280731 +Node: COMMON TASKS284994 +Ref: #common-tasks285123 +Node: Getting help285530 +Ref: #getting-help285664 +Node: Constructing command lines286215 +Ref: #constructing-command-lines286409 +Node: Starting a journal file287108 +Ref: #starting-a-journal-file287308 +Node: Setting opening balances288495 +Ref: #setting-opening-balances288693 +Node: Recording transactions291826 +Ref: #recording-transactions292008 +Node: Reconciling292565 +Ref: #reconciling292710 +Node: Reporting294955 +Ref: #reporting295097 +Node: Migrating to a new file299017 +Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file299167 +Node: LIMITATIONS299465 +Ref: #limitations299593 +Node: TROUBLESHOOTING300334 +Ref: #troubleshooting300449  End Tag Table diff --git a/hledger/hledger.txt b/hledger/hledger.txt index 2371f0caa..594116d91 100644 --- a/hledger/hledger.txt +++ b/hledger/hledger.txt @@ -2643,111 +2643,205 @@ COMMANDS close close, equity - Prints a "closing balances" transaction and an "opening balances" - transaction that bring account balances to and from zero, respectively. - These can be added to your journal file(s), eg to bring asset/liability - balances forward into a new journal file, or to close out rev- - enues/expenses to retained earnings at the end of a period. + Prints a sample "closing" transaction bringing specified account bal- + ances to zero, and an inverse "opening" transaction restoring the same + account balances. - You can print just one of these transactions by using the --close or - --open flag. You can customise their descriptions with the --close- - desc and --open-desc options. + If like most people you split your journal files by time, eg by year: + at the end of the year you can use this command to "close out" your + asset and liability (and perhaps equity) balances in the old file, and + reinitialise them in the new file. This helps ensure that report bal- + ances remain correct whether you are including old files or not. + (Because all closing/opening transactions except the very first will + cancel out - see example below.) - One amountless posting to "equity:opening/closing balances" is added to - balance the transactions, by default. You can customise this account - name with --close-acct and --open-acct; if you specify only one of - these, it will be used for both. + Some people also use this command to close out revenue and expense bal- + ances at the end of an accounting period. This properly records the + period's profit/loss as "retained earnings" (part of equity), and + allows the accounting equation (A-L=E) to balance, which you could then + check by the bse report's zero total. - With --x/--explicit, the equity posting's amount will be shown. And if - it involves multiple commodities, a posting for each commodity will be - shown, as with the print command. + You can print just the closing transaction by using the --close flag, + or just the opening transaction with the --open flag. - With --interleaved, the equity postings are shown next to the postings - they balance, which makes troubleshooting easier. + Their descriptions are closing balances and opening balances by + default; you can customise these with the --close-desc and --open-desc + options. - By default, transaction prices in the journal are ignored when generat- - ing the closing/opening transactions. With --show-costs, this cost - information is preserved (balance -B reports will be unchanged after - the transition). Separate postings are generated for each cost in each - commodity. Note this can generate very large journal entries, if you - have many foreign currency or investment transactions. + Just one balancing equity posting is used by default, with the amount + left implicit. The default account name is equity:opening/closing bal- + ances. You can customise the account name(s) with --close-acct and + --open-acct. (If you specify only one of these, it will be used for + both.) - close usage - If you split your journal files by time (eg yearly), you will typically - run this command at the end of the year, and save the closing transac- - tion as last entry of the old file, and the opening transaction as the - first entry of the new file. This makes the files self contained, so - that correct balances are reported no matter which of them are loaded. - Ie, if you load just one file, the balances are initialised correctly; - or if you load several files, the redundant closing/opening transac- - tions cancel each other out. (They will show up in print or register - reports; you can exclude them with a query like not:desc:'(open- - ing|closing) balances'.) + With --x/--explicit, the equity posting's amount will be shown explic- + itly, and if it involves multiple commodities, there will be a separate + equity posting for each commodity (as in the print command). - If you're running a business, you might also use this command to "close - the books" at the end of an accounting period, transferring income - statement account balances to retained earnings. (You may want to - change the equity account name to something like "equity:retained earn- - ings".) + With --interleaved, each equity posting is shown next to the posting it + balances (good for troubleshooting). - By default, the closing transaction is dated yesterday, the balances - are calculated as of end of yesterday, and the opening transaction is - dated today. To close on some other date, use: hledger close -e OPEN- - INGDATE. Eg, to close/open on the 2018/2019 boundary, use -e 2019. - You can also use -p or date:PERIOD (any starting date is ignored). + close and prices + Transaction prices are ignored (and discarded) by closing/opening + transactions, by default. With --show-costs, they are preserved; there + will be a separate equity posting for each cost in each commodity. + This means balance -B reports will look the same after the transition. + Note if you have many foreign currency or investment transactions, this + will generate very large journal entries. - Both transactions will include balance assertions for the - closed/reopened accounts. You probably shouldn't use status or real- - ness filters (like -C or -R or status:) with this command, or the gen- - erated balance assertions will depend on these flags. Likewise, if you - run this command with --auto, the balance assertions will probably - always require --auto. + close date + The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date, + whichever is later. - Examples: + Unless you are running close on exactly the first day of the new + period, you'll want to override the closing date. This is done by + specifying a report period, where "last day of the report period" will + be the closing date. The opening date is always the following day. So + to close on 2020-12-31 and open on 2021-01-01, any of these work - Carrying asset/liability balances into a new file for 2019: + o -p 2020 - $ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --open - # (copy/paste the output to the start of your 2019 journal file) - $ hledger close -f 2018.journal -e 2019 assets liabilities --close - # (copy/paste the output to the end of your 2018 journal file) + o date:2020 - Now: + o -e 2021-01-01 (remember -e specifies an exclusive end date) - $ hledger bs -f 2019.journal # one file - balances are correct - $ hledger bs -f 2018.journal -f 2019.journal # two files - balances still correct - $ hledger bs -f 2018.journal not:desc:closing # to see year-end balances, must exclude closing txn + o -e 2021 - Transactions spanning the closing date can complicate matters, breaking - balance assertions: + Example: close asset/liability accounts for file transition + Carrying asset/liability balances from 2020.journal into a new file for + 2021: - 2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year + $ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities + # copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2020.journal + # copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2021.journal + + Or: + + $ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --open >> 2021.journal # add 2021's first transaction + $ hledger close -f 2020.journal -p 2020 assets liabilities --close >> 2020.journal # add 2020's last transaction + + Now, + + $ hledger bs -f 2021.journal # just new file - balances correct + $ hledger bs -f 2020.journal -f 2021.journal # old and new files - balances correct + $ hledger bs -f 2020.journal # just old files - balances are zero ? + # (exclude final closing txn, see below) + + Hiding opening/closing transactions + Although the closing/opening transactions cancel out, they will be vis- + ible in reports like print and register, creating some visual clutter. + You can exclude them all with a query, like: + + $ hledger print not:desc:'opening|closing' # less typing + $ hledger print not:'equity:opening/closing balances' # more precise + + But when reporting on multiple files, this can get a bit tricky; you + may need to keep the earliest opening balances, for a historical regis- + ter report; or you may need to suppress a closing transaction, to see + year-end balances. If you find yourself needing more precise queries, + here's one solution: add more easily-matched tags to opening/closing + transactions, like this: + + ; 2019.journal + 2019-01-01 opening balances ; earliest opening txn, no tag here + ... + 2019-12-31 closing balances ; close:2019 + ... + + ; 2020.journal + 2020-01-01 opening balances ; open:2020 + ... + 2020-12-31 closing balances ; close:2020 + ... + + ; 2021.journal + 2021-01-01 opening balances ; open:2021 + ... + + Now with + + ; all.journal + include 2019.journal + include 2020.journal + include 2021.journal + + you could do eg: + + $ hledger -f all.journal reg -H checking not:tag:'open|close' + # all years checking register, hiding non-essential opening/closing txns + + $ hledger -f all.journal bs -p 2020 not:tag:close=2020 + # 2020 year end balances, suppressing 2020 closing txn + + $ hledger -f 2020.journal bs not:tag:close + # 2020 year end balances, easier case + + close and balance assertions + The closing and opening transactions will include balance assertions, + verifying that the accounts have first been reset to zero and then + restored to their previous balance. These provide valuable error + checking, alerting you when things get out of line, but you can ignore + them temporarily with -I or just remove them if you prefer. + + You probably shouldn't use status or realness filters (like -C or -R or + status:) with close, or the generated balance assertions will depend on + these flags. Likewise, if you run this command with --auto, the bal- + ance assertions would probably always require --auto. + + Multi-day transactions (where some postings have a different date) + break the balance assertions, because the money is temporarily "invisi- + ble" while in transit: + + 2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 - assets:bank:checking -5 ; [2019/1/2] + assets:bank:checking -5 ; date: 2021/1/2 - Here's one way to resolve that: + To fix the assertions, you can add a temporary account to track such + in-transit money (splitting the multi-day transaction into two single- + day transactions): - ; in 2018.journal: - 2018/12/30 a purchase made in 2018, clearing the following year + ; in 2020.journal: + 2020/12/30 a purchase made in december, cleared in the next year expenses:food 5 liabilities:pending - ; in 2019.journal: - 2019/1/2 clearance of last year's pending transactions + ; in 2021.journal: + 2021/1/2 clearance of last year's pending transactions liabilities:pending 5 = 0 - assets:checking + assets:bank:checking + + Example: close revenue/expense accounts to retained earnings + Here, the opening transaction is supressed with --close, as it's proba- + bly not needed. Also you'll want to use a different equity account + name: + + $ hledger close -f 2021.journal -p 2021Q1 --close --close-acct='equity:retained earnings' revenues expenses >> 2021.journal + # close 2021 first quarter revenues/expenses + + Or, operating on the default journal: + + $ hledger close -p Q1 --close --close-acct='equity:retained earnings' revenues expenses >> $LEDGER_FILE + # close current year's first quarter revenues/expenses + + Now, eg: + + $ hledger bse -p Q1 + # Q1 full balance sheet, total should be zero + + $ hledger is -p Q1 not:'retained earnings' + # Q1 income statement, must suppress the closing txn codes codes List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed. - This command prints the value of each transaction's code field, in the - order transactions were parsed. The transaction code is an optional - value written in parentheses between the date and description, often + This command prints the value of each transaction's code field, in the + order transactions were parsed. The transaction code is an optional + value written in parentheses between the date and description, often used to store a cheque number, order number or similar. Transactions aren't required to have a code, and missing or empty codes - will not be shown by default. With the -E/--empty flag, they will be + will not be shown by default. With the -E/--empty flag, they will be printed as blank lines. You can add a query to select a subset of transactions. @@ -2787,7 +2881,7 @@ COMMANDS List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions. This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in transactions, - in alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of trans- + in alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of trans- actions. Example: @@ -2799,18 +2893,18 @@ COMMANDS diff diff - Compares a particular account's transactions in two input files. It + Compares a particular account's transactions in two input files. It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not in the other. More precisely, for each posting affecting this account in either file, - it looks for a corresponding posting in the other file which posts the - same amount to the same account (ignoring date, description, etc.) + it looks for a corresponding posting in the other file which posts the + same amount to the same account (ignoring date, description, etc.) Since postings not transactions are compared, this also works when mul- tiple bank transactions have been combined into a single journal entry. This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account's transactions from - your bank (eg as CSV data). When hledger and your bank disagree about + your bank (eg as CSV data). When hledger and your bank disagree about the account balance, you can compare the bank data with your journal to find out the cause. @@ -2828,18 +2922,18 @@ COMMANDS files files - List all files included in the journal. With a REGEX argument, only - file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown. + List all files included in the journal. With a REGEX argument, only + file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown. help help - Show the hledger user manual in one of several formats, optionally - positioned at a given TOPIC (if possible). TOPIC is any heading, or - heading prefix, in the manual. Some examples: commands, print, 'auto + Show the hledger user manual in one of several formats, optionally + positioned at a given TOPIC (if possible). TOPIC is any heading, or + heading prefix, in the manual. Some examples: commands, print, 'auto postings', periodic. - This command shows the user manual built in to this hledger version. - It can be useful if the correct version of the hledger manual, or the + This command shows the user manual built in to this hledger version. + It can be useful if the correct version of the hledger manual, or the usual viewing tools, are not installed on your system. By default it uses the best viewer it can find in $PATH, in this order: @@ -2849,66 +2943,66 @@ COMMANDS import import - Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them - to the main journal file. Or with --dry-run, just print the transac- - tions that would be added. Or with --catchup, just mark all of the + Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them + to the main journal file. Or with --dry-run, just print the transac- + tions that would be added. Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs' transactions as imported, without actually importing any. - Unlike other hledger commands, with import the journal file is an out- + Unlike other hledger commands, with import the journal file is an out- put file, and will be modified, though only by appending (existing data - will not be changed). The input files are specified as arguments, so - to import one or more CSV files to your main journal, you will run + will not be changed). The input files are specified as arguments, so + to import one or more CSV files to your main journal, you will run hledger import bank.csv or perhaps hledger import *.csv. Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most common import source, and these docs focus on that case. Deduplication - As a convenience import does deduplication while reading transactions. + As a convenience import does deduplication while reading transactions. This does not mean "ignore transactions that look the same", but rather "ignore transactions that have been seen before". This is intended for - when you are periodically importing foreign data which may contain - already-imported transactions. So eg, if every day you download bank - CSV files containing redundant data, you can safely run hledger import - bank.csv and only new transactions will be imported. (import is idem- + when you are periodically importing foreign data which may contain + already-imported transactions. So eg, if every day you download bank + CSV files containing redundant data, you can safely run hledger import + bank.csv and only new transactions will be imported. (import is idem- potent.) - Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with - unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming + Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with + unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming that: 1. new items always have the newest dates 2. item dates do not change across reads - 3. and items with the same date remain in the same relative order + 3. and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across reads. - These are often true of CSV files representing transactions, or true - enough so that it works pretty well in practice. 1 is important, but + These are often true of CSV files representing transactions, or true + enough so that it works pretty well in practice. 1 is important, but violations of 2 and 3 amongst the old transactions won't matter (and if - you import often, the new transactions will be few, so less likely to + you import often, the new transactions will be few, so less likely to be the ones affected). - hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by sav- + hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by sav- ing a hidden ".latest" state file in the same directory. Eg when read- - ing finance/bank.csv, it will look for and update the finance/.lat- - est.bank.csv state file. The format is simple: one or more lines con- - taining the same ISO-format date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning "I have pro- - cessed transactions up to this date, and this many of them on that + ing finance/bank.csv, it will look for and update the finance/.lat- + est.bank.csv state file. The format is simple: one or more lines con- + taining the same ISO-format date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning "I have pro- + cessed transactions up to this date, and this many of them on that date." Normally you won't see or manipulate these state files yourself. - But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all - transactions "new"), or you can construct them to "catch up" to a cer- + But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all + transactions "new"), or you can construct them to "catch up" to a cer- tain date. - Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by + Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by print --new, but this is less often used. Import testing - With --dry-run, the transactions that will be imported are printed to + With --dry-run, the transactions that will be imported are printed to the terminal, without updating your journal or state files. The output - is valid journal format, like the print command, so you can re-parse - it. Eg, to see any importable transactions which CSV rules have not + is valid journal format, like the print command, so you can re-parse + it. Eg, to see any importable transactions which CSV rules have not categorised: $ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown @@ -2918,17 +3012,17 @@ COMMANDS $ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c 'echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown' Importing balance assignments - Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit - (like hledger print -x). This means that any balance assignments in - imported files must be evaluated; but, imported files don't get to see - the main file's account balances. As a result, importing entries with + Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit + (like hledger print -x). This means that any balance assignments in + imported files must be evaluated; but, imported files don't get to see + the main file's account balances. As a result, importing entries with balance assignments (eg from an institution that provides only balances - and not posting amounts) will probably generate incorrect posting + and not posting amounts) will probably generate incorrect posting amounts. To avoid this problem, use print instead of import: $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE - (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does, + (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does, please test it and send a pull request.) Commodity display styles @@ -2939,12 +3033,12 @@ COMMANDS incomestatement, is This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and - expenses during one or more periods. Amounts are shown with normal + expenses during one or more periods. Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements. The revenue and expense accounts shown are those accounts declared with - the Revenue or Expense type, or otherwise all accounts under a top- - level revenue or income or expense account (case insensitive, plurals + the Revenue or Expense type, or otherwise all accounts under a top- + level revenue or income or expense account (case insensitive, plurals allowed). Example: @@ -2971,22 +3065,22 @@ COMMANDS 0 This command is a higher-level variant of the balance command, and sup- - ports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. + ports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports. It is similar to hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses, but with - smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their + smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their sign flipped. - This command also supports the output destination and output format - options The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experi- + This command also supports the output destination and output format + options The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experi- mental) json. notes notes List the unique notes that appear in transactions. - This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in - alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of transac- - tions. The note is the part of the transaction description after a | + This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in + alphabetic order. You can add a query to select a subset of transac- + tions. The note is the part of the transaction description after a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description). Example: @@ -2999,14 +3093,14 @@ COMMANDS payees List the unique payee/payer names that appear in transactions. - This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared - with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions + This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared + with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions (--used), or both (the default). - The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a | + The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description). - You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions. This + You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions. This implies --used. Example: @@ -3018,10 +3112,10 @@ COMMANDS prices prices - Print market price directives from the journal. With --costs, also - print synthetic market prices based on transaction prices. With + Print market price directives from the journal. With --costs, also + print synthetic market prices based on transaction prices. With --inverted-costs, also print inverse prices based on transaction - prices. Prices (and postings providing prices) can be filtered by a + prices. Prices (and postings providing prices) can be filtered by a query. Price amounts are always displayed with their full precision. print @@ -3031,17 +3125,17 @@ COMMANDS The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from the journal file, sorted by date (or with --date2, by secondary date). - Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg the - placement of commodity symbols will be consistent. All of their deci- + Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg the + placement of commodity symbols will be consistent. All of their deci- mal places are shown, as in the original journal entry (with one alter- ation: in some cases trailing zeroes are added.) Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not across all transactions). - Directives and inter-transaction comments are not shown, currently. + Directives and inter-transaction comments are not shown, currently. This means the print command is somewhat lossy, and if you are using it - to reformat your journal you should take care to also copy over the + to reformat your journal you should take care to also copy over the directives and file-level comments. Eg: @@ -3068,7 +3162,7 @@ COMMANDS liabilities:debts $1 assets:bank:checking $-1 - print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can process + print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can process it again with a second hledger command. This can be useful for certain kinds of search, eg: @@ -3078,39 +3172,39 @@ COMMANDS There are some situations where print's output can become unparseable: - o Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or bal- + o Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or bal- ance assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail. o Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts. Normally, the journal entry's explicit or implicit amount style is pre- served. For example, when an amount is omitted in the journal, it will - not appear in the output. Similarly, when a transaction price is + not appear in the output. Similarly, when a transaction price is implied but not written, it will not appear in the output. You can use - the -x/--explicit flag to make all amounts and transaction prices - explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or for making your + the -x/--explicit flag to make all amounts and transaction prices + explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or for making your journal more readable and robust against data entry errors. -x is also implied by using any of -B,-V,-X,--value. - Note, -x/--explicit will cause postings with a multi-commodity amount - (these can arise when a multi-commodity transaction has an implicit - amount) to be split into multiple single-commodity postings, keeping + Note, -x/--explicit will cause postings with a multi-commodity amount + (these can arise when a multi-commodity transaction has an implicit + amount) to be split into multiple single-commodity postings, keeping the output parseable. - With -B/--cost, amounts with transaction prices are converted to cost + With -B/--cost, amounts with transaction prices are converted to cost using that price. This can be used for troubleshooting. - With -m/--match and a STR argument, print will show at most one trans- - action: the one one whose description is most similar to STR, and is - most recent. STR should contain at least two characters. If there is + With -m/--match and a STR argument, print will show at most one trans- + action: the one one whose description is most similar to STR, and is + most recent. STR should contain at least two characters. If there is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown. - With --new, hledger prints only transactions it has not seen on a pre- - vious run. This uses the same deduplication system as the import com- + With --new, hledger prints only transactions it has not seen on a pre- + vious run. This uses the same deduplication system as the import com- mand. (See import's docs for details.) - This command also supports the output destination and output format - options The output formats supported are txt, csv, and (experimental) + This command also supports the output destination and output format + options The output formats supported are txt, csv, and (experimental) json and sql. Here's an example of print's CSV output: @@ -3129,20 +3223,20 @@ COMMANDS "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","1","","" "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","","" - o There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's + o There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's fields repeated. o The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong to - the same transaction. (This number might change if transactions are - reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a different + the same transaction. (This number might change if transactions are + reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a different order, etc.) - o The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount" + o The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount" (numeric quantity) fields. o The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit" col- - umn, for convenience. (Those names are not accurate in the account- - ing sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and zero or + umn, for convenience. (Those names are not accurate in the account- + ing sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and zero or greater amounts under debit.) print-unique @@ -3166,14 +3260,14 @@ COMMANDS Show postings and their running total. The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in - date order, with their running total or running historical balance. - (See also the aregister command, which shows matched transactions in a + date order, with their running total or running historical balance. + (See also the aregister command, which shows matched transactions in a specific account.) register normally shows line per posting, but note that multi-commodity amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per commodity). - It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to + It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see that account's activity: $ hledger register checking @@ -3184,8 +3278,8 @@ COMMANDS With --date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead. - The --historical/-H flag adds the balance from any undisplayed prior - postings to the running total. This is useful when you want to see + The --historical/-H flag adds the balance from any undisplayed prior + postings to the running total. This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance: $ hledger register checking -b 2008/6 --historical @@ -3195,30 +3289,30 @@ COMMANDS The --depth option limits the amount of sub-account detail displayed. - The --average/-A flag shows the running average posting amount instead + The --average/-A flag shows the running average posting amount instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the average for - the whole report period). This flag implies --empty (see below). It - is affected by --historical. It works best when showing just one + the whole report period). This flag implies --empty (see below). It + is affected by --historical. It works best when showing just one account and one commodity. - The --related/-r flag shows the other postings in the transactions of + The --related/-r flag shows the other postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown. - The --invert flag negates all amounts. For example, it can be used on + The --invert flag negates all amounts. For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative num- - bers. It's also useful to show postings on the checking account + bers. It's also useful to show postings on the checking account together with the related account: $ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking - With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per + With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per interval, aggregating the postings to each account: $ hledger register --monthly income 2008/01 income:salary $-1 $-1 2008/06 income:gifts $-1 $-2 - Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are + Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are not shown by default; use the --empty/-E flag to see them: $ hledger register --monthly income -E @@ -3235,7 +3329,7 @@ COMMANDS 2008/11 0 $-2 2008/12 0 $-2 - Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval. The --depth + Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval. The --depth option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated: $ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h @@ -3243,19 +3337,19 @@ COMMANDS 2008/06 assets $-1 0 2008/12 assets $-1 $-1 - Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates these - will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of - intervals. This ensures that the first and last intervals are full + Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates these + will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of + intervals. This ensures that the first and last intervals are full length and comparable to the others in the report. Custom register output - register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows. - You can override this by setting the COLUMNS environment variable (not + register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows. + You can override this by setting the COLUMNS environment variable (not a bash shell variable) or by using the --width/-w option. - The description and account columns normally share the space equally - (about half of (width - 40) each). You can adjust this by adding a - description width as part of --width's argument, comma-separated: + The description and account columns normally share the space equally + (about half of (width - 40) each). You can adjust this by adding a + description width as part of --width's argument, comma-separated: --width W,D . Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in --help): <--------------------------------- width (W) ----------------------------------> @@ -3271,28 +3365,28 @@ COMMANDS $ hledger reg -w 100,40 # set overall width 100, description width 40 $ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40 # use terminal width, & description width 40 - This command also supports the output destination and output format - options The output formats supported are txt, csv, and (experimental) + This command also supports the output destination and output format + options The output formats supported are txt, csv, and (experimental) json. register-match register-match Print the one posting whose transaction description is closest to DESC, - in the style of the register command. If there are multiple equally - good matches, it shows the most recent. Query options (options, not - arguments) can be used to restrict the search space. Helps ledger- + in the style of the register command. If there are multiple equally + good matches, it shows the most recent. Query options (options, not + arguments) can be used to restrict the search space. Helps ledger- autosync detect already-seen transactions when importing. rewrite rewrite Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions. - For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print + For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print --auto. This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries. It reads - the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but adds + the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY. The - posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing transac- + posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing transac- tion's first posting amount. Examples: @@ -3308,7 +3402,7 @@ COMMANDS (reserve:grocery) *0.25 ; reserve 25% for grocery (reserve:) *0.25 ; reserve 25% for grocery - Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the + Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the two spaces between account and amount. More: @@ -3318,16 +3412,16 @@ COMMANDS $ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting '(budget:gifts) *-1"' $ hledger rewrite -- ^income --add-posting '(budget:foreign currency) *0.25 JPY; diversify' - Argument for --add-posting option is a usual posting of transaction - with an exception for amount specification. More precisely, you can + Argument for --add-posting option is a usual posting of transaction + with an exception for amount specification. More precisely, you can use '*' (star symbol) before the amount to indicate that that this is a - factor for an amount of original matched posting. If the amount - includes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the new - commodity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting amount's com- + factor for an amount of original matched posting. If the amount + includes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the new + commodity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting amount's com- modity. Re-write rules in a file - During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transac- + During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transac- tions" found in any journal it process. I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put them in a journal file. @@ -3342,7 +3436,7 @@ COMMANDS budget:gifts *-1 assets:budget *1 - Note that '=' (equality symbol) that is used instead of date in trans- + Note that '=' (equality symbol) that is used instead of date in trans- actions you usually write. It indicates the query by which you want to match the posting to add new ones. @@ -3355,12 +3449,12 @@ COMMANDS --add-posting 'assets:budget *1' \ > rewritten-tidy-output.journal - It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in - journal is important. You can re-use result of previously added post- + It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in + journal is important. You can re-use result of previously added post- ings. Diff output format - To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may + To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may find useful output in form of unified diff. $ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal '^income' --add-posting '(liabilities:tax) *.33' @@ -3384,10 +3478,10 @@ COMMANDS If you'll pass this through patch tool you'll get transactions contain- ing the posting that matches your query be updated. Note that multiple - files might be update according to list of input files specified via + files might be update according to list of input files specified via --file options and include directives inside of these files. - Be careful. Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output + Be careful. Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output from hledger print. See also: @@ -3395,70 +3489,70 @@ COMMANDS https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99 rewrite vs. print --auto - This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same + This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same thing, but with these differences: - o with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other - files. print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect + o with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other + files. print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child files. - o rewrite's query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are + o rewrite's query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are printed. print --auto's query limits which transactions are printed. - o rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal. + o rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal. print --auto applies rules specified in the journal. roi roi - Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return + Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on your investments. - At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an - account name) to select your investment(s) with --inv, and another + At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an + account name) to select your investment(s) with --inv, and another query to identify your profit and loss transactions with --pnl. - If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually, - or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR), --pnl + If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually, + or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR), --pnl could be an empty query (--pnl "" or --pnl STR where STR does not match any of your accounts). - This command will compute and display the internalized rate of return - (IRR) and time-weighted rate of return (TWR) for your investments for - the time period requested. Both rates of return are annualized before + This command will compute and display the internalized rate of return + (IRR) and time-weighted rate of return (TWR) for your investments for + the time period requested. Both rates of return are annualized before display, regardless of the length of reporting interval. - Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate + Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate --cost or --value flags (see VALUATION). Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons: - o Error (NotBracketed): No solution for Internal Rate of Return (IRR). - Possible causes: IRR is huge (>1000000%), balance of investment + o Error (NotBracketed): No solution for Internal Rate of Return (IRR). + Possible causes: IRR is huge (>1000000%), balance of investment becomes negative at some point in time. - o Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of + o Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Either search does not converge to a solution, or con- verges too slowly. Examples: - o Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks: + o Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks: https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/roi- unrealised.ledger o Cookbook -> Return on Investment Semantics of --inv and --pnl - Query supplied to --inv has to match all transactions that are related + Query supplied to --inv has to match all transactions that are related to your investment. Transactions not matching --inv will be ignored. In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match --inv to be - "investment postings" and other postings (not matching --inv) will be - sorted into two categories: "cash flow" and "profit and loss", as ROI - needs to know which part of the investment value is your contributions + "investment postings" and other postings (not matching --inv) will be + sorted into two categories: "cash flow" and "profit and loss", as ROI + needs to know which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is due to the return on investment. - o "Cash flow" is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or selling + o "Cash flow" is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment commodity and any other commodity. Example: @@ -3476,12 +3570,12 @@ COMMANDS investment:snake oil = $57 equity:unrealized profit or loss - All non-investment postings are assumed to be "cash flow", unless they - match --pnl query. Changes in value of your investment due to "profit - and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment + All non-investment postings are assumed to be "cash flow", unless they + match --pnl query. Changes in value of your investment due to "profit + and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment return. - Example: if you use --inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized, then postings + Example: if you use --inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized, then postings in the example below would be classifed as: 2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1 @@ -3498,69 +3592,69 @@ COMMANDS snake oil $50 ; investment posting IRR and TWR explained - "ROI" stands for "return on investment". Traditionally this was com- - puted as a difference between current value of investment and its ini- + "ROI" stands for "return on investment". Traditionally this was com- + puted as a difference between current value of investment and its ini- tial value, expressed in percentage of the initial value. However, this approach is only practical in simple cases, where invest- - ments receives no in-flows or out-flows of money, and where rate of + ments receives no in-flows or out-flows of money, and where rate of growth is fixed over time. For more complex scenarios you need differ- - ent ways to compute rate of return, and this command implements two of + ent ways to compute rate of return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR. - Internal rate of return, or "IRR" (also called "money-weighted rate of - return") takes into account effects of in-flows and out-flows. + Internal rate of return, or "IRR" (also called "money-weighted rate of + return") takes into account effects of in-flows and out-flows. Naively, if you are withdrawing from your investment, your future gains - would be smaller (in absolute numbers), and will be a smaller percent- - age of your initial investment, and if you are adding to your invest- - ment, you will receive bigger absolute gains (but probably at the same - rate of return). IRR is a way to compute rate of return for each + would be smaller (in absolute numbers), and will be a smaller percent- + age of your initial investment, and if you are adding to your invest- + ment, you will receive bigger absolute gains (but probably at the same + rate of return). IRR is a way to compute rate of return for each period between in-flow or out-flow of money, and then combine them in a - way that gives you a compound annual rate of return that investment is + way that gives you a compound annual rate of return that investment is expected to generate. - As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you + As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you personally put in or withdraw, and for the "roi" command, these are the - postings that match the query in the--inv argument and NOT match the + postings that match the query in the--inv argument and NOT match the query in the--pnl argument. - If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as - transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unreal- - ized gains") account or use price directives, then in order for IRR to - compute the precise effect of your in-flows and out-flows on the rate - of return, you will need to record the value of your investement on or + If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as + transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unreal- + ized gains") account or use price directives, then in order for IRR to + compute the precise effect of your in-flows and out-flows on the rate + of return, you will need to record the value of your investement on or close to the days when in- or out-flows occur. - In technical terms, IRR uses the same approach as computation of net + In technical terms, IRR uses the same approach as computation of net present value, and tries to find a discount rate that makes net present value of all the cash flows of your investment to add up to zero. This - could be hard to wrap your head around, especially if you haven't done + could be hard to wrap your head around, especially if you haven't done discounted cash flow analysis before. Implementation of IRR in hledger should produce results that match the XIRR formula in Excel. - Second way to compute rate of return that roi command implements is + Second way to compute rate of return that roi command implements is called "time-weighted rate of return" or "TWR". Like IRR, it will also - break the history of your investment into periods between in-flows, - out-flows and value changes, to compute rate of return per each period - and then a compound rate of return. However, internal workings of TWR + break the history of your investment into periods between in-flows, + out-flows and value changes, to compute rate of return per each period + and then a compound rate of return. However, internal workings of TWR are quite different. - TWR represents your investment as an imaginary "unit fund" where in- - flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling "units" of your investment + TWR represents your investment as an imaginary "unit fund" where in- + flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling "units" of your investment and changes in its value change the value of "investment unit". Change - in "unit price" over the reporting period gives you rate of return of + in "unit price" over the reporting period gives you rate of return of your investment. - References: * Explanation of rate of return * Explanation of IRR * - Explanation of TWR * Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion + References: * Explanation of rate of return * Explanation of IRR * + Explanation of TWR * Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of the limitations of both metrics stats stats Show some journal statistics. - The stats command displays summary information for the whole journal, - or a matched part of it. With a reporting interval, it shows a report + The stats command displays summary information for the whole journal, + or a matched part of it. With a reporting interval, it shows a report for each report period. Example: @@ -3578,35 +3672,35 @@ COMMANDS Commodities : 1 ($) Market prices : 12 ($) - This command also supports output destination and output format selec- + This command also supports output destination and output format selec- tion. tags tags - List the unique tag names used in the journal. With a TAGREGEX argu- + List the unique tag names used in the journal. With a TAGREGEX argu- ment, only tag names matching the regular expression (case insensitive) - are shown. With QUERY arguments, only transactions matching the query + are shown. With QUERY arguments, only transactions matching the query are considered. With the --values flag, the tags' unique values are listed instead. - With --parsed flag, all tags or values are shown in the order they are + With --parsed flag, all tags or values are shown in the order they are parsed from the input data, including duplicates. - With -E/--empty, any blank/empty values will also be shown, otherwise + With -E/--empty, any blank/empty values will also be shown, otherwise they are omitted. test test Run built-in unit tests. - This command runs the unit tests built in to hledger and hledger-lib, - printing the results on stdout. If any test fails, the exit code will + This command runs the unit tests built in to hledger and hledger-lib, + printing the results on stdout. If any test fails, the exit code will be non-zero. - This is mainly used by hledger developers, but you can also use it to - sanity-check the installed hledger executable on your platform. All - tests are expected to pass - if you ever see a failure, please report + This is mainly used by hledger developers, but you can also use it to + sanity-check the installed hledger executable on your platform. All + tests are expected to pass - if you ever see a failure, please report as a bug! This command also accepts tasty test runner options, written after a -- @@ -3615,7 +3709,7 @@ COMMANDS $ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never - For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options (-- + For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options (-- --help currently doesn't show them). About add-on commands @@ -3623,16 +3717,16 @@ COMMANDS o whose name starts with hledger- - o whose name ends with a recognised file extension: .bat,.com,.exe, + o whose name ends with a recognised file extension: .bat,.com,.exe, .hs,.lhs,.pl,.py,.rb,.rkt,.sh or none o and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user. - Add-ons are a relatively easy way to add local features or experiment - with new ideas. They can be written in any language, but haskell - scripts have a big advantage: they can use the same hledger library - functions that built-in commands use for command-line options, parsing - and reporting. Some experimental/example add-on scripts can be found + Add-ons are a relatively easy way to add local features or experiment + with new ideas. They can be written in any language, but haskell + scripts have a big advantage: they can use the same hledger library + functions that built-in commands use for command-line options, parsing + and reporting. Some experimental/example add-on scripts can be found in the hledger repo's bin/ directory. Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a double @@ -3656,17 +3750,17 @@ COMMANDS JOURNAL FORMAT hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal. - hledger's usual data source is a plain text file containing journal - entries in hledger journal format. This file represents a standard - accounting general journal. I use file names ending in .journal, but + hledger's usual data source is a plain text file containing journal + entries in hledger journal format. This file represents a standard + accounting general journal. I use file names ending in .journal, but that's not required. The journal file contains a number of transaction entries, each describing a transfer of money (or any commodity) between two or more named accounts, in a simple format readable by both hledger and humans. - hledger's journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, of ledger's - journal format, so hledger can work with compatible ledger journal - files as well. It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and + hledger's journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, of ledger's + journal format, so hledger can work with compatible ledger journal + files as well. It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the same journal file, eg to validate the results you're get- ting. @@ -3674,25 +3768,25 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT the add or web or import commands to create and update it. Many users, though, edit the journal file with a text editor, and track - changes with a version control system such as git. Editor addons such - as ledger-mode or hledger-mode for Emacs, vim-ledger for Vim, and + changes with a version control system such as git. Editor addons such + as ledger-mode or hledger-mode for Emacs, vim-ledger for Vim, and hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier, adding colour, formatting, tab completion, and useful commands. See Editor configura- tion at hledger.org for the full list. - Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's - data model). These are mostly in the order you'll use them, but in - some cases related concepts have been grouped together for easy refer- - ence, or linked before they are introduced, so feel free to skip over + Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's + data model). These are mostly in the order you'll use them, but in + some cases related concepts have been grouped together for easy refer- + ence, or linked before they are introduced, so feel free to skip over anything that looks unnecessary right now. Transactions - Transactions are the main unit of information in a journal file. They - represent events, typically a movement of some quantity of commodities + Transactions are the main unit of information in a journal file. They + represent events, typically a movement of some quantity of commodities between two or more named accounts. - Each transaction is recorded as a journal entry, beginning with a sim- - ple date in column 0. This can be followed by any of the following + Each transaction is recorded as a journal entry, beginning with a sim- + ple date in column 0. This can be followed by any of the following optional fields, separated by spaces: o a status character (empty, !, or *) @@ -3701,11 +3795,11 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT o a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon) - o a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of + o a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line, and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon) o 0 or more indented posting lines, describing what was transferred and - the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also allowed, but + the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines). Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction: @@ -3716,35 +3810,35 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT Dates Simple dates - Dates in the journal file use simple dates format: YYYY-MM-DD or + Dates in the journal file use simple dates format: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY/MM/DD or YYYY.MM.DD, with leading zeros optional. The year may be - omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the cur- - rent transaction, the default year set with a default year directive, - or the current date when the command is run. Some examples: + omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the cur- + rent transaction, the default year set with a default year directive, + or the current date when the command is run. Some examples: 2010-01-31, 2010/01/31, 2010.1.31, 1/31. - (The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart + (The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart dates documented in the hledger manual.) Secondary dates - Real-life transactions sometimes involve more than one date - eg the + Real-life transactions sometimes involve more than one date - eg the date you write a cheque, and the date it clears in your bank. When you - want to model this, for more accurate daily balances, you can specify + want to model this, for more accurate daily balances, you can specify individual posting dates. - Or, you can use the older secondary date feature (Ledger calls it aux- - iliary date or effective date). Note: we support this for compatibil- - ity, but I usually recommend avoiding this feature; posting dates are + Or, you can use the older secondary date feature (Ledger calls it aux- + iliary date or effective date). Note: we support this for compatibil- + ity, but I usually recommend avoiding this feature; posting dates are almost always clearer and simpler. A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an equals - sign. If the year is omitted, the primary date's year is assumed. - When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but - with the --date2 flag (or --aux-date or --effective), the secondary + sign. If the year is omitted, the primary date's year is assumed. + When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but + with the --date2 flag (or --aux-date or --effective), the secondary (right) date will be used instead. - The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it's best to follow a - consistent rule. Eg "primary = the bank's clearing date, secondary = + The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it's best to follow a + consistent rule. Eg "primary = the bank's clearing date, secondary = date the transaction was initiated, if different", as shown here: 2010/2/23=2/19 movie ticket @@ -3758,11 +3852,11 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT 2010-02-19 movie ticket assets:checking $-10 $-10 Posting dates - You can give individual postings a different date from their parent - transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below) + You can give individual postings a different date from their parent + transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below) like date:DATE. This is probably the best way to control posting dates - precisely. Eg in this example the expense should appear in May - reports, and the deduction from checking should be reported on 6/1 for + precisely. Eg in this example the expense should appear in May + reports, and the deduction from checking should be reported on 6/1 for easy bank reconciliation: 2015/5/30 @@ -3775,22 +3869,22 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT $ hledger -f t.j register checking 2015-06-01 assets:checking $-10 $-10 - DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use - the year of the transaction's date. You can set the secondary date - similarly, with date2:DATE2. The date: or date2: tags must have a - valid simple date value if they are present, eg a date: tag with no + DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use + the year of the transaction's date. You can set the secondary date + similarly, with date2:DATE2. The date: or date2: tags must have a + valid simple date value if they are present, eg a date: tag with no value is not allowed. Ledger's earlier, more compact bracketed date syntax is also supported: - [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2]. hledger will attempt to parse any + [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2]. hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the 0123456789/-.= characters in this way. - With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 + With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its year from DATE. Status - Transactions, or individual postings within a transaction, can have a - status mark, which is a single character before the transaction - description or posting account name, separated from it by a space, + Transactions, or individual postings within a transaction, can have a + status mark, which is a single character before the transaction + description or posting account name, separated from it by a space, indicating one of three statuses: @@ -3800,23 +3894,23 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT ! pending * cleared - When reporting, you can filter by status with the -U/--unmarked, - -P/--pending, and -C/--cleared flags; or the status:, status:!, and + When reporting, you can filter by status with the -U/--unmarked, + -P/--pending, and -C/--cleared flags; or the status:, status:!, and status:* queries; or the U, P, C keys in hledger-ui. - Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the "unmarked" state - is called "uncleared". As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to + Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the "unmarked" state + is called "uncleared". As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity. - To replicate Ledger and old hledger's behaviour of also matching pend- + To replicate Ledger and old hledger's behaviour of also matching pend- ing, combine -U and -P. - Status marks are optional, but can be helpful eg for reconciling with + Status marks are optional, but can be helpful eg for reconciling with real-world accounts. Some editor modes provide highlighting and short- - cuts for working with status. Eg in Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle + cuts for working with status. Eg in Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle transaction status with C-c C-e, or posting status with C-c C-c. - What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actually mean is up to you. + What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actually mean is up to you. Here's one suggestion: @@ -3828,41 +3922,41 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT cleared complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered cor- rect - With this scheme, you would use -PC to see the current balance at your - bank, -U to see things which will probably hit your bank soon (like + With this scheme, you would use -PC to see the current balance at your + bank, -U to see things which will probably hit your bank soon (like uncashed checks), and no flags to see the most up-to-date state of your finances. Code - After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally - write a transaction "code", enclosed in parentheses. This is a good - place to record a check number, or some other important transaction id + After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally + write a transaction "code", enclosed in parentheses. This is a good + place to record a check number, or some other important transaction id or reference number. Description - A transaction's description is the rest of the line following the date - and status mark (or until a comment begins). Sometimes called the + A transaction's description is the rest of the line following the date + and status mark (or until a comment begins). Sometimes called the "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you - wish, or left blank. Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike + wish, or left blank. Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments. Payee and note You can optionally include a | (pipe) character in descriptions to sub- divide the description into separate fields for payee/payer name on the - left (up to the first |) and an additional note field on the right - (after the first |). This may be worthwhile if you need to do more + left (up to the first |) and an additional note field on the right + (after the first |). This may be worthwhile if you need to do more precise querying and pivoting by payee or by note. Comments Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (;) or hash (#) or star - (*) are comments, and will be ignored. (Star comments cause org-mode - nodes to be ignored, allowing emacs users to fold and navigate their + (*) are comments, and will be ignored. (Star comments cause org-mode + nodes to be ignored, allowing emacs users to fold and navigate their journals with org-mode or orgstruct-mode.) - You can attach comments to a transaction by writing them after the - description and/or indented on the following lines (before the post- - ings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting by - writing them after the amount and/or indented on the following lines. + You can attach comments to a transaction by writing them after the + description and/or indented on the following lines (before the post- + ings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting by + writing them after the amount and/or indented on the following lines. Transaction and posting comments must begin with a semicolon (;). Some examples: @@ -3885,24 +3979,24 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT ; another comment line for posting 2 ; a file comment (because not indented) - You can also comment larger regions of a file using comment and end + You can also comment larger regions of a file using comment and end comment directives. Tags - Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to postings and + Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to postings and transactions, which you can then search or pivot on. - A simple tag is a word (which may contain hyphens) followed by a full + A simple tag is a word (which may contain hyphens) followed by a full colon, written inside a transaction or posting comment line: 2017/1/16 bought groceries ; sometag: - Tags can have a value, which is the text after the colon, up to the + Tags can have a value, which is the text after the colon, up to the next comma or end of line, with leading/trailing whitespace removed: expenses:food $10 ; a-posting-tag: the tag value - Note this means hledger's tag values can not contain commas or new- + Note this means hledger's tag values can not contain commas or new- lines. Ending at commas means you can write multiple short tags on one line, comma separated: @@ -3916,57 +4010,57 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT o "tag2" is another tag, whose value is "some value ..." - Tags in a transaction comment affect the transaction and all of its - postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. - For example, the following transaction has three tags (A, TAG2, third- + Tags in a transaction comment affect the transaction and all of its + postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. + For example, the following transaction has three tags (A, TAG2, third- tag) and the posting has four (those plus posting-tag): 1/1 a transaction ; A:, TAG2: ; third-tag: a third transaction tag, <- with a value (a) $1 ; posting-tag: - Tags are like Ledger's metadata feature, except hledger's tag values + Tags are like Ledger's metadata feature, except hledger's tag values are simple strings. Postings - A posting is an addition of some amount to, or removal of some amount - from, an account. Each posting line begins with at least one space or + A posting is an addition of some amount to, or removal of some amount + from, an account. Each posting line begins with at least one space or tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by: o (optional) a status character (empty, !, or *), followed by a space - o (required) an account name (any text, optionally containing single + o (required) an account name (any text, optionally containing single spaces, until end of line or a double space) o (optional) two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount. - Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are + Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are being removed. The amounts within a transaction must always sum up to zero. As a con- - venience, one amount may be left blank; it will be inferred so as to + venience, one amount may be left blank; it will be inferred so as to balance the transaction. - Be sure to note the unusual two-space delimiter between account name - and amount. This makes it easy to write account names containing spa- - ces. But if you accidentally leave only one space (or tab) before the + Be sure to note the unusual two-space delimiter between account name + and amount. This makes it easy to write account names containing spa- + ces. But if you accidentally leave only one space (or tab) before the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name. Virtual postings A posting with a parenthesised account name is called a virtual posting - or unbalanced posting, which means it is exempt from the usual rule + or unbalanced posting, which means it is exempt from the usual rule that a transaction's postings must balance add up to zero. - This is not part of double entry accounting, so you might choose to - avoid this feature. Or you can use it sparingly for certain special - cases where it can be convenient. Eg, you could set opening balances + This is not part of double entry accounting, so you might choose to + avoid this feature. Or you can use it sparingly for certain special + cases where it can be convenient. Eg, you could set opening balances without using a balancing equity account: 1/1 opening balances (assets:checking) $1000 (assets:savings) $2000 - A posting with a bracketed account name is called a balanced virtual + A posting with a bracketed account name is called a balanced virtual posting. The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to zero (separately from other postings). Eg: @@ -3978,34 +4072,34 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT [assets:checking:available] $10 ; <- (something:else) $5 ; <- not required to balance - Ordinary non-parenthesised, non-bracketed postings are called real - postings. You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the + Ordinary non-parenthesised, non-bracketed postings are called real + postings. You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the -R/--real flag or real:1 query. Account names - Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, - from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can - be anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five top- + Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, + from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can + be anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five top- level accounts: assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and equity. - Account names may contain single spaces, eg: assets:accounts receiv- - able. Because of this, they must always be followed by two or more + Account names may contain single spaces, eg: assets:accounts receiv- + able. Because of this, they must always be followed by two or more spaces (or newline). Account names can be aliased. Amounts - After the account name, there is usually an amount. (Important: + After the account name, there is usually an amount. (Important: between account name and amount, there must be two or more spaces.) - hledger's amount format is flexible, supporting several international - formats. Here are some examples. Amounts have a number (the "quan- + hledger's amount format is flexible, supporting several international + formats. Here are some examples. Amounts have a number (the "quan- tity"): 1 ..and usually a currency symbol or commodity name (more on this below), - to the left or right of the quantity, with or without a separating + to the left or right of the quantity, with or without a separating space: $1 @@ -4013,13 +4107,13 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT 3 "green apples" Amounts can be preceded by a minus sign (or a plus sign, though plus is - the default), The sign can be written before or after a left-side com- + the default), The sign can be written before or after a left-side com- modity symbol: -$1 $-1 - One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when + One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when parsing (but they won't be displayed in output): + $1 @@ -4036,8 +4130,8 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT 1.23 1,23456780000009 - In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups - of digits can optionally be separated by a "digit group mark" - a + In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups + of digits can optionally be separated by a "digit group mark" - a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark): $1,000,000.00 @@ -4051,39 +4145,39 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT 1,000 1.000 - If you don't tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the above + If you don't tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the above are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1. To prevent confusion and - undetected typos, we recommend adding commodity directives at the top - of your journal file to explicitly declare the decimal mark (and - optionally a digit group mark) for each commodity. Read on for more + undetected typos, we recommend adding commodity directives at the top + of your journal file to explicitly declare the decimal mark (and + optionally a digit group mark) for each commodity. Read on for more about this. Commodity - Amounts in hledger have both a "quantity", which is a signed decimal + Amounts in hledger have both a "quantity", which is a signed decimal number, and a "commodity", which is a currency symbol, stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are tracking. If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or punctu- - ation), you must always write it inside double quotes ("green apples", + ation), you must always write it inside double quotes ("green apples", "ABC123"). - If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with + If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with name ""; we call that the "no-symbol commodity". - Actually, hledger combines these single-commodity amounts into more - powerful multi-commodity amounts, which are what it works with most of - the time. A multi-commodity amount could be, eg: 1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 - TSLA. In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in + Actually, hledger combines these single-commodity amounts into more + powerful multi-commodity amounts, which are what it works with most of + the time. A multi-commodity amount could be, eg: 1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 + TSLA. In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger's output; you can't write them directly in the journal file. - (If you are writing scripts or working with hledger's internals, these + (If you are writing scripts or working with hledger's internals, these are the Amount and MixedAmount types.) Commodity directives You can add commodity directives to the journal, preferably at the top, - to declare your commodities and help with number parsing (see above) - and display (see below). These are optional, but recommended. They - are described in more detail in JOURNAL FORMAT -> Declaring commodi- + to declare your commodities and help with number parsing (see above) + and display (see below). These are optional, but recommended. They + are described in more detail in JOURNAL FORMAT -> Declaring commodi- ties. Here's a quick example: # number format and display style for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity: @@ -4095,48 +4189,48 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT Commodity display style For the amounts in each commodity, hledger chooses a consistent display - style to use in most reports. (Exceptions: price amounts, and all + style to use in most reports. (Exceptions: price amounts, and all amounts displayed by the print command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits visible.) A commodity's display style is inferred as follows. - First, if a default commodity is declared with D, this commodity and + First, if a default commodity is declared with D, this commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the journal. - Then each commodity's style is inferred from one of the following, in + Then each commodity's style is inferred from one of the following, in order of preference: - o The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol + o The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol commodity), if any. - o The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal's transactions. + o The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal's transactions. (Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored, currently.) - o The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: $1000.00. (Sym- + o The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: $1000.00. (Sym- bol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.) A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows: - o Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first + o Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first amount - o Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group + o Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group sizes), if any o Use the maximum number of decimal places of all. - Transaction price amounts don't affect the commodity display style - directly, but occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a post- - ing's amount is inferred using a transaction price). If you find this + Transaction price amounts don't affect the commodity display style + directly, but occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a post- + ing's amount is inferred using a transaction price). If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the display style. - To summarise: each commodity's amounts will be normalised to (a) the - style declared by a commodity directive, or (b) the style of the first - posting amount in the journal, with the first-seen digit group style - and the maximum-seen number of decimal places. So if your reports are - showing amounts in a way you don't like, eg with too many decimal + To summarise: each commodity's amounts will be normalised to (a) the + style declared by a commodity directive, or (b) the style of the first + posting amount in the journal, with the first-seen digit group style + and the maximum-seen number of decimal places. So if your reports are + showing amounts in a way you don't like, eg with too many decimal places, use a commodity directive. Some examples: # declare euro, dollar, bitcoin and no-symbol commodities and set their @@ -4148,17 +4242,17 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT Rounding Amounts are stored internally as decimal numbers with up to 255 decimal - places, and displayed with the number of decimal places specified by - the commodity display style. Note, hledger uses banker's rounding: it - rounds to the nearest even number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal - places is "0"). (Guaranteed since hledger 1.17.1; in older versions + places, and displayed with the number of decimal places specified by + the commodity display style. Note, hledger uses banker's rounding: it + rounds to the nearest even number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal + places is "0"). (Guaranteed since hledger 1.17.1; in older versions this could vary if hledger was built with Decimal < 0.5.1.) Transaction prices Within a transaction, you can note an amount's price in another commod- - ity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or selling - price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful to - record purchases of a foreign currency. Note transaction prices are + ity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or selling + price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful to + record purchases of a foreign currency. Note transaction prices are fixed at the time of the transaction, and do not change over time. See also market prices, which represent prevailing exchange rates on a cer- tain date. @@ -4184,14 +4278,14 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT assets:euros EUR100 ; one hundred euros purchased assets:dollars $-135 ; for $135 - 4. Like 1, but the @ is parenthesised, i.e. (@); this is for compati- - bility with Ledger journals (Virtual posting costs), and is equiva- + 4. Like 1, but the @ is parenthesised, i.e. (@); this is for compati- + bility with Ledger journals (Virtual posting costs), and is equiva- lent to 1 in hledger. 5. Like 2, but as in 4 the @@ is parenthesised, i.e. (@@); in hledger, this is equivalent to 2. - Use the -B/--cost flag to convert amounts to their transaction price's + Use the -B/--cost flag to convert amounts to their transaction price's commodity, if any. (mnemonic: "B" is from "cost Basis", as in Ledger). Eg here is how -B affects the balance report for the example above: @@ -4202,8 +4296,8 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT $-135 assets:dollars $135 assets:euros # <- the euros' cost - Note -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a transaction price - is inferred: the inferred price will be in the commodity of the last + Note -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a transaction price + is inferred: the inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount. So if example 3's postings are reversed, while the transaction is equivalent, -B shows something different: @@ -4216,18 +4310,18 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT EUR100 assets:euros Lot prices, lot dates - Ledger allows another kind of price, lot price (four variants: {UNIT- + Ledger allows another kind of price, lot price (four variants: {UNIT- PRICE}, {{TOTALPRICE}}, {=FIXEDUNITPRICE}, {{=FIXEDTOTALPRICE}}), and/or a lot date ([DATE]) to be specified. These are normally used to - select a lot when selling investments. hledger will parse these, for - compatibility with Ledger journals, but currently ignores them. A - transaction price, lot price and/or lot date may appear in any order, + select a lot when selling investments. hledger will parse these, for + compatibility with Ledger journals, but currently ignores them. A + transaction price, lot price and/or lot date may appear in any order, after the posting amount and before the balance assertion if any. Balance assertions - hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. - These look like, for example, = EXPECTEDBALANCE following a posting's - amount. Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a + hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. + These look like, for example, = EXPECTEDBALANCE following a posting's + amount. Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after each posting: 2013/1/1 @@ -4239,32 +4333,32 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT b $-1 =$-2 After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance assertions - and report an error if any of them fail. Balance assertions can pro- - tect you from, eg, inadvertently disrupting reconciled balances while - cleaning up old entries. You can disable them temporarily with the + and report an error if any of them fail. Balance assertions can pro- + tect you from, eg, inadvertently disrupting reconciled balances while + cleaning up old entries. You can disable them temporarily with the -I/--ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or - for reading Ledger files. (Note: this flag currently does not disable + for reading Ledger files. (Note: this flag currently does not disable balance assignments, below). Assertions and ordering - hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and - then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is dif- + hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and + then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is dif- ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order. (Also, - Ledger assertions do not see the accumulated effect of repeated post- + Ledger assertions do not see the accumulated effect of repeated post- ings to the same account within a transaction.) So, hledger balance assertions keep working if you reorder differently- - dated transactions within the journal. But if you reorder same-dated - transactions or postings, assertions might break and require updating. + dated transactions within the journal. But if you reorder same-dated + transactions or postings, assertions might break and require updating. This order dependence does bring an advantage: precise control over the order of postings and assertions within a day, so you can assert intra- day balances. Assertions and included files - With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including - preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multi- - ple postings to an account on the same day, split across different - files, and you also want to assert the account's balance on the same + With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including + preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multi- + ple postings to an account on the same day, split across different + files, and you also want to assert the account's balance on the same day, you'll have to put the assertion in the right file. Assertions and multiple -f options @@ -4272,15 +4366,15 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT -f options. Use include or concatenate the files instead. Assertions and commodities - The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in - fact the assertion checks only this commodity's balance within the - (possibly multi-commodity) account balance. This is how assertions + The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in + fact the assertion checks only this commodity's balance within the + (possibly multi-commodity) account balance. This is how assertions work in Ledger also. We could call this a "partial" balance assertion. To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity's balance. - You can make a stronger "total" balance assertion by writing a double + You can make a stronger "total" balance assertion by writing a double equals sign (== EXPECTEDBALANCE). This asserts that there are no other unasserted commodities in the account (or, that their balance is 0). @@ -4300,7 +4394,7 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT a 0 == $1 It's not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance that - has multiple commodities. One workaround is to isolate each commodity + has multiple commodities. One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount: 2013/1/1 @@ -4314,21 +4408,21 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT a:euro 0 == 1EUR Assertions and prices - Balance assertions ignore transaction prices, and should normally be + Balance assertions ignore transaction prices, and should normally be written without one: 2019/1/1 (a) $1 @ EUR1 = $1 - We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them, - even though they don't affect whether the assertion passes or fails. - This is for backward compatibility (hledger's close command used to - generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance assign- + We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them, + even though they don't affect whether the assertion passes or fails. + This is for backward compatibility (hledger's close command used to + generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance assign- ments do use them (see below). Assertions and subaccounts - The balance assertions above (= and ==) do not count the balance from - subaccounts; they check the account's exclusive balance only. You can + The balance assertions above (= and ==) do not count the balance from + subaccounts; they check the account's exclusive balance only. You can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing =* or ==*, eg: 2019/1/1 @@ -4342,16 +4436,16 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT tual. They are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query. Assertions and precision - Balance assertions compare the exactly calculated amounts, which are - not always what is shown by reports. Eg a commodity directive may - limit the display precision, but this will not affect balance asser- + Balance assertions compare the exactly calculated amounts, which are + not always what is shown by reports. Eg a commodity directive may + limit the display precision, but this will not affect balance asser- tions. Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts. Balance assignments - Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like - balance assertions, but with no posting amount on the left side of the - equals sign; instead it is calculated automatically so as to satisfy - the assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when + Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like + balance assertions, but with no posting amount on the left side of the + equals sign; instead it is calculated automatically so as to satisfy + the assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when setting opening balances: ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances @@ -4369,14 +4463,14 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT expenses:misc The calculated amount depends on the account's balance in the commodity - at that point (which depends on the previously-dated postings of the - commodity to that account since the last balance assertion or assign- + at that point (which depends on the previously-dated postings of the + commodity to that account since the last balance assertion or assign- ment). Note that using balance assignments makes your journal a little less explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it. Balance assignments and prices - A transaction price in a balance assignment will cause the calculated + A transaction price in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have that price attached: 2019/1/1 @@ -4387,15 +4481,14 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT (a) $1 @ EUR2 = $1 @ EUR2 Directives - A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword, + A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword, that influences how the journal is processed. hledger's directives are based on a subset of Ledger's, but there are many differences (and also some differences between hledger versions). Directives' behaviour and interactions can get a little bit complex, so - here is a table summarising the directives and their effects, with - links to more detailed docs. Note part of this table is hidden when - viewed in a web browser - scroll it sideways to see more. + here is a table summarising the directives and their effects, with + links to more detailed docs. direc- end subdi- purpose can affect (as of @@ -4409,6 +4502,10 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT aliases until end of cur- rent file or end directive + + + + apply end apply prepend a common parent to following entries account account account names until end of cur- rent file or end @@ -4419,11 +4516,11 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT directive commod- format declare a commodity and its number notation: ity number notation & display following entries - style in that commodity - in all files ; dis- - play style: amounts - of that commodity - in reports + style until end of cur- + rent file; display + style: amounts of + that commodity in + reports D declare a commodity to be default commodity: used for commodityless following commod- amounts, and its number ityless entries @@ -4439,7 +4536,7 @@ JOURNAL FORMAT reports include include entries/directives what the included from another file directives affect - [payee] declare a payee name following entries + payee declare a payee name following entries until end of cur- rent file P declare a market price for a amounts of that