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hledger 1.29.2 → 1.30

raw patch · 30 files changed

+65825/−64397 lines, 30 filesdep ~aesondep ~hledger-lib

Dependency ranges changed: aeson, hledger-lib

Files

CHANGES.md view
@@ -5,10 +5,163 @@ | (__| | |  \___|_|_| +Breaking changes++Features++Improvements++Fixes++Docs++API+ --> User-visible changes in the hledger command line tool and library.  +# 1.30 2023-06-01++Breaking changes++- The CSV reader now properly skips all empty lines, as specified by docs.+  Previously, inner empty lines were not being skipped automatically.+  You might need to adjust the `skip` count in some CSV rules files.+  (#2024)++- Timedot format now generates a single multi-posting transaction per+  date line, and supports comments and tags on all lines.+  (#1754)++- Timeclock format now supports comments and tags.+  Descriptions can no longer contain semicolons.+  (#1220)++Features++- CSV rules files can now be read directly, as in+  `hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD`. By default this will read data+  from foo.csv in the same directory.+  +- CSV rules files can use a new `source FILE` rule to specify the data file,+  with some convenience features:++  - If the data file does not exist, it is treated as empty, not an+    error.++  - If FILE is a relative path, it is relative to the rules file's+    directory. If it is just a file name with no path, it is relative+    to `~/Downloads/`.++  - If FILE is a glob pattern, the most recently modified matched file+    is used.++  This helps remove some of the busywork of managing CSV downloads.+  Most of your financial institutions's default CSV filenames are+  different and can be recognised by a glob pattern.  So you can put a+  rule like `source Checking1*.csv` in foo-checking.csv.rules,+  periodically download CSV from Foo's website accepting your browser's+  defaults, and then run `hledger import checking.csv.rules` to import+  any new transactions. The next time, if you have done no cleanup, your+  browser will probably save it as something like Checking1-2.csv, and+  hledger will still see that because of the * wild card. You can choose+  whether to delete CSVs after import, or keep them for a while as+  temporary backups, or archive them somewhere.+  (Experimental)++- The balance command has a new --count report type+  which reports posting counts instead of amounts.++- Full boolean queries, allowing arbitrary use of AND, OR, NOT+  (case insensitive) and parentheses for grouping, are now supported.+  For backward compatibility, these require an `expr:` prefix.+  Existing queries work as before, and you can mix and match the+  old and new styles if you like.+  (Chris Lemaire)+ +- demo: This new command plays brief asciinema screencasts explaining+  various features and use cases. We will add more of these over time.+  (Experimental)++Improvements++- Add-on commands can now have `.js`, `.lua`, or `.php` file extensions.++- Generated and modified transactions and postings have the same hidden+  tags (beginning with underscore) as before, but no longer have visible+  tags added by default. Use `--verbose-tags` if you want them added.++- We now try harder to ensure `less` (and its `more` mode) show our+  ANSI formatting properly in help output.+  If you use some other $PAGER, you may have to configure it yourself+  to show ANSI (or disable ANSI entirely, eg by setting NO_COLOR=1).+  This is now documented in hledger manual > Paging.+  (#2015)++- The print command's `--match` mode has been refined.+  Previously, similarity completely outweighed recency, so a+  slightly-more-similar transaction would always be selected no matter+  how old it was. Now similarity and recency are more balanced,+  and it should produce the desired transaction more often.+  There is also new debug output (at debug level 1) for troubleshooting.++- Miscellaneous commands list updates.+  Help has been added for all published add-on commands (like hledger-lots).++- The help command's documentation now mentions an issue caused by+  a too-old `info` program, as on mac.+  (#1770)++Fixes++- Unbalanced virtual postings with no amount always infer a zero amount.+  This is fixing and clarifying the status quo; they always did this,+  but print always showed them with no amount, even with -x, and+  the behaviour was undocumented.++- On windows systems with multiple drive letters, the commands list+  could fail to show all installed add-ons.+  (#2040)++- Balancing a transaction with a balance assignment now properly respects costs.+  (#2039)++- The commands list no longer lists non-installed addons.+  (#2034)++- Since hledger 1.25, "every Nth day of month" period rules with N > 28 could+  be calculated wrongly by a couple of days when given certain forecast start dates.+  Eg `~ every 31st day of month` with `--forecast='2023-03-30..'`.+  This is now fixed.+  (#2032)++- Postings are now processed in correct date order when inferring balance assignments.+  (#2025)++- Posting comment lines no longer disrupt the underline position in error messages.+  (#1927)++- Debug output is now formatted to fit the terminal width.++Docs++- Miscellaneous manual cleanups.++- Rewrite introductory sections,+  Date adjustment,+  Directives,+  Forecasting,+  etc.++- Add Paging section.++- Remove archaic mentions of `setenv`.++API++- Renamed: Hledger.Cli.Commands: findCommand -> findBuiltinCommand+ # 1.29.2 2023-04-07  Breaking changes@@ -46,15 +199,17 @@  Fixes -- The 1.29 release notes for periodic reports'/periodic transactions' start dates-  have been improved. Also the hledger manual's "Date adjustment" section-  has been corrected and clarified.- - `type:` queries now "see through" account aliases and pivots,   as they did in hledger <1.27, and as `acct:` queries do.   (#2018) +- The corruption in 1.29's info manual is fixed. (#2023) +- The 1.29 release notes for periodic reports'/periodic transactions' start dates+  have been improved. Also the hledger manual's "Date adjustment" section+  has been corrected and clarified.++ # 1.29.1 2023-03-16  Improvements@@ -117,7 +272,7 @@    (#1982) -- You can now freely combine @/@@ costs and conversion postings+- You can now freely combine @/@@ notation and conversion postings   in a single transaction. This can help readability, and also allows   more flexibility when recording cost.  hledger will check that the   two notations are in agreement, and ignore the redundancy if they are.@@ -298,6 +453,7 @@   # 1.28 2022-12-01+ Features  - The `accounts` command has new flags: `--undeclared` (show accounts used but not declared), `--unused` (show accounts declared but not used),  and `--find` (find the first account matched by the first command argument, a convenience for scripts). Also `-u` and `-d` short flags have been added for `--used` and `--declared`.
Hledger/Cli/CliOptions.hs view
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ import Data.Default import Data.Either (fromRight, isRight) import Data.List.Extra (groupSortOn, intercalate, isInfixOf, nubSort)-import Data.List.Split (splitOneOf)+import Data.List.Split (splitOn) import Data.Maybe --import Data.String.Here -- import Data.Text (Text)@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ import System.Environment import System.Exit (exitSuccess) import System.FilePath+import System.Info (os) import Text.Megaparsec import Text.Megaparsec.Char @@ -109,14 +110,15 @@   -- common cmdargs flags+-- keep synced with flag docs in doc/common.m4  -- | Common help flags: --help, --debug, --version... helpflags :: [Flag RawOpts] helpflags = [   -- XXX why are these duplicated in defCommandMode below ?   flagNone ["help","h"] (setboolopt "help") "show general help (or after CMD, command help)"- ,flagNone ["man"] (setboolopt "man") "Show user manual with man"- ,flagNone ["info"] (setboolopt "info") "Show info manual with info"+ ,flagNone ["man"] (setboolopt "man") "show user manual with man"+ ,flagNone ["info"] (setboolopt "info") "show info manual with info"  -- ,flagNone ["browse-args"] (setboolopt "browse-args") "use a web UI to select options and build up a command line"  ,flagReq  ["debug"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "debug" s opts) "[N]" "show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)"  ,flagNone ["version"] (setboolopt "version") "show version information"@@ -162,7 +164,7 @@  ,flagReq  ["depth"]         (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "depth" s opts) "NUM" "(or -NUM): hide accounts/postings deeper than this"  ,flagNone ["empty","E"]     (setboolopt "empty") "show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in hledger-ui/hledger-web)" -  -- valuation+  -- valuation, including https://hledger.org/dev/hledger.html#valuation-type :  ,flagNone ["B","cost"]      (setboolopt "B")    "show amounts converted to their cost/selling amount, using the transaction price."  ,flagNone ["V","market"]    (setboolopt "V")@@ -185,10 +187,9 @@      ,"YYYY-MM-DD: convert to market value on the given date, in default valuation commodity or COMM"      ])   ,flagNone ["infer-equity"] (setboolopt "infer-equity")-    "in conversion transactions, replace costs (transaction prices) with equity postings, to keep the transactions balanced"+    "infer conversion equity postings from costs"   ,flagNone ["infer-costs"] (setboolopt "infer-costs")-    "infer costs (transaction prices) from manual conversion postings"-  +    "infer costs from conversion equity postings"   -- history of this flag so far, lest we be confused:   --  originally --infer-value   --  2021-02 --infer-market-price added, --infer-value deprecated @@ -200,16 +201,18 @@   --    --costs deprecated and hidden, uses --infer-market-prices instead   --    --inverted-costs renamed to --infer-reverse-prices  ,flagNone ["infer-market-prices"] (setboolopt "infer-market-prices") -    "use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market prices, as if they were P directives"+    "use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives" -  -- generated postings/transactions- ,flagNone ["auto"]          (setboolopt "auto") "apply automated posting rules to modify transactions"- ,flagOpt "" ["forecast"]    (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "forecast" s opts) "PERIODEXP" -  (unlines-   [ "Generate periodic transactions (from periodic transaction rules). By default these begin after the latest recorded transaction, and end 6 months from today, or at the report end date."-   , "Also, in hledger-ui, make future transactions visible."-   , "Note that = (and not a space) is required before PERIODEXP if you wish to supply it."+  -- generating transactions/postings+ ,flagOpt "" ["forecast"]    (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "forecast" s opts) "PERIOD" (unwords+   [ "Generate transactions from periodic rules,"+   , "between the latest recorded txn and 6 months from today,"+   , "or during the specified PERIOD (= is required)."+   , "Auto posting rules will be applied to these transactions as well."+   , "Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated transactions visible."    ])+ ,flagNone ["auto"]          (setboolopt "auto") "Generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns (not just forecast txns)."+ ,flagNone ["verbose-tags"]  (setboolopt "verbose-tags") "Add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have been generated/modified."    -- general output-related  ,flagReq ["commodity-style", "c"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "commodity-style" s opts) "COMM"@@ -225,7 +228,7 @@      ,"A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this."      ])  ,flagOpt "yes" ["pretty"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "pretty" s opts) "WHEN"-   (unlines+   (unwords      ["Show prettier output, e.g. using unicode box-drawing characters."      ,"Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no'."      ,"If you provide an argument you must use '=', e.g. '--pretty=yes'."@@ -573,8 +576,8 @@   let rawopts = either usageError id $ process mode' args0   opts <- rawOptsToCliOpts rawopts   debugArgs args0 opts-  when ("help" `inRawOpts` rawopts_ opts) $ putStr shorthelp >> exitSuccess-  -- when ("help" `inRawOpts` rawopts_ opts) $ putStr longhelp  >> exitSuccess+  when (boolopt "help" $ rawopts_ opts) $ putStr shorthelp >> exitSuccess+  -- when (boolopt "help" $ rawopts_ opts) $ putStr longhelp  >> exitSuccess   return opts   where     longhelp = showModeUsage mode'@@ -738,21 +741,6 @@  compiledExts = ["",".com",".exe"] ---- | Get all sorted unique filenames in the current user's PATH.--- We do not currently filter out non-file objects or files without execute permission.-likelyExecutablesInPath :: IO [String]-likelyExecutablesInPath = do-  pathdirs <- splitOneOf "[:;]" `fmap` getEnvSafe "PATH"-  pathfiles <- concat `fmap` mapM getDirectoryContentsSafe pathdirs-  return $ nubSort pathfiles-  -- exclude directories and files without execute permission.-  -- These will do a stat for each hledger-*, probably ok.-  -- But they need paths, not just filenames-  -- exes'  <- filterM doesFileExist exe'-  -- exes'' <- filterM isExecutable exes'-  -- return exes''- -- | Get the sorted unique filenames of all hledger-* executables in -- the current user's PATH. These are files in any of the PATH directories, -- named hledger-*, with either no extension (and no periods in the name)@@ -761,7 +749,25 @@ hledgerExecutablesInPath :: IO [String] hledgerExecutablesInPath = filter isHledgerExeName <$> likelyExecutablesInPath --- isExecutable f = getPermissions f >>= (return . executable)+-- None of https://hackage.haskell.org/package/directory-1.3.8.1/docs/System-Directory.html#g:5+-- do quite what we need (find all the executables in PATH with a filename prefix).+-- | Get all sorted unique filenames in the current user's PATH.+-- We do not currently filter out non-file objects or files without execute permission.+likelyExecutablesInPath :: IO [String]+likelyExecutablesInPath = do+  pathdirs <- splitOn pathsep `fmap` getEnvSafe "PATH"+  pathfiles <- concat `fmap` mapM getDirectoryContentsSafe pathdirs+  return $ nubSort pathfiles+  where pathsep = if os == "mingw32" then ";" else ":"+--+-- Exclude directories and files without execute permission:+-- this would do a stat for each hledger-* file found, which is probably ok.+-- But it needs file paths, not just file names.+--+-- exes'  <- filterM doesFileExist exe'+-- exes'' <- filterM isExecutable exes'+-- return exes''+-- where isExecutable f = getPermissions f >>= (return . executable)  isHledgerExeName :: String -> Bool isHledgerExeName = isRight . parsewith hledgerexenamep . T.pack@@ -782,7 +788,10 @@   ,"com"   ,"exe"   ,"hs"+  ,"js"   ,"lhs"+  ,"lua"+  ,"php"   ,"pl"   ,"py"   ,"rb"
Hledger/Cli/Commands.hs view
@@ -3,17 +3,24 @@  New built-in commands should be added in four places below: the export list, the import list, builtinCommands, commandsList.+ -} +-- Note: commands list rendering is intensely sensitive to change,+-- very easy to break in ways that tests currently do not catch.++{-# LANGUAGE LambdaCase #-} {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-} {-# LANGUAGE QuasiQuotes #-} {-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell #-}  module Hledger.Cli.Commands (-   findCommand-  ,testcmd+   testcmd   ,builtinCommands   ,builtinCommandNames+  ,findBuiltinCommand+  ,knownAddonCommands+  ,knownCommands   ,printCommandsList   ,tests_Hledger_Cli   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Accounts@@ -27,6 +34,7 @@   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Close   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Codes   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Commodities+  ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Demo   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Descriptions   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Diff   ,module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Help@@ -43,8 +51,9 @@ )  where -import Data.Char (isSpace)+import Data.Char (isAlphaNum, isSpace) import Data.List+import Data.List.Extra (nubSort) import Data.Text (Text) import qualified Data.Text as T import Data.Time.Calendar@@ -68,6 +77,7 @@ import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Close import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Codes import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Commodities+import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Demo import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Descriptions import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Diff import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Files@@ -84,7 +94,6 @@ import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Stats import Hledger.Cli.Commands.Tags import Hledger.Cli.Utils (tests_Cli_Utils)-import Data.List.Extra (chunksOf)  -- | The cmdargs subcommand mode (for command-line parsing) -- and IO action (for doing the command's work) for each builtin command.@@ -103,6 +112,7 @@   ,(closemode              , close)   ,(codesmode              , codes)   ,(commoditiesmode        , commodities)+  ,(demomode               , demo)   ,(descriptionsmode       , descriptions)   ,(diffmode               , diff)   ,(filesmode              , files)@@ -158,11 +168,6 @@   | terminalIsLight == Just True  = brightBlack   | otherwise                     = id -highlightAddon = id---- More careful version of bold-bold' = if useColorOnStdout then bold else id- -- | The commands list, showing command names, standard aliases, -- and short descriptions. This is modified at runtime, as follows: --@@ -181,10 +186,8 @@ -- -- TODO: generate more of this automatically. -- -commandsList :: String -> [String] -> Bool -> [String]-commandsList progversion othercmds highlight0 =-  let highlight = highlight0 && useColorOnStdout in-  (if highlight then (map (\s -> if "+" `isPrefixOf` s then highlightAddon (' ' : drop 1 s) else s)) else id) $+commandsList :: String -> [String] -> [String]+commandsList progversion othercmds =   map (bold'.accent) _banner_smslant ++    [   -- Keep the following synced with:@@ -193,38 +196,36 @@   --  commandsFromCommandsList. Only commands should begin with space or plus.    "-------------------------------------------------------------------------------"   ,progversion-  ,"Usage: hledger COMMAND [OPTIONS] [-- ADDONCMDOPTIONS]"-  ,"Commands (+ addons found in $PATH):"-  ,""-  ,"Usage: " ++ bold' "hledger CMD [OPTS] [-- ADDONCMDOPTS]"+  ,"Usage: hledger CMD [OPTS] [-- ADDONCMDOPTS]"+  ,"Commands (builtins + addons):"   ,""-  ,"Commands:"-  ,bold' "DATA ENTRY: add or edit entries in the journal file"+  ,bold' "ENTERING DATA (add or edit transactions, updating the journal file)"   ," add                      add transactions using terminal prompts"   ,"+edit                     edit a subset of transactions"   ,"+iadd                     add transactions using a TUI"   ," import                   add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "DATA CREATION: create or convert entries to be added to the journal file"+  ,bold' "GENERATING DATA (generate entries to be added to the journal file)"   ,"+autosync                 download/deduplicate/convert OFX data"   ," close                    generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions"-  ,"+fifo sell                generate a lot-selling transaction, using FIFO"   ,"+interest                 generate interest transactions"+  ,"+lots sell                generate a lot-selling transaction"   ," rewrite                  generate auto postings, like print --auto"   ,"+stockquotes              download market prices from AlphaVantage"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "DATA MANAGEMENT: help validate or manage journal files"+  ,bold' "MANAGING DATA (error checking, file management, version control..)"   ," check                    check for various kinds of error in the data"   ,"+check-fancyassertions    check more powerful balance assertions"   ,"+check-tagfiles           check file paths in tag values exist"   ," diff                     compare account transactions in two journal files"-  ,"+git                      record/status/log journal changes easily with git"-  ,"+pijul                    record/status/log journal changes easily with pijul"+  ," files                    show data files in use"+  ,"+git                      simple version management with git"+  ,"+pijul                    simple version management with pijul"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "REPORTS, FINANCIAL: standard financial reports"+  ,bold' "FINANCIAL REPORTS (standard 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"@@ -232,98 +233,105 @@   ," incomestatement (is)     show revenues and expenses"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "REPORTS, VERSATILE: more complex/versatile reporting commands"+  ,bold' "VERSATILE REPORTS (more complex/versatile reporting commands)"+  ," activity                 show a simple bar chart of posting counts per period"   ," balance (bal)            show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains.."-  ,"+fifo lots                show a commodity's remaining lots, using FIFO"+  ," bar                      show a balance report as a simple bar chart"+  ,"+lots                     show a commodity's lots"   ,"+plot                     create charts from balance reports, in terminal or GUI"   ," print                    show transactions or export journal data"   ," register (reg)           show postings in one or more accounts & running total"   ," roi                      show return on investments"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "REPORTS, BASIC: simple reports"+  ,bold' "BASIC REPORTS (lists and stats)"   ," accounts                 show account names"-  ," activity                 show bar charts of posting counts per period"   ," codes                    show transaction codes"   ," commodities              show commodity/currency symbols"-  ," descriptions             show transaction descriptions"-  ," files                    show input file paths"-  ," notes                    show note parts of transaction descriptions"-  ," payees                   show payee parts of transaction descriptions"-  ," prices                   show market prices"+  ," descriptions             show full transaction descriptions (payee and note)"+  ," notes                    show note part of transaction descriptions"+  ," payees                   show payee names"+  ," prices                   show historical market prices"   ," stats                    show journal statistics"   ," tags                     show tag names"   ," test                     run self tests"   ,""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "UIS: other user interfaces"+  ,bold' "UIS (other user interfaces)"   ,"+ui                       run terminal UI"   ,"+web                      run web UI"   ,""-  ,bold' "OTHER: other hledger-* addon commands found in PATH"-  ] ++-  multicol 80 (map (highlightAddon . (' ':) . drop 1) othercmds)-  ++-  [""     -----------------------------------------80--------------------------------------  ,bold' "HELP: command-line help and more docs"+  ,bold' "HELP (show help and docs)"   ," hledger                          show this commands list"-  ," hledger -h                       show hledger's general help"-  ," hledger COMMAND -h               show COMMAND's help"-  ," hledger help [-i|-m|-p] [TOPIC]  show the hledger manual with info/man/pager"+  ," hledger -h                       show hledger's command-line help"+  ," hledger CMD -h                   show CMD's command-line help and manual"+  ," hledger help [-i|-m|-p] [TOPIC]  show hledger's manual with info, man, or pager"+  ," hledger demo [DEMO] -- [ASCOPTS] show brief demos on various topics"   ," https://hledger.org              html manuals, tutorials, support.."   ,""+    -----------------------------------------80-------------------------------------+  ,bold' "OTHER (more hledger-* addon commands found in PATH)"   ]--- edit                     open a text editor on some part of the journal+  ++ map (' ':) (lines $ multicol 79 othercmds)+  ++ [""] --- | Convert a single-column list of items to a multicolumn list--- fitting within the given width. Wide character-aware.-multicol :: Int -> [String] -> [String]-multicol _ [] = []-multicol width strs =-  let-    maxwidth = maximum' $ map length strs-    numcols = min (length strs) (width `div` (maxwidth+2))-    itemspercol = length strs `div` numcols-    colitems = chunksOf itemspercol strs-    cols = map unlines colitems-    sep = " "-  in-    lines $ T.unpack $ textConcatBottomPadded $ map T.pack $ intersperse sep cols+-- | Extract just the command names from the default commands list above,+-- (the first word of lines between "Usage:" and "HELP" beginning with a space or plus sign),+-- in the order they occur. With a true first argument, extracts only the addon command names.+-- Needs to be kept synced with commandsList.+commandsListExtractCommands :: Bool -> [String] -> [String]+commandsListExtractCommands addonsonly l =+  [ w | c:ws@(d:_) <- takeWhile (not . isInfixOf "HELP") $ dropWhile (not . isInfixOf "Usage:") l+  , c `elem` '+':[' '|not addonsonly]+  , isAlphaNum d+  , not $ "://" `isInfixOf` ws+  , let w:_ = words ws+  ] --- | All names and aliases of builtin commands.+-- | Canonical names of all commands which have a slot in the commands list, in alphabetical order.+-- These include the builtin commands and the known addon commands.+knownCommands :: [String]+knownCommands = nubSort . commandsListExtractCommands False $ commandsList progname []++-- | Canonical names of the known addon commands which have a slot in the commands list,+-- in alphabetical order.+knownAddonCommands :: [String]+knownAddonCommands = nubSort . commandsListExtractCommands True $ commandsList progname []++-- | All names and aliases of the builtin commands. builtinCommandNames :: [String] builtinCommandNames = concatMap (modeNames . fst) builtinCommands  -- | Look up a builtin command's mode and action by exact command name or alias. -findCommand :: String -> Maybe (Mode RawOpts, CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()) -findCommand cmdname = find (elem cmdname . modeNames . fst) builtinCommands ---- | Extract the command names from commandsList: the first word--- of lines beginning with a space or + sign.-commandsFromCommandsList :: [String] -> [String]-commandsFromCommandsList s = [w | c:l <- s, c `elem` [' ','+'], let w:_ = words l]--knownCommands :: [String]-knownCommands = sort . commandsFromCommandsList $ commandsList progname [] False -- progname will not be seen+findBuiltinCommand :: String -> Maybe (Mode RawOpts, CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()) +findBuiltinCommand cmdname = find (elem cmdname . modeNames . fst) builtinCommands  --- | Print the commands list, modifying the template above based on--- the currently available addons. Missing addons will be removed, and--- extra addons will be added under Misc.+-- | Print the commands list, with a pager if appropriate, customising the+-- commandsList template above with the given version string and the installed addons.+-- Uninstalled known addons will be removed from the list,+-- installed known addons will have the + prefix removed,+-- and installed unknown addons will be added under Misc. printCommandsList :: String -> [String] -> IO ()-printCommandsList progversion addonsFound =-    pager . unlines . concatMap adjustline $-    commandsList progversion (map ('+':) unknownCommandsFound) True+printCommandsList progversion installedaddons =+  seq (length $ dbg8 "uninstalledknownaddons" uninstalledknownaddons) $  -- for debug output+  seq (length $ dbg8 "installedknownaddons"   installedknownaddons)   $+  seq (length $ dbg8 "installedunknownaddons" installedunknownaddons) $+  pager $ unlines $ map unplus $ filter (not.isuninstalledaddon) $+  commandsList progversion installedunknownaddons   where-    commandsFound = map (' ':) builtinCommandNames ++ map ('+':) addonsFound-    unknownCommandsFound = addonsFound \\ knownCommands--    adjustline l         | " hledger " `isPrefixOf` l     = [l]-    adjustline l@('+':_) | cmd `notElem` commandsFound = []-      where-        cmd = takeWhile (not . isSpace) l-    adjustline l = [l]-+    knownaddons = knownAddonCommands+    uninstalledknownaddons  = knownaddons \\ installedaddons+    installedknownaddons    = knownaddons `intersect` installedaddons+    installedunknownaddons  = installedaddons \\ knownaddons+    unplus ('+':cs) = ' ':cs+    unplus s = s+    isuninstalledaddon =+      \case+        ('+':l) | cmd `notElem` installedaddons ->+                  dbg9With (const $ "hiding uninstalled addon: "<>cmd) $+                  True where cmd = takeWhile (not . isSpace) l+        _ -> False  -- The test command is defined here for easy access to other modules' tests.
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.hs view
@@ -35,17 +35,19 @@ -- | Command line options for this command. accountsmode = hledgerCommandMode   $(embedFileRelative "Hledger/Cli/Commands/Accounts.txt")-  (flattreeflags False ++-  [flagReq  ["drop"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "drop" s opts) "N" "flat mode: omit N leading account name parts"-  ,flagNone ["used","u"] (setboolopt "used") "show accounts used by transactions"-  ,flagNone ["declared","d"] (setboolopt "declared") "show accounts declared by account directive"-  ,flagNone ["unused"] (setboolopt "unused") "show only accounts declared but not used"-  ,flagNone ["undeclared"] (setboolopt "undeclared") "show only accounts used but not declared"-  ,flagNone ["find"] (setboolopt "find") "find the first account matched by the first command argument (a case-insensitive infix regexp or account name)"-  ,flagNone ["types"] (setboolopt "types") "also show account types when known"-  ,flagNone ["positions"] (setboolopt "positions") "also show where accounts were declared"-  ,flagNone ["directives"] (setboolopt "directives") "show as account directives, for use in journals"-  ])+  (+  [flagNone ["used","u"]     (setboolopt "used")       "show only accounts used by transactions"+  ,flagNone ["declared","d"] (setboolopt "declared")   "show only accounts declared by account directive"  -- no s to avoid line wrap+  ,flagNone ["unused"]       (setboolopt "unused")     "show only accounts declared but not used"+  ,flagNone ["undeclared"]   (setboolopt "undeclared") "show only accounts used but not declared"+  ,flagNone ["types"]        (setboolopt "types")      "also show account types when known"+  ,flagNone ["positions"]    (setboolopt "positions")  "also show where accounts were declared"+  ,flagNone ["directives"]   (setboolopt "directives") "show as account directives, for use in journals"+  ,flagNone ["find"]         (setboolopt "find")       "find the first account matched by the first argument (a case-insensitive infix regexp or account name)"+  ]+  ++ flattreeflags False +++  [flagReq  ["drop"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "drop" s opts) "N" "flat mode: omit N leading account name parts"]+  )   [generalflagsgroup1]   hiddenflags   ([], Just $ argsFlag "[QUERY]")
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Aregister.hs view
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit (flagNone, flagReq)  import Hledger-import Hledger.Read.CsvReader (CSV, CsvRecord, printCSV)+import Hledger.Read.CsvUtils (CSV, CsvRecord, printCSV) import Hledger.Cli.CliOptions import Hledger.Cli.Utils import Text.Tabular.AsciiWide hiding (render)
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.hs view
@@ -277,13 +277,14 @@ import Hledger import Hledger.Cli.CliOptions import Hledger.Cli.Utils-import Hledger.Read.CsvReader (CSV, printCSV)+import Hledger.Read.CsvUtils (CSV, printCSV)   -- | Command line options for this command. balancemode = hledgerCommandMode   $(embedFileRelative "Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.txt")   (+    -- https://hledger.org/dev/hledger.html#calculation-type :     [flagNone ["sum"] (setboolopt "sum")       "show sum of posting amounts (default)"     -- XXX --budget[=DESCPAT], --forecast[=PERIODEXP], could be more consistent@@ -298,6 +299,8 @@       "show total change of value of period-end historical balances (caused by deposits, withdrawals, market price fluctuations)"     ,flagNone ["gain"] (setboolopt "gain")       "show unrealised capital gain/loss (historical balance value minus cost basis)"+    ,flagNone ["count"] (setboolopt "count") "show the count of postings"+    -- https://hledger.org/dev/hledger.html#accumulation-type :     ,flagNone ["change"] (setboolopt "change")       "accumulate amounts from column start to column end (in multicolumn reports, default)"     ,flagNone ["cumulative"] (setboolopt "cumulative")@@ -305,6 +308,7 @@     ,flagNone ["historical","H"] (setboolopt "historical")       "accumulate amounts from journal start to column end (includes postings before report start date)\n "     ]+    -- other options specific to this command:     ++ flattreeflags True ++     [flagReq  ["drop"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "drop" s opts) "N" "omit N leading account name parts (in flat mode)"     ,flagNone ["declared"] (setboolopt "declared") "include non-parent declared accounts (best used with -E)"@@ -326,6 +330,7 @@         ,"'bare'        : commodity symbols in one column"         ,"'tidy'        : every attribute in its own column"         ])+    -- output:     ,outputFormatFlag ["txt","html","csv","json"]     ,outputFileFlag     ]
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Balance.txt view
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ -   or value of balance changes (-V) -   or change of balance values (--valuechange) -   or unrealised capital gain/loss (--gain)+-   or postings count (--count)  ..in.. @@ -391,8 +392,8 @@  The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to control what it reports. If the following seems complicated, don't-worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does typically take some-time and experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.+worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does take time and+experimentation to get familiar with all the report modes.  There are three important option groups: @@ -410,6 +411,7 @@     fluctuations) -   --gain : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current valued     balance minus each amount's original cost)+-   --count : show the count of postings  Accumulation type @@ -546,20 +548,18 @@ ----------------------++----------------------------------------------------                       ||      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.---   In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget-    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.+This is different from a normal balance report in several ways.+Currently: --   Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted, even-    in list mode.+-   Accounts with budget goals during the report period, and their+    parents, are shown.+-   Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).+-   Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated and shown as+    "<unbudgeted>".+-   Amounts are always inclusive (subaccount-including), even in list+    mode.+-   After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and+    percentage of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.  This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up! Eg above, the expenses actual amount includes the gifts and supplies transactions,
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Close.hs view
@@ -74,12 +74,10 @@     ropts = (_rsReportOpts rspec0){balanceaccum_=Historical, accountlistmode_=ALFlat}     rspec1 = setDefaultConversionOp NoConversionOp rspec0{_rsReportOpts=ropts} -    -- dates of the closing and opening transactions-    -- Close.md:+    -- Dates of the closing and opening transactions.     -- "The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date, whichever is later.-    -- You can change this by specifying a [report end date](#report-start--end-date),-    -- where "last day of the report period" will be the closing date.-    -- (Only the end date matters; a report start date will be ignored.)+    -- You can change this by specifying a [report end date](#report-start--end-date) with `-e`.+    -- The last day of the report period will be the closing date, eg `-e 2024` means "close on 2023-12-31".     -- The opening date is always the day after the closing date."     argsq = _rsQuery rspec1     yesterday = addDays (-1) $ _rsDay rspec1
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Close.txt view
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@     --close-acct=ACCT and --open-acct=ACCT -   the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with ACCTQUERY     (account query arguments).+-   the closing/opening dates can be changed with -e DATE (a report end+    date)  By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its amount left implicit. With --x/--explicit, the amount will be shown@@ -65,10 +67,10 @@ troubleshooting.  The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date,-whichever is later. You can change this by specifying a report end date;-(The report start date does not matter.) The last day of the report-period will be the closing date; eg -e 2022 means "close on 2022-12-31".-The opening date is always the day after the closing date.+whichever is later. You can change this by specifying a report end date+with -e. The last day of the report period will be the closing date, eg+-e 2024 means "close on 2023-12-31". The opening date is always the day+after the closing date.  close and balance assertions
+ Hledger/Cli/Commands/Demo.hs view
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@+{-|+The @demo@ command lists and plays small hledger demos in the terminal, using asciinema.+-}+{-+PROJECTS+improve cast output+ install+  command line editing glitches+  shrink / compress ?+ help+  screen corrupted by pager+ demo+  update (or drop till stable)+ add+ print+ balance+document cast production tips+ always clear screen after running pager/curses apps ?+ record with tall window to avoid showing pager in playback ?+improve functionality+ show "done" in final red line ?+ mirror common asciinema flags like -s, -i and/or set speed/max idle with optional arguments+ support other asciinema operations (cat)+ show hledger.org player urls+ windows/PowerSession support+ attract/continuous play mode+more casts+ clarify goals/target user(s)/scenarios+ identify and prioritise some casts needed+-}++{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings   #-}+{-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-}+{-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell     #-}++module Hledger.Cli.Commands.Demo (+  demomode+ ,demo+) where++import Hledger+import Hledger.Cli.CliOptions+import System.Exit (exitFailure)+import Text.Printf+import Control.Concurrent (threadDelay)+import System.Process (callProcess)+import System.IO.Error (catchIOError)+import Safe (readMay, atMay, headMay)+import Data.List (isPrefixOf, find, findIndex, isInfixOf, dropWhileEnd)+import Control.Applicative ((<|>))+import Data.ByteString as B (ByteString)+import Data.Maybe+import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B+import System.IO.Temp (withSystemTempFile)+import System.IO (hClose)+import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit (flagReq)++demos :: [Demo]+demos = map readDemo [+  -- XXX these are confusing, redo+  -- $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/help.cast"),     -- https://asciinema.org/a/568112 Getting help+  -- $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/demo.cast"),     -- https://asciinema.org/a/567944 Watching the built-in demos+  $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/add.cast"),      -- https://asciinema.org/a/567935 The easiest way to start a journal (add)+  $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/print.cast"),    -- https://asciinema.org/a/567936 Show full transactions (print)+  $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/balance.cast"),   -- https://asciinema.org/a/567937 Show account balances and changes (balance)+  $(embedFileRelative "embeddedfiles/install.cast")  -- https://asciinema.org/a/567934 Installing hledger from source with hledger-install+  ]++-- | An embedded asciinema cast, with some of the metadata separated out.+-- The original file name is not preserved.+data Demo = Demo {+  dtitle    :: String,      -- asciinema title field+  _dcontent :: ByteString   -- asciinema v2 content+}++-- | Command line options for this command.+demomode = hledgerCommandMode+  $(embedFileRelative "Hledger/Cli/Commands/Demo.txt")+  [+   flagReq  ["speed","s"] (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "speed" s opts) "SPEED"+    ("playback speed (1 is original speed, .5 is half, 2 is double, etc (default: 2))")+  ]+  [generalflagsgroup3]+  []+  ([], Just $ argsFlag optsstr)++optsstr = "[NUM|PREFIX|SUBSTR] [-- ASCIINEMAOPTS]"+usagestr = "Usage: hledger demo " <> optsstr++-- | The demo command.+demo :: CliOpts -> Journal -> IO ()+demo CliOpts{rawopts_=rawopts, reportspec_=ReportSpec{_rsQuery=_query}} _j = do+  -- demos <- getCurrentDirectory >>= readDemos+  case listofstringopt "args" rawopts of+    [] -> putStrLn usagestr >> printDemos+    (a:as) ->+      case findDemo demos a of+        Nothing -> do+          putStrLn $ "No demo \"" <> a <> "\" was found."+          putStrLn usagestr+          printDemos+          exitFailure+        Just (Demo t c) -> do+          let+            -- try to preserve the original pauses a bit while also moving things along+            defidlelimit = 10+            defspeed     = 2+            speed =+              case maybestringopt "speed" rawopts of+                Nothing -> defspeed+                Just s -> fromMaybe err $ readMay s+                  where err = error' $ "could not parse --speed " <> s <> ", numeric argument expected"+            idx = maybe 0 (1+) $ findIndex (\(Demo t2 _) -> t2 == t) demos  -- should succeed+          mw <- getTerminalWidth+          let line = red' $ replicate w '.' where w = fromMaybe (length t) mw+          printf "playing: %d) %s\nspace to pause, . to step, ctrl-c to quit\n" idx (bold' t)+          putStrLn line+          putStrLn ""+          threadDelay 1000000+          runAsciinemaPlay speed defidlelimit c as+          putStrLn ""+          putStrLn line++readDemo :: ByteString -> Demo+readDemo content = Demo title content+  where+    title = maybe "" (readTitle . B.unpack) $ headMay $ B.lines content+      where+        readTitle s+          | "\"title\":" `isPrefixOf` s = takeWhile (/='"') $ drop 1 $ lstrip $ drop 8 s+          | null s = ""+          | otherwise = readTitle $ tail s++findDemo :: [Demo] -> String -> Maybe Demo+findDemo ds s =+      (readMay s >>= atMay ds . subtract 1)         -- try to find by number+  <|> find ((sl `isPrefixOf`).lowercase.dtitle) ds  -- or by title prefix (ignoring case)+  <|> find ((sl `isInfixOf`) .lowercase.dtitle) ds  -- or by title substring (ignoring case)+  where+    sl = lowercase s++printDemos :: IO ()+printDemos = putStrLn $ unlines $+  "Demos:" :+  -- "" :+  [show i <> ") " <> bold' t | (i, Demo t _) <- zip [(1::Int)..] demos]++-- | Run asciinema play with the given speed and idle limit, passing the given content to its stdin.+runAsciinemaPlay :: Float -> Float -> ByteString -> [String] -> IO ()+runAsciinemaPlay speed idlelimit content args =+  withSystemTempFile "hledger-cast" $ \f h -> do  -- try piping to stdin also+    B.hPutStrLn h content >> hClose h+    callProcess "asciinema" (dbg8With (("asciinema: "++).unwords) $ concat [+       ["play"]+      ,["-s"<> showwithouttrailingzero speed]+      ,if idlelimit == 0 then [] else ["-i"<>showwithouttrailingzero idlelimit]+      ,[f]+      ,args+      ])+      `catchIOError` \err -> do+        putStrLn $ "There was a problem. Is asciinema installed ?\n" <> show err  --  (or PowerSession on Windows)+        exitFailure+  where+    showwithouttrailingzero = dropWhileEnd (=='.') . dropWhileEnd (=='0') . show+
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Print.hs view
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit  import Hledger-import Hledger.Read.CsvReader (CSV, printCSV)+import Hledger.Read.CsvUtils (CSV, printCSV) import Hledger.Cli.CliOptions import Hledger.Cli.Utils import System.Exit (exitFailure)@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@     , pamount = pamount $ if isGenerated then p else orig }   where     orig = originalPosting p-    isGenerated = "generated-posting" `elem` map fst (ptags p)+    isGenerated = "_generated-posting" `elem` map fst (ptags p)  -- XXX -- tests_showTransactions = [
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Register.hs view
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit (flagNone, flagReq)  import Hledger hiding (per)-import Hledger.Read.CsvReader (CSV, CsvRecord, printCSV)+import Hledger.Read.CsvUtils (CSV, CsvRecord, printCSV) import Hledger.Cli.CliOptions import Hledger.Cli.Utils import Text.Tabular.AsciiWide hiding (render)
Hledger/Cli/Commands/Rewrite.hs view
@@ -39,9 +39,11 @@  rewrite opts@CliOpts{rawopts_=rawopts,reportspec_=rspec} j@Journal{jtxns=ts} = do   -- rewrite matched transactions-  let today = _rsDay rspec-  let modifiers = transactionModifierFromOpts opts : jtxnmodifiers j-  let j' = j{jtxns=either error' id $ modifyTransactions (journalAccountType j) (journalInheritedAccountTags j) mempty today modifiers ts}  -- PARTIAL:+  let+    today = _rsDay rspec+    verbosetags = boolopt "verbose-tags" rawopts+    modifiers = transactionModifierFromOpts opts : jtxnmodifiers j+  let j' = j{jtxns=either error' id $ modifyTransactions (journalAccountType j) (journalInheritedAccountTags j) mempty today verbosetags modifiers ts}  -- PARTIAL:   -- run the print command, showing all transactions, or show diffs   printOrDiff rawopts opts{reportspec_=rspec{_rsQuery=Any}} j j'
Hledger/Cli/CompoundBalanceCommand.hs view
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import qualified Data.Text.Lazy.Builder as TB import Data.Time.Calendar (Day, addDays) import System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit as C-import Hledger.Read.CsvReader (CSV, printCSV)+import Hledger.Read.CsvUtils (CSV, printCSV) import Lucid as L hiding (value_) import Text.Tabular.AsciiWide as Tab hiding (render)
Hledger/Cli/Main.hs view
@@ -174,13 +174,13 @@       | not (isExternalCommand || hasHelpFlag args || hasInfoFlag args || hasManFlag args)         && (hasVersion args) --  || (hasVersion argsaftercmd && isInternalCommand))                                  = putStrLn prognameandversion-      -- \| (null externalcmd) && "binary-filename" `inRawOpts` rawopts = putStrLn $ binaryfilename progname+      -- \| (null externalcmd) && boolopt "binary-filename" rawopts = putStrLn $ binaryfilename progname       -- \| "--browse-args" `elem` args     = System.Console.CmdArgs.Helper.execute "cmdargs-browser" mainmode' args >>= (putStr . show)       | isNullCommand            = dbgIO "" "no command, showing commands list" >> printCommandsList prognameandversion addons       | isBadCommand             = badCommandError        -- builtin commands-      | Just (cmdmode, cmdaction) <- findCommand cmd =+      | Just (cmdmode, cmdaction) <- findBuiltinCommand cmd =         (case True of            -- these commands should not require or read the journal           _ | cmd `elem` ["test","help"] -> cmdaction opts journallesserror
Hledger/Cli/Script.hs view
@@ -6,34 +6,34 @@ {-# LANGUAGE PackageImports #-}  module Hledger.Cli.Script-( module Script+( module M )  where -import Control.Applicative as Script-import Control.Concurrent as Script-import Control.Monad as Script-import Data.Char as Script-import Data.Either as Script-import Data.Functor as Script-import Data.List as Script-import Data.Maybe as Script-import Data.Ord as Script+import Control.Applicative as M+import Control.Concurrent as M+import Control.Monad as M+import Data.Char as M+import Data.Either as M+import Data.Functor as M+import Data.List as M+import Data.Maybe as M+import Data.Ord as M -- import Data.String.QQ (s)  -- https://github.com/audreyt/string-qq/pull/3-import Data.Time as Script-import Text.Printf as Script hiding (formatString)-import "text" Data.Text as Script (Text, pack, unpack)+import Data.Time as M+import Text.Printf as M hiding (formatString)+import "text" Data.Text as M (Text, pack, unpack)   -- can't re-export much of Data.Text & Data.Text.IO, they need to be qualified-import Safe as Script hiding (at)--- import qualified System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit as Script-import System.Directory as Script-import System.Environment as Script-import System.Exit as Script-import System.FilePath as Script-import System.IO as Script-import System.IO.Error as Script-import System.Process as Script+import Safe as M hiding (at)+-- import qualified System.Console.CmdArgs.Explicit as M+import System.Directory as M+import System.Environment as M+import System.Exit as M+import System.FilePath as M+import System.IO as M+import System.IO.Error as M+import System.Process as M -import Hledger as Script-import Hledger.Cli as Script-import Hledger.Cli.Main as Script (argsToCliOpts)+import Hledger as M+import Hledger.Cli as M+import Hledger.Cli.Main as M (argsToCliOpts)
Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs view
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@ {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}-{-# LANGUAGE RecordWildCards #-} {-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-} {-| @@ -251,12 +250,9 @@ -- Identify the closest recent match for this description in past transactions. -- If the options specify a query, only matched transactions are considered. journalSimilarTransaction :: CliOpts -> Journal -> T.Text -> Maybe Transaction-journalSimilarTransaction cliopts j desc = mbestmatch+journalSimilarTransaction cliopts j desc =+  fmap fourth4 $ headMay $ journalTransactionsSimilarTo j desc q 0 1   where-    mbestmatch = snd <$> headMay bestmatches-    bestmatches =-      dbg1With (unlines . ("similar transactions:":) . map (\(score,Transaction{..}) -> printf "%0.3f %s %s" score (show tdate) tdescription)) $-      journalTransactionsSimilarTo j q desc 10     q = queryFromFlags $ _rsReportOpts $ reportspec_ cliopts  -- | Render a 'PostingsReport' or 'AccountTransactionsReport' as Text,
embeddedfiles/hledger-ui.1 view
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ -.TH "HLEDGER-UI" "1" "April 2023" "hledger-ui-1.29.2 " "hledger User Manuals"+.TH "HLEDGER-UI" "1" "June 2023" "hledger-ui-1.30 " "hledger User Manuals"   @@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ hledger-ui - robust, friendly plain text accounting (TUI version) .SH SYNOPSIS .PP-\f[V]hledger-ui [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]\f[R]+\f[V]hledger-ui    [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]\f[R] .PD 0 .P .PD-\f[V]hledger ui -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]\f[R]+\f[V]hledger ui -- [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]\f[R] .SH DESCRIPTION .PP-This manual is for hledger\[aq]s terminal interface, version 1.29.2.+This manual is for hledger\[aq]s terminal interface, version 1.30. See also the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats. .PP hledger is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs for@@ -30,12 +30,13 @@ It is easier than hledger\[aq]s command-line interface, and sometimes quicker and more convenient than the web interface. .PP-Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in journal,-timeclock, timedot, or CSV format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.-For more about this see hledger(1), hledger_journal(5) etc.+Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable (defaulting to+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R]); or you can specify files with+\f[V]-f\f[R] options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.+(See hledger(1) -> Input for details.) .PP Unlike hledger, hledger-ui hides all future-dated transactions by default.@@ -44,11 +45,10 @@ enable \[dq]forecast mode\[dq]. .SH OPTIONS .PP-Note: if invoking hledger-ui as a hledger subcommand, write \f[V]--\f[R]-before options as shown above.-.PP Any QUERYARGS are interpreted as a hledger search query which filters the data.+.PP+hledger-ui provides the following options: .TP \f[V]-w --watch\f[R] watch for data and date changes and reload automatically@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ \f[V]--menu\f[R] start in the menu screen .TP-\f[V]--all\f[R]-start in the all accounts screen+\f[V]--cash\f[R]+start in the cash accounts screen .TP \f[V]--bs\f[R] start in the balance sheet accounts screen@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ \f[V]--is\f[R] start in the income statement accounts screen .TP+\f[V]--all\f[R]+start in the all accounts screen+.TP \f[V]--register=ACCTREGEX\f[R] start in the (first) matched account\[aq]s register screen .TP@@ -80,8 +83,26 @@ \f[V]-t --tree\f[R] show accounts as a tree .PP-hledger input options:+hledger-ui also supports many of hledger\[aq]s general options (and the+hledger manual\[aq]s command line tips also apply here):+.SS General help options .TP+\f[V]-h --help\f[R]+show general or COMMAND help+.TP+\f[V]--man\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with man+.TP+\f[V]--info\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with info+.TP+\f[V]--version\f[R]+show general or ADDONCMD version+.TP+\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]+show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+.SS General input options+.TP \f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R] use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or@@ -108,8 +129,7 @@ .TP \f[V]-s --strict\f[R] do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)-.PP-hledger reporting options:+.SS General reporting options .TP \f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R] include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to@@ -176,17 +196,29 @@ \f[V]--value\f[R] convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X .TP+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R]+infer conversion equity postings from costs+.TP+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R]+infer costs from conversion equity postings+.TP \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-use transaction prices (recorded with \[at] or \[at]\[at]) as additional-market prices, as if they were P directives+use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives .TP+\f[V]--forecast\f[R]+generate transactions from periodic rules,+between the latest recorded txn and 6 months from today,+or during the specified PERIOD (= is required).+Auto posting rules will be applied to these transactions as well.+Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated transactions visible.+.TP \f[V]--auto\f[R]-apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.+generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns (not+just forecast txns) .TP-\f[V]--forecast\f[R]-generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for the-next 6 months or till report end date.-In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible.+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R]+add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have been+generated/modified .TP \f[V]--commodity-style\f[R] Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.@@ -213,27 +245,6 @@ last one takes precedence. .PP Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.-.PP-hledger help options:-.TP-\f[V]-h --help\f[R]-show general or COMMAND help-.TP-\f[V]--man\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with man-.TP-\f[V]--info\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with info-.TP-\f[V]--version\f[R]-show general or ADDONCMD version-.TP-\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]-show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)-.PP-A \[at]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 \f[V]--\f[R] argument before.) .SH MOUSE .PP In most modern terminals, you can navigate through the screens with a@@ -361,100 +372,49 @@ Additional screen-specific keys are described below. .SH SCREENS .PP-hledger-ui shows several different screens, described below.-It shows the \[dq]Balance sheet accounts\[dq] screen to start with,-except in the following situations:-.IP \[bu] 2-If no asset/liability/equity accounts can be detected, or if an account-query has been given on the command line, it starts in the \[dq]All-accounts\[dq] screen.-.IP \[bu] 2-If a starting screen is specified with --menu/--all/--bs/--is/--register-on the command line, it starts in that screen.+At startup, hledger-ui shows a menu screen by default.+From here you can navigate to other screens using the cursor keys:+\f[V]UP\f[R]/\f[V]DOWN\f[R] to select, \f[V]RIGHT\f[R] to move to the+selected screen, \f[V]LEFT\f[R] to return to the previous screen.+Or you can use \f[V]ESC\f[R] to return directly to the top menu screen. .PP-From any screen you can press \f[V]LEFT\f[R] or \f[V]ESC\f[R] to-navigate back to the top level \[dq]Menu\[dq] screen.+You can also use a command line flag to specific a different startup+screen (\f[V]--cs\f[R], \f[V]--bs\f[R], \f[V]--is\f[R], \f[V]--all\f[R],+or \f[V]--register=ACCT\f[R]). .SS Menu .PP-The top-most screen.-From here you can navigate to three accounts screens:-.SS All accounts+This is the top-most screen.+From here you can navigate to several screens listing accounts of+various types.+Note some of these may not show anything until you have configured+account types.+.SS Cash accounts .PP-This screen shows all accounts (possibly filtered by a query), and their-end balances on the date shown in the title bar (or their balance-changes in the period shown in the title bar, toggleable with-\f[V]H\f[R]).-It is like the \f[V]hledger balance\f[R] command.+This screen shows \[dq]cash\[dq] (ie, liquid asset) accounts (like+\f[V]hledger balancesheet type:c\f[R]).+It always shows balances (historical ending balances on the date shown+in the title line). .SS Balance sheet accounts .PP-This screen shows asset, liability and equity accounts, if these can be-detected (see account types).-It always shows end balances.-It is like the \f[V]hledger balancesheetequity\f[R] command.+This screen shows asset, liability and equity accounts (like+\f[V]hledger balancesheetequity\f[R]).+It always shows balances. .SS Income statement accounts .PP-This screen shows revenue and expense accounts.-It always shows balance changes.-It is like the \f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R] command.-.PP-All of these accounts screens work in much the same way:-.PP-They show accounts which have been posted to by transactions, as well as-accounts which have been declared with an account directive (except for-empty parent accounts).-.PP-If you specify a query on the command line or with \f[V]/\f[R] in the-app, they show just the matched accounts, and the balances from matched-transactions.-.PP-hledger-ui shows accounts with zero balances by default (unlike-command-line hledger).-To hide these, press \f[V]z\f[R] to toggle nonzero mode.-.PP-Account names are shown as a flat list by default; press \f[V]t\f[R] 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.-.PP-To see less detail, press a number key, \f[V]1\f[R] to \f[V]9\f[R], to-set a depth limit.-Or use \f[V]-\f[R] to decrease and \f[V]+\f[R]/\f[V]=\f[R] to increase-the depth limit.-\f[V]0\f[R] 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 \f[V]ESCAPE\f[R].-.PP-\f[V]H\f[R] toggles between showing historical balances or period-balances (on the \[dq]All accounts\[dq] screen).-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.-.PP-\f[V]U\f[R] toggles filtering by unmarked status, including or excluding-unmarked postings in the balances.-Similarly, \f[V]P\f[R] toggles pending postings, and \f[V]C\f[R] 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.)-.PP-\f[V]R\f[R] toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored.+This screen shows revenue and expense accounts (like+\f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R]).+It always shows changes (balance changes in the period shown in the+title line).+.SS All accounts .PP-Press \f[V]RIGHT\f[R] to view an account\[aq]s register screen, Or,-\f[V]LEFT\f[R] to see the menu screen.+This screen shows all accounts in your journal (unless filtered by a+query; like \f[V]hledger balance\f[R]).+It shows balances by default; you can toggle showing changes with the+\f[V]H\f[R] key. .SS Register .PP-This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account, like-a check register.-Each line represents one transaction and shows:+This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account.+Each line represents one transaction, and shows: .IP \[bu] 2 the other account(s) involved, in abbreviated form. (If there are both real and virtual postings, it shows only the accounts@@ -463,15 +423,18 @@ the overall change to the current account\[aq]s balance; positive for an inflow to this account, negative for an outflow. .IP \[bu] 2-the running historical total or period total for the current account,-after the transaction.-This can be toggled with \f[V]H\f[R].-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.+the running total after the transaction.+With the \f[V]H\f[R] key you can toggle between+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the period total, which is from just the transactions displayed+.IP \[bu] 2+or the historical total, which includes any undisplayed transactions+before the start of the report period (and matching the filter query if+any).+This will be the running historical balance (what you would see on a+bank\[aq]s website, eg) if not disturbed by a query.+.RE .PP Transactions affecting this account\[aq]s subaccounts will be included in the register if the accounts screen is in tree mode, or if it\[aq]s@@ -516,6 +479,18 @@ The #N number preceding them is the transaction\[aq]s position within the complete unfiltered journal, which is a more stable id (at least until the next reload).+.PP+On this screen (and the register screen), the \f[V]E\f[R] key will open+your text editor with the cursor positioned at the current transaction+if possible.+.PP+This screen has a limitation with showing file updates: it will not show+them until you exit and re-enter it.+So eg to see the effect of using the \f[V]E\f[R] key, currently you+must: - press \f[V]E\f[R], edit and save the file, then exit the editor,+returning to hledger-ui - press \f[V]g\f[R] to reload the file (or use+\f[V]-w/--watch\f[R] mode) - press \f[V]LEFT\f[R] then \f[V]RIGHT\f[R]+to exit and re-enter the transaction screen. .SS Error .PP This screen will appear if there is a problem, such as a parse error,@@ -548,23 +523,25 @@ Of course you can still interact with hledger-ui when needed, eg to toggle cleared mode, or to explore the history. .PP-Here are some current limitations to be aware of:+There are currently some limitations with \f[V]--watch\f[R]: .PP-Changes might not be detected with certain editors, possibly including-Jetbrains IDEs, \f[V]gedit\f[R], other Gnome applications; or on certain-unusual filesystems.-(#1617, #911).-To work around, reload manually by pressing \f[V]g\f[R] in the-hledger-ui window.-(Or see #1617 for another workaround, and let us know if it works for-you.)+It may not work correctly for you, depending on platform or system+configuration.+(Eg #836.) .PP-CPU and memory usage can sometimes gradually increase, if-\f[V]hledger-ui --watch\f[R] is left running for days.-(Possibly correlated with certain platforms, many transactions, and/or-large numbers of other files present).-To work around, \f[V]q\f[R]uit and restart it, or (where supported)-suspend (\f[V]CTRL-z\f[R]) and restart it (\f[V]fg\f[R]).+At least on mac, there can be a slow build-up of CPU usage over time,+until the program is restarted (or, suspending and restarting with+\f[V]CTRL-z\f[R] \f[V]fg\f[R] may be enough).+.PP+It will not detect file changes made by certain editors, such as+Jetbrains IDEs or \f[V]gedit\f[R], or on certain less common+filesystems.+(To work around, press \f[V]g\f[R] to reload manually, or try+#1617\[aq]s \f[V]fs.inotify.max_user_watches\f[R] workaround and let us+know.)+.PP+If you are viewing files mounted from another machine, the system clocks+on both machines should be roughly in agreement. .SS Debug output .PP You can add \f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R] to the command line to log debug@@ -577,91 +554,28 @@ \f[B]COLUMNS\f[R] The screen width to use. Default: the full terminal width. .PP-\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The journal file path when not specified with-\f[V]-f\f[R].-.PP-On unix computers, the default value is:-\f[V]\[ti]/.hledger.journal\f[R].-.PP-A more typical value is something like-\f[V]\[ti]/finance/YYYY.journal\f[R], where \f[V]\[ti]/finance\f[R] is a-version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year.-Or, \f[V]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\f[R], where current.journal is a-symbolic link to YYYY.journal.-.PP-The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of your-shell\[aq]s startup files (eg \f[V]\[ti]/.profile\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-Emacs started from a dock icon): In-\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R], add an entry like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-{-  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[dq]-}-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For this to take effect you might need to \f[V]killall Dock\f[R], or-reboot.-.PP-On Windows computers, the default value is probably-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R].-You can change this by running a command like this in a powershell-window (let us know if you need to be an Administrator, and if this-persists across a reboot):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-> setx LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]MyUserName\[rs]finance\[rs]2021.journal\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The main journal file to use when not specified+with \f[V]-f/--file\f[R].+Default: \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R].+.SH BUGS .PP-Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.-.SH FILES+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support). .PP-Reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV-format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.-.SH BUGS+Some known issues: .PP \f[V]-f-\f[R] doesn\[aq]t work (hledger-ui can\[aq]t read from stdin). .PP-\f[V]-V\f[R] affects only the accounts screen.-.PP-When you press \f[V]g\f[R], 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.+If you press \f[V]g\f[R] with large files, there could be a noticeable+pause. .PP-\f[V]--watch\f[R] 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, momentary display of parse errors, high CPU usage eventually-subsiding, and possibly a small but persistent build-up of CPU usage-until the program is restarted.+The Transaction screen does not update from file changes until you exit+and re-endter it (see SCREENS > Transaction above). .PP-Also, if you are viewing files mounted from another machine,-\f[V]-w/--watch\f[R] requires that both machine clocks are roughly in-step.-+\f[V]--watch\f[R] is not yet fully robust on all platforms (see Watch+mode above). -.SH "REPORTING BUGS"-Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org-(or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list)  .SH AUTHORS Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.
embeddedfiles/hledger-ui.info view
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@  hledger-ui - robust, friendly plain text accounting (TUI version) -   'hledger-ui [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]'-'hledger ui -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]'+   'hledger-ui [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]'+'hledger ui -- [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]' -   This manual is for hledger's terminal interface, version 1.29.2.  See+   This manual is for hledger's terminal interface, version 1.30.  See also the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats.     hledger is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs@@ -31,11 +31,11 @@ interface, and sometimes quicker and more convenient than the web interface. -   Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in journal,-timeclock, timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is-'.hledger.journal' in your home directory; this can be overridden with-one or more '-f FILE' options, or the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment-variable.  For more about this see hledger(1), hledger_journal(5) etc.+   Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified+by the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable (defaulting to+'$HOME/.hledger.journal'); or you can specify files with '-f' options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.  (See hledger(1) -> Input for details.)     Unlike hledger, hledger-ui hides all future-dated transactions by default.  They can be revealed, along with any rule-generated periodic@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ * SCREENS:: * TIPS:: * ENVIRONMENT::-* FILES:: * BUGS::  @@ -59,12 +58,11 @@ 1 OPTIONS ********* -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+Any QUERYARGS are interpreted as a hledger search query which filters the data. +   hledger-ui provides the following options:+ '-w --watch'       watch for data and date changes and reload automatically@@ -74,15 +72,18 @@ '--menu'       start in the menu screen-'--all'+'--cash' -     start in the all accounts screen+     start in the cash accounts screen '--bs'       start in the balance sheet accounts screen '--is'       start in the income statement accounts screen+'--all'++     start in the all accounts screen '--register=ACCTREGEX'       start in the (first) matched account's register screen@@ -97,8 +98,43 @@       show accounts as a tree -   hledger input options:+   hledger-ui also supports many of hledger's general options (and the+hledger manual's command line tips also apply here): +* Menu:++* General help options::+* General input options::+* General reporting options::+++File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: General help options,  Next: General input options,  Up: OPTIONS++1.1 General help options+========================++'-h --help'++     show general or COMMAND help+'--man'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with man+'--info'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with info+'--version'++     show general or ADDONCMD version+'--debug[=N]'++     show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+++File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: General input options,  Next: General reporting options,  Prev: General help options,  Up: OPTIONS++1.2 General input options+=========================+ '-f FILE --file=FILE'       use a different input file.  For stdin, use - (default:@@ -127,8 +163,12 @@      do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are      declared) -   hledger reporting options:++File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: General reporting options,  Prev: General input options,  Up: OPTIONS +1.3 General reporting options+=============================+ '-b --begin=DATE'       include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to@@ -197,18 +237,30 @@       convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than      -B/-V/-X+'--infer-equity'++     infer conversion equity postings from costs+'--infer-costs'++     infer costs from conversion equity postings '--infer-market-prices' -     use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market-     prices, as if they were P directives+     use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+'--forecast'++     generate transactions from periodic rules, between the latest+     recorded txn and 6 months from today, or during the specified+     PERIOD (= is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+     these transactions as well.  Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated+     transactions visible. '--auto' -     apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-'--forecast'+     generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns+     (not just forecast txns)+'--verbose-tags' -     generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for-     the next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui, also-     make ordinary future transactions visible.+     add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have+     been generated/modified '--commodity-style'       Override the commodity style in the output for the specified@@ -232,28 +284,6 @@     Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments. -   hledger help options:--'-h --help'--     show general or COMMAND help-'--man'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with man-'--info'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with info-'--version'--     show general or ADDONCMD version-'--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.)-  File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: MOUSE,  Next: KEYS,  Prev: OPTIONS,  Up: Top @@ -374,125 +404,83 @@ 4 SCREENS ********* -hledger-ui shows several different screens, described below.  It shows-the "Balance sheet accounts" screen to start with, except in the-following situations:--   * If no asset/liability/equity accounts can be detected, or if an-     account query has been given on the command line, it starts in the-     "All accounts" screen.--   * If a starting screen is specified with -menu/-all/-bs/-is/-register-     on the command line, it starts in that screen.+At startup, hledger-ui shows a menu screen by default.  From here you+can navigate to other screens using the cursor keys: 'UP'/'DOWN' to+select, 'RIGHT' to move to the selected screen, 'LEFT' to return to the+previous screen.  Or you can use 'ESC' to return directly to the top+menu screen. -   From any screen you can press 'LEFT' or 'ESC' to navigate back to the-top level "Menu" screen.+   You can also use a command line flag to specific a different startup+screen ('--cs', '--bs', '--is', '--all', or '--register=ACCT').  * Menu:  * Menu::-* All accounts::+* Cash accounts:: * Balance sheet accounts:: * Income statement accounts::+* All accounts:: * Register:: * Transaction:: * Error::  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Menu,  Next: All accounts,  Up: SCREENS+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Menu,  Next: Cash accounts,  Up: SCREENS  4.1 Menu ======== -The top-most screen.  From here you can navigate to three accounts-screens:+This is the top-most screen.  From here you can navigate to several+screens listing accounts of various types.  Note some of these may not+show anything until you have configured account types.  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: All accounts,  Next: Balance sheet accounts,  Prev: Menu,  Up: SCREENS+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Cash accounts,  Next: Balance sheet accounts,  Prev: Menu,  Up: SCREENS -4.2 All accounts-================+4.2 Cash accounts+================= -This screen shows all accounts (possibly filtered by a query), and their-end balances on the date shown in the title bar (or their balance-changes in the period shown in the title bar, toggleable with 'H').  It-is like the 'hledger balance' command.+This screen shows "cash" (ie, liquid asset) accounts (like 'hledger+balancesheet type:c').  It always shows balances (historical ending+balances on the date shown in the title line).  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Balance sheet accounts,  Next: Income statement accounts,  Prev: All accounts,  Up: SCREENS+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Balance sheet accounts,  Next: Income statement accounts,  Prev: Cash accounts,  Up: SCREENS  4.3 Balance sheet accounts ========================== -This screen shows asset, liability and equity accounts, if these can be-detected (see account types).  It always shows end balances.  It is like-the 'hledger balancesheetequity' command.+This screen shows asset, liability and equity accounts (like 'hledger+balancesheetequity').  It always shows balances.  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Income statement accounts,  Next: Register,  Prev: Balance sheet accounts,  Up: SCREENS+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Income statement accounts,  Next: All accounts,  Prev: Balance sheet accounts,  Up: SCREENS  4.4 Income statement accounts ============================= -This screen shows revenue and expense accounts.  It always shows balance-changes.  It is like the 'hledger incomestatement' command.--   All of these accounts screens work in much the same way:--   They show accounts which have been posted to by transactions, as well-as accounts which have been declared with an account directive (except-for empty parent accounts).--   If you specify a query on the command line or with '/' in the app,-they show just the matched accounts, and the balances from matched-transactions.--   hledger-ui shows accounts with zero balances by default (unlike-command-line hledger).  To hide these, press 'z' to toggle nonzero mode.--   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.--   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-(on the "All accounts" screen).  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.+This screen shows revenue and expense accounts (like 'hledger+incomestatement').  It always shows changes (balance changes in the+period shown in the title line). -   '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.)++File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: All accounts,  Next: Register,  Prev: Income statement accounts,  Up: SCREENS -   'R' toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored.+4.5 All accounts+================ -   Press 'RIGHT' to view an account's register screen, Or, 'LEFT' to see-the menu screen.+This screen shows all accounts in your journal (unless filtered by a+query; like 'hledger balance').  It shows balances by default; you can+toggle showing changes with the 'H' key.  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Register,  Next: Transaction,  Prev: Income statement accounts,  Up: SCREENS+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Register,  Next: Transaction,  Prev: All accounts,  Up: SCREENS -4.5 Register+4.6 Register ============ -This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account, like-a check register.  Each line represents one transaction and shows:+This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account.  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@@ -501,14 +489,17 @@    * 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.+   * the running total after the transaction.  With the 'H' key you can+     toggle between +        * the period total, which is from just the transactions+          displayed+        * or the historical total, which includes any undisplayed+          transactions before the start of the report period (and+          matching the filter query if any).  This will be the running+          historical balance (what you would see on a bank's website,+          eg) if not disturbed by a query.+    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@@ -534,7 +525,7 @@  File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Transaction,  Next: Error,  Prev: Register,  Up: SCREENS -4.6 Transaction+4.7 Transaction ===============  This screen shows a single transaction, as a general journal entry,@@ -555,10 +546,21 @@ unfiltered journal, which is a more stable id (at least until the next reload). +   On this screen (and the register screen), the 'E' key will open your+text editor with the cursor positioned at the current transaction if+possible.++   This screen has a limitation with showing file updates: it will not+show them until you exit and re-enter it.  So eg to see the effect of+using the 'E' key, currently you must: - press 'E', edit and save the+file, then exit the editor, returning to hledger-ui - press 'g' to+reload the file (or use '-w/--watch' mode) - press 'LEFT' then 'RIGHT'+to exit and re-enter the transaction screen.+  File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Error,  Prev: Transaction,  Up: SCREENS -4.7 Error+4.8 Error =========  This screen will appear if there is a problem, such as a parse error,@@ -600,20 +602,23 @@ hledger-ui when needed, eg to toggle cleared mode, or to explore the history. -   Here are some current limitations to be aware of:+   There are currently some limitations with '--watch': -   Changes might not be detected with certain editors, possibly-including Jetbrains IDEs, 'gedit', other Gnome applications; or on-certain unusual filesystems.  (#1617, #911).  To work around, reload-manually by pressing 'g' in the hledger-ui window.  (Or see #1617 for-another workaround, and let us know if it works for you.)+   It may not work correctly for you, depending on platform or system+configuration.  (Eg #836.) -   CPU and memory usage can sometimes gradually increase, if 'hledger-ui---watch' is left running for days.  (Possibly correlated with certain-platforms, many transactions, and/or large numbers of other files-present).  To work around, 'q'uit and restart it, or (where supported)-suspend ('CTRL-z') and restart it ('fg').+   At least on mac, there can be a slow build-up of CPU usage over time,+until the program is restarted (or, suspending and restarting with+'CTRL-z' 'fg' may be enough). +   It will not detect file changes made by certain editors, such as+Jetbrains IDEs or 'gedit', or on certain less common filesystems.  (To+work around, press 'g' to reload manually, or try #1617's+'fs.inotify.max_user_watches' workaround and let us know.)++   If you are viewing files mounted from another machine, the system+clocks on both machines should be roughly in agreement.+  File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: Debug output,  Prev: Watch mode,  Up: TIPS @@ -625,121 +630,81 @@ ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to 9 (maximum output).  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: ENVIRONMENT,  Next: FILES,  Prev: TIPS,  Up: Top+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: ENVIRONMENT,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: TIPS,  Up: Top  6 ENVIRONMENT *************  *COLUMNS* The screen width to use.  Default: the full terminal width. -   *LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'.--   On unix computers, the default value is: '~/.hledger.journal'.--   A more typical value is something like '~/finance/YYYY.journal',-where '~/finance' is a version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is-the current year.  Or, '~/finance/current.journal', where-current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--   The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of-your shell's startup files (eg '~/.profile'):--export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--   On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set-environment variables, that will also affect applications started from-the GUI (eg, Emacs started from a dock icon): In-'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist', add an entry like:--{-  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-}--   For this to take effect you might need to 'killall Dock', or reboot.--   On Windows computers, the default value is probably-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal'.  You can change this by running a-command like this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be-an Administrator, and if this persists across a reboot):--> setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--   Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.---File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: FILES,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: ENVIRONMENT,  Up: Top--7 FILES-*******--Reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV-format.  The default file is '.hledger.journal' in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more '-f FILE' options, or the-'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable.+   *LEDGER_FILE* The main journal file to use when not specified with+'-f/--file'.  Default: '$HOME/.hledger.journal'.  -File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: FILES,  Up: Top+File: hledger-ui.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: ENVIRONMENT,  Up: Top -8 BUGS+7 BUGS ****** -'-f-' doesn't work (hledger-ui can't read from stdin).+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support). -   '-V' affects only the accounts screen.+   Some known issues: -   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.+   '-f-' doesn't work (hledger-ui can't read from stdin). -   '--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,-momentary display of parse errors, high CPU usage eventually subsiding,-and possibly a small but persistent build-up of CPU usage until the-program is restarted.+   If you press 'g' with large files, there could be a noticeable pause. -   Also, if you are viewing files mounted from another machine,-'-w/--watch' requires that both machine clocks are roughly in step.+   The Transaction screen does not update from file changes until you+exit and re-endter it (see SCREENS > Transaction above). +   '--watch' is not yet fully robust on all platforms (see Watch mode+above).+  Tag Table: Node: Top223-Node: OPTIONS1843-Ref: #options1941-Node: MOUSE7025-Ref: #mouse7120-Node: KEYS7357-Ref: #keys7450-Node: SCREENS11963-Ref: #screens12061-Node: Menu12747-Ref: #menu12839-Node: All accounts12916-Ref: #all-accounts13055-Node: Balance sheet accounts13306-Ref: #balance-sheet-accounts13486-Node: Income statement accounts13674-Ref: #income-statement-accounts13856-Node: Register16276-Ref: #register16413-Node: Transaction18397-Ref: #transaction18520-Node: Error19390-Ref: #error19484-Node: TIPS19728-Ref: #tips19827-Node: Watch mode19869-Ref: #watch-mode19976-Node: Debug output21432-Ref: #debug-output21543-Node: ENVIRONMENT21755-Ref: #environment21866-Node: FILES23251-Ref: #files23350-Node: BUGS23598-Ref: #bugs23675+Node: OPTIONS1830+Ref: #options1928+Node: General help options2951+Ref: #general-help-options3100+Node: General input options3382+Ref: #general-input-options3567+Node: General reporting options4269+Ref: #general-reporting-options4433+Node: MOUSE7823+Ref: #mouse7918+Node: KEYS8155+Ref: #keys8248+Node: SCREENS12761+Ref: #screens12859+Node: Menu13439+Ref: #menu13532+Node: Cash accounts13727+Ref: #cash-accounts13869+Node: Balance sheet accounts14053+Ref: #balance-sheet-accounts14234+Node: Income statement accounts14354+Ref: #income-statement-accounts14540+Node: All accounts14704+Ref: #all-accounts14850+Node: Register15032+Ref: #register15156+Node: Transaction17118+Ref: #transaction17241+Node: Error18658+Ref: #error18752+Node: TIPS18996+Ref: #tips19095+Node: Watch mode19137+Ref: #watch-mode19244+Node: Debug output20703+Ref: #debug-output20814+Node: ENVIRONMENT21026+Ref: #environment21136+Node: BUGS21327+Ref: #bugs21410  End Tag Table
embeddedfiles/hledger-ui.txt view
@@ -7,16 +7,16 @@        hledger-ui - robust, friendly plain text accounting (TUI version)  SYNOPSIS-       hledger-ui [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]-       hledger ui -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]+       hledger-ui    [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]+       hledger ui -- [OPTS] [QUERYARGS]  DESCRIPTION-       This  manual  is for hledger's terminal interface, version 1.29.2.  See+       This  manual  is  for  hledger's terminal interface, version 1.30.  See        also the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats.         hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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+       tracking  money,  time,  or any other commodity, using double-entry ac-+       counting and a simple, editable file format.  hledger  is  inspired  by        and  largely  compatible  with  ledger(1), and largely interconvertible        with beancount(1). @@ -26,24 +26,23 @@        line  interface, and sometimes quicker and more convenient than the web        interface. -       Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files  in  journal,  time--       clock, timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is .hledger.journal in-       your home directory; this can be overridden with one or  more  -f  FILE-       options,  or the LEDGER_FILE environment variable.  For more about this-       see hledger(1), hledger_journal(5) etc.+       Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal  file  specified+       by    the    LEDGER_FILE    environment    variable    (defaulting   to+       $HOME/.hledger.journal); or you can specify files with -f options.   It+       can  also  read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+       with a date field.  (See hledger(1) -> Input for details.) -       Unlike hledger,  hledger-ui  hides  all  future-dated  transactions  by-       default.   They can be revealed, along with any rule-generated periodic+       Unlike hledger, hledger-ui hides all future-dated transactions  by  de-+       fault.   They  can  be revealed, along with any rule-generated periodic        transactions, by pressing the F key (or starting  with  --forecast)  to        enable "forecast mode".  OPTIONS-       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+       Any  QUERYARGS  are interpreted as a hledger search query which filters        the data. +       hledger-ui provides the following options:+        -w --watch               watch for data and date changes and reload automatically @@ -52,17 +51,19 @@         --menu start in the menu screen -       --all  start in the all accounts screen+       --cash start in the cash accounts screen         --bs   start in the balance sheet accounts screen         --is   start in the income statement accounts screen +       --all  start in the all accounts screen+        --register=ACCTREGEX               start in the (first) matched account's register screen         --change-              show  period balances (changes) at startup instead of historical+              show period balances (changes) at startup instead of  historical               balances         -l --flat@@ -71,8 +72,24 @@        -t --tree               show accounts as a tree -       hledger input options:+       hledger-ui  also  supports  many  of hledger's general options (and the+       hledger manual's command line tips also apply here): +   General help options+       -h --help+              show general or COMMAND help++       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man++       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info++       --version+              show general or ADDONCMD version++       --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)@@ -97,11 +114,10 @@               assignments)         -s --strict-              do  extra  error  checking  (check  that all posted accounts are-              declared)--       hledger reporting options:+              do  extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are de-+              clared) +   General reporting options        -b --begin=DATE               include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to               preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)@@ -130,8 +146,8 @@               using period expressions syntax         --date2-              match  the  secondary  date  instead (see command help for other-              effects)+              match the secondary date instead (see command help for other ef-+              fects)         --today=DATE               override  today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,   for@@ -160,42 +176,55 @@               convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time         -V --market-              convert  amounts to their market value in default valuation com-+              convert amounts to their market value in default valuation  com-               modities         -X --exchange=COMM               convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM         --value-              convert amounts to cost or  market  value,  more  flexibly  than+              convert  amounts  to  cost  or  market value, more flexibly than               -B/-V/-X -       --infer-market-prices-              use  transaction  prices  (recorded  with @ or @@) as additional-              market prices, as if they were P directives+       --infer-equity+              infer conversion equity postings from costs -       --auto apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.+       --infer-costs+              infer costs from conversion equity postings +       --infer-market-prices+              use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P  direc-+              tives+        --forecast-              generate future transactions from  periodic  transaction  rules,-              for  the  next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui,-              also make ordinary future transactions visible.+              generate  transactions  from  periodic rules, between the latest+              recorded txn and 6 months from today, or  during  the  specified+              PERIOD  (=  is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+              these transactions as well.  Also, in  hledger-ui  make  future-+              dated transactions visible. +       --auto generate  extra  postings  by applying auto posting rules to all+              txns (not just forecast txns)++       --verbose-tags+              add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which  have+              been generated/modified+        --commodity-style-              Override the commodity style in the  output  for  the  specified+              Override  the  commodity  style  in the output for the specified               commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.         --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+              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               NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.         --pretty[=WHEN]-              Show  prettier  output,  e.g.  using unicode box-drawing charac--              ters.  Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n',  'always',-              'never'  also  work).   If  you provide an argument you must use+              Show prettier output, e.g.  using  unicode  box-drawing  charac-+              ters.   Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always',+              'never' also work).  If you provide an  argument  you  must  use               '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.         When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the@@ -203,27 +232,8 @@         Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments. -       hledger help options:--       -h --help-              show general or COMMAND help--       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man--       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info--       --version-              show general or ADDONCMD version--       --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.)- MOUSE-       In  most  modern terminals, you can navigate through the screens with a+       In most modern terminals, you can navigate through the screens  with  a        mouse or touchpad:         o Use mouse wheel or trackpad to scroll up and down@@ -235,91 +245,91 @@ KEYS        Keyboard gives more control. -       ? 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+       ?  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  ES-+       CAPE,  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 cursor keys navigate: RIGHT or ENTER goes deeper, LEFT  returns  to        the  previous  screen,  UP/DOWN/PGUP/PGDN/HOME/END  move  up  and  down-       through  lists.  Emacs-style (CTRL-p/CTRL-n/CTRL-f/CTRL-b) and VI-style-       (k,j,l,h) movement keys are also supported.  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  do+       through lists.  Emacs-style (CTRL-p/CTRL-n/CTRL-f/CTRL-b) and  VI-style+       (k,j,l,h)  movement  keys are also supported.  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 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 -w/--watch option, when viewing a "current" period  (the  cur-+       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  -w/--watch option, when viewing a "current" period (the cur-        rent day, week, month, quarter, or year), the period will move automat--       ically to track the current date.  To set a  non-standard  period,  you+       ically  to  track  the current date.  To set a non-standard period, you        can use / and a date: query. -       (Mac  users:  SHIFT-DOWN/UP keys do not work by default in Terminal, as-       of MacOS Monterey.  You can configure them as follows:  open  Terminal,-       press  CMD-comma  to open preferences, click Profiles, select your cur-+       (Mac users: SHIFT-DOWN/UP keys do not work by default in  Terminal,  as+       of  MacOS  Monterey.  You can configure them as follows: open Terminal,+       press CMD-comma to open preferences, click Profiles, select  your  cur-        rent terminal profile on the left, click Keyboard on the right, click +        and add this for Shift-Down: \033[1;2B, click + and add this for Shift--       Up: \033[1;2A.  Press the Escape key to enter the \033 part, you  can't+       Up:  \033[1;2A.  Press the Escape key to enter the \033 part, you can't        type it directly.) -       /  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+       / 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 ESCAPEto cancel.  There are also keys for quickly adjusting some-       common  filters  like account depth and transaction status (see below).+       common filters like account depth and transaction status  (see  below).        BACKSPACE or DELETE removes all filters, showing all transactions. -       As mentioned above, by default hledger-ui hides future  transactions  -+       As  mentioned  above, by default hledger-ui hides future transactions -        both ordinary transactions recorded in the journal, and periodic trans--       actions  generated  by  rule.   F  toggles  forecast  mode,  in   which-       future/forecasted transactions are shown.+       actions  generated  by  rule.   F  toggles  forecast mode, in which fu-+       ture/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  data-       entry or the help dialog.+       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 en-+       try or the help dialog.         CTRL-l redraws the screen and centers the selection if possible (selec--       tions near the top won't be centered, since we don't scroll  above  the+       tions  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+       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 installed  in+       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  cursor-       will  be  positioned  at  the current transaction when invoked from the-       register and transaction screens, and at the error location (if  possi-+       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 possi-        ble) when invoked from the error screen. -       B  toggles  cost  mode, showing amounts in their cost's commodity (like+       B toggles cost mode, showing amounts in their  cost'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  transaction-       as  it  was  valued  on july 30, go to the accounts or register screen,+       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.         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;+       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 mode.         q quits the application.@@ -327,89 +337,41 @@        Additional screen-specific keys are described below.  SCREENS-       hledger-ui  shows several different screens, described below.  It shows-       the "Balance sheet accounts" screen to start with, except in  the  fol--       lowing situations:--       o If  no  asset/liability/equity  accounts  can  be  detected, or if an-         account query has been given on the command line, it  starts  in  the-         "All accounts" screen.--       o If  a starting screen is specified with --menu/--all/--bs/--is/--reg--         ister on the command line, it starts in that screen.+       At startup, hledger-ui shows a menu screen by default.  From  here  you+       can navigate to other screens using the cursor keys: UP/DOWN to select,+       RIGHT to move to the selected screen, LEFT to return  to  the  previous+       screen.  Or you can use ESC to return directly to the top menu screen. -       From any screen you can press LEFT or ESC to navigate back to  the  top-       level "Menu" screen.+       You  can  also  use a command line flag to specific a different startup+       screen (--cs, --bs, --is, --all, or --register=ACCT).     Menu-       The  top-most  screen.   From  here  you can navigate to three accounts-       screens:+       This is the top-most screen.  From here you  can  navigate  to  several+       screens  listing accounts of various types.  Note some of these may not+       show anything until you have configured account types. -   All accounts-       This screen shows all accounts (possibly  filtered  by  a  query),  and-       their end balances on the date shown in the title bar (or their balance-       changes in the period shown in the title bar, toggleable with  H).   It-       is like the hledger balance command.+   Cash accounts+       This screen shows "cash" (ie, liquid asset) accounts (like hledger bal-+       ancesheet  type:c).   It  always shows balances (historical ending bal-+       ances on the date shown in the title line).     Balance sheet accounts-       This screen shows asset, liability and equity accounts, if these can be-       detected (see account types).  It always shows  end  balances.   It  is-       like the hledger balancesheetequity command.+       This screen shows asset, liability and equity  accounts  (like  hledger+       balancesheetequity).  It always shows balances.     Income statement accounts-       This  screen  shows revenue and expense accounts.  It always shows bal--       ance changes.  It is like the hledger incomestatement command.--       All of these accounts screens work in much the same way:--       They show accounts which have been posted to by transactions,  as  well-       as  accounts which have been declared with an account directive (except-       for empty parent accounts).--       If you specify a query on the command line or with / in the  app,  they-       show  just the matched accounts, and the balances from matched transac--       tions.--       hledger-ui shows accounts with zero balances by  default  (unlike  com--       mand-line hledger).  To hide these, press z to toggle nonzero mode.--       Account  names  are  shown as a flat list by default; press t to toggle-       tree mode.  In list mode, account  balances  are  exclusive  of  subac--       counts,  except  where  subaccounts  are  hidden  by a depth limit (see-       below).  In tree mode, all account balances  are  inclusive  of  subac--       counts.--       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 (on-       the "All accounts" screen).  Historical balances (the default) are end--       ing  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.--       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.+       This  screen  shows revenue and expense accounts (like hledger incomes-+       tatement).  It always shows changes  (balance  changes  in  the  period+       shown in the title line). -       Press RIGHT to view an account's register screen, Or, LEFT to  see  the-       menu screen.+   All accounts+       This  screen  shows  all accounts in your journal (unless filtered by a+       query; like hledger balance).  It shows balances by  default;  you  can+       toggle showing changes with the H key.     Register-       This screen shows the transactions affecting a particular account, like-       a check register.  Each line represents one transaction and shows:+       This  screen  shows  the  transactions  affecting a particular account.+       Each line represents one transaction, and shows:         o the other account(s) involved, in abbreviated form.   (If  there  are          both  real  and virtual postings, it shows only the accounts affected@@ -418,25 +380,28 @@        o the overall change to the current account's balance; positive for  an          inflow to this account, negative for an outflow. -       o 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.+       o the running total after the transaction.  With the H key you can tog-+         gle between -       Transactions  affecting  this account's subaccounts will be included in+         o the period total, which is from just the transactions displayed++         o or the historical total, which includes  any  undisplayed  transac-+           tions  before the start of the report period (and matching the fil-+           ter query if any).  This will be  the  running  historical  balance+           (what  you would see on a bank's website, eg) if not disturbed by a+           query.++       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  transac--       tions  contributing  to the balance shown on the accounts screen.  Tree+       mode but this account has subaccounts which are  not  shown  due  to  a+       depth  limit.   In  other words, the register always shows the transac-+       tions 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+       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 transac-+       cleared  transactions.  (By default, transactions with all statuses are+       shown; if you activate one or two status filters, only  those  transac-        tions are shown; and if you activate all three, the filter is removed.)         R toggles real mode, in which virtual postings are ignored.@@ -452,58 +417,72 @@        similar to hledger's print command and  journal  format  (hledger_jour-        nal(5)). -       The  transaction's  date(s)  and  any  cleared  flag, transaction code,-       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).+       The  transaction's  date(s) and any cleared flag, transaction code, de-+       scription, 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  vary-       depending on which account register you came from (remember most trans--       actions appear in multiple account registers).  The #N number preceding+       show your position within that account register.  They  will  vary  de-+       pending on which account register you came from (remember most transac-+       tions appear in multiple account registers).  The #N  number  preceding        them is the transaction's position within the complete unfiltered jour-        nal, which is a more stable id (at least until the next reload). +       On this screen (and the register screen), the E key will open your text+       editor  with the cursor positioned at the current transaction if possi-+       ble.++       This screen has a limitation with showing file  updates:  it  will  not+       show  them  until you exit and re-enter it.  So eg to see the effect of+       using the E key, currently you must: - press E, edit and save the file,+       then  exit  the editor, returning to hledger-ui - press g to reload the+       file (or use -w/--watch mode) - press LEFT then RIGHT to exit  and  re-+       enter the transaction screen.+    Error-       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+       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        to cancel the reload attempt.)  TIPS    Watch mode-       One  of  hledger-ui's  best  features  is the auto-reloading -w/--watch-       mode.  With this flag, it will update the display  automatically  when-+       One of hledger-ui's best  features  is  the  auto-reloading  -w/--watch+       mode.   With  this flag, it will update the display automatically when-        ever changes are saved to the data files. -       This  is very useful when reconciling.  A good workflow is to have your-       bank's online register open in a browser  window,  for  reference;  the-       journal  file open in an editor window; and hledger-ui in watch mode in+       This is very useful when reconciling.  A good workflow is to have  your+       bank's  online  register  open  in a browser window, for reference; the+       journal file open in an editor window; and hledger-ui in watch mode  in        a terminal window, eg:                $ hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C -       As you mark things cleared in the editor, you can see the effect  imme--       diately  without  having  to  context  switch.  This leaves more mental-       bandwidth for your accounting.  Of course you can still  interact  with-       hledger-ui  when  needed,  eg to toggle cleared mode, or to explore the+       As  you mark things cleared in the editor, you can see the effect imme-+       diately without having to context  switch.   This  leaves  more  mental+       bandwidth  for  your accounting.  Of course you can still interact with+       hledger-ui when needed, eg to toggle cleared mode, or  to  explore  the        history. -       Here are some current limitations to be aware of:+       There are currently some limitations with --watch: -       Changes might not be detected with certain editors, possibly  including-       Jetbrains  IDEs, gedit, other Gnome applications; or on certain unusual-       filesystems.  (#1617, #911).  To work around, reload manually by press--       ing  g in the hledger-ui window.  (Or see #1617 for another workaround,-       and let us know if it works for you.)+       It may not work correctly for you, depending on platform or system con-+       figuration.  (Eg #836.) -       CPU and memory usage can sometimes gradually  increase,  if  hledger-ui-       --watch  is  left  running for days.  (Possibly correlated with certain-       platforms, many transactions,  and/or  large  numbers  of  other  files-       present).   To  work  around, quit and restart it, or (where supported)-       suspend (CTRL-z) and restart it (fg).+       At least on mac, there can be a slow build-up of CPU usage  over  time,+       until  the  program  is  restarted  (or, suspending and restarting with+       CTRL-z fg may be enough). +       It will not detect file changes made by certain editors, such  as  Jet-+       brains  IDEs or gedit, or on certain less common filesystems.  (To work+       around,  press  g  to  reload  manually,   or   try   #1617's   fs.ino-+       tify.max_user_watches workaround and let us know.)++       If  you  are  viewing  files  mounted  from another machine, the system+       clocks on both machines should be roughly in agreement.+    Debug output        You can add --debug[=N] to the command line to log debug output.   This        will  be logged to the file hledger-ui.log in the current directory.  N@@ -512,74 +491,28 @@ ENVIRONMENT        COLUMNS The screen width to use.  Default: the full terminal width. -       LEDGER_FILE The journal file path when not specified with -f.--       On unix computers, the default value is: ~/.hledger.journal.--       A more typical value is something  like  ~/finance/YYYY.journal,  where-       ~/finance  is  a  version-controlled  finance directory and YYYY is the-       current year.  Or, ~/finance/current.journal, where current.journal  is-       a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--       The  usual  way  to  set this permanently is to add a command to one of-       your shell's startup files (eg ~/.profile):--              export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--       On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set  environment-       variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-       Emacs started from a dock icon): In ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist, add an-       entry like:--              {-                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-              }--       For this to take effect you might need to killall Dock, or reboot.--       On  Windows  computers,  the  default  value is probably C:\Users\YOUR--       NAME\.hledger.journal.  You can change this by running a  command  like-       this  in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be an Adminis--       trator, and if this persists across a reboot):--              > setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"+       LEDGER_FILE The main journal  file  to  use  when  not  specified  with+       -f/--file.  Default: $HOME/.hledger.journal. -       Or,  change   it   in   settings:   see   https://www.java.com/en/down--       load/help/path.html.+BUGS+       We  welcome  bug  reports  in  the  hledger  issue  tracker  (shortcut:+       http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail  list+       (https://hledger.org/support). -FILES-       Reads  data  from  one or more files in journal, timeclock, timedot, or-       CSV format.  The default file is .hledger.journal in your  home  direc--       tory;  this  can be overridden with one or more -f FILE options, or the-       LEDGER_FILE environment variable.+       Some known issues: -BUGS        -f- doesn't work (hledger-ui can't read from stdin). -       -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 there is no-       visual indication that this is in progress.+       If you press g with large files, there could be a noticeable pause. -       --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.   Symp--       toms  include:  unresponsive UI, periodic resetting of the cursor posi--       tion, momentary display of parse errors, high CPU usage eventually sub--       siding, and possibly a small but persistent build-up of CPU usage until-       the program is restarted.+       The Transaction screen does not update from file changes until you exit+       and re-endter it (see SCREENS > Transaction above). -       Also, if you are viewing files mounted from another machine, -w/--watch-       requires that both machine clocks are roughly in step.+       --watch is not yet fully  robust  on  all  platforms  (see  Watch  mode+       above).   -REPORTING BUGS-       Report  bugs  at  http://bugs.hledger.org  (or  on the #hledger chat or-       hledger mail list)-- AUTHORS        Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.        See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html@@ -598,4 +531,4 @@   -hledger-ui-1.29.2                 April 2023                     HLEDGER-UI(1)+hledger-ui-1.30                    June 2023                     HLEDGER-UI(1)
embeddedfiles/hledger-web.1 view
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ -.TH "HLEDGER-WEB" "1" "April 2023" "hledger-web-1.29.2 " "hledger User Manuals"+.TH "HLEDGER-WEB" "1" "June 2023" "hledger-web-1.30 " "hledger User Manuals"   @@ -8,22 +8,14 @@ hledger-web - robust, friendly plain text accounting (Web version) .SH SYNOPSIS .PP-\f[V]hledger-web [OPTIONS]                  # run temporarily & browse\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger-web --serve [OPTIONS]          # run without stopping\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger-web --serve-api [OPTIONS]      # run JSON server only\f[R]+\f[V]hledger-web    [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R] .PD 0 .P .PD-\f[V]hledger web -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]\f[R] # start from hledger+\f[V]hledger web -- [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R] .SH DESCRIPTION .PP-This manual is for hledger\[aq]s web interface, version 1.29.2.+This manual is for hledger\[aq]s web interface, version 1.30. See also the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats. .PP hledger is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs for@@ -47,12 +39,13 @@ instance, it writes a numbered backup of the main journal file (only) on every edit. .PP-Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in journal,-timeclock, timedot, or CSV format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.-For more about this see hledger(1).+Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable (defaulting to+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R]); or you can specify files with+\f[V]-f\f[R] options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.+(See hledger(1) -> Input for details.) .PP hledger-web can be run in three modes: .IP \[bu] 2@@ -75,8 +68,7 @@ These filter options are not shown in the web UI, but it will be applied in addition to any search query entered there. .PP-Note: if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write-\f[V]--\f[R] before options, as shown in the synopsis above.+hledger-web provides the following options: .TP \f[V]--serve\f[R] serve and log requests, don\[aq]t browse or auto-exit after timeout@@ -121,8 +113,65 @@ run hledger-web\[aq]s tests and exit. hspec test runner args may follow a --, eg: hledger-web --test -- --help .PP-hledger input options:+By default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible only+to local requests.+You can use \f[V]--host\f[R] to change this, eg \f[V]--host 0.0.0.0\f[R]+to listen on all configured addresses.+.PP+Similarly, use \f[V]--port\f[R] to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if+you are running multiple hledger-web instances.+.PP+Both of these options are ignored when \f[V]--socket\f[R] is used.+In this case, it creates an \f[V]AF_UNIX\f[R] 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, \f[V]nginx\f[R] as reverse proxy can use the variable+\f[V]$remote_user\f[R] to derive a path from the username used in a HTTP+basic authentication.+The following \f[V]proxy_pass\f[R] directive allows access to all+\f[V]hledger-web\f[R] instances that created a socket in+\f[V]/tmp/hledger/\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+  proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket;+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can use \f[V]--base-url\f[R] 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 \f[V]http://HOST:PORT/\f[R] using the server\[aq]s+configured host address and TCP port (or \f[V]http://HOST\f[R] if PORT+is 80).+.PP+With \f[V]--file-url\f[R] you can set a different base url for static+files, eg for better caching or cookie-less serving on high performance+websites.+.PP+hledger-web also supports many of hledger\[aq]s general options (and the+hledger manual\[aq]s command line tips also apply here):+.SS General help options .TP+\f[V]-h --help\f[R]+show general or COMMAND help+.TP+\f[V]--man\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with man+.TP+\f[V]--info\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with info+.TP+\f[V]--version\f[R]+show general or ADDONCMD version+.TP+\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]+show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+.SS General input options+.TP \f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R] use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or@@ -149,8 +198,7 @@ .TP \f[V]-s --strict\f[R] do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)-.PP-hledger reporting options:+.SS General reporting options .TP \f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R] include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to@@ -217,17 +265,29 @@ \f[V]--value\f[R] convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X .TP+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R]+infer conversion equity postings from costs+.TP+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R]+infer costs from conversion equity postings+.TP \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-use transaction prices (recorded with \[at] or \[at]\[at]) as additional-market prices, as if they were P directives+use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives .TP+\f[V]--forecast\f[R]+generate transactions from periodic rules,+between the latest recorded txn and 6 months from today,+or during the specified PERIOD (= is required).+Auto posting rules will be applied to these transactions as well.+Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated transactions visible.+.TP \f[V]--auto\f[R]-apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.+generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns (not+just forecast txns) .TP-\f[V]--forecast\f[R]-generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for the-next 6 months or till report end date.-In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible.+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R]+add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have been+generated/modified .TP \f[V]--commodity-style\f[R] Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.@@ -254,66 +314,6 @@ last one takes precedence. .PP Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.-.PP-hledger help options:-.TP-\f[V]-h --help\f[R]-show general or COMMAND help-.TP-\f[V]--man\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with man-.TP-\f[V]--info\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with info-.TP-\f[V]--version\f[R]-show general or ADDONCMD version-.TP-\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]-show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)-.PP-A \[at]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 \f[V]--\f[R] argument before.)-.PP-By default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible only-to local requests.-You can use \f[V]--host\f[R] to change this, eg \f[V]--host 0.0.0.0\f[R]-to listen on all configured addresses.-.PP-Similarly, use \f[V]--port\f[R] to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if-you are running multiple hledger-web instances.-.PP-Both of these options are ignored when \f[V]--socket\f[R] is used.-In this case, it creates an \f[V]AF_UNIX\f[R] 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, \f[V]nginx\f[R] as reverse proxy can use the variable-\f[V]$remote_user\f[R] to derive a path from the username used in a HTTP-basic authentication.-The following \f[V]proxy_pass\f[R] directive allows access to all-\f[V]hledger-web\f[R] instances that created a socket in-\f[V]/tmp/hledger/\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-  proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket;-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can use \f[V]--base-url\f[R] 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 \f[V]http://HOST:PORT/\f[R] using the server\[aq]s-configured host address and TCP port (or \f[V]http://HOST\f[R] if PORT-is 80).-.PP-With \f[V]--file-url\f[R] you can set a different base url for static-files, eg for better caching or cookie-less serving on high performance-websites. .SH PERMISSIONS .PP By default, hledger-web allows anyone who can reach it to view the@@ -611,78 +611,19 @@ \f[V]hledger-web --debug=3 2>hledger-web.log\f[R]. .SH ENVIRONMENT .PP-\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The journal file path when not specified with-\f[V]-f\f[R].-.PP-On unix computers, the default value is:-\f[V]\[ti]/.hledger.journal\f[R].-.PP-A more typical value is something like-\f[V]\[ti]/finance/YYYY.journal\f[R], where \f[V]\[ti]/finance\f[R] is a-version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year.-Or, \f[V]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\f[R], where current.journal is a-symbolic link to YYYY.journal.-.PP-The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of your-shell\[aq]s startup files (eg \f[V]\[ti]/.profile\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-Emacs started from a dock icon): In-\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R], add an entry like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-{-  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[dq]-}-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For this to take effect you might need to \f[V]killall Dock\f[R], or-reboot.-.PP-On Windows computers, the default value is probably-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R].-You can change this by running a command like this in a powershell-window (let us know if you need to be an Administrator, and if this-persists across a reboot):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-> setx LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]MyUserName\[rs]finance\[rs]2021.journal\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.-.SH FILES-.PP-Reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV-format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The main journal file to use when not specified+with \f[V]-f/--file\f[R].+Default: \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R]. .SH BUGS .PP-\f[V]-f-\f[R] doesn\[aq]t work (hledger-web can\[aq]t read from stdin).-.PP-Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored.+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support). .PP-Does not work in text-mode browsers.+Some known issues: .PP-Does not work well on small screens.-+Does not work well on small screens, or in text-mode browsers. -.SH "REPORTING BUGS"-Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org-(or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list)  .SH AUTHORS Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.
embeddedfiles/hledger-web.info view
@@ -13,12 +13,10 @@  hledger-web - robust, friendly plain text accounting (Web version) -   'hledger-web [OPTIONS] # run temporarily & browse'-'hledger-web --serve [OPTIONS] # run without stopping'-'hledger-web --serve-api [OPTIONS] # run JSON server only'-'hledger web -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS]' # start from hledger+   'hledger-web [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]'+'hledger web -- [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]' -   This manual is for hledger's web interface, version 1.29.2.  See also+   This manual is for hledger's web interface, version 1.30.  See also the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats.     hledger is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs@@ -39,11 +37,11 @@ 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 journal,-timeclock, timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is-'.hledger.journal' in your home directory; this can be overridden with-one or more '-f FILE' options, or the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment-variable.  For more about this see hledger(1).+   Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified+by the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable (defaulting to+'$HOME/.hledger.journal'); or you can specify files with '-f' options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.  (See hledger(1) -> Input for details.)     hledger-web can be run in three modes: @@ -69,7 +67,6 @@ * JSON API:: * DEBUG OUTPUT:: * ENVIRONMENT::-* FILES:: * BUGS::  @@ -82,8 +79,7 @@ on the data.  These filter options are not shown in the web UI, but it will be applied in addition to any search query entered there. -   Note: if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write '--'-before options, as shown in the synopsis above.+   hledger-web provides the following options:  '--serve' @@ -127,8 +123,73 @@      run hledger-web's tests and exit.  hspec test runner args may      follow a -, eg: hledger-web -test - -help -   hledger input options:+   By default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible+only to local requests.  You can use '--host' to change this, eg '--host+0.0.0.0' to listen on all configured addresses. +   Similarly, use '--port' to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if you+are running multiple hledger-web instances.++   Both of these options are ignored when '--socket' is used.  In this+case, it creates an 'AF_UNIX' socket file at the supplied path and uses+that for communication.  This is an alternative way of running multiple+hledger-web instances behind a reverse proxy that handles authentication+for different users.  The path can be derived in a predictable way, eg+by using the username within the path.  As an example, 'nginx' as+reverse proxy can use the variable '$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/':++  proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket;++   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+is 80).++   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.++   hledger-web also supports many of hledger's general options (and the+hledger manual's command line tips also apply here):++* Menu:++* General help options::+* General input options::+* General reporting options::+++File: hledger-web.info,  Node: General help options,  Next: General input options,  Up: OPTIONS++1.1 General help options+========================++'-h --help'++     show general or COMMAND help+'--man'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with man+'--info'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with info+'--version'++     show general or ADDONCMD version+'--debug[=N]'++     show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+++File: hledger-web.info,  Node: General input options,  Next: General reporting options,  Prev: General help options,  Up: OPTIONS++1.2 General input options+=========================+ '-f FILE --file=FILE'       use a different input file.  For stdin, use - (default:@@ -157,8 +218,12 @@      do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are      declared) -   hledger reporting options:++File: hledger-web.info,  Node: General reporting options,  Prev: General input options,  Up: OPTIONS +1.3 General reporting options+=============================+ '-b --begin=DATE'       include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to@@ -227,18 +292,30 @@       convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than      -B/-V/-X+'--infer-equity'++     infer conversion equity postings from costs+'--infer-costs'++     infer costs from conversion equity postings '--infer-market-prices' -     use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market-     prices, as if they were P directives+     use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+'--forecast'++     generate transactions from periodic rules, between the latest+     recorded txn and 6 months from today, or during the specified+     PERIOD (= is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+     these transactions as well.  Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated+     transactions visible. '--auto' -     apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-'--forecast'+     generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns+     (not just forecast txns)+'--verbose-tags' -     generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for-     the next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui, also-     make ordinary future transactions visible.+     add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have+     been generated/modified '--commodity-style'       Override the commodity style in the output for the specified@@ -262,58 +339,6 @@     Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments. -   hledger help options:--'-h --help'--     show general or COMMAND help-'--man'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with man-'--info'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with info-'--version'--     show general or ADDONCMD version-'--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.)--   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-0.0.0.0' to listen on all configured addresses.--   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/':--  proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket;--   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-is 80).--   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.-  File: hledger-web.info,  Node: PERMISSIONS,  Next: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING,  Prev: OPTIONS,  Up: Top @@ -596,94 +621,55 @@ 'hledger-web --debug=3 2>hledger-web.log'.  -File: hledger-web.info,  Node: ENVIRONMENT,  Next: FILES,  Prev: DEBUG OUTPUT,  Up: Top+File: hledger-web.info,  Node: ENVIRONMENT,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: DEBUG OUTPUT,  Up: Top  7 ENVIRONMENT ************* -*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'.--   On unix computers, the default value is: '~/.hledger.journal'.--   A more typical value is something like '~/finance/YYYY.journal',-where '~/finance' is a version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is-the current year.  Or, '~/finance/current.journal', where-current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--   The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of-your shell's startup files (eg '~/.profile'):--export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--   On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set-environment variables, that will also affect applications started from-the GUI (eg, Emacs started from a dock icon): In-'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist', add an entry like:--{-  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-}--   For this to take effect you might need to 'killall Dock', or reboot.--   On Windows computers, the default value is probably-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal'.  You can change this by running a-command like this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be-an Administrator, and if this persists across a reboot):--> setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--   Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.---File: hledger-web.info,  Node: FILES,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: ENVIRONMENT,  Up: Top--8 FILES-*******--Reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, timedot, or CSV-format.  The default file is '.hledger.journal' in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more '-f FILE' options, or the-'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable.+*LEDGER_FILE* The main journal file to use when not specified with+'-f/--file'.  Default: '$HOME/.hledger.journal'.  -File: hledger-web.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: FILES,  Up: Top+File: hledger-web.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: ENVIRONMENT,  Up: Top -9 BUGS+8 BUGS ****** -'-f-' doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin).--   Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored.+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support). -   Does not work in text-mode browsers.+   Some known issues: -   Does not work well on small screens.+   Does not work well on small screens, or in text-mode browsers.   Tag Table: Node: Top225-Node: OPTIONS2682-Ref: #options2787-Node: PERMISSIONS10224-Ref: #permissions10363-Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING11575-Ref: #editing-uploading-downloading11756-Node: RELOADING12590-Ref: #reloading12724-Node: JSON API13157-Ref: #json-api13272-Node: DEBUG OUTPUT18760-Ref: #debug-output18885-Node: Debug output18912-Ref: #debug-output-119013-Node: ENVIRONMENT19430-Ref: #environment19550-Node: FILES20861-Ref: #files20961-Node: BUGS21209-Ref: #bugs21287+Node: OPTIONS2577+Ref: #options2682+Node: General help options5993+Ref: #general-help-options6143+Node: General input options6425+Ref: #general-input-options6611+Node: General reporting options7313+Ref: #general-reporting-options7478+Node: PERMISSIONS10868+Ref: #permissions11007+Node: EDITING UPLOADING DOWNLOADING12219+Ref: #editing-uploading-downloading12400+Node: RELOADING13234+Ref: #reloading13368+Node: JSON API13801+Ref: #json-api13916+Node: DEBUG OUTPUT19404+Ref: #debug-output19529+Node: Debug output19556+Ref: #debug-output-119657+Node: ENVIRONMENT20074+Ref: #environment20193+Node: BUGS20310+Ref: #bugs20394  End Tag Table
embeddedfiles/hledger-web.txt view
@@ -7,18 +7,16 @@        hledger-web - robust, friendly plain text accounting (Web version)  SYNOPSIS-       hledger-web [OPTIONS]                  # run temporarily & browse-       hledger-web --serve [OPTIONS]          # run without stopping-       hledger-web --serve-api [OPTIONS]      # run JSON server only-       hledger web -- [OPTIONS] [QUERYARGS] # start from hledger+       hledger-web    [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]+       hledger web -- [--serve|--serve-api] [OPTS] [ARGS]  DESCRIPTION-       This  manual  is for hledger's web interface, version 1.29.2.  See also-       the hledger manual for common concepts and file formats.+       This manual is for hledger's web interface, version 1.30.  See also the+       hledger manual for common concepts and file formats.         hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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+       tracking  money,  time,  or any other commodity, using double-entry ac-+       counting and a simple, editable file format.  hledger  is  inspired  by        and  largely  compatible  with  ledger(1), and largely interconvertible        with beancount(1). @@ -34,11 +32,11 @@        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  journal,  time--       clock, timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is .hledger.journal in-       your home directory; this can be overridden with one or  more  -f  FILE-       options,  or the LEDGER_FILE environment variable.  For more about this-       see hledger(1).+       Like hledger, it reads from (and appends to) a journal  file  specified+       by    the    LEDGER_FILE    environment    variable    (defaulting   to+       $HOME/.hledger.journal); or you can specify files with -f options.   It+       can  also  read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+       with a date field.  (See hledger(1) -> Input for details.)         hledger-web can be run in three modes: @@ -60,14 +58,13 @@        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 -- before-       options, as shown in the synopsis above.+       hledger-web provides the following options:         --serve               serve and log requests, don't browse or auto-exit after timeout         --serve-api-              like --serve, but serve only  the  JSON  web  API,  without  the+              like  --serve,  but  serve  only  the  JSON web API, without the               server-side web UI         --host=IPADDR@@ -77,34 +74,78 @@               listen on this TCP port (default: 5000)         --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.+              use a unix domain socket file to listen for requests instead  of+              a  TCP socket.  Implies --serve.  It can only be used if the op-+              erating system can provide this type of socket.         --base-url=URL-              set  the  base url (default: http://IPADDR:PORT).  Note: affects-              url generation but not route parsing.  Can be useful if  running+              set the base url (default: http://IPADDR:PORT).   Note:  affects+              url  generation but not route parsing.  Can be useful if running               behind a reverse web proxy that does path rewriting.         --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+              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..]-              enable the  view,  add,  and/or  manage  capabilities  (default:+              enable  the  view,  add,  and/or  manage  capabilities (default:               view,add)         --capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER-              read  capabilities  to  enable  from a HTTP header, like X-Sand-+              read capabilities to enable from a  HTTP  header,  like  X-Sand-               storm-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:+       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+       0.0.0.0 to listen on all configured addresses. +       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  authentica-+       tion  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  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 is 80).++       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.++       hledger-web also supports many of hledger's general  options  (and  the+       hledger manual's command line tips also apply here):++   General help options+       -h --help+              show general or COMMAND help++       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man++       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info++       --version+              show general or ADDONCMD version++       --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)@@ -129,11 +170,10 @@               assignments)         -s --strict-              do extra error checking (check  that  all  posted  accounts  are-              declared)--       hledger reporting options:+              do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are  de-+              clared) +   General reporting options        -b --begin=DATE               include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to               preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)@@ -162,8 +202,8 @@               using period expressions syntax         --date2-              match the secondary date instead (see  command  help  for  other-              effects)+              match the secondary date instead (see command help for other ef-+              fects)         --today=DATE               override   today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,  for@@ -192,42 +232,55 @@               convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time         -V --market-              convert amounts to their market value in default valuation  com-+              convert  amounts to their market value in default valuation com-               modities         -X --exchange=COMM               convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM         --value-              convert  amounts  to  cost  or  market value, more flexibly than+              convert amounts to cost or  market  value,  more  flexibly  than               -B/-V/-X -       --infer-market-prices-              use transaction prices (recorded with @  or  @@)  as  additional-              market prices, as if they were P directives+       --infer-equity+              infer conversion equity postings from costs -       --auto apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.+       --infer-costs+              infer costs from conversion equity postings +       --infer-market-prices+              use  costs as additional market prices, as if they were P direc-+              tives+        --forecast-              generate  future  transactions  from periodic transaction rules,-              for the next 6 months or till report end date.   In  hledger-ui,-              also make ordinary future transactions visible.+              generate transactions from periodic rules,  between  the  latest+              recorded  txn  and  6 months from today, or during the specified+              PERIOD (= is required).  Auto posting rules will be  applied  to+              these  transactions  as  well.  Also, in hledger-ui make future-+              dated transactions visible. +       --auto generate extra postings by applying auto posting  rules  to  all+              txns (not just forecast txns)++       --verbose-tags+              add  visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have+              been generated/modified+        --commodity-style-              Override  the  commodity  style  in the output for the specified+              Override the commodity style in the  output  for  the  specified               commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.         --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+              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               NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.         --pretty[=WHEN]-              Show prettier output, e.g.  using  unicode  box-drawing  charac--              ters.   Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always',-              'never' also work).  If you provide an  argument  you  must  use+              Show  prettier  output,  e.g.  using unicode box-drawing charac-+              ters.  Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n',  'always',+              'never'  also  work).   If  you provide an argument you must use               '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.         When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the@@ -235,53 +288,6 @@         Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments. -       hledger help options:--       -h --help-              show general or COMMAND help--       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man--       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info--       --version-              show general or ADDONCMD version--       --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.)--       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-       0.0.0.0 to listen on all configured addresses.--       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  authentica--       tion  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  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 is 80).--       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.- PERMISSIONS        By  default,  hledger-web  allows  anyone  who can reach it to view the        journal and to add new transactions, but not to change existing data.@@ -289,8 +295,8 @@        You can restrict who can reach it by         o 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.+         it  listens  on  127.0.0.1,  accessible to all users on the local ma-+         chine.         o putting it behind an authenticating proxy, using eg apache or nginx @@ -306,8 +312,8 @@           o add - allows adding new transactions to the main journal file -         o manage - allows editing,  uploading  or  downloading  the  main  or-           included files+         o manage - allows editing, uploading or downloading the main  or  in-+           cluded files         o using  the  --capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER  flag  to specify a HTTP          header from which it will read capabilities to  enable.   hledger-web@@ -317,8 +323,8 @@ 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-       let you edit, upload, or download the journal  file  or  any  files  it-       includes.+       let you edit, upload, or download the journal file or any files it  in-+       cludes.         Note,  unlike any other hledger command, in this mode you (or any visi-        tor) can alter or wipe the data files.@@ -337,8 +343,8 @@        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  file  unparseable,  hledger-web will display an error message-       until the file has been fixed.+       makes a file unparseable, hledger-web will display an error message un-+       til the file has been fixed.         (Note: if you are viewing files mounted from another machine, make sure        that both machine clocks are roughly in step.)@@ -405,15 +411,15 @@         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-       understanding, see the journal docs.+       on  the various data types, eg Transaction.  And for a higher level un-+       derstanding, see the journal docs.         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-       can see that /accounttransactions returns an AccountTransactionsReport,+       for /accounttransactions it's getAccounttransactionsR, returning a "ac-+       countTransactionsReport ...".  Looking up the haddock for that  we  can+       see  that  /accounttransactions  returns  an AccountTransactionsReport,        which consists of a report title and a list  of  AccountTransactionsRe-        portItem (etc). @@ -517,8 +523,8 @@                   "tstatus": "Unmarked"               } -       And  here's  how  to  test  adding it with curl.  This should add a new-       entry to your journal:+       And  here's how to test adding it with curl.  This should add a new en-+       try to your journal:                $ curl http://127.0.0.1:5000/add -X PUT -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data-binary @txn.json @@ -533,63 +539,20 @@        hledger-web --debug=3 2>hledger-web.log.  ENVIRONMENT-       LEDGER_FILE The journal file path when not specified with -f.--       On unix computers, the default value is: ~/.hledger.journal.--       A  more  typical  value is something like ~/finance/YYYY.journal, where-       ~/finance is a version-controlled finance directory  and  YYYY  is  the-       current  year.  Or, ~/finance/current.journal, where current.journal is-       a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--       The usual way to set this permanently is to add a  command  to  one  of-       your shell's startup files (eg ~/.profile):--              export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--       On  some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-       variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-       Emacs started from a dock icon): In ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist, add an-       entry like:--              {-                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-              }--       For this to take effect you might need to killall Dock, or reboot.--       On Windows computers, the  default  value  is  probably  C:\Users\YOUR--       NAME\.hledger.journal.   You  can change this by running a command like-       this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be an  Adminis--       trator, and if this persists across a reboot):--              > setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--       Or,   change   it   in   settings:   see  https://www.java.com/en/down--       load/help/path.html.--FILES-       Reads data from one or more files in journal,  timeclock,  timedot,  or-       CSV  format.   The default file is .hledger.journal in your home direc--       tory; this can be overridden with one or more -f FILE options,  or  the-       LEDGER_FILE environment variable.+       LEDGER_FILE  The  main  journal  file  to  use  when not specified with+       -f/--file.  Default: $HOME/.hledger.journal.  BUGS-       -f- doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin).--       Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored.+       We  welcome  bug  reports  in  the  hledger  issue  tracker  (shortcut:+       http://bugs.hledger.org),  or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+       (https://hledger.org/support). -       Does not work in text-mode browsers.+       Some known issues: -       Does not work well on small screens.+       Does not work well on small screens, or in text-mode browsers.   -REPORTING BUGS-       Report  bugs  at  http://bugs.hledger.org  (or  on the #hledger chat or-       hledger mail list)-- AUTHORS        Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.        See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html@@ -608,4 +571,4 @@   -hledger-web-1.29.2                April 2023                    HLEDGER-WEB(1)+hledger-web-1.30                   June 2023                    HLEDGER-WEB(1)
embeddedfiles/hledger.1 view
@@ -1,11808 +1,12024 @@ .\"t -.TH "HLEDGER" "1" "April 2023" "hledger-1.29.2 " "hledger User Manuals"----.SH NAME-.PP-hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)-.SH SYNOPSIS-.PP-\f[V]hledger\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]-.SH INTRODUCTION-.PP-hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and-largely interconvertible with beancount(1).-.PP-This manual is for hledger\[aq]s command line interface, version 1.29.2.-It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-all hledger programs.-It might accidentally teach you some bookkeeping/accounting as well!-You don\[aq]t need to know everything in here to use hledger-productively, but when you have a question about functionality, this doc-should answer it.-It is detailed, so do skip ahead or skim when needed.-You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual or man page on your-system.-You can also get it from hledger itself with-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger --man\f[R], \f[V]hledger --info\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger help [TOPIC]\f[R].-.PP-The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files-describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a-useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-Many reports are available, as subcommands.-hledger will also detect other \f[V]hledger-*\f[R] executables as extra-subcommands.-.PP-hledger reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock,-timedot, or CSV format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.-hledger CLI can also read from stdin with \f[V]-f-\f[R]; more on that-below.-.PP-Here is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one-transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2015-10-16 bought food-  expenses:food          $10-  assets:cash-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)-between two or more \f[I]accounts\f[R]: bank accounts, your wallet,-revenue/expense categories, people, etc.-You can choose any account names you wish, using \f[V]:\f[R] to indicate-subaccounts.-There must be at least two spaces between account name and amount.-Positive amounts are inflow to that account (\f[I]debit\f[R]), negatives-are outflow from it (\f[I]credit\f[R]).-(Some reports show revenue, liability and equity account balances as-negative numbers as a result; this is normal.)-.PP-hledger\[cq]s add command can help you add transactions, or you can-install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.-For more extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs +-ledger-mode, VIM + vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good-choices (see https://hledger.org/editors.html).-.PP-To get started, run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts, or-save some entries like the above in \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R],-then try commands like:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger aregister assets\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger balance\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger balancesheet\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R].-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] to list the commands.-See also the \[dq]Starting a journal file\[dq] and \[dq]Setting opening-balances\[dq] sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.-.SH PART 1: USER INTERFACE-.SH Options-.SS General options-.PP-To see general usage help, including general options which are supported-by most hledger commands, run \f[V]hledger -h\f[R].-.PP-General help options:-.TP-\f[V]-h --help\f[R]-show general or COMMAND help-.TP-\f[V]--man\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with man-.TP-\f[V]--info\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with info-.TP-\f[V]--version\f[R]-show general or ADDONCMD version-.TP-\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]-show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)-.PP-General input options:-.TP-\f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R]-use a different input file.-For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or-\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R])-.TP-\f[V]--rules-file=RULESFILE\f[R]-Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)-.TP-\f[V]--separator=CHAR\f[R]-Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: \[aq],\[aq])-.TP-\f[V]--alias=OLD=NEW\f[R]-rename accounts named OLD to NEW-.TP-\f[V]--anon\f[R]-anonymize accounts and payees-.TP-\f[V]--pivot FIELDNAME\f[R]-use some other field or tag for the account name-.TP-\f[V]-I --ignore-assertions\f[R]-disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-assignments)-.TP-\f[V]-s --strict\f[R]-do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)-.PP-General reporting options:-.TP-\f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R]-include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to-preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)-.TP-\f[V]-e --end=DATE\f[R]-include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following-subperiod end when using a report interval)-.TP-\f[V]-D --daily\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by day-.TP-\f[V]-W --weekly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by week-.TP-\f[V]-M --monthly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by month-.TP-\f[V]-Q --quarterly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter-.TP-\f[V]-Y --yearly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by year-.TP-\f[V]-p --period=PERIODEXP\f[R]-set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using-period expressions syntax-.TP-\f[V]--date2\f[R]-match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects)-.TP-\f[V]--today=DATE\f[R]-override today\[aq]s date (affects relative smart dates, for-tests/examples)-.TP-\f[V]-U --unmarked\f[R]-include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)-.TP-\f[V]-P --pending\f[R]-include only pending postings/txns-.TP-\f[V]-C --cleared\f[R]-include only cleared postings/txns-.TP-\f[V]-R --real\f[R]-include only non-virtual postings-.TP-\f[V]-NUM --depth=NUM\f[R]-hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep-.TP-\f[V]-E --empty\f[R]-show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-hledger-ui/hledger-web)-.TP-\f[V]-B --cost\f[R]-convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time-.TP-\f[V]-V --market\f[R]-convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities-.TP-\f[V]-X --exchange=COMM\f[R]-convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM-.TP-\f[V]--value\f[R]-convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X-.TP-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-use transaction prices (recorded with \[at] or \[at]\[at]) as additional-market prices, as if they were P directives-.TP-\f[V]--auto\f[R]-apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-.TP-\f[V]--forecast\f[R]-generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for the-next 6 months or till report end date.-In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible.-.TP-\f[V]--commodity-style\f[R]-Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.-For example \[aq]EUR1.000,00\[aq].-.TP-\f[V]--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)\f[R]-Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output.-\[aq]auto\[aq] (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting-terminal.-\[aq]always\[aq] or \[aq]yes\[aq]: always, useful eg when piping output-into \[aq]less -R\[aq].-\[aq]never\[aq] or \[aq]no\[aq]: never.-A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.-.TP-\f[V]--pretty[=WHEN]\f[R]-Show prettier output, e.g.-using unicode box-drawing characters.-Accepts \[aq]yes\[aq] (the default) or \[aq]no\[aq] (\[aq]y\[aq],-\[aq]n\[aq], \[aq]always\[aq], \[aq]never\[aq] also work).-If you provide an argument you must use \[aq]=\[aq], e.g.-\[aq]--pretty=yes\[aq].-.PP-When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the-last one takes precedence.-.PP-Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.-.SS Command options-.PP-To see options for a particular command, including command-specific-options, run: \f[V]hledger COMMAND -h\f[R].-.PP-Command-specific options must be written after the command name, eg:-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].-.PP-Additionally, if the command is an add-on, you may need to put its-options after a double-hyphen, eg: \f[V]hledger ui -- --watch\f[R].-Or, you can run the add-on executable directly:-\f[V]hledger-ui --watch\f[R].-.SS Command arguments-.PP-Most hledger commands accept arguments after the command name, which are-often a query, filtering the data in some way.-.PP-You can save a set of command line options/arguments in a file, and then-reuse them by writing \f[V]\[at]FILENAME\f[R] as a command line-argument.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal \[at]foo.args\f[R].-(To prevent this, eg if you have an argument that begins with a literal-\f[V]\[at]\f[R], precede it with \f[V]--\f[R], eg:-\f[V]hledger bal -- \[at]ARG\f[R]).-.PP-Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or-argument.-Avoid the use of spaces, except inside quotes (or you\[aq]ll see a-confusing error).-Between a flag and its argument, use = (or nothing).-Bad:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets depth:2--X USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Good:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets-depth:2--X=USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For special characters (see below), use one less level of quoting than-you would at the command prompt.-Bad:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--X\[dq]$\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Good:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--X$-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-See also: Save frequently used options.-.SS Special characters-.SS Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-.PP-In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as-spaces, \f[V]<\f[R], \f[V]>\f[R], \f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R],-\f[V]$\f[R] and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - should be \[dq]shell-escaped\[dq] 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register \[aq]credit card\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register credit\[rs] card-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Windows users should keep in mind that \f[V]cmd\f[R] treats single quote-as a regular character, so you should be using double quotes-exclusively.-PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.-.SS Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)-.PP-Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such-as \f[V].\f[R], \f[V]\[ha]\f[R], \f[V]$\f[R], \f[V][\f[R], \f[V]]\f[R],-\f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R], and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - may need to-be \[dq]regex-escaped\[dq] if you don\[aq]t want them to be interpreted-by hledger\[aq]s 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 \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance cur:\[aq]\[rs]$\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Triple escaping (for add-on commands)-.PP-When you use hledger to run an external add-on command (described-below), one level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or-arguments intended for by the add-on command, so those need an extra-level of shell-escaping.-Eg to match a literal \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell and-running an add-on command (\f[V]ui\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger ui cur:\[aq]\[rs]\[rs]$\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you wondered why \f[I]four\f[R] backslashes, perhaps this helps:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-unescaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]$\f[R]-T}-T{-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-T{-double-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-T{-triple-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable-directly:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Less escaping-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-an \[at]argumentfile-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger-ui\[aq]s filter field-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger-web\[aq]s search form-.IP \[bu] 2-GHCI\[aq]s prompt (used by developers).-.SS Unicode characters-.PP-hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:-.IP \[bu] 2-they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command line,-by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web\[aq]s search/add/edit-forms, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-they should be displayed correctly by all hledger tools, and on-screen-alignment should be preserved.-.PP-This requires a well-configured environment.-Here are some tips:-.IP \[bu] 2-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:-\f[V]export LANG=en_US.UTF-8\f[R].-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).-.IP \[bu] 2-your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-must support unicode-.IP \[bu] 2-the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode-glyphs-.IP \[bu] 2-the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as double-width (for report alignment)-.IP \[bu] 2-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 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).-.SS Regular expressions-.PP-hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:-.IP \[bu] 2-query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:-\f[V]REGEX\f[R], \f[V]desc:REGEX\f[R], \f[V]cur:REGEX\f[R],-\f[V]tag:...=REGEX\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-CSV rules conditional blocks: \f[V]if REGEX ...\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-account alias directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option:-\f[V]alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT\f[R],-\f[V]--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\f[R]-.PP-hledger\[aq]s regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library.-If they\[aq]re not doing what you expect, it\[aq]s important to know-exactly what they support:-.IP "1." 3-they are case insensitive-.IP "2." 3-they are infix matching (they do not need to match the entire thing-being matched)-.IP "3." 3-they are POSIX ERE (extended regular expressions)-.IP "4." 3-they also support GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],-\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R])-.IP "5." 3-they do not support backreferences; if you write \f[V]\[rs]1\f[R], it-will match the digit \f[V]1\f[R].-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.-.IP "6." 3-they do not support mode modifiers (\f[V](?s)\f[R]), character classes-(\f[V]\[rs]w\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]d\f[R]), or anything else not mentioned-above.-.PP-Some things to note:-.IP \[bu] 2-In the \f[V]alias\f[R] directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option, regular-expressions must be enclosed in forward slashes (\f[V]/REGEX/\f[R]).-Elsewhere in hledger, these are not required.-.IP \[bu] 2-In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like \f[V]$\f[R]-as a literal character, prepend a backslash.-Eg to search for amounts with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write-\f[V]cur:\[rs]$\f[R].-.IP \[bu] 2-On the command line, some metacharacters like \f[V]$\f[R] have a special-meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.-See Special characters.-.SH Environment-.PP-\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The journal file path when not specified with-\f[V]-f\f[R].-.PP-On unix computers, the default value is:-\f[V]\[ti]/.hledger.journal\f[R].-.PP-A more typical value is something like-\f[V]\[ti]/finance/YYYY.journal\f[R], where \f[V]\[ti]/finance\f[R] is a-version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year.-Or, \f[V]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\f[R], where current.journal is a-symbolic link to YYYY.journal.-.PP-The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of your-shell\[aq]s startup files (eg \f[V]\[ti]/.profile\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-Emacs started from a dock icon): In-\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R], add an entry like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-{-  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[dq]-}-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For this to take effect you might need to \f[V]killall Dock\f[R], or-reboot.-.PP-On Windows computers, the default value is probably-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R].-You can change this by running a command like this in a powershell-window (let us know if you need to be an Administrator, and if this-persists across a reboot):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-> setx LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]MyUserName\[rs]finance\[rs]2021.journal\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.-.PP-\f[B]COLUMNS\f[R] The screen width used by the register command.-Default: the full terminal width.-.PP-\f[B]NO_COLOR\f[R] If this variable exists with any value, hledger will-not use ANSI color codes in terminal output.-This is overriden by the --color/--colour option.-.SH Input-.PP-hledger reads transactions from one or more data files.-The default data file is \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] (or on-Windows, something like-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R]).-.PP-You can override this with the \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment-variable:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ setenv LEDGER_FILE \[ti]/finance/2016.journal-$ hledger stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or with one or more \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The file name \f[V]-\f[R] means standard input:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ cat some.journal | hledger -f--\f[R]-.fi-.SS Data formats-.PP-Usually the data file is in hledger\[aq]s journal format, but it can be-in any of the supported file formats, which currently are:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(7.8n) lw(39.5n) lw(22.7n).-T{-Reader:-T}@T{-Reads:-T}@T{-Used for file extensions:-T}-_-T{-\f[V]journal\f[R]-T}@T{-hledger journal files and some Ledger journals, for transactions-T}@T{-\f[V].journal\f[R] \f[V].j\f[R] \f[V].hledger\f[R] \f[V].ledger\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]timeclock\f[R]-T}@T{-timeclock files, for precise time logging-T}@T{-\f[V].timeclock\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]timedot\f[R]-T}@T{-timedot files, for approximate time logging-T}@T{-\f[V].timedot\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]csv\f[R]-T}@T{-comma/semicolon/tab/other-separated values, for data import-T}@T{-\f[V].csv\f[R] \f[V].ssv\f[R] \f[V].tsv\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-These formats are described in more detail below.-.PP-hledger detects the format automatically based on the file extensions-shown above.-If it can\[aq]t recognise the file extension, it assumes-\f[V]journal\f[R] format.-So for non-journal files, it\[aq]s important to use a recognised file-extension, so as to either read successfully or to show relevant error-messages.-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or to read stdin (\f[V]-\f[R]) as timeclock format:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ echo \[aq]i 2009/13/1 08:00:00\[aq] | hledger print -ftimeclock:--\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multiple files-.PP-You can specify multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] options, to read multiple files as-one big journal.-There are some limitations with this:-.IP \[bu] 2-most directives do not affect sibling files-.IP \[bu] 2-balance assertions will not see any account balances from previous files-.PP-If you need either of those things, you can-.IP \[bu] 2-use a single parent file which includes the others-.IP \[bu] 2-or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg:-\f[V]cat a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD\f[R].-.SS Strict mode-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all transactions balanced ?-.IP \[bu] 2-Do all balance assertions pass ?-.PP-With the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag, additional checks are-performed:-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all accounts posted to, declared with an \f[V]account\f[R] directive-?-(Account error checking)-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all commodities declared with a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive ?-(Commodity error checking)-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?-.PP-You can use the check command to run individual checks -- the ones-listed above and some more.-.SH Commands-.PP-hledger provides a number of built-in subcommands (described below).-Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-A few assist with data entry and management.-.PP-Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] with no arguments to list the commands available,-and \f[V]hledger CMD\f[R] 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: \f[V]hledger bal\f[R].-.SS Add-on commands-.PP-Add-on commands are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts in-your PATH-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name starts with \f[V]hledger-\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name ends with a recognised file extension:-\f[V].bat\f[R],\f[V].com\f[R],\f[V].exe\f[R],-\f[V].hs\f[R],\f[V].lhs\f[R],\f[V].pl\f[R],\f[V].py\f[R],\f[V].rb\f[R],\f[V].rkt\f[R],\f[V].sh\f[R]-or none-.IP \[bu] 2-and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user.-.PP-Addons can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or programs-have a big advantage: they can use hledger\[aq]s library code, for-command-line options, parsing and reporting.-.PP-Several add-on commands are installed by the hledger-install script.-See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.-.PP-Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a double-dash (\f[V]--\f[R]) preceding them.-Eg you must write:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger web -- --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-and not:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger web --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-(because the \f[V]--serve\f[R] flag belongs to \f[V]hledger-web\f[R],-not \f[V]hledger\f[R]).-.PP-The \f[V]-h/--help\f[R] and \f[V]--version\f[R] flags don\[aq]t require-\f[V]--\f[R].-.PP-If you have any trouble with this, remember you can always run the-add-on program directly, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-web --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Output-.SS Output destination-.PP-hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default.-You can of course redirect this, eg into a file, using standard shell-syntax:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print > foo.txt-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some commands (print, register, stats, the balance commands) also-provide the \f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] option, which does the same thing-without needing the shell.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -o foo.txt-$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Output format-.PP-Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the-terminal.-Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(25.9n) lw(9.1n) lw(9.1n) lw(11.7n) lw(7.8n) lw(6.5n).-T{---T}@T{-txt-T}@T{-csv-T}@T{-html-T}@T{-json-T}@T{-sql-T}-_-T{-aregister-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balance-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1,2\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balancesheet-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balancesheetequity-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-cashflow-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-incomestatement-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-print-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-register-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]1 Also affected by the balance commands\[aq] \f[VI]--layout\f[I]-option.\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]2 \f[VI]balance\f[I] does not support html output without a report-interval or with \f[VI]--budget\f[I].\f[R]-.PP-The output format is selected by the \f[V]-O/--output-format=FMT\f[R]-option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the-\f[V]-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT\f[R] option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]-O\f[R] option can be combined with \f[V]-o\f[R] to override-the file extension, if needed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some notes about the various output formats:-.SS CSV output-.IP \[bu] 2-In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-disabled automatically.-.SS HTML output-.IP \[bu] 2-HTML output can be styled by an optional \f[V]hledger.css\f[R] file in-the same directory.-.SS JSON output-.IP \[bu] 2-This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.-.IP \[bu] 2-Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful-representation of hledger\[aq]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.-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger represents quantities as Decimal values storing up to 255-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 don\[aq]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)-.SS SQL output-.IP \[bu] 2-This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.-.IP \[bu] 2-SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and Postgres.-.IP \[bu] 2-For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated-\f[V]id\f[R] field to be a PRIMARY KEY.-Eg:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -O sql | sed \[aq]s/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g\[aq] | ...-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-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-\f[V]delete\f[R] or \f[V]truncate\f[R] SQL statements) or drop tables-completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.-.SS Commodity styles-.PP-When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for-each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.-.PP-If needed, this can be overridden by a \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]-option (except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the-\f[V]print\f[R] command, which are always displayed with all decimal-digits).-For example, the following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as-shown:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -c \[aq]$1.000,0\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple-commodities/currencies.-Its argument is as described in the commodity directive.-.SS Colour-.PP-In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-supports it:-.IP \[bu] 2-if the \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option is given a value of-\f[V]yes\f[R] or \f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]),-colour will (or will not) be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, if the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable is set, colour-will not be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) supports-it.-.SS Box-drawing-.PP-In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-render prettier tables:-.IP \[bu] 2-if the \f[V]--pretty\f[R] option is given a value of \f[V]yes\f[R] or-\f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]), unicode-characters will (or will not) be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.-.SS Paging-.PP-When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-pager specified by the \f[V]PAGER\f[R] environment variable, or-\f[V]less\f[R], or \f[V]more\f[R].-(A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than-scrolling everything off screen).-Currently it does this only for help output, not for reports;-specifically,-.IP \[bu] 2-when listing commands, with \f[V]hledger\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-when showing help with \f[V]hledger [CMD] --help\f[R],-.IP \[bu] 2-when viewing manuals with \f[V]hledger help\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger --man\f[R].-.PP-Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg-for bold emphasis.-For the common pager \f[V]less\f[R] (and its \f[V]more\f[R]-compatibility mode), we add \f[V]R\f[R] to the \f[V]LESS\f[R] and-\f[V]MORE\f[R] environment variables to make this work.-If you use a different pager, you might need to configure it similarly,-to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).-Otherwise, you can set the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable to 1-to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).-.SS Debug output-.PP-We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-develop.-You can add \f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R] to any hledger command line to see-additional debug output.-N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to 9 (maximum output).-Typically you would start with 1 and increase until you are seeing-enough.-Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected by-\f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-\f[V]2>&1\f[R]).-It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help reveal when-parts of the code are evaluated.-To capture debug output in a log file instead, you can usually redirect-stderr, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Limitations-.PP-The need to precede add-on command options with \f[V]--\f[R] when-invoked from hledger is awkward.-.PP-When input data contains non-ascii characters, a suitable system locale-must be configured (or there will be an unhelpful error).-Eg on POSIX, set LANG to something other than C.-.PP-In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours are-not supported.-.PP-On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when running-a hledger built in CMD in MSYS/CYGWIN, or vice-versa.-.PP-In a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window, the tab key is not supported in hledger-add.-.PP-Not all of Ledger\[aq]s journal file syntax is supported.-See hledger and Ledger > Differences > journal format.-.PP-On large data files, hledger is slower and uses more memory than Ledger.-.SH Troubleshooting-.PP-Here are some issues you might encounter when you run hledger (and-remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or bug-tracker):-.PP-\f[B]Successfully installed, but \[dq]No command \[aq]hledger\[aq]-found\[dq]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-stack and cabal install binaries into a special directory, which should-be added to your PATH environment variable.-Eg on unix-like systems, that is \[ti]/.local/bin and \[ti]/.cabal/bin-respectively.-.PP-\f[B]I set a custom LEDGER_FILE, but hledger is still using the default-file\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should be a real environment variable, not just a-shell variable.-The command \f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should show it.-You may need to use \f[V]export\f[R].-Here\[aq]s an explanation.-.PP-\f[B]Getting errors like \[dq]Illegal byte sequence\[dq] or \[dq]Invalid-or incomplete multibyte or wide character\[dq] or-\[dq]commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argument (invalid-character)\[dq]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-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.-.PP-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.-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example of setting LANG temporarily, on Ubuntu GNU/Linux:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ file my.journal-my.journal: UTF-8 Unicode text         # the file is UTF8-encoded-$ echo $LANG-C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-$ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-C-en_US.utf8                             # here\[aq]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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If available, \f[V]C.UTF-8\f[R] will also work.-If your preferred locale isn\[aq]t listed by \f[V]locale -a\f[R], you-might need to install it.-Eg on Ubuntu/Debian:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ apt-get install language-pack-fr-$ locale -a-C-en_US.utf8-fr_BE.utf8-fr_CA.utf8-fr_CH.utf8-fr_FR.utf8-fr_LU.utf8-POSIX-$ LANG=fr_FR.utf8 hledger -f my.journal print-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here\[aq]s how you could set it permanently, if you use a bash shell:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ echo \[dq]export LANG=en_US.utf8\[dq] >>\[ti]/.bash_profile-$ bash --login-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Exact spelling and capitalisation may be important.-Note the difference on MacOS (\f[V]UTF-8\f[R], not \f[V]utf8\f[R]).-Some platforms (eg ubuntu) allow variant spellings, but others (eg-macos) require it to be exact:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ locale -a | grep -iE en_us.*utf-en_US.UTF-8-$ LANG=en_US.UTF-8 hledger -f my.journal print-\f[R]-.fi-.SH PART 2: DATA FORMATS-.PP-.SH Journal-.PP-hledger\[aq]s default file format, representing a General Journal.-Here\[aq]s a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About-journal format.-.SS Journal cheatsheet-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Here is the main syntax of hledger\[aq]s journal format-# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--###############################################################################-# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word \[dq]comment\[dq].--# hash comment line-; semicolon comment line-comment-These lines-are commented.-end comment--# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--###############################################################################-# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-alias chkg = assets:checking-commodity $0.00-decimal-mark .-include /dev/null-payee Whole Foods-P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-\[ti] monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-    expenses:food       $400-    expenses:home      $1000-    budgeted--###############################################################################-# 3. Transactions are what it\[aq]s all about; they are dated events,-# usually describing movements of money.-# They begin with a date.--# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-#               ; \[ha]\[ha] At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning \[dq]pending\[dq] or \[dq]cleared\[dq].-    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-    ; Amounts\[aq] sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also \[dq]accounts\[dq]--Kv-2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-    expenses:clothing       GBP 10-    assets:gringotts           -10 gold-    assets:pouch                10 gold-    revenues:gifts              -2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; Complex symbols-    assets:bag                   2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; must be double-quoted.--2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with \[at] or \[at]\[at]-    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA \[at] $1.50  ; \[at]  means per-unit cost-    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA \[at]\[at] $4    ; \[at]\[at] means total cost-    assets:checking            $-7.00--2022-01-02 assert balances-    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-    assets:savings              $0      = $1000--1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-    ; Postings are not required.--2022.01.01 These date-2022/1/1   formats are-12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).-\f[R]-.fi-.SS About journal format-.PP-hledger\[aq]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 \f[V].journal\f[R], but that\[aq]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.-.PP-hledger\[aq]s journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, of-ledger\[aq]s journal format, so hledger can work with compatible ledger-journal files as well.-It\[aq]s safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the-same journal file, eg to validate the results you\[aq]re getting.-.PP-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.-.PP-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 hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier,-adding colour, formatting, tab completion, and useful commands.-See Editor configuration at hledger.org for the full list.-.PP-Here\[aq]s a description of each part of the file format (and-hledger\[aq]s data model).-.PP-A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,-transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction rules and-auto posting rules as directives).-.SS Comments-.PP-Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash-(\f[V]#\f[R]) or a semicolon (\f[V];\f[R]).-(See also Other syntax.)-hledger will also ignore regions beginning with a \f[V]comment\f[R] line-and ending with an \f[V]end comment\f[R] line (or file end).-Here\[aq]s a suggestion for choosing between them:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]#\f[R] for top-level notes-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V];\f[R] for commenting out things temporarily-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]comment\f[R] for quickly commenting large regions (remember-it\[aq]s there, or you might get confused)-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# a comment line-; another commentline-comment-A multi-line comment block,-continuing until \[dq]end comment\[dq] directive-or the end of the current file.-end comment-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from-; (semicolon) to end of line.-See Transaction comments, Posting comments, and Account comments below.-.SS Transactions-.PP-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.-.PP-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 optional fields, separated-by spaces:-.IP \[bu] 2-a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)-.IP \[bu] 2-a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon)-.IP \[bu] 2-a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line,-and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon)-.IP \[bu] 2-0 or more indented \f[I]posting\f[R] lines, describing what was-transferred and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also-allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines).-.PP-Here\[aq]s a simple journal file containing one transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2008/01/01 income-  assets:bank:checking   $1-  income:salary         $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Dates-.SS Simple dates-.PP-Dates in the journal file use \f[I]simple dates\f[R] format:-\f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R],-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-\f[V]Y\f[R] directive, or the current date when the command is run.-Some examples: \f[V]2010-01-31\f[R], \f[V]2010/01/31\f[R],-\f[V]2010.1.31\f[R], \f[V]1/31\f[R].-.PP-(The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart-dates documented in the hledger manual.)-.SS Posting dates-.PP-You can give individual postings a different date from their parent-transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below)-like \f[V]date:DATE\f[R].-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2015/5/30-    expenses:food     $10  ; food purchased on saturday 5/30-    assets:checking        ; bank cleared it on monday, date:6/1-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j register food-2015-05-30                      expenses:food                  $10           $10-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j register checking-2015-06-01                      assets:checking               $-10          $-10-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use-the year of the transaction\[aq]s date.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-The \f[V]date:\f[R] tag must have a valid simple date value if it is-present, eg a \f[V]date:\f[R] tag with no value is not allowed.-.SS Status-.PP-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:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-mark \ -T}@T{-status-T}-_-T{-\ -T}@T{-unmarked-T}-T{-\f[V]!\f[R]-T}@T{-pending-T}-T{-\f[V]*\f[R]-T}@T{-cleared-T}-.TE-.PP-When reporting, you can filter by status with the-\f[V]-U/--unmarked\f[R], \f[V]-P/--pending\f[R], and-\f[V]-C/--cleared\f[R] flags; or the \f[V]status:\f[R],-\f[V]status:!\f[R], and \f[V]status:*\f[R] queries; or the U, P, C keys-in hledger-ui.-.PP-Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the \[dq]unmarked\[dq]-state is called \[dq]uncleared\[dq].-As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity.-.PP-To replicate Ledger and old hledger\[aq]s behaviour of also matching-pending, combine -U and -P.-.PP-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 toggle transaction status with C-c C-e,-or posting status with C-c C-c.-.PP-What \[dq]uncleared\[dq], \[dq]pending\[dq], and \[dq]cleared\[dq]-actually mean is up to you.-Here\[aq]s one suggestion:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(9.7n) lw(60.3n).-T{-status-T}@T{-meaning-T}-_-T{-uncleared-T}@T{-recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review-T}-T{-pending-T}@T{-tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconciliation)-T}-T{-cleared-T}@T{-complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered correct-T}-.TE-.PP-With this scheme, you would use \f[V]-PC\f[R] to see the current balance-at your bank, \f[V]-U\f[R] 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.-.SS Code-.PP-After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally-write a transaction \[dq]code\[dq], enclosed in parentheses.-This is a good place to record a check number, or some other important-transaction id or reference number.-.SS Description-.PP-A transaction\[aq]s description is the rest of the line following the-date and status mark (or until a comment begins).-Sometimes called the \[dq]narration\[dq] in traditional bookkeeping, it-can be used for whatever you wish, or left blank.-Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments.-.SS Payee and note-.PP-You can optionally include a \f[V]|\f[R] (pipe) character in-descriptions to subdivide the description into separate fields for-payee/payer name on the left (up to the first \f[V]|\f[R]) and an-additional note field on the right (after the first \f[V]|\f[R]).-This may be worthwhile if you need to do more precise querying and-pivoting by payee or by note.-.SS Transaction comments-.PP-Text following \f[V];\f[R], after a transaction description, and/or on-indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.-They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except-they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-    ; a second line of transaction comment-    expenses   1-    assets-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Postings-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-(optional) a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R]),-followed by a space-.IP \[bu] 2-(required) an account name (any text, optionally containing \f[B]single-spaces\f[R], until end of line or a double space)-.IP \[bu] 2-(optional) \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] or tabs followed by an amount.-.PP-Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are-being removed.-.PP-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.-.PP-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 the amount,-the amount will be considered part of the account name.-.SS Account names-.PP-Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.-As in Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts-(such as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as \[dq]money-borrowed from Frank\[dq] or \[dq]money spent on electricity\[dq].-.PP-You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the-traditional accounting categories, which in english are-\f[V]assets\f[R], \f[V]liabilities\f[R], \f[V]equity\f[R],-\f[V]revenues\f[R], \f[V]expenses\f[R].-(You might see these referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)-.PP-For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-name parts.-For example, from the account names \f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:food\f[R], hledger will infer this hierarchy of five-accounts:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets-assets:bank-assets:bank:checking-expenses-expenses:food-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets- bank-  checking-expenses- food-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can-go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-names relatively simple may be best when starting out.-.PP-Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,-numbers, symbols, or single spaces.-Note, when an account name and an amount are written on the same line,-they must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] (or tabs).-.PP-Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate virtual-postings, described below.-Parentheses or brackets internal to the account name have no special-meaning.-.PP-Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account-aliases.-.SS Amounts-.PP-After the account name, there is usually an amount.-(Important: between account name and amount, there must be \f[B]two or-more spaces\f[R].)-.PP-hledger\[aq]s amount format is flexible, supporting several-international formats.-Here are some examples.-Amounts have a number (the \[dq]quantity\[dq]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\&..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 space:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$1-4000 AAPL-3 \[dq]green apples\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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-commodity symbol:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--$1-$-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when-parsing (but they won\[aq]t be displayed in output):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-+ $1-$-      1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Scientific E notation is allowed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1E-6-EUR 1E3-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Decimal marks, digit group marks-.PP-A \f[I]decimal mark\f[R] can be written as a period or a comma:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1.23-1,23456780000009-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups-of digits can optionally be separated by a \f[I]digit group mark\f[R] --a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-     $1,000,000.00-  EUR 2.000.000,00-INR 9,99,99,999.00-      1 000 000.9455-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note, a number containing a single digit group mark and no decimal mark-is ambiguous.-Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1,000-1.000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you don\[aq]t tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the-above are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1.-.PP-To prevent confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos, especially-if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we-recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each-journal file, using a directive at the top of the file.-The \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive is best, otherwise-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directives will also work.-These are described below.-.SS Commodity-.PP-Amounts in hledger have both a \[dq]quantity\[dq], which is a signed-decimal number, and a \[dq]commodity\[dq], which is a currency symbol,-stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are-tracking.-.PP-If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or-punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes-(\f[V]\[dq]green apples\[dq]\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]ABC123\[dq]\f[R]).-.PP-If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with-name \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R]; we call that the \[dq]no-symbol-commodity\[dq].-.PP-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:-\f[V]1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 TSLA\f[R].-In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger\[aq]s-output; you can\[aq]t write them directly in the journal file.-.PP-(If you are writing scripts or working with hledger\[aq]s internals,-these are the \f[V]Amount\f[R] and \f[V]MixedAmount\f[R] types.)-.SS Directives influencing number parsing and display-.PP-You can add \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] and \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to-the journal, to declare and control these things more explicitly and-precisely.-These are described below, but here\[aq]s a quick example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-decimal-mark .--# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-commodity 1 000 000.9455-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-.SS Commodity display style-.PP-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-\f[V]print\f[R] command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits-visible.)-.PP-A commodity\[aq]s display style is inferred as follows.-.PP-First, if a default commodity is declared with \f[V]D\f[R], this-commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the-journal.-.PP-Then each commodity\[aq]s style is inferred from one of the following,-in order of preference:-.IP \[bu] 2-The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol-commodity), if any.-.IP \[bu] 2-The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal\[aq]s transactions.-(Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored,-currently.)-.IP \[bu] 2-The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: \f[V]$1000.00\f[R].-(Symbol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.)-.PP-A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first-amount-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group-sizes), if any-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the maximum number of decimal places of all.-.PP-Cost amounts don\[aq]t affect the commodity display style directly, but-occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting\[aq]s amount-is inferred using a cost).-If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the-display style.-.PP-To summarise: each commodity\[aq]s amounts will be normalised to (a) the-style declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] 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\[aq]t like, eg-with too many decimal places, use a commodity directive.-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-commodity 1 000.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command-line option.-.SS Rounding-.PP-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\[aq]s rounding: it rounds to the nearest even-number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal places is \[dq]0\[dq]).-.PP-.SS Costs-.PP-After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either-\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after it.-This indicates a conversion transaction, where one commodity is-exchanged for another.-.PP-(You might also see this called \[dq]transaction price\[dq] in hledger-docs, discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and-reminded that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just-call it \[dq]cost\[dq], with the understanding that the transaction-could be a purchase or a sale.)-.PP-Costs are usually written explicitly with \f[V]\[at]\f[R] or-\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R], but can also be inferred automatically for simple-multi-commodity transactions.-Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the-first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.-.PP-As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or-implicitly:-.IP "1." 3-Write the price per unit, as \f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] after the amount:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-  assets:dollars                 ; balancing amount is -$135.00-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Write the total price, as \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after the-amount:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at]\[at] $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-  assets:dollars-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "3." 3-Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and let-hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.-Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting,-making it \f[V]\[Eu]100 \[at]\[at] $135\f[R], as in example 2:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100          ; one hundred euros purchased-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag; this is discussed more in the \[u02DC]COST-REPORTING section.-.SS Other cost/lot notations-.PP-A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.-Ledger has a number of cost/lot-related notations:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at selling time-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V](\[at]) UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V](\[at]\[at]) TOTALCOST\f[R] (virtual-cost)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-like the above, but also means \[dq]this cost was exceptional, don\[aq]t-use it when inferring market prices\[dq].-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger treats the above like \f[V]\[at]\f[R] and-\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R]; the parentheses are ignored.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{=FIXEDUNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}\f[R] (fixed-price)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, means \[dq]this cost is also the fixed price, don\[aq]t let-it fluctuate in value reports\[dq]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] (lot price)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-can be used identically to \f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and-\f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R], also creates a lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, combined with \f[V]\[at] ...\f[R], specifies an investment-lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-and related: \f[V][YYYY/MM/DD]\f[R] (lot date)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V](SOME TEXT)\f[R] (lot note)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, attaches this note to the lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, selects a lot by its note-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after-the posting amount, but ignores them.-(This can break transaction balancing.)-.PP-For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with-\f[V]{...}\f[R]: documents the cost/selling price (not used for-transaction balancing)-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction balancing,-and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling (reducing),-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-selects a lot by its cost basis-.IP \[bu] 2-raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected-unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses the selling price for transaction balancing-.RE-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger accepts the-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R]/\f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] notation but ignores it.-.IP \[bu] 2-variations: \f[V]{}\f[R], \f[V]{YYYY-MM-DD}\f[R],-\f[V]{\[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R], \f[V]{UNITCOST, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R],-\f[V]{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R] etc.-.PP-Currently, hledger rejects these.-.SS Balance assertions-.PP-hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files.-These look like, for example, \f[V]= EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R] following a-posting\[aq]s amount.-Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after-each posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a   $1  =$1-  b       =$-1--2013/1/2-  a   $1  =$2-  b  $-1  =$-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance 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-\f[V]-I/--ignore-assertions\f[R] flag, which can be useful for-troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files.-(Note: this flag currently does not disable balance assignments,-described below).-.SS Assertions and ordering-.PP-hledger sorts an account\[aq]s postings and assertions first by date and-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.)-.PP-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.-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.-.SS Assertions and multiple included files-.PP-Multiple files included with the \f[V]include\f[R] directive are-processed as if concatenated into one file, preserving their order and-the posting order within each file.-It means that balance assertions in later files will see balance from-earlier files.-.PP-And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split-across multiple files, and you want to assert the account\[aq]s balance-on that day, you\[aq]ll need to put the assertion in the right file --the last one in the sequence, probably.-.SS Assertions and multiple -f files-.PP-Unlike \f[V]include\f[R], when multiple files are specified on the-command line with multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options, balance-assertions will not see balance from earlier files.-This can be useful when you do not want problems in earlier files to-disrupt valid assertions in later files.-.PP-If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use-\f[V]include\f[R], or concatenate the files temporarily.-.SS Assertions and commodities-.PP-The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in-fact the assertion checks only this commodity\[aq]s balance within the-(possibly multi-commodity) account balance.-This is how assertions work in Ledger also.-We could call this a \[dq]partial\[dq] balance assertion.-.PP-To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can-write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity\[aq]s balance.-.PP-You can make a stronger \[dq]total\[dq] balance assertion by writing a-double equals sign (\f[V]== EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R]).-This asserts that there are no other commodities in the account besides-the asserted one (or at least, that their balance is 0).-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a   $1-  a    1\[Eu]-  b  $-1-  c   -1\[Eu]--2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-  a    0  =  $1-  a    0  =   1\[Eu]-  b    0 == $-1-  c    0 ==  -1\[Eu]--2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as \[aq]a\[aq] also contains 1\[Eu]-  a    0 ==  $1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance-that has multiple commodities.-One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a:usd   $1-  a:euro   1\[Eu]-  b--2013/1/2-  a        0 ==  0-  a:usd    0 == $1-  a:euro   0 ==  1\[Eu]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Assertions and prices-.PP-Balance assertions ignore costs, and should normally be written without-one:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  (a)     $1 \[at] \[Eu]1 = $1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them,-even though they don\[aq]t affect whether the assertion passes or fails.-This is for backward compatibility (hledger\[aq]s close command used to-generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance-\f[I]assignments\f[R] do use them (see below).-.SS Assertions and subaccounts-.PP-The balance assertions above (\f[V]=\f[R] and \f[V]==\f[R]) do not count-the balance from subaccounts; they check the account\[aq]s exclusive-balance only.-You can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing \f[V]=*\f[R]-or \f[V]==*\f[R], eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  equity:opening balances-  checking:a       5-  checking:b       5-  checking         1  ==* 11-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Assertions and virtual postings-.PP-Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-are not affected by the \f[V]--real/-R\f[R] flag or \f[V]real:\f[R]-query.-.SS Assertions and auto postings-.PP-Balance assertions \f[I]are\f[R] affected by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag,-which generates auto postings, which can alter account balances.-Because auto postings are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them-effectively have two balances.-But balance assertions can only test one or the other of these.-So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:-.IP \[bu] 2-assert the balance calculated with \f[V]--auto\f[R], and always use-\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file-.IP \[bu] 2-or assert the balance calculated without \f[V]--auto\f[R], and never use-\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file-.IP \[bu] 2-or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or-avoid auto postings entirely).-.SS Assertions and precision-.PP-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 assertion failure messages show exact amounts.-.SS Posting comments-.PP-Text following \f[V];\f[R], at the end of a posting line, and/or on-indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.-They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except-they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2012-01-01-    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-    assets-    ; a comment for posting 2-    ; a second comment line for posting 2-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Tags-.PP-Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.-.PP-They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed-by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account directive\[aq]s-comment.-(This is an exception to the usual rule that things in comments are-ignored.)-Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on the checking account,-two on the transaction, and one on the expenses posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-    ; transactiontag-2:-    assets:checking        $-1-    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.-And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and-postings\[aq] accounts).-So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively has all four-tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the transaction-also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses posting).-.PP-You can list tag names with \f[V]hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]\f[R], or match-by tag name with a \f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX\f[R] query.-.SS Tag values-.PP-Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a-comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).-Note this means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.-Eg in the following posting, the three tags\[aq] values are \[dq]value-1\[dq], \[dq]value 2\[dq], and \[dq]\[dq] (empty) respectively:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overriding:-when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the new-name:value pair is added to the tags.-(It is not possible to override a tag\[aq]s value or remove a tag.)-.PP-You can list a tag\[aq]s values with-\f[V]hledger tags TAGNAME --values\f[R], or match by tag value with a-\f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX\f[R] query.-.SS Directives-.PP-A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-and so on.-hledger\[aq]s directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger\[aq]s, but-there are many differences, and also some differences between hledger-versions.-Here are some more definitions:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]subdirective\f[R] - Some directives support subdirectives, written-indented below the parent directive.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]decimal mark\f[R] - The character to interpret as a decimal mark-(period or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]display style\f[R] - How to display amounts of a commodity in-output: symbol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number-of decimal places.-.PP-Directives are not required when starting out with hledger, but you will-probably want to add some as your needs grow.-Here some key directives for particular needs:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(43.0n) lw(27.0n).-T{-purpose-T}@T{-directives-T}-_-T{-\f[B]READING DATA:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Declare file\[aq]s decimal mark to help parse amounts accurately-T}@T{-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-T}-T{-Rewrite account names-T}@T{-\f[V]alias\f[R]-T}-T{-Comment out sections of the data-T}@T{-\f[V]comment\f[R]-T}-T{-Include extra data files-T}@T{-\f[V]include\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]GENERATING DATA:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Generate recurring transactions or budget goals-T}@T{-\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]-T}-T{-Generate extra postings on transactions-T}@T{-\f[V]=\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]CHECKING FOR ERRORS:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Define valid entities to provide more error checking-T}@T{-\f[V]account\f[R], \f[V]commodity\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]REPORTING:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Declare accounts\[aq] type and display order-T}@T{-\f[V]account\f[R]-T}-T{-Declare commodity display styles-T}@T{-\f[V]commodity\f[R]-T}-T{-Declare market prices-T}@T{-\f[V]P\f[R]-T}-.TE-.SS Directive effects-.PP-And here is what each directive does, and which files and journal-entries (transactions) it affects:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(3.5n) lw(64.1n) lw(2.4n).-T{-directive-T}@T{-what it does-T}@T{-ends at file end?-T}-_-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]account\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; and its-display order and type.-Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]alias\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of current file-or \f[V]end aliases\f[R].-Command line equivalent: \f[V]--alias\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]comment\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file or-\f[V]end comment\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]commodity\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares up to four things: 1.-a commodity symbol, for checking all amounts in all files 2.-the decimal mark for parsing amounts of this commodity, in the following-entries until end of current file (if there is no \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-directive) 3.-and the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.-which is also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in-this commodity.-Takes precedence over \f[V]D\f[R].-Subdirectives: \f[V]format\f[R] (Ledger-compatible syntax).-Command line equivalent: \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]-T}@T{-N,Y,N,N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all commodities in-following entries until next \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] or end of current-file.-Included files can override.-Takes precedence over \f[V]commodity\f[R] and \f[V]D\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Includes entries and directives from another file, as if they were-written inline.-Command line alternative: multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R]-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]payee\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]P\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value-reports.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]\[ti]\f[B]\f[R] (tilde)-T}@T{-Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future transactions-with \f[V]--forecast\f[R] and budget goals with-\f[V]balance --budget\f[R].-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-Other syntax:-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]apply account\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Prepends a common parent account to all account names, in following-entries until end of current file or \f[V]end apply account\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]D\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if there is-no \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive for this commodity: its decimal mark,-balancing precision, and display style, as above.-T}@T{-Y,Y,N,N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]Y\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following entries-until end of current file.-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]=\f[B]\f[R] (equals)-T}@T{-Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on matched-transactions with \f[V]--auto\f[R], in current, parent, and child files-(but not sibling files, see #1212).-T}@T{-partly-T}-T{-\f[B]Other Ledger directives\f[R]-T}@T{-Other directives from Ledger\[aq]s file format are accepted but ignored.-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.SS Directives and multiple files-.PP-If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] options, or the-\f[V]include\f[R] directive, hledger will process multiple input files.-But directives which affect input typically have effect only until the-end of the file in which they occur (and on any included files in that-region).-.PP-This may seem inconvenient, but it\[aq]s intentional; it makes reports-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.-.PP-It can be surprising though; for example, it means that \f[V]alias\f[R]-directives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).-.SS \f[V]account\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]account\f[R] 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:-.IP \[bu] 2-They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a-reference.-.IP \[bu] 2-In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by-transactions, which helps detect typos.-.IP \[bu] 2-They control account display order in reports, allowing non-alphabetic-sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).-.IP \[bu] 2-They help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,-hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags-which can be used to filter or pivot reports.-.IP \[bu] 2-They can help hledger know your accounts\[aq] types (asset, liability,-equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and-incomestatement.-.PP-They are written as the word \f[V]account\f[R] followed by a-hledger-style account name, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not-allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-used in postings.-So the following journal will not parse:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account (assets:bank:checking)-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account comments-.PP-Text following \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] and \f[V];\f[R] at the end-of an account directive line, and/or following \f[V];\f[R] on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that account.-They are ignored except they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.PP-The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because-\f[V];\f[R] is allowed in account names.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-  ; next-line comment-  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account subdirectives-.PP-Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently-ignored:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking-  format subdirective is ignored-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account error checking-.PP-By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when-a posting references them.-This is convenient, but it means hledger can\[aq]t warn you when you-mis-spell an account name in the journal.-Usually you\[aq]ll find that error later, as an extra account in balance-reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.-.PP-In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,-hledger will report an error if any transaction uses an account name-that has not been declared by an account directive.-Some notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct-account name capitalisation.-.IP \[bu] 2-The account directive\[aq]s scope is \[dq]whole file and below\[dq] (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\[aq]s usual to put them at the top.-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts can only be declared in \f[V]journal\f[R] files, but will-affect included files of all types.-.IP \[bu] 2-It\[aq]s currently not possible to declare \[dq]all possible-subaccounts\[dq] with a wildcard; every account posted to must be-declared.-.SS Account display order-.PP-The order in which account directives are written influences the order-in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.-By default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these-account directives to the journal file:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets-account liabilities-account equity-account revenues-account expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts -1-assets-liabilities-equity-revenues-expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.-.PP-Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within each group of-sibling accounts under the same parent.-And currently, this directive:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account other:zoo-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-would influence the position of \f[V]zoo\f[R] among-\f[V]other\f[R]\[aq]s subaccounts, but not the position of-\f[V]other\f[R] among the top-level accounts.-This means:-.IP \[bu] 2-you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg \f[V]account other\f[R]-above) that you don\[aq]t intend to post to, just to customize their-display order-.IP \[bu] 2-sibling accounts stay together (you couldn\[aq]t display \f[V]x:y\f[R]-in between \f[V]a:b\f[R] and \f[V]a:c\f[R]).-.SS Account types-.PP-hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-expenses and so on.-This enables easy reports like balancesheet and incomestatement, and-filtering by account type with the \f[V]type:\f[R] query.-.PP-As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically-if you are using common english-language top-level account names-(described below).-But generally we recommend you declare types explicitly, by adding a-\f[V]type:\f[R] tag to your top-level account directives.-Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.-The tag\[aq]s value should be one of the five main account types:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]A\f[R] or \f[V]Asset\f[R] (things you own)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]L\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] (things you owe)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]E\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] (investment/ownership; balanced-counterpart of assets & liabilities)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]R\f[R] or \f[V]Revenue\f[R] (what you received money from, AKA-income; technically part of Equity)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]X\f[R] or \f[V]Expense\f[R] (what you spend money on; technically-part of Equity)-.PP-or, it can be (these are used less often):-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]C\f[R] or \f[V]Cash\f[R] (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid-assets for the cashflow report)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]V\f[R] or \f[V]Conversion\f[R] (a subtype of Equity, for-conversions (see COST REPORTING).)-.PP-Here is a typical set of account type declarations:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets             ; type: A-account liabilities        ; type: L-account equity             ; type: E-account revenues           ; type: R-account expenses           ; type: X--account assets:bank        ; type: C-account assets:cash        ; type: C--account equity:conversion  ; type: V-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here are some tips for working with account types.-.IP \[bu] 2-The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.-These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going; if-they don\[aq]t work for you, just ignore them and declare your account-types.-See also Regular expressions.-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-If account\[aq]s name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:---------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-\[ha]assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-\[ha](debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-\[ha]equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-\[ha]equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-\[ha](income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-\[ha]expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-If you declare any account types, it\[aq]s a good idea to declare an-account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and-name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.-.IP \[bu] 2-Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.-See Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.-.IP \[bu] 2-As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent-account.-More precisely, an account\[aq]s type is decided by the first of these-that exists:-.RS 2-.IP "1." 3-A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration for this account.-.IP "2." 3-A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration in the parent accounts above it,-preferring the nearest.-.IP "3." 3-An account type inferred from this account\[aq]s name.-.IP "4." 3-An account type inferred from a parent account\[aq]s name, preferring-the nearest parent.-.IP "5." 3-Otherwise, it will have no type.-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS \f[V]alias\f[R] directive-.PP-You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-parts of them, before generating reports.-This can be useful for:-.IP \[bu] 2-expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier-data entry and a less verbose journal-.IP \[bu] 2-adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy-.IP \[bu] 2-combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on-one line-.IP \[bu] 2-customising reports-.PP-Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.-They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or-hledger-web.-.PP-Account aliases are very powerful.-They are generally easy to use correctly, but you can also generate-invalid account names with them; more on this below.-.PP-See also Rewrite account names.-.SS Basic aliases-.PP-To set an account alias, use the \f[V]alias\f[R] 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias OLD = NEW-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or, you can use the \f[V]--alias \[aq]OLD=NEW\[aq]\f[R] option on the-command line.-This affects all entries.-It\[aq]s useful for trying out aliases interactively.-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking-; rewrites \[dq]checking\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq], or \[dq]checking:a\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking:a\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Regex aliases-.PP-There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,-indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.-(This is the only place where hledger requires forward slashes around a-regular expression.)-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger --alias \[aq]/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\[aq] ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by-REPLACEMENT.-REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.-.PP-If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg-\f[V]/\[rs]/=:\f[R].-.PP-If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced by-the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias /\[ha](.+):bank:([\[ha]:]+):(.*)/ = \[rs]1:\[rs]2 \[rs]3-; rewrites \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq] to  \[dq]assets:wells fargo checking\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of-option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.-.SS Combining aliases-.PP-You can define as many aliases as you like, using journal directives-and/or command line options.-.PP-Recursive aliases - where an account name is rewritten by one alias,-then by another alias, and so on - are allowed.-Each alias sees the effect of previously applied aliases.-.PP-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 entry, we apply:-.IP "1." 3-\f[V]alias\f[R] directives preceding the journal entry, most recently-parsed first (ie, reading upward from the journal entry, bottom to top)-.IP "2." 3-\f[V]--alias\f[R] options, in the order they appeared on the command-line (left to right).-.PP-In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:-.IP \[bu] 2-the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first-.IP \[bu] 2-the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on-.IP \[bu] 2-aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.-.PP-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.-.PP-In case of trouble, adding \f[V]--debug=6\f[R] to the command line will-show which aliases are being applied when.-.SS Aliases and multiple files-.PP-As explained at Directives and multiple files, \f[V]alias\f[R]-directives do not affect parent or sibling files.-Eg in this command,-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger -f a.aliases -f b.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-account aliases defined in a.aliases will not affect b.journal.-Including the aliases doesn\[aq]t work either:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include a.aliases--2020-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases-  foo  1-  bar-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This means that account aliases should usually be declared at the start-of your top-most file, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias foo=Foo-alias bar=Bar--2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-  foo  1-  bar--include c.journal  ; also affected-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]end aliases\f[R] directive-.PP-You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the-journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-end aliases-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Aliases can generate bad account names-.PP-Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which-could cause confusing reports or invalid \f[V]print\f[R] output.-For example, you could erase all account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-  a:aa     1-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --alias \[aq]/.*/=\[aq]-2021-01-01-                   1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The above \f[V]print\f[R] output is not a valid journal.-Or you could insert an illegal double space, causing \f[V]print\f[R]-output that would give a different journal when reparsed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-  old    1-  other-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --alias old=\[dq]new  USD\[dq] | hledger -f- print-2021-01-01-    new             USD 1-    other-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Aliases and account types-.PP-If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in-effect.-.PP-However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg renaming-parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could prevent-child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.-.PP-Secondly, if an account\[aq]s type is being inferred from its name,-renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.-.PP-If you are using account aliases and the \f[V]type:\f[R] query is not-matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts-command, eg something like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive-.PP-You can use \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to declare your commodities.-In fact the \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive performs several functions at-once:-.IP "1." 3-It declares commodities which may be used in the journal.-This can optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking.-(Cf Commodity error checking)-.IP "2." 3-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 \f[V]1,000\f[R] and-\f[V]1.000\f[R] as 1.-(Cf Amounts)-.IP "3." 3-It declares how to render the commodity\[aq]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 style)-.PP-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.-.PP-Generally you should put them at the top of your journal file (since for-function 2, they affect only following amounts, cf #793).-.PP-A commodity directive is just the word \f[V]commodity\f[R] followed by a-sample amount, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;commodity SAMPLEAMOUNT--commodity $1000.00-commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA  ; optional same-line comment-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the \f[V]format\f[R]-subdirective, as in Ledger.-Note in this case the commodity symbol appears twice; it must be the-same in both places:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;commodity SYMBOL-;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-commodity INR-  format INR 1,00,00,000.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.PP-Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or-punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).-.PP-The amount\[aq]s quantity does not matter; only the format is-significant.-It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a comma - followed-by 0 or more decimal digits.-.PP-A few more examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# number formats for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.0-commodity 1 000 000.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note hledger normally uses banker\[aq]s rounding, so 0.5 displayed with-zero decimal digits is \[dq]0\[dq].-(More at Commodity display style.)-.PP-Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display-style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.-.SS Commodity error checking-.PP-In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,-hledger will report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not-been declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive.-This works similarly to account error checking, see the notes there for-more details.-.PP-Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because-currently it\[aq]s not possible (?)-to declare the \[dq]no-symbol\[dq] commodity with a directive.-This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts are always allowed-to have no commodity symbol.-.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive-.PP-You can use a \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive - usually one per file,-at the top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal-mark when parsing amounts in this file.-It can look like-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark .-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we-recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg-thousands separators).-.SS \f[V]include\f[R] directive-.PP-You can pull in the content of additional files by writing an include-directive, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include FILEPATH-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Only journal files can include, and only journal, timeclock or timedot-files can be included (not CSV files, currently).-.PP-If the file path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the-current file\[aq]s folder.-.PP-A tilde means home directory, eg: \f[V]include \[ti]/main.journal\f[R].-.PP-The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:-\f[V]include *.journal\f[R].-.PP-There is limited support for recursive wildcards: \f[V]**/\f[R] (the-slash is required) matches 0 or more subdirectories.-It\[aq]s not super convenient since you have to avoid include cycles and-including directories, but this can be done, eg:-\f[V]include */**/*.journal\f[R].-.PP-The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format,-overriding the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input-files): \f[V]include timedot:\[ti]/notes/2020*.md\f[R].-.SS \f[V]P\f[R] directive-.PP-The \f[V]P\f[R] directive declares a market price, which is a conversion-rate between two commodities on a certain date.-This allows value reports to convert amounts of one commodity to their-value in another, on or after that date.-These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange, cryptocurrency-exchange, the or foreign exchange market.-.PP-The format is:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# one euro was worth $1.35 from 2009-01-01 onward:-P 2009-01-01 \[Eu] $1.35--# and $1.40 from 2010-01-01 onward:-P 2010-01-01 \[Eu] $1.40-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] and \f[V]--value\f[R] flags use these-market prices to show amount values in another commodity.-See Valuation.-.PP-.SS \f[V]payee\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]payee PAYEE NAME\f[R]-.PP-This directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees which may-appear in transaction descriptions.-The \[dq]payees\[dq] check will report an error if any transaction-refers to a payee that has not been declared.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-payee Whole Foods-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.SS \f[V]tag\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]tag TAGNAME\f[R]-.PP-This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names allowed-in tags.-TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-tag  item-id-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.PP-The \[dq]tags\[dq] check will report an error if any undeclared tag name-is used.-It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use of-colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can-declare and check your tags .-.SS Periodic transactions-.PP-The \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] directive declares recurring transactions.-Such directives allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions-(visible in reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting-or budgeting.-.PP-Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-read this whole section, or at least these tips:-.IP "1." 3-Two spaces accidentally added or omitted will cause you trouble - read-about this below.-.IP "2." 3-For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with-\f[V]hledger print --forecast tag:generated\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger register --forecast tag:generated\f[R].-.IP "3." 3-Forecasted transactions will begin only after the last non-forecasted-transaction\[aq]s date.-.IP "4." 3-Forecasted transactions will end 6 months from today, by default.-See below for the exact start/end rules.-.IP "5." 3-period expressions can be tricky.-Their documentation needs improvement, but is worth studying.-.IP "6." 3-Some period expressions with a repeating interval must begin on a-natural boundary of that interval.-Eg in \f[V]weekly from DATE\f[R], DATE must be a monday.-\f[V]\[ti] weekly from 2019/10/1\f[R] (a tuesday) will give an error.-.IP "7." 3-Other period expressions with an interval are automatically expanded to-cover a whole number of that interval.-(This is done to improve reports, but it also affects periodic-transactions.-Yes, it\[aq]s a bit inconsistent with the above.)-Eg: \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2020/01\f[R], which is-equivalent to \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2020/01/01\f[R],-will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.-.SS Periodic rule syntax-.PP-A periodic transaction rule looks like a normal journal entry, with the-date replaced by a tilde (\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]) followed by a period-expression (mnemonic: \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] looks like a recurring sine-wave.):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# every first of month-\[ti] monthly-    expenses:rent          $2000-    assets:bank:checking--# every 15th of month in 2023\[aq]s first quarter:-\[ti] monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-    expenses:utilities          $400-    assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying-multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies-report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods\[aq]-start dates).-.SS Periodic rules and relative dates-.PP-Partial or relative dates (like \f[V]12/31\f[R], \f[V]25\f[R],-\f[V]tomorrow\f[R], \f[V]last week\f[R], \f[V]next quarter\f[R]) are-usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the results will change-as time passes.-If used, they will be interpreted relative to, in order of preference:-.IP "1." 3-the first day of the default year specified by a recent \f[V]Y\f[R]-directive-.IP "2." 3-or the date specified with \f[V]--today\f[R]-.IP "3." 3-or the date on which you are running the report.-.PP-They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period-dates.-.SS Two spaces between period expression and description!-.PP-If the period expression is followed by a transaction description, these-must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R].-This helps hledger know where the period expression ends, so that-descriptions can not accidentally alter their meaning, as in this-example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as \[dq]every 2 months in 2020\[dq]-;               ||-;               vv-\[ti] every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-    assets:bank:checking   $1500-    income:acme inc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-So,-.IP \[bu] 2-Do write two spaces between your period expression and your transaction-description, if any.-.IP \[bu] 2-Don\[aq]t accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period-expression.-.SS Other syntax-.PP-hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to-make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.-Note some of the features below are powerful and can be useful in-special cases, but in general, features in this section are considered-less important or even not recommended for most users.-Downsides are mentioned to help you decide if you want to use them.-.SS Auto postings-.PP-The \f[V]=\f[R] directive declares a rule for automatically adding-temporary extra postings (visible in reports, not in the journal file)-to all transactions matched by a certain query, when you use the-\f[V]--auto\f[R] flag.-.PP-Downsides: depending on generated data for your reports makes your-financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in-an audit.-Also, because the feature is optional, other features like balance-assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.-.PP-An auto posting rule looks a bit like a transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= QUERY-    ACCOUNT  AMOUNT-    ...-    ACCOUNT  [AMOUNT]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: \f[V]=\f[R] suggests-matching), followed by a query (which matches existing postings), and-each \[dq]posting\[dq] line describes a posting to be generated, and the-posting amounts can be:-.IP \[bu] 2-a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]$2\f[R].-This will be used as-is.-.IP \[bu] 2-a number, eg \f[V]2\f[R].-The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched posting will be added to-this.-.IP \[bu] 2-a numeric multiplier, eg \f[V]*2\f[R] (a star followed by a number N).-The matched posting\[aq]s amount (and total price, if any) will be-multiplied by N.-.IP \[bu] 2-a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]*$2\f[R] (a star, number-N, and symbol S).-The matched posting\[aq]s amount will be multiplied by N, and its-commodity symbol will be replaced with S.-.PP-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 query term below:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= expenses:groceries \[aq]expenses:dining out\[aq]-    (budget:funds:dining out)                 *-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; every time I buy food, schedule a dollar donation-= expenses:food-    (liabilities:charity)   $-1--; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-= expenses:gifts-    assets:checking:gifts  *-1-    assets:checking         *1--2017/12/1-  expenses:food    $10-  assets:checking--2017/12/14-  expenses:gifts   $20-  assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --auto-2017-12-01-    expenses:food              $10-    assets:checking-    (liabilities:charity)      $-1--2017-12-14-    expenses:gifts             $20-    assets:checking-    assets:checking:gifts     -$20-    assets:checking            $20-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Auto postings and multiple files-.PP-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[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] are used - see #1212).-.SS Auto postings and dates-.PP-A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be-used in the generated posting.-.SS Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions-.PP-Currently, auto postings are added:-.IP \[bu] 2-after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked for-balancedness,-.IP \[bu] 2-but before balance assertions are checked.-.PP-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 for background.-.PP-This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a-missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to-infer amounts.-.SS Auto posting tags-.PP-Automated postings will have some extra tags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - shows this was generated by an-auto posting rule, and the query-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]_generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - a hidden tag, which does not-appear in hledger\[aq]s output.-This can be used to match postings generated \[dq]just now\[dq], rather-than generated in the past and saved to the journal.-.PP-Also, any transaction that has been changed by auto posting rules will-have these tags added:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]modified:\f[R] - this transaction was modified-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]_modified:\f[R] - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this-transaction was modified \[dq]just now\[dq].-.SS Balance assignments-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-2016/1/1 opening balances-  assets:checking            = $409.32-  assets:savings             = $735.24-  assets:cash                 = $42-  equity:opening balances-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or when adjusting a balance to reality:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; no cash left; update balance, record any untracked spending as a generic expense-2016/1/15-  assets:cash    = $0-  expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The calculated amount depends on the account\[aq]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).-.PP-Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;-to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the-calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.-Also balance assignments\[aq] forcing of balances can hide errors.-These things make your financial data less portable, less future-proof,-and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS Balance assignments and prices-.PP-A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have-that price attached:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  (a)             = $1 \[at] \[Eu]2-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --explicit-2019-01-01-    (a)         $1 \[at] \[Eu]2 = $1 \[at] \[Eu]2-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Bracketed posting dates-.PP-For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger\[aq]s-bracketed date syntax is also supported: \f[V][DATE]\f[R],-\f[V][DATE=DATE2]\f[R] or \f[V][=DATE2]\f[R] in posting comments.-hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the-\f[V]0123456789/-.=\f[R] characters in this way.-With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2-infers its year from DATE.-.PP-Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger\[aq]s-\f[V]date:\f[R]/\f[V]date2:\f[R] tags, and confusingly similar to-Ledger\[aq]s lot date syntax.-.SS \f[V]D\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]D AMOUNT\f[R]-.PP-This 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 \f[V]D\f[R] directive, or the end of-the journal.-.PP-For compatibility/historical reasons, \f[V]D\f[R] also acts like a-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive (setting the commodity\[aq]s decimal mark-for parsing and display style for output).-So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but a full amount-demonstrating the style.-The amount must include a decimal mark (either period or comma).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-D $1,000.00--1/1-  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Interactions with other directives:-.PP-For setting a commodity\[aq]s display style, a \f[V]commodity\f[R]-directive has highest priority, then a \f[V]D\f[R] directive.-.PP-For detecting a commodity\[aq]s decimal mark during parsing,-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] has highest priority, then \f[V]commodity\f[R],-then \f[V]D\f[R].-.PP-For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive is required-(\f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R] ignores \f[V]D\f[R] directives).-.PP-Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less-explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.-It is usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want-to track multiple commodities.-D is overloaded with functions redundant with \f[V]commodity\f[R] and-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R].-And it works differently from Ledger\[aq]s \f[V]D\f[R].-.SS \f[V]apply account\f[R] directive-.PP-This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to-all accounts in following entries, until an \f[V]end apply account\f[R]-directive or end of current file.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-apply account home--2010/1/1-    food    $10-    cash--end apply account-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-is equivalent to:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2010/01/01-    home:food           $10-    home:cash          $-10-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\f[V]account\f[R] directives are also affected, and so is any-\f[V]include\f[R]d content.-.PP-Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.-.PP-Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is-prepended.-.PP-Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less-portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS \f[V]Y\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]Y YEAR\f[R]-.PP-or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):-.PP-\f[V]year YEAR\f[R] \f[V]apply year YEAR\f[R]-.PP-The space is optional.-This sets a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don\[aq]t-specify a year.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-  expenses  1-  assets--year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-  expenses  1-  assets--1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-  expenses  1-  assets-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)-makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less-trustworthy in an audit.-Such dates can get separated from their corresponding Y directive, eg-when evaluating a region of the journal in your editor.-A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today\[aq]s date.-.SS Secondary dates-.PP-A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an equals-sign.-If the year is omitted, the primary date\[aq]s year is assumed.-When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but-with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag (or \f[V]--aux-date\f[R] or-\f[V]--effective\f[R]), the secondary (right) date will be used instead.-.PP-The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it\[aq]s best to follow-a consistent rule.-Eg \[dq]primary = the bank\[aq]s clearing date, secondary = date the-transaction was initiated, if different\[dq].-.PP-Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,-and less trustworthy in an audit.-Keeping the meaning of the two dates consistent requires discipline, and-you have to remember which reporting mode is appropriate for a given-report.-Posting dates are simpler and better.-.SS Star comments-.PP-Lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.-This feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,-allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-with org mode.-.PP-Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.-Decreases your journal\[aq]s portability.-And switching to Emacs org mode just for folding/unfolding meant losing-the benefits of ledger mode; nowadays you can add outshine mode to-ledger mode to get folding without losing ledger mode\[aq]s features.-.SS Valuation expressions-.PP-Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double-parentheses after an amount.-hledger ignores these.-.SS Virtual postings-.PP-A posting with parentheses around the account name is called a-\f[I]virtual posting\f[R] or \f[I]unbalanced posting\f[R], which means-it is exempt from the usual rule that a transaction\[aq]s postings must-balance add up to zero.-.PP-This is not part of double entry bookkeeping, 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 opening balances-  (assets:checking)   $1000-  (assets:savings)    $2000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A posting with brackets around the account name is called a-\f[I]balanced virtual posting\f[R].-The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to zero-(separately from other postings).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-  expenses:food                    $7  ; <--  expenses:food                    $3  ; <--  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Postings whose account names are neither parenthesised nor bracketed are-called \f[I]real postings\f[R].-You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the-\f[V]-R/--real\f[R] flag or a \f[V]real:1\f[R] query.-.PP-Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid-figuring out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable-and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS Other Ledger directives-.PP-These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.-This allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that-hledger\[aq]s reports may differ from Ledger\[aq]s if you use these.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-apply fixed COMM AMT-apply tag   TAG-assert      EXPR-bucket / A  ACCT-capture     ACCT REGEX-check       EXPR-define      VAR=EXPR-end apply fixed-end apply tag-end apply year-end tag-eval / expr EXPR-python-  PYTHONCODE-tag         NAME-value       EXPR---command-line-flags-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger-syntax comparison.-.PP-.SH CSV-.PP-hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting-each record into a transaction.-.PP-(To learn about \f[I]writing\f[R] CSV, see CSV output.)-.PP-For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they-have a corresponding \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].tsv\f[R] or \f[V].ssv\f[R]-file extension or use a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).-.PP-Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding \f[I]rules file\f[R].-.PD 0-.P-.PD-This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,-date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and-how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.-.PP-By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with-an extra \f[V].rules\f[R] extension, in the same directory.-Eg when asked to read \f[V]foo/FILE.csv\f[R], hledger looks for-\f[V]foo/FILE.csv.rules\f[R].-You can specify a different rules file with the \f[V]--rules-file\f[R]-option.-If no rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file,-which you\[aq]ll need to adjust.-.PP-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\[aq]s a simple CSV file and a rules file for it:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Date, Description, Id, Amount-12/11/2019, Foo, 123, 10.23-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# basic.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       date, description, , amount-date-format  %d/%m/%Y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -f basic.csv-2019-11-12 Foo-    expenses:unknown           10.23-    income:unknown            -10.23-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-There\[aq]s an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,-and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.-.SS CSV rules cheatsheet-.PP-The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-(Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or-\f[V]*\f[R] are ignored.)-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(23.7n) lw(46.3n).-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]separator\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the field separator, instead of relying on file extension-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]skip\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-skip one or more header lines at start of file-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]date-format\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]timezone\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV date-times-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]newest-first\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-improve txn order when: there are multiple records, newest first, all-with the same date-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]intra-day-reversed\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-improve txn order when: same-day txns are in opposite order to the-overall file-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, when ambiguous-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]fields\f[B] list\f[R]-T}@T{-name CSV fields for easy reference, and optionally assign their values-to hledger fields-T}-T{-\f[B]Field assignment\f[R]-T}@T{-assign a CSV value or interpolated text value to a hledger field-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] block\f[R]-T}@T{-conditionally assign values to hledger fields, or \f[V]skip\f[R] a-record or \f[V]end\f[R] (skip rest of file)-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] table\f[R]-T}@T{-conditionally assign values to hledger fields, using compact syntax-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]balance-type\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-select which type of balance assertions/assignments to generate-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-inline another CSV rules file-T}-.TE-.PP-Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are-evaluated.-.SS \f[V]separator\f[R]-.PP-You can use the \f[V]separator\f[R] rule to read other kinds of-character-separated data.-The argument is any single separator character, or the words-\f[V]tab\f[R] or \f[V]space\f[R] (case insensitive).-Eg, for comma-separated values (CSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or for semicolon-separated values (SSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator ;-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or for tab-separated values (TSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator TAB-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If the input file has a \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R]-file extension (or a \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R], \f[V]tsv:\f[R]-prefix), the appropriate separator will be inferred automatically, and-you won\[aq]t need this rule.-.SS \f[V]skip\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-skip N-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The word \f[V]skip\f[R] followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1)-tells hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the-input data.-(Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don\[aq]t need to-count those.)-You\[aq]ll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.-Header lines skipped in this way are ignored, and not parsed as CSV.-.PP-\f[V]skip\f[R] can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to-skip individual data records.-Note records skipped in this way are still required to be valid CSV,-even though otherwise ignored.-.SS \f[V]date-format\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-date-format DATEFMT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is a helper for the \f[V]date\f[R] (and \f[V]date2\f[R]) fields.-If your CSV dates are not formatted like \f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R],-\f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R], you\[aq]ll need to add a-date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style date parsing-pattern - see-https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.-The pattern must parse the CSV date value completely.-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# MM/DD/YY-date-format %m/%d/%y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# D/M/YYYY-# The - makes leading zeros optional.-date-format %-d/%-m/%Y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# YYYY-Mmm-DD-date-format %Y-%h-%d-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]timezone\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-timezone TIMEZONE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone other-than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you can-use this rule to declare the CSV\[aq]s native time zone, which helps-prevent off-by-one dates.-.PP-When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don\[aq]t-need this rule; instead, use \f[V]%Z\f[R] in \f[V]date-format\f[R] (or-\f[V]%z\f[R], \f[V]%EZ\f[R], \f[V]%Ez\f[R]; see the formatTime link-above).-.PP-In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,-localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.-If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for-reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with-the TZ environment variable, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\f[V]timezone\f[R] currently does not understand timezone names, except-\[dq]UTC\[dq], \[dq]GMT\[dq], \[dq]EST\[dq], \[dq]EDT\[dq],-\[dq]CST\[dq], \[dq]CDT\[dq], \[dq]MST\[dq], \[dq]MDT\[dq],-\[dq]PST\[dq], or \[dq]PDT\[dq].-For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.-.SS \f[V]newest-first\f[R]-.PP-hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-chronologically, including intra-day transactions.-Usually it can auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.-But if it encounters CSV where all records are on the same date, it-assumes that the records are oldest first.-If in fact the CSV\[aq]s records are normally newest first, like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-10-01, txn 3...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-you can add the \f[V]newest-first\f[R] rule to help hledger generate the-transactions in correct order.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# same-day CSV records are newest first-newest-first-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R]-.PP-CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-the overall date order.-Eg, here dates are newest first, but the transactions on each date are-oldest first:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-10-02, txn 3...-2022-10-02, txn 4...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In this situation, add the \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R] rule, and-hledger will compensate, improving the order of transactions.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-intra-day-reversed-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark .-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger automatically accepts either period or comma as a decimal 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.-.SS \f[V]fields\f[R] list-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A fields list (the word \f[V]fields\f[R] followed by comma-separated-field names) is optional, but convenient.-It does two things:-.IP "1." 3-It names the CSV field in each column.-This can be convenient if you are referencing them in other rules, so-you can say \f[V]%SomeField\f[R] instead of remembering \f[V]%13\f[R].-.IP "2." 3-Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described-below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger field.-This is the quickest way to populate hledger\[aq]s fields and build a-transaction.-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example that says \[dq]use the 1st, 2nd and 4th fields as-the transaction\[aq]s date, description and amount; name the last two-fields for later reference; and ignore the others\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the-CSV file\[aq]s separator.-Also:-.IP \[bu] 2-There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).-.IP \[bu] 2-Field names may not contain spaces.-Spaces before/after field names are optional.-.IP \[bu] 2-Field names may contain \f[V]_\f[R] (underscore) or \f[V]-\f[R]-(hyphen).-.IP \[bu] 2-Fields you don\[aq]t care about can be given a dummy name or an empty-name.-.PP-If the CSV contains column headings, it\[aq]s convenient to use these-for your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces-replaced by underscores).-.PP-Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to a-hledger field with the same name.-Eg you could call the CSV\[aq]s \[dq]balance\[dq] field-\f[V]balance_\f[R] to avoid directly setting hledger\[aq]s-\f[V]balance\f[R] field (and generating a balance assertion).-.SS Field assignment-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-HLEDGERFIELD FIELDVALUE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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).-.PP-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 interpolate CSV fields, referenced by their 1-based-position in the CSV record (\f[V]%N\f[R]), or by the name they were-given in the fields list (\f[V]%CSVFIELD\f[R]).-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with \[dq] USD\[dq] appended-amount %4 USD--# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Tips:-.IP \[bu] 2-Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like-\f[V]\[dq] 1 \[dq]\f[R] becomes \f[V]1\f[R] when interpolated) (#1051).-.IP \[bu] 2-Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can\[aq]t interpolate a-hledger field.-(See Referencing other fields below).-.SS Field names-.PP-Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in-hledger CSV rules files:-.IP "1." 3-\f[B]CSV field names\f[R] (\f[V]CSVFIELD\f[R] in these docs): you can-optionally name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger-doesn\[aq]t yet automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file),-by writing arbitrary names in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list, eg:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Special \f[B]hledger field names\f[R] (\f[V]HLEDGERFIELD\f[R] in these-docs): you must set at least some of these to generate the hledger-transaction from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of-a field assignment, eg:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-date        %When-code        %Some_Id-description %What-comment     %Foo %Bar-amount1     $ %Total-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or directly in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-currency $-comment  %Foo %Bar-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what happens-when you assign values to them:-.SS date field-.PP-Assigning to \f[V]date\f[R] sets the transaction date.-.SS date2 field-.PP-\f[V]date2\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s secondary date, if any.-.SS status field-.PP-\f[V]status\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s status, if any.-.SS code field-.PP-\f[V]code\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s code, if any.-.SS description field-.PP-\f[V]description\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s description, if any.-.SS comment field-.PP-\f[V]comment\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s comment, if any.-.PP-\f[V]commentN\f[R], where N is a number, sets the Nth posting\[aq]s-comment.-.PP-You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R]-in the code.-A comment starting with \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R] will begin on a new line.-.PP-Comments can contain tags, as usual.-.SS account field-.PP-Assigning to \f[V]accountN\f[R], where N is 1 to 99, sets the account-name of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to be generated.-.PP-Most often there are two postings, so you\[aq]ll want to set-\f[V]account1\f[R] and \f[V]account2\f[R].-Typically \f[V]account1\f[R] is associated with the CSV file, and is set-once with a top-level assignment, while \f[V]account2\f[R] is set based-on each transaction\[aq]s description, in conditional rules.-.PP-If a posting\[aq]s account name is left unset but its amount is set (see-below), a default account name will be chosen (like-\[dq]expenses:unknown\[dq] or \[dq]income:unknown\[dq]).-.SS amount field-.PP-There are several \[dq]amount\[dq] field name variants, useful for-different situations:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amountN\f[R] sets the amount of the Nth posting, and causes that-posting to be generated.-By assigning to \f[V]amount1\f[R], \f[V]amount2\f[R], ...-etc.-you can generate up to 99 postings.-Posting numbers don\[aq]t have to be consecutive; in certain situations-using a high number might be helpful to influence the layout of-postings.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] should be used instead,-as a pair, when and only when the amount must be obtained from two CSV-fields.-Eg when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a single-Amount field.-Note:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-Don\[aq]t think \[dq]-in is for the first posting and -out is for the-second posting\[dq] - that\[aq]s not correct.-Think: \[dq]\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] together-detect the amount for posting N, by inspecting two CSV fields at-once.\[dq]-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger assumes both CSV fields are unsigned, and will automatically-negate the -out value.-.IP \[bu] 2-It also expects that at least one of the values is empty or zero, so it-knows which one to ignore.-If that\[aq]s not the case you\[aq]ll need an if rule (see Setting-amounts below).-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amount\f[R], with no posting number (and similarly,-\f[V]amount-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount-out\f[R] with no number) are an-older syntax.-We keep them for backwards compatibility, and because they have special-behaviour that is sometimes convenient:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-They set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of posting 2.-.IP \[bu] 2-Posting 2\[aq]s amount will be converted to cost if it has a cost price.-.IP \[bu] 2-Any of the newer rules for posting 1 or 2 (like \f[V]amount1\f[R], or-\f[V]amount2-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount2-out\f[R]) will take precedence.-This allows incrementally migrating old rules files to the new syntax.-.RE-.PP-There\[aq]s more to say about amount-setting that doesn\[aq]t fit here;-please see also \[dq]Setting amounts\[dq] below.-.SS currency field-.PP-\f[V]currency\f[R] sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all-postings\[aq] amounts.-You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency symbol, eg if-it is in a separate column.-.PP-\f[V]currencyN\f[R] prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth-posting\[aq]s amount.-.SS balance field-.PP-\f[V]balanceN\f[R] sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting-amount is left empty, a balance assignment) on posting N.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is-equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].-.PP-You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the-\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule (see below).-.PP-See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.-.SS \f[V]if\f[R] block-.PP-Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV-data.-This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can categorise-transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on their-description (for example).-There are two ways to write conditional rules: \[dq]if blocks\[dq],-described here, and \[dq]if tables\[dq], described below.-.PP-An if block is the word \f[V]if\f[R] and one or more \[dq]matcher\[dq]-expressions (can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on-the same or next line; followed by one or more indented rules.-Eg,-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if MATCHER- RULE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if-MATCHER-MATCHER-MATCHER- RULE- RULE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-applied.-They are usually field assignments, but the following special rules may-also be used within an if block:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]skip\f[R] - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction-from it)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]end\f[R] - skips the rest of the current CSV file.-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if the record contains \[dq]groceries\[dq], set account2 to \[dq]expenses:groceries\[dq]-if groceries- account2 expenses:groceries-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-if-monthly service fee-atm transaction fee-banking thru software- account2 expenses:business:banking- comment  XXX deductible ? check it-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-if ,,,,- end-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Matchers-.PP-There are two kinds:-.IP "1." 3-A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular-expression (\f[V]REGEX\f[R]), which hledger will try to match-case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Eg: \f[V]whole foods\f[R]-.IP "2." 3-A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name-(\f[V]%CSVFIELD REGEX\f[R]).-hledger will try to match these just within the named CSV field.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Eg: \f[V]%date 2023\f[R]-.PP-The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended regular-expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],-\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R]), and nothing else.-If you have trouble, see \[dq]Regular expressions\[dq] in the hledger-manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).-.PP-With record matchers, it\[aq]s important to know that the record matched-is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be-converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing-whitespace) are removed.-So for example, when reading an SSV file, if the original record was:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01; \[dq]Acme, Inc.\[dq];  1,000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-By default they are OR\[aq]d (any one of them can match)-.IP \[bu] 2-When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (\f[V]&\f[R]) it will be-AND\[aq]ed with the previous matcher (both of them must match).-.PP-There\[aq]s not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.-.SS \f[V]if\f[R] table-.PP-\[dq]if tables\[dq] are an alternative to if blocks; they can express-many matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format,-like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-<empty line>-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The first character after \f[V]if\f[R] is taken to be the separator for-the rest of the table.-It should be a non-alphanumeric character like \f[V],\f[R] or-\f[V]|\f[R] that does not appear anywhere else in the table.-(Note: it is unrelated to the CSV file\[aq]s separator.)-Whitespace can be used in the matcher lines for readability, but not in-the if line currently.-The table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).-Each line must contain the same number of separators; empty values are-allowed.-.PP-The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,-assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding hledger-fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.-It is equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if MATCHERA-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERB-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERC-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if,account2,comment-atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-%description groceries,expenses:groceries,-2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]balance-type\f[R]-.PP-Balance assertions generated by assigning to balanceN are of the simple-\f[V]=\f[R] 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-\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# balance assertions will consider all commodities and all subaccounts-balance-type ==*-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here are the balance assertion types for quick reference:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-=    single commodity, exclude subaccounts-=*   single commodity, include subaccounts-==   multi commodity,  exclude subaccounts-==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]include\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include RULESFILE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point.-\f[V]RULESFILE\f[R] is an absolute file path or a path relative to the-current file\[aq]s directory.-This can be useful for sharing common rules between several rules files,-eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# someaccount.csv.rules--## someaccount-specific rules-fields   date,description,amount-account1 assets:someaccount-account2 expenses:misc--## common rules-include categorisation.rules-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Working with CSV-.PP-Some tips:-.SS Rapid feedback-.PP-It\[aq]s a good idea to get rapid feedback while-creating/troubleshooting CSV rules.-Here\[aq]s a good way, using entr from eradman.com/entrproject:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ ls foo.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ----; hledger -f foo.csv print desc:SOMEDESC\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, transactions of-interest.-\[dq]bash -c\[dq] 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.-.SS Valid CSV-.PP-Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and-equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab-as separators).-This means, eg:-.IP \[bu] 2-Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.-Enclosing in single quotes is not allowed.-(Eg \f[V]\[aq]A\[aq],\[aq]B\[aq]\f[R] is rejected.)-.IP \[bu] 2-When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes are-not allowed.-(Eg \f[V]\[dq]A\[dq], \[dq]B\[dq]\f[R] is rejected.)-.IP \[bu] 2-When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-quotes.-(Eg \f[V]A\[dq]A, B\f[R] is rejected.)-.PP-If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you\[aq]ll need to-transform it before reading with hledger.-Try using sed, or a more permissive CSV parser like python\[aq]s csv-lib.-.SS File Extension-.PP-To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error-messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),-it\[aq]s best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a \f[V].csv\f[R],-\f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R] filename extension.-(More about this at Data formats.)-.PP-When reading files with the \[dq]wrong\[dq] extension, you can ensure-the CSV reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file-path with \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R] or \f[V]tsv:\f[R]: Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule-if needed.-.SS Reading CSV from standard input-.PP-You\[aq]ll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,-since hledger assumes journal format by default.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reading multiple CSV files-.PP-If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] 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 \f[V]--rules-file\f[R] option, that rules file will-be used for all the CSV files.-.SS Valid transactions-.PP-After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the-generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing-them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.-Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying-the problem entry.-.PP-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 assertions generated from CSV right-away, pipe into another hledger:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Deduplicating, importing-.PP-When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-transactions, the new file may overlap with the old one, containing some-of the same records.-.PP-The import command will (a) detect the new transactions, and (b) append-just those transactions to your main journal.-It is idempotent, so you don\[aq]t have to remember how many times you-ran it or with which version of the CSV.-(It keeps state in a hidden \f[V].latest.FILE.csv\f[R] file.)-This is the easiest way to import CSV data.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# download the latest CSV files, then run this command.-# Note, no -f flags needed here.-$ hledger import *.csv [--dry]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This method works for most CSV files.-(Where records have a stable chronological order, and new records appear-only at the new end.)-.PP-A number of other tools and workflows, hledger-specific and otherwise,-exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and managing CSV data.-See:-.IP \[bu] 2-https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows-.IP \[bu] 2-https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion-.SS Setting amounts-.PP-Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling-various amount-setting situations:-.IP "1." 3-\f[B]If the amount is in a single CSV field:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-.RS 4-.IP "a." 3-\f[B]If its sign indicates direction of flow:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign it to \f[V]amountN\f[R], to set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount.-N is usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.-.IP "b." 3-\f[B]If another field indicates direction of flow:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate amount sign.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# assume a withdrawal unless Type contains \[dq]deposit\[dq]:-amount1  -%Amount-if %Type deposit-  amount1  %Amount-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-\f[B]If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and-Credit):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-.RS 4-.IP "a." 3-\f[B]If both fields are unsigned:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign the fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R].-This sets posting N\[aq]s amount to whichever of these has a non-zero-value.-If it\[aq]s the -out value, the amount will be negated.-.IP "b." 3-\f[B]If either field is signed:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.-Eg below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo-hledger\[aq]s automatic negating by negating once more (but only if the-field is non-empty, so that we don\[aq]t leave a minus sign by itself):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-if %amount1-out [1-9]- amount1-out -%amount1-out-\f[R]-.fi-.IP "c." 3-\f[B]If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be-empty):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is-non-zero/non-empty.-Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as \f[V]1\f[R] and-\f[V]none\f[R].-For such cases, use conditional rules to help select the amount.-Eg, to handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero-digits:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, in, out-if %in [1-9]- amount1 %in-if %out [1-9]- amount1 %out-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "3." 3-\f[B]If you want posting 2\[aq]s amount converted to cost:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use the unnumbered \f[V]amount\f[R] (or \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and-\f[V]amount-out\f[R]) syntax.-.IP "4." 3-\f[B]If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign to \f[V]balanceN\f[R], to set a balance assignment on the Nth-posting, causing the posting\[aq]s amount to be calculated-automatically.-\f[V]balance\f[R] with no number is equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].-In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the wrong default-account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.-.SS Amount signs-.PP-There is some special handling for amount signs, to simplify parsing and-sign-flipping:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value begins with a plus sign:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-that will be removed: \f[V]+AMT\f[R] becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value is parenthesised:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: \f[V](AMT)\f[R] becomes-\f[V]-AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value has two minus signs (or two sets of parentheses,-or a minus sign and parentheses):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-they cancel out and will be removed: \f[V]--AMT\f[R] or \f[V]-(AMT)\f[R]-becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of-parentheses):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-that is removed, making it an empty value.-\f[V]\[dq]+\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]-\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]()\[dq]\f[R]-becomes \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R].-.SS Setting currency/commodity-.PP-If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV\[aq]s amount-field(s):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,foo,$123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-you don\[aq]t have to do anything special for the commodity symbol, it-will be assigned as part of the amount.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,amount-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown         $123.00-    income:unknown          $-123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,foo,USD,123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can assign that to the \f[V]currency\f[R] pseudo-field, which has-the special effect of prepending itself to every amount in the-transaction (on the left, with no separating space):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,currency,amount-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown       USD123.00-    income:unknown        USD-123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,cur,amt-amount %amt %cur-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD-    income:unknown         -123.00 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note we used a temporary field name (\f[V]cur\f[R]) that is not-\f[V]currency\f[R] - that would trigger the prepending effect, which we-don\[aq]t want here.-.SS Amount decimal places-.PP-Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-\f[V]amount1\f[R] influence commodity display styles, such as the number-of decimal places displayed in reports.-.PP-The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display-style (because we don\[aq]t yet reliably know their commodity).-.SS Referencing other fields-.PP-In field assignments, you can interpolate only CSV fields, not hledger-fields.-In the example below, there\[aq]s both a CSV field and a hledger field-named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the hledger-field:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Name the third CSV field \[dq]amount1\[dq]-fields date,description,amount1--# Set hledger\[aq]s amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-amount1 %amount1 USD--# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-comment %amount1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here, since there\[aq]s no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a-literal \[dq]amount1\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,csvamount-amount1 %csvamount USD-# Can\[aq]t interpolate amount1 here-comment %amount1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When there are multiple field assignments to the same hledger field,-only the last one takes effect.-Here, comment\[aq]s value will be be B, or C if \[dq]something\[dq] is-matched, but never A:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-comment A-comment B-if something- comment C-\f[R]-.fi-.SS How CSV rules are evaluated-.PP-Here\[aq]s how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-to).-First,-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]include\f[R] - 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.)-.PP-Then \[dq]global\[dq] rules are evaluated, top to bottom.-If a rule is repeated, the last one wins:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]skip\f[R] (at top level)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]date-format\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]newest-first\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]fields\f[R] - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial-assignments to hledger fields-.PP-Then for each CSV record in turn:-.IP \[bu] 2-test all \f[V]if\f[R] blocks.-If any of them contain a \f[V]end\f[R] rule, skip all remaining CSV-records.-Otherwise if any of them contain a \f[V]skip\f[R] rule, skip that many-CSV records.-If there are multiple matched \f[V]skip\f[R] rules, the first one wins.-.IP \[bu] 2-collect all field assignments at top level and in matched \f[V]if\f[R]-blocks.-When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only the last one.-.IP \[bu] 2-compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was-assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default-.IP \[bu] 2-generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) from these values.-.PP-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 successfully, the transactions are passed-as input to whichever hledger command the user specified.-.PP-.SS Well factored rules-.PP-Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules-files:-.IP \[bu] 2-Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a-\f[V]common.rules\f[R], and adding \f[V]include common.rules\f[R] to-each CSV\[aq]s rules file.-.IP \[bu] 2-Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently-used parts.-.SS CSV rules examples-.SS Bank of Ireland-.PP-Here\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Date,Details,Debit,Credit,Balance-07/12/2012,LODGMENT       529898,,10.0,131.21-07/12/2012,PAYMENT,5,,126-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# bankofireland-checking.csv.rules--# skip the header line-skip--# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--# We generate balance assertions by assigning to \[dq]balance\[dq]-# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-#-# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-#-# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--# date is in UK/Ireland format-date-format  %d/%m/%Y--# set the currency-currency  EUR--# set the base account for all txns-account1  assets:bank:boi:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f bankofireland-checking.csv print-2012-12-07 LODGMENT       529898-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR10.0 = EUR131.2-    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--2012-12-07 PAYMENT-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The balance assertions don\[aq]t raise an error above, because we\[aq]re-reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-imported into a journal file.-.SS Coinbase-.PP-A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.-The spot price is recorded using cost notation.-The legacy \f[V]amount\f[R] field name conveniently sets amount 2-(posting 2\[aq]s amount) to the total cost.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Received 100.00 USDC from an external account\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# coinbase.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-date         %Timestamp-date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-description  %Notes-account1     assets:coinbase:cc-amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset \[at] %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC \[at] 0.740000 GBP-    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Amazon-.PP-Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to-generate a third posting if there\[aq]s a fee.-(In practice you\[aq]d probably get this data from your bank instead,-but it\[aq]s an example.)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]To/From\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Amount\[dq],\[dq]Fees\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq]-\[dq]Jul 29, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Foo.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$20.00\[dq],\[dq]$0.00\[dq],\[dq]16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]-\[dq]Jul 30, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Adapteva, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$25.00\[dq],\[dq]$1.00\[dq],\[dq]17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# amazon-orders.csv.rules--# skip one header line-skip 1--# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction\[aq]s date, amount and code.-# Avoided the \[dq]status\[dq] and \[dq]amount\[dq] hledger field names to prevent confusion.-fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--# how to parse the date-date-format %b %-d, %Y--# combine two fields to make the description-description %toorfrom %name--# save the status as a tag-comment     status:%amzstatus--# set the base account for all transactions-account1    assets:amazon-# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-# I\[aq]m assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don\[aq]t remember--# set a generic account2-account2    expenses:misc-amount2     %amzamount-# and maybe refine it further:-#include categorisation.rules--# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-if %fees [1-9]- account3    expenses:fees- amount3     %fees-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print-2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $20.00--2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $25.00-    expenses:fees           $1.00-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Paypal-.PP-Here\[aq]s a real-world rules file for (customised) Paypal CSV, with-some Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Calm Radio\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]memberships\[at]calmradio.com\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R8YLY094FJYR\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]0TU1544T080463733\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Patreon\[dq],\[dq]PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]support\[at]patreon.com\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]B-0PG93074E7M86381M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]71854087RG994194F\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]tle\[at]wikimedia.org\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R5C3YUS3285L\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]3XJ107139A851061F\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/22/2019\[dq],\[dq]05:07:06\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Noble Benefactor\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq],\[dq]-0.59\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]noble\[at]bene.fac.tor\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]6L8L1662YP1334033\[dq],\[dq]Joyful Systems\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-KC9VBGY2GWDB\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# paypal-custom.csv.rules--# Tips:-# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-# Suggested transaction type: \[dq]Balance affecting\[dq]-# Paypal\[aq]s default fields in 2018 were:-# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping Address\[dq],\[dq]Address Status\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping and Handling Amount\[dq],\[dq]Insurance Amount\[dq],\[dq]Sales Tax\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Value\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Value\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Invoice Number\[dq],\[dq]Custom Number\[dq],\[dq]Quantity\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 1\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood\[dq],\[dq]Town/City\[dq],\[dq]State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic\[dq],\[dq]Zip/Postal Code\[dq],\[dq]Country\[dq],\[dq]Contact Phone Number\[dq],\[dq]Subject\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq],\[dq]Country Code\[dq],\[dq]Balance Impact\[dq]-# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in \[dq]Customize report fields\[dq]:-# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]--fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--skip  1--date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--# ignore some paypal events-if-In Progress-Temporary Hold-Update to- skip--# add more fields to the description-description %description_ %itemtitle--# save some other fields as tags-comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--# convert to short currency symbols-if %currency USD- currency $-if %currency EUR- currency E-if %currency GBP- currency P--# generate postings--# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-account1 assets:online:paypal-amount1  %netamount--# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-# (account2 is set below)-amount2  -%grossamount--# if there\[aq]s a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-if %feeamount [1-9]- account3 expenses:banking:paypal- amount3  -%feeamount- comment3 business:--# choose an account for the second posting--# override the default account names:-# if the amount is positive, it\[aq]s income (a debit)-if %grossamount \[ha][\[ha]-]- account2 income:unknown-# if negative, it\[aq]s an expense (a credit)-if %grossamount \[ha]-- account2 expenses:unknown--# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-include common.rules--# apply some overrides specific to this csv--# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-# which can be disregarded in this case.-if-Bank Account-Bank Deposit to PP Account- description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle- account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking- account1 assets:online:paypal--# Currency conversions-if Currency Conversion- account2 equity:currency conversion-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# common.rules--if-darcs-noble benefactor- account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub- comment2 business:--if-Calm Radio- account2 expenses:online:apps--if-electronic frontier foundation-Patreon-wikimedia-Advent of Code- account2 expenses:dues--if Google- account2 expenses:online:apps- description google | music-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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\[at]joyful.com, toemail:memberships\[at]calmradio.com, time:03:46:20, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-6.99 = $-6.99-    expenses:online:apps           $6.99--2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:support\[at]patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-    expenses:dues                  $7.00--2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:tle\[at]wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-    expenses:dues                     $2.00-    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble\[at]bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Timeclock-.PP-The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.-.PP-hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.-As with Ledger, these are (a subset of) timeclock.el\[aq]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 (currently-the time is always interpreted as a local time).-Lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or \f[V]*\f[R], and-blank lines, are ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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, \f[V]hledger print\f[R] generates these journal-entries:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.timeclock print-2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-    (some:account name)         0.33h--2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-    (another account)         1.64h--2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-    (another account)         2.01h-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here is a sample.timeclock to download and some queries to try:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:-.IP \[bu] 2-use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-x.el-and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el-.IP \[bu] 2-at the command line, use these bash aliases:-\f[V]shell     alias ti=\[dq]echo i \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] \[rs]$* >>$TIMELOG\[dq]     alias to=\[dq]echo o \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] >>$TIMELOG\[dq]\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-or use the old \f[V]ti\f[R] and \f[V]to\f[R] scripts in the ledger 2.x-repository.-These rely on a \[dq]timeclock\[dq] executable which I think is just the-ledger 2 executable renamed.-.PP-.SH Timedot-.PP-\f[V]timedot\f[R] format is hledger\[aq]s human-friendly time logging-format.-Compared to \f[V]timeclock\f[R] format, it is-.IP \[bu] 2-convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging-.IP \[bu] 2-readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.-.PP-A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like-this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-08-04-hom:errands          .... ....-fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-per:admin:finance    -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger reads this as three time transactions on this day, with each dot-representing a quarter-hour spent:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-2021-08-04 *-    (hom:errands)            2.00--2021-08-04 *-    (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--2021-08-04 *-    (per:admin:finance)      0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A day entry begins with a date line:-.IP \[bu] 2-a non-indented \f[B]simple date\f[R] (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).-.PP-Optionally this can be followed on the same line by-.IP \[bu] 2-a common \f[B]transaction description\f[R] for this day-.IP \[bu] 2-a common \f[B]transaction comment\f[R] for this day, after a semicolon-(\f[V];\f[R]).-.PP-After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time-transaction lines, consisting of:-.IP \[bu] 2-an \f[B]account name\f[R] - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style-account name.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] - a field separator, required if there is-an amount (as in journal format).-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]timedot amount\f[R] - dots representing quarter hours, or a-number representing hours.-.IP \[bu] 2-an optional \f[B]comment\f[R] beginning with semicolon.-This is ignored.-.PP-In more detail, timedot amounts can be:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]dots\f[R]: zero or more period characters, each representing one-quarter-hour.-Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.-Eg: \f[V].... ..\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]number\f[R], representing hours.-Eg: \f[V]1.5\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]number immediately followed by a unit symbol\f[R] \f[V]s\f[R],-\f[V]m\f[R], \f[V]h\f[R], \f[V]d\f[R], \f[V]w\f[R], \f[V]mo\f[R], or-\f[V]y\f[R], representing seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or-years.-Eg \f[V]1.5h\f[R] or \f[V]90m\f[R].-The following equivalencies are assumed:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]60s\f[R] = \f[V]1m\f[R], \f[V]60m\f[R] = \f[V]1h\f[R],-\f[V]24h\f[R] = \f[V]1d\f[R], \f[V]7d\f[R] = \f[V]1w\f[R], \f[V]30d\f[R]-= \f[V]1mo\f[R], \f[V]365d\f[R] = \f[V]1y\f[R].-(This unit will not be visible in the generated transaction amount,-which is always in hours.)-.PP-There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in-the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:-.IP \[bu] 2-Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] are-ignored.-.IP \[bu] 2-Before the first date line, lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] are-ignored.-From the first date line onward, a sequence of \f[V]*\f[R]\[aq]s-followed by a space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used-by Emacs Org mode) is ignored.-This means the time log can be kept under an Org headline, and date-lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.-.IP \[bu] 2-Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as-transactions with zero amount.-(Most hledger reports hide these by default; add -E to see them.)-.PP-More examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-2016/2/1-inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-fos:haskell   .... ..-biz:research  .--2016/2/2-inc:client1   .... ....-biz:research  .-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/2/3-inc:client1   4-fos:hledger   3-biz:research  1-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-* Time log-** 2020-01-01-*** adm:time  .-*** adm:finance  .-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-* 2020 Work Diary-** Q1-*** 2020-02-29-**** DONE-0700 yoga-**** UNPLANNED-**** BEGUN-hom:chores- cleaning  ...- water plants-  outdoor - one full watering can-  indoor - light watering-**** TODO-adm:planning: trip-*** LATER-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Reporting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-2016-02-02 *-    (inc:client1)          2.00--2016-02-02 *-    (biz:research)          0.25-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--            ||  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 -------------++-----------------------------------------            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Using period instead of colon as account name separator:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/2/4-fos.hledger.timedot  4-fos.ledger           ..-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\[rs]\[rs]./=: bal --tree-                4.50  fos-                4.00    hledger:timedot-                0.50    ledger----------------------                4.50-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A sample.timedot file.-.SH PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-.SH Time periods-.PP-.SS Report start & end date-.PP-By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time-represented by the journal.-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.-.PP-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 \f[V]-b/--begin\f[R],-\f[V]-e/--end\f[R], \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] or a \f[V]date:\f[R] query-(described below).-All of these accept the smart date syntax (below).-.PP-Some notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date-\f[I]after\f[R] the last day you want to see in the report.-.IP \[bu] 2-As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-\f[I]options\f[R], the last (i.e.-right-most) option takes precedence.-.IP \[bu] 2-The effective report start and end dates are the intersection of the-start/end dates from options and that from \f[V]date:\f[R] queries.-That is, \f[V]date:2019-01 date:2019 -p\[aq]2000 to 2030\[aq]\f[R]-yields January 2019, the smallest common time span.-.IP \[bu] 2-In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall on-interval boundaries (see below).-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(12.4n) lw(57.6n).-T{-\f[V]-b 2016/3/17\f[R]-T}@T{-begin on St.\ Patrick\[cq]s day 2016-T}-T{-\f[V]-e 12/1\f[R]-T}@T{-end at the start of december 1st of the current year (11/30 will be the-last date included)-T}-T{-\f[V]-b thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-all transactions in the current month-T}-T{-\f[V]date:2016/3/17..\f[R]-T}@T{-the above written as queries instead (\f[V]..\f[R] can also be replaced-with \f[V]-\f[R])-T}-T{-\f[V]date:..12/1\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]date:thismonth..\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]date:thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.SS Smart dates-.PP-hledger\[aq]s user interfaces accept a \[dq]smart date\[dq] syntax for-added convenience.-Smart dates optionally can be relative to today\[aq]s date, be written-with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted (missing-parts are inferred as 1).-Some examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(24.2n) lw(45.8n).-T{-\f[V]2004/10/1\f[R], \f[V]2004-01-01\f[R], \f[V]2004.9.1\f[R]-T}@T{-exact date, several separators allowed.-Year is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31-T}-T{-\f[V]2004\f[R]-T}@T{-start of year-T}-T{-\f[V]2004/10\f[R]-T}@T{-start of month-T}-T{-\f[V]10/1\f[R]-T}@T{-month and day in current year-T}-T{-\f[V]21\f[R]-T}@T{-day in current month-T}-T{-\f[V]october, oct\f[R]-T}@T{-start of month in current year-T}-T{-\f[V]yesterday, today, tomorrow\f[R]-T}@T{--1, 0, 1 days from today-T}-T{-\f[V]last/this/next day/week/month/quarter/year\f[R]-T}@T{--1, 0, 1 periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]in n days/weeks/months/quarters/years\f[R]-T}@T{-n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ahead\f[R]-T}@T{-n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ago\f[R]-T}@T{--n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]20181201\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day-T}-T{-\f[V]201812\f[R]-T}@T{-6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month-T}-.TE-.PP-Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising-results:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(11.4n) lw(58.6n).-T{-\f[V]201813\f[R]-T}@T{-6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 6-digit year-T}-T{-\f[V]20181301\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 8-digit year-T}-T{-\f[V]20181232\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-T}-T{-\f[V]201801012\f[R]-T}@T{-9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error-T}-.TE-.PP-\[dq]Today\[aq]s date\[dq] can be overridden with the \f[V]--today\f[R]-option, in case it\[aq]s needed for testing or for recreating old-reports.-(Except for periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by-\f[V]--today\f[R].)-.SS Report intervals-.PP-A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,-balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a-separate row or column.-.PP-The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line flags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-D/--daily\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R]-.PP-More complex intervals can be specified using \f[V]-p/--period\f[R],-described below.-.SS Date adjustment-.PP-When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically-adjusted to natural period boundaries.-This is convenient for producing simple periodic reports.-More precisely:-.IP \[bu] 2-an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on a-natural period boundary-.IP \[bu] 2-an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the last-period the same length as the others.-.PP-By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with-\f[V]-b\f[R], \f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R], will not be-adjusted (since hledger 1.29).-This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it-also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should pick one-that\[aq]s on a period boundary if you want to see simple report period-headings.-.SS Period expressions-.PP-The \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] option specifies a period expression, which is-a compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report-interval.-.PP-Here\[aq]s a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the-first quarter of 2009):-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Several keywords like \[dq]from\[dq] and \[dq]to\[dq] are supported for-readability; these are optional.-\[dq]to\[dq] can also be written as \[dq]..\[dq] or \[dq]-\[dq].-The spaces are also optional, as long as you don\[aq]t run two dates-together.-So the following are equivalent to the above:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Dates are smart dates, so if the current year is 2009, these are also-equivalent to the above:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]1/1 4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]jan-apr\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]this year to 4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-If you specify only one date, the missing start or end date will be the-earliest or latest transaction date in the journal:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-everything after january 1, 2009-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]since 2009/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the same, since is a synonym-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]to 2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-everything before january 1, 2009-T}-.TE-.PP-You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(14.5n) lw(55.5n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the year 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the month of january 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/2/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the first day of 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/1/2\[rq]-T}-.TE-.PP-or by using the \[dq]Q\[dq] quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(15.3n) lw(54.7n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009Q1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-first quarter of 2009, equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]q4\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-fourth quarter of the current year-T}-.TE-.SS Period expressions with a report interval-.PP-A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated-from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word \f[V]in\f[R]:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]monthly in 2008\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]quarterly\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.SS More complex report intervals-.PP-Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-such as:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]biweekly\f[R] (every two weeks)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]fortnightly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bimonthly\f[R] (every two months)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every day|week|month|quarter|year\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years\f[R]-.PP-Weekly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth day of week\f[R] (\f[V]th\f[R], \f[V]nd\f[R],-\f[V]rd\f[R], or \f[V]st\f[R] are all accepted after the number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME\f[R] (full or three-letter english weekday name,-case insensitive)-.PP-Monthly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth day [of month]\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]\f[R]-.PP-Yearly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every MM/DD [of year]\f[R] (month number and day of month number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]\f[R] (full or three-letter english-month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]\f[R] (equivalent to the above)-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(26.8n) lw(43.2n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]bimonthly from 2008\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2 weeks\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5 months from 2009/03\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd day of week\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-periods will go from Tue to Tue-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every Tue\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 15th day\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-period boundaries will be on 15th of each month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd Monday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-period boundaries will be on second Monday of each month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 11/05\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of November-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5th November\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every Nov 5th\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-.TE-.PP-Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an-end date, exclusive as always):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -H -p \[dq]every 16th day\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following-tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register checking -p \[dq]every 3rd day of week\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multiple weekday intervals-.PP-This special form is also supported:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...\f[R] (full or three-letter-english weekday names, case insensitive)-.PP-Also, \f[V]weekday\f[R] and \f[V]weekendday\f[R] are shorthand for-\f[V]mon,tue,wed,thu,fri\f[R] and \f[V]sat,sun\f[R].-.PP-This is mainly intended for use with \f[V]--forecast\f[R], to generate-periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.-It may be less useful with \f[V]-p\f[R], since it divides each week into-subperiods of unequal length, which is unusual.-(Related: #1632)-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(17.8n) lw(52.2n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every mon,wed,fri\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will be Mon, Tue, Wed,-Thu, Fri-Sun-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekendday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-T}-.TE-.SH Depth-.PP-With the \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option (short form: \f[V]-NUM\f[R]),-reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper-subaccounts.-Use this when you want a summary with less detail.-This flag has the same effect as a \f[V]depth:\f[R] query argument:-\f[V]depth:2\f[R], \f[V]--depth=2\f[R] or \f[V]-2\f[R] are equivalent.-.SH Queries-.PP-One of hledger\[aq]s strengths is being able to quickly report on a-precise subset of your data.-Most hledger commands accept optional query arguments to restrict their-scope.-The syntax is as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-Zero or more space-separated query terms.-These are most often account name substrings:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]utilities food:groceries\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-quotes:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]\[dq]personal care\[dq]\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Regular expressions are also supported:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]\[dq]\[ha]expenses\[rs]b\[dq] \[dq]accounts (payable|receivable)\[dq]\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:\[dq]>100\[dq] status:\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Add a \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix to negate a term:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]not:cur:USD\f[R]-.RE-.SS Query types-.PP-Here are the types of query term available.-Remember these can also be prefixed with \f[B]\f[VB]not:\f[B]\f[R] to-convert them into a negative match.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]acct:REGEX\f[B], \f[VB]REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular-expression.-This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and regular-expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just write an-account name substring, like \f[V]expenses\f[R] or \f[V]food\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or-greater than N.-(Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]code:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by transaction code (eg check number).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]cur:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match postings or transactions including any amounts whose-currency/commodity symbol is fully matched by REGEX.-(For a partial match, use \f[V].*REGEX.*\f[R]).-Note, to match special characters which are regex-significant, you need-to escape them with \f[V]\[rs]\f[R].-And for characters which are significant to your shell you may need one-more level of escaping.-So eg to match the dollar sign:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger print cur:\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]desc:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction descriptions.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]date:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match dates (or with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag, secondary dates) within-the specified period.-PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report interval.-Examples:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]date:2016\f[R], \f[V]date:thismonth\f[R], \f[V]date:2/1-2/15\f[R],-\f[V]date:2021-07-27..nextquarter\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]date2:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the-\f[V]--date2\f[R] flag).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]depth:N\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this-depth.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]note:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of-\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]payee:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of-\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]real:, real:0\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match real or virtual postings respectively.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]status:, status:!, status:*\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]type:TYPECODES\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).-\f[V]TYPECODES\f[R] is one or more of the single-letter account type-codes \f[V]ALERXCV\f[R], case insensitive.-Note \f[V]type:A\f[R] and \f[V]type:E\f[R] will also match their-respective subtypes \f[V]C\f[R] (Cash) and \f[V]V\f[R] (Conversion).-Certain kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting-accounts > Aliases and account types.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]tag:REGEX[=REGEX]\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.-(To match only by value, use \f[V]tag:.=REGEX\f[R].)-.PP-When querying by tag, note that:-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction-.IP \[bu] 2-Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.-.PP-(\f[B]\f[VB]inacct:ACCTNAME\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells-hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)-.SS Combining query terms-.PP-When given multiple query terms, most commands select things which-match:-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the description terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the status terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-all the other terms.-.PP-The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:-.IP \[bu] 2-match any of the description terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-match all the other terms.-.PP-Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not support-full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND or OR in-your queries).-This makes certain queries hard to express, but here are some tricks-that can help:-.IP "1." 3-Use a doubled \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix.-Eg, to print only the food expenses paid with cash:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print food not:not:cash-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Or pre-filter the transactions with \f[V]print\f[R], piping the result-into a second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS Queries and command options-.PP-Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options:-\f[V]depth:2\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]--depth 2\f[R],-\f[V]date:2020\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]-p 2020\f[R], etc.-When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the-resulting query is their intersection.-.SS Queries and valuation-.PP-When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, \f[V]cur:\f[R] and \f[V]amt:\f[R] match the old commodity-symbol and the old amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger-1.22.0 where it\[aq]s reversed, see #1625).-.SS Querying with account aliases-.PP-When account names are rewritten with \f[V]--alias\f[R] or-\f[V]alias\f[R], note that \f[V]acct:\f[R] will match either the old or-the new account name.-.SS Querying with cost or value-.PP-When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, note that \f[V]cur:\f[R] matches the new commodity symbol, and-not the old one, and \f[V]amt:\f[R] matches the new quantity, and not-the old one.-Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see-the discussion at #1625.-.SH Pivoting-.PP-Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.-The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option substitutes some other transaction-field for account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by-that field\[aq]s value instead.-FIELD can be any of the transaction fields \f[V]status\f[R],-\f[V]code\f[R], \f[V]description\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]note\f[R],-or a tag name.-When pivoting on a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag,-only the first value is displayed.-Values containing \f[V]colon:separated:parts\f[R] will be displayed-hierarchically, like account names.-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-    assets:bank account                 2 EUR-    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Normal balance report showing account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance-               2 EUR  assets:bank account-              -2 EUR  income:dues----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member-               2 EUR-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted \[dq]account-name\[dq]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Generating data-.PP-Two features for generating transient data (visible only at report time)-are built in to hledger\[aq]s journal format:-.IP \[bu] 2-Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain transactions.-They are activated by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag.-.IP \[bu] 2-Periodic transaction rules can generate repeating transactions, usually-dated in the future, to help with forecasting or budgeting.-They are activated by the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] or-\f[V]balance --budget\f[R] options, described next.-.SH Forecasting-.PP-The \f[V]--forecast\f[R] flag activates any periodic transaction rules-in the journal.-These will generate temporary additional transactions, usually recurring-and in the future, which will appear in all reports.-\f[V]hledger print --forecast\f[R] is a good way to see them.-.PP-This can be useful for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-experimenting with different scenarios.-.PP-It could also be useful for scripted data entry: you could describe-recurring transactions, and every so often copy the output of-\f[V]print --forecast\f[R] into the journal.-.PP-The generated transactions will have an extra tag, like-\f[V]generated-transaction:\[ti] PERIODICEXPR\f[R], indicating which-periodic rule generated them.-There is also a similar, hidden tag, named-\f[V]_generated-transaction:\f[R], which you can use to reliably match-transactions generated \[dq]just now\[dq] (rather than \f[V]print\f[R]ed-in the past).-.PP-The forecast transactions are generated within a \f[I]forecast-period\f[R], which is independent of the report period.-(Forecast period sets the bounds for generated transactions, report-period controls which transactions are reported.)-The forecast period begins on:-.IP \[bu] 2-the start date provided within \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument, if-any-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, the later of-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-the report start date, if specified (with-\f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal, if any-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise today.-.PP-It ends on:-.IP \[bu] 2-the end date provided within \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument, if any-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with-\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.-.PP-Note, this means that ordinary transactions will suppress periodic-transactions, by default; the periodic transactions will not start until-after the last ordinary transaction.-This is usually convenient, but you can get around it in two ways:-.IP \[bu] 2-If you need to record some transactions in the future, make them-periodic transactions (with a single occurrence, eg:-\f[V]\[ti] YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]) rather than ordinary transactions.-That way they won\[aq]t suppress other periodic transactions.-.IP \[bu] 2-Or give \f[V]--forecast\f[R] a period expression argument.-A forecast period specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions,-and need not be in the future.-Some things to note:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-You must use \f[V]=\f[R] between flag and argument; a space won\[aq]t-work.-.IP \[bu] 2-The period expression can specify the forecast period\[aq]s start date,-end date, or both.-See also Report start & end date.-.IP \[bu] 2-The period expression should not specify a report interval.-(Each periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)-.RE-.PP-Some examples: \f[V]--forecast=202001-202004\f[R],-\f[V]--forecast=jan-\f[R], \f[V]--forecast=2021\f[R].-.SH Budgeting-.PP-With the balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] report, each periodic-transaction rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts,-and goals and actual performance can be compared.-See the balance command\[aq]s doc below.-.PP-See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.-.SH Cost reporting-.PP-This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions-where one commodity is exchanged for another.-Eg an exchange of currency, or a stock purchase or sale.-First, a quick glossary:-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.-Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-cryptocurrency.-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more-conversions.-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie-the exchange rate.-.IP \[bu] 2-Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.-And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the-\[dq]secondary\[dq] commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a-purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.-Also, the \[dq]\[at]/\[at]\[at] PRICE\[dq] notation used to represent-this.-.SS -B: Convert to cost-.PP-As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can-also record the amount\[aq]s cost in another commodity, by adding-\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R].-.PP-Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag.-(Mnemonic: \[dq]B\[dq] from \[dq]cost Basis\[dq], as in Ledger).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -N-               $-135  assets:dollars-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-$ hledger bal -N -B-               $-135  assets:dollars-                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros\[aq] cost-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.PP--B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the-inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.-So if example 3\[aq]s postings are reversed, while the transaction is-equivalent, -B shows something different:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100              ; for 100 euros-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -N -B-               \[Eu]-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars\[aq] selling price-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \[at]/\[at]\[at] cost notation is convenient, but has some-drawbacks: it does not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the-accounting equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance-reports.-.SS Equity conversion postings-.PP-By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a-different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance-conversion transactions.-In this style, the above entry might be written:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-    assets:dollars      $-135-    equity:conversion    $135-    equity:conversion   \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros         \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This style is more correct, but it\[aq]s also more verbose and makes-cost reporting more difficult for PTA tools.-.PP-Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to the-other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.-.PP-You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at the-same time, for clarity.-hledger will ignore the redundancy.-But be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you\[aq]ll-see a not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.-.SS Inferring equity postings from cost-.PP-With \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R], hledger detects transactions written with-PTA cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  -$135-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-equity-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars                    $-135-    assets:euros               \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35-    equity:conversion:$-\[Eu]:\[Eu]           \[Eu]-100  ; generated-posting:-    equity:conversion:$-\[Eu]:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account-type declaration.-.PP---infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded using-cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance-reports\[aq] zero total, or to produce more conventional journal entries-for sharing with non-PTA-users.-.SS Inferring cost from equity postings-.PP-The reverse operation is possible using \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R], which-detects transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds-cost notation to them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars            $-135-    equity:conversion          $135-    equity:conversion         \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros               \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-costs-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars       $-135 \[at]\[at] \[Eu]100-    equity:conversion             $135-    equity:conversion            \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros                  \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP---infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost-reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity-postings:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-costs -B-2009-01-01-    assets:dollars           \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros              \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.PP-For \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] to work, an exchange must consist of four-postings:-.IP "1." 3-two non-equity postings-.IP "2." 3-two equity postings, next to one another-.IP "3." 3-the equity accounts must be declared, with account type-\f[V]V\f[R]/\f[V]Conversion\f[R] (or if they are not declared, they must-be named \f[V]equity:conversion\f[R], \f[V]equity:trade\f[R],-\f[V]equity:trading\f[R] or subaccounts of these)-.IP "4." 3-the equity postings\[aq] amounts must exactly match the non-equity-postings\[aq] amounts.-.PP-Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.-.PP-When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added to-the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the-commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.-If you don\[aq]t want to write your postings in the required order, you-can use explicit cost notation instead.-.PP---infer-equity and --infer-costs can be used together, if you have a-mixture of both notations in your journal.-.SS When to infer cost/equity-.PP-Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled-by default.-We\[aq]re not sure yet if that should change.-Here are two suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:-.IP "1." 3-When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -B --infer-costs\f[R]-.IP "2." 3-Always run hledger with both flags enabled.-Eg: \f[V]alias hl=\[dq]hledger --infer-equity --infer-costs\[dq]\f[R]-.SS How to record conversions-.PP-Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in-hledger.-Here are all of them, with pros and cons.-.SS Conversion with implicit cost-.PP-Let\[aq]s assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.-You can just record the outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the-appropriate asset account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash    -100 EUR-    assets:cash     120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.-You can see the inferred rate by using \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Concise, easy-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not be-detected-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate is not clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag-.PP-You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped-commodity symbol, by using \f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R].-.PP-You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using-\f[V]hledger check balancednoautoconversion\f[R], or-\f[V]-s/--strict\f[R].-.SS Conversion with explicit cost-.PP-You can add the conversion rate using \[at] notation:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error-otherwise.-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Still concise-.IP \[bu] 2-Makes the conversion rate clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Provides more error checking-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag-.SS Conversion with equity postings-.PP-In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not-balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD-appears.-This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents reports-like \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] from showing a zero total.-.PP-The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for each-commodity, using an equity account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Preserves the accounting equation-.IP \[bu] 2-Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-.IP \[bu] 2-Standard, works in any double entry accounting system-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-More verbose-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate is not obvious-.IP \[bu] 2-Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag-.SS Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-.PP-Here both equity postings and \[at] notation are used together.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Preserves the accounting equation-.IP \[bu] 2-Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-.IP \[bu] 2-Makes the conversion rate clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Provides more error checking-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Most verbose-.IP \[bu] 2-Not compatible with ledger-.SS Cost tips-.IP \[bu] 2-Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it makes-that clear and helps detect errors.-.IP \[bu] 2-Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping and-preserves the accounting equation.-.IP \[bu] 2-Combining these is possible.-.IP \[bu] 2-When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use-\f[V]-B\f[R] (short form of \f[V]--cost\f[R]).-.IP \[bu] 2-If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add-\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] also.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to-see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries, use-\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R].-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).-.SH Valuation-.PP-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 \f[V]--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]\f[R] option,-which will be described below.-We also provide the simpler \f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X COMMODITY\f[R]-options, and often one of these is all you need:-.SS -V: Value-.PP-The \f[V]-V/--market\f[R] flag converts amounts to market value in their-default \f[I]valuation commodity\f[R], using the market prices in effect-on the \f[I]valuation date(s)\f[R], if any.-More on these in a minute.-.SS -X: Value in specified commodity-.PP-The \f[V]-X/--exchange=COMM\f[R] option is like \f[V]-V\f[R], except you-tell it which currency you want to convert to, and it tries to convert-everything to that.-.SS Valuation date-.PP-Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports-have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-prices will be used.-.PP-For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is specified,-that will be used as the valuation date; otherwise the valuation date is-the journal\[aq]s end date.-.PP-For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last day of-the period, by default.-.SS Finding market price-.PP-To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in-this order of preference :-.IP "1." 3-A \f[I]declared market price\f[R] or \f[I]inferred market price\f[R]:-A\[aq]s latest market price in B on or before the valuation date as-declared by a P directive, or (with the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-flag) inferred from costs.-.IP "2." 3-A \f[I]reverse market price\f[R]: the inverse of a declared or inferred-market price from B to A.-.IP "3." 3-A \f[I]forward chain of market prices\f[R]: a synthetic price formed by-combining the shortest chain of \[dq]forward\[dq] (only 1 above) market-prices, leading from A to B.-.IP "4." 3-\f[I]Any chain of market prices\f[R]: a chain of any market prices,-including both forward and reverse prices (1 and 2 above), leading from-A to B.-.PP-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 \[dq]gave up\[dq] message visible-in \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] output).-That limit is currently 1000.-.PP-Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not-converted.-.SS --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions-.PP-Normally, market value in hledger is fully controlled by, and requires,-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-costs as additional market prices (as Ledger does) ?-Adding the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag to \f[V]-V\f[R],-\f[V]-X\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] enables this.-.PP-So for example, \f[V]hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices\f[R] will get-market prices both from P directives and from transactions.-If both occur on the same day, the P directive takes precedence.-.PP-There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in-confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries.-If this happens to you, read all of this Valuation section carefully,-and try adding \f[V]--debug\f[R] or \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] to troubleshoot.-.PP-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] can infer market prices from:-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with explicit prices-(\f[V]\[at]\f[R]/\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no \f[V]\[at]\f[R],-two commodities, unbalanced).-(With these, the order of postings matters.-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R] can be useful for troubleshooting.)-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred-with \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R].-.PP-There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is not-specified, prices inferred with \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] do not-help select a default valuation commodity, as \f[V]P\f[R] prices would.-So conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was-detected (\f[V]--debug=2\f[R] will show this).-To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-X EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not-\f[V]-V --infer-market-prices\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not-\f[V]--value=then --infer-market-prices\f[R]-.PP-Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.-For reference, here is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.-(If you think it should work differently, see #1870.)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 \[at] A 1--2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A 1---2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 \[at] A -1--2022-01-02 Negative total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 \[at]\[at] A -1---2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 \[at] A -1--2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A -1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,-the two transactions are considered equivalent).-Here are the market prices inferred for B:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-P 2022-01-01 B A 1-P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-P 2022-01-02 B A -1-P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-P 2022-01-03 B A -1-P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Valuation commodity-.PP-\f[B]When you specify a valuation commodity (\f[VB]-X COMM\f[B] or-\f[VB]--value TYPE,COMM\f[B]):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a-suitable market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).-.PP-\f[B]When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified (\f[VB]-V\f[B]-or \f[VB]--value TYPE\f[B]):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as-follows, in this order of preference:-.IP "1." 3-The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on or-before valuation date.-.IP "2." 3-The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on any-date.-(Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred prices before the-valuation date.)-.IP "3." 3-If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag is used: the price commodity from-the latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.-.PP-This means:-.IP \[bu] 2-If you have P directives, they determine which commodities \f[V]-V\f[R]-will convert, and to what.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you have no P directives, and use the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-flag, costs determine it.-.PP-Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not converted.-.SS Simple valuation examples-.PP-Here are some quick examples of \f[V]-V\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-P 2016/11/01 \[Eu] $1.10--; purchase some euros on nov 3-2016/11/3-    assets:euros        \[Eu]100-    assets:checking--; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-P 2016/12/21 \[Eu] $1.03-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-How many euros do I have ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-What are they worth at end of nov 3 ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V -e 2016/11/4-             $110.00  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?-(no report end date specified, defaults to today)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-             $103.00  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.SS --value: Flexible valuation-.PP-\f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X\f[R] are special cases of the more general-\f[V]--value\f[R] option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]- --value=TYPE[,COMM]  TYPE is then, end, now or YYYY-MM-DD.-                      COMM is an optional commodity symbol.-                      Shows amounts converted to:-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:-.TP-\f[V]--value=then\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using-market prices on each posting\[aq]s date.-.TP-\f[V]--value=end\f[R]-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\[aq]s end date); or in multiperiod reports, market prices on-the last day of each subperiod.-.TP-\f[V]--value=now\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using-current market prices (as of when report is generated).-.TP-\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using-market prices on this date.-.PP-To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional-\f[V],COMM\f[R] part: a comma, then the target commodity\[aq]s symbol.-Eg: \f[B]\f[VB]--value=now,EUR\f[B]\f[R].-hledger will do its best to convert amounts to this commodity, deducing-market prices as described above.-.SS More valuation examples-.PP-Here are some examples showing the effect of \f[V]--value\f[R], as seen-with \f[V]print\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A  1 B-P 2000-02-01 A  2 B-P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--2000-01-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 5 B--2000-02-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 6 B--2000-03-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 7 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the cost of each posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --cost-2000-01-01-    (a)             5 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             6 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             7 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the value as of the last day of the report period (2000-02-29):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03-2000-01-01-    (a)             2 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             2 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With no report period specified, that shows the value as of the last day-of the journal (2000-03-01):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=end-2000-01-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             3 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the current value (the 2000-04-01 price is still in effect today):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=now-2000-01-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             4 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the value on 2000/01/15:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-2000-01-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             1 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You may need to explicitly set a commodity\[aq]s display style, when-reverse prices are used.-Eg this output might be surprising:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A 2B--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -x -X A-2000-01-01-    a               0-    b               0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Explanation: because there\[aq]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 commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A 2B-commodity 0.00A--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -X A-2000-01-01-    a           0.50A-    b          -0.50A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Interaction of valuation and queries-.PP-When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,-the following happens.-.IP "1." 3-The query is separated into two parts:-.RS 4-.IP "1." 3-the currency (\f[V]cur:\f[R]) or amount (\f[V]amt:\f[R]).-.IP "2." 3-all other parts.-.RE-.IP "2." 3-The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on-pre-valued amounts.-.IP "3." 3-Valuation is applied to the postings.-.IP "4." 3-The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on-post-valued amounts.-.PP-See: 1625-.SS Effect of valuation on reports-.PP-Here is a reference for how valuation is supposed to affect each part of-hledger\[aq]s reports (and a glossary).-(It\[aq]s wide, you\[aq]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.-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(9.5n) lw(11.8n) lw(12.0n) lw(17.2n) lw(12.0n) lw(7.4n).-T{-Report type-T}@T{-\f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]--cost\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=then\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=end\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=DATE\f[R], \f[V]--value=now\f[R]-T}-_-T{-\f[B]print\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-posting amounts-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report end or today-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-balance assertions/assignments-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]register\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-starting balance (-H)-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-valued at day each historical posting was made-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-starting balance (-H) with report interval-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at day before report or journal start-T}@T{-valued at day each historical posting was made-T}@T{-value at day before report or journal start-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-posting amounts-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-summary posting amounts with report interval-T}@T{-summarised cost-T}@T{-value at period ends-T}@T{-sum of postings in interval, valued at interval start-T}@T{-value at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-running total/average-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is)\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-balance changes-T}@T{-sums of costs-T}@T{-value at report end or today of sums of postings-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end of sums of postings-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-budget amounts (--budget)-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balances-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}-T{-grand total-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed valued-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is) with report interval\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-starting balances (-H)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings before report start-T}@T{-value at report start of sums of all postings before report start-T}@T{-sums of values of postings before report start at respective posting-dates-T}@T{-value at report start of sums of all postings before report start-T}@T{-sums of postings before report start-T}-T{-balance changes (bal, is, bs --change, cf --change)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings in period-T}@T{-same as --value=end-T}@T{-sums of values of postings in period at respective posting dates-T}@T{-balance change in each period, valued at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-end balances (bal -H, is --H, bs, cf)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings from before report start to period end-T}@T{-same as --value=end-T}@T{-sums of values of postings from before period start to period end at-respective posting dates-T}@T{-period end balances, valued at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-budget amounts (--budget)-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}-T{-row totals, row averages (-T, -A)-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}-T{-column totals-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}-T{-grand total, grand average-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.PP-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] is omitted to save space, it works like-\f[V]-H\f[R] but with a zero starting balance.-.PP-\f[B]Glossary:\f[R]-.TP-\f[I]cost\f[R]-calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).-.TP-\f[I]value\f[R]-market value using available market price declarations, or the unchanged-amount if no conversion rate can be found.-.TP-\f[I]report start\f[R]-the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,-otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report or journal start\f[R]-the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,-otherwise the earliest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report end\f[R]-the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report or journal end\f[R]-the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-otherwise the latest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report interval\f[R]-a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the-report\[aq]s multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperiods).-.SH PART 4: COMMANDS-.SS Commands overview-.PP-Here are the built-in commands:-.SS DATA ENTRY-.PP-These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your-journal file.-.IP \[bu] 2-add - add transactions using terminal prompts-.IP \[bu] 2-import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files-.SS DATA CREATION-.IP \[bu] 2-close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto-.SS DATA MANAGEMENT-.IP \[bu] 2-check - check for various kinds of error in the data-.IP \[bu] 2-diff - compare account transactions in two journal files-.SS REPORTS, FINANCIAL-.IP \[bu] 2-aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account-.IP \[bu] 2-balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth-.IP \[bu] 2-balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity-.IP \[bu] 2-cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets-.IP \[bu] 2-incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses-.SS REPORTS, VERSATILE-.IP \[bu] 2-balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..-.IP \[bu] 2-print - show transactions or export journal data-.IP \[bu] 2-register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running total-.IP \[bu] 2-roi - show return on investments-.SS REPORTS, BASIC-.IP \[bu] 2-accounts - show account names-.IP \[bu] 2-activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period-.IP \[bu] 2-codes - show transaction codes-.IP \[bu] 2-commodities - show commodity/currency symbols-.IP \[bu] 2-descriptions - show transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-files - show input file paths-.IP \[bu] 2-notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-prices - show market prices-.IP \[bu] 2-stats - show journal statistics-.IP \[bu] 2-tags - show tag names-.IP \[bu] 2-test - run self tests-.SS HELP-.IP \[bu] 2-help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager-.PP-.SS ADD-ONS-.PP-And here are some typical add-on commands.-Some of these are installed by the hledger-install script.-If installed, they will appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list:-.IP \[bu] 2-ui - run hledger\[aq]s terminal UI-.IP \[bu] 2-web - run hledger\[aq]s web UI-.IP \[bu] 2-iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)-.IP \[bu] 2-interest - generate interest transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage-.IP \[bu] 2-Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-pijul, plot, and more..-.PP-Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.-.SS accounts-.PP-Show account names.-.PP-This command lists account names.-By default it shows all known accounts, either used in transactions or-declared with account directives.-.PP-With query arguments, only matched account names and account names-referenced by matched postings are shown.-.PP-Or it can show just the used accounts (\f[V]--used\f[R]/\f[V]-u\f[R]),-the declared accounts (\f[V]--declared\f[R]/\f[V]-d\f[R]), the accounts-declared but not used (\f[V]--unused\f[R]), the accounts used but not-declared (\f[V]--undeclared\f[R]), or the first account matched by an-account name pattern, if any (\f[V]--find\f[R]).-.PP-It shows a flat list by default.-With \f[V]--tree\f[R], it uses indentation to show the account-hierarchy.-In flat mode you can add \f[V]--drop N\f[R] to omit the first few-account name components.-Account names can be depth-clipped with \f[V]depth:N\f[R] or-\f[V]--depth N\f[R] or \f[V]-N\f[R].-.PP-With \f[V]--types\f[R], it also shows each account\[aq]s type, if-it\[aq]s known.-(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)-.PP-With \f[V]--positions\f[R], it also shows the file and line number of-each account\[aq]s declaration, if any, and the account\[aq]s overall-declaration order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account-display order.-.PP-With \f[V]--directives\f[R], it adds the \f[V]account\f[R] keyword,-showing valid account directives which can be pasted into a journal-file.-This is useful together with \f[V]--undeclared\f[R] when updating your-account declarations to satisfy \f[V]hledger check accounts\f[R].-.PP-The \f[V]--find\f[R] flag can be used to look up a single account name,-in the same way that the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command does.-It returns the alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none-can be found, it fails with a non-zero exit code.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts-assets:bank:checking-assets:bank:saving-assets:cash-expenses:food-expenses:supplies-income:gifts-income:salary-liabilities:debts-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-$ hledger check accounts-\f[R]-.fi-.SS activity-.PP-Show an ascii barchart of posting counts per interval.-.PP-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.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger activity --quarterly-2008-01-01 **-2008-04-01 *******-2008-07-01 -2008-10-01 **-\f[R]-.fi-.SS add-.PP-Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal.-Any arguments will be used as default inputs for the first N prompts.-.PP-Many hledger users edit their journals directly with a text editor, or-generate them from CSV.-For more interactive data entry, there is the \f[V]add\f[R] command,-which prompts interactively on the console for new transactions, and-appends them to the main journal file (which should be in journal-format).-Existing transactions are not changed.-This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file-(see also \f[V]import\f[R]).-.PP-To use it, just run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts.-You can add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished,-enter \f[V].\f[R] or press control-d or control-c to exit.-.PP-Features:-.IP \[bu] 2-add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by-description) recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a-template.-.IP \[bu] 2-You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.-.IP \[bu] 2-Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.-.IP \[bu] 2-The tab key will auto-complete whenever possible - accounts,-payees/descriptions, dates (\f[V]yesterday\f[R], \f[V]today\f[R],-\f[V]tomorrow\f[R]).-If the input area is empty, it will insert the default value.-.IP \[bu] 2-If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to any bare-numbers entered.-.IP \[bu] 2-A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.-.IP \[bu] 2-Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you make a mistake, enter \f[V]<\f[R] at any prompt to go one step-backward.-.IP \[bu] 2-Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal-supports it.-.PP-Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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]: -Description: supermarket-Account 1: expenses:food-Amount  1: $10-Account 2: assets:checking-Amount  2 [$-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]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the-file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).-.SS aregister-.PP-(areg)-.PP-Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single-account, with each transaction displayed as one line.-.PP-\f[V]aregister\f[R] shows the overall transactions affecting a-particular account (and any subaccounts).-Each report line represents one transaction in this account.-Transactions before the report start date are always included in the-running balance (\f[V]--historical\f[R] mode is always on).-.PP-This is a more \[dq]real world\[dq], bank-like view than the-\f[V]register\f[R] command (which shows individual postings, possibly-from multiple accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).-As a quick rule of thumb: - use \f[V]aregister\f[R] for reviewing and-reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts - use \f[V]register\f[R]-for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.-.PP-\f[V]aregister\f[R] requires one argument: the account to report on.-You can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive-regular expression which will select the alphabetically first matched-account.-.PP-When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be-surprising; eg if you have \f[V]assets:per:checking 1\f[R] and-\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R] accounts,-\f[V]hledger areg checking\f[R] would select-\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R].-It\[aq]s just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt, write the-full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.-.PP-Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.-\f[V]aregister\f[R] ignores depth limits, so its final total will always-match a balance report with similar arguments.-.PP-Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the transactions-shown.-Note some queries will disturb the running balance, causing it to be-different from the account\[aq]s real-world running balance.-.PP-An example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance-during july, in the first account whose name contains-\[dq]checking\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger areg checking date:jul-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Each \f[V]aregister\f[R] line item shows:-.IP \[bu] 2-the transaction\[aq]s date (or the relevant posting\[aq]s date if-different, see below)-.IP \[bu] 2-the names of all the other account(s) involved in this transaction-(probably abbreviated)-.IP \[bu] 2-the total change to this account\[aq]s balance from this transaction-.IP \[bu] 2-the account\[aq]s historical running balance after this transaction.-.PP-Transactions making a net change of zero are not shown by default; add-the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag to show them.-.PP-For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.-If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and-memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options.-The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], and-\f[V]json\f[R].-.SS aregister and custom posting dates-.PP-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\[aq]s the posting date that is shown.)-This ensures that \f[V]aregister\f[R] can show an accurate historical-running balance, matching the one shown by \f[V]register -H\f[R] with-the same arguments.-.PP-To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the-\f[V]--txn-dates\f[R] flag.-If you use this flag and some of your postings have custom dates,-it\[aq]s probably best to assume the running balance is wrong.-.SS balance-.PP-(bal)-.PP-Show accounts and their balances.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] is one of hledger\[aq]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.-.PP-Note there are some higher-level variants of the \f[V]balance\f[R]-command with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use:-\f[V]balancesheet\f[R], \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R], \f[V]cashflow\f[R]-and \f[V]incomestatement\f[R].-When you need more control, then use \f[V]balance\f[R].-.SS balance features-.PP-Here\[aq]s a quick overview of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command\[aq]s-features, followed by more detailed descriptions and examples.-Many of these work with the higher-level commands as well.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] can show..-.IP \[bu] 2-accounts as a list (\f[V]-l\f[R]) or a tree (\f[V]-t\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-optionally depth-limited (\f[V]-[1-9]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount-.PP-\&..and their..-.IP \[bu] 2-balance changes (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or actual and planned balance changes (\f[V]--budget\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or value of balance changes (\f[V]-V\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or change of balance values (\f[V]--valuechange\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or unrealised capital gain/loss (\f[V]--gain\f[R])-.PP-\&..in..-.IP \[bu] 2-one time period (the whole journal period by default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or multiple periods (\f[V]-D\f[R], \f[V]-W\f[R], \f[V]-M\f[R],-\f[V]-Q\f[R], \f[V]-Y\f[R], \f[V]-p INTERVAL\f[R])-.PP-\&..either..-.IP \[bu] 2-per period (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or accumulated since report start date (\f[V]--cumulative\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or accumulated since account creation (\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R])-.PP-\&..possibly converted to..-.IP \[bu] 2-cost (\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R]/\f[V]-B\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or market value, as of transaction dates (\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or at period ends (\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or now (\f[V]--value=now\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or at some other date (\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R])-.PP-\&..with..-.IP \[bu] 2-totals (\f[V]-T\f[R]), averages (\f[V]-A\f[R]), percentages-(\f[V]-%\f[R]), inverted sign (\f[V]--invert\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-rows and columns swapped (\f[V]--transpose\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-another field used as account name (\f[V]--pivot\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only)-(\f[V]--format\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines-(\f[V]--layout\f[R])-.PP-This command supports the output destination and output format options,-with output formats \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], \f[V]json\f[R], and-(multi-period reports only:) \f[V]html\f[R].-In \f[V]txt\f[R] output in a colour-supporting terminal, negative-amounts are shown in red.-.PP-The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the balance of the-\f[I]other\f[R] postings in the transactions of the postings which would-normally be shown.-.SS Simple balance report-.PP-With no arguments, \f[V]balance\f[R] 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.-(\[dq]Simple\[dq] here means just one column of numbers, covering a-single period.-You can also have multi-period reports, described later.)-.PP-For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end-balance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.-.PP-Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any, and then alphabetically-by account name.-For instance (using examples/sample.journal):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree mode-- see below) are hidden by default.-Use \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to show them (revealing-\f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] here):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                   0  assets:bank:checking-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-\f[V]-N\f[R]/\f[V]--no-total\f[R] is used.-.SS Balance report line format-.PP-For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you-can use \f[V]--format FMT\f[R] to customise the format and content of-each line.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format \[dq]%20(account) %12(total)\[dq]-              assets          $-1-         bank:saving           $1-                cash          $-2-            expenses           $2-                food           $1-            supplies           $1-              income          $-2-               gifts          $-1-              salary          $-1-   liabilities:debts           $1-----------------------------------                                0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each-account/balance pair.-It may contain any suitable text, with data fields interpolated like so:-.PP-\f[V]%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)-.IP \[bu] 2-MAX truncates at this width (optional)-.IP \[bu] 2-FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]depth_spacer\f[R] - a number of spaces equal to the account\[aq]s-depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]account\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]total\f[R] - the account\[aq]s balance/posted total, right-justified-.RE-.PP-Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how-multi-commodity amounts are rendered:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%_\f[R] - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%\[ha]\f[R] - render on multiple lines, top-aligned-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%,\f[R] - render on one line, comma-separated-.PP-There are some quirks.-Eg in one-line mode, \f[V]%(depth_spacer)\f[R] has no effect, instead-\f[V]%(account)\f[R] has indentation built in.-Experimentation may be needed to get pleasing results.-.PP-Some example formats:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%(total)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s total-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%-20.20(account)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name, left justified,-padded to 20 characters and clipped at 20 characters-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%,%-50(account)  %25(total)\f[R] - account name padded to 50-characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities-rendered on one line-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%20(total)  %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)\f[R] - the default format-for the single-column balance report-.SS Filtered balance report-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                 $-2  assets:cash----------------------                 $-2  -\f[R]-.fi-.SS List or tree mode-.PP-By default, or with \f[V]-l/--flat\f[R], accounts are shown as a flat-list with their full names visible, as in the examples above.-.PP-With \f[V]-t/--tree\f[R], the account hierarchy is shown, with-subaccounts\[aq] \[dq]leaf\[dq] names indented below their parent:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Boring\[dq] accounts are combined with their subaccount for more-compact output, unless \f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.-Boring accounts have no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg-\f[V]assets:bank\f[R] and \f[V]liabilities\f[R] above).-.IP \[bu] 2-All balances shown are \[dq]inclusive\[dq], ie including the balances-from all subaccounts.-Note this means some repetition in the output, which requires-explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextaccounting-users.-A tree mode report\[aq]s final total is the sum of the top-level-balances shown, not of all the balances shown.-.IP \[bu] 2-Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted-separately.-.SS Depth limiting-.PP-With a \f[V]depth:NUM\f[R] query, or \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option, or-just \f[V]-NUM\f[R] (eg: \f[V]-3\f[R]) balance reports will show-accounts only to the specified depth, hiding the deeper subaccounts.-This can be useful for getting an overview without too much detail.-.PP-Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from any-deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).-Eg, limiting to depth 1:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                 $-1  assets-                  $2  expenses-                 $-2  income-                  $1  liabilities----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Dropping top-level accounts-.PP-You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using-\f[V]--drop NUM\f[R].-This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                  $1  food-                  $1  supplies----------------------                  $2  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-.SS Showing declared accounts-.PP-With \f[V]--declared\f[R], accounts which have been declared with an-account directive will be included in the balance report, even if they-have no transactions.-(Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to see them.)-.PP-More precisely, \f[I]leaf\f[R] declared accounts (with no subaccounts)-will be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.-.PP-The idea of this is to be able to see a useful \[dq]complete\[dq]-balance report, even when you don\[aq]t have transactions in all of your-declared accounts yet.-.SS Sorting by amount-.PP-With \f[V]-S/--sort-amount\f[R], accounts with the largest (most-positive) balances are shown first.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal expenses -MAS\f[R] shows your biggest averaged-monthly expenses first.-When more than one commodity is present, they will be sorted by the-alphabetically earliest commodity first, and then by subsequent-commodities (if an amount is missing a commodity, it is treated as 0).-.PP-Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so-\f[V]-S\f[R] shows these in reverse order.-To work around this, you can add \f[V]--invert\f[R] to flip the signs.-(Or, use one of the higher-level reports, which flip the sign-automatically.-Eg: \f[V]hledger incomestatement -MAS\f[R]).-.PP-.SS Percentages-.PP-With \f[V]-%/--percent\f[R], balance reports show each account\[aq]s-value expressed as a percentage of the (column) total.-.PP-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 sign, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]>0\[ga]-$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]<0\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Similarly, if the amounts in a column have mixed commodities, convert-them to one commodity with \f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] or-\f[V]--value\f[R], or make a separate report for each commodity:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -% cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-$ hledger bal -% cur:\[Eu]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multi-period balance report-.PP-With a report interval (set by the \f[V]-D/--daily\f[R],-\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R], \f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R], \f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R],-\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R], or \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] flag), \f[V]balance\f[R]-shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time-periods (and a title):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-Balance changes in 2008:--                   ||  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 --------------------++----------------------------------                   ||     $-1      $1       0       0 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-The report\[aq]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).-.IP \[bu] 2-Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not-shown, unless \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless-\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.-.IP \[bu] 2-Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless-\f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.-\f[I](experimental)\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Average and/or total columns can be added with the-\f[V]-A/--average\f[R] and \f[V]-T/--row-total\f[R] flags.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \f[V]--transpose\f[R] flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option causes a different transaction field-to be used as \[dq]account name\[dq].-See PIVOTING.-.PP-Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy viewing-in the terminal.-Here are some ways to handle that:-.IP \[bu] 2-Hide the totals row with \f[V]-N/--no-total\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Convert to a single currency with \f[V]-V\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Maximize the terminal window-.IP \[bu] 2-Reduce the terminal\[aq]s font size-.IP \[bu] 2-View with a pager like less, eg:-\f[V]hledger bal -D --color=yes | less -RS\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata-(\f[V]hledger bal -D -O csv | vd -f csv\f[R]), Emacs\[aq] csv-mode-(\f[V]M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a\f[R]), or a spreadsheet-(\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-Output as HTML and view with a browser:-\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.html && open a.html\f[R]-.SS Balance change, end balance-.PP-It\[aq]s important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in-balance reports.-Here is some terminology we use:-.PP-A \f[B]\f[BI]balance change\f[B]\f[R] is the net amount added to, or-removed from, an account during some period.-.PP-An \f[B]\f[BI]end balance\f[B]\f[R] is the amount accumulated in an-account as of some date (and some time, but hledger doesn\[aq]t store-that; assume end of day in your timezone).-It is the sum of previous balance changes.-.PP-We call it a \f[B]\f[BI]historical end balance\f[B]\f[R] if it includes-all balance changes since the account was created.-For a real world account, this means it will match the \[dq]historical-record\[dq], eg the balances reported in your bank statements or bank-web UI.-(If they are correct!)-.PP-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.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] shows balance changes by default.-To see accurate historical end balances:-.IP "1." 3-Initialise account starting balances with an \[dq]opening balances\[dq]-transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the journal-covers the account\[aq]s full lifetime.-.IP "2." 3-Include all of of the account\[aq]s prior postings in the report, by not-specifying a report start date, or by using the-\f[V]-H/--historical\f[R] flag.-(\f[V]-H\f[R] causes report start date to be ignored when summing-postings.)-.SS Balance report types-.PP-The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to-control what it reports.-If the following seems complicated, don\[aq]t worry - this is for-advanced reporting, and it does typically take some time and-experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.-.PP-There are three important option groups:-.PP-\f[V]hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE] ...\f[R]-.SS Calculation type-.PP-The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--sum\f[R] : sum the posting amounts (\f[B]default\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--budget\f[R] : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal-amount (for each account/period)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] : show the change in period-end historical-balance values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price-fluctuations)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--gain\f[R] : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current-valued balance minus each amount\[aq]s original cost)-.SS Accumulation type-.PP-How amounts should accumulate across report periods.-Another way to say it: which time period\[aq]s postings should-contribute to each cell\[aq]s calculation.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--change\f[R] : calculate with postings from column start to column-end, ie \[dq]just this column\[dq].-Typically used to see revenues/expenses.-(\f[B]default for balance, incomestatement\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] : calculate with postings from report start to-column end, ie \[dq]previous columns plus this column\[dq].-Typically used to show changes accumulated since the report\[aq]s start-date.-Not often used.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R] : calculate with postings from journal start-to column end, ie \[dq]all postings from before report start date until-this column\[aq]s end\[dq].-Typically used to see historical end balances of-assets/liabilities/equity.-(\f[B]default for balancesheet, balancesheetequity, cashflow\f[R])-.SS Valuation type-.PP-Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before-displaying the report.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-no valuation type : don\[aq]t convert to cost or value-(\f[B]default\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to cost (then optionally-to some other commodity)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-transaction dates-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on period-end date(s)-.PD 0-.P-.PD-(\f[B]default with \f[VB]--valuechange\f[B], \f[VB]--gain\f[B]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=now[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-today\[aq]s date-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-another date-.PP-or one of the equivalent simpler flags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] : like --value=cost (though, note --cost and --value-are independent options which can both be used at once)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-V/--market\f[R] : like --value=end-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-X COMM/--exchange COMM\f[R] : like --value=end,COMM-.PP-See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.-.SS Combining balance report types-.PP-Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,-but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know.-The following restrictions are applied:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] implies \f[V]--value=end\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] makes \f[V]--change\f[R] the default when used-with the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R]/\f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] commands-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] or \f[V]--historical\f[R] disables-\f[V]--row-total/-T\f[R]-.PP-For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and-valuation show:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(7.9n) lw(16.4n) lw(16.9n) lw(15.1n) lw(13.7n).-T{-Valuation:> Accumulation:v-T}@T{-no valuation-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= then\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= end\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= YYYY-MM-DD /now\f[R]-T}-_-T{-\f[V]--change\f[R]-T}@T{-change in period-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values in period-T}@T{-period-end value of change in period-T}@T{-DATE-value of change in period-T}-T{-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]-T}@T{-change from report start to period end-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values from report start to period end-T}@T{-period-end value of change from report start to period end-T}@T{-DATE-value of change from report start to period end-T}-T{-\f[V]--historical /-H\f[R]-T}@T{-change from journal start to period end (historical end balance)-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values from journal start to period end-T}@T{-period-end value of change from journal start to period end-T}@T{-DATE-value of change from journal start to period end-T}-.TE-.SS Budget report-.PP-The \f[V]--budget\f[R] report type activates extra columns showing any-budget goals for each account and period.-The budget goals are defined by periodic transactions.-This is useful for comparing planned and actual income, expenses, time-usage, etc.-.PP-For example, you can take average monthly expenses in the common expense-categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;; Budget-\[ti] monthly-  income  $2000-  expenses:food    $400-  expenses:bus     $50-  expenses:movies  $30-  assets:bank:checking--;; Two months worth of expenses-2017-11-01-  income  $1950-  expenses:food    $396-  expenses:bus     $49-  expenses:movies  $30-  expenses:supplies  $20-  assets:bank:checking--2017-12-01-  income  $2100-  expenses:food    $412-  expenses:bus     $53-  expenses:gifts   $100-  assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can now see a monthly budget report:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:-.IP \[bu] 2-Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are shown, by-default.-.IP \[bu] 2-In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget goal-amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.-(Note: budget goals should be in the same commodity as the actual-amount.)-.IP \[bu] 2-All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.-Eg assets, assets:bank, and expenses above.-.IP \[bu] 2-Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted, even in-list mode.-.PP-This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!-Eg above, the \f[V]expenses\f[R] actual amount includes the gifts and-supplies transactions, but the \f[V]expenses:gifts\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:supplies\f[R] accounts are not shown, as they have no-budget amounts declared.-.PP-This can be confusing.-When you need to make things clearer, use the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag,-which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted ones, giving the-full picture.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal -M --budget expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal -M --budget type:rx-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s also common to limit or convert them to a single currency-(\f[V]cur:COMM\f[R] or \f[V]-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]\f[R]).-If showing multiple currencies, \f[V]--layout bare\f[R] or-\f[V]--layout tall\f[R] can help.-.PP-For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.-.SS Budget report start date-.PP-This might be a bug, but for now: when making budget reports, it\[aq]s a-good idea to explicitly set the report\[aq]s start date to the first day-of a reporting period, because a periodic rule like-\f[V]\[ti] monthly\f[R] 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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly in 2020-  (expenses:food)  $500--2020-01-15-  expenses:food    $400-  assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal expenses --budget-Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--              || 2020-01-15 -==============++============- <unbudgeted> ||       $400 ---------------++-------------              ||       $400 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To avoid this, specify the budget report\[aq]s period, or at least the-start date, with \f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R],-to ensure it includes the budget goal transactions (periodic-transactions) that you want.-Eg, adding \f[V]-b 2020/1/1\f[R] to the above:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 -===============++========================- expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] ----------------++-------------------------               ||     $400 [80% of $500] -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Budgets and subaccounts-.PP-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.-.PP-In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-account, all its parents would have budget as well.-.PP-To illustrate this, consider the following budget:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly from 2019/01-    expenses:personal             $1,000.00-    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00-    liabilities-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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 \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses\f[R] is $1100.-.PP-Transactions in \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R] will be counted-both towards its $100 budget and $1100 of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] ,-and transactions in any other subaccount of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R]-would be counted towards only towards the budget of-\f[V]expenses:personal\f[R].-.PP-For example, let\[aq]s consider these transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly from 2019/01-    expenses:personal             $1,000.00-    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00-    liabilities--2019/01/01 Google home hub-    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-    liabilities                           $-90.00--2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-    liabilities--2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-    liabilities--2019/01/03 Flowers-    expenses:personal          $30.00-    liabilities-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-As you can see, we have transactions in-\f[V]expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:personal:train tickets\f[R], and since both of these-accounts are without explicitly defined budget, these transactions would-be counted towards budgets of \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R]-and \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] accordingly:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --budget -M-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] --------------------------------++--------------------------------                               ||        0 [                 0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-And with \f[V]--empty\f[R], we can get a better picture of budget-allocation and consumption:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                        ||                           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] -----------------------------------------++--------------------------------                                        ||        0 [                 0] -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Selecting budget goals-.PP-The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate-special \[dq]goal transactions\[dq], which generate the goal amounts for-each account in each report subperiod.-When troubleshooting, you can use \f[V]print --forecast\f[R] to show-these as forecasted transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-rules to generate goals.-This includes rules with a different report interval from your report.-Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly periodic rules, all of these-will contribute to the goals in a monthly budget report.-.PP-You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-the \f[V]--budget\f[R] flag.-\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R] will match all periodic rules whose-description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-regular expression or query).-This means you can give your periodic rules descriptions (remember that-two spaces are needed), and then select from multiple budgets defined in-your journal.-.SS Budget vs forecast-.PP-\f[V]hledger --forecast ...\f[R] and-\f[V]hledger balance --budget ...\f[R] are separate features, though-both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined in the journal,-and both of them generate temporary transactions for reporting purposes-(\[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] and \[dq]budget goal transactions\[dq],-respectively).-You can use both features at the same time if you want.-Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:-.PP-CLI:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command-.IP \[bu] 2---budget is a \f[V]balance\f[R] command option, usable only with that-command.-.PP-Visibility of generated transactions:-.IP \[bu] 2-forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary-transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts they-produce in --budget reports.-.PP-Periodic transaction rules:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules-.IP \[bu] 2---budget uses all periodic rules (\f[V]--budget\f[R]) or a selected-subset (\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R])-.PP-Period of generated transactions:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast generates forecast transactions-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-from after the last regular transaction to the end of the report period-(\f[V]--forecast\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or, during a specified period (\f[V]--forecast=PERIODEXPR\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-possibly further restricted by a period specified in the periodic-transaction rule-.IP \[bu] 2-and always restricted within the bounds of the report period-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2---budget generates budget goal transactions-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-throughout the report period-.IP \[bu] 2-possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic transaction-rule.-.RE-.SS Data layout-.PP-The \f[V]--layout\f[R] option affects how balance reports show-multi-commodity amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve-readability.-It can also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.-It has four possible values:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=wide[,WIDTH]\f[R]: commodities are shown on a single line,-optionally elided to WIDTH-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=tall\f[R]: each commodity is shown on a separate line-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=bare\f[R]: commodity symbols are in their own column,-amounts are bare numbers-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=tidy\f[R]: data is normalised to easily-consumed-\[dq]tidy\[dq] form, with one row per data value-.PP-Here are the \f[V]--layout\f[R] modes supported by each output format;-note only CSV output supports all of them:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l l l l l.-T{---T}@T{-txt-T}@T{-csv-T}@T{-html-T}@T{-json-T}@T{-sql-T}-_-T{-wide-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-tall-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-bare-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-tidy-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.PP-Examples:-.IP \[bu] 2-Wide layout.-With many commodities, reports can be very wide:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total -==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Limited wide layout.-A width limit reduces the width, but some commodities will be hidden:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total -==================++===========================================================================================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Tall layout.-Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in each column), and-account names are repeated:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total -==================++==================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD - Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT - Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD - Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA - Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -------------------++---------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Bare layout.-Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commodity gets its own-report row, account names are repeated:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total -==================++=============================================- Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 - Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -------------------++----------------------------------------------                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing data-that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]balance\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Tidy layout produces normalised \[dq]tidy data\[dq], where every-variable has its own column and each row represents a single data point.-See-https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html-for more.-This is the easiest kind of data for other software to consume.-Here\[aq]s how it looks:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]period\[dq],\[dq]start_date\[dq],\[dq]end_date\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]value\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]337.18\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]12.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]106.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-98.12\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]-11.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]4881.44\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]14.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]170.00\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS Useful balance reports-.PP-Some frequently used \f[V]balance\f[R] options/reports are:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M revenues expenses\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show revenues/expenses in each month.-Also available as the \f[V]incomestatement\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.-Also available as the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities equity\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.-Also available as the \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M assets not:receivable\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show changes to liquid assets in each month.-Also available as the \f[V]cashflow\f[R] command.-.PP-Also:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M expenses -2 -SA\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average-amount.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M --budget expenses\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly expenses and budget goals.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M --valuechange investments\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:\[aq]>1000\[aq] -STA [--invert]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show top gainers [or losers] last week-.SS balancesheet-.PP-(bs)-.PP-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 sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],-\f[V]Cash\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] type (see account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]asset\f[R] or \f[V]liability\f[R] (case insensitive, plurals-allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet-Balance Sheet--Assets:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities\f[R], but-with smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their-sign flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS balancesheetequity-.PP-(bse)-.PP-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.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],-\f[V]Cash\f[R], \f[V]Liability\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] type (see-account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]asset\f[R], \f[V]liability\f[R] or \f[V]equity\f[R] (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheetequity-Balance Sheet With Equity--Assets:-                 $-2  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-3    cash----------------------                 $-2--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Equity:-          $1  equity:owner----------------------          $1--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity\f[R],-but with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed-with their sign flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS cashflow-.PP-(cf)-.PP-This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-outflows affecting \[dq]cash\[dq] (ie, liquid, easily convertible)-assets.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Cash\f[R] type (see-account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-under a top-level account named \f[V]asset\f[R] (case insensitive,-plural allowed)-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name contains some variation of \f[V]cash\f[R], \f[V]bank\f[R],-\f[V]checking\f[R] or \f[V]saving\f[R].-.PP-More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular-expression:-.PP-\f[V]\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)\f[R]-.PP-and their subaccounts.-.PP-An example cashflow report:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger cashflow-Cashflow Statement--Cash flows:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Total:----------------------                 $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to-\f[V]hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment not:receivable\f[R],-but with smarter account detection.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS check-.PP-Check for various kinds of errors in your data.-.PP-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-\f[V]check\f[R] 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).-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger check      # basic checks-hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to run-these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.-.PP-Here are the checks currently available:-.SS Basic checks-.PP-These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger-commands, including \f[V]check\f[R]:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]parseable\f[R] - data files are well-formed and can be successfully-parsed-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]balancedwithautoconversion\f[R] - all transactions are balanced,-inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting-commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]assertions\f[R] - all balance assertions in the journal are-passing.-(This check can be disabled with-\f[V]-I\f[R]/\f[V]--ignore-assertions\f[R].)-.SS Strict checks-.PP-These additional checks are run when the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R]-(strict mode) flag is used.-Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to-\f[V]check\f[R]:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]accounts\f[R] - all account names used by transactions have been-declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]commodities\f[R] - all commodity symbols used have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]balancednoautoconversion\f[R] - transactions are balanced, possibly-using explicit costs but not inferred ones-.SS Other checks-.PP-These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to-\f[V]check\f[R].-They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, therefore-optional:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]ordereddates\f[R] - transactions are ordered by date within each-file-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]payees\f[R] - all payees used by transactions have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]recentassertions\f[R] - all accounts with balance assertions have a-balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]tags\f[R] - all tags used by transactions have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]uniqueleafnames\f[R] - all account leaf names are unique-.SS Custom checks-.PP-A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]hledger-check-tagfiles\f[R] - all tag values containing / (a-forward slash) exist as file paths-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]hledger-check-fancyassertions\f[R] - more complex balance-assertions are passing-.PP-You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.-See: Cookbook -> Scripting.-.SS More about specific checks-.PP-\f[V]hledger check recentassertions\f[R] will complain if any-balance-asserted account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days-before its latest posting.-This aims to prevent the situation where you are regularly updating your-journal, but forgetting to check your balances against the real world,-then one day must dig back through months of data to find an error.-It assumes that adding a balance assertion requires/reminds you to check-the real-world balance.-That may not be true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank-data; in that case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then-use the manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the-latest assertions against real-world balances.-.SS close-.PP-(equity)-.PP-Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from-another account (typically equity).-This can be useful for migrating balances to a new journal file, or for-merging earnings into equity at end of accounting period.-.PP-By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (asset,-liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be-configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.-.PP-\f[I](experimental)\f[R]-.PP-This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use-cases:-.IP "1." 3-With \f[V]--close\f[R] (default), it prints a \[dq]closing balances\[dq]-transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by-default (this requires account types to be inferred or declared); or,-the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.-.IP "2." 3-With \f[V]--open\f[R], it prints an opposite \[dq]opening balances\[dq]-transaction that restores those balances from zero.-This is similar to Ledger\[aq]s equity command.-.IP "3." 3-With \f[V]--migrate\f[R], it prints both the closing and opening-transactions.-This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a new file: run-\f[V]hledger close --migrate\f[R], add the closing transaction at the-end of the old file, and add the opening transaction at the start of the-new file.-The matching closing/opening transactions cancel each other out,-preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.-.IP "4." 3-With \f[V]--retain\f[R], it prints a \[dq]retain earnings\[dq]-transaction that transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to-\f[V]equity:retained earnings\f[R].-Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each accounting period;-it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it could still-be useful if you want to see the accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.-.PP-In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:-.IP \[bu] 2-the transaction descriptions can be changed with-\f[V]--close-desc=DESC\f[R] and \f[V]--open-desc=DESC\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-the account to transfer to/from can be changed with-\f[V]--close-acct=ACCT\f[R] and \f[V]--open-acct=ACCT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with \f[V]ACCTQUERY\f[R]-(account query arguments).-.PP-By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its-amount left implicit.-With \f[V]--x/--explicit\f[R], the amount will be shown explicitly, and-if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting will be-generated for each of them (similar to \f[V]print -x\f[R]).-.PP-With \f[V]--show-costs\f[R], any amount costs are shown, with separate-postings for each cost.-This is currently the best way to view investment lots.-If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can-generate very large journal entries.-.PP-With \f[V]--interleaved\f[R], each individual transfer is shown with-source and destination postings next to each other.-This could be useful for troubleshooting.-.PP-The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal\[aq]s end date,-whichever is later.-You can change this by specifying a report end date; (The report start-date does not matter.)-The last day of the report period will be the closing date; eg-\f[V]-e 2022\f[R] means \[dq]close on 2022-12-31\[dq].-The opening date is always the day after the closing date.-.SS close and balance assertions-.PP-Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if-there is an opening transaction).-.PP-These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporarily-with \f[V]-I\f[R], or remove them if you prefer.-.PP-You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or realness-(\f[V]-C\f[R], \f[V]-R\f[R], \f[V]status:\f[R]), or generating postings-(\f[V]--auto\f[R]), with this command, since the balance assertions-would depend on these.-.PP-Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the-balance assertions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary-account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two-single-day transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; in 2022.journal:-2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    equity:pending        -5--; in 2023.journal:-2023-01-02 last year\[aq]s transaction cleared-    equity:pending         5 = 0-    assets:bank:checking  -5-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: retain earnings-.PP-Record 2022\[aq]s revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-appending the generated transaction to the journal:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note 2022\[aq]s income statement will now show only zeroes, because-revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.-To see them again, you could exclude the retain transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:\[aq]retain earnings\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: migrate balances to a new file-.PP-Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on-2023-01-01:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now 2022\[aq]s balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a-balanced accounting equation.-(Unless you are using \[at]/\[at]\[at] notation - in that case, try-adding --infer-equity.)-To see the end-of-year balances again, you could exclude the closing-transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:\[aq]closing balances\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: excluding closing/opening transactions-.PP-When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening-transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like-\f[V]print\f[R] and \f[V]register\f[R].-You can exclude them as shown above, but \f[V]not:desc:...\f[R] is not-ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions; also you will want to-avoid excluding the very first opening transaction, which could be-awkward.-Here is one alternative, using tags:-.PP-Add \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tags to all opening/closing balances transactions-except the first, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2021.journal-2021-06-01 first opening balances-\&...-2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2022.journal-2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-\&...-2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2023.journal-2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now, assuming a combined journal like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; all.journal-include 2021.journal-include 2022.journal-include 2023.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tag can exclude all but the first opening-transaction.-To show a clean multi-year checking register:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-And the year values allow more precision.-To show 2022\[aq]s year-end balance sheet:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023-\f[R]-.fi-.SS codes-.PP-List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed.-.PP-This command prints the value of each transaction\[aq]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.-.PP-Transactions aren\[aq]t required to have a code, and missing or empty-codes will not be shown by default.-With the \f[V]-E\f[R]/\f[V]--empty\f[R] flag, they will be printed as-blank lines.-.PP-You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   - Food       $5.00- Checking    --2022/1/2 (124) Post Office- Postage    $8.32- Checking--2022/1/3 Supermarket- Food      $11.23- Checking --2022/1/4 (126) Post Office- Postage    $3.21- Checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger codes-123-124-126-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger codes -E-123-124--126-\f[R]-.fi-.SS commodities-.PP-List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.-.SS descriptions-.PP-List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions.-.PP-This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in transactions,-in alphabetic order.-You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger descriptions-Store Name-Gas Station | Petrol-Person A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS diff-.PP-Compares a particular account\[aq]s transactions in two input files.-It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not-in the other.-.PP-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.-.PP-This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account\[aq]s transactions-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.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro -These transactions are in the first file only:--2014/01/01 Opening Balances-    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-    ...-    equity:opening balances       EUR -...--These transactions are in the second file only:-\f[R]-.fi-.SS files-.PP-List all files included in the journal.-With a REGEX argument, only file names matching the regular expression-(case sensitive) are shown.-.SS help-.PP-Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with \f[V]info\f[R],-\f[V]man\f[R], or a pager.-With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.-TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case-insensitive.-Eg: \f[V]commands\f[R], \f[V]print\f[R], \f[V]forecast\f[R],-\f[V]journal\f[R], \f[V]amount\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]auto postings\[dq]\f[R].-.PP-This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.-It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web-browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are not-installed on your system.-.PP-By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this-order): \f[V]info\f[R], \f[V]man\f[R], \f[V]$PAGER\f[R], \f[V]less\f[R],-\f[V]more\f[R].-You can force the use of info, man, or a pager with the \f[V]-i\f[R],-\f[V]-m\f[R], or \f[V]-p\f[R] flags, If no viewer can be found, or the-command is run non-interactively, it just prints the manual to stdout.-.PP-If using \f[V]info\f[R], note that version 6 or greater is needed for-TOPIC lookup.-If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should consider-installing a newer version, eg with \f[V]brew install texinfo\f[R]-(#1770).-.PP-Examples-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed-\f[R]-.fi-.SS import-.PP-Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to-the journal.-Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that would be added.-Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs\[aq] transactions as-imported, without actually importing any.-.PP-This command may append new transactions to the main journal file (which-should be in journal format).-Existing transactions are not changed.-This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file-(see also \f[V]add\f[R]).-.PP-Unlike other hledger commands, with \f[V]import\f[R] 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, so to import one or more CSV-files to your main journal, you will run-\f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] or perhaps-\f[V]hledger import *.csv\f[R].-.PP-Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most-common import source, and these docs focus on that case.-.SS Deduplication-.PP-As a convenience \f[V]import\f[R] does \f[I]deduplication\f[R] while-reading transactions.-This does not mean \[dq]ignore transactions that look the same\[dq], but-rather \[dq]ignore transactions that have been seen before\[dq].-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 \f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] and only new-transactions will be imported.-(\f[V]import\f[R] is idempotent.)-.PP-Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with-unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming-that:-.IP "1." 3-new items always have the newest dates-.IP "2." 3-item dates do not change across reads-.IP "3." 3-and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across-reads.-.PP-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\[aq]t matter (and if you import often, the new transactions will be-few, so less likely to be the ones affected).-.PP-hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by saving-a hidden \[dq].latest\[dq] state file in the same directory.-Eg when reading \f[V]finance/bank.csv\f[R], it will look for and update-the \f[V]finance/.latest.bank.csv\f[R] state file.-The format is simple: one or more lines containing the same ISO-format-date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning \[dq]I have processed transactions up to this-date, and this many of them on that date.\[dq] Normally you won\[aq]t-see or manipulate these state files yourself.-But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all-transactions \[dq]new\[dq]), or you can construct them to \[dq]catch-up\[dq] to a certain date.-.PP-Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by-\f[V]print --new\f[R], but this is less often used.-.SS Import testing-.PP-With \f[V]--dry-run\f[R], 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-categorised:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or (live updating):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it\[aq]s currently-possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the-actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving-them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).-To prevent this, do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the-real import.-.SS Importing balance assignments-.PP-Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit-(like \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]).-This means that any balance assignments in imported files must be-evaluated; but, imported files don\[aq]t get to see the main file\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-(If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,-please test it and send a pull request.)-.SS Commodity display styles-.PP-Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.-.SS incomestatement-.PP-(is)-.PP-This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and expenses-during one or more periods.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Revenue\f[R] or-\f[V]Expense\f[R] type (see account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]revenue\f[R] or \f[V]income\f[R] or \f[V]expense\f[R] (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger incomestatement-Income Statement--Revenues:-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary----------------------                 $-2--Expenses:-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies----------------------                  $2--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to-\f[V]hledger balance \[aq](revenues|income)\[aq] expenses\f[R], but with-smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their sign-flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS notes-.PP-List the unique notes that appear in transactions.-.PP-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 a | character-(or if there is no |, the whole description).-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger notes-Petrol-Snacks-\f[R]-.fi-.SS payees-.PP-List the unique payee/payer names that appear in transactions.-.PP-This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared-with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions-(--used), or both (the default).-.PP-The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a |-character (or if there is no |, the whole description).-.PP-You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions.-This implies --used.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger payees-Store Name-Gas Station-Person A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS prices-.PP-Print market price directives from the journal.-With --infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from-costs.-With --infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting-known prices.-Prices can be filtered by a query.-Price amounts are displayed with their full precision.-.SS print-.PP-Show transaction journal entries, sorted by date.-.PP-The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from the-journal file, sorted by date (or with \f[V]--date2\f[R], by secondary-date).-.PP-Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg 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.)-.PP-Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not across-all transactions).-.PP-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-directives and file-level comments.-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print-2008/01/01 income-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:salary                  $-1--2008/06/01 gift-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:gifts                   $-1--2008/06/02 save-    assets:bank:saving              $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--2008/06/03 * eat & shop-    expenses:food                $1-    expenses:supplies            $1-    assets:cash                 $-2--2008/12/31 * pay off-    liabilities:debts               $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-print\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-There are some situations where print\[aq]s output can become-unparseable:-.IP \[bu] 2-Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or balance-assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail.-.IP \[bu] 2-Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts.-.IP \[bu] 2-Account aliases can generate bad account names.-.PP-Normally, the journal entry\[aq]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 cost is implied but not written, it will not appear in-the output.-You can use the \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] flag to make all-amounts and costs explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or-for making your journal more readable and robust against data entry-errors.-\f[V]-x\f[R] is also implied by using any of-\f[V]-B\f[R],\f[V]-V\f[R],\f[V]-X\f[R],\f[V]--value\f[R].-.PP-Note, \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] 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.-.PP-With \f[V]-B\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R], amounts with costs are converted to-cost using that price.-This can be used for troubleshooting.-.PP-With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], print does a fuzzy search-for one recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC.-DESC should contain at least two characters.-If there is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown and-the program exit code will be non-zero.-.PP-With \f[V]--new\f[R], hledger prints only transactions it has not seen-on a previous run.-This uses the same deduplication system as the \f[V]import\f[R] command.-(See import\[aq]s docs for details.)-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R] and \f[V]sql\f[R].-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example of print\[aq]s CSV output:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -Ocsv-\[dq]txnidx\[dq],\[dq]date\[dq],\[dq]date2\[dq],\[dq]status\[dq],\[dq]code\[dq],\[dq]description\[dq],\[dq]comment\[dq],\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]amount\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]credit\[dq],\[dq]debit\[dq],\[dq]posting-status\[dq],\[dq]posting-comment\[dq]-\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:salary\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:gifts\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:saving\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:food\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:supplies\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:cash\[dq],\[dq]-2\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]liabilities:debts\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP \[bu] 2-There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction\[aq]s-fields repeated.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \[dq]txnidx\[dq] (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 order, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-The amount is separated into \[dq]commodity\[dq] (the symbol) and-\[dq]amount\[dq] (numeric quantity) fields.-.IP \[bu] 2-The numeric amount is repeated in either the \[dq]credit\[dq] or-\[dq]debit\[dq] 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.)-.SS register-.PP-(reg)-.PP-Show postings and their running total.-.PP-The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in-date order, with their running total or running historical balance.-(See also the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command, which shows matched-transactions in a specific account.)-.PP-register normally shows line per posting, but note that multi-commodity-amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per commodity).-.PP-It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see-that account\[aq]s activity:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register checking-2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1-2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2-2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With \f[V]--date2\f[R], it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.-.PP-For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.-If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and-memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.-.PP-The \f[V]--historical\f[R]/\f[V]-H\f[R] flag adds the balance from any-undisplayed prior postings to the running total.-This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a-historically accurate running balance:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option limits the amount of sub-account detail-displayed.-.PP-The \f[V]--average\f[R]/\f[V]-A\f[R] 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 \f[V]--empty\f[R] (see below).-It is affected by \f[V]--historical\f[R].-It works best when showing just one account and one commodity.-.PP-The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the \f[I]other\f[R]-postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be-shown.-.PP-The \f[V]--invert\f[R] flag negates all amounts.-For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are-normally displayed as negative numbers.-It\[aq]s also useful to show postings on the checking account together-with the related account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per-interval, aggregating the postings to each account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly income-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are-not shown by default; use the \f[V]--empty\f[R]/\f[V]-E\f[R] flag to see-them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly income -E-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/02                                                          0          $-1-2008/03                                                          0          $-1-2008/04                                                          0          $-1-2008/05                                                          0          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-2008/07                                                          0          $-2-2008/08                                                          0          $-2-2008/09                                                          0          $-2-2008/10                                                          0          $-2-2008/11                                                          0          $-2-2008/12                                                          0          $-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Often, you\[aq]ll want to see just one line per interval.-The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be-aggregated:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h-2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1-2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0-2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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.-.PP-With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], register does a fuzzy-search for one recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC.-DESC should contain at least two characters.-If there is no similar-enough match, no posting will be shown and the-program exit code will be non-zero.-.SS Custom register output-.PP-register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.-You can override this by setting the \f[V]COLUMNS\f[R] environment-variable (not a bash shell variable) or by using the-\f[V]--width\f[R]/\f[V]-w\f[R] option.-.PP-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\[aq]s argument, comma-separated: \f[V]--width W,D\f[R] .-Here\[aq]s a diagram (won\[aq]t display correctly in --help):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->-date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-and some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40-$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS rewrite-.PP-Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.-For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print---auto.-.PP-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-transaction\[aq]s first posting amount.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs \[ha]income --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33  ; income tax\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  $100\[aq]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs -f rewrites.hledger-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-rewrites.hledger may consist of entries like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= \[ha]income amt:<0 date:2017-  (liabilities:tax)  *0.33  ; tax on income-  (reserve:grocery)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery-  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the two-spaces between account and amount.-.PP-More:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- [QUERY]        --add-posting \[dq]ACCT  AMTEXPR\[dq] ...-$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]-$ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](budget:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]-$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](budget:foreign currency)  *0.25 JPY; diversify\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Argument for \f[V]--add-posting\f[R] option is a usual posting of-transaction with an exception for amount specification.-More precisely, you can use \f[V]\[aq]*\[aq]\f[R] (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\[aq]s commodity.-.SS Re-write rules in a file-.PP-During the run this tool will execute so called \[dq]Automated-Transactions\[dq] found in any journal it process.-I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put-them in a journal file.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ rewrite-rules.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Make contents look like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= \[ha]income-    (liabilities:tax)  *.33--= expenses:gifts-    budget:gifts  *-1-    assets:budget  *1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note that \f[V]\[aq]=\[aq]\f[R] (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.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal -f rewrite-rules.journal > rewritten-tidy-output.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is something similar to the commands pipeline:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq] \[rs]-  | hledger rewrite -- -f - expenses:gifts      --add-posting \[aq]budget:gifts  *-1\[aq]       \[rs]-                                                --add-posting \[aq]assets:budget  *1\[aq]       \[rs]-  > rewritten-tidy-output.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in-journal is important.-You can re-use result of previously added postings.-.SS Diff output format-.PP-To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may-find useful output in form of unified diff.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Output might look like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]---- /tmp/examples/sample.journal-+++ /tmp/examples/sample.journal-\[at]\[at] -18,3 +18,4 \[at]\[at]- 2008/01/01 income--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:salary-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-\[at]\[at] -22,3 +23,4 \[at]\[at]- 2008/06/01 gift--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:gifts-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you\[aq]ll pass this through \f[V]patch\f[R] tool you\[aq]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 \f[V]--file\f[R] options and \f[V]include\f[R]-directives inside of these files.-.PP-Be careful.-Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output from-\f[V]hledger print\f[R].-.PP-See also:-.PP-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99-.SS rewrite vs. print --auto-.PP-This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same-thing, but with these differences:-.IP \[bu] 2-with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other-files.-print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child-files.-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite\[aq]s query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are-printed.-print --auto\[aq]s query limits which transactions are printed.-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal.-print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.-.SS roi-.PP-Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on-your investments.-.PP-At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an account-name) to select your investment(s) with \f[V]--inv\f[R], and another-query to identify your profit and loss transactions with-\f[V]--pnl\f[R].-.PP-If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually,-or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR),-\f[V]--pnl\f[R] could be an empty query (\f[V]--pnl \[dq]\[dq]\f[R] or-\f[V]--pnl STR\f[R] where \f[V]STR\f[R] does not match any of your-accounts).-.PP-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.-.PP-Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate-\f[V]--cost\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] flags (see VALUATION).-.PP-Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons:-.IP \[bu] 2-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.-.IP \[bu] 2-Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of-Return (IRR).-Either search does not converge to a solution, or converges too slowly.-.PP-Examples:-.IP \[bu] 2-Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger-.IP \[bu] 2-Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html-.SS Spaces and special characters in \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]-.PP-Note that \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]\[aq]s argument is a query,-and queries could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).-.PP-To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument, you-will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger roi --inv \[aq]term1 term2 term3 ...\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-level of nested quoting, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger roi --inv=\[dq]\[aq]Assets:Test 1\[aq]\[dq] --pnl=\[dq]\[aq]Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss\[aq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Semantics of \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]-.PP-Query supplied to \f[V]--inv\f[R] has to match all transactions that are-related to your investment.-Transactions not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R] will be ignored.-.PP-In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match-\f[V]--inv\f[R] to be \[dq]investment postings\[dq] and other postings-(not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R]) will be sorted into two categories:-\[dq]cash flow\[dq] and \[dq]profit and loss\[dq], as ROI needs to know-which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is-due to the return on investment.-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Cash flow\[dq] is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or-selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment-commodity and any other commodity.-Example:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-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-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Profit and loss\[dq] is change in the value of your investment:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019-06-01 Snake Oil falls in value-  investment:snake oil  = $57-  equity:unrealized profit or loss-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-All non-investment postings are assumed to be \[dq]cash flow\[dq],-unless they match \f[V]--pnl\f[R] query.-Changes in value of your investment due to \[dq]profit and loss\[dq]-postings will be considered as part of your investment return.-.PP-Example: if you use \f[V]--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized\f[R], then-postings in the example below would be classifed as:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1-  assets:cash          -$100   ; cash flow posting-  investment:snake oil         ; investment posting--2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-  snake oil                    ; investment posting--2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting-\f[R]-.fi-.SS IRR and TWR explained-.PP-\[dq]ROI\[dq] stands for \[dq]return on investment\[dq].-Traditionally this was computed as a difference between current value of-investment and its initial value, expressed in percentage of the initial-value.-.PP-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 different ways to compute rate of-return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR.-.PP-Internal rate of return, or \[dq]IRR\[dq] (also called-\[dq]money-weighted rate of return\[dq]) 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.-.PP-As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you-personally put in or withdraw, and for the \[dq]roi\[dq] command, these-are the postings that match the query in the\f[V]--inv\f[R] argument and-NOT match the query in the\f[V]--pnl\f[R] argument.-.PP-If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as-transactions that balance them against \[dq]profit and loss\[dq] (or-\[dq]unrealized gains\[dq]) 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.-.PP-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\[aq]t done discounted cash flow analysis before.-Implementation of IRR in hledger should produce results that match the-\f[V]XIRR\f[R] formula in Excel.-.PP-Second way to compute rate of return that \f[V]roi\f[R] command-implements is called \[dq]time-weighted rate of return\[dq] or-\[dq]TWR\[dq].-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 are quite different.-.PP-TWR represents your investment as an imaginary \[dq]unit fund\[dq] where-in-flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling \[dq]units\[dq] of your-investment and changes in its value change the value of \[dq]investment-unit\[dq].-Change in \[dq]unit price\[dq] over the reporting period gives you rate-of return of your investment.-.PP-References:-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of rate of return-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of IRR-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of TWR-.IP \[bu] 2-Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of the limitations of-both metrics-.SS stats-.PP-Show journal and performance statistics.-.PP-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.-.PP-At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number-of transactions processed per second.-Note these are approximate and will vary based on machine, current load,-data size, hledger version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..-but they may be of interest.-The \f[V]stats\f[R] command\[aq]s run time is similar to that of a-single-column balance report.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 1000-Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-Market prices            : 1000 (A)--Run time                 : 0.12 s-Throughput               : 8342 txns/s-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not--O/--output-format selection).-.SS tags-.PP-List the tags used in the journal, or their values.-.PP-This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on-transactions, postings, or account declarations.-.PP-With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular-expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.-.PP-With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this query-are considered.-If the query involves transaction fields (date:, desc:, amt:, ...), the-search is restricted to the matched transactions and their accounts.-.PP-With the --values flag, the tags\[aq] unique non-empty values are listed-instead.-With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.-.PP-With --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-with duplicates included.-(Except, tags from account declarations are always shown first.)-.PP-Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings-also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also-acquire tags from their postings.-.SS test-.PP-Run built-in unit tests.-.PP-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.-.PP-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!-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options-(\f[V]-- --help\f[R] currently doesn\[aq]t show them).-.PP-.SH PART 5: COMMON TASKS-.PP-Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.-.SS Getting help-.PP-Here\[aq]s how to list commands and view options and command docs:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger                # show available commands-$ hledger --help         # show common options-$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD\[aq]s options, common options and CMD\[aq]s documentation-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can also view your hledger version\[aq]s manual in several formats-by using the help command.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit-https://hledger.org.-Chat and mail list support and discussion archives can be found at-https://hledger.org/support.-.SS Constructing command lines-.PP-hledger has a flexible command line interface.-We strive to keep it simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of-the sharp edges described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might-help:-.IP \[bu] 2-command-specific options must go after the command (it\[aq]s fine to put-common options there too: \f[V]hledger CMD OPTS ARGS\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing-(\f[V]hledger-ui OPTS ARGS\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-enclose \[dq]problematic\[dq] args in single quotes-.IP \[bu] 2-if needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression-metacharacters from the shell-.IP \[bu] 2-to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add-\f[V]--debug=2\f[R].-.SS Starting a journal file-.PP-hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,-\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] by default:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger stats-The hledger journal file \[dq]/Users/simon/.hledger.journal\[dq] was not found.-Please create it first, eg with \[dq]hledger add\[dq] or a text editor.-Or, specify an existing journal file with -f or LEDGER_FILE.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can override this by setting the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment-variable.-It\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ mkdir \[ti]/finance-$ cd \[ti]/finance-$ git init-Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-$ touch 2020.journal-$ echo \[dq]export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal\[dq] >> \[ti]/.bashrc-$ source \[ti]/.bashrc-$ hledger stats-Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-Last transaction         : none-Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 0-Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-Commodities              : 0 ()-Market prices            : 0 ()-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Setting opening balances-.PP-Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some-real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..)-and liabilities (credit cards..).-.PP-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 always come back later and add more accounts and older-transactions, eg going back to january 1st.-.PP-Add an opening balances transaction to the journal, declaring the-balances on this date.-Here are two ways to do it:-.IP \[bu] 2-The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an entry-like this:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000-    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000-    assets:cash                          $100   = $100-    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-These are start-of-day balances, ie whatever was in the account at the-end of the previous day.-.PP-The * after the date is an optional status flag.-Here it means \[dq]cleared & confirmed\[dq].-.PP-The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you\[aq]ll-be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.-.PP-The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra error-checking.-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-The second way: run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts to-record a similar transaction:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-Description: * opening balances-Account 1: assets:bank:checking-Amount  1: $1000-Account 2: assets:bank:savings-Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-Account 3: assets:cash-Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-Amount  5 [$-3050]: -Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2020-01-01]: .-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-If you\[aq]re using version control, this could be a good time to commit-the journal.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ git commit -m \[aq]initial balances\[aq] 2020.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Recording transactions-.PP-As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the-hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.-.PP-Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual and-hledger.org for more ideas:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020/1/10 * gift received-  assets:cash   $20-  income:gifts--2020.1.12 * farmers market-  expenses:food    $13-  assets:cash--2020-01-15 paycheck-  income:salary-  assets:bank:checking    $1000-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reconciling-.PP-Periodically you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported-balances against external sources of truth, like bank statements or your-bank\[aq]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 pile up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors-and discrepancies.-.PP-A typical workflow:-.IP "1." 3-Reconcile cash.-Count what\[aq]s in your wallet.-Compare with what hledger reports (\f[V]hledger bal cash\f[R]).-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 (\f[V]hledger reg cash\f[R]).-If you can\[aq]t find the error, add an adjustment transaction.-Eg if you have $105 after the above, and can\[aq]t explain the missing-$2, it could be:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash    $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Reconcile checking.-Log in to your bank\[aq]s website.-Compare today\[aq]s (cleared) balance with hledger\[aq]s cleared balance-(\f[V]hledger bal checking -C\f[R]).-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-\f[V]hledger reg checking -C\f[R].-This will be easier if you generally record transaction dates quite-similar to your bank\[aq]s clearing dates.-.IP "3." 3-Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.-.PP-Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a-live-updating register while you edit the journal:-\f[V]hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C\f[R]-.PP-After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled-transactions\[aq] status as \[dq]cleared and confirmed\[dq], if you want-to track that, by adding the \f[V]*\f[R] marker.-Eg in the paycheck transaction above, insert \f[V]*\f[R] between-\f[V]2020-01-15\f[R] and \f[V]paycheck\f[R]-.PP-If you\[aq]re using version control, this can be another good time to-commit:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ git commit -m \[aq]txns\[aq] 2020.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reporting-.PP-Here are some basic reports.-.PP-Show all transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--2020-01-10 * gift received-    assets:cash              $20-    income:gifts--2020-01-12 * farmers market-    expenses:food             $13-    assets:cash--2020-01-15 * paycheck-    income:salary-    assets:bank:checking           $1000--2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash               $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show account names, and their hierarchy:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --tree-assets-  bank-    checking-    savings-  cash-equity-  opening/closing balances-expenses-  food-  misc-income-  gifts-  salary-liabilities-  creditcard-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show all account totals:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance-               $4105  assets-               $4000    bank-               $2000      checking-               $2000      savings-                $105    cash-              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                 $15  expenses-                 $13    food-                  $2    misc-              $-1020  income-                $-20    gifts-              $-1000    salary-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to depth-2:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-               $4000  assets:bank-                $105  assets:cash-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------               $4055-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-balance sheet:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bs -2-Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                        || 2020-01-16 -========================++============- Assets                 ||            -------------------------++------------- assets:bank            ||      $4000 - assets:cash            ||       $105 -------------------------++-------------                        ||      $4105 -========================++============- Liabilities            ||            -------------------------++------------- liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 -------------------------++-------------                        ||        $50 -========================++============- Net:                   ||      $4055 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The final total is your \[dq]net worth\[dq] on the end date.-(Or use \f[V]bse\f[R] for a full balance sheet with equity.)-.PP-Show income and expense totals, formatted as an income statement:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger is -Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--               || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 -===============++=======================- Revenues      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ income:gifts  ||                   $20 - income:salary ||                 $1000 ----------------++------------------------               ||                 $1020 -===============++=======================- Expenses      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ expenses:food ||                   $13 - expenses:misc ||                    $2 ----------------++------------------------               ||                   $15 -===============++=======================- Net:          ||                 $1005 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The final total is your net income during this period.-.PP-Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register cash-2020-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100-2020-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120-2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger activity -W-2019-12-30 *****-2020-01-06 ****-2020-01-13 ****-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Migrating to a new file-.PP-At the end of the year, you may want to continue your journal in a new-file, so that old transactions don\[aq]t slow down or clutter your-reports, and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history.-See the close command.-.PP-If using version control, don\[aq]t forget to \f[V]git add\f[R] the new-file.---.SH "REPORTING BUGS"-Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org-(or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list)+.TH "HLEDGER" "1" "June 2023" "hledger-1.30 " "hledger User Manuals"++++.SH NAME+.PP+hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)+.SH SYNOPSIS+.PP+\f[V]hledger\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger COMMAND     [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]+.SH DESCRIPTION+.PP+hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and+largely interconvertible with beancount(1).+.PP+This manual is for hledger\[aq]s command line interface, version 1.30.+It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by+all hledger programs.+It might accidentally teach you some bookkeeping/accounting as well!+You don\[aq]t need to know everything in here to use hledger+productively, but when you have a question about functionality, this doc+should answer it.+It is detailed, so do skip ahead or skim when needed.+You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual or man page on your+system.+You can also get it from hledger itself with+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger --man\f[R], \f[V]hledger --info\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger help [TOPIC]\f[R].+.PP+The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files+describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a+useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).+Many reports are available, as subcommands.+hledger will also detect other \f[V]hledger-*\f[R] executables as extra+subcommands.+.PP+hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable (defaulting to+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R]); or you can specify files with+\f[V]-f\f[R] options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.+.PP+Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2015-10-16 bought food+  expenses:food          $10+  assets:cash+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)+between two or more \f[I]accounts\f[R]: bank accounts, your wallet,+revenue/expense categories, people, etc.+You can choose any account names you wish, using \f[V]:\f[R] to indicate+subaccounts.+There must be at least two spaces between account name and amount.+Positive amounts are inflow to that account (\f[I]debit\f[R]), negatives+are outflow from it (\f[I]credit\f[R]).+(Some reports show revenue, liability and equity account balances as+negative numbers as a result; this is normal.)+.PP+hledger\[cq]s add command can help you add transactions, or you can+install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.+For more extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs ++ledger-mode, VIM + vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good+choices (see https://hledger.org/editors.html).+.PP+To get started, run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts, or+save some entries like the above in \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R],+then try commands like:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger aregister assets\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger balance\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger balancesheet\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R].+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] to list the commands.+See also the \[dq]Starting a journal file\[dq] and \[dq]Setting opening+balances\[dq] sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.+.SH PART 1: USER INTERFACE+.SH Input+.PP+hledger reads one or more data files, each time you run it.+You can specify a file with \f[V]-f\f[R], like so+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f FILE print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Files are most often in hledger\[aq]s journal format, with the+\f[V].journal\f[R] file extension (\f[V].hledger\f[R] or \f[V].j\f[R]+also work); these files describe transactions, like an accounting+general journal.+.PP+When no file is specified, hledger looks for \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R]+in your home directory.+.PP+But most people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+perhaps with version control.+Also, starting a new journal file each year is common (it\[aq]s not+required, but helps keep things fast and organised).+So we usually configure a different journal file, by setting the+\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable, to something like+\f[V]\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\f[R].+For more about how to do that on your system, see Common tasks > Setting+LEDGER_FILE.+.SS Data formats+.PP+Usually the data file is in hledger\[aq]s journal format, but it can be+in any of the supported file formats, which currently are:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(7.8n) lw(39.5n) lw(22.7n).+T{+Reader:+T}@T{+Reads:+T}@T{+Used for file extensions:+T}+_+T{+\f[V]journal\f[R]+T}@T{+hledger journal files and some Ledger journals, for transactions+T}@T{+\f[V].journal\f[R] \f[V].j\f[R] \f[V].hledger\f[R] \f[V].ledger\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]timeclock\f[R]+T}@T{+timeclock files, for precise time logging+T}@T{+\f[V].timeclock\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]timedot\f[R]+T}@T{+timedot files, for approximate time logging+T}@T{+\f[V].timedot\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]csv\f[R]+T}@T{+CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated values, for data import+T}@T{+\f[V].csv\f[R] \f[V].ssv\f[R] \f[V].tsv\f[R] \f[V].csv.rules\f[R]+\f[V].ssv.rules\f[R] \f[V].tsv.rules\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+These formats are described in more detail below.+.PP+hledger detects the format automatically based on the file extensions+shown above.+If it can\[aq]t recognise the file extension, it assumes+\f[V]journal\f[R] format.+So for non-journal files, it\[aq]s important to use a recognised file+extension, so as to either read successfully or to show relevant error+messages.+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Standard input+.PP+The file name \f[V]-\f[R] means standard input:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ cat FILE | hledger -f- print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If reading non-journal data in this way, you\[aq]ll need to add a file+format prefix, like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[aq]i 2009/13/1 08:00:00\[aq] | hledger print -f timeclock:-+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multiple files+.PP+You can specify multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] options, to read multiple files as+one big journal.+When doing this, note that certain features (described below) will be+affected:+.IP \[bu] 2+Balance assertions will not see the effect of transactions in previous+files.+(Usually this doesn\[aq]t matter as each file will set the corresponding+opening balances.)+.IP \[bu] 2+Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.+.PP+If needed, you can work around these by using a single parent file which+includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg:+\f[V]cat a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD\f[R].+.SS Strict mode+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all transactions balanced ?+.IP \[bu] 2+Do all balance assertions pass ?+.PP+With the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag, additional checks are+performed:+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all accounts posted to, declared with an \f[V]account\f[R] directive+?+(Account error checking)+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all commodities declared with a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive ?+(Commodity error checking)+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?+.PP+You can use the check command to run individual checks -- the ones+listed above and some more.+.SH Commands+.PP+hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.+Most of these commands do not change the journal file; they just read it+and output a report.+A few commands assist with adding data and file management.+.PP+To show the commands list, run \f[V]hledger\f[R] with no arguments.+The commands are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.+.PP+To use a particular command, run+\f[V]hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS]\f[R],+.IP \[bu] 2+CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation shown in the+commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.+.IP \[bu] 2+CMDOPTS are command-specific options, if any.+Command-specific options must be written after the command name.+Eg: \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+CMDARGS are additional arguments to the command, if any.+Most hledger commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit+the data in some way.+Eg: \f[V]hledger reg assets:checking\f[R].+.PP+To list a command\[aq]s options, arguments, and documentation in the+terminal, run \f[V]hledger CMD -h\f[R].+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -h\f[R].+.SS Add-on commands+.PP+In addition to the built-in commands, you can install \f[I]add-on+commands\f[R]: programs or scripts named \[dq]hledger-SOMETHING\[dq],+which will also appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list.+If you used the hledger-install script, you will have several add-ons+installed already.+Some more can be found in hledger\[aq]s bin/ directory, documented at+https://hledger.org/scripts.html.+.PP+More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your+shell\[aq]s PATH, whose name starts with \[dq]hledger-\[dq] and ends+with no extension or a recognised extension (\[dq].bat\[dq],+\[dq].com\[dq], \[dq].exe\[dq], \[dq].hs\[dq], \[dq].js\[dq],+\[dq].lhs\[dq], \[dq].lua\[dq], \[dq].php\[dq], \[dq].pl\[dq],+\[dq].py\[dq], \[dq].rb\[dq], \[dq].rkt\[dq], or \[dq].sh\[dq]), and (on+unix and mac) which has executable permission for the current user.+.PP+You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in commands:+\f[V]hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS]\f[R].+But note the double hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific+options.+Eg: \f[V]hledger ui -- --watch\f[R] or \f[V]hledger web -- --serve\f[R].+If this causes difficulty, you can always run the add-on directly,+without using \f[V]hledger\f[R]: \f[V]hledger-ui --watch\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger-web --serve\f[R].+.SH Options+.PP+Run \f[V]hledger -h\f[R] to see general command line help, and general+options which are common to most hledger commands.+These options can be written anywhere on the command line.+They can be grouped into help, input, and reporting options:+.SS General help options+.TP+\f[V]-h --help\f[R]+show general or COMMAND help+.TP+\f[V]--man\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with man+.TP+\f[V]--info\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with info+.TP+\f[V]--version\f[R]+show general or ADDONCMD version+.TP+\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]+show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+.SS General input options+.TP+\f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R]+use a different input file.+For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R])+.TP+\f[V]--rules-file=RULESFILE\f[R]+Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)+.TP+\f[V]--separator=CHAR\f[R]+Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: \[aq],\[aq])+.TP+\f[V]--alias=OLD=NEW\f[R]+rename accounts named OLD to NEW+.TP+\f[V]--anon\f[R]+anonymize accounts and payees+.TP+\f[V]--pivot FIELDNAME\f[R]+use some other field or tag for the account name+.TP+\f[V]-I --ignore-assertions\f[R]+disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+assignments)+.TP+\f[V]-s --strict\f[R]+do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)+.SS General reporting options+.TP+\f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R]+include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to+preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)+.TP+\f[V]-e --end=DATE\f[R]+include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following+subperiod end when using a report interval)+.TP+\f[V]-D --daily\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by day+.TP+\f[V]-W --weekly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by week+.TP+\f[V]-M --monthly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by month+.TP+\f[V]-Q --quarterly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter+.TP+\f[V]-Y --yearly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by year+.TP+\f[V]-p --period=PERIODEXP\f[R]+set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using+period expressions syntax+.TP+\f[V]--date2\f[R]+match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects)+.TP+\f[V]--today=DATE\f[R]+override today\[aq]s date (affects relative smart dates, for+tests/examples)+.TP+\f[V]-U --unmarked\f[R]+include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)+.TP+\f[V]-P --pending\f[R]+include only pending postings/txns+.TP+\f[V]-C --cleared\f[R]+include only cleared postings/txns+.TP+\f[V]-R --real\f[R]+include only non-virtual postings+.TP+\f[V]-NUM --depth=NUM\f[R]+hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep+.TP+\f[V]-E --empty\f[R]+show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+hledger-ui/hledger-web)+.TP+\f[V]-B --cost\f[R]+convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time+.TP+\f[V]-V --market\f[R]+convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities+.TP+\f[V]-X --exchange=COMM\f[R]+convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM+.TP+\f[V]--value\f[R]+convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X+.TP+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R]+infer conversion equity postings from costs+.TP+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R]+infer costs from conversion equity postings+.TP+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+.TP+\f[V]--forecast\f[R]+generate transactions from periodic rules,+between the latest recorded txn and 6 months from today,+or during the specified PERIOD (= is required).+Auto posting rules will be applied to these transactions as well.+Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated transactions visible.+.TP+\f[V]--auto\f[R]+generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns (not+just forecast txns)+.TP+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R]+add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have been+generated/modified+.TP+\f[V]--commodity-style\f[R]+Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.+For example \[aq]EUR1.000,00\[aq].+.TP+\f[V]--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)\f[R]+Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output.+\[aq]auto\[aq] (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting+terminal.+\[aq]always\[aq] or \[aq]yes\[aq]: always, useful eg when piping output+into \[aq]less -R\[aq].+\[aq]never\[aq] or \[aq]no\[aq]: never.+A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.+.TP+\f[V]--pretty[=WHEN]\f[R]+Show prettier output, e.g.+using unicode box-drawing characters.+Accepts \[aq]yes\[aq] (the default) or \[aq]no\[aq] (\[aq]y\[aq],+\[aq]n\[aq], \[aq]always\[aq], \[aq]never\[aq] also work).+If you provide an argument you must use \[aq]=\[aq], e.g.+\[aq]--pretty=yes\[aq].+.PP+When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the+last one takes precedence.+.PP+Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.+.SH Command line tips+.PP+Here are some details useful to know about for hledger command lines+(and elsewhere).+Feel free to skip this section until you need it.+.SS Special characters+.SS Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+.PP+In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as+spaces, \f[V]<\f[R], \f[V]>\f[R], \f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R],+\f[V]$\f[R] and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - should be \[dq]shell-escaped\[dq] 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register \[aq]credit card\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register credit\[rs] card+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Windows users should keep in mind that \f[V]cmd\f[R] treats single quote+as a regular character, so you should be using double quotes+exclusively.+PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.+.SS Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+.PP+Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+as \f[V].\f[R], \f[V]\[ha]\f[R], \f[V]$\f[R], \f[V][\f[R], \f[V]]\f[R],+\f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R], and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - may need to+be \[dq]regex-escaped\[dq] if you don\[aq]t want them to be interpreted+by hledger\[aq]s 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 \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance cur:\[aq]\[rs]$\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+.PP+When you use hledger to run an external add-on command (described+below), one level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or+arguments intended for by the add-on command, so those need an extra+level of shell-escaping.+Eg to match a literal \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell and+running an add-on command (\f[V]ui\f[R]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger ui cur:\[aq]\[rs]\[rs]$\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you wondered why \f[I]four\f[R] backslashes, perhaps this helps:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+unescaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]$\f[R]+T}+T{+escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+T{+double-escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+T{+triple-escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+directly:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger-ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Less escaping+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+an \[at]argumentfile+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger-ui\[aq]s filter field+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger-web\[aq]s search form+.IP \[bu] 2+GHCI\[aq]s prompt (used by developers).+.SS Unicode characters+.PP+hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:+.IP \[bu] 2+they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command line,+by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web\[aq]s search/add/edit+forms, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+they should be displayed correctly by all hledger tools, and on-screen+alignment should be preserved.+.PP+This requires a well-configured environment.+Here are some tips:+.IP \[bu] 2+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:+\f[V]export LANG=en_US.UTF-8\f[R].+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).+.IP \[bu] 2+your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)+must support unicode+.IP \[bu] 2+the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode+glyphs+.IP \[bu] 2+the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as double+width (for report alignment)+.IP \[bu] 2+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 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).+.SS Regular expressions+.PP+hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:+.IP \[bu] 2+query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:+\f[V]REGEX\f[R], \f[V]desc:REGEX\f[R], \f[V]cur:REGEX\f[R],+\f[V]tag:...=REGEX\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+CSV rules conditional blocks: \f[V]if REGEX ...\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+account alias directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option:+\f[V]alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT\f[R],+\f[V]--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\f[R]+.PP+hledger\[aq]s regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library.+If they\[aq]re not doing what you expect, it\[aq]s important to know+exactly what they support:+.IP "1." 3+they are case insensitive+.IP "2." 3+they are infix matching (they do not need to match the entire thing+being matched)+.IP "3." 3+they are POSIX ERE (extended regular expressions)+.IP "4." 3+they also support GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],+\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R])+.IP "5." 3+they do not support backreferences; if you write \f[V]\[rs]1\f[R], it+will match the digit \f[V]1\f[R].+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.+.IP "6." 3+they do not support mode modifiers (\f[V](?s)\f[R]), character classes+(\f[V]\[rs]w\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]d\f[R]), or anything else not mentioned+above.+.PP+Some things to note:+.IP \[bu] 2+In the \f[V]alias\f[R] directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option, regular+expressions must be enclosed in forward slashes (\f[V]/REGEX/\f[R]).+Elsewhere in hledger, these are not required.+.IP \[bu] 2+In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like \f[V]$\f[R]+as a literal character, prepend a backslash.+Eg to search for amounts with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write+\f[V]cur:\[rs]$\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+On the command line, some metacharacters like \f[V]$\f[R] have a special+meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.+See Special characters.+.SS Argument files+.PP+You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+then reuse them by writing \f[V]\[at]FILENAME\f[R] as a command line+argument.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal \[at]foo.args\f[R].+.PP+Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or+argument.+Don\[aq]t use spaces except inside quotes (or you\[aq]ll see a confusing+error); write \f[V]=\f[R] (or nothing) between a flag and its argument.+For the special characters mentioned above, use one less level of+quoting than you would at the command prompt.+.SH Output+.SS Output destination+.PP+hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default.+You can of course redirect this, eg into a file, using standard shell+syntax:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print > foo.txt+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some commands (print, register, stats, the balance commands) also+provide the \f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] option, which does the same thing+without needing the shell.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -o foo.txt+$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Output format+.PP+Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the+terminal.+Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(25.9n) lw(9.1n) lw(9.1n) lw(11.7n) lw(7.8n) lw(6.5n).+T{+-+T}@T{+txt+T}@T{+csv+T}@T{+html+T}@T{+json+T}@T{+sql+T}+_+T{+aregister+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balance+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1,2\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balancesheet+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balancesheetequity+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+cashflow+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+incomestatement+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+print+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+register+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[I]1 Also affected by the balance commands\[aq] \f[VI]--layout\f[I]+option.\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[I]2 \f[VI]balance\f[I] does not support html output without a report+interval or with \f[VI]--budget\f[I].\f[R]+.PP+The output format is selected by the \f[V]-O/--output-format=FMT\f[R]+option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the+\f[V]-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT\f[R] option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]-O\f[R] option can be combined with \f[V]-o\f[R] to override+the file extension, if needed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some notes about the various output formats:+.SS CSV output+.IP \[bu] 2+In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+disabled automatically.+.SS HTML output+.IP \[bu] 2+HTML output can be styled by an optional \f[V]hledger.css\f[R] file in+the same directory.+.SS JSON output+.IP \[bu] 2+This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.+.IP \[bu] 2+Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful+representation of hledger\[aq]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.+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger represents quantities as Decimal values storing up to 255+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 don\[aq]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)+.SS SQL output+.IP \[bu] 2+This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.+.IP \[bu] 2+SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and Postgres.+.IP \[bu] 2+For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated+\f[V]id\f[R] field to be a PRIMARY KEY.+Eg:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -O sql | sed \[aq]s/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g\[aq] | ...+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+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+\f[V]delete\f[R] or \f[V]truncate\f[R] SQL statements) or drop tables+completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.+.SS Commodity styles+.PP+When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for+each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.+.PP+If needed, this can be overridden by a \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]+option (except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the+\f[V]print\f[R] command, which are always displayed with all decimal+digits).+For example, the following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as+shown:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -c \[aq]$1.000,0\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple+commodities/currencies.+Its argument is as described in the commodity directive.+.SS Colour+.PP+In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal+supports it:+.IP \[bu] 2+if the \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option is given a value of+\f[V]yes\f[R] or \f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]),+colour will (or will not) be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, if the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable is set, colour+will not be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) supports+it.+.SS Box-drawing+.PP+In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to+render prettier tables:+.IP \[bu] 2+if the \f[V]--pretty\f[R] option is given a value of \f[V]yes\f[R] or+\f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]), unicode+characters will (or will not) be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.+.SS Paging+.PP+When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the+pager specified by the \f[V]PAGER\f[R] environment variable, or+\f[V]less\f[R], or \f[V]more\f[R].+(A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than+scrolling everything off screen).+Currently it does this only for help output, not for reports;+specifically,+.IP \[bu] 2+when listing commands, with \f[V]hledger\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+when showing help with \f[V]hledger [CMD] --help\f[R],+.IP \[bu] 2+when viewing manuals with \f[V]hledger help\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger --man\f[R].+.PP+Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg+for bold emphasis.+For the common pager \f[V]less\f[R] (and its \f[V]more\f[R]+compatibility mode), we add \f[V]R\f[R] to the \f[V]LESS\f[R] and+\f[V]MORE\f[R] environment variables to make this work.+If you use a different pager, you might need to configure it similarly,+to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).+Otherwise, you can set the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable to 1+to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).+.SS Debug output+.PP+We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+develop.+You can add \f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R] to any hledger command line to see+additional debug output.+N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to 9 (maximum output).+Typically you would start with 1 and increase until you are seeing+enough.+Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected by+\f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+\f[V]2>&1\f[R]).+It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help reveal when+parts of the code are evaluated.+To capture debug output in a log file instead, you can usually redirect+stderr, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Environment+.PP+These environment variables affect hledger:+.PP+\f[B]COLUMNS\f[R] This is normally set by your terminal; some hledger+commands (\f[V]register\f[R]) will format their output to this width.+If not set, they will try to use the available terminal width.+.PP+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The main journal file to use when not specified+with \f[V]-f/--file\f[R].+Default: \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]NO_COLOR\f[R] If this environment variable is set (with any value),+hledger will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless+overridden by an explicit \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option.+.SH PART 2: DATA FORMATS+.PP+.SH Journal+.PP+hledger\[aq]s default file format, representing a General Journal.+Here\[aq]s a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About+journal format.+.SS Journal cheatsheet+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Here is the main syntax of hledger\[aq]s journal format+# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++###############################################################################+# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word \[dq]comment\[dq].++# hash comment line+; semicolon comment line+comment+These lines+are commented.+end comment++# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++###############################################################################+# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+alias chkg = assets:checking+commodity $0.00+decimal-mark .+include /dev/null+payee Whole Foods+P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+\[ti] monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+    expenses:food       $400+    expenses:home      $1000+    budgeted++###############################################################################+# 3. Transactions are what it\[aq]s all about; they are dated events,+# usually describing movements of money.+# They begin with a date.++# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+#               ; \[ha]\[ha] At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning \[dq]pending\[dq] or \[dq]cleared\[dq].+    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+    ; Amounts\[aq] sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also \[dq]accounts\[dq]++2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+    expenses:clothing       GBP 10+    assets:gringotts           -10 gold+    assets:pouch                10 gold+    revenues:gifts              -2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; Complex symbols+    assets:bag                   2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; must be double-quoted.++2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with \[at] or \[at]\[at]+    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA \[at] $1.50  ; \[at]  means per-unit cost+    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA \[at]\[at] $4    ; \[at]\[at] means total cost+    assets:checking            $-7.00++2022-01-02 assert balances+    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+    assets:savings              $0      = $1000++1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+    ; Postings are not required.++2022.01.01 These date+2022/1/1   formats are+12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).+\f[R]+.fi+.SS About journal format+.PP+hledger\[aq]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 \f[V].journal\f[R], but that\[aq]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.+.PP+hledger\[aq]s journal format is compatible with most of Ledger\[aq]s+journal format, but not all of it.+The differences and interoperation tips are described at hledger and+Ledger.+With some care, and by avoiding incompatible features, you can keep your+hledger journal readable by Ledger and vice versa.+This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour of one app against the+other.+.PP+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.+.PP+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 hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier,+adding colour, formatting, tab completion, and useful commands.+See Editor configuration at hledger.org for the full list.+.PP+Here\[aq]s a description of each part of the file format (and+hledger\[aq]s data model).+.PP+A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,+transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction rules and+auto posting rules as directives).+.SS Comments+.PP+Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash+(\f[V]#\f[R]) or a semicolon (\f[V];\f[R]).+(See also Other syntax.)+hledger will also ignore regions beginning with a \f[V]comment\f[R] line+and ending with an \f[V]end comment\f[R] line (or file end).+Here\[aq]s a suggestion for choosing between them:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]#\f[R] for top-level notes+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V];\f[R] for commenting out things temporarily+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]comment\f[R] for quickly commenting large regions (remember+it\[aq]s there, or you might get confused)+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# a comment line+; another commentline+comment+A multi-line comment block,+continuing until \[dq]end comment\[dq] directive+or the end of the current file.+end comment+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from+; (semicolon) to end of line.+See Transaction comments, Posting comments, and Account comments below.+.SS Transactions+.PP+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.+.PP+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 optional fields, separated+by spaces:+.IP \[bu] 2+a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)+.IP \[bu] 2+a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon)+.IP \[bu] 2+a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line,+and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon)+.IP \[bu] 2+0 or more indented \f[I]posting\f[R] lines, describing what was+transferred and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also+allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines).+.PP+Here\[aq]s a simple journal file containing one transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2008/01/01 income+  assets:bank:checking   $1+  income:salary         $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Dates+.SS Simple dates+.PP+Dates in the journal file use \f[I]simple dates\f[R] format:+\f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R],+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+\f[V]Y\f[R] directive, or the current date when the command is run.+Some examples: \f[V]2010-01-31\f[R], \f[V]2010/01/31\f[R],+\f[V]2010.1.31\f[R], \f[V]1/31\f[R].+.PP+(The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart+dates documented in the hledger manual.)+.SS Posting dates+.PP+You can give individual postings a different date from their parent+transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below)+like \f[V]date:DATE\f[R].+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2015/5/30+    expenses:food     $10  ; food purchased on saturday 5/30+    assets:checking        ; bank cleared it on monday, date:6/1+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j register food+2015-05-30                      expenses:food                  $10           $10+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j register checking+2015-06-01                      assets:checking               $-10          $-10+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use+the year of the transaction\[aq]s date.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+The \f[V]date:\f[R] tag must have a valid simple date value if it is+present, eg a \f[V]date:\f[R] tag with no value is not allowed.+.SS Status+.PP+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:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+mark \ +T}@T{+status+T}+_+T{+\ +T}@T{+unmarked+T}+T{+\f[V]!\f[R]+T}@T{+pending+T}+T{+\f[V]*\f[R]+T}@T{+cleared+T}+.TE+.PP+When reporting, you can filter by status with the+\f[V]-U/--unmarked\f[R], \f[V]-P/--pending\f[R], and+\f[V]-C/--cleared\f[R] flags; or the \f[V]status:\f[R],+\f[V]status:!\f[R], and \f[V]status:*\f[R] queries; or the U, P, C keys+in hledger-ui.+.PP+Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the \[dq]unmarked\[dq]+state is called \[dq]uncleared\[dq].+As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity.+.PP+To replicate Ledger and old hledger\[aq]s behaviour of also matching+pending, combine -U and -P.+.PP+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 toggle transaction status with C-c C-e,+or posting status with C-c C-c.+.PP+What \[dq]uncleared\[dq], \[dq]pending\[dq], and \[dq]cleared\[dq]+actually mean is up to you.+Here\[aq]s one suggestion:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(9.7n) lw(60.3n).+T{+status+T}@T{+meaning+T}+_+T{+uncleared+T}@T{+recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review+T}+T{+pending+T}@T{+tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconciliation)+T}+T{+cleared+T}@T{+complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered correct+T}+.TE+.PP+With this scheme, you would use \f[V]-PC\f[R] to see the current balance+at your bank, \f[V]-U\f[R] 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.+.SS Code+.PP+After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally+write a transaction \[dq]code\[dq], enclosed in parentheses.+This is a good place to record a check number, or some other important+transaction id or reference number.+.SS Description+.PP+A transaction\[aq]s description is the rest of the line following the+date and status mark (or until a comment begins).+Sometimes called the \[dq]narration\[dq] in traditional bookkeeping, it+can be used for whatever you wish, or left blank.+Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments.+.SS Payee and note+.PP+You can optionally include a \f[V]|\f[R] (pipe) character in+descriptions to subdivide the description into separate fields for+payee/payer name on the left (up to the first \f[V]|\f[R]) and an+additional note field on the right (after the first \f[V]|\f[R]).+This may be worthwhile if you need to do more precise querying and+pivoting by payee or by note.+.SS Transaction comments+.PP+Text following \f[V];\f[R], after a transaction description, and/or on+indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.+They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except+they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+    ; a second line of transaction comment+    expenses   1+    assets+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Postings+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+(optional) a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R]),+followed by a space+.IP \[bu] 2+(required) an account name (any text, optionally containing \f[B]single+spaces\f[R], until end of line or a double space)+.IP \[bu] 2+(optional) \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] or tabs followed by an amount.+.PP+Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are+being removed.+.PP+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.+.PP+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 the amount,+the amount will be considered part of the account name.+.SS Account names+.PP+Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.+As in Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts+(such as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as \[dq]money+borrowed from Frank\[dq] or \[dq]money spent on electricity\[dq].+.PP+You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the+traditional accounting categories, which in english are+\f[V]assets\f[R], \f[V]liabilities\f[R], \f[V]equity\f[R],+\f[V]revenues\f[R], \f[V]expenses\f[R].+(You might see these referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)+.PP+For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+name parts.+For example, from the account names \f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:food\f[R], hledger will infer this hierarchy of five+accounts:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+assets+assets:bank+assets:bank:checking+expenses+expenses:food+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+assets+ bank+  checking+expenses+ food+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can+go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+names relatively simple may be best when starting out.+.PP+Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,+numbers, symbols, or single spaces.+Note, when an account name and an amount are written on the same line,+they must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] (or tabs).+.PP+Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate virtual+postings, described below.+Parentheses or brackets internal to the account name have no special+meaning.+.PP+Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account+aliases.+.SS Amounts+.PP+After the account name, there is usually an amount.+(Important: between account name and amount, there must be \f[B]two or+more spaces\f[R].)+.PP+hledger\[aq]s amount format is flexible, supporting several+international formats.+Here are some examples.+Amounts have a number (the \[dq]quantity\[dq]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\&..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 space:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$1+4000 AAPL+3 \[dq]green apples\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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+commodity symbol:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+-$1+$-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when+parsing (but they won\[aq]t be displayed in output):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]++ $1+$-      1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Scientific E notation is allowed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1E-6+EUR 1E3+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Decimal marks, digit group marks+.PP+A \f[I]decimal mark\f[R] can be written as a period or a comma:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1.23+1,23456780000009+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups+of digits can optionally be separated by a \f[I]digit group mark\f[R] -+a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+     $1,000,000.00+  EUR 2.000.000,00+INR 9,99,99,999.00+      1 000 000.9455+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note, a number containing a single digit group mark and no decimal mark+is ambiguous.+Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1,000+1.000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you don\[aq]t tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the+above are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1.+.PP+To prevent confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos, especially+if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we+recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each+journal file, using a directive at the top of the file.+The \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive is best, otherwise+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directives will also work.+These are described below.+.SS Commodity+.PP+Amounts in hledger have both a \[dq]quantity\[dq], which is a signed+decimal number, and a \[dq]commodity\[dq], which is a currency symbol,+stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are+tracking.+.PP+If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or+punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes+(\f[V]\[dq]green apples\[dq]\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]ABC123\[dq]\f[R]).+.PP+If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with+name \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R]; we call that the \[dq]no-symbol+commodity\[dq].+.PP+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:+\f[V]1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 TSLA\f[R].+In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger\[aq]s+output; you can\[aq]t write them directly in the journal file.+.PP+(If you are writing scripts or working with hledger\[aq]s internals,+these are the \f[V]Amount\f[R] and \f[V]MixedAmount\f[R] types.)+.SS Directives influencing number parsing and display+.PP+You can add \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] and \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to+the journal, to declare and control these things more explicitly and+precisely.+These are described below, but here\[aq]s a quick example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+decimal-mark .++# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+commodity 1 000 000.9455+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+.SS Commodity display style+.PP+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+\f[V]print\f[R] command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits+visible.)+.PP+A commodity\[aq]s display style is inferred as follows.+.PP+First, if a default commodity is declared with \f[V]D\f[R], this+commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the+journal.+.PP+Then each commodity\[aq]s style is inferred from one of the following,+in order of preference:+.IP \[bu] 2+The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol+commodity), if any.+.IP \[bu] 2+The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal\[aq]s transactions.+(Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored,+currently.)+.IP \[bu] 2+The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: \f[V]$1000.00\f[R].+(Symbol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.)+.PP+A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first+amount+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group+sizes), if any+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the maximum number of decimal places of all.+.PP+Cost amounts don\[aq]t affect the commodity display style directly, but+occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting\[aq]s amount+is inferred using a cost).+If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the+display style.+.PP+To summarise: each commodity\[aq]s amounts will be normalised to (a) the+style declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] 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\[aq]t like, eg+with too many decimal places, use a commodity directive.+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+commodity 1 000.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command+line option.+.SS Rounding+.PP+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\[aq]s rounding: it rounds to the nearest even+number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal places is \[dq]0\[dq]).+.PP+.SS Costs+.PP+After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either+\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after it.+This indicates a conversion transaction, where one commodity is+exchanged for another.+.PP+(You might also see this called \[dq]transaction price\[dq] in hledger+docs, discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and+reminded that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just+call it \[dq]cost\[dq], with the understanding that the transaction+could be a purchase or a sale.)+.PP+Costs are usually written explicitly with \f[V]\[at]\f[R] or+\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R], but can also be inferred automatically for simple+multi-commodity transactions.+Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the+first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.+.PP+As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or+implicitly:+.IP "1." 3+Write the price per unit, as \f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] after the amount:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+  assets:dollars                 ; balancing amount is -$135.00+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Write the total price, as \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after the+amount:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100 \[at]\[at] $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+  assets:dollars+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "3." 3+Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and let+hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.+Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting,+making it \f[V]€100 \[at]\[at] $135\f[R], as in example 2:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING+section.+.PP+Note that the cost normally should be a positive amount, though it\[aq]s+not required to be.+This can be a little confusing, see discussion at --infer-market-prices:+market prices from transactions.+.SS Other cost/lot notations+.PP+A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.+Ledger has a number of cost/lot-related notations:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at selling time+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V](\[at]) UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V](\[at]\[at]) TOTALCOST\f[R] (virtual+cost)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+like the above, but also means \[dq]this cost was exceptional, don\[aq]t+use it when inferring market prices\[dq].+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger treats the above like \f[V]\[at]\f[R] and+\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R]; the parentheses are ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{=FIXEDUNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}\f[R] (fixed+price)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, means \[dq]this cost is also the fixed price, don\[aq]t let+it fluctuate in value reports\[dq]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] (lot price)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+can be used identically to \f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and+\f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R], also creates a lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, combined with \f[V]\[at] ...\f[R], specifies an investment+lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+and related: \f[V][YYYY/MM/DD]\f[R] (lot date)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V](SOME TEXT)\f[R] (lot note)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, attaches this note to the lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, selects a lot by its note+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after+the posting amount, but ignores them.+(This can break transaction balancing.)+.PP+For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with+\f[V]{...}\f[R]: documents the cost/selling price (not used for+transaction balancing)+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction balancing,+and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling (reducing),+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+selects a lot by its cost basis+.IP \[bu] 2+raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected+unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses the selling price for transaction balancing+.RE+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger accepts the+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R]/\f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] notation but ignores it.+.IP \[bu] 2+variations: \f[V]{}\f[R], \f[V]{YYYY-MM-DD}\f[R],+\f[V]{\[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R], \f[V]{UNITCOST, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R],+\f[V]{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R] etc.+.PP+Currently, hledger rejects these.+.SS Balance assertions+.PP+hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files.+These look like, for example, \f[V]= EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R] following a+posting\[aq]s amount.+Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after+each posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a   $1  =$1+  b       =$-1++2013/1/2+  a   $1  =$2+  b  $-1  =$-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance 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+\f[V]-I/--ignore-assertions\f[R] flag, which can be useful for+troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files.+(Note: this flag currently does not disable balance assignments,+described below).+.SS Assertions and ordering+.PP+hledger sorts an account\[aq]s postings and assertions first by date and+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.)+.PP+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.+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.+.SS Assertions and multiple included files+.PP+Multiple files included with the \f[V]include\f[R] directive are+processed as if concatenated into one file, preserving their order and+the posting order within each file.+It means that balance assertions in later files will see balance from+earlier files.+.PP+And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split+across multiple files, and you want to assert the account\[aq]s balance+on that day, you\[aq]ll need to put the assertion in the right file -+the last one in the sequence, probably.+.SS Assertions and multiple -f files+.PP+Unlike \f[V]include\f[R], when multiple files are specified on the+command line with multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options, balance+assertions will not see balance from earlier files.+This can be useful when you do not want problems in earlier files to+disrupt valid assertions in later files.+.PP+If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use+\f[V]include\f[R], or concatenate the files temporarily.+.SS Assertions and commodities+.PP+The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in+fact the assertion checks only this commodity\[aq]s balance within the+(possibly multi-commodity) account balance.+This is how assertions work in Ledger also.+We could call this a \[dq]partial\[dq] balance assertion.+.PP+To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can+write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity\[aq]s balance.+.PP+You can make a stronger \[dq]total\[dq] balance assertion by writing a+double equals sign (\f[V]== EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R]).+This asserts that there are no other commodities in the account besides+the asserted one (or at least, that their balance is 0).+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a   $1+  a    1€+  b  $-1+  c   -1€++2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+  a    0  =  $1+  a    0  =   1€+  b    0 == $-1+  c    0 ==  -1€++2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as \[aq]a\[aq] also contains 1€+  a    0 ==  $1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance+that has multiple commodities.+One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a:usd   $1+  a:euro   1€+  b++2013/1/2+  a        0 ==  0+  a:usd    0 == $1+  a:euro   0 ==  1€+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Assertions and prices+.PP+Balance assertions ignore costs, and should normally be written without+one:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  (a)     $1 \[at] €1 = $1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them,+even though they don\[aq]t affect whether the assertion passes or fails.+This is for backward compatibility (hledger\[aq]s close command used to+generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance+\f[I]assignments\f[R] do use them (see below).+.SS Assertions and subaccounts+.PP+The balance assertions above (\f[V]=\f[R] and \f[V]==\f[R]) do not count+the balance from subaccounts; they check the account\[aq]s exclusive+balance only.+You can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing \f[V]=*\f[R]+or \f[V]==*\f[R], eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  equity:opening balances+  checking:a       5+  checking:b       5+  checking         1  ==* 11+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Assertions and virtual postings+.PP+Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+are not affected by the \f[V]--real/-R\f[R] flag or \f[V]real:\f[R]+query.+.SS Assertions and auto postings+.PP+Balance assertions \f[I]are\f[R] affected by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag,+which generates auto postings, which can alter account balances.+Because auto postings are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them+effectively have two balances.+But balance assertions can only test one or the other of these.+So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:+.IP \[bu] 2+assert the balance calculated with \f[V]--auto\f[R], and always use+\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file+.IP \[bu] 2+or assert the balance calculated without \f[V]--auto\f[R], and never use+\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file+.IP \[bu] 2+or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or+avoid auto postings entirely).+.SS Assertions and precision+.PP+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 assertion failure messages show exact amounts.+.SS Posting comments+.PP+Text following \f[V];\f[R], at the end of a posting line, and/or on+indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.+They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except+they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2012-01-01+    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+    assets+    ; a comment for posting 2+    ; a second comment line for posting 2+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Tags+.PP+Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,+postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.+.PP+They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed+by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account directive\[aq]s+comment.+(This is an exception to the usual rule that things in comments are+ignored.)+Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on the checking account,+two on the transaction, and one on the expenses posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+    ; transactiontag-2:+    assets:checking        $-1+    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.+And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and+postings\[aq] accounts).+So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively has all four+tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the transaction+also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses posting).+.PP+You can list tag names with \f[V]hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]\f[R], or match+by tag name with a \f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX\f[R] query.+.SS Tag values+.PP+Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a+comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).+Note this means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.+Eg in the following posting, the three tags\[aq] values are \[dq]value+1\[dq], \[dq]value 2\[dq], and \[dq]\[dq] (empty) respectively:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overriding:+when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the new+name:value pair is added to the tags.+(It is not possible to override a tag\[aq]s value or remove a tag.)+.PP+You can list a tag\[aq]s values with+\f[V]hledger tags TAGNAME --values\f[R], or match by tag value with a+\f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX\f[R] query.+.SS Directives+.PP+Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a+\f[V]journal\f[R] file: directives.+These are declarations, beginning with a keyword, that modify+hledger\[aq]s behaviour.+Some directives can have more specific subdirectives, indented below+them.+hledger\[aq]s directives are similar to Ledger\[aq]s in many cases, but+there are also many differences.+Directives are not required, but can be useful.+Here are the main directives:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(39.7n) lw(30.3n).+T{+purpose+T}@T{+directive+T}+_+T{+\f[B]READING DATA:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Rewrite account names+T}@T{+\f[V]alias\f[R]+T}+T{+Comment out sections of the file+T}@T{+\f[V]comment\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare file\[aq]s decimal mark, to help parse amounts accurately+T}@T{+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+T}+T{+Include other data files+T}@T{+\f[V]include\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]GENERATING DATA:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Generate recurring transactions or budget goals+T}@T{+\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]+T}+T{+Generate extra postings on existing transactions+T}@T{+\f[V]=\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]CHECKING FOR ERRORS:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Define valid entities to provide more error checking+T}@T{+\f[V]account\f[R], \f[V]commodity\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]tag\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]REPORTING:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Declare accounts\[aq] type and display order+T}@T{+\f[V]account\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare commodity display styles+T}@T{+\f[V]commodity\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare market prices+T}@T{+\f[V]P\f[R]+T}+.TE+.SS Directives and multiple files+.PP+Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which input+files they affect.+Most often, a directive will affect the following entries and included+files if any, until the end of the current file - and no further.+You might find this inconvenient!+For example, \f[V]alias\f[R] directives do not affect parent or sibling+files.+But there are usually workarounds; for example, put \f[V]alias\f[R]+directives in your top-most file, before including other files.+.PP+The restriction, though it may be annoying at first, is in a good cause;+it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of the+order of input.+Without it, reports could show different numbers depending on the order+of -f options, or the positions of include directives in your files.+.SS Directive effects+.PP+Here are all hledger\[aq]s directives, with their effects and scope+summarised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider+non-essential:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(3.5n) lw(64.1n) lw(2.4n).+T{+directive+T}@T{+what it does+T}@T{+ends at file end?+T}+_+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]account\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; and its+display order and type.+Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]alias\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of current file+or \f[V]end aliases\f[R].+Command line equivalent: \f[V]--alias\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]comment\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file or+\f[V]end comment\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]commodity\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares up to four things: 1.+a commodity symbol, for checking all amounts in all files 2.+the decimal mark for parsing amounts of this commodity, in the following+entries until end of current file (if there is no \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+directive) 3.+and the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.+which is also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in+this commodity.+Takes precedence over \f[V]D\f[R].+Subdirectives: \f[V]format\f[R] (Ledger-compatible syntax).+Command line equivalent: \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]+T}@T{+N,Y,N,N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all commodities in+following entries until next \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] or end of current+file.+Included files can override.+Takes precedence over \f[V]commodity\f[R] and \f[V]D\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Includes entries and directives from another file, as if they were+written inline.+Command line alternative: multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R]+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]payee\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]P\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value+reports.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]\[ti]\f[B]\f[R] (tilde)+T}@T{+Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future transactions+with \f[V]--forecast\f[R] and budget goals with+\f[V]balance --budget\f[R].+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+Other syntax:+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]apply account\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Prepends a common parent account to all account names, in following+entries until end of current file or \f[V]end apply account\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]D\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if there is+no \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive for this commodity: its decimal mark,+balancing precision, and display style, as above.+T}@T{+Y,Y,N,N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]Y\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following entries+until end of current file.+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]=\f[B]\f[R] (equals)+T}@T{+Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on matched+transactions with \f[V]--auto\f[R], in current, parent, and child files+(but not sibling files, see #1212).+T}@T{+partly+T}+T{+\f[B]Other Ledger directives\f[R]+T}@T{+Other directives from Ledger\[aq]s file format are accepted but ignored.+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.SS \f[V]account\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]account\f[R] 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:+.IP \[bu] 2+They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a+reference.+.IP \[bu] 2+In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by+transactions, which helps detect typos.+.IP \[bu] 2+They control account display order in reports, allowing non-alphabetic+sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).+.IP \[bu] 2+They help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,+hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags+which can be used to filter or pivot reports.+.IP \[bu] 2+They can help hledger know your accounts\[aq] types (asset, liability,+equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and+incomestatement.+.PP+They are written as the word \f[V]account\f[R] followed by a+hledger-style account name, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not+allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts+used in postings.+So the following journal will not parse:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account (assets:bank:checking)+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account comments+.PP+Text following \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] and \f[V];\f[R] at the end+of an account directive line, and/or following \f[V];\f[R] on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that account.+They are ignored except they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.PP+The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because+\f[V];\f[R] is allowed in account names.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+  ; next-line comment+  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account subdirectives+.PP+Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently+ignored:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking+  format subdirective is ignored+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account error checking+.PP+By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when+a posting references them.+This is convenient, but it means hledger can\[aq]t warn you when you+mis-spell an account name in the journal.+Usually you\[aq]ll find that error later, as an extra account in balance+reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.+.PP+In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,+hledger will report an error if any transaction uses an account name+that has not been declared by an account directive.+Some notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct+account name capitalisation.+.IP \[bu] 2+The account directive\[aq]s scope is \[dq]whole file and below\[dq] (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\[aq]s usual to put them at the top.+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts can only be declared in \f[V]journal\f[R] files, but will+affect included files of all types.+.IP \[bu] 2+It\[aq]s currently not possible to declare \[dq]all possible+subaccounts\[dq] with a wildcard; every account posted to must be+declared.+.SS Account display order+.PP+The order in which account directives are written influences the order+in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.+By default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these+account directives to the journal file:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets+account liabilities+account equity+account revenues+account expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts -1+assets+liabilities+equity+revenues+expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.+.PP+Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within each group of+sibling accounts under the same parent.+And currently, this directive:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account other:zoo+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+would influence the position of \f[V]zoo\f[R] among+\f[V]other\f[R]\[aq]s subaccounts, but not the position of+\f[V]other\f[R] among the top-level accounts.+This means:+.IP \[bu] 2+you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg \f[V]account other\f[R]+above) that you don\[aq]t intend to post to, just to customize their+display order+.IP \[bu] 2+sibling accounts stay together (you couldn\[aq]t display \f[V]x:y\f[R]+in between \f[V]a:b\f[R] and \f[V]a:c\f[R]).+.SS Account types+.PP+hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+expenses and so on.+This enables easy reports like balancesheet and incomestatement, and+filtering by account type with the \f[V]type:\f[R] query.+.PP+As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically+if you are using common english-language top-level account names+(described below).+But generally we recommend you declare types explicitly, by adding a+\f[V]type:\f[R] tag to your top-level account directives.+Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.+The tag\[aq]s value should be one of the five main account types:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]A\f[R] or \f[V]Asset\f[R] (things you own)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]L\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] (things you owe)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]E\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] (investment/ownership; balanced+counterpart of assets & liabilities)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]R\f[R] or \f[V]Revenue\f[R] (what you received money from, AKA+income; technically part of Equity)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]X\f[R] or \f[V]Expense\f[R] (what you spend money on; technically+part of Equity)+.PP+or, it can be (these are used less often):+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]C\f[R] or \f[V]Cash\f[R] (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid+assets for the cashflow report)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]V\f[R] or \f[V]Conversion\f[R] (a subtype of Equity, for+conversions (see COST REPORTING).)+.PP+Here is a typical set of account type declarations:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets             ; type: A+account liabilities        ; type: L+account equity             ; type: E+account revenues           ; type: R+account expenses           ; type: X++account assets:bank        ; type: C+account assets:cash        ; type: C++account equity:conversion  ; type: V+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here are some tips for working with account types.+.IP \[bu] 2+The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.+These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going; if+they don\[aq]t work for you, just ignore them and declare your account+types.+See also Regular expressions.+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+If account\[aq]s name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+--------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+\[ha]assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+\[ha](debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+\[ha]equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+\[ha]equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+\[ha](income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+\[ha]expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+If you declare any account types, it\[aq]s a good idea to declare an+account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and+name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.+.IP \[bu] 2+Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.+See Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.+.IP \[bu] 2+As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent+account.+More precisely, an account\[aq]s type is decided by the first of these+that exists:+.RS 2+.IP "1." 3+A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration for this account.+.IP "2." 3+A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration in the parent accounts above it,+preferring the nearest.+.IP "3." 3+An account type inferred from this account\[aq]s name.+.IP "4." 3+An account type inferred from a parent account\[aq]s name, preferring+the nearest parent.+.IP "5." 3+Otherwise, it will have no type.+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.SS \f[V]alias\f[R] directive+.PP+You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+parts of them, before generating reports.+This can be useful for:+.IP \[bu] 2+expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier+data entry and a less verbose journal+.IP \[bu] 2+adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy+.IP \[bu] 2+combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on+one line+.IP \[bu] 2+customising reports+.PP+Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.+They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or+hledger-web.+.PP+Account aliases are very powerful.+They are generally easy to use correctly, but you can also generate+invalid account names with them; more on this below.+.PP+See also Rewrite account names.+.SS Basic aliases+.PP+To set an account alias, use the \f[V]alias\f[R] 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias OLD = NEW+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Or, you can use the \f[V]--alias \[aq]OLD=NEW\[aq]\f[R] option on the+command line.+This affects all entries.+It\[aq]s useful for trying out aliases interactively.+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking+; rewrites \[dq]checking\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq], or \[dq]checking:a\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking:a\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Regex aliases+.PP+There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.+(This is the only place where hledger requires forward slashes around a+regular expression.)+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger --alias \[aq]/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\[aq] ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by+REPLACEMENT.+REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.+.PP+If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+\f[V]/\[rs]/=:\f[R].+.PP+If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced by+the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias /\[ha](.+):bank:([\[ha]:]+):(.*)/ = \[rs]1:\[rs]2 \[rs]3+; rewrites \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq] to  \[dq]assets:wells fargo checking\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of+option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.+.SS Combining aliases+.PP+You can define as many aliases as you like, using journal directives+and/or command line options.+.PP+Recursive aliases - where an account name is rewritten by one alias,+then by another alias, and so on - are allowed.+Each alias sees the effect of previously applied aliases.+.PP+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 entry, we apply:+.IP "1." 3+\f[V]alias\f[R] directives preceding the journal entry, most recently+parsed first (ie, reading upward from the journal entry, bottom to top)+.IP "2." 3+\f[V]--alias\f[R] options, in the order they appeared on the command+line (left to right).+.PP+In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:+.IP \[bu] 2+the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first+.IP \[bu] 2+the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on+.IP \[bu] 2+aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.+.PP+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.+.PP+In case of trouble, adding \f[V]--debug=6\f[R] to the command line will+show which aliases are being applied when.+.SS Aliases and multiple files+.PP+As explained at Directives and multiple files, \f[V]alias\f[R]+directives do not affect parent or sibling files.+Eg in this command,+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger -f a.aliases -f b.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+account aliases defined in a.aliases will not affect b.journal.+Including the aliases doesn\[aq]t work either:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include a.aliases++2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+  foo  1+  bar+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This means that account aliases should usually be declared at the start+of your top-most file, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias foo=Foo+alias bar=Bar++2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+  foo  1+  bar++include c.journal  ; also affected+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]end aliases\f[R] directive+.PP+You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the+journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+end aliases+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Aliases can generate bad account names+.PP+Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which+could cause confusing reports or invalid \f[V]print\f[R] output.+For example, you could erase all account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+  a:aa     1+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --alias \[aq]/.*/=\[aq]+2021-01-01+                   1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The above \f[V]print\f[R] output is not a valid journal.+Or you could insert an illegal double space, causing \f[V]print\f[R]+output that would give a different journal when reparsed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+  old    1+  other+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --alias old=\[dq]new  USD\[dq] | hledger -f- print+2021-01-01+    new             USD 1+    other+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Aliases and account types+.PP+If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in+effect.+.PP+However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg renaming+parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could prevent+child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.+.PP+Secondly, if an account\[aq]s type is being inferred from its name,+renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.+.PP+If you are using account aliases and the \f[V]type:\f[R] query is not+matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts+command, eg something like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive+.PP+You can use \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to declare your commodities.+In fact the \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive performs several functions at+once:+.IP "1." 3+It declares commodities which may be used in the journal.+This can optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking.+(Cf Commodity error checking)+.IP "2." 3+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 \f[V]1,000\f[R] and+\f[V]1.000\f[R] as 1.+(Cf Amounts)+.IP "3." 3+It declares how to render the commodity\[aq]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 style)+.PP+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.+.PP+Generally you should put them at the top of your journal file (since for+function 2, they affect only following amounts, cf #793).+.PP+A commodity directive is just the word \f[V]commodity\f[R] followed by a+sample amount, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;commodity SAMPLEAMOUNT++commodity $1000.00+commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA  ; optional same-line comment+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the \f[V]format\f[R]+subdirective, as in Ledger.+Note in this case the commodity symbol appears twice; it must be the+same in both places:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;commodity SYMBOL+;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+commodity INR+  format INR 1,00,00,000.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.PP+Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or+punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).+.PP+The amount\[aq]s quantity does not matter; only the format is+significant.+It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a comma - followed+by 0 or more decimal digits.+.PP+A few more examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# number formats for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.0+commodity 1 000 000.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note hledger normally uses banker\[aq]s rounding, so 0.5 displayed with+zero decimal digits is \[dq]0\[dq].+(More at Commodity display style.)+.PP+Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display+style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.+.SS Commodity error checking+.PP+In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,+hledger will report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not+been declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive.+This works similarly to account error checking, see the notes there for+more details.+.PP+Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because+currently it\[aq]s not possible (?)+to declare the \[dq]no-symbol\[dq] commodity with a directive.+This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts are always allowed+to have no commodity symbol.+.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive+.PP+You can use a \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive - usually one per file,+at the top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal+mark when parsing amounts in this file.+It can look like+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark .+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we+recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg+thousands separators).+.SS \f[V]include\f[R] directive+.PP+You can pull in the content of additional files by writing an include+directive, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include FILEPATH+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Only journal files can include, and only journal, timeclock or timedot+files can be included (not CSV files, currently).+.PP+If the file path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the+current file\[aq]s folder.+.PP+A tilde means home directory, eg: \f[V]include \[ti]/main.journal\f[R].+.PP+The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:+\f[V]include *.journal\f[R].+.PP+There is limited support for recursive wildcards: \f[V]**/\f[R] (the+slash is required) matches 0 or more subdirectories.+It\[aq]s not super convenient since you have to avoid include cycles and+including directories, but this can be done, eg:+\f[V]include */**/*.journal\f[R].+.PP+The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format,+overriding the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input+files): \f[V]include timedot:\[ti]/notes/2023*.md\f[R].+.SS \f[V]P\f[R] directive+.PP+The \f[V]P\f[R] directive declares a market price, which is a conversion+rate between two commodities on a certain date.+This allows value reports to convert amounts of one commodity to their+value in another, on or after that date.+These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange, cryptocurrency+exchange, the or foreign exchange market.+.PP+The format is:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] and \f[V]--value\f[R] flags use these+market prices to show amount values in another commodity.+See Valuation.+.PP+.SS \f[V]payee\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]payee PAYEE NAME\f[R]+.PP+This directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees which may+appear in transaction descriptions.+The \[dq]payees\[dq] check will report an error if any transaction+refers to a payee that has not been declared.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+payee Whole Foods+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.SS \f[V]tag\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]tag TAGNAME\f[R]+.PP+This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names allowed+in tags.+TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+tag  item-id+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.PP+The \[dq]tags\[dq] check will report an error if any undeclared tag name+is used.+It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use of+colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can+declare and check your tags .+.SS Periodic transactions+.PP+The \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] directive declares recurring transactions.+Such directives allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions+(visible in reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting+or budgeting.+.PP+Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+read this whole section, or at least these tips:+.IP "1." 3+Two spaces accidentally added or omitted will cause you trouble - read+about this below.+.IP "2." 3+For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with+\f[V]hledger print --forecast tag:generated\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger register --forecast tag:generated\f[R].+.IP "3." 3+Forecasted transactions will begin only after the last non-forecasted+transaction\[aq]s date.+.IP "4." 3+Forecasted transactions will end 6 months from today, by default.+See below for the exact start/end rules.+.IP "5." 3+period expressions can be tricky.+Their documentation needs improvement, but is worth studying.+.IP "6." 3+Some period expressions with a repeating interval must begin on a+natural boundary of that interval.+Eg in \f[V]weekly from DATE\f[R], DATE must be a monday.+\f[V]\[ti] weekly from 2019/10/1\f[R] (a tuesday) will give an error.+.IP "7." 3+Other period expressions with an interval are automatically expanded to+cover a whole number of that interval.+(This is done to improve reports, but it also affects periodic+transactions.+Yes, it\[aq]s a bit inconsistent with the above.)+Eg: \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2023/01\f[R], which is+equivalent to \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2023/01/01\f[R],+will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.+.SS Periodic rule syntax+.PP+A periodic transaction rule looks like a normal journal entry, with the+date replaced by a tilde (\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]) followed by a period+expression (mnemonic: \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] looks like a recurring sine+wave.):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# every first of month+\[ti] monthly+    expenses:rent          $2000+    assets:bank:checking++# every 15th of month in 2023\[aq]s first quarter:+\[ti] monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+    expenses:utilities          $400+    assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying+multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies+report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods\[aq]+start dates).+.SS Periodic rules and relative dates+.PP+Partial or relative dates (like \f[V]12/31\f[R], \f[V]25\f[R],+\f[V]tomorrow\f[R], \f[V]last week\f[R], \f[V]next quarter\f[R]) are+usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the results will change+as time passes.+If used, they will be interpreted relative to, in order of preference:+.IP "1." 3+the first day of the default year specified by a recent \f[V]Y\f[R]+directive+.IP "2." 3+or the date specified with \f[V]--today\f[R]+.IP "3." 3+or the date on which you are running the report.+.PP+They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period+dates.+.SS Two spaces between period expression and description!+.PP+If the period expression is followed by a transaction description, these+must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R].+This helps hledger know where the period expression ends, so that+descriptions can not accidentally alter their meaning, as in this+example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as \[dq]every 2 months in 2023\[dq]+;               ||+;               vv+\[ti] every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+    assets:bank:checking   $1500+    income:acme inc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+So,+.IP \[bu] 2+Do write two spaces between your period expression and your transaction+description, if any.+.IP \[bu] 2+Don\[aq]t accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period+expression.+.SS Auto postings+.PP+The \f[V]=\f[R] directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra+postings on transactions.+Wherever the rule matches an existing posting, it can add one or more+companion postings below that one, optionally influenced by the matched+posting\[aq]s amount.+This can be useful for generating tax postings with a standard+percentage, for example.+.PP+Note that depending on generated data is not ideal for financial records+(it\[aq]s less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by others,+and less robust, since other features like balance assertions will+depend on using or not using \f[V]--auto\f[R]).+.PP+An auto posting rule looks a bit like a transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= QUERY+    ACCOUNT  AMOUNT+    ...+    ACCOUNT  [AMOUNT]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: \f[V]=\f[R] suggests+matching), followed by a query (which matches existing postings), and+each \[dq]posting\[dq] line describes a posting to be generated, and the+posting amounts can be:+.IP \[bu] 2+a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]$2\f[R].+This will be used as-is.+.IP \[bu] 2+a number, eg \f[V]2\f[R].+The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched posting will be added to+this.+.IP \[bu] 2+a numeric multiplier, eg \f[V]*2\f[R] (a star followed by a number N).+The matched posting\[aq]s amount (and total price, if any) will be+multiplied by N.+.IP \[bu] 2+a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]*$2\f[R] (a star, number+N, and symbol S).+The matched posting\[aq]s amount will be multiplied by N, and its+commodity symbol will be replaced with S.+.PP+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 query term below:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= expenses:groceries \[aq]expenses:dining out\[aq]+    (budget:funds:dining out)                 *-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; every time I buy food, schedule a dollar donation+= expenses:food+    (liabilities:charity)   $-1++; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+= expenses:gifts+    assets:checking:gifts  *-1+    assets:checking         *1++2017/12/1+  expenses:food    $10+  assets:checking++2017/12/14+  expenses:gifts   $20+  assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --auto+2017-12-01+    expenses:food              $10+    assets:checking+    (liabilities:charity)      $-1++2017-12-14+    expenses:gifts             $20+    assets:checking+    assets:checking:gifts     -$20+    assets:checking            $20+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Auto postings and multiple files+.PP+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[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] are used - see #1212).+.SS Auto postings and dates+.PP+A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be+used in the generated posting.+.SS Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions+.PP+Currently, auto postings are added:+.IP \[bu] 2+after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked for+balancedness,+.IP \[bu] 2+but before balance assertions are checked.+.PP+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 for background.+.PP+This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a+missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to+infer amounts.+.SS Auto posting tags+.PP+Automated postings will have some extra tags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - shows this was generated by an+auto posting rule, and the query+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]_generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - a hidden tag, which does not+appear in hledger\[aq]s output.+This can be used to match postings generated \[dq]just now\[dq], rather+than generated in the past and saved to the journal.+.PP+Also, any transaction that has been changed by auto posting rules will+have these tags added:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]modified:\f[R] - this transaction was modified+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]_modified:\f[R] - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this+transaction was modified \[dq]just now\[dq].+.SS Auto postings on forecast transactions only+.PP+Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast+transactions but not recorded transactions, by adding+\f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R] to their QUERY.+This can be useful when generating new journal entries to be saved in+the journal.+.SS Other syntax+.PP+hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.+Note some of the features below are powerful and can be useful in+special cases, but in general, features in this section are considered+less important or even not recommended for most users.+Downsides are mentioned to help you decide if you want to use them.+.SS Balance assignments+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+2016/1/1 opening balances+  assets:checking            = $409.32+  assets:savings             = $735.24+  assets:cash                 = $42+  equity:opening balances+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or when adjusting a balance to reality:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; no cash left; update balance, record any untracked spending as a generic expense+2016/1/15+  assets:cash    = $0+  expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The calculated amount depends on the account\[aq]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).+.PP+Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;+to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the+calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.+Also balance assignments\[aq] forcing of balances can hide errors.+These things make your financial data less portable, less future-proof,+and less trustworthy in an audit.+.SS Balance assignments and prices+.PP+A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have+that price attached:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  (a)             = $1 \[at] €2+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --explicit+2019-01-01+    (a)         $1 \[at] €2 = $1 \[at] €2+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Bracketed posting dates+.PP+For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger\[aq]s+bracketed date syntax is also supported: \f[V][DATE]\f[R],+\f[V][DATE=DATE2]\f[R] or \f[V][=DATE2]\f[R] in posting comments.+hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the+\f[V]0123456789/-.=\f[R] characters in this way.+With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2+infers its year from DATE.+.PP+Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger\[aq]s+\f[V]date:\f[R]/\f[V]date2:\f[R] tags, and confusingly similar to+Ledger\[aq]s lot date syntax.+.SS \f[V]D\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]D AMOUNT\f[R]+.PP+This 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 \f[V]D\f[R] directive, or the end of+the journal.+.PP+For compatibility/historical reasons, \f[V]D\f[R] also acts like a+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive (setting the commodity\[aq]s decimal mark+for parsing and display style for output).+So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but a full amount+demonstrating the style.+The amount must include a decimal mark (either period or comma).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+D $1,000.00++1/1+  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Interactions with other directives:+.PP+For setting a commodity\[aq]s display style, a \f[V]commodity\f[R]+directive has highest priority, then a \f[V]D\f[R] directive.+.PP+For detecting a commodity\[aq]s decimal mark during parsing,+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] has highest priority, then \f[V]commodity\f[R],+then \f[V]D\f[R].+.PP+For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive is required+(\f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R] ignores \f[V]D\f[R] directives).+.PP+Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less+explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+It is usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want+to track multiple commodities.+D is overloaded with functions redundant with \f[V]commodity\f[R] and+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R].+And it works differently from Ledger\[aq]s \f[V]D\f[R].+.SS \f[V]apply account\f[R] directive+.PP+This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to+all accounts in following entries, until an \f[V]end apply account\f[R]+directive or end of current file.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+apply account home++2010/1/1+    food    $10+    cash++end apply account+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+is equivalent to:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2010/01/01+    home:food           $10+    home:cash          $-10+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[V]account\f[R] directives are also affected, and so is any+\f[V]include\f[R]d content.+.PP+Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.+.PP+Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is+prepended.+.PP+Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less+portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+.SS \f[V]Y\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]Y YEAR\f[R]+.PP+or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):+.PP+\f[V]year YEAR\f[R] \f[V]apply year YEAR\f[R]+.PP+The space is optional.+This sets a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don\[aq]t+specify a year.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+  expenses  1+  assets++year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+  expenses  1+  assets++1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+  expenses  1+  assets+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)+makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less+trustworthy in an audit.+Such dates can get separated from their corresponding Y directive, eg+when evaluating a region of the journal in your editor.+A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today\[aq]s date.+.SS Secondary dates+.PP+A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an equals+sign.+If the year is omitted, the primary date\[aq]s year is assumed.+When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but+with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag (or \f[V]--aux-date\f[R] or+\f[V]--effective\f[R]), the secondary (right) date will be used instead.+.PP+The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it\[aq]s best to follow+a consistent rule.+Eg \[dq]primary = the bank\[aq]s clearing date, secondary = date the+transaction was initiated, if different\[dq].+.PP+Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,+and less trustworthy in an audit.+Keeping the meaning of the two dates consistent requires discipline, and+you have to remember which reporting mode is appropriate for a given+report.+Posting dates are simpler and better.+.SS Star comments+.PP+Lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.+This feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,+allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed+with org mode.+.PP+Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.+Decreases your journal\[aq]s portability.+And switching to Emacs org mode just for folding/unfolding meant losing+the benefits of ledger mode; nowadays you can add outshine mode to+ledger mode to get folding without losing ledger mode\[aq]s features.+.SS Valuation expressions+.PP+Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double+parentheses after an amount.+hledger ignores these.+.SS Virtual postings+.PP+A posting with parentheses around the account name+(\f[V](some:account)\f[R]) is called a \f[I]unbalanced virtual+posting\f[R].+Such postings do not participate in transaction balancing.+(And if you write them without an amount, a zero amount is always+inferred.)+These can occasionally be convenient for special circumstances, but they+violate double entry bookkeeping and make your data less portable across+applications, so many people avoid using them at all.+.PP+A posting with brackets around the account name+(\f[V][some:account]\f[R]) is called a \f[I]balanced virtual+posting\f[R].+The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to zero, just+like ordinary postings, but separately from them.+These are not part of double entry bookkeeping either, but they are at+least balanced.+An example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+  expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+  expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Ordinary postings, whose account names are neither parenthesised nor+bracketed, are called \f[I]real postings\f[R].+You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the+\f[V]-R/--real\f[R] flag or a \f[V]real:1\f[R] query.+.SS Other Ledger directives+.PP+These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.+This allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that+hledger\[aq]s reports may differ from Ledger\[aq]s if you use these.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+apply fixed COMM AMT+apply tag   TAG+assert      EXPR+bucket / A  ACCT+capture     ACCT REGEX+check       EXPR+define      VAR=EXPR+end apply fixed+end apply tag+end apply year+end tag+eval / expr EXPR+python+  PYTHONCODE+tag         NAME+value       EXPR+--command-line-flags+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger+syntax comparison.+.PP+.SH CSV+.PP+hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,+semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+each record into a transaction.+.PP+(To learn about \f[I]writing\f[R] CSV, see CSV output.)+.PP+For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they+have a corresponding \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].tsv\f[R] or \f[V].ssv\f[R]+file extension or use a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).+.PP+Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding \f[I]rules file\f[R].+.PD 0+.P+.PD+This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,+date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and+how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.+.PP+By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with+an extra \f[V].rules\f[R] extension, in the same directory.+Eg when asked to read \f[V]foo/FILE.csv\f[R], hledger looks for+\f[V]foo/FILE.csv.rules\f[R].+You can specify a different rules file with the \f[V]--rules-file\f[R]+option.+If no rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file,+which you\[aq]ll need to adjust.+.PP+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\[aq]s a simple CSV file and a rules file for it:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Date, Description, Id, Amount+12/11/2019, Foo, 123, 10.23+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# basic.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       date, description, , amount+date-format  %d/%m/%Y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -f basic.csv+2019-11-12 Foo+    expenses:unknown           10.23+    income:unknown            -10.23+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+There\[aq]s an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,+and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.+.SS CSV rules cheatsheet+.PP+The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+(Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or+\f[V]*\f[R] are ignored.)+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(23.7n) lw(46.3n).+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]source\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+optionally declare which file to read data from+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]separator\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the field separator, instead of relying on file extension+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]skip\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+skip one or more header lines at start of file+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]date-format\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]timezone\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV date-times+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]newest-first\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+improve txn order when: there are multiple records, newest first, all+with the same date+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]intra-day-reversed\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+improve txn order when: same-day txns are in opposite order to the+overall file+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, when ambiguous+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]fields\f[B] list\f[R]+T}@T{+name CSV fields for easy reference, and optionally assign their values+to hledger fields+T}+T{+\f[B]Field assignment\f[R]+T}@T{+assign a CSV value or interpolated text value to a hledger field+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] block\f[R]+T}@T{+conditionally assign values to hledger fields, or \f[V]skip\f[R] a+record or \f[V]end\f[R] (skip rest of file)+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] table\f[R]+T}@T{+conditionally assign values to hledger fields, using compact syntax+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]balance-type\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+select which type of balance assertions/assignments to generate+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+inline another CSV rules file+T}+.TE+.PP+Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are+evaluated.+.SS \f[V]source\f[R]+.PP+If you tell hledger to read a csv file with \f[V]-f foo.csv\f[R], it+will look for rules in \f[V]foo.csv.rules\f[R].+Or, you can tell it to read the rules file, with+\f[V]-f foo.csv.rules\f[R], and it will look for data in+\f[V]foo.csv\f[R] (since 1.30).+.PP+These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some extra+features.+For one, the data file can be missing, without causing an error; it is+just considered empty.+And, you can specify a different data file by adding a \[dq]source\[dq]+rule:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source ./Checking1.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for it+in your system\[aq]s downloads directory (\f[V]\[ti]/Downloads\f[R],+currently):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source Checking1.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent of+the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source Checking1*.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+See also \[dq]Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule\[dq].+.SS \f[V]separator\f[R]+.PP+You can use the \f[V]separator\f[R] rule to read other kinds of+character-separated data.+The argument is any single separator character, or the words+\f[V]tab\f[R] or \f[V]space\f[R] (case insensitive).+Eg, for comma-separated values (CSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or for semicolon-separated values (SSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator ;+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or for tab-separated values (TSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator TAB+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If the input file has a \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R]+file extension (or a \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R], \f[V]tsv:\f[R]+prefix), the appropriate separator will be inferred automatically, and+you won\[aq]t need this rule.+.SS \f[V]skip\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+skip N+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The word \f[V]skip\f[R] followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1)+tells hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the+input data.+You\[aq]ll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.+Note, empty and blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don\[aq]t+need to count those.+.PP+\f[V]skip\f[R] has a second meaning: it can be used inside if blocks+(described below), to skip one or more records whenever the condition is+true.+Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still required+to be valid CSV.+.SS \f[V]date-format\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+date-format DATEFMT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is a helper for the \f[V]date\f[R] (and \f[V]date2\f[R]) fields.+If your CSV dates are not formatted like \f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R],+\f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R], you\[aq]ll need to add a+date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style date parsing+pattern - see+https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.+The pattern must parse the CSV date value completely.+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# MM/DD/YY+date-format %m/%d/%y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# D/M/YYYY+# The - makes leading zeros optional.+date-format %-d/%-m/%Y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# YYYY-Mmm-DD+date-format %Y-%h-%d+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]timezone\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+timezone TIMEZONE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone other+than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you can+use this rule to declare the CSV\[aq]s native time zone, which helps+prevent off-by-one dates.+.PP+When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don\[aq]t+need this rule; instead, use \f[V]%Z\f[R] in \f[V]date-format\f[R] (or+\f[V]%z\f[R], \f[V]%EZ\f[R], \f[V]%Ez\f[R]; see the formatTime link+above).+.PP+In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,+localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.+If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for+reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with+the TZ environment variable, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[V]timezone\f[R] currently does not understand timezone names, except+\[dq]UTC\[dq], \[dq]GMT\[dq], \[dq]EST\[dq], \[dq]EDT\[dq],+\[dq]CST\[dq], \[dq]CDT\[dq], \[dq]MST\[dq], \[dq]MDT\[dq],+\[dq]PST\[dq], or \[dq]PDT\[dq].+For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.+.SS \f[V]newest-first\f[R]+.PP+hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+chronologically, including intra-day transactions.+Usually it can auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.+But if it encounters CSV where all records are on the same date, it+assumes that the records are oldest first.+If in fact the CSV\[aq]s records are normally newest first, like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-10-01, txn 3...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+you can add the \f[V]newest-first\f[R] rule to help hledger generate the+transactions in correct order.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# same-day CSV records are newest first+newest-first+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R]+.PP+CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+the overall date order.+Eg, here dates are newest first, but the transactions on each date are+oldest first:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-10-02, txn 3...+2022-10-02, txn 4...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In this situation, add the \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R] rule, and+hledger will compensate, improving the order of transactions.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+intra-day-reversed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark .+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger automatically accepts either period or comma as a decimal 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.+.SS \f[V]fields\f[R] list+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A fields list (the word \f[V]fields\f[R] followed by comma-separated+field names) is optional, but convenient.+It does two things:+.IP "1." 3+It names the CSV field in each column.+This can be convenient if you are referencing them in other rules, so+you can say \f[V]%SomeField\f[R] instead of remembering \f[V]%13\f[R].+.IP "2." 3+Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described+below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger field.+This is the quickest way to populate hledger\[aq]s fields and build a+transaction.+.PP+Here\[aq]s an example that says \[dq]use the 1st, 2nd and 4th fields as+the transaction\[aq]s date, description and amount; name the last two+fields for later reference; and ignore the others\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the+CSV file\[aq]s separator.+Also:+.IP \[bu] 2+There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).+.IP \[bu] 2+Field names may not contain spaces.+Spaces before/after field names are optional.+.IP \[bu] 2+Field names may contain \f[V]_\f[R] (underscore) or \f[V]-\f[R]+(hyphen).+.IP \[bu] 2+Fields you don\[aq]t care about can be given a dummy name or an empty+name.+.PP+If the CSV contains column headings, it\[aq]s convenient to use these+for your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces+replaced by underscores).+.PP+Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to a+hledger field with the same name.+Eg you could call the CSV\[aq]s \[dq]balance\[dq] field+\f[V]balance_\f[R] to avoid directly setting hledger\[aq]s+\f[V]balance\f[R] field (and generating a balance assertion).+.SS Field assignment+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+HLEDGERFIELD FIELDVALUE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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).+.PP+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 interpolate CSV fields, referenced by their 1-based+position in the CSV record (\f[V]%N\f[R]), or by the name they were+given in the fields list (\f[V]%CSVFIELD\f[R]).+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with \[dq] USD\[dq] appended+amount %4 USD++# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Tips:+.IP \[bu] 2+Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like+\f[V]\[dq] 1 \[dq]\f[R] becomes \f[V]1\f[R] when interpolated) (#1051).+.IP \[bu] 2+Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can\[aq]t interpolate a+hledger field.+(See Referencing other fields below).+.SS Field names+.PP+Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in+hledger CSV rules files:+.IP "1." 3+\f[B]CSV field names\f[R] (\f[V]CSVFIELD\f[R] in these docs): you can+optionally name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger+doesn\[aq]t yet automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file),+by writing arbitrary names in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list, eg:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Special \f[B]hledger field names\f[R] (\f[V]HLEDGERFIELD\f[R] in these+docs): you must set at least some of these to generate the hledger+transaction from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of+a field assignment, eg:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+date        %When+code        %Some_Id+description %What+comment     %Foo %Bar+amount1     $ %Total+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or directly in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+currency $+comment  %Foo %Bar+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what happens+when you assign values to them:+.SS date field+.PP+Assigning to \f[V]date\f[R] sets the transaction date.+.SS date2 field+.PP+\f[V]date2\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s secondary date, if any.+.SS status field+.PP+\f[V]status\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s status, if any.+.SS code field+.PP+\f[V]code\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s code, if any.+.SS description field+.PP+\f[V]description\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s description, if any.+.SS comment field+.PP+\f[V]comment\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s comment, if any.+.PP+\f[V]commentN\f[R], where N is a number, sets the Nth posting\[aq]s+comment.+.PP+You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R]+in the code.+A comment starting with \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R] will begin on a new line.+.PP+Comments can contain tags, as usual.+.SS account field+.PP+Assigning to \f[V]accountN\f[R], where N is 1 to 99, sets the account+name of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to be generated.+.PP+Most often there are two postings, so you\[aq]ll want to set+\f[V]account1\f[R] and \f[V]account2\f[R].+Typically \f[V]account1\f[R] is associated with the CSV file, and is set+once with a top-level assignment, while \f[V]account2\f[R] is set based+on each transaction\[aq]s description, in conditional rules.+.PP+If a posting\[aq]s account name is left unset but its amount is set (see+below), a default account name will be chosen (like+\[dq]expenses:unknown\[dq] or \[dq]income:unknown\[dq]).+.SS amount field+.PP+Amount setting can get a bit complex.+Assigning to \f[V]amount\f[R] is sufficient for simple transactions, but+there are four field name variants you can use for different situations:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amountN\f[B] sets a specific posting\[aq]s amount from one+CSV field or arbitrary value.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning to \f[V]amountN\f[R] sets the amount of the Nth posting - and+also causes that posting to be generated.+N is most often 1 or 2 but can go up to 99, potentially generating a+99-posting transaction.+(Posting numbers don\[aq]t have to be consecutive; higher posting+numbers can sometimes be useful with conditional rules, to ensure a+certain ordering of postings.)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amountN-in/-out\f[B] sets a specific posting\[aq]s amount+from two CSV fields.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+When the amount is provided as two CSV fields -+\[dq]Debit\[dq]/\[dq]Credit\[dq],+\[dq]Deposit\[dq]/\[dq]Withdrawal\[dq], \[dq]Money In\[dq]/\[dq]Money+Out\[dq] or similar - assign those fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and+\f[V]amountN-out\f[R] respectively (or possibly the other way round,+depending on signs).+This will set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount to whichever of the two CSV+field values is non-zero.+Some notes:+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+Don\[aq]t mix \f[V]amountN\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-in\f[R]/\f[V]-out\f[R].+When you have one CSV amount field, use \f[V]amountN\f[R].+When you have two CSV amount fields, use+\f[V]amountN-in\f[R]/\f[V]amountN-out\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] are always used together,+as a pair.+Assign to both of them.+.IP \[bu] 2+They do not generate two separate postings; rather, they generate the+Nth posting\[aq]s single amount, from the value found in one or other of+the two CSV fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must contain a zero+amount or be empty.+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers, and it will+automatically negate the -out amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+This variant can be convenient, but it doesn\[aq]t handle every+two-amount-field situation; if you need more flexibility, use an+\f[V]if\f[R] rule (see \[dq]Setting amounts\[dq] below).+.RE+.PP+The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but can+still be convenient sometimes:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amount\f[B] sets posting 1 and 2\[aq]s amounts from one CSV+field or value.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning to \f[V]amount\f[R], with no posting number,+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+sets posting 1\[aq]s amount (like \f[V]amount1\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+sets posting 2\[aq]s amount to the same amount but with opposite sign;+and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price+.IP \[bu] 2+can be overridden by \f[V]amount1\f[R] and/or \f[V]amount2\f[R]+assignments.+(This helps with incremental migration of old rules files to the newer+syntax.)+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amount-in/-out\f[B] sets posting 1 and 2\[aq]s amounts from+two CSV fields.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount-out\f[R], with no posting+numbers, to two CSV fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero+as the amount, and then sets the first two posting amounts as above.+.PP+We recommend using only one of these variants within a rules file,+rather than mixing them.+And remember that a \f[V]fields\f[R] list can also do assignments, so eg+naming a CSV field \[dq]amount\[dq] counts as an assignment to+\f[V]amount\f[R]; if you don\[aq]t want that, call it something else,+like \[dq]amount_\[dq].+.PP+In addition to this section, please see also the tips beginning at+\[dq]Working with CSV > Setting amounts\[dq] below.+.SS currency field+.PP+\f[V]currency\f[R] sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all+postings\[aq] amounts.+You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency symbol, eg if+it is in a separate column.+.PP+\f[V]currencyN\f[R] prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth+posting\[aq]s amount.+.SS balance field+.PP+\f[V]balanceN\f[R] sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting+amount is left empty, a balance assignment) on posting N.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is+equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].+.PP+You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the+\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule (see below).+.PP+See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.+.SS \f[V]if\f[R] block+.PP+Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV+data.+This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can categorise+transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on their+description (for example).+There are two ways to write conditional rules: \[dq]if blocks\[dq],+described here, and \[dq]if tables\[dq], described below.+.PP+An if block is the word \f[V]if\f[R] and one or more \[dq]matcher\[dq]+expressions (can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on+the same or next line; followed by one or more indented rules.+Eg,+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if MATCHER+ RULE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if+MATCHER+MATCHER+MATCHER+ RULE+ RULE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be+applied.+They are usually field assignments, but the following special rules may+also be used within an if block:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]skip\f[R] - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction+from it)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]end\f[R] - skips the rest of the current CSV file.+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if the record contains \[dq]groceries\[dq], set account2 to \[dq]expenses:groceries\[dq]+if groceries+ account2 expenses:groceries+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+if+monthly service fee+atm transaction fee+banking thru software+ account2 expenses:business:banking+ comment  XXX deductible ? check it+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+if ,,,,+ end+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Matchers+.PP+There are two kinds:+.IP "1." 3+A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular+expression (\f[V]REGEX\f[R]), which hledger will try to match+case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Eg: \f[V]whole foods\f[R]+.IP "2." 3+A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name+(\f[V]%CSVFIELD REGEX\f[R]).+hledger will try to match these just within the named CSV field.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Eg: \f[V]%date 2023\f[R]+.PP+The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended regular+expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],+\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R]), and nothing else.+If you have trouble, see \[dq]Regular expressions\[dq] in the hledger+manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).+.PP+With record matchers, it\[aq]s important to know that the record matched+is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be+converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing+whitespace) are removed.+So for example, when reading an SSV file, if the original record was:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01; \[dq]Acme, Inc.\[dq];  1,000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+By default they are OR\[aq]d (any one of them can match)+.IP \[bu] 2+When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (\f[V]&\f[R]) it will be+AND\[aq]ed with the previous matcher (both of them must match).+.PP+There\[aq]s not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.+.SS \f[V]if\f[R] table+.PP+\[dq]if tables\[dq] are an alternative to if blocks; they can express+many matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format,+like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+<empty line>+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The first character after \f[V]if\f[R] is taken to be the separator for+the rest of the table.+It should be a non-alphanumeric character like \f[V],\f[R] or+\f[V]|\f[R] that does not appear anywhere else in the table.+(Note: it is unrelated to the CSV file\[aq]s separator.)+Whitespace can be used in the matcher lines for readability, but not in+the if line currently.+The table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).+Each line must contain the same number of separators; empty values are+allowed.+.PP+The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,+assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding hledger+fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.+It is equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if MATCHERA+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERB+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERC+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if,account2,comment+atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+%description groceries,expenses:groceries,+2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]balance-type\f[R]+.PP+Balance assertions generated by assigning to balanceN are of the simple+\f[V]=\f[R] 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+\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# balance assertions will consider all commodities and all subaccounts+balance-type ==*+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here are the balance assertion types for quick reference:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+=    single commodity, exclude subaccounts+=*   single commodity, include subaccounts+==   multi commodity,  exclude subaccounts+==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]include\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include RULESFILE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point.+\f[V]RULESFILE\f[R] is an absolute file path or a path relative to the+current file\[aq]s directory.+This can be useful for sharing common rules between several rules files,+eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# someaccount.csv.rules++## someaccount-specific rules+fields   date,description,amount+account1 assets:someaccount+account2 expenses:misc++## common rules+include categorisation.rules+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Working with CSV+.PP+Some tips:+.SS Rapid feedback+.PP+It\[aq]s a good idea to get rapid feedback while+creating/troubleshooting CSV rules.+Here\[aq]s a good way, using entr from eradman.com/entrproject:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ ls foo.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ----; hledger -f foo.csv print desc:SOMEDESC\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, transactions of+interest.+\[dq]bash -c\[dq] 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.+.SS Valid CSV+.PP+Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and+equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab+as separators).+This means, eg:+.IP \[bu] 2+Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.+Enclosing in single quotes is not allowed.+(Eg \f[V]\[aq]A\[aq],\[aq]B\[aq]\f[R] is rejected.)+.IP \[bu] 2+When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes are+not allowed.+(Eg \f[V]\[dq]A\[dq], \[dq]B\[dq]\f[R] is rejected.)+.IP \[bu] 2+When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double+quotes.+(Eg \f[V]A\[dq]A, B\f[R] is rejected.)+.PP+If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you\[aq]ll need to+transform it before reading with hledger.+Try using sed, or a more permissive CSV parser like python\[aq]s csv+lib.+.SS File Extension+.PP+To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error+messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),+it\[aq]s best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a \f[V].csv\f[R],+\f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R] filename extension.+(More about this at Data formats.)+.PP+When reading files with the \[dq]wrong\[dq] extension, you can ensure+the CSV reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file+path with \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R] or \f[V]tsv:\f[R]: Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule+if needed.+.SS Reading CSV from standard input+.PP+You\[aq]ll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+since hledger assumes journal format by default.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reading multiple CSV files+.PP+If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] 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 \f[V]--rules-file\f[R] option, that rules file will+be used for all the CSV files.+.SS Reading files specified by rule+.PP+Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+rules file, as in \f[V]hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD\f[R].+By default this will read data from foo.csv in the same directory, but+you can add a source rule to specify a different data file, perhaps+located in your web browser\[aq]s download directory.+.PP+This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won\[aq]t see it in most+CSV rules examples.+But it helps remove some of the busywork of managing CSV downloads.+Most of your financial institutions\[aq]s default CSV filenames are+different and can be recognised by a glob pattern.+So you can put a rule like \f[V]source Checking1*.csv\f[R] in+foo-checking.csv.rules, and then periodically follow a workflow like:+.IP "1." 3+Download CSV from Foo\[aq]s website, using your browser\[aq]s defaults+.IP "2." 3+Run \f[V]hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules\f[R] to import any new+transactions+.PP+After import, you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.+If you do nothing, next time your browser will save something like+Checking1-2.csv, and hledger will use that because of the \f[V]*\f[R]+wild card and because it is the most recent.+.SS Valid transactions+.PP+After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the+generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing+them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.+Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying+the problem entry.+.PP+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 assertions generated from CSV right+away, pipe into another hledger:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Deduplicating, importing+.PP+When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank+transactions, the new file may overlap with the old one, containing some+of the same records.+.PP+The import command will (a) detect the new transactions, and (b) append+just those transactions to your main journal.+It is idempotent, so you don\[aq]t have to remember how many times you+ran it or with which version of the CSV.+(It keeps state in a hidden \f[V].latest.FILE.csv\f[R] file.)+This is the easiest way to import CSV data.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# download the latest CSV files, then run this command.+# Note, no -f flags needed here.+$ hledger import *.csv [--dry]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This method works for most CSV files.+(Where records have a stable chronological order, and new records appear+only at the new end.)+.PP+A number of other tools and workflows, hledger-specific and otherwise,+exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and managing CSV data.+See:+.IP \[bu] 2+https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows+.IP \[bu] 2+https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion+.SS Setting amounts+.PP+Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling+various amount-setting situations:+.IP "1." 3+\f[B]If the amount is in a single CSV field:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.RS 4+.IP "a." 3+\f[B]If its sign indicates direction of flow:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign it to \f[V]amountN\f[R], to set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount.+N is usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.+.IP "b." 3+\f[B]If another field indicates direction of flow:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate amount sign.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# assume a withdrawal unless Type contains \[dq]deposit\[dq]:+amount1  -%Amount+if %Type deposit+  amount1  %Amount+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+\f[B]If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and+Credit):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.RS 4+.IP "a." 3+\f[B]If both fields are unsigned:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign the fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R].+This sets posting N\[aq]s amount to whichever of these has a non-zero+value.+If it\[aq]s the -out value, the amount will be negated.+.IP "b." 3+\f[B]If either field is signed:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.+Eg below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo+hledger\[aq]s automatic negating by negating once more (but only if the+field is non-empty, so that we don\[aq]t leave a minus sign by itself):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+if %amount1-out [1-9]+ amount1-out -%amount1-out+\f[R]+.fi+.IP "c." 3+\f[B]If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be+empty):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is+non-zero/non-empty.+Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as \f[V]1\f[R] and+\f[V]none\f[R].+For such cases, use conditional rules to help select the amount.+Eg, to handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero+digits:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, in, out+if %in [1-9]+ amount1 %in+if %out [1-9]+ amount1 %out+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "3." 3+\f[B]If you want posting 2\[aq]s amount converted to cost:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use the unnumbered \f[V]amount\f[R] (or \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and+\f[V]amount-out\f[R]) syntax.+.IP "4." 3+\f[B]If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign to \f[V]balanceN\f[R], to set a balance assignment on the Nth+posting, causing the posting\[aq]s amount to be calculated+automatically.+\f[V]balance\f[R] with no number is equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].+In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the wrong default+account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.+.SS Amount signs+.PP+There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+amount signs.+(This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts such as COST in+\f[V]amount1  AMT \[at] COST\f[R]):+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value begins with a plus sign:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+that will be removed: \f[V]+AMT\f[R] becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value is parenthesised:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: \f[V](AMT)\f[R] becomes+\f[V]-AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value has two minus signs (or two sets of parentheses,+or a minus sign and parentheses):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+they cancel out and will be removed: \f[V]--AMT\f[R] or \f[V]-(AMT)\f[R]+becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of+parentheses):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+that is removed, making it an empty value.+\f[V]\[dq]+\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]-\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]()\[dq]\f[R]+becomes \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R].+.PP+It\[aq]s not possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount+to its absolute value, ie discard its sign.+.SS Setting currency/commodity+.PP+If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV\[aq]s amount+field(s):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,foo,$123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+you don\[aq]t have to do anything special for the commodity symbol, it+will be assigned as part of the amount.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,amount+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown         $123.00+    income:unknown          $-123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can assign that to the \f[V]currency\f[R] pseudo-field, which has+the special effect of prepending itself to every amount in the+transaction (on the left, with no separating space):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,currency,amount+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown       USD123.00+    income:unknown        USD-123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,cur,amt+amount %amt %cur+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+    income:unknown         -123.00 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note we used a temporary field name (\f[V]cur\f[R]) that is not+\f[V]currency\f[R] - that would trigger the prepending effect, which we+don\[aq]t want here.+.SS Amount decimal places+.PP+Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+\f[V]amount1\f[R] influence commodity display styles, such as the number+of decimal places displayed in reports.+.PP+The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display+style (because we don\[aq]t yet reliably know their commodity).+.SS Referencing other fields+.PP+In field assignments, you can interpolate only CSV fields, not hledger+fields.+In the example below, there\[aq]s both a CSV field and a hledger field+named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the hledger+field:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Name the third CSV field \[dq]amount1\[dq]+fields date,description,amount1++# Set hledger\[aq]s amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+amount1 %amount1 USD++# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+comment %amount1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here, since there\[aq]s no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a+literal \[dq]amount1\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,csvamount+amount1 %csvamount USD+# Can\[aq]t interpolate amount1 here+comment %amount1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When there are multiple field assignments to the same hledger field,+only the last one takes effect.+Here, comment\[aq]s value will be be B, or C if \[dq]something\[dq] is+matched, but never A:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+comment A+comment B+if something+ comment C+\f[R]+.fi+.SS How CSV rules are evaluated+.PP+Here\[aq]s how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need+to).+First,+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]include\f[R] - 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.)+.PP+Then \[dq]global\[dq] rules are evaluated, top to bottom.+If a rule is repeated, the last one wins:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]skip\f[R] (at top level)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]date-format\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]newest-first\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]fields\f[R] - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial+assignments to hledger fields+.PP+Then for each CSV record in turn:+.IP \[bu] 2+test all \f[V]if\f[R] blocks.+If any of them contain a \f[V]end\f[R] rule, skip all remaining CSV+records.+Otherwise if any of them contain a \f[V]skip\f[R] rule, skip that many+CSV records.+If there are multiple matched \f[V]skip\f[R] rules, the first one wins.+.IP \[bu] 2+collect all field assignments at top level and in matched \f[V]if\f[R]+blocks.+When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only the last one.+.IP \[bu] 2+compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was+assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default+.IP \[bu] 2+generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) from these values.+.PP+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 successfully, the transactions are passed+as input to whichever hledger command the user specified.+.PP+.SS Well factored rules+.PP+Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules+files:+.IP \[bu] 2+Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a+\f[V]common.rules\f[R], and adding \f[V]include common.rules\f[R] to+each CSV\[aq]s rules file.+.IP \[bu] 2+Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently+used parts.+.SS CSV rules examples+.SS Bank of Ireland+.PP+Here\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Date,Details,Debit,Credit,Balance+07/12/2012,LODGMENT       529898,,10.0,131.21+07/12/2012,PAYMENT,5,,126+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# bankofireland-checking.csv.rules++# skip the header line+skip++# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++# We generate balance assertions by assigning to \[dq]balance\[dq]+# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+#+# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+#+# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++# date is in UK/Ireland format+date-format  %d/%m/%Y++# set the currency+currency  EUR++# set the base account for all txns+account1  assets:bank:boi:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f bankofireland-checking.csv print+2012-12-07 LODGMENT       529898+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR10.0 = EUR131.2+    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++2012-12-07 PAYMENT+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The balance assertions don\[aq]t raise an error above, because we\[aq]re+reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are+imported into a journal file.+.SS Coinbase+.PP+A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.+The spot price is recorded using cost notation.+The legacy \f[V]amount\f[R] field name conveniently sets amount 2+(posting 2\[aq]s amount) to the total cost.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Received 100.00 USDC from an external account\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# coinbase.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+date         %Timestamp+date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+description  %Notes+account1     assets:coinbase:cc+amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset \[at] %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC \[at] 0.740000 GBP+    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Amazon+.PP+Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to+generate a third posting if there\[aq]s a fee.+(In practice you\[aq]d probably get this data from your bank instead,+but it\[aq]s an example.)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]To/From\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Amount\[dq],\[dq]Fees\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq]+\[dq]Jul 29, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Foo.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$20.00\[dq],\[dq]$0.00\[dq],\[dq]16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]+\[dq]Jul 30, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Adapteva, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$25.00\[dq],\[dq]$1.00\[dq],\[dq]17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# amazon-orders.csv.rules++# skip one header line+skip 1++# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction\[aq]s date, amount and code.+# Avoided the \[dq]status\[dq] and \[dq]amount\[dq] hledger field names to prevent confusion.+fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++# how to parse the date+date-format %b %-d, %Y++# combine two fields to make the description+description %toorfrom %name++# save the status as a tag+comment     status:%amzstatus++# set the base account for all transactions+account1    assets:amazon+# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+# I\[aq]m assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don\[aq]t remember++# set a generic account2+account2    expenses:misc+amount2     %amzamount+# and maybe refine it further:+#include categorisation.rules++# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+if %fees [1-9]+ account3    expenses:fees+ amount3     %fees+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print+2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $20.00++2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $25.00+    expenses:fees           $1.00+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Paypal+.PP+Here\[aq]s a real-world rules file for (customised) Paypal CSV, with+some Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Calm Radio\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]memberships\[at]calmradio.com\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R8YLY094FJYR\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]0TU1544T080463733\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Patreon\[dq],\[dq]PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]support\[at]patreon.com\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]B-0PG93074E7M86381M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]71854087RG994194F\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]tle\[at]wikimedia.org\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R5C3YUS3285L\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]3XJ107139A851061F\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/22/2019\[dq],\[dq]05:07:06\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Noble Benefactor\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq],\[dq]-0.59\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]noble\[at]bene.fac.tor\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]6L8L1662YP1334033\[dq],\[dq]Joyful Systems\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-KC9VBGY2GWDB\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# paypal-custom.csv.rules++# Tips:+# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+# Suggested transaction type: \[dq]Balance affecting\[dq]+# Paypal\[aq]s default fields in 2018 were:+# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping Address\[dq],\[dq]Address Status\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping and Handling Amount\[dq],\[dq]Insurance Amount\[dq],\[dq]Sales Tax\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Value\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Value\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Invoice Number\[dq],\[dq]Custom Number\[dq],\[dq]Quantity\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 1\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood\[dq],\[dq]Town/City\[dq],\[dq]State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic\[dq],\[dq]Zip/Postal Code\[dq],\[dq]Country\[dq],\[dq]Contact Phone Number\[dq],\[dq]Subject\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq],\[dq]Country Code\[dq],\[dq]Balance Impact\[dq]+# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in \[dq]Customize report fields\[dq]:+# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]++fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++skip  1++date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++# ignore some paypal events+if+In Progress+Temporary Hold+Update to+ skip++# add more fields to the description+description %description_ %itemtitle++# save some other fields as tags+comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++# convert to short currency symbols+if %currency USD+ currency $+if %currency EUR+ currency E+if %currency GBP+ currency P++# generate postings++# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+account1 assets:online:paypal+amount1  %netamount++# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+# (account2 is set below)+amount2  -%grossamount++# if there\[aq]s a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+if %feeamount [1-9]+ account3 expenses:banking:paypal+ amount3  -%feeamount+ comment3 business:++# choose an account for the second posting++# override the default account names:+# if the amount is positive, it\[aq]s income (a debit)+if %grossamount \[ha][\[ha]-]+ account2 income:unknown+# if negative, it\[aq]s an expense (a credit)+if %grossamount \[ha]-+ account2 expenses:unknown++# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+include common.rules++# apply some overrides specific to this csv++# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+# which can be disregarded in this case.+if+Bank Account+Bank Deposit to PP Account+ description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+ account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+ account1 assets:online:paypal++# Currency conversions+if Currency Conversion+ account2 equity:currency conversion+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# common.rules++if+darcs+noble benefactor+ account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+ comment2 business:++if+Calm Radio+ account2 expenses:online:apps++if+electronic frontier foundation+Patreon+wikimedia+Advent of Code+ account2 expenses:dues++if Google+ account2 expenses:online:apps+ description google | music+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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\[at]joyful.com, toemail:memberships\[at]calmradio.com, time:03:46:20, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-6.99 = $-6.99+    expenses:online:apps           $6.99++2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:support\[at]patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+    expenses:dues                  $7.00++2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:tle\[at]wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+    expenses:dues                     $2.00+    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble\[at]bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Timeclock+.PP+The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.+.PP+hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.+As with Ledger, these are (a subset of) timeclock.el\[aq]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 (currently+the time is always interpreted as a local time).+Lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or \f[V]*\f[R], and+blank lines, are ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+o 2015/03/30 09:20:00+i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another:account+o 2015/04/01 02:00:34+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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, \f[V]hledger print\f[R] generates these journal+entries:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.timeclock print+2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+    (some account)           0.33h++2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+    (another:account)           1.64h++2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+    (another:account)           2.01h+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here is a sample.timeclock to download and some queries to try:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:+.IP \[bu] 2+use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-x.el+and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el+.IP \[bu] 2+at the command line, use these bash aliases:+\f[V]shell     alias ti=\[dq]echo i \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] \[rs]$* >>$TIMELOG\[dq]     alias to=\[dq]echo o \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] >>$TIMELOG\[dq]\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or use the old \f[V]ti\f[R] and \f[V]to\f[R] scripts in the ledger 2.x+repository.+These rely on a \[dq]timeclock\[dq] executable which I think is just the+ledger 2 executable renamed.+.PP+.SH Timedot+.PP+\f[V]timedot\f[R] format is hledger\[aq]s human-friendly time logging+format.+Compared to \f[V]timeclock\f[R] format, it is+.IP \[bu] 2+convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging+.IP \[bu] 2+readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.+.PP+A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like+this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-05-01+hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+per:admin:finance+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three (unbalanced)+postings, where each dot represents \[dq]0.25\[dq].+No commodity is assumed, but normally we interpret it as hours, with+each dot representing a quarter-hour.+It\[aq]s convenient, though not required, to group the dots in fours for+easy reading.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+2023-05-01 *+    (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+    (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+    (per:admin:finance)                 0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A transaction begins with a non-indented \f[B]simple date\f[R] (Y-M-D,+Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).+It can optionally be preceded by one or more stars and a space, for+Emacs org mode compatibility.+It can optionally be followed on the same line by a transaction+description, and/or a transaction comment following a semicolon.+.PP+After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:+.IP \[bu] 2+an \f[B]account name\f[R] - any hledger-style account name, optionally+hierarchical, optionally indented.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] - a field separator, required if there is+an amount (as in journal format).+.IP \[bu] 2+an optional \f[B]timedot amount\f[R] - dots representing quarter hours,+or a number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.+.IP \[bu] 2+an optional \f[B]posting comment\f[R] following a semicolon.+.PP+Timedot amounts can be:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]dots\f[R]: zero or more period characters (\f[V].\f[R]), each+representing 0.25.+Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.+Eg: \f[V].... ..\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or a \f[B]number\f[R].+Eg: \f[V]1.5\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or a \f[B]number immediately followed by a unit symbol\f[R] \f[V]s\f[R],+\f[V]m\f[R], \f[V]h\f[R], \f[V]d\f[R], \f[V]w\f[R], \f[V]mo\f[R], or+\f[V]y\f[R].+These are interpreted as seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or+years, and converted to hours, assuming:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]60s\f[R] = \f[V]1m\f[R], \f[V]60m\f[R] = \f[V]1h\f[R],+\f[V]24h\f[R] = \f[V]1d\f[R], \f[V]7d\f[R] = \f[V]1w\f[R], \f[V]30d\f[R]+= \f[V]1mo\f[R], \f[V]365d\f[R] = \f[V]1y\f[R].+Eg \f[V]90m\f[R] is parsed as \f[V]1.5\f[R].+.PP+There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:+.IP \[bu] 2+Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] are+ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+Before the first date line, lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] are+ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+From the first date line onward, one or more \f[V]*\f[R]\[aq]s followed+by a space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs+Org mode) is ignored.+This means the time log can be kept under an Org headline, and date+lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.+.IP \[bu] 2+Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as postings+with zero amount.+Note hledger\[aq]s register reports hide these by default (add -E to see+them).+.PP+More examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+2016/2/1+inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+fos:haskell   .... ..+biz:research  .++2016/2/2+inc:client1   .... ....+biz:research  .+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/2/3+inc:client1   4+fos:hledger   3+biz:research  1+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+* Time log+** 2023-01-01+*** adm:time  .+*** adm:finance  .+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+* 2023 Work Diary+** Q1+*** 2023-02-29+**** DONE+0700 yoga+**** UNPLANNED+**** BEGUN+hom:chores+ cleaning  ...+ water plants+  outdoor - one full watering can+  indoor - light watering+**** TODO+adm:planning: trip+*** LATER+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Reporting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+2016-02-02 *+    (inc:client1)          2.00++2016-02-02 *+    (biz:research)          0.25+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++            ||  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 +------------++----------------------------------------+            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Using period instead of colon as account name separator:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/2/4+fos.hledger.timedot  4+fos.ledger           ..+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\[rs]\[rs]./=: bal --tree+                4.50  fos+                4.00    hledger:timedot+                0.50    ledger+--------------------+                4.50+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A sample.timedot file.+.SH PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+.SH Time periods+.PP+.SS Report start & end date+.PP+By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time+represented by the journal.+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.+.PP+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 \f[V]-b/--begin\f[R],+\f[V]-e/--end\f[R], \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] or a \f[V]date:\f[R] query+(described below).+All of these accept the smart date syntax (below).+.PP+Some notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date+\f[I]after\f[R] the last day you want to see in the report.+.IP \[bu] 2+As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+\f[I]options\f[R], the last (i.e.+right-most) option takes precedence.+.IP \[bu] 2+The effective report start and end dates are the intersection of the+start/end dates from options and that from \f[V]date:\f[R] queries.+That is, \f[V]date:2019-01 date:2019 -p\[aq]2000 to 2030\[aq]\f[R]+yields January 2019, the smallest common time span.+.IP \[bu] 2+In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall on+interval boundaries (see below).+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(12.4n) lw(57.6n).+T{+\f[V]-b 2016/3/17\f[R]+T}@T{+begin on St.\ Patrick\[cq]s day 2016+T}+T{+\f[V]-e 12/1\f[R]+T}@T{+end at the start of december 1st of the current year (11/30 will be the+last date included)+T}+T{+\f[V]-b thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+all transactions in the current month+T}+T{+\f[V]date:2016/3/17..\f[R]+T}@T{+the above written as queries instead (\f[V]..\f[R] can also be replaced+with \f[V]-\f[R])+T}+T{+\f[V]date:..12/1\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]date:thismonth..\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]date:thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.SS Smart dates+.PP+hledger\[aq]s user interfaces accept a \[dq]smart date\[dq] syntax for+added convenience.+Smart dates optionally can be relative to today\[aq]s date, be written+with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted (missing+parts are inferred as 1).+Some examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(24.2n) lw(45.8n).+T{+\f[V]2004/10/1\f[R], \f[V]2004-01-01\f[R], \f[V]2004.9.1\f[R]+T}@T{+exact date, several separators allowed.+Year is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31+T}+T{+\f[V]2004\f[R]+T}@T{+start of year+T}+T{+\f[V]2004/10\f[R]+T}@T{+start of month+T}+T{+\f[V]10/1\f[R]+T}@T{+month and day in current year+T}+T{+\f[V]21\f[R]+T}@T{+day in current month+T}+T{+\f[V]october, oct\f[R]+T}@T{+start of month in current year+T}+T{+\f[V]yesterday, today, tomorrow\f[R]+T}@T{+-1, 0, 1 days from today+T}+T{+\f[V]last/this/next day/week/month/quarter/year\f[R]+T}@T{+-1, 0, 1 periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]in n days/weeks/months/quarters/years\f[R]+T}@T{+n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ahead\f[R]+T}@T{+n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ago\f[R]+T}@T{+-n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]20181201\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day+T}+T{+\f[V]201812\f[R]+T}@T{+6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month+T}+.TE+.PP+Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising+results:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(11.4n) lw(58.6n).+T{+\f[V]201813\f[R]+T}@T{+6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 6-digit year+T}+T{+\f[V]20181301\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 8-digit year+T}+T{+\f[V]20181232\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+T}+T{+\f[V]201801012\f[R]+T}@T{+9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error+T}+.TE+.PP+\[dq]Today\[aq]s date\[dq] can be overridden with the \f[V]--today\f[R]+option, in case it\[aq]s needed for testing or for recreating old+reports.+(Except for periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by+\f[V]--today\f[R].)+.SS Report intervals+.PP+A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,+balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a+separate row or column.+.PP+The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line flags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-D/--daily\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R]+.PP+More complex intervals can be specified using \f[V]-p/--period\f[R],+described below.+.SS Date adjustment+.PP+When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end+dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+adjusted to natural period boundaries.+This is convenient for producing simple periodic reports.+More precisely:+.IP \[bu] 2+an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on a+natural period boundary+.IP \[bu] 2+an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the last+period the same length as the others.+.PP+By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with+\f[V]-b\f[R], \f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R], will not be+adjusted (since hledger 1.29).+This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it+also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should pick one+that\[aq]s on a period boundary if you want to see simple report period+headings.+.SS Period expressions+.PP+The \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] option specifies a period expression, which is+a compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report+interval.+.PP+Here\[aq]s a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the+first quarter of 2009):+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Several keywords like \[dq]from\[dq] and \[dq]to\[dq] are supported for+readability; these are optional.+\[dq]to\[dq] can also be written as \[dq]..\[dq] or \[dq]-\[dq].+The spaces are also optional, as long as you don\[aq]t run two dates+together.+So the following are equivalent to the above:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Dates are smart dates, so if the current year is 2009, these are also+equivalent to the above:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]1/1 4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]jan-apr\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]this year to 4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+If you specify only one date, the missing start or end date will be the+earliest or latest transaction date in the journal:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+everything after january 1, 2009+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]since 2009/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the same, since is a synonym+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]to 2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+everything before january 1, 2009+T}+.TE+.PP+You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(14.5n) lw(55.5n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the year 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the month of january 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/2/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the first day of 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/1/2\[rq]+T}+.TE+.PP+or by using the \[dq]Q\[dq] quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(15.3n) lw(54.7n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009Q1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+first quarter of 2009, equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]q4\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+fourth quarter of the current year+T}+.TE+.SS Period expressions with a report interval+.PP+A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated+from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word \f[V]in\f[R]:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]monthly in 2008\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]quarterly\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.SS More complex report intervals+.PP+Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+such as:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]biweekly\f[R] (every two weeks)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]fortnightly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bimonthly\f[R] (every two months)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every day|week|month|quarter|year\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years\f[R]+.PP+Weekly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth day of week\f[R] (\f[V]th\f[R], \f[V]nd\f[R],+\f[V]rd\f[R], or \f[V]st\f[R] are all accepted after the number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME\f[R] (full or three-letter english weekday name,+case insensitive)+.PP+Monthly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth day [of month]\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]\f[R]+.PP+Yearly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every MM/DD [of year]\f[R] (month number and day of month number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]\f[R] (full or three-letter english+month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]\f[R] (equivalent to the above)+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(26.8n) lw(43.2n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]bimonthly from 2008\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2 weeks\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5 months from 2009/03\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd day of week\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+periods will go from Tue to Tue+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every Tue\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 15th day\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+period boundaries will be on 15th of each month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd Monday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+period boundaries will be on second Monday of each month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 11/05\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of November+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5th November\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every Nov 5th\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+.TE+.PP+Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an+end date, exclusive as always):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -H -p \[dq]every 16th day\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following+tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register checking -p \[dq]every 3rd day of week\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multiple weekday intervals+.PP+This special form is also supported:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...\f[R] (full or three-letter+english weekday names, case insensitive)+.PP+Also, \f[V]weekday\f[R] and \f[V]weekendday\f[R] are shorthand for+\f[V]mon,tue,wed,thu,fri\f[R] and \f[V]sat,sun\f[R].+.PP+This is mainly intended for use with \f[V]--forecast\f[R], to generate+periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.+It may be less useful with \f[V]-p\f[R], since it divides each week into+subperiods of unequal length, which is unusual.+(Related: #1632)+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(17.8n) lw(52.2n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every mon,wed,fri\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will be Mon, Tue, Wed,+Thu, Fri-Sun+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekendday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+T}+.TE+.SH Depth+.PP+With the \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option (short form: \f[V]-NUM\f[R]),+reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper+subaccounts.+Use this when you want a summary with less detail.+This flag has the same effect as a \f[V]depth:\f[R] query argument:+\f[V]depth:2\f[R], \f[V]--depth=2\f[R] or \f[V]-2\f[R] are equivalent.+.SH Queries+.PP+One of hledger\[aq]s strengths is being able to quickly report on a+precise subset of your data.+Most hledger commands accept optional query arguments to restrict their+scope.+The syntax is as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+Zero or more space-separated query terms.+These are most often account name substrings:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]utilities food:groceries\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in+quotes:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]\[dq]personal care\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Regular expressions are also supported:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]\[dq]\[ha]expenses\[rs]b\[dq] \[dq]accounts (payable|receivable)\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:\[dq]>100\[dq] status:\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Add a \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix to negate a term:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]not:cur:USD\f[R]+.RE+.SS Query types+.PP+Here are the types of query term available.+Remember these can also be prefixed with \f[B]\f[VB]not:\f[B]\f[R] to+convert them into a negative match.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]acct:REGEX\f[B], \f[VB]REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular+expression.+This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and regular+expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just write an+account name substring, like \f[V]expenses\f[R] or \f[V]food\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+greater than N.+(Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]code:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by transaction code (eg check number).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]cur:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match postings or transactions including any amounts whose+currency/commodity symbol is fully matched by REGEX.+(For a partial match, use \f[V].*REGEX.*\f[R]).+Note, to match special characters which are regex-significant, you need+to escape them with \f[V]\[rs]\f[R].+And for characters which are significant to your shell you may need one+more level of escaping.+So eg to match the dollar sign:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger print cur:\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]desc:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction descriptions.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]date:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match dates (or with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag, secondary dates) within+the specified period.+PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report interval.+Examples:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]date:2016\f[R], \f[V]date:thismonth\f[R], \f[V]date:2/1-2/15\f[R],+\f[V]date:2021-07-27..nextquarter\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]date2:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the+\f[V]--date2\f[R] flag).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]depth:N\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this+depth.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]note:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of+\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]payee:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of+\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]real:, real:0\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match real or virtual postings respectively.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]status:, status:!, status:*\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]type:TYPECODES\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).+\f[V]TYPECODES\f[R] is one or more of the single-letter account type+codes \f[V]ALERXCV\f[R], case insensitive.+Note \f[V]type:A\f[R] and \f[V]type:E\f[R] will also match their+respective subtypes \f[V]C\f[R] (Cash) and \f[V]V\f[R] (Conversion).+Certain kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting+accounts > Aliases and account types.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]tag:REGEX[=REGEX]\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.+(To match only by value, use \f[V]tag:.=REGEX\f[R].)+.PP+When querying by tag, note that:+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction+.IP \[bu] 2+Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.+.PP+(\f[B]\f[VB]inacct:ACCTNAME\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells+hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)+.SS Combining query terms+.PP+When given multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+things which match:+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the description terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the status terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+all the other terms.+.PP+The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:+.IP \[bu] 2+match any of the description terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+match all the other terms.+.PP+We also support more complex boolean queries with the \[aq]expr:\[aq]+prefix.+This allows one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for \[aq]not:\[aq].+.PP+Examples of such queries are:+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions with \[aq]cool\[aq] in the description AND with the+\[aq]A\[aq] tag+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]desc:cool AND tag:A\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions NOT to the \[aq]expenses:food\[aq] account OR with+the \[aq]A\[aq] tag+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]NOT expenses:food OR tag:A\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions NOT involving the \[aq]expenses:food\[aq] account OR+with the \[aq]A\[aq] tag AND involving the \[aq]expenses:drink\[aq]+account.+(the AND is implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules+above)+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.SS Queries and command options+.PP+Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options:+\f[V]depth:2\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]--depth 2\f[R],+\f[V]date:2023\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]-p 2023\f[R], etc.+When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the+resulting query is their intersection.+.SS Queries and valuation+.PP+When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, \f[V]cur:\f[R] and \f[V]amt:\f[R] match the old commodity+symbol and the old amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger+1.22.0 where it\[aq]s reversed, see #1625).+.SS Querying with account aliases+.PP+When account names are rewritten with \f[V]--alias\f[R] or+\f[V]alias\f[R], note that \f[V]acct:\f[R] will match either the old or+the new account name.+.SS Querying with cost or value+.PP+When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, note that \f[V]cur:\f[R] matches the new commodity symbol, and+not the old one, and \f[V]amt:\f[R] matches the new quantity, and not+the old one.+Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see+the discussion at #1625.+.SH Pivoting+.PP+Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.+The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option substitutes some other transaction+field for account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by+that field\[aq]s value instead.+FIELD can be any of the transaction fields \f[V]status\f[R],+\f[V]code\f[R], \f[V]description\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]note\f[R],+or a tag name.+When pivoting on a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag,+only the first value is displayed.+Values containing \f[V]colon:separated:parts\f[R] will be displayed+hierarchically, like account names.+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+    assets:bank account                 2 EUR+    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Normal balance report showing account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance+               2 EUR  assets:bank account+              -2 EUR  income:dues+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member+               2 EUR+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted \[dq]account+name\[dq]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Generating data+.PP+hledger has several features for generating data, such as:+.IP \[bu] 2+Periodic transaction rules can generate single or repeating transactions+following a template.+These are usually dated in the future, eg to help with forecasting.+They are activated by the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option.+.IP \[bu] 2+The balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] option uses these same+periodic rules to generate goals for the budget report.+.IP \[bu] 2+Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain matched+transactions.+They are always applied to forecast transactions; with the+\f[V]--auto\f[R] flag they are applied to transactions recorded in the+journal as well.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R] flag infers missing conversion equity+postings from \[at]/\[at]\[at] costs.+And the inverse \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] flag infers missing+\[at]/\[at]\[at] costs from conversion equity postings.+.PP+Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report time.+But you can see it in the output of \f[V]hledger print\f[R], and you can+save that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary+generated data to permanent recorded data.+This could be useful as a data entry aid.+.PP+If you are wondering what data is being generated and why, add the+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R] flag.+In \f[V]hledger print\f[R] output you will see extra tags like+\f[V]generated-transaction\f[R], \f[V]generated-posting\f[R], and+\f[V]modified\f[R] on generated/modified data.+Also, even without \f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R], generated data always has+equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore prefix), so eg you could match+generated transactions with \f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R].+.SH Forecasting+.PP+Forecasting, or speculative future reporting, can be useful for+estimating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.+.PP+The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to manually+record a bunch of future-dated transactions.+You could keep these in a separate \f[V]future.journal\f[R] and include+that with \f[V]-f\f[R] only when you want to see them.+.SS --forecast+.PP+There is another way: with the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option, hledger can+generate temporary \[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] for reporting+purposes, according to periodic transaction rules defined in the+journal.+Each rule can generate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing+one rule you can change many forecasted transactions.+(These same rules can also generate budget goals, described in+Budgeting.)+.PP+Forecast transactions usually start after ordinary transactions end.+By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+today, whichever is later, and they end six months from today.+(The exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)+.PP+This is the \[dq]forecast period\[dq], which need not be the same as the+report period.+You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the future, or to+force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary transactions - by+giving the --forecast option a period expression argument, like+\f[V]--forecast=..2099\f[R] or \f[V]--forecast=2023-02-15..\f[R].+Note that the \f[V]=\f[R] is required.+.SS Inspecting forecast transactions+.PP+\f[V]print\f[R] is the best command for inspecting and troubleshooting+forecast transactions.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent           $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+2023-05-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-06-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-07-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-08-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-09-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted transactions+begin on the first occurence after today\[aq]s date.+(You won\[aq]t normally use \f[V]--today\f[R]; it\[aq]s just to make+these examples reproducible.)+.SS Forecast reports+.PP+Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++               ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep +===============++===================================+ expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +---------------++-----------------------------------+               || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Forecast tags+.PP+Forecast transactions generated by --forecast have a hidden tag,+\f[V]_generated-transaction\f[R].+So if you ever need to match forecast transactions, you could use+\f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R] (or just \f[V]tag:generated\f[R])+in a query.+.PP+For troubleshooting, you can add the \f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R] flag.+Then, visible \f[V]generated-transaction\f[R] tags will be added also,+so you can view them with the \f[V]print\f[R] command.+Their value indicates which periodic rule was responsible.+.SS Forecast period, in detail+.PP+Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by+default in almost all situations, while also being flexible.+Here are (with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:+.PP+The forecast period starts on:+.IP \[bu] 2+the later of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the start date in the periodic transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+the start date in \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise (if those are not available): the later of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the report start date specified with+\f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise (if none of these are available): today.+.PP+The forecast period ends on:+.IP \[bu] 2+the earlier of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the end date in the periodic transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+the end date in \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise: the report end date specified with+\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise: 180 days (\[ti]6 months) from today.+.SS Forecast troubleshooting+.PP+When --forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+help:+.IP \[bu] 2+Remember to use the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option.+.IP \[bu] 2+Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your journal.+.IP \[bu] 2+Test with \f[V]print --forecast\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+Check for typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+transaction rule.+.IP \[bu] 2+Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule\[aq]s period expression and+description fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+Check for future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+transactions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with \f[V]-b\f[R],+\f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Try adding the \f[V]-E\f[R] flag to encourage display of empty+periods/zero transactions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Try setting explicit forecast start and/or end dates with+\f[V]--forecast=START..END\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.+.IP \[bu] 2+Check inside the engine: add \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] (eg).+.SH Budgeting+.PP+With the balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] report, each periodic+transaction rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts,+and goals and actual performance can be compared.+See the balance command\[aq]s doc below.+.PP+You can generate budget goals and forecast transactions at the same+time, from the same or different periodic transaction rules:+\f[V]hledger bal -M --budget --forecast ...\f[R]+.PP+See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.+.SH Cost reporting+.PP+This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions+where one commodity is exchanged for another.+Eg an exchange of currency, or a stock purchase or sale.+First, a quick glossary:+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.+Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+cryptocurrency.+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more+conversions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie+the exchange rate.+.IP \[bu] 2+Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.+And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the+\[dq]secondary\[dq] commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a+purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.+Also, the \[dq]\[at]/\[at]\[at] PRICE\[dq] notation used to represent+this.+.SS -B: Convert to cost+.PP+As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can+also record the amount\[aq]s cost in another commodity, by adding+\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R].+.PP+Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag.+(Mnemonic: \[dq]B\[dq] from \[dq]cost Basis\[dq], as in Ledger).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -N+               $-135  assets:dollars+                €100  assets:euros+$ hledger bal -N -B+               $-135  assets:dollars+                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros\[aq] cost+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.PP+-B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the+inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.+So if example 3\[aq]s postings are reversed, while the transaction is+equivalent, -B shows something different:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -N -B+               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars\[aq] selling price+                €100  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \[at]/\[at]\[at] cost notation is convenient, but has some+drawbacks: it does not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the+accounting equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance+reports.+.SS Equity conversion postings+.PP+By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a+different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance+conversion transactions.+In this style, the above entry might be written:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+    assets:dollars      $-135+    equity:conversion    $135+    equity:conversion   €-100+    assets:euros         €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This style is more correct, but it\[aq]s also more verbose and makes+cost reporting more difficult for PTA tools.+.PP+Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to the+other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.+.PP+You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at the+same time, for clarity.+hledger will ignore the redundancy.+But be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you\[aq]ll+see a not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.+.SS Inferring equity postings from cost+.PP+With \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R], hledger detects transactions written with+PTA cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  -$135+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-equity+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars                    $-135+    assets:euros               €100 \[at] $1.35+    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:+    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account+type declaration.+.PP+--infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded using+cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance+reports\[aq] zero total, or to produce more conventional journal entries+for sharing with non-PTA-users.+.SS Inferring cost from equity postings+.PP+The reverse operation is possible using \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R], which+detects transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds+cost notation to them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars            $-135+    equity:conversion          $135+    equity:conversion         €-100+    assets:euros               €100+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-costs+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars       $-135 \[at]\[at] €100+    equity:conversion             $135+    equity:conversion            €-100+    assets:euros                  €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+--infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost+reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity+postings:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-costs -B+2009-01-01+    assets:dollars           €-100+    assets:euros              €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.PP+For \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] to work, an exchange must consist of four+postings:+.IP "1." 3+two non-equity postings+.IP "2." 3+two equity postings, next to one another+.IP "3." 3+the equity accounts must be declared, with account type+\f[V]V\f[R]/\f[V]Conversion\f[R] (or if they are not declared, they must+be named \f[V]equity:conversion\f[R], \f[V]equity:trade\f[R],+\f[V]equity:trading\f[R] or subaccounts of these)+.IP "4." 3+the equity postings\[aq] amounts must exactly match the non-equity+postings\[aq] amounts.+.PP+Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.+.PP+When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added to+the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the+commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.+If you don\[aq]t want to write your postings in the required order, you+can use explicit cost notation instead.+.PP+--infer-equity and --infer-costs can be used together, if you have a+mixture of both notations in your journal.+.SS When to infer cost/equity+.PP+Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled+by default.+We\[aq]re not sure yet if that should change.+Here are two suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:+.IP "1." 3+When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -B --infer-costs\f[R]+.IP "2." 3+Always run hledger with both flags enabled.+Eg: \f[V]alias hl=\[dq]hledger --infer-equity --infer-costs\[dq]\f[R]+.SS How to record conversions+.PP+Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in+hledger.+Here are all of them, with pros and cons.+.SS Conversion with implicit cost+.PP+Let\[aq]s assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.+You can just record the outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the+appropriate asset account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash    -100 EUR+    assets:cash     120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.+You can see the inferred rate by using \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Concise, easy+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not be+detected+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate is not clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag+.PP+You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped+commodity symbol, by using \f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R].+.PP+You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using+\f[V]hledger check balancednoautoconversion\f[R], or+\f[V]-s/--strict\f[R].+.SS Conversion with explicit cost+.PP+You can add the conversion rate using \[at] notation:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error+otherwise.+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Still concise+.IP \[bu] 2+Makes the conversion rate clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Provides more error checking+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag+.SS Conversion with equity postings+.PP+In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not+balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD+appears.+This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents reports+like \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] from showing a zero total.+.PP+The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for each+commodity, using an equity account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Preserves the accounting equation+.IP \[bu] 2+Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+.IP \[bu] 2+Standard, works in any double entry accounting system+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+More verbose+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate is not obvious+.IP \[bu] 2+Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag+.SS Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+.PP+Here both equity postings and \[at] notation are used together.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Preserves the accounting equation+.IP \[bu] 2+Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+.IP \[bu] 2+Makes the conversion rate clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Provides more error checking+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Most verbose+.IP \[bu] 2+Not compatible with ledger+.SS Cost tips+.IP \[bu] 2+Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it makes+that clear and helps detect errors.+.IP \[bu] 2+Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping and+preserves the accounting equation.+.IP \[bu] 2+Combining these is possible.+.IP \[bu] 2+When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use+\f[V]-B\f[R] (short form of \f[V]--cost\f[R]).+.IP \[bu] 2+If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] also.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to+see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries, use+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).+.SH Valuation+.PP+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 \f[V]--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]\f[R] option,+which will be described below.+We also provide the simpler \f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X COMMODITY\f[R]+options, and often one of these is all you need:+.SS -V: Value+.PP+The \f[V]-V/--market\f[R] flag converts amounts to market value in their+default \f[I]valuation commodity\f[R], using the market prices in effect+on the \f[I]valuation date(s)\f[R], if any.+More on these in a minute.+.SS -X: Value in specified commodity+.PP+The \f[V]-X/--exchange=COMM\f[R] option is like \f[V]-V\f[R], except you+tell it which currency you want to convert to, and it tries to convert+everything to that.+.SS Valuation date+.PP+Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports+have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+prices will be used.+.PP+For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is specified,+that will be used as the valuation date; otherwise the valuation date is+the journal\[aq]s end date.+.PP+For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last day of+the period, by default.+.SS Finding market price+.PP+To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in+this order of preference :+.IP "1." 3+A \f[I]declared market price\f[R] or \f[I]inferred market price\f[R]:+A\[aq]s latest market price in B on or before the valuation date as+declared by a P directive, or (with the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+flag) inferred from costs.+.IP "2." 3+A \f[I]reverse market price\f[R]: the inverse of a declared or inferred+market price from B to A.+.IP "3." 3+A \f[I]forward chain of market prices\f[R]: a synthetic price formed by+combining the shortest chain of \[dq]forward\[dq] (only 1 above) market+prices, leading from A to B.+.IP "4." 3+\f[I]Any chain of market prices\f[R]: a chain of any market prices,+including both forward and reverse prices (1 and 2 above), leading from+A to B.+.PP+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 \[dq]gave up\[dq] message visible+in \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] output).+That limit is currently 1000.+.PP+Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not+converted.+.SS --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions+.PP+Normally, market value in hledger is fully controlled by, and requires,+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+costs as additional market prices (as Ledger does) ?+Adding the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag to \f[V]-V\f[R],+\f[V]-X\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] enables this.+.PP+So for example, \f[V]hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices\f[R] will get+market prices both from P directives and from transactions.+If both occur on the same day, the P directive takes precedence.+.PP+There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in+confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries.+If this happens to you, read all of this Valuation section carefully,+and try adding \f[V]--debug\f[R] or \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] to troubleshoot.+.PP+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] can infer market prices from:+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with explicit prices+(\f[V]\[at]\f[R]/\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no \f[V]\[at]\f[R],+two commodities, unbalanced).+(With these, the order of postings matters.+\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R] can be useful for troubleshooting.)+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred+with \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R].+.PP+There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is not+specified, prices inferred with \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] do not+help select a default valuation commodity, as \f[V]P\f[R] prices would.+So conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was+detected (\f[V]--debug=2\f[R] will show this).+To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-X EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not+\f[V]-V --infer-market-prices\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not+\f[V]--value=then --infer-market-prices\f[R]+.PP+Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.+For reference, here is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.+(If you think it should work differently, see #1870.)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 \[at] A 1++2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A 1+++2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 \[at] A -1++2022-01-02 Negative total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 \[at]\[at] A -1+++2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 \[at] A -1++2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A -1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,+the two transactions are considered equivalent).+Here are the market prices inferred for B:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+P 2022-01-01 B A 1+P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+P 2022-01-02 B A -1+P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+P 2022-01-03 B A -1+P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Valuation commodity+.PP+\f[B]When you specify a valuation commodity (\f[VB]-X COMM\f[B] or+\f[VB]--value TYPE,COMM\f[B]):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a+suitable market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).+.PP+\f[B]When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified (\f[VB]-V\f[B]+or \f[VB]--value TYPE\f[B]):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as+follows, in this order of preference:+.IP "1." 3+The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on or+before valuation date.+.IP "2." 3+The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on any+date.+(Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred prices before the+valuation date.)+.IP "3." 3+If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag is used: the price commodity from+the latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.+.PP+This means:+.IP \[bu] 2+If you have P directives, they determine which commodities \f[V]-V\f[R]+will convert, and to what.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you have no P directives, and use the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+flag, costs determine it.+.PP+Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not converted.+.SS Simple valuation examples+.PP+Here are some quick examples of \f[V]-V\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+P 2016/11/01 € $1.10++; purchase some euros on nov 3+2016/11/3+    assets:euros        €100+    assets:checking++; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+P 2016/12/21 € $1.03+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+How many euros do I have ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros+                €100  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+What are they worth at end of nov 3 ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V -e 2016/11/4+             $110.00  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?+(no report end date specified, defaults to today)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+             $103.00  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.SS --value: Flexible valuation+.PP+\f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X\f[R] are special cases of the more general+\f[V]--value\f[R] option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+ --value=TYPE[,COMM]  TYPE is then, end, now or YYYY-MM-DD.+                      COMM is an optional commodity symbol.+                      Shows amounts converted to:+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:+.TP+\f[V]--value=then\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using+market prices on each posting\[aq]s date.+.TP+\f[V]--value=end\f[R]+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\[aq]s end date); or in multiperiod reports, market prices on+the last day of each subperiod.+.TP+\f[V]--value=now\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using+current market prices (as of when report is generated).+.TP+\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using+market prices on this date.+.PP+To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional+\f[V],COMM\f[R] part: a comma, then the target commodity\[aq]s symbol.+Eg: \f[B]\f[VB]--value=now,EUR\f[B]\f[R].+hledger will do its best to convert amounts to this commodity, deducing+market prices as described above.+.SS More valuation examples+.PP+Here are some examples showing the effect of \f[V]--value\f[R], as seen+with \f[V]print\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A  1 B+P 2000-02-01 A  2 B+P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++2000-01-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 5 B++2000-02-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 6 B++2000-03-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 7 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the cost of each posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --cost+2000-01-01+    (a)             5 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             6 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             7 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the value as of the last day of the report period (2000-02-29):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03+2000-01-01+    (a)             2 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             2 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With no report period specified, that shows the value as of the last day+of the journal (2000-03-01):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=end+2000-01-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             3 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the current value (the 2000-04-01 price is still in effect today):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=now+2000-01-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             4 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the value on 2000/01/15:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+2000-01-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             1 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You may need to explicitly set a commodity\[aq]s display style, when+reverse prices are used.+Eg this output might be surprising:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A 2B++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -x -X A+2000-01-01+    a               0+    b               0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Explanation: because there\[aq]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 commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A 2B+commodity 0.00A++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -X A+2000-01-01+    a           0.50A+    b          -0.50A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Interaction of valuation and queries+.PP+When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+the following happens.+.IP "1." 3+The query is separated into two parts:+.RS 4+.IP "1." 3+the currency (\f[V]cur:\f[R]) or amount (\f[V]amt:\f[R]).+.IP "2." 3+all other parts.+.RE+.IP "2." 3+The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on+pre-valued amounts.+.IP "3." 3+Valuation is applied to the postings.+.IP "4." 3+The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on+post-valued amounts.+.PP+See: 1625+.SS Effect of valuation on reports+.PP+Here is a reference for how valuation is supposed to affect each part of+hledger\[aq]s reports (and a glossary).+(It\[aq]s wide, you\[aq]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.+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(9.5n) lw(11.8n) lw(12.0n) lw(17.2n) lw(12.0n) lw(7.4n).+T{+Report type+T}@T{+\f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]--cost\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=then\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=end\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=DATE\f[R], \f[V]--value=now\f[R]+T}+_+T{+\f[B]print\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+posting amounts+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report end or today+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+balance assertions/assignments+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]register\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+starting balance (-H)+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+valued at day each historical posting was made+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+starting balance (-H) with report interval+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at day before report or journal start+T}@T{+valued at day each historical posting was made+T}@T{+value at day before report or journal start+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+posting amounts+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+summary posting amounts with report interval+T}@T{+summarised cost+T}@T{+value at period ends+T}@T{+sum of postings in interval, valued at interval start+T}@T{+value at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+running total/average+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is)\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+balance changes+T}@T{+sums of costs+T}@T{+value at report end or today of sums of postings+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end of sums of postings+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+budget amounts (--budget)+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balances+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}+T{+grand total+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed valued+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is) with report interval\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+starting balances (-H)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings before report start+T}@T{+value at report start of sums of all postings before report start+T}@T{+sums of values of postings before report start at respective posting+dates+T}@T{+value at report start of sums of all postings before report start+T}@T{+sums of postings before report start+T}+T{+balance changes (bal, is, bs --change, cf --change)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings in period+T}@T{+same as --value=end+T}@T{+sums of values of postings in period at respective posting dates+T}@T{+balance change in each period, valued at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+end balances (bal -H, is --H, bs, cf)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings from before report start to period end+T}@T{+same as --value=end+T}@T{+sums of values of postings from before period start to period end at+respective posting dates+T}@T{+period end balances, valued at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+budget amounts (--budget)+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}+T{+row totals, row averages (-T, -A)+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}+T{+column totals+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}+T{+grand total, grand average+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.PP+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] is omitted to save space, it works like+\f[V]-H\f[R] but with a zero starting balance.+.PP+\f[B]Glossary:\f[R]+.TP+\f[I]cost\f[R]+calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).+.TP+\f[I]value\f[R]+market value using available market price declarations, or the unchanged+amount if no conversion rate can be found.+.TP+\f[I]report start\f[R]+the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,+otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report or journal start\f[R]+the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,+otherwise the earliest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report end\f[R]+the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report or journal end\f[R]+the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+otherwise the latest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report interval\f[R]+a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the+report\[aq]s multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperiods).+.SH PART 4: COMMANDS+.SS Commands overview+.PP+Here are the built-in commands:+.SS DATA ENTRY+.PP+These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your+journal file.+.IP \[bu] 2+add - add transactions using terminal prompts+.IP \[bu] 2+import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files+.SS DATA CREATION+.IP \[bu] 2+close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto+.SS DATA MANAGEMENT+.IP \[bu] 2+check - check for various kinds of error in the data+.IP \[bu] 2+diff - compare account transactions in two journal files+.SS REPORTS, FINANCIAL+.IP \[bu] 2+aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account+.IP \[bu] 2+balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth+.IP \[bu] 2+balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity+.IP \[bu] 2+cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets+.IP \[bu] 2+incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses+.SS REPORTS, VERSATILE+.IP \[bu] 2+balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..+.IP \[bu] 2+print - show transactions or export journal data+.IP \[bu] 2+register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running total+.IP \[bu] 2+roi - show return on investments+.SS REPORTS, BASIC+.IP \[bu] 2+accounts - show account names+.IP \[bu] 2+activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period+.IP \[bu] 2+codes - show transaction codes+.IP \[bu] 2+commodities - show commodity/currency symbols+.IP \[bu] 2+descriptions - show transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+files - show input file paths+.IP \[bu] 2+notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+prices - show market prices+.IP \[bu] 2+stats - show journal statistics+.IP \[bu] 2+tags - show tag names+.IP \[bu] 2+test - run self tests+.SS HELP+.IP \[bu] 2+help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager+.IP \[bu] 2+demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal+.PP+.SS ADD-ONS+.PP+And here are some typical add-on commands.+Some of these are installed by the hledger-install script.+If installed, they will appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list:+.IP \[bu] 2+ui - run hledger\[aq]s terminal UI+.IP \[bu] 2+web - run hledger\[aq]s web UI+.IP \[bu] 2+iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)+.IP \[bu] 2+interest - generate interest transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage+.IP \[bu] 2+Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,+pijul, plot, and more..+.PP+Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.+.SS accounts+.PP+Show account names.+.PP+This command lists account names.+By default it shows all known accounts, either used in transactions or+declared with account directives.+.PP+With query arguments, only matched account names and account names+referenced by matched postings are shown.+.PP+Or it can show just the used accounts (\f[V]--used\f[R]/\f[V]-u\f[R]),+the declared accounts (\f[V]--declared\f[R]/\f[V]-d\f[R]), the accounts+declared but not used (\f[V]--unused\f[R]), the accounts used but not+declared (\f[V]--undeclared\f[R]), or the first account matched by an+account name pattern, if any (\f[V]--find\f[R]).+.PP+It shows a flat list by default.+With \f[V]--tree\f[R], it uses indentation to show the account+hierarchy.+In flat mode you can add \f[V]--drop N\f[R] to omit the first few+account name components.+Account names can be depth-clipped with \f[V]depth:N\f[R] or+\f[V]--depth N\f[R] or \f[V]-N\f[R].+.PP+With \f[V]--types\f[R], it also shows each account\[aq]s type, if+it\[aq]s known.+(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)+.PP+With \f[V]--positions\f[R], it also shows the file and line number of+each account\[aq]s declaration, if any, and the account\[aq]s overall+declaration order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account+display order.+.PP+With \f[V]--directives\f[R], it adds the \f[V]account\f[R] keyword,+showing valid account directives which can be pasted into a journal+file.+This is useful together with \f[V]--undeclared\f[R] when updating your+account declarations to satisfy \f[V]hledger check accounts\f[R].+.PP+The \f[V]--find\f[R] flag can be used to look up a single account name,+in the same way that the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command does.+It returns the alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none+can be found, it fails with a non-zero exit code.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts+assets:bank:checking+assets:bank:saving+assets:cash+expenses:food+expenses:supplies+income:gifts+income:salary+liabilities:debts+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+$ hledger check accounts+\f[R]+.fi+.SS activity+.PP+Show an ascii barchart of posting counts per interval.+.PP+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.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger activity --quarterly+2008-01-01 **+2008-04-01 *******+2008-07-01 +2008-10-01 **+\f[R]+.fi+.SS add+.PP+Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal.+Any arguments will be used as default inputs for the first N prompts.+.PP+Many hledger users edit their journals directly with a text editor, or+generate them from CSV.+For more interactive data entry, there is the \f[V]add\f[R] command,+which prompts interactively on the console for new transactions, and+appends them to the main journal file (which should be in journal+format).+Existing transactions are not changed.+This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file+(see also \f[V]import\f[R]).+.PP+To use it, just run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts.+You can add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished,+enter \f[V].\f[R] or press control-d or control-c to exit.+.PP+Features:+.IP \[bu] 2+add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by+description) recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a+template.+.IP \[bu] 2+You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.+.IP \[bu] 2+Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.+.IP \[bu] 2+The tab key will auto-complete whenever possible - accounts,+payees/descriptions, dates (\f[V]yesterday\f[R], \f[V]today\f[R],+\f[V]tomorrow\f[R]).+If the input area is empty, it will insert the default value.+.IP \[bu] 2+If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to any bare+numbers entered.+.IP \[bu] 2+A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.+.IP \[bu] 2+Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you make a mistake, enter \f[V]<\f[R] at any prompt to go one step+backward.+.IP \[bu] 2+Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+supports it.+.PP+Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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]: +Description: supermarket+Account 1: expenses:food+Amount  1: $10+Account 2: assets:checking+Amount  2 [$-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]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the+file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).+.SS aregister+.PP+(areg)+.PP+Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single+account, with each transaction displayed as one line.+.PP+\f[V]aregister\f[R] shows the overall transactions affecting a+particular account (and any subaccounts).+Each report line represents one transaction in this account.+Transactions before the report start date are always included in the+running balance (\f[V]--historical\f[R] mode is always on).+.PP+This is a more \[dq]real world\[dq], bank-like view than the+\f[V]register\f[R] command (which shows individual postings, possibly+from multiple accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).+As a quick rule of thumb: - use \f[V]aregister\f[R] for reviewing and+reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts - use \f[V]register\f[R]+for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.+.PP+\f[V]aregister\f[R] requires one argument: the account to report on.+You can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive+regular expression which will select the alphabetically first matched+account.+.PP+When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be+surprising; eg if you have \f[V]assets:per:checking 1\f[R] and+\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R] accounts,+\f[V]hledger areg checking\f[R] would select+\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R].+It\[aq]s just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt, write the+full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.+.PP+Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.+\f[V]aregister\f[R] ignores depth limits, so its final total will always+match a balance report with similar arguments.+.PP+Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the transactions+shown.+Note some queries will disturb the running balance, causing it to be+different from the account\[aq]s real-world running balance.+.PP+An example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance+during july, in the first account whose name contains+\[dq]checking\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger areg checking date:jul+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Each \f[V]aregister\f[R] line item shows:+.IP \[bu] 2+the transaction\[aq]s date (or the relevant posting\[aq]s date if+different, see below)+.IP \[bu] 2+the names of all the other account(s) involved in this transaction+(probably abbreviated)+.IP \[bu] 2+the total change to this account\[aq]s balance from this transaction+.IP \[bu] 2+the account\[aq]s historical running balance after this transaction.+.PP+Transactions making a net change of zero are not shown by default; add+the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag to show them.+.PP+For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.+If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and+memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options.+The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], and+\f[V]json\f[R].+.SS aregister and custom posting dates+.PP+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\[aq]s the posting date that is shown.)+This ensures that \f[V]aregister\f[R] can show an accurate historical+running balance, matching the one shown by \f[V]register -H\f[R] with+the same arguments.+.PP+To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the+\f[V]--txn-dates\f[R] flag.+If you use this flag and some of your postings have custom dates,+it\[aq]s probably best to assume the running balance is wrong.+.SS balance+.PP+(bal)+.PP+Show accounts and their balances.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] is one of hledger\[aq]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.+.PP+Note there are some higher-level variants of the \f[V]balance\f[R]+command with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use:+\f[V]balancesheet\f[R], \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R], \f[V]cashflow\f[R]+and \f[V]incomestatement\f[R].+When you need more control, then use \f[V]balance\f[R].+.SS balance features+.PP+Here\[aq]s a quick overview of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command\[aq]s+features, followed by more detailed descriptions and examples.+Many of these work with the higher-level commands as well.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] can show..+.IP \[bu] 2+accounts as a list (\f[V]-l\f[R]) or a tree (\f[V]-t\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+optionally depth-limited (\f[V]-[1-9]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount+.PP+\&..and their..+.IP \[bu] 2+balance changes (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or actual and planned balance changes (\f[V]--budget\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or value of balance changes (\f[V]-V\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or change of balance values (\f[V]--valuechange\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or unrealised capital gain/loss (\f[V]--gain\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or postings count (\f[V]--count\f[R])+.PP+\&..in..+.IP \[bu] 2+one time period (the whole journal period by default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or multiple periods (\f[V]-D\f[R], \f[V]-W\f[R], \f[V]-M\f[R],+\f[V]-Q\f[R], \f[V]-Y\f[R], \f[V]-p INTERVAL\f[R])+.PP+\&..either..+.IP \[bu] 2+per period (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or accumulated since report start date (\f[V]--cumulative\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or accumulated since account creation (\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R])+.PP+\&..possibly converted to..+.IP \[bu] 2+cost (\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R]/\f[V]-B\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or market value, as of transaction dates (\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or at period ends (\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or now (\f[V]--value=now\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or at some other date (\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R])+.PP+\&..with..+.IP \[bu] 2+totals (\f[V]-T\f[R]), averages (\f[V]-A\f[R]), percentages+(\f[V]-%\f[R]), inverted sign (\f[V]--invert\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+rows and columns swapped (\f[V]--transpose\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+another field used as account name (\f[V]--pivot\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only)+(\f[V]--format\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines+(\f[V]--layout\f[R])+.PP+This command supports the output destination and output format options,+with output formats \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], \f[V]json\f[R], and+(multi-period reports only:) \f[V]html\f[R].+In \f[V]txt\f[R] output in a colour-supporting terminal, negative+amounts are shown in red.+.PP+The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the balance of the+\f[I]other\f[R] postings in the transactions of the postings which would+normally be shown.+.SS Simple balance report+.PP+With no arguments, \f[V]balance\f[R] 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.+(\[dq]Simple\[dq] here means just one column of numbers, covering a+single period.+You can also have multi-period reports, described later.)+.PP+For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end+balance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.+.PP+Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any, and then alphabetically+by account name.+For instance (using examples/sample.journal):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree mode+- see below) are hidden by default.+Use \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to show them (revealing+\f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] here):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                   0  assets:bank:checking+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+\f[V]-N\f[R]/\f[V]--no-total\f[R] is used.+.SS Balance report line format+.PP+For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you+can use \f[V]--format FMT\f[R] to customise the format and content of+each line.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format \[dq]%20(account) %12(total)\[dq]+              assets          $-1+         bank:saving           $1+                cash          $-2+            expenses           $2+                food           $1+            supplies           $1+              income          $-2+               gifts          $-1+              salary          $-1+   liabilities:debts           $1+---------------------------------+                                0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each+account/balance pair.+It may contain any suitable text, with data fields interpolated like so:+.PP+\f[V]%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)+.IP \[bu] 2+MAX truncates at this width (optional)+.IP \[bu] 2+FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]depth_spacer\f[R] - a number of spaces equal to the account\[aq]s+depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]account\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]total\f[R] - the account\[aq]s balance/posted total, right+justified+.RE+.PP+Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how+multi-commodity amounts are rendered:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%_\f[R] - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%\[ha]\f[R] - render on multiple lines, top-aligned+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%,\f[R] - render on one line, comma-separated+.PP+There are some quirks.+Eg in one-line mode, \f[V]%(depth_spacer)\f[R] has no effect, instead+\f[V]%(account)\f[R] has indentation built in.+Experimentation may be needed to get pleasing results.+.PP+Some example formats:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%(total)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s total+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%-20.20(account)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name, left justified,+padded to 20 characters and clipped at 20 characters+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%,%-50(account)  %25(total)\f[R] - account name padded to 50+characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities+rendered on one line+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%20(total)  %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)\f[R] - the default format+for the single-column balance report+.SS Filtered balance report+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                 $-2  assets:cash+--------------------+                 $-2  +\f[R]+.fi+.SS List or tree mode+.PP+By default, or with \f[V]-l/--flat\f[R], accounts are shown as a flat+list with their full names visible, as in the examples above.+.PP+With \f[V]-t/--tree\f[R], the account hierarchy is shown, with+subaccounts\[aq] \[dq]leaf\[dq] names indented below their parent:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Boring\[dq] accounts are combined with their subaccount for more+compact output, unless \f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.+Boring accounts have no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg+\f[V]assets:bank\f[R] and \f[V]liabilities\f[R] above).+.IP \[bu] 2+All balances shown are \[dq]inclusive\[dq], ie including the balances+from all subaccounts.+Note this means some repetition in the output, which requires+explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextaccounting-users.+A tree mode report\[aq]s final total is the sum of the top-level+balances shown, not of all the balances shown.+.IP \[bu] 2+Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted+separately.+.SS Depth limiting+.PP+With a \f[V]depth:NUM\f[R] query, or \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option, or+just \f[V]-NUM\f[R] (eg: \f[V]-3\f[R]) balance reports will show+accounts only to the specified depth, hiding the deeper subaccounts.+This can be useful for getting an overview without too much detail.+.PP+Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from any+deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).+Eg, limiting to depth 1:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                 $-1  assets+                  $2  expenses+                 $-2  income+                  $1  liabilities+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Dropping top-level accounts+.PP+You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using+\f[V]--drop NUM\f[R].+This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                  $1  food+                  $1  supplies+--------------------+                  $2  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+.SS Showing declared accounts+.PP+With \f[V]--declared\f[R], accounts which have been declared with an+account directive will be included in the balance report, even if they+have no transactions.+(Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to see them.)+.PP+More precisely, \f[I]leaf\f[R] declared accounts (with no subaccounts)+will be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.+.PP+The idea of this is to be able to see a useful \[dq]complete\[dq]+balance report, even when you don\[aq]t have transactions in all of your+declared accounts yet.+.SS Sorting by amount+.PP+With \f[V]-S/--sort-amount\f[R], accounts with the largest (most+positive) balances are shown first.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal expenses -MAS\f[R] shows your biggest averaged+monthly expenses first.+When more than one commodity is present, they will be sorted by the+alphabetically earliest commodity first, and then by subsequent+commodities (if an amount is missing a commodity, it is treated as 0).+.PP+Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so+\f[V]-S\f[R] shows these in reverse order.+To work around this, you can add \f[V]--invert\f[R] to flip the signs.+(Or, use one of the higher-level reports, which flip the sign+automatically.+Eg: \f[V]hledger incomestatement -MAS\f[R]).+.PP+.SS Percentages+.PP+With \f[V]-%/--percent\f[R], balance reports show each account\[aq]s+value expressed as a percentage of the (column) total.+.PP+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 sign, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]>0\[ga]+$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]<0\[ga]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Similarly, if the amounts in a column have mixed commodities, convert+them to one commodity with \f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] or+\f[V]--value\f[R], or make a separate report for each commodity:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -% cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+$ hledger bal -% cur:€+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multi-period balance report+.PP+With a report interval (set by the \f[V]-D/--daily\f[R],+\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R], \f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R], \f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R],+\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R], or \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] flag), \f[V]balance\f[R]+shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time+periods (and a title):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+Balance changes in 2008:++                   ||  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 +-------------------++---------------------------------+                   ||     $-1      $1       0       0 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+The report\[aq]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).+.IP \[bu] 2+Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not+shown, unless \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless+\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.+.IP \[bu] 2+Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless+\f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.+\f[I](experimental)\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Average and/or total columns can be added with the+\f[V]-A/--average\f[R] and \f[V]-T/--row-total\f[R] flags.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--transpose\f[R] flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option causes a different transaction field+to be used as \[dq]account name\[dq].+See PIVOTING.+.PP+Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy viewing+in the terminal.+Here are some ways to handle that:+.IP \[bu] 2+Hide the totals row with \f[V]-N/--no-total\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Convert to a single currency with \f[V]-V\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Maximize the terminal window+.IP \[bu] 2+Reduce the terminal\[aq]s font size+.IP \[bu] 2+View with a pager like less, eg:+\f[V]hledger bal -D --color=yes | less -RS\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata+(\f[V]hledger bal -D -O csv | vd -f csv\f[R]), Emacs\[aq] csv-mode+(\f[V]M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a\f[R]), or a spreadsheet+(\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+Output as HTML and view with a browser:+\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.html && open a.html\f[R]+.SS Balance change, end balance+.PP+It\[aq]s important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in+balance reports.+Here is some terminology we use:+.PP+A \f[B]\f[BI]balance change\f[B]\f[R] is the net amount added to, or+removed from, an account during some period.+.PP+An \f[B]\f[BI]end balance\f[B]\f[R] is the amount accumulated in an+account as of some date (and some time, but hledger doesn\[aq]t store+that; assume end of day in your timezone).+It is the sum of previous balance changes.+.PP+We call it a \f[B]\f[BI]historical end balance\f[B]\f[R] if it includes+all balance changes since the account was created.+For a real world account, this means it will match the \[dq]historical+record\[dq], eg the balances reported in your bank statements or bank+web UI.+(If they are correct!)+.PP+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.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] shows balance changes by default.+To see accurate historical end balances:+.IP "1." 3+Initialise account starting balances with an \[dq]opening balances\[dq]+transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the journal+covers the account\[aq]s full lifetime.+.IP "2." 3+Include all of of the account\[aq]s prior postings in the report, by not+specifying a report start date, or by using the+\f[V]-H/--historical\f[R] flag.+(\f[V]-H\f[R] causes report start date to be ignored when summing+postings.)+.SS Balance report types+.PP+The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to+control what it reports.+If the following seems complicated, don\[aq]t worry - this is for+advanced reporting, and it does take time and experimentation to get+familiar with all the report modes.+.PP+There are three important option groups:+.PP+\f[V]hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE] ...\f[R]+.SS Calculation type+.PP+The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--sum\f[R] : sum the posting amounts (\f[B]default\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--budget\f[R] : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal+amount (for each account/period)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] : show the change in period-end historical+balance values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price+fluctuations)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--gain\f[R] : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current+valued balance minus each amount\[aq]s original cost)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--count\f[R] : show the count of postings+.SS Accumulation type+.PP+How amounts should accumulate across report periods.+Another way to say it: which time period\[aq]s postings should+contribute to each cell\[aq]s calculation.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--change\f[R] : calculate with postings from column start to column+end, ie \[dq]just this column\[dq].+Typically used to see revenues/expenses.+(\f[B]default for balance, incomestatement\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] : calculate with postings from report start to+column end, ie \[dq]previous columns plus this column\[dq].+Typically used to show changes accumulated since the report\[aq]s start+date.+Not often used.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R] : calculate with postings from journal start+to column end, ie \[dq]all postings from before report start date until+this column\[aq]s end\[dq].+Typically used to see historical end balances of+assets/liabilities/equity.+(\f[B]default for balancesheet, balancesheetequity, cashflow\f[R])+.SS Valuation type+.PP+Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before+displaying the report.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+no valuation type : don\[aq]t convert to cost or value+(\f[B]default\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to cost (then optionally+to some other commodity)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+transaction dates+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on period+end date(s)+.PD 0+.P+.PD+(\f[B]default with \f[VB]--valuechange\f[B], \f[VB]--gain\f[B]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=now[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+today\[aq]s date+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+another date+.PP+or one of the equivalent simpler flags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] : like --value=cost (though, note --cost and --value+are independent options which can both be used at once)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-V/--market\f[R] : like --value=end+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-X COMM/--exchange COMM\f[R] : like --value=end,COMM+.PP+See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.+.SS Combining balance report types+.PP+Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,+but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know.+The following restrictions are applied:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] implies \f[V]--value=end\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] makes \f[V]--change\f[R] the default when used+with the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R]/\f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] commands+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] or \f[V]--historical\f[R] disables+\f[V]--row-total/-T\f[R]+.PP+For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and+valuation show:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(7.9n) lw(16.4n) lw(16.9n) lw(15.1n) lw(13.7n).+T{+Valuation:> Accumulation:v+T}@T{+no valuation+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= then\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= end\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= YYYY-MM-DD /now\f[R]+T}+_+T{+\f[V]--change\f[R]+T}@T{+change in period+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values in period+T}@T{+period-end value of change in period+T}@T{+DATE-value of change in period+T}+T{+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]+T}@T{+change from report start to period end+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values from report start to period end+T}@T{+period-end value of change from report start to period end+T}@T{+DATE-value of change from report start to period end+T}+T{+\f[V]--historical /-H\f[R]+T}@T{+change from journal start to period end (historical end balance)+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values from journal start to period end+T}@T{+period-end value of change from journal start to period end+T}@T{+DATE-value of change from journal start to period end+T}+.TE+.SS Budget report+.PP+The \f[V]--budget\f[R] report type activates extra columns showing any+budget goals for each account and period.+The budget goals are defined by periodic transactions.+This is useful for comparing planned and actual income, expenses, time+usage, etc.+.PP+For example, you can take average monthly expenses in the common expense+categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;; Budget+\[ti] monthly+  income  $2000+  expenses:food    $400+  expenses:bus     $50+  expenses:movies  $30+  assets:bank:checking++;; Two months worth of expenses+2017-11-01+  income  $1950+  expenses:food    $396+  expenses:bus     $49+  expenses:movies  $30+  expenses:supplies  $20+  assets:bank:checking++2017-12-01+  income  $2100+  expenses:food    $412+  expenses:bus     $53+  expenses:gifts   $100+  assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can now see a monthly budget report:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is different from a normal balance report in several ways.+Currently:+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts with budget goals during the report period, and their parents,+are shown.+.IP \[bu] 2+Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated and shown as+\[dq]<unbudgeted>\[dq].+.IP \[bu] 2+Amounts are always inclusive (subaccount-including), even in list mode.+.IP \[bu] 2+After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and percentage+of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.+.PP+This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!+Eg above, the \f[V]expenses\f[R] actual amount includes the gifts and+supplies transactions, but the \f[V]expenses:gifts\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:supplies\f[R] accounts are not shown, as they have no+budget amounts declared.+.PP+This can be confusing.+When you need to make things clearer, use the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag,+which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted ones, giving the+full picture.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal -M --budget expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal -M --budget type:rx+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s also common to limit or convert them to a single currency+(\f[V]cur:COMM\f[R] or \f[V]-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]\f[R]).+If showing multiple currencies, \f[V]--layout bare\f[R] or+\f[V]--layout tall\f[R] can help.+.PP+For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.+.SS Budget report start date+.PP+This might be a bug, but for now: when making budget reports, it\[aq]s a+good idea to explicitly set the report\[aq]s start date to the first day+of a reporting period, because a periodic rule like+\f[V]\[ti] monthly\f[R] 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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly in 2020+  (expenses:food)  $500++2020-01-15+  expenses:food    $400+  assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal expenses --budget+Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++              || 2020-01-15 +==============++============+ <unbudgeted> ||       $400 +--------------++------------+              ||       $400 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To avoid this, specify the budget report\[aq]s period, or at least the+start date, with \f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R],+to ensure it includes the budget goal transactions (periodic+transactions) that you want.+Eg, adding \f[V]-b 2020/1/1\f[R] to the above:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 +===============++========================+ expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] +---------------++------------------------+               ||     $400 [80% of $500] +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Budgets and subaccounts+.PP+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.+.PP+In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any+account, all its parents would have budget as well.+.PP+To illustrate this, consider the following budget:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2019/01+    expenses:personal             $1,000.00+    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00+    liabilities+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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 \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses\f[R] is $1100.+.PP+Transactions in \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R] will be counted+both towards its $100 budget and $1100 of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] ,+and transactions in any other subaccount of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R]+would be counted towards only towards the budget of+\f[V]expenses:personal\f[R].+.PP+For example, let\[aq]s consider these transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2019/01+    expenses:personal             $1,000.00+    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00+    liabilities++2019/01/01 Google home hub+    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+    liabilities                           $-90.00++2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+    liabilities++2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+    liabilities++2019/01/03 Flowers+    expenses:personal          $30.00+    liabilities+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+As you can see, we have transactions in+\f[V]expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:personal:train tickets\f[R], and since both of these+accounts are without explicitly defined budget, these transactions would+be counted towards budgets of \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R]+and \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] accordingly:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --budget -M+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] +-------------------------------++-------------------------------+                               ||        0 [                 0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And with \f[V]--empty\f[R], we can get a better picture of budget+allocation and consumption:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                        ||                           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] +----------------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                        ||        0 [                 0] +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Selecting budget goals+.PP+The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate+special \[dq]goal transactions\[dq], which generate the goal amounts for+each account in each report subperiod.+When troubleshooting, you can use \f[V]print --forecast\f[R] to show+these as forecasted transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction+rules to generate goals.+This includes rules with a different report interval from your report.+Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly periodic rules, all of these+will contribute to the goals in a monthly budget report.+.PP+You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to+the \f[V]--budget\f[R] flag.+\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R] will match all periodic rules whose+description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+regular expression or query).+This means you can give your periodic rules descriptions (remember that+two spaces are needed), and then select from multiple budgets defined in+your journal.+.SS Budget vs forecast+.PP+\f[V]hledger --forecast ...\f[R] and+\f[V]hledger balance --budget ...\f[R] are separate features, though+both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined in the journal,+and both of them generate temporary transactions for reporting purposes+(\[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] and \[dq]budget goal transactions\[dq],+respectively).+You can use both features at the same time if you want.+Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:+.PP+CLI:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget is a \f[V]balance\f[R] command option, usable only with that+command.+.PP+Visibility of generated transactions:+.IP \[bu] 2+forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary+transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts they+produce in --budget reports.+.PP+Periodic transaction rules:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget uses all periodic rules (\f[V]--budget\f[R]) or a selected+subset (\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R])+.PP+Period of generated transactions:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast generates forecast transactions+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+from after the last regular transaction to the end of the report period+(\f[V]--forecast\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or, during a specified period (\f[V]--forecast=PERIODEXPR\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+possibly further restricted by a period specified in the periodic+transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+and always restricted within the bounds of the report period+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget generates budget goal transactions+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+throughout the report period+.IP \[bu] 2+possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic transaction+rule.+.RE+.SS Data layout+.PP+The \f[V]--layout\f[R] option affects how balance reports show+multi-commodity amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve+readability.+It can also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.+It has four possible values:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=wide[,WIDTH]\f[R]: commodities are shown on a single line,+optionally elided to WIDTH+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=tall\f[R]: each commodity is shown on a separate line+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=bare\f[R]: commodity symbols are in their own column,+amounts are bare numbers+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=tidy\f[R]: data is normalised to easily-consumed+\[dq]tidy\[dq] form, with one row per data value+.PP+Here are the \f[V]--layout\f[R] modes supported by each output format;+note only CSV output supports all of them:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l l l l l.+T{+-+T}@T{+txt+T}@T{+csv+T}@T{+html+T}@T{+json+T}@T{+sql+T}+_+T{+wide+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+tall+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+bare+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+tidy+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.PP+Examples:+.IP \[bu] 2+Wide layout.+With many commodities, reports can be very wide:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total +==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Limited wide layout.+A width limit reduces the width, but some commodities will be hidden:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total +==================++===========================================================================================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Tall layout.+Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in each column), and+account names are repeated:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total +==================++==================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD + Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT + Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD + Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA + Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Bare layout.+Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commodity gets its own+report row, account names are repeated:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total +==================++=============================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 + Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +------------------++---------------------------------------------+                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing data+that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]balance\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Tidy layout produces normalised \[dq]tidy data\[dq], where every+variable has its own column and each row represents a single data point.+See+https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html+for more.+This is the easiest kind of data for other software to consume.+Here\[aq]s how it looks:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]period\[dq],\[dq]start_date\[dq],\[dq]end_date\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]value\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]337.18\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]12.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]106.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-98.12\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]-11.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]4881.44\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]14.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]170.00\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.SS Useful balance reports+.PP+Some frequently used \f[V]balance\f[R] options/reports are:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M revenues expenses\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show revenues/expenses in each month.+Also available as the \f[V]incomestatement\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.+Also available as the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities equity\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.+Also available as the \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M assets not:receivable\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show changes to liquid assets in each month.+Also available as the \f[V]cashflow\f[R] command.+.PP+Also:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M expenses -2 -SA\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average+amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M --budget expenses\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly expenses and budget goals.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M --valuechange investments\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:\[aq]>1000\[aq] -STA [--invert]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show top gainers [or losers] last week+.SS balancesheet+.PP+(bs)+.PP+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 sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],+\f[V]Cash\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] type (see account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]asset\f[R] or \f[V]liability\f[R] (case insensitive, plurals+allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet+Balance Sheet++Assets:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities\f[R], but+with smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their+sign flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS balancesheetequity+.PP+(bse)+.PP+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.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],+\f[V]Cash\f[R], \f[V]Liability\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] type (see+account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]asset\f[R], \f[V]liability\f[R] or \f[V]equity\f[R] (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheetequity+Balance Sheet With Equity++Assets:+                 $-2  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-3    cash+--------------------+                 $-2++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Equity:+          $1  equity:owner+--------------------+          $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity\f[R],+but with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed+with their sign flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS cashflow+.PP+(cf)+.PP+This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and+outflows affecting \[dq]cash\[dq] (ie, liquid, easily convertible)+assets.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Cash\f[R] type (see+account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+under a top-level account named \f[V]asset\f[R] (case insensitive,+plural allowed)+.IP \[bu] 2+whose name contains some variation of \f[V]cash\f[R], \f[V]bank\f[R],+\f[V]checking\f[R] or \f[V]saving\f[R].+.PP+More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular+expression:+.PP+\f[V]\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)\f[R]+.PP+and their subaccounts.+.PP+An example cashflow report:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger cashflow+Cashflow Statement++Cash flows:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Total:+--------------------+                 $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to+\f[V]hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment not:receivable\f[R],+but with smarter account detection.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS check+.PP+Check for various kinds of errors in your data.+.PP+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+\f[V]check\f[R] 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).+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger check      # basic checks+hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to run+these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.+.PP+Here are the checks currently available:+.SS Basic checks+.PP+These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger+commands, including \f[V]check\f[R]:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]parseable\f[R] - data files are well-formed and can be successfully+parsed+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]balancedwithautoconversion\f[R] - all transactions are balanced,+inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting+commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]assertions\f[R] - all balance assertions in the journal are+passing.+(This check can be disabled with+\f[V]-I\f[R]/\f[V]--ignore-assertions\f[R].)+.SS Strict checks+.PP+These additional checks are run when the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R]+(strict mode) flag is used.+Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to+\f[V]check\f[R]:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]accounts\f[R] - all account names used by transactions have been+declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]commodities\f[R] - all commodity symbols used have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]balancednoautoconversion\f[R] - transactions are balanced, possibly+using explicit costs but not inferred ones+.SS Other checks+.PP+These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to+\f[V]check\f[R].+They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, therefore+optional:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]ordereddates\f[R] - transactions are ordered by date within each+file+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]payees\f[R] - all payees used by transactions have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]recentassertions\f[R] - all accounts with balance assertions have a+balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]tags\f[R] - all tags used by transactions have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]uniqueleafnames\f[R] - all account leaf names are unique+.SS Custom checks+.PP+A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]hledger-check-tagfiles\f[R] - all tag values containing / (a+forward slash) exist as file paths+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]hledger-check-fancyassertions\f[R] - more complex balance+assertions are passing+.PP+You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.+See: Cookbook -> Scripting.+.SS More about specific checks+.PP+\f[V]hledger check recentassertions\f[R] will complain if any+balance-asserted account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days+before its latest posting.+This aims to prevent the situation where you are regularly updating your+journal, but forgetting to check your balances against the real world,+then one day must dig back through months of data to find an error.+It assumes that adding a balance assertion requires/reminds you to check+the real-world balance.+That may not be true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank+data; in that case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then+use the manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the+latest assertions against real-world balances.+.SS close+.PP+(equity)+.PP+Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from+another account (typically equity).+This can be useful for migrating balances to a new journal file, or for+merging earnings into equity at end of accounting period.+.PP+By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (asset,+liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be+configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.+.PP+\f[I](experimental)\f[R]+.PP+This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use+cases:+.IP "1." 3+With \f[V]--close\f[R] (default), it prints a \[dq]closing balances\[dq]+transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by+default (this requires account types to be inferred or declared); or,+the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.+.IP "2." 3+With \f[V]--open\f[R], it prints an opposite \[dq]opening balances\[dq]+transaction that restores those balances from zero.+This is similar to Ledger\[aq]s equity command.+.IP "3." 3+With \f[V]--migrate\f[R], it prints both the closing and opening+transactions.+This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a new file: run+\f[V]hledger close --migrate\f[R], add the closing transaction at the+end of the old file, and add the opening transaction at the start of the+new file.+The matching closing/opening transactions cancel each other out,+preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.+.IP "4." 3+With \f[V]--retain\f[R], it prints a \[dq]retain earnings\[dq]+transaction that transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to+\f[V]equity:retained earnings\f[R].+Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each accounting period;+it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it could still+be useful if you want to see the accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.+.PP+In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:+.IP \[bu] 2+the transaction descriptions can be changed with+\f[V]--close-desc=DESC\f[R] and \f[V]--open-desc=DESC\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the account to transfer to/from can be changed with+\f[V]--close-acct=ACCT\f[R] and \f[V]--open-acct=ACCT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with \f[V]ACCTQUERY\f[R]+(account query arguments).+.IP \[bu] 2+the closing/opening dates can be changed with \f[V]-e DATE\f[R] (a+report end date)+.PP+By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+amount left implicit.+With \f[V]--x/--explicit\f[R], the amount will be shown explicitly, and+if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting will be+generated for each of them (similar to \f[V]print -x\f[R]).+.PP+With \f[V]--show-costs\f[R], any amount costs are shown, with separate+postings for each cost.+This is currently the best way to view investment lots.+If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can+generate very large journal entries.+.PP+With \f[V]--interleaved\f[R], each individual transfer is shown with+source and destination postings next to each other.+This could be useful for troubleshooting.+.PP+The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal\[aq]s end date,+whichever is later.+You can change this by specifying a report end date with \f[V]-e\f[R].+The last day of the report period will be the closing date, eg+\f[V]-e 2024\f[R] means \[dq]close on 2023-12-31\[dq].+The opening date is always the day after the closing date.+.SS close and balance assertions+.PP+Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if+there is an opening transaction).+.PP+These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporarily+with \f[V]-I\f[R], or remove them if you prefer.+.PP+You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or realness+(\f[V]-C\f[R], \f[V]-R\f[R], \f[V]status:\f[R]), or generating postings+(\f[V]--auto\f[R]), with this command, since the balance assertions+would depend on these.+.PP+Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the+balance assertions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary+account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two+single-day transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; in 2022.journal:+2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    equity:pending        -5++; in 2023.journal:+2023-01-02 last year\[aq]s transaction cleared+    equity:pending         5 = 0+    assets:bank:checking  -5+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: retain earnings+.PP+Record 2022\[aq]s revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,+appending the generated transaction to the journal:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note 2022\[aq]s income statement will now show only zeroes, because+revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.+To see them again, you could exclude the retain transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:\[aq]retain earnings\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: migrate balances to a new file+.PP+Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on+2023-01-01:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now 2022\[aq]s balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a+balanced accounting equation.+(Unless you are using \[at]/\[at]\[at] notation - in that case, try+adding --infer-equity.)+To see the end-of-year balances again, you could exclude the closing+transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:\[aq]closing balances\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+.PP+When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening+transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like+\f[V]print\f[R] and \f[V]register\f[R].+You can exclude them as shown above, but \f[V]not:desc:...\f[R] is not+ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions; also you will want to+avoid excluding the very first opening transaction, which could be+awkward.+Here is one alternative, using tags:+.PP+Add \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tags to all opening/closing balances transactions+except the first, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2021.journal+2021-06-01 first opening balances+\&...+2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2022.journal+2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+\&...+2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2023.journal+2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now, assuming a combined journal like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; all.journal+include 2021.journal+include 2022.journal+include 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tag can exclude all but the first opening+transaction.+To show a clean multi-year checking register:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And the year values allow more precision.+To show 2022\[aq]s year-end balance sheet:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023+\f[R]+.fi+.SS codes+.PP+List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed.+.PP+This command prints the value of each transaction\[aq]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.+.PP+Transactions aren\[aq]t required to have a code, and missing or empty+codes will not be shown by default.+With the \f[V]-E\f[R]/\f[V]--empty\f[R] flag, they will be printed as+blank lines.+.PP+You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   + Food       $5.00+ Checking    ++2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+ Postage    $8.32+ Checking++2022/1/3 Supermarket+ Food      $11.23+ Checking ++2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+ Postage    $3.21+ Checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger codes+123+124+126+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger codes -E+123+124++126+\f[R]+.fi+.SS commodities+.PP+List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.+.SS demo+.PP+Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.+.PP+Run this command with no argument to list the demos.+To play a demo, write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.+Tips:+.PP+Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.+.PP+Use the -s/--speed SPEED option to set your preferred playback speed, eg+\f[V]-s4\f[R] to play at 4x original speed or \f[V]-s.5\f[R] to play at+half speed.+The default speed is 2x.+.PP+Other asciinema options can be added following a double dash, eg+\f[V]-- -i.1\f[R] to limit pauses or \f[V]-- -h\f[R] to list+asciinema\[aq]s other options.+.PP+During playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause, .+to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger demo               # list available demos+$ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+$ hledger demo install -s4   # play the \[dq]install\[dq] demo at 4x speed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS descriptions+.PP+List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions.+.PP+This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in transactions,+in alphabetic order.+You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger descriptions+Store Name+Gas Station | Petrol+Person A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS diff+.PP+Compares a particular account\[aq]s transactions in two input files.+It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not+in the other.+.PP+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.+.PP+This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account\[aq]s transactions+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.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro +These transactions are in the first file only:++2014/01/01 Opening Balances+    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+    ...+    equity:opening balances       EUR -...++These transactions are in the second file only:+\f[R]+.fi+.SS files+.PP+List all files included in the journal.+With a REGEX argument, only file names matching the regular expression+(case sensitive) are shown.+.SS help+.PP+Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with \f[V]info\f[R],+\f[V]man\f[R], or a pager.+With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.+TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case+insensitive.+Eg: \f[V]commands\f[R], \f[V]print\f[R], \f[V]forecast\f[R],+\f[V]journal\f[R], \f[V]amount\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]auto postings\[dq]\f[R].+.PP+This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.+It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web+browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are not+installed on your system.+.PP+By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+order): \f[V]info\f[R], \f[V]man\f[R], \f[V]$PAGER\f[R], \f[V]less\f[R],+\f[V]more\f[R].+You can force the use of info, man, or a pager with the \f[V]-i\f[R],+\f[V]-m\f[R], or \f[V]-p\f[R] flags, If no viewer can be found, or the+command is run non-interactively, it just prints the manual to stdout.+.PP+If using \f[V]info\f[R], note that version 6 or greater is needed for+TOPIC lookup.+If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should consider+installing a newer version, eg with \f[V]brew install texinfo\f[R]+(#1770).+.PP+Examples+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS import+.PP+Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to+the journal.+Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that would be added.+Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs\[aq] transactions as+imported, without actually importing any.+.PP+This command may append new transactions to the main journal file (which+should be in journal format).+Existing transactions are not changed.+This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file+(see also \f[V]add\f[R]).+.PP+Unlike other hledger commands, with \f[V]import\f[R] 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, so to import one or more CSV+files to your main journal, you will run+\f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] or perhaps+\f[V]hledger import *.csv\f[R].+.PP+Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most+common import source, and these docs focus on that case.+.SS Deduplication+.PP+As a convenience \f[V]import\f[R] does \f[I]deduplication\f[R] while+reading transactions.+This does not mean \[dq]ignore transactions that look the same\[dq], but+rather \[dq]ignore transactions that have been seen before\[dq].+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 \f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] and only new+transactions will be imported.+(\f[V]import\f[R] is idempotent.)+.PP+Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with+unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming+that:+.IP "1." 3+new items always have the newest dates+.IP "2." 3+item dates do not change across reads+.IP "3." 3+and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across+reads.+.PP+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\[aq]t matter (and if you import often, the new transactions will be+few, so less likely to be the ones affected).+.PP+hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by saving+a hidden \[dq].latest\[dq] state file in the same directory.+Eg when reading \f[V]finance/bank.csv\f[R], it will look for and update+the \f[V]finance/.latest.bank.csv\f[R] state file.+The format is simple: one or more lines containing the same ISO-format+date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning \[dq]I have processed transactions up to this+date, and this many of them on that date.\[dq] Normally you won\[aq]t+see or manipulate these state files yourself.+But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all+transactions \[dq]new\[dq]), or you can construct them to \[dq]catch+up\[dq] to a certain date.+.PP+Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by+\f[V]print --new\f[R], but this is less often used.+.SS Import testing+.PP+With \f[V]--dry-run\f[R], 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+categorised:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or (live updating):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it\[aq]s currently+possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the+actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving+them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).+To prevent this, do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the+real import.+.SS Importing balance assignments+.PP+Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit+(like \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]).+This means that any balance assignments in imported files must be+evaluated; but, imported files don\[aq]t get to see the main file\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+(If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,+please test it and send a pull request.)+.SS Commodity display styles+.PP+Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.+.SS incomestatement+.PP+(is)+.PP+This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and expenses+during one or more periods.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Revenue\f[R] or+\f[V]Expense\f[R] type (see account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]revenue\f[R] or \f[V]income\f[R] or \f[V]expense\f[R] (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger incomestatement+Income Statement++Revenues:+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+--------------------+                 $-2++Expenses:+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+--------------------+                  $2++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to+\f[V]hledger balance \[aq](revenues|income)\[aq] expenses\f[R], but with+smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their sign+flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS notes+.PP+List the unique notes that appear in transactions.+.PP+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 a | character+(or if there is no |, the whole description).+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger notes+Petrol+Snacks+\f[R]+.fi+.SS payees+.PP+List the unique payee/payer names that appear in transactions.+.PP+This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared+with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions+(--used), or both (the default).+.PP+The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a |+character (or if there is no |, the whole description).+.PP+You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions.+This implies --used.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger payees+Store Name+Gas Station+Person A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS prices+.PP+Print market price directives from the journal.+With --infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from+costs.+With --infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting+known prices.+Prices can be filtered by a query.+Price amounts are displayed with their full precision.+.SS print+.PP+Show transaction journal entries, sorted by date.+.PP+The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from the+journal file, sorted by date (or with \f[V]--date2\f[R], by secondary+date).+.PP+Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg 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.)+.PP+Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not across+all transactions).+.PP+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+directives and file-level comments.+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print+2008/01/01 income+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:salary                  $-1++2008/06/01 gift+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:gifts                   $-1++2008/06/02 save+    assets:bank:saving              $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++2008/06/03 * eat & shop+    expenses:food                $1+    expenses:supplies            $1+    assets:cash                 $-2++2008/12/31 * pay off+    liabilities:debts               $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+print\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+There are some situations where print\[aq]s output can become+unparseable:+.IP \[bu] 2+Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or balance+assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail.+.IP \[bu] 2+Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts.+.IP \[bu] 2+Account aliases can generate bad account names.+.PP+Normally, the journal entry\[aq]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 cost is implied but not written, it will not appear in+the output.+You can use the \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] flag to make all+amounts and costs explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or+for making your journal more readable and robust against data entry+errors.+\f[V]-x\f[R] is also implied by using any of+\f[V]-B\f[R],\f[V]-V\f[R],\f[V]-X\f[R],\f[V]--value\f[R].+.PP+Note, \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] 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.+.PP+With \f[V]-B\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R], amounts with costs are converted to+cost using that price.+This can be used for troubleshooting.+.PP+With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], print does a fuzzy search+for one recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC.+DESC should contain at least two characters.+If there is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown and+the program exit code will be non-zero.+.PP+With \f[V]--new\f[R], hledger prints only transactions it has not seen+on a previous run.+This uses the same deduplication system as the \f[V]import\f[R] command.+(See import\[aq]s docs for details.)+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R] and \f[V]sql\f[R].+.PP+Here\[aq]s an example of print\[aq]s CSV output:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -Ocsv+\[dq]txnidx\[dq],\[dq]date\[dq],\[dq]date2\[dq],\[dq]status\[dq],\[dq]code\[dq],\[dq]description\[dq],\[dq]comment\[dq],\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]amount\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]credit\[dq],\[dq]debit\[dq],\[dq]posting-status\[dq],\[dq]posting-comment\[dq]+\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:salary\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:gifts\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:saving\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:food\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:supplies\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:cash\[dq],\[dq]-2\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]liabilities:debts\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP \[bu] 2+There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction\[aq]s+fields repeated.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \[dq]txnidx\[dq] (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 order, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+The amount is separated into \[dq]commodity\[dq] (the symbol) and+\[dq]amount\[dq] (numeric quantity) fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+The numeric amount is repeated in either the \[dq]credit\[dq] or+\[dq]debit\[dq] 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.)+.SS register+.PP+(reg)+.PP+Show postings and their running total.+.PP+The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in+date order, with their running total or running historical balance.+(See also the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command, which shows matched+transactions in a specific account.)+.PP+register normally shows line per posting, but note that multi-commodity+amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per commodity).+.PP+It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see+that account\[aq]s activity:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register checking+2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1+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           $-1            0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With \f[V]--date2\f[R], it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.+.PP+For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.+If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and+memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.+.PP+The \f[V]--historical\f[R]/\f[V]-H\f[R] flag adds the balance from any+undisplayed prior postings to the running total.+This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a+historically accurate running balance:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option limits the amount of sub-account detail+displayed.+.PP+The \f[V]--average\f[R]/\f[V]-A\f[R] 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 \f[V]--empty\f[R] (see below).+It is affected by \f[V]--historical\f[R].+It works best when showing just one account and one commodity.+.PP+The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the \f[I]other\f[R]+postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be+shown.+.PP+The \f[V]--invert\f[R] flag negates all amounts.+For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are+normally displayed as negative numbers.+It\[aq]s also useful to show postings on the checking account together+with the related account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per+interval, aggregating the postings to each account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly income+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are+not shown by default; use the \f[V]--empty\f[R]/\f[V]-E\f[R] flag to see+them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly income -E+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/02                                                          0          $-1+2008/03                                                          0          $-1+2008/04                                                          0          $-1+2008/05                                                          0          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+2008/07                                                          0          $-2+2008/08                                                          0          $-2+2008/09                                                          0          $-2+2008/10                                                          0          $-2+2008/11                                                          0          $-2+2008/12                                                          0          $-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Often, you\[aq]ll want to see just one line per interval.+The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be+aggregated:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0+2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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.+.PP+With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], register does a fuzzy+search for one recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC.+DESC should contain at least two characters.+If there is no similar-enough match, no posting will be shown and the+program exit code will be non-zero.+.SS Custom register output+.PP+register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.+You can override this by setting the \f[V]COLUMNS\f[R] environment+variable (not a bash shell variable) or by using the+\f[V]--width\f[R]/\f[V]-w\f[R] option.+.PP+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\[aq]s argument, comma-separated: \f[V]--width W,D\f[R] .+Here\[aq]s a diagram (won\[aq]t display correctly in --help):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->+date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)+DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+and some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40+$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS rewrite+.PP+Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.+For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print+--auto.+.PP+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+transaction\[aq]s first posting amount.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs \[ha]income --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33  ; income tax\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  $100\[aq]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs -f rewrites.hledger+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+rewrites.hledger may consist of entries like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= \[ha]income amt:<0 date:2017+  (liabilities:tax)  *0.33  ; tax on income+  (reserve:grocery)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery+  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the two+spaces between account and amount.+.PP+More:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- [QUERY]        --add-posting \[dq]ACCT  AMTEXPR\[dq] ...+$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]+$ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](budget:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]+$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](budget:foreign currency)  *0.25 JPY; diversify\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Argument for \f[V]--add-posting\f[R] option is a usual posting of+transaction with an exception for amount specification.+More precisely, you can use \f[V]\[aq]*\[aq]\f[R] (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\[aq]s commodity.+.SS Re-write rules in a file+.PP+During the run this tool will execute so called \[dq]Automated+Transactions\[dq] found in any journal it process.+I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put+them in a journal file.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ rewrite-rules.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Make contents look like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= \[ha]income+    (liabilities:tax)  *.33++= expenses:gifts+    budget:gifts  *-1+    assets:budget  *1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note that \f[V]\[aq]=\[aq]\f[R] (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.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal -f rewrite-rules.journal > rewritten-tidy-output.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is something similar to the commands pipeline:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq] \[rs]+  | hledger rewrite -- -f - expenses:gifts      --add-posting \[aq]budget:gifts  *-1\[aq]       \[rs]+                                                --add-posting \[aq]assets:budget  *1\[aq]       \[rs]+  > rewritten-tidy-output.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in+journal is important.+You can re-use result of previously added postings.+.SS Diff output format+.PP+To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may+find useful output in form of unified diff.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Output might look like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+--- /tmp/examples/sample.journal++++ /tmp/examples/sample.journal+\[at]\[at] -18,3 +18,4 \[at]\[at]+ 2008/01/01 income+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:salary++    (liabilities:tax)                0+\[at]\[at] -22,3 +23,4 \[at]\[at]+ 2008/06/01 gift+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:gifts++    (liabilities:tax)                0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you\[aq]ll pass this through \f[V]patch\f[R] tool you\[aq]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 \f[V]--file\f[R] options and \f[V]include\f[R]+directives inside of these files.+.PP+Be careful.+Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output from+\f[V]hledger print\f[R].+.PP+See also:+.PP+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99+.SS rewrite vs. print --auto+.PP+This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same+thing, but with these differences:+.IP \[bu] 2+with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other+files.+print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child+files.+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite\[aq]s query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are+printed.+print --auto\[aq]s query limits which transactions are printed.+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal.+print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.+.SS roi+.PP+Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on+your investments.+.PP+At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an account+name) to select your investment(s) with \f[V]--inv\f[R], and another+query to identify your profit and loss transactions with+\f[V]--pnl\f[R].+.PP+If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually,+or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR),+\f[V]--pnl\f[R] could be an empty query (\f[V]--pnl \[dq]\[dq]\f[R] or+\f[V]--pnl STR\f[R] where \f[V]STR\f[R] does not match any of your+accounts).+.PP+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.+.PP+Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate+\f[V]--cost\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] flags (see VALUATION).+.PP+Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons:+.IP \[bu] 2+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.+.IP \[bu] 2+Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of+Return (IRR).+Either search does not converge to a solution, or converges too slowly.+.PP+Examples:+.IP \[bu] 2+Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger+.IP \[bu] 2+Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html+.SS Spaces and special characters in \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]+.PP+Note that \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]\[aq]s argument is a query,+and queries could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).+.PP+To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument, you+will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger roi --inv \[aq]term1 term2 term3 ...\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+level of nested quoting, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger roi --inv=\[dq]\[aq]Assets:Test 1\[aq]\[dq] --pnl=\[dq]\[aq]Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss\[aq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Semantics of \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]+.PP+Query supplied to \f[V]--inv\f[R] has to match all transactions that are+related to your investment.+Transactions not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R] will be ignored.+.PP+In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match+\f[V]--inv\f[R] to be \[dq]investment postings\[dq] and other postings+(not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R]) will be sorted into two categories:+\[dq]cash flow\[dq] and \[dq]profit and loss\[dq], as ROI needs to know+which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is+due to the return on investment.+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Cash flow\[dq] is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or+selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment+commodity and any other commodity.+Example:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+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+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Profit and loss\[dq] is change in the value of your investment:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019-06-01 Snake Oil falls in value+  investment:snake oil  = $57+  equity:unrealized profit or loss+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+All non-investment postings are assumed to be \[dq]cash flow\[dq],+unless they match \f[V]--pnl\f[R] query.+Changes in value of your investment due to \[dq]profit and loss\[dq]+postings will be considered as part of your investment return.+.PP+Example: if you use \f[V]--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized\f[R], then+postings in the example below would be classifed as:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1+  assets:cash          -$100   ; cash flow posting+  investment:snake oil         ; investment posting++2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+  snake oil                    ; investment posting++2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting+\f[R]+.fi+.SS IRR and TWR explained+.PP+\[dq]ROI\[dq] stands for \[dq]return on investment\[dq].+Traditionally this was computed as a difference between current value of+investment and its initial value, expressed in percentage of the initial+value.+.PP+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 different ways to compute rate of+return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR.+.PP+Internal rate of return, or \[dq]IRR\[dq] (also called+\[dq]money-weighted rate of return\[dq]) 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.+.PP+As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you+personally put in or withdraw, and for the \[dq]roi\[dq] command, these+are the postings that match the query in the\f[V]--inv\f[R] argument and+NOT match the query in the\f[V]--pnl\f[R] argument.+.PP+If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as+transactions that balance them against \[dq]profit and loss\[dq] (or+\[dq]unrealized gains\[dq]) 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.+.PP+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\[aq]t done discounted cash flow analysis before.+Implementation of IRR in hledger should produce results that match the+\f[V]XIRR\f[R] formula in Excel.+.PP+Second way to compute rate of return that \f[V]roi\f[R] command+implements is called \[dq]time-weighted rate of return\[dq] or+\[dq]TWR\[dq].+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 are quite different.+.PP+TWR represents your investment as an imaginary \[dq]unit fund\[dq] where+in-flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling \[dq]units\[dq] of your+investment and changes in its value change the value of \[dq]investment+unit\[dq].+Change in \[dq]unit price\[dq] over the reporting period gives you rate+of return of your investment.+.PP+References:+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of rate of return+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of IRR+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of TWR+.IP \[bu] 2+Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of the limitations of+both metrics+.SS stats+.PP+Show journal and performance statistics.+.PP+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.+.PP+At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number+of transactions processed per second.+Note these are approximate and will vary based on machine, current load,+data size, hledger version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..+but they may be of interest.+The \f[V]stats\f[R] command\[aq]s run time is similar to that of a+single-column balance report.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 1000+Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+Market prices            : 1000 (A)++Run time                 : 0.12 s+Throughput               : 8342 txns/s+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not+-O/--output-format selection).+.SS tags+.PP+List the tags used in the journal, or their values.+.PP+This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on+transactions, postings, or account declarations.+.PP+With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular+expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.+.PP+With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this query+are considered.+If the query involves transaction fields (date:, desc:, amt:, ...), the+search is restricted to the matched transactions and their accounts.+.PP+With the --values flag, the tags\[aq] unique non-empty values are listed+instead.+With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.+.PP+With --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+with duplicates included.+(Except, tags from account declarations are always shown first.)+.PP+Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings+also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also+acquire tags from their postings.+.SS test+.PP+Run built-in unit tests.+.PP+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.+.PP+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!+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options+(\f[V]-- --help\f[R] currently doesn\[aq]t show them).+.PP+.SH PART 5: COMMON TASKS+.PP+Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.+.SS Getting help+.PP+Here\[aq]s how to list commands and view options and command docs:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger                # show available commands+$ hledger --help         # show common options+$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD\[aq]s options, common options and CMD\[aq]s documentation+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can also view your hledger version\[aq]s manual in several formats+by using the help command.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit+https://hledger.org.+Chat and mail list support and discussion archives can be found at+https://hledger.org/support.+.SS Constructing command lines+.PP+hledger has a flexible command line interface.+We strive to keep it simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of+the sharp edges described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might+help:+.IP \[bu] 2+command-specific options must go after the command (it\[aq]s fine to put+common options there too: \f[V]hledger CMD OPTS ARGS\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing+(\f[V]hledger-ui OPTS ARGS\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+enclose \[dq]problematic\[dq] args in single quotes+.IP \[bu] 2+if needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression+metacharacters from the shell+.IP \[bu] 2+to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add+\f[V]--debug=2\f[R].+.SS Starting a journal file+.PP+hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] by default:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger stats+The hledger journal file \[dq]/Users/simon/.hledger.journal\[dq] was not found.+Please create it first, eg with \[dq]hledger add\[dq] or a text editor.+Or, specify an existing journal file with -f or LEDGER_FILE.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can override this by setting the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment+variable (see below).+It\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ mkdir \[ti]/finance+$ cd \[ti]/finance+$ git init+Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+$ touch 2023.journal+$ echo \[dq]export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal\[dq] >> \[ti]/.profile+$ source \[ti]/.profile+$ hledger stats+Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+Last transaction         : none+Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 0+Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+Commodities              : 0 ()+Market prices            : 0 ()+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Setting LEDGER_FILE+.PP+How to set \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] permanently depends on your setup:+.PP+On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will work for+many people; adapt as needed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[aq]export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\[ga] >> \[ti]/.profile+$ source \[ti]/.profile+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When correctly configured, in a new terminal window+\f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] will show your file, and so will+\f[V]hledger files\f[R].+.PP+On mac, this additional step might be helpful for GUI applications (like+Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to+\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R] like+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+{+  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\[dq]+}+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+and then run \f[V]killall Dock\f[R] in a terminal window (or restart the+machine).+.PP+On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or try+running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if it+persists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+> CD+> MKDIR finance+> SETX LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]USERNAME\[rs]finance\[rs]2023.journal\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Setting opening balances+.PP+Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some+real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..)+and liabilities (credit cards..).+.PP+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 always come back later and add more accounts and older+transactions, eg going back to january 1st.+.PP+Add an opening balances transaction to the journal, declaring the+balances on this date.+Here are two ways to do it:+.IP \[bu] 2+The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an entry+like this:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+    assets:cash                          $100   = $100+    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+These are start-of-day balances, ie whatever was in the account at the+end of the previous day.+.PP+The * after the date is an optional status flag.+Here it means \[dq]cleared & confirmed\[dq].+.PP+The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you\[aq]ll+be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.+.PP+The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra error+checking.+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+The second way: run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts to+record a similar transaction:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+Description: * opening balances+Account 1: assets:bank:checking+Amount  1: $1000+Account 2: assets:bank:savings+Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+Account 3: assets:cash+Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+Amount  5 [$-3050]: +Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2023-01-01]: .+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+If you\[aq]re using version control, this could be a good time to commit+the journal.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ git commit -m \[aq]initial balances\[aq] 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Recording transactions+.PP+As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the+hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.+.PP+Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual and+hledger.org for more ideas:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023/1/10 * gift received+  assets:cash   $20+  income:gifts++2023.1.12 * farmers market+  expenses:food    $13+  assets:cash++2023-01-15 paycheck+  income:salary+  assets:bank:checking    $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reconciling+.PP+Periodically you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported+balances against external sources of truth, like bank statements or your+bank\[aq]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 pile up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors+and discrepancies.+.PP+A typical workflow:+.IP "1." 3+Reconcile cash.+Count what\[aq]s in your wallet.+Compare with what hledger reports (\f[V]hledger bal cash\f[R]).+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 (\f[V]hledger reg cash\f[R]).+If you can\[aq]t find the error, add an adjustment transaction.+Eg if you have $105 after the above, and can\[aq]t explain the missing+$2, it could be:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash    $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Reconcile checking.+Log in to your bank\[aq]s website.+Compare today\[aq]s (cleared) balance with hledger\[aq]s cleared balance+(\f[V]hledger bal checking -C\f[R]).+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+\f[V]hledger reg checking -C\f[R].+This will be easier if you generally record transaction dates quite+similar to your bank\[aq]s clearing dates.+.IP "3." 3+Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.+.PP+Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a+live-updating register while you edit the journal:+\f[V]hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C\f[R]+.PP+After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled+transactions\[aq] status as \[dq]cleared and confirmed\[dq], if you want+to track that, by adding the \f[V]*\f[R] marker.+Eg in the paycheck transaction above, insert \f[V]*\f[R] between+\f[V]2023-01-15\f[R] and \f[V]paycheck\f[R]+.PP+If you\[aq]re using version control, this can be another good time to+commit:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ git commit -m \[aq]txns\[aq] 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reporting+.PP+Here are some basic reports.+.PP+Show all transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++2023-01-10 * gift received+    assets:cash              $20+    income:gifts++2023-01-12 * farmers market+    expenses:food             $13+    assets:cash++2023-01-15 * paycheck+    income:salary+    assets:bank:checking           $1000++2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash               $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show account names, and their hierarchy:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --tree+assets+  bank+    checking+    savings+  cash+equity+  opening/closing balances+expenses+  food+  misc+income+  gifts+  salary+liabilities+  creditcard+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show all account totals:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance+               $4105  assets+               $4000    bank+               $2000      checking+               $2000      savings+                $105    cash+              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                 $15  expenses+                 $13    food+                  $2    misc+              $-1020  income+                $-20    gifts+              $-1000    salary+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to depth+2:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+               $4000  assets:bank+                $105  assets:cash+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+               $4055+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+balance sheet:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bs -2+Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                        || 2023-01-16 +========================++============+ Assets                 ||            +------------------------++------------+ assets:bank            ||      $4000 + assets:cash            ||       $105 +------------------------++------------+                        ||      $4105 +========================++============+ Liabilities            ||            +------------------------++------------+ liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 +------------------------++------------+                        ||        $50 +========================++============+ Net:                   ||      $4055 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The final total is your \[dq]net worth\[dq] on the end date.+(Or use \f[V]bse\f[R] for a full balance sheet with equity.)+.PP+Show income and expense totals, formatted as an income statement:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger is +Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++               || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16 +===============++=======================+ Revenues      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ income:gifts  ||                   $20 + income:salary ||                 $1000 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                 $1020 +===============++=======================+ Expenses      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ expenses:food ||                   $13 + expenses:misc ||                    $2 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                   $15 +===============++=======================+ Net:          ||                 $1005 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The final total is your net income during this period.+.PP+Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register cash+2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger activity -W+2019-12-30 *****+2023-01-06 ****+2023-01-13 ****+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Migrating to a new file+.PP+At the end of the year, you may want to continue your journal in a new+file, so that old transactions don\[aq]t slow down or clutter your+reports, and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history.+See the close command.+.PP+If using version control, don\[aq]t forget to \f[V]git add\f[R] the new+file.+.SH BUGS+.PP+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support).+.PP+Some known issues and limitations:+.PP+The need to precede add-on command options with \f[V]--\f[R] when+invoked from hledger is awkward.+(See Command options, Constructing command lines.)+.PP+A UTF-8-aware system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+data.+(See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)+.PP+On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD window+or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger, non-ascii+characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key may not be+supported by \f[V]hledger add\f[R].+(Running in a WSL window should resolve these.)+.PP+When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than Ledger.+.SS Troubleshooting+.PP+Here are some common issues you might encounter when you run hledger,+and how to resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+Support):+.PP+\f[B]PATH issues: I get an error like \[dq]No command \[aq]hledger\[aq]+found\[dq]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+shell\[aq]s PATH.+Eg on unix systems, stack installs hledger in \f[V]\[ti]/.local/bin\f[R]+and cabal installs it in \f[V]\[ti]/.cabal/bin\f[R].+You may need to add one of these directories to your shell\[aq]s PATH,+and/or open a new terminal window.+.PP+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is not+using it\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should be a real environment variable, not just a+shell variable.+Eg on unix, the command \f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should show it.+You may need to use \f[V]export\f[R] (see+https://stackoverflow.com/a/7411509).+.IP \[bu] 2+You may need to force your shell to see the new configuration.+A simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.+.PP+\f[B]LANG issues: I get errors like \[dq]Illegal byte sequence\[dq] or+\[dq]Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character\[dq] or+\[dq]commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argument (invalid+character)\[dq]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Programs compiled with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.)+need the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail when they+encounter non-ascii characters.+To fix it, set the LANG environment variable to a locale which supports+UTF-8 and which is installed on your system.+.PP+On unix, \f[V]locale -a\f[R] lists the installed locales.+Look for one which mentions \f[V]utf8\f[R], \f[V]UTF-8\f[R] or similar.+Some examples: \f[V]C.UTF-8\f[R], \f[V]en_US.utf-8\f[R],+\f[V]fr_FR.utf8\f[R].+If necessary, use your system package manager to install one.+Then select it by setting the \f[V]LANG\f[R] environment variable.+Note, exact spelling and capitalisation of the locale name may be+important: Here\[aq]s one common way to configure this permanently for+your shell:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[dq]export LANG=en_US.utf8\[dq] >>\[ti]/.profile+# close and re-open terminal window+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[B]COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger+file\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Not all of Ledger\[aq]s journal file syntax or feature set is supported.+See hledger and Ledger for full details.+  .SH AUTHORS Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.
embeddedfiles/hledger.info view
@@ -14,10997 +14,11310 @@ hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)     'hledger'-'hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]'-'hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]'--   hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and largely interconvertible with-beancount(1).--   This manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.29.2.-It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-all hledger programs.  It might accidentally teach you some-bookkeeping/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in-here to use hledger productively, but when you have a question about-functionality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip-ahead or skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an-info manual or man page on your system.  You can also get it from-hledger itself with-'hledger --man', 'hledger --info' or 'hledger help [TOPIC]'.--   The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files-describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a-useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect-other 'hledger-*' executables as extra subcommands.--   hledger reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock,-timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is '.hledger.journal' in your-home directory; this can be overridden with one or more '-f FILE'-options, or the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable.  hledger CLI can-also read from stdin with '-f-'; more on that below.--   Here is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one-transaction:--2015-10-16 bought food-  expenses:food          $10-  assets:cash--   Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more-_accounts_: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,-people, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using ':' to-indicate subaccounts.  There must be at least two spaces between account-name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (_debit_),-negatives are outflow from it (_credit_).  (Some reports show revenue,-liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;-this is normal.)--   hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can-install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more-extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM-+ vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good choices (see-https://hledger.org/editors.html).--   To get started, run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts, or save-some entries like the above in '$HOME/.hledger.journal', then try-commands like:-'hledger print -x'-'hledger aregister assets'-'hledger balance'-'hledger balancesheet'-'hledger incomestatement'.-Run 'hledger' to list the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal-file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.--* Menu:--* PART 1 USER INTERFACE::-* Options::-* Environment::-* Input::-* Commands::-* Output::-* Limitations::-* Troubleshooting::-* PART 2 DATA FORMATS::-* Journal::-* CSV::-* Timeclock::-* Timedot::-* PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS::-* Time periods::-* Depth::-* Queries::-* Pivoting::-* Generating data::-* Forecasting::-* Budgeting::-* Cost reporting::-* Valuation::-* PART 4 COMMANDS::-* PART 5 COMMON TASKS::---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Next: Options,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top--1 PART 1: USER INTERFACE-************************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Options,  Next: Environment,  Prev: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Up: Top--2 Options-*********--* Menu:--* General options::-* Command options::-* Command arguments::-* Special characters::-* Unicode characters::-* Regular expressions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: General options,  Next: Command options,  Up: Options--2.1 General options-===================--To see general usage help, including general options which are supported-by most hledger commands, run 'hledger -h'.--   General help options:--'-h --help'--     show general or COMMAND help-'--man'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with man-'--info'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with info-'--version'--     show general or ADDONCMD version-'--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'--     Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)-'--separator=CHAR'--     Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')-'--alias=OLD=NEW'--     rename accounts named OLD to NEW-'--anon'--     anonymize accounts and payees-'--pivot FIELDNAME'--     use some other field or tag for the account name-'-I --ignore-assertions'--     disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-     assignments)-'-s --strict'--     do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are-     declared)--   General reporting options:--'-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'--     include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to-     following subperiod end when using a report interval)-'-D --daily'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by day-'-W --weekly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by week-'-M --monthly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by month-'-Q --quarterly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter-'-Y --yearly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by year-'-p --period=PERIODEXP'--     set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once-     using period expressions syntax-'--date2'--     match the secondary date instead (see command help for other-     effects)-'--today=DATE'--     override today's date (affects relative smart dates, for-     tests/examples)-'-U --unmarked'--     include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)-'-P --pending'--     include only pending postings/txns-'-C --cleared'--     include only cleared postings/txns-'-R --real'--     include only non-virtual postings-'-NUM --depth=NUM'--     hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep-'-E --empty'--     show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-     hledger-ui/hledger-web)-'-B --cost'--     convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time-'-V --market'--     convert amounts to their market value in default valuation-     commodities-'-X --exchange=COMM'--     convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM-'--value'--     convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than-     -B/-V/-X-'--infer-market-prices'--     use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market-     prices, as if they were P directives-'--auto'--     apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-'--forecast'--     generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for-     the next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui, also-     make ordinary future transactions visible.-'--commodity-style'--     Override the commodity style in the output for the specified-     commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.-'--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-     NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.-'--pretty[=WHEN]'--     Show prettier output, e.g.  using unicode box-drawing characters.-     Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always', 'never'-     also work).  If you provide an argument you must use '=', e.g.-     '-pretty=yes'.--   When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line,-the last one takes precedence.--   Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Command options,  Next: Command arguments,  Prev: General options,  Up: Options--2.2 Command options-===================--To see options for a particular command, including command-specific-options, run: 'hledger COMMAND -h'.--   Command-specific options must be written after the command name, eg:-'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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Command arguments,  Next: Special characters,  Prev: Command options,  Up: Options--2.3 Command arguments-=====================--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--- @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:--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:---X"$"--   Good:---X$--   See also: Save frequently used options.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Special characters,  Next: Unicode characters,  Prev: Command arguments,  Up: Options--2.4 Special characters-======================--* Menu:--* Single escaping shell metacharacters::-* Double escaping regular expression metacharacters::-* Triple escaping for add-on commands::-* Less escaping::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Next: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.1 Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-----------------------------------------------In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as-spaces, '<', '>', '(', ')', '|', '$' and '\' - should be "shell-escaped"-if you want hledger to see them.  This is done by enclosing them in-single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to-match an account name containing a space:--$ hledger register 'credit card'--   or:--$ hledger register credit\ card--   Windows users should keep in mind that 'cmd' treats single quote as a-regular character, so you should be using double quotes exclusively.-PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Next: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Prev: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.2 Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)------------------------------------------------------------Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such-as '.', '^', '$', '[', ']', '(', ')', '|', and '\' - may need to be-"regex-escaped" if you don't want them to be interpreted by hledger's-regular expression engine.  This is done by writing backslashes before-them, but since backslash is typically also a shell metacharacter, both-shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed.  Eg to match a literal-'$' sign while using the bash shell:--$ hledger balance cur:'\$'--   or:--$ hledger balance cur:\\$---File: hledger.info,  Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Next: Less escaping,  Prev: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.3 Triple escaping (for add-on commands)----------------------------------------------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 '$' sign while using the-bash shell and running an add-on command ('ui'):--$ hledger ui cur:'\\$'--   or:--$ hledger ui cur:\\\\$--   If you wondered why _four_ backslashes, perhaps this helps:--unescaped:        '$'-escaped:          '\$'-double-escaped:   '\\$'-triple-escaped:   '\\\\$'--   Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable-directly:--$ hledger-ui cur:\\$---File: hledger.info,  Node: Less escaping,  Prev: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Up: Special characters--2.4.4 Less escaping----------------------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:--   * an @argumentfile-   * hledger-ui's filter field-   * hledger-web's search form-   * GHCI's prompt (used by developers).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Unicode characters,  Next: Regular expressions,  Prev: Special characters,  Up: Options--2.5 Unicode characters-======================--hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:--   * they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command-     line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's-     search/add/edit forms, etc.)--   * 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:--   * 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-     will quit on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all-     GHC-compiled programs).--   * your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-     must support unicode--   * the terminal must be using a font which includes the required-     unicode glyphs--   * the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as-     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-     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--2.6 Regular expressions-=======================--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 directive and '--alias' option: '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-     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.--   Some things to note:--   * 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 '$' as-     a literal character, prepend a backslash.  Eg to search for amounts-     with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write 'cur:\$'.--   * On the command line, some metacharacters like '$' 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: Input,  Prev: Options,  Up: Top--3 Environment-*************--*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'.--   On unix computers, the default value is: '~/.hledger.journal'.--   A more typical value is something like '~/finance/YYYY.journal',-where '~/finance' is a version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is-the current year.  Or, '~/finance/current.journal', where-current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--   The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of-your shell's startup files (eg '~/.profile'):--export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--   On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set-environment variables, that will also affect applications started from-the GUI (eg, Emacs started from a dock icon): In-'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist', add an entry like:--{-  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-}--   For this to take effect you might need to 'killall Dock', or reboot.--   On Windows computers, the default value is probably-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal'.  You can change this by running a-command like this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be-an Administrator, and if this persists across a reboot):--> setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--   Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.--   *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 is overriden by the--color/-colour option.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Input,  Next: Commands,  Prev: Environment,  Up: Top--4 Input-*******--hledger reads transactions from one or more data files.  The default-data file is '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (or on Windows, something like-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal').--   You can override this with the '$LEDGER_FILE' environment variable:--$ setenv LEDGER_FILE ~/finance/2016.journal-$ hledger stats--   or with one or more '-f/--file' options:--$ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats--   The file name '-' means standard input:--$ cat some.journal | hledger -f---* Menu:--* Data formats::-* Multiple files::-* Strict mode::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Data formats,  Next: Multiple files,  Up: Input--4.1 Data formats-================--Usually the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in-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--   These formats are described in more detail 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-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:--$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats--   Or to read stdin ('-') as timeclock format:--$ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -ftimeclock:----File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple files,  Next: Strict mode,  Prev: Data formats,  Up: Input--4.2 Multiple files-==================--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-     a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict mode,  Prev: Multiple files,  Up: Input--4.3 Strict mode-===============--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:--   * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an 'account' directive ?-     (Account error checking)-   * Are all commodities declared with a 'commodity' directive ?-     (Commodity error checking)-   * Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?--   You can use the check command to run individual checks - the ones-listed above and some more.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands,  Next: Output,  Prev: Input,  Up: Top--5 Commands-**********--hledger provides a number of built-in subcommands (described below).-Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-A few assist with data entry and management.--   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'.--* Menu:--* Add-on commands::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Add-on commands,  Up: Commands--5.1 Add-on commands-===================--Add-on commands are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts in-your PATH--   * whose name starts with 'hledger-'-   * whose name ends with a recognised file extension:-     '.bat','.com','.exe', '.hs','.lhs','.pl','.py','.rb','.rkt','.sh'-     or none-   * and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user.--   Addons can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or-programs have a big advantage: they can use hledger's library code, for-command-line options, parsing and reporting.--   Several add-on commands are installed by the hledger-install script.-See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.--   Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a-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').--   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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output,  Next: Limitations,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Top--6 Output-********--* Menu:--* Output destination::-* Output format::-* Commodity styles::-* Colour::-* Box-drawing::-* Paging::-* Debug output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output destination,  Next: Output format,  Up: Output--6.1 Output destination-======================--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:--$ hledger print -o foo.txt-$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output format,  Next: Commodity styles,  Prev: Output destination,  Up: Output--6.2 Output format-=================--Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the-terminal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:---                           txt       csv       html         json     sql-------------------------------------------------------------------------------aregister                   Y         Y         Y            Y-balance                     Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1,2_      Y-balancesheet                Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-balancesheetequity          Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-cashflow                    Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-incomestatement             Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-print                       Y         Y                      Y        Y-register                    Y         Y                      Y--   * _1 Also affected by the balance commands' '--layout' option._-   * _2 'balance' does not support html output without a report interval-     or with '--budget'._--   The output format is selected by the '-O/--output-format=FMT' option:--$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout--   or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the-'-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT' option:--$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv--   The '-O' option can be combined with '-o' to override the file-extension, if needed:--$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt--   Some notes about the various output formats:--* Menu:--* CSV output::-* HTML output::-* JSON output::-* SQL output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV output,  Next: HTML output,  Up: Output format--6.2.1 CSV output-------------------   * In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-     disabled automatically.---File: hledger.info,  Node: HTML output,  Next: JSON output,  Prev: CSV output,  Up: Output format--6.2.2 HTML output--------------------   * HTML output can be styled by an optional 'hledger.css' file in the-     same directory.---File: hledger.info,  Node: JSON output,  Next: SQL output,  Prev: HTML output,  Up: Output format--6.2.3 JSON output--------------------   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--   * Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful-     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-     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-     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)---File: hledger.info,  Node: SQL output,  Prev: JSON output,  Up: Output format--6.2.4 SQL output-------------------   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--   * SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and-     Postgres.--   * For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated 'id'-     field to be a PRIMARY KEY. Eg:--     $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...--   * 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'-     SQL statements) or drop tables completely as otherwise your-     postings will be duped.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity styles,  Next: Colour,  Prev: Output format,  Up: Output--6.3 Commodity styles-====================--When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for-each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.--   If needed, this can be overridden by a '-c/--commodity-style' option-(except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the 'print' command,-which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the-following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:--$ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'--   This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple-commodities/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity-directive.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Colour,  Next: Box-drawing,  Prev: Commodity styles,  Up: Output--6.4 Colour-==========--In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-supports it:--   * if the '--color/--colour' option is given a value of 'yes' or-     'always' (or 'no' or 'never'), colour will (or will not) be used;-   * otherwise, if the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable is set, colour-     will not be used;-   * otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)-     supports it.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Box-drawing,  Next: Paging,  Prev: Colour,  Up: Output--6.5 Box-drawing-===============--In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-render prettier tables:--   * if the '--pretty' option is given a value of 'yes' or 'always' (or-     'no' or 'never'), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;-   * otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Paging,  Next: Debug output,  Prev: Box-drawing,  Up: Output--6.6 Paging-==========--When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-pager specified by the 'PAGER' environment variable, or 'less', or-'more'.  (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time-rather than scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this-only for help output, not for reports; specifically,--   * when listing commands, with 'hledger'-   * when showing help with 'hledger [CMD] --help',-   * when viewing manuals with 'hledger help' or 'hledger --man'.--   Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses-eg for bold emphasis.  For the common pager 'less' (and its 'more'-compatibility mode), we add 'R' to the 'LESS' and 'MORE' environment-variables to make this work.  If you use a different pager, you might-need to configure it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us-know).  Otherwise, you can set the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable to 1-to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Debug output,  Prev: Paging,  Up: Output--6.7 Debug output-================--We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-develop.  You can add '--debug[=N]' to any hledger command line to see-additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to-9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase until-you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected-by '-o/--output-file' (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-'2>&1').  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help-reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in-a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:--hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log---File: hledger.info,  Node: Limitations,  Next: Troubleshooting,  Prev: Output,  Up: Top--7 Limitations-*************--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-POSIX, set LANG to something other than C.--   In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours-are not supported.--   On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when-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 hledger-and Ledger > Differences > journal format.--   On large data files, hledger is slower and uses more memory than-Ledger.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Troubleshooting,  Next: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Prev: Limitations,  Up: Top--8 Troubleshooting-*****************--Here are some issues you might encounter when you run hledger (and-remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or bug-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,-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.--   *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-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.--   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 $LANG-C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-$ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-C-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-Ubuntu/Debian:--$ apt-get install language-pack-fr-$ locale -a-C-en_US.utf8-fr_BE.utf8-fr_CA.utf8-fr_CH.utf8-fr_FR.utf8-fr_LU.utf8-POSIX-$ 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)-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---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Next: Journal,  Prev: Troubleshooting,  Up: Top--9 PART 2: DATA FORMATS-**********************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal,  Next: CSV,  Prev: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Up: Top--10 Journal-**********--hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's a-cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal format.--* Menu:--* Journal cheatsheet::-* About journal format::-* Comments::-* Transactions::-* Dates::-* Status::-* Code::-* Description::-* Transaction comments::-* Postings::-* Account names::-* Amounts::-* Costs::-* Balance assertions::-* Posting comments::-* Tags::-* Directives::-* account directive::-* alias directive::-* commodity directive::-* decimal-mark directive::-* include directive::-* P directive::-* payee directive::-* tag directive::-* Periodic transactions::-* Other syntax::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal cheatsheet,  Next: About journal format,  Up: Journal--10.1 Journal cheatsheet-=======================--# Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format-# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--###############################################################################-# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".--# hash comment line-; semicolon comment line-comment-These lines-are commented.-end comment--# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--###############################################################################-# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-alias chkg = assets:checking-commodity $0.00-decimal-mark .-include /dev/null-payee Whole Foods-P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-    expenses:food       $400-    expenses:home      $1000-    budgeted--###############################################################################-# 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,-# usually describing movements of money.-# They begin with a date.--# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-#               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".-    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-    ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"--Kv-2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-    expenses:clothing       GBP 10-    assets:gringotts           -10 gold-    assets:pouch                10 gold-    revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols-    assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.--2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@-    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost-    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost-    assets:checking            $-7.00--2022-01-02 assert balances-    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-    assets:savings              $0      = $1000--1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-    ; Postings are not required.--2022.01.01 These date-2022/1/1   formats are-12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).---File: hledger.info,  Node: About journal format,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Journal cheatsheet,  Up: Journal--10.2 About journal format-=========================--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 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-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-configuration at hledger.org for the full list.--   Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's-data model).--   A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file-comments, transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction-rules and auto posting rules as directives).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Transactions,  Prev: About journal format,  Up: Journal--10.3 Comments-=============--Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash ('#') or-a semicolon (';').  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore-regions beginning with a 'comment' line and ending with an 'end comment'-line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:--   * '#' for top-level notes-   * ';' for commenting out things temporarily-   * 'comment' for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's-     there, or you might get confused)--   Eg:--# a comment line-; another commentline-comment-A multi-line comment block,-continuing until "end comment" directive-or the end of the current file.-end comment--   Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-from ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments, Posting-comments, and Account comments below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Transactions,  Next: Dates,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Journal--10.4 Transactions-=================--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-optional fields, separated by spaces:--   * 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).--   Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction:--2008/01/01 income-  assets:bank:checking   $1-  income:salary         $-1---File: hledger.info,  Node: Dates,  Next: Status,  Prev: Transactions,  Up: Journal--10.5 Dates-==========--* Menu:--* Simple dates::-* Posting dates::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple dates,  Next: Posting dates,  Up: Dates--10.5.1 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-be omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the-current transaction, the default year set with a 'Y' 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.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting dates,  Prev: Simple dates,  Up: Dates--10.5.2 Posting 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-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.-The 'date:' tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present, eg-a 'date:' tag with no value is not allowed.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Status,  Next: Code,  Prev: Dates,  Up: Journal--10.6 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,-indicating one of three statuses:--mark  status- -------------------      unmarked-'!'   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.--   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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Code,  Next: Description,  Prev: Status,  Up: Journal--10.7 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-or reference number.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Description,  Next: Transaction comments,  Prev: Code,  Up: Journal--10.8 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-"narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you-wish, or left blank.  Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike-comments.--* Menu:--* Payee and note::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Payee and note,  Up: Description--10.8.1 Payee and note------------------------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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Transaction comments,  Next: Postings,  Prev: Description,  Up: Journal--10.9 Transaction comments-=========================--Text following ';', after a transaction description, and/or on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.  They-are reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-tags, which are not ignored.--2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-    ; a second line of transaction comment-    expenses   1-    assets---File: hledger.info,  Node: Postings,  Next: Account names,  Prev: Transaction comments,  Up: Journal--10.10 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-tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by:--   * (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)-   * (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-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-the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account names,  Next: Amounts,  Prev: Postings,  Up: Journal--10.11 Account names-===================--Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.  As in-Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts (such-as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed-from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".--   You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the-traditional accounting categories, which in english are 'assets',-'liabilities', 'equity', 'revenues', 'expenses'.  (You might see these-referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)--   For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-name parts.  For example, from the account names 'assets:bank:checking'-and 'expenses:food', hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:--assets-assets:bank-assets:bank:checking-expenses-expenses:food--   Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:--assets- bank-  checking-expenses- food--   hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you-can go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-names relatively simple may be best when starting out.--   Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,-numbers, symbols, or single spaces.  Note, when an account name and an-amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by *two or-more spaces* (or tabs).--   Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate-virtual postings, described below.  Parentheses or brackets internal to-the account name have no special meaning.--   Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account-aliases.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amounts,  Next: Costs,  Prev: Account names,  Up: Journal--10.12 Amounts-=============--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"):--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 space:--$1-4000 AAPL-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-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--* Menu:--* Decimal marks digit group marks::-* Commodity::-* Directives influencing number parsing and display::-* Commodity display style::-* Rounding::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Next: Commodity,  Up: Amounts--10.12.1 Decimal marks, digit group marks-------------------------------------------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):--     $1,000,000.00-  EUR 2.000.000,00-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 ?--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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,-especially if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands-separators), we recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark-character in each journal file, using a directive at the top of the-file.  The 'decimal-mark' directive is best, otherwise 'commodity'-directives will also work.  These are described below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity,  Next: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Prev: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Up: Amounts--10.12.2 Commodity--------------------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-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".--   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 are the 'Amount' and 'MixedAmount' types.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Next: Commodity display style,  Prev: Commodity,  Up: Amounts--10.12.3 Directives influencing number parsing and display------------------------------------------------------------You can add 'decimal-mark' and 'commodity' directives to the journal, to-declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.  These-are described below, but here's a quick example:--# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-decimal-mark .--# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-commodity 1 000 000.9455---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display style,  Next: Rounding,  Prev: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Up: Amounts--10.12.4 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-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 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-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'.-     (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.--   Cost 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 cost).  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:--# 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-commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-commodity 1 000.--   The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command-line option.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Rounding,  Prev: Commodity display style,  Up: Amounts--10.12.5 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").---File: hledger.info,  Node: Costs,  Next: Balance assertions,  Prev: Amounts,  Up: Journal--10.13 Costs-===========--After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either '@-UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE' after it.  This indicates a conversion-transaction, where one commodity is exchanged for another.--   (You might also see this called "transaction price" in hledger docs,-discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded-that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just call it-"cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase-or a sale.)--   Costs are usually written explicitly with '@' or '@@', but can also-be inferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.-Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the-first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.--   As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or-implicitly:--  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:--     2009/1/1-       assets:euros     €100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-       assets:dollars--  3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities,-     and let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.-     Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first-     posting, making it '€100 @@ $135', as in example 2:--     2009/1/1-       assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased-       assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135--   Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the '-B/--cost'-flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING section.--* Menu:--* Other cost/lot notations::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other cost/lot notations,  Up: Costs--10.13.1 Other cost/lot notations-----------------------------------A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a number-of cost/lot-related notations:--   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'-        * expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger-        * when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at-          selling time--   * '(@) UNITCOST' and '(@@) TOTALCOST' (virtual cost)-        * like the above, but also means "this cost was exceptional,-          don't use it when inferring market prices".--   Currently, hledger treats the above like '@' and '@@'; the-parentheses are ignored.--   * '{=FIXEDUNITCOST}' and '{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}' (fixed price)-        * when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't-          let it fluctuate in value reports"--   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}' (lot price)-        * can be used identically to '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST',-          also creates a lot-        * when selling, combined with '@ ...', specifies an investment-          lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present--   * and related: '[YYYY/MM/DD]' (lot date)-        * when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot-        * when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date--   * '(SOME TEXT)' (lot note)-        * when buying, attaches this note to the lot-        * when selling, selects a lot by its note--   Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after-the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction-balancing.)--   For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:--   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'-        * expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger-        * when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined-          with '{...}': documents the cost/selling price (not used for-          transaction balancing)--   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}'-        * when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction-          balancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis-          attached-        * when selling (reducing),-             * selects a lot by its cost basis-             * raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be-               selected unambiguously (depending on booking method-               configured)-             * expresses the selling price for transaction balancing--   Currently, hledger accepts the '{UNITCOST}'/'{{TOTALCOST}}' notation-but ignores it.--   * variations: '{}', '{YYYY-MM-DD}', '{"LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST,-     "LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"}' etc.--   Currently, hledger rejects these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assertions,  Next: Posting comments,  Prev: Costs,  Up: Journal--10.14 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-b after each posting:--2013/1/1-  a   $1  =$1-  b       =$-1--2013/1/2-  a   $1  =$2-  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 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, described below).--* Menu:--* Assertions and ordering::-* Assertions and multiple included files::-* Assertions and multiple -f files::-* Assertions and commodities::-* Assertions and prices::-* Assertions and subaccounts::-* Assertions and virtual postings::-* Assertions and auto postings::-* Assertions and precision::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and ordering,  Next: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.1 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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple included files,  Next: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Prev: Assertions and ordering,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.2 Assertions and multiple included files-------------------------------------------------Multiple files included with the 'include' directive are processed as if-concatenated into one file, preserving their order and the posting order-within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later files will-see balance from earlier files.--   And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day,-split across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's-balance on that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file-- the last one in the sequence, probably.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Next: Assertions and commodities,  Prev: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.3 Assertions and multiple -f files-------------------------------------------Unlike 'include', when multiple files are specified on the command line-with multiple '-f/--file' options, balance assertions will not see-balance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want-problems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.--   If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use-'include', or concatenate the files temporarily.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and commodities,  Next: Assertions and prices,  Prev: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.4 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 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-other commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,-that their balance is 0).--2013/1/1-  a   $1-  a    1€-  b  $-1-  c   -1€--2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-  a    0  =  $1-  a    0  =   1€-  b    0 == $-1-  c    0 ==  -1€--2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1€-  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 into its own subaccount:--2013/1/1-  a:usd   $1-  a:euro   1€-  b--2013/1/2-  a        0 ==  0-  a:usd    0 == $1-  a:euro   0 ==  1€---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and prices,  Next: Assertions and subaccounts,  Prev: Assertions and commodities,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.5 Assertions and prices--------------------------------Balance assertions ignore costs, 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-_assignments_ do use them (see below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and subaccounts,  Next: Assertions and virtual postings,  Prev: Assertions and prices,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.6 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 '==*',-eg:--2019/1/1-  equity:opening balances-  checking:a       5-  checking:b       5-  checking         1  ==* 11---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and virtual postings,  Next: Assertions and auto postings,  Prev: Assertions and subaccounts,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.7 Assertions and virtual postings------------------------------------------Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-are not affected by the '--real/-R' flag or 'real:' query.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and auto postings,  Next: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and virtual postings,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.8 Assertions and auto postings---------------------------------------Balance assertions _are_ affected by the '--auto' flag, which generates-auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings-are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two-balances.  But balance assertions can only test one or the other of-these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:--   * assert the balance calculated with '--auto', and always use-     '--auto' with that file-   * or assert the balance calculated without '--auto', and never use-     '--auto' with that file-   * or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings-     (or avoid auto postings entirely).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and auto postings,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.9 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 assertions.  Balance-assertion failure messages show exact amounts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting comments,  Next: Tags,  Prev: Balance assertions,  Up: Journal--10.15 Posting comments-======================--Text following ';', at the end of a posting line, and/or on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.  They are-reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-tags, which are not ignored.--2012-01-01-    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-    assets-    ; a comment for posting 2-    ; a second comment line for posting 2---File: hledger.info,  Node: Tags,  Next: Directives,  Prev: Posting comments,  Up: Journal--10.16 Tags-==========--Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.--   They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately-followed by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account-directive's comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that-things in comments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are-recorded: one on the checking account, two on the transaction, and one-on the expenses posting:--account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-    ; transactiontag-2:-    assets:checking        $-1-    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:--   Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.-And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'-accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively-has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the-transaction also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses-posting).--   You can list tag names with 'hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]', or match by-tag name with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX' query.--* Menu:--* Tag values::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Tag values,  Up: Tags--10.16.1 Tag values---------------------Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a-comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this-means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the-following posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and-"" (empty) respectively:--    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz--   Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than-overriding: when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the-new name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to-override a tag's value or remove a tag.)--   You can list a tag's values with 'hledger tags TAGNAME --values', or-match by tag value with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX' query.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives,  Next: account directive,  Prev: Tags,  Up: Journal--10.17 Directives-================--A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-and so on.  hledger's directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger's,-but there are many differences, and also some differences between-hledger versions.  Here are some more definitions:--   * _subdirective_ - Some directives support subdirectives, written-     indented below the parent directive.--   * _decimal mark_ - The character to interpret as a decimal mark-     (period or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.--   * _display style_ - How to display amounts of a commodity in output:-     symbol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number of-     decimal places.--   Directives are not required when starting out with hledger, but you-will probably want to add some as your needs grow.  Here some key-directives for particular needs:--purpose                                      directives----------------------------------------------------------------------------*READING DATA:*-Declare file's decimal mark to help parse    'decimal-mark'-amounts accurately-Rewrite account names                        'alias'-Comment out sections of the data             'comment'-Include extra data files                     'include'-*GENERATING DATA:*-Generate recurring transactions or budget    '~'-goals-Generate extra postings on transactions      '='-*CHECKING FOR ERRORS:*-Define valid entities to provide more        'account', 'commodity',-error checking                               'payee'-*REPORTING:*-Declare accounts' type and display order     'account'-Declare commodity display styles             'commodity'-Declare market prices                        'P'--* Menu:--* Directive effects::-* Directives and multiple files::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directive effects,  Next: Directives and multiple files,  Up: Directives--10.17.1 Directive effects----------------------------And here is what each directive does, and which files and journal-entries (transactions) it affects:--directivewhat it does                                                   ends-                                                                        at-                                                                        file-                                                                        end?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*'account'*Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; andN-     its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-*'alias'*Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of      Y-     current file or 'end aliases'.  Command line equivalent:-     '--alias'-*'comment'*Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file orY-     'end comment'.-*'commodity'*Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checkingN,Y,N,N-     all amounts in all files 2.  the decimal mark for parsing-     amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of-     current file (if there is no 'decimal-mark' directive) 3.  and-     the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.  which is-     also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in-     this commodity.  Takes precedence over 'D'.  Subdirectives:-     'format' (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:-     '-c/--commodity-style'-*'decimal-mark'*Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all   Y-     commodities in following entries until next 'decimal-mark' or-     end of current file.  Included files can override.  Takes-     precedence over 'commodity' and 'D'.-*'include'*Includes entries and directives from another file, as if theyN-     were written inline.  Command line alternative: multiple-     '-f/--file'-*'payee'*Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.  N-*'P'*Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N-     reports.-*'~'*Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future         N-(tilde)transactions with '--forecast' and budget goals with 'balance-     --budget'.-Other-syntax:-*'applyPrepends a common parent account to all account names, in        Y-account'*following entries until end of current file or 'end apply-     account'.-*'D'*Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if      Y,Y,N,N-     there is no 'commodity' directive for this commodity: its-     decimal mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.-*'Y'*Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following    Y-     entries until end of current file.-*'='*Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on     partly-(equals)matched transactions with '--auto', in current, parent, and-     child files (but not sibling files, see #1212).-*OtherOther directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but-Ledgerignored.-directives*---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives and multiple files,  Prev: Directive effects,  Up: Directives--10.17.2 Directives and multiple files----------------------------------------If you use multiple '-f'/'--file' options, or the 'include' directive,-hledger will process multiple input files.  But directives which affect-input typically have effect only until the end of the file in which they-occur (and on any included files in that region).--   This may seem inconvenient, but it's intentional; it makes reports-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'-directives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: account directive,  Next: alias directive,  Prev: Directives,  Up: Journal--10.18 'account' directive-=========================--'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.-   * In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by-     transactions, which helps detect typos.-   * They control account display order in reports, allowing-     non-alphabetic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).-   * They help with account name completion (in hledger add,-     hledger-web, hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)-   * They can store additional account information as comments, or as-     tags which can be used to filter or pivot reports.-   * They can help hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,-     equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and-     incomestatement.--   They are written as the word 'account' followed by a hledger-style-account name, eg:--account assets:bank:checking--   Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not-allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:--account (assets:bank:checking)--* Menu:--* Account comments::-* Account subdirectives::-* Account error checking::-* Account display order::-* Account types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account comments,  Next: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive--10.18.1 Account comments---------------------------Text following *two or more spaces* and ';' at the end of an account-directive line, and/or following ';' on indented lines immediately below-it, form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may-contain tags, which are not ignored.--   The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because-';' is allowed in account names.--account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-  ; next-line comment-  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account subdirectives,  Next: Account error checking,  Prev: Account comments,  Up: account directive--10.18.2 Account subdirectives--------------------------------Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently-ignored:--account assets:bank:checking-  format subdirective is ignored---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account error checking,  Next: Account display order,  Prev: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive--10.18.3 Account error checking---------------------------------By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when-a posting references them.  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 that 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-report an error if any transaction uses an account name that has not-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-     included files of all types.-   * It's currently not possible to declare "all possible subaccounts"-     with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account display order,  Next: Account types,  Prev: Account error checking,  Up: account directive--10.18.4 Account display order--------------------------------The order in which account directives are written influences the order-in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By-default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these-account directives to the journal file:--account assets-account liabilities-account equity-account revenues-account expenses--   those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:--$ hledger accounts -1-assets-liabilities-equity-revenues-expenses--   Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.--   Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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-means:--   * 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').---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account types,  Prev: Account display order,  Up: account directive--10.18.5 Account types------------------------hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports like balancesheet and-incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the 'type:' query.--   As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types-automatically if you are using common english-language top-level account-names (described below).  But generally we recommend you declare types-explicitly, by adding a 'type:' tag to your top-level account-directives.  Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The-tag's value should be one of the five main account types:--   * 'A' or 'Asset' (things you own)-   * 'L' or 'Liability' (things you owe)-   * 'E' or 'Equity' (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of-     assets & liabilities)-   * 'R' or 'Revenue' (what you received money from, AKA income;-     technically part of Equity)-   * 'X' or 'Expense' (what you spend money on; technically part of-     Equity)--   or, it can be (these are used less often):--   * 'C' or 'Cash' (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the-     cashflow report)-   * 'V' or 'Conversion' (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST-     REPORTING).)--   Here is a typical set of account type declarations:--account assets             ; type: A-account liabilities        ; type: L-account equity             ; type: E-account revenues           ; type: R-account expenses           ; type: X--account assets:bank        ; type: C-account assets:cash        ; type: C--account equity:conversion  ; type: V--   Here are some tips for working with account types.--   * The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.-     These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get-     going; if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare-     your account types.  See also Regular expressions.--     If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:-     --------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------     ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-     ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-     ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-     ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-     ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-     ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-     ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense--   * If you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an-     account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared-     and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.--   * Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.  See-     Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.--   * As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their-     parent account.  More precisely, an account's type is decided by-     the first of these that exists:--       1. A 'type:' declaration for this account.-       2. A 'type:' declaration in the parent accounts above it,-          preferring the nearest.-       3. An account type inferred from this account's name.-       4. An account type inferred from a parent account's name,-          preferring the nearest parent.-       5. Otherwise, it will have no type.--   * For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:--     $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]---File: hledger.info,  Node: alias directive,  Next: commodity directive,  Prev: account directive,  Up: Journal--10.19 'alias' directive-=======================--You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-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-   * combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference-     on one line-   * customising reports--   Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.-They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or-hledger-web.--   Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use-correctly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them;-more on this below.--   See also Rewrite account names.--* Menu:--* Basic aliases::-* Regex aliases::-* Combining aliases::-* Aliases and multiple files::-* end aliases directive::-* Aliases can generate bad account names::-* Aliases and account types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic aliases,  Next: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.1 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-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-interactively.--   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:--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"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Regex aliases,  Next: Combining aliases,  Prev: Basic aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.2 Regex aliases------------------------There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,-indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the only-place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular-expression.)--   Eg:--alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT--   or:--$ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...--   Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by-REPLACEMENT. REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.--   If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg-'/\/=:'.--   If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced-by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:--alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3-; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"--   REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end-of option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining aliases,  Next: Aliases and multiple files,  Prev: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.3 Combining aliases----------------------------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-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-entry, we apply:--  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-     (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-which aliases are being applied when.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and multiple files,  Next: end aliases directive,  Prev: Combining aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.4 Aliases and multiple files-------------------------------------As explained at Directives and multiple files, 'alias' directives do not-affect parent or sibling files.  Eg in this command,--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-  foo  1-  bar--   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--2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-  foo  1-  bar--include c.journal  ; also affected---File: hledger.info,  Node: end aliases directive,  Next: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Prev: Aliases and multiple files,  Up: alias directive--10.19.5 'end aliases' directive----------------------------------You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the-journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:--end aliases---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Next: Aliases and account types,  Prev: end aliases directive,  Up: alias directive--10.19.6 Aliases can generate bad account names-------------------------------------------------Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which-could cause confusing reports or invalid 'print' output.  For example,-you could erase all account names:--2021-01-01-  a:aa     1-  b--$ hledger print --alias '/.*/='-2021-01-01-                   1--   The above 'print' output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert-an illegal double space, causing 'print' output that would give a-different journal when reparsed:--2021-01-01-  old    1-  other--$ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print-2021-01-01-    new             USD 1-    other---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and account types,  Prev: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Up: alias directive--10.19.7 Aliases and account types------------------------------------If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in-effect.--   However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg-renaming parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could-prevent child accounts from inheriting the account type of their-parents.--   Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,-renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.--   If you are using account aliases and the 'type:' query is not-matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts-command, eg something like:--$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a---File: hledger.info,  Node: commodity directive,  Next: decimal-mark directive,  Prev: alias directive,  Up: Journal--10.20 'commodity' directive-===========================--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-     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)--  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-     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.--   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-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-appears twice; it must be the same in both places:--;commodity SYMBOL-;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-commodity INR-  format INR 1,00,00,000.00--   Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or-punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).--   The amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is-significant.  It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a-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-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.)--   Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display-style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.--* Menu:--* Commodity error checking::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity error checking,  Up: commodity directive--10.20.1 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.--   Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because-currently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity-with a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts-are always allowed to have no commodity symbol.---File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark directive,  Next: include directive,  Prev: commodity directive,  Up: Journal--10.21 'decimal-mark' directive-==============================--You can use a 'decimal-mark' directive - usually one per file, at the-top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark-when parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like--decimal-mark .--   or--decimal-mark ,--   This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we-recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg-thousands separators).---File: hledger.info,  Node: include directive,  Next: P directive,  Prev: decimal-mark directive,  Up: Journal--10.22 'include' directive-=========================--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-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'.--   The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:-'include *.journal'.--   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'.--   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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: P directive,  Next: payee directive,  Prev: include directive,  Up: Journal--10.23 'P' directive-===================--The 'P' directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate-between two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to-convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after-that date.  These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange,-cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.--   The format is:--P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT--   DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: payee directive,  Next: tag directive,  Prev: P directive,  Up: Journal--10.24 'payee' directive-=======================--'payee PAYEE NAME'--   This 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:--payee Whole Foods--   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.---File: hledger.info,  Node: tag directive,  Next: Periodic transactions,  Prev: payee directive,  Up: Journal--10.25 'tag' directive-=====================--'tag TAGNAME'--   This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names-allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:--tag  item-id--   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   The "tags" check will report an error if any undeclared tag name is-used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use-of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can-declare and check your tags .---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic transactions,  Next: Other syntax,  Prev: tag directive,  Up: Journal--10.26 Periodic transactions-===========================--The '~' directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives-allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in-reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.--   Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-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-     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-     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-     an error.-  7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically-     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-     day of month from 2020/01/01', will be adjusted to start on-     2019/12/10.--* Menu:--* Periodic rule syntax::-* Periodic rules and relative dates::-* Two spaces between period expression and description!::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rule syntax,  Next: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.1 Periodic rule syntax-------------------------------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.):--# every first of month-~ monthly-    expenses:rent          $2000-    assets:bank:checking--# every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:-~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-    expenses:utilities          $400-    assets:bank:checking--   The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying-multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies-report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start-dates).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Next: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rule syntax,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.2 Periodic rules and relative dates--------------------------------------------Partial or relative dates (like '12/31', '25', 'tomorrow', 'last week',-'next quarter') are usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the-results will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted-relative to, in order of preference:--  1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent 'Y'-     directive-  2. or the date specified with '--today'-  3. or the date on which you are running the report.--   They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period-dates.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.3 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-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-~ every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-    assets:bank:checking   $1500-    income:acme inc--   So,--   * 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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other syntax,  Prev: Periodic transactions,  Up: Journal--10.27 Other syntax-==================--hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to-make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some of-the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases, but-in general, features in this section are considered less important or-even not recommended for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to help-you decide if you want to use them.--* Menu:--* Auto postings::-* Balance assignments::-* Bracketed posting dates::-* D directive::-* apply account directive::-* Y directive::-* Secondary dates::-* Star comments::-* Valuation expressions::-* Virtual postings::-* Other Ledger directives::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings,  Next: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.1 Auto postings------------------------The '=' directive declares a rule for automatically adding temporary-extra postings (visible in reports, not in the journal file) to all-transactions matched by a certain query, when you use the '--auto' flag.--   Downsides: depending on generated data for your reports makes your-financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in-an audit.  Also, because the feature is optional, other features like-balance assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.--   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-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-     posting will be added to this.-   * 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,-     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-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--; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-= expenses:gifts-    assets:checking:gifts  *-1-    assets:checking         *1--2017/12/1-  expenses:food    $10-  assets:checking--2017/12/14-  expenses:gifts   $20-  assets:checking--$ hledger print --auto-2017-12-01-    expenses:food              $10-    assets:checking-    (liabilities:charity)      $-1--2017-12-14-    expenses:gifts             $20-    assets:checking-    assets:checking:gifts     -$20-    assets:checking            $20--* Menu:--* Auto postings and multiple files::-* Auto postings and dates::-* Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions::-* Auto posting tags::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and multiple files,  Next: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.1 Auto postings and multiple files-..........................................--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).---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--10.27.1.2 Auto postings and dates-.................................--A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be-used in the generated posting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Next: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.3 Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred-............................................................--amounts / 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-for background.--   This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with-a missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to-infer amounts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.4 Auto posting tags-...........................--Automated postings will have some extra tags:--   * '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-     "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-     transaction was modified "just now".---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments,  Next: Bracketed posting dates,  Prev: Auto postings,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.2 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 setting-opening balances:--; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-2016/1/1 opening balances-  assets:checking            = $409.32-  assets:savings             = $735.24-  assets:cash                 = $42-  equity: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-  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-assignment).--   Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less-explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do-the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.  Also balance-assignments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make-your financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less-trustworthy in an audit.--* Menu:--* Balance assignments and prices::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments and prices,  Up: Balance assignments--10.27.2.1 Balance assignments and prices-........................................--A cost 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Bracketed posting dates,  Next: D directive,  Prev: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.3 Bracketed posting dates----------------------------------For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's-bracketed date syntax is also supported: '[DATE]', '[DATE=DATE2]' or-'[=DATE2]' in posting comments.  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.--   Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger's-'date:'/'date2:' tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date-syntax.---File: hledger.info,  Node: D directive,  Next: apply account directive,  Prev: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.4 'D' directive------------------------'D AMOUNT'--   This 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-of the journal.--   For compatibility/historical reasons, 'D' also acts like a-'commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing-and display style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity-symbol, but a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must-include a decimal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:--; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-D $1,000.00--1/1-  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-  b--   Interactions with other directives:--   For setting a commodity's display style, a 'commodity' directive has-highest priority, then a 'D' directive.--   For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during parsing,-'decimal-mark' has highest priority, then 'commodity', then 'D'.--   For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a 'commodity'-directive is required ('hledger check commodities' ignores 'D'-directives).--   Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less-explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is-usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to-track multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with functions redundant-with 'commodity' and 'decimal-mark'.  And it works differently from-Ledger's 'D'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: apply account directive,  Next: Y directive,  Prev: D directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.5 'apply account' directive------------------------------------This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to-all accounts in following entries, until an 'end apply account'-directive or end of current file.  Eg:--apply account home--2010/1/1-    food    $10-    cash--end apply account--   is equivalent to:--2010/01/01-    home:food           $10-    home:cash          $-10--   'account' directives are also affected, and so is any 'include'd-content.--   Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not-affected.--   Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is-prepended.--   Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less-portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Y directive,  Next: Secondary dates,  Prev: apply account directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.6 'Y' directive------------------------'Y YEAR'--   or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):--   'year YEAR' 'apply year YEAR'--   The space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for-subsequent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:--Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-  expenses  1-  assets--year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-  expenses  1-  assets--1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-  expenses  1-  assets--   Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at-least) makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less-trustworthy in an audit.  Such dates can get separated from their-corresponding Y directive, eg when evaluating a region of the journal in-your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today's-date.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Secondary dates,  Next: Star comments,  Prev: Y directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.7 Secondary dates--------------------------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-(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 =-date the transaction was initiated, if different".--   Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,-and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates-consistent requires discipline, and you have to remember which reporting-mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are simpler and-better.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Star comments,  Next: Valuation expressions,  Prev: Secondary dates,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.8 Star comments------------------------Lines beginning with '*' (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This-feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,-allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-with org mode.--   Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.-Decreases your journal's portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode-just for folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of ledger mode;-nowadays you can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without-losing ledger mode's features.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation expressions,  Next: Virtual postings,  Prev: Star comments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.9 Valuation expressions--------------------------------Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double-parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Virtual postings,  Next: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Valuation expressions,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.10 Virtual postings----------------------------A posting with parentheses around the account name is called a _virtual-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 bookkeeping, 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:--2022-01-01 opening balances-  (assets:checking)   $1000-  (assets:savings)    $2000--   A posting with brackets around the 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:--2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-  expenses:food                    $7  ; <--  expenses:food                    $3  ; <--  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance--   Postings whose account names are neither parenthesised nor bracketed-are called _real postings_.  You can exclude virtual postings from-reports with the '-R/--real' flag or a 'real:1' query.--   Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid-figuring out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable-and less trustworthy in an audit.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Virtual postings,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.11 Other Ledger directives-----------------------------------These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This-allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's-reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.--apply fixed COMM AMT-apply tag   TAG-assert      EXPR-bucket / A  ACCT-capture     ACCT REGEX-check       EXPR-define      VAR=EXPR-end apply fixed-end apply tag-end apply year-end tag-eval / expr EXPR-python-  PYTHONCODE-tag         NAME-value       EXPR---command-line-flags--   See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed-hledger/Ledger syntax comparison.---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV,  Next: Timeclock,  Prev: Journal,  Up: Top--11 CSV-******--hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting-each record into a transaction.--   (To learn about _writing_ CSV, see CSV output.)--   For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure-they have a corresponding '.csv', '.tsv' or '.ssv' file extension or use-a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).--   Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding _rules file_.-This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,-date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and-how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.--   By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file-with an extra '.rules' extension, in the same directory.  Eg when asked-to read 'foo/FILE.csv', hledger looks for 'foo/FILE.csv.rules'.  You can-specify a different rules file with the '--rules-file' option.  If no-rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which-you'll need to adjust.--   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:--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-    income:unknown            -10.23--   There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,-and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.--* Menu:--* CSV rules cheatsheet::-* separator::-* skip::-* date-format::-* timezone::-* newest-first::-* intra-day-reversed::-* decimal-mark::-* fields list::-* Field assignment::-* Field names::-* if block::-* Matchers::-* if table::-* balance-type::-* include::-* Working with CSV::-* CSV rules examples::---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Next: separator,  Up: CSV--11.1 CSV rules cheatsheet-=========================--The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-(Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' or '*' are ignored.)--*'separator'*            declare the field separator, instead of-                         relying on file extension-*'skip'*                 skip one or more header lines at start of file-*'date-format'*          declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-*'timezone'*             declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV-                         date-times-*'newest-first'*         improve txn order when: there are multiple-                         records, newest first, all with the same date-*'intra-day-reversed'*   improve txn order when: same-day txns are in-                         opposite order to the overall file-*'decimal-mark'*         declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,-                         when ambiguous-*'fields' list*          name CSV fields for easy reference, and-                         optionally assign their values to hledger-                         fields-*Field assignment*       assign a CSV value or interpolated text value-                         to a hledger field-*'if' block*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                         or 'skip' a record or 'end' (skip rest of-                         file)-*'if' table*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                         using compact syntax-*'balance-type'*         select which type of balance-                         assertions/assignments to generate-*'include'*              inline another CSV rules file--   Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are-evaluated.---File: hledger.info,  Node: separator,  Next: skip,  Prev: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Up: CSV--11.2 '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-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-inferred automatically, and you won't need this rule.---File: hledger.info,  Node: skip,  Next: date-format,  Prev: separator,  Up: CSV--11.3 'skip'-===========--skip N--   The word 'skip' followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells-hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input-data.  (Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't need-to count those.)  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains-header lines.  Header lines skipped in this way are ignored, and not-parsed as CSV.--   'skip' can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to skip-individual data records.  Note records skipped in this way are still-required to be valid CSV, even though otherwise ignored.---File: hledger.info,  Node: date-format,  Next: timezone,  Prev: skip,  Up: CSV--11.4 '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',-you'll need to add a date-format rule describing them with a-strptime-style date parsing pattern - see-https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.-The pattern 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: timezone,  Next: newest-first,  Prev: date-format,  Up: CSV--11.5 'timezone'-===============--timezone TIMEZONE--   When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone-other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you-can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time zone, which helps-prevent off-by-one dates.--   When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don't-need this rule; instead, use '%Z' in 'date-format' (or '%z', '%EZ',-'%Ez'; see the formatTime link above).--   In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware-conversion, localising the CSV date-times to your current system time-zone.  If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for-reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with-the TZ environment variable, eg:--$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv--   'timezone' currently does not understand timezone names, except-"UTC", "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".-For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.---File: hledger.info,  Node: newest-first,  Next: intra-day-reversed,  Prev: timezone,  Up: CSV--11.6 'newest-first'-===================--hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-chronologically, including intra-day transactions.  Usually it can-auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV-where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are-oldest first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,-like:--2022-10-01, txn 3...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-2022-10-01, txn 1...--   you can add the 'newest-first' rule to help hledger generate the-transactions in correct order.--# same-day CSV records are newest first-newest-first---File: hledger.info,  Node: intra-day-reversed,  Next: decimal-mark,  Prev: newest-first,  Up: CSV--11.7 'intra-day-reversed'-=========================--CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-the overall date order.  Eg, here dates are newest first, but the-transactions on each date are oldest first:--2022-10-02, txn 3...-2022-10-02, txn 4...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-2022-10-01, txn 2...--   In this situation, add the 'intra-day-reversed' rule, and hledger-will compensate, improving the order of transactions.--# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-intra-day-reversed---File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark,  Next: fields list,  Prev: intra-day-reversed,  Up: CSV--11.8 'decimal-mark'-===================--decimal-mark .--   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-CSV contain digit group marks, such as thousand-separating commas, you-should declare the decimal mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid-misparsed numbers.---File: hledger.info,  Node: fields list,  Next: Field assignment,  Prev: decimal-mark,  Up: CSV--11.9 'fields' list-==================--fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...--   A fields list (the word 'fields' followed by comma-separated field-names) is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:--  1. It names the CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if-     you are referencing them in other rules, so you can say-     '%SomeField' instead of remembering '%13'.--  2. Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described-     below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger-     field.  This is the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and-     build a 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--   In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to-the CSV file's separator.  Also:--   * There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).-   * Field names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field-     names are optional.-   * Field names may contain '_' (underscore) or '-' (hyphen).-   * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name or an empty-     name.--   If the CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for-your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces replaced-by underscores).--   Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning-to a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's-"balance" field 'balance_' to avoid directly setting hledger's 'balance'-field (and generating a balance assertion).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Field assignment,  Next: Field names,  Prev: fields list,  Up: CSV--11.10 Field assignment-======================--HLEDGERFIELD 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-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-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-('%CSVFIELD').--   Some examples:--# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended-amount %4 USD--# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1--   Tips:--   * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like '" 1 "'-     becomes '1' when interpolated) (#1051).-   * Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate-     a hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Field names,  Next: if block,  Prev: Field assignment,  Up: CSV--11.11 Field names-=================--Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in-hledger CSV rules files:--  1. *CSV field names* ('CSVFIELD' in these docs): you can optionally-     name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet-     automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing-     arbitrary names in a 'fields' list, eg:--     fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar--  2. Special *hledger field names* ('HLEDGERFIELD' in these docs): you-     must set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction-     from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field-     assignment, eg:--     date        %When-     code        %Some_Id-     description %What-     comment     %Foo %Bar-     amount1     $ %Total--     or directly in a 'fields' list:--     fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-     currency $-     comment  %Foo %Bar--   Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what-happens when you assign values to them:--* Menu:--* date field::-* date2 field::-* status field::-* code field::-* description field::-* comment field::-* account field::-* amount field::-* currency field::-* balance field::---File: hledger.info,  Node: date field,  Next: date2 field,  Up: Field names--11.11.1 date field---------------------Assigning to 'date' sets the transaction date.---File: hledger.info,  Node: date2 field,  Next: status field,  Prev: date field,  Up: Field names--11.11.2 date2 field----------------------'date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: status field,  Next: code field,  Prev: date2 field,  Up: Field names--11.11.3 status field-----------------------'status' sets the transaction's status, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: code field,  Next: description field,  Prev: status field,  Up: Field names--11.11.4 code field---------------------'code' sets the transaction's code, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: description field,  Next: comment field,  Prev: code field,  Up: Field names--11.11.5 description field----------------------------'description' sets the transaction's description, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: comment field,  Next: account field,  Prev: description field,  Up: Field names--11.11.6 comment field------------------------'comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any.--   'commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.--   You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal '\n' in the-code.  A comment starting with '\n' will begin on a new line.--   Comments can contain tags, as usual.---File: hledger.info,  Node: account field,  Next: amount field,  Prev: comment field,  Up: Field names--11.11.7 account field------------------------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-based on each transaction's description, in conditional rules.--   If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount is set (see-below), a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"-or "income:unknown").---File: hledger.info,  Node: amount field,  Next: currency field,  Prev: account field,  Up: Field names--11.11.8 amount field-----------------------There are several "amount" field name variants, useful for different-situations:--   * '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.  Posting numbers don't-     have to be consecutive; in certain situations using a high number-     might be helpful to influence the layout of postings.--   * 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' should be used instead, as a pair,-     when and only when the amount must be obtained from two CSV fields.-     Eg when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a-     single Amount field.  Note:--        * Don't think "-in is for the first posting and -out is for the-          second posting" - that's not correct.  Think: "'amountN-in'-          and 'amountN-out' together detect the amount for posting N, by-          inspecting two CSV fields at once."-        * hledger assumes both CSV fields are unsigned, and will-          automatically negate the -out value.-        * It also expects that at least one of the values is empty or-          zero, so it knows which one to ignore.  If that's not the case-          you'll need an if rule (see Setting amounts below).--   * 'amount', with no posting number (and similarly, 'amount-in' and-     'amount-out' with no number) are an older syntax.  We keep them for-     backwards compatibility, and because they have special behaviour-     that is sometimes convenient:--        * They set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of-          posting 2.-        * Posting 2's amount will be converted to cost if it has a cost-          price.-        * Any of the newer rules for posting 1 or 2 (like 'amount1', or-          'amount2-in' and 'amount2-out') will take precedence.  This-          allows incrementally migrating old rules files to the new-          syntax.--   There's more to say about amount-setting that doesn't fit here;-please see also "Setting amounts" below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: currency field,  Next: balance field,  Prev: amount field,  Up: Field names--11.11.9 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-symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.--   'currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's-amount.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance field,  Prev: currency field,  Up: Field names--11.11.10 balance field-------------------------'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'.--   You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the-'balance-type' rule (see below).--   See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.---File: hledger.info,  Node: if block,  Next: Matchers,  Prev: Field names,  Up: CSV--11.12 'if' block-================--Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV-data.  This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can-categorise transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on-their description (for example).  There are two ways to write-conditional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if tables",-described below.--   An if block is the word 'if' and one or more "matcher" expressions-(can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or-next line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,--if MATCHER- RULE--   or--if-MATCHER-MATCHER-MATCHER- RULE- RULE--   If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special-rules may also be used within an if block:--   * 'skip' - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction-     from it)-   * 'end' - skips the rest of the current CSV file.--   Some examples:--# if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"-if groceries- account2 expenses:groceries--# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-if-monthly service fee-atm transaction fee-banking thru software- account2 expenses:business:banking- comment  XXX deductible ? check it--# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-if ,,,,- end---File: hledger.info,  Node: Matchers,  Next: if table,  Prev: if block,  Up: CSV--11.13 Matchers-==============--There are two kinds:--  1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular-     expression ('REGEX'), which hledger will try to match-     case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.-     Eg: 'whole foods'--  2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name-     ('%CSVFIELD REGEX').  hledger will try to match these just within-     the named CSV field.-     Eg: '%date 2023'--   The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended-regular expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B',-'\<', '\>'), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular-expressions" in the hledger manual-(https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).--   With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched-is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be-converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing-whitespace) are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if-the original record was:--2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000--   the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:--2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000--   When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:--   * By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)-   * When a matcher is preceded by ampersand ('&') it will be AND'ed-     with the previous matcher (both of them must match).--   There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.---File: hledger.info,  Node: if table,  Next: balance-type,  Prev: Matchers,  Up: CSV--11.14 'if' table-================--"if tables" are an alternative to if blocks; they can express many-matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format, like-this:--if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-<empty line>--   The first character after 'if' is taken to be the separator for the-rest of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like ','-or '|' that does not appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is-unrelated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace can be used in the-matcher lines for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The-table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each line-must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.--   The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher-succeeds, assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding-hledger fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.  It is-equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:--if MATCHERA-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERB-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERC-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--   Example:--if,account2,comment-atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-%description groceries,expenses:groceries,-2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance-type,  Next: include,  Prev: if table,  Up: CSV--11.15 '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:--# 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-==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts---File: hledger.info,  Node: include,  Next: Working with CSV,  Prev: balance-type,  Up: CSV--11.16 '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-several rules files, eg:--# someaccount.csv.rules--## someaccount-specific rules-fields   date,description,amount-account1 assets:someaccount-account2 expenses:misc--## common rules-include categorisation.rules---File: hledger.info,  Node: Working with CSV,  Next: CSV rules examples,  Prev: include,  Up: CSV--11.17 Working with CSV-======================--Some tips:--* Menu:--* Rapid feedback::-* Valid CSV::-* File Extension::-* Reading CSV from standard input::-* Reading multiple CSV files::-* Valid transactions::-* Deduplicating importing::-* Setting amounts::-* Amount signs::-* Setting currency/commodity::-* Amount decimal places::-* Referencing other fields::-* How CSV rules are evaluated::-* Well factored rules::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Rapid feedback,  Next: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.1 Rapid feedback-------------------------It's a good idea to get rapid feedback while creating/troubleshooting-CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid CSV,  Next: File Extension,  Prev: Rapid feedback,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.2 Valid CSV--------------------Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and-equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab-as separators).  This means, eg:--   * Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in-     single quotes is not allowed.  (Eg ''A','B'' is rejected.)-   * When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the-     quotes are not allowed.  (Eg '"A", "B"' is rejected.)-   * When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-     quotes.  (Eg 'A"A, B' is rejected.)--   If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to-transform it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more-permissive CSV parser like python's csv lib.---File: hledger.info,  Node: File Extension,  Next: Reading CSV from standard input,  Prev: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.3 File Extension-------------------------To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error-messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),-it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a '.csv', '.ssv' or '.tsv'-filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)--   When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV-reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file path with-'csv:', 'ssv:' or 'tsv:': Eg:--$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print--   You can also override the default field separator with a separator-rule if needed.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading CSV from standard input,  Next: Reading multiple CSV files,  Prev: File Extension,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.4 Reading CSV from standard input------------------------------------------You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,-since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:--$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading multiple CSV files,  Next: Valid transactions,  Prev: Reading CSV from standard input,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.5 Reading multiple CSV files-------------------------------------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-used for all the CSV files.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid transactions,  Next: Deduplicating importing,  Prev: Reading multiple CSV files,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.6 Valid transactions-----------------------------After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the-generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing-them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.-Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying-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-assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:--$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print---File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplicating importing,  Next: Setting amounts,  Prev: Valid transactions,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.7 Deduplicating, importing-----------------------------------When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-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,-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:--# 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-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:--   * https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows-   * https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting amounts,  Next: Amount signs,  Prev: Deduplicating importing,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.8 Setting amounts--------------------------Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling-various amount-setting situations:--  1. *If the amount is in a single CSV field:*--       a. *If its sign indicates direction of flow:*-          Assign it to 'amountN', to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is-          usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.--       b. *If another field indicates direction of flow:*-          Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate-          amount sign.  Eg:--     # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":-     amount1  -%Amount-     if %Type deposit-       amount1  %Amount--  2. *If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):*--       a. *If both fields are unsigned:*-          Assign the fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out'.  This-          sets posting N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero-          value.  If it's the -out value, the amount will be negated.--       b. *If either field is signed:*-          Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg-          below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo-          hledger's automatic negating by negating once more (but only-          if the field is non-empty, so that we don't leave a minus sign-          by itself):--     fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-     if %amount1-out [1-9]-      amount1-out -%amount1-out--       c. *If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be-          empty):*-          The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is-          non-zero/non-empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such-          as '1' and 'none'.  For such cases, use conditional rules to-          help select the amount.  Eg, to handle the above you could-          select the value containing non-zero digits:--     fields date, description, in, out-     if %in [1-9]-      amount1 %in-     if %out [1-9]-      amount1 %out--  3. *If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:*-     Use the unnumbered 'amount' (or 'amount-in' and 'amount-out')-     syntax.--  4. *If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:*-     Assign to 'balanceN', to set a balance assignment on the Nth-     posting, causing the posting's amount to be calculated-     automatically.  'balance' with no number is equivalent to-     'balance1'.  In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the-     wrong default account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount signs,  Next: Setting currency/commodity,  Prev: Setting amounts,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.9 Amount signs-----------------------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'--   * *If an amount value is parenthesised:*-     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'--   * *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 '""'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting currency/commodity,  Next: Amount decimal places,  Prev: Amount signs,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.10 Setting currency/commodity--------------------------------------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:--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-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:--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' --that would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount decimal places,  Next: Referencing other fields,  Prev: Setting currency/commodity,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.11 Amount decimal places---------------------------------Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-'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-style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Referencing other fields,  Next: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Prev: Amount decimal places,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.12 Referencing other fields------------------------------------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-field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the-hledger field:--# Name the third CSV field "amount1"-fields date,description,amount1--# Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-amount1 %amount1 USD--# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-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:--comment A-comment B-if something- comment C---File: hledger.info,  Node: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Next: Well factored rules,  Prev: Referencing other fields,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.13 How CSV rules are evaluated---------------------------------------Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-to).  First,--   * '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-repeated, the last one wins:--   * '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-     the last one.-   * compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was-     assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a-     default-   * generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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-successfully, the transactions are passed as input to whichever hledger-command the user specified.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Well factored rules,  Prev: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.14 Well factored rules-------------------------------Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules-files:--   * Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a-     'common.rules', and adding 'include common.rules' to each CSV's-     rules file.--   * Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the-     frequently used parts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules examples,  Prev: Working with CSV,  Up: CSV--11.18 CSV rules examples-========================--* Menu:--* Bank of Ireland::-* Coinbase::-* Amazon::-* Paypal::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Bank of Ireland,  Next: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.1 Bank of Ireland--------------------------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-skip--# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--# We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"-# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-#-# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-#-# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--# date is in UK/Ireland format-date-format  %d/%m/%Y--# set the currency-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-    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--2012-12-07 PAYMENT-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0--   The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're-reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-imported into a journal file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Coinbase,  Next: Amazon,  Prev: Bank of Ireland,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.2 Coinbase-------------------A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.  The spot price is-recorded using cost notation.  The legacy 'amount' field name-conveniently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.--# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"--# coinbase.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-date         %Timestamp-date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-description  %Notes-account1     assets:coinbase:cc-amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency--$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP-    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amazon,  Next: Paypal,  Prev: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.3 Amazon-----------------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-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","$1.00","17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL"--# amazon-orders.csv.rules--# skip one header line-skip 1--# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.-# Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.-fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--# how to parse the date-date-format %b %-d, %Y--# combine two fields to make the description-description %toorfrom %name--# save the status as a tag-comment     status:%amzstatus--# set the base account for all transactions-account1    assets:amazon-# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-# I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember--# set a generic account2-account2    expenses:misc-amount2     %amzamount-# and maybe refine it further:-#include categorisation.rules--# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-if %fees [1-9]- account3    expenses:fees- amount3     %fees--$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print-2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $20.00--2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $25.00-    expenses:fees           $1.00---File: hledger.info,  Node: Paypal,  Prev: Amazon,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.4 Paypal-----------------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",""-"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""-"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""-"10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""-"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:-# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-# Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"-# Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:-# "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"-# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":-# "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"--fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--skip  1--date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--# ignore some paypal events-if-In Progress-Temporary Hold-Update to- skip--# add more fields to the description-description %description_ %itemtitle--# save some other fields as tags-comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--# convert to short currency symbols-if %currency USD- currency $-if %currency EUR- currency E-if %currency GBP- currency P--# generate postings--# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-account1 assets:online:paypal-amount1  %netamount--# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-# (account2 is set below)-amount2  -%grossamount--# if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-if %feeamount [1-9]- account3 expenses:banking:paypal- amount3  -%feeamount- comment3 business:--# choose an account for the second posting--# override the default account names:-# if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)-if %grossamount ^[^-]- account2 income:unknown-# if negative, it's an expense (a credit)-if %grossamount ^-- account2 expenses:unknown--# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-include common.rules--# apply some overrides specific to this csv--# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-# which can be disregarded in this case.-if-Bank Account-Bank Deposit to PP Account- description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle- account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking- account1 assets:online:paypal--# Currency conversions-if Currency Conversion- account2 equity:currency conversion--# common.rules--if-darcs-noble benefactor- account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub- comment2 business:--if-Calm Radio- account2 expenses:online:apps--if-electronic frontier foundation-Patreon-wikimedia-Advent of Code- account2 expenses:dues--if Google- account2 expenses:online:apps- description google | music--$ 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-    expenses:online:apps           $6.99--2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-    expenses:dues                  $7.00--2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-    expenses:dues                     $2.00-    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:---File: hledger.info,  Node: Timeclock,  Next: Timedot,  Prev: CSV,  Up: Top--12 Timeclock-************--The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.--   hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.  As with Ledger,-these are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and-clock-out entries as in the example below.  The date is a simple date.-The time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ]. Seconds and timezone are-optional.  The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored-(currently the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines-beginning with '#' or ';' or '*', and blank lines, are ignored.--i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some:account name  optional description after two spaces-o 2015/03/30 09:20:00-i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another account-o 2015/04/01 02:00:34--   hledger treats each clock-in/clock-out pair as a transaction posting-some number of hours to an account.  Or if the session spans more than-one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day.  For-the above time log, 'hledger print' generates these journal entries:--$ hledger -f t.timeclock print-2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-    (some:account name)         0.33h--2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-    (another account)         1.64h--2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-    (another account)         2.01h--   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--   To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:--   * 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"'--   * 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,  Next: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Prev: Timeclock,  Up: Top--13 Timedot-**********--'timedot' format is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.-Compared to 'timeclock' format, it is--   * convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging-   * readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.--   A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look-like this:--2021-08-04-hom:errands          .... ....-fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-per:admin:finance    --   hledger reads this as three time transactions on this day, with each-dot representing a quarter-hour spent:--$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-2021-08-04 *-    (hom:errands)            2.00--2021-08-04 *-    (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--2021-08-04 *-    (per:admin:finance)      0--   A day entry begins with a date line:--   * a non-indented *simple date* (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).--   Optionally this can be followed on the same line by--   * a common *transaction description* for this day-   * a common *transaction comment* for this day, after a semicolon-     (';').--   After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time-transaction lines, consisting of:--   * an *account name* - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style-     account name.-   * *two or more spaces* - a field separator, required if there is an-     amount (as in journal format).-   * a *timedot amount* - dots representing quarter hours, or a number-     representing hours.-   * an optional *comment* beginning with semicolon.  This is ignored.--   In more detail, timedot amounts can be:--   * *dots*: zero or more period characters, each representing one-     quarter-hour.  Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.-     Eg: '.... ..'--   * a *number*, representing hours.  Eg: '1.5'--   * a *number immediately followed by a unit symbol* 's', 'm', 'h',-     'd', 'w', 'mo', or 'y', representing seconds, minutes, hours, days-     weeks, months or years.  Eg '1.5h' or '90m'.  The following-     equivalencies are assumed:-     '60s' = '1m', '60m' = '1h', '24h' = '1d', '7d' = '1w', '30d' =-     '1mo', '365d' = '1y'.  (This unit will not be visible in the-     generated transaction amount, which is always in hours.)--   There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in-the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:--   * Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored.--   * Before the first date line, lines beginning with '*' are ignored.-     From the first date line onward, a sequence of '*''s followed by a-     space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs-     Org mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an-     Org headline, and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org-     headlines.--   * Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as-     transactions with zero amount.  (Most hledger reports hide these by-     default; add -E to see them.)--   More examples:--# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-2016/2/1-inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-fos:haskell   .... ..-biz:research  .--2016/2/2-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-**** DONE-0700 yoga-**** UNPLANNED-**** BEGUN-hom:chores- cleaning  ...- water plants-  outdoor - one full watering can-  indoor - light watering-**** TODO-adm:planning: trip-*** LATER--   Reporting:--$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-2016-02-02 *-    (inc:client1)          2.00--2016-02-02 *-    (biz:research)          0.25--$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--            ||  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 -------------++-----------------------------------------            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 --   Using period instead of colon as account name separator:--2016/2/4-fos.hledger.timedot  4-fos.ledger           ..--$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree-                4.50  fos-                4.00    hledger:timedot-                0.50    ledger----------------------                4.50--   A sample.timedot file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Next: Time periods,  Prev: Timedot,  Up: Top--14 PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-*****************************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Time periods,  Next: Depth,  Prev: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Up: Top--15 Time periods-***************--* Menu:--* Report start & end date::-* Smart dates::-* Report intervals::-* Date adjustment::-* Period expressions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Report start & end date,  Next: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods--15.1 Report start & end date-============================--By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time-represented by the journal.  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-these accept the smart date syntax (below).--   Some notes:--   * End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date-     _after_ the last day you want to see in the report.-   * As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-     _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-     2019, the smallest common time span.-   * In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall-     on interval boundaries (see below).--   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-              (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'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Smart dates,  Next: Report intervals,  Prev: Report start & end date,  Up: Time periods--15.2 Smart dates-================--hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added-convenience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative to today's date, be-written with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted-(missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some 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-day/week/month/quarter/year'-'in n                     n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years'-'n                        n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years-ahead'-'n                        -n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years-ago'-'20181201'                8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and-                          day-'201812'                  6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month--   Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give-surprising results:--'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-             8-digit year-'20181232'   8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-'201801012'  9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error--   "Today's date" can be overridden with the '--today' option, in case-it's needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for-periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by '--today'.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Report intervals,  Next: Date adjustment,  Prev: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods--15.3 Report intervals-=====================--A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,-balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a-separate row or column.--   The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line-flags:--   * '-D/--daily'-   * '-W/--weekly'-   * '-M/--monthly'-   * '-Q/--quarterly'-   * '-Y/--yearly'--   More complex intervals can be specified using '-p/--period',-described below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Date adjustment,  Next: Period expressions,  Prev: Report intervals,  Up: Time periods--15.4 Date adjustment-====================--When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically-adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for producing-simple periodic reports.  More precisely:--   * an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall-     on a natural period boundary--   * an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the-     last period the same length as the others.--   By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly,-with '-b', '-e', '-p' or 'date:', will not be adjusted (since hledger-1.29).  This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods,-but it also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should-pick one that's on a period boundary if you want to see simple report-period headings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions,  Prev: Date adjustment,  Up: Time periods--15.5 Period expressions-=======================--The '-p/--period' option specifies a period expression, which is a-compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report-interval.--   Here's a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the-first quarter of 2009):--'-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'--   Several keywords like "from" and "to" are supported for readability;-these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".."  or "-".  The-spaces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.-So the following are equivalent to the above:--'-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, these are also-equivalent to the above:--'-p "1/1 4/1"'-'-p "jan-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 date in the journal:--'-p "from 2009/1/1"'   everything after january 1, 2009-'-p "since 2009/1"'    the same, since is a synonym-'-p "from 2009"'       the same-'-p "to 2009"'         everything before january 1, 2009--   You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full-date:--'-p "2009"'     the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1”-'-p "2009/1"'   the month of january 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-                2009/2/1”-'-p             the first day of 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-"2009/1/1"'     2009/1/2”--   or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):--'-p "2009Q1"'    first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-                 2009/4/1”-'-p "q4"'        fourth quarter of the current year--* Menu:--* Period expressions with a report interval::-* More complex report intervals::-* Multiple weekday intervals::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions with a report interval,  Next: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.1 Period expressions with a report interval---------------------------------------------------A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated-from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word 'in':--'-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'-'-p "monthly in 2008"'-'-p "quarterly"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: More complex report intervals,  Next: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: Period expressions with a report interval,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.2 More complex report intervals---------------------------------------Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-such as:--   * 'biweekly' (every two weeks)-   * 'fortnightly'-   * 'bimonthly' (every two months)-   * 'every day|week|month|quarter|year'-   * 'every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years'--   Weekly on a custom day:--   * 'every Nth day of week' ('th', 'nd', 'rd', or 'st' are all accepted-     after the number)-   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME' (full or three-letter english weekday name,-     case insensitive)--   Monthly on a custom day:--   * 'every Nth day [of month]'-   * 'every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]'--   Yearly on a custom day:--   * 'every MM/DD [of year]' (month number and day of month number)-   * 'every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]' (full or three-letter english-     month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)-   * 'every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]' (equivalent to the above)--   Examples:--'-p "bimonthly from-2008"'-'-p "every 2 weeks"'-'-p "every 5 months from-2009/03"'-'-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-                            November-'-p "every 5th November"'   same-'-p "every Nov 5th"'        same--   Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is-an end date, exclusive as always):--$ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"--   Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following-tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):--$ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.3 Multiple weekday intervals------------------------------------This special form is also supported:--   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...' (full or three-letter english-     weekday names, case insensitive)--   Also, 'weekday' and 'weekendday' are shorthand for-'mon,tue,wed,thu,fri' and 'sat,sun'.--   This is mainly intended for use with '--forecast', to generate-periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less-useful with '-p', since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal-length, which is unusual.  (Related: #1632)--   Examples:--'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be-mon,wed,fri"'      Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will-weekday"'          be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun-'-p "every         dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-weekendday"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth,  Next: Queries,  Prev: Time periods,  Up: Top--16 Depth-********--With the '--depth NUM' option (short form: '-NUM'), reports will show-accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use-this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same-effect as a 'depth:' query argument: 'depth:2', '--depth=2' or '-2' are-equivalent.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries,  Next: Pivoting,  Prev: Depth,  Up: Top--17 Queries-**********--One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise-subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query-arguments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:--   * Zero or more space-separated query terms.  These are most often-     account name substrings:--     'utilities food:groceries'--   * Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-     quotes:--     '"personal care"'--   * Regular expressions are also supported:--     '"^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"'--   * Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:--     'date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:'--   * Add a 'not:' prefix to negate a term:--     'not:cur:USD'--* Menu:--* Query types::-* Combining query terms::-* Queries and command options::-* Queries and valuation::-* Querying with account aliases::-* Querying with cost or value::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Query types,  Next: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries--17.1 Query types-================--Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be-prefixed with *'not:'* to convert them into a negative match.--   *'acct:REGEX', 'REGEX'*-Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular-expression.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and-regular expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just-write an account name substring, like 'expenses' or 'food'.--   *'amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N'*-Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or-greater than N. (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.--   *'code:REGEX'*-Match by transaction code (eg check number).--   *'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 special characters which are-regex-significant, you need to escape them with '\'.  And for characters-which are significant to your shell you may need one more level of-escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:-'hledger print cur:\\$'.--   *'desc:REGEX'*-Match transaction descriptions.--   *'date:PERIODEXPR'*-Match dates (or with the '--date2' flag, secondary dates) within the-specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report-interval.  Examples:-'date:2016', 'date:thismonth', 'date:2/1-2/15',-'date:2021-07-27..nextquarter'.--   *'date2:PERIODEXPR'*-Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the-'--date2' flag).--   *'depth:N'*-Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this-depth.--   *'note:REGEX'*-Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of '|', or-the whole description if there's no '|').--   *'payee:REGEX'*-Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of-'|', or the whole description if there's no '|').--   *'real:, real:0'*-Match real or virtual postings respectively.--   *'status:, status:!, status:*'*-Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.--   *'type:TYPECODES'*-Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).-'TYPECODES' is one or more of the single-letter account type codes-'ALERXCV', case insensitive.  Note 'type:A' and 'type:E' will also match-their respective subtypes 'C' (Cash) and 'V' (Conversion).  Certain-kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts-> Aliases and account types.--   *'tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'*-Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by-value, use 'tag:.=REGEX'.)--   When querying by tag, note that:--   * Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts-   * Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their-     transaction-   * Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.--   (*'inacct:ACCTNAME'*-A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells-hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining query terms,  Next: Queries and command options,  Prev: Query types,  Up: Queries--17.2 Combining query terms-==========================--When given multiple query terms, most commands select things which-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 is a little different, showing 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.--   Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not-support full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND-or OR in your queries).  This makes certain queries hard to express, but-here are some tricks that can help:--  1. Use a doubled 'not:' prefix.  Eg, to print only the food expenses-     paid with cash:--     $ hledger print food not:not:cash--  2. Or pre-filter the transactions with 'print', piping the result into-     a second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):--     $ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and command options,  Next: Queries and valuation,  Prev: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries--17.3 Queries and command options-================================--Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: 'depth:2' is-equivalent to '--depth 2', 'date:2020' is equivalent to '-p 2020', etc.-When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the-resulting query is their intersection.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and valuation,  Next: Querying with account aliases,  Prev: Queries and command options,  Up: Queries--17.4 Queries and valuation-==========================--When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, 'cur:' and 'amt:' match the old commodity symbol and the old-amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's-reversed, see #1625).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with account aliases,  Next: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Queries and valuation,  Up: Queries--17.5 Querying with account aliases-==================================--When account names are rewritten with '--alias' or 'alias', note that-'acct:' will match either the old or the new account name.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Querying with account aliases,  Up: Queries--17.6 Querying with cost or value-================================--When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, note that 'cur:' matches the new commodity symbol, and not the-old one, and 'amt:' matches the new quantity, and not the old one.-Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see-the discussion at #1625.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Pivoting,  Next: Generating data,  Prev: Queries,  Up: Top--18 Pivoting-***********--Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.  The-'--pivot FIELD' option substitutes some other transaction field for-account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's-value instead.  FIELD can be any of the transaction fields 'status',-'code', 'description', 'payee', 'note', or a tag name.  When pivoting on-a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first-value is displayed.  Values containing 'colon:separated:parts' will be-displayed hierarchically, like account names.--   Some examples:--2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-    assets:bank account                 2 EUR-    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe--   Normal balance report showing account names:--$ hledger balance-               2 EUR  assets:bank account-              -2 EUR  income:dues----------------------                   0--   Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:--$ hledger balance --pivot member-               2 EUR-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------                   0--   One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):--$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR--   Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted "account-name"):--$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR---File: hledger.info,  Node: Generating data,  Next: Forecasting,  Prev: Pivoting,  Up: Top--19 Generating data-******************--Two features for generating transient data (visible only at report time)-are built in to hledger's journal format:--   * Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain-     transactions.  They are activated by the '--auto' flag.--   * Periodic transaction rules can generate repeating transactions,-     usually dated in the future, to help with forecasting or budgeting.-     They are activated by the '--forecast' or 'balance --budget'-     options, described next.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecasting,  Next: Budgeting,  Prev: Generating data,  Up: Top--20 Forecasting-**************--The '--forecast' flag activates any periodic transaction rules in the-journal.  These will generate temporary additional transactions, usually-recurring and in the future, which will appear in all reports.  'hledger-print --forecast' is a good way to see them.--   This can be useful for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-experimenting with different scenarios.--   It could also be useful for scripted data entry: you could describe-recurring transactions, and every so often copy the output of 'print---forecast' into the journal.--   The generated transactions will have an extra tag, like-'generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR', indicating which periodic rule-generated them.  There is also a similar, hidden tag, named-'_generated-transaction:', which you can use to reliably match-transactions generated "just now" (rather than 'print'ed in the past).--   The forecast transactions are generated within a _forecast period_,-which is independent of the report period.  (Forecast period sets the-bounds for generated transactions, report period controls which-transactions are reported.)  The forecast period begins on:--   * the start date provided within '--forecast''s argument, if any-   * otherwise, the later of-        * the report start date, if specified (with '-b'/'-p'/'date:')-        * the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal,-          if any--   * otherwise today.--   It ends on:--   * the end date provided within '--forecast''s argument, if any-   * otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with-     '-e'/'-p'/'date:')-   * otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.--   Note, this means that ordinary transactions will suppress periodic-transactions, by default; the periodic transactions will not start until-after the last ordinary transaction.  This is usually convenient, but-you can get around it in two ways:--   * If you need to record some transactions in the future, make them-     periodic transactions (with a single occurrence, eg: '~-     YYYY-MM-DD') rather than ordinary transactions.  That way they-     won't suppress other periodic transactions.--   * Or give '--forecast' a period expression argument.  A forecast-     period specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions, and-     need not be in the future.  Some things to note:--        * You must use '=' between flag and argument; a space won't-          work.-        * The period expression can specify the forecast period's start-          date, end date, or both.  See also Report start & end date.-        * The period expression should not specify a report interval.-          (Each periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)--   Some examples: '--forecast=202001-202004', '--forecast=jan-',-'--forecast=2021'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgeting,  Next: Cost reporting,  Prev: Forecasting,  Up: Top--21 Budgeting-************--With the balance command's '--budget' report, each periodic transaction-rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and goals-and actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc-below.--   See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost reporting,  Next: Valuation,  Prev: Budgeting,  Up: Top--22 Cost reporting-*****************--This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions-where one commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of-currency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:--   * Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.-     Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-     cryptocurrency.--   * Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more-     conversions.--   * Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other,-     ie the exchange rate.--   * Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.-     And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the-     "secondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a-     purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.-     Also, the "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.--* Menu:--* -B Convert to cost::-* Equity conversion postings::-* Inferring equity postings from cost::-* Inferring cost from equity postings::-* When to infer cost/equity::-* How to record conversions::-* Cost tips::---File: hledger.info,  Node: -B Convert to cost,  Next: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.1 -B: Convert to cost-========================--As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can-also record the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding '@-UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE'.--   Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding-the '-B/--cost' flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).-Eg:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each--$ hledger bal -N-               $-135  assets:dollars-                €100  assets:euros-$ hledger bal -N -B-               $-135  assets:dollars-                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost--   Notes:--   -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros--$ hledger bal -N -B-               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price-                €100  assets:euros--   The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks: it does-not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting-equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Equity conversion postings,  Next: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Prev: -B Convert to cost,  Up: Cost reporting--22.2 Equity conversion postings-===============================--By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a-different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance-conversion transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be-written:--2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-    assets:dollars      $-135-    equity:conversion    $135-    equity:conversion   €-100-    assets:euros         €100--   This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and makes cost-reporting more difficult for PTA tools.--   Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to-the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.--   You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at-the same time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But be-sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see a-not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Next: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Prev: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.3 Inferring equity postings from cost-========================================--With '--infer-equity', hledger detects transactions written with PTA-cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  -$135-  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35--$ hledger print --infer-equity-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars                    $-135-    assets:euros               €100 @ $1.35-    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:-    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:--   The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion-account type declaration.--   -infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded-using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and-balance reports' zero total, or to produce more conventional journal-entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Next: When to infer cost/equity,  Prev: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Up: Cost reporting--22.4 Inferring cost from equity postings-========================================--The reverse operation is possible using '--infer-costs', which detects-transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds cost-notation to them:--2022-01-01-    assets:dollars            $-135-    equity:conversion          $135-    equity:conversion         €-100-    assets:euros               €100--$ hledger print --infer-costs-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars       $-135 @@ €100-    equity:conversion             $135-    equity:conversion            €-100-    assets:euros                  €100--   -infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/-cost, allowing cost-reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity-postings:--$ hledger print --infer-costs -B-2009-01-01-    assets:dollars           €-100-    assets:euros              €100--   Notes:--   For '--infer-costs' to work, an exchange must consist of four-postings:--  1. two non-equity postings-  2. two equity postings, next to one another-  3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type-     'V'/'Conversion' (or if they are not declared, they must be named-     'equity:conversion', 'equity:trade', 'equity:trading' or-     subaccounts of these)-  4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity-     postings' amounts.--   Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.--   When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added-to the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the-commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.  If-you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can use-explicit cost notation instead.--   -infer-equity and -infer-costs can be used together, if you have a-mixture of both notations in your journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: When to infer cost/equity,  Next: How to record conversions,  Prev: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.5 When to infer cost/equity-==============================--Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled-by default.  We're not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two-suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:--  1. When you use -B, always use -infer-costs as well.  Eg: 'hledger bal-     -B --infer-costs'--  2. Always run hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: 'alias hl="hledger-     --infer-equity --infer-costs"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: How to record conversions,  Next: Cost tips,  Prev: When to infer cost/equity,  Up: Cost reporting--22.6 How to record conversions-==============================--Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in-hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.--* Menu:--* Conversion with implicit cost::-* Conversion with explicit cost::-* Conversion with equity postings::-* Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with implicit cost,  Next: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.1 Conversion with implicit cost---------------------------------------Let's assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD. You can just record the-outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the appropriate asset account:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash    -100 EUR-    assets:cash     120 USD--   hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. You can see the inferred rate-by using 'hledger print -x'.--   Pro:--   * Concise, easy--   Con:--   * Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not-     be detected-   * Conversion rate is not clear-   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity-     flag--   You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped-commodity symbol, by using 'hledger check commodities'.--   You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using 'hledger-check balancednoautoconversion', or '-s/--strict'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with explicit cost,  Next: Conversion with equity postings,  Prev: Conversion with implicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.2 Conversion with explicit cost---------------------------------------You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an-error otherwise.--   Pro:--   * Still concise-   * Makes the conversion rate clear-   * Provides more error checking--   Con:--   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity-     flag---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings,  Next: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.3 Conversion with equity postings-----------------------------------------In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not-balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD-appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents-reports like 'balancesheetequity' from showing a zero total.--   The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for-each commodity, using an equity account:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Pro:--   * Preserves the accounting equation-   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-   * Standard, works in any double entry accounting system--   Con:--   * More verbose-   * Conversion rate is not obvious-   * Cost reporting requires adding the -infer-costs flag---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with equity postings,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.4 Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-----------------------------------------------------------Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Pro:--   * Preserves the accounting equation-   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-   * Makes the conversion rate clear-   * Provides more error checking--   Con:--   * Most verbose-   * Not compatible with ledger---File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost tips,  Prev: How to record conversions,  Up: Cost reporting--22.7 Cost tips-==============--   * Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it-     makes that clear and helps detect errors.-   * Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping-     and preserves the accounting equation.-   * Combining these is possible.-   * When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use-     '-B' (short form of '--cost').-   * If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add-     '--infer-costs' also.-   * If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want-     to see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries,-     use '--infer-equity'.-   * Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation,  Next: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Prev: Cost reporting,  Up: Top--23 Valuation-************--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:--* Menu:--* -V Value::-* -X Value in specified commodity::-* Valuation date::-* Finding market price::-* --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions::-* Valuation commodity::-* Simple valuation examples::-* --value Flexible valuation::-* More valuation examples::-* Interaction of valuation and queries::-* Effect of valuation on reports::---File: hledger.info,  Node: -V Value,  Next: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.1 -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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: -X Value in specified commodity,  Next: Valuation date,  Prev: -V Value,  Up: Valuation--23.2 -X: Value in specified commodity-=====================================--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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation date,  Next: Finding market price,  Prev: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.3 Valuation date-===================--Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports-have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-prices will be used.--   For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Finding market price,  Next: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Prev: Valuation date,  Up: Valuation--23.4 Finding market price-=========================--To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in-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-prices' flag) inferred-     from costs.--  2. A _reverse market price_: the inverse of a declared or inferred-     market price from B to A.--  3. A _forward chain of market prices_: a synthetic price formed by-     combining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market-     prices, leading from A to B.--  4. _Any chain of market prices_: a chain of any market prices,-     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.--   Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not-converted.---File: hledger.info,  Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Next: Valuation commodity,  Prev: Finding market price,  Up: Valuation--23.5 -infer-market-prices: 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-chore, and since transactions usually take place at close to market-value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as-Ledger does) ?  Adding the '--infer-market-prices' flag to '-V', '-X' or-'--value' enables this.--   So for example, 'hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices' will get market-prices both from P directives and from transactions.  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-you, read all of this Valuation section carefully, and try adding-'--debug' or '--debug=2' to troubleshoot.--   '--infer-market-prices' can infer market prices from:--   * 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 equity postings, if cost is-     inferred with '--infer-costs'.--   There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is-not specified, prices inferred with '--infer-market-prices' do not help-select a default valuation commodity, as 'P' prices would.  So-conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected-('--debug=2' will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation-commmodity, eg:--   * '-X EUR --infer-market-prices', not '-V --infer-market-prices'-   * '--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices', not '--value=then-     --infer-market-prices'--   Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here-is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should-work differently, see #1870.)--2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 @ A 1--2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 @@ A 1---2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 @ A -1--2022-01-02 Negative total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 @@ A -1---2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 @ A -1--2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 @@ A -1--   All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each-day, the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the-market prices inferred for B:--$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-P 2022-01-01 B A 1-P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-P 2022-01-02 B A -1-P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-P 2022-01-03 B A -1-P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation commodity,  Next: Simple valuation examples,  Prev: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Up: Valuation--23.6 Valuation commodity-========================--*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'):*-For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as-follows, in this order of preference:--  1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A-     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-     prices before the valuation date.)--  3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-     '--infer-market-prices' 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'-     will convert, and to what.--   * If you have no P directives, and use the '--infer-market-prices'-     flag, costs determine it.--   Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not-converted.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple valuation examples,  Next: --value Flexible valuation,  Prev: Valuation commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.7 Simple valuation examples-==============================--Here are some quick examples of '-V':--; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-P 2016/11/01 € $1.10--; purchase some euros on nov 3-2016/11/3-    assets:euros        €100-    assets:checking--; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-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-             $110.00  assets:euros--   What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?  (no report end date-specified, defaults to today)--$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-             $103.00  assets:euros---File: hledger.info,  Node: --value Flexible valuation,  Next: More valuation examples,  Prev: Simple valuation examples,  Up: Valuation--23.8 -value: Flexible valuation-===============================--'-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.-                      Shows amounts converted to:-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date--   The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:--'--value=then'--     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity,-     using market prices on each posting's date.-'--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'--     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity-     using current market prices (as of when report is generated).-'--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-this commodity, deducing market prices as described above.---File: hledger.info,  Node: More valuation examples,  Next: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Prev: --value Flexible valuation,  Up: Valuation--23.9 More valuation examples-============================--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-P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--2000-01-01-  (a)      1 A @ 5 B--2000-02-01-  (a)      1 A @ 6 B--2000-03-01-  (a)      1 A @ 7 B--   Show the cost of each posting:--$ hledger -f- print --cost-2000-01-01-    (a)             5 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             6 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             7 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             2 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             3 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             4 B--   Show the value on 2000/01/15:--$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-2000-01-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-03-01-    (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:--P 2000-01-01 A 2B--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b--$ hledger print -x -X A-2000-01-01-    a               0-    b               0--   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-commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:--P 2000-01-01 A 2B-commodity 0.00A--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b--$ hledger print -X A-2000-01-01-    a           0.50A-    b          -0.50A---File: hledger.info,  Node: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Next: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: More valuation examples,  Up: Valuation--23.10 Interaction of valuation and queries-==========================================--When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,-the following happens.--  1. The query is separated into two parts:-       1. the currency ('cur:') or amount ('amt:').-       2. all other parts.--  2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based-     on pre-valued amounts.-  3. Valuation is applied to the postings.-  4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on-     post-valued amounts.--   See: 1625---File: hledger.info,  Node: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Up: Valuation--23.11 Effect of valuation on reports-====================================--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.--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-balance    unchanged    unchanged    unchanged          unchanged    unchanged-assertions/assignments-*register*-starting   cost         value at     valued at day      value at     value-balance                 report or    each historical    report or    at-(-H)                    journal      posting was made   journal      DATE/today-                        end                             end-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-with                    journal                         journal-report                  start                           start-interval-posting    cost         value at     value at posting   value at     value-amounts                 report or    date               report or    at-                        journal                         journal      DATE/today-                        end                             end-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-running    sum/average  sum/average  sum/average of     sum/average  sum/average-total/averageof         of           displayed values   of           of-           displayed    displayed                       displayed    displayed-           values       values                          values       values-*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-                                                                     postings-budget     like         like         like balance       like         like-amounts    balance      balance      changes            balances     balance-(-budget)  changes      changes                                      changes-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-(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-           start to                  posting dates                   postings-           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-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-a zero starting balance.--   *Glossary:*--_cost_--     calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).-_value_--     market value using available market price declarations, or the-     unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.-_report start_--     the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or-     date:, otherwise today.-_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_--     the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-     otherwise today.-_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_--     a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the-     report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many-     subperiods).---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Next: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: Valuation,  Up: Top--24 PART 4: COMMANDS-*******************--* Menu:--* Commands overview::-* accounts::-* activity::-* add::-* aregister::-* balance::-* balancesheet::-* balancesheetequity::-* cashflow::-* check::-* close::-* codes::-* commodities::-* descriptions::-* diff::-* files::-* help::-* import::-* incomestatement::-* notes::-* payees::-* prices::-* print::-* register::-* rewrite::-* roi::-* stats::-* tags::-* test::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands overview,  Next: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.1 Commands overview-======================--Here are the built-in commands:--* Menu:--* DATA ENTRY::-* DATA CREATION::-* DATA MANAGEMENT::-* REPORTS FINANCIAL::-* REPORTS VERSATILE::-* REPORTS BASIC::-* HELP::-* ADD-ONS::---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA ENTRY,  Next: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.1 DATA ENTRY--------------------These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your-journal file.--   * add - add transactions using terminal prompts-   * import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA CREATION,  Next: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Prev: DATA ENTRY,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.2 DATA CREATION-----------------------   * close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions-   * rewrite - generate auto postings, like print -auto---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Next: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Prev: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.3 DATA MANAGEMENT-------------------------   * check - check for various kinds of error in the data-   * diff - compare account transactions in two journal files---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Next: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Prev: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.4 REPORTS, FINANCIAL----------------------------   * 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Next: REPORTS BASIC,  Prev: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.5 REPORTS, VERSATILE----------------------------   * balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets,-     gains..-   * print - show transactions or export journal data-   * register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running-     total-   * roi - show return on investments---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS BASIC,  Next: HELP,  Prev: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.6 REPORTS, BASIC------------------------   * accounts - show account names-   * activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period-   * codes - show transaction codes-   * commodities - show commodity/currency symbols-   * descriptions - show transaction descriptions-   * files - show input file paths-   * notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions-   * payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions-   * prices - show market prices-   * stats - show journal statistics-   * tags - show tag names-   * test - run self tests---File: hledger.info,  Node: HELP,  Next: ADD-ONS,  Prev: REPORTS BASIC,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.7 HELP--------------   * help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager---File: hledger.info,  Node: ADD-ONS,  Prev: HELP,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.8 ADD-ONS-----------------And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed-by the hledger-install script.  If installed, they will appear in-hledger's commands list:--   * ui - run hledger's terminal UI-   * web - run hledger's web UI-   * iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)-   * interest - generate interest transactions-   * stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage-   * Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-     pijul, plot, and more..--   Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.---File: hledger.info,  Node: accounts,  Next: activity,  Prev: Commands overview,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.2 accounts-=============--Show account names.--   This command lists account names.  By default it shows all known-accounts, either used in transactions or declared with account-directives.--   With query arguments, only matched account names and account names-referenced by matched postings are shown.--   Or it can show just the used accounts ('--used'/'-u'), the declared-accounts ('--declared'/'-d'), the accounts declared but not used-('--unused'), the accounts used but not declared ('--undeclared'), or-the first account matched by an account name pattern, if any ('--find').--   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'.--   With '--types', it also shows each account's type, if it's known.-(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)--   With '--positions', it also shows the file and line number of each-account's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration-order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.--   With '--directives', it adds the 'account' keyword, showing valid-account directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is-useful together with '--undeclared' when updating your account-declarations to satisfy 'hledger check accounts'.--   The '--find' flag can be used to look up a single account name, in-the same way that the 'aregister' command does.  It returns the-alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none can be found, it-fails with a non-zero exit code.--   Examples:--$ hledger accounts-assets:bank:checking-assets:bank:saving-assets:cash-expenses:food-expenses:supplies-income:gifts-income:salary-liabilities:debts--$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-$ hledger check accounts---File: hledger.info,  Node: activity,  Next: add,  Prev: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.3 activity-=============--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.--   Examples:--$ hledger activity --quarterly-2008-01-01 **-2008-04-01 *******-2008-07-01 -2008-10-01 **---File: hledger.info,  Node: add,  Next: aregister,  Prev: activity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.4 add-========--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-transactions, and appends them to the main journal file (which should be-in journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This is one-of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also-'import').--   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:--   * 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,-     payees/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.-   * 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-     backward.-   * Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal-     supports it.--   Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):--$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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]: -Description: supermarket-Account 1: expenses:food-Amount  1: $10-Account 2: assets:checking-Amount  2 [$-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]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $--   On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the-file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).---File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister,  Next: balance,  Prev: add,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.5 aregister-==============--(areg)--   Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single-account, with each transaction displayed as one line.--   'aregister' shows the overall transactions affecting a particular-account (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one-transaction in this account.  Transactions before the report start date-are always included in the running balance ('--historical' mode is-always on).--   This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the 'register'-command (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple-accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of-thumb: - use 'aregister' for reviewing and reconciling real-world-asset/liability accounts - use 'register' for reviewing detailed-revenues/expenses.--   'aregister' requires one argument: the account to report on.  You can-write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive regular-expression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.--   When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can-be surprising; eg if you have 'assets:per:checking 1' and-'assets:biz:checking 2' accounts, 'hledger areg checking' would select-'assets:biz:checking 2'.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if-in doubt, write the full account name, or a distinctive substring that-matches uniquely.--   Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be-shown.  'aregister' ignores depth limits, so its final total will always-match a balance report with similar arguments.--   Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the-transactions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance,-causing it to be different from the account's real-world running-balance.--   An example: this shows the transactions and historical running-balance during july, in the first account whose name contains-"checking":--$ hledger areg checking date:jul--   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.--   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the-'--align-all' flag.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options.  The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and 'json'.--* Menu:--* aregister and custom posting dates::---File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister and custom posting dates,  Up: aregister--24.5.1 aregister and custom posting dates--------------------------------------------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.--   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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance,  Next: balancesheet,  Prev: aregister,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.6 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-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'.--* Menu:--* balance features::-* Simple balance report::-* Balance report line format::-* Filtered balance report::-* List or tree mode::-* Depth limiting::-* Dropping top-level accounts::-* Showing declared accounts::-* Sorting by amount::-* Percentages::-* Multi-period balance report::-* Balance change end balance::-* Balance report types::-* Budget report::-* Data layout::-* Useful balance reports::---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance features,  Next: Simple balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.1 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-higher-level commands as well.--   'balance' can show..--   * 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 unrealised capital gain/loss ('--gain')--   ..in..--   * one time period (the whole journal period by default)-   * 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')--   ..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')--   ..with..--   * 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')-   * commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines-     ('--layout')--   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,-negative amounts are shown in red.--   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the balance of the _other_ postings-in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple balance report,  Next: Balance report line format,  Prev: balance features,  Up: balance--24.6.2 Simple balance report-------------------------------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.  ("Simple" here-means just one column of numbers, covering a single period.  You can-also have multi-period reports, described later.)--   For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be 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-examples/sample.journal):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  --   Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree-mode - see below) are hidden by default.  Use '-E/--empty' to show them-(revealing 'assets:bank:checking' here):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                   0  assets:bank:checking-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  --   The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-'-N'/'--no-total' is used.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report line format,  Next: Filtered balance report,  Prev: Simple balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.3 Balance report line format------------------------------------For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you-can use '--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each line.-Eg:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"-              assets          $-1-         bank:saving           $1-                cash          $-2-            expenses           $2-                food           $1-            supplies           $1-              income          $-2-               gifts          $-1-              salary          $-1-   liabilities:debts           $1-----------------------------------                                0--   The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each-account/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data-fields interpolated like so:--   '%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)'--   * MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)--   * MAX truncates at this width (optional)--   * FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:--        * 'depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's-          depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.-        * 'account' - the account's name-        * 'total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified--   Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how-multi-commodity amounts are rendered:--   * '%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)-   * '%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned-   * '%,' - render on one line, comma-separated--   There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, '%(depth_spacer)' has no-effect, instead '%(account)' has indentation built in.  Experimentation-may be needed to get pleasing results.--   Some example formats:--   * '%(total)' - the account's total-   * '%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to-     20 characters and clipped at 20 characters-   * '%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50-     characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple-     commodities rendered on one line-   * '%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for-     the single-column balance report---File: hledger.info,  Node: Filtered balance report,  Next: List or tree mode,  Prev: Balance report line format,  Up: balance--24.6.4 Filtered balance report---------------------------------You can show fewer accounts, a different time period, totals from-cleared transactions only, etc.  by using query arguments or options to-limit the postings being matched.  Eg:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                 $-2  assets:cash----------------------                 $-2  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: List or tree mode,  Next: Depth limiting,  Prev: Filtered balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.5 List or tree mode---------------------------By default, or with '-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with-their full names visible, as in the examples above.--   With '-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts'-"leaf" names indented below their parent:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0--   Notes:--   * "Boring" accounts are combined with their subaccount for more-     compact output, unless '--no-elide' is used.  Boring accounts have-     no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg 'assets:bank'-     and 'liabilities' above).--   * All balances shown are "inclusive", ie including the balances from-     all subaccounts.  Note this means some repetition in the output,-     which requires explanation when sharing reports with-     non-plaintextaccounting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is-     the sum of the top-level balances shown, not of all the balances-     shown.--   * Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is-     sorted separately.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth limiting,  Next: Dropping top-level accounts,  Prev: List or tree mode,  Up: balance--24.6.6 Depth limiting------------------------With a 'depth:NUM' query, or '--depth NUM' option, or just '-NUM' (eg:-'-3') balance reports will show accounts only to the specified depth,-hiding the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful for getting an-overview without too much detail.--   Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from-any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                 $-1  assets-                  $2  expenses-                 $-2  income-                  $1  liabilities----------------------                   0  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Dropping top-level accounts,  Next: Showing declared accounts,  Prev: Depth limiting,  Up: balance--24.6.7 Dropping top-level accounts-------------------------------------You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using-'--drop NUM'.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level-account names:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                  $1  food-                  $1  supplies----------------------                  $2  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Showing declared accounts,  Next: Sorting by amount,  Prev: Dropping top-level accounts,  Up: balance--24.6.8 Showing declared accounts-----------------------------------With '--declared', accounts which have been declared with an account-directive will be included in the balance report, even if they have no-transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-'-E/--empty' to see them.)--   More precisely, _leaf_ declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will-be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.--   The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete" balance-report, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared-accounts yet.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Sorting by amount,  Next: Percentages,  Prev: Showing declared accounts,  Up: balance--24.6.9 Sorting by amount---------------------------With '-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive)-balances are shown first.  Eg: 'hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your-biggest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity-is present, they will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity-first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount is missing a-commodity, it is treated as 0).--   Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so-'-S' shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can add-'--invert' to flip the signs.  (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,-which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: 'hledger incomestatement -MAS').---File: hledger.info,  Node: Percentages,  Next: Multi-period balance report,  Prev: Sorting by amount,  Up: balance--24.6.10 Percentages----------------------With '-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value expressed-as a percentage of the (column) total.--   Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a-column have mixed signs.  In this case, make a separate report for each-sign, eg:--$ 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-separate report for each commodity:--$ hledger bal -% cur:\\$-$ hledger bal -% cur:€---File: hledger.info,  Node: Multi-period balance report,  Next: Balance change end balance,  Prev: Percentages,  Up: balance--24.6.11 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):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-Balance changes in 2008:--                   ||  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 --------------------++----------------------------------                   ||     $-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.-   * Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless-     '-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.--   Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy-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'-   * 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-     && open a.html'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance change end balance,  Next: Balance report types,  Prev: Multi-period balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.12 Balance change, end balance--------------------------------------It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in-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.--   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!)--   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-historical end balances:--  1. Initialise account starting balances with an "opening balances"-     transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the-     journal covers the account's full lifetime.--  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-     ignored when summing postings.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report types,  Next: Budget report,  Prev: Balance change end balance,  Up: balance--24.6.13 Balance report types-------------------------------The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to-control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated, don't-worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does typically take some-time and experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.--   There are three important option groups:--   'hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE]-...'--* Menu:--* Calculation type::-* Accumulation type::-* Valuation type::-* Combining balance report types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Calculation type,  Next: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.1 Calculation type-..........................--The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:--   * '--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*)-   * '--budget' : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount-     (for each account/period)-   * '--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance-     values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price-     fluctuations)-   * '--gain' : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current-     valued balance minus each amount's original cost)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Accumulation type,  Next: Valuation type,  Prev: Calculation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.2 Accumulation type-...........................--How amounts should accumulate across report periods.  Another way to say-it: which time period's postings should contribute to each cell's-calculation.  It is one of:--   * '--change' : calculate with postings from column start to column-     end, ie "just this column".  Typically used to see-     revenues/expenses.  (*default for balance, incomestatement*)--   * '--cumulative' : calculate with postings from report start to-     column end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used-     to show changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not-     often used.--   * '--historical/-H' : calculate with postings from journal start to-     column end, ie "all postings from before report start date until-     this column's end".  Typically used to see historical end balances-     of assets/liabilities/equity.  (*default for balancesheet,-     balancesheetequity, cashflow*)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation type,  Next: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.3 Valuation type-........................--Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before-displaying the report.  It is one of:--   * no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (*default*)-   * '--value=cost[,COMM]' : convert amounts to cost (then optionally to-     some other commodity)-   * '--value=then[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on-     transaction dates-   * '--value=end[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on period-     end date(s)-     (*default with '--valuechange', '--gain'*)-   * '--value=now[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on today's-     date-   * '--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on-     another date--   or one of the equivalent simpler flags:--   * '-B/--cost' : like -value=cost (though, note -cost and -value are-     independent options which can both be used at once)-   * '-V/--market' : like -value=end-   * '-X COMM/--exchange COMM' : like -value=end,COMM--   See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Valuation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.4 Combining balance report types-........................................--Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,-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'--   For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and-valuation show:--Valuation:>no valuation    '--value= then'   '--value= end'   '--value=-Accumulation:v                                                YYYY-MM-DD-                                                              /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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report,  Next: Data layout,  Prev: Balance report types,  Up: balance--24.6.14 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 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-  expenses:food    $400-  expenses:bus     $50-  expenses:movies  $30-  assets:bank:checking--;; Two months worth of expenses-2017-11-01-  income  $1950-  expenses:food    $396-  expenses:bus     $49-  expenses:movies  $30-  expenses:supplies  $20-  assets:bank:checking--2017-12-01-  income  $2100-  expenses:food    $412-  expenses:bus     $53-  expenses:gifts   $100-  assets:bank:checking--   You can now see a monthly budget report:--$ hledger balance -M --budget-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] --   This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:--   * Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are shown,-     by default.--   * In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget-     goal amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.  (Note:-     budget goals should be in the same commodity as the actual amount.)--   * All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.  Eg-     assets, assets:bank, and expenses above.--   * Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted,-     even in list mode.--   This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!  Eg-above, the 'expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies-transactions, but the 'expenses:gifts' and 'expenses:supplies' accounts-are not shown, as they have no budget amounts declared.--   This can be confusing.  When you need to make things clearer, use the-'-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted-ones, giving the full picture.  Eg:--$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] --   You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with '--cumulative':--$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      Nov                       Dec -======================++====================================================- 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] --   It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses--hledger bal -M --budget expenses--   or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):--hledger bal -M --budget type:rx--   It's also common to limit or convert them to a single currency-('cur:COMM' or '-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]').  If showing multiple-currencies, '--layout bare' or '--layout tall' can help.--   For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.--* Menu:--* Budget report start date::-* Budgets and subaccounts::-* Selecting budget goals::-* Budget vs forecast::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report start date,  Next: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.1 Budget report start date-..................................--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-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-default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:--~ monthly in 2020-  (expenses:food)  $500--2020-01-15-  expenses:food    $400-  assets:checking--$ hledger bal expenses --budget-Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--              || 2020-01-15 -==============++============- <unbudgeted> ||       $400 ---------------++-------------              ||       $400 --   To avoid this, specify the budget report's period, or at least the-start date, with '-b'/'-e'/'-p'/'date:', to ensure it includes the-budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want.  Eg,-adding '-b 2020/1/1' to the above:--$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 -===============++========================- expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] ----------------++-------------------------               ||     $400 [80% of $500] ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgets and subaccounts,  Next: Selecting budget goals,  Prev: Budget report start date,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.2 Budgets and subaccounts-.................................--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.--   In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-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-    liabilities--   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.--   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-    liabilities--2019/01/01 Google home hub-    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-    liabilities                           $-90.00--2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-    liabilities--2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-    liabilities--2019/01/03 Flowers-    expenses:personal          $30.00-    liabilities--   As you can see, we have transactions in-'expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and 'expenses:personal:train-tickets', and since both of these accounts are without explicitly-defined budget, these transactions would be counted towards budgets of-'expenses:personal:electronics' and 'expenses:personal' accordingly:--$ hledger balance --budget -M-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] --------------------------------++--------------------------------                               ||        0 [                 0] --   And with '--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation-and consumption:--$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                        ||                           Jan -========================================++===============================- 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 $-1100.00] -----------------------------------------++--------------------------------                                        ||        0 [                 0] ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Selecting budget goals,  Next: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.3 Selecting budget goals-................................--The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate-special "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each-account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting, you can use-'print --forecast' to show these as forecasted transactions:--$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated--   By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report-interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly-periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly-budget report.--   You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-the '--budget' flag.  '--budget=DESCPAT' will match all periodic rules-whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-regular expression or query).  This means you can give your periodic-rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then-select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Selecting budget goals,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.4 Budget vs forecast-............................--'hledger --forecast ...' and 'hledger balance --budget ...' are separate-features, though both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined-in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions for-reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal-transactions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same-time if you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger-1.29:--   CLI:--   * -forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command-   * -budget is a 'balance' command option, usable only with that-     command.--   Visibility of generated transactions:--   * forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary-     transactions-   * budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts-     they produce in -budget reports.--   Periodic transaction rules:--   * -forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules-   * -budget uses all periodic rules ('--budget') or a selected subset-     ('--budget=DESCPAT')--   Period of generated transactions:--   * -forecast generates forecast transactions-        * from after the last regular transaction to the end of the-          report period ('--forecast')-        * or, during a specified period ('--forecast=PERIODEXPR')-        * possibly further restricted by a period specified in the-          periodic transaction rule-        * and always restricted within the bounds of the report period--   * -budget generates budget goal transactions-        * throughout the report period-        * possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic-          transaction rule.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Data layout,  Next: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Budget report,  Up: balance--24.6.15 Data layout----------------------The '--layout' option affects how balance reports show multi-commodity-amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can-also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has-four possible values:--   * '--layout=wide[,WIDTH]': commodities are shown on a single line,-     optionally elided to WIDTH-   * '--layout=tall': each commodity is shown on a separate line-   * '--layout=bare': commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts-     are bare numbers-   * '--layout=tidy': data is normalised to easily-consumed "tidy" form,-     with one row per data value--   Here are the '--layout' modes supported by each output format; note-only CSV output supports all of them:---      txt   csv   html   json   sql-----------------------------------------wide   Y     Y     Y-tall   Y     Y     Y-bare   Y     Y     Y-tidy         Y--   Examples:--   * Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total -     ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT --   * Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some-     commodities will be hidden:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total -     ==================++===========================================================================================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -     ------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. --   * Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in-     each column), and account names are repeated:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||       2012        2013         2014        Total -     ==================++==================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -      Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -      Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -      Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -      Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -                       || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -                       ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -                       || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -                       ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT --   * Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each-     commodity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total -     ==================++=============================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -      Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -     ------------------++----------------------------------------------                       || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -                       || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -                       || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -                       || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -                       || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 --   * Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing-     data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-     "account","commodity","balance"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"-     "total","GLD","70.00"-     "total","ITOT","17.00"-     "total","USD","5120.50"-     "total","VEA","36.00"-     "total","VHT","294.00"--   * Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable-     has its own column and each row represents a single data point.-     See-     https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html-     for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other software to-     consume.  Here's how it looks:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-     "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Data layout,  Up: balance--24.6.16 Useful balance reports---------------------------------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 -H assets liabilities'-     Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.  Also-     available as the 'balancesheet' command.--   * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities equity'-     Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.-     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.--   Also:--   * 'bal -M expenses -2 -SA'-     Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average-     amount.--   * 'bal -M --budget expenses'-     Show monthly expenses and budget goals.--   * 'bal -M --valuechange investments'-     Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.--   * 'bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA-     [--invert]'-     Show top gainers [or losers] last week---File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheet,  Next: balancesheetequity,  Prev: balance,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.7 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-sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash' or-'Liability' type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are-declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset' or 'liability' (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger balancesheet-Balance Sheet--Assets:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with-smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their sign-flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheetequity,  Next: cashflow,  Prev: balancesheet,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.8 balancesheetequity-=======================--(bse)--   This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending-balances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown-with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash',-'Liability' or 'Equity' type (see account types).  Or if no such-accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset',-'liability' or 'equity' (case insensitive, plurals allowed) and their-subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger balancesheetequity-Balance Sheet With Equity--Assets:-                 $-2  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-3    cash----------------------                 $-2--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Equity:-          $1  equity:owner----------------------          $1--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but-with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with-their sign flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: cashflow,  Next: check,  Prev: balancesheetequity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.9 cashflow-=============--(cf)--   This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid, easily convertible) assets.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Cash' type (see account-types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts--   * under a top-level account named 'asset' (case insensitive, plural-     allowed)-   * whose name contains some variation of 'cash', 'bank', 'checking' or-     'saving'.--   More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular-expression:--   '^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)'--   and their subaccounts.--   An example cashflow report:--$ hledger cashflow-Cashflow Statement--Cash flows:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Total:----------------------                 $-1--   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-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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: check,  Next: close,  Prev: cashflow,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.10 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-argument(s).--   Some examples:--hledger check      # basic checks-hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks--   If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to-run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.--   Here are the checks currently available:--* Menu:--* Basic checks::-* Strict checks::-* Other checks::-* Custom checks::-* More about specific checks::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic checks,  Next: Strict checks,  Up: check--24.10.1 Basic checks-----------------------These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger-commands, including 'check':--   * *parseable* - data files are well-formed and can be successfully-     parsed--   * *balancedwithautoconversion* - all transactions are balanced,-     inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting-     commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs--   * *assertions* - all balance assertions in the journal are passing.-     (This check can be disabled with '-I'/'--ignore-assertions'.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict checks,  Next: Other checks,  Prev: Basic checks,  Up: check--24.10.2 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':--   * *accounts* - all account names used by transactions have been-     declared--   * *commodities* - all commodity symbols used have been declared--   * *balancednoautoconversion* - transactions are balanced, possibly-     using explicit costs but not inferred ones---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other checks,  Next: Custom checks,  Prev: Strict checks,  Up: check--24.10.3 Other checks-----------------------These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to-'check'.  They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone,-therefore optional:--   * *ordereddates* - transactions are ordered by date within each file--   * *payees* - all payees used by transactions have been declared--   * *recentassertions* - all accounts with balance assertions have a-     balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting--   * *tags* - all tags used by transactions have been declared--   * *uniqueleafnames* - all account leaf names are unique---File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom checks,  Next: More about specific checks,  Prev: Other checks,  Up: check--24.10.4 Custom checks------------------------A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:--   * *hledger-check-tagfiles* - all tag values containing / (a forward-     slash) exist as file paths--   * *hledger-check-fancyassertions* - more complex balance assertions-     are passing--   You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.-See: Cookbook -> Scripting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: More about specific checks,  Prev: Custom checks,  Up: check--24.10.5 More about specific checks-------------------------------------'hledger check recentassertions' will complain if any balance-asserted-account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its-latest posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where you are-regularly updating your journal, but forgetting to check your balances-against the real world, then one day must dig back through months of-data to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion-requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not be-true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that-case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use the-manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest-assertions against real-world balances.---File: hledger.info,  Node: close,  Next: codes,  Prev: check,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.11 close-===========--(equity)--   Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from-another account (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating-balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity at-end of accounting period.--   By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts-(asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be-configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.--   _(experimental)_--   This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common-use cases:--  1. With '--close' (default), it prints a "closing balances"-     transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts-     by default (this requires account types to be inferred or-     declared); or, the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY-     arguments.--  2. With '--open', it prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction-     that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to-     Ledger's equity command.--  3. With '--migrate', it prints both the closing and opening-     transactions.  This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a-     new file: run 'hledger close --migrate', add the closing-     transaction at the end of the old file, and add the opening-     transaction at the start of the new file.  The matching-     closing/opening transactions cancel each other out, preserving-     correct balances during multi-file reporting.--  4. With '--retain', it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that-     transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to 'equity:retained-     earnings'.  Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each-     accounting period; it is less necessary with computer-based-     accounting, but it could still be useful if you want to see the-     accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.--   In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:--   * the transaction descriptions can be changed with-     '--close-desc=DESC' and '--open-desc=DESC'-   * the account to transfer to/from can be changed with-     '--close-acct=ACCT' and '--open-acct=ACCT'-   * the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with 'ACCTQUERY'-     (account query arguments).--   By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its-amount left implicit.  With '--x/--explicit', the amount will be shown-explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting-will be generated for each of them (similar to 'print -x').--   With '--show-costs', any amount costs are shown, with separate-postings for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view-investment lots.  If you have many currency conversion or investment-transactions, it can generate very large journal entries.--   With '--interleaved', each individual transfer is shown with source-and destination postings next to each other.  This could be useful for-troubleshooting.--   The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date,-whichever is later.  You can change this by specifying a report end-date; (The report start date does not matter.)  The last day of the-report period will be the closing date; eg '-e 2022' means "close on-2022-12-31".  The opening date is always the day after the closing date.--* Menu:--* close and balance assertions::-* Example retain earnings::-* Example migrate balances to a new file::-* Example excluding closing/opening transactions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: close and balance assertions,  Next: Example retain earnings,  Up: close--24.11.1 close and balance assertions---------------------------------------Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if-there is an opening transaction).--   These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them-temporarily with '-I', or remove them if you prefer.--   You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or-realness ('-C', '-R', 'status:'), or generating postings ('--auto'),-with this command, since the balance assertions would depend on these.--   Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the-balance assertions:--2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02--   To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary-account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two-single-day transactions:--; in 2022.journal:-2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    equity:pending        -5--; in 2023.journal:-2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared-    equity:pending         5 = 0-    assets:bank:checking  -5---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example retain earnings,  Next: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Prev: close and balance assertions,  Up: close--24.11.2 Example: retain earnings-----------------------------------Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-appending the generated transaction to the journal:--$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal--   Note 2022's income statement will now show only zeroes, because-revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.  To see them-again, you could exclude the retain transaction:--$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Next: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example retain earnings,  Up: close--24.11.3 Example: migrate balances to a new file--------------------------------------------------Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on-2023-01-01:--$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal--   Now 2022's balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced-accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@ notation - in that-case, try adding -infer-equity.)  To see the end-of-year balances again,-you could exclude the closing transaction:--$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Up: close--24.11.4 Example: excluding closing/opening transactions----------------------------------------------------------When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening-transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like-'print' and 'register'.  You can exclude them as shown above, but-'not:desc:...' is not ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions;-also you will want to avoid excluding the very first opening-transaction, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using-tags:--   Add 'clopen:' tags to all opening/closing balances transactions-except the first, like this:--; 2021.journal-2021-06-01 first opening balances-...-2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-...--; 2022.journal-2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-...-2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-...--; 2023.journal-2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-...--   Now, assuming a combined journal like:--; all.journal-include 2021.journal-include 2022.journal-include 2023.journal--   The 'clopen:' tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.-To show a clean multi-year checking register:--$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen--   And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end-balance sheet:--$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023---File: hledger.info,  Node: codes,  Next: commodities,  Prev: close,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.12 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-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 printed as blank lines.--   You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.--   Examples:--2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   - Food       $5.00- Checking    --2022/1/2 (124) Post Office- Postage    $8.32- Checking--2022/1/3 Supermarket- Food      $11.23- Checking --2022/1/4 (126) Post Office- Postage    $3.21- Checking--$ hledger codes-123-124-126--$ hledger codes -E-123-124--126---File: hledger.info,  Node: commodities,  Next: descriptions,  Prev: codes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.13 commodities-=================--List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: descriptions,  Next: diff,  Prev: commodities,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.14 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-subset of transactions.--   Example:--$ hledger descriptions-Store Name-Gas Station | Petrol-Person A---File: hledger.info,  Node: diff,  Next: files,  Prev: descriptions,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.15 diff-==========--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.--   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 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 -These transactions are in the first file only:--2014/01/01 Opening Balances-    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-    ...-    equity:opening balances       EUR -...--These transactions are in the second file only:---File: hledger.info,  Node: files,  Next: help,  Prev: diff,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.16 files-===========--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: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.17 help-==========--Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with 'info', 'man', or a-pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.  TOPIC-can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case insensitive.-Eg: 'commands', 'print', 'forecast', 'journal', 'amount', '"auto-postings"'.--   This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger-version.  It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal-to a web browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing-tools are not installed on your system.--   By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this-order): 'info', 'man', '$PAGER', 'less', 'more'.  You can force the use-of info, man, or a pager with the '-i', '-m', or '-p' flags, If no-viewer can be found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just-prints the manual to stdout.--   If using 'info', note that version 6 or greater is needed for TOPIC-lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should-consider installing a newer version, eg with 'brew install texinfo'-(#1770).--   Examples--$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed---File: hledger.info,  Node: import,  Next: incomestatement,  Prev: help,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.18 import-============--Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to-the journal.  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.--   This command may append new transactions to the main journal file-(which should be in journal format).  Existing transactions are not-changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the-journal file (see also 'add').--   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,-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.--* Menu:--* Deduplication::-* Import testing::-* Importing balance assignments::-* Commodity display styles::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplication,  Next: Import testing,  Up: import--24.18.1 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.)--   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-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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Import testing,  Next: Importing balance assignments,  Prev: Deduplication,  Up: import--24.18.2 Import testing-------------------------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-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'--   Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently-possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the-actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving-them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To-prevent this, do a -dry-run first and fix any problems before the real-import.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Importing balance assignments,  Next: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Import testing,  Up: import--24.18.3 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-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:--$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE--   (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,-please test it and send a pull request.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Importing balance assignments,  Up: import--24.18.4 Commodity display styles-----------------------------------Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: incomestatement,  Next: notes,  Prev: import,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.19 incomestatement-=====================--(is)--   This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and-expenses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal-positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Revenue' or 'Expense'-type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows-top-level accounts named 'revenue' or 'income' or 'expense' (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger incomestatement-Income Statement--Revenues:-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary----------------------                 $-2--Expenses:-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies----------------------                  $2--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but-with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their-sign flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: notes,  Next: payees,  Prev: incomestatement,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.20 notes-===========--List the unique notes that appear in transactions.--   This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in-alphabetic order.  You can add a query to select a subset of-transactions.  The note is the part of the transaction description after-a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description).--   Example:--$ hledger notes-Petrol-Snacks---File: hledger.info,  Node: payees,  Next: prices,  Prev: notes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.21 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-(-used), or both (the default).--   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-implies -used.--   Example:--$ hledger payees-Store Name-Gas Station-Person A---File: hledger.info,  Node: prices,  Next: print,  Prev: payees,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.22 prices-============--Print market price directives from the journal.  With--infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from costs.-With -infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting-known prices.  Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts are-displayed with their full precision.---File: hledger.info,  Node: print,  Next: register,  Prev: prices,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.23 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).--   Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg-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.)--   Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not-across all transactions).--   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-directives and file-level comments.--   Eg:--$ hledger print-2008/01/01 income-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:salary                  $-1--2008/06/01 gift-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:gifts                   $-1--2008/06/02 save-    assets:bank:saving              $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--2008/06/03 * eat & shop-    expenses:food                $1-    expenses:supplies            $1-    assets:cash                 $-2--2008/12/31 * pay off-    liabilities:debts               $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--   print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can-process it again with a second hledger command.  This can be useful for-certain kinds of search, eg:--# Show running total of food expenses paid from cash.-# -f- reads from stdin. -I/--ignore-assertions is sometimes needed.-$ hledger print assets:cash | hledger -f- -I reg expenses:food--   There are some situations where print's output can become-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.-   * Account aliases can generate bad account names.--   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 cost is implied but-not written, it will not appear in the output.  You can use the-'-x'/'--explicit' flag to make all amounts and costs 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 the output parseable.--   With '-B'/'--cost', amounts with costs are converted to cost using-that price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.--   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', print does a fuzzy search for one-recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC-should contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough-match, no transaction will be shown and the program exit code will be-non-zero.--   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'.--   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","$","","1","",""-"1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""-"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""-"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""-"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""-"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""-"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","1","",""-"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""--   * There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's-     fields repeated.-   * The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong-     to the same transaction.  (This number might change if transactions-     are reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a-     different order, etc.)-   * The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount"-     (numeric quantity) fields.-   * The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit"-     column, for convenience.  (Those names are not accurate in the-     accounting sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and-     zero or greater amounts under debit.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: register,  Next: rewrite,  Prev: print,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.24 register-==============--(reg)--   Show postings and their running total.--   The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts,-in date order, with their running total or running historical balance.-(See also the 'aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a-specific account.)--   register normally shows line per posting, but note that-multi-commodity amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per-commodity).--   It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to-see that account's activity:--$ hledger register checking-2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1-2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2-2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0--   With '--date2', it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.--   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the-'--align-all' flag.--   The '--historical'/'-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed-prior postings to the running total.  This is useful when you want to-see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance:--$ 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           $-1            0--   The '--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail-displayed.--   The '--average'/'-A' flag shows the running average posting amount-instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the-average for the whole report period).  This flag implies '--empty' (see-below).  It is affected by '--historical'.  It works best when showing-just one account and one commodity.--   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the-transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.--   The '--invert' flag negates all amounts.  For example, it can be used-on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative-numbers.  It's also useful to show postings on the checking account-together with the related account:--$ 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          $-2--   Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount,-are not shown by default; use the '--empty'/'-E' flag to see them:--$ hledger register --monthly income -E-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/02                                                          0          $-1-2008/03                                                          0          $-1-2008/04                                                          0          $-1-2008/05                                                          0          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-2008/07                                                          0          $-2-2008/08                                                          0          $-2-2008/09                                                          0          $-2-2008/10                                                          0          $-2-2008/11                                                          0          $-2-2008/12                                                          0          $-2--   Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The '--depth'-option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:--$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h-2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1-2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0-2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1--   Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates-these will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of-intervals.  This ensures that the first and last intervals are full-length and comparable to the others in the report.--   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', register does a fuzzy search for one-recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC should-contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,-no posting will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.--* Menu:--* Custom register output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom register output,  Up: register--24.24.1 Custom register output---------------------------------register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.-You can override this by setting the 'COLUMNS' environment variable (not-a bash shell variable) or by using the '--width'/'-w' option.--   The description and account columns normally share the space equally-(about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a-description width as part of -width's argument, comma-separated:-'--width W,D' .  Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help):--<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->-date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA--   and some examples:--$ 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-$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40-$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite,  Next: roi,  Prev: register,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.25 rewrite-=============--Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.-For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print--auto.--   This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries.  It-reads the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but-adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY.-The posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing-transaction's first posting amount.--   Examples:--$ 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-  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery--   Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the-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-commodity.--* Menu:--* Re-write rules in a file::-* Diff output format::-* rewrite vs print --auto::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Re-write rules in a file,  Next: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite--24.25.1 Re-write rules in a file-----------------------------------During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transactions"-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--= expenses:gifts-    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.--$ 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-postings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Diff output format,  Next: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Re-write rules in a file,  Up: rewrite--24.25.2 Diff output format-----------------------------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 @@- 2008/01/01 income--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:salary-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-@@ -22,3 +23,4 @@- 2008/06/01 gift--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     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-multiple 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 from 'hledger print'.--   See also:--   https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99---File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite--24.25.3 rewrite vs. print -auto----------------------------------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-     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.--   * 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: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.26 roi-=========--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'.--   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-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).--   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-     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.--   Examples:--   * Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:-     https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger--   * Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html--* Menu:--* Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl::-* Semantics of --inv and --pnl::-* IRR and TWR explained::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Next: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.1 Spaces and special characters in '--inv' and-------------------------------------------------------'--pnl' Note that '--inv' and '--pnl''s argument is a query, and queries-could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).--   To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument,-you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):--$ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'--   If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-level of nested quoting, eg:--$ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Next: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.2 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.--   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:--     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-"profit and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment-return.--   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--2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-  snake oil                    ; investment posting--2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting---File: hledger.info,  Node: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.3 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.--   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-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.--   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.--   If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as-transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unrealized-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-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-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,-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-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.--   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---File: hledger.info,  Node: stats,  Next: tags,  Prev: roi,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.27 stats-===========--Show journal and performance 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.--   At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and-number of transactions processed per second.  Note these are approximate-and will vary based on machine, current load, data size, hledger-version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of-interest.  The 'stats' command's run time is similar to that of a-single-column balance report.--   Example:--$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 1000-Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-Market prices            : 1000 (A)--Run time                 : 0.12 s-Throughput               : 8342 txns/s--   This command supports the -o/-output-file option (but not--O/-output-format selection).---File: hledger.info,  Node: tags,  Next: test,  Prev: stats,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.28 tags-==========--List the tags used in the journal, or their values.--   This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on-transactions, postings, or account declarations.--   With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular-expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.--   With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this-query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,-desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions-and their accounts.--   With the -values flag, the tags' unique non-empty values are listed-instead.  With -E/-empty, blank/empty values are also shown.--   With -parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations are-always shown first.)--   Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents,-postings also acquire tags from their account and transaction,-transactions also acquire tags from their postings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: test,  Prev: tags,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.29 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.--   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-- (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).---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Up: Top--25 PART 5: COMMON TASKS-***********************--Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.--* Menu:--* Getting help::-* Constructing command lines::-* Starting a journal file::-* Setting opening balances::-* Recording transactions::-* Reconciling::-* Reporting::-* Migrating to a new file::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Getting help,  Next: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.1 Getting help-=================--Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:--$ hledger                # show available commands-$ hledger --help         # show common options-$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation--   You can also view your hledger version's manual in several formats by-using the help command.  Eg:--$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command--   To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit-https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list support and discussion archives-can be found at https://hledger.org/support.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Constructing command lines,  Next: Starting a journal file,  Prev: Getting help,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.2 Constructing command lines-===============================--hledger has a flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it-simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the sharp edges-described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:--   * command-specific options must go after the command (it's fine to-     put common options there too: 'hledger CMD OPTS ARGS')-   * running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing-     ('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 line is being parsed, add-     '--debug=2'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Starting a journal file,  Next: Setting opening balances,  Prev: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.3 Starting a journal file-============================--hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,-'$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default:--$ 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:--$ mkdir ~/finance-$ cd ~/finance-$ git init-Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-$ touch 2020.journal-$ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal" >> ~/.bashrc-$ source ~/.bashrc-$ hledger stats-Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-Last transaction         : none-Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 0-Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-Commodities              : 0 ()-Market prices            : 0 ()---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting opening balances,  Next: Recording transactions,  Prev: Starting a journal file,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.4 Setting opening balances-=============================--Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some-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-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:--   * 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-         assets:cash                          $100   = $100-         liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-         equity:opening/closing balances--     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-     "cleared & confirmed".--     The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as-     you'll be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.--     The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra-     error checking.--   * 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.-     Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-     An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-     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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-     Description: * opening balances-     Account 1: assets:bank:checking-     Amount  1: $1000-     Account 2: assets:bank:savings-     Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-     Account 3: assets:cash-     Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-     Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-     Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-     Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-     Amount  5 [$-3050]: -     Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-     2020-01-01 * opening balances-         assets:bank:checking                      $1000-         assets:bank:savings                       $2000-         assets:cash                                $100-         liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-         equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050-     -     Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: -     Saved.-     Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-     Date [2020-01-01]: .--   If you're using version control, this could be a good time to commit-the journal.  Eg:--$ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2020.journal---File: hledger.info,  Node: Recording transactions,  Next: Reconciling,  Prev: Setting opening balances,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.5 Recording transactions-===========================--As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the-hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-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--2020.1.12 * farmers market-  expenses:food    $13-  assets:cash--2020-01-15 paycheck-  income:salary-  assets:bank:checking    $1000---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reconciling,  Next: Reporting,  Prev: Recording transactions,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.6 Reconciling-================--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-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-     can't explain the missing $2, it could be:--     2020-01-16 * adjust cash-         assets:cash    $-2 = $105-         expenses:misc--  2. Reconcile checking.  Log in to your bank's website.  Compare-     today's (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance ('hledger-     bal checking -C').  If they are different, track down the error or-     record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment transaction,-     similar to the above.  Unlike the cash case, you can usually-     compare the transaction history and running balance from your bank-     with the one reported by 'hledger reg checking -C'.  This will be-     easier if you generally record transaction dates quite similar to-     your bank's clearing dates.--  3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.--   Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a-live-updating register while you edit the journal: 'hledger-ui --watch---register checking -C'--   After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled-transactions' status as "cleared and confirmed", if you want to track-that, by adding the '*' marker.  Eg in the paycheck transaction above,-insert '*' between '2020-01-15' and 'paycheck'--   If you're using version control, this can be another good time to-commit:--$ git commit -m 'txns' 2020.journal---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reporting,  Next: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reconciling,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.7 Reporting-==============--Here are some basic reports.--   Show all transactions:--$ hledger print-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--2020-01-10 * gift received-    assets:cash              $20-    income:gifts--2020-01-12 * farmers market-    expenses:food             $13-    assets:cash--2020-01-15 * paycheck-    income:salary-    assets:bank:checking           $1000--2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash               $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc--   Show account names, and their hierarchy:--$ hledger accounts --tree-assets-  bank-    checking-    savings-  cash-equity-  opening/closing balances-expenses-  food-  misc-income-  gifts-  salary-liabilities-  creditcard--   Show all account totals:--$ hledger balance-               $4105  assets-               $4000    bank-               $2000      checking-               $2000      savings-                $105    cash-              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                 $15  expenses-                 $13    food-                  $2    misc-              $-1020  income-                $-20    gifts-              $-1000    salary-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------                   0--   Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to-depth 2:--$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-               $4000  assets:bank-                $105  assets:cash-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------               $4055--   Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-balance sheet:--$ hledger bs -2-Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                        || 2020-01-16 -========================++============- Assets                 ||            -------------------------++------------- assets:bank            ||      $4000 - assets:cash            ||       $105 -------------------------++-------------                        ||      $4105 -========================++============- Liabilities            ||            -------------------------++------------- liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 -------------------------++-------------                        ||        $50 -========================++============- Net:                   ||      $4055 --   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 -Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--               || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 -===============++=======================- Revenues      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ income:gifts  ||                   $20 - income:salary ||                 $1000 ----------------++------------------------               ||                 $1020 -===============++=======================- Expenses      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ expenses:food ||                   $13 - expenses:misc ||                    $2 ----------------++------------------------               ||                   $15 -===============++=======================- 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          $120-2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105--   Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:--$ hledger activity -W-2019-12-30 *****-2020-01-06 ****-2020-01-13 ****---File: hledger.info,  Node: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reporting,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.8 Migrating to a new file-============================--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-close command.--   If using version control, don't forget to 'git add' the new file.---Tag Table:-Node: Top210-Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE3860-Ref: #part-1-user-interface4001-Node: Options4001-Ref: #options4120-Node: General options4262-Ref: #general-options4387-Node: Command options8600-Ref: #command-options8751-Node: Command arguments9151-Ref: #command-arguments9309-Node: Special characters10189-Ref: #special-characters10352-Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters10515-Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters10756-Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters11359-Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters11670-Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands12196-Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands12456-Node: Less escaping13100-Ref: #less-escaping13254-Node: Unicode characters13578-Ref: #unicode-characters13743-Node: Regular expressions15155-Ref: #regular-expressions15295-Node: Environment17039-Ref: #environment17150-Node: Input18719-Ref: #input18819-Node: Data formats19362-Ref: #data-formats19475-Node: Multiple files20861-Ref: #multiple-files20998-Node: Strict mode21467-Ref: #strict-mode21577-Node: Commands22301-Ref: #commands22402-Node: Add-on commands22874-Ref: #add-on-commands22976-Node: Output24061-Ref: #output24164-Node: Output destination24291-Ref: #output-destination24422-Node: Output format24847-Ref: #output-format24993-Node: CSV output26531-Ref: #csv-output26647-Node: HTML output26750-Ref: #html-output26888-Node: JSON output26982-Ref: #json-output27120-Node: SQL output28042-Ref: #sql-output28158-Node: Commodity styles28893-Ref: #commodity-styles29033-Node: Colour29632-Ref: #colour29750-Node: Box-drawing30154-Ref: #box-drawing30272-Node: Paging30562-Ref: #paging30676-Node: Debug output31629-Ref: #debug-output31735-Node: Limitations32398-Ref: #limitations32518-Node: Troubleshooting33287-Ref: #troubleshooting33428-Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS35910-Ref: #part-2-data-formats36057-Node: Journal36057-Ref: #journal36168-Node: Journal cheatsheet36807-Ref: #journal-cheatsheet36948-Node: About journal format40936-Ref: #about-journal-format41098-Node: Comments42616-Ref: #comments42748-Node: Transactions43564-Ref: #transactions43689-Node: Dates44703-Ref: #dates44812-Node: Simple dates44857-Ref: #simple-dates44975-Node: Posting dates45475-Ref: #posting-dates45595-Node: Status46564-Ref: #status46667-Node: Code48375-Ref: #code48480-Node: Description48712-Ref: #description48845-Node: Payee and note49165-Ref: #payee-and-note49273-Node: Transaction comments49608-Ref: #transaction-comments49763-Node: Postings50126-Ref: #postings50261-Node: Account names51256-Ref: #account-names51388-Node: Amounts53062-Ref: #amounts53179-Node: Decimal marks digit group marks54164-Ref: #decimal-marks-digit-group-marks54341-Node: Commodity55355-Ref: #commodity55544-Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display56496-Ref: #directives-influencing-number-parsing-and-display56757-Node: Commodity display style57209-Ref: #commodity-display-style57417-Node: Rounding59586-Ref: #rounding59706-Node: Costs60005-Ref: #costs60123-Node: Other cost/lot notations62122-Ref: #other-costlot-notations62256-Node: Balance assertions64845-Ref: #balance-assertions64998-Node: Assertions and ordering66081-Ref: #assertions-and-ordering66272-Node: Assertions and multiple included files66972-Ref: #assertions-and-multiple-included-files67234-Node: Assertions and multiple -f files67734-Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-files67987-Node: Assertions and commodities68384-Ref: #assertions-and-commodities68608-Node: Assertions and prices69788-Ref: #assertions-and-prices69996-Node: Assertions and subaccounts70423-Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts70646-Node: Assertions and virtual postings70970-Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings71210-Node: Assertions and auto postings71342-Ref: #assertions-and-auto-postings71574-Node: Assertions and precision72219-Ref: #assertions-and-precision72403-Node: Posting comments72670-Ref: #posting-comments72818-Node: Tags73195-Ref: #tags73311-Node: Tag values74504-Ref: #tag-values74595-Node: Directives75354-Ref: #directives75483-Node: Directive effects77289-Ref: #directive-effects77445-Node: Directives and multiple files80410-Ref: #directives-and-multiple-files80590-Node: account directive81282-Ref: #account-directive81440-Node: Account comments82838-Ref: #account-comments82990-Node: Account subdirectives83498-Ref: #account-subdirectives83691-Node: Account error checking83833-Ref: #account-error-checking84033-Node: Account display order85222-Ref: #account-display-order85412-Node: Account types86513-Ref: #account-types86656-Node: alias directive90283-Ref: #alias-directive90446-Node: Basic aliases91496-Ref: #basic-aliases91629-Node: Regex aliases92373-Ref: #regex-aliases92532-Node: Combining aliases93422-Ref: #combining-aliases93602-Node: Aliases and multiple files94878-Ref: #aliases-and-multiple-files95084-Node: end aliases directive95663-Ref: #end-aliases-directive95884-Node: Aliases can generate bad account names96033-Ref: #aliases-can-generate-bad-account-names96283-Node: Aliases and account types96868-Ref: #aliases-and-account-types97062-Node: commodity directive97758-Ref: #commodity-directive97934-Node: Commodity error checking100508-Ref: #commodity-error-checking100656-Node: decimal-mark directive101171-Ref: #decimal-mark-directive101355-Node: include directive101752-Ref: #include-directive101918-Node: P directive102842-Ref: #p-directive102989-Node: payee directive103872-Ref: #payee-directive104023-Node: tag directive104339-Ref: #tag-directive104496-Node: Periodic transactions104964-Ref: #periodic-transactions105130-Node: Periodic rule syntax106836-Ref: #periodic-rule-syntax107016-Node: Periodic rules and relative dates107661-Ref: #periodic-rules-and-relative-dates107929-Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!108440-Ref: #two-spaces-between-period-expression-and-description108719-Node: Other syntax109403-Ref: #other-syntax109529-Node: Auto postings110174-Ref: #auto-postings110310-Node: Auto postings and multiple files112781-Ref: #auto-postings-and-multiple-files112983-Node: Auto postings and dates113192-Ref: #auto-postings-and-dates113464-Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions113639-Ref: #auto-postings-and-transaction-balancing-inferred-amounts-balance-assertions113978-Node: Auto posting tags114481-Ref: #auto-posting-tags114694-Node: Balance assignments115330-Ref: #balance-assignments115510-Node: Balance assignments and prices116840-Ref: #balance-assignments-and-prices117010-Node: Bracketed posting dates117221-Ref: #bracketed-posting-dates117407-Node: D directive117921-Ref: #d-directive118091-Node: apply account directive119691-Ref: #apply-account-directive119873-Node: Y directive120560-Ref: #y-directive120722-Node: Secondary dates121550-Ref: #secondary-dates121706-Node: Star comments122520-Ref: #star-comments122682-Node: Valuation expressions123214-Ref: #valuation-expressions123393-Node: Virtual postings123515-Ref: #virtual-postings123696-Node: Other Ledger directives125258-Ref: #other-ledger-directives125423-Node: CSV125989-Ref: #csv126082-Node: CSV rules cheatsheet128151-Ref: #csv-rules-cheatsheet128283-Node: separator129983-Ref: #separator130110-Node: skip130650-Ref: #skip130758-Node: date-format131329-Ref: #date-format131450-Node: timezone132174-Ref: #timezone132297-Node: newest-first133302-Ref: #newest-first133440-Node: intra-day-reversed134018-Ref: #intra-day-reversed134172-Node: decimal-mark134665-Ref: #decimal-mark134806-Node: fields list135145-Ref: #fields-list135282-Node: Field assignment136953-Ref: #field-assignment137097-Node: Field names138124-Ref: #field-names138255-Node: date field139458-Ref: #date-field139576-Node: date2 field139624-Ref: #date2-field139765-Node: status field139821-Ref: #status-field139964-Node: code field140013-Ref: #code-field140158-Node: description field140203-Ref: #description-field140363-Node: comment field140422-Ref: #comment-field140577-Node: account field140870-Ref: #account-field141020-Node: amount field141590-Ref: #amount-field141739-Node: currency field143758-Ref: #currency-field143911-Node: balance field144168-Ref: #balance-field144300-Node: if block144672-Ref: #if-block144793-Node: Matchers146201-Ref: #matchers146315-Node: if table147797-Ref: #if-table147919-Node: balance-type149341-Ref: #balance-type149470-Node: include150170-Ref: #include150297-Node: Working with CSV150741-Ref: #working-with-csv150888-Node: Rapid feedback151259-Ref: #rapid-feedback151392-Node: Valid CSV151844-Ref: #valid-csv151990-Node: File Extension152722-Ref: #file-extension152895-Node: Reading CSV from standard input153459-Ref: #reading-csv-from-standard-input153683-Node: Reading multiple CSV files153847-Ref: #reading-multiple-csv-files154065-Node: Valid transactions154306-Ref: #valid-transactions154500-Node: Deduplicating importing155128-Ref: #deduplicating-importing155323-Node: Setting amounts156359-Ref: #setting-amounts156530-Node: Amount signs158995-Ref: #amount-signs159163-Node: Setting currency/commodity159850-Ref: #setting-currencycommodity160054-Node: Amount decimal places161228-Ref: #amount-decimal-places161434-Node: Referencing other fields161746-Ref: #referencing-other-fields161959-Node: How CSV rules are evaluated162856-Ref: #how-csv-rules-are-evaluated163073-Node: Well factored rules164526-Ref: #well-factored-rules164694-Node: CSV rules examples165018-Ref: #csv-rules-examples165153-Node: Bank of Ireland165218-Ref: #bank-of-ireland165355-Node: Coinbase166817-Ref: #coinbase166955-Node: Amazon168002-Ref: #amazon168127-Node: Paypal169846-Ref: #paypal169954-Node: Timeclock177598-Ref: #timeclock177703-Node: Timedot179835-Ref: #timedot179958-Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS184655-Ref: #part-3-reporting-concepts184819-Node: Time periods184819-Ref: #time-periods184953-Node: Report start & end date185071-Ref: #report-start-end-date185223-Node: Smart dates186882-Ref: #smart-dates187035-Node: Report intervals188903-Ref: #report-intervals189058-Node: Date adjustment189476-Ref: #date-adjustment189636-Node: Period expressions190487-Ref: #period-expressions190628-Node: Period expressions with a report interval192392-Ref: #period-expressions-with-a-report-interval192626-Node: More complex report intervals192840-Ref: #more-complex-report-intervals193085-Node: Multiple weekday intervals194886-Ref: #multiple-weekday-intervals195075-Node: Depth195897-Ref: #depth195999-Node: Queries196295-Ref: #queries196397-Node: Query types197306-Ref: #query-types197427-Node: Combining query terms200601-Ref: #combining-query-terms200778-Node: Queries and command options201852-Ref: #queries-and-command-options202051-Node: Queries and valuation202300-Ref: #queries-and-valuation202495-Node: Querying with account aliases202724-Ref: #querying-with-account-aliases202935-Node: Querying with cost or value203065-Ref: #querying-with-cost-or-value203242-Node: Pivoting203543-Ref: #pivoting203657-Node: Generating data205115-Ref: #generating-data205247-Node: Forecasting205727-Ref: #forecasting205852-Node: Budgeting208623-Ref: #budgeting208743-Node: Cost reporting209006-Ref: #cost-reporting209134-Node: -B Convert to cost210241-Ref: #b-convert-to-cost210397-Node: Equity conversion postings211789-Ref: #equity-conversion-postings212003-Node: Inferring equity postings from cost212894-Ref: #inferring-equity-postings-from-cost213143-Node: Inferring cost from equity postings213954-Ref: #inferring-cost-from-equity-postings214202-Node: When to infer cost/equity215969-Ref: #when-to-infer-costequity216187-Node: How to record conversions216583-Ref: #how-to-record-conversions216775-Node: Conversion with implicit cost217066-Ref: #conversion-with-implicit-cost217271-Node: Conversion with explicit cost218148-Ref: #conversion-with-explicit-cost218393-Node: Conversion with equity postings218810-Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings219079-Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost219898-Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings-and-explicit-cost220165-Node: Cost tips220627-Ref: #cost-tips220753-Node: Valuation221459-Ref: #valuation221583-Node: -V Value222357-Ref: #v-value222483-Node: -X Value in specified commodity222678-Ref: #x-value-in-specified-commodity222873-Node: Valuation date223022-Ref: #valuation-date223193-Node: Finding market price223630-Ref: #finding-market-price223835-Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions225005-Ref: #infer-market-prices-market-prices-from-transactions225281-Node: Valuation commodity228037-Ref: #valuation-commodity228250-Node: Simple valuation examples229463-Ref: #simple-valuation-examples229661-Node: --value Flexible valuation230320-Ref: #value-flexible-valuation230524-Node: More valuation examples232168-Ref: #more-valuation-examples232377-Node: Interaction of valuation and queries234376-Ref: #interaction-of-valuation-and-queries234617-Node: Effect of valuation on reports235089-Ref: #effect-of-valuation-on-reports235286-Node: PART 4 COMMANDS242983-Ref: #part-4-commands243126-Node: Commands overview243496-Ref: #commands-overview243630-Node: DATA ENTRY243809-Ref: #data-entry243933-Node: DATA CREATION244132-Ref: #data-creation244286-Node: DATA MANAGEMENT244404-Ref: #data-management244569-Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL244690-Ref: #reports-financial244865-Node: REPORTS VERSATILE245170-Ref: #reports-versatile245343-Node: REPORTS BASIC245596-Ref: #reports-basic245748-Node: HELP246257-Ref: #help246379-Node: ADD-ONS246436-Ref: #add-ons246542-Node: accounts247121-Ref: #accounts247254-Node: activity249141-Ref: #activity249260-Node: add249634-Ref: #add249744-Node: aregister252555-Ref: #aregister252676-Node: aregister and custom posting dates255564-Ref: #aregister-and-custom-posting-dates255730-Node: balance256282-Ref: #balance256408-Node: balance features257383-Ref: #balance-features257523-Node: Simple balance report259447-Ref: #simple-balance-report259632-Node: Balance report line format261257-Ref: #balance-report-line-format261459-Node: Filtered balance report263617-Ref: #filtered-balance-report263809-Node: List or tree mode264136-Ref: #list-or-tree-mode264304-Node: Depth limiting265649-Ref: #depth-limiting265815-Node: Dropping top-level accounts266416-Ref: #dropping-top-level-accounts266616-Node: Showing declared accounts266926-Ref: #showing-declared-accounts267125-Node: Sorting by amount267656-Ref: #sorting-by-amount267823-Node: Percentages268493-Ref: #percentages268652-Node: Multi-period balance report269200-Ref: #multi-period-balance-report269400-Node: Balance change end balance271675-Ref: #balance-change-end-balance271884-Node: Balance report types273312-Ref: #balance-report-types273493-Node: Calculation type274003-Ref: #calculation-type274158-Node: Accumulation type274663-Ref: #accumulation-type274843-Node: Valuation type275745-Ref: #valuation-type275933-Node: Combining balance report types276928-Ref: #combining-balance-report-types277122-Node: Budget report278960-Ref: #budget-report279112-Node: Budget report start date284794-Ref: #budget-report-start-date284972-Node: Budgets and subaccounts286304-Ref: #budgets-and-subaccounts286511-Node: Selecting budget goals289951-Ref: #selecting-budget-goals290150-Node: Budget vs forecast291185-Ref: #budget-vs-forecast291344-Node: Data layout292974-Ref: #data-layout293124-Node: Useful balance reports301019-Ref: #useful-balance-reports301169-Node: balancesheet302254-Ref: #balancesheet302399-Node: balancesheetequity303719-Ref: #balancesheetequity303877-Node: cashflow305266-Ref: #cashflow305397-Node: check306825-Ref: #check306939-Node: Basic checks307741-Ref: #basic-checks307861-Node: Strict checks308381-Ref: #strict-checks308524-Node: Other checks308947-Ref: #other-checks309089-Node: Custom checks309652-Ref: #custom-checks309809-Node: More about specific checks310226-Ref: #more-about-specific-checks310388-Node: close311116-Ref: #close311227-Node: close and balance assertions314637-Ref: #close-and-balance-assertions314815-Node: Example retain earnings315966-Ref: #example-retain-earnings316183-Node: Example migrate balances to a new file316615-Ref: #example-migrate-balances-to-a-new-file316880-Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions317456-Ref: #example-excluding-closingopening-transactions317705-Node: codes318923-Ref: #codes319040-Node: commodities319904-Ref: #commodities320040-Node: descriptions320110-Ref: #descriptions320247-Node: diff320538-Ref: #diff320653-Node: files321695-Ref: #files321804-Node: help321945-Ref: #help-1322054-Node: import323427-Ref: #import323550-Node: Deduplication324636-Ref: #deduplication324761-Node: Import testing326655-Ref: #import-testing326820-Node: Importing balance assignments327663-Ref: #importing-balance-assignments327869-Node: Commodity display styles328518-Ref: #commodity-display-styles328691-Node: incomestatement328820-Ref: #incomestatement328962-Node: notes330283-Ref: #notes330405-Node: payees330767-Ref: #payees330882-Node: prices331401-Ref: #prices331516-Node: print331814-Ref: #print331929-Node: register337267-Ref: #register337389-Node: Custom register output342420-Ref: #custom-register-output342551-Node: rewrite343888-Ref: #rewrite344006-Node: Re-write rules in a file345904-Ref: #re-write-rules-in-a-file346067-Node: Diff output format347216-Ref: #diff-output-format347399-Node: rewrite vs print --auto348491-Ref: #rewrite-vs.-print---auto348651-Node: roi349207-Ref: #roi349314-Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl351035-Ref: #spaces-and-special-characters-in---inv-and---pnl351275-Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl351763-Ref: #semantics-of---inv-and---pnl352002-Node: IRR and TWR explained353852-Ref: #irr-and-twr-explained354012-Node: stats357098-Ref: #stats357206-Node: tags358593-Ref: #tags-1358700-Node: test359709-Ref: #test359802-Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS360544-Ref: #part-5-common-tasks360677-Node: Getting help360951-Ref: #getting-help361092-Node: Constructing command lines361852-Ref: #constructing-command-lines362053-Node: Starting a journal file362710-Ref: #starting-a-journal-file362917-Node: Setting opening balances364105-Ref: #setting-opening-balances364310-Node: Recording transactions367451-Ref: #recording-transactions367640-Node: Reconciling368196-Ref: #reconciling368348-Node: Reporting370605-Ref: #reporting370754-Node: Migrating to a new file374739-Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file374896+'hledger COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]'+'hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]'++   hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and largely interconvertible with+beancount(1).++   This manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.30.+It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by+all hledger programs.  It might accidentally teach you some+bookkeeping/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in+here to use hledger productively, but when you have a question about+functionality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip+ahead or skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an+info manual or man page on your system.  You can also get it from+hledger itself with+'hledger --man', 'hledger --info' or 'hledger help [TOPIC]'.++   The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files+describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a+useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).+Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect+other 'hledger-*' executables as extra subcommands.++   hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified+by the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable (defaulting to+'$HOME/.hledger.journal'); or you can specify files with '-f' options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.++   Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:++2015-10-16 bought food+  expenses:food          $10+  assets:cash++   Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more+_accounts_: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,+people, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using ':' to+indicate subaccounts.  There must be at least two spaces between account+name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (_debit_),+negatives are outflow from it (_credit_).  (Some reports show revenue,+liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;+this is normal.)++   hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can+install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more+extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM++ vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good choices (see+https://hledger.org/editors.html).++   To get started, run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts, or save+some entries like the above in '$HOME/.hledger.journal', then try+commands like:+'hledger print -x'+'hledger aregister assets'+'hledger balance'+'hledger balancesheet'+'hledger incomestatement'.+Run 'hledger' to list the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal+file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.++* Menu:++* PART 1 USER INTERFACE::+* Input::+* Commands::+* Options::+* Command line tips::+* Output::+* Environment::+* PART 2 DATA FORMATS::+* Journal::+* CSV::+* Timeclock::+* Timedot::+* PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS::+* Time periods::+* Depth::+* Queries::+* Pivoting::+* Generating data::+* Forecasting::+* Budgeting::+* Cost reporting::+* Valuation::+* PART 4 COMMANDS::+* PART 5 COMMON TASKS::+* BUGS::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Next: Input,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top++1 PART 1: USER INTERFACE+************************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Input,  Next: Commands,  Prev: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Up: Top++2 Input+*******++hledger reads one or more data files, each time you run it.  You can+specify a file with '-f', like so++$ hledger -f FILE print++   Files are most often in hledger's journal format, with the '.journal'+file extension ('.hledger' or '.j' also work); these files describe+transactions, like an accounting general journal.++   When no file is specified, hledger looks for '.hledger.journal' in+your home directory.++   But most people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+perhaps with version control.  Also, starting a new journal file each+year is common (it's not required, but helps keep things fast and+organised).  So we usually configure a different journal file, by+setting the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable, to something like+'~/finance/2023.journal'.  For more about how to do that on your system,+see Common tasks > Setting LEDGER_FILE.++* Menu:++* Data formats::+* Standard input::+* Multiple files::+* Strict mode::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Data formats,  Next: Standard input,  Up: Input++2.1 Data formats+================++Usually the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in+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'    CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated          '.csv' '.ssv' '.tsv'+         values, for data import                  '.csv.rules'+                                                  '.ssv.rules'+                                                  '.tsv.rules'++   These formats are described in more detail 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+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:++$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Standard input,  Next: Multiple files,  Prev: Data formats,  Up: Input++2.2 Standard input+==================++The file name '-' means standard input:++$ cat FILE | hledger -f- print++   If reading non-journal data in this way, you'll need to add a file+format prefix, like:++$ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -f timeclock:-+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple files,  Next: Strict mode,  Prev: Standard input,  Up: Input++2.3 Multiple files+==================++You can specify multiple '-f' options, to read multiple files as one big+journal.  When doing this, note that certain features (described below)+will be affected:++   * Balance assertions will not see the effect of transactions in+     previous files.  (Usually this doesn't matter as each file will set+     the corresponding opening balances.)+   * Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.++   If needed, you can work around these by using a single parent file+which includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg: 'cat+a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict mode,  Prev: Multiple files,  Up: Input++2.4 Strict mode+===============++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:++   * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an 'account' directive ?+     (Account error checking)+   * Are all commodities declared with a 'commodity' directive ?+     (Commodity error checking)+   * Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?++   You can use the check command to run individual checks - the ones+listed above and some more.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands,  Next: Options,  Prev: Input,  Up: Top++3 Commands+**********++hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.  Most of+these commands do not change the journal file; they just read it and+output a report.  A few commands assist with adding data and file+management.++   To show the commands list, run 'hledger' with no arguments.  The+commands are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.++   To use a particular command, run 'hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS]',++   * CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation shown in+     the commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.++   * CMDOPTS are command-specific options, if any.  Command-specific+     options must be written after the command name.  Eg: 'hledger print+     -x'.++   * CMDARGS are additional arguments to the command, if any.  Most+     hledger commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit+     the data in some way.  Eg: 'hledger reg assets:checking'.++   To list a command's options, arguments, and documentation in the+terminal, run 'hledger CMD -h'.  Eg: 'hledger bal -h'.++* Menu:++* Add-on commands::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Add-on commands,  Up: Commands++3.1 Add-on commands+===================++In addition to the built-in commands, you can install _add-on commands_:+programs or scripts named "hledger-SOMETHING", which will also appear in+hledger's commands list.  If you used the hledger-install script, you+will have several add-ons installed already.  Some more can be found in+hledger's bin/ directory, documented at+https://hledger.org/scripts.html.++   More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your+shell's PATH, whose name starts with "hledger-" and ends with no+extension or a recognised extension (".bat", ".com", ".exe", ".hs",+".js", ".lhs", ".lua", ".php", ".pl", ".py", ".rb", ".rkt", or ".sh"),+and (on unix and mac) which has executable permission for the current+user.++   You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in+commands: 'hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS]'.  But note+the double hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific options.+Eg: 'hledger ui -- --watch' or 'hledger web -- --serve'.  If this causes+difficulty, you can always run the add-on directly, without using+'hledger': 'hledger-ui --watch' or 'hledger-web --serve'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Options,  Next: Command line tips,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Top++4 Options+*********++Run 'hledger -h' to see general command line help, and general options+which are common to most hledger commands.  These options can be written+anywhere on the command line.  They can be grouped into help, input, and+reporting options:++* Menu:++* General help options::+* General input options::+* General reporting options::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General help options,  Next: General input options,  Up: Options++4.1 General help options+========================++'-h --help'++     show general or COMMAND help+'--man'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with man+'--info'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with info+'--version'++     show general or ADDONCMD version+'--debug[=N]'++     show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General input options,  Next: General reporting options,  Prev: General help options,  Up: Options++4.2 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'++     Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)+'--separator=CHAR'++     Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')+'--alias=OLD=NEW'++     rename accounts named OLD to NEW+'--anon'++     anonymize accounts and payees+'--pivot FIELDNAME'++     use some other field or tag for the account name+'-I --ignore-assertions'++     disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+     assignments)+'-s --strict'++     do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are+     declared)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General reporting options,  Prev: General input options,  Up: Options++4.3 General reporting options+=============================++'-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'++     include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to+     following subperiod end when using a report interval)+'-D --daily'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by day+'-W --weekly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by week+'-M --monthly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by month+'-Q --quarterly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter+'-Y --yearly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by year+'-p --period=PERIODEXP'++     set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once+     using period expressions syntax+'--date2'++     match the secondary date instead (see command help for other+     effects)+'--today=DATE'++     override today's date (affects relative smart dates, for+     tests/examples)+'-U --unmarked'++     include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)+'-P --pending'++     include only pending postings/txns+'-C --cleared'++     include only cleared postings/txns+'-R --real'++     include only non-virtual postings+'-NUM --depth=NUM'++     hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep+'-E --empty'++     show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+     hledger-ui/hledger-web)+'-B --cost'++     convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time+'-V --market'++     convert amounts to their market value in default valuation+     commodities+'-X --exchange=COMM'++     convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM+'--value'++     convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than+     -B/-V/-X+'--infer-equity'++     infer conversion equity postings from costs+'--infer-costs'++     infer costs from conversion equity postings+'--infer-market-prices'++     use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+'--forecast'++     generate transactions from periodic rules, between the latest+     recorded txn and 6 months from today, or during the specified+     PERIOD (= is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+     these transactions as well.  Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated+     transactions visible.+'--auto'++     generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns+     (not just forecast txns)+'--verbose-tags'++     add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have+     been generated/modified+'--commodity-style'++     Override the commodity style in the output for the specified+     commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.+'--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+     NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.+'--pretty[=WHEN]'++     Show prettier output, e.g.  using unicode box-drawing characters.+     Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always', 'never'+     also work).  If you provide an argument you must use '=', e.g.+     '-pretty=yes'.++   When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line,+the last one takes precedence.++   Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Command line tips,  Next: Output,  Prev: Options,  Up: Top++5 Command line tips+*******************++Here are some details useful to know about for hledger command lines+(and elsewhere).  Feel free to skip this section until you need it.++* Menu:++* Special characters::+* Unicode characters::+* Regular expressions::+* Argument files::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Special characters,  Next: Unicode characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.1 Special characters+======================++* Menu:++* Single escaping shell metacharacters::+* Double escaping regular expression metacharacters::+* Triple escaping for add-on commands::+* Less escaping::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Next: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.1 Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+--------------------------------------------++In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as+spaces, '<', '>', '(', ')', '|', '$' and '\' - should be "shell-escaped"+if you want hledger to see them.  This is done by enclosing them in+single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to+match an account name containing a space:++$ hledger register 'credit card'++   or:++$ hledger register credit\ card++   Windows users should keep in mind that 'cmd' treats single quote as a+regular character, so you should be using double quotes exclusively.+PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Next: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Prev: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.2 Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+---------------------------------------------------------++Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+as '.', '^', '$', '[', ']', '(', ')', '|', and '\' - may need to be+"regex-escaped" if you don't want them to be interpreted by hledger's+regular expression engine.  This is done by writing backslashes before+them, but since backslash is typically also a shell metacharacter, both+shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed.  Eg to match a literal+'$' sign while using the bash shell:++$ hledger balance cur:'\$'++   or:++$ hledger balance cur:\\$+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Next: Less escaping,  Prev: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.3 Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+-------------------------------------------++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 '$' sign while using the+bash shell and running an add-on command ('ui'):++$ hledger ui cur:'\\$'++   or:++$ hledger ui cur:\\\\$++   If you wondered why _four_ backslashes, perhaps this helps:++unescaped:        '$'+escaped:          '\$'+double-escaped:   '\\$'+triple-escaped:   '\\\\$'++   Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+directly:++$ hledger-ui cur:\\$+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Less escaping,  Prev: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Up: Special characters++5.1.4 Less escaping+-------------------++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:++   * an @argumentfile+   * hledger-ui's filter field+   * hledger-web's search form+   * GHCI's prompt (used by developers).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Unicode characters,  Next: Regular expressions,  Prev: Special characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.2 Unicode characters+======================++hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:++   * they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command+     line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's+     search/add/edit forms, etc.)++   * 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:++   * 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+     will quit on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all+     GHC-compiled programs).++   * your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)+     must support unicode++   * the terminal must be using a font which includes the required+     unicode glyphs++   * the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as+     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+     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,  Next: Argument files,  Prev: Unicode characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.3 Regular expressions+=======================++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 directive and '--alias' option: '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+     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.++   Some things to note:++   * 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 '$' as+     a literal character, prepend a backslash.  Eg to search for amounts+     with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write 'cur:\$'.++   * On the command line, some metacharacters like '$' have a special+     meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.+     See Special characters.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Argument files,  Prev: Regular expressions,  Up: Command line tips++5.4 Argument files+==================++You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+then reuse them by writing '@FILENAME' as a command line argument.  Eg:+'hledger bal @foo.args'.++   Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or+argument.  Don't use spaces except inside quotes (or you'll see a+confusing error); write '=' (or nothing) between a flag and its+argument.  For the special characters mentioned above, use one less+level of quoting than you would at the command prompt.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output,  Next: Environment,  Prev: Command line tips,  Up: Top++6 Output+********++* Menu:++* Output destination::+* Output format::+* Commodity styles::+* Colour::+* Box-drawing::+* Paging::+* Debug output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output destination,  Next: Output format,  Up: Output++6.1 Output destination+======================++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:++$ hledger print -o foo.txt+$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output format,  Next: Commodity styles,  Prev: Output destination,  Up: Output++6.2 Output format+=================++Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the+terminal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:++-                           txt       csv       html         json     sql+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+aregister                   Y         Y         Y            Y+balance                     Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1,2_      Y+balancesheet                Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+balancesheetequity          Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+cashflow                    Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+incomestatement             Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+print                       Y         Y                      Y        Y+register                    Y         Y                      Y++   * _1 Also affected by the balance commands' '--layout' option._+   * _2 'balance' does not support html output without a report interval+     or with '--budget'._++   The output format is selected by the '-O/--output-format=FMT' option:++$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout++   or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the+'-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT' option:++$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv++   The '-O' option can be combined with '-o' to override the file+extension, if needed:++$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt++   Some notes about the various output formats:++* Menu:++* CSV output::+* HTML output::+* JSON output::+* SQL output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV output,  Next: HTML output,  Up: Output format++6.2.1 CSV output+----------------++   * In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+     disabled automatically.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: HTML output,  Next: JSON output,  Prev: CSV output,  Up: Output format++6.2.2 HTML output+-----------------++   * HTML output can be styled by an optional 'hledger.css' file in the+     same directory.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: JSON output,  Next: SQL output,  Prev: HTML output,  Up: Output format++6.2.3 JSON output+-----------------++   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++   * Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful+     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+     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+     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)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: SQL output,  Prev: JSON output,  Up: Output format++6.2.4 SQL output+----------------++   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++   * SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and+     Postgres.++   * For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated 'id'+     field to be a PRIMARY KEY. Eg:++     $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...++   * 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'+     SQL statements) or drop tables completely as otherwise your+     postings will be duped.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity styles,  Next: Colour,  Prev: Output format,  Up: Output++6.3 Commodity styles+====================++When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for+each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.++   If needed, this can be overridden by a '-c/--commodity-style' option+(except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the 'print' command,+which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the+following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:++$ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'++   This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple+commodities/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity+directive.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Colour,  Next: Box-drawing,  Prev: Commodity styles,  Up: Output++6.4 Colour+==========++In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal+supports it:++   * if the '--color/--colour' option is given a value of 'yes' or+     'always' (or 'no' or 'never'), colour will (or will not) be used;+   * otherwise, if the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable is set, colour+     will not be used;+   * otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)+     supports it.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Box-drawing,  Next: Paging,  Prev: Colour,  Up: Output++6.5 Box-drawing+===============++In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to+render prettier tables:++   * if the '--pretty' option is given a value of 'yes' or 'always' (or+     'no' or 'never'), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;+   * otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Paging,  Next: Debug output,  Prev: Box-drawing,  Up: Output++6.6 Paging+==========++When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the+pager specified by the 'PAGER' environment variable, or 'less', or+'more'.  (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time+rather than scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this+only for help output, not for reports; specifically,++   * when listing commands, with 'hledger'+   * when showing help with 'hledger [CMD] --help',+   * when viewing manuals with 'hledger help' or 'hledger --man'.++   Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses+eg for bold emphasis.  For the common pager 'less' (and its 'more'+compatibility mode), we add 'R' to the 'LESS' and 'MORE' environment+variables to make this work.  If you use a different pager, you might+need to configure it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us+know).  Otherwise, you can set the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable to 1+to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Debug output,  Prev: Paging,  Up: Output++6.7 Debug output+================++We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+develop.  You can add '--debug[=N]' to any hledger command line to see+additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to+9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase until+you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected+by '-o/--output-file' (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+'2>&1').  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help+reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in+a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:++hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Environment,  Next: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Prev: Output,  Up: Top++7 Environment+*************++These environment variables affect hledger:++   *COLUMNS* This is normally set by your terminal; some hledger+commands ('register') will format their output to this width.  If not+set, they will try to use the available terminal width.++   *LEDGER_FILE* The main journal file to use when not specified with+'-f/--file'.  Default: '$HOME/.hledger.journal'.++   *NO_COLOR* If this environment variable is set (with any value),+hledger will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless+overridden by an explicit '--color/--colour' option.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Next: Journal,  Prev: Environment,  Up: Top++8 PART 2: DATA FORMATS+**********************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal,  Next: CSV,  Prev: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Up: Top++9 Journal+*********++hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's a+cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal format.++* Menu:++* Journal cheatsheet::+* About journal format::+* Comments::+* Transactions::+* Dates::+* Status::+* Code::+* Description::+* Transaction comments::+* Postings::+* Account names::+* Amounts::+* Costs::+* Balance assertions::+* Posting comments::+* Tags::+* Directives::+* account directive::+* alias directive::+* commodity directive::+* decimal-mark directive::+* include directive::+* P directive::+* payee directive::+* tag directive::+* Periodic transactions::+* Auto postings::+* Other syntax::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal cheatsheet,  Next: About journal format,  Up: Journal++9.1 Journal cheatsheet+======================++# Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format+# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++###############################################################################+# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".++# hash comment line+; semicolon comment line+comment+These lines+are commented.+end comment++# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++###############################################################################+# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+alias chkg = assets:checking+commodity $0.00+decimal-mark .+include /dev/null+payee Whole Foods+P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+    expenses:food       $400+    expenses:home      $1000+    budgeted++###############################################################################+# 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,+# usually describing movements of money.+# They begin with a date.++# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+#               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".+    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+    ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"++2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+    expenses:clothing       GBP 10+    assets:gringotts           -10 gold+    assets:pouch                10 gold+    revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols+    assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.++2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@+    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost+    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost+    assets:checking            $-7.00++2022-01-02 assert balances+    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+    assets:savings              $0      = $1000++1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+    ; Postings are not required.++2022.01.01 These date+2022/1/1   formats are+12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: About journal format,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Journal cheatsheet,  Up: Journal++9.2 About journal format+========================++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 compatible with most of Ledger's journal+format, but not all of it.  The differences and interoperation tips are+described at hledger and Ledger.  With some care, and by avoiding+incompatible features, you can keep your hledger journal readable by+Ledger and vice versa.  This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour+of one app against the other.++   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+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+configuration at hledger.org for the full list.++   Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's+data model).++   A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file+comments, transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction+rules and auto posting rules as directives).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Transactions,  Prev: About journal format,  Up: Journal++9.3 Comments+============++Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash ('#') or+a semicolon (';').  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore+regions beginning with a 'comment' line and ending with an 'end comment'+line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:++   * '#' for top-level notes+   * ';' for commenting out things temporarily+   * 'comment' for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's+     there, or you might get confused)++   Eg:++# a comment line+; another commentline+comment+A multi-line comment block,+continuing until "end comment" directive+or the end of the current file.+end comment++   Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+from ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments, Posting+comments, and Account comments below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Transactions,  Next: Dates,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Journal++9.4 Transactions+================++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+optional fields, separated by spaces:++   * 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).++   Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction:++2008/01/01 income+  assets:bank:checking   $1+  income:salary         $-1+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Dates,  Next: Status,  Prev: Transactions,  Up: Journal++9.5 Dates+=========++* Menu:++* Simple dates::+* Posting dates::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple dates,  Next: Posting dates,  Up: Dates++9.5.1 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+be omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the+current transaction, the default year set with a 'Y' 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.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting dates,  Prev: Simple dates,  Up: Dates++9.5.2 Posting 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+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.+The 'date:' tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present, eg+a 'date:' tag with no value is not allowed.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Status,  Next: Code,  Prev: Dates,  Up: Journal++9.6 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,+indicating one of three statuses:++mark  status+ +-----------------+      unmarked+'!'   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.++   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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Code,  Next: Description,  Prev: Status,  Up: Journal++9.7 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+or reference number.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Description,  Next: Transaction comments,  Prev: Code,  Up: Journal++9.8 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+"narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you+wish, or left blank.  Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike+comments.++* Menu:++* Payee and note::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Payee and note,  Up: Description++9.8.1 Payee and note+--------------------++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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Transaction comments,  Next: Postings,  Prev: Description,  Up: Journal++9.9 Transaction comments+========================++Text following ';', after a transaction description, and/or on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.  They+are reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+tags, which are not ignored.++2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+    ; a second line of transaction comment+    expenses   1+    assets+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Postings,  Next: Account names,  Prev: Transaction comments,  Up: Journal++9.10 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+tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by:++   * (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)+   * (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+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+the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account names,  Next: Amounts,  Prev: Postings,  Up: Journal++9.11 Account names+==================++Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.  As in+Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts (such+as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed+from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".++   You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the+traditional accounting categories, which in english are 'assets',+'liabilities', 'equity', 'revenues', 'expenses'.  (You might see these+referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)++   For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+name parts.  For example, from the account names 'assets:bank:checking'+and 'expenses:food', hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:++assets+assets:bank+assets:bank:checking+expenses+expenses:food++   Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:++assets+ bank+  checking+expenses+ food++   hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you+can go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+names relatively simple may be best when starting out.++   Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,+numbers, symbols, or single spaces.  Note, when an account name and an+amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by *two or+more spaces* (or tabs).++   Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate+virtual postings, described below.  Parentheses or brackets internal to+the account name have no special meaning.++   Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account+aliases.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amounts,  Next: Costs,  Prev: Account names,  Up: Journal++9.12 Amounts+============++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"):++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 space:++$1+4000 AAPL+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+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++* Menu:++* Decimal marks digit group marks::+* Commodity::+* Directives influencing number parsing and display::+* Commodity display style::+* Rounding::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Next: Commodity,  Up: Amounts++9.12.1 Decimal marks, digit group marks+---------------------------------------++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):++     $1,000,000.00+  EUR 2.000.000,00+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 ?++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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,+especially if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands+separators), we recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark+character in each journal file, using a directive at the top of the+file.  The 'decimal-mark' directive is best, otherwise 'commodity'+directives will also work.  These are described below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity,  Next: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Prev: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Up: Amounts++9.12.2 Commodity+----------------++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+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".++   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 are the 'Amount' and 'MixedAmount' types.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Next: Commodity display style,  Prev: Commodity,  Up: Amounts++9.12.3 Directives influencing number parsing and display+--------------------------------------------------------++You can add 'decimal-mark' and 'commodity' directives to the journal, to+declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.  These+are described below, but here's a quick example:++# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+decimal-mark .++# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+commodity 1 000 000.9455+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display style,  Next: Rounding,  Prev: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Up: Amounts++9.12.4 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+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 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+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'.+     (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.++   Cost 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 cost).  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:++# 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+commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+commodity 1 000.++   The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command+line option.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Rounding,  Prev: Commodity display style,  Up: Amounts++9.12.5 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").+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Costs,  Next: Balance assertions,  Prev: Amounts,  Up: Journal++9.13 Costs+==========++After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either '@+UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE' after it.  This indicates a conversion+transaction, where one commodity is exchanged for another.++   (You might also see this called "transaction price" in hledger docs,+discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded+that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just call it+"cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase+or a sale.)++   Costs are usually written explicitly with '@' or '@@', but can also+be inferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.+Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the+first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.++   As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or+implicitly:++  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:++     2009/1/1+       assets:euros     €100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+       assets:dollars++  3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities,+     and let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.+     Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first+     posting, making it '€100 @@ $135', as in example 2:++     2009/1/1+       assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased+       assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135++   Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the '-B/--cost'+flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING section.++   Note that the cost normally should be a positive amount, though it's+not required to be.  This can be a little confusing, see discussion at+-infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions.++* Menu:++* Other cost/lot notations::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other cost/lot notations,  Up: Costs++9.13.1 Other cost/lot notations+-------------------------------++A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a number+of cost/lot-related notations:++   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'+        * expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger+        * when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at+          selling time++   * '(@) UNITCOST' and '(@@) TOTALCOST' (virtual cost)+        * like the above, but also means "this cost was exceptional,+          don't use it when inferring market prices".++   Currently, hledger treats the above like '@' and '@@'; the+parentheses are ignored.++   * '{=FIXEDUNITCOST}' and '{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}' (fixed price)+        * when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't+          let it fluctuate in value reports"++   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}' (lot price)+        * can be used identically to '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST',+          also creates a lot+        * when selling, combined with '@ ...', specifies an investment+          lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present++   * and related: '[YYYY/MM/DD]' (lot date)+        * when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot+        * when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date++   * '(SOME TEXT)' (lot note)+        * when buying, attaches this note to the lot+        * when selling, selects a lot by its note++   Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after+the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction+balancing.)++   For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:++   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'+        * expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger+        * when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined+          with '{...}': documents the cost/selling price (not used for+          transaction balancing)++   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}'+        * when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction+          balancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis+          attached+        * when selling (reducing),+             * selects a lot by its cost basis+             * raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be+               selected unambiguously (depending on booking method+               configured)+             * expresses the selling price for transaction balancing++   Currently, hledger accepts the '{UNITCOST}'/'{{TOTALCOST}}' notation+but ignores it.++   * variations: '{}', '{YYYY-MM-DD}', '{"LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST,+     "LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"}' etc.++   Currently, hledger rejects these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assertions,  Next: Posting comments,  Prev: Costs,  Up: Journal++9.14 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+b after each posting:++2013/1/1+  a   $1  =$1+  b       =$-1++2013/1/2+  a   $1  =$2+  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 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, described below).++* Menu:++* Assertions and ordering::+* Assertions and multiple included files::+* Assertions and multiple -f files::+* Assertions and commodities::+* Assertions and prices::+* Assertions and subaccounts::+* Assertions and virtual postings::+* Assertions and auto postings::+* Assertions and precision::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and ordering,  Next: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.1 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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple included files,  Next: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Prev: Assertions and ordering,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.2 Assertions and multiple included files+---------------------------------------------++Multiple files included with the 'include' directive are processed as if+concatenated into one file, preserving their order and the posting order+within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later files will+see balance from earlier files.++   And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day,+split across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's+balance on that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file+- the last one in the sequence, probably.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Next: Assertions and commodities,  Prev: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.3 Assertions and multiple -f files+---------------------------------------++Unlike 'include', when multiple files are specified on the command line+with multiple '-f/--file' options, balance assertions will not see+balance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want+problems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.++   If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use+'include', or concatenate the files temporarily.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and commodities,  Next: Assertions and prices,  Prev: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.4 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 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+other commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,+that their balance is 0).++2013/1/1+  a   $1+  a    1€+  b  $-1+  c   -1€++2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+  a    0  =  $1+  a    0  =   1€+  b    0 == $-1+  c    0 ==  -1€++2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1€+  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 into its own subaccount:++2013/1/1+  a:usd   $1+  a:euro   1€+  b++2013/1/2+  a        0 ==  0+  a:usd    0 == $1+  a:euro   0 ==  1€+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and prices,  Next: Assertions and subaccounts,  Prev: Assertions and commodities,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.5 Assertions and prices+----------------------------++Balance assertions ignore costs, 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+_assignments_ do use them (see below).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and subaccounts,  Next: Assertions and virtual postings,  Prev: Assertions and prices,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.6 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 '==*',+eg:++2019/1/1+  equity:opening balances+  checking:a       5+  checking:b       5+  checking         1  ==* 11+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and virtual postings,  Next: Assertions and auto postings,  Prev: Assertions and subaccounts,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.7 Assertions and virtual postings+--------------------------------------++Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+are not affected by the '--real/-R' flag or 'real:' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and auto postings,  Next: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and virtual postings,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.8 Assertions and auto postings+-----------------------------------++Balance assertions _are_ affected by the '--auto' flag, which generates+auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings+are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two+balances.  But balance assertions can only test one or the other of+these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:++   * assert the balance calculated with '--auto', and always use+     '--auto' with that file+   * or assert the balance calculated without '--auto', and never use+     '--auto' with that file+   * or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings+     (or avoid auto postings entirely).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and auto postings,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.9 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 assertions.  Balance+assertion failure messages show exact amounts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting comments,  Next: Tags,  Prev: Balance assertions,  Up: Journal++9.15 Posting comments+=====================++Text following ';', at the end of a posting line, and/or on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.  They are+reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+tags, which are not ignored.++2012-01-01+    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+    assets+    ; a comment for posting 2+    ; a second comment line for posting 2+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Tags,  Next: Directives,  Prev: Posting comments,  Up: Journal++9.16 Tags+=========++Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,+postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.++   They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately+followed by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account+directive's comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that+things in comments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are+recorded: one on the checking account, two on the transaction, and one+on the expenses posting:++account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+    ; transactiontag-2:+    assets:checking        $-1+    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:++   Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.+And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'+accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively+has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the+transaction also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses+posting).++   You can list tag names with 'hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]', or match by+tag name with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX' query.++* Menu:++* Tag values::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Tag values,  Up: Tags++9.16.1 Tag values+-----------------++Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a+comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this+means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the+following posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and+"" (empty) respectively:++    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz++   Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than+overriding: when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the+new name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to+override a tag's value or remove a tag.)++   You can list a tag's values with 'hledger tags TAGNAME --values', or+match by tag value with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives,  Next: account directive,  Prev: Tags,  Up: Journal++9.17 Directives+===============++Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a 'journal'+file: directives.  These are declarations, beginning with a keyword,+that modify hledger's behaviour.  Some directives can have more specific+subdirectives, indented below them.  hledger's directives are similar to+Ledger's in many cases, but there are also many differences.  Directives+are not required, but can be useful.  Here are the main directives:++purpose                                   directive+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+*READING DATA:*+Rewrite account names                     'alias'+Comment out sections of the file          'comment'+Declare file's decimal mark, to help      'decimal-mark'+parse amounts accurately+Include other data files                  'include'+*GENERATING DATA:*+Generate recurring transactions or        '~'+budget goals+Generate extra postings on existing       '='+transactions+*CHECKING FOR ERRORS:*+Define valid entities to provide more     'account', 'commodity',+error checking                            'payee', 'tag'+*REPORTING:*+Declare accounts' type and display        'account'+order+Declare commodity display styles          'commodity'+Declare market prices                     'P'++* Menu:++* Directives and multiple files::+* Directive effects::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives and multiple files,  Next: Directive effects,  Up: Directives++9.17.1 Directives and multiple files+------------------------------------++Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which input+files they affect.  Most often, a directive will affect the following+entries and included files if any, until the end of the current file -+and no further.  You might find this inconvenient!  For example, 'alias'+directives do not affect parent or sibling files.  But there are usually+workarounds; for example, put 'alias' directives in your top-most file,+before including other files.++   The restriction, though it may be annoying at first, is in a good+cause; it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of+the order of input.  Without it, reports could show different numbers+depending on the order of -f options, or the positions of include+directives in your files.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directive effects,  Prev: Directives and multiple files,  Up: Directives++9.17.2 Directive effects+------------------------++Here are all hledger's directives, with their effects and scope+summarised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider+non-essential:++directivewhat it does                                                   ends+                                                                        at+                                                                        file+                                                                        end?+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+*'account'*Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; andN+     its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+*'alias'*Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of      Y+     current file or 'end aliases'.  Command line equivalent:+     '--alias'+*'comment'*Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file orY+     'end comment'.+*'commodity'*Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checkingN,Y,N,N+     all amounts in all files 2.  the decimal mark for parsing+     amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of+     current file (if there is no 'decimal-mark' directive) 3.  and+     the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.  which is+     also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in+     this commodity.  Takes precedence over 'D'.  Subdirectives:+     'format' (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:+     '-c/--commodity-style'+*'decimal-mark'*Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all   Y+     commodities in following entries until next 'decimal-mark' or+     end of current file.  Included files can override.  Takes+     precedence over 'commodity' and 'D'.+*'include'*Includes entries and directives from another file, as if theyN+     were written inline.  Command line alternative: multiple+     '-f/--file'+*'payee'*Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.  N+*'P'*Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N+     reports.+*'~'*Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future         N+(tilde)transactions with '--forecast' and budget goals with 'balance+     --budget'.+Other+syntax:+*'applyPrepends a common parent account to all account names, in        Y+account'*following entries until end of current file or 'end apply+     account'.+*'D'*Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if      Y,Y,N,N+     there is no 'commodity' directive for this commodity: its+     decimal mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.+*'Y'*Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following    Y+     entries until end of current file.+*'='*Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on     partly+(equals)matched transactions with '--auto', in current, parent, and+     child files (but not sibling files, see #1212).+*OtherOther directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but+Ledgerignored.+directives*+++File: hledger.info,  Node: account directive,  Next: alias directive,  Prev: Directives,  Up: Journal++9.18 'account' directive+========================++'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.+   * In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by+     transactions, which helps detect typos.+   * They control account display order in reports, allowing+     non-alphabetic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).+   * They help with account name completion (in hledger add,+     hledger-web, hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)+   * They can store additional account information as comments, or as+     tags which can be used to filter or pivot reports.+   * They can help hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,+     equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and+     incomestatement.++   They are written as the word 'account' followed by a hledger-style+account name, eg:++account assets:bank:checking++   Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not+allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts+used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:++account (assets:bank:checking)++* Menu:++* Account comments::+* Account subdirectives::+* Account error checking::+* Account display order::+* Account types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account comments,  Next: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive++9.18.1 Account comments+-----------------------++Text following *two or more spaces* and ';' at the end of an account+directive line, and/or following ';' on indented lines immediately below+it, form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may+contain tags, which are not ignored.++   The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because+';' is allowed in account names.++account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+  ; next-line comment+  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account subdirectives,  Next: Account error checking,  Prev: Account comments,  Up: account directive++9.18.2 Account subdirectives+----------------------------++Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently+ignored:++account assets:bank:checking+  format subdirective is ignored+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account error checking,  Next: Account display order,  Prev: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive++9.18.3 Account error checking+-----------------------------++By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when+a posting references them.  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 that 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+report an error if any transaction uses an account name that has not+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+     included files of all types.+   * It's currently not possible to declare "all possible subaccounts"+     with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account display order,  Next: Account types,  Prev: Account error checking,  Up: account directive++9.18.4 Account display order+----------------------------++The order in which account directives are written influences the order+in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By+default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these+account directives to the journal file:++account assets+account liabilities+account equity+account revenues+account expenses++   those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:++$ hledger accounts -1+assets+liabilities+equity+revenues+expenses++   Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.++   Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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+means:++   * 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').+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account types,  Prev: Account display order,  Up: account directive++9.18.5 Account types+--------------------++hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports like balancesheet and+incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the 'type:' query.++   As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types+automatically if you are using common english-language top-level account+names (described below).  But generally we recommend you declare types+explicitly, by adding a 'type:' tag to your top-level account+directives.  Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The+tag's value should be one of the five main account types:++   * 'A' or 'Asset' (things you own)+   * 'L' or 'Liability' (things you owe)+   * 'E' or 'Equity' (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of+     assets & liabilities)+   * 'R' or 'Revenue' (what you received money from, AKA income;+     technically part of Equity)+   * 'X' or 'Expense' (what you spend money on; technically part of+     Equity)++   or, it can be (these are used less often):++   * 'C' or 'Cash' (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the+     cashflow report)+   * 'V' or 'Conversion' (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST+     REPORTING).)++   Here is a typical set of account type declarations:++account assets             ; type: A+account liabilities        ; type: L+account equity             ; type: E+account revenues           ; type: R+account expenses           ; type: X++account assets:bank        ; type: C+account assets:cash        ; type: C++account equity:conversion  ; type: V++   Here are some tips for working with account types.++   * The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.+     These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get+     going; if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare+     your account types.  See also Regular expressions.++     If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+     --------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+     ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+     ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+     ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+     ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+     ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+     ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+     ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense++   * If you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an+     account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared+     and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.++   * Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.  See+     Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.++   * As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their+     parent account.  More precisely, an account's type is decided by+     the first of these that exists:++       1. A 'type:' declaration for this account.+       2. A 'type:' declaration in the parent accounts above it,+          preferring the nearest.+       3. An account type inferred from this account's name.+       4. An account type inferred from a parent account's name,+          preferring the nearest parent.+       5. Otherwise, it will have no type.++   * For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:++     $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]+++File: hledger.info,  Node: alias directive,  Next: commodity directive,  Prev: account directive,  Up: Journal++9.19 'alias' directive+======================++You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+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+   * combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference+     on one line+   * customising reports++   Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.+They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or+hledger-web.++   Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use+correctly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them;+more on this below.++   See also Rewrite account names.++* Menu:++* Basic aliases::+* Regex aliases::+* Combining aliases::+* Aliases and multiple files::+* end aliases directive::+* Aliases can generate bad account names::+* Aliases and account types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic aliases,  Next: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.1 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+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+interactively.++   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:++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"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Regex aliases,  Next: Combining aliases,  Prev: Basic aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.2 Regex aliases+--------------------++There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the only+place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular+expression.)++   Eg:++alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT++   or:++$ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...++   Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by+REPLACEMENT. REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.++   If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+'/\/=:'.++   If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced+by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:++alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3+; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"++   REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end+of option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining aliases,  Next: Aliases and multiple files,  Prev: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.3 Combining aliases+------------------------++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+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+entry, we apply:++  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+     (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+which aliases are being applied when.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and multiple files,  Next: end aliases directive,  Prev: Combining aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.4 Aliases and multiple files+---------------------------------++As explained at Directives and multiple files, 'alias' directives do not+affect parent or sibling files.  Eg in this command,++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++2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+  foo  1+  bar++   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++2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+  foo  1+  bar++include c.journal  ; also affected+++File: hledger.info,  Node: end aliases directive,  Next: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Prev: Aliases and multiple files,  Up: alias directive++9.19.5 'end aliases' directive+------------------------------++You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the+journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:++end aliases+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Next: Aliases and account types,  Prev: end aliases directive,  Up: alias directive++9.19.6 Aliases can generate bad account names+---------------------------------------------++Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which+could cause confusing reports or invalid 'print' output.  For example,+you could erase all account names:++2021-01-01+  a:aa     1+  b++$ hledger print --alias '/.*/='+2021-01-01+                   1++   The above 'print' output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert+an illegal double space, causing 'print' output that would give a+different journal when reparsed:++2021-01-01+  old    1+  other++$ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print+2021-01-01+    new             USD 1+    other+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and account types,  Prev: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Up: alias directive++9.19.7 Aliases and account types+--------------------------------++If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in+effect.++   However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg+renaming parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could+prevent child accounts from inheriting the account type of their+parents.++   Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,+renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.++   If you are using account aliases and the 'type:' query is not+matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts+command, eg something like:++$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a+++File: hledger.info,  Node: commodity directive,  Next: decimal-mark directive,  Prev: alias directive,  Up: Journal++9.20 'commodity' directive+==========================++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+     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)++  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+     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.++   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+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+appears twice; it must be the same in both places:++;commodity SYMBOL+;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+commodity INR+  format INR 1,00,00,000.00++   Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or+punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).++   The amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is+significant.  It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a+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+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.)++   Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display+style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.++* Menu:++* Commodity error checking::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity error checking,  Up: commodity directive++9.20.1 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.++   Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because+currently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity+with a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts+are always allowed to have no commodity symbol.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark directive,  Next: include directive,  Prev: commodity directive,  Up: Journal++9.21 'decimal-mark' directive+=============================++You can use a 'decimal-mark' directive - usually one per file, at the+top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark+when parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like++decimal-mark .++   or++decimal-mark ,++   This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we+recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg+thousands separators).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: include directive,  Next: P directive,  Prev: decimal-mark directive,  Up: Journal++9.22 'include' directive+========================++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+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'.++   The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:+'include *.journal'.++   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'.++   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/2023*.md'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: P directive,  Next: payee directive,  Prev: include directive,  Up: Journal++9.23 'P' directive+==================++The 'P' directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate+between two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to+convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after+that date.  These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange,+cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.++   The format is:++P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT++   DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: payee directive,  Next: tag directive,  Prev: P directive,  Up: Journal++9.24 'payee' directive+======================++'payee PAYEE NAME'++   This 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:++payee Whole Foods++   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: tag directive,  Next: Periodic transactions,  Prev: payee directive,  Up: Journal++9.25 'tag' directive+====================++'tag TAGNAME'++   This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names+allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:++tag  item-id++   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   The "tags" check will report an error if any undeclared tag name is+used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use+of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can+declare and check your tags .+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic transactions,  Next: Auto postings,  Prev: tag directive,  Up: Journal++9.26 Periodic transactions+==========================++The '~' directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives+allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in+reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.++   Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+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+     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+     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+     an error.+  7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically+     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 2023/01', which is equivalent to '~ every 10th+     day of month from 2023/01/01', will be adjusted to start on+     2019/12/10.++* Menu:++* Periodic rule syntax::+* Periodic rules and relative dates::+* Two spaces between period expression and description!::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rule syntax,  Next: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.1 Periodic rule syntax+---------------------------++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.):++# every first of month+~ monthly+    expenses:rent          $2000+    assets:bank:checking++# every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:+~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+    expenses:utilities          $400+    assets:bank:checking++   The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying+multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies+report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start+dates).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Next: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rule syntax,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.2 Periodic rules and relative dates+----------------------------------------++Partial or relative dates (like '12/31', '25', 'tomorrow', 'last week',+'next quarter') are usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the+results will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted+relative to, in order of preference:++  1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent 'Y'+     directive+  2. or the date specified with '--today'+  3. or the date on which you are running the report.++   They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period+dates.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.3 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+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 2023"+;               ||+;               vv+~ every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+    assets:bank:checking   $1500+    income:acme inc++   So,++   * 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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings,  Next: Other syntax,  Prev: Periodic transactions,  Up: Journal++9.27 Auto postings+==================++The '=' directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra+postings on transactions.  Wherever the rule matches an existing+posting, it can add one or more companion postings below that one,+optionally influenced by the matched posting's amount.  This can be+useful for generating tax postings with a standard percentage, for+example.++   Note that depending on generated data is not ideal for financial+records (it's less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by+others, and less robust, since other features like balance assertions+will depend on using or not using '--auto').++   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+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+     posting will be added to this.+   * 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,+     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+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++; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+= expenses:gifts+    assets:checking:gifts  *-1+    assets:checking         *1++2017/12/1+  expenses:food    $10+  assets:checking++2017/12/14+  expenses:gifts   $20+  assets:checking++$ hledger print --auto+2017-12-01+    expenses:food              $10+    assets:checking+    (liabilities:charity)      $-1++2017-12-14+    expenses:gifts             $20+    assets:checking+    assets:checking:gifts     -$20+    assets:checking            $20++* Menu:++* Auto postings and multiple files::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and multiple files,  Up: Auto postings++9.27.1 Auto postings and multiple files+---------------------------------------++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).++* Menu:++* Auto postings and dates::+* Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions::+* Auto posting tags::+* Auto postings on forecast transactions only::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and dates,  Next: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.1 Auto postings and dates+................................++A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be+used in the generated posting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Next: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.2 Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred+...........................................................++amounts / 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+for background.++   This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with+a missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to+infer amounts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto posting tags,  Next: Auto postings on forecast transactions only,  Prev: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.3 Auto posting tags+..........................++Automated postings will have some extra tags:++   * '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+     "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+     transaction was modified "just now".+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings on forecast transactions only,  Prev: Auto posting tags,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.4 Auto postings on forecast transactions only+....................................................++Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast+transactions but not recorded transactions, by adding+'tag:_generated-transaction' to their QUERY. This can be useful when+generating new journal entries to be saved in the journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other syntax,  Prev: Auto postings,  Up: Journal++9.28 Other syntax+=================++hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some of+the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases, but+in general, features in this section are considered less important or+even not recommended for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to help+you decide if you want to use them.++* Menu:++* Balance assignments::+* Bracketed posting dates::+* D directive::+* apply account directive::+* Y directive::+* Secondary dates::+* Star comments::+* Valuation expressions::+* Virtual postings::+* Other Ledger directives::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments,  Next: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.1 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 setting+opening balances:++; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+2016/1/1 opening balances+  assets:checking            = $409.32+  assets:savings             = $735.24+  assets:cash                 = $42+  equity: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+  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+assignment).++   Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less+explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do+the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.  Also balance+assignments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make+your financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less+trustworthy in an audit.++* Menu:++* Balance assignments and prices::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments and prices,  Up: Balance assignments++9.28.1.1 Balance assignments and prices+.......................................++A cost 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Bracketed posting dates,  Next: D directive,  Prev: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.2 Bracketed posting dates+------------------------------++For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's+bracketed date syntax is also supported: '[DATE]', '[DATE=DATE2]' or+'[=DATE2]' in posting comments.  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.++   Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger's+'date:'/'date2:' tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date+syntax.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: D directive,  Next: apply account directive,  Prev: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.3 'D' directive+--------------------++'D AMOUNT'++   This 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+of the journal.++   For compatibility/historical reasons, 'D' also acts like a+'commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing+and display style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity+symbol, but a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must+include a decimal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:++; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+D $1,000.00++1/1+  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+  b++   Interactions with other directives:++   For setting a commodity's display style, a 'commodity' directive has+highest priority, then a 'D' directive.++   For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during parsing,+'decimal-mark' has highest priority, then 'commodity', then 'D'.++   For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a 'commodity'+directive is required ('hledger check commodities' ignores 'D'+directives).++   Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less+explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is+usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to+track multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with functions redundant+with 'commodity' and 'decimal-mark'.  And it works differently from+Ledger's 'D'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: apply account directive,  Next: Y directive,  Prev: D directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.4 'apply account' directive+--------------------------------++This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to+all accounts in following entries, until an 'end apply account'+directive or end of current file.  Eg:++apply account home++2010/1/1+    food    $10+    cash++end apply account++   is equivalent to:++2010/01/01+    home:food           $10+    home:cash          $-10++   'account' directives are also affected, and so is any 'include'd+content.++   Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not+affected.++   Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is+prepended.++   Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less+portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Y directive,  Next: Secondary dates,  Prev: apply account directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.5 'Y' directive+--------------------++'Y YEAR'++   or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):++   'year YEAR' 'apply year YEAR'++   The space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for+subsequent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:++Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+  expenses  1+  assets++year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+  expenses  1+  assets++1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+  expenses  1+  assets++   Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at+least) makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less+trustworthy in an audit.  Such dates can get separated from their+corresponding Y directive, eg when evaluating a region of the journal in+your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today's+date.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Secondary dates,  Next: Star comments,  Prev: Y directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.6 Secondary dates+----------------------++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+(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 =+date the transaction was initiated, if different".++   Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,+and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates+consistent requires discipline, and you have to remember which reporting+mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are simpler and+better.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Star comments,  Next: Valuation expressions,  Prev: Secondary dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.7 Star comments+--------------------++Lines beginning with '*' (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This+feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,+allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed+with org mode.++   Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.+Decreases your journal's portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode+just for folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of ledger mode;+nowadays you can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without+losing ledger mode's features.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation expressions,  Next: Virtual postings,  Prev: Star comments,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.8 Valuation expressions+----------------------------++Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double+parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Virtual postings,  Next: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Valuation expressions,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.9 Virtual postings+-----------------------++A posting with parentheses around the account name ('(some:account)') is+called a _unbalanced virtual posting_.  Such postings do not participate+in transaction balancing.  (And if you write them without an amount, a+zero amount is always inferred.)  These can occasionally be convenient+for special circumstances, but they violate double entry bookkeeping and+make your data less portable across applications, so many people avoid+using them at all.++   A posting with brackets around the account name ('[some:account]') is+called a _balanced virtual posting_.  The balanced virtual postings in a+transaction must add up to zero, just like ordinary postings, but+separately from them.  These are not part of double entry bookkeeping+either, but they are at least balanced.  An example:++2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+  expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+  expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance++   Ordinary postings, whose account names are neither parenthesised nor+bracketed, are called _real postings_.  You can exclude virtual postings+from reports with the '-R/--real' flag or a 'real:1' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Virtual postings,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.10 Other Ledger directives+-------------------------------++These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This+allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's+reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.++apply fixed COMM AMT+apply tag   TAG+assert      EXPR+bucket / A  ACCT+capture     ACCT REGEX+check       EXPR+define      VAR=EXPR+end apply fixed+end apply tag+end apply year+end tag+eval / expr EXPR+python+  PYTHONCODE+tag         NAME+value       EXPR+--command-line-flags++   See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed+hledger/Ledger syntax comparison.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV,  Next: Timeclock,  Prev: Journal,  Up: Top++10 CSV+******++hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,+semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+each record into a transaction.++   (To learn about _writing_ CSV, see CSV output.)++   For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure+they have a corresponding '.csv', '.tsv' or '.ssv' file extension or use+a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).++   Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding _rules file_.+This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,+date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and+how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.++   By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file+with an extra '.rules' extension, in the same directory.  Eg when asked+to read 'foo/FILE.csv', hledger looks for 'foo/FILE.csv.rules'.  You can+specify a different rules file with the '--rules-file' option.  If no+rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which+you'll need to adjust.++   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:++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+    income:unknown            -10.23++   There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,+and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.++* Menu:++* CSV rules cheatsheet::+* source::+* separator::+* skip::+* date-format::+* timezone::+* newest-first::+* intra-day-reversed::+* decimal-mark::+* fields list::+* Field assignment::+* Field names::+* if block::+* Matchers::+* if table::+* balance-type::+* include::+* Working with CSV::+* CSV rules examples::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Next: source,  Up: CSV++10.1 CSV rules cheatsheet+=========================++The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+(Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' or '*' are ignored.)++*'source'*               optionally declare which file to read data+                         from+*'separator'*            declare the field separator, instead of+                         relying on file extension+*'skip'*                 skip one or more header lines at start of file+*'date-format'*          declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+*'timezone'*             declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV+                         date-times+*'newest-first'*         improve txn order when: there are multiple+                         records, newest first, all with the same date+*'intra-day-reversed'*   improve txn order when: same-day txns are in+                         opposite order to the overall file+*'decimal-mark'*         declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,+                         when ambiguous+*'fields' list*          name CSV fields for easy reference, and+                         optionally assign their values to hledger+                         fields+*Field assignment*       assign a CSV value or interpolated text value+                         to a hledger field+*'if' block*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                         or 'skip' a record or 'end' (skip rest of+                         file)+*'if' table*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                         using compact syntax+*'balance-type'*         select which type of balance+                         assertions/assignments to generate+*'include'*              inline another CSV rules file++   Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are+evaluated.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: source,  Next: separator,  Prev: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Up: CSV++10.2 'source'+=============++If you tell hledger to read a csv file with '-f foo.csv', it will look+for rules in 'foo.csv.rules'.  Or, you can tell it to read the rules+file, with '-f foo.csv.rules', and it will look for data in 'foo.csv'+(since 1.30).++   These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some+extra features.  For one, the data file can be missing, without causing+an error; it is just considered empty.  And, you can specify a different+data file by adding a "source" rule:++source ./Checking1.csv++   If you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for+it in your system's downloads directory ('~/Downloads', currently):++source Checking1.csv++   And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent+of the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):++source Checking1*.csv++   See also "Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule".+++File: hledger.info,  Node: separator,  Next: skip,  Prev: source,  Up: CSV++10.3 '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+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+inferred automatically, and you won't need this rule.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: skip,  Next: date-format,  Prev: separator,  Up: CSV++10.4 'skip'+===========++skip N++   The word 'skip' followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells+hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input+data.  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.+Note, empty and blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't need+to count those.++   'skip' has a second meaning: it can be used inside if blocks+(described below), to skip one or more records whenever the condition is+true.  Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still+required to be valid CSV.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date-format,  Next: timezone,  Prev: skip,  Up: CSV++10.5 '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',+you'll need to add a date-format rule describing them with a+strptime-style date parsing pattern - see+https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.+The pattern 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: timezone,  Next: newest-first,  Prev: date-format,  Up: CSV++10.6 'timezone'+===============++timezone TIMEZONE++   When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone+other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you+can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time zone, which helps+prevent off-by-one dates.++   When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don't+need this rule; instead, use '%Z' in 'date-format' (or '%z', '%EZ',+'%Ez'; see the formatTime link above).++   In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware+conversion, localising the CSV date-times to your current system time+zone.  If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for+reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with+the TZ environment variable, eg:++$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv++   'timezone' currently does not understand timezone names, except+"UTC", "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".+For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: newest-first,  Next: intra-day-reversed,  Prev: timezone,  Up: CSV++10.7 'newest-first'+===================++hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+chronologically, including intra-day transactions.  Usually it can+auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV+where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are+oldest first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,+like:++2022-10-01, txn 3...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+2022-10-01, txn 1...++   you can add the 'newest-first' rule to help hledger generate the+transactions in correct order.++# same-day CSV records are newest first+newest-first+++File: hledger.info,  Node: intra-day-reversed,  Next: decimal-mark,  Prev: newest-first,  Up: CSV++10.8 'intra-day-reversed'+=========================++CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+the overall date order.  Eg, here dates are newest first, but the+transactions on each date are oldest first:++2022-10-02, txn 3...+2022-10-02, txn 4...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+2022-10-01, txn 2...++   In this situation, add the 'intra-day-reversed' rule, and hledger+will compensate, improving the order of transactions.++# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+intra-day-reversed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark,  Next: fields list,  Prev: intra-day-reversed,  Up: CSV++10.9 'decimal-mark'+===================++decimal-mark .++   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+CSV contain digit group marks, such as thousand-separating commas, you+should declare the decimal mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid+misparsed numbers.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: fields list,  Next: Field assignment,  Prev: decimal-mark,  Up: CSV++10.10 'fields' list+===================++fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...++   A fields list (the word 'fields' followed by comma-separated field+names) is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:++  1. It names the CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if+     you are referencing them in other rules, so you can say+     '%SomeField' instead of remembering '%13'.++  2. Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described+     below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger+     field.  This is the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and+     build a 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++   In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to+the CSV file's separator.  Also:++   * There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).+   * Field names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field+     names are optional.+   * Field names may contain '_' (underscore) or '-' (hyphen).+   * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name or an empty+     name.++   If the CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for+your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces replaced+by underscores).++   Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning+to a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's+"balance" field 'balance_' to avoid directly setting hledger's 'balance'+field (and generating a balance assertion).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Field assignment,  Next: Field names,  Prev: fields list,  Up: CSV++10.11 Field assignment+======================++HLEDGERFIELD 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+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+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+('%CSVFIELD').++   Some examples:++# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended+amount %4 USD++# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1++   Tips:++   * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like '" 1 "'+     becomes '1' when interpolated) (#1051).+   * Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate+     a hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Field names,  Next: if block,  Prev: Field assignment,  Up: CSV++10.12 Field names+=================++Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in+hledger CSV rules files:++  1. *CSV field names* ('CSVFIELD' in these docs): you can optionally+     name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet+     automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing+     arbitrary names in a 'fields' list, eg:++     fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar++  2. Special *hledger field names* ('HLEDGERFIELD' in these docs): you+     must set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction+     from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field+     assignment, eg:++     date        %When+     code        %Some_Id+     description %What+     comment     %Foo %Bar+     amount1     $ %Total++     or directly in a 'fields' list:++     fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+     currency $+     comment  %Foo %Bar++   Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what+happens when you assign values to them:++* Menu:++* date field::+* date2 field::+* status field::+* code field::+* description field::+* comment field::+* account field::+* amount field::+* currency field::+* balance field::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date field,  Next: date2 field,  Up: Field names++10.12.1 date field+------------------++Assigning to 'date' sets the transaction date.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date2 field,  Next: status field,  Prev: date field,  Up: Field names++10.12.2 date2 field+-------------------++'date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: status field,  Next: code field,  Prev: date2 field,  Up: Field names++10.12.3 status field+--------------------++'status' sets the transaction's status, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: code field,  Next: description field,  Prev: status field,  Up: Field names++10.12.4 code field+------------------++'code' sets the transaction's code, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: description field,  Next: comment field,  Prev: code field,  Up: Field names++10.12.5 description field+-------------------------++'description' sets the transaction's description, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: comment field,  Next: account field,  Prev: description field,  Up: Field names++10.12.6 comment field+---------------------++'comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any.++   'commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.++   You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal '\n' in the+code.  A comment starting with '\n' will begin on a new line.++   Comments can contain tags, as usual.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: account field,  Next: amount field,  Prev: comment field,  Up: Field names++10.12.7 account field+---------------------++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+based on each transaction's description, in conditional rules.++   If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount is set (see+below), a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"+or "income:unknown").+++File: hledger.info,  Node: amount field,  Next: currency field,  Prev: account field,  Up: Field names++10.12.8 amount field+--------------------++Amount setting can get a bit complex.  Assigning to 'amount' is+sufficient for simple transactions, but there are four field name+variants you can use for different situations:++   * *'amountN' sets a specific posting's amount from one CSV field or+     arbitrary value.*+     Assigning to 'amountN' sets the amount of the Nth posting - and+     also causes that posting to be generated.  N is most often 1 or 2+     but can go up to 99, potentially generating a 99-posting+     transaction.  (Posting numbers don't have to be consecutive; higher+     posting numbers can sometimes be useful with conditional rules, to+     ensure a certain ordering of postings.)++   * *'amountN-in/-out' sets a specific posting's amount from two CSV+     fields.*+     When the amount is provided as two CSV fields - "Debit"/"Credit",+     "Deposit"/"Withdrawal", "Money In"/"Money Out" or similar - assign+     those fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' respectively (or+     possibly the other way round, depending on signs).  This will set+     the Nth posting's amount to whichever of the two CSV field values+     is non-zero.  Some notes:++        * Don't mix 'amountN' and 'amountN-in'/'-out'.  When you have+          one CSV amount field, use 'amountN'.  When you have two CSV+          amount fields, use 'amountN-in'/'amountN-out'.+        * 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' are always used together, as a+          pair.  Assign to both of them.+        * They do not generate two separate postings; rather, they+          generate the Nth posting's single amount, from the value found+          in one or other of the two CSV fields.+        * In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must+          contain a zero amount or be empty.+        * hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers,+          and it will automatically negate the -out amount.+        * This variant can be convenient, but it doesn't handle every+          two-amount-field situation; if you need more flexibility, use+          an 'if' rule (see "Setting amounts" below).++   The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but+can still be convenient sometimes:++   * *'amount' sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from one CSV field or+     value.*+     Assigning to 'amount', with no posting number,++        * sets posting 1's amount (like 'amount1')+        * sets posting 2's amount to the same amount but with opposite+          sign; and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price+        * can be overridden by 'amount1' and/or 'amount2' assignments.+          (This helps with incremental migration of old rules files to+          the newer syntax.)++   * *'amount-in/-out' sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from two CSV+     fields.*+     Assigning 'amount-in' and 'amount-out', with no posting numbers, to+     two CSV fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero as the+     amount, and then sets the first two posting amounts as above.++   We recommend using only one of these variants within a rules file,+rather than mixing them.  And remember that a 'fields' list can also do+assignments, so eg naming a CSV field "amount" counts as an assignment+to 'amount'; if you don't want that, call it something else, like+"amount_".++   In addition to this section, please see also the tips beginning at+"Working with CSV > Setting amounts" below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: currency field,  Next: balance field,  Prev: amount field,  Up: Field names++10.12.9 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+symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.++   'currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's+amount.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance field,  Prev: currency field,  Up: Field names++10.12.10 balance field+----------------------++'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'.++   You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the+'balance-type' rule (see below).++   See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: if block,  Next: Matchers,  Prev: Field names,  Up: CSV++10.13 'if' block+================++Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV+data.  This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can+categorise transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on+their description (for example).  There are two ways to write+conditional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if tables",+described below.++   An if block is the word 'if' and one or more "matcher" expressions+(can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or+next line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,++if MATCHER+ RULE++   or++if+MATCHER+MATCHER+MATCHER+ RULE+ RULE++   If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be+applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special+rules may also be used within an if block:++   * 'skip' - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction+     from it)+   * 'end' - skips the rest of the current CSV file.++   Some examples:++# if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"+if groceries+ account2 expenses:groceries++# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+if+monthly service fee+atm transaction fee+banking thru software+ account2 expenses:business:banking+ comment  XXX deductible ? check it++# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+if ,,,,+ end+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Matchers,  Next: if table,  Prev: if block,  Up: CSV++10.14 Matchers+==============++There are two kinds:++  1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular+     expression ('REGEX'), which hledger will try to match+     case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.+     Eg: 'whole foods'++  2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name+     ('%CSVFIELD REGEX').  hledger will try to match these just within+     the named CSV field.+     Eg: '%date 2023'++   The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended+regular expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B',+'\<', '\>'), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular+expressions" in the hledger manual+(https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).++   With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched+is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be+converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing+whitespace) are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if+the original record was:++2023-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000++   the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:++2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000++   When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:++   * By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)+   * When a matcher is preceded by ampersand ('&') it will be AND'ed+     with the previous matcher (both of them must match).++   There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: if table,  Next: balance-type,  Prev: Matchers,  Up: CSV++10.15 'if' table+================++"if tables" are an alternative to if blocks; they can express many+matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format, like+this:++if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+<empty line>++   The first character after 'if' is taken to be the separator for the+rest of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like ','+or '|' that does not appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is+unrelated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace can be used in the+matcher lines for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The+table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each line+must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.++   The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher+succeeds, assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding+hledger fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.  It is+equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:++if MATCHERA+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERB+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERC+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++   Example:++if,account2,comment+atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+%description groceries,expenses:groceries,+2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance-type,  Next: include,  Prev: if table,  Up: CSV++10.16 '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:++# 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+==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts+++File: hledger.info,  Node: include,  Next: Working with CSV,  Prev: balance-type,  Up: CSV++10.17 '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+several rules files, eg:++# someaccount.csv.rules++## someaccount-specific rules+fields   date,description,amount+account1 assets:someaccount+account2 expenses:misc++## common rules+include categorisation.rules+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Working with CSV,  Next: CSV rules examples,  Prev: include,  Up: CSV++10.18 Working with CSV+======================++Some tips:++* Menu:++* Rapid feedback::+* Valid CSV::+* File Extension::+* Reading CSV from standard input::+* Reading multiple CSV files::+* Reading files specified by rule::+* Valid transactions::+* Deduplicating importing::+* Setting amounts::+* Amount signs::+* Setting currency/commodity::+* Amount decimal places::+* Referencing other fields::+* How CSV rules are evaluated::+* Well factored rules::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Rapid feedback,  Next: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.1 Rapid feedback+----------------------++It's a good idea to get rapid feedback while creating/troubleshooting+CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid CSV,  Next: File Extension,  Prev: Rapid feedback,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.2 Valid CSV+-----------------++Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and+equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab+as separators).  This means, eg:++   * Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in+     single quotes is not allowed.  (Eg ''A','B'' is rejected.)+   * When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the+     quotes are not allowed.  (Eg '"A", "B"' is rejected.)+   * When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double+     quotes.  (Eg 'A"A, B' is rejected.)++   If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to+transform it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more+permissive CSV parser like python's csv lib.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: File Extension,  Next: Reading CSV from standard input,  Prev: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.3 File Extension+----------------------++To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error+messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),+it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a '.csv', '.ssv' or '.tsv'+filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)++   When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV+reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file path with+'csv:', 'ssv:' or 'tsv:': Eg:++$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print++   You can also override the default field separator with a separator+rule if needed.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading CSV from standard input,  Next: Reading multiple CSV files,  Prev: File Extension,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.4 Reading CSV from standard input+---------------------------------------++You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:++$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading multiple CSV files,  Next: Reading files specified by rule,  Prev: Reading CSV from standard input,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.5 Reading multiple CSV files+----------------------------------++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+used for all the CSV files.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading files specified by rule,  Next: Valid transactions,  Prev: Reading multiple CSV files,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.6 Reading files specified by rule+---------------------------------------++Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+rules file, as in 'hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD'.  By default this will+read data from foo.csv in the same directory, but you can add a source+rule to specify a different data file, perhaps located in your web+browser's download directory.++   This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won't see it in most+CSV rules examples.  But it helps remove some of the busywork of+managing CSV downloads.  Most of your financial institutions's default+CSV filenames are different and can be recognised by a glob pattern.  So+you can put a rule like 'source Checking1*.csv' in+foo-checking.csv.rules, and then periodically follow a workflow like:++  1. Download CSV from Foo's website, using your browser's defaults+  2. Run 'hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules' to import any new+     transactions++   After import, you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.  If you do nothing,+next time your browser will save something like Checking1-2.csv, and+hledger will use that because of the '*' wild card and because it is the+most recent.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid transactions,  Next: Deduplicating importing,  Prev: Reading files specified by rule,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.7 Valid transactions+--------------------------++After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the+generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing+them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.+Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying+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+assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:++$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplicating importing,  Next: Setting amounts,  Prev: Valid transactions,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.8 Deduplicating, importing+--------------------------------++When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank+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,+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:++# 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+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:++   * https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows+   * https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting amounts,  Next: Amount signs,  Prev: Deduplicating importing,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.9 Setting amounts+-----------------------++Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling+various amount-setting situations:++  1. *If the amount is in a single CSV field:*++       a. *If its sign indicates direction of flow:*+          Assign it to 'amountN', to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is+          usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.++       b. *If another field indicates direction of flow:*+          Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate+          amount sign.  Eg:++     # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":+     amount1  -%Amount+     if %Type deposit+       amount1  %Amount++  2. *If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):*++       a. *If both fields are unsigned:*+          Assign the fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out'.  This+          sets posting N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero+          value.  If it's the -out value, the amount will be negated.++       b. *If either field is signed:*+          Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg+          below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo+          hledger's automatic negating by negating once more (but only+          if the field is non-empty, so that we don't leave a minus sign+          by itself):++     fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+     if %amount1-out [1-9]+      amount1-out -%amount1-out++       c. *If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be+          empty):*+          The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is+          non-zero/non-empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such+          as '1' and 'none'.  For such cases, use conditional rules to+          help select the amount.  Eg, to handle the above you could+          select the value containing non-zero digits:++     fields date, description, in, out+     if %in [1-9]+      amount1 %in+     if %out [1-9]+      amount1 %out++  3. *If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:*+     Use the unnumbered 'amount' (or 'amount-in' and 'amount-out')+     syntax.++  4. *If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:*+     Assign to 'balanceN', to set a balance assignment on the Nth+     posting, causing the posting's amount to be calculated+     automatically.  'balance' with no number is equivalent to+     'balance1'.  In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the+     wrong default account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount signs,  Next: Setting currency/commodity,  Prev: Setting amounts,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.10 Amount signs+---------------------++There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+amount signs.  (This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts+such as COST in 'amount1 AMT @ COST'):++   * *If an amount value begins with a plus sign:*+     that will be removed: '+AMT' becomes 'AMT'++   * *If an amount value is parenthesised:*+     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'++   * *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 '""'.++   It's not possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount to+its absolute value, ie discard its sign.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting currency/commodity,  Next: Amount decimal places,  Prev: Amount signs,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.11 Setting currency/commodity+-----------------------------------++If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV's amount+field(s):++2023-01-01,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:++fields date,description,amount++2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown         $123.00+    income:unknown          $-123.00++   If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:++2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00++   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++2023-01-01 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:++fields date,description,cur,amt+amount %amt %cur++2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+    income:unknown         -123.00 USD++   Note we used a temporary field name ('cur') that is not 'currency' -+that would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount decimal places,  Next: Referencing other fields,  Prev: Setting currency/commodity,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.12 Amount decimal places+------------------------------++Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+'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+style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Referencing other fields,  Next: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Prev: Amount decimal places,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.13 Referencing other fields+---------------------------------++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+field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the+hledger field:++# Name the third CSV field "amount1"+fields date,description,amount1++# Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+amount1 %amount1 USD++# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+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:++comment A+comment B+if something+ comment C+++File: hledger.info,  Node: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Next: Well factored rules,  Prev: Referencing other fields,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.14 How CSV rules are evaluated+------------------------------------++Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need+to).  First,++   * '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+repeated, the last one wins:++   * '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+     the last one.+   * compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was+     assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a+     default+   * generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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+successfully, the transactions are passed as input to whichever hledger+command the user specified.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Well factored rules,  Prev: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.15 Well factored rules+----------------------------++Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules+files:++   * Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a+     'common.rules', and adding 'include common.rules' to each CSV's+     rules file.++   * Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the+     frequently used parts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules examples,  Prev: Working with CSV,  Up: CSV++10.19 CSV rules examples+========================++* Menu:++* Bank of Ireland::+* Coinbase::+* Amazon::+* Paypal::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Bank of Ireland,  Next: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.1 Bank of Ireland+-----------------------++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+skip++# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++# We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"+# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+#+# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+#+# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++# date is in UK/Ireland format+date-format  %d/%m/%Y++# set the currency+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+    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++2012-12-07 PAYMENT+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0++   The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're+reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are+imported into a journal file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Coinbase,  Next: Amazon,  Prev: Bank of Ireland,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.2 Coinbase+----------------++A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.  The spot price is+recorded using cost notation.  The legacy 'amount' field name+conveniently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.++# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"++# coinbase.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+date         %Timestamp+date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+description  %Notes+account1     assets:coinbase:cc+amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency++$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP+    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amazon,  Next: Paypal,  Prev: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.3 Amazon+--------------++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+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","$1.00","17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL"++# amazon-orders.csv.rules++# skip one header line+skip 1++# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.+# Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.+fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++# how to parse the date+date-format %b %-d, %Y++# combine two fields to make the description+description %toorfrom %name++# save the status as a tag+comment     status:%amzstatus++# set the base account for all transactions+account1    assets:amazon+# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+# I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember++# set a generic account2+account2    expenses:misc+amount2     %amzamount+# and maybe refine it further:+#include categorisation.rules++# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+if %fees [1-9]+ account3    expenses:fees+ amount3     %fees++$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print+2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $20.00++2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $25.00+    expenses:fees           $1.00+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Paypal,  Prev: Amazon,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.4 Paypal+--------------++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",""+"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""+"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""+"10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""+"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:+# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+# Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"+# Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:+# "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"+# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":+# "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"++fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++skip  1++date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++# ignore some paypal events+if+In Progress+Temporary Hold+Update to+ skip++# add more fields to the description+description %description_ %itemtitle++# save some other fields as tags+comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++# convert to short currency symbols+if %currency USD+ currency $+if %currency EUR+ currency E+if %currency GBP+ currency P++# generate postings++# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+account1 assets:online:paypal+amount1  %netamount++# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+# (account2 is set below)+amount2  -%grossamount++# if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+if %feeamount [1-9]+ account3 expenses:banking:paypal+ amount3  -%feeamount+ comment3 business:++# choose an account for the second posting++# override the default account names:+# if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)+if %grossamount ^[^-]+ account2 income:unknown+# if negative, it's an expense (a credit)+if %grossamount ^-+ account2 expenses:unknown++# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+include common.rules++# apply some overrides specific to this csv++# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+# which can be disregarded in this case.+if+Bank Account+Bank Deposit to PP Account+ description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+ account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+ account1 assets:online:paypal++# Currency conversions+if Currency Conversion+ account2 equity:currency conversion++# common.rules++if+darcs+noble benefactor+ account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+ comment2 business:++if+Calm Radio+ account2 expenses:online:apps++if+electronic frontier foundation+Patreon+wikimedia+Advent of Code+ account2 expenses:dues++if Google+ account2 expenses:online:apps+ description google | music++$ 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+    expenses:online:apps           $6.99++2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+    expenses:dues                  $7.00++2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+    expenses:dues                     $2.00+    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Timeclock,  Next: Timedot,  Prev: CSV,  Up: Top++11 Timeclock+************++The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.++   hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.  As with Ledger,+these are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and+clock-out entries as in the example below.  The date is a simple date.+The time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ]. Seconds and timezone are+optional.  The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored+(currently the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines+beginning with '#' or ';' or '*', and blank lines, are ignored.++i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+o 2015/03/30 09:20:00+i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another:account+o 2015/04/01 02:00:34++   hledger treats each clock-in/clock-out pair as a transaction posting+some number of hours to an account.  Or if the session spans more than+one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day.  For+the above time log, 'hledger print' generates these journal entries:++$ hledger -f t.timeclock print+2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+    (some account)           0.33h++2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+    (another:account)           1.64h++2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+    (another:account)           2.01h++   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++   To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:++   * 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"'++   * 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,  Next: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Prev: Timeclock,  Up: Top++12 Timedot+**********++'timedot' format is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.+Compared to 'timeclock' format, it is++   * convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging+   * readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.++   A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look+like this:++2023-05-01+hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+per:admin:finance++   hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three+(unbalanced) postings, where each dot represents "0.25".  No commodity+is assumed, but normally we interpret it as hours, with each dot+representing a quarter-hour.  It's convenient, though not required, to+group the dots in fours for easy reading.++$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+2023-05-01 *+    (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+    (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+    (per:admin:finance)                 0++   A transaction begins with a non-indented *simple date* (Y-M-D, Y/M/D,+or Y.M.D). It can optionally be preceded by one or more stars and a+space, for Emacs org mode compatibility.  It can optionally be followed+on the same line by a transaction description, and/or a transaction+comment following a semicolon.++   After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:++   * an *account name* - any hledger-style account name, optionally+     hierarchical, optionally indented.+   * *two or more spaces* - a field separator, required if there is an+     amount (as in journal format).+   * an optional *timedot amount* - dots representing quarter hours, or+     a number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.+   * an optional *posting comment* following a semicolon.++   Timedot amounts can be:++   * *dots*: zero or more period characters ('.'), each representing+     0.25.  Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: '....+     ..'++   * or a *number*.  Eg: '1.5'++   * or a *number immediately followed by a unit symbol* 's', 'm', 'h',+     'd', 'w', 'mo', or 'y'.  These are interpreted as seconds, minutes,+     hours, days weeks, months or years, and converted to hours,+     assuming:+     '60s' = '1m', '60m' = '1h', '24h' = '1d', '7d' = '1w', '30d' =+     '1mo', '365d' = '1y'.  Eg '90m' is parsed as '1.5'.++   There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:++   * Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored.++   * Before the first date line, lines beginning with '*' are ignored.++   * From the first date line onward, one or more '*''s followed by a+     space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs+     Org mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an+     Org headline, and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org+     headlines.++   * Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as+     postings with zero amount.  Note hledger's register reports hide+     these by default (add -E to see them).++   More examples:++# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+2016/2/1+inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+fos:haskell   .... ..+biz:research  .++2016/2/2+inc:client1   .... ....+biz:research  .++2016/2/3+inc:client1   4+fos:hledger   3+biz:research  1++* Time log+** 2023-01-01+*** adm:time  .+*** adm:finance  .++* 2023 Work Diary+** Q1+*** 2023-02-29+**** DONE+0700 yoga+**** UNPLANNED+**** BEGUN+hom:chores+ cleaning  ...+ water plants+  outdoor - one full watering can+  indoor - light watering+**** TODO+adm:planning: trip+*** LATER++   Reporting:++$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+2016-02-02 *+    (inc:client1)          2.00++2016-02-02 *+    (biz:research)          0.25++$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++            ||  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 +------------++----------------------------------------+            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 ++   Using period instead of colon as account name separator:++2016/2/4+fos.hledger.timedot  4+fos.ledger           ..++$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree+                4.50  fos+                4.00    hledger:timedot+                0.50    ledger+--------------------+                4.50++   A sample.timedot file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Next: Time periods,  Prev: Timedot,  Up: Top++13 PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+*****************************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Time periods,  Next: Depth,  Prev: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Up: Top++14 Time periods+***************++* Menu:++* Report start & end date::+* Smart dates::+* Report intervals::+* Date adjustment::+* Period expressions::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Report start & end date,  Next: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods++14.1 Report start & end date+============================++By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time+represented by the journal.  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+these accept the smart date syntax (below).++   Some notes:++   * End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date+     _after_ the last day you want to see in the report.+   * As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+     _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+     2019, the smallest common time span.+   * In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall+     on interval boundaries (see below).++   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+              (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'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Smart dates,  Next: Report intervals,  Prev: Report start & end date,  Up: Time periods++14.2 Smart dates+================++hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added+convenience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative to today's date, be+written with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted+(missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some 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+day/week/month/quarter/year'+'in n                     n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years'+'n                        n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years+ahead'+'n                        -n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years+ago'+'20181201'                8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and+                          day+'201812'                  6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month++   Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give+surprising results:++'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+             8-digit year+'20181232'   8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+'201801012'  9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error++   "Today's date" can be overridden with the '--today' option, in case+it's needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for+periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by '--today'.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Report intervals,  Next: Date adjustment,  Prev: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods++14.3 Report intervals+=====================++A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,+balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a+separate row or column.++   The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line+flags:++   * '-D/--daily'+   * '-W/--weekly'+   * '-M/--monthly'+   * '-Q/--quarterly'+   * '-Y/--yearly'++   More complex intervals can be specified using '-p/--period',+described below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Date adjustment,  Next: Period expressions,  Prev: Report intervals,  Up: Time periods++14.4 Date adjustment+====================++When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end+dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for producing+simple periodic reports.  More precisely:++   * an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall+     on a natural period boundary++   * an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the+     last period the same length as the others.++   By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly,+with '-b', '-e', '-p' or 'date:', will not be adjusted (since hledger+1.29).  This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods,+but it also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should+pick one that's on a period boundary if you want to see simple report+period headings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions,  Prev: Date adjustment,  Up: Time periods++14.5 Period expressions+=======================++The '-p/--period' option specifies a period expression, which is a+compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report+interval.++   Here's a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the+first quarter of 2009):++'-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'++   Several keywords like "from" and "to" are supported for readability;+these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".."  or "-".  The+spaces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.+So the following are equivalent to the above:++'-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, these are also+equivalent to the above:++'-p "1/1 4/1"'+'-p "jan-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 date in the journal:++'-p "from 2009/1/1"'   everything after january 1, 2009+'-p "since 2009/1"'    the same, since is a synonym+'-p "from 2009"'       the same+'-p "to 2009"'         everything before january 1, 2009++   You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full+date:++'-p "2009"'     the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1”+'-p "2009/1"'   the month of january 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+                2009/2/1”+'-p             the first day of 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+"2009/1/1"'     2009/1/2”++   or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):++'-p "2009Q1"'    first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+                 2009/4/1”+'-p "q4"'        fourth quarter of the current year++* Menu:++* Period expressions with a report interval::+* More complex report intervals::+* Multiple weekday intervals::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions with a report interval,  Next: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.1 Period expressions with a report interval+------------------------------------------------++A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated+from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word 'in':++'-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'+'-p "monthly in 2008"'+'-p "quarterly"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More complex report intervals,  Next: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: Period expressions with a report interval,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.2 More complex report intervals+------------------------------------++Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+such as:++   * 'biweekly' (every two weeks)+   * 'fortnightly'+   * 'bimonthly' (every two months)+   * 'every day|week|month|quarter|year'+   * 'every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years'++   Weekly on a custom day:++   * 'every Nth day of week' ('th', 'nd', 'rd', or 'st' are all accepted+     after the number)+   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME' (full or three-letter english weekday name,+     case insensitive)++   Monthly on a custom day:++   * 'every Nth day [of month]'+   * 'every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]'++   Yearly on a custom day:++   * 'every MM/DD [of year]' (month number and day of month number)+   * 'every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]' (full or three-letter english+     month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)+   * 'every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]' (equivalent to the above)++   Examples:++'-p "bimonthly from+2008"'+'-p "every 2 weeks"'+'-p "every 5 months from+2009/03"'+'-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+                            November+'-p "every 5th November"'   same+'-p "every Nov 5th"'        same++   Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is+an end date, exclusive as always):++$ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"++   Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following+tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):++$ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.3 Multiple weekday intervals+---------------------------------++This special form is also supported:++   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...' (full or three-letter english+     weekday names, case insensitive)++   Also, 'weekday' and 'weekendday' are shorthand for+'mon,tue,wed,thu,fri' and 'sat,sun'.++   This is mainly intended for use with '--forecast', to generate+periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less+useful with '-p', since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal+length, which is unusual.  (Related: #1632)++   Examples:++'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be+mon,wed,fri"'      Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will+weekday"'          be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun+'-p "every         dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+weekendday"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth,  Next: Queries,  Prev: Time periods,  Up: Top++15 Depth+********++With the '--depth NUM' option (short form: '-NUM'), reports will show+accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use+this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same+effect as a 'depth:' query argument: 'depth:2', '--depth=2' or '-2' are+equivalent.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries,  Next: Pivoting,  Prev: Depth,  Up: Top++16 Queries+**********++One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise+subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query+arguments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:++   * Zero or more space-separated query terms.  These are most often+     account name substrings:++     'utilities food:groceries'++   * Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in+     quotes:++     '"personal care"'++   * Regular expressions are also supported:++     '"^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"'++   * Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:++     'date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:'++   * Add a 'not:' prefix to negate a term:++     'not:cur:USD'++* Menu:++* Query types::+* Combining query terms::+* Queries and command options::+* Queries and valuation::+* Querying with account aliases::+* Querying with cost or value::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Query types,  Next: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries++16.1 Query types+================++Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be+prefixed with *'not:'* to convert them into a negative match.++   *'acct:REGEX', 'REGEX'*+Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular+expression.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and+regular expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just+write an account name substring, like 'expenses' or 'food'.++   *'amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N'*+Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+greater than N. (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.++   *'code:REGEX'*+Match by transaction code (eg check number).++   *'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 special characters which are+regex-significant, you need to escape them with '\'.  And for characters+which are significant to your shell you may need one more level of+escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:+'hledger print cur:\\$'.++   *'desc:REGEX'*+Match transaction descriptions.++   *'date:PERIODEXPR'*+Match dates (or with the '--date2' flag, secondary dates) within the+specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report+interval.  Examples:+'date:2016', 'date:thismonth', 'date:2/1-2/15',+'date:2021-07-27..nextquarter'.++   *'date2:PERIODEXPR'*+Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the+'--date2' flag).++   *'depth:N'*+Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this+depth.++   *'note:REGEX'*+Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of '|', or+the whole description if there's no '|').++   *'payee:REGEX'*+Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of+'|', or the whole description if there's no '|').++   *'real:, real:0'*+Match real or virtual postings respectively.++   *'status:, status:!, status:*'*+Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.++   *'type:TYPECODES'*+Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).+'TYPECODES' is one or more of the single-letter account type codes+'ALERXCV', case insensitive.  Note 'type:A' and 'type:E' will also match+their respective subtypes 'C' (Cash) and 'V' (Conversion).  Certain+kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts+> Aliases and account types.++   *'tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'*+Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by+value, use 'tag:.=REGEX'.)++   When querying by tag, note that:++   * Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts+   * Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their+     transaction+   * Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.++   (*'inacct:ACCTNAME'*+A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells+hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining query terms,  Next: Queries and command options,  Prev: Query types,  Up: Queries++16.2 Combining query terms+==========================++When given multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+things which 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 is a little different, showing 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.++   We also support more complex boolean queries with the 'expr:' prefix.+This allows one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for 'not:'.++   Examples of such queries are:++   * Match transactions with 'cool' in the description AND with the 'A'+     tag++     'expr:"desc:cool AND tag:A"'++   * Match transactions NOT to the 'expenses:food' account OR with the+     'A' tag++     'expr:"NOT expenses:food OR tag:A"'++   * Match transactions NOT involving the 'expenses:food' account OR+     with the 'A' tag AND involving the 'expenses:drink' account.  (the+     AND is implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules+     above)++     'expr:"expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and command options,  Next: Queries and valuation,  Prev: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries++16.3 Queries and command options+================================++Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: 'depth:2' is+equivalent to '--depth 2', 'date:2023' is equivalent to '-p 2023', etc.+When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the+resulting query is their intersection.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and valuation,  Next: Querying with account aliases,  Prev: Queries and command options,  Up: Queries++16.4 Queries and valuation+==========================++When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, 'cur:' and 'amt:' match the old commodity symbol and the old+amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's+reversed, see #1625).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with account aliases,  Next: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Queries and valuation,  Up: Queries++16.5 Querying with account aliases+==================================++When account names are rewritten with '--alias' or 'alias', note that+'acct:' will match either the old or the new account name.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Querying with account aliases,  Up: Queries++16.6 Querying with cost or value+================================++When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, note that 'cur:' matches the new commodity symbol, and not the+old one, and 'amt:' matches the new quantity, and not the old one.+Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see+the discussion at #1625.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Pivoting,  Next: Generating data,  Prev: Queries,  Up: Top++17 Pivoting+***********++Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.  The+'--pivot FIELD' option substitutes some other transaction field for+account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's+value instead.  FIELD can be any of the transaction fields 'status',+'code', 'description', 'payee', 'note', or a tag name.  When pivoting on+a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first+value is displayed.  Values containing 'colon:separated:parts' will be+displayed hierarchically, like account names.++   Some examples:++2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+    assets:bank account                 2 EUR+    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe++   Normal balance report showing account names:++$ hledger balance+               2 EUR  assets:bank account+              -2 EUR  income:dues+--------------------+                   0++   Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:++$ hledger balance --pivot member+               2 EUR+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+                   0++   One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):++$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR++   Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted "account+name"):++$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Generating data,  Next: Forecasting,  Prev: Pivoting,  Up: Top++18 Generating data+******************++hledger has several features for generating data, such as:++   * Periodic transaction rules can generate single or repeating+     transactions following a template.  These are usually dated in the+     future, eg to help with forecasting.  They are activated by the+     '--forecast' option.++   * The balance command's '--budget' option uses these same periodic+     rules to generate goals for the budget report.++   * Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain matched+     transactions.  They are always applied to forecast transactions;+     with the '--auto' flag they are applied to transactions recorded in+     the journal as well.++   * The '--infer-equity' flag infers missing conversion equity postings+     from @/@@ costs.  And the inverse '--infer-costs' flag infers+     missing @/@@ costs from conversion equity postings.++   Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report+time.  But you can see it in the output of 'hledger print', and you can+save that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary+generated data to permanent recorded data.  This could be useful as a+data entry aid.++   If you are wondering what data is being generated and why, add the+'--verbose-tags' flag.  In 'hledger print' output you will see extra+tags like 'generated-transaction', 'generated-posting', and 'modified'+on generated/modified data.  Also, even without '--verbose-tags',+generated data always has equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore+prefix), so eg you could match generated transactions with+'tag:_generated-transaction'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecasting,  Next: Budgeting,  Prev: Generating data,  Up: Top++19 Forecasting+**************++Forecasting, or speculative future reporting, can be useful for+estimating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.++   The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to+manually record a bunch of future-dated transactions.  You could keep+these in a separate 'future.journal' and include that with '-f' only+when you want to see them.++* Menu:++* --forecast::+* Inspecting forecast transactions::+* Forecast reports::+* Forecast tags::+* Forecast period in detail::+* Forecast troubleshooting::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --forecast,  Next: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Up: Forecasting++19.1 -forecast+==============++There is another way: with the '--forecast' option, hledger can generate+temporary "forecast transactions" for reporting purposes, according to+periodic transaction rules defined in the journal.  Each rule can+generate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing one rule you+can change many forecasted transactions.  (These same rules can also+generate budget goals, described in Budgeting.)++   Forecast transactions usually start after ordinary transactions end.+By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+today, whichever is later, and they end six months from today.  (The+exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)++   This is the "forecast period", which need not be the same as the+report period.  You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the+future, or to force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary+transactions - by giving the -forecast option a period expression+argument, like '--forecast=..2099' or '--forecast=2023-02-15..'.  Note+that the '=' is required.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Next: Forecast reports,  Prev: --forecast,  Up: Forecasting++19.2 Inspecting forecast transactions+=====================================++'print' is the best command for inspecting and troubleshooting forecast+transactions.  Eg:++~ monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent           $1000++$ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+2023-05-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-06-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-07-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-08-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-09-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++   Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted+transactions begin on the first occurence after today's date.  (You+won't normally use '--today'; it's just to make these examples+reproducible.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast reports,  Next: Forecast tags,  Prev: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Up: Forecasting++19.3 Forecast reports+=====================++Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.  Eg:++$ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000++$ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++               ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep +===============++===================================+ expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +---------------++-----------------------------------+               || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast tags,  Next: Forecast period in detail,  Prev: Forecast reports,  Up: Forecasting++19.4 Forecast tags+==================++Forecast transactions generated by -forecast have a hidden tag,+'_generated-transaction'.  So if you ever need to match forecast+transactions, you could use 'tag:_generated-transaction' (or just+'tag:generated') in a query.++   For troubleshooting, you can add the '--verbose-tags' flag.  Then,+visible 'generated-transaction' tags will be added also, so you can view+them with the 'print' command.  Their value indicates which periodic+rule was responsible.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast period in detail,  Next: Forecast troubleshooting,  Prev: Forecast tags,  Up: Forecasting++19.5 Forecast period, in detail+===============================++Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by+default in almost all situations, while also being flexible.  Here are+(with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:++   The forecast period starts on:++   * the later of+        * the start date in the periodic transaction rule+        * the start date in '--forecast''s argument++   * otherwise (if those are not available): the later of+        * the report start date specified with '-b'/'-p'/'date:'+        * the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal++   * otherwise (if none of these are available): today.++   The forecast period ends on:++   * the earlier of+        * the end date in the periodic transaction rule+        * the end date in '--forecast''s argument++   * otherwise: the report end date specified with '-e'/'-p'/'date:'+   * otherwise: 180 days (~6 months) from today.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast troubleshooting,  Prev: Forecast period in detail,  Up: Forecasting++19.6 Forecast troubleshooting+=============================++When -forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+help:++   * Remember to use the '--forecast' option.+   * Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your+     journal.+   * Test with 'print --forecast'.+   * Check for typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+     transaction rule.+   * Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule's period expression and+     description fields.+   * Check for future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+     transactions.+   * Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with '-b', '-e',+     '-p' or 'date:'+   * Try adding the '-E' flag to encourage display of empty periods/zero+     transactions.+   * Try setting explicit forecast start and/or end dates with+     '--forecast=START..END'+   * Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.+   * Check inside the engine: add '--debug=2' (eg).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgeting,  Next: Cost reporting,  Prev: Forecasting,  Up: Top++20 Budgeting+************++With the balance command's '--budget' report, each periodic transaction+rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and goals+and actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc+below.++   You can generate budget goals and forecast transactions at the same+time, from the same or different periodic transaction rules: 'hledger+bal -M --budget --forecast ...'++   See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost reporting,  Next: Valuation,  Prev: Budgeting,  Up: Top++21 Cost reporting+*****************++This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions+where one commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of+currency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:++   * Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.+     Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+     cryptocurrency.++   * Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more+     conversions.++   * Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other,+     ie the exchange rate.++   * Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.+     And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the+     "secondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a+     purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.+     Also, the "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.++* Menu:++* -B Convert to cost::+* Equity conversion postings::+* Inferring equity postings from cost::+* Inferring cost from equity postings::+* When to infer cost/equity::+* How to record conversions::+* Cost tips::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -B Convert to cost,  Next: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.1 -B: Convert to cost+========================++As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can+also record the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding '@+UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE'.++   Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding+the '-B/--cost' flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).+Eg:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each++$ hledger bal -N+               $-135  assets:dollars+                €100  assets:euros+$ hledger bal -N -B+               $-135  assets:dollars+                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost++   Notes:++   -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros++$ hledger bal -N -B+               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price+                €100  assets:euros++   The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks: it does+not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting+equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Equity conversion postings,  Next: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Prev: -B Convert to cost,  Up: Cost reporting++21.2 Equity conversion postings+===============================++By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a+different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance+conversion transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be+written:++2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+    assets:dollars      $-135+    equity:conversion    $135+    equity:conversion   €-100+    assets:euros         €100++   This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and makes cost+reporting more difficult for PTA tools.++   Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to+the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.++   You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at+the same time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But be+sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see a+not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Next: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Prev: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.3 Inferring equity postings from cost+========================================++With '--infer-equity', hledger detects transactions written with PTA+cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  -$135+  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35++$ hledger print --infer-equity+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars                    $-135+    assets:euros               €100 @ $1.35+    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:+    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:++   The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion+account type declaration.++   -infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded+using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and+balance reports' zero total, or to produce more conventional journal+entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Next: When to infer cost/equity,  Prev: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Up: Cost reporting++21.4 Inferring cost from equity postings+========================================++The reverse operation is possible using '--infer-costs', which detects+transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds cost+notation to them:++2022-01-01+    assets:dollars            $-135+    equity:conversion          $135+    equity:conversion         €-100+    assets:euros               €100++$ hledger print --infer-costs+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars       $-135 @@ €100+    equity:conversion             $135+    equity:conversion            €-100+    assets:euros                  €100++   -infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/-cost, allowing cost+reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity+postings:++$ hledger print --infer-costs -B+2009-01-01+    assets:dollars           €-100+    assets:euros              €100++   Notes:++   For '--infer-costs' to work, an exchange must consist of four+postings:++  1. two non-equity postings+  2. two equity postings, next to one another+  3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type+     'V'/'Conversion' (or if they are not declared, they must be named+     'equity:conversion', 'equity:trade', 'equity:trading' or+     subaccounts of these)+  4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity+     postings' amounts.++   Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.++   When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added+to the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the+commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.  If+you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can use+explicit cost notation instead.++   -infer-equity and -infer-costs can be used together, if you have a+mixture of both notations in your journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: When to infer cost/equity,  Next: How to record conversions,  Prev: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.5 When to infer cost/equity+==============================++Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled+by default.  We're not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two+suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:++  1. When you use -B, always use -infer-costs as well.  Eg: 'hledger bal+     -B --infer-costs'++  2. Always run hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: 'alias hl="hledger+     --infer-equity --infer-costs"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: How to record conversions,  Next: Cost tips,  Prev: When to infer cost/equity,  Up: Cost reporting++21.6 How to record conversions+==============================++Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in+hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.++* Menu:++* Conversion with implicit cost::+* Conversion with explicit cost::+* Conversion with equity postings::+* Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with implicit cost,  Next: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.1 Conversion with implicit cost+------------------------------------++Let's assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD. You can just record the+outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the appropriate asset account:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash    -100 EUR+    assets:cash     120 USD++   hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. You can see the inferred rate+by using 'hledger print -x'.++   Pro:++   * Concise, easy++   Con:++   * Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not+     be detected+   * Conversion rate is not clear+   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity+     flag++   You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped+commodity symbol, by using 'hledger check commodities'.++   You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using 'hledger+check balancednoautoconversion', or '-s/--strict'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with explicit cost,  Next: Conversion with equity postings,  Prev: Conversion with implicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.2 Conversion with explicit cost+------------------------------------++You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an+error otherwise.++   Pro:++   * Still concise+   * Makes the conversion rate clear+   * Provides more error checking++   Con:++   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity+     flag+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings,  Next: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.3 Conversion with equity postings+--------------------------------------++In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not+balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD+appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents+reports like 'balancesheetequity' from showing a zero total.++   The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for+each commodity, using an equity account:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Pro:++   * Preserves the accounting equation+   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+   * Standard, works in any double entry accounting system++   Con:++   * More verbose+   * Conversion rate is not obvious+   * Cost reporting requires adding the -infer-costs flag+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with equity postings,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.4 Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+--------------------------------------------------------++Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Pro:++   * Preserves the accounting equation+   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+   * Makes the conversion rate clear+   * Provides more error checking++   Con:++   * Most verbose+   * Not compatible with ledger+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost tips,  Prev: How to record conversions,  Up: Cost reporting++21.7 Cost tips+==============++   * Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it+     makes that clear and helps detect errors.+   * Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping+     and preserves the accounting equation.+   * Combining these is possible.+   * When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use+     '-B' (short form of '--cost').+   * If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add+     '--infer-costs' also.+   * If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want+     to see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries,+     use '--infer-equity'.+   * Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation,  Next: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Prev: Cost reporting,  Up: Top++22 Valuation+************++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:++* Menu:++* -V Value::+* -X Value in specified commodity::+* Valuation date::+* Finding market price::+* --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions::+* Valuation commodity::+* Simple valuation examples::+* --value Flexible valuation::+* More valuation examples::+* Interaction of valuation and queries::+* Effect of valuation on reports::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -V Value,  Next: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.1 -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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -X Value in specified commodity,  Next: Valuation date,  Prev: -V Value,  Up: Valuation++22.2 -X: Value in specified commodity+=====================================++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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation date,  Next: Finding market price,  Prev: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.3 Valuation date+===================++Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports+have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+prices will be used.++   For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Finding market price,  Next: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Prev: Valuation date,  Up: Valuation++22.4 Finding market price+=========================++To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in+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-prices' flag) inferred+     from costs.++  2. A _reverse market price_: the inverse of a declared or inferred+     market price from B to A.++  3. A _forward chain of market prices_: a synthetic price formed by+     combining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market+     prices, leading from A to B.++  4. _Any chain of market prices_: a chain of any market prices,+     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.++   Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not+converted.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Next: Valuation commodity,  Prev: Finding market price,  Up: Valuation++22.5 -infer-market-prices: 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+chore, and since transactions usually take place at close to market+value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as+Ledger does) ?  Adding the '--infer-market-prices' flag to '-V', '-X' or+'--value' enables this.++   So for example, 'hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices' will get market+prices both from P directives and from transactions.  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+you, read all of this Valuation section carefully, and try adding+'--debug' or '--debug=2' to troubleshoot.++   '--infer-market-prices' can infer market prices from:++   * 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 equity postings, if cost is+     inferred with '--infer-costs'.++   There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is+not specified, prices inferred with '--infer-market-prices' do not help+select a default valuation commodity, as 'P' prices would.  So+conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected+('--debug=2' will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation+commmodity, eg:++   * '-X EUR --infer-market-prices', not '-V --infer-market-prices'+   * '--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices', not '--value=then+     --infer-market-prices'++   Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here+is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should+work differently, see #1870.)++2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 @ A 1++2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 @@ A 1+++2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 @ A -1++2022-01-02 Negative total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 @@ A -1+++2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 @ A -1++2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 @@ A -1++   All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each+day, the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the+market prices inferred for B:++$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+P 2022-01-01 B A 1+P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+P 2022-01-02 B A -1+P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+P 2022-01-03 B A -1+P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation commodity,  Next: Simple valuation examples,  Prev: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Up: Valuation++22.6 Valuation commodity+========================++*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'):*+For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as+follows, in this order of preference:++  1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A+     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+     prices before the valuation date.)++  3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the+     '--infer-market-prices' 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'+     will convert, and to what.++   * If you have no P directives, and use the '--infer-market-prices'+     flag, costs determine it.++   Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not+converted.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple valuation examples,  Next: --value Flexible valuation,  Prev: Valuation commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.7 Simple valuation examples+==============================++Here are some quick examples of '-V':++; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+P 2016/11/01 € $1.10++; purchase some euros on nov 3+2016/11/3+    assets:euros        €100+    assets:checking++; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+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+             $110.00  assets:euros++   What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?  (no report end date+specified, defaults to today)++$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+             $103.00  assets:euros+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --value Flexible valuation,  Next: More valuation examples,  Prev: Simple valuation examples,  Up: Valuation++22.8 -value: Flexible valuation+===============================++'-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.+                      Shows amounts converted to:+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date++   The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:++'--value=then'++     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity,+     using market prices on each posting's date.+'--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'++     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity+     using current market prices (as of when report is generated).+'--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+this commodity, deducing market prices as described above.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More valuation examples,  Next: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Prev: --value Flexible valuation,  Up: Valuation++22.9 More valuation examples+============================++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+P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++2000-01-01+  (a)      1 A @ 5 B++2000-02-01+  (a)      1 A @ 6 B++2000-03-01+  (a)      1 A @ 7 B++   Show the cost of each posting:++$ hledger -f- print --cost+2000-01-01+    (a)             5 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             6 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             7 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             2 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             3 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             4 B++   Show the value on 2000/01/15:++$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+2000-01-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-03-01+    (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:++P 2000-01-01 A 2B++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b++$ hledger print -x -X A+2000-01-01+    a               0+    b               0++   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+commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:++P 2000-01-01 A 2B+commodity 0.00A++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b++$ hledger print -X A+2000-01-01+    a           0.50A+    b          -0.50A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Next: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: More valuation examples,  Up: Valuation++22.10 Interaction of valuation and queries+==========================================++When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+the following happens.++  1. The query is separated into two parts:+       1. the currency ('cur:') or amount ('amt:').+       2. all other parts.++  2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based+     on pre-valued amounts.+  3. Valuation is applied to the postings.+  4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on+     post-valued amounts.++   See: 1625+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Up: Valuation++22.11 Effect of valuation on reports+====================================++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.++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+balance    unchanged    unchanged    unchanged          unchanged    unchanged+assertions/assignments+*register*+starting   cost         value at     valued at day      value at     value+balance                 report or    each historical    report or    at+(-H)                    journal      posting was made   journal      DATE/today+                        end                             end+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+with                    journal                         journal+report                  start                           start+interval+posting    cost         value at     value at posting   value at     value+amounts                 report or    date               report or    at+                        journal                         journal      DATE/today+                        end                             end+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+running    sum/average  sum/average  sum/average of     sum/average  sum/average+total/averageof         of           displayed values   of           of+           displayed    displayed                       displayed    displayed+           values       values                          values       values+*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+                                                                     postings+budget     like         like         like balance       like         like+amounts    balance      balance      changes            balances     balance+(-budget)  changes      changes                                      changes+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+(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+           start to                  posting dates                   postings+           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+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+a zero starting balance.++   *Glossary:*++_cost_++     calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).+_value_++     market value using available market price declarations, or the+     unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.+_report start_++     the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or+     date:, otherwise today.+_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_++     the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+     otherwise today.+_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_++     a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the+     report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many+     subperiods).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Next: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: Valuation,  Up: Top++23 PART 4: COMMANDS+*******************++* Menu:++* Commands overview::+* accounts::+* activity::+* add::+* aregister::+* balance::+* balancesheet::+* balancesheetequity::+* cashflow::+* check::+* close::+* codes::+* commodities::+* demo::+* descriptions::+* diff::+* files::+* help::+* import::+* incomestatement::+* notes::+* payees::+* prices::+* print::+* register::+* rewrite::+* roi::+* stats::+* tags::+* test::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands overview,  Next: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.1 Commands overview+======================++Here are the built-in commands:++* Menu:++* DATA ENTRY::+* DATA CREATION::+* DATA MANAGEMENT::+* REPORTS FINANCIAL::+* REPORTS VERSATILE::+* REPORTS BASIC::+* HELP::+* ADD-ONS::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA ENTRY,  Next: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.1 DATA ENTRY+-----------------++These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your+journal file.++   * add - add transactions using terminal prompts+   * import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA CREATION,  Next: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Prev: DATA ENTRY,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.2 DATA CREATION+--------------------++   * close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions+   * rewrite - generate auto postings, like print -auto+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Next: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Prev: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.3 DATA MANAGEMENT+----------------------++   * check - check for various kinds of error in the data+   * diff - compare account transactions in two journal files+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Next: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Prev: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.4 REPORTS, FINANCIAL+-------------------------++   * 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Next: REPORTS BASIC,  Prev: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.5 REPORTS, VERSATILE+-------------------------++   * balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets,+     gains..+   * print - show transactions or export journal data+   * register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running+     total+   * roi - show return on investments+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS BASIC,  Next: HELP,  Prev: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.6 REPORTS, BASIC+---------------------++   * accounts - show account names+   * activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period+   * codes - show transaction codes+   * commodities - show commodity/currency symbols+   * descriptions - show transaction descriptions+   * files - show input file paths+   * notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions+   * payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions+   * prices - show market prices+   * stats - show journal statistics+   * tags - show tag names+   * test - run self tests+++File: hledger.info,  Node: HELP,  Next: ADD-ONS,  Prev: REPORTS BASIC,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.7 HELP+-----------++   * help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager+   * demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: ADD-ONS,  Prev: HELP,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.8 ADD-ONS+--------------++And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed+by the hledger-install script.  If installed, they will appear in+hledger's commands list:++   * ui - run hledger's terminal UI+   * web - run hledger's web UI+   * iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)+   * interest - generate interest transactions+   * stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage+   * Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,+     pijul, plot, and more..++   Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: accounts,  Next: activity,  Prev: Commands overview,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.2 accounts+=============++Show account names.++   This command lists account names.  By default it shows all known+accounts, either used in transactions or declared with account+directives.++   With query arguments, only matched account names and account names+referenced by matched postings are shown.++   Or it can show just the used accounts ('--used'/'-u'), the declared+accounts ('--declared'/'-d'), the accounts declared but not used+('--unused'), the accounts used but not declared ('--undeclared'), or+the first account matched by an account name pattern, if any ('--find').++   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'.++   With '--types', it also shows each account's type, if it's known.+(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)++   With '--positions', it also shows the file and line number of each+account's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration+order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.++   With '--directives', it adds the 'account' keyword, showing valid+account directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is+useful together with '--undeclared' when updating your account+declarations to satisfy 'hledger check accounts'.++   The '--find' flag can be used to look up a single account name, in+the same way that the 'aregister' command does.  It returns the+alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none can be found, it+fails with a non-zero exit code.++   Examples:++$ hledger accounts+assets:bank:checking+assets:bank:saving+assets:cash+expenses:food+expenses:supplies+income:gifts+income:salary+liabilities:debts++$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+$ hledger check accounts+++File: hledger.info,  Node: activity,  Next: add,  Prev: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.3 activity+=============++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.++   Examples:++$ hledger activity --quarterly+2008-01-01 **+2008-04-01 *******+2008-07-01 +2008-10-01 **+++File: hledger.info,  Node: add,  Next: aregister,  Prev: activity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.4 add+========++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+transactions, and appends them to the main journal file (which should be+in journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This is one+of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also+'import').++   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:++   * 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,+     payees/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.+   * 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+     backward.+   * Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+     supports it.++   Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):++$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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]: +Description: supermarket+Account 1: expenses:food+Amount  1: $10+Account 2: assets:checking+Amount  2 [$-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]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $++   On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the+file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister,  Next: balance,  Prev: add,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.5 aregister+==============++(areg)++   Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single+account, with each transaction displayed as one line.++   'aregister' shows the overall transactions affecting a particular+account (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one+transaction in this account.  Transactions before the report start date+are always included in the running balance ('--historical' mode is+always on).++   This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the 'register'+command (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple+accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of+thumb: - use 'aregister' for reviewing and reconciling real-world+asset/liability accounts - use 'register' for reviewing detailed+revenues/expenses.++   'aregister' requires one argument: the account to report on.  You can+write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive regular+expression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.++   When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can+be surprising; eg if you have 'assets:per:checking 1' and+'assets:biz:checking 2' accounts, 'hledger areg checking' would select+'assets:biz:checking 2'.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if+in doubt, write the full account name, or a distinctive substring that+matches uniquely.++   Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be+shown.  'aregister' ignores depth limits, so its final total will always+match a balance report with similar arguments.++   Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the+transactions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance,+causing it to be different from the account's real-world running+balance.++   An example: this shows the transactions and historical running+balance during july, in the first account whose name contains+"checking":++$ hledger areg checking date:jul++   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.++   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+'--align-all' flag.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options.  The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and 'json'.++* Menu:++* aregister and custom posting dates::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister and custom posting dates,  Up: aregister++23.5.1 aregister and custom posting dates+-----------------------------------------++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.++   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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance,  Next: balancesheet,  Prev: aregister,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.6 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+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'.++* Menu:++* balance features::+* Simple balance report::+* Balance report line format::+* Filtered balance report::+* List or tree mode::+* Depth limiting::+* Dropping top-level accounts::+* Showing declared accounts::+* Sorting by amount::+* Percentages::+* Multi-period balance report::+* Balance change end balance::+* Balance report types::+* Budget report::+* Data layout::+* Useful balance reports::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance features,  Next: Simple balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.1 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+higher-level commands as well.++   'balance' can show..++   * 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 unrealised capital gain/loss ('--gain')+   * or postings count ('--count')++   ..in..++   * one time period (the whole journal period by default)+   * 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')++   ..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')++   ..with..++   * 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')+   * commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines+     ('--layout')++   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,+negative amounts are shown in red.++   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the balance of the _other_ postings+in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple balance report,  Next: Balance report line format,  Prev: balance features,  Up: balance++23.6.2 Simple balance report+----------------------------++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.  ("Simple" here+means just one column of numbers, covering a single period.  You can+also have multi-period reports, described later.)++   For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be 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+examples/sample.journal):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  ++   Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree+mode - see below) are hidden by default.  Use '-E/--empty' to show them+(revealing 'assets:bank:checking' here):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                   0  assets:bank:checking+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  ++   The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+'-N'/'--no-total' is used.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report line format,  Next: Filtered balance report,  Prev: Simple balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.3 Balance report line format+---------------------------------++For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you+can use '--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each line.+Eg:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"+              assets          $-1+         bank:saving           $1+                cash          $-2+            expenses           $2+                food           $1+            supplies           $1+              income          $-2+               gifts          $-1+              salary          $-1+   liabilities:debts           $1+---------------------------------+                                0++   The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each+account/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data+fields interpolated like so:++   '%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)'++   * MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)++   * MAX truncates at this width (optional)++   * FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:++        * 'depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's+          depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.+        * 'account' - the account's name+        * 'total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified++   Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how+multi-commodity amounts are rendered:++   * '%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)+   * '%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned+   * '%,' - render on one line, comma-separated++   There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, '%(depth_spacer)' has no+effect, instead '%(account)' has indentation built in.  Experimentation+may be needed to get pleasing results.++   Some example formats:++   * '%(total)' - the account's total+   * '%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to+     20 characters and clipped at 20 characters+   * '%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50+     characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple+     commodities rendered on one line+   * '%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for+     the single-column balance report+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Filtered balance report,  Next: List or tree mode,  Prev: Balance report line format,  Up: balance++23.6.4 Filtered balance report+------------------------------++You can show fewer accounts, a different time period, totals from+cleared transactions only, etc.  by using query arguments or options to+limit the postings being matched.  Eg:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                 $-2  assets:cash+--------------------+                 $-2  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: List or tree mode,  Next: Depth limiting,  Prev: Filtered balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.5 List or tree mode+------------------------++By default, or with '-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with+their full names visible, as in the examples above.++   With '-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts'+"leaf" names indented below their parent:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0++   Notes:++   * "Boring" accounts are combined with their subaccount for more+     compact output, unless '--no-elide' is used.  Boring accounts have+     no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg 'assets:bank'+     and 'liabilities' above).++   * All balances shown are "inclusive", ie including the balances from+     all subaccounts.  Note this means some repetition in the output,+     which requires explanation when sharing reports with+     non-plaintextaccounting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is+     the sum of the top-level balances shown, not of all the balances+     shown.++   * Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is+     sorted separately.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth limiting,  Next: Dropping top-level accounts,  Prev: List or tree mode,  Up: balance++23.6.6 Depth limiting+---------------------++With a 'depth:NUM' query, or '--depth NUM' option, or just '-NUM' (eg:+'-3') balance reports will show accounts only to the specified depth,+hiding the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful for getting an+overview without too much detail.++   Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from+any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                 $-1  assets+                  $2  expenses+                 $-2  income+                  $1  liabilities+--------------------+                   0  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Dropping top-level accounts,  Next: Showing declared accounts,  Prev: Depth limiting,  Up: balance++23.6.7 Dropping top-level accounts+----------------------------------++You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using+'--drop NUM'.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level+account names:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                  $1  food+                  $1  supplies+--------------------+                  $2  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Showing declared accounts,  Next: Sorting by amount,  Prev: Dropping top-level accounts,  Up: balance++23.6.8 Showing declared accounts+--------------------------------++With '--declared', accounts which have been declared with an account+directive will be included in the balance report, even if they have no+transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+'-E/--empty' to see them.)++   More precisely, _leaf_ declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will+be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.++   The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete" balance+report, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared+accounts yet.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Sorting by amount,  Next: Percentages,  Prev: Showing declared accounts,  Up: balance++23.6.9 Sorting by amount+------------------------++With '-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive)+balances are shown first.  Eg: 'hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your+biggest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity+is present, they will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity+first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount is missing a+commodity, it is treated as 0).++   Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so+'-S' shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can add+'--invert' to flip the signs.  (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,+which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: 'hledger incomestatement -MAS').+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Percentages,  Next: Multi-period balance report,  Prev: Sorting by amount,  Up: balance++23.6.10 Percentages+-------------------++With '-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value expressed+as a percentage of the (column) total.++   Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a+column have mixed signs.  In this case, make a separate report for each+sign, eg:++$ 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+separate report for each commodity:++$ hledger bal -% cur:\\$+$ hledger bal -% cur:€+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multi-period balance report,  Next: Balance change end balance,  Prev: Percentages,  Up: balance++23.6.11 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):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+Balance changes in 2008:++                   ||  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 +-------------------++---------------------------------+                   ||     $-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.+   * Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless+     '-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.++   Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy+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'+   * 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+     && open a.html'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance change end balance,  Next: Balance report types,  Prev: Multi-period balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.12 Balance change, end balance+-----------------------------------++It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in+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.++   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!)++   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+historical end balances:++  1. Initialise account starting balances with an "opening balances"+     transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the+     journal covers the account's full lifetime.++  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+     ignored when summing postings.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report types,  Next: Budget report,  Prev: Balance change end balance,  Up: balance++23.6.13 Balance report types+----------------------------++The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to+control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated, don't+worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does take time and+experimentation to get familiar with all the report modes.++   There are three important option groups:++   'hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE]+...'++* Menu:++* Calculation type::+* Accumulation type::+* Valuation type::+* Combining balance report types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Calculation type,  Next: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.1 Calculation type+..........................++The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:++   * '--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*)+   * '--budget' : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount+     (for each account/period)+   * '--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance+     values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price+     fluctuations)+   * '--gain' : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current+     valued balance minus each amount's original cost)+   * '--count' : show the count of postings+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Accumulation type,  Next: Valuation type,  Prev: Calculation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.2 Accumulation type+...........................++How amounts should accumulate across report periods.  Another way to say+it: which time period's postings should contribute to each cell's+calculation.  It is one of:++   * '--change' : calculate with postings from column start to column+     end, ie "just this column".  Typically used to see+     revenues/expenses.  (*default for balance, incomestatement*)++   * '--cumulative' : calculate with postings from report start to+     column end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used+     to show changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not+     often used.++   * '--historical/-H' : calculate with postings from journal start to+     column end, ie "all postings from before report start date until+     this column's end".  Typically used to see historical end balances+     of assets/liabilities/equity.  (*default for balancesheet,+     balancesheetequity, cashflow*)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation type,  Next: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.3 Valuation type+........................++Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before+displaying the report.  It is one of:++   * no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (*default*)+   * '--value=cost[,COMM]' : convert amounts to cost (then optionally to+     some other commodity)+   * '--value=then[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on+     transaction dates+   * '--value=end[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on period+     end date(s)+     (*default with '--valuechange', '--gain'*)+   * '--value=now[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on today's+     date+   * '--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on+     another date++   or one of the equivalent simpler flags:++   * '-B/--cost' : like -value=cost (though, note -cost and -value are+     independent options which can both be used at once)+   * '-V/--market' : like -value=end+   * '-X COMM/--exchange COMM' : like -value=end,COMM++   See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Valuation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.4 Combining balance report types+........................................++Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,+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'++   For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and+valuation show:++Valuation:>no valuation    '--value= then'   '--value= end'   '--value=+Accumulation:v                                                YYYY-MM-DD+                                                              /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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report,  Next: Data layout,  Prev: Balance report types,  Up: balance++23.6.14 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 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+  expenses:food    $400+  expenses:bus     $50+  expenses:movies  $30+  assets:bank:checking++;; Two months worth of expenses+2017-11-01+  income  $1950+  expenses:food    $396+  expenses:bus     $49+  expenses:movies  $30+  expenses:supplies  $20+  assets:bank:checking++2017-12-01+  income  $2100+  expenses:food    $412+  expenses:bus     $53+  expenses:gifts   $100+  assets:bank:checking++   You can now see a monthly budget report:++$ hledger balance -M --budget+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] ++   This is different from a normal balance report in several ways.+Currently:++   * Accounts with budget goals during the report period, and their+     parents, are shown.+   * Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).+   * Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated and shown as+     "<unbudgeted>".+   * Amounts are always inclusive (subaccount-including), even in list+     mode.+   * After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and+     percentage of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.++   This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!  Eg+above, the 'expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies+transactions, but the 'expenses:gifts' and 'expenses:supplies' accounts+are not shown, as they have no budget amounts declared.++   This can be confusing.  When you need to make things clearer, use the+'-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted+ones, giving the full picture.  Eg:++$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] ++   You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with '--cumulative':++$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      Nov                       Dec +======================++====================================================+ 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] ++   It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses++hledger bal -M --budget expenses++   or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):++hledger bal -M --budget type:rx++   It's also common to limit or convert them to a single currency+('cur:COMM' or '-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]').  If showing multiple+currencies, '--layout bare' or '--layout tall' can help.++   For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.++* Menu:++* Budget report start date::+* Budgets and subaccounts::+* Selecting budget goals::+* Budget vs forecast::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report start date,  Next: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.1 Budget report start date+..................................++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+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+default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:++~ monthly in 2020+  (expenses:food)  $500++2020-01-15+  expenses:food    $400+  assets:checking++$ hledger bal expenses --budget+Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++              || 2020-01-15 +==============++============+ <unbudgeted> ||       $400 +--------------++------------+              ||       $400 ++   To avoid this, specify the budget report's period, or at least the+start date, with '-b'/'-e'/'-p'/'date:', to ensure it includes the+budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want.  Eg,+adding '-b 2020/1/1' to the above:++$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 +===============++========================+ expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] +---------------++------------------------+               ||     $400 [80% of $500] +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgets and subaccounts,  Next: Selecting budget goals,  Prev: Budget report start date,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.2 Budgets and subaccounts+.................................++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.++   In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any+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+    liabilities++   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.++   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+    liabilities++2019/01/01 Google home hub+    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+    liabilities                           $-90.00++2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+    liabilities++2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+    liabilities++2019/01/03 Flowers+    expenses:personal          $30.00+    liabilities++   As you can see, we have transactions in+'expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and 'expenses:personal:train+tickets', and since both of these accounts are without explicitly+defined budget, these transactions would be counted towards budgets of+'expenses:personal:electronics' and 'expenses:personal' accordingly:++$ hledger balance --budget -M+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] +-------------------------------++-------------------------------+                               ||        0 [                 0] ++   And with '--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation+and consumption:++$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                        ||                           Jan +========================================++===============================+ 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 $-1100.00] +----------------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                        ||        0 [                 0] +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Selecting budget goals,  Next: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.3 Selecting budget goals+................................++The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate+special "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each+account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting, you can use+'print --forecast' to show these as forecasted transactions:++$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated++   By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction+rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report+interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly+periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly+budget report.++   You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to+the '--budget' flag.  '--budget=DESCPAT' will match all periodic rules+whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+regular expression or query).  This means you can give your periodic+rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then+select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Selecting budget goals,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.4 Budget vs forecast+............................++'hledger --forecast ...' and 'hledger balance --budget ...' are separate+features, though both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined+in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions for+reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal+transactions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same+time if you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger+1.29:++   CLI:++   * -forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command+   * -budget is a 'balance' command option, usable only with that+     command.++   Visibility of generated transactions:++   * forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary+     transactions+   * budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts+     they produce in -budget reports.++   Periodic transaction rules:++   * -forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules+   * -budget uses all periodic rules ('--budget') or a selected subset+     ('--budget=DESCPAT')++   Period of generated transactions:++   * -forecast generates forecast transactions+        * from after the last regular transaction to the end of the+          report period ('--forecast')+        * or, during a specified period ('--forecast=PERIODEXPR')+        * possibly further restricted by a period specified in the+          periodic transaction rule+        * and always restricted within the bounds of the report period++   * -budget generates budget goal transactions+        * throughout the report period+        * possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic+          transaction rule.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Data layout,  Next: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Budget report,  Up: balance++23.6.15 Data layout+-------------------++The '--layout' option affects how balance reports show multi-commodity+amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can+also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has+four possible values:++   * '--layout=wide[,WIDTH]': commodities are shown on a single line,+     optionally elided to WIDTH+   * '--layout=tall': each commodity is shown on a separate line+   * '--layout=bare': commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts+     are bare numbers+   * '--layout=tidy': data is normalised to easily-consumed "tidy" form,+     with one row per data value++   Here are the '--layout' modes supported by each output format; note+only CSV output supports all of them:++-      txt   csv   html   json   sql+---------------------------------------+wide   Y     Y     Y+tall   Y     Y     Y+bare   Y     Y     Y+tidy         Y++   Examples:++   * Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total +     ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +     ------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT ++   * Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some+     commodities will be hidden:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total +     ==================++===========================================================================================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. ++   * Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in+     each column), and account names are repeated:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||       2012        2013         2014        Total +     ==================++==================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +      Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +      Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +      Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +      Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +     ------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +                       || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +                       ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +                       || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +                       ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT ++   * Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each+     commodity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total +     ==================++=============================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +      Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +     ------------------++---------------------------------------------+                       || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +                       || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +                       || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +                       || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +                       || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 ++   * Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing+     data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+     "account","commodity","balance"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"+     "total","GLD","70.00"+     "total","ITOT","17.00"+     "total","USD","5120.50"+     "total","VEA","36.00"+     "total","VHT","294.00"++   * Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable+     has its own column and each row represents a single data point.+     See+     https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html+     for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other software to+     consume.  Here's how it looks:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+     "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Data layout,  Up: balance++23.6.16 Useful balance reports+------------------------------++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 -H assets liabilities'+     Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.  Also+     available as the 'balancesheet' command.++   * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities equity'+     Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.+     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.++   Also:++   * 'bal -M expenses -2 -SA'+     Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average+     amount.++   * 'bal -M --budget expenses'+     Show monthly expenses and budget goals.++   * 'bal -M --valuechange investments'+     Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.++   * 'bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA+     [--invert]'+     Show top gainers [or losers] last week+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheet,  Next: balancesheetequity,  Prev: balance,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.7 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+sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash' or+'Liability' type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are+declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset' or 'liability' (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger balancesheet+Balance Sheet++Assets:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with+smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their sign+flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheetequity,  Next: cashflow,  Prev: balancesheet,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.8 balancesheetequity+=======================++(bse)++   This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending+balances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown+with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash',+'Liability' or 'Equity' type (see account types).  Or if no such+accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset',+'liability' or 'equity' (case insensitive, plurals allowed) and their+subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger balancesheetequity+Balance Sheet With Equity++Assets:+                 $-2  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-3    cash+--------------------+                 $-2++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Equity:+          $1  equity:owner+--------------------+          $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but+with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with+their sign flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: cashflow,  Next: check,  Prev: balancesheetequity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.9 cashflow+=============++(cf)++   This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and+outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid, easily convertible) assets.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Cash' type (see account+types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts++   * under a top-level account named 'asset' (case insensitive, plural+     allowed)+   * whose name contains some variation of 'cash', 'bank', 'checking' or+     'saving'.++   More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular+expression:++   '^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)'++   and their subaccounts.++   An example cashflow report:++$ hledger cashflow+Cashflow Statement++Cash flows:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Total:+--------------------+                 $-1++   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+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'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: check,  Next: close,  Prev: cashflow,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.10 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+argument(s).++   Some examples:++hledger check      # basic checks+hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks++   If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to+run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.++   Here are the checks currently available:++* Menu:++* Basic checks::+* Strict checks::+* Other checks::+* Custom checks::+* More about specific checks::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic checks,  Next: Strict checks,  Up: check++23.10.1 Basic checks+--------------------++These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger+commands, including 'check':++   * *parseable* - data files are well-formed and can be successfully+     parsed++   * *balancedwithautoconversion* - all transactions are balanced,+     inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting+     commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs++   * *assertions* - all balance assertions in the journal are passing.+     (This check can be disabled with '-I'/'--ignore-assertions'.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict checks,  Next: Other checks,  Prev: Basic checks,  Up: check++23.10.2 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':++   * *accounts* - all account names used by transactions have been+     declared++   * *commodities* - all commodity symbols used have been declared++   * *balancednoautoconversion* - transactions are balanced, possibly+     using explicit costs but not inferred ones+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other checks,  Next: Custom checks,  Prev: Strict checks,  Up: check++23.10.3 Other checks+--------------------++These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to+'check'.  They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone,+therefore optional:++   * *ordereddates* - transactions are ordered by date within each file++   * *payees* - all payees used by transactions have been declared++   * *recentassertions* - all accounts with balance assertions have a+     balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting++   * *tags* - all tags used by transactions have been declared++   * *uniqueleafnames* - all account leaf names are unique+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom checks,  Next: More about specific checks,  Prev: Other checks,  Up: check++23.10.4 Custom checks+---------------------++A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:++   * *hledger-check-tagfiles* - all tag values containing / (a forward+     slash) exist as file paths++   * *hledger-check-fancyassertions* - more complex balance assertions+     are passing++   You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.+See: Cookbook -> Scripting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More about specific checks,  Prev: Custom checks,  Up: check++23.10.5 More about specific checks+----------------------------------++'hledger check recentassertions' will complain if any balance-asserted+account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its+latest posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where you are+regularly updating your journal, but forgetting to check your balances+against the real world, then one day must dig back through months of+data to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion+requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not be+true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that+case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use the+manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest+assertions against real-world balances.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: close,  Next: codes,  Prev: check,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.11 close+===========++(equity)++   Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from+another account (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating+balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity at+end of accounting period.++   By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts+(asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be+configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.++   _(experimental)_++   This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common+use cases:++  1. With '--close' (default), it prints a "closing balances"+     transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts+     by default (this requires account types to be inferred or+     declared); or, the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY+     arguments.++  2. With '--open', it prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction+     that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to+     Ledger's equity command.++  3. With '--migrate', it prints both the closing and opening+     transactions.  This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a+     new file: run 'hledger close --migrate', add the closing+     transaction at the end of the old file, and add the opening+     transaction at the start of the new file.  The matching+     closing/opening transactions cancel each other out, preserving+     correct balances during multi-file reporting.++  4. With '--retain', it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that+     transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to 'equity:retained+     earnings'.  Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each+     accounting period; it is less necessary with computer-based+     accounting, but it could still be useful if you want to see the+     accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.++   In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:++   * the transaction descriptions can be changed with+     '--close-desc=DESC' and '--open-desc=DESC'+   * the account to transfer to/from can be changed with+     '--close-acct=ACCT' and '--open-acct=ACCT'+   * the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with 'ACCTQUERY'+     (account query arguments).+   * the closing/opening dates can be changed with '-e DATE' (a report+     end date)++   By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+amount left implicit.  With '--x/--explicit', the amount will be shown+explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting+will be generated for each of them (similar to 'print -x').++   With '--show-costs', any amount costs are shown, with separate+postings for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view+investment lots.  If you have many currency conversion or investment+transactions, it can generate very large journal entries.++   With '--interleaved', each individual transfer is shown with source+and destination postings next to each other.  This could be useful for+troubleshooting.++   The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date,+whichever is later.  You can change this by specifying a report end date+with '-e'.  The last day of the report period will be the closing date,+eg '-e 2024' means "close on 2023-12-31".  The opening date is always+the day after the closing date.++* Menu:++* close and balance assertions::+* Example retain earnings::+* Example migrate balances to a new file::+* Example excluding closing/opening transactions::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: close and balance assertions,  Next: Example retain earnings,  Up: close++23.11.1 close and balance assertions+------------------------------------++Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if+there is an opening transaction).++   These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them+temporarily with '-I', or remove them if you prefer.++   You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or+realness ('-C', '-R', 'status:'), or generating postings ('--auto'),+with this command, since the balance assertions would depend on these.++   Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the+balance assertions:++2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02++   To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary+account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two+single-day transactions:++; in 2022.journal:+2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    equity:pending        -5++; in 2023.journal:+2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared+    equity:pending         5 = 0+    assets:bank:checking  -5+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example retain earnings,  Next: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Prev: close and balance assertions,  Up: close++23.11.2 Example: retain earnings+--------------------------------++Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,+appending the generated transaction to the journal:++$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal++   Note 2022's income statement will now show only zeroes, because+revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.  To see them+again, you could exclude the retain transaction:++$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Next: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example retain earnings,  Up: close++23.11.3 Example: migrate balances to a new file+-----------------------------------------------++Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on+2023-01-01:++$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal++   Now 2022's balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced+accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@ notation - in that+case, try adding -infer-equity.)  To see the end-of-year balances again,+you could exclude the closing transaction:++$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Up: close++23.11.4 Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+-------------------------------------------------------++When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening+transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like+'print' and 'register'.  You can exclude them as shown above, but+'not:desc:...' is not ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions;+also you will want to avoid excluding the very first opening+transaction, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using+tags:++   Add 'clopen:' tags to all opening/closing balances transactions+except the first, like this:++; 2021.journal+2021-06-01 first opening balances+...+2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+...++; 2022.journal+2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+...+2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+...++; 2023.journal+2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+...++   Now, assuming a combined journal like:++; all.journal+include 2021.journal+include 2022.journal+include 2023.journal++   The 'clopen:' tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.+To show a clean multi-year checking register:++$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen++   And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end+balance sheet:++$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023+++File: hledger.info,  Node: codes,  Next: commodities,  Prev: close,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.12 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+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 printed as blank lines.++   You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.++   Examples:++2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   + Food       $5.00+ Checking    ++2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+ Postage    $8.32+ Checking++2022/1/3 Supermarket+ Food      $11.23+ Checking ++2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+ Postage    $3.21+ Checking++$ hledger codes+123+124+126++$ hledger codes -E+123+124++126+++File: hledger.info,  Node: commodities,  Next: demo,  Prev: codes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.13 commodities+=================++List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: demo,  Next: descriptions,  Prev: commodities,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.14 demo+==========++Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.++   Run this command with no argument to list the demos.  To play a demo,+write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.  Tips:++   Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.++   Use the -s/-speed SPEED option to set your preferred playback speed,+eg '-s4' to play at 4x original speed or '-s.5' to play at half speed.+The default speed is 2x.++   Other asciinema options can be added following a double dash, eg '--+-i.1' to limit pauses or '-- -h' to list asciinema's other options.++   During playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause,+.  to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.++   Examples:++$ hledger demo               # list available demos+$ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+$ hledger demo install -s4   # play the "install" demo at 4x speed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: descriptions,  Next: diff,  Prev: demo,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.15 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+subset of transactions.++   Example:++$ hledger descriptions+Store Name+Gas Station | Petrol+Person A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: diff,  Next: files,  Prev: descriptions,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.16 diff+==========++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.++   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 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 +These transactions are in the first file only:++2014/01/01 Opening Balances+    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+    ...+    equity:opening balances       EUR -...++These transactions are in the second file only:+++File: hledger.info,  Node: files,  Next: help,  Prev: diff,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.17 files+===========++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: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.18 help+==========++Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with 'info', 'man', or a+pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.  TOPIC+can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case insensitive.+Eg: 'commands', 'print', 'forecast', 'journal', 'amount', '"auto+postings"'.++   This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger+version.  It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal+to a web browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing+tools are not installed on your system.++   By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+order): 'info', 'man', '$PAGER', 'less', 'more'.  You can force the use+of info, man, or a pager with the '-i', '-m', or '-p' flags, If no+viewer can be found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just+prints the manual to stdout.++   If using 'info', note that version 6 or greater is needed for TOPIC+lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should+consider installing a newer version, eg with 'brew install texinfo'+(#1770).++   Examples++$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: import,  Next: incomestatement,  Prev: help,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.19 import+============++Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to+the journal.  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.++   This command may append new transactions to the main journal file+(which should be in journal format).  Existing transactions are not+changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the+journal file (see also 'add').++   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,+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.++* Menu:++* Deduplication::+* Import testing::+* Importing balance assignments::+* Commodity display styles::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplication,  Next: Import testing,  Up: import++23.19.1 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.)++   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+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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Import testing,  Next: Importing balance assignments,  Prev: Deduplication,  Up: import++23.19.2 Import testing+----------------------++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+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'++   Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently+possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the+actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving+them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To+prevent this, do a -dry-run first and fix any problems before the real+import.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Importing balance assignments,  Next: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Import testing,  Up: import++23.19.3 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+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:++$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE++   (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,+please test it and send a pull request.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Importing balance assignments,  Up: import++23.19.4 Commodity display styles+--------------------------------++Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: incomestatement,  Next: notes,  Prev: import,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.20 incomestatement+=====================++(is)++   This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and+expenses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal+positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Revenue' or 'Expense'+type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows+top-level accounts named 'revenue' or 'income' or 'expense' (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger incomestatement+Income Statement++Revenues:+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+--------------------+                 $-2++Expenses:+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+--------------------+                  $2++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but+with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their+sign flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: notes,  Next: payees,  Prev: incomestatement,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.21 notes+===========++List the unique notes that appear in transactions.++   This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in+alphabetic order.  You can add a query to select a subset of+transactions.  The note is the part of the transaction description after+a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description).++   Example:++$ hledger notes+Petrol+Snacks+++File: hledger.info,  Node: payees,  Next: prices,  Prev: notes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.22 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+(-used), or both (the default).++   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+implies -used.++   Example:++$ hledger payees+Store Name+Gas Station+Person A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: prices,  Next: print,  Prev: payees,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.23 prices+============++Print market price directives from the journal.  With+-infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from costs.+With -infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting+known prices.  Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts are+displayed with their full precision.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: print,  Next: register,  Prev: prices,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.24 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).++   Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg+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.)++   Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not+across all transactions).++   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+directives and file-level comments.++   Eg:++$ hledger print+2008/01/01 income+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:salary                  $-1++2008/06/01 gift+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:gifts                   $-1++2008/06/02 save+    assets:bank:saving              $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++2008/06/03 * eat & shop+    expenses:food                $1+    expenses:supplies            $1+    assets:cash                 $-2++2008/12/31 * pay off+    liabilities:debts               $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++   print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can+process it again with a second hledger command.  This can be useful for+certain kinds of search, eg:++# Show running total of food expenses paid from cash.+# -f- reads from stdin. -I/--ignore-assertions is sometimes needed.+$ hledger print assets:cash | hledger -f- -I reg expenses:food++   There are some situations where print's output can become+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.+   * Account aliases can generate bad account names.++   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 cost is implied but+not written, it will not appear in the output.  You can use the+'-x'/'--explicit' flag to make all amounts and costs 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 the output parseable.++   With '-B'/'--cost', amounts with costs are converted to cost using+that price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.++   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', print does a fuzzy search for one+recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC+should contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough+match, no transaction will be shown and the program exit code will be+non-zero.++   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'.++   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","$","","1","",""+"1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""+"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""+"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""+"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""+"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""+"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","1","",""+"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""++   * There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's+     fields repeated.+   * The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong+     to the same transaction.  (This number might change if transactions+     are reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a+     different order, etc.)+   * The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount"+     (numeric quantity) fields.+   * The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit"+     column, for convenience.  (Those names are not accurate in the+     accounting sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and+     zero or greater amounts under debit.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: register,  Next: rewrite,  Prev: print,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.25 register+==============++(reg)++   Show postings and their running total.++   The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts,+in date order, with their running total or running historical balance.+(See also the 'aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a+specific account.)++   register normally shows line per posting, but note that+multi-commodity amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per+commodity).++   It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to+see that account's activity:++$ hledger register checking+2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1+2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2+2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1+2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0++   With '--date2', it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.++   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+'--align-all' flag.++   The '--historical'/'-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed+prior postings to the running total.  This is useful when you want to+see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance:++$ 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           $-1            0++   The '--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail+displayed.++   The '--average'/'-A' flag shows the running average posting amount+instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the+average for the whole report period).  This flag implies '--empty' (see+below).  It is affected by '--historical'.  It works best when showing+just one account and one commodity.++   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the+transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.++   The '--invert' flag negates all amounts.  For example, it can be used+on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative+numbers.  It's also useful to show postings on the checking account+together with the related account:++$ 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          $-2++   Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount,+are not shown by default; use the '--empty'/'-E' flag to see them:++$ hledger register --monthly income -E+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/02                                                          0          $-1+2008/03                                                          0          $-1+2008/04                                                          0          $-1+2008/05                                                          0          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+2008/07                                                          0          $-2+2008/08                                                          0          $-2+2008/09                                                          0          $-2+2008/10                                                          0          $-2+2008/11                                                          0          $-2+2008/12                                                          0          $-2++   Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The '--depth'+option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:++$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0+2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1++   Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates+these will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of+intervals.  This ensures that the first and last intervals are full+length and comparable to the others in the report.++   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', register does a fuzzy search for one+recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC should+contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,+no posting will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.++* Menu:++* Custom register output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom register output,  Up: register++23.25.1 Custom register output+------------------------------++register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.+You can override this by setting the 'COLUMNS' environment variable (not+a bash shell variable) or by using the '--width'/'-w' option.++   The description and account columns normally share the space equally+(about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a+description width as part of -width's argument, comma-separated:+'--width W,D' .  Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help):++<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->+date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)+DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA++   and some examples:++$ 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+$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40+$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite,  Next: roi,  Prev: register,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.26 rewrite+=============++Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.+For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print+-auto.++   This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries.  It+reads the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but+adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY.+The posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing+transaction's first posting amount.++   Examples:++$ 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+  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery++   Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the+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+commodity.++* Menu:++* Re-write rules in a file::+* Diff output format::+* rewrite vs print --auto::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Re-write rules in a file,  Next: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite++23.26.1 Re-write rules in a file+--------------------------------++During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transactions"+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++= expenses:gifts+    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.++$ 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+postings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Diff output format,  Next: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Re-write rules in a file,  Up: rewrite++23.26.2 Diff output format+--------------------------++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 @@+ 2008/01/01 income+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:salary++    (liabilities:tax)                0+@@ -22,3 +23,4 @@+ 2008/06/01 gift+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     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+multiple 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 from 'hledger print'.++   See also:++   https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99+++File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite++23.26.3 rewrite vs. print -auto+-------------------------------++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+     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.++   * 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: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.27 roi+=========++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'.++   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+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).++   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+     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.++   Examples:++   * Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:+     https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger++   * Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html++* Menu:++* Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl::+* Semantics of --inv and --pnl::+* IRR and TWR explained::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Next: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.1 Spaces and special characters in '--inv' and+----------------------------------------------------++'--pnl' Note that '--inv' and '--pnl''s argument is a query, and queries+could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).++   To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument,+you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):++$ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'++   If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+level of nested quoting, eg:++$ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Next: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.2 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.++   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:++     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+"profit and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment+return.++   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++2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+  snake oil                    ; investment posting++2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting+++File: hledger.info,  Node: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.3 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.++   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+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.++   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.++   If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as+transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unrealized+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+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+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,+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+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.++   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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: stats,  Next: tags,  Prev: roi,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.28 stats+===========++Show journal and performance 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.++   At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and+number of transactions processed per second.  Note these are approximate+and will vary based on machine, current load, data size, hledger+version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of+interest.  The 'stats' command's run time is similar to that of a+single-column balance report.++   Example:++$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 1000+Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+Market prices            : 1000 (A)++Run time                 : 0.12 s+Throughput               : 8342 txns/s++   This command supports the -o/-output-file option (but not+-O/-output-format selection).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: tags,  Next: test,  Prev: stats,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.29 tags+==========++List the tags used in the journal, or their values.++   This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on+transactions, postings, or account declarations.++   With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular+expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.++   With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this+query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,+desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions+and their accounts.++   With the -values flag, the tags' unique non-empty values are listed+instead.  With -E/-empty, blank/empty values are also shown.++   With -parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations are+always shown first.)++   Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents,+postings also acquire tags from their account and transaction,+transactions also acquire tags from their postings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: test,  Prev: tags,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.30 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.++   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+- (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).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Up: Top++24 PART 5: COMMON TASKS+***********************++Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.++* Menu:++* Getting help::+* Constructing command lines::+* Starting a journal file::+* Setting LEDGER_FILE::+* Setting opening balances::+* Recording transactions::+* Reconciling::+* Reporting::+* Migrating to a new file::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Getting help,  Next: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.1 Getting help+=================++Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:++$ hledger                # show available commands+$ hledger --help         # show common options+$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation++   You can also view your hledger version's manual in several formats by+using the help command.  Eg:++$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command++   To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit+https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list support and discussion archives+can be found at https://hledger.org/support.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Constructing command lines,  Next: Starting a journal file,  Prev: Getting help,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.2 Constructing command lines+===============================++hledger has a flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it+simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the sharp edges+described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:++   * command-specific options must go after the command (it's fine to+     put common options there too: 'hledger CMD OPTS ARGS')+   * running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing+     ('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 line is being parsed, add+     '--debug=2'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Starting a journal file,  Next: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Prev: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.3 Starting a journal file+============================++hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,+'$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default:++$ 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 (see below).  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+$ git init+Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+$ touch 2023.journal+$ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal" >> ~/.profile+$ source ~/.profile+$ hledger stats+Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+Last transaction         : none+Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 0+Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+Commodities              : 0 ()+Market prices            : 0 ()+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Next: Setting opening balances,  Prev: Starting a journal file,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.4 Setting LEDGER_FILE+========================++How to set 'LEDGER_FILE' permanently depends on your setup:++   On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will work for+many people; adapt as needed:++$ echo 'export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/2023.journal` >> ~/.profile+$ source ~/.profile++   When correctly configured, in a new terminal window 'env | grep+LEDGER_FILE' will show your file, and so will 'hledger files'.++   On mac, this additional step might be helpful for GUI applications+(like Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to+'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' like++{+  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/2023.journal"+}++   and then run 'killall Dock' in a terminal window (or restart the+machine).++   On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or+try running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if it+persists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):++> CD+> MKDIR finance+> SETX LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\USERNAME\finance\2023.journal"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting opening balances,  Next: Recording transactions,  Prev: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.5 Setting opening balances+=============================++Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some+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+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:++   * The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an+     entry like this:++     2023-01-01 * opening balances+         assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+         assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+         assets:cash                          $100   = $100+         liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+         equity:opening/closing balances++     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+     "cleared & confirmed".++     The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as+     you'll be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.++     The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra+     error checking.++   * 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/2023.journal+     Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+     Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+     An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+     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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+     Description: * opening balances+     Account 1: assets:bank:checking+     Amount  1: $1000+     Account 2: assets:bank:savings+     Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+     Account 3: assets:cash+     Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+     Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+     Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+     Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+     Amount  5 [$-3050]: +     Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+     2023-01-01 * opening balances+         assets:bank:checking                      $1000+         assets:bank:savings                       $2000+         assets:cash                                $100+         liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+         equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050+     +     Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: +     Saved.+     Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+     Date [2023-01-01]: .++   If you're using version control, this could be a good time to commit+the journal.  Eg:++$ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2023.journal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Recording transactions,  Next: Reconciling,  Prev: Setting opening balances,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.6 Recording transactions+===========================++As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the+hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.++   Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual+and hledger.org for more ideas:++2023/1/10 * gift received+  assets:cash   $20+  income:gifts++2023.1.12 * farmers market+  expenses:food    $13+  assets:cash++2023-01-15 paycheck+  income:salary+  assets:bank:checking    $1000+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reconciling,  Next: Reporting,  Prev: Recording transactions,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.7 Reconciling+================++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+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+     can't explain the missing $2, it could be:++     2023-01-16 * adjust cash+         assets:cash    $-2 = $105+         expenses:misc++  2. Reconcile checking.  Log in to your bank's website.  Compare+     today's (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance ('hledger+     bal checking -C').  If they are different, track down the error or+     record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment transaction,+     similar to the above.  Unlike the cash case, you can usually+     compare the transaction history and running balance from your bank+     with the one reported by 'hledger reg checking -C'.  This will be+     easier if you generally record transaction dates quite similar to+     your bank's clearing dates.++  3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.++   Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a+live-updating register while you edit the journal: 'hledger-ui --watch+--register checking -C'++   After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled+transactions' status as "cleared and confirmed", if you want to track+that, by adding the '*' marker.  Eg in the paycheck transaction above,+insert '*' between '2023-01-15' and 'paycheck'++   If you're using version control, this can be another good time to+commit:++$ git commit -m 'txns' 2023.journal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reporting,  Next: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reconciling,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.8 Reporting+==============++Here are some basic reports.++   Show all transactions:++$ hledger print+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++2023-01-10 * gift received+    assets:cash              $20+    income:gifts++2023-01-12 * farmers market+    expenses:food             $13+    assets:cash++2023-01-15 * paycheck+    income:salary+    assets:bank:checking           $1000++2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash               $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc++   Show account names, and their hierarchy:++$ hledger accounts --tree+assets+  bank+    checking+    savings+  cash+equity+  opening/closing balances+expenses+  food+  misc+income+  gifts+  salary+liabilities+  creditcard++   Show all account totals:++$ hledger balance+               $4105  assets+               $4000    bank+               $2000      checking+               $2000      savings+                $105    cash+              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                 $15  expenses+                 $13    food+                  $2    misc+              $-1020  income+                $-20    gifts+              $-1000    salary+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+                   0++   Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to+depth 2:++$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+               $4000  assets:bank+                $105  assets:cash+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+               $4055++   Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+balance sheet:++$ hledger bs -2+Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                        || 2023-01-16 +========================++============+ Assets                 ||            +------------------------++------------+ assets:bank            ||      $4000 + assets:cash            ||       $105 +------------------------++------------+                        ||      $4105 +========================++============+ Liabilities            ||            +------------------------++------------+ liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 +------------------------++------------+                        ||        $50 +========================++============+ Net:                   ||      $4055 ++   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 +Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++               || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16 +===============++=======================+ Revenues      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ income:gifts  ||                   $20 + income:salary ||                 $1000 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                 $1020 +===============++=======================+ Expenses      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ expenses:food ||                   $13 + expenses:misc ||                    $2 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                   $15 +===============++=======================+ Net:          ||                 $1005 ++   The final total is your net income during this period.++   Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:++$ hledger register cash+2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105++   Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:++$ hledger activity -W+2019-12-30 *****+2023-01-06 ****+2023-01-13 ****+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reporting,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.9 Migrating to a new file+============================++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+close command.++   If using version control, don't forget to 'git add' the new file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Up: Top++25 BUGS+*******++We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support).++   Some known issues and limitations:++   The need to precede add-on command options with '--' when invoked+from hledger is awkward.  (See Command options, Constructing command+lines.)++   A UTF-8-aware system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+data.  (See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)++   On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD+window or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger,+non-ascii characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key+may not be supported by 'hledger add'.  (Running in a WSL window should+resolve these.)++   When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than+Ledger.++* Menu:++* Troubleshooting::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Troubleshooting,  Up: BUGS++25.1 Troubleshooting+====================++Here are some common issues you might encounter when you run hledger,+and how to resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+Support):++   *PATH issues: I get an error like "No command 'hledger' found"*+Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+shell's PATH. Eg on unix systems, stack installs hledger in+'~/.local/bin' and cabal installs it in '~/.cabal/bin'.  You may need to+add one of these directories to your shell's PATH, and/or open a new+terminal window.++   *LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is not+using it*++   * 'LEDGER_FILE' should be a real environment variable, not just a+     shell variable.  Eg on unix, the command 'env | grep LEDGER_FILE'+     should show it.  You may need to use 'export' (see+     https://stackoverflow.com/a/7411509).+   * You may need to force your shell to see the new configuration.  A+     simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.++   *LANG issues: I get 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+the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail when they+encounter non-ascii characters.  To fix it, set the LANG environment+variable to a locale which supports UTF-8 and which is installed on your+system.++   On unix, 'locale -a' lists the installed locales.  Look for one which+mentions 'utf8', 'UTF-8' or similar.  Some examples: 'C.UTF-8',+'en_US.utf-8', 'fr_FR.utf8'.  If necessary, use your system package+manager to install one.  Then select it by setting the 'LANG'+environment variable.  Note, exact spelling and capitalisation of the+locale name may be important: Here's one common way to configure this+permanently for your shell:++$ echo "export LANG=en_US.utf8" >>~/.profile+# close and re-open terminal window++   *COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger file*+Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax or feature set is supported.+See hledger and Ledger for full details.+++Tag Table:+Node: Top210+Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE3779+Ref: #part-1-user-interface3918+Node: Input3918+Ref: #input4028+Node: Data formats4977+Ref: #data-formats5090+Node: Standard input6523+Ref: #standard-input6663+Node: Multiple files6890+Ref: #multiple-files7029+Node: Strict mode7627+Ref: #strict-mode7737+Node: Commands8461+Ref: #commands8563+Node: Add-on commands9630+Ref: #add-on-commands9732+Node: Options10848+Ref: #options10960+Node: General help options11288+Ref: #general-help-options11434+Node: General input options11716+Ref: #general-input-options11898+Node: General reporting options12600+Ref: #general-reporting-options12761+Node: Command line tips16151+Ref: #command-line-tips16281+Node: Special characters16518+Ref: #special-characters16665+Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters16828+Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters17069+Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters17672+Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters17983+Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands18509+Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands18769+Node: Less escaping19413+Ref: #less-escaping19567+Node: Unicode characters19891+Ref: #unicode-characters20066+Node: Regular expressions21478+Ref: #regular-expressions21651+Node: Argument files23395+Ref: #argument-files23531+Node: Output24028+Ref: #output24140+Node: Output destination24267+Ref: #output-destination24398+Node: Output format24823+Ref: #output-format24969+Node: CSV output26507+Ref: #csv-output26623+Node: HTML output26726+Ref: #html-output26864+Node: JSON output26958+Ref: #json-output27096+Node: SQL output28018+Ref: #sql-output28134+Node: Commodity styles28869+Ref: #commodity-styles29009+Node: Colour29608+Ref: #colour29726+Node: Box-drawing30130+Ref: #box-drawing30248+Node: Paging30538+Ref: #paging30652+Node: Debug output31605+Ref: #debug-output31711+Node: Environment32374+Ref: #environment32498+Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS33042+Ref: #part-2-data-formats33185+Node: Journal33185+Ref: #journal33294+Node: Journal cheatsheet33951+Ref: #journal-cheatsheet34090+Node: About journal format38075+Ref: #about-journal-format38235+Node: Comments39851+Ref: #comments39981+Node: Transactions40797+Ref: #transactions40920+Node: Dates41934+Ref: #dates42041+Node: Simple dates42086+Ref: #simple-dates42202+Node: Posting dates42702+Ref: #posting-dates42820+Node: Status43789+Ref: #status43890+Node: Code45598+Ref: #code45701+Node: Description45933+Ref: #description46064+Node: Payee and note46384+Ref: #payee-and-note46490+Node: Transaction comments46825+Ref: #transaction-comments46978+Node: Postings47341+Ref: #postings47474+Node: Account names48469+Ref: #account-names48599+Node: Amounts50273+Ref: #amounts50388+Node: Decimal marks digit group marks51373+Ref: #decimal-marks-digit-group-marks51548+Node: Commodity52562+Ref: #commodity52749+Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display53701+Ref: #directives-influencing-number-parsing-and-display53960+Node: Commodity display style54412+Ref: #commodity-display-style54618+Node: Rounding56787+Ref: #rounding56905+Node: Costs57204+Ref: #costs57320+Node: Other cost/lot notations59518+Ref: #other-costlot-notations59650+Node: Balance assertions62239+Ref: #balance-assertions62390+Node: Assertions and ordering63473+Ref: #assertions-and-ordering63662+Node: Assertions and multiple included files64362+Ref: #assertions-and-multiple-included-files64622+Node: Assertions and multiple -f files65122+Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-files65373+Node: Assertions and commodities65770+Ref: #assertions-and-commodities65992+Node: Assertions and prices67172+Ref: #assertions-and-prices67378+Node: Assertions and subaccounts67805+Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts68026+Node: Assertions and virtual postings68350+Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings68588+Node: Assertions and auto postings68720+Ref: #assertions-and-auto-postings68950+Node: Assertions and precision69595+Ref: #assertions-and-precision69777+Node: Posting comments70044+Ref: #posting-comments70190+Node: Tags70567+Ref: #tags70681+Node: Tag values71874+Ref: #tag-values71963+Node: Directives72722+Ref: #directives72849+Node: Directives and multiple files74179+Ref: #directives-and-multiple-files74357+Node: Directive effects75124+Ref: #directive-effects75278+Node: account directive78291+Ref: #account-directive78447+Node: Account comments79845+Ref: #account-comments79995+Node: Account subdirectives80503+Ref: #account-subdirectives80694+Node: Account error checking80836+Ref: #account-error-checking81034+Node: Account display order82223+Ref: #account-display-order82411+Node: Account types83512+Ref: #account-types83653+Node: alias directive87280+Ref: #alias-directive87441+Node: Basic aliases88491+Ref: #basic-aliases88622+Node: Regex aliases89366+Ref: #regex-aliases89523+Node: Combining aliases90413+Ref: #combining-aliases90591+Node: Aliases and multiple files91867+Ref: #aliases-and-multiple-files92071+Node: end aliases directive92650+Ref: #end-aliases-directive92869+Node: Aliases can generate bad account names93018+Ref: #aliases-can-generate-bad-account-names93266+Node: Aliases and account types93851+Ref: #aliases-and-account-types94043+Node: commodity directive94739+Ref: #commodity-directive94913+Node: Commodity error checking97487+Ref: #commodity-error-checking97633+Node: decimal-mark directive98148+Ref: #decimal-mark-directive98330+Node: include directive98727+Ref: #include-directive98891+Node: P directive99815+Ref: #p-directive99960+Node: payee directive100843+Ref: #payee-directive100992+Node: tag directive101308+Ref: #tag-directive101463+Node: Periodic transactions101931+Ref: #periodic-transactions102096+Node: Periodic rule syntax103802+Ref: #periodic-rule-syntax103980+Node: Periodic rules and relative dates104625+Ref: #periodic-rules-and-relative-dates104891+Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!105402+Ref: #two-spaces-between-period-expression-and-description105679+Node: Auto postings106363+Ref: #auto-postings106511+Node: Auto postings and multiple files108948+Ref: #auto-postings-and-multiple-files109112+Node: Auto postings and dates109513+Ref: #auto-postings-and-dates109761+Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions109936+Ref: #auto-postings-and-transaction-balancing-inferred-amounts-balance-assertions110292+Node: Auto posting tags110795+Ref: #auto-posting-tags111077+Node: Auto postings on forecast transactions only111713+Ref: #auto-postings-on-forecast-transactions-only111959+Node: Other syntax112206+Ref: #other-syntax112322+Node: Balance assignments112949+Ref: #balance-assignments113105+Node: Balance assignments and prices114435+Ref: #balance-assignments-and-prices114603+Node: Bracketed posting dates114814+Ref: #bracketed-posting-dates114998+Node: D directive115512+Ref: #d-directive115680+Node: apply account directive117280+Ref: #apply-account-directive117460+Node: Y directive118147+Ref: #y-directive118307+Node: Secondary dates119135+Ref: #secondary-dates119289+Node: Star comments120103+Ref: #star-comments120263+Node: Valuation expressions120795+Ref: #valuation-expressions120972+Node: Virtual postings121094+Ref: #virtual-postings121271+Node: Other Ledger directives122708+Ref: #other-ledger-directives122871+Node: CSV123437+Ref: #csv123530+Node: CSV rules cheatsheet125610+Ref: #csv-rules-cheatsheet125739+Node: source127537+Ref: #source127660+Node: separator128540+Ref: #separator128653+Node: skip129193+Ref: #skip129301+Node: date-format129845+Ref: #date-format129966+Node: timezone130690+Ref: #timezone130813+Node: newest-first131818+Ref: #newest-first131956+Node: intra-day-reversed132534+Ref: #intra-day-reversed132688+Node: decimal-mark133181+Ref: #decimal-mark133322+Node: fields list133661+Ref: #fields-list133800+Node: Field assignment135471+Ref: #field-assignment135615+Node: Field names136642+Ref: #field-names136773+Node: date field137976+Ref: #date-field138094+Node: date2 field138142+Ref: #date2-field138283+Node: status field138339+Ref: #status-field138482+Node: code field138531+Ref: #code-field138676+Node: description field138721+Ref: #description-field138881+Node: comment field138940+Ref: #comment-field139095+Node: account field139388+Ref: #account-field139538+Node: amount field140108+Ref: #amount-field140257+Node: currency field143633+Ref: #currency-field143786+Node: balance field144043+Ref: #balance-field144175+Node: if block144547+Ref: #if-block144668+Node: Matchers146076+Ref: #matchers146190+Node: if table147672+Ref: #if-table147794+Node: balance-type149216+Ref: #balance-type149345+Node: include150045+Ref: #include150172+Node: Working with CSV150616+Ref: #working-with-csv150763+Node: Rapid feedback151170+Ref: #rapid-feedback151303+Node: Valid CSV151755+Ref: #valid-csv151901+Node: File Extension152633+Ref: #file-extension152806+Node: Reading CSV from standard input153370+Ref: #reading-csv-from-standard-input153594+Node: Reading multiple CSV files153758+Ref: #reading-multiple-csv-files153989+Node: Reading files specified by rule154230+Ref: #reading-files-specified-by-rule154458+Node: Valid transactions155629+Ref: #valid-transactions155828+Node: Deduplicating importing156456+Ref: #deduplicating-importing156651+Node: Setting amounts157687+Ref: #setting-amounts157858+Node: Amount signs160323+Ref: #amount-signs160493+Node: Setting currency/commodity161390+Ref: #setting-currencycommodity161594+Node: Amount decimal places162768+Ref: #amount-decimal-places162974+Node: Referencing other fields163286+Ref: #referencing-other-fields163499+Node: How CSV rules are evaluated164396+Ref: #how-csv-rules-are-evaluated164613+Node: Well factored rules166066+Ref: #well-factored-rules166234+Node: CSV rules examples166558+Ref: #csv-rules-examples166693+Node: Bank of Ireland166758+Ref: #bank-of-ireland166895+Node: Coinbase168357+Ref: #coinbase168495+Node: Amazon169542+Ref: #amazon169667+Node: Paypal171386+Ref: #paypal171494+Node: Timeclock179138+Ref: #timeclock179243+Node: Timedot181421+Ref: #timedot181544+Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS186413+Ref: #part-3-reporting-concepts186577+Node: Time periods186577+Ref: #time-periods186711+Node: Report start & end date186829+Ref: #report-start-end-date186981+Node: Smart dates188640+Ref: #smart-dates188793+Node: Report intervals190661+Ref: #report-intervals190816+Node: Date adjustment191234+Ref: #date-adjustment191394+Node: Period expressions192245+Ref: #period-expressions192386+Node: Period expressions with a report interval194150+Ref: #period-expressions-with-a-report-interval194384+Node: More complex report intervals194598+Ref: #more-complex-report-intervals194843+Node: Multiple weekday intervals196644+Ref: #multiple-weekday-intervals196833+Node: Depth197655+Ref: #depth197757+Node: Queries198053+Ref: #queries198155+Node: Query types199064+Ref: #query-types199185+Node: Combining query terms202359+Ref: #combining-query-terms202536+Node: Queries and command options203804+Ref: #queries-and-command-options204003+Node: Queries and valuation204252+Ref: #queries-and-valuation204447+Node: Querying with account aliases204676+Ref: #querying-with-account-aliases204887+Node: Querying with cost or value205017+Ref: #querying-with-cost-or-value205194+Node: Pivoting205495+Ref: #pivoting205609+Node: Generating data207067+Ref: #generating-data207199+Node: Forecasting208782+Ref: #forecasting208907+Node: --forecast209438+Ref: #forecast209569+Node: Inspecting forecast transactions210615+Ref: #inspecting-forecast-transactions210817+Node: Forecast reports211947+Ref: #forecast-reports212120+Node: Forecast tags213056+Ref: #forecast-tags213216+Node: Forecast period in detail213676+Ref: #forecast-period-in-detail213870+Node: Forecast troubleshooting214764+Ref: #forecast-troubleshooting214932+Node: Budgeting215835+Ref: #budgeting215955+Node: Cost reporting216392+Ref: #cost-reporting216520+Node: -B Convert to cost217627+Ref: #b-convert-to-cost217783+Node: Equity conversion postings219175+Ref: #equity-conversion-postings219389+Node: Inferring equity postings from cost220280+Ref: #inferring-equity-postings-from-cost220529+Node: Inferring cost from equity postings221340+Ref: #inferring-cost-from-equity-postings221588+Node: When to infer cost/equity223355+Ref: #when-to-infer-costequity223573+Node: How to record conversions223969+Ref: #how-to-record-conversions224161+Node: Conversion with implicit cost224452+Ref: #conversion-with-implicit-cost224657+Node: Conversion with explicit cost225534+Ref: #conversion-with-explicit-cost225779+Node: Conversion with equity postings226196+Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings226465+Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost227284+Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings-and-explicit-cost227551+Node: Cost tips228013+Ref: #cost-tips228139+Node: Valuation228845+Ref: #valuation228969+Node: -V Value229743+Ref: #v-value229869+Node: -X Value in specified commodity230064+Ref: #x-value-in-specified-commodity230259+Node: Valuation date230408+Ref: #valuation-date230579+Node: Finding market price231016+Ref: #finding-market-price231221+Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions232391+Ref: #infer-market-prices-market-prices-from-transactions232667+Node: Valuation commodity235423+Ref: #valuation-commodity235636+Node: Simple valuation examples236849+Ref: #simple-valuation-examples237047+Node: --value Flexible valuation237706+Ref: #value-flexible-valuation237910+Node: More valuation examples239554+Ref: #more-valuation-examples239763+Node: Interaction of valuation and queries241762+Ref: #interaction-of-valuation-and-queries242003+Node: Effect of valuation on reports242475+Ref: #effect-of-valuation-on-reports242672+Node: PART 4 COMMANDS250369+Ref: #part-4-commands250512+Node: Commands overview250891+Ref: #commands-overview251025+Node: DATA ENTRY251204+Ref: #data-entry251328+Node: DATA CREATION251527+Ref: #data-creation251681+Node: DATA MANAGEMENT251799+Ref: #data-management251964+Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL252085+Ref: #reports-financial252260+Node: REPORTS VERSATILE252565+Ref: #reports-versatile252738+Node: REPORTS BASIC252991+Ref: #reports-basic253143+Node: HELP253652+Ref: #help253774+Node: ADD-ONS253884+Ref: #add-ons253990+Node: accounts254569+Ref: #accounts254702+Node: activity256589+Ref: #activity256708+Node: add257082+Ref: #add257192+Node: aregister260003+Ref: #aregister260124+Node: aregister and custom posting dates263012+Ref: #aregister-and-custom-posting-dates263178+Node: balance263730+Ref: #balance263856+Node: balance features264831+Ref: #balance-features264971+Node: Simple balance report266930+Ref: #simple-balance-report267115+Node: Balance report line format268740+Ref: #balance-report-line-format268942+Node: Filtered balance report271100+Ref: #filtered-balance-report271292+Node: List or tree mode271619+Ref: #list-or-tree-mode271787+Node: Depth limiting273132+Ref: #depth-limiting273298+Node: Dropping top-level accounts273899+Ref: #dropping-top-level-accounts274099+Node: Showing declared accounts274409+Ref: #showing-declared-accounts274608+Node: Sorting by amount275139+Ref: #sorting-by-amount275306+Node: Percentages275976+Ref: #percentages276135+Node: Multi-period balance report276683+Ref: #multi-period-balance-report276883+Node: Balance change end balance279158+Ref: #balance-change-end-balance279367+Node: Balance report types280795+Ref: #balance-report-types280976+Node: Calculation type281474+Ref: #calculation-type281629+Node: Accumulation type282178+Ref: #accumulation-type282358+Node: Valuation type283260+Ref: #valuation-type283448+Node: Combining balance report types284443+Ref: #combining-balance-report-types284637+Node: Budget report286475+Ref: #budget-report286627+Node: Budget report start date292281+Ref: #budget-report-start-date292459+Node: Budgets and subaccounts293791+Ref: #budgets-and-subaccounts293998+Node: Selecting budget goals297438+Ref: #selecting-budget-goals297637+Node: Budget vs forecast298672+Ref: #budget-vs-forecast298831+Node: Data layout300461+Ref: #data-layout300611+Node: Useful balance reports308506+Ref: #useful-balance-reports308656+Node: balancesheet309741+Ref: #balancesheet309886+Node: balancesheetequity311206+Ref: #balancesheetequity311364+Node: cashflow312753+Ref: #cashflow312884+Node: check314312+Ref: #check314426+Node: Basic checks315228+Ref: #basic-checks315348+Node: Strict checks315868+Ref: #strict-checks316011+Node: Other checks316434+Ref: #other-checks316576+Node: Custom checks317139+Ref: #custom-checks317296+Node: More about specific checks317713+Ref: #more-about-specific-checks317875+Node: close318603+Ref: #close318714+Node: close and balance assertions322179+Ref: #close-and-balance-assertions322357+Node: Example retain earnings323508+Ref: #example-retain-earnings323725+Node: Example migrate balances to a new file324157+Ref: #example-migrate-balances-to-a-new-file324422+Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions324998+Ref: #example-excluding-closingopening-transactions325247+Node: codes326465+Ref: #codes326582+Node: commodities327446+Ref: #commodities327574+Node: demo327644+Ref: #demo327765+Node: descriptions328681+Ref: #descriptions328811+Node: diff329102+Ref: #diff329217+Node: files330259+Ref: #files330368+Node: help330509+Ref: #help-1330618+Node: import331991+Ref: #import332114+Node: Deduplication333200+Ref: #deduplication333325+Node: Import testing335219+Ref: #import-testing335384+Node: Importing balance assignments336227+Ref: #importing-balance-assignments336433+Node: Commodity display styles337082+Ref: #commodity-display-styles337255+Node: incomestatement337384+Ref: #incomestatement337526+Node: notes338847+Ref: #notes338969+Node: payees339331+Ref: #payees339446+Node: prices339965+Ref: #prices340080+Node: print340378+Ref: #print340493+Node: register345831+Ref: #register345953+Node: Custom register output350984+Ref: #custom-register-output351115+Node: rewrite352452+Ref: #rewrite352570+Node: Re-write rules in a file354468+Ref: #re-write-rules-in-a-file354631+Node: Diff output format355780+Ref: #diff-output-format355963+Node: rewrite vs print --auto357055+Ref: #rewrite-vs.-print---auto357215+Node: roi357771+Ref: #roi357878+Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl359599+Ref: #spaces-and-special-characters-in---inv-and---pnl359839+Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl360327+Ref: #semantics-of---inv-and---pnl360566+Node: IRR and TWR explained362416+Ref: #irr-and-twr-explained362576+Node: stats365662+Ref: #stats365770+Node: tags367157+Ref: #tags-1367264+Node: test368273+Ref: #test368366+Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS369108+Ref: #part-5-common-tasks369254+Node: Getting help369552+Ref: #getting-help369693+Node: Constructing command lines370453+Ref: #constructing-command-lines370654+Node: Starting a journal file371311+Ref: #starting-a-journal-file371513+Node: Setting LEDGER_FILE372715+Ref: #setting-ledger_file372907+Node: Setting opening balances373864+Ref: #setting-opening-balances374065+Node: Recording transactions377206+Ref: #recording-transactions377395+Node: Reconciling377951+Ref: #reconciling378103+Node: Reporting380360+Ref: #reporting380509+Node: Migrating to a new file384494+Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file384651+Node: BUGS384950+Ref: #bugs385040+Node: Troubleshooting385919+Ref: #troubleshooting386019  End Tag Table
embeddedfiles/hledger.txt view
@@ -8,8692 +8,8854 @@  SYNOPSIS        hledger-       hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]-       hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]--INTRODUCTION-       hledger  is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with  ledger(1),  and  largely  interconvertible-       with beancount(1).--       This  manual  is  for hledger's command line interface, version 1.29.2.-       It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-       all  hledger  programs.  It might accidentally teach you some bookkeep--       ing/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in  here  to-       use  hledger productively, but when you have a question about function--       ality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip ahead  or-       skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual-       or man page on your system.  You can also get it  from  hledger  itself-       with-       hledger --man, hledger --info or hledger help [TOPIC].--       The  main  function  of  the  hledger  CLI  is to read plain text files-       describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a use--       ful  report  on  the  terminal  (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-       Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will  also  detect-       other hledger-* executables as extra subcommands.--       hledger  reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, time--       dot, or CSV format.  The default file is .hledger.journal in your  home-       directory;  this can be overridden with one or more -f FILE options, or-       the LEDGER_FILE environment variable.  hledger CLI can also  read  from-       stdin with -f-; more on that below.--       Here  is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one transac--       tion:--              2015-10-16 bought food-                expenses:food          $10-                assets:cash--       Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two  or  more-       accounts:  bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories, peo--       ple, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using : to  indi--       cate  subaccounts.   There  must be at least two spaces between account-       name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account  (debit),-       negatives  are  outflow  from it (credit).  (Some reports show revenue,-       liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a  result;-       this is normal.)--       hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can install-       other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more exten--       sive/efficient  changes,  use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM +-       vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode  are  some  good  choices  (see-       https://hledger.org/editors.html).--       To  get  started,  run hledger add and follow the prompts, or save some-       entries like the above in  $HOME/.hledger.journal,  then  try  commands-       like:-       hledger print -x-       hledger aregister assets-       hledger balance-       hledger balancesheet-       hledger incomestatement.-       Run  hledger  to  list  the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal-       file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON  TASKS.--PART 1: USER INTERFACE-Options-   General options-       To  see  general  usage  help, including general options which are sup--       ported by most hledger commands, run hledger -h.--       General help options:--       -h --help-              show general or COMMAND help--       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man--       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info--       --version-              show general or ADDONCMD version--       --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-              Conversion   rules  file  to  use  when  reading  CSV  (default:-              FILE.rules)--       --separator=CHAR-              Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')--       --alias=OLD=NEW-              rename accounts named OLD to NEW--       --anon anonymize accounts and payees--       --pivot FIELDNAME-              use some other field or tag for the account name--       -I --ignore-assertions-              disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-              assignments)--       -s --strict-              do  extra  error  checking  (check  that all posted accounts are-              declared)--       General reporting options:--       -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-              include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to fol--              lowing subperiod end when using a report interval)--       -D --daily-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by day--       -W --weekly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by week--       -M --monthly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by month--       -Q --quarterly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter--       -Y --yearly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by year--       -p --period=PERIODEXP-              set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at  once-              using period expressions syntax--       --date2-              match  the  secondary  date  instead (see command help for other-              effects)--       --today=DATE-              override  today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,   for-              tests/examples)--       -U --unmarked-              include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)--       -P --pending-              include only pending postings/txns--       -C --cleared-              include only cleared postings/txns--       -R --real-              include only non-virtual postings--       -NUM --depth=NUM-              hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep--       -E --empty-              show  items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-              hledger-ui/hledger-web)--       -B --cost-              convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time--       -V --market-              convert  amounts to their market value in default valuation com--              modities--       -X --exchange=COMM-              convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM--       --value-              convert amounts to cost or  market  value,  more  flexibly  than-              -B/-V/-X--       --infer-market-prices-              use  transaction  prices  (recorded  with @ or @@) as additional-              market prices, as if they were P directives--       --auto apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.--       --forecast-              generate future transactions from  periodic  transaction  rules,-              for  the  next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui,-              also make ordinary future transactions visible.--       --commodity-style-              Override the commodity style in the  output  for  the  specified-              commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.--       --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-              NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.--       --pretty[=WHEN]-              Show  prettier  output,  e.g.  using unicode box-drawing charac--              ters.  Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n',  'always',-              'never'  also  work).   If  you provide an argument you must use-              '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.--       When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the-       last one takes precedence.--       Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.--   Command options-       To  see  options  for  a particular command, including command-specific-       options, run: hledger COMMAND -h.--       Command-specific options must be written after the  command  name,  eg:-       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.--   Command arguments-       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 ---       @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  noth--       ing).  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:--              -X"$"--       Good:--              -X$--       See also: Save frequently used options.--   Special characters-   Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-       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  dou--       ble  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--       Windows users should keep in mind that cmd treats  single  quote  as  a-       regular  character,  so  you should be using double quotes exclusively.-       PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.--   Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)-       Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) -  such-       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 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:--              $ hledger balance cur:'\$'--       or:--              $ hledger balance cur:\\$--   Triple escaping (for add-on commands)-       When you use hledger to  run  an  external  add-on  command  (described-       below),  one  level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or argu--       ments 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):--              $ hledger ui cur:'\\$'--       or:--              $ hledger ui cur:\\\\$--       If you wondered why four backslashes, perhaps this helps:---       unescaped:        $-       escaped:          \$-       double-escaped:   \\$-       triple-escaped:   \\\\$--       Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the  add-on  executable-       directly:--              $ hledger-ui cur:\\$--   Less escaping-       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:--       o an @argumentfile--       o hledger-ui's filter field--       o hledger-web's search form--       o GHCI's prompt (used by developers).--   Unicode characters-       hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:--       o they  should  be  parsed  correctly in input files and on the command-         line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's  search/add/edit-         forms, etc.)--       o 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:--       o 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  Trou--         bleshooting.   This step is essential - without it, hledger will quit-         on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all GHC-compiled  pro--         grams).--       o your  terminal  software  (eg  Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-         must support unicode--       o the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode-         glyphs--       o the  terminal should be configured to display wide characters as dou--         ble width (for report alignment)--       o 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 stan--         dard 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).--   Regular expressions-       hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:--       o query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search  form:-         REGEX, desc:REGEX, cur:REGEX, tag:...=REGEX--       o CSV rules conditional blocks: if REGEX ...--       o account  alias directive and --alias option: alias /REGEX/ = REPLACE--         MENT, --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  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.--       Some things to note:--       o In  the  alias directive and --alias option, regular expressions must-         be enclosed in forward  slashes  (/REGEX/).   Elsewhere  in  hledger,-         these are not required.--       o 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:\$.--       o On  the command line, some metacharacters like $ have a special mean--         ing to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.  See Spe--         cial characters.--Environment-       LEDGER_FILE The journal file path when not specified with -f.--       On unix computers, the default value is: ~/.hledger.journal.--       A  more  typical  value is something like ~/finance/YYYY.journal, where-       ~/finance is a version-controlled finance directory  and  YYYY  is  the-       current  year.  Or, ~/finance/current.journal, where current.journal is-       a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--       The usual way to set this permanently is to add a  command  to  one  of-       your shell's startup files (eg ~/.profile):--              export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--       On  some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-       variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-       Emacs started from a dock icon): In ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist, add an-       entry like:--              {-                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-              }--       For this to take effect you might need to killall Dock, or reboot.--       On Windows computers, the  default  value  is  probably  C:\Users\YOUR--       NAME\.hledger.journal.   You  can change this by running a command like-       this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be an  Adminis--       trator, and if this persists across a reboot):--              > setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--       Or,   change   it   in   settings:   see  https://www.java.com/en/down--       load/help/path.html.--       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  is  overriden  by  the-       --color/--colour option.--Input-       hledger  reads  transactions  from one or more data files.  The default-       data file is $HOME/.hledger.journal  (or  on  Windows,  something  like-       C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal).--       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:--              $ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats--       The file name - means standard input:--              $ cat some.journal | hledger -f---   Data formats-       Usually  the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in-       any of the supported file formats, which currently are:---       Reader:    Reads:                                    Used  for  file  exten--                                                            sions:-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------       journal    hledger  journal  files and some Ledger   .journal  .j   .hledger-                  journals, for transactions                .ledger-       time-      timeclock files, for precise time  log-   .timeclock-       clock      ging-       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 more detail 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-       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:--              $ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats--       Or to read stdin (-) as timeclock format:--              $ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -ftimeclock:---   Multiple files-       You can specify multiple -f options, to read multiple files as one  big-       journal.  There are some limitations with this:--       o most directives do not affect sibling files--       o balance  assertions  will  not see any account balances from previous-         files--       If you need either of those things, you can--       o use a single parent file which includes the others--       o or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg:  cat  a.journal-         b.journal | hledger -f- CMD.--   Strict mode-       hledger checks input files for valid data.  By default, the most impor--       tant errors are detected, while  still  accepting  easy  journal  files-       without a lot of declarations:--       o Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?--       o Are all transactions balanced ?--       o Do all balance assertions pass ?--       With the -s/--strict flag, additional checks are performed:--       o Are  all  accounts  posted  to,  declared with an account directive ?-         (Account error checking)--       o Are all commodities declared with a commodity directive ?  (Commodity-         error checking)--       o Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?--       You  can  use  the  check  command to run individual checks -- the ones-       listed above and some more.--Commands-       hledger provides a number of built-in  subcommands  (described  below).-       Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-       A few assist with data entry and management.--       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.--   Add-on commands-       Add-on  commands  are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts-       in your PATH--       o whose name starts with hledger---       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.--       Addons  can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or programs-       have a big advantage: they can use hledger's library code, for command--       line options, parsing and reporting.--       Several  add-on  commands  are installed by the hledger-install script.-       See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.--       Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a 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).--       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--Output-   Output destination-       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 pro--       vide 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)--   Output format-       Some  commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the termi--       nal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:---       -                            txt         csv         html           json      sql-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       aregister                    Y           Y           Y              Y-       balance                      Y 1         Y 1         Y 1,2          Y-       balancesheet                 Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       balancesheetequity           Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       cashflow                     Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       incomestatement              Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       print                        Y           Y                          Y         Y-       register                     Y           Y                          Y--       o 1 Also affected by the balance commands' --layout option.--       o 2 balance does not support html output without a report  interval  or-         with --budget.--       The output format is selected by the -O/--output-format=FMT option:--              $ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout--       or  by  the  filename  extension  of  an output file specified with the-       -o/--output-file=FILE.FMT option:--              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv--       The -O option can be combined with -o to override the  file  extension,-       if needed:--              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt--       Some notes about the various output formats:--   CSV output-       o In  CSV  output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-         disabled automatically.--   HTML output-       o HTML output can be styled by an optional hledger.css file in the same-         directory.--   JSON output-       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--       o Our  JSON  is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful repre--         sentation 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.--       o hledger  represents  quantities  as  Decimal values storing up to 255-         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 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)--   SQL output-       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--       o SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and  Post--         gres.--       o For  SQLite,  it  will  be more useful if you modify the generated id-         field to be a PRIMARY KEY.  Eg:--                $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...--       o SQL output is structured with the expectations that  statements  will-         be  executed  in the empty database.  If you already have tables cre--         ated via SQL output of hledger, you would  probably  want  to  either-         clear tables of existing data (via delete or truncate SQL statements)-         or drop tables completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.--   Commodity styles-       When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard  display  style  for-       each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.--       If needed, this can be  overridden  by  a  -c/--commodity-style  option-       (except  for  cost  amounts and amounts displayed by the print command,-       which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example,  the-       following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:--              $ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'--       This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple commodi--       ties/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity  direc--       tive.--   Colour-       In  terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-       supports it:--       o if the --color/--colour option is given a value of yes or always  (or-         no or never), colour will (or will not) be used;--       o otherwise,  if  the NO_COLOR environment variable is set, colour will-         not be used;--       o otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)  sup--         ports it.--   Box-drawing-       In  terminal  output,  you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-       render prettier tables:--       o if the --pretty option is given a value of yes or always  (or  no  or-         never), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;--       o otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.--   Paging-       When  showing  long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-       pager specified by the PAGER environment variable, or  less,  or  more.-       (A  pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than-       scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this only for help-       output, not for reports; specifically,--       o when listing commands, with hledger--       o when showing help with hledger [CMD] --help,--       o when viewing manuals with hledger help or hledger --man.--       Note  the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg-       for bold emphasis.  For the common pager less (and its more compatibil--       ity  mode), we add R to the LESS and MORE environment variables to make-       this work.  If you use a different pager, you might need  to  configure-       it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).  Otherwise,-       you can set the NO_COLOR environment variable to 1 to disable all  ANSI-       output (see Colour).--   Debug output-       We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-       develop.  You can add --debug[=N] to any hledger command  line  to  see-       additional  debug  output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default)-       to 9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1  and  increase-       until  you  are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not-       affected by -o/--output-file (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-       2>&1).   It  will  be  interleaved  with  normal output, which can help-       reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture  debug  output-       in a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:--              hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log--Limitations-       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 POSIX,-       set LANG to something other than C.--       In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours are-       not supported.--       On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when 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 hledger and-       Ledger > Differences > journal format.--       On large data files, hledger  is  slower  and  uses  more  memory  than-       Ledger.--Troubleshooting-       Here  are  some  issues  you  might encounter when you run hledger (and-       remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or  bug-       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,-       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.--       Getting errors like "Illegal byte sequence" or "Invalid  or  incomplete-       multibyte  or wide character" or "commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argu--       ment (invalid character)"-       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 sup--       ports 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-              C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-              $ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-              C-              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-       Ubuntu/Debian:--              $ apt-get install language-pack-fr-              $ locale -a-              C-              en_US.utf8-              fr_BE.utf8-              fr_CA.utf8-              fr_CH.utf8-              fr_FR.utf8-              fr_LU.utf8-              POSIX-              $ 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  differ--       ence  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--PART 2: DATA FORMATS-Journal-       hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.   Here's-       a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal for--       mat.--   Journal cheatsheet-              # Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format-              # (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-              # hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--              ###############################################################################-              # 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-              # They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".--              # hash comment line-              ; semicolon comment line-              comment-              These lines-              are commented.-              end comment--              # Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-              # from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--              ###############################################################################-              # 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-              # They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--              account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-              account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-              alias chkg = assets:checking-              commodity $0.00-              decimal-mark .-              include /dev/null-              payee Whole Foods-              P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-              ~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-                  expenses:food       $400-                  expenses:home      $1000-                  budgeted--              ###############################################################################-              # 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,-              # usually describing movements of money.-              # They begin with a date.--              # DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-              #   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-              #   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-              #               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-              #   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--              2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-                  assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-                  assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-                  assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-                  liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-                  equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--              2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-                  ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".-                  ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-                  ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-                  assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-                  expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                                  ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"--              Kv-              2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-                  ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-                  assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-                  expenses:clothing       GBP 10-                  assets:gringotts           -10 gold-                  assets:pouch                10 gold-                  revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols-                  assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.--              2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@-                  assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost-                  assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost-                  assets:checking            $-7.00--              2022-01-02 assert balances-                  ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-                  assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-                  assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-                  assets:savings              $0      = $1000--              1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-                  ; Postings are not required.--              2022.01.01 These date-              2022/1/1   formats are-              12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).--   About journal format-       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-       ledger on the same journal file, eg to validate the results you're get--       ting.--       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  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).--       A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,-       transactions, and/or directives (counting  periodic  transaction  rules-       and auto posting rules as directives).--   Comments-       Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash (#) or a-       semicolon (;).  (See also Other  syntax.)   hledger  will  also  ignore-       regions  beginning  with  a comment line and ending with an end comment-       line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:--       o # for top-level notes--       o ; for commenting out things temporarily--       o comment for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's there, or-         you might get confused)--       Eg:--              # a comment line-              ; another commentline-              comment-              A multi-line comment block,-              continuing until "end comment" directive-              or the end of the current file.-              end comment--       Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from-       ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments,  Posting  com--       ments, and Account comments below.--   Transactions-       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-       optional fields, separated by spaces:--       o a status character (empty, !, or *)--       o a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)--       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-         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-         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--   Dates-   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 be-       omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context:  the  cur--       rent  transaction, the default year set with a Y directive, or the cur--       rent  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.)--   Posting 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-       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.-       The date: tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present,  eg-       a date: tag with no value is not allowed.--   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,-       indicating one of three statuses:---       mark     status-       -------------------                unmarked-       !        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.--       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--       ing, 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 short--       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.-       Here's one suggestion:---       status       meaning-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------       uncleared    recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review-       pending      tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconcil--                    iation)-       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-       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-       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-       "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you-       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-       precise querying and pivoting by payee or by note.--   Transaction comments-       Text  following  ;, after a transaction description, and/or on indented-       lines immediately below it, form comments for that  transaction.   They-       are  reproduced by print but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-       tags, which are not ignored.--              2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-                  ; a second line of transaction comment-                  expenses   1-                  assets--   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-       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-         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-       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-       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-       amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.--   Account names-       Accounts  are  the  main  way of categorising things in hledger.  As in-       Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts  (such-       as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed-       from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".--       You can use any account names you like, but we usually start  with  the-       traditional accounting categories, which in english are assets, liabil--       ities, equity, revenues, expenses.  (You might see these referred to as-       A, L, E, R, X for short.)--       For  more  precise  reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-       into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-       name  parts.   For example, from the account names assets:bank:checking-       and expenses:food, hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:--              assets-              assets:bank-              assets:bank:checking-              expenses-              expenses:food--       Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:--              assets-               bank-                checking-              expenses-               food--       hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can-       go  as  deep  as  you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-       names relatively simple may be best when starting out.--       Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters, num--       bers,  symbols,  or  single  spaces.  Note, when an account name and an-       amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by  two  or-       more spaces (or tabs).--       Parentheses  or  brackets enclosing the full account name indicate vir--       tual postings, described below.  Parentheses or  brackets  internal  to-       the account name have no special meaning.--       Account  names  can  be  altered  temporarily or permanently by account-       aliases.--   Amounts-       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--       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-       space:--              $1-              4000 AAPL-              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--       modity 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--   Decimal marks, digit group marks-       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):--                   $1,000,000.00-                EUR 2.000.000,00-              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 ?--              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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,  especially-       if  your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we-       recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each jour--       nal  file,  using a directive at the top of the file.  The decimal-mark-       directive is best,  otherwise  commodity  directives  will  also  work.-       These are described below.--   Commodity-       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",-       "ABC123").--       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-       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.)--   Directives influencing number parsing and display-       You  can  add  decimal-mark and commodity directives to the journal, to-       declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.   These-       are described below, but here's a quick example:--              # the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-              decimal-mark .--              # display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-              commodity $1,000.00-              commodity EUR 1.000,00-              commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-              commodity 1 000 000.9455---   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-       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-       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-       order of preference:--       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.-         (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--         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-         amount--       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.--       Cost 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 cost).  If you find this causing problems, use a  com--       modity 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:--              # 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-              commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-              commodity 1 000.--       The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying  a  command-       line option.--   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").---   Costs-       After  a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-       price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing  either  @  UNIT--       PRICE  or @@ TOTALPRICE after it.  This indicates a conversion transac--       tion, where one commodity is exchanged for another.--       (You might also see this called "transaction price"  in  hledger  docs,-       discussions,  or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded-       that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just  call  it-       "cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase-       or a sale.)--       Costs are usually written explicitly with @ or  @@,  but  can  also  be-       inferred  automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.  Note,-       if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the  first-       posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.--       As  an  example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-       currency in hledger, using  the  cost  notation  either  explicitly  or-       implicitly:--       1. Write the price per unit, as @ UNITPRICE after the amount:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100 @ $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:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-                    assets:dollars--       3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and-          let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.  Note the-          effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting, making-          it EUR100 @@ $135, as in example 2:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100          ; one hundred euros purchased-                    assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135--       Amounts can be converted to cost at report  time  using  the  -B/--cost-       flag; this is discussed more in the COST REPORTING section.--   Other cost/lot notations-       A  slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a num--       ber of cost/lot-related notations:--       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST--         o expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger--         o when buying, also creates a lot than can  be  selected  at  selling-           time--       o (@) UNITCOST and (@@) TOTALCOST (virtual cost)--         o like  the  above,  but also means "this cost was exceptional, don't-           use it when inferring market prices".--       Currently, hledger treats the above like @ and @@; the parentheses  are-       ignored.--       o {=FIXEDUNITCOST} and {{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}} (fixed price)--         o when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't let it-           fluctuate in value reports"--       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}} (lot price)--         o can be used identically to @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST,  also  cre--           ates a lot--         o when  selling,  combined with @ ..., specifies an investment lot by-           its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present--       o and related: [YYYY/MM/DD] (lot date)--         o when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot--         o when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date--       o (SOME TEXT) (lot note)--         o when buying, attaches this note to the lot--         o when selling, selects a lot by its note--       Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any  order  after-       the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction bal--       ancing.)--       For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:--       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST--         o expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger--         o when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with-           {...}:  documents  the cost/selling price (not used for transaction-           balancing)--       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}}--         o when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for  transaction  bal--           ancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached--         o when selling (reducing),--           o selects a lot by its cost basis--           o raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected-             unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)--           o expresses the selling price for transaction balancing--       Currently, hledger accepts the  {UNITCOST}/{{TOTALCOST}}  notation  but-       ignores it.--       o variations:  {}, {YYYY-MM-DD}, {"LABEL"}, {UNITCOST, "LABEL"}, {UNIT--         COST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"} etc.--       Currently, hledger rejects these.--   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 b after each posting:--              2013/1/1-                a   $1  =$1-                b       =$-1--              2013/1/2-                a   $1  =$2-                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-       -I/--ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or-       for reading Ledger files.  (Note: this flag currently does not  disable-       balance assignments, described 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--       ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order.  (Also,-       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.-       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 multiple included files-       Multiple files included with the include directive are processed as  if-       concatenated  into  one  file,  preserving  their order and the posting-       order within each file.  It means  that  balance  assertions  in  later-       files will see balance from earlier files.--       And  if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split-       across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's balance  on-       that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file - the last-       one in the sequence, probably.--   Assertions and multiple -f files-       Unlike include, when multiple files are specified on the  command  line-       with  multiple  -f/--file options, balance assertions will not see bal--       ance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want prob--       lems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.--       If  you  do  want  assertions  to  see  balance from earlier files, use-       include, or concatenate the files temporarily.--   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-       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 other-       commodities  in the account besides the asserted one (or at least, that-       their balance is 0).--              2013/1/1-                a   $1-                a    1EUR-                b  $-1-                c   -1EUR--              2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-                a    0  =  $1-                a    0  =   1EUR-                b    0 == $-1-                c    0 ==  -1EUR--              2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1EUR-                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-       into its own subaccount:--              2013/1/1-                a:usd   $1-                a:euro   1EUR-                b--              2013/1/2-                a        0 ==  0-                a:usd    0 == $1-                a:euro   0 ==  1EUR--   Assertions and prices-       Balance assertions ignore costs, 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--       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-       assert the balance including subaccounts by writing =* or ==*, eg:--              2019/1/1-                equity:opening balances-                checking:a       5-                checking:b       5-                checking         1  ==* 11--   Assertions and virtual postings-       Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-       are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query.--   Assertions and auto postings-       Balance assertions are affected by the  --auto  flag,  which  generates-       auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings-       are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two-       balances.   But  balance  assertions  can only test one or the other of-       these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:--       o assert the balance calculated with --auto, and always use --auto with-         that file--       o or assert the balance calculated without --auto, and never use --auto-         with that file--       o or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or-         avoid auto postings entirely).--   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--       tions.  Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts.--   Posting comments-       Text following ;, at the end of a  posting  line,  and/or  on  indented-       lines  immediately  below it, form comments for that posting.  They are-       reproduced by print but otherwise  ignored,  except  they  may  contain-       tags, which are not ignored.--              2012-01-01-                  expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-                  assets-                  ; a comment for posting 2-                  ; a second comment line for posting 2--   Tags-       Tags  are  a  way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-       postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.--       They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed-       by  a  full  colon,  in a transaction or posting or account directive's-       comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that things  in  com--       ments  are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on-       the checking account, two on the transaction, and one on  the  expenses-       posting:--              account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--              2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-                  ; transactiontag-2:-                  assets:checking        $-1-                  expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:--       Postings  also  inherit  tags from their transaction and their account.-       And transactions also acquire tags from their postings  (and  postings'-       accounts).   So  in the example above, the expenses posting effectively-       has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the-       transaction  also  has  all  four  tags (by acquiring from the expenses-       posting).--       You can list tag names with hledger tags [NAMEREGEX], or match  by  tag-       name with a tag:NAMEREGEX query.--   Tag values-       Tags  can  have  a  value, which is any text after the colon up until a-       comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note  this-       means  that  hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the fol--       lowing posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and ""-       (empty) respectively:--                  expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz--       Note  that  tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overrid--       ing: when the same tag name is seen again with a  new  value,  the  new-       name:value  pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to override-       a tag's value or remove a tag.)--       You can list a tag's values with  hledger  tags  TAGNAME  --values,  or-       match by tag value with a tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX query.--   Directives-       A  directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-       that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-       and  so  on.  hledger's directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger's,-       but there are many  differences,  and  also  some  differences  between-       hledger versions.  Here are some more definitions:--       o subdirective   -   Some  directives  support  subdirectives,  written-         indented below the parent directive.--       o decimal mark - The character to interpret as a decimal  mark  (period-         or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.--       o display style - How to display amounts of a commodity in output: sym--         bol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number of deci--         mal places.--       Directives  are  not  required  when starting out with hledger, but you-       will probably want to add some as  your  needs  grow.   Here  some  key-       directives for particular needs:---       purpose                                       directives-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------       READING DATA:-       Declare  file's  decimal mark to help parse   decimal-mark-       amounts accurately-       Rewrite account names                         alias-       Comment out sections of the data              comment-       Include extra data files                      include-       GENERATING DATA:-       Generate recurring transactions  or  budget   ~-       goals-       Generate extra postings on transactions       =-       CHECKING FOR ERRORS:-       Define valid entities to provide more error   account, commodity, payee-       checking-       REPORTING:-       Declare accounts' type and display order      account-       Declare commodity display styles              commodity-       Declare market prices                         P--   Directive effects-       And here is what each directive  does,  and  which  files  and  journal-       entries (transactions) it affects:---       direc-     what it does                                                       ends-       tive                                                                          at-                                                                                     file-                                                                                     end?-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       account    Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files;  and   N-                  its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-       alias      Rewrites  account  names, in following entries until end of cur-   Y-                  rent file or end aliases.  Command line equivalent: --alias-       comment    Ignores  part  of the journal file, until end of current file or   Y-                  end comment.-       commod-    Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checking   N,Y,N,N-       ity        all amounts in all  files  2.   the  decimal  mark  for  parsing-                  amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of-                  current file (if there is no decimal-mark directive) 3.  and the-                  display  style  for  amounts of this commodity 4.  which is also-                  the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking  in  this-                  commodity.   Takes  precedence  over  D.   Subdirectives: format-                  (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:  -c/--com--                  modity-style-       deci-      Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of  all  commodi-   Y-       mal-       ties in following entries until next decimal-mark or end of cur--       mark       rent file.  Included files can override.  Takes precedence  over-                  commodity and D.-       include    Includes entries and directives from another file,  as  if  they   N-                  were   written   inline.   Command  line  alternative:  multiple-                  -f/--file-       payee      Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.      N-       P          Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N-                  reports.-       ~          Declares  a  periodic  transaction  rule  that  generates future   N-       (tilde)    transactions with  --forecast  and  budget  goals  with  balance-                  --budget.-       Other-       syntax:-       apply      Prepends  a  common parent account to all account names, in fol-   Y-       account    lowing entries until end of current file or end apply account.-       D          Sets a default commodity to use for  no-symbol  amounts;and,  if   Y,Y,N,N-                  there  is no commodity directive for this commodity: its decimal-                  mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.-       Y          Sets  a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following   Y-                  entries until end of current file.----       =          Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra  postings  on   partly-       (equals)   matched  transactions with --auto, in current, parent, and child-                  files (but not sibling files, see #1212).-       Other      Other  directives  from  Ledger's  file  format are accepted but-       Ledger     ignored.-       direc--       tives--   Directives and multiple files-       If you use  multiple  -f/--file  options,  or  the  include  directive,-       hledger will process multiple input files.  But directives which affect-       input typically have effect only until the end of  the  file  in  which-       they occur (and on any included files in that region).--       This may seem inconvenient, but it's intentional; it makes reports sta--       ble 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 direc--       tives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).--   account directive-       account directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places that-       amounts  are transferred from and to).  Though not required, these dec--       larations can provide several benefits:--       o They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a refer--         ence.--       o In  strict  mode,  they  restrict  which accounts may be posted to by-         transactions, which helps detect typos.--       o They control account display order in  reports,  allowing  non-alpha--         betic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).--       o They  help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,-         hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)--       o They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags-         which can be used to filter or pivot reports.--       o They  can  help  hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,-         equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports  like  balancesheet  and-         incomestatement.--       They  are  written  as  the  word  account  followed by a hledger-style-       account name, eg:--              account assets:bank:checking--       Note, however, that accounts declared in  account  directives  are  not-       allowed  to  have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-       used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:--              account (assets:bank:checking)--   Account comments-       Text following two or more spaces and ; at the end of an account direc--       tive  line,  and/or following ; on indented lines immediately below it,-       form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may  con--       tain tags, which are not ignored.--       The  two-space  requirement for same-line account comments is because ;-       is allowed in account names.--              account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-                ; next-line comment-                ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345--   Account subdirectives-       Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also  accepted,  but  currently-       ignored:--              account assets:bank:checking-                format subdirective is ignored--   Account error checking-       By  default,  accounts  need  not be declared; they come into existence-       when a posting references them.   This  is  convenient,  but  it  means-       hledger  can't warn you when you mis-spell an account name in the jour--       nal.  Usually you'll find that error later, as an extra account in bal--       ance reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.--       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:--       o The  declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct-         account name capitalisation.--       o The account directive's scope is "whole file and below"  (see  direc--         tives).  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.--       o Accounts can only be declared  in  journal  files,  but  will  affect-         included files of all types.--       o It's  currently  not  possible  to declare "all possible subaccounts"-         with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.--   Account display order-       The order in which account directives are written influences the  order-       in  which  accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By-       default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but  if  you  add  these-       account directives to the journal file:--              account assets-              account liabilities-              account equity-              account revenues-              account expenses--       those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:--              $ hledger accounts -1-              assets-              liabilities-              equity-              revenues-              expenses--       Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.--       Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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 means:--       o you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg account  other  above)-         that  you  don't  intend  to post to, just to customize their display-         order--       o sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display x:y  in  between-         a:b and a:c).--   Account types-       hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-       expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports  like  balancesheet  and-       incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the type: query.--       As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically-       if you  are  using  common  english-language  top-level  account  names-       (described  below).   But  generally  we  recommend  you  declare types-       explicitly, by adding a type: tag to your top-level account directives.-       Subaccounts  will  inherit  the  type of their parent.  The tag's value-       should be one of the five main account types:--       o A or Asset (things you own)--       o L or Liability (things you owe)--       o E or Equity (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of  assets  &-         liabilities)--       o R  or  Revenue (what you received money from, AKA income; technically-         part of Equity)--       o X or Expense (what you spend money on; technically part of Equity)--       or, it can be (these are used less often):--       o C or Cash (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the cash--         flow report)--       o V  or  Conversion  (a  subtype  of  Equity, for conversions (see COST-         REPORTING).)--       Here is a typical set of account type declarations:--              account assets             ; type: A-              account liabilities        ; type: L-              account equity             ; type: E-              account revenues           ; type: R-              account expenses           ; type: X--              account assets:bank        ; type: C-              account assets:cash        ; type: C--              account equity:conversion  ; type: V--       Here are some tips for working with account types.--       o The rules for inferring types from  account  names  are  as  follows.-         These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going;-         if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare your account-         types.  See also Regular expressions.--                If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:-                --------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------                ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-                ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-                ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-                ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-                ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-                ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-                ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense--       o If  you  declare  any  account  types, it's a good idea to declare an-         account for all of the account types, because a mixture  of  declared-         and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.--       o Certain  uses  of  account  aliases  can  disrupt account types.  See-         Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.--       o As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent-         account.   More  precisely, an account's type is decided by the first-         of these that exists:--         1. A type: declaration for this account.--         2. A type: declaration in the parent accounts  above  it,  preferring-            the nearest.--         3. An account type inferred from this account's name.--         4. An  account type inferred from a parent account's name, preferring-            the nearest parent.--         5. Otherwise, it will have no type.--       o For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:--                $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]--   alias directive-       You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-       parts of them, before generating reports.  This can be useful for:--       o expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier-         data entry and a less verbose journal--       o adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts--       o experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy--       o combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on-         one line--       o customising reports--       Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.  They-       do not affect account names being entered via hledger add  or  hledger--       web.--       Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use cor--       rectly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them; more-       on this below.--       See also Rewrite account names.--   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-       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 interactively.--       OLD and NEW are  case  sensitive  full  account  names.   hledger  will-       replace  any occurrence of the old account name with the new one.  Sub--       accounts 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"--   Regex aliases-       There is also a more powerful variant that uses a  regular  expression,-       indicated  by  wrapping  the  pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the-       only place where hledger requires  forward  slashes  around  a  regular-       expression.)--       Eg:--              alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT--       or:--              $ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...--       Any  part  of  an  account  name  matched  by REGEX will be replaced by-       REPLACEMENT.  REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.--       If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with  a  backslash,  eg-       /\/=:.--       If  REGEX  contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced-       by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:--              alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3-              ; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"--       REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of-       option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.--   Combining aliases-       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-       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-       entry, we apply:--       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-          (left to right).--       In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:--       o the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first--       o the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on--       o aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.--       This  gives nearby aliases precedence over distant ones, and helps pro--       vide semantic stability - aliases will keep working the same way  inde--       pendent of which files are being read and in which order.--       In  case  of  trouble,  adding  --debug=6 to the command line will show-       which aliases are being applied when.--   Aliases and multiple files-       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-                foo  1-                bar--       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--              2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-                foo  1-                bar--              include c.journal  ; also affected--   end aliases directive-       You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the jour--       nal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:--              end aliases--   Aliases can generate bad account names-       Be aware that account aliases  can  produce  malformed  account  names,-       which could cause confusing reports or invalid print output.  For exam--       ple, you could erase all account names:--              2021-01-01-                a:aa     1-                b--              $ hledger print --alias '/.*/='-              2021-01-01-                                 1--       The above print output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert  an-       illegal  double space, causing print output that would give a different-       journal when reparsed:--              2021-01-01-                old    1-                other--              $ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print-              2021-01-01-                  new             USD 1-                  other--   Aliases and account types-       If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-       types)  is  renamed  by  an alias, normally the account type remains in-       effect.--       However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg  renaming-       parent  accounts  but  not their children, or vice versa) could prevent-       child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.--       Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,  renam--       ing it by an alias could prevent or alter that.--       If  you  are  using account aliases and the type: query is not matching-       accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts  command,-       eg something like:--              $ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a--   commodity directive-       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 Com--          modity 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)--       3. It  declares  how  to render the commodity's amounts when displaying-          output - the decimal mark, any digit group marks, the number of dec--          imal  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.--       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 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  subdirec--       tive,  as  in  Ledger.   Note in this case the commodity symbol appears-       twice; it must be the same in both places:--              ;commodity SYMBOL-              ;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--              ; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-              ; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-              ; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-              commodity INR-                format INR 1,00,00,000.00--       Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--       Remember that if the commodity  symbol  contains  spaces,  numbers,  or-       punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).--       The  amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is significant.-       It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a 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-              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.)--       Even in the presence of commodity  directives,  the  commodity  display-       style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.--   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.--       Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol,  because  cur--       rently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity with-       a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero  amounts  are-       always allowed to have no commodity symbol.--   decimal-mark directive-       You can use a decimal-mark directive - usually one per file, at the top-       of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark when-       parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like--              decimal-mark .--       or--              decimal-mark ,--       This  prevents  any  ambiguity  when parsing numbers in the file, so we-       recommend it, especially if the file contains  digit  group  marks  (eg-       thousands separators).--   include directive-       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  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.--       The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg: include-       *.journal.--       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.--       The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format, overrid--       ing  the  file  extension  (as  described in hledger.1 -> Input files):-       include timedot:~/notes/2020*.md.--   P directive-       The P directive declares a market price, which  is  a  conversion  rate-       between  two  commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports-       to convert amounts of one commodity to their value in  another,  on  or-       after  that  date.   These  prices  are  often  obtained  from  a stock-       exchange, cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.--       The format is:--              P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT--       DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the  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 EUR $1.35--              # and $1.40 from 2010-01-01 onward:-              P 2010-01-01 EUR $1.40--       The  -V,  -X  and  --value flags use these market prices to show amount-       values in another commodity.  See Valuation.---   payee directive-       payee PAYEE NAME--       This 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:--              payee Whole Foods--       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   tag directive-       tag TAGNAME--       This  directive  can  be  used  to  declare  a limited set of tag names-       allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:--              tag  item-id--       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--       The "tags" check will report an error if any  undeclared  tag  name  is-       used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use-       of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you  can-       declare and check your tags .--   Periodic transactions-       The ~ directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives allow-       hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in  reports,-       not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.--       Periodic  transactions  can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-       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-          tag:generated.--       3. Forecasted  transactions  will  begin  only after the last non-fore--          casted 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-          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  an-          error.--       7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically 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 day of month from-          2020/01/01, will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.--   Periodic rule syntax-       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.):--              # every first of month-              ~ monthly-                  expenses:rent          $2000-                  assets:bank:checking--              # every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:-              ~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-                  expenses:utilities          $400-                  assets:bank:checking--       The period expression is the same syntax  used  for  specifying  multi--       period  reports,  just  interpreted  differently;  there,  it specifies-       report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods'  start-       dates).--   Periodic rules and relative dates-       Partial  or  relative  dates (like 12/31, 25, tomorrow, last week, next-       quarter) are usually not  recommended  in  periodic  rules,  since  the-       results  will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted-       relative to, in order of preference:--       1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent Y directive--       2. or the date specified with --today--       3. or the date on which you are running the report.--       They will not be affected at all by report period  or  forecast  period-       dates.--   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-       where the period expression ends, so that descriptions can not acciden--       tally 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-              ~ every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-                  assets:bank:checking   $1500-                  income:acme inc--       So,--       o Do write two spaces between your period expression and your  transac--         tion description, if any.--       o Don't  accidentally  write  two  spaces  in the middle of your period-         expression.--   Other syntax-       hledger journal format supports quite a few other features,  mainly  to-       make  interoperating  with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some-       of the features below are powerful and can be useful in special  cases,-       but  in general, features in this section are considered less important-       or even not recommended for most users.   Downsides  are  mentioned  to-       help you decide if you want to use them.--   Auto postings-       The  =  directive  declares  a  rule for automatically adding temporary-       extra postings (visible in reports, not in the  journal  file)  to  all-       transactions  matched by a certain query, when you use the --auto flag.--       Downsides: depending on generated data  for  your  reports  makes  your-       financial  data  less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy-       in an audit.  Also, because the feature  is  optional,  other  features-       like balance assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.--       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  match--       ing),  followed  by a query (which matches existing postings), and each-       "posting" line describes a posting to be  generated,  and  the  posting-       amounts can be:--       o a  normal  amount  with a commodity symbol, eg $2.  This will be used-         as-is.--       o a number, eg 2.  The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched post--         ing will be added to this.--       o 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.--       o 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-       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--              ; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-              = expenses:gifts-                  assets:checking:gifts  *-1-                  assets:checking         *1--              2017/12/1-                expenses:food    $10-                assets:checking--              2017/12/14-                expenses:gifts   $20-                assets:checking--              $ hledger print --auto-              2017-12-01-                  expenses:food              $10-                  assets:checking-                  (liabilities:charity)      $-1--              2017-12-14-                  expenses:gifts             $20-                  assets:checking-                  assets:checking:gifts     -$20-                  assets:checking            $20--   Auto postings and multiple files-       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).--   Auto postings and dates-       A  posting  date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-       precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself,  will  also-       be used in the generated posting.--   Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance asser--       tions-       Currently, auto postings are added:--       o after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked  for-         balancedness,--       o 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-       for background.--       This  also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a-       missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable  to-       infer amounts.--   Auto posting tags-       Automated postings will have some extra tags:--       o generated-posting:= QUERY - shows this was generated by an auto post--         ing rule, and the query--       o _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:--       o modified: - this transaction was modified--       o _modified: - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this transac--         tion was modified "just now".--   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-       setting opening balances:--              ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-              2016/1/1 opening balances-                assets:checking            = $409.32-                assets:savings             = $735.24-                assets:cash                 = $42-                equity: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-                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--       ment).--       Downsides:  using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;-       to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the cal--       culations  yourself,  instead of just reading it.  Also balance assign--       ments' forcing of balances can hide errors.   These  things  make  your-       financial  data  less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy-       in an audit.--   Balance assignments and prices-       A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have-       that price attached:--              2019/1/1-                (a)             = $1 @ EUR2--              $ hledger print --explicit-              2019-01-01-                  (a)         $1 @ EUR2 = $1 @ EUR2--   Bracketed posting dates-       For  setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's brack--       eted date syntax is also supported: [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2] in-       posting  comments.   hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed-       sequence of the 0123456789/-.= characters in this way.  With this  syn--       tax,  DATE  infers  its  year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its-       year from DATE.--       Downsides:  another  syntax  to   learn,   redundant   with   hledger's-       date:/date2: tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date syntax.--   D directive-       D AMOUNT--       This directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any  subsequent-       commodityless  amounts (ie, plain numbers) seen while parsing the jour--       nal.  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 and display-       style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but-       a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must include a deci--       mal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:--              ; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-              ; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-              D $1,000.00--              1/1-                a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-                b--       Interactions with other directives:--       For  setting  a  commodity's  display  style, a commodity directive has-       highest priority, then a D directive.--       For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during  parsing,  decimal-mark-       has highest priority, then commodity, then D.--       For  checking  commodity  symbols  with  the check command, a commodity-       directive is required (hledger check commodities ignores D directives).--       Downsides:  omitting  commodity  symbols makes your financial data less-       explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is  usu--       ally  an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to track-       multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with  functions  redundant  with-       commodity  and decimal-mark.  And it works differently from Ledger's D.--   apply account directive-       This directive sets a default parent account, which will  be  prepended-       to all accounts in following entries, until an end apply account direc--       tive or end of current file.  Eg:--              apply account home--              2010/1/1-                  food    $10-                  cash--              end apply account--       is equivalent to:--              2010/01/01-                  home:food           $10-                  home:cash          $-10--       account directives are also affected, and so is any included content.--       Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not  affected.--       Account  aliases,  if  any,  are  applied  after  the parent account is-       prepended.--       Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less porta--       ble, and less trustworthy in an audit.--   Y directive-       Y YEAR--       or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):--       year YEAR apply year YEAR--       The  space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for subse--       quent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:--              Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--              12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-                expenses  1-                assets--              year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--              2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-                expenses  1-                assets--              1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-                expenses  1-                assets--       Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)-       makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less trust--       worthy in an audit.  Such dates can get  separated  from  their  corre--       sponding  Y  directive,  eg  when evaluating a region of the journal in-       your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on  today's-       date.--   Secondary dates-       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-       (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  =-       date the transaction was initiated, if different".--       Downsides:  makes  your financial data more complicated, less portable,-       and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates-       consistent  requires discipline, and you have to remember which report--       ing mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are  simpler-       and better.--   Star comments-       Lines  beginning  with  * (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This-       feature allows Emacs users to insert org  headings  in  their  journal,-       allowing  them  to  fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-       with org mode.--       Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.   Decreases-       your  journal's  portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode just for-       folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of  ledger  mode;  nowadays-       you  can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without losing-       ledger mode's features.--   Valuation expressions-       Ledger allows a valuation function or value to  be  written  in  double-       parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.--   Virtual postings-       A  posting with parentheses around the account name is called a virtual-       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 bookkeeping, 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:--              2022-01-01 opening balances-                (assets:checking)   $1000-                (assets:savings)    $2000--       A posting with brackets around the 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:--              2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-                assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-                expenses:food                    $7  ; <--                expenses:food                    $3  ; <--                [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-                [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--                (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance--       Postings whose account names are neither  parenthesised  nor  bracketed-       are  called  real  postings.   You  can  exclude  virtual postings from-       reports with the -R/--real flag or a real:1 query.--       Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid fig--       uring  out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable and-       less trustworthy in an audit.--   Other Ledger directives-       These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This-       allows  hledger  to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's-       reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.--              apply fixed COMM AMT-              apply tag   TAG-              assert      EXPR-              bucket / A  ACCT-              capture     ACCT REGEX-              check       EXPR-              define      VAR=EXPR-              end apply fixed-              end apply tag-              end apply year-              end tag-              eval / expr EXPR-              python-                PYTHONCODE-              tag         NAME-              value       EXPR-              --command-line-flags--       See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed  hledger/Ledger-       syntax comparison.---CSV-       hledger  can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-       semicolon, or tab) containing dated records,  automatically  converting-       each record into a transaction.--       (To learn about writing CSV, see CSV output.)--       For  best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they-       have a corresponding .csv, .tsv or .ssv file extension or use a hledger-       file prefix (see File Extension below).--       Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding rules file.-       This  contains  rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields lay--       out, date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from  it,-       and  how  to  categorise  transactions  based  on  description or other-       attributes.--       By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file  with-       an  extra  .rules  extension,  in the same directory.  Eg when asked to-       read foo/FILE.csv, hledger looks for foo/FILE.csv.rules.  You can spec--       ify  a  different rules file with the --rules-file option.  If no rules-       file is found, hledger will create a sample rules  file,  which  you'll-       need to adjust.--       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:--              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-                  income:unknown            -10.23--       There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org, and-       more  CSV  rules  examples  below,   and   a   larger   collection   at-       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.--   CSV rules cheatsheet-       The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-       (Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; or * are ignored.)---       separator                  declare the field separator, instead of  rely--                                  ing on file extension-       skip                       skip one or more header lines at start of file-       date-format                declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-       timezone                   declare the time zone of ambiguous  CSV  date--                                  times-       newest-first               improve  txn  order  when:  there are multiple-                                  records, newest first, all with the same date---       intra-day-reversed         improve txn order when: same-day txns  are  in-                                  opposite order to the overall file-       decimal-mark               declare  the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,-                                  when ambiguous-       fields list                name  CSV  fields  for  easy  reference,   and-                                  optionally  assign  their  values  to  hledger-                                  fields-       Field assignment           assign a CSV value or interpolated text  value-                                  to a hledger field-       if block                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                                  or skip a record or end (skip rest of file)-       if table                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                                  using compact syntax-       balance-type               select    which   type   of   balance   asser--                                  tions/assignments to generate-       include                    inline another CSV rules file--       Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV  rules  are-       evaluated.--   separator-       You  can  use the separator rule to read other kinds of character-sepa--       rated 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 inferred automat--       ically, and you won't need this rule.--   skip-              skip N--       The word skip followed by a number (or  no  number,  meaning  1)  tells-       hledger  to  ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input-       data.  (Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't  need-       to  count  those.)   You'll  need  this whenever your CSV data contains-       header lines.  Header lines skipped in this way are  ignored,  and  not-       parsed as CSV.--       skip can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to skip indi--       vidual data records.  Note  records  skipped  in  this  way  are  still-       required to be valid CSV, even though otherwise ignored.--   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,  you'll-       need  to  add  a date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style-       date   parsing   pattern   -   see    https://hackage.haskell.org/pack--       age/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.    The  pattern  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--   timezone-              timezone TIMEZONE--       When CSV contains date-times that are  implicitly  in  some  time  zone-       other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you-       can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time  zone,  which  helps-       prevent off-by-one dates.--       When  the  CSV  date-times  do contain time zone information, you don't-       need this rule; instead, use %Z in date-format (or %z,  %EZ,  %Ez;  see-       the formatTime link above).--       In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,-       localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.  If you-       prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for reproducibility, you-       can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with the TZ  environment-       variable, eg:--              $ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv--       timezone  currently  does  not understand timezone names, except "UTC",-       "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".   For-       others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.--   newest-first-       hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-       chronologically, including  intra-day  transactions.   Usually  it  can-       auto-detect  how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV-       where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are-       oldest  first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,-       like:--              2022-10-01, txn 3...-              2022-10-01, txn 2...-              2022-10-01, txn 1...--       you can add the newest-first rule to help hledger generate the transac--       tions in correct order.--              # same-day CSV records are newest first-              newest-first--   intra-day-reversed-       CSV  records  for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-       the overall date order.  Eg, here  dates  are  newest  first,  but  the-       transactions on each date are oldest first:--              2022-10-02, txn 3...-              2022-10-02, txn 4...-              2022-10-01, txn 1...-              2022-10-01, txn 2...--       In  this  situation,  add the intra-day-reversed rule, and hledger will-       compensate, improving the order of transactions.--              # transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-              intra-day-reversed--   decimal-mark-              decimal-mark .--       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 CSV-       contain digit group marks,  such  as  thousand-separating  commas,  you-       should  declare  the  decimal  mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid-       misparsed numbers.--   fields list-              fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...--       A fields list (the word fields followed by comma-separated field names)-       is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:--       1. It  names  the  CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if-          you are referencing them in other rules, so you can  say  %SomeField-          instead of remembering %13.--       2. Whenever  you  use one of the special hledger field names (described-          below), it assigns the CSV value in this position  to  that  hledger-          field.   This  is  the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and-          build a 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--       In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the-       CSV file's separator.  Also:--       o There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).--       o Field  names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field names-         are optional.--       o Field names may contain _ (underscore) or - (hyphen).--       o Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy  name  or  an  empty-         name.--       If  the  CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for-       your  field  names,  suitably  modified  (eg  lower-cased  with  spaces-       replaced by underscores).--       Sometimes  you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to-       a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's  "bal--       ance"  field balance_ to avoid directly setting hledger's balance field-       (and generating a balance assertion).--   Field assignment-              HLEDGERFIELD 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-       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  inter--       polate  CSV  fields,  referenced  by  their 1-based position in the CSV-       record (%N), or by the name they were given in the fields  list  (%CSV--       FIELD).--       Some examples:--              # set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended-              amount %4 USD--              # combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-              comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1--       Tips:--       o Interpolation  strips  outer  whitespace  (so  a CSV value like " 1 "-         becomes 1 when interpolated) (#1051).--       o Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate  a-         hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).--   Field names-       Note  the  two  kinds  of  field names mentioned here, and used only in-       hledger CSV rules files:--       1. CSV field names (CSVFIELD in these docs): you  can  optionally  name-          the  CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet auto--          matically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing arbi--          trary names in a fields list, eg:--                  fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar--       2. Special  hledger  field names (HLEDGERFIELD in these docs): you must-          set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction  from-          a  CSV  record,  by  writing  them  as the left hand side of a field-          assignment, eg:--                  date        %When-                  code        %Some_Id-                  description %What-                  comment     %Foo %Bar-                  amount1     $ %Total--           or directly in a fields list:--                  fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-                  currency $-                  comment  %Foo %Bar--       Here are all the special hledger field names available, and  what  hap--       pens when you assign values to them:--   date field-       Assigning to date sets the transaction date.--   date2 field-       date2 sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.--   status field-       status sets the transaction's status, if any.--   code field-       code sets the transaction's code, if any.--   description field-       description sets the transaction's description, if any.--   comment field-       comment sets the transaction's comment, if any.--       commentN, where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.--       You  can  assign multi-line comments by writing literal \n in the code.-       A comment starting with \n will begin on a new line.--       Comments can contain tags, as usual.--   account field-       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 based on-       each transaction's description, in conditional rules.--       If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount  is  set  (see-       below),  a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"-       or "income:unknown").--   amount field-       There are several "amount" field name variants,  useful  for  different-       situations:--       o 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.  Posting numbers don't have to be-         consecutive; in certain situations using a high number might be help--         ful to influence the layout of postings.--       o amountN-in  and  amountN-out  should be used instead, as a pair, when-         and only when the amount must be obtained from two  CSV  fields.   Eg-         when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a single-         Amount field.  Note:--         o Don't think "-in is for the first posting and -out is for the  sec--           ond posting" - that's not correct.  Think: "amountN-in and amountN--           out together detect the amount for posting N, by inspecting two CSV-           fields at once."--         o hledger  assumes  both  CSV fields are unsigned, and will automati--           cally negate the -out value.--         o It also expects that at least one of the values is empty  or  zero,-           so  it  knows  which  one to ignore.  If that's not the case you'll-           need an if rule (see Setting amounts below).--       o amount, with no posting number (and similarly, amount-in and  amount--         out  with no number) are an older syntax.  We keep them for backwards-         compatibility, and because they have special behaviour that is  some--         times convenient:--         o They  set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of post--           ing 2.--         o Posting 2's amount will be converted to  cost  if  it  has  a  cost-           price.--         o Any  of  the  newer  rules  for  posting  1  or 2 (like amount1, or-           amount2-in and amount2-out)  will  take  precedence.   This  allows-           incrementally migrating old rules files to the new syntax.--       There's  more to say about amount-setting that doesn't fit here; please-       see also "Setting amounts" below.--   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-       symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.--       currencyN prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's  amount.--   balance field-       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.--       You  can  adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the balance-type-       rule (see below).--       See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.--   if block-       Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns  in  the  CSV-       data.   This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can cate--       gorise transactions, selecting an appropriate  account  name  based  on-       their  description  (for  example).  There are two ways to write condi--       tional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if  tables",  described-       below.--       An  if  block is the word if and one or more "matcher" expressions (can-       be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or next-       line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,--              if MATCHER-               RULE--       or--              if-              MATCHER-              MATCHER-              MATCHER-               RULE-               RULE--       If  any  of  the  matchers  succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-       applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special-       rules may also be used within an if block:--       o skip  -  skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction from-         it)--       o end - skips the rest of the current CSV file.--       Some examples:--              # if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"-              if groceries-               account2 expenses:groceries--              # if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-              if-              monthly service fee-              atm transaction fee-              banking thru software-               account2 expenses:business:banking-               comment  XXX deductible ? check it--              # if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-              if ,,,,-               end--   Matchers-       There are two kinds:--       1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment  or  regular-          expression  (REGEX),  which  hledger will try to match case-insensi--          tively anywhere within the CSV record.-       Eg: whole foods--       2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV  field  name-          (%CSVFIELD  REGEX).  hledger will try to match these just within the-          named CSV field.-       Eg: %date 2023--       The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended  regu--       lar  expression,  that  also  supports GNU word boundaries (\b, \B, \<,-       \>), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular  expressions"-       in the hledger manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expres--       sions).--       With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched is-       not  the  original  CSV  record, but a modified one: separators will be-       converted to commas, and enclosing double  quotes  (but  not  enclosing-       whitespace)  are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if-       the original record was:--              2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000--       the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:--              2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000--       When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:--       o By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)--       o When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (&) it will  be  AND'ed  with-         the previous matcher (both of them must match).--       There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.--   if table-       "if  tables"  are  an  alternative  to if blocks; they can express many-       matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular  format,  like-       this:--              if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-              MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              <empty line>--       The  first character after if is taken to be the separator for the rest-       of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like  ,  or  |-       that  does  not  appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is unre--       lated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace  can  be  used  in  the-       matcher  lines  for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The-       table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each  line-       must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.--       The  above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,-       assign all of the values on that  line  to  the  corresponding  hledger-       fields;  later  lines  can overrider earlier ones.  It is equivalent to-       this sequence of if blocks:--              if MATCHERA-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--              if MATCHERB-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--              if MATCHERC-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--       Example:--              if,account2,comment-              atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-              %description groceries,expenses:groceries,-              2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out--   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:--              # 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-              ==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts--   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-       several rules files, eg:--              # someaccount.csv.rules--              ## someaccount-specific rules-              fields   date,description,amount-              account1 assets:someaccount-              account2 expenses:misc--              ## common rules-              include categorisation.rules--   Working with CSV-       Some tips:--   Rapid feedback-       It's a good idea to get rapid feedback  while  creating/troubleshooting-       CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.--   Valid CSV-       Note  that  hledger  will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180,-       and equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or-       tab as separators).  This means, eg:--       o Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in single-         quotes is not allowed.  (Eg 'A','B' is rejected.)--       o When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the  quotes-         are not allowed.  (Eg "A", "B" is rejected.)--       o When  values  are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-         quotes.  (Eg A"A, B is rejected.)--       If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need  to  trans--       form  it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more permis--       sive CSV parser like python's csv lib.--   File Extension-       To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and  show  the  right  error-       messages  (and  choose the right field separator character by default),-       it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with  a  .csv,  .ssv  or  .tsv-       filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)--       When  reading  files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV-       reader (and the default field separator) by  prefixing  the  file  path-       with csv:, ssv: or tsv:: Eg:--              $ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print--       You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule-       if needed.--   Reading CSV from standard input-       You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV  from  stdin  also,-       since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:--              $ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print--   Reading multiple CSV files-       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-       used for all the CSV files.--   Valid transactions-       After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the gen--       erated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing them,-       applying balance assignments, and canonicalising  amount  styles.   Any-       errors  at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying 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-       assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:--              $ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print--   Deduplicating, importing-       When  you  download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-       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, 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:--              # 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-       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:--       o https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows--       o https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion--   Setting amounts-       Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling var--       ious amount-setting situations:--       1. If the amount is in a single CSV field:--           a. If its sign indicates direction of flow:-           Assign  it  to amountN, to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is usu--           ally 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.--           b. If another field indicates direction of flow:-           Use one or more conditional rules to  set  the  appropriate  amount-           sign.  Eg:--                  # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":-                  amount1  -%Amount-                  if %Type deposit-                    amount1  %Amount--       2. If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):--           a. If both fields are unsigned:-           Assign the fields to amountN-in and amountN-out.  This sets posting-           N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero value.  If it's the-           -out value, the amount will be negated.--           b. If either field is signed:-           Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg below, the-           -out value already has a minus sign so we undo hledger's  automatic-           negating by negating once more (but only if the field is non-empty,-           so that we don't leave a minus sign by itself):--                  fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-                  if %amount1-out [1-9]-                   amount1-out -%amount1-out--           c. If both fields can contain a non-zero  value  (or  both  can  be-              empty):-           The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is non-zero/non--           empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as 1 and none.  For-           such  cases,  use conditional rules to help select the amount.  Eg,-           to handle the above you could select the value containing  non-zero-           digits:--                  fields date, description, in, out-                  if %in [1-9]-                   amount1 %in-                  if %out [1-9]-                   amount1 %out--       3. If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:-       Use the unnumbered amount (or amount-in and amount-out) syntax.--       4. If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:-       Assign  to  balanceN,  to  set a balance assignment on the Nth posting,-       causing the posting's amount to be calculated  automatically.   balance-       with no number is equivalent to balance1.  In this situation hledger is-       more likely to guess the wrong default account name, so you may need to-       set that explicitly.--   Amount signs-       There  is  some  special handling for amount signs, to simplify parsing-       and sign-flipping:--       o If an amount value begins with a plus sign:-       that will be removed: +AMT becomes AMT--       o If an amount value is parenthesised:-       it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: (AMT) becomes -AMT--       o 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--       o If  an  amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of parenthe--         ses):-       that is removed, making it an empty value.  "+" or "-" or "()"  becomes-       "".--   Setting currency/commodity-       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:--              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 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:--              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 - that-       would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.--   Amount decimal places-       Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-       amount1 influence commodity display styles, such as the number of deci--       mal places displayed in reports.--       The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not  affect  display-       style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).--   Referencing other fields-       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-       field  named  amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the-       hledger field:--              # Name the third CSV field "amount1"-              fields date,description,amount1--              # Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-              amount1 %amount1 USD--              # Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-              comment %amount1--       Here, since there's no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a  lit--       eral "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:--              comment A-              comment B-              if something-               comment C--   How CSV rules are evaluated-       Here's  how  to  think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-       to).  First,--       o 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-       repeated, the last one wins:--       o skip (at top level)--       o date-format--       o newest-first--       o fields - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial assignments-         to hledger fields--       Then for each CSV record in turn:--       o 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.--       o 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.--       o compute  a  value  for  each  hledger field - either the one that was-         assigned to it (and  interpolate  the  %CSVFIELD  references),  or  a-         default--       o generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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  successfully,-       the  transactions  are passed as input to whichever hledger command the-       user specified.---   Well factored rules-       Some things than can help reduce duplication and  complexity  in  rules-       files:--       o Extracting  common  rules  usable with multiple CSV files into a com--         mon.rules, and adding include common.rules to each CSV's rules  file.--       o Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently-         used parts.--   CSV rules examples-   Bank of Ireland-       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 neces--       sary 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-              skip--              # name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-              fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--              # We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"-              # above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-              #-              # - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-              #   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-              #-              # - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-              #   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--              # date is in UK/Ireland format-              date-format  %d/%m/%Y--              # set the currency-              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-                  income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--              2012-12-07 PAYMENT-                  assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-                  expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0--       The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're  read--       ing  directly  from  CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-       imported into a journal file.--   Coinbase-       A simple example with some  CSV  from  Coinbase.   The  spot  price  is-       recorded  using  cost  notation.   The  legacy amount field name conve--       niently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.--              # Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-              # 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"--              # coinbase.csv.rules-              skip         1-              fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-              date         %Timestamp-              date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-              description  %Notes-              account1     assets:coinbase:cc-              amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency--              $ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-              2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-                  assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP-                  income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP--   Amazon-       Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to gener--       ate  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-              skip 1--              # name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.-              # Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.-              fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--              # how to parse the date-              date-format %b %-d, %Y--              # combine two fields to make the description-              description %toorfrom %name--              # save the status as a tag-              comment     status:%amzstatus--              # set the base account for all transactions-              account1    assets:amazon-              # leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-              # I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember--              # set a generic account2-              account2    expenses:misc-              amount2     %amzamount-              # and maybe refine it further:-              #include categorisation.rules--              # add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-              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-                  expenses:misc          $20.00--              2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-                  assets:amazon-                  expenses:misc          $25.00-                  expenses:fees           $1.00--   Paypal-       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",""-              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""-              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""-              "10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""-              "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:-              # Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-              # Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"-              # Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:-              # "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"-              # This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":-              # "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"--              fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--              skip  1--              date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--              # ignore some paypal events-              if-              In Progress-              Temporary Hold-              Update to-               skip--              # add more fields to the description-              description %description_ %itemtitle--              # save some other fields as tags-              comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--              # convert to short currency symbols-              if %currency USD-               currency $-              if %currency EUR-               currency E-              if %currency GBP-               currency P--              # generate postings--              # the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-              # (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-              account1 assets:online:paypal-              amount1  %netamount--              # the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-              # (account2 is set below)-              amount2  -%grossamount--              # if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-              if %feeamount [1-9]-               account3 expenses:banking:paypal-               amount3  -%feeamount-               comment3 business:--              # choose an account for the second posting--              # override the default account names:-              # if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)-              if %grossamount ^[^-]-               account2 income:unknown-              # if negative, it's an expense (a credit)-              if %grossamount ^--               account2 expenses:unknown--              # apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-              include common.rules--              # apply some overrides specific to this csv--              # Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-              # which can be disregarded in this case.-              if-              Bank Account-              Bank Deposit to PP Account-               description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle-               account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking-               account1 assets:online:paypal--              # Currency conversions-              if Currency Conversion-               account2 equity:currency conversion--              # common.rules--              if-              darcs-              noble benefactor-               account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub-               comment2 business:--              if-              Calm Radio-               account2 expenses:online:apps--              if-              electronic frontier foundation-              Patreon-              wikimedia-              Advent of Code-               account2 expenses:dues--              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-                  expenses:online:apps           $6.99--              2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--              2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-                  expenses:dues                  $7.00--              2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--              2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-                  expenses:dues                     $2.00-                  expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--              2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--              2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-                  revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-                  expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:--Timeclock-       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.  The-       time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ].  Seconds and timezone are  optional.-       The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored (currently-       the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines beginning  with-       # or ; or *, and blank lines, are ignored.--              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:--              $ hledger -f t.timeclock print-              2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-                  (some:account name)         0.33h--              2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-                  (another account)         1.64h--              2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-                  (another account)         2.01h--       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--       To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:--       o use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the  extended  timeclock--         x.el and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el--       o 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"--       o 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.---Timedot-       timedot  format  is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.  Com--       pared to timeclock format, it is--       o convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging--       o readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.--       A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look  like-       this:--              2021-08-04-              hom:errands          .... ....-              fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-              per:admin:finance--       hledger  reads  this  as three time transactions on this day, with each-       dot representing a quarter-hour spent:--              $ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-              2021-08-04 *-                  (hom:errands)            2.00--              2021-08-04 *-                  (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--              2021-08-04 *-                  (per:admin:finance)      0--       A day entry begins with a date line:--       o a non-indented simple date (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).--       Optionally this can be followed on the same line by--       o a common transaction description for this day--       o a common transaction comment for this day, after a semicolon (;).--       After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time  transac--       tion lines, consisting of:--       o an account name - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style account-         name.--       o two or more spaces - a field  separator,  required  if  there  is  an-         amount (as in journal format).--       o a  timedot amount - dots representing quarter hours, or a number rep--         resenting hours.--       o an optional comment beginning with semicolon.  This is ignored.--       In more detail, timedot amounts can be:--       o dots: zero or more period characters, each representing one  quarter--         hour.   Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: .... ..--       o a number, representing hours.  Eg: 1.5--       o a number immediately followed by a unit symbol s, m, h, d, w, mo,  or-         y, representing seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or years.-         Eg 1.5h or 90m.  The following equivalencies are assumed:-       60s = 1m, 60m = 1h, 24h = 1d, 7d = 1w, 30d = 1mo,  365d  =  1y.   (This-       unit  will not be visible in the generated transaction amount, which is-       always in hours.)--       There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log  data  in-       the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:--       o Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; are ignored.--       o Before the first date line, lines beginning with * are ignored.  From-         the first date line onward, a sequence of *'s followed by a space  at-         beginning  of  lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs Org mode)-         is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an  Org  head--         line,  and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.--       o Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as  trans--         actions  with  zero  amount.   (Most  hledger  reports  hide these by-         default; add -E to see them.)--       More examples:--              # on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-              2016/2/1-              inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-              fos:haskell   .... ..-              biz:research  .--              2016/2/2-              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-              **** DONE-              0700 yoga-              **** UNPLANNED-              **** BEGUN-              hom:chores-               cleaning  ...-               water plants-                outdoor - one full watering can-                indoor - light watering-              **** TODO-              adm:planning: trip-              *** LATER--       Reporting:--              $ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-              2016-02-02 *-                  (inc:client1)          2.00--              2016-02-02 *-                  (biz:research)          0.25--              $ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-              Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--                          ||  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-              ------------++-----------------------------------------                          ||         7.75         2.25         8.00--       Using period instead of colon as account name separator:--              2016/2/4-              fos.hledger.timedot  4-              fos.ledger           ..--              $ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree-                              4.50  fos-                              4.00    hledger:timedot-                              0.50    ledger-              ---------------------                              4.50--       A sample.timedot file.--PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-Time periods-   Report start & end date-       By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time repre--       sented  by  the  journal.   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 these-       accept the smart date syntax (below).--       Some notes:--       o End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write  the  date-         after the last day you want to see in the report.--       o As  noted  in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-         options, the last (i.e.  right-most) option takes precedence.--       o 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  2019,  the-         smallest common time span.--       o In  some  cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall-         on interval boundaries (see below).--       Examples:---       -b 2016/3/17       begin on St. Patrick's day 2016-       -e 12/1            end  at  the  start  of  december  1st of the current year-                          (11/30 will be the last date included)-       -b thismonth       all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month-       -p thismonth       all transactions in the current month-       date:2016/3/17..   the  above  written  as  queries  instead  (.. can also be-                          replaced with -)-       date:..12/1-       date:thismonth..-       date:thismonth--   Smart dates-       hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added conve--       nience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative  to  today's  date,  be-       written  with  english  words,  and have less-significant parts omitted-       (missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some examples:---       2004/10/1,   2004-01-01,   exact  date, several separators allowed.  Year-       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, tomor-   -1, 0, 1 days from today-       row-       last/this/next             -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period-       day/week/month/quar--       ter/year-       in                     n   n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years-       n                          n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years ahead-       n                          -n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years ago-       20181201                   8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day--       201812                     6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month--       Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give  surprising-       results:---       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-                     8-digit year-       20181232      8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-       201801012     9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error--       "Today's  date" can be overridden with the --today option, in case it's-       needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for periodic-       transaction rules, which are not affected by --today.)--   Report intervals-       A  report interval can be specified so that reports like register, bal--       ance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a sepa--       rate row or column.--       The  following  standard  intervals  can  be  enabled with command-line-       flags:--       o -D/--daily--       o -W/--weekly--       o -M/--monthly--       o -Q/--quarterly--       o -Y/--yearly--       More complex intervals can be specified  using  -p/--period,  described-       below.--   Date adjustment-       When  there  is  a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-       dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are  automatically-       adjusted  to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for produc--       ing simple periodic reports.  More precisely:--       o an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall  on-         a natural period boundary--       o an  inferred  end  date  will be adjusted later if needed to make the-         last period the same length as the others.--       By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with-       -b,  -e,  -p or date:, will not be adjusted (since hledger 1.29).  This-       makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but  it  also-       means  that  if  you  are  specifying a start date, you should pick one-       that's on a period boundary if you want to  see  simple  report  period-       headings.--   Period expressions-       The  -p/--period  option specifies a period expression, which is a com--       pact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report  interval.--       Here's  a  period  expression with a start and end date (specifying the-       first quarter of 2009):---       -p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"--       Several keywords like "from" and "to" are  supported  for  readability;-       these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".." or "-".  The spa--       ces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.  So-       the following are equivalent to the above:---       -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, these are also-       equivalent to the above:---       -p "1/1 4/1"-       -p "jan-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 date in the journal:---       -p "from 2009/1/1"   everything  after  january-                            1, 2009-       -p "since 2009/1"    the same, since is a  syn--                            onym-       -p "from 2009"       the same-       -p "to 2009"         everything  before january-                            1, 2009--       You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:---       -p "2009"        the year 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1"-       -p "2009/1"      the  month  of january 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to-                        2009/2/1"-       -p "2009/1/1"    the first day  of  2009;  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1  to-                        2009/1/2"--       or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):---       -p "2009Q1"       first  quarter  of  2009,  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1 to-                         2009/4/1"-       -p "q4"           fourth quarter of the current year--   Period expressions with a report interval-       A period expression can also begin with a  report  interval,  separated-       from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word in:---       -p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"-       -p "monthly in 2008"-       -p "quarterly"--   More complex report intervals-       Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-       such as:--       o biweekly (every two weeks)--       o fortnightly--       o bimonthly (every two months)--       o every day|week|month|quarter|year--       o every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years--       Weekly on a custom day:--       o every Nth day of week (th, nd, rd, or st are all accepted  after  the-         number)--       o every  WEEKDAYNAME  (full  or three-letter english weekday name, case-         insensitive)--       Monthly on a custom day:--       o every Nth day [of month]--       o every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]--       Yearly on a custom day:--       o every MM/DD [of year] (month number and day of month number)--       o every MONTHNAME DDth [of year] (full or  three-letter  english  month-         name, case insensitive, and day of month number)--       o every DDth MONTHNAME [of year] (equivalent to the above)--       Examples:---       -p "bimonthly from 2008"-       -p "every 2 weeks"-       -p  "every  5  months  from-       2009/03"-       -p "every 2nd day of week"    periods will go from Tue to Tue-       -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-                                     November-       -p "every 5th November"       same-       -p "every Nov 5th"            same--       Show  historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an-       end date, exclusive as always):--              $ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"--       Group postings from the start of wednesday  to  end  of  the  following-       tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):--              $ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"--   Multiple weekday intervals-       This special form is also supported:--       o every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,... (full or three-letter english week--         day names, case insensitive)--       Also, weekday and weekendday are shorthand for mon,tue,wed,thu,fri  and-       sat,sun.--       This  is  mainly intended for use with --forecast, to generate periodic-       transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less useful with-       -p, since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal length, which-       is unusual.  (Related: #1632)--       Examples:---       -p          "every   dates  will  be  Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon--       mon,wed,fri"         Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-       -p "every weekday"   dates  will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will-                            be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun-       -p "every weekend-   dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-       day"--Depth-       With the --depth NUM option  (short  form:  -NUM),  reports  will  show-       accounts  only  to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use-       this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the  same-       effect as a depth: query argument: depth:2, --depth=2 or -2 are equiva--       lent.--Queries-       One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise-       subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query argu--       ments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:--       o Zero or more space-separated  query  terms.   These  are  most  often-         account name substrings:--         utilities food:groceries--       o Terms  with  spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-         quotes:--         "personal care"--       o Regular expressions are also supported:--         "^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"--       o Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:--         date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:--       o Add a not: prefix to negate a term:--         not:cur:USD--   Query types-       Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be-       prefixed with not: to convert them into a negative match.--       acct:REGEX, REGEX-       Match  account names containing this (case insensitive) regular expres--       sion.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and reg--       ular  expression  syntax  is  typically  not needed, so usually we just-       write an account name substring, like expenses or food.--       amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N-       Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less  than,  or-       greater  than N.  (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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.  Oth--       erwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, ignoring sign.--       code:REGEX-       Match by transaction code (eg check number).--       cur:REGEX-       Match  postings  or  transactions  including  any  amounts  whose  cur--       rency/commodity  symbol  is  fully  matched  by  REGEX.  (For a partial-       match, use .*REGEX.*).  Note, to match  special  characters  which  are-       regex-significant,  you need to escape them with \.  And for characters-       which are significant to your shell you may  need  one  more  level  of-       escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:-       hledger print cur:\\$.--       desc:REGEX-       Match transaction descriptions.--       date:PERIODEXPR-       Match  dates  (or  with  the  --date2 flag, secondary dates) within the-       specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period  expression  with  no  report-       interval.  Examples:-       date:2016, date:thismonth, date:2/1-2/15, date:2021-07-27..nextquarter.--       date2:PERIODEXPR-       Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent  of  the-       --date2 flag).--       depth:N-       Match  (or  display,  depending  on  command) accounts at or above this-       depth.--       note:REGEX-       Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of |, or the-       whole description if there's no |).--       payee:REGEX-       Match  transaction  payee/payer names (the part of the description left-       of |, or the whole description if there's no |).--       real:, real:0-       Match real or virtual postings respectively.--       status:, status:!, status:*-       Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.--       type:TYPECODES-       Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).   TYPE--       CODES  is  one or more of the single-letter account type codes ALERXCV,-       case insensitive.  Note type:A and type:E will also match their respec--       tive  subtypes  C  (Cash) and V (Conversion).  Certain kinds of account-       alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts >  Aliases  and-       account types.--       tag:REGEX[=REGEX]-       Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by-       value, use tag:.=REGEX.)--       When querying by tag, note that:--       o Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts--       o Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction--       o Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.--       (inacct:ACCTNAME-       A  special  query  term  used  automatically in hledger-web only: tells-       hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)--   Combining query terms-       When given multiple query terms,  most  commands  select  things  which-       match:--       o any of the description terms AND--       o any of the account terms AND--       o any of the status terms AND--       o all the other terms.--       The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:--       o match any of the description terms AND--       o have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND--       o have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND--       o match all the other terms.--       Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not support-       full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND or OR in-       your  queries).   This  makes certain queries hard to express, but here-       are some tricks that can help:--       1. Use a doubled not: prefix.  Eg, to print only the food expenses paid-          with cash:--                  $ hledger print food not:not:cash--       2. Or  pre-filter the transactions with print, piping the result into a-          second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):--                  $ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food--   Queries and command options-       Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: depth:2  is-       equivalent to --depth 2, date:2020 is equivalent to -p 2020, etc.  When-       you mix command options and query arguments,  generally  the  resulting-       query is their intersection.--   Queries and valuation-       When  amounts  are  converted  to  other  commodities  in cost or value-       reports, cur: and amt: match the  old  commodity  symbol  and  the  old-       amount  quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's-       reversed, see #1625).--   Querying with account aliases-       When account names are rewritten with --alias or alias, note that acct:-       will match either the old or the new account name.--   Querying with cost or value-       When  amounts  are  converted  to  other  commodities  in cost or value-       reports, note that cur: matches the new commodity symbol, and  not  the-       old one, and amt: matches the new quantity, and not the old one.  Note:-       this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the  reverse,  see  the-       discussion at #1625.--Pivoting-       Normally,  hledger  groups  and  sums amounts within each account.  The-       --pivot FIELD option  substitutes  some  other  transaction  field  for-       account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's-       value instead.  FIELD can be any  of  the  transaction  fields  status,-       code,  description, payee, note, or a tag name.  When pivoting on a tag-       and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first value  is-       displayed.   Values  containing colon:separated:parts will be displayed-       hierarchically, like account names.--       Some examples:--              2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-                  assets:bank account                 2 EUR-                  income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe--       Normal balance report showing account names:--              $ hledger balance-                             2 EUR  assets:bank account-                            -2 EUR  income:dues-              ---------------------                                 0--       Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:--              $ hledger balance --pivot member-                             2 EUR-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                                 0--       One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):--              $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                            -2 EUR--       Another way (the acct:  query  matches  against  the  pivoted  "account-       name"):--              $ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                            -2 EUR--Generating data-       Two  features  for  generating  transient  data (visible only at report-       time) are built in to hledger's journal format:--       o Auto posting rules can generate extra postings  on  certain  transac--         tions.  They are activated by the --auto flag.--       o Periodic  transaction rules can generate repeating transactions, usu--         ally dated in the future, to  help  with  forecasting  or  budgeting.-         They  are  activated  by  the --forecast or balance --budget options,-         described next.--Forecasting-       The --forecast flag activates any periodic  transaction  rules  in  the-       journal.   These  will generate temporary additional transactions, usu--       ally recurring and in the future, which will  appear  in  all  reports.-       hledger print --forecast is a good way to see them.--       This  can  be  useful  for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-       experimenting with different scenarios.--       It could also be useful for scripted data  entry:  you  could  describe-       recurring  transactions,  and  every  so often copy the output of print-       --forecast into the journal.--       The generated transactions will have  an  extra  tag,  like  generated--       transaction:~  PERIODICEXPR,  indicating  which periodic rule generated-       them.  There is also a similar, hidden tag,  named  _generated-transac--       tion:, which you can use to reliably match transactions generated "just-       now" (rather than printed in the past).--       The forecast transactions are generated within a forecast period, which-       is  independent of the report period.  (Forecast period sets the bounds-       for generated transactions, report period controls  which  transactions-       are reported.)  The forecast period begins on:--       o the start date provided within --forecast's argument, if any--       o otherwise, the later of--         o the report start date, if specified (with -b/-p/date:)--         o the  day  after  the latest ordinary transaction in the journal, if-           any--       o otherwise today.--       It ends on:--       o the end date provided within --forecast's argument, if any--       o otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with -e/-p/date:)--       o otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.--       Note, this means that  ordinary  transactions  will  suppress  periodic-       transactions,  by  default;  the  periodic  transactions will not start-       until after the last ordinary transaction.  This is usually convenient,-       but you can get around it in two ways:--       o If  you  need  to  record  some transactions in the future, make them-         periodic transactions (with a single occurrence,  eg:  ~  YYYY-MM-DD)-         rather  than  ordinary  transactions.   That  way they won't suppress-         other periodic transactions.--       o Or give --forecast a period expression argument.  A  forecast  period-         specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions, and need not be-         in the future.  Some things to note:--         o You must use = between flag and argument; a space won't work.--         o The period expression can specify the forecast period's start date,-           end date, or both.  See also Report start & end date.--         o The  period expression should not specify a report interval.  (Each-           periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)--       Some  examples:  --forecast=202001-202004,   --forecast=jan-,   --fore--       cast=2021.--Budgeting-       With  the  balance command's --budget report, each periodic transaction-       rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and  goals-       and  actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc-       below.--       See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.--Cost reporting-       This section is about recording the cost  of  things,  in  transactions-       where  one  commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of cur--       rency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:--       o Conversion - an exchange of one currency or  commodity  for  another.-         Eg  a  foreign  currency  exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-         cryptocurrency.--       o Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more  conver--         sions.--       o Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie-         the exchange rate.--       o Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.   And-         more  generally,  in  hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the "sec--         ondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a purchase-         or  a  sale,  and  whether expressed per unit or in total.  Also, the-         "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.--   -B: Convert to cost-       As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction  you  can-       also  record  the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding @ UNIT--       PRICE or @@ TOTALPRICE.--       Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the-       -B/--cost flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).  Eg:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-                assets:euros     EUR100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each--              $ hledger bal -N-                             $-135  assets:dollars-                              EUR100  assets:euros-              $ hledger bal -N -B-                             $-135  assets:dollars-                              $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost--       Notes:--       -B  is  sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-                assets:euros     EUR100              ; for 100 euros--              $ hledger bal -N -B-                             EUR-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price-                              EUR100  assets:euros--       The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks:  it  does-       not  truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting equa--       tion and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.--   Equity conversion postings-       By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a differ--       ent  notation:  an  extra pair of equity postings to balance conversion-       transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be written:--              2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-                  assets:dollars      $-135-                  equity:conversion    $135-                  equity:conversion   EUR-100-                  assets:euros         EUR100--       This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and  makes  cost-       reporting more difficult for PTA tools.--       Happily,  current  hledger  can read either notation, or convert one to-       the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.--       You can even use cost notation and equivalent  conversion  postings  at-       the  same  time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But-       be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see  a-       not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.--   Inferring equity postings from cost-       With --infer-equity, hledger detects transactions written with PTA cost-       notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  -$135-                assets:euros     EUR100 @ $1.35--              $ hledger print --infer-equity-              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars                    $-135-                  assets:euros               EUR100 @ $1.35-                  equity:conversion:$-EUR:EUR           EUR-100  ; generated-posting:-                  equity:conversion:$-EUR:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:--       The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account-       type declaration.--       --infer-equity  is  useful  when  when  transactions have been recorded-       using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and  bal--       ance  reports'  zero  total,  or  to  produce more conventional journal-       entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.--   Inferring cost from equity postings-       The reverse operation is possible using  --infer-costs,  which  detects-       transactions  written  with  equity  conversion  postings and adds cost-       notation to them:--              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars            $-135-                  equity:conversion          $135-                  equity:conversion         EUR-100-                  assets:euros               EUR100--              $ hledger print --infer-costs-              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars       $-135 @@ EUR100-                  equity:conversion             $135-                  equity:conversion            EUR-100-                  assets:euros                  EUR100--       --infer-costs is useful when combined  with  -B/--cost,  allowing  cost-       reporting  even when transactions have been recorded using equity post--       ings:--              $ hledger print --infer-costs -B-              2009-01-01-                  assets:dollars           EUR-100-                  assets:euros              EUR100--       Notes:--       For --infer-costs to work, an exchange must consist of four postings:--       1. two non-equity postings--       2. two equity postings, next to one another--       3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type V/Conversion-          (or  if they are not declared, they must be named equity:conversion,-          equity:trade, equity:trading or subaccounts of these)--       4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity post--          ings' amounts.--       Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.--       When  inferring  cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added-       to the first of the non-equity postings involved in  the  exchange,  in-       the  commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.-       If you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can-       use explicit cost notation instead.--       --infer-equity  and  --infer-costs  can be used together, if you have a-       mixture of both notations in your journal.--   When to infer cost/equity-       Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not  enabled-       by  default.   We're  not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two-       suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:--       1. When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.  Eg: hledger  bal-          -B --infer-costs--       2. Always  run  hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: alias hl="hledger-          --infer-equity --infer-costs"--   How to record conversions-       Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion  transaction  in-       hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.--   Conversion with implicit cost-       Let's  assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.  You can just record the-       outflow (100 EUR)  and  inflow  (120  USD)  in  the  appropriate  asset-       account:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash    -100 EUR-                  assets:cash     120 USD--       hledger  will  assume  this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-       conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.  You  can  see  the  inferred-       rate by using hledger print -x.--       Pro:--       o Concise, easy--       Con:--       o Less  error  checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not-         be detected--       o Conversion rate is not clear--       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity-         flag--       You  can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped com--       modity symbol, by using hledger check commodities.--       You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using  hledger  check-       balancednoautoconversion, or -s/--strict.--   Conversion with explicit cost-       You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error-       otherwise.--       Pro:--       o Still concise--       o Makes the conversion rate clear--       o Provides more error checking--       Con:--       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity-         flag--   Conversion with equity postings-       In  strict  double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not bal--       anced in EUR or in  USD,  since  some  EUR  disappears,  and  some  USD-       appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents-       reports like balancesheetequity from showing a zero total.--       The proper way to make it balance is to add  a  balancing  posting  for-       each commodity, using an equity account:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR-                  equity:conversion   100 EUR-                  equity:conversion  -120 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Pro:--       o Preserves the accounting equation--       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place--       o Standard, works in any double entry accounting system--       Con:--       o More verbose--       o Conversion rate is not obvious--       o Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag--   Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-       Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-                  equity:conversion   100 EUR-                  equity:conversion  -120 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Pro:--       o Preserves the accounting equation--       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place--       o Makes the conversion rate clear--       o Provides more error checking--       Con:--       o Most verbose--       o Not compatible with ledger--   Cost tips-       o Recording  the  cost/conversion  rate  explicitly  is good because it-         makes that clear and helps detect errors.--       o Recording equity postings is good because it is  correct  bookkeeping-         and preserves the accounting equation.--       o Combining these is possible.--       o When  you  want  to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use -B-         (short form of --cost).--       o If you use conversion postings without cost  notation,  add  --infer--         costs also.--       o If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to-         see a balanced balance sheet or print correct  journal  entries,  use-         --infer-equity.--       o Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).--Valuation-       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:--   -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.--   -X: Value in specified commodity-       The -X/--exchange=COMM option is like -V, except you tell it which cur--       rency  you  want  to  convert to, and it tries to convert everything to-       that.--   Valuation date-       Since market prices can change from day to day,  market  value  reports-       have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-       prices will be used.--       For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is 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.--   Finding market price-       To  convert  a  commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-       hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate)  as  follows,-       in 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 direc--          tive,  or (with the --infer-market-prices flag) inferred from costs.--       2. A reverse market price: the inverse of a declared or inferred market-          price from B to A.--       3. A  forward  chain of market prices: a synthetic price formed by com--          bining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market prices,-          leading from A to B.--       4. Any  chain of market prices: a chain of any market prices, 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.--       Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are  not  con--       verted.--   --infer-market-prices: 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-       chore,  and  since  transactions  usually take place at close to market-       value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market  prices  (as-       Ledger  does)  ?   Adding  the  --infer-market-prices flag to -V, -X or-       --value enables this.--       So for example, hledger bs -V  --infer-market-prices  will  get  market-       prices  both from P directives and from transactions.  If both occur on-       the same day, the P directive takes precedence.--       There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in confus--       ing/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.--       --infer-market-prices can infer market prices from:--       o multicommodity transactions with explicit prices (@/@@)--       o multicommodity  transactions with implicit prices (no @, two commodi--         ties, unbalanced).  (With  these,  the  order  of  postings  matters.-         hledger print -x can be useful for troubleshooting.)--       o multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred-         with --infer-costs.--       There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a  valuation  commodity  is-       not  specified,  prices inferred with --infer-market-prices do not help-       select a default valuation commodity, as P prices would.  So conversion-       might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected (--debug=2-       will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:--       o -X EUR --infer-market-prices, not -V --infer-market-prices--       o --value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices, not --value=then --infer-mar--         ket-prices--       Signed  costs  and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here-       is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it  should-       work differently, see #1870.)--              2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B -1 @ A 1--              2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B -1 @@ A 1---              2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B 1 @ A -1--              2022-01-02 Negative total prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B 1 @@ A -1---              2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-                  a        A -1-                  b        B -1 @ A -1--              2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-                  a        A -1-                  b        B -1 @@ A -1--       All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,-       the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are  the  market-       prices inferred for B:--              $ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-              P 2022-01-01 B A 1-              P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-              P 2022-01-02 B A -1-              P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-              P 2022-01-03 B A -1-              P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0--   Valuation commodity-       When you specify a valuation commodity (-X COMM or --value TYPE,COMM):-       hledger  will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a suit--       able market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).--       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:--       1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A 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-          prices before the valuation date.)--       3. If  there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-          --infer-market-prices flag is used: the  price  commodity  from  the-          latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.--       This means:--       o If you have P directives, they determine which  commodities  -V  will-         convert, and to what.--       o If  you have no P directives, and use the --infer-market-prices flag,-         costs determine it.--       Amounts for which no valuation commodity can  be  found  are  not  con--       verted.--   Simple valuation examples-       Here are some quick examples of -V:--              ; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-              P 2016/11/01 EUR $1.10--              ; purchase some euros on nov 3-              2016/11/3-                  assets:euros        EUR100-                  assets:checking--              ; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-              P 2016/12/21 EUR $1.03--       How many euros do I have ?--              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros-                              EUR100  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)--              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-                           $103.00  assets:euros--   --value: Flexible valuation-       -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.-                                    Shows amounts converted to:-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date--       The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:--       --value=then-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity, using market prices on each posting's date.--       --value=end-              Convert  amounts to their value in the default valuation commod--              ity, 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-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity  using  current  market  prices (as of when report is gener--              ated).--       --value=YYYY-MM-DD-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity 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 this commodity, deducing-       market prices as described above.--   More valuation examples-       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-              P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-              P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--              2000-01-01-                (a)      1 A @ 5 B--              2000-02-01-                (a)      1 A @ 6 B--              2000-03-01-                (a)      1 A @ 7 B--       Show the cost of each posting:--              $ hledger -f- print --cost-              2000-01-01-                  (a)             5 B--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             6 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             7 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             2 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             3 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             3 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             4 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             4 B--       Show the value on 2000/01/15:--              $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-              2000-01-01-                  (a)             1 B--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             1 B--              2000-03-01-                  (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:--              P 2000-01-01 A 2B--              2000-01-01-                a  1B-                b--              $ hledger print -x -X A-              2000-01-01-                  a               0-                  b               0--       Explanation: because there's no amount or commodity directive  specify--       ing  a display style for A, 0.5A gets the default style, which shows no-       decimal digits.  Because the displayed amount looks like zero, the com--       modity  symbol  and minus sign are not displayed either.  Adding a com--       modity directive sets a more useful display style for A:--              P 2000-01-01 A 2B-              commodity 0.00A--              2000-01-01-                a  1B-                b--              $ hledger print -X A-              2000-01-01-                  a           0.50A-                  b          -0.50A--   Interaction of valuation and queries-       When matching postings based on queries in the presence  of  valuation,-       the following happens.--       1. The query is separated into two parts:--           1. the currency (cur:) or amount (amt:).--           2. all other parts.--       2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on-          pre-valued amounts.--       3. Valuation is applied to the postings.--       4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the  query  based  on-          post-valued amounts.--       See: 1625--   Effect of valuation on reports-       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.---       Report          -B, --cost     -V, -X         --value=then        --value=end    --value=DATE,-       type                                                                             --value=now-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       print-       posting         cost           value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       amounts                        report   end   date                report    or   DATE/today-                                      or today                           journal end-       balance         unchanged      unchanged      unchanged           unchanged      unchanged-       asser--       tions/assign--       ments--       register-       starting bal-   cost           value     at   valued   at   day   value     at   value      at-       ance (-H)                      report    or   each   historical   report    or   DATE/today-                                      journal end    posting was made    journal end-       starting bal-   cost           value at day   valued   at   day   value at day   value      at-       ance     (-H)                  before         each   historical   before         DATE/today-       with   report                  report    or   posting was made    report    or-       interval                       journal                            journal-                                      start                              start-       posting         cost           value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       amounts                        report    or   date                report    or   DATE/today-                                      journal end                        journal end-       summary post-   summarised     value     at   sum  of  postings   value     at   value      at-       ing   amounts   cost           period ends    in interval, val-   period ends    DATE/today-       with   report                                 ued  at  interval-       interval                                      start--       running         sum/average    sum/average    sum/average    of   sum/average    sum/average-       total/average   of displayed   of displayed   displayed values    of displayed   of  displayed-                       values         values                             values         values--       balance  (bs,-       bse, cf, is)-       balance         sums      of   value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       changes         costs          report   end   date                report    or   DATE/today of-                                      or  today of                       journal  end   sums of post--                                      sums      of                       of  sums  of   ings-                                      postings                           postings-       budget          like balance   like balance   like      balance   like    bal-   like  balance-       amounts         changes        changes        changes             ances          changes-       (--budget)-       grand total     sum of  dis-   sum of  dis-   sum of  displayed   sum  of dis-   sum  of  dis--                       played  val-   played  val-   valued              played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues--       balance  (bs,-       bse, cf,  is)-       with   report-       interval-       starting bal-   sums      of   value     at   sums of values of   value     at   sums of post--       ances (-H)      costs     of   report start   postings   before   report start   ings   before-                       postings       of  sums  of   report  start  at   of  sums  of   report start-                       before         all postings   respective  post-   all postings-                       report start   before         ing dates           before-                                      report start                       report start-       balance         sums      of   same      as   sums of values of   balance        value      at-       changes (bal,   costs     of   --value=end    postings       in   change    in   DATE/today of-       is,        bs   postings  in                  period at respec-   each period,   sums of post--       --change,  cf   period                        tive      posting   valued    at   ings-       --change)                                     dates               period ends-       end  balances   sums      of   same      as   sums of values of   period   end   value      at-       (bal  -H,  is   costs     of   --value=end    postings     from   balances,      DATE/today of-       --H, bs, cf)    postings                      before     period   valued    at   sums of post--                       from  before                  start  to  period   period ends    ings-                       report start                  end at respective-                       to    period                  posting dates-                       end-       budget          like balance   like balance   like      balance   like    bal-   like  balance-       amounts         changes/end    changes/end    changes/end  bal-   ances          changes/end-       (--budget)      balances       balances       ances                              balances-       row   totals,   sums,  aver-   sums,  aver-   sums, averages of   sums,  aver-   sums,   aver--       row  averages   ages of dis-   ages of dis-   displayed values    ages of dis-   ages  of dis--       (-T, -A)        played  val-   played  val-                       played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues-       column totals   sums of dis-   sums of dis-   sums of displayed   sums of dis-   sums  of dis--                       played  val-   played  val-   values              played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues-       grand  total,   sum, average   sum, average   sum,  average  of   sum, average   sum,  average-       grand average   of    column   of    column   column totals       of    column   of     column-                       totals         totals                             totals         totals---       --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  market  value  using available market price declarations, or the-              unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.--       report start-              the first day of the report period specified with -b  or  -p  or-              date:, otherwise today.--       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-              the  last  day  of  the report period specified with -e or -p or-              date:, otherwise today.--       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-              a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates  the-              report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperi--              ods).--PART 4: COMMANDS-   Commands overview-       Here are the built-in commands:--   DATA ENTRY-       These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your jour--       nal file.--       o add - add transactions using terminal prompts--       o import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files--   DATA CREATION-       o close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions--       o rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto--   DATA MANAGEMENT-       o check - check for various kinds of error in the data--       o diff - compare account transactions in two journal files--   REPORTS, FINANCIAL-       o aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account--       o balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth--       o balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity--       o cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets--       o incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses--   REPORTS, VERSATILE-       o balance  (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..--       o print - show transactions or export journal data--       o register (reg) - show postings in one  or  more  accounts  &  running-         total--       o roi - show return on investments--   REPORTS, BASIC-       o accounts - show account names--       o activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period--       o codes - show transaction codes--       o commodities - show commodity/currency symbols--       o descriptions - show transaction descriptions--       o files - show input file paths--       o notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions--       o payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions--       o prices - show market prices--       o stats - show journal statistics--       o tags - show tag names--       o test - run self tests--   HELP-       o help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager---   ADD-ONS-       And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed-       by the hledger-install script.   If  installed,  they  will  appear  in-       hledger's commands list:--       o ui - run hledger's terminal UI--       o web - run hledger's web UI--       o iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)--       o interest - generate interest transactions--       o stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage--       o Scripts  and  add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-         pijul, plot, and more..--       Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.--   accounts-       Show account names.--       This command lists account  names.   By  default  it  shows  all  known-       accounts,  either  used in transactions or declared with account direc--       tives.--       With query arguments, only matched account names and account names ref--       erenced by matched postings are shown.--       Or  it  can  show  just  the  used  accounts  (--used/-u), the declared-       accounts  (--declared/-d),  the  accounts   declared   but   not   used-       (--unused),  the  accounts used but not declared (--undeclared), or the-       first account matched by an account name pattern, if any (--find).--       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.--       With  --types,  it also shows each account's type, if it's known.  (See-       Declaring accounts > Account types.)--       With --positions, it also shows  the  file  and  line  number  of  each-       account's  declaration,  if  any, and the account's overall declaration-       order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display  order.--       With  --directives,  it adds the account keyword, showing valid account-       directives which can be pasted into a journal  file.   This  is  useful-       together  with  --undeclared when updating your account declarations to-       satisfy hledger check accounts.--       The --find flag can be used to look up a single account  name,  in  the-       same  way that the aregister command does.  It returns the alphanumeri--       cally-first matched account name, or if none can  be  found,  it  fails-       with a non-zero exit code.--       Examples:--              $ hledger accounts-              assets:bank:checking-              assets:bank:saving-              assets:cash-              expenses:food-              expenses:supplies-              income:gifts-              income:salary-              liabilities:debts--              $ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-              $ hledger check accounts--   activity-       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.--       Examples:--              $ hledger activity --quarterly-              2008-01-01 **-              2008-04-01 *******-              2008-07-01-              2008-10-01 **--   add-       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  trans--       actions,  and appends them to the main journal file (which should be in-       journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This  is  one-       of  the  few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also-       import).--       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:--       o add tries to provide useful defaults,  using  the  most  similar  (by-         description)  recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a-         template.--       o You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.--       o Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.--       o The tab key will auto-complete whenever  possible  -  accounts,  pay--         ees/descriptions,  dates  (yesterday, today, tomorrow).  If the input-         area is empty, it will insert the default value.--       o If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added  to  any-         bare numbers entered.--       o A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.--       o Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.--       o If you make a mistake, enter < at any prompt to go one step backward.--       o Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when  the  terminal-         supports it.--       Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):--              $ hledger add-              Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-              Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-              Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-              An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-              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]:-              Description: supermarket-              Account 1: expenses:food-              Amount  1: $10-              Account 2: assets:checking-              Amount  2 [$-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]:-              Saved.-              Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-              Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $--       On  Microsoft  Windows,  the add command makes sure that no part of the-       file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).--   aregister-       (areg)--       Show the transactions  and  running  historical  balance  of  a  single-       account, with each transaction displayed as one line.--       aregister shows the overall transactions affecting a particular account-       (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one transaction  in-       this  account.   Transactions  before  the report start date are always-       included in the running balance (--historical mode is always on).--       This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the  register  command-       (which  shows individual postings, possibly from multiple accounts, not-       necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of thumb: - use areg--       ister for reviewing and reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts-       - use register for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.--       aregister requires one argument: the account to  report  on.   You  can-       write  either  the  full  account  name,  or a case-insensitive regular-       expression which will select the alphabetically first matched  account.--       When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be-       surprising; eg if you have assets:per:checking 1 and  assets:biz:check--       ing  2 accounts, hledger areg checking would select assets:biz:checking-       2.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt,  write  the-       full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.--       Transactions  involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.-       aregister ignores depth limits, so its final total will always match  a-       balance report with similar arguments.--       Any  additional  arguments  form a query which will filter the transac--       tions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance, caus--       ing it to be different from the account's real-world running balance.--       An  example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance-       during july, in the first account whose name contains "checking":--              $ hledger areg checking date:jul--       Each aregister line item shows:--       o the transaction's date (or the relevant posting's date if  different,-         see below)--       o the  names  of  all the other account(s) involved in this transaction-         (probably abbreviated)--       o the total change to this account's balance from this transaction--       o 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.--       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first-       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause-       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the-       --align-all flag.--       This  command  also  supports  the output destination and output format-       options.  The output formats supported are txt, csv, and json.--   aregister and custom posting dates-       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.--       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.--   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-       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,  bal--       ancesheetequity, cashflow and incomestatement.  When you need more con--       trol, then use balance.--   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-       higher-level commands as well.--       balance can show..--       o accounts as a list (-l) or a tree (-t)--       o optionally depth-limited (-[1-9])--       o sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount--       ..and their..--       o balance changes (the default)--       o or actual and planned balance changes (--budget)--       o or value of balance changes (-V)--       o or change of balance values (--valuechange)--       o or unrealised capital gain/loss (--gain)--       ..in..--       o one time period (the whole journal period by default)--       o or multiple periods (-D, -W, -M, -Q, -Y, -p INTERVAL)--       ..either..--       o per period (the default)--       o or accumulated since report start date (--cumulative)--       o or accumulated since account creation (--historical/-H)--       ..possibly converted to..--       o cost (--value=cost[,COMM]/--cost/-B)--       o or market value, as of transaction dates (--value=then[,COMM])--       o or at period ends (--value=end[,COMM])--       o or now (--value=now)--       o or at some other date (--value=YYYY-MM-DD)--       ..with..--       o totals  (-T),  averages  (-A),  percentages   (-%),   inverted   sign-         (--invert)--       o rows and columns swapped (--transpose)--       o another field used as account name (--pivot)--       o custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only) (--format)--       o commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines (--layout)--       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, negative amounts-       are shown in red.--       The --related/-r flag shows the balance of the other  postings  in  the-       transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.--   Simple balance report-       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.  ("Simple" here-       means just one column of numbers, covering a single  period.   You  can-       also have multi-period reports, described later.)--       For  real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end bal--       ance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.--       Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any,  and  then  alphabeti--       cally by account name.  For instance (using examples/sample.journal):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                                $1  assets:bank:saving-                               $-2  assets:cash-                                $1  expenses:food-                                $1  expenses:supplies-                               $-1  income:gifts-                               $-1  income:salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 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):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                                 0  assets:bank:checking-                                $1  assets:bank:saving-                               $-2  assets:cash-                                $1  expenses:food-                                $1  expenses:supplies-                               $-1  income:gifts-                               $-1  income:salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 0--       The  total  of  the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-       -N/--no-total is used.--   Balance report line format-       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:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"-                            assets          $-1-                       bank:saving           $1-                              cash          $-2-                          expenses           $2-                              food           $1-                          supplies           $1-                            income          $-2-                             gifts          $-1-                            salary          $-1-                 liabilities:debts           $1-              ----------------------------------                                              0--       The  FMT  format  string  specifies  the  formatting  applied  to  each-       account/balance  pair.   It  may  contain  any suitable text, with data-       fields interpolated like so:--       %[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)--       o MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)--       o MAX truncates at this width (optional)--       o FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:--         o depth_spacer - a number of spaces equal to the account's depth,  or-           if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.--         o account - the account's name--         o total - the account's balance/posted total, right justified--       Also,  FMT  can begin with an optional prefix to control how multi-com--       modity amounts are rendered:--       o %_ - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)--       o %^ - render on multiple lines, top-aligned--       o %, - 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:--       o %(total) - the account's total--       o %-20.20(account) - the account's name, left justified, padded  to  20-         characters and clipped at 20 characters--       o %,%-50(account)   %25(total)  - account name padded to 50 characters,-         total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities rendered  on-         one line--       o %20(total)   %2(depth_spacer)%-(account) - the default format for the-         single-column balance report--   Filtered balance report-       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:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                               $-2  assets:cash-              ---------------------                               $-2--   List or tree mode-       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'-       "leaf" names indented below their parent:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-                                $2  expenses-                                $1    food-                                $1    supplies-                               $-2  income-                               $-1    gifts-                               $-1    salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 0--       Notes:--       o "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).--       o All  balances  shown  are "inclusive", ie including the balances from-         all subaccounts.  Note this means  some  repetition  in  the  output,-         which requires explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextac--         counting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is the sum  of  the-         top-level balances shown, not of all the balances shown.--       o Each  group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted-         separately.--   Depth limiting-       With a depth:NUM query, or --depth NUM option, or just  -NUM  (eg:  -3)-       balance  reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding-       the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful  for  getting  an  overview-       without too much detail.--       Account  balances  at  the depth limit always include the balances from-       any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                               $-1  assets-                                $2  expenses-                               $-2  income-                                $1  liabilities-              ---------------------                                 0--   Dropping top-level accounts-       You can also hide one or  more  top-level  account  name  parts,  using-       --drop NUM.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account-       names:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                                $1  food-                                $1  supplies-              ---------------------                                $2---   Showing declared accounts-       With --declared, accounts which have  been  declared  with  an  account-       directive  will be included in the balance report, even if they have no-       transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-       -E/--empty to see them.)--       More  precisely,  leaf  declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will be-       included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.--       The idea of this is to be able  to  see  a  useful  "complete"  balance-       report,  even  when you don't have transactions in all of your declared-       accounts yet.--   Sorting by amount-       With -S/--sort-amount, accounts with the largest (most  positive)  bal--       ances  are  shown first.  Eg: hledger bal expenses -MAS shows your big--       gest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity  is-       present,  they  will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity-       first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount  is  missing  a-       commodity, it is treated as 0).--       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).---   Percentages-       With  -%/--percent, balance reports show each account's value expressed-       as a percentage of the (column) total.--       Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a col--       umn  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 separate-       report for each commodity:--              $ hledger bal -% cur:\\$-              $ hledger bal -% cur:EUR--   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), bal--       ance shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive  time-       periods (and a title):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-              Balance changes in 2008:--                                 ||  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-              -------------------++----------------------------------                                 ||     $-1      $1       0       0--       Notes:--       o The report's start/end dates will be expanded, if necessary, to fully-         encompass the displayed subperiods (so that the first and last subpe--         riods have the same duration as the others).--       o Leading  and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not-         shown, unless -E/--empty is used.--       o Accounts  (rows)  containing  all  zeroes  are  not   shown,   unless-         -E/--empty is used.--       o Amounts  with  many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless-         --no-elide is used.  (experimental)--       o Average and/or total columns can be added with the  -A/--average  and-         -T/--row-total flags.--       o The --transpose flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.--       o 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:--       o Hide the totals row with -N/--no-total--       o Convert to a single currency with -V--       o Maximize the terminal window--       o Reduce the terminal's font size--       o View  with  a  pager like less, eg: hledger bal -D --color=yes | less-         -RS--       o 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)--       o Output as HTML and view with a browser: hledger bal -D -o  a.html  &&-         open a.html--   Balance change, end balance-       It's  important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in bal--       ance 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.--       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!)--       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 historical-       end balances:--       1. Initialise account starting  balances  with  an  "opening  balances"-          transaction  (a  transfer  from  equity  to the account), unless the-          journal covers the account's full lifetime.--       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 ignored when summing post--          ings.)--   Balance report types-       The  balance  command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how-       to control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated,  don't-       worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does typically take some-       time and experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.--       There are three important option groups:--       hledger balance  [CALCULATIONTYPE]  [ACCUMULATIONTYPE]  [VALUATIONTYPE]-       ...--   Calculation type-       The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:--       o --sum : sum the posting amounts (default)--       o --budget : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount (for-         each account/period)--       o --valuechange : show the change in period-end historical balance val--         ues  (caused  by  deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price fluctua--         tions)--       o --gain : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the  current  valued-         balance minus each amount's original cost)--   Accumulation type-       How  amounts  should  accumulate across report periods.  Another way to-       say it: which time period's postings should contribute to  each  cell's-       calculation.  It is one of:--       o --change  :  calculate with postings from column start to column end,-         ie "just this column".   Typically  used  to  see  revenues/expenses.-         (default for balance, incomestatement)--       o --cumulative  :  calculate  with postings from report start to column-         end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used to  show-         changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not often used.--       o --historical/-H  : calculate with postings from journal start to col--         umn end, ie "all postings from before report start  date  until  this-         column's  end".   Typically  used  to  see historical end balances of-         assets/liabilities/equity.  (default for balancesheet, balancesheete--         quity, cashflow)--   Valuation type-       Which  kind  of  value  or  cost  conversion should be applied, if any,-       before displaying the report.  It is one of:--       o no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (default)--       o --value=cost[,COMM] : convert amounts to  cost  (then  optionally  to-         some other commodity)--       o --value=then[,COMM]  : convert amounts to market value on transaction-         dates--       o --value=end[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value  on  period  end-         date(s)-       (default with --valuechange, --gain)--       o --value=now[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value on today's date--       o --value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]  :  convert  amounts  to  market  value  on-         another date--       or one of the equivalent simpler flags:--       o -B/--cost : like --value=cost (though, note --cost  and  --value  are-         independent options which can both be used at once)--       o -V/--market : like --value=end--       o -X COMM/--exchange COMM : like --value=end,COMM--       See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.--   Combining balance report types-       Most  combinations  of these options should produce reasonable reports,-       but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let  us  know.   The-       following restrictions are applied:--       o --valuechange implies --value=end--       o --valuechange  makes  --change  the  default  when used with the bal--         ancesheet/balancesheetequity commands--       o --cumulative or --historical disables --row-total/-T--       For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and valua--       tion show:---       Valua-     no valuation       --value= then       --value= end      --value= YYYY--       tion:>                                                              MM-DD /now-       Accumu--       lation:v-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       --change   change in period   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-                                     date  market val-   value of change   change      in-                                     ues in period       in period         period-       --cumu-    change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-       lative     report start  to   date market  val-   value of change   change    from-                  period end         ues  from  report   from     report   report   start-                                     start  to  period   start to period   to period end-                                     end                 end-       --his-     change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-       torical    journal start to   date  market val-   value of change   change    from-       /-H        period end (his-   ues from  journal   from    journal   journal  start-                  torical end bal-   start  to  period   start to period   to period end-                  ance)              end                 end--   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 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-                expenses:food    $400-                expenses:bus     $50-                expenses:movies  $30-                assets:bank:checking--              ;; Two months worth of expenses-              2017-11-01-                income  $1950-                expenses:food    $396-                expenses:bus     $49-                expenses:movies  $30-                expenses:supplies  $20-                assets:bank:checking--              2017-12-01-                income  $2100-                expenses:food    $412-                expenses:bus     $53-                expenses:gifts   $100-                assets:bank:checking--       You can now see a monthly budget report:--              $ hledger balance -M --budget-              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                                    ||                      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]-              ----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]--       This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:--       o Only  accounts  with budget goals during the report period are shown,-         by default.--       o In each column, in square brackets after the  actual  amount,  budget-         goal  amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.  (Note: bud--         get goals should be in the same commodity as the actual amount.)--       o All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.  Eg  assets,-         assets:bank, and expenses above.--       o 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 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:--              $ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                                    ||                      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]-              ----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]--       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-              ======================++====================================================-               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]--       It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses--              hledger bal -M --budget expenses--       or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):--              hledger bal -M --budget type:rx--       It's  also  common  to  limit  or  convert  them  to  a single currency-       (cur:COMM or -X COMM  [--infer-market-prices]).   If  showing  multiple-       currencies, --layout bare or --layout tall can help.--       For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.--   Budget report start date-       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-       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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:--              ~ monthly in 2020-                (expenses:food)  $500--              2020-01-15-                expenses:food    $400-                assets:checking--              $ hledger bal expenses --budget-              Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--                            || 2020-01-15-              ==============++============-               <unbudgeted> ||       $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:--              $ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-              Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--                             || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15-              ===============++========================-               expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500]-              ---------------++-------------------------                             ||     $400 [80% of $500]--   Budgets and subaccounts-       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 bud--       get(s) of the child account(s) would be added to the  budget  of  their-       parent, much like account balances behave.--       In  the  most  simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-       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-                  liabilities--       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.--       Transactions in  expenses:personal:electronics  will  be  counted  both-       towards  its  $100 budget and $1100 of expenses:personal , and transac--       tions 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-                  liabilities--              2019/01/01 Google home hub-                  expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-                  liabilities                           $-90.00--              2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-                  expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-                  liabilities--              2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-                  expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-                  liabilities--              2019/01/03 Flowers-                  expenses:personal          $30.00-                  liabilities--       As  you  can  see,  we have transactions in expenses:personal:electron--       ics:upgrades and expenses:personal:train tickets,  and  since  both  of-       these  accounts  are  without explicitly defined budget, these transac--       tions would be counted towards budgets of expenses:personal:electronics-       and expenses:personal accordingly:--              $ hledger balance --budget -M-              Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                             ||                           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]-              -------------------------------++--------------------------------                                             ||        0 [                 0]--       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-              ========================================++===============================-               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]--   Selecting budget goals-       The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate spe--       cial  "goal  transactions",  which  generate  the goal amounts for each-       account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting,  you  can  use-       print --forecast to show these as forecasted transactions:--              $ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated--       By  default,  the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-       rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a  different  report-       interval  from  your  report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly-       periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a  monthly-       budget report.--       You  can  select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-       the --budget flag.  --budget=DESCPAT  will  match  all  periodic  rules-       whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-       regular expression or query).  This means you can  give  your  periodic-       rules  descriptions  (remember  that  two  spaces are needed), and then-       select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.--   Budget vs forecast-       hledger --forecast ... and hledger balance --budget  ...  are  separate-       features,  though  both  of  them  use  the  periodic transaction rules-       defined in the journal, and both of them  generate  temporary  transac--       tions  for reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal-       transactions", respectively).  You can use both features  at  the  same-       time  if  you  want.   Here  are  some  differences between them, as of-       hledger 1.29:--       CLI:--       o --forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command--       o --budget is a balance command option, usable only with that  command.--       Visibility of generated transactions:--       o forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary trans--         actions--       o budget goal transactions are invisible except for  the  goal  amounts-         they produce in --budget reports.--       Periodic transaction rules:--       o --forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules--       o --budget  uses  all  periodic  rules  (--budget) or a selected subset-         (--budget=DESCPAT)--       Period of generated transactions:--       o --forecast generates forecast transactions--         o from after the last regular transaction to the end  of  the  report-           period (--forecast)--         o or, during a specified period (--forecast=PERIODEXPR)--         o possibly  further  restricted by a period specified in the periodic-           transaction rule--         o and always restricted within the bounds of the report period--       o --budget generates budget goal transactions--         o throughout the report period--         o possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic  transac--           tion rule.--   Data layout-       The  --layout  option  affects how balance reports show multi-commodity-       amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.   It  can-       also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has-       four possible values:--       o --layout=wide[,WIDTH]:  commodities  are  shown  on  a  single  line,-         optionally elided to WIDTH--       o --layout=tall: each commodity is shown on a separate line--       o --layout=bare: commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts are-         bare numbers--       o --layout=tidy: data is normalised  to  easily-consumed  "tidy"  form,-         with one row per data value--       Here  are the --layout modes supported by each output format; note only-       CSV output supports all of them:---       -      txt   csv   html   json   sql-       --------------------------------------       wide   Y     Y     Y-       tall   Y     Y     Y-       bare   Y     Y     Y-       tidy         Y--       Examples:--       o Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total-                ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT-                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT--       o Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some  com--         modities will be hidden:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total-                ==================++===========================================================================================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..-                ------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..--       o Tall  layout.   Each  commodity  gets a new line (may be different in-         each column), and account names are repeated:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total-                ==================++==================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT-                 Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA-                 Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT-                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD-                                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT-                                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD-                                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA-                                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT--       o Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each  commod--         ity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total-                ==================++=============================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50-                 Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00-                ------------------++----------------------------------------------                                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00-                                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00-                                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50-                                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00-                                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00--       o Bare  layout  also  affects CSV output, which is useful for producing-         data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-                "account","commodity","balance"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"-                "total","GLD","70.00"-                "total","ITOT","17.00"-                "total","USD","5120.50"-                "total","VEA","36.00"-                "total","VHT","294.00"--       o Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable has-         its  own  column  and  each  row represents a single data point.  See-         https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy--         data.html for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other soft--         ware to consume.  Here's how it looks:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-                "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"--   Useful balance reports-       Some frequently used balance options/reports are:--       o bal -M revenues expenses-       Show revenues/expenses in each month.  Also available as  the  incomes--       tatement command.--       o bal -M -H assets liabilities-       Show  historical  asset/liability  balances  at  each  month end.  Also-       available as the balancesheet command.--       o bal -M -H assets liabilities equity-       Show historical asset/liability/equity  balances  at  each  month  end.-       Also available as the balancesheetequity command.--       o bal -M assets not:receivable-       Show  changes  to  liquid  assets in each month.  Also available as the-       cashflow command.--       Also:--       o bal -M expenses -2 -SA-       Show monthly expenses summarised to  depth  2  and  sorted  by  average-       amount.--       o bal -M --budget expenses-       Show monthly expenses and budget goals.--       o bal -M --valuechange investments-       Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.--       o bal  investments  --valuechange  -D  date:lastweek  amt:'>1000'  -STA-         [--invert]-       Show top gainers [or losers] last week--   balancesheet-       (bs)--       This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical  ending  bal--       ances 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.--       This  report  shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash or Liability-       type (see account types).  Or if no  such  accounts  are  declared,  it-       shows  top-level  accounts  named asset or liability (case insensitive,-       plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger balancesheet-              Balance Sheet--              Assets:-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-              ---------------------                               $-1--              Liabilities:-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                $1--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 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.-       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 (experi--       mental) json.--   balancesheetequity-       (bse)--       This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical  ending  bal--       ances  of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown with-       normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--       This report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash, Liability  or-       Equity  type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared,-       it shows top-level accounts named  asset,  liability  or  equity  (case-       insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger balancesheetequity-              Balance Sheet With Equity--              Assets:-                               $-2  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-3    cash-              ---------------------                               $-2--              Liabilities:-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                $1--              Equity:-                        $1  equity:owner-              ---------------------                        $1--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 0--       This command is a higher-level variant of the balance command, and sup--       ports many of that command's features, such  as  multi-period  reports.-       It is similar to hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity, but with-       smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with  their-       sign flipped.--       This  command  also  supports  the output destination and output format-       options The output formats supported are txt, csv, html,  and  (experi--       mental) json.--   cashflow-       (cf)--       This  command  displays  a  cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-       outflows affecting "cash"  (ie,  liquid,  easily  convertible)  assets.-       Amounts  are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional finan--       cial statements.--       This report shows accounts declared with the  Cash  type  (see  account-       types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts--       o under  a  top-level  account  named  asset  (case insensitive, plural-         allowed)--       o whose name contains some variation of cash, bank, checking or saving.--       More  precisely:  all  accounts  matching this case insensitive regular-       expression:--       ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)--       and their subaccounts.--       An example cashflow report:--              $ hledger cashflow-              Cashflow Statement--              Cash flows:-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-              ---------------------                               $-1--              Total:-              ---------------------                               $-1--       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.-       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 (experi--       mental) json.--   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-       argument(s).--       Some examples:--              hledger check      # basic checks-              hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-              hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks--       If you are an Emacs user, you can also  configure  flycheck-hledger  to-       run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.--       Here are the checks currently available:--   Basic checks-       These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger com--       mands, including check:--       o parseable - data files are well-formed and can be successfully parsed--       o balancedwithautoconversion - all transactions are balanced, inferring-         missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting  commodities-         using costs or automatically-inferred costs--       o assertions  -  all  balance  assertions  in  the journal are passing.-         (This check can be disabled with -I/--ignore-assertions.)--   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:--       o accounts - all account names used by transactions have been declared--       o commodities - all commodity symbols used have been declared--       o balancednoautoconversion - transactions are balanced, possibly  using-         explicit costs but not inferred ones--   Other checks-       These  checks  can  be  run  only by giving their names as arguments to-       check.  They are more  specialised  and  not  desirable  for  everyone,-       therefore optional:--       o ordereddates - transactions are ordered by date within each file--       o payees - all payees used by transactions have been declared--       o recentassertions  -  all accounts with balance assertions have a bal--         ance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting--       o tags - all tags used by transactions have been declared--       o uniqueleafnames - all account leaf names are unique--   Custom checks-       A few more checks are are available as  separate  add-on  commands,  in-       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:--       o hledger-check-tagfiles  -  all  tag  values  containing  / (a forward-         slash) exist as file paths--       o hledger-check-fancyassertions - more complex balance  assertions  are-         passing--       You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.  See:-       Cookbook -> Scripting.--   More about specific checks-       hledger check recentassertions will complain  if  any  balance-asserted-       account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its lat--       est posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where  you  are  regu--       larly  updating  your  journal,  but  forgetting to check your balances-       against the real world, then one day must dig back  through  months  of-       data  to  find  an  error.   It assumes that adding a balance assertion-       requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not  be-       true  if  you  auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that-       case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use  the  man--       ual-review-and-mark-cleared  phase  as  a  reminder to check the latest-       assertions against real-world balances.--   close-       (equity)--       Generate transactions which transfer account balances  to  and/or  from-       another  account  (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating-       balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity  at-       end of accounting period.--       By  default,  it  prints  a  transaction  that  zeroes out ALE accounts-       (asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types  to  be-       configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.--       (experimental)--       This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common  use-       cases:--       1. With  --close  (default), it prints a "closing balances" transaction-          that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts  by  default-          (this  requires  account  types to be inferred or declared); or, the-          accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.--       2. With --open, it prints an opposite  "opening  balances"  transaction-          that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to Ledger's-          equity command.--       3. With --migrate, it prints both the closing and opening transactions.-          This  is  the  preferred  way to migrate balances to a new file: run-          hledger close --migrate, add the closing transaction at the  end  of-          the  old  file,  and add the opening transaction at the start of the-          new file.  The matching  closing/opening  transactions  cancel  each-          other  out, preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.--       4. With --retain, it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that trans--          fers  RX (revenue and expense) balances to equity:retained earnings.-          Businesses traditionally do this  at  the  end  of  each  accounting-          period;  it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it-          could still be useful if you want to  see  the  accounting  equation-          (A=L+E) satisfied.--       In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:--       o the  transaction  descriptions  can be changed with --close-desc=DESC-         and --open-desc=DESC--       o the account to transfer to/from can be changed with --close-acct=ACCT-         and --open-acct=ACCT--       o the  accounts  to  be  closed/opened  can  be  changed with ACCTQUERY-         (account query arguments).--       By default just one destination/source posting will be used,  with  its-       amount  left  implicit.   With --x/--explicit, the amount will be shown-       explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting-       will be generated for each of them (similar to print -x).--       With  --show-costs,  any amount costs are shown, with separate postings-       for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view investment lots.-       If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can-       generate very large journal entries.--       With --interleaved, each individual transfer is shown with  source  and-       destination  postings  next  to  each  other.  This could be useful for-       troubleshooting.--       The default closing date is  yesterday,  or  the  journal's  end  date,-       whichever  is  later.   You  can change this by specifying a report end-       date; (The report start date does not matter.)  The  last  day  of  the-       report  period  will  be  the  closing date; eg -e 2022 means "close on-       2022-12-31".  The opening date is always  the  day  after  the  closing-       date.--   close and balance assertions-       Balance  assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-       been reset to zero (and then restored to their  previous  balances,  if-       there is an opening transaction).--       These  provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporar--       ily with -I, or remove them if you prefer.--       You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or  realness-       (-C,  -R, status:), or generating postings (--auto), with this command,-       since the balance assertions would depend on these.--       Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will  disrupt  the-       balance assertions:--              2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-                  expenses:food          5-                  assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02--       To  solve  that  you  can  transfer  the  money to and from a temporary-       account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two single--       day transactions:--              ; in 2022.journal:-              2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-                  expenses:food          5-                  equity:pending        -5--              ; in 2023.journal:-              2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared-                  equity:pending         5 = 0-                  assets:bank:checking  -5--   Example: retain earnings-       Record  2022's  revenues/expenses  as  retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-       appending the generated transaction to the journal:--              $ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal--       Note 2022's income statement will now show only  zeroes,  because  rev--       enues  and  expenses  have  been moved entirely to equity.  To see them-       again, you could exclude the retain transaction:--              $ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'--   Example: migrate balances to a new file-       Close assets/liabilities/equity  on  2022-12-31  and  re-open  them  on-       2023-01-01:--              $ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-              # copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-              # copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal--       Now  2022's  balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced-       accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@  notation  -  in  that-       case,  try  adding  --infer-equity.)   To  see the end-of-year balances-       again, you could exclude the closing transaction:--              $ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'--   Example: excluding closing/opening transactions-       When combining many files for multi-year reports,  the  closing/opening-       transactions  cause  some  noise  in  transaction-oriented reports like-       print  and  register.   You  can  exclude  them  as  shown  above,  but-       not:desc:...  is  not  ideal  as it depends on consistent descriptions;-       also you will want to avoid excluding the very first  opening  transac--       tion, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using tags:--       Add  clopen:  tags  to all opening/closing balances transactions except-       the first, like this:--              ; 2021.journal-              2021-06-01 first opening balances-              ...-              2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-              ...--              ; 2022.journal-              2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-              ...-              2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-              ...--              ; 2023.journal-              2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-              ...--       Now, assuming a combined journal like:--              ; all.journal-              include 2021.journal-              include 2022.journal-              include 2023.journal--       The clopen: tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.   To-       show a clean multi-year checking register:--              $ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen--       And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end bal--       ance sheet:--              $ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023--   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-       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-       printed as blank lines.--       You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.--       Examples:--              2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket-               Food       $5.00-               Checking--              2022/1/2 (124) Post Office-               Postage    $8.32-               Checking--              2022/1/3 Supermarket-               Food      $11.23-               Checking--              2022/1/4 (126) Post Office-               Postage    $3.21-               Checking--              $ hledger codes-              123-              124-              126--              $ hledger codes -E-              123-              124--              126--   commodities-       List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.--   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 subset of  trans--       actions.--       Example:--              $ hledger descriptions-              Store Name-              Gas Station | Petrol-              Person A--   diff-       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 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-       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-              These transactions are in the first file only:--              2014/01/01 Opening Balances-                  assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-                  ...-                  equity:opening balances       EUR -...--              These transactions are in the second file only:--   files-       List  all  files  included in the journal.  With a REGEX argument, only-       file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are  shown.--   help-       Show  the  hledger  user  manual  in the terminal, with info, man, or a-       pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open  it  at  that  topic  if  possible.-       TOPIC  can  be  any  heading  in  the manual, or a heading prefix, case-       insensitive.  Eg: commands, print,  forecast,  journal,  amount,  "auto-       postings".--       This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.-       It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web-       browser,  or  when  the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are-       not installed on your system.--       By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying  (in  this-       order):  info, man, $PAGER, less, more.  You can force the use of info,-       man, or a pager with the -i, -m, or -p  flags,  If  no  viewer  can  be-       found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just prints the man--       ual to stdout.--       If using info, note that version 6  or  greater  is  needed  for  TOPIC-       lookup.   If  you  are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should-       consider installing a newer  version,  eg  with  brew  install  texinfo-       (#1770).--       Examples--              $ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-              $ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-              $ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-              $ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed--   import-       Read  new  transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them-       to the journal.  Or with --dry-run, just print  the  transactions  that-       would  be added.  Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs' trans--       actions as imported, without actually importing any.--       This command may append new  transactions  to  the  main  journal  file-       (which  should  be  in  journal format).  Existing transactions are not-       changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that  writes  to  the-       journal file (see also add).--       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-       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.-       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--       potent.)--       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-       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  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-       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--       tain date.--       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-       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-       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'--       Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently possi--       ble for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the actual-       import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving them out-       of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To prevent this,-       do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the real import.--   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-       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:--              $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE--       (If you think import should leave amounts  implicit  like  print  does,-       please test it and send a pull request.)--   Commodity display styles-       Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-       styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.--   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 report shows accounts declared with the Revenue  or  Expense  type-       (see  account  types).   Or  if no such accounts are declared, it shows-       top-level accounts named revenue or income or  expense  (case  insensi--       tive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger incomestatement-              Income Statement--              Revenues:-                               $-2  income-                               $-1    gifts-                               $-1    salary-              ---------------------                               $-2--              Expenses:-                                $2  expenses-                                $1    food-                                $1    supplies-              ---------------------                                $2--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 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.-       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  (experi--       mental) json.--   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 |-       character (or if there is no |, the whole description).--       Example:--              $ hledger notes-              Petrol-              Snacks--   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-       (--used), or both (the default).--       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-       implies --used.--       Example:--              $ hledger payees-              Store Name-              Gas Station-              Person A--   prices-       Print market price directives from the journal.   With  --infer-market--       prices,  generate  additional  market prices from costs.  With --infer--       reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting known  prices.-       Prices  can  be  filtered by a query.  Price amounts are displayed with-       their full precision.--   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).--       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.-       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-       directives and file-level comments.--       Eg:--              $ hledger print-              2008/01/01 income-                  assets:bank:checking            $1-                  income:salary                  $-1--              2008/06/01 gift-                  assets:bank:checking            $1-                  income:gifts                   $-1--              2008/06/02 save-                  assets:bank:saving              $1-                  assets:bank:checking           $-1--              2008/06/03 * eat & shop-                  expenses:food                $1-                  expenses:supplies            $1-                  assets:cash                 $-2--              2008/12/31 * pay off-                  liabilities:debts               $1-                  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 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--       There are some situations where print's output can become unparseable:--       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.--       o Account aliases can generate bad account names.--       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 cost is implied but not-       written,  it  will  not  appear  in  the  output.   You  can  use   the-       -x/--explicit flag to make all amounts and costs 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-       the output parseable.--       With  -B/--cost,  amounts  with  costs are converted to cost using that-       price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.--       With -m DESC/--match=DESC, print does a fuzzy  search  for  one  recent-       transaction  whose  description  is  most similar to DESC.  DESC should-       contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough  match,-       no  transaction  will  be  shown and the program exit code will be non--       zero.--       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)-       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","$","","1","",""-              "1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""-              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""-              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""-              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""-              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""-              "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","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-         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-         order, etc.)--       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-         greater amounts under debit.)--   register-       (reg)--       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-       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-       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-              2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-              2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0--       With --date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.--       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first-       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause-       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the-       --align-all flag.--       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 displayed.--       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-       account and one commodity.--       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-       an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative num--       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-       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:--              $ hledger register --monthly income -E-              2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-              2008/02                                                          0          $-1-              2008/03                                                          0          $-1-              2008/04                                                          0          $-1-              2008/05                                                          0          $-1-              2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-              2008/07                                                          0          $-2-              2008/08                                                          0          $-2-              2008/09                                                          0          $-2-              2008/10                                                          0          $-2-              2008/11                                                          0          $-2-              2008/12                                                          0          $-2--       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-              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-       length and comparable to the others in the report.--       With  -m DESC/--match=DESC, register does a fuzzy search for one recent-       posting whose description is most similar to DESC.  DESC should contain-       at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match, no post--       ing will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.--   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.--       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) ---------------------------------->-              date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-              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-              $ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-              $ 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.--   rewrite-       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 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  transac--       tion'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-                (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery--       Note  the  single  quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the-       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 com--       modity.--   Re-write rules in a file-       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.--              $ rewrite-rules.journal--       Make contents look like this:--              = ^income-                  (liabilities:tax)  *.33--              = expenses:gifts-                  budget:gifts  *-1-                  assets:budget  *1--       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.--              $ 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 post--       ings.--   Diff output format-       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 @@-               2008/01/01 income-              -    assets:bank:checking  $1-              +    assets:bank:checking            $1-                   income:salary-              +    (liabilities:tax)                0-              @@ -22,3 +23,4 @@-               2008/06/01 gift-              -    assets:bank:checking  $1-              +    assets:bank:checking            $1-                   income:gifts-              +    (liabilities:tax)                0--       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-       --file options and include directives inside of these files.--       Be careful.  Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of  output-       from hledger print.--       See also:--       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99--   rewrite vs. print --auto-       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-         only child files.--       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.-         print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.--   roi-       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.--       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-       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).--       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-         becomes negative at some point in time.--       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:-         https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/invest--         ing/roi-unrealised.ledger--       o Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html--   Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl-       Note that --inv and --pnl's argument is a query, and queries could have-       several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).--       To indicate that all search terms form  single  command-line  argument,-       you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):--              $ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'--       If  any  query  terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-       level of nested quoting, eg:--              $ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"--   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.--       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.--       o "Cash  flow"  is  depositing  or withdrawing money, buying or selling-         assets, or otherwise converting between your investment commodity 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--       o "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  "profit-       and  loss"  postings  will  be  considered  as  part of your investment-       return.--       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--              2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-                equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-                snake oil                    ; investment posting--              2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-                equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-                cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-                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--       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-       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-       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  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-       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.--       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-       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-       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,-       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-       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.--       References:--       o Explanation of rate of return--       o Explanation of IRR--       o Explanation of TWR--       o Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of  the  limitations-         of both metrics--   stats-       Show journal and performance 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.--       At  the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number-       of transactions processed per second.  Note these are  approximate  and-       will  vary  based on machine, current load, data size, hledger version,-       haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of interest.   The-       stats  command's run time is similar to that of a single-column balance-       report.--       Example:--              $ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-              Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-              Included files           :-              Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-              Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-              Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Payees/descriptions      : 1000-              Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-              Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-              Market prices            : 1000 (A)--              Run time                 : 0.12 s-              Throughput               : 8342 txns/s--       This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not -O/--output--       format selection).--   tags-       List the tags used in the journal, or their values.--       This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on trans--       actions, postings, or account declarations.--       With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular  expres--       sion (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.--       With  QUERY  arguments,  only  transactions  and accounts matching this-       query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,-       desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions-       and their accounts.--       With the --values flag, the tags' unique non-empty  values  are  listed-       instead.  With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.--       With  --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-       with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations  are-       always shown first.)--       Tip:  remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings-       also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also-       acquire tags from their postings.--   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.--       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 ---       (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).---PART 5: COMMON TASKS-       Here  are  some  quick  examples  of  how  to  do some basic tasks with-       hledger.--   Getting help-       Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:--              $ hledger                # show available commands-              $ hledger --help         # show common options-              $ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation--       You can also view your hledger version's manual in several  formats  by-       using the help command.  Eg:--              $ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-              $ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-              $ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command--       To   view   manuals   and   introductory   docs   on   the  web,  visit-       https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list  support  and  discussion  ar--       chives can be found at https://hledger.org/support.--   Constructing command lines-       hledger  has  a  flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it-       simple and ergonomic, but if you  run  into  one  of  the  sharp  edges-       described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:--       o command-specific  options must go after the command (it's fine to put-         common options there too: hledger CMD OPTS ARGS)--       o running add-on executables directly simplifies command  line  parsing-         (hledger-ui OPTS ARGS)--       o enclose "problematic" args in single quotes--       o if  needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression metachar--         acters from the shell--       o to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add --debug=2.--   Starting a journal file-       hledger   looks   for   your   accounting   data  in  a  journal  file,-       $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:--              $ mkdir ~/finance-              $ cd ~/finance-              $ git init-              Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-              $ touch 2020.journal-              $ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal" >> ~/.bashrc-              $ source ~/.bashrc-              $ hledger stats-              Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-              Included files           :-              Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-              Last transaction         : none-              Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Payees/descriptions      : 0-              Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-              Commodities              : 0 ()-              Market prices            : 0 ()--   Setting opening balances-       Pick  a  starting  date  for which you can look up the balances of some-       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-       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 bal--       ances on this date.  Here are two ways to do it:--       o 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-                    assets:cash                          $100   = $100-                    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-                    equity:opening/closing balances--         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-         "cleared & confirmed".--         The  currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you'll-         be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.--         The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra  error-         checking.--       o 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.-                Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-                An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-                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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-                Description: * opening balances-                Account 1: assets:bank:checking-                Amount  1: $1000-                Account 2: assets:bank:savings-                Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-                Account 3: assets:cash-                Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-                Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-                Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-                Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-                Amount  5 [$-3050]:-                Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-                2020-01-01 * opening balances-                    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-                    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-                    assets:cash                                $100-                    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-                    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--                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:--              $ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2020.journal--   Recording transactions-       As  you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-       one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add)  or  by  using  the-       hledger-iadd  or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-       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--              2020.1.12 * farmers market-                expenses:food    $13-                assets:cash--              2020-01-15 paycheck-                income:salary-                assets:bank:checking    $1000--   Reconciling-       Periodically  you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported bal--       ances 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  pile  up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors and dis--       crepancies.--       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 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 check--          ing -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 trans--          action  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 --reg--       ister 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--       If  you're using version control, this can be another good time to com--       mit:--              $ git commit -m 'txns' 2020.journal--   Reporting-       Here are some basic reports.--       Show all transactions:--              $ hledger print-              2020-01-01 * opening balances-                  assets:bank:checking                      $1000-                  assets:bank:savings                       $2000-                  assets:cash                                $100-                  liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-                  equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--              2020-01-10 * gift received-                  assets:cash              $20-                  income:gifts--              2020-01-12 * farmers market-                  expenses:food             $13-                  assets:cash--              2020-01-15 * paycheck-                  income:salary-                  assets:bank:checking           $1000--              2020-01-16 * adjust cash-                  assets:cash               $-2 = $105-                  expenses:misc--       Show account names, and their hierarchy:--              $ hledger accounts --tree-              assets-                bank-                  checking-                  savings-                cash-              equity-                opening/closing balances-              expenses-                food-                misc-              income-                gifts-                salary-              liabilities-                creditcard--       Show all account totals:--              $ hledger balance-                             $4105  assets-                             $4000    bank-                             $2000      checking-                             $2000      savings-                              $105    cash-                            $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                               $15  expenses-                               $13    food-                                $2    misc-                            $-1020  income-                              $-20    gifts-                            $-1000    salary-                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard-              ---------------------                                 0--       Show only asset and liability balances, as  a  flat  list,  limited  to-       depth 2:--              $ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-                             $4000  assets:bank-                              $105  assets:cash-                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard-              ---------------------                             $4055--       Show  the  same  thing  without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-       balance sheet:--              $ hledger bs -2-              Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                                      || 2020-01-16-              ========================++============-               Assets                 ||-              ------------------------++-------------               assets:bank            ||      $4000-               assets:cash            ||       $105-              ------------------------++-------------                                      ||      $4105-              ========================++============-               Liabilities            ||-              ------------------------++-------------               liabilities:creditcard ||        $50-              ------------------------++-------------                                      ||        $50-              ========================++============-               Net:                   ||      $4055--       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-              Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--                             || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16-              ===============++=======================-               Revenues      ||-              ---------------++------------------------               income:gifts  ||                   $20-               income:salary ||                 $1000-              ---------------++------------------------                             ||                 $1020-              ===============++=======================-               Expenses      ||-              ---------------++------------------------               expenses:food ||                   $13-               expenses:misc ||                    $2-              ---------------++------------------------                             ||                   $15-              ===============++=======================-               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-              2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-              2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105--       Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:--              $ hledger activity -W-              2019-12-30 *****-              2020-01-06 ****-              2020-01-13 ****--   Migrating to a new file-       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-       close command.--       If using version control, don't forget to git add the new file.----REPORTING BUGS-       Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org (or  on  the  #hledger  chat  or-       hledger mail list)---AUTHORS-       Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.-       See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html---COPYRIGHT-       Copyright 2007-2023 Simon Michael and contributors.---LICENSE-       Released under GNU GPL v3 or later.---SEE ALSO-       hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), ledger(1)----hledger-1.29.2                    April 2023                        HLEDGER(1)+       hledger COMMAND     [OPTS] [ARGS]+       hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]++DESCRIPTION+       hledger  is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs for+       tracking money, time, or any other commodity,  using  double-entry  ac-+       counting  and  a  simple, editable file format.  hledger is inspired by+       and largely compatible with  ledger(1),  and  largely  interconvertible+       with beancount(1).++       This  manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.30.  It+       also describes the common options, file formats and  concepts  used  by+       all  hledger  programs.  It might accidentally teach you some bookkeep-+       ing/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in  here  to+       use  hledger productively, but when you have a question about function-+       ality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip ahead  or+       skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual+       or man page on your system.  You can also get it  from  hledger  itself+       with+       hledger --man, hledger --info or hledger help [TOPIC].++       The  main  function  of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files de-+       scribing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a useful+       report  on  the  terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).  Many+       reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect  other+       hledger-* executables as extra subcommands.++       hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+       the     LEDGER_FILE     environment     variable     (defaulting     to+       $HOME/.hledger.journal);  or you can specify files with -f options.  It+       can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any  CSV/SSV/TSV  file+       with a date field.++       Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:++              2015-10-16 bought food+                expenses:food          $10+                assets:cash++       Transactions  are  dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more+       accounts: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,  peo-+       ple,  etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using : to indi-+       cate subaccounts.  There must be at least two  spaces  between  account+       name  and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (debit),+       negatives are outflow from it (credit).  (Some  reports  show  revenue,+       liability  and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;+       this is normal.)++       hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can install+       other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more exten-+       sive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode,  VIM  ++       vim-ledger,  or  VS  Code  +  hledger-vscode are some good choices (see+       https://hledger.org/editors.html).++       To get started, run hledger add and follow the prompts,  or  save  some+       entries  like  the  above  in $HOME/.hledger.journal, then try commands+       like:+       hledger print -x+       hledger aregister assets+       hledger balance+       hledger balancesheet+       hledger incomestatement.+       Run hledger to list the commands.  See also  the  "Starting  a  journal+       file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.++PART 1: USER INTERFACE+Input+       hledger  reads  one  or more data files, each time you run it.  You can+       specify a file with -f, like so++              $ hledger -f FILE print++       Files are most often in hledger's journal  format,  with  the  .journal+       file  extension (.hledger or .j also work); these files describe trans-+       actions, like an accounting general journal.++       When no file is specified, hledger looks for .hledger.journal  in  your+       home directory.++       But  most  people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+       perhaps with version control.  Also, starting a new journal  file  each+       year  is  common (it's not required, but helps keep things fast and or-+       ganised).  So we usually configure a different journal file, by setting+       the   LEDGER_FILE   environment   variable,  to  something  like  ~/fi-+       nance/2023.journal.  For more about how to do that on your system,  see+       Common tasks > Setting LEDGER_FILE.++   Data formats+       Usually  the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in+       any of the supported file formats, which currently are:++       Reader:    Reads:                                    Used  for  file  exten-+                                                            sions:+       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------+       journal    hledger  journal  files and some Ledger   .journal  .j   .hledger+                  journals, for transactions                .ledger+       time-      timeclock files, for precise time  log-   .timeclock+       clock      ging+       timedot    timedot  files,  for  approximate  time   .timedot+                  logging+       csv        CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated values,   .csv      .ssv     .tsv+                  for data import                           .csv.rules   .ssv.rules+                                                            .tsv.rules++       These formats are described in more detail 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+       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:++              $ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats++   Standard input+       The file name - means standard input:++              $ cat FILE | hledger -f- print++       If reading non-journal data in this way, you'll need to add a file for-+       mat prefix, like:++              $ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -f timeclock:-++   Multiple files+       You  can specify multiple -f options, to read multiple files as one big+       journal.  When doing this, note that certain features (described below)+       will be affected:++       o Balance  assertions will not see the effect of transactions in previ-+         ous files.  (Usually this doesn't matter as each file  will  set  the+         corresponding opening balances.)++       o Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.++       If  needed,  you  can  work  around these by using a single parent file+       which includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg: cat+       a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD.++   Strict mode+       hledger checks input files for valid data.  By default, the most impor-+       tant errors are detected, while  still  accepting  easy  journal  files+       without a lot of declarations:++       o Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?++       o Are all transactions balanced ?++       o Do all balance assertions pass ?++       With the -s/--strict flag, additional checks are performed:++       o Are  all  accounts  posted  to,  declared with an account directive ?+         (Account error checking)++       o Are all commodities declared with a commodity directive ?  (Commodity+         error checking)++       o Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?++       You  can  use  the  check  command to run individual checks -- the ones+       listed above and some more.++Commands+       hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.  Most  of+       these  commands  do  not change the journal file; they just read it and+       output a report.  A few commands assist with adding data and file  man-+       agement.++       To show the commands list, run hledger with no arguments.  The commands+       are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.++       To use a particular command, run hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS],++       o CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation  shown  in+         the commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.++       o CMDOPTS  are  command-specific options, if any.  Command-specific op-+         tions must be written after the command name.  Eg: hledger print -x.++       o CMDARGS are additional  arguments  to  the  command,  if  any.   Most+         hledger  commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit the+         data in some way.  Eg: hledger reg assets:checking.++       To list a command's options, arguments, and documentation in the termi-+       nal, run hledger CMD -h.  Eg: hledger bal -h.++   Add-on commands+       In  addition to the built-in commands, you can install add-on commands:+       programs or scripts named "hledger-SOMETHING", which will  also  appear+       in  hledger's  commands  list.  If you used the hledger-install script,+       you will have several add-ons installed  already.   Some  more  can  be+       found     in     hledger's     bin/     directory,     documented    at+       https://hledger.org/scripts.html.++       More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your shell's+       PATH, whose name starts with "hledger-" and ends with no extension or a+       recognised extension (".bat", ".com",  ".exe",  ".hs",  ".js",  ".lhs",+       ".lua",  ".php",  ".pl",  ".py", ".rb", ".rkt", or ".sh"), and (on unix+       and mac) which has executable permission for the current user.++       You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in commands:+       hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS].  But note the double+       hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific options.  Eg:  hledger+       ui  --  --watch  or hledger web -- --serve.  If this causes difficulty,+       you can always run the add-on directly, without using hledger: hledger-+       ui --watch or hledger-web --serve.++Options+       Run  hledger  -h  to see general command line help, and general options+       which are common to most hledger commands.  These options can be  writ-+       ten  anywhere  on the command line.  They can be grouped into help, in-+       put, and reporting options:++   General help options+       -h --help+              show general or COMMAND help++       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man++       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info++       --version+              show general or ADDONCMD version++       --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+              Conversion   rules  file  to  use  when  reading  CSV  (default:+              FILE.rules)++       --separator=CHAR+              Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')++       --alias=OLD=NEW+              rename accounts named OLD to NEW++       --anon anonymize accounts and payees++       --pivot FIELDNAME+              use some other field or tag for the account name++       -I --ignore-assertions+              disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+              assignments)++       -s --strict+              do  extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are de-+              clared)++   General reporting options+       -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+              include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to fol-+              lowing subperiod end when using a report interval)++       -D --daily+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by day++       -W --weekly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by week++       -M --monthly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by month++       -Q --quarterly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter++       -Y --yearly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by year++       -p --period=PERIODEXP+              set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at  once+              using period expressions syntax++       --date2+              match the secondary date instead (see command help for other ef-+              fects)++       --today=DATE+              override  today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,   for+              tests/examples)++       -U --unmarked+              include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)++       -P --pending+              include only pending postings/txns++       -C --cleared+              include only cleared postings/txns++       -R --real+              include only non-virtual postings++       -NUM --depth=NUM+              hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep++       -E --empty+              show  items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+              hledger-ui/hledger-web)++       -B --cost+              convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time++       -V --market+              convert amounts to their market value in default valuation  com-+              modities++       -X --exchange=COMM+              convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM++       --value+              convert  amounts  to  cost  or  market value, more flexibly than+              -B/-V/-X++       --infer-equity+              infer conversion equity postings from costs++       --infer-costs+              infer costs from conversion equity postings++       --infer-market-prices+              use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P  direc-+              tives++       --forecast+              generate  transactions  from  periodic rules, between the latest+              recorded txn and 6 months from today, or  during  the  specified+              PERIOD  (=  is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+              these transactions as well.  Also, in  hledger-ui  make  future-+              dated transactions visible.++       --auto generate  extra  postings  by applying auto posting rules to all+              txns (not just forecast txns)++       --verbose-tags+              add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which  have+              been generated/modified++       --commodity-style+              Override  the  commodity  style  in the output for the specified+              commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.++       --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+              NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.++       --pretty[=WHEN]+              Show prettier output, e.g.  using  unicode  box-drawing  charac-+              ters.   Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always',+              'never' also work).  If you provide an  argument  you  must  use+              '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.++       When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the+       last one takes precedence.++       Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.++Command line tips+       Here are some details useful to know about for  hledger  command  lines+       (and elsewhere).  Feel free to skip this section until you need it.++   Special characters+   Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+       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 dou-+       ble quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to match an  ac-+       count name containing a space:++              $ hledger register 'credit card'++       or:++              $ hledger register credit\ card++       Windows  users  should  keep  in mind that cmd treats single quote as a+       regular character, so you should be using  double  quotes  exclusively.+       PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.++   Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+       Characters  significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+       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  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:++              $ hledger balance cur:'\$'++       or:++              $ hledger balance cur:\\$++   Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+       When  you  use hledger to run an external add-on command (described be-+       low), 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):++              $ hledger ui cur:'\\$'++       or:++              $ hledger ui cur:\\\\$++       If you wondered why four backslashes, perhaps this helps:++       unescaped:        $+       escaped:          \$+       double-escaped:   \\$+       triple-escaped:   \\\\$++       Or,  you  can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+       directly:++              $ hledger-ui cur:\\$++   Less escaping+       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:++       o an @argumentfile++       o hledger-ui's filter field++       o hledger-web's search form++       o GHCI's prompt (used by developers).++   Unicode characters+       hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:++       o they should be parsed correctly in input files  and  on  the  command+         line,  by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's search/add/edit+         forms, etc.)++       o 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:++       o A  system  locale must be configured, and it must be one that can de-+         code 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 Trou-+         bleshooting.  This step is essential - without it, hledger will  quit+         on  encountering a non-ascii character (as with all GHC-compiled pro-+         grams).++       o your terminal software (eg  Terminal.app,  iTerm,  CMD.exe,  xterm..)+         must support unicode++       o the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode+         glyphs++       o the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as  dou-+         ble width (for report alignment)++       o 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  stan-+         dard  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).++   Regular expressions+       hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:++       o query  terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:+         REGEX, desc:REGEX, cur:REGEX, tag:...=REGEX++       o CSV rules conditional blocks: if REGEX ...++       o account alias directive and --alias option: alias /REGEX/ =  REPLACE-+         MENT, --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 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.++       Some things to note:++       o In the alias directive and --alias option, regular  expressions  must+         be  enclosed  in  forward  slashes  (/REGEX/).  Elsewhere in hledger,+         these are not required.++       o 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:\$.++       o On the command line, some metacharacters like $ have a special  mean-+         ing to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.  See Spe-+         cial characters.++   Argument files+       You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+       then  reuse  them by writing @FILENAME as a command line argument.  Eg:+       hledger bal @foo.args.++       Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one  option  or+       argument.   Don't use spaces except inside quotes (or you'll see a con-+       fusing error); write = (or nothing) between a flag  and  its  argument.+       For the special characters mentioned above, use one less level of quot-+       ing than you would at the command prompt.++Output+   Output destination+       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 pro-+       vide 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)++   Output format+       Some  commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the termi-+       nal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:++       -                            txt         csv         html           json      sql+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       aregister                    Y           Y           Y              Y+       balance                      Y 1         Y 1         Y 1,2          Y+       balancesheet                 Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       balancesheetequity           Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       cashflow                     Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       incomestatement              Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       print                        Y           Y                          Y         Y+       register                     Y           Y                          Y++       o 1 Also affected by the balance commands' --layout option.++       o 2 balance does not support html output without a report  interval  or+         with --budget.++       The output format is selected by the -O/--output-format=FMT option:++              $ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout++       or  by  the  filename  extension  of  an output file specified with the+       -o/--output-file=FILE.FMT option:++              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv++       The -O option can be combined with -o to override the  file  extension,+       if needed:++              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt++       Some notes about the various output formats:++   CSV output+       o In  CSV  output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+         disabled automatically.++   HTML output+       o HTML output can be styled by an optional hledger.css file in the same+         directory.++   JSON output+       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++       o Our  JSON  is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful repre-+         sentation 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.++       o hledger  represents  quantities  as  Decimal values storing up to 255+         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 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)++   SQL output+       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++       o SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and  Post-+         gres.++       o For  SQLite,  it  will  be more useful if you modify the generated id+         field to be a PRIMARY KEY.  Eg:++                $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...++       o SQL output is structured with the expectations that  statements  will+         be  executed  in the empty database.  If you already have tables cre-+         ated via SQL output of hledger, you would  probably  want  to  either+         clear tables of existing data (via delete or truncate SQL statements)+         or drop tables completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.++   Commodity styles+       When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard  display  style  for+       each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.++       If needed, this can be overridden by a -c/--commodity-style option (ex-+       cept for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the print command, which+       are  always  displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the fol-+       lowing will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:++              $ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'++       This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple commodi-+       ties/currencies.   Its argument is as described in the commodity direc-+       tive.++   Colour+       In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the  terminal+       supports it:++       o if  the --color/--colour option is given a value of yes or always (or+         no or never), colour will (or will not) be used;++       o otherwise, if the NO_COLOR environment variable is set,  colour  will+         not be used;++       o otherwise,  colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) sup-+         ports it.++   Box-drawing+       In terminal output, you can enable unicode  box-drawing  characters  to+       render prettier tables:++       o if  the  --pretty  option is given a value of yes or always (or no or+         never), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;++       o otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.++   Paging+       When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to  use  the+       pager  specified  by  the PAGER environment variable, or less, or more.+       (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather  than+       scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this only for help+       output, not for reports; specifically,++       o when listing commands, with hledger++       o when showing help with hledger [CMD] --help,++       o when viewing manuals with hledger help or hledger --man.++       Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses  eg+       for bold emphasis.  For the common pager less (and its more compatibil-+       ity mode), we add R to the LESS and MORE environment variables to  make+       this  work.   If you use a different pager, you might need to configure+       it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).  Otherwise,+       you  can set the NO_COLOR environment variable to 1 to disable all ANSI+       output (see Colour).++   Debug output+       We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+       develop.   You  can  add --debug[=N] to any hledger command line to see+       additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output,  the  default)+       to  9  (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase+       until you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and  is  not+       affected by -o/--output-file (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+       2>&1).  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can  help  re-+       veal  when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in+       a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:++              hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log++Environment+       These environment variables affect hledger:++       COLUMNS This is normally set by your terminal;  some  hledger  commands+       (register)  will  format  their output to this width.  If not set, they+       will try to use the available terminal width.++       LEDGER_FILE The main journal  file  to  use  when  not  specified  with+       -f/--file.  Default: $HOME/.hledger.journal.++       NO_COLOR  If this environment variable is set (with any value), hledger+       will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless overridden  by+       an explicit --color/--colour option.++PART 2: DATA FORMATS+Journal+       hledger's  default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's+       a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal for-+       mat.++   Journal cheatsheet+              # Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format+              # (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+              # hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++              ###############################################################################+              # 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+              # They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".++              # hash comment line+              ; semicolon comment line+              comment+              These lines+              are commented.+              end comment++              # Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+              # from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++              ###############################################################################+              # 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+              # They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++              account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+              account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+              alias chkg = assets:checking+              commodity $0.00+              decimal-mark .+              include /dev/null+              payee Whole Foods+              P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+              ~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+                  expenses:food       $400+                  expenses:home      $1000+                  budgeted++              ###############################################################################+              # 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,+              # usually describing movements of money.+              # They begin with a date.++              # DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+              #   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+              #   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+              #               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+              #   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++              2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+                  assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+                  assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+                  assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+                  liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+                  equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++              2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+                  ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".+                  ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+                  ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+                  assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+                  expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                                  ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"++              2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+                  ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+                  assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+                  expenses:clothing       GBP 10+                  assets:gringotts           -10 gold+                  assets:pouch                10 gold+                  revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols+                  assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.++              2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@+                  assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost+                  assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost+                  assets:checking            $-7.00++              2022-01-02 assert balances+                  ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+                  assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+                  assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+                  assets:savings              $0      = $1000++              1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+                  ; Postings are not required.++              2022.01.01 These date+              2022/1/1   formats are+              12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).++   About journal format+       hledger's usual data source is a plain text file containing journal en-+       tries in hledger journal format.  This file represents a  standard  ac-+       counting  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 compatible with most of Ledger's journal+       format, but not all of it.  The differences and interoperation tips are+       described  at  hledger and Ledger.  With some care, and by avoiding in-+       compatible features, you can keep  your  hledger  journal  readable  by+       Ledger  and vice versa.  This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour+       of one app against the other.++       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  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).++       A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,+       transactions, and/or directives (counting  periodic  transaction  rules+       and auto posting rules as directives).++   Comments+       Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash (#) or a+       semicolon (;).  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore  re-+       gions beginning with a comment line and ending with an end comment line+       (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:++       o # for top-level notes++       o ; for commenting out things temporarily++       o comment for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's there, or+         you might get confused)++       Eg:++              # a comment line+              ; another commentline+              comment+              A multi-line comment block,+              continuing until "end comment" directive+              or the end of the current file.+              end comment++       Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from+       ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments,  Posting  com-+       ments, and Account comments below.++   Transactions+       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 op-+       tional fields, separated by spaces:++       o a status character (empty, !, or *)++       o a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)++       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+         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+         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++   Dates+   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 be+       omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context:  the  cur-+       rent  transaction, the default year set with a Y directive, or the cur-+       rent  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.)++   Posting 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 re-+       ports, 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.+       The date: tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present,  eg+       a date: tag with no value is not allowed.++   Status+       Transactions,  or  individual postings within a transaction, can have a+       status mark, which is a single character  before  the  transaction  de-+       scription  or posting account name, separated from it by a space, indi-+       cating one of three statuses:++       mark     status+       ------------------+                unmarked+       !        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.++       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 un-+       marked for clarity.++       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+       real-world accounts.  Some editor modes provide highlighting and short-+       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.+       Here's one suggestion:++       status       meaning+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------+       uncleared    recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review+       pending      tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconcil-+                    iation)+       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 un-+       cashed  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+       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+       "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you+       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 (af-+       ter the first |).  This may be worthwhile if you need to do  more  pre-+       cise querying and pivoting by payee or by note.++   Transaction comments+       Text  following  ;, after a transaction description, and/or on indented+       lines immediately below it, form comments for that  transaction.   They+       are  reproduced by print but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+       tags, which are not ignored.++              2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+                  ; a second line of transaction comment+                  expenses   1+                  assets++   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+       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+         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+       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+       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+       amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.++   Account names+       Accounts  are  the  main  way of categorising things in hledger.  As in+       Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts  (such+       as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed+       from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".++       You can use any account names you like, but we usually start  with  the+       traditional accounting categories, which in english are assets, liabil-+       ities, equity, revenues, expenses.  (You might see these referred to as+       A, L, E, R, X for short.)++       For  more  precise  reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+       into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+       name  parts.   For example, from the account names assets:bank:checking+       and expenses:food, hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:++              assets+              assets:bank+              assets:bank:checking+              expenses+              expenses:food++       Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:++              assets+               bank+                checking+              expenses+               food++       hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can+       go  as  deep  as  you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+       names relatively simple may be best when starting out.++       Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters, num-+       bers,  symbols,  or  single  spaces.  Note, when an account name and an+       amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by  two  or+       more spaces (or tabs).++       Parentheses  or  brackets enclosing the full account name indicate vir-+       tual postings, described below.  Parentheses or  brackets  internal  to+       the account name have no special meaning.++       Account  names  can  be  altered  temporarily or permanently by account+       aliases.++   Amounts+       After the account name, there is usually an  amount.   (Important:  be-+       tween 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-+       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+       space:++              $1+              4000 AAPL+              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-+       modity 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++   Decimal marks, digit group marks+       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):++                   $1,000,000.00+                EUR 2.000.000,00+              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 ?++              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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,  especially+       if  your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we+       recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each jour-+       nal  file,  using a directive at the top of the file.  The decimal-mark+       directive is best,  otherwise  commodity  directives  will  also  work.+       These are described below.++   Commodity+       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",+       "ABC123").++       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+       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.)++   Directives influencing number parsing and display+       You  can  add  decimal-mark and commodity directives to the journal, to+       declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.   These+       are described below, but here's a quick example:++              # the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+              decimal-mark .++              # display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+              commodity $1,000.00+              commodity EUR 1.000,00+              commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+              commodity 1 000 000.9455++   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+       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+       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+       order of preference:++       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.+         (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-+         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+         amount++       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.++       Cost amounts don't affect the commodity display style directly, but oc-+       casionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting's amount is in-+       ferred using a cost).  If you find this causing problems, use a commod-+       ity 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:++              # 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+              commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+              commodity 1 000.++       The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying  a  command+       line option.++   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").++   Costs+       After  a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+       price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing  either  @  UNIT-+       PRICE  or @@ TOTALPRICE after it.  This indicates a conversion transac-+       tion, where one commodity is exchanged for another.++       (You might also see this called "transaction price"  in  hledger  docs,+       discussions,  or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded+       that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just  call  it+       "cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase+       or a sale.)++       Costs are usually written explicitly with @ or @@, but can also be  in-+       ferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.  Note, if+       costs are inferred, the order of postings  is  significant;  the  first+       posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.++       As  an  example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+       currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly  or  im-+       plicitly:++       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:++                  2009/1/1+                    assets:euros     100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+                    assets:dollars++       3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and+          let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.  Note the+          effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting, making+          it 100 @@ $135, as in example 2:++                  2009/1/1+                    assets:euros     100          ; one hundred euros purchased+                    assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135++       Amounts can be converted to cost at report  time  using  the  -B/--cost+       flag; this is discussed more in the COST REPORTING section.++       Note  that  the  cost normally should be a positive amount, though it's+       not required to be.  This can be a little confusing, see discussion  at+       --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions.++   Other cost/lot notations+       A  slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a num-+       ber of cost/lot-related notations:++       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST++         o expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger++         o when buying, also creates a lot than can  be  selected  at  selling+           time++       o (@) UNITCOST and (@@) TOTALCOST (virtual cost)++         o like  the  above,  but also means "this cost was exceptional, don't+           use it when inferring market prices".++       Currently, hledger treats the above like @ and @@; the parentheses  are+       ignored.++       o {=FIXEDUNITCOST} and {{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}} (fixed price)++         o when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't let it+           fluctuate in value reports"++       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}} (lot price)++         o can be used identically to @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST,  also  cre-+           ates a lot++         o when  selling,  combined with @ ..., specifies an investment lot by+           its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present++       o and related: [YYYY/MM/DD] (lot date)++         o when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot++         o when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date++       o (SOME TEXT) (lot note)++         o when buying, attaches this note to the lot++         o when selling, selects a lot by its note++       Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any  order  after+       the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction bal-+       ancing.)++       For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:++       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST++         o expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger++         o when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with+           {...}:  documents  the cost/selling price (not used for transaction+           balancing)++       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}}++         o when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for  transaction  bal-+           ancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached++         o when selling (reducing),++           o selects a lot by its cost basis++           o raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected+             unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)++           o expresses the selling price for transaction balancing++       Currently, hledger accepts the  {UNITCOST}/{{TOTALCOST}}  notation  but+       ignores it.++       o variations:  {}, {YYYY-MM-DD}, {"LABEL"}, {UNITCOST, "LABEL"}, {UNIT-+         COST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"} etc.++       Currently, hledger rejects these.++   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 b after each posting:++              2013/1/1+                a   $1  =$1+                b       =$-1++              2013/1/2+                a   $1  =$2+                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+       -I/--ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or+       for reading Ledger files.  (Note: this flag currently does not  disable+       balance assignments, described 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-+       ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order.  (Also,+       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.+       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 multiple included files+       Multiple files included with the include directive are processed as  if+       concatenated  into one file, preserving their order and the posting or-+       der within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later  files+       will see balance from earlier files.++       And  if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split+       across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's balance  on+       that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file - the last+       one in the sequence, probably.++   Assertions and multiple -f files+       Unlike include, when multiple files are specified on the  command  line+       with  multiple  -f/--file options, balance assertions will not see bal-+       ance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want prob-+       lems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.++       If  you  do  want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use in-+       clude, or concatenate the files temporarily.++   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+       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 other+       commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,  that+       their balance is 0).++              2013/1/1+                a   $1+                a    1+                b  $-1+                c   -1++              2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+                a    0  =  $1+                a    0  =   1+                b    0 == $-1+                c    0 ==  -1++              2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1+                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+       into its own subaccount:++              2013/1/1+                a:usd   $1+                a:euro   1+                b++              2013/1/2+                a        0 ==  0+                a:usd    0 == $1+                a:euro   0 ==  1++   Assertions and prices+       Balance assertions ignore costs, 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 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+       assert the balance including subaccounts by writing =* or ==*, eg:++              2019/1/1+                equity:opening balances+                checking:a       5+                checking:b       5+                checking         1  ==* 11++   Assertions and virtual postings+       Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+       are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query.++   Assertions and auto postings+       Balance  assertions  are  affected  by the --auto flag, which generates+       auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings+       are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two+       balances.  But balance assertions can only test one  or  the  other  of+       these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:++       o assert the balance calculated with --auto, and always use --auto with+         that file++       o or assert the balance calculated without --auto, and never use --auto+         with that file++       o or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or+         avoid auto postings entirely).++   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-+       tions.  Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts.++   Posting comments+       Text  following  ;,  at  the  end of a posting line, and/or on indented+       lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.   They  are+       reproduced  by  print  but  otherwise  ignored, except they may contain+       tags, which are not ignored.++              2012-01-01+                  expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+                  assets+                  ; a comment for posting 2+                  ; a second comment line for posting 2++   Tags+       Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled  data  to  transactions,+       postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.++       They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed+       by a full colon, in a transaction or  posting  or  account  directive's+       comment.   (This  is an exception to the usual rule that things in com-+       ments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one  on+       the  checking  account, two on the transaction, and one on the expenses+       posting:++              account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++              2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+                  ; transactiontag-2:+                  assets:checking        $-1+                  expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:++       Postings also inherit tags from their transaction  and  their  account.+       And  transactions  also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'+       accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses  posting  effectively+       has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the+       transaction also has all four tags  (by  acquiring  from  the  expenses+       posting).++       You  can  list tag names with hledger tags [NAMEREGEX], or match by tag+       name with a tag:NAMEREGEX query.++   Tag values+       Tags can have a value, which is any text after the  colon  up  until  a+       comma  or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this+       means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in  the  fol-+       lowing posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and ""+       (empty) respectively:++                  expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz++       Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather  than  overrid-+       ing:  when  the  same  tag name is seen again with a new value, the new+       name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to  override+       a tag's value or remove a tag.)++       You  can  list  a  tag's  values with hledger tags TAGNAME --values, or+       match by tag value with a tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX query.++   Directives+       Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a  journal+       file:  directives.   These  are declarations, beginning with a keyword,+       that modify hledger's behaviour.  Some directives can  have  more  spe-+       cific  subdirectives,  indented  below  them.  hledger's directives are+       similar to Ledger's in many cases, but there are also many differences.+       Directives  are not required, but can be useful.  Here are the main di-+       rectives:++       purpose                                    directive+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------+       READING DATA:+       Rewrite account names                      alias+       Comment out sections of the file           comment+       Declare file's  decimal  mark,  to  help   decimal-mark+       parse amounts accurately+       Include other data files                   include+       GENERATING DATA:+       Generate  recurring transactions or bud-   ~+       get goals+       Generate  extra  postings  on   existing   =+       transactions+       CHECKING FOR ERRORS:+       Define  valid  entities  to provide more   account, commodity, payee, tag+       error checking+       REPORTING:+       Declare accounts' type and display order   account+       Declare commodity display styles           commodity+       Declare market prices                      P++   Directives and multiple files+       Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which  in-+       put files they affect.  Most often, a directive will affect the follow-+       ing entries and included files if any, until the  end  of  the  current+       file - and no further.  You might find this inconvenient!  For example,+       alias directives do not affect parent or sibling files.  But there  are+       usually workarounds; for example, put alias directives in your top-most+       file, before including other files.++       The restriction, though it may be annoying  at  first,  is  in  a  good+       cause; it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of+       the order of input.  Without it, reports could show  different  numbers+       depending  on  the order of -f options, or the positions of include di-+       rectives in your files.++   Directive effects+       Here are all hledger's directives, with their effects  and  scope  sum-+       marised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider non-+       essential:++       di-        what it does                                                       ends+       rec-                                                                          at+       tive                                                                          file+                                                                                     end?+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       ac-        Declares  an account, for checking all entries in all files; and   N+       count      its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+       alias      Rewrites account names, in following entries until end  of  cur-   Y+                  rent file or end aliases.  Command line equivalent: --alias+       com-       Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current  file  or   Y+       ment       end comment.+       com-       Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checking   N,Y,N,N+       mod-       all amounts in all  files  2.   the  decimal  mark  for  parsing+       ity        amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of+                  current file (if there is no decimal-mark directive) 3.  and the+                  display  style  for  amounts of this commodity 4.  which is also+                  the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking  in  this+                  commodity.   Takes  precedence  over  D.   Subdirectives: format+                  (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:  -c/--com-+                  modity-style+       deci-      Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of  all  commodi-   Y+       mal-       ties in following entries until next decimal-mark or end of cur-+       mark       rent file.  Included files can override.  Takes precedence  over+                  commodity and D.+       in-        Includes entries and directives from another file,  as  if  they   N+       clude      were   written   inline.   Command  line  alternative:  multiple+                  -f/--file+       payee      Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.      N+       P          Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N+                  reports.+       ~          Declares  a  periodic  transaction  rule  that  generates future   N+       (tilde)    transactions with  --forecast  and  budget  goals  with  balance+                  --budget.+       Other+       syntax:+       apply      Prepends  a  common parent account to all account names, in fol-   Y+       account    lowing entries until end of current file or end apply account.+       D          Sets a default commodity to use for  no-symbol  amounts;and,  if   Y,Y,N,N+                  there  is no commodity directive for this commodity: its decimal+                  mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.+       Y          Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in  following   Y+                  entries until end of current file.+       =          Declares  an  auto posting rule that generates extra postings on   partly+       (equals)   matched transactions with --auto, in current, parent, and  child+                  files (but not sibling files, see #1212).+       Other      Other directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but  ig-+       Ledger     nored.+       direc-+       tives++   account directive+       account directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places that+       amounts are transferred from and to).  Though not required, these  dec-+       larations can provide several benefits:++       o They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a refer-+         ence.++       o In strict mode, they restrict which accounts  may  be  posted  to  by+         transactions, which helps detect typos.++       o They  control  account  display order in reports, allowing non-alpha-+         betic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).++       o They help with account name completion (in hledger add,  hledger-web,+         hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)++       o They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags+         which can be used to filter or pivot reports.++       o They can help hledger know your accounts'  types  (asset,  liability,+         equity,  revenue,  expense),  affecting reports like balancesheet and+         incomestatement.++       They are written as the word account followed by  a  hledger-style  ac-+       count name, eg:++              account assets:bank:checking++       Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not al-+       lowed to have surrounding brackets  and  parentheses,  unlike  accounts+       used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:++              account (assets:bank:checking)++   Account comments+       Text following two or more spaces and ; at the end of an account direc-+       tive line, and/or following ; on indented lines immediately  below  it,+       form  comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may con-+       tain tags, which are not ignored.++       The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is  because  ;+       is allowed in account names.++              account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+                ; next-line comment+                ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345++   Account subdirectives+       Ledger-style  indented  subdirectives  are also accepted, but currently+       ignored:++              account assets:bank:checking+                format subdirective is ignored++   Account error checking+       By default, accounts need not be declared;  they  come  into  existence+       when  a  posting  references  them.   This  is convenient, but it means+       hledger can't warn you when you mis-spell an account name in the  jour-+       nal.  Usually you'll find that error later, as an extra account in bal-+       ance reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.++       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 de-+       clared by an account directive.  Some notes:++       o The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the  correct+         account name capitalisation.++       o The  account  directive's scope is "whole file and below" (see direc-+         tives).  This means it affects all of the current file, and any files+         it  includes,  but  not parent or sibling files.  The position of ac-+         count directives within the file does not matter, though  it's  usual+         to put them at the top.++       o Accounts  can  only be declared in journal files, but will affect in-+         cluded files of all types.++       o It's currently not possible to  declare  "all  possible  subaccounts"+         with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.++   Account display order+       The  order in which account directives are written influences the order+       in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web  etc.   By+       default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these ac-+       count directives to the journal file:++              account assets+              account liabilities+              account equity+              account revenues+              account expenses++       those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:++              $ hledger accounts -1+              assets+              liabilities+              equity+              revenues+              expenses++       Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.++       Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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 means:++       o you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg account  other  above)+         that you don't intend to post to, just to customize their display or-+         der++       o sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display x:y  in  between+         a:b and a:c).++   Account types+       hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+       expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports  like  balancesheet  and+       incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the type: query.++       As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically+       if you are using common english-language top-level account  names  (de-+       scribed  below).   But generally we recommend you declare types explic-+       itly, by adding a type: tag to your top-level account directives.  Sub-+       accounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The tag's value should+       be one of the five main account types:++       o A or Asset (things you own)++       o L or Liability (things you owe)++       o E or Equity (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of  assets  &+         liabilities)++       o R  or  Revenue (what you received money from, AKA income; technically+         part of Equity)++       o X or Expense (what you spend money on; technically part of Equity)++       or, it can be (these are used less often):++       o C or Cash (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the cash-+         flow report)++       o V  or  Conversion (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST RE-+         PORTING).)++       Here is a typical set of account type declarations:++              account assets             ; type: A+              account liabilities        ; type: L+              account equity             ; type: E+              account revenues           ; type: R+              account expenses           ; type: X++              account assets:bank        ; type: C+              account assets:cash        ; type: C++              account equity:conversion  ; type: V++       Here are some tips for working with account types.++       o The rules for inferring types from  account  names  are  as  follows.+         These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going;+         if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare your account+         types.  See also Regular expressions.++                If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+                --------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+                ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+                ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+                ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+                ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+                ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+                ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+                ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense++       o If  you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an ac-+         count for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and+         name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.++       o Certain  uses  of  account  aliases  can  disrupt account types.  See+         Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.++       o As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent+         account.   More  precisely, an account's type is decided by the first+         of these that exists:++         1. A type: declaration for this account.++         2. A type: declaration in the parent accounts  above  it,  preferring+            the nearest.++         3. An account type inferred from this account's name.++         4. An  account type inferred from a parent account's name, preferring+            the nearest parent.++         5. Otherwise, it will have no type.++       o For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:++                $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]++   alias directive+       You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+       parts of them, before generating reports.  This can be useful for:++       o expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier+         data entry and a less verbose journal++       o adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts++       o experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy++       o combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on+         one line++       o customising reports++       Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.  They+       do not affect account names being entered via hledger add  or  hledger-+       web.++       Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use cor-+       rectly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them; more+       on this below.++       See also Rewrite account names.++   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+       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 interactively.++       OLD  and  NEW  are case sensitive full account names.  hledger will re-+       place any occurrence of the old account name with the new one.   Subac-+       counts 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"++   Regex aliases+       There  is  also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+       indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward  slashes.   (This  is  the+       only  place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular ex-+       pression.)++       Eg:++              alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT++       or:++              $ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...++       Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be  replaced  by  RE-+       PLACEMENT.  REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.++       If  you  need  to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+       /\/=:.++       If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can  be  referenced+       by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:++              alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3+              ; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"++       REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of+       option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.++   Combining aliases+       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+       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+       entry, we apply:++       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+          (left to right).++       In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:++       o the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first++       o the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on++       o aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.++       This  gives nearby aliases precedence over distant ones, and helps pro-+       vide semantic stability - aliases will keep working the same way  inde-+       pendent of which files are being read and in which order.++       In  case  of  trouble,  adding  --debug=6 to the command line will show+       which aliases are being applied when.++   Aliases and multiple files+       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.  In-+       cluding the aliases doesn't work either:++              include a.aliases++              2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+                foo  1+                bar++       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++              2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+                foo  1+                bar++              include c.journal  ; also affected++   end aliases directive+       You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the jour-+       nal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:++              end aliases++   Aliases can generate bad account names+       Be aware that account aliases  can  produce  malformed  account  names,+       which could cause confusing reports or invalid print output.  For exam-+       ple, you could erase all account names:++              2021-01-01+                a:aa     1+                b++              $ hledger print --alias '/.*/='+              2021-01-01+                                 1++       The above print output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert  an+       illegal  double space, causing print output that would give a different+       journal when reparsed:++              2021-01-01+                old    1+                other++              $ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print+              2021-01-01+                  new             USD 1+                  other++   Aliases and account types+       If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+       types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in ef-+       fect.++       However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg  renaming+       parent  accounts  but  not their children, or vice versa) could prevent+       child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.++       Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,  renam-+       ing it by an alias could prevent or alter that.++       If  you  are  using account aliases and the type: query is not matching+       accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts  command,+       eg something like:++              $ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a++   commodity directive+       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 Com-+          modity error checking)++       2. It declares which decimal mark character (period or comma),  to  ex-+          pect  when parsing input - useful to disambiguate international num-+          ber 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 dec-+          imal  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.++       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 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  subdirec-+       tive,  as  in  Ledger.   Note in this case the commodity symbol appears+       twice; it must be the same in both places:++              ;commodity SYMBOL+              ;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++              ; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+              ; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+              ; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+              commodity INR+                format INR 1,00,00,000.00++       Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++       Remember that if the commodity  symbol  contains  spaces,  numbers,  or+       punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).++       The  amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is significant.+       It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a 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+              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.)++       Even in the presence of commodity  directives,  the  commodity  display+       style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.++   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.++       Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol,  because  cur-+       rently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity with+       a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero  amounts  are+       always allowed to have no commodity symbol.++   decimal-mark directive+       You can use a decimal-mark directive - usually one per file, at the top+       of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark when+       parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like++              decimal-mark .++       or++              decimal-mark ,++       This  prevents  any  ambiguity  when parsing numbers in the file, so we+       recommend it, especially if the file contains  digit  group  marks  (eg+       thousands separators).++   include directive+       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  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.++       The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg: include+       *.journal.++       There is limited support for recursive wildcards: **/ (the slash is re-+       quired) 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.++       The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format, overrid-+       ing  the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input files): in-+       clude timedot:~/notes/2023*.md.++   P directive+       The P directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate be-+       tween  two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to+       convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after+       that  date.   These  prices  are  often obtained from a stock exchange,+       cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.++       The format is:++              P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT++       DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the  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.  Ex-+       amples:++              # 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.++   payee directive+       payee PAYEE NAME++       This 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:++              payee Whole Foods++       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   tag directive+       tag TAGNAME++       This  directive  can  be used to declare a limited set of tag names al-+       lowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:++              tag  item-id++       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++       The "tags" check will report an error if any  undeclared  tag  name  is+       used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use+       of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you  can+       declare and check your tags .++   Periodic transactions+       The ~ directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives allow+       hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in  reports,+       not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.++       Periodic  transactions  can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+       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+          tag:generated.++       3. Forecasted  transactions  will  begin  only after the last non-fore-+          casted 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 im-+          provement, 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  an+          error.++       7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically 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+          2023/01,  which  is  equivalent  to  ~  every 10th day of month from+          2023/01/01, will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.++   Periodic rule syntax+       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.):++              # every first of month+              ~ monthly+                  expenses:rent          $2000+                  assets:bank:checking++              # every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:+              ~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+                  expenses:utilities          $400+                  assets:bank:checking++       The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying  multi-pe-+       riod  reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies report+       periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start dates).++   Periodic rules and relative dates+       Partial or relative dates (like 12/31, 25, tomorrow,  last  week,  next+       quarter)  are  usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the re-+       sults will change as time passes.  If used, they  will  be  interpreted+       relative to, in order of preference:++       1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent Y directive++       2. or the date specified with --today++       3. or the date on which you are running the report.++       They  will  not  be affected at all by report period or forecast period+       dates.++   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+       where the period expression ends, so that descriptions can not acciden-+       tally alter their meaning, as in this example:++              ; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as "every 2 months in 2023"+              ;               ||+              ;               vv+              ~ every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+                  assets:bank:checking   $1500+                  income:acme inc++       So,++       o Do  write two spaces between your period expression and your transac-+         tion description, if any.++       o Don't accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period  ex-+         pression.++   Auto postings+       The = directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra postings+       on transactions.  Wherever the rule matches an existing posting, it can+       add  one  or  more companion postings below that one, optionally influ-+       enced by the matched posting's amount.  This can be useful for generat-+       ing tax postings with a standard percentage, for example.++       Note  that  depending  on  generated  data  is  not ideal for financial+       records (it's less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by  oth-+       ers, and less robust, since other features like balance assertions will+       depend on using or not using --auto).++       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  match-+       ing),  followed  by a query (which matches existing postings), and each+       "posting" line describes a posting to be  generated,  and  the  posting+       amounts can be:++       o a  normal  amount  with a commodity symbol, eg $2.  This will be used+         as-is.++       o a number, eg 2.  The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched post-+         ing will be added to this.++       o 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.++       o 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+       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++              ; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+              = expenses:gifts+                  assets:checking:gifts  *-1+                  assets:checking         *1++              2017/12/1+                expenses:food    $10+                assets:checking++              2017/12/14+                expenses:gifts   $20+                assets:checking++              $ hledger print --auto+              2017-12-01+                  expenses:food              $10+                  assets:checking+                  (liabilities:charity)      $-1++              2017-12-14+                  expenses:gifts             $20+                  assets:checking+                  assets:checking:gifts     -$20+                  assets:checking            $20++   Auto postings and multiple files+       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).++   Auto postings and dates+       A  posting  date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+       precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself,  will  also+       be used in the generated posting.++   Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance asser-+       tions+       Currently, auto postings are added:++       o after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked  for+         balancedness,++       o 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+       for background.++       This  also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a+       missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable  to+       infer amounts.++   Auto posting tags+       Automated postings will have some extra tags:++       o generated-posting:= QUERY - shows this was generated by an auto post-+         ing rule, and the query++       o _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:++       o modified: - this transaction was modified++       o _modified: - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this transac-+         tion was modified "just now".++   Auto postings on forecast transactions only+       Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast  trans-+       actions  but not recorded transactions, by adding tag:_generated-trans-+       action to their QUERY.  This can be useful when generating new  journal+       entries to be saved in the journal.++   Other syntax+       hledger  journal  format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+       make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.   Note  some+       of  the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases,+       but in general, features in this section are considered less  important+       or  even  not  recommended  for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to+       help you decide if you want to use them.++   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+       setting opening balances:++              ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+              2016/1/1 opening balances+                assets:checking            = $409.32+                assets:savings             = $735.24+                assets:cash                 = $42+                equity: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+                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-+       ment).++       Downsides:  using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;+       to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the cal-+       culations  yourself,  instead of just reading it.  Also balance assign-+       ments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make your fi-+       nancial  data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in+       an audit.++   Balance assignments and prices+       A cost 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++   Bracketed posting dates+       For  setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's brack-+       eted date syntax is also supported: [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2] in+       posting  comments.   hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed+       sequence of the 0123456789/-.= characters in this way.  With this  syn-+       tax,  DATE  infers  its  year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its+       year from DATE.++       Downsides:  another  syntax  to   learn,   redundant   with   hledger's+       date:/date2: tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date syntax.++   D directive+       D AMOUNT++       This  directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any subsequent+       commodityless amounts (ie, plain numbers) seen while parsing the  jour-+       nal.   This  effect lasts until the next D directive, or the end of the+       journal.++       For compatibility/historical reasons, D also acts like a commodity  di-+       rective  (setting  the commodity's decimal mark for parsing and display+       style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but+       a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must include a deci-+       mal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:++              ; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+              ; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+              D $1,000.00++              1/1+                a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+                b++       Interactions with other directives:++       For setting a commodity's display  style,  a  commodity  directive  has+       highest priority, then a D directive.++       For  detecting  a commodity's decimal mark during parsing, decimal-mark+       has highest priority, then commodity, then D.++       For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a commodity  di-+       rective is required (hledger check commodities ignores D directives).++       Downsides:  omitting  commodity  symbols makes your financial data less+       explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is  usu-+       ally  an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to track+       multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with  functions  redundant  with+       commodity and decimal-mark.  And it works differently from Ledger's D.++   apply account directive+       This  directive  sets a default parent account, which will be prepended+       to all accounts in following entries, until an end apply account direc-+       tive or end of current file.  Eg:++              apply account home++              2010/1/1+                  food    $10+                  cash++              end apply account++       is equivalent to:++              2010/01/01+                  home:food           $10+                  home:cash          $-10++       account directives are also affected, and so is any included content.++       Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.++       Account  aliases,  if  any,  are  applied  after  the parent account is+       prepended.++       Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less porta-+       ble, and less trustworthy in an audit.++   Y directive+       Y YEAR++       or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):++       year YEAR apply year YEAR++       The  space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for subse-+       quent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:++              Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++              12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+                expenses  1+                assets++              year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++              2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+                expenses  1+                assets++              1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+                expenses  1+                assets++       Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)+       makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less trust-+       worthy in an audit.  Such dates can get  separated  from  their  corre-+       sponding  Y  directive,  eg  when evaluating a region of the journal in+       your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on  today's+       date.++   Secondary dates+       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+       (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  =+       date the transaction was initiated, if different".++       Downsides:  makes  your financial data more complicated, less portable,+       and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates+       consistent  requires discipline, and you have to remember which report-+       ing mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are  simpler+       and better.++   Star comments+       Lines  beginning  with  * (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This+       feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal, al-+       lowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed with+       org mode.++       Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.   Decreases+       your  journal's  portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode just for+       folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of  ledger  mode;  nowadays+       you  can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without losing+       ledger mode's features.++   Valuation expressions+       Ledger allows a valuation function or value to  be  written  in  double+       parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.++   Virtual postings+       A  posting with parentheses around the account name ((some:account)) is+       called a unbalanced virtual posting.  Such postings do not  participate+       in  transaction balancing.  (And if you write them without an amount, a+       zero amount is always inferred.)  These can occasionally be  convenient+       for  special  circumstances,  but they violate double entry bookkeeping+       and make your data less portable across applications,  so  many  people+       avoid using them at all.++       A  posting  with  brackets  around the account name ([some:account]) is+       called a balanced virtual posting.  The balanced virtual postings in  a+       transaction must add up to zero, just like ordinary postings, but sepa-+       rately from them.  These are not part of double entry  bookkeeping  ei-+       ther, but they are at least balanced.  An example:++              2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+                assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+                expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+                expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+                [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+                [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+                (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance++       Ordinary  postings,  whose  account names are neither parenthesised nor+       bracketed, are called real postings.  You can exclude virtual  postings+       from reports with the -R/--real flag or a real:1 query.++   Other Ledger directives+       These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This+       allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware  that  hledger's+       reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.++              apply fixed COMM AMT+              apply tag   TAG+              assert      EXPR+              bucket / A  ACCT+              capture     ACCT REGEX+              check       EXPR+              define      VAR=EXPR+              end apply fixed+              end apply tag+              end apply year+              end tag+              eval / expr EXPR+              python+                PYTHONCODE+              tag         NAME+              value       EXPR+              --command-line-flags++       See  also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger+       syntax comparison.++CSV+       hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually  comma,+       semicolon,  or  tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+       each record into a transaction.++       (To learn about writing CSV, see CSV output.)++       For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure  they+       have a corresponding .csv, .tsv or .ssv file extension or use a hledger+       file prefix (see File Extension below).++       Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding rules file.+       This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line,  fields  lay-+       out,  date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it,+       and how to categorise transactions based on description  or  other  at-+       tributes.++       By  default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with+       an extra .rules extension, in the same directory.   Eg  when  asked  to+       read foo/FILE.csv, hledger looks for foo/FILE.csv.rules.  You can spec-+       ify a different rules file with the --rules-file option.  If  no  rules+       file  is  found,  hledger will create a sample rules file, which you'll+       need to adjust.++       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:++              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+                  income:unknown            -10.23++       There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org, and+       more   CSV   rules   examples   below,   and  a  larger  collection  at+       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.++   CSV rules cheatsheet+       The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+       (Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; or * are ignored.)++       source                     optionally  declare  which  file  to read data+                                  from+       separator                  declare the field separator, instead of  rely-+                                  ing on file extension+       skip                       skip one or more header lines at start of file+       date-format                declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+       timezone                   declare  the  time zone of ambiguous CSV date-+                                  times+       newest-first               improve txn order  when:  there  are  multiple+                                  records, newest first, all with the same date+       intra-day-reversed         improve  txn  order when: same-day txns are in+                                  opposite order to the overall file+       decimal-mark               declare the decimal mark used in CSV  amounts,+                                  when ambiguous+       fields list                name  CSV  fields  for easy reference, and op-+                                  tionally assign their values to hledger fields+       Field assignment           assign a CSV value or interpolated text  value+                                  to a hledger field+       if block                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                                  or skip a record or end (skip rest of file)+       if table                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                                  using compact syntax+       balance-type               select  which  type  of balance assertions/as-+                                  signments to generate+       include                    inline another CSV rules file++       Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV  rules  are+       evaluated.++   source+       If  you  tell  hledger to read a csv file with -f foo.csv, it will look+       for rules in foo.csv.rules.  Or, you can tell  it  to  read  the  rules+       file,  with  -f  foo.csv.rules,  and  it  will look for data in foo.csv+       (since 1.30).++       These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some  extra+       features.   For  one,  the data file can be missing, without causing an+       error; it is just considered empty.  And, you can specify  a  different+       data file by adding a "source" rule:++              source ./Checking1.csv++       If  you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for it+       in your system's downloads directory (~/Downloads, currently):++              source Checking1.csv++       And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent of+       the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):++              source Checking1*.csv++       See also "Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule".++   separator+       You  can  use the separator rule to read other kinds of character-sepa-+       rated 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 inferred automat-+       ically, and you won't need this rule.++   skip+              skip N++       The word skip followed by a number (or  no  number,  meaning  1)  tells+       hledger  to  ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input+       data.  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains  header  lines.+       Note,  empty  and  blank  lines are skipped automatically, so you don't+       need to count those.++       skip has a second meaning: it can be used inside if  blocks  (described+       below),  to  skip  one  or more records whenever the condition is true.+       Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still required+       to be valid CSV.++   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,  you'll+       need  to  add  a date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style+       date   parsing   pattern   -   see    https://hackage.haskell.org/pack-+       age/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.    The  pattern  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++   timezone+              timezone TIMEZONE++       When CSV contains date-times that are  implicitly  in  some  time  zone+       other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you+       can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time  zone,  which  helps+       prevent off-by-one dates.++       When  the  CSV  date-times  do contain time zone information, you don't+       need this rule; instead, use %Z in date-format (or %z,  %EZ,  %Ez;  see+       the formatTime link above).++       In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,+       localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.  If you+       prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for reproducibility, you+       can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with the TZ  environment+       variable, eg:++              $ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv++       timezone  currently  does  not understand timezone names, except "UTC",+       "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".   For+       others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.++   newest-first+       hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+       chronologically, including  intra-day  transactions.   Usually  it  can+       auto-detect  how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV+       where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are+       oldest  first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,+       like:++              2022-10-01, txn 3...+              2022-10-01, txn 2...+              2022-10-01, txn 1...++       you can add the newest-first rule to help hledger generate the transac-+       tions in correct order.++              # same-day CSV records are newest first+              newest-first++   intra-day-reversed+       CSV  records  for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+       the overall date order.  Eg, here  dates  are  newest  first,  but  the+       transactions on each date are oldest first:++              2022-10-02, txn 3...+              2022-10-02, txn 4...+              2022-10-01, txn 1...+              2022-10-01, txn 2...++       In  this  situation,  add the intra-day-reversed rule, and hledger will+       compensate, improving the order of transactions.++              # transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+              intra-day-reversed++   decimal-mark+              decimal-mark .++       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 CSV+       contain digit group marks,  such  as  thousand-separating  commas,  you+       should  declare  the  decimal  mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid+       misparsed numbers.++   fields list+              fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...++       A fields list (the word fields followed by comma-separated field names)+       is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:++       1. It  names  the  CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if+          you are referencing them in other rules, so you can  say  %SomeField+          instead of remembering %13.++       2. Whenever  you  use one of the special hledger field names (described+          below), it assigns the CSV value in this position  to  that  hledger+          field.   This  is  the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and+          build a 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++       In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the+       CSV file's separator.  Also:++       o There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).++       o Field  names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field names+         are optional.++       o Field names may contain _ (underscore) or - (hyphen).++       o Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy  name  or  an  empty+         name.++       If  the  CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for+       your field names, suitably modified (eg  lower-cased  with  spaces  re-+       placed by underscores).++       Sometimes  you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to+       a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's  "bal-+       ance"  field balance_ to avoid directly setting hledger's balance field+       (and generating a balance assertion).++   Field assignment+              HLEDGERFIELD 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+       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  inter-+       polate  CSV  fields,  referenced  by  their 1-based position in the CSV+       record (%N), or by the name they were given in the fields  list  (%CSV-+       FIELD).++       Some examples:++              # set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended+              amount %4 USD++              # combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+              comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1++       Tips:++       o Interpolation  strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like " 1 " be-+         comes 1 when interpolated) (#1051).++       o Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate  a+         hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).++   Field names+       Note  the  two  kinds  of  field names mentioned here, and used only in+       hledger CSV rules files:++       1. CSV field names (CSVFIELD in these docs): you  can  optionally  name+          the  CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet auto-+          matically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing arbi-+          trary names in a fields list, eg:++                  fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar++       2. Special  hledger  field names (HLEDGERFIELD in these docs): you must+          set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction  from+          a  CSV  record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field as-+          signment, eg:++                  date        %When+                  code        %Some_Id+                  description %What+                  comment     %Foo %Bar+                  amount1     $ %Total++           or directly in a fields list:++                  fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+                  currency $+                  comment  %Foo %Bar++       Here are all the special hledger field names available, and  what  hap-+       pens when you assign values to them:++   date field+       Assigning to date sets the transaction date.++   date2 field+       date2 sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.++   status field+       status sets the transaction's status, if any.++   code field+       code sets the transaction's code, if any.++   description field+       description sets the transaction's description, if any.++   comment field+       comment sets the transaction's comment, if any.++       commentN, where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.++       You  can  assign multi-line comments by writing literal \n in the code.+       A comment starting with \n will begin on a new line.++       Comments can contain tags, as usual.++   account field+       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 based on+       each transaction's description, in conditional rules.++       If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount  is  set  (see+       below),  a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"+       or "income:unknown").++   amount field+       Amount setting can get a bit complex.  Assigning to  amount  is  suffi-+       cient  for  simple transactions, but there are four field name variants+       you can use for different situations:++       o amountN sets a specific posting's amount from one CSV field or  arbi-+         trary value.+       Assigning  to  amountN  sets  the  amount of the Nth posting - and also+       causes that posting to be generated.  N is most often 1 or 2 but can go+       up  to  99,  potentially generating a 99-posting transaction.  (Posting+       numbers don't have to be consecutive; higher posting numbers can  some-+       times be useful with conditional rules, to ensure a certain ordering of+       postings.)++       o amountN-in/-out sets a specific posting's amount from two CSV fields.+       When the amount is provided as two CSV fields - "Debit"/"Credit",  "De-+       posit"/"Withdrawal",  "Money  In"/"Money Out" or similar - assign those+       fields to amountN-in and  amountN-out  respectively  (or  possibly  the+       other  way round, depending on signs).  This will set the Nth posting's+       amount to whichever of the two CSV  field  values  is  non-zero.   Some+       notes:++         o Don't  mix  amountN  and  amountN-in/-out.   When  you have one CSV+           amount field, use amountN.  When you have two  CSV  amount  fields,+           use amountN-in/amountN-out.++         o amountN-in  and  amountN-out  are  always used together, as a pair.+           Assign to both of them.++         o They do not generate two separate postings; rather,  they  generate+           the  Nth  posting's  single  amount, from the value found in one or+           other of the two CSV fields.++         o In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must  contain  a+           zero amount or be empty.++         o hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers, and it+           will automatically negate the -out amount.++         o This variant can be convenient, but it doesn't  handle  every  two-+           amount-field  situation;  if  you  need more flexibility, use an if+           rule (see "Setting amounts" below).++       The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but  can+       still be convenient sometimes:++       o amount sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from one CSV field or value.+       Assigning to amount, with no posting number,++         o sets posting 1's amount (like amount1)++         o sets  posting 2's amount to the same amount but with opposite sign;+           and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price++         o can be overridden by amount1  and/or  amount2  assignments.   (This+           helps  with  incremental  migration of old rules files to the newer+           syntax.)++       o amount-in/-out sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from two CSV fields.+       Assigning amount-in and amount-out, with no posting numbers, to two CSV+       fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero as the amount, and+       then sets the first two posting amounts as above.++       We recommend using only one of these  variants  within  a  rules  file,+       rather  than  mixing them.  And remember that a fields list can also do+       assignments, so eg naming a CSV field "amount" counts as an  assignment+       to  amount;  if  you  don't  want  that,  call  it something else, like+       "amount_".++       In addition to this section, please see  also  the  tips  beginning  at+       "Working with CSV > Setting amounts" below.++   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+       symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.++       currencyN prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's amount.++   balance field+       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.++       You  can  adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the balance-type+       rule (see below).++       See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.++   if block+       Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns  in  the  CSV+       data.   This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can cate-+       gorise transactions, selecting an appropriate  account  name  based  on+       their  description  (for  example).  There are two ways to write condi-+       tional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if  tables",  described+       below.++       An  if  block is the word if and one or more "matcher" expressions (can+       be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or next+       line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,++              if MATCHER+               RULE++       or++              if+              MATCHER+              MATCHER+              MATCHER+               RULE+               RULE++       If  any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be ap-+       plied.  They are usually field assignments, but the  following  special+       rules may also be used within an if block:++       o skip  -  skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction from+         it)++       o end - skips the rest of the current CSV file.++       Some examples:++              # if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"+              if groceries+               account2 expenses:groceries++              # if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+              if+              monthly service fee+              atm transaction fee+              banking thru software+               account2 expenses:business:banking+               comment  XXX deductible ? check it++              # if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+              if ,,,,+               end++   Matchers+       There are two kinds:++       1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment  or  regular+          expression  (REGEX),  which  hledger will try to match case-insensi-+          tively anywhere within the CSV record.+       Eg: whole foods++       2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV  field  name+          (%CSVFIELD  REGEX).  hledger will try to match these just within the+          named CSV field.+       Eg: %date 2023++       The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended  regu-+       lar  expression,  that  also  supports GNU word boundaries (\b, \B, \<,+       \>), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular  expressions"+       in the hledger manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expres-+       sions).++       With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched is+       not  the  original  CSV  record, but a modified one: separators will be+       converted to commas, and enclosing double  quotes  (but  not  enclosing+       whitespace)  are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if+       the original record was:++              2023-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000++       the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:++              2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000++       When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:++       o By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)++       o When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (&) it will  be  AND'ed  with+         the previous matcher (both of them must match).++       There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.++   if table+       "if  tables"  are  an  alternative  to if blocks; they can express many+       matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular  format,  like+       this:++              if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+              MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              <empty line>++       The  first character after if is taken to be the separator for the rest+       of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like  ,  or  |+       that  does  not  appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is unre-+       lated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace  can  be  used  in  the+       matcher  lines  for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The+       table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each  line+       must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.++       The  above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,+       assign all of the values on that  line  to  the  corresponding  hledger+       fields;  later  lines  can overrider earlier ones.  It is equivalent to+       this sequence of if blocks:++              if MATCHERA+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++              if MATCHERB+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++              if MATCHERC+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++       Example:++              if,account2,comment+              atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+              %description groceries,expenses:groceries,+              2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out++   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:++              # 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+              ==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts++   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+       several rules files, eg:++              # someaccount.csv.rules++              ## someaccount-specific rules+              fields   date,description,amount+              account1 assets:someaccount+              account2 expenses:misc++              ## common rules+              include categorisation.rules++   Working with CSV+       Some tips:++   Rapid feedback+       It's a good idea to get rapid feedback  while  creating/troubleshooting+       CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.++   Valid CSV+       Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming  to  RFC  4180,+       and equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or+       tab as separators).  This means, eg:++       o Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in single+         quotes is not allowed.  (Eg 'A','B' is rejected.)++       o When  values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes+         are not allowed.  (Eg "A", "B" is rejected.)++       o When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not  contain  double+         quotes.  (Eg A"A, B is rejected.)++       If  your  CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to trans-+       form it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more  permis-+       sive CSV parser like python's csv lib.++   File Extension+       To  help  hledger  choose  the CSV file reader and show the right error+       messages (and choose the right field separator character  by  default),+       it's  best  if  CSV/SSV/TSV  files  are named with a .csv, .ssv or .tsv+       filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)++       When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure  the  CSV+       reader  (and  the  default  field separator) by prefixing the file path+       with csv:, ssv: or tsv:: Eg:++              $ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print++       You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule+       if needed.++   Reading CSV from standard input+       You'll  need  the  file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+       since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:++              $ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print++   Reading multiple CSV files+       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+       used for all the CSV files.++   Reading files specified by rule+       Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+       rules file, as in hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD.  By default  this  will+       read  data from foo.csv in the same directory, but you can add a source+       rule to specify a different data file,  perhaps  located  in  your  web+       browser's download directory.++       This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won't see it in most CSV+       rules examples.  But it helps remove some of the busywork  of  managing+       CSV downloads.  Most of your financial institutions's default CSV file-+       names are different and can be recognised by a glob  pattern.   So  you+       can  put  a  rule like source Checking1*.csv in foo-checking.csv.rules,+       and then periodically follow a workflow like:++       1. Download CSV from Foo's website, using your browser's defaults++       2. Run hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules to import any new transac-+          tions++       After  import,  you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+       while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.  If you  do  noth-+       ing,  next  time your browser will save something like Checking1-2.csv,+       and hledger will use that because of the * wild card and because it  is+       the most recent.++   Valid transactions+       After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the gen-+       erated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing them,+       applying  balance  assignments,  and canonicalising amount styles.  Any+       errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying  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 as-+       sertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:++              $ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print++   Deduplicating, importing+       When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your  latest  bank+       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, 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:++              # 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+       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:++       o https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows++       o https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion++   Setting amounts+       Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling var-+       ious amount-setting situations:++       1. If the amount is in a single CSV field:+           a. If its sign indicates direction of flow:+           Assign it to amountN, to set the Nth posting's amount.  N  is  usu-+           ally 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.++           b. If another field indicates direction of flow:+           Use  one  or  more  conditional rules to set the appropriate amount+           sign.  Eg:++                  # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":+                  amount1  -%Amount+                  if %Type deposit+                    amount1  %Amount++       2. If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):+           a. If both fields are unsigned:+           Assign the fields to amountN-in and amountN-out.  This sets posting+           N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero value.  If it's the+           -out value, the amount will be negated.++           b. If either field is signed:+           Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg below, the+           -out  value already has a minus sign so we undo hledger's automatic+           negating by negating once more (but only if the field is non-empty,+           so that we don't leave a minus sign by itself):++                  fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+                  if %amount1-out [1-9]+                   amount1-out -%amount1-out++           c. If  both  fields  can  contain  a non-zero value (or both can be+              empty):+           The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is non-zero/non-+           empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as 1 and none.  For+           such cases, use conditional rules to help select the  amount.   Eg,+           to  handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero+           digits:++                  fields date, description, in, out+                  if %in [1-9]+                   amount1 %in+                  if %out [1-9]+                   amount1 %out++       3. If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:+       Use the unnumbered amount (or amount-in and amount-out) syntax.++       4. If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:+       Assign to balanceN, to set a balance assignment  on  the  Nth  posting,+       causing  the  posting's amount to be calculated automatically.  balance+       with no number is equivalent to balance1.  In this situation hledger is+       more likely to guess the wrong default account name, so you may need to+       set that explicitly.++   Amount signs+       There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+       amount signs.  (This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts+       such as COST in amount1  AMT @ COST):++       o If an amount value begins with a plus sign:+       that will be removed: +AMT becomes AMT++       o If an amount value is parenthesised:+       it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: (AMT) becomes -AMT++       o 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++       o If  an  amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of parenthe-+         ses):+       that is removed, making it an empty value.  "+" or "-" or "()"  becomes+       "".++       It's  not  possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount to+       its absolute value, ie discard its sign.++   Setting currency/commodity+       If the currency/commodity  symbol  is  included  in  the  CSV's  amount+       field(s):++              2023-01-01,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:++              fields date,description,amount++              2023-01-01 foo+                  expenses:unknown         $123.00+                  income:unknown          $-123.00++       If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:++              2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00++       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++              2023-01-01 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:++              fields date,description,cur,amt+              amount %amt %cur++              2023-01-01 foo+                  expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+                  income:unknown         -123.00 USD++       Note we used a temporary field name (cur) that is not currency  -  that+       would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.++   Amount decimal places+       Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+       amount1 influence commodity display styles, such as the number of deci-+       mal places displayed in reports.++       The  original  amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display+       style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).++   Referencing other fields+       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+       field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field,  not  the+       hledger field:++              # Name the third CSV field "amount1"+              fields date,description,amount1++              # Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+              amount1 %amount1 USD++              # Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+              comment %amount1++       Here,  since there's no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a lit-+       eral "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:++              comment A+              comment B+              if something+               comment C++   How CSV rules are evaluated+       Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if  you  really  need+       to).  First,++       o 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 re-+       peated, the last one wins:++       o skip (at top level)++       o date-format++       o newest-first++       o fields - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial assignments+         to hledger fields++       Then for each CSV record in turn:++       o test  all if blocks.  If any of them contain a end rule, skip all re-+         maining 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.++       o 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.++       o compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was  as-+         signed to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default++       o generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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  successfully,+       the  transactions  are passed as input to whichever hledger command the+       user specified.++   Well factored rules+       Some things than can help reduce duplication and  complexity  in  rules+       files:++       o Extracting  common  rules  usable with multiple CSV files into a com-+         mon.rules, and adding include common.rules to each CSV's rules file.++       o Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently+         used parts.++   CSV rules examples+   Bank of Ireland+       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  neces-+       sary 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+              skip++              # name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+              fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++              # We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"+              # above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+              #+              # - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+              #   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+              #+              # - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+              #   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++              # date is in UK/Ireland format+              date-format  %d/%m/%Y++              # set the currency+              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+                  income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++              2012-12-07 PAYMENT+                  assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+                  expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0++       The  balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're read-+       ing directly from CSV, but they will be checked if  these  entries  are+       imported into a journal file.++   Coinbase+       A  simple  example  with  some  CSV  from  Coinbase.  The spot price is+       recorded using cost notation.  The  legacy  amount  field  name  conve-+       niently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.++              # Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+              # 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"++              # coinbase.csv.rules+              skip         1+              fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+              date         %Timestamp+              date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+              description  %Notes+              account1     assets:coinbase:cc+              amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency++              $ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+              2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+                  assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP+                  income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP++   Amazon+       Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to gener-+       ate 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+              skip 1++              # name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.+              # Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.+              fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++              # how to parse the date+              date-format %b %-d, %Y++              # combine two fields to make the description+              description %toorfrom %name++              # save the status as a tag+              comment     status:%amzstatus++              # set the base account for all transactions+              account1    assets:amazon+              # leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+              # I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember++              # set a generic account2+              account2    expenses:misc+              amount2     %amzamount+              # and maybe refine it further:+              #include categorisation.rules++              # add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+              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+                  expenses:misc          $20.00++              2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+                  assets:amazon+                  expenses:misc          $25.00+                  expenses:fees           $1.00++   Paypal+       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",""+              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""+              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""+              "10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""+              "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:+              # Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+              # Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"+              # Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:+              # "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"+              # This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":+              # "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"++              fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++              skip  1++              date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++              # ignore some paypal events+              if+              In Progress+              Temporary Hold+              Update to+               skip++              # add more fields to the description+              description %description_ %itemtitle++              # save some other fields as tags+              comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++              # convert to short currency symbols+              if %currency USD+               currency $+              if %currency EUR+               currency E+              if %currency GBP+               currency P++              # generate postings++              # the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+              # (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+              account1 assets:online:paypal+              amount1  %netamount++              # the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+              # (account2 is set below)+              amount2  -%grossamount++              # if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+              if %feeamount [1-9]+               account3 expenses:banking:paypal+               amount3  -%feeamount+               comment3 business:++              # choose an account for the second posting++              # override the default account names:+              # if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)+              if %grossamount ^[^-]+               account2 income:unknown+              # if negative, it's an expense (a credit)+              if %grossamount ^-+               account2 expenses:unknown++              # apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+              include common.rules++              # apply some overrides specific to this csv++              # Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+              # which can be disregarded in this case.+              if+              Bank Account+              Bank Deposit to PP Account+               description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+               account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+               account1 assets:online:paypal++              # Currency conversions+              if Currency Conversion+               account2 equity:currency conversion++              # common.rules++              if+              darcs+              noble benefactor+               account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+               comment2 business:++              if+              Calm Radio+               account2 expenses:online:apps++              if+              electronic frontier foundation+              Patreon+              wikimedia+              Advent of Code+               account2 expenses:dues++              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+                  expenses:online:apps           $6.99++              2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++              2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+                  expenses:dues                  $7.00++              2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++              2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+                  expenses:dues                     $2.00+                  expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++              2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++              2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+                  revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+                  expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:++Timeclock+       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.   The+       time  format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ].  Seconds and timezone are optional.+       The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored (currently+       the  time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines beginning with+       # or ; or *, and blank lines, are ignored.++              i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+              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:++              $ hledger -f t.timeclock print+              2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+                  (some account)           0.33h++              2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+                  (another:account)           1.64h++              2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+                  (another:account)           2.01h++       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++       To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:++       o use  emacs  and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-+         x.el and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el++       o 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"++       o 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.++Timedot+       timedot format is hledger's human-friendly time logging  format.   Com-+       pared to timeclock format, it is++       o convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging++       o readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.++       A  timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like+       this:++              2023-05-01+              hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+              fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+              per:admin:finance++       hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three (unbalanced)+       postings,  where  each dot represents "0.25".  No commodity is assumed,+       but normally we interpret it as hours, with  each  dot  representing  a+       quarter-hour.   It's convenient, though not required, to group the dots+       in fours for easy reading.++              $ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+              2023-05-01 *+                  (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+                  (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+                  (per:admin:finance)                 0++       A transaction begins with a non-indented simple date (Y-M-D, Y/M/D,  or+       Y.M.D).   It  can  optionally  be  preceded  by one or more stars and a+       space, for Emacs org mode compatibility.  It can optionally be followed+       on  the  same  line  by a transaction description, and/or a transaction+       comment following a semicolon.++       After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:++       o an account name - any hledger-style account name, optionally  hierar-+         chical, optionally indented.++       o two  or  more  spaces  -  a  field separator, required if there is an+         amount (as in journal format).++       o an optional timedot amount - dots representing quarter  hours,  or  a+         number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.++       o an optional posting comment following a semicolon.++       Timedot amounts can be:++       o dots:  zero  or  more  period characters (.), each representing 0.25.+         Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: .... ..++       o or a number.  Eg: 1.5++       o or a number immediately followed by a unit symbol s, m, h, d, w,  mo,+         or  y.  These are interpreted as seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks,+         months or years, and converted to hours, assuming:+       60s = 1m, 60m = 1h, 24h = 1d, 7d = 1w, 30d = 1mo, 365d = 1y.  Eg 90m is+       parsed as 1.5.++       There  is  some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+       the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:++       o Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; are ignored.++       o Before the first date line, lines beginning with * are ignored.++       o From the first date line onward, one or more *'s followed by a  space+         at  beginning  of  lines  (ie,  the headline prefix used by Emacs Org+         mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under  an  Org+         headline,  and  date lines or time transaction lines can be Org head-+         lines.++       o Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed  as  post-+         ings with zero amount.  Note hledger's register reports hide these by+         default (add -E to see them).++       More examples:++              # on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+              2016/2/1+              inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+              fos:haskell   .... ..+              biz:research  .++              2016/2/2+              inc:client1   .... ....+              biz:research  .++              2016/2/3+              inc:client1   4+              fos:hledger   3+              biz:research  1++              * Time log+              ** 2023-01-01+              *** adm:time  .+              *** adm:finance  .++              * 2023 Work Diary+              ** Q1+              *** 2023-02-29+              **** DONE+              0700 yoga+              **** UNPLANNED+              **** BEGUN+              hom:chores+               cleaning  ...+               water plants+                outdoor - one full watering can+                indoor - light watering+              **** TODO+              adm:planning: trip+              *** LATER++       Reporting:++              $ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+              2016-02-02 *+                  (inc:client1)          2.00++              2016-02-02 *+                  (biz:research)          0.25++              $ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+              Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++                          ||  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+              ------------++----------------------------------------+                          ||         7.75         2.25         8.00++       Using period instead of colon as account name separator:++              2016/2/4+              fos.hledger.timedot  4+              fos.ledger           ..++              $ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree+                              4.50  fos+                              4.00    hledger:timedot+                              0.50    ledger+              --------------------+                              4.50++       A sample.timedot file.++PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+Time periods+   Report start & end date+       By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time repre-+       sented  by  the  journal.   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 these+       accept the smart date syntax (below).++       Some notes:++       o End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write  the  date+         after the last day you want to see in the report.++       o As  noted  in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+         options, the last (i.e.  right-most) option takes precedence.++       o 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  2019,  the+         smallest common time span.++       o In  some  cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall+         on interval boundaries (see below).++       Examples:++       -b 2016/3/17       begin on St. Patrick's day 2016+       -e 12/1            end at the start of  december  1st  of  the  current  year+                          (11/30 will be the last date included)+       -b thismonth       all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month+       -p thismonth       all transactions in the current month+       date:2016/3/17..   the above written as queries instead (.. can also  be  re-+                          placed with -)+       date:..12/1+       date:thismonth..+       date:thismonth++   Smart dates+       hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added conve-+       nience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative  to  today's  date,  be+       written  with  english  words,  and have less-significant parts omitted+       (missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some examples:++       2004/10/1,   2004-01-01,   exact  date, several separators allowed.  Year+       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, tomor-   -1, 0, 1 days from today+       row+       last/this/next             -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period+       day/week/month/quar-+       ter/year+       in                     n   n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years+       n                          n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years ahead+       n                          -n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years ago+       20181201                   8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day+       201812                     6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month++       Some  counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising+       results:++       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+                     8-digit year+       20181232      8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+       201801012     9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error++       "Today's date" can be overridden with the --today option, in case  it's+       needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for periodic+       transaction rules, which are not affected by --today.)++   Report intervals+       A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,  bal-+       ance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a sepa-+       rate row or column.++       The following standard  intervals  can  be  enabled  with  command-line+       flags:++       o -D/--daily++       o -W/--weekly++       o -M/--monthly++       o -Q/--quarterly++       o -Y/--yearly++       More  complex  intervals  can be specified using -p/--period, described+       below.++   Date adjustment+       When there is a report interval (other than  daily),  report  start/end+       dates  which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+       adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for  produc-+       ing simple periodic reports.  More precisely:++       o an  inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on+         a natural period boundary++       o an inferred end date will be adjusted later if  needed  to  make  the+         last period the same length as the others.++       By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with+       -b, -e, -p or date:, will not be adjusted (since hledger  1.29).   This+       makes  it  possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it also+       means that if you are specifying a start  date,  you  should  pick  one+       that's  on  a  period  boundary if you want to see simple report period+       headings.++   Period expressions+       The -p/--period option specifies a period expression, which is  a  com-+       pact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report interval.++       Here's  a  period  expression with a start and end date (specifying the+       first quarter of 2009):++       -p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"++       Several keywords like "from" and "to" are  supported  for  readability;+       these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".." or "-".  The spa-+       ces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.  So+       the following are equivalent to the above:++       -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, these are also+       equivalent to the above:++       -p "1/1 4/1"+       -p "jan-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 date in the journal:++       -p "from 2009/1/1"   everything  after  january+                            1, 2009+       -p "since 2009/1"    the same, since is a  syn-+                            onym+       -p "from 2009"       the same+       -p "to 2009"         everything  before january+                            1, 2009++       You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:++       -p "2009"        the year 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1"+       -p "2009/1"      the month of january 2009; equivalent to  "2009/1/1  to+                        2009/2/1"+       -p "2009/1/1"    the  first  day  of  2009;  equivalent  to "2009/1/1 to+                        2009/1/2"++       or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):++       -p "2009Q1"       first quarter  of  2009,  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1  to+                         2009/4/1"+       -p "q4"           fourth quarter of the current year++   Period expressions with a report interval+       A  period  expression  can also begin with a report interval, separated+       from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word in:++       -p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"+       -p "monthly in 2008"+       -p "quarterly"++   More complex report intervals+       Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+       such as:++       o biweekly (every two weeks)++       o fortnightly++       o bimonthly (every two months)++       o every day|week|month|quarter|year++       o every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years++       Weekly on a custom day:++       o every  Nth  day of week (th, nd, rd, or st are all accepted after the+         number)++       o every WEEKDAYNAME (full or three-letter english  weekday  name,  case+         insensitive)++       Monthly on a custom day:++       o every Nth day [of month]++       o every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]++       Yearly on a custom day:++       o every MM/DD [of year] (month number and day of month number)++       o every  MONTHNAME  DDth  [of year] (full or three-letter english month+         name, case insensitive, and day of month number)++       o every DDth MONTHNAME [of year] (equivalent to the above)++       Examples:++       -p "bimonthly from 2008"+       -p "every 2 weeks"+       -p  "every  5  months  from+       2009/03"+       -p "every 2nd day of week"    periods will go from Tue to Tue+       -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+                                     November+       -p "every 5th November"       same+       -p "every Nov 5th"            same++       Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is  an+       end date, exclusive as always):++              $ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"++       Group  postings  from  the  start  of wednesday to end of the following+       tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):++              $ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"++   Multiple weekday intervals+       This special form is also supported:++       o every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,... (full or three-letter english week-+         day names, case insensitive)++       Also,  weekday and weekendday are shorthand for mon,tue,wed,thu,fri and+       sat,sun.++       This is mainly intended for use with --forecast, to  generate  periodic+       transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less useful with+       -p, since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal length, which+       is unusual.  (Related: #1632)++       Examples:++       -p          "every   dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods  will  be  Mon-+       mon,wed,fri"         Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+       -p "every weekday"   dates  will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will+                            be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun+       -p "every weekend-   dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+       day"++Depth+       With  the  --depth NUM option (short form: -NUM), reports will show ac-+       counts only to the specified depth,  hiding  deeper  subaccounts.   Use+       this  when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same+       effect as a depth: query argument: depth:2, --depth=2 or -2 are equiva-+       lent.++Queries+       One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise+       subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query argu-+       ments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:++       o Zero  or  more space-separated query terms.  These are most often ac-+         count name substrings:++         utilities food:groceries++       o Terms with spaces or other special characters should be  enclosed  in+         quotes:++         "personal care"++       o Regular expressions are also supported:++         "^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"++       o Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:++         date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:++       o Add a not: prefix to negate a term:++         not:cur:USD++   Query types+       Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be+       prefixed with not: to convert them into a negative match.++       acct:REGEX, REGEX+       Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular  expres-+       sion.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and reg-+       ular expression syntax is typically not  needed,  so  usually  we  just+       write an account name substring, like expenses or food.++       amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N+       Match  postings  with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+       greater than N.  (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not  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.   Oth-+       erwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, ignoring sign.++       code:REGEX+       Match by transaction code (eg check number).++       cur:REGEX+       Match  postings  or  transactions  including  any  amounts  whose  cur-+       rency/commodity symbol is fully  matched  by  REGEX.   (For  a  partial+       match,  use  .*REGEX.*).   Note,  to match special characters which are+       regex-significant, you need to escape them with \.  And for  characters+       which  are significant to your shell you may need one more level of es-+       caping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:+       hledger print cur:\\$.++       desc:REGEX+       Match transaction descriptions.++       date:PERIODEXPR+       Match dates (or with the --date2  flag,  secondary  dates)  within  the+       specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report in-+       terval.  Examples:+       date:2016, date:thismonth, date:2/1-2/15, date:2021-07-27..nextquarter.++       date2:PERIODEXPR+       Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent  of  the+       --date2 flag).++       depth:N+       Match  (or  display,  depending  on  command) accounts at or above this+       depth.++       note:REGEX+       Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of |, or the+       whole description if there's no |).++       payee:REGEX+       Match  transaction  payee/payer names (the part of the description left+       of |, or the whole description if there's no |).++       real:, real:0+       Match real or virtual postings respectively.++       status:, status:!, status:*+       Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.++       type:TYPECODES+       Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).   TYPE-+       CODES  is  one or more of the single-letter account type codes ALERXCV,+       case insensitive.  Note type:A and type:E will also match their respec-+       tive  subtypes  C  (Cash) and V (Conversion).  Certain kinds of account+       alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts >  Aliases  and+       account types.++       tag:REGEX[=REGEX]+       Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by+       value, use tag:.=REGEX.)++       When querying by tag, note that:++       o Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts++       o Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction++       o Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.++       (inacct:ACCTNAME+       A special query term used  automatically  in  hledger-web  only:  tells+       hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)++   Combining query terms+       When  given  multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+       things which match:++       o any of the description terms AND++       o any of the account terms AND++       o any of the status terms AND++       o all the other terms.++       The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:++       o match any of the description terms AND++       o have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND++       o have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND++       o match all the other terms.++       We also support more complex boolean queries with the  'expr:'  prefix.+       This  allows  one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+       OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for 'not:'.++       Examples of such queries are:++       o Match transactions with 'cool' in the description AND  with  the  'A'+         tag++         expr:"desc:cool AND tag:A"++       o Match transactions NOT to the 'expenses:food' account OR with the 'A'+         tag++         expr:"NOT expenses:food OR tag:A"++       o Match transactions NOT involving the 'expenses:food' account OR  with+         the  'A' tag AND involving the 'expenses:drink' account.  (the AND is+         implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules above)++         expr:"expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)"++   Queries and command options+       Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: depth:2  is+       equivalent to --depth 2, date:2023 is equivalent to -p 2023, etc.  When+       you mix command options and query arguments,  generally  the  resulting+       query is their intersection.++   Queries and valuation+       When  amounts  are  converted to other commodities in cost or value re-+       ports, cur: and amt: match the old commodity symbol and the old  amount+       quantity,  not  the  new  ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's re-+       versed, see #1625).++   Querying with account aliases+       When account names are rewritten with --alias or alias, note that acct:+       will match either the old or the new account name.++   Querying with cost or value+       When  amounts  are  converted to other commodities in cost or value re-+       ports, note that cur: matches the new commodity symbol, and not the old+       one,  and  amt:  matches  the new quantity, and not the old one.  Note:+       this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the  reverse,  see  the+       discussion at #1625.++Pivoting+       Normally,  hledger  groups  and  sums amounts within each account.  The+       --pivot FIELD option substitutes some other transaction field  for  ac-+       count  names,  causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's+       value instead.  FIELD can be any  of  the  transaction  fields  status,+       code,  description, payee, note, or a tag name.  When pivoting on a tag+       and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first value  is+       displayed.   Values  containing colon:separated:parts will be displayed+       hierarchically, like account names.++       Some examples:++              2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+                  assets:bank account                 2 EUR+                  income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe++       Normal balance report showing account names:++              $ hledger balance+                             2 EUR  assets:bank account+                            -2 EUR  income:dues+              --------------------+                                 0++       Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:++              $ hledger balance --pivot member+                             2 EUR+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                                 0++       One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):++              $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                            -2 EUR++       Another way (the acct:  query  matches  against  the  pivoted  "account+       name"):++              $ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                            -2 EUR++Generating data+       hledger has several features for generating data, such as:++       o Periodic  transaction rules can generate single or repeating transac-+         tions following a template.  These are usually dated in  the  future,+         eg  to  help  with forecasting.  They are activated by the --forecast+         option.++       o The balance command's --budget option uses these same periodic  rules+         to generate goals for the budget report.++       o Auto  posting  rules  can  generate extra postings on certain matched+         transactions.  They are always applied to forecast transactions; with+         the  --auto  flag  they  are  applied to transactions recorded in the+         journal as well.++       o The --infer-equity flag infers  missing  conversion  equity  postings+         from  @/@@  costs.  And the inverse --infer-costs flag infers missing+         @/@@ costs from conversion equity postings.++       Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report time.+       But  you  can  see  it in the output of hledger print, and you can save+       that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary  generated+       data  to permanent recorded data.  This could be useful as a data entry+       aid.++       If you are wondering what data is being  generated  and  why,  add  the+       --verbose-tags  flag.   In hledger print output you will see extra tags+       like generated-transaction, generated-posting, and modified  on  gener-+       ated/modified  data.  Also, even without --verbose-tags, generated data+       always has equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore prefix), so eg you+       could match generated transactions with tag:_generated-transaction.++Forecasting+       Forecasting,  or  speculative future reporting, can be useful for esti-+       mating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.++       The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to manually+       record a bunch of future-dated transactions.  You could keep these in a+       separate future.journal and include that with -f only when you want  to+       see them.++   --forecast+       There  is another way: with the --forecast option, hledger can generate+       temporary "forecast transactions" for reporting purposes, according  to+       periodic  transaction rules defined in the journal.  Each rule can gen-+       erate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing one rule you  can+       change many forecasted transactions.  (These same rules can also gener-+       ate budget goals, described in Budgeting.)++       Forecast transactions usually start after  ordinary  transactions  end.+       By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+       today, whichever is later, and they end six months  from  today.   (The+       exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)++       This is the "forecast period", which need not be the same as the report+       period.  You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the  future,+       or to force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary transactions+       - by giving the --forecast option a period  expression  argument,  like+       --forecast=..2099  or  --forecast=2023-02-15...  Note that the = is re-+       quired.++   Inspecting forecast transactions+       print is the best command for inspecting and  troubleshooting  forecast+       transactions.  Eg:++              ~ monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent           $1000++              $ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              2023-05-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-06-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-07-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-08-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-09-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++       Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted transactions+       begin on the first occurence after today's date.  (You  won't  normally+       use --today; it's just to make these examples reproducible.)++   Forecast reports+       Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.  Eg:++              $ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+              2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+              2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+              2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+              2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+              2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000++              $ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++                             ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep+              ===============++===================================+               expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000+              ---------------++-----------------------------------+                             || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000++   Forecast tags+       Forecast  transactions generated by --forecast have a hidden tag, _gen-+       erated-transaction.  So if you ever need  to  match  forecast  transac-+       tions, you could use tag:_generated-transaction (or just tag:generated)+       in a query.++       For troubleshooting, you can add the --verbose-tags flag.  Then,  visi-+       ble generated-transaction tags will be added also, so you can view them+       with the print command.  Their value indicates which periodic rule  was+       responsible.++   Forecast period, in detail+       Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by de-+       fault in almost all situations, while also being  flexible.   Here  are+       (with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:++       The forecast period starts on:++       o the later of++         o the start date in the periodic transaction rule++         o the start date in --forecast's argument++       o otherwise (if those are not available): the later of++         o the report start date specified with -b/-p/date:++         o the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal++       o otherwise (if none of these are available): today.++       The forecast period ends on:++       o the earlier of++         o the end date in the periodic transaction rule++         o the end date in --forecast's argument++       o otherwise: the report end date specified with -e/-p/date:++       o otherwise: 180 days (~6 months) from today.++   Forecast troubleshooting+       When  --forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+       help:++       o Remember to use the --forecast option.++       o Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your jour-+         nal.++       o Test with print --forecast.++       o Check  for  typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+         transaction rule.++       o Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule's period expression and  de-+         scription fields.++       o Check  for  future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+         transactions.++       o Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with -b, -e, -p or+         date:++       o Try  adding  the  -E  flag to encourage display of empty periods/zero+         transactions.++       o Try setting explicit forecast start and/or  end  dates  with  --fore-+         cast=START..END++       o Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.++       o Check inside the engine: add --debug=2 (eg).++Budgeting+       With  the  balance command's --budget report, each periodic transaction+       rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and  goals+       and  actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc+       below.++       You can generate budget goals and forecast  transactions  at  the  same+       time,  from  the  same or different periodic transaction rules: hledger+       bal -M --budget --forecast ...++       See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.++Cost reporting+       This section is about recording the cost  of  things,  in  transactions+       where  one  commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of cur-+       rency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:++       o Conversion - an exchange of one currency or  commodity  for  another.+         Eg  a  foreign  currency  exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+         cryptocurrency.++       o Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more  conver-+         sions.++       o Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie+         the exchange rate.++       o Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.   And+         more  generally,  in  hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the "sec-+         ondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a purchase+         or  a  sale,  and  whether expressed per unit or in total.  Also, the+         "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.++   -B: Convert to cost+       As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction  you  can+       also  record  the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding @ UNIT-+       PRICE or @@ TOTALPRICE.++       Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the+       -B/--cost flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).  Eg:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+                assets:euros     100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each++              $ hledger bal -N+                             $-135  assets:dollars+                              100  assets:euros+              $ hledger bal -N -B+                             $-135  assets:dollars+                              $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost++       Notes:++       -B  is  sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the+       inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.  So if  ex-+       ample  3's  postings are reversed, while the transaction is equivalent,+       -B shows something different:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+                assets:euros     100              ; for 100 euros++              $ hledger bal -N -B+                             -100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price+                              100  assets:euros++       The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks:  it  does+       not  truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting equa-+       tion and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.++   Equity conversion postings+       By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a differ-+       ent  notation:  an  extra pair of equity postings to balance conversion+       transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be written:++              2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+                  assets:dollars      $-135+                  equity:conversion    $135+                  equity:conversion   -100+                  assets:euros         100++       This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and  makes  cost+       reporting more difficult for PTA tools.++       Happily,  current  hledger  can read either notation, or convert one to+       the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.++       You can even use cost notation and equivalent  conversion  postings  at+       the  same  time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But+       be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see  a+       not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.++   Inferring equity postings from cost+       With --infer-equity, hledger detects transactions written with PTA cost+       notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  -$135+                assets:euros     100 @ $1.35++              $ hledger print --infer-equity+              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars                    $-135+                  assets:euros               100 @ $1.35+                  equity:conversion:$-:           -100  ; generated-posting:+                  equity:conversion:$-:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:++       The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account+       type declaration.++       --infer-equity  is useful when when transactions have been recorded us-+       ing cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance+       reports'  zero  total,  or to produce more conventional journal entries+       for sharing with non-PTA-users.++   Inferring cost from equity postings+       The reverse operation is possible using  --infer-costs,  which  detects+       transactions  written with equity conversion postings and adds cost no-+       tation to them:++              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars            $-135+                  equity:conversion          $135+                  equity:conversion         -100+                  assets:euros               100++              $ hledger print --infer-costs+              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars       $-135 @@ 100+                  equity:conversion             $135+                  equity:conversion            -100+                  assets:euros                  100++       --infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost re-+       porting  even  when  transactions have been recorded using equity post-+       ings:++              $ hledger print --infer-costs -B+              2009-01-01+                  assets:dollars           -100+                  assets:euros              100++       Notes:++       For --infer-costs to work, an exchange must consist of four postings:++       1. two non-equity postings++       2. two equity postings, next to one another++       3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type V/Conversion+          (or  if they are not declared, they must be named equity:conversion,+          equity:trade, equity:trading or subaccounts of these)++       4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity post-+          ings' amounts.++       Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.++       When  inferring  cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added+       to the first of the non-equity postings involved in  the  exchange,  in+       the  commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.+       If you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can+       use explicit cost notation instead.++       --infer-equity  and  --infer-costs  can be used together, if you have a+       mixture of both notations in your journal.++   When to infer cost/equity+       Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not  enabled+       by  default.   We're  not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two+       suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:++       1. When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.  Eg: hledger  bal+          -B --infer-costs++       2. Always  run  hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: alias hl="hledger+          --infer-equity --infer-costs"++   How to record conversions+       Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion  transaction  in+       hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.++   Conversion with implicit cost+       Let's  assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.  You can just record the+       outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in  the  appropriate  asset  ac-+       count:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash    -100 EUR+                  assets:cash     120 USD++       hledger  will  assume  this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+       conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.  You  can  see  the  inferred+       rate by using hledger print -x.++       Pro:++       o Concise, easy++       Con:++       o Less  error  checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not+         be detected++       o Conversion rate is not clear++       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity+         flag++       You  can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped com-+       modity symbol, by using hledger check commodities.++       You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using  hledger  check+       balancednoautoconversion, or -s/--strict.++   Conversion with explicit cost+       You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error+       otherwise.++       Pro:++       o Still concise++       o Makes the conversion rate clear++       o Provides more error checking++       Con:++       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity+         flag++   Conversion with equity postings+       In  strict  double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not bal-+       anced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears,  and  some  USD  ap-+       pears.   This  violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents+       reports like balancesheetequity from showing a zero total.++       The proper way to make it balance is to add  a  balancing  posting  for+       each commodity, using an equity account:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR+                  equity:conversion   100 EUR+                  equity:conversion  -120 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Pro:++       o Preserves the accounting equation++       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place++       o Standard, works in any double entry accounting system++       Con:++       o More verbose++       o Conversion rate is not obvious++       o Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag++   Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+       Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+                  equity:conversion   100 EUR+                  equity:conversion  -120 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Pro:++       o Preserves the accounting equation++       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place++       o Makes the conversion rate clear++       o Provides more error checking++       Con:++       o Most verbose++       o Not compatible with ledger++   Cost tips+       o Recording  the  cost/conversion  rate  explicitly  is good because it+         makes that clear and helps detect errors.++       o Recording equity postings is good because it is  correct  bookkeeping+         and preserves the accounting equation.++       o Combining these is possible.++       o When  you  want  to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use -B+         (short form of --cost).++       o If you use conversion postings without cost  notation,  add  --infer-+         costs also.++       o If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to+         see a balanced balance sheet or print correct  journal  entries,  use+         --infer-equity.++       o Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).++Valuation+       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]  op-+       tion,  which  will  be described below.  We also provide the simpler -V+       and -X COMMODITY options, and often one of these is all you need:++   -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.++   -X: Value in specified commodity+       The -X/--exchange=COMM option is like -V, except you tell it which cur-+       rency  you  want  to  convert to, and it tries to convert everything to+       that.++   Valuation date+       Since market prices can change from day to day,  market  value  reports+       have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+       prices will be used.++       For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is 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.++   Finding market price+       To  convert  a  commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+       hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate)  as  follows,+       in 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 direc-+          tive, or (with the --infer-market-prices flag) inferred from costs.++       2. A reverse market price: the inverse of a declared or inferred market+          price from B to A.++       3. A forward chain of market prices: a synthetic price formed  by  com-+          bining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market prices,+          leading from A to B.++       4. Any chain of market prices: a chain of any market prices,  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.++       Amounts  for  which no suitable market price can be found, are not con-+       verted.++   --infer-market-prices: 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+       chore, and since transactions usually take place  at  close  to  market+       value,  why  not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as+       Ledger does) ?  Adding the --infer-market-prices  flag  to  -V,  -X  or+       --value enables this.++       So  for  example,  hledger  bs -V --infer-market-prices will get market+       prices both from P directives and from transactions.  If both occur  on+       the same day, the P directive takes precedence.++       There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in confus-+       ing/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.++       --infer-market-prices can infer market prices from:++       o multicommodity transactions with explicit prices (@/@@)++       o multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no @, two  commodi-+         ties,  unbalanced).   (With  these,  the  order  of postings matters.+         hledger print -x can be useful for troubleshooting.)++       o multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred+         with --infer-costs.++       There  is  a  limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is+       not specified, prices inferred with --infer-market-prices do  not  help+       select a default valuation commodity, as P prices would.  So conversion+       might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected (--debug=2+       will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:++       o -X EUR --infer-market-prices, not -V --infer-market-prices++       o --value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices, not --value=then --infer-mar-+         ket-prices++       Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For  reference,  here+       is  the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should+       work differently, see #1870.)++              2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B -1 @ A 1++              2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B -1 @@ A 1+++              2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B 1 @ A -1++              2022-01-02 Negative total prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B 1 @@ A -1+++              2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+                  a        A -1+                  b        B -1 @ A -1++              2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+                  a        A -1+                  b        B -1 @@ A -1++       All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,+       the  two  transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the market+       prices inferred for B:++              $ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+              P 2022-01-01 B A 1+              P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+              P 2022-01-02 B A -1+              P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+              P 2022-01-03 B A -1+              P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0++   Valuation commodity+       When you specify a valuation commodity (-X COMM or --value TYPE,COMM):+       hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a  suit-+       able market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).++       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:++       1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A 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+          prices before the valuation date.)++       3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and  the+          --infer-market-prices  flag  is  used:  the price commodity from the+          latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.++       This means:++       o If you have P directives, they determine which  commodities  -V  will+         convert, and to what.++       o If  you have no P directives, and use the --infer-market-prices flag,+         costs determine it.++       Amounts for which no valuation commodity can  be  found  are  not  con-+       verted.++   Simple valuation examples+       Here are some quick examples of -V:++              ; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+              P 2016/11/01  $1.10++              ; purchase some euros on nov 3+              2016/11/3+                  assets:euros        100+                  assets:checking++              ; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+              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)++              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+                           $103.00  assets:euros++   --value: Flexible valuation+       -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.+                                    Shows amounts converted to:+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date++       The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:++       --value=then+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity, using market prices on each posting's date.++       --value=end+              Convert  amounts to their value in the default valuation commod-+              ity, 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+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity  using  current  market  prices (as of when report is gener-+              ated).++       --value=YYYY-MM-DD+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity 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 this commodity, deducing+       market prices as described above.++   More valuation examples+       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+              P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+              P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++              2000-01-01+                (a)      1 A @ 5 B++              2000-02-01+                (a)      1 A @ 6 B++              2000-03-01+                (a)      1 A @ 7 B++       Show the cost of each posting:++              $ hledger -f- print --cost+              2000-01-01+                  (a)             5 B++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             6 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             7 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             2 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             3 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             3 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             4 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             4 B++       Show the value on 2000/01/15:++              $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+              2000-01-01+                  (a)             1 B++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             1 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             1 B++       You may need to explicitly set a commodity's display  style,  when  re-+       verse prices are used.  Eg this output might be surprising:++              P 2000-01-01 A 2B++              2000-01-01+                a  1B+                b++              $ hledger print -x -X A+              2000-01-01+                  a               0+                  b               0++       Explanation:  because there's no amount or commodity directive specify-+       ing a display style for A, 0.5A gets the default style, which shows  no+       decimal digits.  Because the displayed amount looks like zero, the com-+       modity symbol and minus sign are not displayed either.  Adding  a  com-+       modity directive sets a more useful display style for A:++              P 2000-01-01 A 2B+              commodity 0.00A++              2000-01-01+                a  1B+                b++              $ hledger print -X A+              2000-01-01+                  a           0.50A+                  b          -0.50A++   Interaction of valuation and queries+       When  matching  postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+       the following happens.++       1. The query is separated into two parts:++           1. the currency (cur:) or amount (amt:).++           2. all other parts.++       2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on+          pre-valued amounts.++       3. Valuation is applied to the postings.++       4. The  postings  are  matched to the other parts of the query based on+          post-valued amounts.++       See: 1625++   Effect of valuation on reports+       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.  Re-+       lated: #329, #1083.++       Report      -B, --cost     -V, -X         --value=then         --value=end    --value=DATE,+       type                                                                          --value=now+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       print+       posting     cost           value at re-   value at  posting    value at re-   value      at+       amounts                    port  end or   date                 port      or   DATE/today+                                  today                               journal end+       balance     unchanged      unchanged      unchanged            unchanged      unchanged+       asser-+       tions/as-+       signments++       register+       starting    cost           value at re-   valued   at   day    value at re-   value      at+       balance                    port      or   each   historical    port      or   DATE/today+       (-H)                       journal end    posting was made     journal end+       starting    cost           value at day   valued   at   day    value at day   value      at+       balance                    before   re-   each   historical    before   re-   DATE/today+       (-H) with                  port      or   posting was made     port      or+       report                     journal                             journal+       interval                   start                               start+       posting     cost           value at re-   value at  posting    value at re-   value      at+       amounts                    port      or   date                 port      or   DATE/today+                                  journal end                         journal end+       summary     summarised     value at pe-   sum  of  postings    value at pe-   value      at+       posting     cost           riod ends      in interval, val-    riod ends      DATE/today+       amounts                                   ued  at  interval+       with  re-                                 start+       port  in-+       terval+       running     sum/average    sum/average    sum/average    of    sum/average    sum/average+       total/av-   of displayed   of displayed   displayed values     of displayed   of  displayed+       erage       values         values                              values         values++       balance+       (bs, bse,+       cf, is)+       balance     sums      of   value at re-   value  at posting    value at re-   value      at+       changes     costs          port end  or   date                 port      or   DATE/today of+                                  today     of                        journal  end   sums of post-+                                  sums      of                        of  sums  of   ings+                                  postings                            postings+       budget      like balance   like balance   like      balance    like    bal-   like  balance+       amounts     changes        changes        changes              ances          changes+       (--bud-+       get)+       grand to-   sum of  dis-   sum of  dis-   sum of  displayed    sum  of dis-   sum  of  dis-+       tal         played  val-   played  val-   valued               played  val-   played values+                   ues            ues                                 ues++       balance+       (bs, bse,+       cf,   is)+       with  re-+       port  in-+       terval+       starting    sums      of   value at re-   sums of values of    value at re-   sums of post-+       balances    costs     of   port   start   postings   before    port   start   ings   before+       (-H)        postings be-   of  sums  of   report  start  at    of  sums  of   report start+                   fore  report   all postings   respective  post-    all postings+                   start          before   re-   ing dates            before   re-+                                  port start                          port start++++       balance     sums      of   same      as   sums of values of    balance        value      at+       changes     costs     of   --value=end    postings  in  pe-    change    in   DATE/today of+       (bal, is,   postings  in                  riod  at  respec-    each period,   sums of post-+       bs          period                        tive      posting    valued    at   ings+       --change,                                 dates                period ends+       cf+       --change)+       end  bal-   sums      of   same      as   sums of values of    period   end   value      at+       ances       costs     of   --value=end    postings from be-    balances,      DATE/today of+       (bal  -H,   postings                      fore period start    valued    at   sums of post-+       is   --H,   from  before                  to period end  at    period ends    ings+       bs, cf)     report start                  respective  post-+                   to    period                  ing dates+                   end+       budget      like balance   like balance   like      balance    like    bal-   like  balance+       amounts     changes/end    changes/end    changes/end  bal-    ances          changes/end+       (--bud-     balances       balances       ances                               balances+       get)+       row   to-   sums,  aver-   sums,  aver-   sums, averages of    sums,  aver-   sums,   aver-+       tals, row   ages of dis-   ages of dis-   displayed values     ages of dis-   ages of  dis-+       averages    played  val-   played  val-                        played  val-   played values+       (-T, -A)    ues            ues                                 ues+       column      sums of dis-   sums of dis-   sums of displayed    sums of dis-   sums  of dis-+       totals      played  val-   played  val-   values               played  val-   played values+                   ues            ues                                 ues+       grand to-   sum, average   sum, average   sum,  average  of    sum, average   sum,  average+       tal,        of    column   of    column   column totals        of    column   of column to-+       grand av-   totals         totals                              totals         tals+       erage+++       --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  market  value  using available market price declarations, or the+              unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.++       report start+              the first day of the report period specified with -b  or  -p  or+              date:, otherwise today.++       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+              the  last  day  of  the report period specified with -e or -p or+              date:, otherwise today.++       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+              a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates  the+              report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperi-+              ods).++PART 4: COMMANDS+   Commands overview+       Here are the built-in commands:++   DATA ENTRY+       These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your jour-+       nal file.++       o add - add transactions using terminal prompts++       o import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files++   DATA CREATION+       o close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions++       o rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto++   DATA MANAGEMENT+       o check - check for various kinds of error in the data++       o diff - compare account transactions in two journal files++   REPORTS, FINANCIAL+       o aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account++       o balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth++       o balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity++       o cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets++       o incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses++   REPORTS, VERSATILE+       o balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..++       o print - show transactions or export journal data++       o register  (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running to-+         tal++       o roi - show return on investments++   REPORTS, BASIC+       o accounts - show account names++       o activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period++       o codes - show transaction codes++       o commodities - show commodity/currency symbols++       o descriptions - show transaction descriptions++       o files - show input file paths++       o notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions++       o payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions++       o prices - show market prices++       o stats - show journal statistics++       o tags - show tag names++       o test - run self tests++   HELP+       o help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager++       o demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal++   ADD-ONS+       And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed+       by  the  hledger-install  script.   If  installed,  they will appear in+       hledger's commands list:++       o ui - run hledger's terminal UI++       o web - run hledger's web UI++       o iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)++       o interest - generate interest transactions++       o stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage++       o Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo,  git,  move,+         pijul, plot, and more..++       Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.++   accounts+       Show account names.++       This  command  lists  account names.  By default it shows all known ac-+       counts, either used in transactions or  declared  with  account  direc-+       tives.++       With query arguments, only matched account names and account names ref-+       erenced by matched postings are shown.++       Or it can show just the used accounts  (--used/-u),  the  declared  ac-+       counts  (--declared/-d), the accounts declared but not used (--unused),+       the accounts used but not declared (--undeclared), or the first account+       matched by an account name pattern, if any (--find).++       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.++       With --types, it also shows each account's type, if it's  known.   (See+       Declaring accounts > Account types.)++       With  --positions,  it  also shows the file and line number of each ac-+       count's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration  or-+       der; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.++       With  --directives,  it adds the account keyword, showing valid account+       directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is useful to-+       gether  with  --undeclared  when  updating your account declarations to+       satisfy hledger check accounts.++       The --find flag can be used to look up a single account  name,  in  the+       same  way that the aregister command does.  It returns the alphanumeri-+       cally-first matched account name, or if none can  be  found,  it  fails+       with a non-zero exit code.++       Examples:++              $ hledger accounts+              assets:bank:checking+              assets:bank:saving+              assets:cash+              expenses:food+              expenses:supplies+              income:gifts+              income:salary+              liabilities:debts++              $ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+              $ hledger check accounts++   activity+       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.++       Examples:++              $ hledger activity --quarterly+              2008-01-01 **+              2008-04-01 *******+              2008-07-01+              2008-10-01 **++   add+       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  trans-+       actions,  and appends them to the main journal file (which should be in+       journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This  is  one+       of  the  few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also+       import).++       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:++       o add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by  de-+         scription)  recent  transaction  (filtered by the query, if any) as a+         template.++       o You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.++       o Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.++       o The tab key will auto-complete whenever  possible  -  accounts,  pay-+         ees/descriptions,  dates  (yesterday, today, tomorrow).  If the input+         area is empty, it will insert the default value.++       o If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added  to  any+         bare numbers entered.++       o A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.++       o Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.++       o If you make a mistake, enter < at any prompt to go one step backward.++       o Input  prompts  are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+         supports it.++       Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):++              $ hledger add+              Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+              Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+              Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+              An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+              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]:+              Description: supermarket+              Account 1: expenses:food+              Amount  1: $10+              Account 2: assets:checking+              Amount  2 [$-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]:+              Saved.+              Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+              Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $++       On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no  part  of  the+       file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).++   aregister+       (areg)++       Show  the  transactions  and running historical balance of a single ac-+       count, with each transaction displayed as one line.++       aregister shows the overall transactions affecting a particular account+       (and  any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one transaction in+       this account.  Transactions before the report start date are always in-+       cluded in the running balance (--historical mode is always on).++       This  is  a more "real world", bank-like view than the register command+       (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple accounts,  not+       necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of thumb: - use areg-+       ister for reviewing and reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts+       - use register for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.++       aregister  requires  one  argument:  the account to report on.  You can+       write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive  regular  ex-+       pression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.++       When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be+       surprising; eg if you have assets:per:checking 1 and  assets:biz:check-+       ing  2 accounts, hledger areg checking would select assets:biz:checking+       2.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt,  write  the+       full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.++       Transactions  involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.+       aregister ignores depth limits, so its final total will always match  a+       balance report with similar arguments.++       Any  additional  arguments  form a query which will filter the transac-+       tions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance, caus-+       ing it to be different from the account's real-world running balance.++       An  example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance+       during july, in the first account whose name contains "checking":++              $ hledger areg checking date:jul++       Each aregister line item shows:++       o the transaction's date (or the relevant posting's date if  different,+         see below)++       o the  names  of  all the other account(s) involved in this transaction+         (probably abbreviated)++       o the total change to this account's balance from this transaction++       o 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.++       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first+       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause+       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the+       --align-all flag.++       This command also supports the output destination and output format op-+       tions.  The output formats supported are txt, csv, and json.++   aregister and custom posting dates+       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.++       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.++   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+       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,  bal-+       ancesheetequity, cashflow and incomestatement.  When you need more con-+       trol, then use balance.++   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+       higher-level commands as well.++       balance can show..++       o accounts as a list (-l) or a tree (-t)++       o optionally depth-limited (-[1-9])++       o sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount++       ..and their..++       o balance changes (the default)++       o or actual and planned balance changes (--budget)++       o or value of balance changes (-V)++       o or change of balance values (--valuechange)++       o or unrealised capital gain/loss (--gain)++       o or postings count (--count)++       ..in..++       o one time period (the whole journal period by default)++       o or multiple periods (-D, -W, -M, -Q, -Y, -p INTERVAL)++       ..either..++       o per period (the default)++       o or accumulated since report start date (--cumulative)++       o or accumulated since account creation (--historical/-H)++       ..possibly converted to..++       o cost (--value=cost[,COMM]/--cost/-B)++       o or market value, as of transaction dates (--value=then[,COMM])++       o or at period ends (--value=end[,COMM])++       o or now (--value=now)++       o or at some other date (--value=YYYY-MM-DD)++       ..with..++       o totals (-T), averages (-A), percentages (-%),  inverted  sign  (--in-+         vert)++       o rows and columns swapped (--transpose)++       o another field used as account name (--pivot)++       o custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only) (--format)++       o commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines (--layout)++       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, negative amounts+       are shown in red.++       The --related/-r flag shows the balance of the other  postings  in  the+       transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.++   Simple balance report+       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.  ("Simple" here+       means just one column of numbers, covering a single  period.   You  can+       also have multi-period reports, described later.)++       For  real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end bal-+       ance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.++       Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any,  and  then  alphabeti-+       cally by account name.  For instance (using examples/sample.journal):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                                $1  assets:bank:saving+                               $-2  assets:cash+                                $1  expenses:food+                                $1  expenses:supplies+                               $-1  income:gifts+                               $-1  income:salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 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  (re-+       vealing assets:bank:checking here):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                                 0  assets:bank:checking+                                $1  assets:bank:saving+                               $-2  assets:cash+                                $1  expenses:food+                                $1  expenses:supplies+                               $-1  income:gifts+                               $-1  income:salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 0++       The  total  of  the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+       -N/--no-total is used.++   Balance report line format+       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:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"+                            assets          $-1+                       bank:saving           $1+                              cash          $-2+                          expenses           $2+                              food           $1+                          supplies           $1+                            income          $-2+                             gifts          $-1+                            salary          $-1+                 liabilities:debts           $1+              ---------------------------------+                                              0++       The FMT format string specifies the  formatting  applied  to  each  ac-+       count/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data fields+       interpolated like so:++       %[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)++       o MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)++       o MAX truncates at this width (optional)++       o FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:++         o depth_spacer - a number of spaces equal to the account's depth,  or+           if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.++         o account - the account's name++         o total - the account's balance/posted total, right justified++       Also,  FMT  can begin with an optional prefix to control how multi-com-+       modity amounts are rendered:++       o %_ - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)++       o %^ - render on multiple lines, top-aligned++       o %, - render on one line, comma-separated++       There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, %(depth_spacer) has no ef-+       fect, instead %(account) has indentation built in.  Experimentation may+       be needed to get pleasing results.++       Some example formats:++       o %(total) - the account's total++       o %-20.20(account) - the account's name, left justified, padded  to  20+         characters and clipped at 20 characters++       o %,%-50(account)   %25(total)  - account name padded to 50 characters,+         total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities rendered  on+         one line++       o %20(total)   %2(depth_spacer)%-(account) - the default format for the+         single-column balance report++   Filtered balance report+       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:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                               $-2  assets:cash+              --------------------+                               $-2++   List or tree mode+       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'+       "leaf" names indented below their parent:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+                                $2  expenses+                                $1    food+                                $1    supplies+                               $-2  income+                               $-1    gifts+                               $-1    salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 0++       Notes:++       o "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).++       o All  balances  shown  are "inclusive", ie including the balances from+         all subaccounts.  Note this means  some  repetition  in  the  output,+         which requires explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextac-+         counting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is the sum  of  the+         top-level balances shown, not of all the balances shown.++       o Each  group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted+         separately.++   Depth limiting+       With a depth:NUM query, or --depth NUM option, or just  -NUM  (eg:  -3)+       balance  reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding+       the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful  for  getting  an  overview+       without too much detail.++       Account  balances  at  the depth limit always include the balances from+       any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                               $-1  assets+                                $2  expenses+                               $-2  income+                                $1  liabilities+              --------------------+                                 0++   Dropping top-level accounts+       You can also hide one or  more  top-level  account  name  parts,  using+       --drop NUM.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account+       names:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                                $1  food+                                $1  supplies+              --------------------+                                $2++   Showing declared accounts+       With --declared, accounts which have been declared with an account  di-+       rective  will  be  included in the balance report, even if they have no+       transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+       -E/--empty to see them.)++       More  precisely,  leaf  declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will be+       included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.++       The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete"  balance  re-+       port, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared ac-+       counts yet.++   Sorting by amount+       With -S/--sort-amount, accounts with the largest (most  positive)  bal-+       ances  are  shown first.  Eg: hledger bal expenses -MAS shows your big-+       gest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity  is+       present,  they  will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity+       first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount  is  missing  a+       commodity, it is treated as 0).++       Revenues  and liability balances are typically negative, however, so -S+       shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can  add  --in-+       vert  to  flip  the  signs.   (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,+       which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: hledger incomestatement -MAS).++   Percentages+       With -%/--percent, balance reports show each account's value  expressed+       as a percentage of the (column) total.++       Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a col-+       umn 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  separate+       report for each commodity:++              $ hledger bal -% cur:\\$+              $ hledger bal -% cur:++   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),  bal-+       ance  shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time+       periods (and a title):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+              Balance changes in 2008:++                                 ||  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+              -------------------++---------------------------------+                                 ||     $-1      $1       0       0++       Notes:++       o The report's start/end dates will be expanded, if necessary, to fully+         encompass the displayed subperiods (so that the first and last subpe-+         riods have the same duration as the others).++       o Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are  not+         shown, unless -E/--empty is used.++       o Accounts   (rows)   containing  all  zeroes  are  not  shown,  unless+         -E/--empty is used.++       o Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated  form,  unless+         --no-elide is used.  (experimental)++       o Average  and/or  total columns can be added with the -A/--average and+         -T/--row-total flags.++       o The --transpose flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.++       o 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:++       o Hide the totals row with -N/--no-total++       o Convert to a single currency with -V++       o Maximize the terminal window++       o Reduce the terminal's font size++       o View with a pager like less, eg: hledger bal -D  --color=yes  |  less+         -RS++       o 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)++       o Output  as  HTML and view with a browser: hledger bal -D -o a.html &&+         open a.html++   Balance change, end balance+       It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in  bal-+       ance reports.  Here is some terminology we use:++       A  balance  change  is the net amount added to, or removed from, an ac-+       count 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.++       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!)++       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 historical+       end balances:++       1. Initialise account starting  balances  with  an  "opening  balances"+          transaction  (a  transfer  from  equity  to the account), unless the+          journal covers the account's full lifetime.++       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 ignored when summing post-+          ings.)++   Balance report types+       The  balance  command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how+       to control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated,  don't+       worry  -  this is for advanced reporting, and it does take time and ex-+       perimentation to get familiar with all the report modes.++       There are three important option groups:++       hledger balance  [CALCULATIONTYPE]  [ACCUMULATIONTYPE]  [VALUATIONTYPE]+       ...++   Calculation type+       The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:++       o --sum : sum the posting amounts (default)++       o --budget : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount (for+         each account/period)++       o --valuechange : show the change in period-end historical balance val-+         ues  (caused  by  deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price fluctua-+         tions)++       o --gain : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the  current  valued+         balance minus each amount's original cost)++       o --count : show the count of postings++   Accumulation type+       How  amounts  should  accumulate across report periods.  Another way to+       say it: which time period's postings should contribute to  each  cell's+       calculation.  It is one of:++       o --change  :  calculate with postings from column start to column end,+         ie "just this column".   Typically  used  to  see  revenues/expenses.+         (default for balance, incomestatement)++       o --cumulative  :  calculate  with postings from report start to column+         end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used to  show+         changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not often used.++       o --historical/-H  : calculate with postings from journal start to col-+         umn end, ie "all postings from before report start  date  until  this+         column's  end".  Typically used to see historical end balances of as-+         sets/liabilities/equity.  (default for  balancesheet,  balancesheete-+         quity, cashflow)++   Valuation type+       Which  kind  of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, be-+       fore displaying the report.  It is one of:++       o no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (default)++       o --value=cost[,COMM] : convert amounts to  cost  (then  optionally  to+         some other commodity)++       o --value=then[,COMM]  : convert amounts to market value on transaction+         dates++       o --value=end[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value  on  period  end+         date(s)+       (default with --valuechange, --gain)++       o --value=now[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value on today's date++       o --value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]  :  convert  amounts to market value on an-+         other date++       or one of the equivalent simpler flags:++       o -B/--cost : like --value=cost (though, note --cost  and  --value  are+         independent options which can both be used at once)++       o -V/--market : like --value=end++       o -X COMM/--exchange COMM : like --value=end,COMM++       See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.++   Combining balance report types+       Most  combinations  of these options should produce reasonable reports,+       but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let  us  know.   The+       following restrictions are applied:++       o --valuechange implies --value=end++       o --valuechange  makes  --change  the  default  when used with the bal-+         ancesheet/balancesheetequity commands++       o --cumulative or --historical disables --row-total/-T++       For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and valua-+       tion show:++       Valua-     no valuation       --value= then       --value= end      --value= YYYY-+       tion:>                                                              MM-DD /now+       Accumu-+       lation:v+       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       --change   change in period   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+                                     date market  val-   value of change   change in  pe-+                                     ues in period       in period         riod+       --cumu-    change from  re-   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+       lative     port   start  to   date  market val-   value of change   change    from+                  period end         ues  from  report   from     report   report   start+                                     start  to  period   start to period   to period end+                                     end                 end+       --his-     change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+       torical    journal start to   date market  val-   value of change   change    from+       /-H        period end (his-   ues  from journal   from    journal   journal  start+                  torical end bal-   start  to  period   start to period   to period end+                  ance)              end                 end++   Budget report+       The --budget report type activates extra  columns  showing  any  budget+       goals for each account and period.  The budget goals are defined by pe-+       riodic transactions.  This is useful for comparing planned  and  actual+       income, expenses, time usage, etc.++       For  example,  you  can take average monthly expenses in the common ex-+       pense categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:++              ;; Budget+              ~ monthly+                income  $2000+                expenses:food    $400+                expenses:bus     $50+                expenses:movies  $30+                assets:bank:checking++              ;; Two months worth of expenses+              2017-11-01+                income  $1950+                expenses:food    $396+                expenses:bus     $49+                expenses:movies  $30+                expenses:supplies  $20+                assets:bank:checking++              2017-12-01+                income  $2100+                expenses:food    $412+                expenses:bus     $53+                expenses:gifts   $100+                assets:bank:checking++       You can now see a monthly budget report:++              $ hledger balance -M --budget+              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                                    ||                      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]+              ----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]++       This is different from a normal balance report in several  ways.   Cur-+       rently:++       o Accounts  with  budget goals during the report period, and their par-+         ents, are shown.++       o Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).++       o Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated  and  shown  as+         "<unbudgeted>".++       o Amounts  are  always  inclusive  (subaccount-including), even in list+         mode.++       o After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and  percent-+         age of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.++       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:++              $ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                                    ||                      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]+              ----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]++       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+              ======================++====================================================+               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]++       It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses++              hledger bal -M --budget expenses++       or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):++              hledger bal -M --budget type:rx++       It's also common  to  limit  or  convert  them  to  a  single  currency+       (cur:COMM  or  -X  COMM  [--infer-market-prices]).  If showing multiple+       currencies, --layout bare or --layout tall can help.++       For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.++   Budget report start date+       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+       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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:++              ~ monthly in 2020+                (expenses:food)  $500++              2020-01-15+                expenses:food    $400+                assets:checking++              $ hledger bal expenses --budget+              Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++                            || 2020-01-15+              ==============++============+               <unbudgeted> ||       $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:++              $ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+              Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++                             || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15+              ===============++========================+               expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500]+              ---------------++------------------------+                             ||     $400 [80% of $500]++   Budgets and subaccounts+       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 bud-+       get(s)  of  the  child account(s) would be added to the budget of their+       parent, much like account balances behave.++       In the most simple case this means that once you add a  budget  to  any+       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+                  liabilities++       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.++       Transactions  in expenses:personal:electronics will be counted both to-+       wards 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+                  liabilities++              2019/01/01 Google home hub+                  expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+                  liabilities                           $-90.00++              2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+                  expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+                  liabilities++              2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+                  expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+                  liabilities++              2019/01/03 Flowers+                  expenses:personal          $30.00+                  liabilities++       As you can see, we  have  transactions  in  expenses:personal:electron-+       ics:upgrades  and  expenses:personal:train  tickets,  and since both of+       these accounts are without explicitly defined  budget,  these  transac-+       tions would be counted towards budgets of expenses:personal:electronics+       and expenses:personal accordingly:++              $ hledger balance --budget -M+              Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                             ||                           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]+              -------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                             ||        0 [                 0]++       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+              ========================================++===============================+               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]++   Selecting budget goals+       The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate spe-+       cial "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each  ac-+       count  in  each  report  subperiod.   When troubleshooting, you can use+       print --forecast to show these as forecasted transactions:++              $ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated++       By default, the budget report uses all available  periodic  transaction+       rules  to  generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report+       interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily,  weekly  and  monthly+       periodic  rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly+       budget report.++       You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an  argument  to+       the  --budget  flag.   --budget=DESCPAT  will  match all periodic rules+       whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+       regular  expression  or  query).  This means you can give your periodic+       rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then  se-+       lect from multiple budgets defined in your journal.++   Budget vs forecast+       hledger  --forecast  ...  and hledger balance --budget ... are separate+       features, though both of them use the periodic  transaction  rules  de-+       fined  in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions+       for reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal trans-+       actions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same time if+       you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:++       CLI:++       o --forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command++       o --budget is a balance command option, usable only with that command.++       Visibility of generated transactions:++       o forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary trans-+         actions++       o budget  goal  transactions  are invisible except for the goal amounts+         they produce in --budget reports.++       Periodic transaction rules:++       o --forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules++       o --budget uses all periodic rules  (--budget)  or  a  selected  subset+         (--budget=DESCPAT)++       Period of generated transactions:++       o --forecast generates forecast transactions++         o from  after  the  last regular transaction to the end of the report+           period (--forecast)++         o or, during a specified period (--forecast=PERIODEXPR)++         o possibly further restricted by a period specified in  the  periodic+           transaction rule++         o and always restricted within the bounds of the report period++       o --budget generates budget goal transactions++         o throughout the report period++         o possibly  restricted by a period specified in the periodic transac-+           tion rule.++   Data layout+       The --layout option affects how balance  reports  show  multi-commodity+       amounts  and  commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can+       also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has+       four possible values:++       o --layout=wide[,WIDTH]:  commodities  are  shown on a single line, op-+         tionally elided to WIDTH++       o --layout=tall: each commodity is shown on a separate line++       o --layout=bare: commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts are+         bare numbers++       o --layout=tidy:  data  is  normalised  to easily-consumed "tidy" form,+         with one row per data value++       Here are the --layout modes supported by each output format; note  only+       CSV output supports all of them:++       -      txt   csv   html   json   sql+       -------------------------------------+       wide   Y     Y     Y+       tall   Y     Y     Y+       bare   Y     Y     Y+       tidy         Y++       Examples:++       o Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total+                ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT+                ------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT++       o Limited  wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some com-+         modities will be hidden:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total+                ==================++===========================================================================================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..+                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..++       o Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line  (may  be  different  in+         each column), and account names are repeated:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total+                ==================++==================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT+                 Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA+                 Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT+                ------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD+                                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT+                                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD+                                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA+                                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT++       o Bare  layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commod-+         ity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total+                ==================++=============================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50+                 Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00+                ------------------++---------------------------------------------+                                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00+                                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00+                                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50+                                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00+                                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00++       o Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is  useful  for  producing+         data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+                "account","commodity","balance"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"+                "total","GLD","70.00"+                "total","ITOT","17.00"+                "total","USD","5120.50"+                "total","VEA","36.00"+                "total","VHT","294.00"++       o Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable has+         its own column and each row represents  a  single  data  point.   See+         https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-+         data.html for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other soft-+         ware to consume.  Here's how it looks:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+                "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"++   Useful balance reports+       Some frequently used balance options/reports are:++       o bal -M revenues expenses+       Show  revenues/expenses  in each month.  Also available as the incomes-+       tatement command.++       o bal -M -H assets liabilities+       Show historical asset/liability  balances  at  each  month  end.   Also+       available as the balancesheet command.++       o bal -M -H assets liabilities equity+       Show  historical  asset/liability/equity  balances  at  each month end.+       Also available as the balancesheetequity command.++       o bal -M assets not:receivable+       Show changes to liquid assets in each month.   Also  available  as  the+       cashflow command.++       Also:++       o bal -M expenses -2 -SA+       Show  monthly  expenses  summarised  to  depth  2 and sorted by average+       amount.++       o bal -M --budget expenses+       Show monthly expenses and budget goals.++       o bal -M --valuechange investments+       Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.++       o bal  investments  --valuechange  -D  date:lastweek  amt:'>1000'  -STA+         [--invert]+       Show top gainers [or losers] last week++   balancesheet+       (bs)++       This  command  displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending bal-+       ances 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.++       This report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash  or  Liability+       type  (see  account  types).   Or  if no such accounts are declared, it+       shows top-level accounts named asset or  liability  (case  insensitive,+       plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger balancesheet+              Balance Sheet++              Assets:+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+              --------------------+                               $-1++              Liabilities:+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                $1++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 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.+       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 op-+       tions The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and  (experimen-+       tal) json.++   balancesheetequity+       (bse)++       This  command  displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending bal-+       ances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown  with+       normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++       This  report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash, Liability or+       Equity type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are  declared,+       it  shows top-level accounts named asset, liability or equity (case in-+       sensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger balancesheetequity+              Balance Sheet With Equity++              Assets:+                               $-2  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-3    cash+              --------------------+                               $-2++              Liabilities:+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                $1++              Equity:+                        $1  equity:owner+              --------------------+                        $1++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 0++       This command is a higher-level variant of the balance command, and sup-+       ports  many  of  that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+       It is similar to hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity, but with+       smarter  account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with their+       sign flipped.++       This command also supports the output destination and output format op-+       tions  The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experimen-+       tal) json.++   cashflow+       (cf)++       This command displays a cashflow statement,  showing  the  inflows  and+       outflows  affecting  "cash"  (ie,  liquid,  easily convertible) assets.+       Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional  finan-+       cial statements.++       This  report  shows  accounts  declared with the Cash type (see account+       types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts++       o under a top-level account named asset (case insensitive,  plural  al-+         lowed)++       o whose name contains some variation of cash, bank, checking or saving.++       More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular ex-+       pression:++       ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)++       and their subaccounts.++       An example cashflow report:++              $ hledger cashflow+              Cashflow Statement++              Cash flows:+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+              --------------------+                               $-1++              Total:+              --------------------+                               $-1++       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.+       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 op-+       tions The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and  (experimen-+       tal) json.++   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+       argument(s).++       Some examples:++              hledger check      # basic checks+              hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+              hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks++       If  you  are  an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to+       run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.++       Here are the checks currently available:++   Basic checks+       These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger com-+       mands, including check:++       o parseable - data files are well-formed and can be successfully parsed++       o balancedwithautoconversion - all transactions are balanced, inferring+         missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting  commodities+         using costs or automatically-inferred costs++       o assertions  -  all  balance  assertions  in  the journal are passing.+         (This check can be disabled with -I/--ignore-assertions.)++   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:++       o accounts - all account names used by transactions have been declared++       o commodities - all commodity symbols used have been declared++       o balancednoautoconversion - transactions are balanced, possibly  using+         explicit costs but not inferred ones++   Other checks+       These  checks  can  be  run  only by giving their names as arguments to+       check.  They are more  specialised  and  not  desirable  for  everyone,+       therefore optional:++       o ordereddates - transactions are ordered by date within each file++       o payees - all payees used by transactions have been declared++       o recentassertions  -  all accounts with balance assertions have a bal-+         ance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting++       o tags - all tags used by transactions have been declared++       o uniqueleafnames - all account leaf names are unique++   Custom checks+       A few more checks are are available as  separate  add-on  commands,  in+       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:++       o hledger-check-tagfiles  -  all  tag  values  containing  / (a forward+         slash) exist as file paths++       o hledger-check-fancyassertions - more complex balance  assertions  are+         passing++       You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.  See:+       Cookbook -> Scripting.++   More about specific checks+       hledger check recentassertions will complain  if  any  balance-asserted+       account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its lat-+       est posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where  you  are  regu-+       larly  updating  your  journal,  but  forgetting to check your balances+       against the real world, then one day must dig back  through  months  of+       data  to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion re-+       quires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That  may  not  be+       true  if  you  auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that+       case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use  the  man-+       ual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest as-+       sertions against real-world balances.++   close+       (equity)++       Generate transactions which transfer account balances  to  and/or  from+       another  account  (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating+       balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity  at+       end of accounting period.++       By  default,  it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (as-+       set, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be con-+       figured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.++       (experimental)++       This  command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use+       cases:++       1. With --close (default), it prints a "closing  balances"  transaction+          that  zeroes  out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by default+          (this requires account types to be inferred or  declared);  or,  the+          accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.++       2. With  --open,  it  prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction+          that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to Ledger's+          equity command.++       3. With --migrate, it prints both the closing and opening transactions.+          This is the preferred way to migrate balances to  a  new  file:  run+          hledger  close  --migrate, add the closing transaction at the end of+          the old file, and add the opening transaction at the  start  of  the+          new  file.   The  matching  closing/opening transactions cancel each+          other out, preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.++       4. With --retain, it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that trans-+          fers  RX (revenue and expense) balances to equity:retained earnings.+          Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each  accounting  pe-+          riod;  it  is  less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it+          could still be useful if you want to  see  the  accounting  equation+          (A=L+E) satisfied.++       In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:++       o the  transaction  descriptions  can be changed with --close-desc=DESC+         and --open-desc=DESC++       o the account to transfer to/from can be changed with --close-acct=ACCT+         and --open-acct=ACCT++       o the  accounts  to be closed/opened can be changed with ACCTQUERY (ac-+         count query arguments).++       o the closing/opening dates can be changed with -e DATE (a  report  end+         date)++       By  default  just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+       amount left implicit.  With --x/--explicit, the amount  will  be  shown+       explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting+       will be generated for each of them (similar to print -x).++       With --show-costs, any amount costs are shown, with  separate  postings+       for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view investment lots.+       If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can+       generate very large journal entries.++       With  --interleaved,  each individual transfer is shown with source and+       destination postings next to each other.   This  could  be  useful  for+       troubleshooting.++       The  default  closing  date  is  yesterday,  or the journal's end date,+       whichever is later.  You can change this by  specifying  a  report  end+       date  with  -e.   The last day of the report period will be the closing+       date, eg -e 2024 means "close on 2023-12-31".  The opening date is  al-+       ways the day after the closing date.++   close and balance assertions+       Balance  assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+       been reset to zero (and then restored to their  previous  balances,  if+       there is an opening transaction).++       These  provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporar-+       ily with -I, or remove them if you prefer.++       You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or  realness+       (-C,  -R, status:), or generating postings (--auto), with this command,+       since the balance assertions would depend on these.++       Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will  disrupt  the+       balance assertions:++              2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+                  expenses:food          5+                  assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02++       To  solve  that  you can transfer the money to and from a temporary ac-+       count, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into  two  single-+       day transactions:++              ; in 2022.journal:+              2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+                  expenses:food          5+                  equity:pending        -5++              ; in 2023.journal:+              2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared+                  equity:pending         5 = 0+                  assets:bank:checking  -5++   Example: retain earnings+       Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31, ap-+       pending the generated transaction to the journal:++              $ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal++       Note 2022's income statement will now show only  zeroes,  because  rev-+       enues  and  expenses  have  been moved entirely to equity.  To see them+       again, you could exclude the retain transaction:++              $ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'++   Example: migrate balances to a new file+       Close assets/liabilities/equity  on  2022-12-31  and  re-open  them  on+       2023-01-01:++              $ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+              # copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+              # copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal++       Now  2022's  balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced+       accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@  notation  -  in  that+       case,  try  adding  --infer-equity.)   To  see the end-of-year balances+       again, you could exclude the closing transaction:++              $ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'++   Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+       When combining many files for multi-year reports,  the  closing/opening+       transactions  cause  some  noise  in  transaction-oriented reports like+       print  and  register.   You  can  exclude  them  as  shown  above,  but+       not:desc:...  is  not  ideal  as it depends on consistent descriptions;+       also you will want to avoid excluding the very first  opening  transac-+       tion, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using tags:++       Add  clopen:  tags  to all opening/closing balances transactions except+       the first, like this:++              ; 2021.journal+              2021-06-01 first opening balances+              ...+              2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+              ...++              ; 2022.journal+              2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+              ...+              2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+              ...++              ; 2023.journal+              2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+              ...++       Now, assuming a combined journal like:++              ; all.journal+              include 2021.journal+              include 2022.journal+              include 2023.journal++       The clopen: tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.   To+       show a clean multi-year checking register:++              $ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen++       And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end bal-+       ance sheet:++              $ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023++   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+       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+       printed as blank lines.++       You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.++       Examples:++              2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket+               Food       $5.00+               Checking++              2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+               Postage    $8.32+               Checking++              2022/1/3 Supermarket+               Food      $11.23+               Checking++              2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+               Postage    $3.21+               Checking++              $ hledger codes+              123+              124+              126++              $ hledger codes -E+              123+              124++              126++   commodities+       List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.++   demo+       Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.++       Run  this  command with no argument to list the demos.  To play a demo,+       write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.  Tips:++       Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.++       Use the -s/--speed SPEED option to set your preferred  playback  speed,+       eg -s4 to play at 4x original speed or -s.5 to play at half speed.  The+       default speed is 2x.++       Other asciinema options can be added following a  double  dash,  eg  --+       -i.1 to limit pauses or -- -h to list asciinema's other options.++       During  playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause, .+       to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.++       Examples:++              $ hledger demo               # list available demos+              $ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+              $ hledger demo install -s4   # play the "install" demo at 4x speed++   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 subset of trans-+       actions.++       Example:++              $ hledger descriptions+              Store Name+              Gas Station | Petrol+              Person A++   diff+       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 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+       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+              These transactions are in the first file only:++              2014/01/01 Opening Balances+                  assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+                  ...+                  equity:opening balances       EUR -...++              These transactions are in the second file only:++   files+       List  all  files  included in the journal.  With a REGEX argument, only+       file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown.++   help+       Show the hledger user manual in the terminal,  with  info,  man,  or  a+       pager.   With  a  TOPIC  argument,  open  it at that topic if possible.+       TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix,  case  in-+       sensitive.  Eg: commands, print, forecast, journal, amount, "auto post-+       ings".++       This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.+       It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web+       browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or  viewing  tools  are+       not installed on your system.++       By  default  it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+       order): info, man, $PAGER, less, more.  You can force the use of  info,+       man,  or  a  pager  with  the  -i, -m, or -p flags, If no viewer can be+       found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just prints the man-+       ual to stdout.++       If  using  info,  note  that  version  6 or greater is needed for TOPIC+       lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info  4.8,  and  should+       consider  installing  a  newer  version,  eg  with brew install texinfo+       (#1770).++       Examples++              $ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+              $ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+              $ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+              $ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed++   import+       Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and  add  them+       to  the  journal.   Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that+       would be added.  Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs'  trans-+       actions as imported, without actually importing any.++       This  command  may  append  new  transactions  to the main journal file+       (which should be in journal format).   Existing  transactions  are  not+       changed.   This  is  one of the few hledger commands that writes to the+       journal file (see also add).++       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+       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.+       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  al-+       ready-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+       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+       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 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+       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-+       tain date.++       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+       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+       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'++       Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently possi-+       ble for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the actual+       import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving them out+       of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To prevent this,+       do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the real import.++   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+       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:++              $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE++       (If  you  think  import  should leave amounts implicit like print does,+       please test it and send a pull request.)++   Commodity display styles+       Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+       styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.++   incomestatement+       (is)++       This  command  displays  an  income statement, showing revenues and ex-+       penses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal posi-+       tive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++       This  report  shows  accounts declared with the Revenue or Expense type+       (see account types).  Or if no such accounts  are  declared,  it  shows+       top-level  accounts  named  revenue or income or expense (case insensi-+       tive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger incomestatement+              Income Statement++              Revenues:+                               $-2  income+                               $-1    gifts+                               $-1    salary+              --------------------+                               $-2++              Expenses:+                                $2  expenses+                                $1    food+                                $1    supplies+              --------------------+                                $2++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 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.+       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 op-+       tions  The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experimen-+       tal) json.++   notes+       List the unique notes that appear in transactions.++       This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in al-+       phabetic  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:++              $ hledger notes+              Petrol+              Snacks++   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+       (--used), or both (the default).++       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+       implies --used.++       Example:++              $ hledger payees+              Store Name+              Gas Station+              Person A++   prices+       Print  market  price directives from the journal.  With --infer-market-+       prices, generate additional market prices from costs.  With --infer-re-+       verse-prices,  also  generate  market prices by inverting known prices.+       Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts  are  displayed  with+       their full precision.++   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).++       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.+       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 di-+       rectives and file-level comments.++       Eg:++              $ hledger print+              2008/01/01 income+                  assets:bank:checking            $1+                  income:salary                  $-1++              2008/06/01 gift+                  assets:bank:checking            $1+                  income:gifts                   $-1++              2008/06/02 save+                  assets:bank:saving              $1+                  assets:bank:checking           $-1++              2008/06/03 * eat & shop+                  expenses:food                $1+                  expenses:supplies            $1+                  assets:cash                 $-2++              2008/12/31 * pay off+                  liabilities:debts               $1+                  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 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++       There are some situations where print's output can become unparseable:++       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.++       o Account aliases can generate bad account names.++       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 cost is  implied  but  not+       written,  it  will  not appear in the output.  You can use the -x/--ex-+       plicit flag to make all amounts and costs 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+       the output parseable.++       With -B/--cost, amounts with costs are converted  to  cost  using  that+       price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.++       With  -m  DESC/--match=DESC,  print  does a fuzzy search for one recent+       transaction whose description is most similar  to  DESC.   DESC  should+       contain  at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,+       no transaction will be shown and the program exit  code  will  be  non-+       zero.++       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 op-+       tions 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","$","","1","",""+              "1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""+              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""+              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""+              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""+              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""+              "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","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+         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+         order, etc.)++       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+         greater amounts under debit.)++   register+       (reg)++       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+       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+       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+              2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1+              2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0++       With --date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.++       For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based  on  the  first+       1000  lines;  this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+       visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you  want  to+       ensure  perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+       --align-all flag.++       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 displayed.++       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 ac-+       count and one commodity.++       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+       an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative num-+       bers.   It's  also  useful to show postings on the checking account to-+       gether with the related account:++              $ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking++       With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per in-+       terval, 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:++              $ hledger register --monthly income -E+              2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+              2008/02                                                          0          $-1+              2008/03                                                          0          $-1+              2008/04                                                          0          $-1+              2008/05                                                          0          $-1+              2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+              2008/07                                                          0          $-2+              2008/08                                                          0          $-2+              2008/09                                                          0          $-2+              2008/10                                                          0          $-2+              2008/11                                                          0          $-2+              2008/12                                                          0          $-2++       Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The --depth  op-+       tion helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:++              $ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+              2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+              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  in-+       tervals.   This  ensures  that  the  first  and last intervals are full+       length and comparable to the others in the report.++       With -m DESC/--match=DESC, register does a fuzzy search for one  recent+       posting whose description is most similar to DESC.  DESC should contain+       at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match, no post-+       ing will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.++   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.++       The  description  and  account columns normally share the space equally+       (about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a de-+       scription width as part of --width's argument, comma-separated: --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)+              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+              $ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+              $ 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 op-+       tions  The  output  formats  supported are txt, csv, and (experimental)+       json.++   rewrite+       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 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 transac-+       tion'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+                (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery++       Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from  bash,  and  the+       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  in-+       cludes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the new com-+       modity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting  amount's  commod-+       ity.++   Re-write rules in a file+       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.++              $ rewrite-rules.journal++       Make contents look like this:++              = ^income+                  (liabilities:tax)  *.33++              = expenses:gifts+                  budget:gifts  *-1+                  assets:budget  *1++       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.++              $ 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  post-+       ings.++   Diff output format+       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 @@+               2008/01/01 income+              -    assets:bank:checking  $1+              +    assets:bank:checking            $1+                   income:salary+              +    (liabilities:tax)                0+              @@ -22,3 +23,4 @@+               2008/06/01 gift+              -    assets:bank:checking  $1+              +    assets:bank:checking            $1+                   income:gifts+              +    (liabilities:tax)                0++       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+       --file options and include directives inside of these files.++       Be  careful.  Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output+       from hledger print.++       See also:++       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99++   rewrite vs. print --auto+       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+         only child files.++       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.+         print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.++   roi+       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  ac-+       count  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 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+       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).++       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  be-+         comes negative at some point in time.++       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:+         https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/invest-+         ing/roi-unrealised.ledger++       o Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html++   Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl+       Note that --inv and --pnl's argument is a query, and queries could have+       several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).++       To indicate that all search terms form  single  command-line  argument,+       you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):++              $ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'++       If  any  query  terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+       level of nested quoting, eg:++              $ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"++   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.++       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.++       o "Cash flow" is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or selling as-+         sets, or otherwise converting between your investment  commodity  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++       o "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  "profit+       and  loss"  postings  will be considered as part of your investment re-+       turn.++       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++              2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+                equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+                snake oil                    ; investment posting++              2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+                equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+                cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+                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-+       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+       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+       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  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 pe-+       riod 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.++       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+       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+       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,+       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+       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.++       References:++       o Explanation of rate of return++       o Explanation of IRR++       o Explanation of TWR++       o Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of  the  limitations+         of both metrics++   stats+       Show journal and performance 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.++       At  the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number+       of transactions processed per second.  Note these are  approximate  and+       will  vary  based on machine, current load, data size, hledger version,+       haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of interest.   The+       stats  command's run time is similar to that of a single-column balance+       report.++       Example:++              $ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+              Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+              Included files           :+              Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+              Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+              Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Payees/descriptions      : 1000+              Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+              Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+              Market prices            : 1000 (A)++              Run time                 : 0.12 s+              Throughput               : 8342 txns/s++       This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not -O/--output-+       format selection).++   tags+       List the tags used in the journal, or their values.++       This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on trans-+       actions, postings, or account declarations.++       With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular  expres-+       sion (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.++       With  QUERY  arguments,  only  transactions  and accounts matching this+       query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,+       desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions+       and their accounts.++       With the --values flag, the tags' unique non-empty  values  are  listed+       instead.  With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.++       With  --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+       with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations  are+       always shown first.)++       Tip:  remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings+       also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also+       acquire tags from their postings.++   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.++       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 --+       (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).++PART 5: COMMON TASKS+       Here  are  some  quick  examples  of  how  to  do some basic tasks with+       hledger.++   Getting help+       Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:++              $ hledger                # show available commands+              $ hledger --help         # show common options+              $ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation++       You can also view your hledger version's manual in several  formats  by+       using the help command.  Eg:++              $ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+              $ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+              $ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command++       To   view   manuals   and   introductory   docs   on   the  web,  visit+       https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list  support  and  discussion  ar-+       chives can be found at https://hledger.org/support.++   Constructing command lines+       hledger  has  a  flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it+       simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the  sharp  edges  de-+       scribed in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:++       o command-specific  options must go after the command (it's fine to put+         common options there too: hledger CMD OPTS ARGS)++       o running add-on executables directly simplifies command  line  parsing+         (hledger-ui OPTS ARGS)++       o enclose "problematic" args in single quotes++       o if  needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression metachar-+         acters from the shell++       o to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add --debug=2.++   Starting a journal file+       hledger  looks  for  your  accounting   data   in   a   journal   file,+       $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+       (see below).  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+              $ git init+              Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+              $ touch 2023.journal+              $ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal" >> ~/.profile+              $ source ~/.profile+              $ hledger stats+              Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+              Included files           :+              Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+              Last transaction         : none+              Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Payees/descriptions      : 0+              Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+              Commodities              : 0 ()+              Market prices            : 0 ()++   Setting LEDGER_FILE+       How to set LEDGER_FILE permanently depends on your setup:++       On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will  work  for+       many people; adapt as needed:++              $ echo 'export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/2023.journal` >> ~/.profile+              $ source ~/.profile++       When  correctly  configured,  in  a  new  terminal  window  env  | grep+       LEDGER_FILE will show your file, and so will hledger files.++       On mac, this additional step might  be  helpful  for  GUI  applications+       (like  Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to ~/.MacOSX/environ-+       ment.plist like++              {+                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/2023.journal"+              }++       and then run killall Dock in a terminal  window  (or  restart  the  ma-+       chine).++       On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or try+       running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if  it  per-+       sists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):++              > CD+              > MKDIR finance+              > SETX LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\USERNAME\finance\2023.journal"++   Setting opening balances+       Pick  a  starting  date  for which you can look up the balances of some+       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 re-+       cent  starting  date, like today or the start of the week.  You can al-+       ways 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 bal-+       ances on this date.  Here are two ways to do it:++       o The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an  entry+         like this:++                2023-01-01 * opening balances+                    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+                    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+                    assets:cash                          $100   = $100+                    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+                    equity:opening/closing balances++         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+         "cleared & confirmed".++         The  currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you'll+         be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.++         The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra  error+         checking.++       o 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/2023.journal+                Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+                Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+                An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+                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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+                Description: * opening balances+                Account 1: assets:bank:checking+                Amount  1: $1000+                Account 2: assets:bank:savings+                Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+                Account 3: assets:cash+                Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+                Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+                Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+                Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+                Amount  5 [$-3050]:+                Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+                2023-01-01 * opening balances+                    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+                    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+                    assets:cash                                $100+                    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+                    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++                Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]:+                Saved.+                Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+                Date [2023-01-01]: .++       If you're using version control, this could be a good  time  to  commit+       the journal.  Eg:++              $ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2023.journal++   Recording transactions+       As  you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+       one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add)  or  by  using  the+       hledger-iadd  or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+       convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.++       Here are some simple transactions, see  the  hledger_journal(5)  manual+       and hledger.org for more ideas:++              2023/1/10 * gift received+                assets:cash   $20+                income:gifts++              2023.1.12 * farmers market+                expenses:food    $13+                assets:cash++              2023-01-15 paycheck+                income:salary+                assets:bank:checking    $1000++   Reconciling+       Periodically  you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported bal-+       ances 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  pile  up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors and dis-+       crepancies.++       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  al-+          ready-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:++                  2023-01-16 * 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 check-+          ing -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 trans-+          action  history  and running balance from your bank with the one re-+          ported by hledger reg checking -C.  This will be easier if you  gen-+          erally  record transaction dates quite similar to your bank's clear-+          ing dates.++       3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.++       Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a  live-up-+       dating register while you edit the journal: hledger-ui --watch --regis-+       ter 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 2023-01-15 and paycheck++       If  you're using version control, this can be another good time to com-+       mit:++              $ git commit -m 'txns' 2023.journal++   Reporting+       Here are some basic reports.++       Show all transactions:++              $ hledger print+              2023-01-01 * opening balances+                  assets:bank:checking                      $1000+                  assets:bank:savings                       $2000+                  assets:cash                                $100+                  liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+                  equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++              2023-01-10 * gift received+                  assets:cash              $20+                  income:gifts++              2023-01-12 * farmers market+                  expenses:food             $13+                  assets:cash++              2023-01-15 * paycheck+                  income:salary+                  assets:bank:checking           $1000++              2023-01-16 * adjust cash+                  assets:cash               $-2 = $105+                  expenses:misc++       Show account names, and their hierarchy:++              $ hledger accounts --tree+              assets+                bank+                  checking+                  savings+                cash+              equity+                opening/closing balances+              expenses+                food+                misc+              income+                gifts+                salary+              liabilities+                creditcard++       Show all account totals:++              $ hledger balance+                             $4105  assets+                             $4000    bank+                             $2000      checking+                             $2000      savings+                              $105    cash+                            $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                               $15  expenses+                               $13    food+                                $2    misc+                            $-1020  income+                              $-20    gifts+                            $-1000    salary+                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard+              --------------------+                                 0++       Show only asset and liability balances, as  a  flat  list,  limited  to+       depth 2:++              $ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+                             $4000  assets:bank+                              $105  assets:cash+                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard+              --------------------+                             $4055++       Show  the  same  thing  without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+       balance sheet:++              $ hledger bs -2+              Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                                      || 2023-01-16+              ========================++============+               Assets                 ||+              ------------------------++------------+               assets:bank            ||      $4000+               assets:cash            ||       $105+              ------------------------++------------+                                      ||      $4105+              ========================++============+               Liabilities            ||+              ------------------------++------------+               liabilities:creditcard ||        $50+              ------------------------++------------+                                      ||        $50+              ========================++============+               Net:                   ||      $4055++       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+              Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++                             || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16+              ===============++=======================+               Revenues      ||+              ---------------++-----------------------+               income:gifts  ||                   $20+               income:salary ||                 $1000+              ---------------++-----------------------+                             ||                 $1020+              ===============++=======================+               Expenses      ||+              ---------------++-----------------------+               expenses:food ||                   $13+               expenses:misc ||                    $2+              ---------------++-----------------------+                             ||                   $15+              ===============++=======================+               Net:          ||                 $1005++       The final total is your net income during this period.++       Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:++              $ hledger register cash+              2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+              2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+              2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+              2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105++       Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:++              $ hledger activity -W+              2019-12-30 *****+              2023-01-06 ****+              2023-01-13 ****++   Migrating to a new file+       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+       close command.++       If using version control, don't forget to git add the new file.++BUGS+       We  welcome  bug  reports  in  the  hledger  issue  tracker  (shortcut:+       http://bugs.hledger.org),  or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+       (https://hledger.org/support).++       Some known issues and limitations:++       The need to precede add-on command options with --  when  invoked  from+       hledger is awkward.  (See Command options, Constructing command lines.)++       A  UTF-8-aware  system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+       data.  (See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)++       On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD window+       or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger, non-ascii+       characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key may not be+       supported  by  hledger  add.   (Running  in a WSL window should resolve+       these.)++       When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than Ledger.++   Troubleshooting+       Here are some common issues you might encounter when you  run  hledger,+       and  how  to  resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+       Support):++       PATH issues: I get an error like "No command 'hledger' found"+       Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+       shell's  PATH.   Eg  on  unix systems, stack installs hledger in ~/.lo-+       cal/bin and cabal installs it in ~/.cabal/bin.  You may need to add one+       of  these  directories to your shell's PATH, and/or open a new terminal+       window.++       LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is  not  using+       it+       o LEDGER_FILE  should  be a real environment variable, not just a shell+         variable.  Eg on unix, the command env | grep LEDGER_FILE should show+         it.    You   may   need   to   use   export  (see  https://stackover-+         flow.com/a/7411509).++       o You may need to force your shell to see  the  new  configuration.   A+         simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.++       LANG  issues:  I get errors like "Illegal byte sequence" or "Invalid or+       incomplete multibyte or wide character" or "commitAndReleaseBuffer: in-+       valid argument (invalid character)"+       Programs  compiled  with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.)  need+       the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail  when  they  en-+       counter  non-ascii  characters.   To  fix  it, set the LANG environment+       variable to a locale which supports UTF-8 and  which  is  installed  on+       your system.++       On  unix,  locale  -a  lists the installed locales.  Look for one which+       mentions utf8, UTF-8 or similar.  Some examples: C.UTF-8,  en_US.utf-8,+       fr_FR.utf8.   If  necessary, use your system package manager to install+       one.  Then select it by setting the LANG environment  variable.   Note,+       exact  spelling and capitalisation of the locale name may be important:+       Here's one common way to configure this permanently for your shell:++              $ echo "export LANG=en_US.utf8" >>~/.profile+              # close and re-open terminal window++       COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger file+       Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax or feature  set  is  supported.+       See hledger and Ledger for full details.++++AUTHORS+       Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.+       See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html+++COPYRIGHT+       Copyright 2007-2023 Simon Michael and contributors.+++LICENSE+       Released under GNU GPL v3 or later.+++SEE ALSO+       hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), ledger(1)++++hledger-1.30                       June 2023                        HLEDGER(1)
hledger.1 view
@@ -1,11808 +1,12024 @@ .\"t -.TH "HLEDGER" "1" "April 2023" "hledger-1.29.2 " "hledger User Manuals"----.SH NAME-.PP-hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)-.SH SYNOPSIS-.PP-\f[V]hledger\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]-.SH INTRODUCTION-.PP-hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and-largely interconvertible with beancount(1).-.PP-This manual is for hledger\[aq]s command line interface, version 1.29.2.-It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-all hledger programs.-It might accidentally teach you some bookkeeping/accounting as well!-You don\[aq]t need to know everything in here to use hledger-productively, but when you have a question about functionality, this doc-should answer it.-It is detailed, so do skip ahead or skim when needed.-You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual or man page on your-system.-You can also get it from hledger itself with-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger --man\f[R], \f[V]hledger --info\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger help [TOPIC]\f[R].-.PP-The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files-describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a-useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-Many reports are available, as subcommands.-hledger will also detect other \f[V]hledger-*\f[R] executables as extra-subcommands.-.PP-hledger reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock,-timedot, or CSV format.-The default file is \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R] in your home directory;-this can be overridden with one or more \f[V]-f FILE\f[R] options, or-the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable.-hledger CLI can also read from stdin with \f[V]-f-\f[R]; more on that-below.-.PP-Here is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one-transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2015-10-16 bought food-  expenses:food          $10-  assets:cash-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)-between two or more \f[I]accounts\f[R]: bank accounts, your wallet,-revenue/expense categories, people, etc.-You can choose any account names you wish, using \f[V]:\f[R] to indicate-subaccounts.-There must be at least two spaces between account name and amount.-Positive amounts are inflow to that account (\f[I]debit\f[R]), negatives-are outflow from it (\f[I]credit\f[R]).-(Some reports show revenue, liability and equity account balances as-negative numbers as a result; this is normal.)-.PP-hledger\[cq]s add command can help you add transactions, or you can-install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.-For more extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs +-ledger-mode, VIM + vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good-choices (see https://hledger.org/editors.html).-.PP-To get started, run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts, or-save some entries like the above in \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R],-then try commands like:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger aregister assets\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger balance\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger balancesheet\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R].-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] to list the commands.-See also the \[dq]Starting a journal file\[dq] and \[dq]Setting opening-balances\[dq] sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.-.SH PART 1: USER INTERFACE-.SH Options-.SS General options-.PP-To see general usage help, including general options which are supported-by most hledger commands, run \f[V]hledger -h\f[R].-.PP-General help options:-.TP-\f[V]-h --help\f[R]-show general or COMMAND help-.TP-\f[V]--man\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with man-.TP-\f[V]--info\f[R]-show general or COMMAND user manual with info-.TP-\f[V]--version\f[R]-show general or ADDONCMD version-.TP-\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]-show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)-.PP-General input options:-.TP-\f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R]-use a different input file.-For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or-\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R])-.TP-\f[V]--rules-file=RULESFILE\f[R]-Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)-.TP-\f[V]--separator=CHAR\f[R]-Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: \[aq],\[aq])-.TP-\f[V]--alias=OLD=NEW\f[R]-rename accounts named OLD to NEW-.TP-\f[V]--anon\f[R]-anonymize accounts and payees-.TP-\f[V]--pivot FIELDNAME\f[R]-use some other field or tag for the account name-.TP-\f[V]-I --ignore-assertions\f[R]-disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-assignments)-.TP-\f[V]-s --strict\f[R]-do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)-.PP-General reporting options:-.TP-\f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R]-include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to-preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)-.TP-\f[V]-e --end=DATE\f[R]-include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following-subperiod end when using a report interval)-.TP-\f[V]-D --daily\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by day-.TP-\f[V]-W --weekly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by week-.TP-\f[V]-M --monthly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by month-.TP-\f[V]-Q --quarterly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter-.TP-\f[V]-Y --yearly\f[R]-multiperiod/multicolumn report by year-.TP-\f[V]-p --period=PERIODEXP\f[R]-set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using-period expressions syntax-.TP-\f[V]--date2\f[R]-match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects)-.TP-\f[V]--today=DATE\f[R]-override today\[aq]s date (affects relative smart dates, for-tests/examples)-.TP-\f[V]-U --unmarked\f[R]-include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)-.TP-\f[V]-P --pending\f[R]-include only pending postings/txns-.TP-\f[V]-C --cleared\f[R]-include only cleared postings/txns-.TP-\f[V]-R --real\f[R]-include only non-virtual postings-.TP-\f[V]-NUM --depth=NUM\f[R]-hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep-.TP-\f[V]-E --empty\f[R]-show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-hledger-ui/hledger-web)-.TP-\f[V]-B --cost\f[R]-convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time-.TP-\f[V]-V --market\f[R]-convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities-.TP-\f[V]-X --exchange=COMM\f[R]-convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM-.TP-\f[V]--value\f[R]-convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X-.TP-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-use transaction prices (recorded with \[at] or \[at]\[at]) as additional-market prices, as if they were P directives-.TP-\f[V]--auto\f[R]-apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-.TP-\f[V]--forecast\f[R]-generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for the-next 6 months or till report end date.-In hledger-ui, also make ordinary future transactions visible.-.TP-\f[V]--commodity-style\f[R]-Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.-For example \[aq]EUR1.000,00\[aq].-.TP-\f[V]--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)\f[R]-Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output.-\[aq]auto\[aq] (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting-terminal.-\[aq]always\[aq] or \[aq]yes\[aq]: always, useful eg when piping output-into \[aq]less -R\[aq].-\[aq]never\[aq] or \[aq]no\[aq]: never.-A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.-.TP-\f[V]--pretty[=WHEN]\f[R]-Show prettier output, e.g.-using unicode box-drawing characters.-Accepts \[aq]yes\[aq] (the default) or \[aq]no\[aq] (\[aq]y\[aq],-\[aq]n\[aq], \[aq]always\[aq], \[aq]never\[aq] also work).-If you provide an argument you must use \[aq]=\[aq], e.g.-\[aq]--pretty=yes\[aq].-.PP-When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the-last one takes precedence.-.PP-Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.-.SS Command options-.PP-To see options for a particular command, including command-specific-options, run: \f[V]hledger COMMAND -h\f[R].-.PP-Command-specific options must be written after the command name, eg:-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].-.PP-Additionally, if the command is an add-on, you may need to put its-options after a double-hyphen, eg: \f[V]hledger ui -- --watch\f[R].-Or, you can run the add-on executable directly:-\f[V]hledger-ui --watch\f[R].-.SS Command arguments-.PP-Most hledger commands accept arguments after the command name, which are-often a query, filtering the data in some way.-.PP-You can save a set of command line options/arguments in a file, and then-reuse them by writing \f[V]\[at]FILENAME\f[R] as a command line-argument.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal \[at]foo.args\f[R].-(To prevent this, eg if you have an argument that begins with a literal-\f[V]\[at]\f[R], precede it with \f[V]--\f[R], eg:-\f[V]hledger bal -- \[at]ARG\f[R]).-.PP-Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or-argument.-Avoid the use of spaces, except inside quotes (or you\[aq]ll see a-confusing error).-Between a flag and its argument, use = (or nothing).-Bad:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets depth:2--X USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Good:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets-depth:2--X=USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For special characters (see below), use one less level of quoting than-you would at the command prompt.-Bad:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--X\[dq]$\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Good:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--X$-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-See also: Save frequently used options.-.SS Special characters-.SS Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-.PP-In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as-spaces, \f[V]<\f[R], \f[V]>\f[R], \f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R],-\f[V]$\f[R] and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - should be \[dq]shell-escaped\[dq] 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register \[aq]credit card\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register credit\[rs] card-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Windows users should keep in mind that \f[V]cmd\f[R] treats single quote-as a regular character, so you should be using double quotes-exclusively.-PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.-.SS Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)-.PP-Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such-as \f[V].\f[R], \f[V]\[ha]\f[R], \f[V]$\f[R], \f[V][\f[R], \f[V]]\f[R],-\f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R], and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - may need to-be \[dq]regex-escaped\[dq] if you don\[aq]t want them to be interpreted-by hledger\[aq]s 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 \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance cur:\[aq]\[rs]$\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Triple escaping (for add-on commands)-.PP-When you use hledger to run an external add-on command (described-below), one level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or-arguments intended for by the add-on command, so those need an extra-level of shell-escaping.-Eg to match a literal \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell and-running an add-on command (\f[V]ui\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger ui cur:\[aq]\[rs]\[rs]$\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you wondered why \f[I]four\f[R] backslashes, perhaps this helps:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-unescaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]$\f[R]-T}-T{-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-T{-double-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-T{-triple-escaped:-T}@T{-\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable-directly:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Less escaping-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-an \[at]argumentfile-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger-ui\[aq]s filter field-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger-web\[aq]s search form-.IP \[bu] 2-GHCI\[aq]s prompt (used by developers).-.SS Unicode characters-.PP-hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:-.IP \[bu] 2-they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command line,-by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web\[aq]s search/add/edit-forms, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-they should be displayed correctly by all hledger tools, and on-screen-alignment should be preserved.-.PP-This requires a well-configured environment.-Here are some tips:-.IP \[bu] 2-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:-\f[V]export LANG=en_US.UTF-8\f[R].-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).-.IP \[bu] 2-your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-must support unicode-.IP \[bu] 2-the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode-glyphs-.IP \[bu] 2-the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as double-width (for report alignment)-.IP \[bu] 2-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 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).-.SS Regular expressions-.PP-hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:-.IP \[bu] 2-query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:-\f[V]REGEX\f[R], \f[V]desc:REGEX\f[R], \f[V]cur:REGEX\f[R],-\f[V]tag:...=REGEX\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-CSV rules conditional blocks: \f[V]if REGEX ...\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-account alias directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option:-\f[V]alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT\f[R],-\f[V]--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\f[R]-.PP-hledger\[aq]s regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library.-If they\[aq]re not doing what you expect, it\[aq]s important to know-exactly what they support:-.IP "1." 3-they are case insensitive-.IP "2." 3-they are infix matching (they do not need to match the entire thing-being matched)-.IP "3." 3-they are POSIX ERE (extended regular expressions)-.IP "4." 3-they also support GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],-\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R])-.IP "5." 3-they do not support backreferences; if you write \f[V]\[rs]1\f[R], it-will match the digit \f[V]1\f[R].-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.-.IP "6." 3-they do not support mode modifiers (\f[V](?s)\f[R]), character classes-(\f[V]\[rs]w\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]d\f[R]), or anything else not mentioned-above.-.PP-Some things to note:-.IP \[bu] 2-In the \f[V]alias\f[R] directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option, regular-expressions must be enclosed in forward slashes (\f[V]/REGEX/\f[R]).-Elsewhere in hledger, these are not required.-.IP \[bu] 2-In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like \f[V]$\f[R]-as a literal character, prepend a backslash.-Eg to search for amounts with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write-\f[V]cur:\[rs]$\f[R].-.IP \[bu] 2-On the command line, some metacharacters like \f[V]$\f[R] have a special-meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.-See Special characters.-.SH Environment-.PP-\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The journal file path when not specified with-\f[V]-f\f[R].-.PP-On unix computers, the default value is:-\f[V]\[ti]/.hledger.journal\f[R].-.PP-A more typical value is something like-\f[V]\[ti]/finance/YYYY.journal\f[R], where \f[V]\[ti]/finance\f[R] is a-version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is the current year.-Or, \f[V]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\f[R], where current.journal is a-symbolic link to YYYY.journal.-.PP-The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of your-shell\[aq]s startup files (eg \f[V]\[ti]/.profile\f[R]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-Emacs started from a dock icon): In-\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R], add an entry like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-{-  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/current.journal\[dq]-}-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For this to take effect you might need to \f[V]killall Dock\f[R], or-reboot.-.PP-On Windows computers, the default value is probably-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R].-You can change this by running a command like this in a powershell-window (let us know if you need to be an Administrator, and if this-persists across a reboot):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-> setx LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]MyUserName\[rs]finance\[rs]2021.journal\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.-.PP-\f[B]COLUMNS\f[R] The screen width used by the register command.-Default: the full terminal width.-.PP-\f[B]NO_COLOR\f[R] If this variable exists with any value, hledger will-not use ANSI color codes in terminal output.-This is overriden by the --color/--colour option.-.SH Input-.PP-hledger reads transactions from one or more data files.-The default data file is \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] (or on-Windows, something like-\f[V]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]YOURNAME\[rs].hledger.journal\f[R]).-.PP-You can override this with the \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment-variable:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ setenv LEDGER_FILE \[ti]/finance/2016.journal-$ hledger stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or with one or more \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The file name \f[V]-\f[R] means standard input:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ cat some.journal | hledger -f--\f[R]-.fi-.SS Data formats-.PP-Usually the data file is in hledger\[aq]s journal format, but it can be-in any of the supported file formats, which currently are:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(7.8n) lw(39.5n) lw(22.7n).-T{-Reader:-T}@T{-Reads:-T}@T{-Used for file extensions:-T}-_-T{-\f[V]journal\f[R]-T}@T{-hledger journal files and some Ledger journals, for transactions-T}@T{-\f[V].journal\f[R] \f[V].j\f[R] \f[V].hledger\f[R] \f[V].ledger\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]timeclock\f[R]-T}@T{-timeclock files, for precise time logging-T}@T{-\f[V].timeclock\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]timedot\f[R]-T}@T{-timedot files, for approximate time logging-T}@T{-\f[V].timedot\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]csv\f[R]-T}@T{-comma/semicolon/tab/other-separated values, for data import-T}@T{-\f[V].csv\f[R] \f[V].ssv\f[R] \f[V].tsv\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-These formats are described in more detail below.-.PP-hledger detects the format automatically based on the file extensions-shown above.-If it can\[aq]t recognise the file extension, it assumes-\f[V]journal\f[R] format.-So for non-journal files, it\[aq]s important to use a recognised file-extension, so as to either read successfully or to show relevant error-messages.-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or to read stdin (\f[V]-\f[R]) as timeclock format:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ echo \[aq]i 2009/13/1 08:00:00\[aq] | hledger print -ftimeclock:--\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multiple files-.PP-You can specify multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] options, to read multiple files as-one big journal.-There are some limitations with this:-.IP \[bu] 2-most directives do not affect sibling files-.IP \[bu] 2-balance assertions will not see any account balances from previous files-.PP-If you need either of those things, you can-.IP \[bu] 2-use a single parent file which includes the others-.IP \[bu] 2-or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg:-\f[V]cat a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD\f[R].-.SS Strict mode-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all transactions balanced ?-.IP \[bu] 2-Do all balance assertions pass ?-.PP-With the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag, additional checks are-performed:-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all accounts posted to, declared with an \f[V]account\f[R] directive-?-(Account error checking)-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all commodities declared with a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive ?-(Commodity error checking)-.IP \[bu] 2-Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?-.PP-You can use the check command to run individual checks -- the ones-listed above and some more.-.SH Commands-.PP-hledger provides a number of built-in subcommands (described below).-Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-A few assist with data entry and management.-.PP-Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] with no arguments to list the commands available,-and \f[V]hledger CMD\f[R] 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: \f[V]hledger bal\f[R].-.SS Add-on commands-.PP-Add-on commands are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts in-your PATH-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name starts with \f[V]hledger-\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name ends with a recognised file extension:-\f[V].bat\f[R],\f[V].com\f[R],\f[V].exe\f[R],-\f[V].hs\f[R],\f[V].lhs\f[R],\f[V].pl\f[R],\f[V].py\f[R],\f[V].rb\f[R],\f[V].rkt\f[R],\f[V].sh\f[R]-or none-.IP \[bu] 2-and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user.-.PP-Addons can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or programs-have a big advantage: they can use hledger\[aq]s library code, for-command-line options, parsing and reporting.-.PP-Several add-on commands are installed by the hledger-install script.-See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.-.PP-Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a double-dash (\f[V]--\f[R]) preceding them.-Eg you must write:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger web -- --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-and not:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger web --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-(because the \f[V]--serve\f[R] flag belongs to \f[V]hledger-web\f[R],-not \f[V]hledger\f[R]).-.PP-The \f[V]-h/--help\f[R] and \f[V]--version\f[R] flags don\[aq]t require-\f[V]--\f[R].-.PP-If you have any trouble with this, remember you can always run the-add-on program directly, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-web --serve-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Output-.SS Output destination-.PP-hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default.-You can of course redirect this, eg into a file, using standard shell-syntax:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print > foo.txt-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some commands (print, register, stats, the balance commands) also-provide the \f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] option, which does the same thing-without needing the shell.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -o foo.txt-$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Output format-.PP-Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the-terminal.-Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(25.9n) lw(9.1n) lw(9.1n) lw(11.7n) lw(7.8n) lw(6.5n).-T{---T}@T{-txt-T}@T{-csv-T}@T{-html-T}@T{-json-T}@T{-sql-T}-_-T{-aregister-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balance-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1,2\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balancesheet-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-balancesheetequity-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-cashflow-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-incomestatement-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y \f[I]1\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-T{-print-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-register-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]1 Also affected by the balance commands\[aq] \f[VI]--layout\f[I]-option.\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]2 \f[VI]balance\f[I] does not support html output without a report-interval or with \f[VI]--budget\f[I].\f[R]-.PP-The output format is selected by the \f[V]-O/--output-format=FMT\f[R]-option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the-\f[V]-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT\f[R] option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]-O\f[R] option can be combined with \f[V]-o\f[R] to override-the file extension, if needed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some notes about the various output formats:-.SS CSV output-.IP \[bu] 2-In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-disabled automatically.-.SS HTML output-.IP \[bu] 2-HTML output can be styled by an optional \f[V]hledger.css\f[R] file in-the same directory.-.SS JSON output-.IP \[bu] 2-This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.-.IP \[bu] 2-Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful-representation of hledger\[aq]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.-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger represents quantities as Decimal values storing up to 255-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 don\[aq]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)-.SS SQL output-.IP \[bu] 2-This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.-.IP \[bu] 2-SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and Postgres.-.IP \[bu] 2-For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated-\f[V]id\f[R] field to be a PRIMARY KEY.-Eg:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -O sql | sed \[aq]s/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g\[aq] | ...-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-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-\f[V]delete\f[R] or \f[V]truncate\f[R] SQL statements) or drop tables-completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.-.SS Commodity styles-.PP-When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for-each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.-.PP-If needed, this can be overridden by a \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]-option (except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the-\f[V]print\f[R] command, which are always displayed with all decimal-digits).-For example, the following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as-shown:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -c \[aq]$1.000,0\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple-commodities/currencies.-Its argument is as described in the commodity directive.-.SS Colour-.PP-In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-supports it:-.IP \[bu] 2-if the \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option is given a value of-\f[V]yes\f[R] or \f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]),-colour will (or will not) be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, if the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable is set, colour-will not be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) supports-it.-.SS Box-drawing-.PP-In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-render prettier tables:-.IP \[bu] 2-if the \f[V]--pretty\f[R] option is given a value of \f[V]yes\f[R] or-\f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]), unicode-characters will (or will not) be used;-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.-.SS Paging-.PP-When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-pager specified by the \f[V]PAGER\f[R] environment variable, or-\f[V]less\f[R], or \f[V]more\f[R].-(A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than-scrolling everything off screen).-Currently it does this only for help output, not for reports;-specifically,-.IP \[bu] 2-when listing commands, with \f[V]hledger\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-when showing help with \f[V]hledger [CMD] --help\f[R],-.IP \[bu] 2-when viewing manuals with \f[V]hledger help\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger --man\f[R].-.PP-Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg-for bold emphasis.-For the common pager \f[V]less\f[R] (and its \f[V]more\f[R]-compatibility mode), we add \f[V]R\f[R] to the \f[V]LESS\f[R] and-\f[V]MORE\f[R] environment variables to make this work.-If you use a different pager, you might need to configure it similarly,-to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).-Otherwise, you can set the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable to 1-to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).-.SS Debug output-.PP-We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-develop.-You can add \f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R] to any hledger command line to see-additional debug output.-N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to 9 (maximum output).-Typically you would start with 1 and increase until you are seeing-enough.-Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected by-\f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-\f[V]2>&1\f[R]).-It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help reveal when-parts of the code are evaluated.-To capture debug output in a log file instead, you can usually redirect-stderr, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Limitations-.PP-The need to precede add-on command options with \f[V]--\f[R] when-invoked from hledger is awkward.-.PP-When input data contains non-ascii characters, a suitable system locale-must be configured (or there will be an unhelpful error).-Eg on POSIX, set LANG to something other than C.-.PP-In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours are-not supported.-.PP-On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when running-a hledger built in CMD in MSYS/CYGWIN, or vice-versa.-.PP-In a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window, the tab key is not supported in hledger-add.-.PP-Not all of Ledger\[aq]s journal file syntax is supported.-See hledger and Ledger > Differences > journal format.-.PP-On large data files, hledger is slower and uses more memory than Ledger.-.SH Troubleshooting-.PP-Here are some issues you might encounter when you run hledger (and-remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or bug-tracker):-.PP-\f[B]Successfully installed, but \[dq]No command \[aq]hledger\[aq]-found\[dq]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-stack and cabal install binaries into a special directory, which should-be added to your PATH environment variable.-Eg on unix-like systems, that is \[ti]/.local/bin and \[ti]/.cabal/bin-respectively.-.PP-\f[B]I set a custom LEDGER_FILE, but hledger is still using the default-file\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should be a real environment variable, not just a-shell variable.-The command \f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should show it.-You may need to use \f[V]export\f[R].-Here\[aq]s an explanation.-.PP-\f[B]Getting errors like \[dq]Illegal byte sequence\[dq] or \[dq]Invalid-or incomplete multibyte or wide character\[dq] or-\[dq]commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argument (invalid-character)\[dq]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-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.-.PP-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.-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example of setting LANG temporarily, on Ubuntu GNU/Linux:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ file my.journal-my.journal: UTF-8 Unicode text         # the file is UTF8-encoded-$ echo $LANG-C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-$ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-C-en_US.utf8                             # here\[aq]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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If available, \f[V]C.UTF-8\f[R] will also work.-If your preferred locale isn\[aq]t listed by \f[V]locale -a\f[R], you-might need to install it.-Eg on Ubuntu/Debian:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ apt-get install language-pack-fr-$ locale -a-C-en_US.utf8-fr_BE.utf8-fr_CA.utf8-fr_CH.utf8-fr_FR.utf8-fr_LU.utf8-POSIX-$ LANG=fr_FR.utf8 hledger -f my.journal print-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here\[aq]s how you could set it permanently, if you use a bash shell:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ echo \[dq]export LANG=en_US.utf8\[dq] >>\[ti]/.bash_profile-$ bash --login-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Exact spelling and capitalisation may be important.-Note the difference on MacOS (\f[V]UTF-8\f[R], not \f[V]utf8\f[R]).-Some platforms (eg ubuntu) allow variant spellings, but others (eg-macos) require it to be exact:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ locale -a | grep -iE en_us.*utf-en_US.UTF-8-$ LANG=en_US.UTF-8 hledger -f my.journal print-\f[R]-.fi-.SH PART 2: DATA FORMATS-.PP-.SH Journal-.PP-hledger\[aq]s default file format, representing a General Journal.-Here\[aq]s a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About-journal format.-.SS Journal cheatsheet-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Here is the main syntax of hledger\[aq]s journal format-# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--###############################################################################-# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word \[dq]comment\[dq].--# hash comment line-; semicolon comment line-comment-These lines-are commented.-end comment--# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--###############################################################################-# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-alias chkg = assets:checking-commodity $0.00-decimal-mark .-include /dev/null-payee Whole Foods-P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-\[ti] monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-    expenses:food       $400-    expenses:home      $1000-    budgeted--###############################################################################-# 3. Transactions are what it\[aq]s all about; they are dated events,-# usually describing movements of money.-# They begin with a date.--# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-#               ; \[ha]\[ha] At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning \[dq]pending\[dq] or \[dq]cleared\[dq].-    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-    ; Amounts\[aq] sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also \[dq]accounts\[dq]--Kv-2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-    expenses:clothing       GBP 10-    assets:gringotts           -10 gold-    assets:pouch                10 gold-    revenues:gifts              -2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; Complex symbols-    assets:bag                   2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; must be double-quoted.--2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with \[at] or \[at]\[at]-    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA \[at] $1.50  ; \[at]  means per-unit cost-    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA \[at]\[at] $4    ; \[at]\[at] means total cost-    assets:checking            $-7.00--2022-01-02 assert balances-    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-    assets:savings              $0      = $1000--1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-    ; Postings are not required.--2022.01.01 These date-2022/1/1   formats are-12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).-\f[R]-.fi-.SS About journal format-.PP-hledger\[aq]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 \f[V].journal\f[R], but that\[aq]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.-.PP-hledger\[aq]s journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, of-ledger\[aq]s journal format, so hledger can work with compatible ledger-journal files as well.-It\[aq]s safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the-same journal file, eg to validate the results you\[aq]re getting.-.PP-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.-.PP-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 hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier,-adding colour, formatting, tab completion, and useful commands.-See Editor configuration at hledger.org for the full list.-.PP-Here\[aq]s a description of each part of the file format (and-hledger\[aq]s data model).-.PP-A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,-transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction rules and-auto posting rules as directives).-.SS Comments-.PP-Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash-(\f[V]#\f[R]) or a semicolon (\f[V];\f[R]).-(See also Other syntax.)-hledger will also ignore regions beginning with a \f[V]comment\f[R] line-and ending with an \f[V]end comment\f[R] line (or file end).-Here\[aq]s a suggestion for choosing between them:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]#\f[R] for top-level notes-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V];\f[R] for commenting out things temporarily-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]comment\f[R] for quickly commenting large regions (remember-it\[aq]s there, or you might get confused)-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# a comment line-; another commentline-comment-A multi-line comment block,-continuing until \[dq]end comment\[dq] directive-or the end of the current file.-end comment-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from-; (semicolon) to end of line.-See Transaction comments, Posting comments, and Account comments below.-.SS Transactions-.PP-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.-.PP-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 optional fields, separated-by spaces:-.IP \[bu] 2-a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)-.IP \[bu] 2-a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon)-.IP \[bu] 2-a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line,-and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon)-.IP \[bu] 2-0 or more indented \f[I]posting\f[R] lines, describing what was-transferred and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also-allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines).-.PP-Here\[aq]s a simple journal file containing one transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2008/01/01 income-  assets:bank:checking   $1-  income:salary         $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Dates-.SS Simple dates-.PP-Dates in the journal file use \f[I]simple dates\f[R] format:-\f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R],-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-\f[V]Y\f[R] directive, or the current date when the command is run.-Some examples: \f[V]2010-01-31\f[R], \f[V]2010/01/31\f[R],-\f[V]2010.1.31\f[R], \f[V]1/31\f[R].-.PP-(The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart-dates documented in the hledger manual.)-.SS Posting dates-.PP-You can give individual postings a different date from their parent-transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below)-like \f[V]date:DATE\f[R].-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2015/5/30-    expenses:food     $10  ; food purchased on saturday 5/30-    assets:checking        ; bank cleared it on monday, date:6/1-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j register food-2015-05-30                      expenses:food                  $10           $10-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j register checking-2015-06-01                      assets:checking               $-10          $-10-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use-the year of the transaction\[aq]s date.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-The \f[V]date:\f[R] tag must have a valid simple date value if it is-present, eg a \f[V]date:\f[R] tag with no value is not allowed.-.SS Status-.PP-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:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-mark \ -T}@T{-status-T}-_-T{-\ -T}@T{-unmarked-T}-T{-\f[V]!\f[R]-T}@T{-pending-T}-T{-\f[V]*\f[R]-T}@T{-cleared-T}-.TE-.PP-When reporting, you can filter by status with the-\f[V]-U/--unmarked\f[R], \f[V]-P/--pending\f[R], and-\f[V]-C/--cleared\f[R] flags; or the \f[V]status:\f[R],-\f[V]status:!\f[R], and \f[V]status:*\f[R] queries; or the U, P, C keys-in hledger-ui.-.PP-Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the \[dq]unmarked\[dq]-state is called \[dq]uncleared\[dq].-As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity.-.PP-To replicate Ledger and old hledger\[aq]s behaviour of also matching-pending, combine -U and -P.-.PP-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 toggle transaction status with C-c C-e,-or posting status with C-c C-c.-.PP-What \[dq]uncleared\[dq], \[dq]pending\[dq], and \[dq]cleared\[dq]-actually mean is up to you.-Here\[aq]s one suggestion:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(9.7n) lw(60.3n).-T{-status-T}@T{-meaning-T}-_-T{-uncleared-T}@T{-recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review-T}-T{-pending-T}@T{-tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconciliation)-T}-T{-cleared-T}@T{-complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered correct-T}-.TE-.PP-With this scheme, you would use \f[V]-PC\f[R] to see the current balance-at your bank, \f[V]-U\f[R] 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.-.SS Code-.PP-After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally-write a transaction \[dq]code\[dq], enclosed in parentheses.-This is a good place to record a check number, or some other important-transaction id or reference number.-.SS Description-.PP-A transaction\[aq]s description is the rest of the line following the-date and status mark (or until a comment begins).-Sometimes called the \[dq]narration\[dq] in traditional bookkeeping, it-can be used for whatever you wish, or left blank.-Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments.-.SS Payee and note-.PP-You can optionally include a \f[V]|\f[R] (pipe) character in-descriptions to subdivide the description into separate fields for-payee/payer name on the left (up to the first \f[V]|\f[R]) and an-additional note field on the right (after the first \f[V]|\f[R]).-This may be worthwhile if you need to do more precise querying and-pivoting by payee or by note.-.SS Transaction comments-.PP-Text following \f[V];\f[R], after a transaction description, and/or on-indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.-They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except-they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-    ; a second line of transaction comment-    expenses   1-    assets-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Postings-.PP-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:-.IP \[bu] 2-(optional) a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R]),-followed by a space-.IP \[bu] 2-(required) an account name (any text, optionally containing \f[B]single-spaces\f[R], until end of line or a double space)-.IP \[bu] 2-(optional) \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] or tabs followed by an amount.-.PP-Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are-being removed.-.PP-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.-.PP-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 the amount,-the amount will be considered part of the account name.-.SS Account names-.PP-Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.-As in Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts-(such as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as \[dq]money-borrowed from Frank\[dq] or \[dq]money spent on electricity\[dq].-.PP-You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the-traditional accounting categories, which in english are-\f[V]assets\f[R], \f[V]liabilities\f[R], \f[V]equity\f[R],-\f[V]revenues\f[R], \f[V]expenses\f[R].-(You might see these referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)-.PP-For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-name parts.-For example, from the account names \f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:food\f[R], hledger will infer this hierarchy of five-accounts:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets-assets:bank-assets:bank:checking-expenses-expenses:food-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-assets- bank-  checking-expenses- food-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can-go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-names relatively simple may be best when starting out.-.PP-Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,-numbers, symbols, or single spaces.-Note, when an account name and an amount are written on the same line,-they must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] (or tabs).-.PP-Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate virtual-postings, described below.-Parentheses or brackets internal to the account name have no special-meaning.-.PP-Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account-aliases.-.SS Amounts-.PP-After the account name, there is usually an amount.-(Important: between account name and amount, there must be \f[B]two or-more spaces\f[R].)-.PP-hledger\[aq]s amount format is flexible, supporting several-international formats.-Here are some examples.-Amounts have a number (the \[dq]quantity\[dq]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\&..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 space:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$1-4000 AAPL-3 \[dq]green apples\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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-commodity symbol:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]--$1-$-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when-parsing (but they won\[aq]t be displayed in output):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-+ $1-$-      1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Scientific E notation is allowed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1E-6-EUR 1E3-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Decimal marks, digit group marks-.PP-A \f[I]decimal mark\f[R] can be written as a period or a comma:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1.23-1,23456780000009-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups-of digits can optionally be separated by a \f[I]digit group mark\f[R] --a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-     $1,000,000.00-  EUR 2.000.000,00-INR 9,99,99,999.00-      1 000 000.9455-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note, a number containing a single digit group mark and no decimal mark-is ambiguous.-Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-1,000-1.000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you don\[aq]t tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the-above are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1.-.PP-To prevent confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos, especially-if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we-recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each-journal file, using a directive at the top of the file.-The \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive is best, otherwise-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directives will also work.-These are described below.-.SS Commodity-.PP-Amounts in hledger have both a \[dq]quantity\[dq], which is a signed-decimal number, and a \[dq]commodity\[dq], which is a currency symbol,-stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are-tracking.-.PP-If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or-punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes-(\f[V]\[dq]green apples\[dq]\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]ABC123\[dq]\f[R]).-.PP-If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with-name \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R]; we call that the \[dq]no-symbol-commodity\[dq].-.PP-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:-\f[V]1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 TSLA\f[R].-In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger\[aq]s-output; you can\[aq]t write them directly in the journal file.-.PP-(If you are writing scripts or working with hledger\[aq]s internals,-these are the \f[V]Amount\f[R] and \f[V]MixedAmount\f[R] types.)-.SS Directives influencing number parsing and display-.PP-You can add \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] and \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to-the journal, to declare and control these things more explicitly and-precisely.-These are described below, but here\[aq]s a quick example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-decimal-mark .--# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-commodity 1 000 000.9455-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-.SS Commodity display style-.PP-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-\f[V]print\f[R] command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits-visible.)-.PP-A commodity\[aq]s display style is inferred as follows.-.PP-First, if a default commodity is declared with \f[V]D\f[R], this-commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the-journal.-.PP-Then each commodity\[aq]s style is inferred from one of the following,-in order of preference:-.IP \[bu] 2-The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol-commodity), if any.-.IP \[bu] 2-The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal\[aq]s transactions.-(Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored,-currently.)-.IP \[bu] 2-The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: \f[V]$1000.00\f[R].-(Symbol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.)-.PP-A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first-amount-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group-sizes), if any-.IP \[bu] 2-Use the maximum number of decimal places of all.-.PP-Cost amounts don\[aq]t affect the commodity display style directly, but-occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting\[aq]s amount-is inferred using a cost).-If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the-display style.-.PP-To summarise: each commodity\[aq]s amounts will be normalised to (a) the-style declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] 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\[aq]t like, eg-with too many decimal places, use a commodity directive.-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-commodity 1 000.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command-line option.-.SS Rounding-.PP-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\[aq]s rounding: it rounds to the nearest even-number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal places is \[dq]0\[dq]).-.PP-.SS Costs-.PP-After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either-\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after it.-This indicates a conversion transaction, where one commodity is-exchanged for another.-.PP-(You might also see this called \[dq]transaction price\[dq] in hledger-docs, discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and-reminded that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just-call it \[dq]cost\[dq], with the understanding that the transaction-could be a purchase or a sale.)-.PP-Costs are usually written explicitly with \f[V]\[at]\f[R] or-\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R], but can also be inferred automatically for simple-multi-commodity transactions.-Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the-first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.-.PP-As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or-implicitly:-.IP "1." 3-Write the price per unit, as \f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] after the amount:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-  assets:dollars                 ; balancing amount is -$135.00-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Write the total price, as \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after the-amount:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at]\[at] $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-  assets:dollars-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "3." 3-Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and let-hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.-Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting,-making it \f[V]\[Eu]100 \[at]\[at] $135\f[R], as in example 2:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2009/1/1-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100          ; one hundred euros purchased-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag; this is discussed more in the \[u02DC]COST-REPORTING section.-.SS Other cost/lot notations-.PP-A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.-Ledger has a number of cost/lot-related notations:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at selling time-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V](\[at]) UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V](\[at]\[at]) TOTALCOST\f[R] (virtual-cost)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-like the above, but also means \[dq]this cost was exceptional, don\[aq]t-use it when inferring market prices\[dq].-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger treats the above like \f[V]\[at]\f[R] and-\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R]; the parentheses are ignored.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{=FIXEDUNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}\f[R] (fixed-price)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, means \[dq]this cost is also the fixed price, don\[aq]t let-it fluctuate in value reports\[dq]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] (lot price)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-can be used identically to \f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and-\f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R], also creates a lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, combined with \f[V]\[at] ...\f[R], specifies an investment-lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-and related: \f[V][YYYY/MM/DD]\f[R] (lot date)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V](SOME TEXT)\f[R] (lot note)-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying, attaches this note to the lot-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling, selects a lot by its note-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after-the posting amount, but ignores them.-(This can break transaction balancing.)-.PP-For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with-\f[V]{...}\f[R]: documents the cost/selling price (not used for-transaction balancing)-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R]-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction balancing,-and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached-.IP \[bu] 2-when selling (reducing),-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-selects a lot by its cost basis-.IP \[bu] 2-raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected-unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)-.IP \[bu] 2-expresses the selling price for transaction balancing-.RE-.RE-.PP-Currently, hledger accepts the-\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R]/\f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] notation but ignores it.-.IP \[bu] 2-variations: \f[V]{}\f[R], \f[V]{YYYY-MM-DD}\f[R],-\f[V]{\[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R], \f[V]{UNITCOST, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R],-\f[V]{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R] etc.-.PP-Currently, hledger rejects these.-.SS Balance assertions-.PP-hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files.-These look like, for example, \f[V]= EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R] following a-posting\[aq]s amount.-Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after-each posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a   $1  =$1-  b       =$-1--2013/1/2-  a   $1  =$2-  b  $-1  =$-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance 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-\f[V]-I/--ignore-assertions\f[R] flag, which can be useful for-troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files.-(Note: this flag currently does not disable balance assignments,-described below).-.SS Assertions and ordering-.PP-hledger sorts an account\[aq]s postings and assertions first by date and-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.)-.PP-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.-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.-.SS Assertions and multiple included files-.PP-Multiple files included with the \f[V]include\f[R] directive are-processed as if concatenated into one file, preserving their order and-the posting order within each file.-It means that balance assertions in later files will see balance from-earlier files.-.PP-And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split-across multiple files, and you want to assert the account\[aq]s balance-on that day, you\[aq]ll need to put the assertion in the right file --the last one in the sequence, probably.-.SS Assertions and multiple -f files-.PP-Unlike \f[V]include\f[R], when multiple files are specified on the-command line with multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options, balance-assertions will not see balance from earlier files.-This can be useful when you do not want problems in earlier files to-disrupt valid assertions in later files.-.PP-If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use-\f[V]include\f[R], or concatenate the files temporarily.-.SS Assertions and commodities-.PP-The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in-fact the assertion checks only this commodity\[aq]s balance within the-(possibly multi-commodity) account balance.-This is how assertions work in Ledger also.-We could call this a \[dq]partial\[dq] balance assertion.-.PP-To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can-write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity\[aq]s balance.-.PP-You can make a stronger \[dq]total\[dq] balance assertion by writing a-double equals sign (\f[V]== EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R]).-This asserts that there are no other commodities in the account besides-the asserted one (or at least, that their balance is 0).-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a   $1-  a    1\[Eu]-  b  $-1-  c   -1\[Eu]--2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-  a    0  =  $1-  a    0  =   1\[Eu]-  b    0 == $-1-  c    0 ==  -1\[Eu]--2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as \[aq]a\[aq] also contains 1\[Eu]-  a    0 ==  $1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance-that has multiple commodities.-One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2013/1/1-  a:usd   $1-  a:euro   1\[Eu]-  b--2013/1/2-  a        0 ==  0-  a:usd    0 == $1-  a:euro   0 ==  1\[Eu]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Assertions and prices-.PP-Balance assertions ignore costs, and should normally be written without-one:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  (a)     $1 \[at] \[Eu]1 = $1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them,-even though they don\[aq]t affect whether the assertion passes or fails.-This is for backward compatibility (hledger\[aq]s close command used to-generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance-\f[I]assignments\f[R] do use them (see below).-.SS Assertions and subaccounts-.PP-The balance assertions above (\f[V]=\f[R] and \f[V]==\f[R]) do not count-the balance from subaccounts; they check the account\[aq]s exclusive-balance only.-You can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing \f[V]=*\f[R]-or \f[V]==*\f[R], eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  equity:opening balances-  checking:a       5-  checking:b       5-  checking         1  ==* 11-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Assertions and virtual postings-.PP-Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-are not affected by the \f[V]--real/-R\f[R] flag or \f[V]real:\f[R]-query.-.SS Assertions and auto postings-.PP-Balance assertions \f[I]are\f[R] affected by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag,-which generates auto postings, which can alter account balances.-Because auto postings are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them-effectively have two balances.-But balance assertions can only test one or the other of these.-So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:-.IP \[bu] 2-assert the balance calculated with \f[V]--auto\f[R], and always use-\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file-.IP \[bu] 2-or assert the balance calculated without \f[V]--auto\f[R], and never use-\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file-.IP \[bu] 2-or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or-avoid auto postings entirely).-.SS Assertions and precision-.PP-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 assertion failure messages show exact amounts.-.SS Posting comments-.PP-Text following \f[V];\f[R], at the end of a posting line, and/or on-indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.-They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except-they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2012-01-01-    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-    assets-    ; a comment for posting 2-    ; a second comment line for posting 2-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Tags-.PP-Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.-.PP-They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed-by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account directive\[aq]s-comment.-(This is an exception to the usual rule that things in comments are-ignored.)-Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on the checking account,-two on the transaction, and one on the expenses posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-    ; transactiontag-2:-    assets:checking        $-1-    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.-And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and-postings\[aq] accounts).-So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively has all four-tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the transaction-also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses posting).-.PP-You can list tag names with \f[V]hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]\f[R], or match-by tag name with a \f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX\f[R] query.-.SS Tag values-.PP-Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a-comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).-Note this means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.-Eg in the following posting, the three tags\[aq] values are \[dq]value-1\[dq], \[dq]value 2\[dq], and \[dq]\[dq] (empty) respectively:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overriding:-when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the new-name:value pair is added to the tags.-(It is not possible to override a tag\[aq]s value or remove a tag.)-.PP-You can list a tag\[aq]s values with-\f[V]hledger tags TAGNAME --values\f[R], or match by tag value with a-\f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX\f[R] query.-.SS Directives-.PP-A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-and so on.-hledger\[aq]s directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger\[aq]s, but-there are many differences, and also some differences between hledger-versions.-Here are some more definitions:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]subdirective\f[R] - Some directives support subdirectives, written-indented below the parent directive.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]decimal mark\f[R] - The character to interpret as a decimal mark-(period or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[I]display style\f[R] - How to display amounts of a commodity in-output: symbol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number-of decimal places.-.PP-Directives are not required when starting out with hledger, but you will-probably want to add some as your needs grow.-Here some key directives for particular needs:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(43.0n) lw(27.0n).-T{-purpose-T}@T{-directives-T}-_-T{-\f[B]READING DATA:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Declare file\[aq]s decimal mark to help parse amounts accurately-T}@T{-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-T}-T{-Rewrite account names-T}@T{-\f[V]alias\f[R]-T}-T{-Comment out sections of the data-T}@T{-\f[V]comment\f[R]-T}-T{-Include extra data files-T}@T{-\f[V]include\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]GENERATING DATA:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Generate recurring transactions or budget goals-T}@T{-\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]-T}-T{-Generate extra postings on transactions-T}@T{-\f[V]=\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]CHECKING FOR ERRORS:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Define valid entities to provide more error checking-T}@T{-\f[V]account\f[R], \f[V]commodity\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[B]REPORTING:\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-Declare accounts\[aq] type and display order-T}@T{-\f[V]account\f[R]-T}-T{-Declare commodity display styles-T}@T{-\f[V]commodity\f[R]-T}-T{-Declare market prices-T}@T{-\f[V]P\f[R]-T}-.TE-.SS Directive effects-.PP-And here is what each directive does, and which files and journal-entries (transactions) it affects:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(3.5n) lw(64.1n) lw(2.4n).-T{-directive-T}@T{-what it does-T}@T{-ends at file end?-T}-_-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]account\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; and its-display order and type.-Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]alias\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of current file-or \f[V]end aliases\f[R].-Command line equivalent: \f[V]--alias\f[R]-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]comment\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file or-\f[V]end comment\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]commodity\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares up to four things: 1.-a commodity symbol, for checking all amounts in all files 2.-the decimal mark for parsing amounts of this commodity, in the following-entries until end of current file (if there is no \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-directive) 3.-and the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.-which is also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in-this commodity.-Takes precedence over \f[V]D\f[R].-Subdirectives: \f[V]format\f[R] (Ledger-compatible syntax).-Command line equivalent: \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]-T}@T{-N,Y,N,N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all commodities in-following entries until next \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] or end of current-file.-Included files can override.-Takes precedence over \f[V]commodity\f[R] and \f[V]D\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Includes entries and directives from another file, as if they were-written inline.-Command line alternative: multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R]-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]payee\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]P\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value-reports.-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]\[ti]\f[B]\f[R] (tilde)-T}@T{-Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future transactions-with \f[V]--forecast\f[R] and budget goals with-\f[V]balance --budget\f[R].-T}@T{-N-T}-T{-Other syntax:-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]apply account\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Prepends a common parent account to all account names, in following-entries until end of current file or \f[V]end apply account\f[R].-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]D\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if there is-no \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive for this commodity: its decimal mark,-balancing precision, and display style, as above.-T}@T{-Y,Y,N,N-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]Y\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following entries-until end of current file.-T}@T{-Y-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]=\f[B]\f[R] (equals)-T}@T{-Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on matched-transactions with \f[V]--auto\f[R], in current, parent, and child files-(but not sibling files, see #1212).-T}@T{-partly-T}-T{-\f[B]Other Ledger directives\f[R]-T}@T{-Other directives from Ledger\[aq]s file format are accepted but ignored.-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.SS Directives and multiple files-.PP-If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] options, or the-\f[V]include\f[R] directive, hledger will process multiple input files.-But directives which affect input typically have effect only until the-end of the file in which they occur (and on any included files in that-region).-.PP-This may seem inconvenient, but it\[aq]s intentional; it makes reports-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.-.PP-It can be surprising though; for example, it means that \f[V]alias\f[R]-directives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).-.SS \f[V]account\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]account\f[R] 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:-.IP \[bu] 2-They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a-reference.-.IP \[bu] 2-In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by-transactions, which helps detect typos.-.IP \[bu] 2-They control account display order in reports, allowing non-alphabetic-sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).-.IP \[bu] 2-They help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,-hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags-which can be used to filter or pivot reports.-.IP \[bu] 2-They can help hledger know your accounts\[aq] types (asset, liability,-equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and-incomestatement.-.PP-They are written as the word \f[V]account\f[R] followed by a-hledger-style account name, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not-allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-used in postings.-So the following journal will not parse:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account (assets:bank:checking)-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account comments-.PP-Text following \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] and \f[V];\f[R] at the end-of an account directive line, and/or following \f[V];\f[R] on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that account.-They are ignored except they may contain tags, which are not ignored.-.PP-The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because-\f[V];\f[R] is allowed in account names.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-  ; next-line comment-  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account subdirectives-.PP-Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently-ignored:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets:bank:checking-  format subdirective is ignored-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Account error checking-.PP-By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when-a posting references them.-This is convenient, but it means hledger can\[aq]t warn you when you-mis-spell an account name in the journal.-Usually you\[aq]ll find that error later, as an extra account in balance-reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.-.PP-In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,-hledger will report an error if any transaction uses an account name-that has not been declared by an account directive.-Some notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct-account name capitalisation.-.IP \[bu] 2-The account directive\[aq]s scope is \[dq]whole file and below\[dq] (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\[aq]s usual to put them at the top.-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts can only be declared in \f[V]journal\f[R] files, but will-affect included files of all types.-.IP \[bu] 2-It\[aq]s currently not possible to declare \[dq]all possible-subaccounts\[dq] with a wildcard; every account posted to must be-declared.-.SS Account display order-.PP-The order in which account directives are written influences the order-in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.-By default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these-account directives to the journal file:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets-account liabilities-account equity-account revenues-account expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts -1-assets-liabilities-equity-revenues-expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.-.PP-Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within each group of-sibling accounts under the same parent.-And currently, this directive:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account other:zoo-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-would influence the position of \f[V]zoo\f[R] among-\f[V]other\f[R]\[aq]s subaccounts, but not the position of-\f[V]other\f[R] among the top-level accounts.-This means:-.IP \[bu] 2-you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg \f[V]account other\f[R]-above) that you don\[aq]t intend to post to, just to customize their-display order-.IP \[bu] 2-sibling accounts stay together (you couldn\[aq]t display \f[V]x:y\f[R]-in between \f[V]a:b\f[R] and \f[V]a:c\f[R]).-.SS Account types-.PP-hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-expenses and so on.-This enables easy reports like balancesheet and incomestatement, and-filtering by account type with the \f[V]type:\f[R] query.-.PP-As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically-if you are using common english-language top-level account names-(described below).-But generally we recommend you declare types explicitly, by adding a-\f[V]type:\f[R] tag to your top-level account directives.-Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.-The tag\[aq]s value should be one of the five main account types:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]A\f[R] or \f[V]Asset\f[R] (things you own)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]L\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] (things you owe)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]E\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] (investment/ownership; balanced-counterpart of assets & liabilities)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]R\f[R] or \f[V]Revenue\f[R] (what you received money from, AKA-income; technically part of Equity)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]X\f[R] or \f[V]Expense\f[R] (what you spend money on; technically-part of Equity)-.PP-or, it can be (these are used less often):-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]C\f[R] or \f[V]Cash\f[R] (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid-assets for the cashflow report)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]V\f[R] or \f[V]Conversion\f[R] (a subtype of Equity, for-conversions (see COST REPORTING).)-.PP-Here is a typical set of account type declarations:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-account assets             ; type: A-account liabilities        ; type: L-account equity             ; type: E-account revenues           ; type: R-account expenses           ; type: X--account assets:bank        ; type: C-account assets:cash        ; type: C--account equity:conversion  ; type: V-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here are some tips for working with account types.-.IP \[bu] 2-The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.-These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going; if-they don\[aq]t work for you, just ignore them and declare your account-types.-See also Regular expressions.-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-If account\[aq]s name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:---------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-\[ha]assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-\[ha](debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-\[ha]equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-\[ha]equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-\[ha](income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-\[ha]expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-If you declare any account types, it\[aq]s a good idea to declare an-account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and-name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.-.IP \[bu] 2-Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.-See Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.-.IP \[bu] 2-As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent-account.-More precisely, an account\[aq]s type is decided by the first of these-that exists:-.RS 2-.IP "1." 3-A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration for this account.-.IP "2." 3-A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration in the parent accounts above it,-preferring the nearest.-.IP "3." 3-An account type inferred from this account\[aq]s name.-.IP "4." 3-An account type inferred from a parent account\[aq]s name, preferring-the nearest parent.-.IP "5." 3-Otherwise, it will have no type.-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS \f[V]alias\f[R] directive-.PP-You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-parts of them, before generating reports.-This can be useful for:-.IP \[bu] 2-expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier-data entry and a less verbose journal-.IP \[bu] 2-adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy-.IP \[bu] 2-combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on-one line-.IP \[bu] 2-customising reports-.PP-Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.-They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or-hledger-web.-.PP-Account aliases are very powerful.-They are generally easy to use correctly, but you can also generate-invalid account names with them; more on this below.-.PP-See also Rewrite account names.-.SS Basic aliases-.PP-To set an account alias, use the \f[V]alias\f[R] 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias OLD = NEW-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Or, you can use the \f[V]--alias \[aq]OLD=NEW\[aq]\f[R] option on the-command line.-This affects all entries.-It\[aq]s useful for trying out aliases interactively.-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking-; rewrites \[dq]checking\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq], or \[dq]checking:a\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking:a\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Regex aliases-.PP-There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,-indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.-(This is the only place where hledger requires forward slashes around a-regular expression.)-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger --alias \[aq]/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\[aq] ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by-REPLACEMENT.-REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.-.PP-If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg-\f[V]/\[rs]/=:\f[R].-.PP-If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced by-the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias /\[ha](.+):bank:([\[ha]:]+):(.*)/ = \[rs]1:\[rs]2 \[rs]3-; rewrites \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq] to  \[dq]assets:wells fargo checking\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of-option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.-.SS Combining aliases-.PP-You can define as many aliases as you like, using journal directives-and/or command line options.-.PP-Recursive aliases - where an account name is rewritten by one alias,-then by another alias, and so on - are allowed.-Each alias sees the effect of previously applied aliases.-.PP-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 entry, we apply:-.IP "1." 3-\f[V]alias\f[R] directives preceding the journal entry, most recently-parsed first (ie, reading upward from the journal entry, bottom to top)-.IP "2." 3-\f[V]--alias\f[R] options, in the order they appeared on the command-line (left to right).-.PP-In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:-.IP \[bu] 2-the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first-.IP \[bu] 2-the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on-.IP \[bu] 2-aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.-.PP-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.-.PP-In case of trouble, adding \f[V]--debug=6\f[R] to the command line will-show which aliases are being applied when.-.SS Aliases and multiple files-.PP-As explained at Directives and multiple files, \f[V]alias\f[R]-directives do not affect parent or sibling files.-Eg in this command,-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger -f a.aliases -f b.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-account aliases defined in a.aliases will not affect b.journal.-Including the aliases doesn\[aq]t work either:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include a.aliases--2020-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases-  foo  1-  bar-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This means that account aliases should usually be declared at the start-of your top-most file, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-alias foo=Foo-alias bar=Bar--2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-  foo  1-  bar--include c.journal  ; also affected-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]end aliases\f[R] directive-.PP-You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the-journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-end aliases-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Aliases can generate bad account names-.PP-Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which-could cause confusing reports or invalid \f[V]print\f[R] output.-For example, you could erase all account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-  a:aa     1-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --alias \[aq]/.*/=\[aq]-2021-01-01-                   1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The above \f[V]print\f[R] output is not a valid journal.-Or you could insert an illegal double space, causing \f[V]print\f[R]-output that would give a different journal when reparsed:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-  old    1-  other-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --alias old=\[dq]new  USD\[dq] | hledger -f- print-2021-01-01-    new             USD 1-    other-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Aliases and account types-.PP-If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in-effect.-.PP-However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg renaming-parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could prevent-child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.-.PP-Secondly, if an account\[aq]s type is being inferred from its name,-renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.-.PP-If you are using account aliases and the \f[V]type:\f[R] query is not-matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts-command, eg something like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive-.PP-You can use \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to declare your commodities.-In fact the \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive performs several functions at-once:-.IP "1." 3-It declares commodities which may be used in the journal.-This can optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking.-(Cf Commodity error checking)-.IP "2." 3-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 \f[V]1,000\f[R] and-\f[V]1.000\f[R] as 1.-(Cf Amounts)-.IP "3." 3-It declares how to render the commodity\[aq]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 style)-.PP-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.-.PP-Generally you should put them at the top of your journal file (since for-function 2, they affect only following amounts, cf #793).-.PP-A commodity directive is just the word \f[V]commodity\f[R] followed by a-sample amount, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;commodity SAMPLEAMOUNT--commodity $1000.00-commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA  ; optional same-line comment-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the \f[V]format\f[R]-subdirective, as in Ledger.-Note in this case the commodity symbol appears twice; it must be the-same in both places:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;commodity SYMBOL-;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-commodity INR-  format INR 1,00,00,000.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.PP-Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or-punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).-.PP-The amount\[aq]s quantity does not matter; only the format is-significant.-It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a comma - followed-by 0 or more decimal digits.-.PP-A few more examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# number formats for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.0-commodity 1 000 000.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note hledger normally uses banker\[aq]s rounding, so 0.5 displayed with-zero decimal digits is \[dq]0\[dq].-(More at Commodity display style.)-.PP-Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display-style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.-.SS Commodity error checking-.PP-In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,-hledger will report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not-been declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive.-This works similarly to account error checking, see the notes there for-more details.-.PP-Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because-currently it\[aq]s not possible (?)-to declare the \[dq]no-symbol\[dq] commodity with a directive.-This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts are always allowed-to have no commodity symbol.-.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive-.PP-You can use a \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive - usually one per file,-at the top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal-mark when parsing amounts in this file.-It can look like-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark .-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we-recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg-thousands separators).-.SS \f[V]include\f[R] directive-.PP-You can pull in the content of additional files by writing an include-directive, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include FILEPATH-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Only journal files can include, and only journal, timeclock or timedot-files can be included (not CSV files, currently).-.PP-If the file path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the-current file\[aq]s folder.-.PP-A tilde means home directory, eg: \f[V]include \[ti]/main.journal\f[R].-.PP-The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:-\f[V]include *.journal\f[R].-.PP-There is limited support for recursive wildcards: \f[V]**/\f[R] (the-slash is required) matches 0 or more subdirectories.-It\[aq]s not super convenient since you have to avoid include cycles and-including directories, but this can be done, eg:-\f[V]include */**/*.journal\f[R].-.PP-The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format,-overriding the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input-files): \f[V]include timedot:\[ti]/notes/2020*.md\f[R].-.SS \f[V]P\f[R] directive-.PP-The \f[V]P\f[R] directive declares a market price, which is a conversion-rate between two commodities on a certain date.-This allows value reports to convert amounts of one commodity to their-value in another, on or after that date.-These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange, cryptocurrency-exchange, the or foreign exchange market.-.PP-The format is:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# one euro was worth $1.35 from 2009-01-01 onward:-P 2009-01-01 \[Eu] $1.35--# and $1.40 from 2010-01-01 onward:-P 2010-01-01 \[Eu] $1.40-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] and \f[V]--value\f[R] flags use these-market prices to show amount values in another commodity.-See Valuation.-.PP-.SS \f[V]payee\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]payee PAYEE NAME\f[R]-.PP-This directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees which may-appear in transaction descriptions.-The \[dq]payees\[dq] check will report an error if any transaction-refers to a payee that has not been declared.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-payee Whole Foods-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.SS \f[V]tag\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]tag TAGNAME\f[R]-.PP-This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names allowed-in tags.-TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-tag  item-id-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.-.PP-The \[dq]tags\[dq] check will report an error if any undeclared tag name-is used.-It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use of-colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can-declare and check your tags .-.SS Periodic transactions-.PP-The \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] directive declares recurring transactions.-Such directives allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions-(visible in reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting-or budgeting.-.PP-Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-read this whole section, or at least these tips:-.IP "1." 3-Two spaces accidentally added or omitted will cause you trouble - read-about this below.-.IP "2." 3-For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with-\f[V]hledger print --forecast tag:generated\f[R] or-\f[V]hledger register --forecast tag:generated\f[R].-.IP "3." 3-Forecasted transactions will begin only after the last non-forecasted-transaction\[aq]s date.-.IP "4." 3-Forecasted transactions will end 6 months from today, by default.-See below for the exact start/end rules.-.IP "5." 3-period expressions can be tricky.-Their documentation needs improvement, but is worth studying.-.IP "6." 3-Some period expressions with a repeating interval must begin on a-natural boundary of that interval.-Eg in \f[V]weekly from DATE\f[R], DATE must be a monday.-\f[V]\[ti] weekly from 2019/10/1\f[R] (a tuesday) will give an error.-.IP "7." 3-Other period expressions with an interval are automatically expanded to-cover a whole number of that interval.-(This is done to improve reports, but it also affects periodic-transactions.-Yes, it\[aq]s a bit inconsistent with the above.)-Eg: \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2020/01\f[R], which is-equivalent to \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2020/01/01\f[R],-will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.-.SS Periodic rule syntax-.PP-A periodic transaction rule looks like a normal journal entry, with the-date replaced by a tilde (\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]) followed by a period-expression (mnemonic: \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] looks like a recurring sine-wave.):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# every first of month-\[ti] monthly-    expenses:rent          $2000-    assets:bank:checking--# every 15th of month in 2023\[aq]s first quarter:-\[ti] monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-    expenses:utilities          $400-    assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying-multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies-report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods\[aq]-start dates).-.SS Periodic rules and relative dates-.PP-Partial or relative dates (like \f[V]12/31\f[R], \f[V]25\f[R],-\f[V]tomorrow\f[R], \f[V]last week\f[R], \f[V]next quarter\f[R]) are-usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the results will change-as time passes.-If used, they will be interpreted relative to, in order of preference:-.IP "1." 3-the first day of the default year specified by a recent \f[V]Y\f[R]-directive-.IP "2." 3-or the date specified with \f[V]--today\f[R]-.IP "3." 3-or the date on which you are running the report.-.PP-They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period-dates.-.SS Two spaces between period expression and description!-.PP-If the period expression is followed by a transaction description, these-must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R].-This helps hledger know where the period expression ends, so that-descriptions can not accidentally alter their meaning, as in this-example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as \[dq]every 2 months in 2020\[dq]-;               ||-;               vv-\[ti] every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-    assets:bank:checking   $1500-    income:acme inc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-So,-.IP \[bu] 2-Do write two spaces between your period expression and your transaction-description, if any.-.IP \[bu] 2-Don\[aq]t accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period-expression.-.SS Other syntax-.PP-hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to-make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.-Note some of the features below are powerful and can be useful in-special cases, but in general, features in this section are considered-less important or even not recommended for most users.-Downsides are mentioned to help you decide if you want to use them.-.SS Auto postings-.PP-The \f[V]=\f[R] directive declares a rule for automatically adding-temporary extra postings (visible in reports, not in the journal file)-to all transactions matched by a certain query, when you use the-\f[V]--auto\f[R] flag.-.PP-Downsides: depending on generated data for your reports makes your-financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in-an audit.-Also, because the feature is optional, other features like balance-assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.-.PP-An auto posting rule looks a bit like a transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= QUERY-    ACCOUNT  AMOUNT-    ...-    ACCOUNT  [AMOUNT]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: \f[V]=\f[R] suggests-matching), followed by a query (which matches existing postings), and-each \[dq]posting\[dq] line describes a posting to be generated, and the-posting amounts can be:-.IP \[bu] 2-a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]$2\f[R].-This will be used as-is.-.IP \[bu] 2-a number, eg \f[V]2\f[R].-The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched posting will be added to-this.-.IP \[bu] 2-a numeric multiplier, eg \f[V]*2\f[R] (a star followed by a number N).-The matched posting\[aq]s amount (and total price, if any) will be-multiplied by N.-.IP \[bu] 2-a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]*$2\f[R] (a star, number-N, and symbol S).-The matched posting\[aq]s amount will be multiplied by N, and its-commodity symbol will be replaced with S.-.PP-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 query term below:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= expenses:groceries \[aq]expenses:dining out\[aq]-    (budget:funds:dining out)                 *-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; every time I buy food, schedule a dollar donation-= expenses:food-    (liabilities:charity)   $-1--; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-= expenses:gifts-    assets:checking:gifts  *-1-    assets:checking         *1--2017/12/1-  expenses:food    $10-  assets:checking--2017/12/14-  expenses:gifts   $20-  assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --auto-2017-12-01-    expenses:food              $10-    assets:checking-    (liabilities:charity)      $-1--2017-12-14-    expenses:gifts             $20-    assets:checking-    assets:checking:gifts     -$20-    assets:checking            $20-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Auto postings and multiple files-.PP-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[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] are used - see #1212).-.SS Auto postings and dates-.PP-A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be-used in the generated posting.-.SS Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions-.PP-Currently, auto postings are added:-.IP \[bu] 2-after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked for-balancedness,-.IP \[bu] 2-but before balance assertions are checked.-.PP-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 for background.-.PP-This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a-missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to-infer amounts.-.SS Auto posting tags-.PP-Automated postings will have some extra tags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - shows this was generated by an-auto posting rule, and the query-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]_generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - a hidden tag, which does not-appear in hledger\[aq]s output.-This can be used to match postings generated \[dq]just now\[dq], rather-than generated in the past and saved to the journal.-.PP-Also, any transaction that has been changed by auto posting rules will-have these tags added:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]modified:\f[R] - this transaction was modified-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]_modified:\f[R] - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this-transaction was modified \[dq]just now\[dq].-.SS Balance assignments-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-2016/1/1 opening balances-  assets:checking            = $409.32-  assets:savings             = $735.24-  assets:cash                 = $42-  equity:opening balances-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or when adjusting a balance to reality:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; no cash left; update balance, record any untracked spending as a generic expense-2016/1/15-  assets:cash    = $0-  expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The calculated amount depends on the account\[aq]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).-.PP-Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;-to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the-calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.-Also balance assignments\[aq] forcing of balances can hide errors.-These things make your financial data less portable, less future-proof,-and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS Balance assignments and prices-.PP-A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have-that price attached:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019/1/1-  (a)             = $1 \[at] \[Eu]2-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --explicit-2019-01-01-    (a)         $1 \[at] \[Eu]2 = $1 \[at] \[Eu]2-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Bracketed posting dates-.PP-For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger\[aq]s-bracketed date syntax is also supported: \f[V][DATE]\f[R],-\f[V][DATE=DATE2]\f[R] or \f[V][=DATE2]\f[R] in posting comments.-hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the-\f[V]0123456789/-.=\f[R] characters in this way.-With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2-infers its year from DATE.-.PP-Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger\[aq]s-\f[V]date:\f[R]/\f[V]date2:\f[R] tags, and confusingly similar to-Ledger\[aq]s lot date syntax.-.SS \f[V]D\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]D AMOUNT\f[R]-.PP-This 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 \f[V]D\f[R] directive, or the end of-the journal.-.PP-For compatibility/historical reasons, \f[V]D\f[R] also acts like a-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive (setting the commodity\[aq]s decimal mark-for parsing and display style for output).-So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but a full amount-demonstrating the style.-The amount must include a decimal mark (either period or comma).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-D $1,000.00--1/1-  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Interactions with other directives:-.PP-For setting a commodity\[aq]s display style, a \f[V]commodity\f[R]-directive has highest priority, then a \f[V]D\f[R] directive.-.PP-For detecting a commodity\[aq]s decimal mark during parsing,-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] has highest priority, then \f[V]commodity\f[R],-then \f[V]D\f[R].-.PP-For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a-\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive is required-(\f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R] ignores \f[V]D\f[R] directives).-.PP-Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less-explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.-It is usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want-to track multiple commodities.-D is overloaded with functions redundant with \f[V]commodity\f[R] and-\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R].-And it works differently from Ledger\[aq]s \f[V]D\f[R].-.SS \f[V]apply account\f[R] directive-.PP-This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to-all accounts in following entries, until an \f[V]end apply account\f[R]-directive or end of current file.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-apply account home--2010/1/1-    food    $10-    cash--end apply account-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-is equivalent to:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2010/01/01-    home:food           $10-    home:cash          $-10-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\f[V]account\f[R] directives are also affected, and so is any-\f[V]include\f[R]d content.-.PP-Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.-.PP-Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is-prepended.-.PP-Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less-portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS \f[V]Y\f[R] directive-.PP-\f[V]Y YEAR\f[R]-.PP-or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):-.PP-\f[V]year YEAR\f[R] \f[V]apply year YEAR\f[R]-.PP-The space is optional.-This sets a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don\[aq]t-specify a year.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-  expenses  1-  assets--year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-  expenses  1-  assets--1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-  expenses  1-  assets-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)-makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less-trustworthy in an audit.-Such dates can get separated from their corresponding Y directive, eg-when evaluating a region of the journal in your editor.-A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today\[aq]s date.-.SS Secondary dates-.PP-A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an equals-sign.-If the year is omitted, the primary date\[aq]s year is assumed.-When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but-with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag (or \f[V]--aux-date\f[R] or-\f[V]--effective\f[R]), the secondary (right) date will be used instead.-.PP-The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it\[aq]s best to follow-a consistent rule.-Eg \[dq]primary = the bank\[aq]s clearing date, secondary = date the-transaction was initiated, if different\[dq].-.PP-Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,-and less trustworthy in an audit.-Keeping the meaning of the two dates consistent requires discipline, and-you have to remember which reporting mode is appropriate for a given-report.-Posting dates are simpler and better.-.SS Star comments-.PP-Lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.-This feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,-allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-with org mode.-.PP-Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.-Decreases your journal\[aq]s portability.-And switching to Emacs org mode just for folding/unfolding meant losing-the benefits of ledger mode; nowadays you can add outshine mode to-ledger mode to get folding without losing ledger mode\[aq]s features.-.SS Valuation expressions-.PP-Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double-parentheses after an amount.-hledger ignores these.-.SS Virtual postings-.PP-A posting with parentheses around the account name is called a-\f[I]virtual posting\f[R] or \f[I]unbalanced posting\f[R], which means-it is exempt from the usual rule that a transaction\[aq]s postings must-balance add up to zero.-.PP-This is not part of double entry bookkeeping, 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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 opening balances-  (assets:checking)   $1000-  (assets:savings)    $2000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A posting with brackets around the account name is called a-\f[I]balanced virtual posting\f[R].-The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to zero-(separately from other postings).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-  expenses:food                    $7  ; <--  expenses:food                    $3  ; <--  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Postings whose account names are neither parenthesised nor bracketed are-called \f[I]real postings\f[R].-You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the-\f[V]-R/--real\f[R] flag or a \f[V]real:1\f[R] query.-.PP-Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid-figuring out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable-and less trustworthy in an audit.-.SS Other Ledger directives-.PP-These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.-This allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that-hledger\[aq]s reports may differ from Ledger\[aq]s if you use these.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-apply fixed COMM AMT-apply tag   TAG-assert      EXPR-bucket / A  ACCT-capture     ACCT REGEX-check       EXPR-define      VAR=EXPR-end apply fixed-end apply tag-end apply year-end tag-eval / expr EXPR-python-  PYTHONCODE-tag         NAME-value       EXPR---command-line-flags-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger-syntax comparison.-.PP-.SH CSV-.PP-hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting-each record into a transaction.-.PP-(To learn about \f[I]writing\f[R] CSV, see CSV output.)-.PP-For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they-have a corresponding \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].tsv\f[R] or \f[V].ssv\f[R]-file extension or use a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).-.PP-Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding \f[I]rules file\f[R].-.PD 0-.P-.PD-This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,-date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and-how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.-.PP-By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with-an extra \f[V].rules\f[R] extension, in the same directory.-Eg when asked to read \f[V]foo/FILE.csv\f[R], hledger looks for-\f[V]foo/FILE.csv.rules\f[R].-You can specify a different rules file with the \f[V]--rules-file\f[R]-option.-If no rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file,-which you\[aq]ll need to adjust.-.PP-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\[aq]s a simple CSV file and a rules file for it:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Date, Description, Id, Amount-12/11/2019, Foo, 123, 10.23-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# basic.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       date, description, , amount-date-format  %d/%m/%Y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -f basic.csv-2019-11-12 Foo-    expenses:unknown           10.23-    income:unknown            -10.23-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-There\[aq]s an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,-and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.-.SS CSV rules cheatsheet-.PP-The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-(Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or-\f[V]*\f[R] are ignored.)-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(23.7n) lw(46.3n).-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]separator\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the field separator, instead of relying on file extension-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]skip\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-skip one or more header lines at start of file-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]date-format\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]timezone\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV date-times-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]newest-first\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-improve txn order when: there are multiple records, newest first, all-with the same date-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]intra-day-reversed\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-improve txn order when: same-day txns are in opposite order to the-overall file-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, when ambiguous-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]fields\f[B] list\f[R]-T}@T{-name CSV fields for easy reference, and optionally assign their values-to hledger fields-T}-T{-\f[B]Field assignment\f[R]-T}@T{-assign a CSV value or interpolated text value to a hledger field-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] block\f[R]-T}@T{-conditionally assign values to hledger fields, or \f[V]skip\f[R] a-record or \f[V]end\f[R] (skip rest of file)-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] table\f[R]-T}@T{-conditionally assign values to hledger fields, using compact syntax-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]balance-type\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-select which type of balance assertions/assignments to generate-T}-T{-\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]-T}@T{-inline another CSV rules file-T}-.TE-.PP-Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are-evaluated.-.SS \f[V]separator\f[R]-.PP-You can use the \f[V]separator\f[R] rule to read other kinds of-character-separated data.-The argument is any single separator character, or the words-\f[V]tab\f[R] or \f[V]space\f[R] (case insensitive).-Eg, for comma-separated values (CSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or for semicolon-separated values (SSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator ;-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or for tab-separated values (TSV):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-separator TAB-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If the input file has a \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R]-file extension (or a \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R], \f[V]tsv:\f[R]-prefix), the appropriate separator will be inferred automatically, and-you won\[aq]t need this rule.-.SS \f[V]skip\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-skip N-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The word \f[V]skip\f[R] followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1)-tells hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the-input data.-(Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don\[aq]t need to-count those.)-You\[aq]ll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.-Header lines skipped in this way are ignored, and not parsed as CSV.-.PP-\f[V]skip\f[R] can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to-skip individual data records.-Note records skipped in this way are still required to be valid CSV,-even though otherwise ignored.-.SS \f[V]date-format\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-date-format DATEFMT-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is a helper for the \f[V]date\f[R] (and \f[V]date2\f[R]) fields.-If your CSV dates are not formatted like \f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R],-\f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R], you\[aq]ll need to add a-date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style date parsing-pattern - see-https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.-The pattern must parse the CSV date value completely.-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# MM/DD/YY-date-format %m/%d/%y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# D/M/YYYY-# The - makes leading zeros optional.-date-format %-d/%-m/%Y-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# YYYY-Mmm-DD-date-format %Y-%h-%d-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]timezone\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-timezone TIMEZONE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone other-than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you can-use this rule to declare the CSV\[aq]s native time zone, which helps-prevent off-by-one dates.-.PP-When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don\[aq]t-need this rule; instead, use \f[V]%Z\f[R] in \f[V]date-format\f[R] (or-\f[V]%z\f[R], \f[V]%EZ\f[R], \f[V]%Ez\f[R]; see the formatTime link-above).-.PP-In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,-localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.-If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for-reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with-the TZ environment variable, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-\f[V]timezone\f[R] currently does not understand timezone names, except-\[dq]UTC\[dq], \[dq]GMT\[dq], \[dq]EST\[dq], \[dq]EDT\[dq],-\[dq]CST\[dq], \[dq]CDT\[dq], \[dq]MST\[dq], \[dq]MDT\[dq],-\[dq]PST\[dq], or \[dq]PDT\[dq].-For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.-.SS \f[V]newest-first\f[R]-.PP-hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-chronologically, including intra-day transactions.-Usually it can auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.-But if it encounters CSV where all records are on the same date, it-assumes that the records are oldest first.-If in fact the CSV\[aq]s records are normally newest first, like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-10-01, txn 3...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-you can add the \f[V]newest-first\f[R] rule to help hledger generate the-transactions in correct order.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# same-day CSV records are newest first-newest-first-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R]-.PP-CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-the overall date order.-Eg, here dates are newest first, but the transactions on each date are-oldest first:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-10-02, txn 3...-2022-10-02, txn 4...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In this situation, add the \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R] rule, and-hledger will compensate, improving the order of transactions.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-intra-day-reversed-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark .-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-decimal-mark ,-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger automatically accepts either period or comma as a decimal 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.-.SS \f[V]fields\f[R] list-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A fields list (the word \f[V]fields\f[R] followed by comma-separated-field names) is optional, but convenient.-It does two things:-.IP "1." 3-It names the CSV field in each column.-This can be convenient if you are referencing them in other rules, so-you can say \f[V]%SomeField\f[R] instead of remembering \f[V]%13\f[R].-.IP "2." 3-Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described-below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger field.-This is the quickest way to populate hledger\[aq]s fields and build a-transaction.-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example that says \[dq]use the 1st, 2nd and 4th fields as-the transaction\[aq]s date, description and amount; name the last two-fields for later reference; and ignore the others\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the-CSV file\[aq]s separator.-Also:-.IP \[bu] 2-There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).-.IP \[bu] 2-Field names may not contain spaces.-Spaces before/after field names are optional.-.IP \[bu] 2-Field names may contain \f[V]_\f[R] (underscore) or \f[V]-\f[R]-(hyphen).-.IP \[bu] 2-Fields you don\[aq]t care about can be given a dummy name or an empty-name.-.PP-If the CSV contains column headings, it\[aq]s convenient to use these-for your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces-replaced by underscores).-.PP-Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to a-hledger field with the same name.-Eg you could call the CSV\[aq]s \[dq]balance\[dq] field-\f[V]balance_\f[R] to avoid directly setting hledger\[aq]s-\f[V]balance\f[R] field (and generating a balance assertion).-.SS Field assignment-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-HLEDGERFIELD FIELDVALUE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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).-.PP-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 interpolate CSV fields, referenced by their 1-based-position in the CSV record (\f[V]%N\f[R]), or by the name they were-given in the fields list (\f[V]%CSVFIELD\f[R]).-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with \[dq] USD\[dq] appended-amount %4 USD--# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Tips:-.IP \[bu] 2-Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like-\f[V]\[dq] 1 \[dq]\f[R] becomes \f[V]1\f[R] when interpolated) (#1051).-.IP \[bu] 2-Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can\[aq]t interpolate a-hledger field.-(See Referencing other fields below).-.SS Field names-.PP-Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in-hledger CSV rules files:-.IP "1." 3-\f[B]CSV field names\f[R] (\f[V]CSVFIELD\f[R] in these docs): you can-optionally name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger-doesn\[aq]t yet automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file),-by writing arbitrary names in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list, eg:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Special \f[B]hledger field names\f[R] (\f[V]HLEDGERFIELD\f[R] in these-docs): you must set at least some of these to generate the hledger-transaction from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of-a field assignment, eg:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-date        %When-code        %Some_Id-description %What-comment     %Foo %Bar-amount1     $ %Total-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or directly in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-currency $-comment  %Foo %Bar-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what happens-when you assign values to them:-.SS date field-.PP-Assigning to \f[V]date\f[R] sets the transaction date.-.SS date2 field-.PP-\f[V]date2\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s secondary date, if any.-.SS status field-.PP-\f[V]status\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s status, if any.-.SS code field-.PP-\f[V]code\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s code, if any.-.SS description field-.PP-\f[V]description\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s description, if any.-.SS comment field-.PP-\f[V]comment\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s comment, if any.-.PP-\f[V]commentN\f[R], where N is a number, sets the Nth posting\[aq]s-comment.-.PP-You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R]-in the code.-A comment starting with \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R] will begin on a new line.-.PP-Comments can contain tags, as usual.-.SS account field-.PP-Assigning to \f[V]accountN\f[R], where N is 1 to 99, sets the account-name of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to be generated.-.PP-Most often there are two postings, so you\[aq]ll want to set-\f[V]account1\f[R] and \f[V]account2\f[R].-Typically \f[V]account1\f[R] is associated with the CSV file, and is set-once with a top-level assignment, while \f[V]account2\f[R] is set based-on each transaction\[aq]s description, in conditional rules.-.PP-If a posting\[aq]s account name is left unset but its amount is set (see-below), a default account name will be chosen (like-\[dq]expenses:unknown\[dq] or \[dq]income:unknown\[dq]).-.SS amount field-.PP-There are several \[dq]amount\[dq] field name variants, useful for-different situations:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amountN\f[R] sets the amount of the Nth posting, and causes that-posting to be generated.-By assigning to \f[V]amount1\f[R], \f[V]amount2\f[R], ...-etc.-you can generate up to 99 postings.-Posting numbers don\[aq]t have to be consecutive; in certain situations-using a high number might be helpful to influence the layout of-postings.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] should be used instead,-as a pair, when and only when the amount must be obtained from two CSV-fields.-Eg when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a single-Amount field.-Note:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-Don\[aq]t think \[dq]-in is for the first posting and -out is for the-second posting\[dq] - that\[aq]s not correct.-Think: \[dq]\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] together-detect the amount for posting N, by inspecting two CSV fields at-once.\[dq]-.IP \[bu] 2-hledger assumes both CSV fields are unsigned, and will automatically-negate the -out value.-.IP \[bu] 2-It also expects that at least one of the values is empty or zero, so it-knows which one to ignore.-If that\[aq]s not the case you\[aq]ll need an if rule (see Setting-amounts below).-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]amount\f[R], with no posting number (and similarly,-\f[V]amount-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount-out\f[R] with no number) are an-older syntax.-We keep them for backwards compatibility, and because they have special-behaviour that is sometimes convenient:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-They set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of posting 2.-.IP \[bu] 2-Posting 2\[aq]s amount will be converted to cost if it has a cost price.-.IP \[bu] 2-Any of the newer rules for posting 1 or 2 (like \f[V]amount1\f[R], or-\f[V]amount2-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount2-out\f[R]) will take precedence.-This allows incrementally migrating old rules files to the new syntax.-.RE-.PP-There\[aq]s more to say about amount-setting that doesn\[aq]t fit here;-please see also \[dq]Setting amounts\[dq] below.-.SS currency field-.PP-\f[V]currency\f[R] sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all-postings\[aq] amounts.-You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency symbol, eg if-it is in a separate column.-.PP-\f[V]currencyN\f[R] prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth-posting\[aq]s amount.-.SS balance field-.PP-\f[V]balanceN\f[R] sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting-amount is left empty, a balance assignment) on posting N.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is-equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].-.PP-You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the-\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule (see below).-.PP-See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.-.SS \f[V]if\f[R] block-.PP-Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV-data.-This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can categorise-transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on their-description (for example).-There are two ways to write conditional rules: \[dq]if blocks\[dq],-described here, and \[dq]if tables\[dq], described below.-.PP-An if block is the word \f[V]if\f[R] and one or more \[dq]matcher\[dq]-expressions (can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on-the same or next line; followed by one or more indented rules.-Eg,-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if MATCHER- RULE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if-MATCHER-MATCHER-MATCHER- RULE- RULE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-applied.-They are usually field assignments, but the following special rules may-also be used within an if block:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]skip\f[R] - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction-from it)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]end\f[R] - skips the rest of the current CSV file.-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if the record contains \[dq]groceries\[dq], set account2 to \[dq]expenses:groceries\[dq]-if groceries- account2 expenses:groceries-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-if-monthly service fee-atm transaction fee-banking thru software- account2 expenses:business:banking- comment  XXX deductible ? check it-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-if ,,,,- end-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Matchers-.PP-There are two kinds:-.IP "1." 3-A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular-expression (\f[V]REGEX\f[R]), which hledger will try to match-case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Eg: \f[V]whole foods\f[R]-.IP "2." 3-A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name-(\f[V]%CSVFIELD REGEX\f[R]).-hledger will try to match these just within the named CSV field.-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Eg: \f[V]%date 2023\f[R]-.PP-The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended regular-expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],-\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R]), and nothing else.-If you have trouble, see \[dq]Regular expressions\[dq] in the hledger-manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).-.PP-With record matchers, it\[aq]s important to know that the record matched-is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be-converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing-whitespace) are removed.-So for example, when reading an SSV file, if the original record was:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01; \[dq]Acme, Inc.\[dq];  1,000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-By default they are OR\[aq]d (any one of them can match)-.IP \[bu] 2-When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (\f[V]&\f[R]) it will be-AND\[aq]ed with the previous matcher (both of them must match).-.PP-There\[aq]s not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.-.SS \f[V]if\f[R] table-.PP-\[dq]if tables\[dq] are an alternative to if blocks; they can express-many matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format,-like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-<empty line>-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The first character after \f[V]if\f[R] is taken to be the separator for-the rest of the table.-It should be a non-alphanumeric character like \f[V],\f[R] or-\f[V]|\f[R] that does not appear anywhere else in the table.-(Note: it is unrelated to the CSV file\[aq]s separator.)-Whitespace can be used in the matcher lines for readability, but not in-the if line currently.-The table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).-Each line must contain the same number of separators; empty values are-allowed.-.PP-The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,-assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding hledger-fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.-It is equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if MATCHERA-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERB-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERC-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-if,account2,comment-atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-%description groceries,expenses:groceries,-2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]balance-type\f[R]-.PP-Balance assertions generated by assigning to balanceN are of the simple-\f[V]=\f[R] 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-\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# balance assertions will consider all commodities and all subaccounts-balance-type ==*-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here are the balance assertion types for quick reference:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-=    single commodity, exclude subaccounts-=*   single commodity, include subaccounts-==   multi commodity,  exclude subaccounts-==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts-\f[R]-.fi-.SS \f[V]include\f[R]-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-include RULESFILE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point.-\f[V]RULESFILE\f[R] is an absolute file path or a path relative to the-current file\[aq]s directory.-This can be useful for sharing common rules between several rules files,-eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# someaccount.csv.rules--## someaccount-specific rules-fields   date,description,amount-account1 assets:someaccount-account2 expenses:misc--## common rules-include categorisation.rules-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Working with CSV-.PP-Some tips:-.SS Rapid feedback-.PP-It\[aq]s a good idea to get rapid feedback while-creating/troubleshooting CSV rules.-Here\[aq]s a good way, using entr from eradman.com/entrproject:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ ls foo.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ----; hledger -f foo.csv print desc:SOMEDESC\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, transactions of-interest.-\[dq]bash -c\[dq] 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.-.SS Valid CSV-.PP-Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and-equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab-as separators).-This means, eg:-.IP \[bu] 2-Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.-Enclosing in single quotes is not allowed.-(Eg \f[V]\[aq]A\[aq],\[aq]B\[aq]\f[R] is rejected.)-.IP \[bu] 2-When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes are-not allowed.-(Eg \f[V]\[dq]A\[dq], \[dq]B\[dq]\f[R] is rejected.)-.IP \[bu] 2-When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-quotes.-(Eg \f[V]A\[dq]A, B\f[R] is rejected.)-.PP-If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you\[aq]ll need to-transform it before reading with hledger.-Try using sed, or a more permissive CSV parser like python\[aq]s csv-lib.-.SS File Extension-.PP-To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error-messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),-it\[aq]s best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a \f[V].csv\f[R],-\f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R] filename extension.-(More about this at Data formats.)-.PP-When reading files with the \[dq]wrong\[dq] extension, you can ensure-the CSV reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file-path with \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R] or \f[V]tsv:\f[R]: Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule-if needed.-.SS Reading CSV from standard input-.PP-You\[aq]ll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,-since hledger assumes journal format by default.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reading multiple CSV files-.PP-If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] 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 \f[V]--rules-file\f[R] option, that rules file will-be used for all the CSV files.-.SS Valid transactions-.PP-After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the-generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing-them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.-Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying-the problem entry.-.PP-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 assertions generated from CSV right-away, pipe into another hledger:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Deduplicating, importing-.PP-When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-transactions, the new file may overlap with the old one, containing some-of the same records.-.PP-The import command will (a) detect the new transactions, and (b) append-just those transactions to your main journal.-It is idempotent, so you don\[aq]t have to remember how many times you-ran it or with which version of the CSV.-(It keeps state in a hidden \f[V].latest.FILE.csv\f[R] file.)-This is the easiest way to import CSV data.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# download the latest CSV files, then run this command.-# Note, no -f flags needed here.-$ hledger import *.csv [--dry]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This method works for most CSV files.-(Where records have a stable chronological order, and new records appear-only at the new end.)-.PP-A number of other tools and workflows, hledger-specific and otherwise,-exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and managing CSV data.-See:-.IP \[bu] 2-https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows-.IP \[bu] 2-https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion-.SS Setting amounts-.PP-Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling-various amount-setting situations:-.IP "1." 3-\f[B]If the amount is in a single CSV field:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-.RS 4-.IP "a." 3-\f[B]If its sign indicates direction of flow:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign it to \f[V]amountN\f[R], to set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount.-N is usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.-.IP "b." 3-\f[B]If another field indicates direction of flow:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate amount sign.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# assume a withdrawal unless Type contains \[dq]deposit\[dq]:-amount1  -%Amount-if %Type deposit-  amount1  %Amount-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-\f[B]If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and-Credit):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-.RS 4-.IP "a." 3-\f[B]If both fields are unsigned:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign the fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R].-This sets posting N\[aq]s amount to whichever of these has a non-zero-value.-If it\[aq]s the -out value, the amount will be negated.-.IP "b." 3-\f[B]If either field is signed:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.-Eg below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo-hledger\[aq]s automatic negating by negating once more (but only if the-field is non-empty, so that we don\[aq]t leave a minus sign by itself):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-if %amount1-out [1-9]- amount1-out -%amount1-out-\f[R]-.fi-.IP "c." 3-\f[B]If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be-empty):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is-non-zero/non-empty.-Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as \f[V]1\f[R] and-\f[V]none\f[R].-For such cases, use conditional rules to help select the amount.-Eg, to handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero-digits:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date, description, in, out-if %in [1-9]- amount1 %in-if %out [1-9]- amount1 %out-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "3." 3-\f[B]If you want posting 2\[aq]s amount converted to cost:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Use the unnumbered \f[V]amount\f[R] (or \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and-\f[V]amount-out\f[R]) syntax.-.IP "4." 3-\f[B]If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Assign to \f[V]balanceN\f[R], to set a balance assignment on the Nth-posting, causing the posting\[aq]s amount to be calculated-automatically.-\f[V]balance\f[R] with no number is equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].-In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the wrong default-account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.-.SS Amount signs-.PP-There is some special handling for amount signs, to simplify parsing and-sign-flipping:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value begins with a plus sign:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-that will be removed: \f[V]+AMT\f[R] becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value is parenthesised:\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: \f[V](AMT)\f[R] becomes-\f[V]-AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value has two minus signs (or two sets of parentheses,-or a minus sign and parentheses):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-they cancel out and will be removed: \f[V]--AMT\f[R] or \f[V]-(AMT)\f[R]-becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]If an amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of-parentheses):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-that is removed, making it an empty value.-\f[V]\[dq]+\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]-\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]()\[dq]\f[R]-becomes \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R].-.SS Setting currency/commodity-.PP-If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV\[aq]s amount-field(s):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,foo,$123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-you don\[aq]t have to do anything special for the commodity symbol, it-will be assigned as part of the amount.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,amount-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown         $123.00-    income:unknown          $-123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01,foo,USD,123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can assign that to the \f[V]currency\f[R] pseudo-field, which has-the special effect of prepending itself to every amount in the-transaction (on the left, with no separating space):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,currency,amount-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown       USD123.00-    income:unknown        USD-123.00-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,cur,amt-amount %amt %cur-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 foo-    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD-    income:unknown         -123.00 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note we used a temporary field name (\f[V]cur\f[R]) that is not-\f[V]currency\f[R] - that would trigger the prepending effect, which we-don\[aq]t want here.-.SS Amount decimal places-.PP-Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-\f[V]amount1\f[R] influence commodity display styles, such as the number-of decimal places displayed in reports.-.PP-The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display-style (because we don\[aq]t yet reliably know their commodity).-.SS Referencing other fields-.PP-In field assignments, you can interpolate only CSV fields, not hledger-fields.-In the example below, there\[aq]s both a CSV field and a hledger field-named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the hledger-field:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Name the third CSV field \[dq]amount1\[dq]-fields date,description,amount1--# Set hledger\[aq]s amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-amount1 %amount1 USD--# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-comment %amount1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here, since there\[aq]s no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a-literal \[dq]amount1\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-fields date,description,csvamount-amount1 %csvamount USD-# Can\[aq]t interpolate amount1 here-comment %amount1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-When there are multiple field assignments to the same hledger field,-only the last one takes effect.-Here, comment\[aq]s value will be be B, or C if \[dq]something\[dq] is-matched, but never A:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-comment A-comment B-if something- comment C-\f[R]-.fi-.SS How CSV rules are evaluated-.PP-Here\[aq]s how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-to).-First,-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]include\f[R] - 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.)-.PP-Then \[dq]global\[dq] rules are evaluated, top to bottom.-If a rule is repeated, the last one wins:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]skip\f[R] (at top level)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]date-format\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]newest-first\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]fields\f[R] - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial-assignments to hledger fields-.PP-Then for each CSV record in turn:-.IP \[bu] 2-test all \f[V]if\f[R] blocks.-If any of them contain a \f[V]end\f[R] rule, skip all remaining CSV-records.-Otherwise if any of them contain a \f[V]skip\f[R] rule, skip that many-CSV records.-If there are multiple matched \f[V]skip\f[R] rules, the first one wins.-.IP \[bu] 2-collect all field assignments at top level and in matched \f[V]if\f[R]-blocks.-When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only the last one.-.IP \[bu] 2-compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was-assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default-.IP \[bu] 2-generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) from these values.-.PP-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 successfully, the transactions are passed-as input to whichever hledger command the user specified.-.PP-.SS Well factored rules-.PP-Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules-files:-.IP \[bu] 2-Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a-\f[V]common.rules\f[R], and adding \f[V]include common.rules\f[R] to-each CSV\[aq]s rules file.-.IP \[bu] 2-Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently-used parts.-.SS CSV rules examples-.SS Bank of Ireland-.PP-Here\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-Date,Details,Debit,Credit,Balance-07/12/2012,LODGMENT       529898,,10.0,131.21-07/12/2012,PAYMENT,5,,126-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# bankofireland-checking.csv.rules--# skip the header line-skip--# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--# We generate balance assertions by assigning to \[dq]balance\[dq]-# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-#-# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-#-# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--# date is in UK/Ireland format-date-format  %d/%m/%Y--# set the currency-currency  EUR--# set the base account for all txns-account1  assets:bank:boi:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f bankofireland-checking.csv print-2012-12-07 LODGMENT       529898-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR10.0 = EUR131.2-    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--2012-12-07 PAYMENT-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The balance assertions don\[aq]t raise an error above, because we\[aq]re-reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-imported into a journal file.-.SS Coinbase-.PP-A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.-The spot price is recorded using cost notation.-The legacy \f[V]amount\f[R] field name conveniently sets amount 2-(posting 2\[aq]s amount) to the total cost.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Received 100.00 USDC from an external account\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# coinbase.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-date         %Timestamp-date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-description  %Notes-account1     assets:coinbase:cc-amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset \[at] %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC \[at] 0.740000 GBP-    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Amazon-.PP-Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to-generate a third posting if there\[aq]s a fee.-(In practice you\[aq]d probably get this data from your bank instead,-but it\[aq]s an example.)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]To/From\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Amount\[dq],\[dq]Fees\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq]-\[dq]Jul 29, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Foo.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$20.00\[dq],\[dq]$0.00\[dq],\[dq]16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]-\[dq]Jul 30, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Adapteva, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$25.00\[dq],\[dq]$1.00\[dq],\[dq]17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# amazon-orders.csv.rules--# skip one header line-skip 1--# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction\[aq]s date, amount and code.-# Avoided the \[dq]status\[dq] and \[dq]amount\[dq] hledger field names to prevent confusion.-fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--# how to parse the date-date-format %b %-d, %Y--# combine two fields to make the description-description %toorfrom %name--# save the status as a tag-comment     status:%amzstatus--# set the base account for all transactions-account1    assets:amazon-# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-# I\[aq]m assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don\[aq]t remember--# set a generic account2-account2    expenses:misc-amount2     %amzamount-# and maybe refine it further:-#include categorisation.rules--# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-if %fees [1-9]- account3    expenses:fees- amount3     %fees-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print-2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $20.00--2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $25.00-    expenses:fees           $1.00-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Paypal-.PP-Here\[aq]s a real-world rules file for (customised) Paypal CSV, with-some Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Calm Radio\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]memberships\[at]calmradio.com\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R8YLY094FJYR\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]0TU1544T080463733\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Patreon\[dq],\[dq]PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]support\[at]patreon.com\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]B-0PG93074E7M86381M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]71854087RG994194F\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]tle\[at]wikimedia.org\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R5C3YUS3285L\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]3XJ107139A851061F\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]10/22/2019\[dq],\[dq]05:07:06\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Noble Benefactor\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq],\[dq]-0.59\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]noble\[at]bene.fac.tor\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]6L8L1662YP1334033\[dq],\[dq]Joyful Systems\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-KC9VBGY2GWDB\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# paypal-custom.csv.rules--# Tips:-# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-# Suggested transaction type: \[dq]Balance affecting\[dq]-# Paypal\[aq]s default fields in 2018 were:-# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping Address\[dq],\[dq]Address Status\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping and Handling Amount\[dq],\[dq]Insurance Amount\[dq],\[dq]Sales Tax\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Value\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Value\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Invoice Number\[dq],\[dq]Custom Number\[dq],\[dq]Quantity\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 1\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood\[dq],\[dq]Town/City\[dq],\[dq]State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic\[dq],\[dq]Zip/Postal Code\[dq],\[dq]Country\[dq],\[dq]Contact Phone Number\[dq],\[dq]Subject\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq],\[dq]Country Code\[dq],\[dq]Balance Impact\[dq]-# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in \[dq]Customize report fields\[dq]:-# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]--fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--skip  1--date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--# ignore some paypal events-if-In Progress-Temporary Hold-Update to- skip--# add more fields to the description-description %description_ %itemtitle--# save some other fields as tags-comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--# convert to short currency symbols-if %currency USD- currency $-if %currency EUR- currency E-if %currency GBP- currency P--# generate postings--# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-account1 assets:online:paypal-amount1  %netamount--# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-# (account2 is set below)-amount2  -%grossamount--# if there\[aq]s a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-if %feeamount [1-9]- account3 expenses:banking:paypal- amount3  -%feeamount- comment3 business:--# choose an account for the second posting--# override the default account names:-# if the amount is positive, it\[aq]s income (a debit)-if %grossamount \[ha][\[ha]-]- account2 income:unknown-# if negative, it\[aq]s an expense (a credit)-if %grossamount \[ha]-- account2 expenses:unknown--# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-include common.rules--# apply some overrides specific to this csv--# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-# which can be disregarded in this case.-if-Bank Account-Bank Deposit to PP Account- description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle- account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking- account1 assets:online:paypal--# Currency conversions-if Currency Conversion- account2 equity:currency conversion-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# common.rules--if-darcs-noble benefactor- account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub- comment2 business:--if-Calm Radio- account2 expenses:online:apps--if-electronic frontier foundation-Patreon-wikimedia-Advent of Code- account2 expenses:dues--if Google- account2 expenses:online:apps- description google | music-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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\[at]joyful.com, toemail:memberships\[at]calmradio.com, time:03:46:20, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-6.99 = $-6.99-    expenses:online:apps           $6.99--2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:support\[at]patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-    expenses:dues                  $7.00--2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:tle\[at]wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-    expenses:dues                     $2.00-    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble\[at]bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Timeclock-.PP-The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.-.PP-hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.-As with Ledger, these are (a subset of) timeclock.el\[aq]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 (currently-the time is always interpreted as a local time).-Lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or \f[V]*\f[R], and-blank lines, are ignored.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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, \f[V]hledger print\f[R] generates these journal-entries:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.timeclock print-2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-    (some:account name)         0.33h--2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-    (another account)         1.64h--2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-    (another account)         2.01h-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Here is a sample.timeclock to download and some queries to try:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:-.IP \[bu] 2-use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-x.el-and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el-.IP \[bu] 2-at the command line, use these bash aliases:-\f[V]shell     alias ti=\[dq]echo i \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] \[rs]$* >>$TIMELOG\[dq]     alias to=\[dq]echo o \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] >>$TIMELOG\[dq]\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-or use the old \f[V]ti\f[R] and \f[V]to\f[R] scripts in the ledger 2.x-repository.-These rely on a \[dq]timeclock\[dq] executable which I think is just the-ledger 2 executable renamed.-.PP-.SH Timedot-.PP-\f[V]timedot\f[R] format is hledger\[aq]s human-friendly time logging-format.-Compared to \f[V]timeclock\f[R] format, it is-.IP \[bu] 2-convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging-.IP \[bu] 2-readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.-.PP-A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like-this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-08-04-hom:errands          .... ....-fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-per:admin:finance    -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger reads this as three time transactions on this day, with each dot-representing a quarter-hour spent:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-2021-08-04 *-    (hom:errands)            2.00--2021-08-04 *-    (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--2021-08-04 *-    (per:admin:finance)      0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A day entry begins with a date line:-.IP \[bu] 2-a non-indented \f[B]simple date\f[R] (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).-.PP-Optionally this can be followed on the same line by-.IP \[bu] 2-a common \f[B]transaction description\f[R] for this day-.IP \[bu] 2-a common \f[B]transaction comment\f[R] for this day, after a semicolon-(\f[V];\f[R]).-.PP-After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time-transaction lines, consisting of:-.IP \[bu] 2-an \f[B]account name\f[R] - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style-account name.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] - a field separator, required if there is-an amount (as in journal format).-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]timedot amount\f[R] - dots representing quarter hours, or a-number representing hours.-.IP \[bu] 2-an optional \f[B]comment\f[R] beginning with semicolon.-This is ignored.-.PP-In more detail, timedot amounts can be:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]dots\f[R]: zero or more period characters, each representing one-quarter-hour.-Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.-Eg: \f[V].... ..\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]number\f[R], representing hours.-Eg: \f[V]1.5\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-a \f[B]number immediately followed by a unit symbol\f[R] \f[V]s\f[R],-\f[V]m\f[R], \f[V]h\f[R], \f[V]d\f[R], \f[V]w\f[R], \f[V]mo\f[R], or-\f[V]y\f[R], representing seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or-years.-Eg \f[V]1.5h\f[R] or \f[V]90m\f[R].-The following equivalencies are assumed:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]60s\f[R] = \f[V]1m\f[R], \f[V]60m\f[R] = \f[V]1h\f[R],-\f[V]24h\f[R] = \f[V]1d\f[R], \f[V]7d\f[R] = \f[V]1w\f[R], \f[V]30d\f[R]-= \f[V]1mo\f[R], \f[V]365d\f[R] = \f[V]1y\f[R].-(This unit will not be visible in the generated transaction amount,-which is always in hours.)-.PP-There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in-the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:-.IP \[bu] 2-Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] are-ignored.-.IP \[bu] 2-Before the first date line, lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] are-ignored.-From the first date line onward, a sequence of \f[V]*\f[R]\[aq]s-followed by a space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used-by Emacs Org mode) is ignored.-This means the time log can be kept under an Org headline, and date-lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.-.IP \[bu] 2-Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as-transactions with zero amount.-(Most hledger reports hide these by default; add -E to see them.)-.PP-More examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-2016/2/1-inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-fos:haskell   .... ..-biz:research  .--2016/2/2-inc:client1   .... ....-biz:research  .-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/2/3-inc:client1   4-fos:hledger   3-biz:research  1-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-* Time log-** 2020-01-01-*** adm:time  .-*** adm:finance  .-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-* 2020 Work Diary-** Q1-*** 2020-02-29-**** DONE-0700 yoga-**** UNPLANNED-**** BEGUN-hom:chores- cleaning  ...- water plants-  outdoor - one full watering can-  indoor - light watering-**** TODO-adm:planning: trip-*** LATER-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Reporting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-2016-02-02 *-    (inc:client1)          2.00--2016-02-02 *-    (biz:research)          0.25-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--            ||  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 -------------++-----------------------------------------            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Using period instead of colon as account name separator:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/2/4-fos.hledger.timedot  4-fos.ledger           ..-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\[rs]\[rs]./=: bal --tree-                4.50  fos-                4.00    hledger:timedot-                0.50    ledger----------------------                4.50-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-A sample.timedot file.-.SH PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-.SH Time periods-.PP-.SS Report start & end date-.PP-By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time-represented by the journal.-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.-.PP-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 \f[V]-b/--begin\f[R],-\f[V]-e/--end\f[R], \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] or a \f[V]date:\f[R] query-(described below).-All of these accept the smart date syntax (below).-.PP-Some notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date-\f[I]after\f[R] the last day you want to see in the report.-.IP \[bu] 2-As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-\f[I]options\f[R], the last (i.e.-right-most) option takes precedence.-.IP \[bu] 2-The effective report start and end dates are the intersection of the-start/end dates from options and that from \f[V]date:\f[R] queries.-That is, \f[V]date:2019-01 date:2019 -p\[aq]2000 to 2030\[aq]\f[R]-yields January 2019, the smallest common time span.-.IP \[bu] 2-In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall on-interval boundaries (see below).-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(12.4n) lw(57.6n).-T{-\f[V]-b 2016/3/17\f[R]-T}@T{-begin on St.\ Patrick\[cq]s day 2016-T}-T{-\f[V]-e 12/1\f[R]-T}@T{-end at the start of december 1st of the current year (11/30 will be the-last date included)-T}-T{-\f[V]-b thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-all transactions in the current month-T}-T{-\f[V]date:2016/3/17..\f[R]-T}@T{-the above written as queries instead (\f[V]..\f[R] can also be replaced-with \f[V]-\f[R])-T}-T{-\f[V]date:..12/1\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]date:thismonth..\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]date:thismonth\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.SS Smart dates-.PP-hledger\[aq]s user interfaces accept a \[dq]smart date\[dq] syntax for-added convenience.-Smart dates optionally can be relative to today\[aq]s date, be written-with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted (missing-parts are inferred as 1).-Some examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(24.2n) lw(45.8n).-T{-\f[V]2004/10/1\f[R], \f[V]2004-01-01\f[R], \f[V]2004.9.1\f[R]-T}@T{-exact date, several separators allowed.-Year is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31-T}-T{-\f[V]2004\f[R]-T}@T{-start of year-T}-T{-\f[V]2004/10\f[R]-T}@T{-start of month-T}-T{-\f[V]10/1\f[R]-T}@T{-month and day in current year-T}-T{-\f[V]21\f[R]-T}@T{-day in current month-T}-T{-\f[V]october, oct\f[R]-T}@T{-start of month in current year-T}-T{-\f[V]yesterday, today, tomorrow\f[R]-T}@T{--1, 0, 1 days from today-T}-T{-\f[V]last/this/next day/week/month/quarter/year\f[R]-T}@T{--1, 0, 1 periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]in n days/weeks/months/quarters/years\f[R]-T}@T{-n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ahead\f[R]-T}@T{-n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ago\f[R]-T}@T{--n periods from the current period-T}-T{-\f[V]20181201\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day-T}-T{-\f[V]201812\f[R]-T}@T{-6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month-T}-.TE-.PP-Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising-results:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(11.4n) lw(58.6n).-T{-\f[V]201813\f[R]-T}@T{-6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 6-digit year-T}-T{-\f[V]20181301\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 8-digit year-T}-T{-\f[V]20181232\f[R]-T}@T{-8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-T}-T{-\f[V]201801012\f[R]-T}@T{-9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error-T}-.TE-.PP-\[dq]Today\[aq]s date\[dq] can be overridden with the \f[V]--today\f[R]-option, in case it\[aq]s needed for testing or for recreating old-reports.-(Except for periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by-\f[V]--today\f[R].)-.SS Report intervals-.PP-A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,-balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a-separate row or column.-.PP-The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line flags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-D/--daily\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R]-.PP-More complex intervals can be specified using \f[V]-p/--period\f[R],-described below.-.SS Date adjustment-.PP-When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically-adjusted to natural period boundaries.-This is convenient for producing simple periodic reports.-More precisely:-.IP \[bu] 2-an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on a-natural period boundary-.IP \[bu] 2-an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the last-period the same length as the others.-.PP-By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with-\f[V]-b\f[R], \f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R], will not be-adjusted (since hledger 1.29).-This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it-also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should pick one-that\[aq]s on a period boundary if you want to see simple report period-headings.-.SS Period expressions-.PP-The \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] option specifies a period expression, which is-a compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report-interval.-.PP-Here\[aq]s a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the-first quarter of 2009):-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Several keywords like \[dq]from\[dq] and \[dq]to\[dq] are supported for-readability; these are optional.-\[dq]to\[dq] can also be written as \[dq]..\[dq] or \[dq]-\[dq].-The spaces are also optional, as long as you don\[aq]t run two dates-together.-So the following are equivalent to the above:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-Dates are smart dates, so if the current year is 2009, these are also-equivalent to the above:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]1/1 4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]jan-apr\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]this year to 4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.PP-If you specify only one date, the missing start or end date will be the-earliest or latest transaction date in the journal:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-everything after january 1, 2009-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]since 2009/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the same, since is a synonym-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]to 2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-everything before january 1, 2009-T}-.TE-.PP-You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(14.5n) lw(55.5n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the year 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the month of january 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/2/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-the first day of 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/1/2\[rq]-T}-.TE-.PP-or by using the \[dq]Q\[dq] quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(15.3n) lw(54.7n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]2009Q1\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-first quarter of 2009, equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[rq]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]q4\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-fourth quarter of the current year-T}-.TE-.SS Period expressions with a report interval-.PP-A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated-from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word \f[V]in\f[R]:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l.-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]monthly in 2008\[dq]\f[R]-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]quarterly\[dq]\f[R]-T}-.TE-.SS More complex report intervals-.PP-Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-such as:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]biweekly\f[R] (every two weeks)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]fortnightly\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bimonthly\f[R] (every two months)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every day|week|month|quarter|year\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years\f[R]-.PP-Weekly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth day of week\f[R] (\f[V]th\f[R], \f[V]nd\f[R],-\f[V]rd\f[R], or \f[V]st\f[R] are all accepted after the number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME\f[R] (full or three-letter english weekday name,-case insensitive)-.PP-Monthly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth day [of month]\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]\f[R]-.PP-Yearly on a custom day:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every MM/DD [of year]\f[R] (month number and day of month number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]\f[R] (full or three-letter english-month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]\f[R] (equivalent to the above)-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(26.8n) lw(43.2n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]bimonthly from 2008\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2 weeks\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5 months from 2009/03\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd day of week\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-periods will go from Tue to Tue-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every Tue\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 15th day\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-period boundaries will be on 15th of each month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd Monday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-period boundaries will be on second Monday of each month-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 11/05\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of November-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5th November\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every Nov 5th\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-same-T}-.TE-.PP-Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an-end date, exclusive as always):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -H -p \[dq]every 16th day\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following-tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register checking -p \[dq]every 3rd day of week\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multiple weekday intervals-.PP-This special form is also supported:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...\f[R] (full or three-letter-english weekday names, case insensitive)-.PP-Also, \f[V]weekday\f[R] and \f[V]weekendday\f[R] are shorthand for-\f[V]mon,tue,wed,thu,fri\f[R] and \f[V]sat,sun\f[R].-.PP-This is mainly intended for use with \f[V]--forecast\f[R], to generate-periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.-It may be less useful with \f[V]-p\f[R], since it divides each week into-subperiods of unequal length, which is unusual.-(Related: #1632)-.PP-Examples:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(17.8n) lw(52.2n).-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every mon,wed,fri\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will be Mon, Tue, Wed,-Thu, Fri-Sun-T}-T{-\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekendday\[dq]\f[R]-T}@T{-dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-T}-.TE-.SH Depth-.PP-With the \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option (short form: \f[V]-NUM\f[R]),-reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper-subaccounts.-Use this when you want a summary with less detail.-This flag has the same effect as a \f[V]depth:\f[R] query argument:-\f[V]depth:2\f[R], \f[V]--depth=2\f[R] or \f[V]-2\f[R] are equivalent.-.SH Queries-.PP-One of hledger\[aq]s strengths is being able to quickly report on a-precise subset of your data.-Most hledger commands accept optional query arguments to restrict their-scope.-The syntax is as follows:-.IP \[bu] 2-Zero or more space-separated query terms.-These are most often account name substrings:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]utilities food:groceries\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-quotes:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]\[dq]personal care\[dq]\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Regular expressions are also supported:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]\[dq]\[ha]expenses\[rs]b\[dq] \[dq]accounts (payable|receivable)\[dq]\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:\[dq]>100\[dq] status:\f[R]-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Add a \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix to negate a term:-.RS 2-.PP-\f[V]not:cur:USD\f[R]-.RE-.SS Query types-.PP-Here are the types of query term available.-Remember these can also be prefixed with \f[B]\f[VB]not:\f[B]\f[R] to-convert them into a negative match.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]acct:REGEX\f[B], \f[VB]REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular-expression.-This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and regular-expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just write an-account name substring, like \f[V]expenses\f[R] or \f[V]food\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or-greater than N.-(Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]code:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by transaction code (eg check number).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]cur:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match postings or transactions including any amounts whose-currency/commodity symbol is fully matched by REGEX.-(For a partial match, use \f[V].*REGEX.*\f[R]).-Note, to match special characters which are regex-significant, you need-to escape them with \f[V]\[rs]\f[R].-And for characters which are significant to your shell you may need one-more level of escaping.-So eg to match the dollar sign:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]hledger print cur:\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]desc:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction descriptions.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]date:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match dates (or with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag, secondary dates) within-the specified period.-PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report interval.-Examples:-.PD 0-.P-.PD-\f[V]date:2016\f[R], \f[V]date:thismonth\f[R], \f[V]date:2/1-2/15\f[R],-\f[V]date:2021-07-27..nextquarter\f[R].-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]date2:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the-\f[V]--date2\f[R] flag).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]depth:N\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this-depth.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]note:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of-\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]payee:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of-\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]real:, real:0\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match real or virtual postings respectively.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]status:, status:!, status:*\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]type:TYPECODES\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).-\f[V]TYPECODES\f[R] is one or more of the single-letter account type-codes \f[V]ALERXCV\f[R], case insensitive.-Note \f[V]type:A\f[R] and \f[V]type:E\f[R] will also match their-respective subtypes \f[V]C\f[R] (Cash) and \f[V]V\f[R] (Conversion).-Certain kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting-accounts > Aliases and account types.-.PP-\f[B]\f[VB]tag:REGEX[=REGEX]\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.-(To match only by value, use \f[V]tag:.=REGEX\f[R].)-.PP-When querying by tag, note that:-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction-.IP \[bu] 2-Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.-.PP-(\f[B]\f[VB]inacct:ACCTNAME\f[B]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells-hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)-.SS Combining query terms-.PP-When given multiple query terms, most commands select things which-match:-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the description terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-any of the status terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-all the other terms.-.PP-The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:-.IP \[bu] 2-match any of the description terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND-.IP \[bu] 2-match all the other terms.-.PP-Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not support-full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND or OR in-your queries).-This makes certain queries hard to express, but here are some tricks-that can help:-.IP "1." 3-Use a doubled \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix.-Eg, to print only the food expenses paid with cash:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print food not:not:cash-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Or pre-filter the transactions with \f[V]print\f[R], piping the result-into a second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS Queries and command options-.PP-Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options:-\f[V]depth:2\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]--depth 2\f[R],-\f[V]date:2020\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]-p 2020\f[R], etc.-When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the-resulting query is their intersection.-.SS Queries and valuation-.PP-When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, \f[V]cur:\f[R] and \f[V]amt:\f[R] match the old commodity-symbol and the old amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger-1.22.0 where it\[aq]s reversed, see #1625).-.SS Querying with account aliases-.PP-When account names are rewritten with \f[V]--alias\f[R] or-\f[V]alias\f[R], note that \f[V]acct:\f[R] will match either the old or-the new account name.-.SS Querying with cost or value-.PP-When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, note that \f[V]cur:\f[R] matches the new commodity symbol, and-not the old one, and \f[V]amt:\f[R] matches the new quantity, and not-the old one.-Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see-the discussion at #1625.-.SH Pivoting-.PP-Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.-The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option substitutes some other transaction-field for account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by-that field\[aq]s value instead.-FIELD can be any of the transaction fields \f[V]status\f[R],-\f[V]code\f[R], \f[V]description\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]note\f[R],-or a tag name.-When pivoting on a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag,-only the first value is displayed.-Values containing \f[V]colon:separated:parts\f[R] will be displayed-hierarchically, like account names.-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-    assets:bank account                 2 EUR-    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Normal balance report showing account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance-               2 EUR  assets:bank account-              -2 EUR  income:dues----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member-               2 EUR-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted \[dq]account-name\[dq]):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR-\f[R]-.fi-.SH Generating data-.PP-Two features for generating transient data (visible only at report time)-are built in to hledger\[aq]s journal format:-.IP \[bu] 2-Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain transactions.-They are activated by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag.-.IP \[bu] 2-Periodic transaction rules can generate repeating transactions, usually-dated in the future, to help with forecasting or budgeting.-They are activated by the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] or-\f[V]balance --budget\f[R] options, described next.-.SH Forecasting-.PP-The \f[V]--forecast\f[R] flag activates any periodic transaction rules-in the journal.-These will generate temporary additional transactions, usually recurring-and in the future, which will appear in all reports.-\f[V]hledger print --forecast\f[R] is a good way to see them.-.PP-This can be useful for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-experimenting with different scenarios.-.PP-It could also be useful for scripted data entry: you could describe-recurring transactions, and every so often copy the output of-\f[V]print --forecast\f[R] into the journal.-.PP-The generated transactions will have an extra tag, like-\f[V]generated-transaction:\[ti] PERIODICEXPR\f[R], indicating which-periodic rule generated them.-There is also a similar, hidden tag, named-\f[V]_generated-transaction:\f[R], which you can use to reliably match-transactions generated \[dq]just now\[dq] (rather than \f[V]print\f[R]ed-in the past).-.PP-The forecast transactions are generated within a \f[I]forecast-period\f[R], which is independent of the report period.-(Forecast period sets the bounds for generated transactions, report-period controls which transactions are reported.)-The forecast period begins on:-.IP \[bu] 2-the start date provided within \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument, if-any-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, the later of-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-the report start date, if specified (with-\f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal, if any-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise today.-.PP-It ends on:-.IP \[bu] 2-the end date provided within \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument, if any-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with-\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.-.PP-Note, this means that ordinary transactions will suppress periodic-transactions, by default; the periodic transactions will not start until-after the last ordinary transaction.-This is usually convenient, but you can get around it in two ways:-.IP \[bu] 2-If you need to record some transactions in the future, make them-periodic transactions (with a single occurrence, eg:-\f[V]\[ti] YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]) rather than ordinary transactions.-That way they won\[aq]t suppress other periodic transactions.-.IP \[bu] 2-Or give \f[V]--forecast\f[R] a period expression argument.-A forecast period specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions,-and need not be in the future.-Some things to note:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-You must use \f[V]=\f[R] between flag and argument; a space won\[aq]t-work.-.IP \[bu] 2-The period expression can specify the forecast period\[aq]s start date,-end date, or both.-See also Report start & end date.-.IP \[bu] 2-The period expression should not specify a report interval.-(Each periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)-.RE-.PP-Some examples: \f[V]--forecast=202001-202004\f[R],-\f[V]--forecast=jan-\f[R], \f[V]--forecast=2021\f[R].-.SH Budgeting-.PP-With the balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] report, each periodic-transaction rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts,-and goals and actual performance can be compared.-See the balance command\[aq]s doc below.-.PP-See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.-.SH Cost reporting-.PP-This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions-where one commodity is exchanged for another.-Eg an exchange of currency, or a stock purchase or sale.-First, a quick glossary:-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.-Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-cryptocurrency.-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more-conversions.-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie-the exchange rate.-.IP \[bu] 2-Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.-And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the-\[dq]secondary\[dq] commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a-purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.-Also, the \[dq]\[at]/\[at]\[at] PRICE\[dq] notation used to represent-this.-.SS -B: Convert to cost-.PP-As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can-also record the amount\[aq]s cost in another commodity, by adding-\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R].-.PP-Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag.-(Mnemonic: \[dq]B\[dq] from \[dq]cost Basis\[dq], as in Ledger).-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -N-               $-135  assets:dollars-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-$ hledger bal -N -B-               $-135  assets:dollars-                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros\[aq] cost-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.PP--B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the-inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.-So if example 3\[aq]s postings are reversed, while the transaction is-equivalent, -B shows something different:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100              ; for 100 euros-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -N -B-               \[Eu]-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars\[aq] selling price-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \[at]/\[at]\[at] cost notation is convenient, but has some-drawbacks: it does not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the-accounting equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance-reports.-.SS Equity conversion postings-.PP-By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a-different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance-conversion transactions.-In this style, the above entry might be written:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-    assets:dollars      $-135-    equity:conversion    $135-    equity:conversion   \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros         \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This style is more correct, but it\[aq]s also more verbose and makes-cost reporting more difficult for PTA tools.-.PP-Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to the-other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.-.PP-You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at the-same time, for clarity.-hledger will ignore the redundancy.-But be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you\[aq]ll-see a not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.-.SS Inferring equity postings from cost-.PP-With \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R], hledger detects transactions written with-PTA cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  -$135-  assets:euros     \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-equity-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars                    $-135-    assets:euros               \[Eu]100 \[at] $1.35-    equity:conversion:$-\[Eu]:\[Eu]           \[Eu]-100  ; generated-posting:-    equity:conversion:$-\[Eu]:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account-type declaration.-.PP---infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded using-cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance-reports\[aq] zero total, or to produce more conventional journal entries-for sharing with non-PTA-users.-.SS Inferring cost from equity postings-.PP-The reverse operation is possible using \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R], which-detects transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds-cost notation to them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars            $-135-    equity:conversion          $135-    equity:conversion         \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros               \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-costs-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars       $-135 \[at]\[at] \[Eu]100-    equity:conversion             $135-    equity:conversion            \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros                  \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP---infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost-reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity-postings:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --infer-costs -B-2009-01-01-    assets:dollars           \[Eu]-100-    assets:euros              \[Eu]100-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.PP-For \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] to work, an exchange must consist of four-postings:-.IP "1." 3-two non-equity postings-.IP "2." 3-two equity postings, next to one another-.IP "3." 3-the equity accounts must be declared, with account type-\f[V]V\f[R]/\f[V]Conversion\f[R] (or if they are not declared, they must-be named \f[V]equity:conversion\f[R], \f[V]equity:trade\f[R],-\f[V]equity:trading\f[R] or subaccounts of these)-.IP "4." 3-the equity postings\[aq] amounts must exactly match the non-equity-postings\[aq] amounts.-.PP-Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.-.PP-When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added to-the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the-commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.-If you don\[aq]t want to write your postings in the required order, you-can use explicit cost notation instead.-.PP---infer-equity and --infer-costs can be used together, if you have a-mixture of both notations in your journal.-.SS When to infer cost/equity-.PP-Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled-by default.-We\[aq]re not sure yet if that should change.-Here are two suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:-.IP "1." 3-When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -B --infer-costs\f[R]-.IP "2." 3-Always run hledger with both flags enabled.-Eg: \f[V]alias hl=\[dq]hledger --infer-equity --infer-costs\[dq]\f[R]-.SS How to record conversions-.PP-Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in-hledger.-Here are all of them, with pros and cons.-.SS Conversion with implicit cost-.PP-Let\[aq]s assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.-You can just record the outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the-appropriate asset account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash    -100 EUR-    assets:cash     120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.-You can see the inferred rate by using \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Concise, easy-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not be-detected-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate is not clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag-.PP-You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped-commodity symbol, by using \f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R].-.PP-You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using-\f[V]hledger check balancednoautoconversion\f[R], or-\f[V]-s/--strict\f[R].-.SS Conversion with explicit cost-.PP-You can add the conversion rate using \[at] notation:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error-otherwise.-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Still concise-.IP \[bu] 2-Makes the conversion rate clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Provides more error checking-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag-.SS Conversion with equity postings-.PP-In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not-balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD-appears.-This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents reports-like \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] from showing a zero total.-.PP-The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for each-commodity, using an equity account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Preserves the accounting equation-.IP \[bu] 2-Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-.IP \[bu] 2-Standard, works in any double entry accounting system-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-More verbose-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion rate is not obvious-.IP \[bu] 2-Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag-.SS Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-.PP-Here both equity postings and \[at] notation are used together.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Pro:-.IP \[bu] 2-Preserves the accounting equation-.IP \[bu] 2-Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-.IP \[bu] 2-Makes the conversion rate clear-.IP \[bu] 2-Provides more error checking-.PP-Con:-.IP \[bu] 2-Most verbose-.IP \[bu] 2-Not compatible with ledger-.SS Cost tips-.IP \[bu] 2-Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it makes-that clear and helps detect errors.-.IP \[bu] 2-Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping and-preserves the accounting equation.-.IP \[bu] 2-Combining these is possible.-.IP \[bu] 2-When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use-\f[V]-B\f[R] (short form of \f[V]--cost\f[R]).-.IP \[bu] 2-If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add-\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] also.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to-see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries, use-\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R].-.IP \[bu] 2-Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).-.SH Valuation-.PP-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 \f[V]--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]\f[R] option,-which will be described below.-We also provide the simpler \f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X COMMODITY\f[R]-options, and often one of these is all you need:-.SS -V: Value-.PP-The \f[V]-V/--market\f[R] flag converts amounts to market value in their-default \f[I]valuation commodity\f[R], using the market prices in effect-on the \f[I]valuation date(s)\f[R], if any.-More on these in a minute.-.SS -X: Value in specified commodity-.PP-The \f[V]-X/--exchange=COMM\f[R] option is like \f[V]-V\f[R], except you-tell it which currency you want to convert to, and it tries to convert-everything to that.-.SS Valuation date-.PP-Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports-have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-prices will be used.-.PP-For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is specified,-that will be used as the valuation date; otherwise the valuation date is-the journal\[aq]s end date.-.PP-For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last day of-the period, by default.-.SS Finding market price-.PP-To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in-this order of preference :-.IP "1." 3-A \f[I]declared market price\f[R] or \f[I]inferred market price\f[R]:-A\[aq]s latest market price in B on or before the valuation date as-declared by a P directive, or (with the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-flag) inferred from costs.-.IP "2." 3-A \f[I]reverse market price\f[R]: the inverse of a declared or inferred-market price from B to A.-.IP "3." 3-A \f[I]forward chain of market prices\f[R]: a synthetic price formed by-combining the shortest chain of \[dq]forward\[dq] (only 1 above) market-prices, leading from A to B.-.IP "4." 3-\f[I]Any chain of market prices\f[R]: a chain of any market prices,-including both forward and reverse prices (1 and 2 above), leading from-A to B.-.PP-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 \[dq]gave up\[dq] message visible-in \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] output).-That limit is currently 1000.-.PP-Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not-converted.-.SS --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions-.PP-Normally, market value in hledger is fully controlled by, and requires,-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-costs as additional market prices (as Ledger does) ?-Adding the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag to \f[V]-V\f[R],-\f[V]-X\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] enables this.-.PP-So for example, \f[V]hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices\f[R] will get-market prices both from P directives and from transactions.-If both occur on the same day, the P directive takes precedence.-.PP-There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in-confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries.-If this happens to you, read all of this Valuation section carefully,-and try adding \f[V]--debug\f[R] or \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] to troubleshoot.-.PP-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] can infer market prices from:-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with explicit prices-(\f[V]\[at]\f[R]/\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no \f[V]\[at]\f[R],-two commodities, unbalanced).-(With these, the order of postings matters.-\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R] can be useful for troubleshooting.)-.IP \[bu] 2-multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred-with \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R].-.PP-There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is not-specified, prices inferred with \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] do not-help select a default valuation commodity, as \f[V]P\f[R] prices would.-So conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was-detected (\f[V]--debug=2\f[R] will show this).-To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-X EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not-\f[V]-V --infer-market-prices\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not-\f[V]--value=then --infer-market-prices\f[R]-.PP-Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.-For reference, here is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.-(If you think it should work differently, see #1870.)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 \[at] A 1--2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A 1---2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 \[at] A -1--2022-01-02 Negative total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 \[at]\[at] A -1---2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 \[at] A -1--2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A -1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,-the two transactions are considered equivalent).-Here are the market prices inferred for B:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-P 2022-01-01 B A 1-P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-P 2022-01-02 B A -1-P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-P 2022-01-03 B A -1-P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Valuation commodity-.PP-\f[B]When you specify a valuation commodity (\f[VB]-X COMM\f[B] or-\f[VB]--value TYPE,COMM\f[B]):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a-suitable market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).-.PP-\f[B]When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified (\f[VB]-V\f[B]-or \f[VB]--value TYPE\f[B]):\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as-follows, in this order of preference:-.IP "1." 3-The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on or-before valuation date.-.IP "2." 3-The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on any-date.-(Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred prices before the-valuation date.)-.IP "3." 3-If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag is used: the price commodity from-the latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.-.PP-This means:-.IP \[bu] 2-If you have P directives, they determine which commodities \f[V]-V\f[R]-will convert, and to what.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you have no P directives, and use the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]-flag, costs determine it.-.PP-Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not converted.-.SS Simple valuation examples-.PP-Here are some quick examples of \f[V]-V\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-P 2016/11/01 \[Eu] $1.10--; purchase some euros on nov 3-2016/11/3-    assets:euros        \[Eu]100-    assets:checking--; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-P 2016/12/21 \[Eu] $1.03-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-How many euros do I have ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros-                \[Eu]100  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-What are they worth at end of nov 3 ?-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V -e 2016/11/4-             $110.00  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?-(no report end date specified, defaults to today)-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-             $103.00  assets:euros-\f[R]-.fi-.SS --value: Flexible valuation-.PP-\f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X\f[R] are special cases of the more general-\f[V]--value\f[R] option:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]- --value=TYPE[,COMM]  TYPE is then, end, now or YYYY-MM-DD.-                      COMM is an optional commodity symbol.-                      Shows amounts converted to:-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:-.TP-\f[V]--value=then\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using-market prices on each posting\[aq]s date.-.TP-\f[V]--value=end\f[R]-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\[aq]s end date); or in multiperiod reports, market prices on-the last day of each subperiod.-.TP-\f[V]--value=now\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using-current market prices (as of when report is generated).-.TP-\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]-Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using-market prices on this date.-.PP-To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional-\f[V],COMM\f[R] part: a comma, then the target commodity\[aq]s symbol.-Eg: \f[B]\f[VB]--value=now,EUR\f[B]\f[R].-hledger will do its best to convert amounts to this commodity, deducing-market prices as described above.-.SS More valuation examples-.PP-Here are some examples showing the effect of \f[V]--value\f[R], as seen-with \f[V]print\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A  1 B-P 2000-02-01 A  2 B-P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--2000-01-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 5 B--2000-02-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 6 B--2000-03-01-  (a)      1 A \[at] 7 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the cost of each posting:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --cost-2000-01-01-    (a)             5 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             6 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             7 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the value as of the last day of the report period (2000-02-29):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03-2000-01-01-    (a)             2 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             2 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With no report period specified, that shows the value as of the last day-of the journal (2000-03-01):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=end-2000-01-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             3 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the current value (the 2000-04-01 price is still in effect today):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=now-2000-01-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             4 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the value on 2000/01/15:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-2000-01-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             1 B-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You may need to explicitly set a commodity\[aq]s display style, when-reverse prices are used.-Eg this output might be surprising:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A 2B--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -x -X A-2000-01-01-    a               0-    b               0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Explanation: because there\[aq]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 commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-P 2000-01-01 A 2B-commodity 0.00A--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -X A-2000-01-01-    a           0.50A-    b          -0.50A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Interaction of valuation and queries-.PP-When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,-the following happens.-.IP "1." 3-The query is separated into two parts:-.RS 4-.IP "1." 3-the currency (\f[V]cur:\f[R]) or amount (\f[V]amt:\f[R]).-.IP "2." 3-all other parts.-.RE-.IP "2." 3-The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on-pre-valued amounts.-.IP "3." 3-Valuation is applied to the postings.-.IP "4." 3-The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on-post-valued amounts.-.PP-See: 1625-.SS Effect of valuation on reports-.PP-Here is a reference for how valuation is supposed to affect each part of-hledger\[aq]s reports (and a glossary).-(It\[aq]s wide, you\[aq]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.-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(9.5n) lw(11.8n) lw(12.0n) lw(17.2n) lw(12.0n) lw(7.4n).-T{-Report type-T}@T{-\f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]--cost\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=then\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=end\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value=DATE\f[R], \f[V]--value=now\f[R]-T}-_-T{-\f[B]print\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-posting amounts-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report end or today-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-balance assertions/assignments-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}@T{-unchanged-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]register\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-starting balance (-H)-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-valued at day each historical posting was made-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-starting balance (-H) with report interval-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at day before report or journal start-T}@T{-valued at day each historical posting was made-T}@T{-value at day before report or journal start-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-posting amounts-T}@T{-cost-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-summary posting amounts with report interval-T}@T{-summarised cost-T}@T{-value at period ends-T}@T{-sum of postings in interval, valued at interval start-T}@T{-value at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today-T}-T{-running total/average-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}@T{-sum/average of displayed values-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is)\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-balance changes-T}@T{-sums of costs-T}@T{-value at report end or today of sums of postings-T}@T{-value at posting date-T}@T{-value at report or journal end of sums of postings-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-budget amounts (--budget)-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}@T{-like balances-T}@T{-like balance changes-T}-T{-grand total-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed valued-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}@T{-sum of displayed values-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is) with report interval\f[R]-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-starting balances (-H)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings before report start-T}@T{-value at report start of sums of all postings before report start-T}@T{-sums of values of postings before report start at respective posting-dates-T}@T{-value at report start of sums of all postings before report start-T}@T{-sums of postings before report start-T}-T{-balance changes (bal, is, bs --change, cf --change)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings in period-T}@T{-same as --value=end-T}@T{-sums of values of postings in period at respective posting dates-T}@T{-balance change in each period, valued at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-end balances (bal -H, is --H, bs, cf)-T}@T{-sums of costs of postings from before report start to period end-T}@T{-same as --value=end-T}@T{-sums of values of postings from before period start to period end at-respective posting dates-T}@T{-period end balances, valued at period ends-T}@T{-value at DATE/today of sums of postings-T}-T{-budget amounts (--budget)-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}@T{-like balances-T}@T{-like balance changes/end balances-T}-T{-row totals, row averages (-T, -A)-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}@T{-sums, averages of displayed values-T}-T{-column totals-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}@T{-sums of displayed values-T}-T{-grand total, grand average-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}@T{-sum, average of column totals-T}-T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.PP-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] is omitted to save space, it works like-\f[V]-H\f[R] but with a zero starting balance.-.PP-\f[B]Glossary:\f[R]-.TP-\f[I]cost\f[R]-calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).-.TP-\f[I]value\f[R]-market value using available market price declarations, or the unchanged-amount if no conversion rate can be found.-.TP-\f[I]report start\f[R]-the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,-otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report or journal start\f[R]-the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,-otherwise the earliest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report end\f[R]-the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report or journal end\f[R]-the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-otherwise the latest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.-.TP-\f[I]report interval\f[R]-a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the-report\[aq]s multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperiods).-.SH PART 4: COMMANDS-.SS Commands overview-.PP-Here are the built-in commands:-.SS DATA ENTRY-.PP-These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your-journal file.-.IP \[bu] 2-add - add transactions using terminal prompts-.IP \[bu] 2-import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files-.SS DATA CREATION-.IP \[bu] 2-close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto-.SS DATA MANAGEMENT-.IP \[bu] 2-check - check for various kinds of error in the data-.IP \[bu] 2-diff - compare account transactions in two journal files-.SS REPORTS, FINANCIAL-.IP \[bu] 2-aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account-.IP \[bu] 2-balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth-.IP \[bu] 2-balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity-.IP \[bu] 2-cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets-.IP \[bu] 2-incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses-.SS REPORTS, VERSATILE-.IP \[bu] 2-balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..-.IP \[bu] 2-print - show transactions or export journal data-.IP \[bu] 2-register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running total-.IP \[bu] 2-roi - show return on investments-.SS REPORTS, BASIC-.IP \[bu] 2-accounts - show account names-.IP \[bu] 2-activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period-.IP \[bu] 2-codes - show transaction codes-.IP \[bu] 2-commodities - show commodity/currency symbols-.IP \[bu] 2-descriptions - show transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-files - show input file paths-.IP \[bu] 2-notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions-.IP \[bu] 2-prices - show market prices-.IP \[bu] 2-stats - show journal statistics-.IP \[bu] 2-tags - show tag names-.IP \[bu] 2-test - run self tests-.SS HELP-.IP \[bu] 2-help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager-.PP-.SS ADD-ONS-.PP-And here are some typical add-on commands.-Some of these are installed by the hledger-install script.-If installed, they will appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list:-.IP \[bu] 2-ui - run hledger\[aq]s terminal UI-.IP \[bu] 2-web - run hledger\[aq]s web UI-.IP \[bu] 2-iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)-.IP \[bu] 2-interest - generate interest transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage-.IP \[bu] 2-Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-pijul, plot, and more..-.PP-Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.-.SS accounts-.PP-Show account names.-.PP-This command lists account names.-By default it shows all known accounts, either used in transactions or-declared with account directives.-.PP-With query arguments, only matched account names and account names-referenced by matched postings are shown.-.PP-Or it can show just the used accounts (\f[V]--used\f[R]/\f[V]-u\f[R]),-the declared accounts (\f[V]--declared\f[R]/\f[V]-d\f[R]), the accounts-declared but not used (\f[V]--unused\f[R]), the accounts used but not-declared (\f[V]--undeclared\f[R]), or the first account matched by an-account name pattern, if any (\f[V]--find\f[R]).-.PP-It shows a flat list by default.-With \f[V]--tree\f[R], it uses indentation to show the account-hierarchy.-In flat mode you can add \f[V]--drop N\f[R] to omit the first few-account name components.-Account names can be depth-clipped with \f[V]depth:N\f[R] or-\f[V]--depth N\f[R] or \f[V]-N\f[R].-.PP-With \f[V]--types\f[R], it also shows each account\[aq]s type, if-it\[aq]s known.-(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)-.PP-With \f[V]--positions\f[R], it also shows the file and line number of-each account\[aq]s declaration, if any, and the account\[aq]s overall-declaration order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account-display order.-.PP-With \f[V]--directives\f[R], it adds the \f[V]account\f[R] keyword,-showing valid account directives which can be pasted into a journal-file.-This is useful together with \f[V]--undeclared\f[R] when updating your-account declarations to satisfy \f[V]hledger check accounts\f[R].-.PP-The \f[V]--find\f[R] flag can be used to look up a single account name,-in the same way that the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command does.-It returns the alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none-can be found, it fails with a non-zero exit code.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts-assets:bank:checking-assets:bank:saving-assets:cash-expenses:food-expenses:supplies-income:gifts-income:salary-liabilities:debts-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-$ hledger check accounts-\f[R]-.fi-.SS activity-.PP-Show an ascii barchart of posting counts per interval.-.PP-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.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger activity --quarterly-2008-01-01 **-2008-04-01 *******-2008-07-01 -2008-10-01 **-\f[R]-.fi-.SS add-.PP-Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal.-Any arguments will be used as default inputs for the first N prompts.-.PP-Many hledger users edit their journals directly with a text editor, or-generate them from CSV.-For more interactive data entry, there is the \f[V]add\f[R] command,-which prompts interactively on the console for new transactions, and-appends them to the main journal file (which should be in journal-format).-Existing transactions are not changed.-This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file-(see also \f[V]import\f[R]).-.PP-To use it, just run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts.-You can add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished,-enter \f[V].\f[R] or press control-d or control-c to exit.-.PP-Features:-.IP \[bu] 2-add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by-description) recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a-template.-.IP \[bu] 2-You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.-.IP \[bu] 2-Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.-.IP \[bu] 2-The tab key will auto-complete whenever possible - accounts,-payees/descriptions, dates (\f[V]yesterday\f[R], \f[V]today\f[R],-\f[V]tomorrow\f[R]).-If the input area is empty, it will insert the default value.-.IP \[bu] 2-If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to any bare-numbers entered.-.IP \[bu] 2-A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.-.IP \[bu] 2-Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.-.IP \[bu] 2-If you make a mistake, enter \f[V]<\f[R] at any prompt to go one step-backward.-.IP \[bu] 2-Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal-supports it.-.PP-Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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]: -Description: supermarket-Account 1: expenses:food-Amount  1: $10-Account 2: assets:checking-Amount  2 [$-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]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the-file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).-.SS aregister-.PP-(areg)-.PP-Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single-account, with each transaction displayed as one line.-.PP-\f[V]aregister\f[R] shows the overall transactions affecting a-particular account (and any subaccounts).-Each report line represents one transaction in this account.-Transactions before the report start date are always included in the-running balance (\f[V]--historical\f[R] mode is always on).-.PP-This is a more \[dq]real world\[dq], bank-like view than the-\f[V]register\f[R] command (which shows individual postings, possibly-from multiple accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).-As a quick rule of thumb: - use \f[V]aregister\f[R] for reviewing and-reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts - use \f[V]register\f[R]-for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.-.PP-\f[V]aregister\f[R] requires one argument: the account to report on.-You can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive-regular expression which will select the alphabetically first matched-account.-.PP-When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be-surprising; eg if you have \f[V]assets:per:checking 1\f[R] and-\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R] accounts,-\f[V]hledger areg checking\f[R] would select-\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R].-It\[aq]s just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt, write the-full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.-.PP-Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.-\f[V]aregister\f[R] ignores depth limits, so its final total will always-match a balance report with similar arguments.-.PP-Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the transactions-shown.-Note some queries will disturb the running balance, causing it to be-different from the account\[aq]s real-world running balance.-.PP-An example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance-during july, in the first account whose name contains-\[dq]checking\[dq]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger areg checking date:jul-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Each \f[V]aregister\f[R] line item shows:-.IP \[bu] 2-the transaction\[aq]s date (or the relevant posting\[aq]s date if-different, see below)-.IP \[bu] 2-the names of all the other account(s) involved in this transaction-(probably abbreviated)-.IP \[bu] 2-the total change to this account\[aq]s balance from this transaction-.IP \[bu] 2-the account\[aq]s historical running balance after this transaction.-.PP-Transactions making a net change of zero are not shown by default; add-the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag to show them.-.PP-For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.-If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and-memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options.-The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], and-\f[V]json\f[R].-.SS aregister and custom posting dates-.PP-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\[aq]s the posting date that is shown.)-This ensures that \f[V]aregister\f[R] can show an accurate historical-running balance, matching the one shown by \f[V]register -H\f[R] with-the same arguments.-.PP-To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the-\f[V]--txn-dates\f[R] flag.-If you use this flag and some of your postings have custom dates,-it\[aq]s probably best to assume the running balance is wrong.-.SS balance-.PP-(bal)-.PP-Show accounts and their balances.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] is one of hledger\[aq]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.-.PP-Note there are some higher-level variants of the \f[V]balance\f[R]-command with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use:-\f[V]balancesheet\f[R], \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R], \f[V]cashflow\f[R]-and \f[V]incomestatement\f[R].-When you need more control, then use \f[V]balance\f[R].-.SS balance features-.PP-Here\[aq]s a quick overview of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command\[aq]s-features, followed by more detailed descriptions and examples.-Many of these work with the higher-level commands as well.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] can show..-.IP \[bu] 2-accounts as a list (\f[V]-l\f[R]) or a tree (\f[V]-t\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-optionally depth-limited (\f[V]-[1-9]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount-.PP-\&..and their..-.IP \[bu] 2-balance changes (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or actual and planned balance changes (\f[V]--budget\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or value of balance changes (\f[V]-V\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or change of balance values (\f[V]--valuechange\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or unrealised capital gain/loss (\f[V]--gain\f[R])-.PP-\&..in..-.IP \[bu] 2-one time period (the whole journal period by default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or multiple periods (\f[V]-D\f[R], \f[V]-W\f[R], \f[V]-M\f[R],-\f[V]-Q\f[R], \f[V]-Y\f[R], \f[V]-p INTERVAL\f[R])-.PP-\&..either..-.IP \[bu] 2-per period (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-or accumulated since report start date (\f[V]--cumulative\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or accumulated since account creation (\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R])-.PP-\&..possibly converted to..-.IP \[bu] 2-cost (\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R]/\f[V]-B\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or market value, as of transaction dates (\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or at period ends (\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or now (\f[V]--value=now\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or at some other date (\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R])-.PP-\&..with..-.IP \[bu] 2-totals (\f[V]-T\f[R]), averages (\f[V]-A\f[R]), percentages-(\f[V]-%\f[R]), inverted sign (\f[V]--invert\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-rows and columns swapped (\f[V]--transpose\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-another field used as account name (\f[V]--pivot\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only)-(\f[V]--format\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines-(\f[V]--layout\f[R])-.PP-This command supports the output destination and output format options,-with output formats \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], \f[V]json\f[R], and-(multi-period reports only:) \f[V]html\f[R].-In \f[V]txt\f[R] output in a colour-supporting terminal, negative-amounts are shown in red.-.PP-The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the balance of the-\f[I]other\f[R] postings in the transactions of the postings which would-normally be shown.-.SS Simple balance report-.PP-With no arguments, \f[V]balance\f[R] 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.-(\[dq]Simple\[dq] here means just one column of numbers, covering a-single period.-You can also have multi-period reports, described later.)-.PP-For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end-balance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.-.PP-Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any, and then alphabetically-by account name.-For instance (using examples/sample.journal):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree mode-- see below) are hidden by default.-Use \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to show them (revealing-\f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] here):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                   0  assets:bank:checking-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-\f[V]-N\f[R]/\f[V]--no-total\f[R] is used.-.SS Balance report line format-.PP-For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you-can use \f[V]--format FMT\f[R] to customise the format and content of-each line.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format \[dq]%20(account) %12(total)\[dq]-              assets          $-1-         bank:saving           $1-                cash          $-2-            expenses           $2-                food           $1-            supplies           $1-              income          $-2-               gifts          $-1-              salary          $-1-   liabilities:debts           $1-----------------------------------                                0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each-account/balance pair.-It may contain any suitable text, with data fields interpolated like so:-.PP-\f[V]%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)-.IP \[bu] 2-MAX truncates at this width (optional)-.IP \[bu] 2-FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]depth_spacer\f[R] - a number of spaces equal to the account\[aq]s-depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]account\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]total\f[R] - the account\[aq]s balance/posted total, right-justified-.RE-.PP-Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how-multi-commodity amounts are rendered:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%_\f[R] - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%\[ha]\f[R] - render on multiple lines, top-aligned-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%,\f[R] - render on one line, comma-separated-.PP-There are some quirks.-Eg in one-line mode, \f[V]%(depth_spacer)\f[R] has no effect, instead-\f[V]%(account)\f[R] has indentation built in.-Experimentation may be needed to get pleasing results.-.PP-Some example formats:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%(total)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s total-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%-20.20(account)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name, left justified,-padded to 20 characters and clipped at 20 characters-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%,%-50(account)  %25(total)\f[R] - account name padded to 50-characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities-rendered on one line-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]%20(total)  %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)\f[R] - the default format-for the single-column balance report-.SS Filtered balance report-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                 $-2  assets:cash----------------------                 $-2  -\f[R]-.fi-.SS List or tree mode-.PP-By default, or with \f[V]-l/--flat\f[R], accounts are shown as a flat-list with their full names visible, as in the examples above.-.PP-With \f[V]-t/--tree\f[R], the account hierarchy is shown, with-subaccounts\[aq] \[dq]leaf\[dq] names indented below their parent:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Boring\[dq] accounts are combined with their subaccount for more-compact output, unless \f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.-Boring accounts have no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg-\f[V]assets:bank\f[R] and \f[V]liabilities\f[R] above).-.IP \[bu] 2-All balances shown are \[dq]inclusive\[dq], ie including the balances-from all subaccounts.-Note this means some repetition in the output, which requires-explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextaccounting-users.-A tree mode report\[aq]s final total is the sum of the top-level-balances shown, not of all the balances shown.-.IP \[bu] 2-Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted-separately.-.SS Depth limiting-.PP-With a \f[V]depth:NUM\f[R] query, or \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option, or-just \f[V]-NUM\f[R] (eg: \f[V]-3\f[R]) balance reports will show-accounts only to the specified depth, hiding the deeper subaccounts.-This can be useful for getting an overview without too much detail.-.PP-Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from any-deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).-Eg, limiting to depth 1:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                 $-1  assets-                  $2  expenses-                 $-2  income-                  $1  liabilities----------------------                   0  -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Dropping top-level accounts-.PP-You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using-\f[V]--drop NUM\f[R].-This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account names:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                  $1  food-                  $1  supplies----------------------                  $2  -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-.SS Showing declared accounts-.PP-With \f[V]--declared\f[R], accounts which have been declared with an-account directive will be included in the balance report, even if they-have no transactions.-(Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to see them.)-.PP-More precisely, \f[I]leaf\f[R] declared accounts (with no subaccounts)-will be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.-.PP-The idea of this is to be able to see a useful \[dq]complete\[dq]-balance report, even when you don\[aq]t have transactions in all of your-declared accounts yet.-.SS Sorting by amount-.PP-With \f[V]-S/--sort-amount\f[R], accounts with the largest (most-positive) balances are shown first.-Eg: \f[V]hledger bal expenses -MAS\f[R] shows your biggest averaged-monthly expenses first.-When more than one commodity is present, they will be sorted by the-alphabetically earliest commodity first, and then by subsequent-commodities (if an amount is missing a commodity, it is treated as 0).-.PP-Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so-\f[V]-S\f[R] shows these in reverse order.-To work around this, you can add \f[V]--invert\f[R] to flip the signs.-(Or, use one of the higher-level reports, which flip the sign-automatically.-Eg: \f[V]hledger incomestatement -MAS\f[R]).-.PP-.SS Percentages-.PP-With \f[V]-%/--percent\f[R], balance reports show each account\[aq]s-value expressed as a percentage of the (column) total.-.PP-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 sign, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]>0\[ga]-$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]<0\[ga]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Similarly, if the amounts in a column have mixed commodities, convert-them to one commodity with \f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] or-\f[V]--value\f[R], or make a separate report for each commodity:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal -% cur:\[rs]\[rs]$-$ hledger bal -% cur:\[Eu]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Multi-period balance report-.PP-With a report interval (set by the \f[V]-D/--daily\f[R],-\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R], \f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R], \f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R],-\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R], or \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] flag), \f[V]balance\f[R]-shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time-periods (and a title):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-Balance changes in 2008:--                   ||  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 --------------------++----------------------------------                   ||     $-1      $1       0       0 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Notes:-.IP \[bu] 2-The report\[aq]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).-.IP \[bu] 2-Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not-shown, unless \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.-.IP \[bu] 2-Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless-\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.-.IP \[bu] 2-Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless-\f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.-\f[I](experimental)\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Average and/or total columns can be added with the-\f[V]-A/--average\f[R] and \f[V]-T/--row-total\f[R] flags.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \f[V]--transpose\f[R] flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option causes a different transaction field-to be used as \[dq]account name\[dq].-See PIVOTING.-.PP-Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy viewing-in the terminal.-Here are some ways to handle that:-.IP \[bu] 2-Hide the totals row with \f[V]-N/--no-total\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Convert to a single currency with \f[V]-V\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Maximize the terminal window-.IP \[bu] 2-Reduce the terminal\[aq]s font size-.IP \[bu] 2-View with a pager like less, eg:-\f[V]hledger bal -D --color=yes | less -RS\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata-(\f[V]hledger bal -D -O csv | vd -f csv\f[R]), Emacs\[aq] csv-mode-(\f[V]M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a\f[R]), or a spreadsheet-(\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-Output as HTML and view with a browser:-\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.html && open a.html\f[R]-.SS Balance change, end balance-.PP-It\[aq]s important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in-balance reports.-Here is some terminology we use:-.PP-A \f[B]\f[BI]balance change\f[B]\f[R] is the net amount added to, or-removed from, an account during some period.-.PP-An \f[B]\f[BI]end balance\f[B]\f[R] is the amount accumulated in an-account as of some date (and some time, but hledger doesn\[aq]t store-that; assume end of day in your timezone).-It is the sum of previous balance changes.-.PP-We call it a \f[B]\f[BI]historical end balance\f[B]\f[R] if it includes-all balance changes since the account was created.-For a real world account, this means it will match the \[dq]historical-record\[dq], eg the balances reported in your bank statements or bank-web UI.-(If they are correct!)-.PP-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.-.PP-\f[V]balance\f[R] shows balance changes by default.-To see accurate historical end balances:-.IP "1." 3-Initialise account starting balances with an \[dq]opening balances\[dq]-transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the journal-covers the account\[aq]s full lifetime.-.IP "2." 3-Include all of of the account\[aq]s prior postings in the report, by not-specifying a report start date, or by using the-\f[V]-H/--historical\f[R] flag.-(\f[V]-H\f[R] causes report start date to be ignored when summing-postings.)-.SS Balance report types-.PP-The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to-control what it reports.-If the following seems complicated, don\[aq]t worry - this is for-advanced reporting, and it does typically take some time and-experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.-.PP-There are three important option groups:-.PP-\f[V]hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE] ...\f[R]-.SS Calculation type-.PP-The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--sum\f[R] : sum the posting amounts (\f[B]default\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--budget\f[R] : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal-amount (for each account/period)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] : show the change in period-end historical-balance values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price-fluctuations)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--gain\f[R] : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current-valued balance minus each amount\[aq]s original cost)-.SS Accumulation type-.PP-How amounts should accumulate across report periods.-Another way to say it: which time period\[aq]s postings should-contribute to each cell\[aq]s calculation.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--change\f[R] : calculate with postings from column start to column-end, ie \[dq]just this column\[dq].-Typically used to see revenues/expenses.-(\f[B]default for balance, incomestatement\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] : calculate with postings from report start to-column end, ie \[dq]previous columns plus this column\[dq].-Typically used to show changes accumulated since the report\[aq]s start-date.-Not often used.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R] : calculate with postings from journal start-to column end, ie \[dq]all postings from before report start date until-this column\[aq]s end\[dq].-Typically used to see historical end balances of-assets/liabilities/equity.-(\f[B]default for balancesheet, balancesheetequity, cashflow\f[R])-.SS Valuation type-.PP-Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before-displaying the report.-It is one of:-.IP \[bu] 2-no valuation type : don\[aq]t convert to cost or value-(\f[B]default\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to cost (then optionally-to some other commodity)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-transaction dates-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on period-end date(s)-.PD 0-.P-.PD-(\f[B]default with \f[VB]--valuechange\f[B], \f[VB]--gain\f[B]\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=now[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-today\[aq]s date-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on-another date-.PP-or one of the equivalent simpler flags:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] : like --value=cost (though, note --cost and --value-are independent options which can both be used at once)-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-V/--market\f[R] : like --value=end-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]-X COMM/--exchange COMM\f[R] : like --value=end,COMM-.PP-See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.-.SS Combining balance report types-.PP-Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,-but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know.-The following restrictions are applied:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] implies \f[V]--value=end\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] makes \f[V]--change\f[R] the default when used-with the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R]/\f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] commands-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] or \f[V]--historical\f[R] disables-\f[V]--row-total/-T\f[R]-.PP-For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and-valuation show:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-lw(7.9n) lw(16.4n) lw(16.9n) lw(15.1n) lw(13.7n).-T{-Valuation:> Accumulation:v-T}@T{-no valuation-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= then\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= end\f[R]-T}@T{-\f[V]--value= YYYY-MM-DD /now\f[R]-T}-_-T{-\f[V]--change\f[R]-T}@T{-change in period-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values in period-T}@T{-period-end value of change in period-T}@T{-DATE-value of change in period-T}-T{-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]-T}@T{-change from report start to period end-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values from report start to period end-T}@T{-period-end value of change from report start to period end-T}@T{-DATE-value of change from report start to period end-T}-T{-\f[V]--historical /-H\f[R]-T}@T{-change from journal start to period end (historical end balance)-T}@T{-sum of posting-date market values from journal start to period end-T}@T{-period-end value of change from journal start to period end-T}@T{-DATE-value of change from journal start to period end-T}-.TE-.SS Budget report-.PP-The \f[V]--budget\f[R] report type activates extra columns showing any-budget goals for each account and period.-The budget goals are defined by periodic transactions.-This is useful for comparing planned and actual income, expenses, time-usage, etc.-.PP-For example, you can take average monthly expenses in the common expense-categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-;; Budget-\[ti] monthly-  income  $2000-  expenses:food    $400-  expenses:bus     $50-  expenses:movies  $30-  assets:bank:checking--;; Two months worth of expenses-2017-11-01-  income  $1950-  expenses:food    $396-  expenses:bus     $49-  expenses:movies  $30-  expenses:supplies  $20-  assets:bank:checking--2017-12-01-  income  $2100-  expenses:food    $412-  expenses:bus     $53-  expenses:gifts   $100-  assets:bank:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can now see a monthly budget report:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:-.IP \[bu] 2-Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are shown, by-default.-.IP \[bu] 2-In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget goal-amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.-(Note: budget goals should be in the same commodity as the actual-amount.)-.IP \[bu] 2-All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.-Eg assets, assets:bank, and expenses above.-.IP \[bu] 2-Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted, even in-list mode.-.PP-This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!-Eg above, the \f[V]expenses\f[R] actual amount includes the gifts and-supplies transactions, but the \f[V]expenses:gifts\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:supplies\f[R] accounts are not shown, as they have no-budget amounts declared.-.PP-This can be confusing.-When you need to make things clearer, use the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag,-which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted ones, giving the-full picture.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with-\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal -M --budget expenses-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger bal -M --budget type:rx-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It\[aq]s also common to limit or convert them to a single currency-(\f[V]cur:COMM\f[R] or \f[V]-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]\f[R]).-If showing multiple currencies, \f[V]--layout bare\f[R] or-\f[V]--layout tall\f[R] can help.-.PP-For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.-.SS Budget report start date-.PP-This might be a bug, but for now: when making budget reports, it\[aq]s a-good idea to explicitly set the report\[aq]s start date to the first day-of a reporting period, because a periodic rule like-\f[V]\[ti] monthly\f[R] 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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly in 2020-  (expenses:food)  $500--2020-01-15-  expenses:food    $400-  assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal expenses --budget-Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--              || 2020-01-15 -==============++============- <unbudgeted> ||       $400 ---------------++-------------              ||       $400 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To avoid this, specify the budget report\[aq]s period, or at least the-start date, with \f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R],-to ensure it includes the budget goal transactions (periodic-transactions) that you want.-Eg, adding \f[V]-b 2020/1/1\f[R] to the above:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 -===============++========================- expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] ----------------++-------------------------               ||     $400 [80% of $500] -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Budgets and subaccounts-.PP-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.-.PP-In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-account, all its parents would have budget as well.-.PP-To illustrate this, consider the following budget:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly from 2019/01-    expenses:personal             $1,000.00-    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00-    liabilities-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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 \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses\f[R] is $1100.-.PP-Transactions in \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R] will be counted-both towards its $100 budget and $1100 of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] ,-and transactions in any other subaccount of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R]-would be counted towards only towards the budget of-\f[V]expenses:personal\f[R].-.PP-For example, let\[aq]s consider these transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-\[ti] monthly from 2019/01-    expenses:personal             $1,000.00-    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00-    liabilities--2019/01/01 Google home hub-    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-    liabilities                           $-90.00--2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-    liabilities--2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-    liabilities--2019/01/03 Flowers-    expenses:personal          $30.00-    liabilities-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-As you can see, we have transactions in-\f[V]expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades\f[R] and-\f[V]expenses:personal:train tickets\f[R], and since both of these-accounts are without explicitly defined budget, these transactions would-be counted towards budgets of \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R]-and \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] accordingly:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --budget -M-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] --------------------------------++--------------------------------                               ||        0 [                 0] -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-And with \f[V]--empty\f[R], we can get a better picture of budget-allocation and consumption:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                        ||                           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] -----------------------------------------++--------------------------------                                        ||        0 [                 0] -\f[R]-.fi-.SS Selecting budget goals-.PP-The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate-special \[dq]goal transactions\[dq], which generate the goal amounts for-each account in each report subperiod.-When troubleshooting, you can use \f[V]print --forecast\f[R] to show-these as forecasted transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-rules to generate goals.-This includes rules with a different report interval from your report.-Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly periodic rules, all of these-will contribute to the goals in a monthly budget report.-.PP-You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-the \f[V]--budget\f[R] flag.-\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R] will match all periodic rules whose-description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-regular expression or query).-This means you can give your periodic rules descriptions (remember that-two spaces are needed), and then select from multiple budgets defined in-your journal.-.SS Budget vs forecast-.PP-\f[V]hledger --forecast ...\f[R] and-\f[V]hledger balance --budget ...\f[R] are separate features, though-both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined in the journal,-and both of them generate temporary transactions for reporting purposes-(\[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] and \[dq]budget goal transactions\[dq],-respectively).-You can use both features at the same time if you want.-Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:-.PP-CLI:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command-.IP \[bu] 2---budget is a \f[V]balance\f[R] command option, usable only with that-command.-.PP-Visibility of generated transactions:-.IP \[bu] 2-forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary-transactions-.IP \[bu] 2-budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts they-produce in --budget reports.-.PP-Periodic transaction rules:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules-.IP \[bu] 2---budget uses all periodic rules (\f[V]--budget\f[R]) or a selected-subset (\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R])-.PP-Period of generated transactions:-.IP \[bu] 2---forecast generates forecast transactions-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-from after the last regular transaction to the end of the report period-(\f[V]--forecast\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-or, during a specified period (\f[V]--forecast=PERIODEXPR\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-possibly further restricted by a period specified in the periodic-transaction rule-.IP \[bu] 2-and always restricted within the bounds of the report period-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2---budget generates budget goal transactions-.RS 2-.IP \[bu] 2-throughout the report period-.IP \[bu] 2-possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic transaction-rule.-.RE-.SS Data layout-.PP-The \f[V]--layout\f[R] option affects how balance reports show-multi-commodity amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve-readability.-It can also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.-It has four possible values:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=wide[,WIDTH]\f[R]: commodities are shown on a single line,-optionally elided to WIDTH-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=tall\f[R]: each commodity is shown on a separate line-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=bare\f[R]: commodity symbols are in their own column,-amounts are bare numbers-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]--layout=tidy\f[R]: data is normalised to easily-consumed-\[dq]tidy\[dq] form, with one row per data value-.PP-Here are the \f[V]--layout\f[R] modes supported by each output format;-note only CSV output supports all of them:-.PP-.TS-tab(@);-l l l l l l.-T{---T}@T{-txt-T}@T{-csv-T}@T{-html-T}@T{-json-T}@T{-sql-T}-_-T{-wide-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-tall-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-bare-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-T{-tidy-T}@T{-T}@T{-Y-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}@T{-T}-.TE-.PP-Examples:-.IP \[bu] 2-Wide layout.-With many commodities, reports can be very wide:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total -==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Limited wide layout.-A width limit reduces the width, but some commodities will be hidden:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total -==================++===========================================================================================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Tall layout.-Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in each column), and-account names are repeated:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total -==================++==================================================- Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD - Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT - Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD - Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA - Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -------------------++---------------------------------------------------                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Bare layout.-Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commodity gets its own-report row, account names are repeated:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total -==================++=============================================- Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 - Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 - Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -------------------++----------------------------------------------                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing data-that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]balance\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]-\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-Tidy layout produces normalised \[dq]tidy data\[dq], where every-variable has its own column and each row represents a single data point.-See-https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html-for more.-This is the easiest kind of data for other software to consume.-Here\[aq]s how it looks:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]period\[dq],\[dq]start_date\[dq],\[dq]end_date\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]value\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]337.18\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]12.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]106.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-98.12\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]-11.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]4881.44\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]14.00\[dq]-\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]170.00\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.SS Useful balance reports-.PP-Some frequently used \f[V]balance\f[R] options/reports are:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M revenues expenses\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show revenues/expenses in each month.-Also available as the \f[V]incomestatement\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.-Also available as the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities equity\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.-Also available as the \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] command.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M assets not:receivable\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show changes to liquid assets in each month.-Also available as the \f[V]cashflow\f[R] command.-.PP-Also:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M expenses -2 -SA\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average-amount.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M --budget expenses\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly expenses and budget goals.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal -M --valuechange investments\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[V]bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:\[aq]>1000\[aq] -STA [--invert]\f[R]-.PD 0-.P-.PD-Show top gainers [or losers] last week-.SS balancesheet-.PP-(bs)-.PP-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 sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],-\f[V]Cash\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] type (see account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]asset\f[R] or \f[V]liability\f[R] (case insensitive, plurals-allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheet-Balance Sheet--Assets:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities\f[R], but-with smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their-sign flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS balancesheetequity-.PP-(bse)-.PP-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.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],-\f[V]Cash\f[R], \f[V]Liability\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] type (see-account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]asset\f[R], \f[V]liability\f[R] or \f[V]equity\f[R] (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balancesheetequity-Balance Sheet With Equity--Assets:-                 $-2  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-3    cash----------------------                 $-2--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Equity:-          $1  equity:owner----------------------          $1--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity\f[R],-but with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed-with their sign flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS cashflow-.PP-(cf)-.PP-This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-outflows affecting \[dq]cash\[dq] (ie, liquid, easily convertible)-assets.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Cash\f[R] type (see-account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts-.IP \[bu] 2-under a top-level account named \f[V]asset\f[R] (case insensitive,-plural allowed)-.IP \[bu] 2-whose name contains some variation of \f[V]cash\f[R], \f[V]bank\f[R],-\f[V]checking\f[R] or \f[V]saving\f[R].-.PP-More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular-expression:-.PP-\f[V]\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)\f[R]-.PP-and their subaccounts.-.PP-An example cashflow report:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger cashflow-Cashflow Statement--Cash flows:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Total:----------------------                 $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to-\f[V]hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment not:receivable\f[R],-but with smarter account detection.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS check-.PP-Check for various kinds of errors in your data.-.PP-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-\f[V]check\f[R] 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).-.PP-Some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger check      # basic checks-hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to run-these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.-.PP-Here are the checks currently available:-.SS Basic checks-.PP-These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger-commands, including \f[V]check\f[R]:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]parseable\f[R] - data files are well-formed and can be successfully-parsed-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]balancedwithautoconversion\f[R] - all transactions are balanced,-inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting-commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]assertions\f[R] - all balance assertions in the journal are-passing.-(This check can be disabled with-\f[V]-I\f[R]/\f[V]--ignore-assertions\f[R].)-.SS Strict checks-.PP-These additional checks are run when the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R]-(strict mode) flag is used.-Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to-\f[V]check\f[R]:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]accounts\f[R] - all account names used by transactions have been-declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]commodities\f[R] - all commodity symbols used have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]balancednoautoconversion\f[R] - transactions are balanced, possibly-using explicit costs but not inferred ones-.SS Other checks-.PP-These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to-\f[V]check\f[R].-They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, therefore-optional:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]ordereddates\f[R] - transactions are ordered by date within each-file-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]payees\f[R] - all payees used by transactions have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]recentassertions\f[R] - all accounts with balance assertions have a-balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]tags\f[R] - all tags used by transactions have been declared-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]uniqueleafnames\f[R] - all account leaf names are unique-.SS Custom checks-.PP-A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]hledger-check-tagfiles\f[R] - all tag values containing / (a-forward slash) exist as file paths-.IP \[bu] 2-\f[B]hledger-check-fancyassertions\f[R] - more complex balance-assertions are passing-.PP-You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.-See: Cookbook -> Scripting.-.SS More about specific checks-.PP-\f[V]hledger check recentassertions\f[R] will complain if any-balance-asserted account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days-before its latest posting.-This aims to prevent the situation where you are regularly updating your-journal, but forgetting to check your balances against the real world,-then one day must dig back through months of data to find an error.-It assumes that adding a balance assertion requires/reminds you to check-the real-world balance.-That may not be true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank-data; in that case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then-use the manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the-latest assertions against real-world balances.-.SS close-.PP-(equity)-.PP-Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from-another account (typically equity).-This can be useful for migrating balances to a new journal file, or for-merging earnings into equity at end of accounting period.-.PP-By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (asset,-liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be-configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.-.PP-\f[I](experimental)\f[R]-.PP-This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use-cases:-.IP "1." 3-With \f[V]--close\f[R] (default), it prints a \[dq]closing balances\[dq]-transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by-default (this requires account types to be inferred or declared); or,-the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.-.IP "2." 3-With \f[V]--open\f[R], it prints an opposite \[dq]opening balances\[dq]-transaction that restores those balances from zero.-This is similar to Ledger\[aq]s equity command.-.IP "3." 3-With \f[V]--migrate\f[R], it prints both the closing and opening-transactions.-This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a new file: run-\f[V]hledger close --migrate\f[R], add the closing transaction at the-end of the old file, and add the opening transaction at the start of the-new file.-The matching closing/opening transactions cancel each other out,-preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.-.IP "4." 3-With \f[V]--retain\f[R], it prints a \[dq]retain earnings\[dq]-transaction that transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to-\f[V]equity:retained earnings\f[R].-Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each accounting period;-it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it could still-be useful if you want to see the accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.-.PP-In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:-.IP \[bu] 2-the transaction descriptions can be changed with-\f[V]--close-desc=DESC\f[R] and \f[V]--open-desc=DESC\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-the account to transfer to/from can be changed with-\f[V]--close-acct=ACCT\f[R] and \f[V]--open-acct=ACCT\f[R]-.IP \[bu] 2-the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with \f[V]ACCTQUERY\f[R]-(account query arguments).-.PP-By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its-amount left implicit.-With \f[V]--x/--explicit\f[R], the amount will be shown explicitly, and-if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting will be-generated for each of them (similar to \f[V]print -x\f[R]).-.PP-With \f[V]--show-costs\f[R], any amount costs are shown, with separate-postings for each cost.-This is currently the best way to view investment lots.-If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can-generate very large journal entries.-.PP-With \f[V]--interleaved\f[R], each individual transfer is shown with-source and destination postings next to each other.-This could be useful for troubleshooting.-.PP-The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal\[aq]s end date,-whichever is later.-You can change this by specifying a report end date; (The report start-date does not matter.)-The last day of the report period will be the closing date; eg-\f[V]-e 2022\f[R] means \[dq]close on 2022-12-31\[dq].-The opening date is always the day after the closing date.-.SS close and balance assertions-.PP-Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if-there is an opening transaction).-.PP-These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporarily-with \f[V]-I\f[R], or remove them if you prefer.-.PP-You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or realness-(\f[V]-C\f[R], \f[V]-R\f[R], \f[V]status:\f[R]), or generating postings-(\f[V]--auto\f[R]), with this command, since the balance assertions-would depend on these.-.PP-Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the-balance assertions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary-account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two-single-day transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; in 2022.journal:-2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    equity:pending        -5--; in 2023.journal:-2023-01-02 last year\[aq]s transaction cleared-    equity:pending         5 = 0-    assets:bank:checking  -5-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: retain earnings-.PP-Record 2022\[aq]s revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-appending the generated transaction to the journal:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note 2022\[aq]s income statement will now show only zeroes, because-revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.-To see them again, you could exclude the retain transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:\[aq]retain earnings\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: migrate balances to a new file-.PP-Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on-2023-01-01:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now 2022\[aq]s balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a-balanced accounting equation.-(Unless you are using \[at]/\[at]\[at] notation - in that case, try-adding --infer-equity.)-To see the end-of-year balances again, you could exclude the closing-transaction:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:\[aq]closing balances\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Example: excluding closing/opening transactions-.PP-When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening-transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like-\f[V]print\f[R] and \f[V]register\f[R].-You can exclude them as shown above, but \f[V]not:desc:...\f[R] is not-ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions; also you will want to-avoid excluding the very first opening transaction, which could be-awkward.-Here is one alternative, using tags:-.PP-Add \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tags to all opening/closing balances transactions-except the first, like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2021.journal-2021-06-01 first opening balances-\&...-2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2022.journal-2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-\&...-2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; 2023.journal-2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-\&...-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Now, assuming a combined journal like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-; all.journal-include 2021.journal-include 2022.journal-include 2023.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tag can exclude all but the first opening-transaction.-To show a clean multi-year checking register:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-And the year values allow more precision.-To show 2022\[aq]s year-end balance sheet:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023-\f[R]-.fi-.SS codes-.PP-List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed.-.PP-This command prints the value of each transaction\[aq]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.-.PP-Transactions aren\[aq]t required to have a code, and missing or empty-codes will not be shown by default.-With the \f[V]-E\f[R]/\f[V]--empty\f[R] flag, they will be printed as-blank lines.-.PP-You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   - Food       $5.00- Checking    --2022/1/2 (124) Post Office- Postage    $8.32- Checking--2022/1/3 Supermarket- Food      $11.23- Checking --2022/1/4 (126) Post Office- Postage    $3.21- Checking-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger codes-123-124-126-\f[R]-.fi-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger codes -E-123-124--126-\f[R]-.fi-.SS commodities-.PP-List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.-.SS descriptions-.PP-List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions.-.PP-This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in transactions,-in alphabetic order.-You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger descriptions-Store Name-Gas Station | Petrol-Person A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS diff-.PP-Compares a particular account\[aq]s transactions in two input files.-It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not-in the other.-.PP-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.-.PP-This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account\[aq]s transactions-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.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro -These transactions are in the first file only:--2014/01/01 Opening Balances-    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-    ...-    equity:opening balances       EUR -...--These transactions are in the second file only:-\f[R]-.fi-.SS files-.PP-List all files included in the journal.-With a REGEX argument, only file names matching the regular expression-(case sensitive) are shown.-.SS help-.PP-Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with \f[V]info\f[R],-\f[V]man\f[R], or a pager.-With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.-TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case-insensitive.-Eg: \f[V]commands\f[R], \f[V]print\f[R], \f[V]forecast\f[R],-\f[V]journal\f[R], \f[V]amount\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]auto postings\[dq]\f[R].-.PP-This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.-It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web-browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are not-installed on your system.-.PP-By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this-order): \f[V]info\f[R], \f[V]man\f[R], \f[V]$PAGER\f[R], \f[V]less\f[R],-\f[V]more\f[R].-You can force the use of info, man, or a pager with the \f[V]-i\f[R],-\f[V]-m\f[R], or \f[V]-p\f[R] flags, If no viewer can be found, or the-command is run non-interactively, it just prints the manual to stdout.-.PP-If using \f[V]info\f[R], note that version 6 or greater is needed for-TOPIC lookup.-If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should consider-installing a newer version, eg with \f[V]brew install texinfo\f[R]-(#1770).-.PP-Examples-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed-\f[R]-.fi-.SS import-.PP-Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to-the journal.-Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that would be added.-Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs\[aq] transactions as-imported, without actually importing any.-.PP-This command may append new transactions to the main journal file (which-should be in journal format).-Existing transactions are not changed.-This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file-(see also \f[V]add\f[R]).-.PP-Unlike other hledger commands, with \f[V]import\f[R] 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, so to import one or more CSV-files to your main journal, you will run-\f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] or perhaps-\f[V]hledger import *.csv\f[R].-.PP-Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most-common import source, and these docs focus on that case.-.SS Deduplication-.PP-As a convenience \f[V]import\f[R] does \f[I]deduplication\f[R] while-reading transactions.-This does not mean \[dq]ignore transactions that look the same\[dq], but-rather \[dq]ignore transactions that have been seen before\[dq].-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 \f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] and only new-transactions will be imported.-(\f[V]import\f[R] is idempotent.)-.PP-Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with-unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming-that:-.IP "1." 3-new items always have the newest dates-.IP "2." 3-item dates do not change across reads-.IP "3." 3-and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across-reads.-.PP-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\[aq]t matter (and if you import often, the new transactions will be-few, so less likely to be the ones affected).-.PP-hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by saving-a hidden \[dq].latest\[dq] state file in the same directory.-Eg when reading \f[V]finance/bank.csv\f[R], it will look for and update-the \f[V]finance/.latest.bank.csv\f[R] state file.-The format is simple: one or more lines containing the same ISO-format-date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning \[dq]I have processed transactions up to this-date, and this many of them on that date.\[dq] Normally you won\[aq]t-see or manipulate these state files yourself.-But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all-transactions \[dq]new\[dq]), or you can construct them to \[dq]catch-up\[dq] to a certain date.-.PP-Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by-\f[V]print --new\f[R], but this is less often used.-.SS Import testing-.PP-With \f[V]--dry-run\f[R], 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-categorised:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-or (live updating):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it\[aq]s currently-possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the-actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving-them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).-To prevent this, do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the-real import.-.SS Importing balance assignments-.PP-Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit-(like \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]).-This means that any balance assignments in imported files must be-evaluated; but, imported files don\[aq]t get to see the main file\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-(If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,-please test it and send a pull request.)-.SS Commodity display styles-.PP-Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.-.SS incomestatement-.PP-(is)-.PP-This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and expenses-during one or more periods.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.-.PP-This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Revenue\f[R] or-\f[V]Expense\f[R] type (see account types).-Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named-\f[V]revenue\f[R] or \f[V]income\f[R] or \f[V]expense\f[R] (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger incomestatement-Income Statement--Revenues:-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary----------------------                 $-2--Expenses:-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies----------------------                  $2--Total:----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,-and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period-reports.-It is similar to-\f[V]hledger balance \[aq](revenues|income)\[aq] expenses\f[R], but with-smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their sign-flipped.-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS notes-.PP-List the unique notes that appear in transactions.-.PP-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 a | character-(or if there is no |, the whole description).-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger notes-Petrol-Snacks-\f[R]-.fi-.SS payees-.PP-List the unique payee/payer names that appear in transactions.-.PP-This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared-with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions-(--used), or both (the default).-.PP-The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a |-character (or if there is no |, the whole description).-.PP-You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions.-This implies --used.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger payees-Store Name-Gas Station-Person A-\f[R]-.fi-.SS prices-.PP-Print market price directives from the journal.-With --infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from-costs.-With --infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting-known prices.-Prices can be filtered by a query.-Price amounts are displayed with their full precision.-.SS print-.PP-Show transaction journal entries, sorted by date.-.PP-The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from the-journal file, sorted by date (or with \f[V]--date2\f[R], by secondary-date).-.PP-Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg 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.)-.PP-Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not across-all transactions).-.PP-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-directives and file-level comments.-.PP-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print-2008/01/01 income-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:salary                  $-1--2008/06/01 gift-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:gifts                   $-1--2008/06/02 save-    assets:bank:saving              $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--2008/06/03 * eat & shop-    expenses:food                $1-    expenses:supplies            $1-    assets:cash                 $-2--2008/12/31 * pay off-    liabilities:debts               $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-print\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-# 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-There are some situations where print\[aq]s output can become-unparseable:-.IP \[bu] 2-Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or balance-assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail.-.IP \[bu] 2-Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts.-.IP \[bu] 2-Account aliases can generate bad account names.-.PP-Normally, the journal entry\[aq]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 cost is implied but not written, it will not appear in-the output.-You can use the \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] flag to make all-amounts and costs explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or-for making your journal more readable and robust against data entry-errors.-\f[V]-x\f[R] is also implied by using any of-\f[V]-B\f[R],\f[V]-V\f[R],\f[V]-X\f[R],\f[V]--value\f[R].-.PP-Note, \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] 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.-.PP-With \f[V]-B\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R], amounts with costs are converted to-cost using that price.-This can be used for troubleshooting.-.PP-With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], print does a fuzzy search-for one recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC.-DESC should contain at least two characters.-If there is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown and-the program exit code will be non-zero.-.PP-With \f[V]--new\f[R], hledger prints only transactions it has not seen-on a previous run.-This uses the same deduplication system as the \f[V]import\f[R] command.-(See import\[aq]s docs for details.)-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R] and \f[V]sql\f[R].-.PP-Here\[aq]s an example of print\[aq]s CSV output:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print -Ocsv-\[dq]txnidx\[dq],\[dq]date\[dq],\[dq]date2\[dq],\[dq]status\[dq],\[dq]code\[dq],\[dq]description\[dq],\[dq]comment\[dq],\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]amount\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]credit\[dq],\[dq]debit\[dq],\[dq]posting-status\[dq],\[dq]posting-comment\[dq]-\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:salary\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:gifts\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:saving\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:food\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:supplies\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:cash\[dq],\[dq]-2\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]liabilities:debts\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.IP \[bu] 2-There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction\[aq]s-fields repeated.-.IP \[bu] 2-The \[dq]txnidx\[dq] (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 order, etc.)-.IP \[bu] 2-The amount is separated into \[dq]commodity\[dq] (the symbol) and-\[dq]amount\[dq] (numeric quantity) fields.-.IP \[bu] 2-The numeric amount is repeated in either the \[dq]credit\[dq] or-\[dq]debit\[dq] 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.)-.SS register-.PP-(reg)-.PP-Show postings and their running total.-.PP-The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in-date order, with their running total or running historical balance.-(See also the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command, which shows matched-transactions in a specific account.)-.PP-register normally shows line per posting, but note that multi-commodity-amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per commodity).-.PP-It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see-that account\[aq]s activity:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register checking-2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1-2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2-2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With \f[V]--date2\f[R], it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.-.PP-For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.-If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and-memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.-.PP-The \f[V]--historical\f[R]/\f[V]-H\f[R] flag adds the balance from any-undisplayed prior postings to the running total.-This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a-historically accurate running balance:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option limits the amount of sub-account detail-displayed.-.PP-The \f[V]--average\f[R]/\f[V]-A\f[R] 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 \f[V]--empty\f[R] (see below).-It is affected by \f[V]--historical\f[R].-It works best when showing just one account and one commodity.-.PP-The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the \f[I]other\f[R]-postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be-shown.-.PP-The \f[V]--invert\f[R] flag negates all amounts.-For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are-normally displayed as negative numbers.-It\[aq]s also useful to show postings on the checking account together-with the related account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per-interval, aggregating the postings to each account:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly income-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are-not shown by default; use the \f[V]--empty\f[R]/\f[V]-E\f[R] flag to see-them:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly income -E-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/02                                                          0          $-1-2008/03                                                          0          $-1-2008/04                                                          0          $-1-2008/05                                                          0          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-2008/07                                                          0          $-2-2008/08                                                          0          $-2-2008/09                                                          0          $-2-2008/10                                                          0          $-2-2008/11                                                          0          $-2-2008/12                                                          0          $-2-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Often, you\[aq]ll want to see just one line per interval.-The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be-aggregated:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h-2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1-2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0-2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-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.-.PP-With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], register does a fuzzy-search for one recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC.-DESC should contain at least two characters.-If there is no similar-enough match, no posting will be shown and the-program exit code will be non-zero.-.SS Custom register output-.PP-register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.-You can override this by setting the \f[V]COLUMNS\f[R] environment-variable (not a bash shell variable) or by using the-\f[V]--width\f[R]/\f[V]-w\f[R] option.-.PP-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\[aq]s argument, comma-separated: \f[V]--width W,D\f[R] .-Here\[aq]s a diagram (won\[aq]t display correctly in --help):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->-date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-and some examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ 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-$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40-$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],-and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].-.SS rewrite-.PP-Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.-For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print---auto.-.PP-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-transaction\[aq]s first posting amount.-.PP-Examples:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs \[ha]income --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33  ; income tax\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  $100\[aq]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]-$ hledger-rewrite.hs -f rewrites.hledger-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-rewrites.hledger may consist of entries like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= \[ha]income amt:<0 date:2017-  (liabilities:tax)  *0.33  ; tax on income-  (reserve:grocery)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery-  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the two-spaces between account and amount.-.PP-More:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- [QUERY]        --add-posting \[dq]ACCT  AMTEXPR\[dq] ...-$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]-$ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](budget:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]-$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](budget:foreign currency)  *0.25 JPY; diversify\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Argument for \f[V]--add-posting\f[R] option is a usual posting of-transaction with an exception for amount specification.-More precisely, you can use \f[V]\[aq]*\[aq]\f[R] (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\[aq]s commodity.-.SS Re-write rules in a file-.PP-During the run this tool will execute so called \[dq]Automated-Transactions\[dq] found in any journal it process.-I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put-them in a journal file.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ rewrite-rules.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Make contents look like this:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-= \[ha]income-    (liabilities:tax)  *.33--= expenses:gifts-    budget:gifts  *-1-    assets:budget  *1-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Note that \f[V]\[aq]=\[aq]\f[R] (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.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal -f rewrite-rules.journal > rewritten-tidy-output.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This is something similar to the commands pipeline:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq] \[rs]-  | hledger rewrite -- -f - expenses:gifts      --add-posting \[aq]budget:gifts  *-1\[aq]       \[rs]-                                                --add-posting \[aq]assets:budget  *1\[aq]       \[rs]-  > rewritten-tidy-output.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in-journal is important.-You can re-use result of previously added postings.-.SS Diff output format-.PP-To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may-find useful output in form of unified diff.-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Output might look like:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]---- /tmp/examples/sample.journal-+++ /tmp/examples/sample.journal-\[at]\[at] -18,3 +18,4 \[at]\[at]- 2008/01/01 income--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:salary-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-\[at]\[at] -22,3 +23,4 \[at]\[at]- 2008/06/01 gift--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:gifts-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If you\[aq]ll pass this through \f[V]patch\f[R] tool you\[aq]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 \f[V]--file\f[R] options and \f[V]include\f[R]-directives inside of these files.-.PP-Be careful.-Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output from-\f[V]hledger print\f[R].-.PP-See also:-.PP-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99-.SS rewrite vs. print --auto-.PP-This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same-thing, but with these differences:-.IP \[bu] 2-with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other-files.-print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child-files.-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite\[aq]s query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are-printed.-print --auto\[aq]s query limits which transactions are printed.-.IP \[bu] 2-rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal.-print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.-.SS roi-.PP-Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on-your investments.-.PP-At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an account-name) to select your investment(s) with \f[V]--inv\f[R], and another-query to identify your profit and loss transactions with-\f[V]--pnl\f[R].-.PP-If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually,-or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR),-\f[V]--pnl\f[R] could be an empty query (\f[V]--pnl \[dq]\[dq]\f[R] or-\f[V]--pnl STR\f[R] where \f[V]STR\f[R] does not match any of your-accounts).-.PP-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.-.PP-Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate-\f[V]--cost\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] flags (see VALUATION).-.PP-Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons:-.IP \[bu] 2-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.-.IP \[bu] 2-Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of-Return (IRR).-Either search does not converge to a solution, or converges too slowly.-.PP-Examples:-.IP \[bu] 2-Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger-.IP \[bu] 2-Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html-.SS Spaces and special characters in \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]-.PP-Note that \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]\[aq]s argument is a query,-and queries could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).-.PP-To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument, you-will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger roi --inv \[aq]term1 term2 term3 ...\[aq]-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-level of nested quoting, eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger roi --inv=\[dq]\[aq]Assets:Test 1\[aq]\[dq] --pnl=\[dq]\[aq]Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss\[aq]\[dq]-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Semantics of \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]-.PP-Query supplied to \f[V]--inv\f[R] has to match all transactions that are-related to your investment.-Transactions not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R] will be ignored.-.PP-In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match-\f[V]--inv\f[R] to be \[dq]investment postings\[dq] and other postings-(not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R]) will be sorted into two categories:-\[dq]cash flow\[dq] and \[dq]profit and loss\[dq], as ROI needs to know-which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is-due to the return on investment.-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Cash flow\[dq] is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or-selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment-commodity and any other commodity.-Example:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-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-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-\[dq]Profit and loss\[dq] is change in the value of your investment:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019-06-01 Snake Oil falls in value-  investment:snake oil  = $57-  equity:unrealized profit or loss-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-All non-investment postings are assumed to be \[dq]cash flow\[dq],-unless they match \f[V]--pnl\f[R] query.-Changes in value of your investment due to \[dq]profit and loss\[dq]-postings will be considered as part of your investment return.-.PP-Example: if you use \f[V]--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized\f[R], then-postings in the example below would be classifed as:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1-  assets:cash          -$100   ; cash flow posting-  investment:snake oil         ; investment posting--2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-  snake oil                    ; investment posting--2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting-\f[R]-.fi-.SS IRR and TWR explained-.PP-\[dq]ROI\[dq] stands for \[dq]return on investment\[dq].-Traditionally this was computed as a difference between current value of-investment and its initial value, expressed in percentage of the initial-value.-.PP-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 different ways to compute rate of-return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR.-.PP-Internal rate of return, or \[dq]IRR\[dq] (also called-\[dq]money-weighted rate of return\[dq]) 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.-.PP-As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you-personally put in or withdraw, and for the \[dq]roi\[dq] command, these-are the postings that match the query in the\f[V]--inv\f[R] argument and-NOT match the query in the\f[V]--pnl\f[R] argument.-.PP-If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as-transactions that balance them against \[dq]profit and loss\[dq] (or-\[dq]unrealized gains\[dq]) 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.-.PP-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\[aq]t done discounted cash flow analysis before.-Implementation of IRR in hledger should produce results that match the-\f[V]XIRR\f[R] formula in Excel.-.PP-Second way to compute rate of return that \f[V]roi\f[R] command-implements is called \[dq]time-weighted rate of return\[dq] or-\[dq]TWR\[dq].-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 are quite different.-.PP-TWR represents your investment as an imaginary \[dq]unit fund\[dq] where-in-flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling \[dq]units\[dq] of your-investment and changes in its value change the value of \[dq]investment-unit\[dq].-Change in \[dq]unit price\[dq] over the reporting period gives you rate-of return of your investment.-.PP-References:-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of rate of return-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of IRR-.IP \[bu] 2-Explanation of TWR-.IP \[bu] 2-Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of the limitations of-both metrics-.SS stats-.PP-Show journal and performance statistics.-.PP-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.-.PP-At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number-of transactions processed per second.-Note these are approximate and will vary based on machine, current load,-data size, hledger version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..-but they may be of interest.-The \f[V]stats\f[R] command\[aq]s run time is similar to that of a-single-column balance report.-.PP-Example:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 1000-Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-Market prices            : 1000 (A)--Run time                 : 0.12 s-Throughput               : 8342 txns/s-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not--O/--output-format selection).-.SS tags-.PP-List the tags used in the journal, or their values.-.PP-This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on-transactions, postings, or account declarations.-.PP-With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular-expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.-.PP-With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this query-are considered.-If the query involves transaction fields (date:, desc:, amt:, ...), the-search is restricted to the matched transactions and their accounts.-.PP-With the --values flag, the tags\[aq] unique non-empty values are listed-instead.-With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.-.PP-With --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-with duplicates included.-(Except, tags from account declarations are always shown first.)-.PP-Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings-also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also-acquire tags from their postings.-.SS test-.PP-Run built-in unit tests.-.PP-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.-.PP-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!-.PP-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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options-(\f[V]-- --help\f[R] currently doesn\[aq]t show them).-.PP-.SH PART 5: COMMON TASKS-.PP-Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.-.SS Getting help-.PP-Here\[aq]s how to list commands and view options and command docs:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger                # show available commands-$ hledger --help         # show common options-$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD\[aq]s options, common options and CMD\[aq]s documentation-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can also view your hledger version\[aq]s manual in several formats-by using the help command.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit-https://hledger.org.-Chat and mail list support and discussion archives can be found at-https://hledger.org/support.-.SS Constructing command lines-.PP-hledger has a flexible command line interface.-We strive to keep it simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of-the sharp edges described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might-help:-.IP \[bu] 2-command-specific options must go after the command (it\[aq]s fine to put-common options there too: \f[V]hledger CMD OPTS ARGS\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing-(\f[V]hledger-ui OPTS ARGS\f[R])-.IP \[bu] 2-enclose \[dq]problematic\[dq] args in single quotes-.IP \[bu] 2-if needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression-metacharacters from the shell-.IP \[bu] 2-to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add-\f[V]--debug=2\f[R].-.SS Starting a journal file-.PP-hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,-\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] by default:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger stats-The hledger journal file \[dq]/Users/simon/.hledger.journal\[dq] was not found.-Please create it first, eg with \[dq]hledger add\[dq] or a text editor.-Or, specify an existing journal file with -f or LEDGER_FILE.-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-You can override this by setting the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment-variable.-It\[aq]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:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ mkdir \[ti]/finance-$ cd \[ti]/finance-$ git init-Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-$ touch 2020.journal-$ echo \[dq]export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal\[dq] >> \[ti]/.bashrc-$ source \[ti]/.bashrc-$ hledger stats-Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-Last transaction         : none-Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 0-Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-Commodities              : 0 ()-Market prices            : 0 ()-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Setting opening balances-.PP-Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some-real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..)-and liabilities (credit cards..).-.PP-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 always come back later and add more accounts and older-transactions, eg going back to january 1st.-.PP-Add an opening balances transaction to the journal, declaring the-balances on this date.-Here are two ways to do it:-.IP \[bu] 2-The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an entry-like this:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000-    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000-    assets:cash                          $100   = $100-    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-These are start-of-day balances, ie whatever was in the account at the-end of the previous day.-.PP-The * after the date is an optional status flag.-Here it means \[dq]cleared & confirmed\[dq].-.PP-The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you\[aq]ll-be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.-.PP-The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra error-checking.-.RE-.IP \[bu] 2-The second way: run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts to-record a similar transaction:-.RS 2-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-Description: * opening balances-Account 1: assets:bank:checking-Amount  1: $1000-Account 2: assets:bank:savings-Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-Account 3: assets:cash-Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-Amount  5 [$-3050]: -Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2020-01-01]: .-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.PP-If you\[aq]re using version control, this could be a good time to commit-the journal.-Eg:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ git commit -m \[aq]initial balances\[aq] 2020.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Recording transactions-.PP-As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the-hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.-.PP-Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual and-hledger.org for more ideas:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020/1/10 * gift received-  assets:cash   $20-  income:gifts--2020.1.12 * farmers market-  expenses:food    $13-  assets:cash--2020-01-15 paycheck-  income:salary-  assets:bank:checking    $1000-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reconciling-.PP-Periodically you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported-balances against external sources of truth, like bank statements or your-bank\[aq]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 pile up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors-and discrepancies.-.PP-A typical workflow:-.IP "1." 3-Reconcile cash.-Count what\[aq]s in your wallet.-Compare with what hledger reports (\f[V]hledger bal cash\f[R]).-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 (\f[V]hledger reg cash\f[R]).-If you can\[aq]t find the error, add an adjustment transaction.-Eg if you have $105 after the above, and can\[aq]t explain the missing-$2, it could be:-.RS 4-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash    $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.RE-.IP "2." 3-Reconcile checking.-Log in to your bank\[aq]s website.-Compare today\[aq]s (cleared) balance with hledger\[aq]s cleared balance-(\f[V]hledger bal checking -C\f[R]).-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-\f[V]hledger reg checking -C\f[R].-This will be easier if you generally record transaction dates quite-similar to your bank\[aq]s clearing dates.-.IP "3." 3-Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.-.PP-Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a-live-updating register while you edit the journal:-\f[V]hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C\f[R]-.PP-After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled-transactions\[aq] status as \[dq]cleared and confirmed\[dq], if you want-to track that, by adding the \f[V]*\f[R] marker.-Eg in the paycheck transaction above, insert \f[V]*\f[R] between-\f[V]2020-01-15\f[R] and \f[V]paycheck\f[R]-.PP-If you\[aq]re using version control, this can be another good time to-commit:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ git commit -m \[aq]txns\[aq] 2020.journal-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Reporting-.PP-Here are some basic reports.-.PP-Show all transactions:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger print-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--2020-01-10 * gift received-    assets:cash              $20-    income:gifts--2020-01-12 * farmers market-    expenses:food             $13-    assets:cash--2020-01-15 * paycheck-    income:salary-    assets:bank:checking           $1000--2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash               $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show account names, and their hierarchy:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger accounts --tree-assets-  bank-    checking-    savings-  cash-equity-  opening/closing balances-expenses-  food-  misc-income-  gifts-  salary-liabilities-  creditcard-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show all account totals:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger balance-               $4105  assets-               $4000    bank-               $2000      checking-               $2000      savings-                $105    cash-              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                 $15  expenses-                 $13    food-                  $2    misc-              $-1020  income-                $-20    gifts-              $-1000    salary-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------                   0-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to depth-2:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-               $4000  assets:bank-                $105  assets:cash-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------               $4055-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-balance sheet:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger bs -2-Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                        || 2020-01-16 -========================++============- Assets                 ||            -------------------------++------------- assets:bank            ||      $4000 - assets:cash            ||       $105 -------------------------++-------------                        ||      $4105 -========================++============- Liabilities            ||            -------------------------++------------- liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 -------------------------++-------------                        ||        $50 -========================++============- Net:                   ||      $4055 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The final total is your \[dq]net worth\[dq] on the end date.-(Or use \f[V]bse\f[R] for a full balance sheet with equity.)-.PP-Show income and expense totals, formatted as an income statement:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-hledger is -Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--               || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 -===============++=======================- Revenues      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ income:gifts  ||                   $20 - income:salary ||                 $1000 ----------------++------------------------               ||                 $1020 -===============++=======================- Expenses      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ expenses:food ||                   $13 - expenses:misc ||                    $2 ----------------++------------------------               ||                   $15 -===============++=======================- Net:          ||                 $1005 -\f[R]-.fi-.PP-The final total is your net income during this period.-.PP-Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger register cash-2020-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100-2020-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120-2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105-\f[R]-.fi-.PP-Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:-.IP-.nf-\f[C]-$ hledger activity -W-2019-12-30 *****-2020-01-06 ****-2020-01-13 ****-\f[R]-.fi-.SS Migrating to a new file-.PP-At the end of the year, you may want to continue your journal in a new-file, so that old transactions don\[aq]t slow down or clutter your-reports, and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history.-See the close command.-.PP-If using version control, don\[aq]t forget to \f[V]git add\f[R] the new-file.---.SH "REPORTING BUGS"-Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org-(or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list)+.TH "HLEDGER" "1" "June 2023" "hledger-1.30 " "hledger User Manuals"++++.SH NAME+.PP+hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)+.SH SYNOPSIS+.PP+\f[V]hledger\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger COMMAND     [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]\f[R]+.SH DESCRIPTION+.PP+hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and+largely interconvertible with beancount(1).+.PP+This manual is for hledger\[aq]s command line interface, version 1.30.+It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by+all hledger programs.+It might accidentally teach you some bookkeeping/accounting as well!+You don\[aq]t need to know everything in here to use hledger+productively, but when you have a question about functionality, this doc+should answer it.+It is detailed, so do skip ahead or skim when needed.+You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual or man page on your+system.+You can also get it from hledger itself with+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger --man\f[R], \f[V]hledger --info\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger help [TOPIC]\f[R].+.PP+The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files+describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a+useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).+Many reports are available, as subcommands.+hledger will also detect other \f[V]hledger-*\f[R] executables as extra+subcommands.+.PP+hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable (defaulting to+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R]); or you can specify files with+\f[V]-f\f[R] options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.+.PP+Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2015-10-16 bought food+  expenses:food          $10+  assets:cash+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)+between two or more \f[I]accounts\f[R]: bank accounts, your wallet,+revenue/expense categories, people, etc.+You can choose any account names you wish, using \f[V]:\f[R] to indicate+subaccounts.+There must be at least two spaces between account name and amount.+Positive amounts are inflow to that account (\f[I]debit\f[R]), negatives+are outflow from it (\f[I]credit\f[R]).+(Some reports show revenue, liability and equity account balances as+negative numbers as a result; this is normal.)+.PP+hledger\[cq]s add command can help you add transactions, or you can+install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.+For more extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs ++ledger-mode, VIM + vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good+choices (see https://hledger.org/editors.html).+.PP+To get started, run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts, or+save some entries like the above in \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R],+then try commands like:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger aregister assets\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger balance\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger balancesheet\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger incomestatement\f[R].+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Run \f[V]hledger\f[R] to list the commands.+See also the \[dq]Starting a journal file\[dq] and \[dq]Setting opening+balances\[dq] sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.+.SH PART 1: USER INTERFACE+.SH Input+.PP+hledger reads one or more data files, each time you run it.+You can specify a file with \f[V]-f\f[R], like so+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f FILE print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Files are most often in hledger\[aq]s journal format, with the+\f[V].journal\f[R] file extension (\f[V].hledger\f[R] or \f[V].j\f[R]+also work); these files describe transactions, like an accounting+general journal.+.PP+When no file is specified, hledger looks for \f[V].hledger.journal\f[R]+in your home directory.+.PP+But most people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+perhaps with version control.+Also, starting a new journal file each year is common (it\[aq]s not+required, but helps keep things fast and organised).+So we usually configure a different journal file, by setting the+\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment variable, to something like+\f[V]\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\f[R].+For more about how to do that on your system, see Common tasks > Setting+LEDGER_FILE.+.SS Data formats+.PP+Usually the data file is in hledger\[aq]s journal format, but it can be+in any of the supported file formats, which currently are:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(7.8n) lw(39.5n) lw(22.7n).+T{+Reader:+T}@T{+Reads:+T}@T{+Used for file extensions:+T}+_+T{+\f[V]journal\f[R]+T}@T{+hledger journal files and some Ledger journals, for transactions+T}@T{+\f[V].journal\f[R] \f[V].j\f[R] \f[V].hledger\f[R] \f[V].ledger\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]timeclock\f[R]+T}@T{+timeclock files, for precise time logging+T}@T{+\f[V].timeclock\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]timedot\f[R]+T}@T{+timedot files, for approximate time logging+T}@T{+\f[V].timedot\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]csv\f[R]+T}@T{+CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated values, for data import+T}@T{+\f[V].csv\f[R] \f[V].ssv\f[R] \f[V].tsv\f[R] \f[V].csv.rules\f[R]+\f[V].ssv.rules\f[R] \f[V].tsv.rules\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+These formats are described in more detail below.+.PP+hledger detects the format automatically based on the file extensions+shown above.+If it can\[aq]t recognise the file extension, it assumes+\f[V]journal\f[R] format.+So for non-journal files, it\[aq]s important to use a recognised file+extension, so as to either read successfully or to show relevant error+messages.+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Standard input+.PP+The file name \f[V]-\f[R] means standard input:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ cat FILE | hledger -f- print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If reading non-journal data in this way, you\[aq]ll need to add a file+format prefix, like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[aq]i 2009/13/1 08:00:00\[aq] | hledger print -f timeclock:-+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multiple files+.PP+You can specify multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] options, to read multiple files as+one big journal.+When doing this, note that certain features (described below) will be+affected:+.IP \[bu] 2+Balance assertions will not see the effect of transactions in previous+files.+(Usually this doesn\[aq]t matter as each file will set the corresponding+opening balances.)+.IP \[bu] 2+Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.+.PP+If needed, you can work around these by using a single parent file which+includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg:+\f[V]cat a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD\f[R].+.SS Strict mode+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all transactions balanced ?+.IP \[bu] 2+Do all balance assertions pass ?+.PP+With the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag, additional checks are+performed:+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all accounts posted to, declared with an \f[V]account\f[R] directive+?+(Account error checking)+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all commodities declared with a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive ?+(Commodity error checking)+.IP \[bu] 2+Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?+.PP+You can use the check command to run individual checks -- the ones+listed above and some more.+.SH Commands+.PP+hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.+Most of these commands do not change the journal file; they just read it+and output a report.+A few commands assist with adding data and file management.+.PP+To show the commands list, run \f[V]hledger\f[R] with no arguments.+The commands are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.+.PP+To use a particular command, run+\f[V]hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS]\f[R],+.IP \[bu] 2+CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation shown in the+commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.+.IP \[bu] 2+CMDOPTS are command-specific options, if any.+Command-specific options must be written after the command name.+Eg: \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+CMDARGS are additional arguments to the command, if any.+Most hledger commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit+the data in some way.+Eg: \f[V]hledger reg assets:checking\f[R].+.PP+To list a command\[aq]s options, arguments, and documentation in the+terminal, run \f[V]hledger CMD -h\f[R].+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -h\f[R].+.SS Add-on commands+.PP+In addition to the built-in commands, you can install \f[I]add-on+commands\f[R]: programs or scripts named \[dq]hledger-SOMETHING\[dq],+which will also appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list.+If you used the hledger-install script, you will have several add-ons+installed already.+Some more can be found in hledger\[aq]s bin/ directory, documented at+https://hledger.org/scripts.html.+.PP+More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your+shell\[aq]s PATH, whose name starts with \[dq]hledger-\[dq] and ends+with no extension or a recognised extension (\[dq].bat\[dq],+\[dq].com\[dq], \[dq].exe\[dq], \[dq].hs\[dq], \[dq].js\[dq],+\[dq].lhs\[dq], \[dq].lua\[dq], \[dq].php\[dq], \[dq].pl\[dq],+\[dq].py\[dq], \[dq].rb\[dq], \[dq].rkt\[dq], or \[dq].sh\[dq]), and (on+unix and mac) which has executable permission for the current user.+.PP+You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in commands:+\f[V]hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS]\f[R].+But note the double hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific+options.+Eg: \f[V]hledger ui -- --watch\f[R] or \f[V]hledger web -- --serve\f[R].+If this causes difficulty, you can always run the add-on directly,+without using \f[V]hledger\f[R]: \f[V]hledger-ui --watch\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger-web --serve\f[R].+.SH Options+.PP+Run \f[V]hledger -h\f[R] to see general command line help, and general+options which are common to most hledger commands.+These options can be written anywhere on the command line.+They can be grouped into help, input, and reporting options:+.SS General help options+.TP+\f[V]-h --help\f[R]+show general or COMMAND help+.TP+\f[V]--man\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with man+.TP+\f[V]--info\f[R]+show general or COMMAND user manual with info+.TP+\f[V]--version\f[R]+show general or ADDONCMD version+.TP+\f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R]+show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+.SS General input options+.TP+\f[V]-f FILE --file=FILE\f[R]+use a different input file.+For stdin, use - (default: \f[V]$LEDGER_FILE\f[R] or+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R])+.TP+\f[V]--rules-file=RULESFILE\f[R]+Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)+.TP+\f[V]--separator=CHAR\f[R]+Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: \[aq],\[aq])+.TP+\f[V]--alias=OLD=NEW\f[R]+rename accounts named OLD to NEW+.TP+\f[V]--anon\f[R]+anonymize accounts and payees+.TP+\f[V]--pivot FIELDNAME\f[R]+use some other field or tag for the account name+.TP+\f[V]-I --ignore-assertions\f[R]+disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+assignments)+.TP+\f[V]-s --strict\f[R]+do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are declared)+.SS General reporting options+.TP+\f[V]-b --begin=DATE\f[R]+include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to+preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)+.TP+\f[V]-e --end=DATE\f[R]+include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to following+subperiod end when using a report interval)+.TP+\f[V]-D --daily\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by day+.TP+\f[V]-W --weekly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by week+.TP+\f[V]-M --monthly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by month+.TP+\f[V]-Q --quarterly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter+.TP+\f[V]-Y --yearly\f[R]+multiperiod/multicolumn report by year+.TP+\f[V]-p --period=PERIODEXP\f[R]+set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once using+period expressions syntax+.TP+\f[V]--date2\f[R]+match the secondary date instead (see command help for other effects)+.TP+\f[V]--today=DATE\f[R]+override today\[aq]s date (affects relative smart dates, for+tests/examples)+.TP+\f[V]-U --unmarked\f[R]+include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)+.TP+\f[V]-P --pending\f[R]+include only pending postings/txns+.TP+\f[V]-C --cleared\f[R]+include only cleared postings/txns+.TP+\f[V]-R --real\f[R]+include only non-virtual postings+.TP+\f[V]-NUM --depth=NUM\f[R]+hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep+.TP+\f[V]-E --empty\f[R]+show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+hledger-ui/hledger-web)+.TP+\f[V]-B --cost\f[R]+convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time+.TP+\f[V]-V --market\f[R]+convert amounts to their market value in default valuation commodities+.TP+\f[V]-X --exchange=COMM\f[R]+convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM+.TP+\f[V]--value\f[R]+convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than -B/-V/-X+.TP+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R]+infer conversion equity postings from costs+.TP+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R]+infer costs from conversion equity postings+.TP+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+.TP+\f[V]--forecast\f[R]+generate transactions from periodic rules,+between the latest recorded txn and 6 months from today,+or during the specified PERIOD (= is required).+Auto posting rules will be applied to these transactions as well.+Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated transactions visible.+.TP+\f[V]--auto\f[R]+generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns (not+just forecast txns)+.TP+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R]+add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have been+generated/modified+.TP+\f[V]--commodity-style\f[R]+Override the commodity style in the output for the specified commodity.+For example \[aq]EUR1.000,00\[aq].+.TP+\f[V]--color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)\f[R]+Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color codes in text output.+\[aq]auto\[aq] (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-supporting+terminal.+\[aq]always\[aq] or \[aq]yes\[aq]: always, useful eg when piping output+into \[aq]less -R\[aq].+\[aq]never\[aq] or \[aq]no\[aq]: never.+A NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.+.TP+\f[V]--pretty[=WHEN]\f[R]+Show prettier output, e.g.+using unicode box-drawing characters.+Accepts \[aq]yes\[aq] (the default) or \[aq]no\[aq] (\[aq]y\[aq],+\[aq]n\[aq], \[aq]always\[aq], \[aq]never\[aq] also work).+If you provide an argument you must use \[aq]=\[aq], e.g.+\[aq]--pretty=yes\[aq].+.PP+When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the+last one takes precedence.+.PP+Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.+.SH Command line tips+.PP+Here are some details useful to know about for hledger command lines+(and elsewhere).+Feel free to skip this section until you need it.+.SS Special characters+.SS Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+.PP+In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as+spaces, \f[V]<\f[R], \f[V]>\f[R], \f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R],+\f[V]$\f[R] and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - should be \[dq]shell-escaped\[dq] 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register \[aq]credit card\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register credit\[rs] card+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Windows users should keep in mind that \f[V]cmd\f[R] treats single quote+as a regular character, so you should be using double quotes+exclusively.+PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.+.SS Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+.PP+Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+as \f[V].\f[R], \f[V]\[ha]\f[R], \f[V]$\f[R], \f[V][\f[R], \f[V]]\f[R],+\f[V](\f[R], \f[V])\f[R], \f[V]|\f[R], and \f[V]\[rs]\f[R] - may need to+be \[dq]regex-escaped\[dq] if you don\[aq]t want them to be interpreted+by hledger\[aq]s 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 \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance cur:\[aq]\[rs]$\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+.PP+When you use hledger to run an external add-on command (described+below), one level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or+arguments intended for by the add-on command, so those need an extra+level of shell-escaping.+Eg to match a literal \f[V]$\f[R] sign while using the bash shell and+running an add-on command (\f[V]ui\f[R]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger ui cur:\[aq]\[rs]\[rs]$\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you wondered why \f[I]four\f[R] backslashes, perhaps this helps:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+unescaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]$\f[R]+T}+T{+escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+T{+double-escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+T{+triple-escaped:+T}@T{+\f[V]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+directly:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger-ui cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Less escaping+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+an \[at]argumentfile+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger-ui\[aq]s filter field+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger-web\[aq]s search form+.IP \[bu] 2+GHCI\[aq]s prompt (used by developers).+.SS Unicode characters+.PP+hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:+.IP \[bu] 2+they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command line,+by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web\[aq]s search/add/edit+forms, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+they should be displayed correctly by all hledger tools, and on-screen+alignment should be preserved.+.PP+This requires a well-configured environment.+Here are some tips:+.IP \[bu] 2+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:+\f[V]export LANG=en_US.UTF-8\f[R].+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).+.IP \[bu] 2+your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)+must support unicode+.IP \[bu] 2+the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode+glyphs+.IP \[bu] 2+the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as double+width (for report alignment)+.IP \[bu] 2+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 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).+.SS Regular expressions+.PP+hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:+.IP \[bu] 2+query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:+\f[V]REGEX\f[R], \f[V]desc:REGEX\f[R], \f[V]cur:REGEX\f[R],+\f[V]tag:...=REGEX\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+CSV rules conditional blocks: \f[V]if REGEX ...\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+account alias directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option:+\f[V]alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT\f[R],+\f[V]--alias /REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\f[R]+.PP+hledger\[aq]s regular expressions come from the regex-tdfa library.+If they\[aq]re not doing what you expect, it\[aq]s important to know+exactly what they support:+.IP "1." 3+they are case insensitive+.IP "2." 3+they are infix matching (they do not need to match the entire thing+being matched)+.IP "3." 3+they are POSIX ERE (extended regular expressions)+.IP "4." 3+they also support GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],+\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R])+.IP "5." 3+they do not support backreferences; if you write \f[V]\[rs]1\f[R], it+will match the digit \f[V]1\f[R].+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.+.IP "6." 3+they do not support mode modifiers (\f[V](?s)\f[R]), character classes+(\f[V]\[rs]w\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]d\f[R]), or anything else not mentioned+above.+.PP+Some things to note:+.IP \[bu] 2+In the \f[V]alias\f[R] directive and \f[V]--alias\f[R] option, regular+expressions must be enclosed in forward slashes (\f[V]/REGEX/\f[R]).+Elsewhere in hledger, these are not required.+.IP \[bu] 2+In queries, to match a regular expression metacharacter like \f[V]$\f[R]+as a literal character, prepend a backslash.+Eg to search for amounts with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write+\f[V]cur:\[rs]$\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+On the command line, some metacharacters like \f[V]$\f[R] have a special+meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.+See Special characters.+.SS Argument files+.PP+You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+then reuse them by writing \f[V]\[at]FILENAME\f[R] as a command line+argument.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal \[at]foo.args\f[R].+.PP+Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or+argument.+Don\[aq]t use spaces except inside quotes (or you\[aq]ll see a confusing+error); write \f[V]=\f[R] (or nothing) between a flag and its argument.+For the special characters mentioned above, use one less level of+quoting than you would at the command prompt.+.SH Output+.SS Output destination+.PP+hledger commands send their output to the terminal by default.+You can of course redirect this, eg into a file, using standard shell+syntax:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print > foo.txt+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some commands (print, register, stats, the balance commands) also+provide the \f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] option, which does the same thing+without needing the shell.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -o foo.txt+$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Output format+.PP+Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the+terminal.+Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(25.9n) lw(9.1n) lw(9.1n) lw(11.7n) lw(7.8n) lw(6.5n).+T{+-+T}@T{+txt+T}@T{+csv+T}@T{+html+T}@T{+json+T}@T{+sql+T}+_+T{+aregister+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balance+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1,2\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balancesheet+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+balancesheetequity+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+cashflow+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+incomestatement+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y \f[I]1\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+T{+print+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+register+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[I]1 Also affected by the balance commands\[aq] \f[VI]--layout\f[I]+option.\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[I]2 \f[VI]balance\f[I] does not support html output without a report+interval or with \f[VI]--budget\f[I].\f[R]+.PP+The output format is selected by the \f[V]-O/--output-format=FMT\f[R]+option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the+\f[V]-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT\f[R] option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]-O\f[R] option can be combined with \f[V]-o\f[R] to override+the file extension, if needed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some notes about the various output formats:+.SS CSV output+.IP \[bu] 2+In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+disabled automatically.+.SS HTML output+.IP \[bu] 2+HTML output can be styled by an optional \f[V]hledger.css\f[R] file in+the same directory.+.SS JSON output+.IP \[bu] 2+This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.+.IP \[bu] 2+Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful+representation of hledger\[aq]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.+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger represents quantities as Decimal values storing up to 255+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 don\[aq]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)+.SS SQL output+.IP \[bu] 2+This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.+.IP \[bu] 2+SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and Postgres.+.IP \[bu] 2+For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated+\f[V]id\f[R] field to be a PRIMARY KEY.+Eg:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -O sql | sed \[aq]s/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g\[aq] | ...+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+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+\f[V]delete\f[R] or \f[V]truncate\f[R] SQL statements) or drop tables+completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.+.SS Commodity styles+.PP+When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for+each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.+.PP+If needed, this can be overridden by a \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]+option (except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the+\f[V]print\f[R] command, which are always displayed with all decimal+digits).+For example, the following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as+shown:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -c \[aq]$1.000,0\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple+commodities/currencies.+Its argument is as described in the commodity directive.+.SS Colour+.PP+In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal+supports it:+.IP \[bu] 2+if the \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option is given a value of+\f[V]yes\f[R] or \f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]),+colour will (or will not) be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, if the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable is set, colour+will not be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) supports+it.+.SS Box-drawing+.PP+In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to+render prettier tables:+.IP \[bu] 2+if the \f[V]--pretty\f[R] option is given a value of \f[V]yes\f[R] or+\f[V]always\f[R] (or \f[V]no\f[R] or \f[V]never\f[R]), unicode+characters will (or will not) be used;+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.+.SS Paging+.PP+When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the+pager specified by the \f[V]PAGER\f[R] environment variable, or+\f[V]less\f[R], or \f[V]more\f[R].+(A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than+scrolling everything off screen).+Currently it does this only for help output, not for reports;+specifically,+.IP \[bu] 2+when listing commands, with \f[V]hledger\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+when showing help with \f[V]hledger [CMD] --help\f[R],+.IP \[bu] 2+when viewing manuals with \f[V]hledger help\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger --man\f[R].+.PP+Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg+for bold emphasis.+For the common pager \f[V]less\f[R] (and its \f[V]more\f[R]+compatibility mode), we add \f[V]R\f[R] to the \f[V]LESS\f[R] and+\f[V]MORE\f[R] environment variables to make this work.+If you use a different pager, you might need to configure it similarly,+to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).+Otherwise, you can set the \f[V]NO_COLOR\f[R] environment variable to 1+to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).+.SS Debug output+.PP+We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+develop.+You can add \f[V]--debug[=N]\f[R] to any hledger command line to see+additional debug output.+N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to 9 (maximum output).+Typically you would start with 1 and increase until you are seeing+enough.+Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected by+\f[V]-o/--output-file\f[R] (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+\f[V]2>&1\f[R]).+It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help reveal when+parts of the code are evaluated.+To capture debug output in a log file instead, you can usually redirect+stderr, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Environment+.PP+These environment variables affect hledger:+.PP+\f[B]COLUMNS\f[R] This is normally set by your terminal; some hledger+commands (\f[V]register\f[R]) will format their output to this width.+If not set, they will try to use the available terminal width.+.PP+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] The main journal file to use when not specified+with \f[V]-f/--file\f[R].+Default: \f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]NO_COLOR\f[R] If this environment variable is set (with any value),+hledger will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless+overridden by an explicit \f[V]--color/--colour\f[R] option.+.SH PART 2: DATA FORMATS+.PP+.SH Journal+.PP+hledger\[aq]s default file format, representing a General Journal.+Here\[aq]s a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About+journal format.+.SS Journal cheatsheet+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Here is the main syntax of hledger\[aq]s journal format+# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++###############################################################################+# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word \[dq]comment\[dq].++# hash comment line+; semicolon comment line+comment+These lines+are commented.+end comment++# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++###############################################################################+# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+alias chkg = assets:checking+commodity $0.00+decimal-mark .+include /dev/null+payee Whole Foods+P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+\[ti] monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+    expenses:food       $400+    expenses:home      $1000+    budgeted++###############################################################################+# 3. Transactions are what it\[aq]s all about; they are dated events,+# usually describing movements of money.+# They begin with a date.++# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+#               ; \[ha]\[ha] At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning \[dq]pending\[dq] or \[dq]cleared\[dq].+    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+    ; Amounts\[aq] sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also \[dq]accounts\[dq]++2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+    expenses:clothing       GBP 10+    assets:gringotts           -10 gold+    assets:pouch                10 gold+    revenues:gifts              -2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; Complex symbols+    assets:bag                   2 \[dq]Liquorice Wands\[dq]  ; must be double-quoted.++2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with \[at] or \[at]\[at]+    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA \[at] $1.50  ; \[at]  means per-unit cost+    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA \[at]\[at] $4    ; \[at]\[at] means total cost+    assets:checking            $-7.00++2022-01-02 assert balances+    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+    assets:savings              $0      = $1000++1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+    ; Postings are not required.++2022.01.01 These date+2022/1/1   formats are+12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).+\f[R]+.fi+.SS About journal format+.PP+hledger\[aq]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 \f[V].journal\f[R], but that\[aq]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.+.PP+hledger\[aq]s journal format is compatible with most of Ledger\[aq]s+journal format, but not all of it.+The differences and interoperation tips are described at hledger and+Ledger.+With some care, and by avoiding incompatible features, you can keep your+hledger journal readable by Ledger and vice versa.+This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour of one app against the+other.+.PP+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.+.PP+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 hledger-vscode for Visual Studio Code, make this easier,+adding colour, formatting, tab completion, and useful commands.+See Editor configuration at hledger.org for the full list.+.PP+Here\[aq]s a description of each part of the file format (and+hledger\[aq]s data model).+.PP+A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,+transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction rules and+auto posting rules as directives).+.SS Comments+.PP+Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash+(\f[V]#\f[R]) or a semicolon (\f[V];\f[R]).+(See also Other syntax.)+hledger will also ignore regions beginning with a \f[V]comment\f[R] line+and ending with an \f[V]end comment\f[R] line (or file end).+Here\[aq]s a suggestion for choosing between them:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]#\f[R] for top-level notes+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V];\f[R] for commenting out things temporarily+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]comment\f[R] for quickly commenting large regions (remember+it\[aq]s there, or you might get confused)+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# a comment line+; another commentline+comment+A multi-line comment block,+continuing until \[dq]end comment\[dq] directive+or the end of the current file.+end comment+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from+; (semicolon) to end of line.+See Transaction comments, Posting comments, and Account comments below.+.SS Transactions+.PP+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.+.PP+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 optional fields, separated+by spaces:+.IP \[bu] 2+a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)+.IP \[bu] 2+a description (any remaining text until end of line or a semicolon)+.IP \[bu] 2+a comment (any remaining text following a semicolon until end of line,+and any following indented lines beginning with a semicolon)+.IP \[bu] 2+0 or more indented \f[I]posting\f[R] lines, describing what was+transferred and the accounts involved (indented comment lines are also+allowed, but not blank lines or non-indented lines).+.PP+Here\[aq]s a simple journal file containing one transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2008/01/01 income+  assets:bank:checking   $1+  income:salary         $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Dates+.SS Simple dates+.PP+Dates in the journal file use \f[I]simple dates\f[R] format:+\f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R],+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+\f[V]Y\f[R] directive, or the current date when the command is run.+Some examples: \f[V]2010-01-31\f[R], \f[V]2010/01/31\f[R],+\f[V]2010.1.31\f[R], \f[V]1/31\f[R].+.PP+(The UI also accepts simple dates, as well as the more flexible smart+dates documented in the hledger manual.)+.SS Posting dates+.PP+You can give individual postings a different date from their parent+transaction, by adding a posting comment containing a tag (see below)+like \f[V]date:DATE\f[R].+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2015/5/30+    expenses:food     $10  ; food purchased on saturday 5/30+    assets:checking        ; bank cleared it on monday, date:6/1+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j register food+2015-05-30                      expenses:food                  $10           $10+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j register checking+2015-06-01                      assets:checking               $-10          $-10+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+DATE should be a simple date; if the year is not specified it will use+the year of the transaction\[aq]s date.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+The \f[V]date:\f[R] tag must have a valid simple date value if it is+present, eg a \f[V]date:\f[R] tag with no value is not allowed.+.SS Status+.PP+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:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+mark \ +T}@T{+status+T}+_+T{+\ +T}@T{+unmarked+T}+T{+\f[V]!\f[R]+T}@T{+pending+T}+T{+\f[V]*\f[R]+T}@T{+cleared+T}+.TE+.PP+When reporting, you can filter by status with the+\f[V]-U/--unmarked\f[R], \f[V]-P/--pending\f[R], and+\f[V]-C/--cleared\f[R] flags; or the \f[V]status:\f[R],+\f[V]status:!\f[R], and \f[V]status:*\f[R] queries; or the U, P, C keys+in hledger-ui.+.PP+Note, in Ledger and in older versions of hledger, the \[dq]unmarked\[dq]+state is called \[dq]uncleared\[dq].+As of hledger 1.3 we have renamed it to unmarked for clarity.+.PP+To replicate Ledger and old hledger\[aq]s behaviour of also matching+pending, combine -U and -P.+.PP+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 toggle transaction status with C-c C-e,+or posting status with C-c C-c.+.PP+What \[dq]uncleared\[dq], \[dq]pending\[dq], and \[dq]cleared\[dq]+actually mean is up to you.+Here\[aq]s one suggestion:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(9.7n) lw(60.3n).+T{+status+T}@T{+meaning+T}+_+T{+uncleared+T}@T{+recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review+T}+T{+pending+T}@T{+tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconciliation)+T}+T{+cleared+T}@T{+complete, reconciled as far as possible, and considered correct+T}+.TE+.PP+With this scheme, you would use \f[V]-PC\f[R] to see the current balance+at your bank, \f[V]-U\f[R] 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.+.SS Code+.PP+After the status mark, but before the description, you can optionally+write a transaction \[dq]code\[dq], enclosed in parentheses.+This is a good place to record a check number, or some other important+transaction id or reference number.+.SS Description+.PP+A transaction\[aq]s description is the rest of the line following the+date and status mark (or until a comment begins).+Sometimes called the \[dq]narration\[dq] in traditional bookkeeping, it+can be used for whatever you wish, or left blank.+Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike comments.+.SS Payee and note+.PP+You can optionally include a \f[V]|\f[R] (pipe) character in+descriptions to subdivide the description into separate fields for+payee/payer name on the left (up to the first \f[V]|\f[R]) and an+additional note field on the right (after the first \f[V]|\f[R]).+This may be worthwhile if you need to do more precise querying and+pivoting by payee or by note.+.SS Transaction comments+.PP+Text following \f[V];\f[R], after a transaction description, and/or on+indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.+They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except+they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+    ; a second line of transaction comment+    expenses   1+    assets+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Postings+.PP+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:+.IP \[bu] 2+(optional) a status character (empty, \f[V]!\f[R], or \f[V]*\f[R]),+followed by a space+.IP \[bu] 2+(required) an account name (any text, optionally containing \f[B]single+spaces\f[R], until end of line or a double space)+.IP \[bu] 2+(optional) \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] or tabs followed by an amount.+.PP+Positive amounts are being added to the account, negative amounts are+being removed.+.PP+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.+.PP+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 the amount,+the amount will be considered part of the account name.+.SS Account names+.PP+Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.+As in Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts+(such as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as \[dq]money+borrowed from Frank\[dq] or \[dq]money spent on electricity\[dq].+.PP+You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the+traditional accounting categories, which in english are+\f[V]assets\f[R], \f[V]liabilities\f[R], \f[V]equity\f[R],+\f[V]revenues\f[R], \f[V]expenses\f[R].+(You might see these referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)+.PP+For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+name parts.+For example, from the account names \f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:food\f[R], hledger will infer this hierarchy of five+accounts:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+assets+assets:bank+assets:bank:checking+expenses+expenses:food+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+assets+ bank+  checking+expenses+ food+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can+go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+names relatively simple may be best when starting out.+.PP+Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,+numbers, symbols, or single spaces.+Note, when an account name and an amount are written on the same line,+they must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] (or tabs).+.PP+Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate virtual+postings, described below.+Parentheses or brackets internal to the account name have no special+meaning.+.PP+Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account+aliases.+.SS Amounts+.PP+After the account name, there is usually an amount.+(Important: between account name and amount, there must be \f[B]two or+more spaces\f[R].)+.PP+hledger\[aq]s amount format is flexible, supporting several+international formats.+Here are some examples.+Amounts have a number (the \[dq]quantity\[dq]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\&..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 space:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$1+4000 AAPL+3 \[dq]green apples\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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+commodity symbol:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+-$1+$-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+One or more spaces between the sign and the number are acceptable when+parsing (but they won\[aq]t be displayed in output):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]++ $1+$-      1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Scientific E notation is allowed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1E-6+EUR 1E3+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Decimal marks, digit group marks+.PP+A \f[I]decimal mark\f[R] can be written as a period or a comma:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1.23+1,23456780000009+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In the integer part of the quantity (left of the decimal mark), groups+of digits can optionally be separated by a \f[I]digit group mark\f[R] -+a space, comma, or period (different from the decimal mark):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+     $1,000,000.00+  EUR 2.000.000,00+INR 9,99,99,999.00+      1 000 000.9455+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note, a number containing a single digit group mark and no decimal mark+is ambiguous.+Are these digit group marks or decimal marks ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+1,000+1.000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you don\[aq]t tell it otherwise, hledger will assume both of the+above are decimal marks, parsing both numbers as 1.+.PP+To prevent confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos, especially+if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we+recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each+journal file, using a directive at the top of the file.+The \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive is best, otherwise+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directives will also work.+These are described below.+.SS Commodity+.PP+Amounts in hledger have both a \[dq]quantity\[dq], which is a signed+decimal number, and a \[dq]commodity\[dq], which is a currency symbol,+stock ticker, or any word or phrase describing something you are+tracking.+.PP+If the commodity name contains non-letters (spaces, numbers, or+punctuation), you must always write it inside double quotes+(\f[V]\[dq]green apples\[dq]\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]ABC123\[dq]\f[R]).+.PP+If you write just a bare number, that too will have a commodity, with+name \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R]; we call that the \[dq]no-symbol+commodity\[dq].+.PP+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:+\f[V]1 USD, 2 EUR, 3.456 TSLA\f[R].+In practice, you will only see multi-commodity amounts in hledger\[aq]s+output; you can\[aq]t write them directly in the journal file.+.PP+(If you are writing scripts or working with hledger\[aq]s internals,+these are the \f[V]Amount\f[R] and \f[V]MixedAmount\f[R] types.)+.SS Directives influencing number parsing and display+.PP+You can add \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] and \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to+the journal, to declare and control these things more explicitly and+precisely.+These are described below, but here\[aq]s a quick example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+decimal-mark .++# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+commodity 1 000 000.9455+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+.SS Commodity display style+.PP+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+\f[V]print\f[R] command, are displayed with all of their decimal digits+visible.)+.PP+A commodity\[aq]s display style is inferred as follows.+.PP+First, if a default commodity is declared with \f[V]D\f[R], this+commodity and its style is applied to any no-symbol amounts in the+journal.+.PP+Then each commodity\[aq]s style is inferred from one of the following,+in order of preference:+.IP \[bu] 2+The commodity directive for that commodity (including the no-symbol+commodity), if any.+.IP \[bu] 2+The amounts in that commodity seen in the journal\[aq]s transactions.+(Posting amounts only; prices and periodic or auto rules are ignored,+currently.)+.IP \[bu] 2+The built-in fallback style, which looks like this: \f[V]$1000.00\f[R].+(Symbol on the left, period decimal mark, two decimal places.)+.PP+A style is inferred from journal amounts as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the general style (decimal mark, symbol placement) of the first+amount+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the first-seen digit group style (digit group mark, digit group+sizes), if any+.IP \[bu] 2+Use the maximum number of decimal places of all.+.PP+Cost amounts don\[aq]t affect the commodity display style directly, but+occasionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting\[aq]s amount+is inferred using a cost).+If you find this causing problems, use a commodity directive to fix the+display style.+.PP+To summarise: each commodity\[aq]s amounts will be normalised to (a) the+style declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] 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\[aq]t like, eg+with too many decimal places, use a commodity directive.+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+commodity 1 000.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command+line option.+.SS Rounding+.PP+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\[aq]s rounding: it rounds to the nearest even+number, eg 0.5 displayed with zero decimal places is \[dq]0\[dq]).+.PP+.SS Costs+.PP+After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either+\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after it.+This indicates a conversion transaction, where one commodity is+exchanged for another.+.PP+(You might also see this called \[dq]transaction price\[dq] in hledger+docs, discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and+reminded that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just+call it \[dq]cost\[dq], with the understanding that the transaction+could be a purchase or a sale.)+.PP+Costs are usually written explicitly with \f[V]\[at]\f[R] or+\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R], but can also be inferred automatically for simple+multi-commodity transactions.+Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the+first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.+.PP+As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or+implicitly:+.IP "1." 3+Write the price per unit, as \f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] after the amount:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+  assets:dollars                 ; balancing amount is -$135.00+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Write the total price, as \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R] after the+amount:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100 \[at]\[at] $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+  assets:dollars+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "3." 3+Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and let+hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.+Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting,+making it \f[V]€100 \[at]\[at] $135\f[R], as in example 2:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2009/1/1+  assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING+section.+.PP+Note that the cost normally should be a positive amount, though it\[aq]s+not required to be.+This can be a little confusing, see discussion at --infer-market-prices:+market prices from transactions.+.SS Other cost/lot notations+.PP+A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.+Ledger has a number of cost/lot-related notations:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at selling time+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V](\[at]) UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V](\[at]\[at]) TOTALCOST\f[R] (virtual+cost)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+like the above, but also means \[dq]this cost was exceptional, don\[aq]t+use it when inferring market prices\[dq].+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger treats the above like \f[V]\[at]\f[R] and+\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R]; the parentheses are ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{=FIXEDUNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}\f[R] (fixed+price)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, means \[dq]this cost is also the fixed price, don\[aq]t let+it fluctuate in value reports\[dq]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] (lot price)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+can be used identically to \f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and+\f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R], also creates a lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, combined with \f[V]\[at] ...\f[R], specifies an investment+lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+and related: \f[V][YYYY/MM/DD]\f[R] (lot date)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V](SOME TEXT)\f[R] (lot note)+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying, attaches this note to the lot+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling, selects a lot by its note+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after+the posting amount, but ignores them.+(This can break transaction balancing.)+.PP+For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]\[at] UNITCOST\f[R] and \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALCOST\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with+\f[V]{...}\f[R]: documents the cost/selling price (not used for+transaction balancing)+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R] and \f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R]+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction balancing,+and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached+.IP \[bu] 2+when selling (reducing),+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+selects a lot by its cost basis+.IP \[bu] 2+raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected+unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)+.IP \[bu] 2+expresses the selling price for transaction balancing+.RE+.RE+.PP+Currently, hledger accepts the+\f[V]{UNITCOST}\f[R]/\f[V]{{TOTALCOST}}\f[R] notation but ignores it.+.IP \[bu] 2+variations: \f[V]{}\f[R], \f[V]{YYYY-MM-DD}\f[R],+\f[V]{\[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R], \f[V]{UNITCOST, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R],+\f[V]{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, \[dq]LABEL\[dq]}\f[R] etc.+.PP+Currently, hledger rejects these.+.SS Balance assertions+.PP+hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files.+These look like, for example, \f[V]= EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R] following a+posting\[aq]s amount.+Eg here we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after+each posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a   $1  =$1+  b       =$-1++2013/1/2+  a   $1  =$2+  b  $-1  =$-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance 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+\f[V]-I/--ignore-assertions\f[R] flag, which can be useful for+troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files.+(Note: this flag currently does not disable balance assignments,+described below).+.SS Assertions and ordering+.PP+hledger sorts an account\[aq]s postings and assertions first by date and+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.)+.PP+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.+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.+.SS Assertions and multiple included files+.PP+Multiple files included with the \f[V]include\f[R] directive are+processed as if concatenated into one file, preserving their order and+the posting order within each file.+It means that balance assertions in later files will see balance from+earlier files.+.PP+And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split+across multiple files, and you want to assert the account\[aq]s balance+on that day, you\[aq]ll need to put the assertion in the right file -+the last one in the sequence, probably.+.SS Assertions and multiple -f files+.PP+Unlike \f[V]include\f[R], when multiple files are specified on the+command line with multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R] options, balance+assertions will not see balance from earlier files.+This can be useful when you do not want problems in earlier files to+disrupt valid assertions in later files.+.PP+If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use+\f[V]include\f[R], or concatenate the files temporarily.+.SS Assertions and commodities+.PP+The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in+fact the assertion checks only this commodity\[aq]s balance within the+(possibly multi-commodity) account balance.+This is how assertions work in Ledger also.+We could call this a \[dq]partial\[dq] balance assertion.+.PP+To assert the balance of more than one commodity in an account, you can+write multiple postings, each asserting one commodity\[aq]s balance.+.PP+You can make a stronger \[dq]total\[dq] balance assertion by writing a+double equals sign (\f[V]== EXPECTEDBALANCE\f[R]).+This asserts that there are no other commodities in the account besides+the asserted one (or at least, that their balance is 0).+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a   $1+  a    1€+  b  $-1+  c   -1€++2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+  a    0  =  $1+  a    0  =   1€+  b    0 == $-1+  c    0 ==  -1€++2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as \[aq]a\[aq] also contains 1€+  a    0 ==  $1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s not yet possible to make a complete assertion about a balance+that has multiple commodities.+One workaround is to isolate each commodity into its own subaccount:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2013/1/1+  a:usd   $1+  a:euro   1€+  b++2013/1/2+  a        0 ==  0+  a:usd    0 == $1+  a:euro   0 ==  1€+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Assertions and prices+.PP+Balance assertions ignore costs, and should normally be written without+one:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  (a)     $1 \[at] €1 = $1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+We do allow prices to be written there, however, and print shows them,+even though they don\[aq]t affect whether the assertion passes or fails.+This is for backward compatibility (hledger\[aq]s close command used to+generate balance assertions with prices), and because balance+\f[I]assignments\f[R] do use them (see below).+.SS Assertions and subaccounts+.PP+The balance assertions above (\f[V]=\f[R] and \f[V]==\f[R]) do not count+the balance from subaccounts; they check the account\[aq]s exclusive+balance only.+You can assert the balance including subaccounts by writing \f[V]=*\f[R]+or \f[V]==*\f[R], eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  equity:opening balances+  checking:a       5+  checking:b       5+  checking         1  ==* 11+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Assertions and virtual postings+.PP+Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+are not affected by the \f[V]--real/-R\f[R] flag or \f[V]real:\f[R]+query.+.SS Assertions and auto postings+.PP+Balance assertions \f[I]are\f[R] affected by the \f[V]--auto\f[R] flag,+which generates auto postings, which can alter account balances.+Because auto postings are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them+effectively have two balances.+But balance assertions can only test one or the other of these.+So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:+.IP \[bu] 2+assert the balance calculated with \f[V]--auto\f[R], and always use+\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file+.IP \[bu] 2+or assert the balance calculated without \f[V]--auto\f[R], and never use+\f[V]--auto\f[R] with that file+.IP \[bu] 2+or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or+avoid auto postings entirely).+.SS Assertions and precision+.PP+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 assertion failure messages show exact amounts.+.SS Posting comments+.PP+Text following \f[V];\f[R], at the end of a posting line, and/or on+indented lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.+They are reproduced by \f[V]print\f[R] but otherwise ignored, except+they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2012-01-01+    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+    assets+    ; a comment for posting 2+    ; a second comment line for posting 2+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Tags+.PP+Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,+postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.+.PP+They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed+by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account directive\[aq]s+comment.+(This is an exception to the usual rule that things in comments are+ignored.)+Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on the checking account,+two on the transaction, and one on the expenses posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+    ; transactiontag-2:+    assets:checking        $-1+    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.+And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and+postings\[aq] accounts).+So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively has all four+tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the transaction+also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses posting).+.PP+You can list tag names with \f[V]hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]\f[R], or match+by tag name with a \f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX\f[R] query.+.SS Tag values+.PP+Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a+comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).+Note this means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.+Eg in the following posting, the three tags\[aq] values are \[dq]value+1\[dq], \[dq]value 2\[dq], and \[dq]\[dq] (empty) respectively:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overriding:+when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the new+name:value pair is added to the tags.+(It is not possible to override a tag\[aq]s value or remove a tag.)+.PP+You can list a tag\[aq]s values with+\f[V]hledger tags TAGNAME --values\f[R], or match by tag value with a+\f[V]tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX\f[R] query.+.SS Directives+.PP+Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a+\f[V]journal\f[R] file: directives.+These are declarations, beginning with a keyword, that modify+hledger\[aq]s behaviour.+Some directives can have more specific subdirectives, indented below+them.+hledger\[aq]s directives are similar to Ledger\[aq]s in many cases, but+there are also many differences.+Directives are not required, but can be useful.+Here are the main directives:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(39.7n) lw(30.3n).+T{+purpose+T}@T{+directive+T}+_+T{+\f[B]READING DATA:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Rewrite account names+T}@T{+\f[V]alias\f[R]+T}+T{+Comment out sections of the file+T}@T{+\f[V]comment\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare file\[aq]s decimal mark, to help parse amounts accurately+T}@T{+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+T}+T{+Include other data files+T}@T{+\f[V]include\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]GENERATING DATA:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Generate recurring transactions or budget goals+T}@T{+\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]+T}+T{+Generate extra postings on existing transactions+T}@T{+\f[V]=\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]CHECKING FOR ERRORS:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Define valid entities to provide more error checking+T}@T{+\f[V]account\f[R], \f[V]commodity\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]tag\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[B]REPORTING:\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+Declare accounts\[aq] type and display order+T}@T{+\f[V]account\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare commodity display styles+T}@T{+\f[V]commodity\f[R]+T}+T{+Declare market prices+T}@T{+\f[V]P\f[R]+T}+.TE+.SS Directives and multiple files+.PP+Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which input+files they affect.+Most often, a directive will affect the following entries and included+files if any, until the end of the current file - and no further.+You might find this inconvenient!+For example, \f[V]alias\f[R] directives do not affect parent or sibling+files.+But there are usually workarounds; for example, put \f[V]alias\f[R]+directives in your top-most file, before including other files.+.PP+The restriction, though it may be annoying at first, is in a good cause;+it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of the+order of input.+Without it, reports could show different numbers depending on the order+of -f options, or the positions of include directives in your files.+.SS Directive effects+.PP+Here are all hledger\[aq]s directives, with their effects and scope+summarised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider+non-essential:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(3.5n) lw(64.1n) lw(2.4n).+T{+directive+T}@T{+what it does+T}@T{+ends at file end?+T}+_+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]account\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; and its+display order and type.+Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]alias\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of current file+or \f[V]end aliases\f[R].+Command line equivalent: \f[V]--alias\f[R]+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]comment\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file or+\f[V]end comment\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]commodity\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares up to four things: 1.+a commodity symbol, for checking all amounts in all files 2.+the decimal mark for parsing amounts of this commodity, in the following+entries until end of current file (if there is no \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+directive) 3.+and the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.+which is also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in+this commodity.+Takes precedence over \f[V]D\f[R].+Subdirectives: \f[V]format\f[R] (Ledger-compatible syntax).+Command line equivalent: \f[V]-c/--commodity-style\f[R]+T}@T{+N,Y,N,N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all commodities in+following entries until next \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] or end of current+file.+Included files can override.+Takes precedence over \f[V]commodity\f[R] and \f[V]D\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Includes entries and directives from another file, as if they were+written inline.+Command line alternative: multiple \f[V]-f/--file\f[R]+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]payee\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]P\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value+reports.+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]\[ti]\f[B]\f[R] (tilde)+T}@T{+Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future transactions+with \f[V]--forecast\f[R] and budget goals with+\f[V]balance --budget\f[R].+T}@T{+N+T}+T{+Other syntax:+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]apply account\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Prepends a common parent account to all account names, in following+entries until end of current file or \f[V]end apply account\f[R].+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]D\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if there is+no \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive for this commodity: its decimal mark,+balancing precision, and display style, as above.+T}@T{+Y,Y,N,N+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]Y\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following entries+until end of current file.+T}@T{+Y+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]=\f[B]\f[R] (equals)+T}@T{+Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on matched+transactions with \f[V]--auto\f[R], in current, parent, and child files+(but not sibling files, see #1212).+T}@T{+partly+T}+T{+\f[B]Other Ledger directives\f[R]+T}@T{+Other directives from Ledger\[aq]s file format are accepted but ignored.+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.SS \f[V]account\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]account\f[R] 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:+.IP \[bu] 2+They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a+reference.+.IP \[bu] 2+In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by+transactions, which helps detect typos.+.IP \[bu] 2+They control account display order in reports, allowing non-alphabetic+sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).+.IP \[bu] 2+They help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,+hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags+which can be used to filter or pivot reports.+.IP \[bu] 2+They can help hledger know your accounts\[aq] types (asset, liability,+equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and+incomestatement.+.PP+They are written as the word \f[V]account\f[R] followed by a+hledger-style account name, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not+allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts+used in postings.+So the following journal will not parse:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account (assets:bank:checking)+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account comments+.PP+Text following \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] and \f[V];\f[R] at the end+of an account directive line, and/or following \f[V];\f[R] on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that account.+They are ignored except they may contain tags, which are not ignored.+.PP+The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because+\f[V];\f[R] is allowed in account names.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+  ; next-line comment+  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account subdirectives+.PP+Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently+ignored:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets:bank:checking+  format subdirective is ignored+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Account error checking+.PP+By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when+a posting references them.+This is convenient, but it means hledger can\[aq]t warn you when you+mis-spell an account name in the journal.+Usually you\[aq]ll find that error later, as an extra account in balance+reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.+.PP+In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,+hledger will report an error if any transaction uses an account name+that has not been declared by an account directive.+Some notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct+account name capitalisation.+.IP \[bu] 2+The account directive\[aq]s scope is \[dq]whole file and below\[dq] (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\[aq]s usual to put them at the top.+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts can only be declared in \f[V]journal\f[R] files, but will+affect included files of all types.+.IP \[bu] 2+It\[aq]s currently not possible to declare \[dq]all possible+subaccounts\[dq] with a wildcard; every account posted to must be+declared.+.SS Account display order+.PP+The order in which account directives are written influences the order+in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.+By default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these+account directives to the journal file:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets+account liabilities+account equity+account revenues+account expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts -1+assets+liabilities+equity+revenues+expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.+.PP+Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within each group of+sibling accounts under the same parent.+And currently, this directive:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account other:zoo+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+would influence the position of \f[V]zoo\f[R] among+\f[V]other\f[R]\[aq]s subaccounts, but not the position of+\f[V]other\f[R] among the top-level accounts.+This means:+.IP \[bu] 2+you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg \f[V]account other\f[R]+above) that you don\[aq]t intend to post to, just to customize their+display order+.IP \[bu] 2+sibling accounts stay together (you couldn\[aq]t display \f[V]x:y\f[R]+in between \f[V]a:b\f[R] and \f[V]a:c\f[R]).+.SS Account types+.PP+hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+expenses and so on.+This enables easy reports like balancesheet and incomestatement, and+filtering by account type with the \f[V]type:\f[R] query.+.PP+As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically+if you are using common english-language top-level account names+(described below).+But generally we recommend you declare types explicitly, by adding a+\f[V]type:\f[R] tag to your top-level account directives.+Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.+The tag\[aq]s value should be one of the five main account types:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]A\f[R] or \f[V]Asset\f[R] (things you own)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]L\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] (things you owe)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]E\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] (investment/ownership; balanced+counterpart of assets & liabilities)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]R\f[R] or \f[V]Revenue\f[R] (what you received money from, AKA+income; technically part of Equity)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]X\f[R] or \f[V]Expense\f[R] (what you spend money on; technically+part of Equity)+.PP+or, it can be (these are used less often):+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]C\f[R] or \f[V]Cash\f[R] (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid+assets for the cashflow report)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]V\f[R] or \f[V]Conversion\f[R] (a subtype of Equity, for+conversions (see COST REPORTING).)+.PP+Here is a typical set of account type declarations:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+account assets             ; type: A+account liabilities        ; type: L+account equity             ; type: E+account revenues           ; type: R+account expenses           ; type: X++account assets:bank        ; type: C+account assets:cash        ; type: C++account equity:conversion  ; type: V+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here are some tips for working with account types.+.IP \[bu] 2+The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.+These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going; if+they don\[aq]t work for you, just ignore them and declare your account+types.+See also Regular expressions.+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+If account\[aq]s name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+--------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+\[ha]assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+\[ha](debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+\[ha]equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+\[ha]equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+\[ha](income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+\[ha]expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+If you declare any account types, it\[aq]s a good idea to declare an+account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and+name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.+.IP \[bu] 2+Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.+See Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.+.IP \[bu] 2+As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent+account.+More precisely, an account\[aq]s type is decided by the first of these+that exists:+.RS 2+.IP "1." 3+A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration for this account.+.IP "2." 3+A \f[V]type:\f[R] declaration in the parent accounts above it,+preferring the nearest.+.IP "3." 3+An account type inferred from this account\[aq]s name.+.IP "4." 3+An account type inferred from a parent account\[aq]s name, preferring+the nearest parent.+.IP "5." 3+Otherwise, it will have no type.+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.SS \f[V]alias\f[R] directive+.PP+You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+parts of them, before generating reports.+This can be useful for:+.IP \[bu] 2+expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier+data entry and a less verbose journal+.IP \[bu] 2+adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy+.IP \[bu] 2+combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on+one line+.IP \[bu] 2+customising reports+.PP+Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.+They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or+hledger-web.+.PP+Account aliases are very powerful.+They are generally easy to use correctly, but you can also generate+invalid account names with them; more on this below.+.PP+See also Rewrite account names.+.SS Basic aliases+.PP+To set an account alias, use the \f[V]alias\f[R] 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias OLD = NEW+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Or, you can use the \f[V]--alias \[aq]OLD=NEW\[aq]\f[R] option on the+command line.+This affects all entries.+It\[aq]s useful for trying out aliases interactively.+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking+; rewrites \[dq]checking\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq], or \[dq]checking:a\[dq] to \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking:a\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Regex aliases+.PP+There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.+(This is the only place where hledger requires forward slashes around a+regular expression.)+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger --alias \[aq]/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT\[aq] ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by+REPLACEMENT.+REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.+.PP+If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+\f[V]/\[rs]/=:\f[R].+.PP+If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced by+the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias /\[ha](.+):bank:([\[ha]:]+):(.*)/ = \[rs]1:\[rs]2 \[rs]3+; rewrites \[dq]assets:bank:wells fargo:checking\[dq] to  \[dq]assets:wells fargo checking\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of+option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.+.SS Combining aliases+.PP+You can define as many aliases as you like, using journal directives+and/or command line options.+.PP+Recursive aliases - where an account name is rewritten by one alias,+then by another alias, and so on - are allowed.+Each alias sees the effect of previously applied aliases.+.PP+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 entry, we apply:+.IP "1." 3+\f[V]alias\f[R] directives preceding the journal entry, most recently+parsed first (ie, reading upward from the journal entry, bottom to top)+.IP "2." 3+\f[V]--alias\f[R] options, in the order they appeared on the command+line (left to right).+.PP+In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:+.IP \[bu] 2+the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first+.IP \[bu] 2+the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on+.IP \[bu] 2+aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.+.PP+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.+.PP+In case of trouble, adding \f[V]--debug=6\f[R] to the command line will+show which aliases are being applied when.+.SS Aliases and multiple files+.PP+As explained at Directives and multiple files, \f[V]alias\f[R]+directives do not affect parent or sibling files.+Eg in this command,+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger -f a.aliases -f b.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+account aliases defined in a.aliases will not affect b.journal.+Including the aliases doesn\[aq]t work either:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include a.aliases++2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+  foo  1+  bar+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This means that account aliases should usually be declared at the start+of your top-most file, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+alias foo=Foo+alias bar=Bar++2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+  foo  1+  bar++include c.journal  ; also affected+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]end aliases\f[R] directive+.PP+You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the+journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+end aliases+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Aliases can generate bad account names+.PP+Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which+could cause confusing reports or invalid \f[V]print\f[R] output.+For example, you could erase all account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+  a:aa     1+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --alias \[aq]/.*/=\[aq]+2021-01-01+                   1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The above \f[V]print\f[R] output is not a valid journal.+Or you could insert an illegal double space, causing \f[V]print\f[R]+output that would give a different journal when reparsed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+  old    1+  other+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --alias old=\[dq]new  USD\[dq] | hledger -f- print+2021-01-01+    new             USD 1+    other+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Aliases and account types+.PP+If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in+effect.+.PP+However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg renaming+parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could prevent+child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.+.PP+Secondly, if an account\[aq]s type is being inferred from its name,+renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.+.PP+If you are using account aliases and the \f[V]type:\f[R] query is not+matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts+command, eg something like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive+.PP+You can use \f[V]commodity\f[R] directives to declare your commodities.+In fact the \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive performs several functions at+once:+.IP "1." 3+It declares commodities which may be used in the journal.+This can optionally be enforced, providing useful error checking.+(Cf Commodity error checking)+.IP "2." 3+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 \f[V]1,000\f[R] and+\f[V]1.000\f[R] as 1.+(Cf Amounts)+.IP "3." 3+It declares how to render the commodity\[aq]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 style)+.PP+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.+.PP+Generally you should put them at the top of your journal file (since for+function 2, they affect only following amounts, cf #793).+.PP+A commodity directive is just the word \f[V]commodity\f[R] followed by a+sample amount, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;commodity SAMPLEAMOUNT++commodity $1000.00+commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA  ; optional same-line comment+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It may also be written on multiple lines, and use the \f[V]format\f[R]+subdirective, as in Ledger.+Note in this case the commodity symbol appears twice; it must be the+same in both places:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;commodity SYMBOL+;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+commodity INR+  format INR 1,00,00,000.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.PP+Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or+punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).+.PP+The amount\[aq]s quantity does not matter; only the format is+significant.+It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a comma - followed+by 0 or more decimal digits.+.PP+A few more examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# number formats for $, EUR, INR and the no-symbol commodity:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.0+commodity 1 000 000.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note hledger normally uses banker\[aq]s rounding, so 0.5 displayed with+zero decimal digits is \[dq]0\[dq].+(More at Commodity display style.)+.PP+Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display+style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.+.SS Commodity error checking+.PP+In strict mode, enabled with the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R] flag,+hledger will report an error if a commodity symbol is used that has not+been declared by a \f[V]commodity\f[R] directive.+This works similarly to account error checking, see the notes there for+more details.+.PP+Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because+currently it\[aq]s not possible (?)+to declare the \[dq]no-symbol\[dq] commodity with a directive.+This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts are always allowed+to have no commodity symbol.+.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive+.PP+You can use a \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] directive - usually one per file,+at the top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal+mark when parsing amounts in this file.+It can look like+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark .+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we+recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg+thousands separators).+.SS \f[V]include\f[R] directive+.PP+You can pull in the content of additional files by writing an include+directive, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include FILEPATH+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Only journal files can include, and only journal, timeclock or timedot+files can be included (not CSV files, currently).+.PP+If the file path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the+current file\[aq]s folder.+.PP+A tilde means home directory, eg: \f[V]include \[ti]/main.journal\f[R].+.PP+The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:+\f[V]include *.journal\f[R].+.PP+There is limited support for recursive wildcards: \f[V]**/\f[R] (the+slash is required) matches 0 or more subdirectories.+It\[aq]s not super convenient since you have to avoid include cycles and+including directories, but this can be done, eg:+\f[V]include */**/*.journal\f[R].+.PP+The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format,+overriding the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input+files): \f[V]include timedot:\[ti]/notes/2023*.md\f[R].+.SS \f[V]P\f[R] directive+.PP+The \f[V]P\f[R] directive declares a market price, which is a conversion+rate between two commodities on a certain date.+This allows value reports to convert amounts of one commodity to their+value in another, on or after that date.+These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange, cryptocurrency+exchange, the or foreign exchange market.+.PP+The format is:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the 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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] and \f[V]--value\f[R] flags use these+market prices to show amount values in another commodity.+See Valuation.+.PP+.SS \f[V]payee\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]payee PAYEE NAME\f[R]+.PP+This directive can be used to declare a limited set of payees which may+appear in transaction descriptions.+The \[dq]payees\[dq] check will report an error if any transaction+refers to a payee that has not been declared.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+payee Whole Foods+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.SS \f[V]tag\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]tag TAGNAME\f[R]+.PP+This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names allowed+in tags.+TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+tag  item-id+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+.PP+The \[dq]tags\[dq] check will report an error if any undeclared tag name+is used.+It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use of+colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can+declare and check your tags .+.SS Periodic transactions+.PP+The \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] directive declares recurring transactions.+Such directives allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions+(visible in reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting+or budgeting.+.PP+Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+read this whole section, or at least these tips:+.IP "1." 3+Two spaces accidentally added or omitted will cause you trouble - read+about this below.+.IP "2." 3+For troubleshooting, show the generated transactions with+\f[V]hledger print --forecast tag:generated\f[R] or+\f[V]hledger register --forecast tag:generated\f[R].+.IP "3." 3+Forecasted transactions will begin only after the last non-forecasted+transaction\[aq]s date.+.IP "4." 3+Forecasted transactions will end 6 months from today, by default.+See below for the exact start/end rules.+.IP "5." 3+period expressions can be tricky.+Their documentation needs improvement, but is worth studying.+.IP "6." 3+Some period expressions with a repeating interval must begin on a+natural boundary of that interval.+Eg in \f[V]weekly from DATE\f[R], DATE must be a monday.+\f[V]\[ti] weekly from 2019/10/1\f[R] (a tuesday) will give an error.+.IP "7." 3+Other period expressions with an interval are automatically expanded to+cover a whole number of that interval.+(This is done to improve reports, but it also affects periodic+transactions.+Yes, it\[aq]s a bit inconsistent with the above.)+Eg: \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2023/01\f[R], which is+equivalent to \f[V]\[ti] every 10th day of month from 2023/01/01\f[R],+will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.+.SS Periodic rule syntax+.PP+A periodic transaction rule looks like a normal journal entry, with the+date replaced by a tilde (\f[V]\[ti]\f[R]) followed by a period+expression (mnemonic: \f[V]\[ti]\f[R] looks like a recurring sine+wave.):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# every first of month+\[ti] monthly+    expenses:rent          $2000+    assets:bank:checking++# every 15th of month in 2023\[aq]s first quarter:+\[ti] monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+    expenses:utilities          $400+    assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying+multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies+report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods\[aq]+start dates).+.SS Periodic rules and relative dates+.PP+Partial or relative dates (like \f[V]12/31\f[R], \f[V]25\f[R],+\f[V]tomorrow\f[R], \f[V]last week\f[R], \f[V]next quarter\f[R]) are+usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the results will change+as time passes.+If used, they will be interpreted relative to, in order of preference:+.IP "1." 3+the first day of the default year specified by a recent \f[V]Y\f[R]+directive+.IP "2." 3+or the date specified with \f[V]--today\f[R]+.IP "3." 3+or the date on which you are running the report.+.PP+They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period+dates.+.SS Two spaces between period expression and description!+.PP+If the period expression is followed by a transaction description, these+must be separated by \f[B]two or more spaces\f[R].+This helps hledger know where the period expression ends, so that+descriptions can not accidentally alter their meaning, as in this+example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as \[dq]every 2 months in 2023\[dq]+;               ||+;               vv+\[ti] every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+    assets:bank:checking   $1500+    income:acme inc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+So,+.IP \[bu] 2+Do write two spaces between your period expression and your transaction+description, if any.+.IP \[bu] 2+Don\[aq]t accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period+expression.+.SS Auto postings+.PP+The \f[V]=\f[R] directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra+postings on transactions.+Wherever the rule matches an existing posting, it can add one or more+companion postings below that one, optionally influenced by the matched+posting\[aq]s amount.+This can be useful for generating tax postings with a standard+percentage, for example.+.PP+Note that depending on generated data is not ideal for financial records+(it\[aq]s less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by others,+and less robust, since other features like balance assertions will+depend on using or not using \f[V]--auto\f[R]).+.PP+An auto posting rule looks a bit like a transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= QUERY+    ACCOUNT  AMOUNT+    ...+    ACCOUNT  [AMOUNT]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+except the first line is an equals sign (mnemonic: \f[V]=\f[R] suggests+matching), followed by a query (which matches existing postings), and+each \[dq]posting\[dq] line describes a posting to be generated, and the+posting amounts can be:+.IP \[bu] 2+a normal amount with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]$2\f[R].+This will be used as-is.+.IP \[bu] 2+a number, eg \f[V]2\f[R].+The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched posting will be added to+this.+.IP \[bu] 2+a numeric multiplier, eg \f[V]*2\f[R] (a star followed by a number N).+The matched posting\[aq]s amount (and total price, if any) will be+multiplied by N.+.IP \[bu] 2+a multiplier with a commodity symbol, eg \f[V]*$2\f[R] (a star, number+N, and symbol S).+The matched posting\[aq]s amount will be multiplied by N, and its+commodity symbol will be replaced with S.+.PP+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 query term below:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= expenses:groceries \[aq]expenses:dining out\[aq]+    (budget:funds:dining out)                 *-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; every time I buy food, schedule a dollar donation+= expenses:food+    (liabilities:charity)   $-1++; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+= expenses:gifts+    assets:checking:gifts  *-1+    assets:checking         *1++2017/12/1+  expenses:food    $10+  assets:checking++2017/12/14+  expenses:gifts   $20+  assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --auto+2017-12-01+    expenses:food              $10+    assets:checking+    (liabilities:charity)      $-1++2017-12-14+    expenses:gifts             $20+    assets:checking+    assets:checking:gifts     -$20+    assets:checking            $20+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Auto postings and multiple files+.PP+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[V]-f\f[R]/\f[V]--file\f[R] are used - see #1212).+.SS Auto postings and dates+.PP+A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be+used in the generated posting.+.SS Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions+.PP+Currently, auto postings are added:+.IP \[bu] 2+after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked for+balancedness,+.IP \[bu] 2+but before balance assertions are checked.+.PP+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 for background.+.PP+This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a+missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to+infer amounts.+.SS Auto posting tags+.PP+Automated postings will have some extra tags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - shows this was generated by an+auto posting rule, and the query+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]_generated-posting:= QUERY\f[R] - a hidden tag, which does not+appear in hledger\[aq]s output.+This can be used to match postings generated \[dq]just now\[dq], rather+than generated in the past and saved to the journal.+.PP+Also, any transaction that has been changed by auto posting rules will+have these tags added:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]modified:\f[R] - this transaction was modified+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]_modified:\f[R] - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this+transaction was modified \[dq]just now\[dq].+.SS Auto postings on forecast transactions only+.PP+Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast+transactions but not recorded transactions, by adding+\f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R] to their QUERY.+This can be useful when generating new journal entries to be saved in+the journal.+.SS Other syntax+.PP+hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.+Note some of the features below are powerful and can be useful in+special cases, but in general, features in this section are considered+less important or even not recommended for most users.+Downsides are mentioned to help you decide if you want to use them.+.SS Balance assignments+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+2016/1/1 opening balances+  assets:checking            = $409.32+  assets:savings             = $735.24+  assets:cash                 = $42+  equity:opening balances+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or when adjusting a balance to reality:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; no cash left; update balance, record any untracked spending as a generic expense+2016/1/15+  assets:cash    = $0+  expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The calculated amount depends on the account\[aq]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).+.PP+Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;+to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the+calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.+Also balance assignments\[aq] forcing of balances can hide errors.+These things make your financial data less portable, less future-proof,+and less trustworthy in an audit.+.SS Balance assignments and prices+.PP+A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have+that price attached:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019/1/1+  (a)             = $1 \[at] €2+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --explicit+2019-01-01+    (a)         $1 \[at] €2 = $1 \[at] €2+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Bracketed posting dates+.PP+For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger\[aq]s+bracketed date syntax is also supported: \f[V][DATE]\f[R],+\f[V][DATE=DATE2]\f[R] or \f[V][=DATE2]\f[R] in posting comments.+hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed sequence of the+\f[V]0123456789/-.=\f[R] characters in this way.+With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2+infers its year from DATE.+.PP+Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger\[aq]s+\f[V]date:\f[R]/\f[V]date2:\f[R] tags, and confusingly similar to+Ledger\[aq]s lot date syntax.+.SS \f[V]D\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]D AMOUNT\f[R]+.PP+This 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 \f[V]D\f[R] directive, or the end of+the journal.+.PP+For compatibility/historical reasons, \f[V]D\f[R] also acts like a+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive (setting the commodity\[aq]s decimal mark+for parsing and display style for output).+So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but a full amount+demonstrating the style.+The amount must include a decimal mark (either period or comma).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+D $1,000.00++1/1+  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Interactions with other directives:+.PP+For setting a commodity\[aq]s display style, a \f[V]commodity\f[R]+directive has highest priority, then a \f[V]D\f[R] directive.+.PP+For detecting a commodity\[aq]s decimal mark during parsing,+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R] has highest priority, then \f[V]commodity\f[R],+then \f[V]D\f[R].+.PP+For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a+\f[V]commodity\f[R] directive is required+(\f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R] ignores \f[V]D\f[R] directives).+.PP+Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less+explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+It is usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want+to track multiple commodities.+D is overloaded with functions redundant with \f[V]commodity\f[R] and+\f[V]decimal-mark\f[R].+And it works differently from Ledger\[aq]s \f[V]D\f[R].+.SS \f[V]apply account\f[R] directive+.PP+This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to+all accounts in following entries, until an \f[V]end apply account\f[R]+directive or end of current file.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+apply account home++2010/1/1+    food    $10+    cash++end apply account+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+is equivalent to:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2010/01/01+    home:food           $10+    home:cash          $-10+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[V]account\f[R] directives are also affected, and so is any+\f[V]include\f[R]d content.+.PP+Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.+.PP+Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is+prepended.+.PP+Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less+portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+.SS \f[V]Y\f[R] directive+.PP+\f[V]Y YEAR\f[R]+.PP+or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):+.PP+\f[V]year YEAR\f[R] \f[V]apply year YEAR\f[R]+.PP+The space is optional.+This sets a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don\[aq]t+specify a year.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+  expenses  1+  assets++year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+  expenses  1+  assets++1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+  expenses  1+  assets+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)+makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less+trustworthy in an audit.+Such dates can get separated from their corresponding Y directive, eg+when evaluating a region of the journal in your editor.+A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today\[aq]s date.+.SS Secondary dates+.PP+A secondary date is written after the primary date, following an equals+sign.+If the year is omitted, the primary date\[aq]s year is assumed.+When running reports, the primary (left) date is used by default, but+with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag (or \f[V]--aux-date\f[R] or+\f[V]--effective\f[R]), the secondary (right) date will be used instead.+.PP+The meaning of secondary dates is up to you, but it\[aq]s best to follow+a consistent rule.+Eg \[dq]primary = the bank\[aq]s clearing date, secondary = date the+transaction was initiated, if different\[dq].+.PP+Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,+and less trustworthy in an audit.+Keeping the meaning of the two dates consistent requires discipline, and+you have to remember which reporting mode is appropriate for a given+report.+Posting dates are simpler and better.+.SS Star comments+.PP+Lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.+This feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,+allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed+with org mode.+.PP+Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.+Decreases your journal\[aq]s portability.+And switching to Emacs org mode just for folding/unfolding meant losing+the benefits of ledger mode; nowadays you can add outshine mode to+ledger mode to get folding without losing ledger mode\[aq]s features.+.SS Valuation expressions+.PP+Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double+parentheses after an amount.+hledger ignores these.+.SS Virtual postings+.PP+A posting with parentheses around the account name+(\f[V](some:account)\f[R]) is called a \f[I]unbalanced virtual+posting\f[R].+Such postings do not participate in transaction balancing.+(And if you write them without an amount, a zero amount is always+inferred.)+These can occasionally be convenient for special circumstances, but they+violate double entry bookkeeping and make your data less portable across+applications, so many people avoid using them at all.+.PP+A posting with brackets around the account name+(\f[V][some:account]\f[R]) is called a \f[I]balanced virtual+posting\f[R].+The balanced virtual postings in a transaction must add up to zero, just+like ordinary postings, but separately from them.+These are not part of double entry bookkeeping either, but they are at+least balanced.+An example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+  expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+  expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Ordinary postings, whose account names are neither parenthesised nor+bracketed, are called \f[I]real postings\f[R].+You can exclude virtual postings from reports with the+\f[V]-R/--real\f[R] flag or a \f[V]real:1\f[R] query.+.SS Other Ledger directives+.PP+These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.+This allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that+hledger\[aq]s reports may differ from Ledger\[aq]s if you use these.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+apply fixed COMM AMT+apply tag   TAG+assert      EXPR+bucket / A  ACCT+capture     ACCT REGEX+check       EXPR+define      VAR=EXPR+end apply fixed+end apply tag+end apply year+end tag+eval / expr EXPR+python+  PYTHONCODE+tag         NAME+value       EXPR+--command-line-flags+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger+syntax comparison.+.PP+.SH CSV+.PP+hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,+semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+each record into a transaction.+.PP+(To learn about \f[I]writing\f[R] CSV, see CSV output.)+.PP+For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they+have a corresponding \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].tsv\f[R] or \f[V].ssv\f[R]+file extension or use a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).+.PP+Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding \f[I]rules file\f[R].+.PD 0+.P+.PD+This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,+date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and+how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.+.PP+By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with+an extra \f[V].rules\f[R] extension, in the same directory.+Eg when asked to read \f[V]foo/FILE.csv\f[R], hledger looks for+\f[V]foo/FILE.csv.rules\f[R].+You can specify a different rules file with the \f[V]--rules-file\f[R]+option.+If no rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file,+which you\[aq]ll need to adjust.+.PP+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\[aq]s a simple CSV file and a rules file for it:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Date, Description, Id, Amount+12/11/2019, Foo, 123, 10.23+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# basic.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       date, description, , amount+date-format  %d/%m/%Y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -f basic.csv+2019-11-12 Foo+    expenses:unknown           10.23+    income:unknown            -10.23+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+There\[aq]s an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,+and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.+.SS CSV rules cheatsheet+.PP+The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+(Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or+\f[V]*\f[R] are ignored.)+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(23.7n) lw(46.3n).+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]source\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+optionally declare which file to read data from+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]separator\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the field separator, instead of relying on file extension+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]skip\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+skip one or more header lines at start of file+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]date-format\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]timezone\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV date-times+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]newest-first\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+improve txn order when: there are multiple records, newest first, all+with the same date+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]intra-day-reversed\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+improve txn order when: same-day txns are in opposite order to the+overall file+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]decimal-mark\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts, when ambiguous+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]fields\f[B] list\f[R]+T}@T{+name CSV fields for easy reference, and optionally assign their values+to hledger fields+T}+T{+\f[B]Field assignment\f[R]+T}@T{+assign a CSV value or interpolated text value to a hledger field+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] block\f[R]+T}@T{+conditionally assign values to hledger fields, or \f[V]skip\f[R] a+record or \f[V]end\f[R] (skip rest of file)+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]if\f[B] table\f[R]+T}@T{+conditionally assign values to hledger fields, using compact syntax+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]balance-type\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+select which type of balance assertions/assignments to generate+T}+T{+\f[B]\f[VB]include\f[B]\f[R]+T}@T{+inline another CSV rules file+T}+.TE+.PP+Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are+evaluated.+.SS \f[V]source\f[R]+.PP+If you tell hledger to read a csv file with \f[V]-f foo.csv\f[R], it+will look for rules in \f[V]foo.csv.rules\f[R].+Or, you can tell it to read the rules file, with+\f[V]-f foo.csv.rules\f[R], and it will look for data in+\f[V]foo.csv\f[R] (since 1.30).+.PP+These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some extra+features.+For one, the data file can be missing, without causing an error; it is+just considered empty.+And, you can specify a different data file by adding a \[dq]source\[dq]+rule:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source ./Checking1.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for it+in your system\[aq]s downloads directory (\f[V]\[ti]/Downloads\f[R],+currently):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source Checking1.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent of+the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+source Checking1*.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+See also \[dq]Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule\[dq].+.SS \f[V]separator\f[R]+.PP+You can use the \f[V]separator\f[R] rule to read other kinds of+character-separated data.+The argument is any single separator character, or the words+\f[V]tab\f[R] or \f[V]space\f[R] (case insensitive).+Eg, for comma-separated values (CSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or for semicolon-separated values (SSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator ;+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or for tab-separated values (TSV):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+separator TAB+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If the input file has a \f[V].csv\f[R], \f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R]+file extension (or a \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R], \f[V]tsv:\f[R]+prefix), the appropriate separator will be inferred automatically, and+you won\[aq]t need this rule.+.SS \f[V]skip\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+skip N+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The word \f[V]skip\f[R] followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1)+tells hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the+input data.+You\[aq]ll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.+Note, empty and blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don\[aq]t+need to count those.+.PP+\f[V]skip\f[R] has a second meaning: it can be used inside if blocks+(described below), to skip one or more records whenever the condition is+true.+Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still required+to be valid CSV.+.SS \f[V]date-format\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+date-format DATEFMT+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is a helper for the \f[V]date\f[R] (and \f[V]date2\f[R]) fields.+If your CSV dates are not formatted like \f[V]YYYY-MM-DD\f[R],+\f[V]YYYY/MM/DD\f[R] or \f[V]YYYY.MM.DD\f[R], you\[aq]ll need to add a+date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style date parsing+pattern - see+https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.+The pattern must parse the CSV date value completely.+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# MM/DD/YY+date-format %m/%d/%y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# D/M/YYYY+# The - makes leading zeros optional.+date-format %-d/%-m/%Y+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# YYYY-Mmm-DD+date-format %Y-%h-%d+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]timezone\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+timezone TIMEZONE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone other+than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you can+use this rule to declare the CSV\[aq]s native time zone, which helps+prevent off-by-one dates.+.PP+When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don\[aq]t+need this rule; instead, use \f[V]%Z\f[R] in \f[V]date-format\f[R] (or+\f[V]%z\f[R], \f[V]%EZ\f[R], \f[V]%Ez\f[R]; see the formatTime link+above).+.PP+In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,+localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.+If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for+reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with+the TZ environment variable, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[V]timezone\f[R] currently does not understand timezone names, except+\[dq]UTC\[dq], \[dq]GMT\[dq], \[dq]EST\[dq], \[dq]EDT\[dq],+\[dq]CST\[dq], \[dq]CDT\[dq], \[dq]MST\[dq], \[dq]MDT\[dq],+\[dq]PST\[dq], or \[dq]PDT\[dq].+For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.+.SS \f[V]newest-first\f[R]+.PP+hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+chronologically, including intra-day transactions.+Usually it can auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.+But if it encounters CSV where all records are on the same date, it+assumes that the records are oldest first.+If in fact the CSV\[aq]s records are normally newest first, like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-10-01, txn 3...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+you can add the \f[V]newest-first\f[R] rule to help hledger generate the+transactions in correct order.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# same-day CSV records are newest first+newest-first+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R]+.PP+CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+the overall date order.+Eg, here dates are newest first, but the transactions on each date are+oldest first:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-10-02, txn 3...+2022-10-02, txn 4...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In this situation, add the \f[V]intra-day-reversed\f[R] rule, and+hledger will compensate, improving the order of transactions.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+intra-day-reversed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]decimal-mark\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark .+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+decimal-mark ,+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger automatically accepts either period or comma as a decimal 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.+.SS \f[V]fields\f[R] list+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A fields list (the word \f[V]fields\f[R] followed by comma-separated+field names) is optional, but convenient.+It does two things:+.IP "1." 3+It names the CSV field in each column.+This can be convenient if you are referencing them in other rules, so+you can say \f[V]%SomeField\f[R] instead of remembering \f[V]%13\f[R].+.IP "2." 3+Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described+below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger field.+This is the quickest way to populate hledger\[aq]s fields and build a+transaction.+.PP+Here\[aq]s an example that says \[dq]use the 1st, 2nd and 4th fields as+the transaction\[aq]s date, description and amount; name the last two+fields for later reference; and ignore the others\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the+CSV file\[aq]s separator.+Also:+.IP \[bu] 2+There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).+.IP \[bu] 2+Field names may not contain spaces.+Spaces before/after field names are optional.+.IP \[bu] 2+Field names may contain \f[V]_\f[R] (underscore) or \f[V]-\f[R]+(hyphen).+.IP \[bu] 2+Fields you don\[aq]t care about can be given a dummy name or an empty+name.+.PP+If the CSV contains column headings, it\[aq]s convenient to use these+for your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces+replaced by underscores).+.PP+Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to a+hledger field with the same name.+Eg you could call the CSV\[aq]s \[dq]balance\[dq] field+\f[V]balance_\f[R] to avoid directly setting hledger\[aq]s+\f[V]balance\f[R] field (and generating a balance assertion).+.SS Field assignment+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+HLEDGERFIELD FIELDVALUE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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).+.PP+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 interpolate CSV fields, referenced by their 1-based+position in the CSV record (\f[V]%N\f[R]), or by the name they were+given in the fields list (\f[V]%CSVFIELD\f[R]).+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with \[dq] USD\[dq] appended+amount %4 USD++# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Tips:+.IP \[bu] 2+Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like+\f[V]\[dq] 1 \[dq]\f[R] becomes \f[V]1\f[R] when interpolated) (#1051).+.IP \[bu] 2+Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can\[aq]t interpolate a+hledger field.+(See Referencing other fields below).+.SS Field names+.PP+Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in+hledger CSV rules files:+.IP "1." 3+\f[B]CSV field names\f[R] (\f[V]CSVFIELD\f[R] in these docs): you can+optionally name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger+doesn\[aq]t yet automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file),+by writing arbitrary names in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list, eg:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Special \f[B]hledger field names\f[R] (\f[V]HLEDGERFIELD\f[R] in these+docs): you must set at least some of these to generate the hledger+transaction from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of+a field assignment, eg:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+date        %When+code        %Some_Id+description %What+comment     %Foo %Bar+amount1     $ %Total+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or directly in a \f[V]fields\f[R] list:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+currency $+comment  %Foo %Bar+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what happens+when you assign values to them:+.SS date field+.PP+Assigning to \f[V]date\f[R] sets the transaction date.+.SS date2 field+.PP+\f[V]date2\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s secondary date, if any.+.SS status field+.PP+\f[V]status\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s status, if any.+.SS code field+.PP+\f[V]code\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s code, if any.+.SS description field+.PP+\f[V]description\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s description, if any.+.SS comment field+.PP+\f[V]comment\f[R] sets the transaction\[aq]s comment, if any.+.PP+\f[V]commentN\f[R], where N is a number, sets the Nth posting\[aq]s+comment.+.PP+You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R]+in the code.+A comment starting with \f[V]\[rs]n\f[R] will begin on a new line.+.PP+Comments can contain tags, as usual.+.SS account field+.PP+Assigning to \f[V]accountN\f[R], where N is 1 to 99, sets the account+name of the Nth posting, and causes that posting to be generated.+.PP+Most often there are two postings, so you\[aq]ll want to set+\f[V]account1\f[R] and \f[V]account2\f[R].+Typically \f[V]account1\f[R] is associated with the CSV file, and is set+once with a top-level assignment, while \f[V]account2\f[R] is set based+on each transaction\[aq]s description, in conditional rules.+.PP+If a posting\[aq]s account name is left unset but its amount is set (see+below), a default account name will be chosen (like+\[dq]expenses:unknown\[dq] or \[dq]income:unknown\[dq]).+.SS amount field+.PP+Amount setting can get a bit complex.+Assigning to \f[V]amount\f[R] is sufficient for simple transactions, but+there are four field name variants you can use for different situations:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amountN\f[B] sets a specific posting\[aq]s amount from one+CSV field or arbitrary value.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning to \f[V]amountN\f[R] sets the amount of the Nth posting - and+also causes that posting to be generated.+N is most often 1 or 2 but can go up to 99, potentially generating a+99-posting transaction.+(Posting numbers don\[aq]t have to be consecutive; higher posting+numbers can sometimes be useful with conditional rules, to ensure a+certain ordering of postings.)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amountN-in/-out\f[B] sets a specific posting\[aq]s amount+from two CSV fields.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+When the amount is provided as two CSV fields -+\[dq]Debit\[dq]/\[dq]Credit\[dq],+\[dq]Deposit\[dq]/\[dq]Withdrawal\[dq], \[dq]Money In\[dq]/\[dq]Money+Out\[dq] or similar - assign those fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and+\f[V]amountN-out\f[R] respectively (or possibly the other way round,+depending on signs).+This will set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount to whichever of the two CSV+field values is non-zero.+Some notes:+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+Don\[aq]t mix \f[V]amountN\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-in\f[R]/\f[V]-out\f[R].+When you have one CSV amount field, use \f[V]amountN\f[R].+When you have two CSV amount fields, use+\f[V]amountN-in\f[R]/\f[V]amountN-out\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R] are always used together,+as a pair.+Assign to both of them.+.IP \[bu] 2+They do not generate two separate postings; rather, they generate the+Nth posting\[aq]s single amount, from the value found in one or other of+the two CSV fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must contain a zero+amount or be empty.+.IP \[bu] 2+hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers, and it will+automatically negate the -out amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+This variant can be convenient, but it doesn\[aq]t handle every+two-amount-field situation; if you need more flexibility, use an+\f[V]if\f[R] rule (see \[dq]Setting amounts\[dq] below).+.RE+.PP+The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but can+still be convenient sometimes:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amount\f[B] sets posting 1 and 2\[aq]s amounts from one CSV+field or value.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning to \f[V]amount\f[R], with no posting number,+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+sets posting 1\[aq]s amount (like \f[V]amount1\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+sets posting 2\[aq]s amount to the same amount but with opposite sign;+and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price+.IP \[bu] 2+can be overridden by \f[V]amount1\f[R] and/or \f[V]amount2\f[R]+assignments.+(This helps with incremental migration of old rules files to the newer+syntax.)+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]\f[VB]amount-in/-out\f[B] sets posting 1 and 2\[aq]s amounts from+two CSV fields.\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assigning \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and \f[V]amount-out\f[R], with no posting+numbers, to two CSV fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero+as the amount, and then sets the first two posting amounts as above.+.PP+We recommend using only one of these variants within a rules file,+rather than mixing them.+And remember that a \f[V]fields\f[R] list can also do assignments, so eg+naming a CSV field \[dq]amount\[dq] counts as an assignment to+\f[V]amount\f[R]; if you don\[aq]t want that, call it something else,+like \[dq]amount_\[dq].+.PP+In addition to this section, please see also the tips beginning at+\[dq]Working with CSV > Setting amounts\[dq] below.+.SS currency field+.PP+\f[V]currency\f[R] sets a currency symbol, to be prepended to all+postings\[aq] amounts.+You can use this if the CSV amounts do not have a currency symbol, eg if+it is in a separate column.+.PP+\f[V]currencyN\f[R] prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth+posting\[aq]s amount.+.SS balance field+.PP+\f[V]balanceN\f[R] sets a balance assertion amount (or if the posting+amount is left empty, a balance assignment) on posting N.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] is a compatibility spelling for hledger <1.17; it is+equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].+.PP+You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the+\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule (see below).+.PP+See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.+.SS \f[V]if\f[R] block+.PP+Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV+data.+This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can categorise+transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on their+description (for example).+There are two ways to write conditional rules: \[dq]if blocks\[dq],+described here, and \[dq]if tables\[dq], described below.+.PP+An if block is the word \f[V]if\f[R] and one or more \[dq]matcher\[dq]+expressions (can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on+the same or next line; followed by one or more indented rules.+Eg,+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if MATCHER+ RULE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if+MATCHER+MATCHER+MATCHER+ RULE+ RULE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be+applied.+They are usually field assignments, but the following special rules may+also be used within an if block:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]skip\f[R] - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction+from it)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]end\f[R] - skips the rest of the current CSV file.+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if the record contains \[dq]groceries\[dq], set account2 to \[dq]expenses:groceries\[dq]+if groceries+ account2 expenses:groceries+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+if+monthly service fee+atm transaction fee+banking thru software+ account2 expenses:business:banking+ comment  XXX deductible ? check it+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+if ,,,,+ end+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Matchers+.PP+There are two kinds:+.IP "1." 3+A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular+expression (\f[V]REGEX\f[R]), which hledger will try to match+case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Eg: \f[V]whole foods\f[R]+.IP "2." 3+A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name+(\f[V]%CSVFIELD REGEX\f[R]).+hledger will try to match these just within the named CSV field.+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Eg: \f[V]%date 2023\f[R]+.PP+The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended regular+expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries (\f[V]\[rs]b\f[R],+\f[V]\[rs]B\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]<\f[R], \f[V]\[rs]>\f[R]), and nothing else.+If you have trouble, see \[dq]Regular expressions\[dq] in the hledger+manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).+.PP+With record matchers, it\[aq]s important to know that the record matched+is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be+converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing+whitespace) are removed.+So for example, when reading an SSV file, if the original record was:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01; \[dq]Acme, Inc.\[dq];  1,000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+By default they are OR\[aq]d (any one of them can match)+.IP \[bu] 2+When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (\f[V]&\f[R]) it will be+AND\[aq]ed with the previous matcher (both of them must match).+.PP+There\[aq]s not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.+.SS \f[V]if\f[R] table+.PP+\[dq]if tables\[dq] are an alternative to if blocks; they can express+many matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format,+like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+<empty line>+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The first character after \f[V]if\f[R] is taken to be the separator for+the rest of the table.+It should be a non-alphanumeric character like \f[V],\f[R] or+\f[V]|\f[R] that does not appear anywhere else in the table.+(Note: it is unrelated to the CSV file\[aq]s separator.)+Whitespace can be used in the matcher lines for readability, but not in+the if line currently.+The table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).+Each line must contain the same number of separators; empty values are+allowed.+.PP+The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,+assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding hledger+fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.+It is equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if MATCHERA+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERB+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERC+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+if,account2,comment+atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+%description groceries,expenses:groceries,+2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]balance-type\f[R]+.PP+Balance assertions generated by assigning to balanceN are of the simple+\f[V]=\f[R] 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+\f[V]balance-type\f[R] rule:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# balance assertions will consider all commodities and all subaccounts+balance-type ==*+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here are the balance assertion types for quick reference:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+=    single commodity, exclude subaccounts+=*   single commodity, include subaccounts+==   multi commodity,  exclude subaccounts+==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts+\f[R]+.fi+.SS \f[V]include\f[R]+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+include RULESFILE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This includes the contents of another CSV rules file at this point.+\f[V]RULESFILE\f[R] is an absolute file path or a path relative to the+current file\[aq]s directory.+This can be useful for sharing common rules between several rules files,+eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# someaccount.csv.rules++## someaccount-specific rules+fields   date,description,amount+account1 assets:someaccount+account2 expenses:misc++## common rules+include categorisation.rules+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Working with CSV+.PP+Some tips:+.SS Rapid feedback+.PP+It\[aq]s a good idea to get rapid feedback while+creating/troubleshooting CSV rules.+Here\[aq]s a good way, using entr from eradman.com/entrproject:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ ls foo.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ----; hledger -f foo.csv print desc:SOMEDESC\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A desc: query (eg) is used to select just one, or a few, transactions of+interest.+\[dq]bash -c\[dq] 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.+.SS Valid CSV+.PP+Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and+equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab+as separators).+This means, eg:+.IP \[bu] 2+Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.+Enclosing in single quotes is not allowed.+(Eg \f[V]\[aq]A\[aq],\[aq]B\[aq]\f[R] is rejected.)+.IP \[bu] 2+When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes are+not allowed.+(Eg \f[V]\[dq]A\[dq], \[dq]B\[dq]\f[R] is rejected.)+.IP \[bu] 2+When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double+quotes.+(Eg \f[V]A\[dq]A, B\f[R] is rejected.)+.PP+If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you\[aq]ll need to+transform it before reading with hledger.+Try using sed, or a more permissive CSV parser like python\[aq]s csv+lib.+.SS File Extension+.PP+To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error+messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),+it\[aq]s best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a \f[V].csv\f[R],+\f[V].ssv\f[R] or \f[V].tsv\f[R] filename extension.+(More about this at Data formats.)+.PP+When reading files with the \[dq]wrong\[dq] extension, you can ensure+the CSV reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file+path with \f[V]csv:\f[R], \f[V]ssv:\f[R] or \f[V]tsv:\f[R]: Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule+if needed.+.SS Reading CSV from standard input+.PP+You\[aq]ll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+since hledger assumes journal format by default.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reading multiple CSV files+.PP+If you use multiple \f[V]-f\f[R] 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 \f[V]--rules-file\f[R] option, that rules file will+be used for all the CSV files.+.SS Reading files specified by rule+.PP+Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+rules file, as in \f[V]hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD\f[R].+By default this will read data from foo.csv in the same directory, but+you can add a source rule to specify a different data file, perhaps+located in your web browser\[aq]s download directory.+.PP+This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won\[aq]t see it in most+CSV rules examples.+But it helps remove some of the busywork of managing CSV downloads.+Most of your financial institutions\[aq]s default CSV filenames are+different and can be recognised by a glob pattern.+So you can put a rule like \f[V]source Checking1*.csv\f[R] in+foo-checking.csv.rules, and then periodically follow a workflow like:+.IP "1." 3+Download CSV from Foo\[aq]s website, using your browser\[aq]s defaults+.IP "2." 3+Run \f[V]hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules\f[R] to import any new+transactions+.PP+After import, you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.+If you do nothing, next time your browser will save something like+Checking1-2.csv, and hledger will use that because of the \f[V]*\f[R]+wild card and because it is the most recent.+.SS Valid transactions+.PP+After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the+generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing+them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.+Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying+the problem entry.+.PP+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 assertions generated from CSV right+away, pipe into another hledger:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Deduplicating, importing+.PP+When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank+transactions, the new file may overlap with the old one, containing some+of the same records.+.PP+The import command will (a) detect the new transactions, and (b) append+just those transactions to your main journal.+It is idempotent, so you don\[aq]t have to remember how many times you+ran it or with which version of the CSV.+(It keeps state in a hidden \f[V].latest.FILE.csv\f[R] file.)+This is the easiest way to import CSV data.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# download the latest CSV files, then run this command.+# Note, no -f flags needed here.+$ hledger import *.csv [--dry]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This method works for most CSV files.+(Where records have a stable chronological order, and new records appear+only at the new end.)+.PP+A number of other tools and workflows, hledger-specific and otherwise,+exist for converting, deduplicating, classifying and managing CSV data.+See:+.IP \[bu] 2+https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows+.IP \[bu] 2+https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion+.SS Setting amounts+.PP+Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling+various amount-setting situations:+.IP "1." 3+\f[B]If the amount is in a single CSV field:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.RS 4+.IP "a." 3+\f[B]If its sign indicates direction of flow:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign it to \f[V]amountN\f[R], to set the Nth posting\[aq]s amount.+N is usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.+.IP "b." 3+\f[B]If another field indicates direction of flow:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate amount sign.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# assume a withdrawal unless Type contains \[dq]deposit\[dq]:+amount1  -%Amount+if %Type deposit+  amount1  %Amount+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+\f[B]If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and+Credit):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.RS 4+.IP "a." 3+\f[B]If both fields are unsigned:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign the fields to \f[V]amountN-in\f[R] and \f[V]amountN-out\f[R].+This sets posting N\[aq]s amount to whichever of these has a non-zero+value.+If it\[aq]s the -out value, the amount will be negated.+.IP "b." 3+\f[B]If either field is signed:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.+Eg below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo+hledger\[aq]s automatic negating by negating once more (but only if the+field is non-empty, so that we don\[aq]t leave a minus sign by itself):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+if %amount1-out [1-9]+ amount1-out -%amount1-out+\f[R]+.fi+.IP "c." 3+\f[B]If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be+empty):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is+non-zero/non-empty.+Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as \f[V]1\f[R] and+\f[V]none\f[R].+For such cases, use conditional rules to help select the amount.+Eg, to handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero+digits:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date, description, in, out+if %in [1-9]+ amount1 %in+if %out [1-9]+ amount1 %out+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "3." 3+\f[B]If you want posting 2\[aq]s amount converted to cost:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Use the unnumbered \f[V]amount\f[R] (or \f[V]amount-in\f[R] and+\f[V]amount-out\f[R]) syntax.+.IP "4." 3+\f[B]If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Assign to \f[V]balanceN\f[R], to set a balance assignment on the Nth+posting, causing the posting\[aq]s amount to be calculated+automatically.+\f[V]balance\f[R] with no number is equivalent to \f[V]balance1\f[R].+In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the wrong default+account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.+.SS Amount signs+.PP+There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+amount signs.+(This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts such as COST in+\f[V]amount1  AMT \[at] COST\f[R]):+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value begins with a plus sign:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+that will be removed: \f[V]+AMT\f[R] becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value is parenthesised:\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: \f[V](AMT)\f[R] becomes+\f[V]-AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value has two minus signs (or two sets of parentheses,+or a minus sign and parentheses):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+they cancel out and will be removed: \f[V]--AMT\f[R] or \f[V]-(AMT)\f[R]+becomes \f[V]AMT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]If an amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of+parentheses):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+that is removed, making it an empty value.+\f[V]\[dq]+\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]-\[dq]\f[R] or \f[V]\[dq]()\[dq]\f[R]+becomes \f[V]\[dq]\[dq]\f[R].+.PP+It\[aq]s not possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount+to its absolute value, ie discard its sign.+.SS Setting currency/commodity+.PP+If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV\[aq]s amount+field(s):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,foo,$123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+you don\[aq]t have to do anything special for the commodity symbol, it+will be assigned as part of the amount.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,amount+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown         $123.00+    income:unknown          $-123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can assign that to the \f[V]currency\f[R] pseudo-field, which has+the special effect of prepending itself to every amount in the+transaction (on the left, with no separating space):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,currency,amount+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown       USD123.00+    income:unknown        USD-123.00+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,cur,amt+amount %amt %cur+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+    income:unknown         -123.00 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note we used a temporary field name (\f[V]cur\f[R]) that is not+\f[V]currency\f[R] - that would trigger the prepending effect, which we+don\[aq]t want here.+.SS Amount decimal places+.PP+Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+\f[V]amount1\f[R] influence commodity display styles, such as the number+of decimal places displayed in reports.+.PP+The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display+style (because we don\[aq]t yet reliably know their commodity).+.SS Referencing other fields+.PP+In field assignments, you can interpolate only CSV fields, not hledger+fields.+In the example below, there\[aq]s both a CSV field and a hledger field+named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the hledger+field:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Name the third CSV field \[dq]amount1\[dq]+fields date,description,amount1++# Set hledger\[aq]s amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+amount1 %amount1 USD++# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+comment %amount1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here, since there\[aq]s no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a+literal \[dq]amount1\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+fields date,description,csvamount+amount1 %csvamount USD+# Can\[aq]t interpolate amount1 here+comment %amount1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When there are multiple field assignments to the same hledger field,+only the last one takes effect.+Here, comment\[aq]s value will be be B, or C if \[dq]something\[dq] is+matched, but never A:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+comment A+comment B+if something+ comment C+\f[R]+.fi+.SS How CSV rules are evaluated+.PP+Here\[aq]s how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need+to).+First,+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]include\f[R] - 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.)+.PP+Then \[dq]global\[dq] rules are evaluated, top to bottom.+If a rule is repeated, the last one wins:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]skip\f[R] (at top level)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]date-format\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]newest-first\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]fields\f[R] - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial+assignments to hledger fields+.PP+Then for each CSV record in turn:+.IP \[bu] 2+test all \f[V]if\f[R] blocks.+If any of them contain a \f[V]end\f[R] rule, skip all remaining CSV+records.+Otherwise if any of them contain a \f[V]skip\f[R] rule, skip that many+CSV records.+If there are multiple matched \f[V]skip\f[R] rules, the first one wins.+.IP \[bu] 2+collect all field assignments at top level and in matched \f[V]if\f[R]+blocks.+When there are multiple assignments for a field, keep only the last one.+.IP \[bu] 2+compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was+assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default+.IP \[bu] 2+generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) from these values.+.PP+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 successfully, the transactions are passed+as input to whichever hledger command the user specified.+.PP+.SS Well factored rules+.PP+Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules+files:+.IP \[bu] 2+Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a+\f[V]common.rules\f[R], and adding \f[V]include common.rules\f[R] to+each CSV\[aq]s rules file.+.IP \[bu] 2+Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently+used parts.+.SS CSV rules examples+.SS Bank of Ireland+.PP+Here\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+Date,Details,Debit,Credit,Balance+07/12/2012,LODGMENT       529898,,10.0,131.21+07/12/2012,PAYMENT,5,,126+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# bankofireland-checking.csv.rules++# skip the header line+skip++# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++# We generate balance assertions by assigning to \[dq]balance\[dq]+# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+#+# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+#+# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++# date is in UK/Ireland format+date-format  %d/%m/%Y++# set the currency+currency  EUR++# set the base account for all txns+account1  assets:bank:boi:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f bankofireland-checking.csv print+2012-12-07 LODGMENT       529898+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR10.0 = EUR131.2+    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++2012-12-07 PAYMENT+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The balance assertions don\[aq]t raise an error above, because we\[aq]re+reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are+imported into a journal file.+.SS Coinbase+.PP+A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.+The spot price is recorded using cost notation.+The legacy \f[V]amount\f[R] field name conveniently sets amount 2+(posting 2\[aq]s amount) to the total cost.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Received 100.00 USDC from an external account\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# coinbase.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+date         %Timestamp+date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+description  %Notes+account1     assets:coinbase:cc+amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset \[at] %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC \[at] 0.740000 GBP+    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Amazon+.PP+Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to+generate a third posting if there\[aq]s a fee.+(In practice you\[aq]d probably get this data from your bank instead,+but it\[aq]s an example.)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]To/From\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Amount\[dq],\[dq]Fees\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq]+\[dq]Jul 29, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Foo.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$20.00\[dq],\[dq]$0.00\[dq],\[dq]16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]+\[dq]Jul 30, 2012\[dq],\[dq]Payment\[dq],\[dq]To\[dq],\[dq]Adapteva, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]$25.00\[dq],\[dq]$1.00\[dq],\[dq]17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# amazon-orders.csv.rules++# skip one header line+skip 1++# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction\[aq]s date, amount and code.+# Avoided the \[dq]status\[dq] and \[dq]amount\[dq] hledger field names to prevent confusion.+fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++# how to parse the date+date-format %b %-d, %Y++# combine two fields to make the description+description %toorfrom %name++# save the status as a tag+comment     status:%amzstatus++# set the base account for all transactions+account1    assets:amazon+# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+# I\[aq]m assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don\[aq]t remember++# set a generic account2+account2    expenses:misc+amount2     %amzamount+# and maybe refine it further:+#include categorisation.rules++# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+if %fees [1-9]+ account3    expenses:fees+ amount3     %fees+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print+2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $20.00++2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $25.00+    expenses:fees           $1.00+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Paypal+.PP+Here\[aq]s a real-world rules file for (customised) Paypal CSV, with+some Paypal-specific rules, and a second rules file included:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Calm Radio\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]memberships\[at]calmradio.com\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months: Me - Order 99309. Item total: $1.00 USD first 2 months, then $6.99 / Month\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R8YLY094FJYR\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:46:20\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]6.99\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]0TU1544T080463733\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]60P57143A8206782E\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Patreon\[dq],\[dq]PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]support\[at]patreon.com\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]B-0PG93074E7M86381M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/01/2019\[dq],\[dq]08:57:01\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]7.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]71854087RG994194F\[dq],\[dq]Patreon* Membership\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]2722394R5F586712G\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]tle\[at]wikimedia.org\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-R5C3YUS3285L\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]-2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/19/2019\[dq],\[dq]03:02:12\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]Bank Deposit to PP Account \[dq],\[dq]Pending\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]2.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]3XJ107139A851061F\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]K9U43044RY432050M\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]0.00\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]10/22/2019\[dq],\[dq]05:07:06\[dq],\[dq]PDT\[dq],\[dq]Noble Benefactor\[dq],\[dq]Subscription Payment\[dq],\[dq]Completed\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq],\[dq]-0.59\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]noble\[at]bene.fac.tor\[dq],\[dq]simon\[at]joyful.com\[dq],\[dq]6L8L1662YP1334033\[dq],\[dq]Joyful Systems\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]I-KC9VBGY2GWDB\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]9.41\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# paypal-custom.csv.rules++# Tips:+# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+# Suggested transaction type: \[dq]Balance affecting\[dq]+# Paypal\[aq]s default fields in 2018 were:+# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping Address\[dq],\[dq]Address Status\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Shipping and Handling Amount\[dq],\[dq]Insurance Amount\[dq],\[dq]Sales Tax\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 1 Value\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Name\[dq],\[dq]Option 2 Value\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Invoice Number\[dq],\[dq]Custom Number\[dq],\[dq]Quantity\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 1\[dq],\[dq]Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood\[dq],\[dq]Town/City\[dq],\[dq]State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic\[dq],\[dq]Zip/Postal Code\[dq],\[dq]Country\[dq],\[dq]Contact Phone Number\[dq],\[dq]Subject\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq],\[dq]Country Code\[dq],\[dq]Balance Impact\[dq]+# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in \[dq]Customize report fields\[dq]:+# \[dq]Date\[dq],\[dq]Time\[dq],\[dq]TimeZone\[dq],\[dq]Name\[dq],\[dq]Type\[dq],\[dq]Status\[dq],\[dq]Currency\[dq],\[dq]Gross\[dq],\[dq]Fee\[dq],\[dq]Net\[dq],\[dq]From Email Address\[dq],\[dq]To Email Address\[dq],\[dq]Transaction ID\[dq],\[dq]Item Title\[dq],\[dq]Item ID\[dq],\[dq]Reference Txn ID\[dq],\[dq]Receipt ID\[dq],\[dq]Balance\[dq],\[dq]Note\[dq]++fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++skip  1++date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++# ignore some paypal events+if+In Progress+Temporary Hold+Update to+ skip++# add more fields to the description+description %description_ %itemtitle++# save some other fields as tags+comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++# convert to short currency symbols+if %currency USD+ currency $+if %currency EUR+ currency E+if %currency GBP+ currency P++# generate postings++# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+account1 assets:online:paypal+amount1  %netamount++# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+# (account2 is set below)+amount2  -%grossamount++# if there\[aq]s a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+if %feeamount [1-9]+ account3 expenses:banking:paypal+ amount3  -%feeamount+ comment3 business:++# choose an account for the second posting++# override the default account names:+# if the amount is positive, it\[aq]s income (a debit)+if %grossamount \[ha][\[ha]-]+ account2 income:unknown+# if negative, it\[aq]s an expense (a credit)+if %grossamount \[ha]-+ account2 expenses:unknown++# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+include common.rules++# apply some overrides specific to this csv++# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+# which can be disregarded in this case.+if+Bank Account+Bank Deposit to PP Account+ description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+ account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+ account1 assets:online:paypal++# Currency conversions+if Currency Conversion+ account2 equity:currency conversion+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# common.rules++if+darcs+noble benefactor+ account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+ comment2 business:++if+Calm Radio+ account2 expenses:online:apps++if+electronic frontier foundation+Patreon+wikimedia+Advent of Code+ account2 expenses:dues++if Google+ account2 expenses:online:apps+ description google | music+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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\[at]joyful.com, toemail:memberships\[at]calmradio.com, time:03:46:20, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-6.99 = $-6.99+    expenses:online:apps           $6.99++2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:support\[at]patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+    expenses:dues                  $7.00++2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, toemail:tle\[at]wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+    expenses:dues                     $2.00+    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble\[at]bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon\[at]joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Timeclock+.PP+The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.+.PP+hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.+As with Ledger, these are (a subset of) timeclock.el\[aq]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 (currently+the time is always interpreted as a local time).+Lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] or \f[V]*\f[R], and+blank lines, are ignored.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+o 2015/03/30 09:20:00+i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another:account+o 2015/04/01 02:00:34+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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, \f[V]hledger print\f[R] generates these journal+entries:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.timeclock print+2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+    (some account)           0.33h++2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+    (another:account)           1.64h++2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+    (another:account)           2.01h+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here is a sample.timeclock to download and some queries to try:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:+.IP \[bu] 2+use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-x.el+and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el+.IP \[bu] 2+at the command line, use these bash aliases:+\f[V]shell     alias ti=\[dq]echo i \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] \[rs]$* >>$TIMELOG\[dq]     alias to=\[dq]echo o \[ga]date \[aq]+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S\[aq]\[ga] >>$TIMELOG\[dq]\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or use the old \f[V]ti\f[R] and \f[V]to\f[R] scripts in the ledger 2.x+repository.+These rely on a \[dq]timeclock\[dq] executable which I think is just the+ledger 2 executable renamed.+.PP+.SH Timedot+.PP+\f[V]timedot\f[R] format is hledger\[aq]s human-friendly time logging+format.+Compared to \f[V]timeclock\f[R] format, it is+.IP \[bu] 2+convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging+.IP \[bu] 2+readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.+.PP+A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like+this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-05-01+hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+per:admin:finance+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three (unbalanced)+postings, where each dot represents \[dq]0.25\[dq].+No commodity is assumed, but normally we interpret it as hours, with+each dot representing a quarter-hour.+It\[aq]s convenient, though not required, to group the dots in fours for+easy reading.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+2023-05-01 *+    (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+    (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+    (per:admin:finance)                 0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A transaction begins with a non-indented \f[B]simple date\f[R] (Y-M-D,+Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).+It can optionally be preceded by one or more stars and a space, for+Emacs org mode compatibility.+It can optionally be followed on the same line by a transaction+description, and/or a transaction comment following a semicolon.+.PP+After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:+.IP \[bu] 2+an \f[B]account name\f[R] - any hledger-style account name, optionally+hierarchical, optionally indented.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]two or more spaces\f[R] - a field separator, required if there is+an amount (as in journal format).+.IP \[bu] 2+an optional \f[B]timedot amount\f[R] - dots representing quarter hours,+or a number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.+.IP \[bu] 2+an optional \f[B]posting comment\f[R] following a semicolon.+.PP+Timedot amounts can be:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]dots\f[R]: zero or more period characters (\f[V].\f[R]), each+representing 0.25.+Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.+Eg: \f[V].... ..\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or a \f[B]number\f[R].+Eg: \f[V]1.5\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+or a \f[B]number immediately followed by a unit symbol\f[R] \f[V]s\f[R],+\f[V]m\f[R], \f[V]h\f[R], \f[V]d\f[R], \f[V]w\f[R], \f[V]mo\f[R], or+\f[V]y\f[R].+These are interpreted as seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or+years, and converted to hours, assuming:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]60s\f[R] = \f[V]1m\f[R], \f[V]60m\f[R] = \f[V]1h\f[R],+\f[V]24h\f[R] = \f[V]1d\f[R], \f[V]7d\f[R] = \f[V]1w\f[R], \f[V]30d\f[R]+= \f[V]1mo\f[R], \f[V]365d\f[R] = \f[V]1y\f[R].+Eg \f[V]90m\f[R] is parsed as \f[V]1.5\f[R].+.PP+There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:+.IP \[bu] 2+Blank lines and lines beginning with \f[V]#\f[R] or \f[V];\f[R] are+ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+Before the first date line, lines beginning with \f[V]*\f[R] are+ignored.+.IP \[bu] 2+From the first date line onward, one or more \f[V]*\f[R]\[aq]s followed+by a space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs+Org mode) is ignored.+This means the time log can be kept under an Org headline, and date+lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.+.IP \[bu] 2+Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as postings+with zero amount.+Note hledger\[aq]s register reports hide these by default (add -E to see+them).+.PP+More examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+2016/2/1+inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+fos:haskell   .... ..+biz:research  .++2016/2/2+inc:client1   .... ....+biz:research  .+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/2/3+inc:client1   4+fos:hledger   3+biz:research  1+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+* Time log+** 2023-01-01+*** adm:time  .+*** adm:finance  .+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+* 2023 Work Diary+** Q1+*** 2023-02-29+**** DONE+0700 yoga+**** UNPLANNED+**** BEGUN+hom:chores+ cleaning  ...+ water plants+  outdoor - one full watering can+  indoor - light watering+**** TODO+adm:planning: trip+*** LATER+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Reporting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+2016-02-02 *+    (inc:client1)          2.00++2016-02-02 *+    (biz:research)          0.25+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++            ||  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 +------------++----------------------------------------+            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Using period instead of colon as account name separator:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/2/4+fos.hledger.timedot  4+fos.ledger           ..+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\[rs]\[rs]./=: bal --tree+                4.50  fos+                4.00    hledger:timedot+                0.50    ledger+--------------------+                4.50+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+A sample.timedot file.+.SH PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+.SH Time periods+.PP+.SS Report start & end date+.PP+By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time+represented by the journal.+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.+.PP+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 \f[V]-b/--begin\f[R],+\f[V]-e/--end\f[R], \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] or a \f[V]date:\f[R] query+(described below).+All of these accept the smart date syntax (below).+.PP+Some notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date+\f[I]after\f[R] the last day you want to see in the report.+.IP \[bu] 2+As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+\f[I]options\f[R], the last (i.e.+right-most) option takes precedence.+.IP \[bu] 2+The effective report start and end dates are the intersection of the+start/end dates from options and that from \f[V]date:\f[R] queries.+That is, \f[V]date:2019-01 date:2019 -p\[aq]2000 to 2030\[aq]\f[R]+yields January 2019, the smallest common time span.+.IP \[bu] 2+In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall on+interval boundaries (see below).+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(12.4n) lw(57.6n).+T{+\f[V]-b 2016/3/17\f[R]+T}@T{+begin on St.\ Patrick\[cq]s day 2016+T}+T{+\f[V]-e 12/1\f[R]+T}@T{+end at the start of december 1st of the current year (11/30 will be the+last date included)+T}+T{+\f[V]-b thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+all transactions in the current month+T}+T{+\f[V]date:2016/3/17..\f[R]+T}@T{+the above written as queries instead (\f[V]..\f[R] can also be replaced+with \f[V]-\f[R])+T}+T{+\f[V]date:..12/1\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]date:thismonth..\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]date:thismonth\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.SS Smart dates+.PP+hledger\[aq]s user interfaces accept a \[dq]smart date\[dq] syntax for+added convenience.+Smart dates optionally can be relative to today\[aq]s date, be written+with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted (missing+parts are inferred as 1).+Some examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(24.2n) lw(45.8n).+T{+\f[V]2004/10/1\f[R], \f[V]2004-01-01\f[R], \f[V]2004.9.1\f[R]+T}@T{+exact date, several separators allowed.+Year is 4+ digits, month is 1-12, day is 1-31+T}+T{+\f[V]2004\f[R]+T}@T{+start of year+T}+T{+\f[V]2004/10\f[R]+T}@T{+start of month+T}+T{+\f[V]10/1\f[R]+T}@T{+month and day in current year+T}+T{+\f[V]21\f[R]+T}@T{+day in current month+T}+T{+\f[V]october, oct\f[R]+T}@T{+start of month in current year+T}+T{+\f[V]yesterday, today, tomorrow\f[R]+T}@T{+-1, 0, 1 days from today+T}+T{+\f[V]last/this/next day/week/month/quarter/year\f[R]+T}@T{+-1, 0, 1 periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]in n days/weeks/months/quarters/years\f[R]+T}@T{+n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ahead\f[R]+T}@T{+n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]n days/weeks/months/quarters/years ago\f[R]+T}@T{+-n periods from the current period+T}+T{+\f[V]20181201\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day+T}+T{+\f[V]201812\f[R]+T}@T{+6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month+T}+.TE+.PP+Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising+results:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(11.4n) lw(58.6n).+T{+\f[V]201813\f[R]+T}@T{+6 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 6-digit year+T}+T{+\f[V]20181301\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digits with an invalid month is parsed as start of 8-digit year+T}+T{+\f[V]20181232\f[R]+T}@T{+8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+T}+T{+\f[V]201801012\f[R]+T}@T{+9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error+T}+.TE+.PP+\[dq]Today\[aq]s date\[dq] can be overridden with the \f[V]--today\f[R]+option, in case it\[aq]s needed for testing or for recreating old+reports.+(Except for periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by+\f[V]--today\f[R].)+.SS Report intervals+.PP+A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,+balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a+separate row or column.+.PP+The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line flags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-D/--daily\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R]+.PP+More complex intervals can be specified using \f[V]-p/--period\f[R],+described below.+.SS Date adjustment+.PP+When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end+dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+adjusted to natural period boundaries.+This is convenient for producing simple periodic reports.+More precisely:+.IP \[bu] 2+an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on a+natural period boundary+.IP \[bu] 2+an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the last+period the same length as the others.+.PP+By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with+\f[V]-b\f[R], \f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R], will not be+adjusted (since hledger 1.29).+This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it+also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should pick one+that\[aq]s on a period boundary if you want to see simple report period+headings.+.SS Period expressions+.PP+The \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] option specifies a period expression, which is+a compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report+interval.+.PP+Here\[aq]s a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the+first quarter of 2009):+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Several keywords like \[dq]from\[dq] and \[dq]to\[dq] are supported for+readability; these are optional.+\[dq]to\[dq] can also be written as \[dq]..\[dq] or \[dq]-\[dq].+The spaces are also optional, as long as you don\[aq]t run two dates+together.+So the following are equivalent to the above:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p2009/1/1to2009/4/1\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p2009/1/1..2009/4/1\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+Dates are smart dates, so if the current year is 2009, these are also+equivalent to the above:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]1/1 4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]jan-apr\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]this year to 4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.PP+If you specify only one date, the missing start or end date will be the+earliest or latest transaction date in the journal:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+everything after january 1, 2009+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]since 2009/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the same, since is a synonym+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]from 2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]to 2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+everything before january 1, 2009+T}+.TE+.PP+You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(14.5n) lw(55.5n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the year 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the month of january 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/2/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009/1/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+the first day of 2009; equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/1/2\[rq]+T}+.TE+.PP+or by using the \[dq]Q\[dq] quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(15.3n) lw(54.7n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]2009Q1\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+first quarter of 2009, equivalent to \[lq]2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[rq]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]q4\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+fourth quarter of the current year+T}+.TE+.SS Period expressions with a report interval+.PP+A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated+from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word \f[V]in\f[R]:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l.+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]monthly in 2008\[dq]\f[R]+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]quarterly\[dq]\f[R]+T}+.TE+.SS More complex report intervals+.PP+Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+such as:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]biweekly\f[R] (every two weeks)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]fortnightly\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bimonthly\f[R] (every two months)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every day|week|month|quarter|year\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years\f[R]+.PP+Weekly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth day of week\f[R] (\f[V]th\f[R], \f[V]nd\f[R],+\f[V]rd\f[R], or \f[V]st\f[R] are all accepted after the number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME\f[R] (full or three-letter english weekday name,+case insensitive)+.PP+Monthly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth day [of month]\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]\f[R]+.PP+Yearly on a custom day:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every MM/DD [of year]\f[R] (month number and day of month number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]\f[R] (full or three-letter english+month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]\f[R] (equivalent to the above)+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(26.8n) lw(43.2n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]bimonthly from 2008\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2 weeks\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5 months from 2009/03\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd day of week\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+periods will go from Tue to Tue+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every Tue\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 15th day\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+period boundaries will be on 15th of each month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 2nd Monday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+period boundaries will be on second Monday of each month+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 11/05\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+yearly periods with boundaries on 5th of November+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every 5th November\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every Nov 5th\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+same+T}+.TE+.PP+Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an+end date, exclusive as always):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -H -p \[dq]every 16th day\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following+tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register checking -p \[dq]every 3rd day of week\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multiple weekday intervals+.PP+This special form is also supported:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...\f[R] (full or three-letter+english weekday names, case insensitive)+.PP+Also, \f[V]weekday\f[R] and \f[V]weekendday\f[R] are shorthand for+\f[V]mon,tue,wed,thu,fri\f[R] and \f[V]sat,sun\f[R].+.PP+This is mainly intended for use with \f[V]--forecast\f[R], to generate+periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.+It may be less useful with \f[V]-p\f[R], since it divides each week into+subperiods of unequal length, which is unusual.+(Related: #1632)+.PP+Examples:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(17.8n) lw(52.2n).+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every mon,wed,fri\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will be Mon, Tue, Wed,+Thu, Fri-Sun+T}+T{+\f[V]-p \[dq]every weekendday\[dq]\f[R]+T}@T{+dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+T}+.TE+.SH Depth+.PP+With the \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option (short form: \f[V]-NUM\f[R]),+reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper+subaccounts.+Use this when you want a summary with less detail.+This flag has the same effect as a \f[V]depth:\f[R] query argument:+\f[V]depth:2\f[R], \f[V]--depth=2\f[R] or \f[V]-2\f[R] are equivalent.+.SH Queries+.PP+One of hledger\[aq]s strengths is being able to quickly report on a+precise subset of your data.+Most hledger commands accept optional query arguments to restrict their+scope.+The syntax is as follows:+.IP \[bu] 2+Zero or more space-separated query terms.+These are most often account name substrings:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]utilities food:groceries\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in+quotes:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]\[dq]personal care\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Regular expressions are also supported:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]\[dq]\[ha]expenses\[rs]b\[dq] \[dq]accounts (payable|receivable)\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:\[dq]>100\[dq] status:\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Add a \f[V]not:\f[R] prefix to negate a term:+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]not:cur:USD\f[R]+.RE+.SS Query types+.PP+Here are the types of query term available.+Remember these can also be prefixed with \f[B]\f[VB]not:\f[B]\f[R] to+convert them into a negative match.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]acct:REGEX\f[B], \f[VB]REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular+expression.+This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and regular+expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just write an+account name substring, like \f[V]expenses\f[R] or \f[V]food\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+greater than N.+(Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]code:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by transaction code (eg check number).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]cur:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match postings or transactions including any amounts whose+currency/commodity symbol is fully matched by REGEX.+(For a partial match, use \f[V].*REGEX.*\f[R]).+Note, to match special characters which are regex-significant, you need+to escape them with \f[V]\[rs]\f[R].+And for characters which are significant to your shell you may need one+more level of escaping.+So eg to match the dollar sign:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]hledger print cur:\[rs]\[rs]$\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]desc:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction descriptions.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]date:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match dates (or with the \f[V]--date2\f[R] flag, secondary dates) within+the specified period.+PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report interval.+Examples:+.PD 0+.P+.PD+\f[V]date:2016\f[R], \f[V]date:thismonth\f[R], \f[V]date:2/1-2/15\f[R],+\f[V]date:2021-07-27..nextquarter\f[R].+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]date2:PERIODEXPR\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the+\f[V]--date2\f[R] flag).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]depth:N\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this+depth.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]note:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of+\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]payee:REGEX\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of+\f[V]|\f[R], or the whole description if there\[aq]s no \f[V]|\f[R]).+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]real:, real:0\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match real or virtual postings respectively.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]status:, status:!, status:*\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]type:TYPECODES\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).+\f[V]TYPECODES\f[R] is one or more of the single-letter account type+codes \f[V]ALERXCV\f[R], case insensitive.+Note \f[V]type:A\f[R] and \f[V]type:E\f[R] will also match their+respective subtypes \f[V]C\f[R] (Cash) and \f[V]V\f[R] (Conversion).+Certain kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting+accounts > Aliases and account types.+.PP+\f[B]\f[VB]tag:REGEX[=REGEX]\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.+(To match only by value, use \f[V]tag:.=REGEX\f[R].)+.PP+When querying by tag, note that:+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction+.IP \[bu] 2+Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.+.PP+(\f[B]\f[VB]inacct:ACCTNAME\f[B]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells+hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)+.SS Combining query terms+.PP+When given multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+things which match:+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the description terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+any of the status terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+all the other terms.+.PP+The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:+.IP \[bu] 2+match any of the description terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND+.IP \[bu] 2+match all the other terms.+.PP+We also support more complex boolean queries with the \[aq]expr:\[aq]+prefix.+This allows one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for \[aq]not:\[aq].+.PP+Examples of such queries are:+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions with \[aq]cool\[aq] in the description AND with the+\[aq]A\[aq] tag+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]desc:cool AND tag:A\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions NOT to the \[aq]expenses:food\[aq] account OR with+the \[aq]A\[aq] tag+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]NOT expenses:food OR tag:A\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Match transactions NOT involving the \[aq]expenses:food\[aq] account OR+with the \[aq]A\[aq] tag AND involving the \[aq]expenses:drink\[aq]+account.+(the AND is implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules+above)+.RS 2+.PP+\f[V]expr:\[dq]expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)\[dq]\f[R]+.RE+.SS Queries and command options+.PP+Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options:+\f[V]depth:2\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]--depth 2\f[R],+\f[V]date:2023\f[R] is equivalent to \f[V]-p 2023\f[R], etc.+When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the+resulting query is their intersection.+.SS Queries and valuation+.PP+When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, \f[V]cur:\f[R] and \f[V]amt:\f[R] match the old commodity+symbol and the old amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger+1.22.0 where it\[aq]s reversed, see #1625).+.SS Querying with account aliases+.PP+When account names are rewritten with \f[V]--alias\f[R] or+\f[V]alias\f[R], note that \f[V]acct:\f[R] will match either the old or+the new account name.+.SS Querying with cost or value+.PP+When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, note that \f[V]cur:\f[R] matches the new commodity symbol, and+not the old one, and \f[V]amt:\f[R] matches the new quantity, and not+the old one.+Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see+the discussion at #1625.+.SH Pivoting+.PP+Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.+The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option substitutes some other transaction+field for account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by+that field\[aq]s value instead.+FIELD can be any of the transaction fields \f[V]status\f[R],+\f[V]code\f[R], \f[V]description\f[R], \f[V]payee\f[R], \f[V]note\f[R],+or a tag name.+When pivoting on a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag,+only the first value is displayed.+Values containing \f[V]colon:separated:parts\f[R] will be displayed+hierarchically, like account names.+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+    assets:bank account                 2 EUR+    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Normal balance report showing account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance+               2 EUR  assets:bank account+              -2 EUR  income:dues+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member+               2 EUR+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted \[dq]account+name\[dq]):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+\f[R]+.fi+.SH Generating data+.PP+hledger has several features for generating data, such as:+.IP \[bu] 2+Periodic transaction rules can generate single or repeating transactions+following a template.+These are usually dated in the future, eg to help with forecasting.+They are activated by the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option.+.IP \[bu] 2+The balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] option uses these same+periodic rules to generate goals for the budget report.+.IP \[bu] 2+Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain matched+transactions.+They are always applied to forecast transactions; with the+\f[V]--auto\f[R] flag they are applied to transactions recorded in the+journal as well.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R] flag infers missing conversion equity+postings from \[at]/\[at]\[at] costs.+And the inverse \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] flag infers missing+\[at]/\[at]\[at] costs from conversion equity postings.+.PP+Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report time.+But you can see it in the output of \f[V]hledger print\f[R], and you can+save that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary+generated data to permanent recorded data.+This could be useful as a data entry aid.+.PP+If you are wondering what data is being generated and why, add the+\f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R] flag.+In \f[V]hledger print\f[R] output you will see extra tags like+\f[V]generated-transaction\f[R], \f[V]generated-posting\f[R], and+\f[V]modified\f[R] on generated/modified data.+Also, even without \f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R], generated data always has+equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore prefix), so eg you could match+generated transactions with \f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R].+.SH Forecasting+.PP+Forecasting, or speculative future reporting, can be useful for+estimating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.+.PP+The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to manually+record a bunch of future-dated transactions.+You could keep these in a separate \f[V]future.journal\f[R] and include+that with \f[V]-f\f[R] only when you want to see them.+.SS --forecast+.PP+There is another way: with the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option, hledger can+generate temporary \[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] for reporting+purposes, according to periodic transaction rules defined in the+journal.+Each rule can generate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing+one rule you can change many forecasted transactions.+(These same rules can also generate budget goals, described in+Budgeting.)+.PP+Forecast transactions usually start after ordinary transactions end.+By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+today, whichever is later, and they end six months from today.+(The exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)+.PP+This is the \[dq]forecast period\[dq], which need not be the same as the+report period.+You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the future, or to+force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary transactions - by+giving the --forecast option a period expression argument, like+\f[V]--forecast=..2099\f[R] or \f[V]--forecast=2023-02-15..\f[R].+Note that the \f[V]=\f[R] is required.+.SS Inspecting forecast transactions+.PP+\f[V]print\f[R] is the best command for inspecting and troubleshooting+forecast transactions.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent           $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+2023-05-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-06-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-07-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-08-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-09-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: \[ti] monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted transactions+begin on the first occurence after today\[aq]s date.+(You won\[aq]t normally use \f[V]--today\f[R]; it\[aq]s just to make+these examples reproducible.)+.SS Forecast reports+.PP+Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++               ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep +===============++===================================+ expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +---------------++-----------------------------------+               || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Forecast tags+.PP+Forecast transactions generated by --forecast have a hidden tag,+\f[V]_generated-transaction\f[R].+So if you ever need to match forecast transactions, you could use+\f[V]tag:_generated-transaction\f[R] (or just \f[V]tag:generated\f[R])+in a query.+.PP+For troubleshooting, you can add the \f[V]--verbose-tags\f[R] flag.+Then, visible \f[V]generated-transaction\f[R] tags will be added also,+so you can view them with the \f[V]print\f[R] command.+Their value indicates which periodic rule was responsible.+.SS Forecast period, in detail+.PP+Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by+default in almost all situations, while also being flexible.+Here are (with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:+.PP+The forecast period starts on:+.IP \[bu] 2+the later of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the start date in the periodic transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+the start date in \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise (if those are not available): the later of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the report start date specified with+\f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise (if none of these are available): today.+.PP+The forecast period ends on:+.IP \[bu] 2+the earlier of+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+the end date in the periodic transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+the end date in \f[V]--forecast\f[R]\[aq]s argument+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise: the report end date specified with+\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+otherwise: 180 days (\[ti]6 months) from today.+.SS Forecast troubleshooting+.PP+When --forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+help:+.IP \[bu] 2+Remember to use the \f[V]--forecast\f[R] option.+.IP \[bu] 2+Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your journal.+.IP \[bu] 2+Test with \f[V]print --forecast\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+Check for typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+transaction rule.+.IP \[bu] 2+Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule\[aq]s period expression and+description fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+Check for future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+transactions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with \f[V]-b\f[R],+\f[V]-e\f[R], \f[V]-p\f[R] or \f[V]date:\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Try adding the \f[V]-E\f[R] flag to encourage display of empty+periods/zero transactions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Try setting explicit forecast start and/or end dates with+\f[V]--forecast=START..END\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.+.IP \[bu] 2+Check inside the engine: add \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] (eg).+.SH Budgeting+.PP+With the balance command\[aq]s \f[V]--budget\f[R] report, each periodic+transaction rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts,+and goals and actual performance can be compared.+See the balance command\[aq]s doc below.+.PP+You can generate budget goals and forecast transactions at the same+time, from the same or different periodic transaction rules:+\f[V]hledger bal -M --budget --forecast ...\f[R]+.PP+See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.+.SH Cost reporting+.PP+This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions+where one commodity is exchanged for another.+Eg an exchange of currency, or a stock purchase or sale.+First, a quick glossary:+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.+Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+cryptocurrency.+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more+conversions.+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie+the exchange rate.+.IP \[bu] 2+Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.+And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the+\[dq]secondary\[dq] commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a+purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.+Also, the \[dq]\[at]/\[at]\[at] PRICE\[dq] notation used to represent+this.+.SS -B: Convert to cost+.PP+As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can+also record the amount\[aq]s cost in another commodity, by adding+\f[V]\[at] UNITPRICE\f[R] or \f[V]\[at]\[at] TOTALPRICE\f[R].+.PP+Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] flag.+(Mnemonic: \[dq]B\[dq] from \[dq]cost Basis\[dq], as in Ledger).+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -N+               $-135  assets:dollars+                €100  assets:euros+$ hledger bal -N -B+               $-135  assets:dollars+                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros\[aq] cost+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.PP+-B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the+inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.+So if example 3\[aq]s postings are reversed, while the transaction is+equivalent, -B shows something different:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -N -B+               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars\[aq] selling price+                €100  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \[at]/\[at]\[at] cost notation is convenient, but has some+drawbacks: it does not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the+accounting equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance+reports.+.SS Equity conversion postings+.PP+By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a+different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance+conversion transactions.+In this style, the above entry might be written:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+    assets:dollars      $-135+    equity:conversion    $135+    equity:conversion   €-100+    assets:euros         €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This style is more correct, but it\[aq]s also more verbose and makes+cost reporting more difficult for PTA tools.+.PP+Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to the+other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.+.PP+You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at the+same time, for clarity.+hledger will ignore the redundancy.+But be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you\[aq]ll+see a not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.+.SS Inferring equity postings from cost+.PP+With \f[V]--infer-equity\f[R], hledger detects transactions written with+PTA cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  -$135+  assets:euros     €100 \[at] $1.35+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-equity+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars                    $-135+    assets:euros               €100 \[at] $1.35+    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:+    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account+type declaration.+.PP+--infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded using+cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance+reports\[aq] zero total, or to produce more conventional journal entries+for sharing with non-PTA-users.+.SS Inferring cost from equity postings+.PP+The reverse operation is possible using \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R], which+detects transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds+cost notation to them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars            $-135+    equity:conversion          $135+    equity:conversion         €-100+    assets:euros               €100+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-costs+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars       $-135 \[at]\[at] €100+    equity:conversion             $135+    equity:conversion            €-100+    assets:euros                  €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+--infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost+reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity+postings:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --infer-costs -B+2009-01-01+    assets:dollars           €-100+    assets:euros              €100+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.PP+For \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] to work, an exchange must consist of four+postings:+.IP "1." 3+two non-equity postings+.IP "2." 3+two equity postings, next to one another+.IP "3." 3+the equity accounts must be declared, with account type+\f[V]V\f[R]/\f[V]Conversion\f[R] (or if they are not declared, they must+be named \f[V]equity:conversion\f[R], \f[V]equity:trade\f[R],+\f[V]equity:trading\f[R] or subaccounts of these)+.IP "4." 3+the equity postings\[aq] amounts must exactly match the non-equity+postings\[aq] amounts.+.PP+Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.+.PP+When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added to+the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the+commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.+If you don\[aq]t want to write your postings in the required order, you+can use explicit cost notation instead.+.PP+--infer-equity and --infer-costs can be used together, if you have a+mixture of both notations in your journal.+.SS When to infer cost/equity+.PP+Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled+by default.+We\[aq]re not sure yet if that should change.+Here are two suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:+.IP "1." 3+When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal -B --infer-costs\f[R]+.IP "2." 3+Always run hledger with both flags enabled.+Eg: \f[V]alias hl=\[dq]hledger --infer-equity --infer-costs\[dq]\f[R]+.SS How to record conversions+.PP+Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in+hledger.+Here are all of them, with pros and cons.+.SS Conversion with implicit cost+.PP+Let\[aq]s assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.+You can just record the outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the+appropriate asset account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash    -100 EUR+    assets:cash     120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.+You can see the inferred rate by using \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R].+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Concise, easy+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not be+detected+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate is not clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag+.PP+You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped+commodity symbol, by using \f[V]hledger check commodities\f[R].+.PP+You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using+\f[V]hledger check balancednoautoconversion\f[R], or+\f[V]-s/--strict\f[R].+.SS Conversion with explicit cost+.PP+You can add the conversion rate using \[at] notation:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error+otherwise.+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Still concise+.IP \[bu] 2+Makes the conversion rate clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Provides more error checking+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the --infer-equity flag+.SS Conversion with equity postings+.PP+In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not+balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD+appears.+This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents reports+like \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] from showing a zero total.+.PP+The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for each+commodity, using an equity account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Preserves the accounting equation+.IP \[bu] 2+Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+.IP \[bu] 2+Standard, works in any double entry accounting system+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+More verbose+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion rate is not obvious+.IP \[bu] 2+Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag+.SS Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+.PP+Here both equity postings and \[at] notation are used together.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR \[at] 1.20 USD+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Pro:+.IP \[bu] 2+Preserves the accounting equation+.IP \[bu] 2+Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+.IP \[bu] 2+Makes the conversion rate clear+.IP \[bu] 2+Provides more error checking+.PP+Con:+.IP \[bu] 2+Most verbose+.IP \[bu] 2+Not compatible with ledger+.SS Cost tips+.IP \[bu] 2+Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it makes+that clear and helps detect errors.+.IP \[bu] 2+Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping and+preserves the accounting equation.+.IP \[bu] 2+Combining these is possible.+.IP \[bu] 2+When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use+\f[V]-B\f[R] (short form of \f[V]--cost\f[R]).+.IP \[bu] 2+If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add+\f[V]--infer-costs\f[R] also.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to+see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries, use+\f[V]--infer-equity\f[R].+.IP \[bu] 2+Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).+.SH Valuation+.PP+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 \f[V]--value=TYPE[,COMMODITY]\f[R] option,+which will be described below.+We also provide the simpler \f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X COMMODITY\f[R]+options, and often one of these is all you need:+.SS -V: Value+.PP+The \f[V]-V/--market\f[R] flag converts amounts to market value in their+default \f[I]valuation commodity\f[R], using the market prices in effect+on the \f[I]valuation date(s)\f[R], if any.+More on these in a minute.+.SS -X: Value in specified commodity+.PP+The \f[V]-X/--exchange=COMM\f[R] option is like \f[V]-V\f[R], except you+tell it which currency you want to convert to, and it tries to convert+everything to that.+.SS Valuation date+.PP+Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports+have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+prices will be used.+.PP+For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is specified,+that will be used as the valuation date; otherwise the valuation date is+the journal\[aq]s end date.+.PP+For multiperiod reports, each column/period is valued on the last day of+the period, by default.+.SS Finding market price+.PP+To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in+this order of preference :+.IP "1." 3+A \f[I]declared market price\f[R] or \f[I]inferred market price\f[R]:+A\[aq]s latest market price in B on or before the valuation date as+declared by a P directive, or (with the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+flag) inferred from costs.+.IP "2." 3+A \f[I]reverse market price\f[R]: the inverse of a declared or inferred+market price from B to A.+.IP "3." 3+A \f[I]forward chain of market prices\f[R]: a synthetic price formed by+combining the shortest chain of \[dq]forward\[dq] (only 1 above) market+prices, leading from A to B.+.IP "4." 3+\f[I]Any chain of market prices\f[R]: a chain of any market prices,+including both forward and reverse prices (1 and 2 above), leading from+A to B.+.PP+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 \[dq]gave up\[dq] message visible+in \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] output).+That limit is currently 1000.+.PP+Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not+converted.+.SS --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions+.PP+Normally, market value in hledger is fully controlled by, and requires,+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+costs as additional market prices (as Ledger does) ?+Adding the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag to \f[V]-V\f[R],+\f[V]-X\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] enables this.+.PP+So for example, \f[V]hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices\f[R] will get+market prices both from P directives and from transactions.+If both occur on the same day, the P directive takes precedence.+.PP+There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in+confusing/undesired ways by your journal entries.+If this happens to you, read all of this Valuation section carefully,+and try adding \f[V]--debug\f[R] or \f[V]--debug=2\f[R] to troubleshoot.+.PP+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] can infer market prices from:+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with explicit prices+(\f[V]\[at]\f[R]/\f[V]\[at]\[at]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no \f[V]\[at]\f[R],+two commodities, unbalanced).+(With these, the order of postings matters.+\f[V]hledger print -x\f[R] can be useful for troubleshooting.)+.IP \[bu] 2+multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred+with \f[V]--infer-costs\f[R].+.PP+There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is not+specified, prices inferred with \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] do not+help select a default valuation commodity, as \f[V]P\f[R] prices would.+So conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was+detected (\f[V]--debug=2\f[R] will show this).+To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-X EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not+\f[V]-V --infer-market-prices\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices\f[R], not+\f[V]--value=then --infer-market-prices\f[R]+.PP+Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.+For reference, here is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.+(If you think it should work differently, see #1870.)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 \[at] A 1++2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A 1+++2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 \[at] A -1++2022-01-02 Negative total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 \[at]\[at] A -1+++2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 \[at] A -1++2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 \[at]\[at] A -1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,+the two transactions are considered equivalent).+Here are the market prices inferred for B:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+P 2022-01-01 B A 1+P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+P 2022-01-02 B A -1+P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+P 2022-01-03 B A -1+P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Valuation commodity+.PP+\f[B]When you specify a valuation commodity (\f[VB]-X COMM\f[B] or+\f[VB]--value TYPE,COMM\f[B]):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a+suitable market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).+.PP+\f[B]When you leave the valuation commodity unspecified (\f[VB]-V\f[B]+or \f[VB]--value TYPE\f[B]):\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as+follows, in this order of preference:+.IP "1." 3+The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on or+before valuation date.+.IP "2." 3+The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A on any+date.+(Allows conversion to proceed when there are inferred prices before the+valuation date.)+.IP "3." 3+If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the+\f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R] flag is used: the price commodity from+the latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.+.PP+This means:+.IP \[bu] 2+If you have P directives, they determine which commodities \f[V]-V\f[R]+will convert, and to what.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you have no P directives, and use the \f[V]--infer-market-prices\f[R]+flag, costs determine it.+.PP+Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not converted.+.SS Simple valuation examples+.PP+Here are some quick examples of \f[V]-V\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+P 2016/11/01 € $1.10++; purchase some euros on nov 3+2016/11/3+    assets:euros        €100+    assets:checking++; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+P 2016/12/21 € $1.03+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+How many euros do I have ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros+                €100  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+What are they worth at end of nov 3 ?+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V -e 2016/11/4+             $110.00  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?+(no report end date specified, defaults to today)+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+             $103.00  assets:euros+\f[R]+.fi+.SS --value: Flexible valuation+.PP+\f[V]-V\f[R] and \f[V]-X\f[R] are special cases of the more general+\f[V]--value\f[R] option:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+ --value=TYPE[,COMM]  TYPE is then, end, now or YYYY-MM-DD.+                      COMM is an optional commodity symbol.+                      Shows amounts converted to:+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:+.TP+\f[V]--value=then\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity, using+market prices on each posting\[aq]s date.+.TP+\f[V]--value=end\f[R]+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\[aq]s end date); or in multiperiod reports, market prices on+the last day of each subperiod.+.TP+\f[V]--value=now\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using+current market prices (as of when report is generated).+.TP+\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R]+Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity using+market prices on this date.+.PP+To select a different valuation commodity, add the optional+\f[V],COMM\f[R] part: a comma, then the target commodity\[aq]s symbol.+Eg: \f[B]\f[VB]--value=now,EUR\f[B]\f[R].+hledger will do its best to convert amounts to this commodity, deducing+market prices as described above.+.SS More valuation examples+.PP+Here are some examples showing the effect of \f[V]--value\f[R], as seen+with \f[V]print\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A  1 B+P 2000-02-01 A  2 B+P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++2000-01-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 5 B++2000-02-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 6 B++2000-03-01+  (a)      1 A \[at] 7 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the cost of each posting:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --cost+2000-01-01+    (a)             5 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             6 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             7 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the value as of the last day of the report period (2000-02-29):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=end date:2000/01-2000/03+2000-01-01+    (a)             2 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             2 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With no report period specified, that shows the value as of the last day+of the journal (2000-03-01):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=end+2000-01-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             3 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the current value (the 2000-04-01 price is still in effect today):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=now+2000-01-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             4 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the value on 2000/01/15:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+2000-01-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             1 B+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You may need to explicitly set a commodity\[aq]s display style, when+reverse prices are used.+Eg this output might be surprising:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A 2B++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -x -X A+2000-01-01+    a               0+    b               0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Explanation: because there\[aq]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 commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+P 2000-01-01 A 2B+commodity 0.00A++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -X A+2000-01-01+    a           0.50A+    b          -0.50A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Interaction of valuation and queries+.PP+When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+the following happens.+.IP "1." 3+The query is separated into two parts:+.RS 4+.IP "1." 3+the currency (\f[V]cur:\f[R]) or amount (\f[V]amt:\f[R]).+.IP "2." 3+all other parts.+.RE+.IP "2." 3+The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on+pre-valued amounts.+.IP "3." 3+Valuation is applied to the postings.+.IP "4." 3+The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on+post-valued amounts.+.PP+See: 1625+.SS Effect of valuation on reports+.PP+Here is a reference for how valuation is supposed to affect each part of+hledger\[aq]s reports (and a glossary).+(It\[aq]s wide, you\[aq]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.+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(9.5n) lw(11.8n) lw(12.0n) lw(17.2n) lw(12.0n) lw(7.4n).+T{+Report type+T}@T{+\f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]--cost\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=then\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=end\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value=DATE\f[R], \f[V]--value=now\f[R]+T}+_+T{+\f[B]print\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+posting amounts+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report end or today+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+balance assertions/assignments+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}@T{+unchanged+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]register\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+starting balance (-H)+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+valued at day each historical posting was made+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+starting balance (-H) with report interval+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at day before report or journal start+T}@T{+valued at day each historical posting was made+T}@T{+value at day before report or journal start+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+posting amounts+T}@T{+cost+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+summary posting amounts with report interval+T}@T{+summarised cost+T}@T{+value at period ends+T}@T{+sum of postings in interval, valued at interval start+T}@T{+value at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today+T}+T{+running total/average+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}@T{+sum/average of displayed values+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is)\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+balance changes+T}@T{+sums of costs+T}@T{+value at report end or today of sums of postings+T}@T{+value at posting date+T}@T{+value at report or journal end of sums of postings+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+budget amounts (--budget)+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}@T{+like balances+T}@T{+like balance changes+T}+T{+grand total+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed valued+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}@T{+sum of displayed values+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+\f[B]balance (bs, bse, cf, is) with report interval\f[R]+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+starting balances (-H)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings before report start+T}@T{+value at report start of sums of all postings before report start+T}@T{+sums of values of postings before report start at respective posting+dates+T}@T{+value at report start of sums of all postings before report start+T}@T{+sums of postings before report start+T}+T{+balance changes (bal, is, bs --change, cf --change)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings in period+T}@T{+same as --value=end+T}@T{+sums of values of postings in period at respective posting dates+T}@T{+balance change in each period, valued at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+end balances (bal -H, is --H, bs, cf)+T}@T{+sums of costs of postings from before report start to period end+T}@T{+same as --value=end+T}@T{+sums of values of postings from before period start to period end at+respective posting dates+T}@T{+period end balances, valued at period ends+T}@T{+value at DATE/today of sums of postings+T}+T{+budget amounts (--budget)+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}@T{+like balances+T}@T{+like balance changes/end balances+T}+T{+row totals, row averages (-T, -A)+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}@T{+sums, averages of displayed values+T}+T{+column totals+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}@T{+sums of displayed values+T}+T{+grand total, grand average+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}@T{+sum, average of column totals+T}+T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.PP+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] is omitted to save space, it works like+\f[V]-H\f[R] but with a zero starting balance.+.PP+\f[B]Glossary:\f[R]+.TP+\f[I]cost\f[R]+calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).+.TP+\f[I]value\f[R]+market value using available market price declarations, or the unchanged+amount if no conversion rate can be found.+.TP+\f[I]report start\f[R]+the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,+otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report or journal start\f[R]+the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or date:,+otherwise the earliest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report end\f[R]+the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report or journal end\f[R]+the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+otherwise the latest transaction date in the journal, otherwise today.+.TP+\f[I]report interval\f[R]+a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the+report\[aq]s multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperiods).+.SH PART 4: COMMANDS+.SS Commands overview+.PP+Here are the built-in commands:+.SS DATA ENTRY+.PP+These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your+journal file.+.IP \[bu] 2+add - add transactions using terminal prompts+.IP \[bu] 2+import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files+.SS DATA CREATION+.IP \[bu] 2+close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto+.SS DATA MANAGEMENT+.IP \[bu] 2+check - check for various kinds of error in the data+.IP \[bu] 2+diff - compare account transactions in two journal files+.SS REPORTS, FINANCIAL+.IP \[bu] 2+aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account+.IP \[bu] 2+balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth+.IP \[bu] 2+balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity+.IP \[bu] 2+cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets+.IP \[bu] 2+incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses+.SS REPORTS, VERSATILE+.IP \[bu] 2+balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..+.IP \[bu] 2+print - show transactions or export journal data+.IP \[bu] 2+register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running total+.IP \[bu] 2+roi - show return on investments+.SS REPORTS, BASIC+.IP \[bu] 2+accounts - show account names+.IP \[bu] 2+activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period+.IP \[bu] 2+codes - show transaction codes+.IP \[bu] 2+commodities - show commodity/currency symbols+.IP \[bu] 2+descriptions - show transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+files - show input file paths+.IP \[bu] 2+notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions+.IP \[bu] 2+prices - show market prices+.IP \[bu] 2+stats - show journal statistics+.IP \[bu] 2+tags - show tag names+.IP \[bu] 2+test - run self tests+.SS HELP+.IP \[bu] 2+help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager+.IP \[bu] 2+demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal+.PP+.SS ADD-ONS+.PP+And here are some typical add-on commands.+Some of these are installed by the hledger-install script.+If installed, they will appear in hledger\[aq]s commands list:+.IP \[bu] 2+ui - run hledger\[aq]s terminal UI+.IP \[bu] 2+web - run hledger\[aq]s web UI+.IP \[bu] 2+iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)+.IP \[bu] 2+interest - generate interest transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage+.IP \[bu] 2+Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,+pijul, plot, and more..+.PP+Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.+.SS accounts+.PP+Show account names.+.PP+This command lists account names.+By default it shows all known accounts, either used in transactions or+declared with account directives.+.PP+With query arguments, only matched account names and account names+referenced by matched postings are shown.+.PP+Or it can show just the used accounts (\f[V]--used\f[R]/\f[V]-u\f[R]),+the declared accounts (\f[V]--declared\f[R]/\f[V]-d\f[R]), the accounts+declared but not used (\f[V]--unused\f[R]), the accounts used but not+declared (\f[V]--undeclared\f[R]), or the first account matched by an+account name pattern, if any (\f[V]--find\f[R]).+.PP+It shows a flat list by default.+With \f[V]--tree\f[R], it uses indentation to show the account+hierarchy.+In flat mode you can add \f[V]--drop N\f[R] to omit the first few+account name components.+Account names can be depth-clipped with \f[V]depth:N\f[R] or+\f[V]--depth N\f[R] or \f[V]-N\f[R].+.PP+With \f[V]--types\f[R], it also shows each account\[aq]s type, if+it\[aq]s known.+(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)+.PP+With \f[V]--positions\f[R], it also shows the file and line number of+each account\[aq]s declaration, if any, and the account\[aq]s overall+declaration order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account+display order.+.PP+With \f[V]--directives\f[R], it adds the \f[V]account\f[R] keyword,+showing valid account directives which can be pasted into a journal+file.+This is useful together with \f[V]--undeclared\f[R] when updating your+account declarations to satisfy \f[V]hledger check accounts\f[R].+.PP+The \f[V]--find\f[R] flag can be used to look up a single account name,+in the same way that the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command does.+It returns the alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none+can be found, it fails with a non-zero exit code.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts+assets:bank:checking+assets:bank:saving+assets:cash+expenses:food+expenses:supplies+income:gifts+income:salary+liabilities:debts+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+$ hledger check accounts+\f[R]+.fi+.SS activity+.PP+Show an ascii barchart of posting counts per interval.+.PP+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.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger activity --quarterly+2008-01-01 **+2008-04-01 *******+2008-07-01 +2008-10-01 **+\f[R]+.fi+.SS add+.PP+Prompt for transactions and add them to the journal.+Any arguments will be used as default inputs for the first N prompts.+.PP+Many hledger users edit their journals directly with a text editor, or+generate them from CSV.+For more interactive data entry, there is the \f[V]add\f[R] command,+which prompts interactively on the console for new transactions, and+appends them to the main journal file (which should be in journal+format).+Existing transactions are not changed.+This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file+(see also \f[V]import\f[R]).+.PP+To use it, just run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts.+You can add as many transactions as you like; when you are finished,+enter \f[V].\f[R] or press control-d or control-c to exit.+.PP+Features:+.IP \[bu] 2+add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by+description) recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a+template.+.IP \[bu] 2+You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.+.IP \[bu] 2+Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.+.IP \[bu] 2+The tab key will auto-complete whenever possible - accounts,+payees/descriptions, dates (\f[V]yesterday\f[R], \f[V]today\f[R],+\f[V]tomorrow\f[R]).+If the input area is empty, it will insert the default value.+.IP \[bu] 2+If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added to any bare+numbers entered.+.IP \[bu] 2+A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.+.IP \[bu] 2+Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+If you make a mistake, enter \f[V]<\f[R] at any prompt to go one step+backward.+.IP \[bu] 2+Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+supports it.+.PP+Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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]: +Description: supermarket+Account 1: expenses:food+Amount  1: $10+Account 2: assets:checking+Amount  2 [$-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]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the+file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).+.SS aregister+.PP+(areg)+.PP+Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single+account, with each transaction displayed as one line.+.PP+\f[V]aregister\f[R] shows the overall transactions affecting a+particular account (and any subaccounts).+Each report line represents one transaction in this account.+Transactions before the report start date are always included in the+running balance (\f[V]--historical\f[R] mode is always on).+.PP+This is a more \[dq]real world\[dq], bank-like view than the+\f[V]register\f[R] command (which shows individual postings, possibly+from multiple accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).+As a quick rule of thumb: - use \f[V]aregister\f[R] for reviewing and+reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts - use \f[V]register\f[R]+for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.+.PP+\f[V]aregister\f[R] requires one argument: the account to report on.+You can write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive+regular expression which will select the alphabetically first matched+account.+.PP+When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be+surprising; eg if you have \f[V]assets:per:checking 1\f[R] and+\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R] accounts,+\f[V]hledger areg checking\f[R] would select+\f[V]assets:biz:checking 2\f[R].+It\[aq]s just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt, write the+full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.+.PP+Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.+\f[V]aregister\f[R] ignores depth limits, so its final total will always+match a balance report with similar arguments.+.PP+Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the transactions+shown.+Note some queries will disturb the running balance, causing it to be+different from the account\[aq]s real-world running balance.+.PP+An example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance+during july, in the first account whose name contains+\[dq]checking\[dq]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger areg checking date:jul+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Each \f[V]aregister\f[R] line item shows:+.IP \[bu] 2+the transaction\[aq]s date (or the relevant posting\[aq]s date if+different, see below)+.IP \[bu] 2+the names of all the other account(s) involved in this transaction+(probably abbreviated)+.IP \[bu] 2+the total change to this account\[aq]s balance from this transaction+.IP \[bu] 2+the account\[aq]s historical running balance after this transaction.+.PP+Transactions making a net change of zero are not shown by default; add+the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag to show them.+.PP+For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.+If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and+memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options.+The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], and+\f[V]json\f[R].+.SS aregister and custom posting dates+.PP+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\[aq]s the posting date that is shown.)+This ensures that \f[V]aregister\f[R] can show an accurate historical+running balance, matching the one shown by \f[V]register -H\f[R] with+the same arguments.+.PP+To filter strictly by transaction date instead, add the+\f[V]--txn-dates\f[R] flag.+If you use this flag and some of your postings have custom dates,+it\[aq]s probably best to assume the running balance is wrong.+.SS balance+.PP+(bal)+.PP+Show accounts and their balances.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] is one of hledger\[aq]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.+.PP+Note there are some higher-level variants of the \f[V]balance\f[R]+command with convenient defaults, which can be simpler to use:+\f[V]balancesheet\f[R], \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R], \f[V]cashflow\f[R]+and \f[V]incomestatement\f[R].+When you need more control, then use \f[V]balance\f[R].+.SS balance features+.PP+Here\[aq]s a quick overview of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command\[aq]s+features, followed by more detailed descriptions and examples.+Many of these work with the higher-level commands as well.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] can show..+.IP \[bu] 2+accounts as a list (\f[V]-l\f[R]) or a tree (\f[V]-t\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+optionally depth-limited (\f[V]-[1-9]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount+.PP+\&..and their..+.IP \[bu] 2+balance changes (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or actual and planned balance changes (\f[V]--budget\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or value of balance changes (\f[V]-V\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or change of balance values (\f[V]--valuechange\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or unrealised capital gain/loss (\f[V]--gain\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or postings count (\f[V]--count\f[R])+.PP+\&..in..+.IP \[bu] 2+one time period (the whole journal period by default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or multiple periods (\f[V]-D\f[R], \f[V]-W\f[R], \f[V]-M\f[R],+\f[V]-Q\f[R], \f[V]-Y\f[R], \f[V]-p INTERVAL\f[R])+.PP+\&..either..+.IP \[bu] 2+per period (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+or accumulated since report start date (\f[V]--cumulative\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or accumulated since account creation (\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R])+.PP+\&..possibly converted to..+.IP \[bu] 2+cost (\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R]/\f[V]-B\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or market value, as of transaction dates (\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or at period ends (\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or now (\f[V]--value=now\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or at some other date (\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD\f[R])+.PP+\&..with..+.IP \[bu] 2+totals (\f[V]-T\f[R]), averages (\f[V]-A\f[R]), percentages+(\f[V]-%\f[R]), inverted sign (\f[V]--invert\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+rows and columns swapped (\f[V]--transpose\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+another field used as account name (\f[V]--pivot\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only)+(\f[V]--format\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines+(\f[V]--layout\f[R])+.PP+This command supports the output destination and output format options,+with output formats \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R], \f[V]json\f[R], and+(multi-period reports only:) \f[V]html\f[R].+In \f[V]txt\f[R] output in a colour-supporting terminal, negative+amounts are shown in red.+.PP+The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the balance of the+\f[I]other\f[R] postings in the transactions of the postings which would+normally be shown.+.SS Simple balance report+.PP+With no arguments, \f[V]balance\f[R] 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.+(\[dq]Simple\[dq] here means just one column of numbers, covering a+single period.+You can also have multi-period reports, described later.)+.PP+For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end+balance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.+.PP+Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any, and then alphabetically+by account name.+For instance (using examples/sample.journal):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree mode+- see below) are hidden by default.+Use \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to show them (revealing+\f[V]assets:bank:checking\f[R] here):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                   0  assets:bank:checking+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+\f[V]-N\f[R]/\f[V]--no-total\f[R] is used.+.SS Balance report line format+.PP+For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you+can use \f[V]--format FMT\f[R] to customise the format and content of+each line.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format \[dq]%20(account) %12(total)\[dq]+              assets          $-1+         bank:saving           $1+                cash          $-2+            expenses           $2+                food           $1+            supplies           $1+              income          $-2+               gifts          $-1+              salary          $-1+   liabilities:debts           $1+---------------------------------+                                0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each+account/balance pair.+It may contain any suitable text, with data fields interpolated like so:+.PP+\f[V]%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)+.IP \[bu] 2+MAX truncates at this width (optional)+.IP \[bu] 2+FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]depth_spacer\f[R] - a number of spaces equal to the account\[aq]s+depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]account\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]total\f[R] - the account\[aq]s balance/posted total, right+justified+.RE+.PP+Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how+multi-commodity amounts are rendered:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%_\f[R] - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%\[ha]\f[R] - render on multiple lines, top-aligned+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%,\f[R] - render on one line, comma-separated+.PP+There are some quirks.+Eg in one-line mode, \f[V]%(depth_spacer)\f[R] has no effect, instead+\f[V]%(account)\f[R] has indentation built in.+Experimentation may be needed to get pleasing results.+.PP+Some example formats:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%(total)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s total+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%-20.20(account)\f[R] - the account\[aq]s name, left justified,+padded to 20 characters and clipped at 20 characters+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%,%-50(account)  %25(total)\f[R] - account name padded to 50+characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities+rendered on one line+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]%20(total)  %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)\f[R] - the default format+for the single-column balance report+.SS Filtered balance report+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                 $-2  assets:cash+--------------------+                 $-2  +\f[R]+.fi+.SS List or tree mode+.PP+By default, or with \f[V]-l/--flat\f[R], accounts are shown as a flat+list with their full names visible, as in the examples above.+.PP+With \f[V]-t/--tree\f[R], the account hierarchy is shown, with+subaccounts\[aq] \[dq]leaf\[dq] names indented below their parent:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Boring\[dq] accounts are combined with their subaccount for more+compact output, unless \f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.+Boring accounts have no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg+\f[V]assets:bank\f[R] and \f[V]liabilities\f[R] above).+.IP \[bu] 2+All balances shown are \[dq]inclusive\[dq], ie including the balances+from all subaccounts.+Note this means some repetition in the output, which requires+explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextaccounting-users.+A tree mode report\[aq]s final total is the sum of the top-level+balances shown, not of all the balances shown.+.IP \[bu] 2+Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted+separately.+.SS Depth limiting+.PP+With a \f[V]depth:NUM\f[R] query, or \f[V]--depth NUM\f[R] option, or+just \f[V]-NUM\f[R] (eg: \f[V]-3\f[R]) balance reports will show+accounts only to the specified depth, hiding the deeper subaccounts.+This can be useful for getting an overview without too much detail.+.PP+Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from any+deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).+Eg, limiting to depth 1:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                 $-1  assets+                  $2  expenses+                 $-2  income+                  $1  liabilities+--------------------+                   0  +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Dropping top-level accounts+.PP+You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using+\f[V]--drop NUM\f[R].+This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account names:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                  $1  food+                  $1  supplies+--------------------+                  $2  +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+.SS Showing declared accounts+.PP+With \f[V]--declared\f[R], accounts which have been declared with an+account directive will be included in the balance report, even if they+have no transactions.+(Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] to see them.)+.PP+More precisely, \f[I]leaf\f[R] declared accounts (with no subaccounts)+will be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.+.PP+The idea of this is to be able to see a useful \[dq]complete\[dq]+balance report, even when you don\[aq]t have transactions in all of your+declared accounts yet.+.SS Sorting by amount+.PP+With \f[V]-S/--sort-amount\f[R], accounts with the largest (most+positive) balances are shown first.+Eg: \f[V]hledger bal expenses -MAS\f[R] shows your biggest averaged+monthly expenses first.+When more than one commodity is present, they will be sorted by the+alphabetically earliest commodity first, and then by subsequent+commodities (if an amount is missing a commodity, it is treated as 0).+.PP+Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so+\f[V]-S\f[R] shows these in reverse order.+To work around this, you can add \f[V]--invert\f[R] to flip the signs.+(Or, use one of the higher-level reports, which flip the sign+automatically.+Eg: \f[V]hledger incomestatement -MAS\f[R]).+.PP+.SS Percentages+.PP+With \f[V]-%/--percent\f[R], balance reports show each account\[aq]s+value expressed as a percentage of the (column) total.+.PP+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 sign, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]>0\[ga]+$ hledger bal -% amt:\[ga]<0\[ga]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Similarly, if the amounts in a column have mixed commodities, convert+them to one commodity with \f[V]-B\f[R], \f[V]-V\f[R], \f[V]-X\f[R] or+\f[V]--value\f[R], or make a separate report for each commodity:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal -% cur:\[rs]\[rs]$+$ hledger bal -% cur:€+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Multi-period balance report+.PP+With a report interval (set by the \f[V]-D/--daily\f[R],+\f[V]-W/--weekly\f[R], \f[V]-M/--monthly\f[R], \f[V]-Q/--quarterly\f[R],+\f[V]-Y/--yearly\f[R], or \f[V]-p/--period\f[R] flag), \f[V]balance\f[R]+shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time+periods (and a title):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+Balance changes in 2008:++                   ||  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 +-------------------++---------------------------------+                   ||     $-1      $1       0       0 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Notes:+.IP \[bu] 2+The report\[aq]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).+.IP \[bu] 2+Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not+shown, unless \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless+\f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] is used.+.IP \[bu] 2+Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless+\f[V]--no-elide\f[R] is used.+\f[I](experimental)\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Average and/or total columns can be added with the+\f[V]-A/--average\f[R] and \f[V]-T/--row-total\f[R] flags.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--transpose\f[R] flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \f[V]--pivot FIELD\f[R] option causes a different transaction field+to be used as \[dq]account name\[dq].+See PIVOTING.+.PP+Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy viewing+in the terminal.+Here are some ways to handle that:+.IP \[bu] 2+Hide the totals row with \f[V]-N/--no-total\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Convert to a single currency with \f[V]-V\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Maximize the terminal window+.IP \[bu] 2+Reduce the terminal\[aq]s font size+.IP \[bu] 2+View with a pager like less, eg:+\f[V]hledger bal -D --color=yes | less -RS\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+Output as CSV and use a CSV viewer like visidata+(\f[V]hledger bal -D -O csv | vd -f csv\f[R]), Emacs\[aq] csv-mode+(\f[V]M-x csv-mode, C-c C-a\f[R]), or a spreadsheet+(\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.csv && open a.csv\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+Output as HTML and view with a browser:+\f[V]hledger bal -D -o a.html && open a.html\f[R]+.SS Balance change, end balance+.PP+It\[aq]s important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in+balance reports.+Here is some terminology we use:+.PP+A \f[B]\f[BI]balance change\f[B]\f[R] is the net amount added to, or+removed from, an account during some period.+.PP+An \f[B]\f[BI]end balance\f[B]\f[R] is the amount accumulated in an+account as of some date (and some time, but hledger doesn\[aq]t store+that; assume end of day in your timezone).+It is the sum of previous balance changes.+.PP+We call it a \f[B]\f[BI]historical end balance\f[B]\f[R] if it includes+all balance changes since the account was created.+For a real world account, this means it will match the \[dq]historical+record\[dq], eg the balances reported in your bank statements or bank+web UI.+(If they are correct!)+.PP+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.+.PP+\f[V]balance\f[R] shows balance changes by default.+To see accurate historical end balances:+.IP "1." 3+Initialise account starting balances with an \[dq]opening balances\[dq]+transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the journal+covers the account\[aq]s full lifetime.+.IP "2." 3+Include all of of the account\[aq]s prior postings in the report, by not+specifying a report start date, or by using the+\f[V]-H/--historical\f[R] flag.+(\f[V]-H\f[R] causes report start date to be ignored when summing+postings.)+.SS Balance report types+.PP+The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to+control what it reports.+If the following seems complicated, don\[aq]t worry - this is for+advanced reporting, and it does take time and experimentation to get+familiar with all the report modes.+.PP+There are three important option groups:+.PP+\f[V]hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE] ...\f[R]+.SS Calculation type+.PP+The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--sum\f[R] : sum the posting amounts (\f[B]default\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--budget\f[R] : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal+amount (for each account/period)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] : show the change in period-end historical+balance values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price+fluctuations)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--gain\f[R] : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current+valued balance minus each amount\[aq]s original cost)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--count\f[R] : show the count of postings+.SS Accumulation type+.PP+How amounts should accumulate across report periods.+Another way to say it: which time period\[aq]s postings should+contribute to each cell\[aq]s calculation.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--change\f[R] : calculate with postings from column start to column+end, ie \[dq]just this column\[dq].+Typically used to see revenues/expenses.+(\f[B]default for balance, incomestatement\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] : calculate with postings from report start to+column end, ie \[dq]previous columns plus this column\[dq].+Typically used to show changes accumulated since the report\[aq]s start+date.+Not often used.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--historical/-H\f[R] : calculate with postings from journal start+to column end, ie \[dq]all postings from before report start date until+this column\[aq]s end\[dq].+Typically used to see historical end balances of+assets/liabilities/equity.+(\f[B]default for balancesheet, balancesheetequity, cashflow\f[R])+.SS Valuation type+.PP+Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before+displaying the report.+It is one of:+.IP \[bu] 2+no valuation type : don\[aq]t convert to cost or value+(\f[B]default\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=cost[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to cost (then optionally+to some other commodity)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=then[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+transaction dates+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=end[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on period+end date(s)+.PD 0+.P+.PD+(\f[B]default with \f[VB]--valuechange\f[B], \f[VB]--gain\f[B]\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=now[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+today\[aq]s date+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]\f[R] : convert amounts to market value on+another date+.PP+or one of the equivalent simpler flags:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-B/--cost\f[R] : like --value=cost (though, note --cost and --value+are independent options which can both be used at once)+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-V/--market\f[R] : like --value=end+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]-X COMM/--exchange COMM\f[R] : like --value=end,COMM+.PP+See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.+.SS Combining balance report types+.PP+Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,+but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let us know.+The following restrictions are applied:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] implies \f[V]--value=end\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--valuechange\f[R] makes \f[V]--change\f[R] the default when used+with the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R]/\f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] commands+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R] or \f[V]--historical\f[R] disables+\f[V]--row-total/-T\f[R]+.PP+For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and+valuation show:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+lw(7.9n) lw(16.4n) lw(16.9n) lw(15.1n) lw(13.7n).+T{+Valuation:> Accumulation:v+T}@T{+no valuation+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= then\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= end\f[R]+T}@T{+\f[V]--value= YYYY-MM-DD /now\f[R]+T}+_+T{+\f[V]--change\f[R]+T}@T{+change in period+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values in period+T}@T{+period-end value of change in period+T}@T{+DATE-value of change in period+T}+T{+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]+T}@T{+change from report start to period end+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values from report start to period end+T}@T{+period-end value of change from report start to period end+T}@T{+DATE-value of change from report start to period end+T}+T{+\f[V]--historical /-H\f[R]+T}@T{+change from journal start to period end (historical end balance)+T}@T{+sum of posting-date market values from journal start to period end+T}@T{+period-end value of change from journal start to period end+T}@T{+DATE-value of change from journal start to period end+T}+.TE+.SS Budget report+.PP+The \f[V]--budget\f[R] report type activates extra columns showing any+budget goals for each account and period.+The budget goals are defined by periodic transactions.+This is useful for comparing planned and actual income, expenses, time+usage, etc.+.PP+For example, you can take average monthly expenses in the common expense+categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+;; Budget+\[ti] monthly+  income  $2000+  expenses:food    $400+  expenses:bus     $50+  expenses:movies  $30+  assets:bank:checking++;; Two months worth of expenses+2017-11-01+  income  $1950+  expenses:food    $396+  expenses:bus     $49+  expenses:movies  $30+  expenses:supplies  $20+  assets:bank:checking++2017-12-01+  income  $2100+  expenses:food    $412+  expenses:bus     $53+  expenses:gifts   $100+  assets:bank:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can now see a monthly budget report:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is different from a normal balance report in several ways.+Currently:+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts with budget goals during the report period, and their parents,+are shown.+.IP \[bu] 2+Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).+.IP \[bu] 2+Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated and shown as+\[dq]<unbudgeted>\[dq].+.IP \[bu] 2+Amounts are always inclusive (subaccount-including), even in list mode.+.IP \[bu] 2+After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and percentage+of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.+.PP+This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!+Eg above, the \f[V]expenses\f[R] actual amount includes the gifts and+supplies transactions, but the \f[V]expenses:gifts\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:supplies\f[R] accounts are not shown, as they have no+budget amounts declared.+.PP+This can be confusing.+When you need to make things clearer, use the \f[V]-E/--empty\f[R] flag,+which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted ones, giving the+full picture.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with+\f[V]--cumulative\f[R]:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal -M --budget expenses+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger bal -M --budget type:rx+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It\[aq]s also common to limit or convert them to a single currency+(\f[V]cur:COMM\f[R] or \f[V]-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]\f[R]).+If showing multiple currencies, \f[V]--layout bare\f[R] or+\f[V]--layout tall\f[R] can help.+.PP+For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.+.SS Budget report start date+.PP+This might be a bug, but for now: when making budget reports, it\[aq]s a+good idea to explicitly set the report\[aq]s start date to the first day+of a reporting period, because a periodic rule like+\f[V]\[ti] monthly\f[R] 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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly in 2020+  (expenses:food)  $500++2020-01-15+  expenses:food    $400+  assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal expenses --budget+Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++              || 2020-01-15 +==============++============+ <unbudgeted> ||       $400 +--------------++------------+              ||       $400 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To avoid this, specify the budget report\[aq]s period, or at least the+start date, with \f[V]-b\f[R]/\f[V]-e\f[R]/\f[V]-p\f[R]/\f[V]date:\f[R],+to ensure it includes the budget goal transactions (periodic+transactions) that you want.+Eg, adding \f[V]-b 2020/1/1\f[R] to the above:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 +===============++========================+ expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] +---------------++------------------------+               ||     $400 [80% of $500] +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Budgets and subaccounts+.PP+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.+.PP+In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any+account, all its parents would have budget as well.+.PP+To illustrate this, consider the following budget:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2019/01+    expenses:personal             $1,000.00+    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00+    liabilities+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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 \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses\f[R] is $1100.+.PP+Transactions in \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R] will be counted+both towards its $100 budget and $1100 of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] ,+and transactions in any other subaccount of \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R]+would be counted towards only towards the budget of+\f[V]expenses:personal\f[R].+.PP+For example, let\[aq]s consider these transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+\[ti] monthly from 2019/01+    expenses:personal             $1,000.00+    expenses:personal:electronics    $100.00+    liabilities++2019/01/01 Google home hub+    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+    liabilities                           $-90.00++2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+    liabilities++2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+    liabilities++2019/01/03 Flowers+    expenses:personal          $30.00+    liabilities+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+As you can see, we have transactions in+\f[V]expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades\f[R] and+\f[V]expenses:personal:train tickets\f[R], and since both of these+accounts are without explicitly defined budget, these transactions would+be counted towards budgets of \f[V]expenses:personal:electronics\f[R]+and \f[V]expenses:personal\f[R] accordingly:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --budget -M+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] +-------------------------------++-------------------------------+                               ||        0 [                 0] +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And with \f[V]--empty\f[R], we can get a better picture of budget+allocation and consumption:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                        ||                           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] +----------------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                        ||        0 [                 0] +\f[R]+.fi+.SS Selecting budget goals+.PP+The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate+special \[dq]goal transactions\[dq], which generate the goal amounts for+each account in each report subperiod.+When troubleshooting, you can use \f[V]print --forecast\f[R] to show+these as forecasted transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction+rules to generate goals.+This includes rules with a different report interval from your report.+Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly periodic rules, all of these+will contribute to the goals in a monthly budget report.+.PP+You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to+the \f[V]--budget\f[R] flag.+\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R] will match all periodic rules whose+description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+regular expression or query).+This means you can give your periodic rules descriptions (remember that+two spaces are needed), and then select from multiple budgets defined in+your journal.+.SS Budget vs forecast+.PP+\f[V]hledger --forecast ...\f[R] and+\f[V]hledger balance --budget ...\f[R] are separate features, though+both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined in the journal,+and both of them generate temporary transactions for reporting purposes+(\[dq]forecast transactions\[dq] and \[dq]budget goal transactions\[dq],+respectively).+You can use both features at the same time if you want.+Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:+.PP+CLI:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget is a \f[V]balance\f[R] command option, usable only with that+command.+.PP+Visibility of generated transactions:+.IP \[bu] 2+forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary+transactions+.IP \[bu] 2+budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts they+produce in --budget reports.+.PP+Periodic transaction rules:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget uses all periodic rules (\f[V]--budget\f[R]) or a selected+subset (\f[V]--budget=DESCPAT\f[R])+.PP+Period of generated transactions:+.IP \[bu] 2+--forecast generates forecast transactions+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+from after the last regular transaction to the end of the report period+(\f[V]--forecast\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+or, during a specified period (\f[V]--forecast=PERIODEXPR\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+possibly further restricted by a period specified in the periodic+transaction rule+.IP \[bu] 2+and always restricted within the bounds of the report period+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+--budget generates budget goal transactions+.RS 2+.IP \[bu] 2+throughout the report period+.IP \[bu] 2+possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic transaction+rule.+.RE+.SS Data layout+.PP+The \f[V]--layout\f[R] option affects how balance reports show+multi-commodity amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve+readability.+It can also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.+It has four possible values:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=wide[,WIDTH]\f[R]: commodities are shown on a single line,+optionally elided to WIDTH+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=tall\f[R]: each commodity is shown on a separate line+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=bare\f[R]: commodity symbols are in their own column,+amounts are bare numbers+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]--layout=tidy\f[R]: data is normalised to easily-consumed+\[dq]tidy\[dq] form, with one row per data value+.PP+Here are the \f[V]--layout\f[R] modes supported by each output format;+note only CSV output supports all of them:+.PP+.TS+tab(@);+l l l l l l.+T{+-+T}@T{+txt+T}@T{+csv+T}@T{+html+T}@T{+json+T}@T{+sql+T}+_+T{+wide+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+tall+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+bare+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+T{+tidy+T}@T{+T}@T{+Y+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}@T{+T}+.TE+.PP+Examples:+.IP \[bu] 2+Wide layout.+With many commodities, reports can be very wide:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total +==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Limited wide layout.+A width limit reduces the width, but some commodities will be hidden:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total +==================++===========================================================================================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Tall layout.+Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in each column), and+account names are repeated:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total +==================++==================================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD + Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT + Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD + Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA + Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Bare layout.+Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commodity gets its own+report row, account names are repeated:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total +==================++=============================================+ Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 + Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 + Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +------------------++---------------------------------------------+                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing data+that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]balance\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]17.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]5120.50\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]36.00\[dq]+\[dq]total\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]294.00\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+Tidy layout produces normalised \[dq]tidy data\[dq], where every+variable has its own column and each row represents a single data point.+See+https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html+for more.+This is the easiest kind of data for other software to consume.+Here\[aq]s how it looks:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]period\[dq],\[dq]start_date\[dq],\[dq]end_date\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]value\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]337.18\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]12.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2012\[dq],\[dq]2012-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2012-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]106.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]70.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]-98.12\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]10.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2013\[dq],\[dq]2013-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2013-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]18.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]GLD\[dq],\[dq]0\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]ITOT\[dq],\[dq]-11.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]USD\[dq],\[dq]4881.44\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VEA\[dq],\[dq]14.00\[dq]+\[dq]Assets:US:ETrade\[dq],\[dq]2014\[dq],\[dq]2014-01-01\[dq],\[dq]2014-12-31\[dq],\[dq]VHT\[dq],\[dq]170.00\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.SS Useful balance reports+.PP+Some frequently used \f[V]balance\f[R] options/reports are:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M revenues expenses\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show revenues/expenses in each month.+Also available as the \f[V]incomestatement\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.+Also available as the \f[V]balancesheet\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M -H assets liabilities equity\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.+Also available as the \f[V]balancesheetequity\f[R] command.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M assets not:receivable\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show changes to liquid assets in each month.+Also available as the \f[V]cashflow\f[R] command.+.PP+Also:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M expenses -2 -SA\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average+amount.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M --budget expenses\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly expenses and budget goals.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal -M --valuechange investments\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:\[aq]>1000\[aq] -STA [--invert]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Show top gainers [or losers] last week+.SS balancesheet+.PP+(bs)+.PP+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 sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],+\f[V]Cash\f[R] or \f[V]Liability\f[R] type (see account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]asset\f[R] or \f[V]liability\f[R] (case insensitive, plurals+allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheet+Balance Sheet++Assets:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities\f[R], but+with smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their+sign flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS balancesheetequity+.PP+(bse)+.PP+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.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Asset\f[R],+\f[V]Cash\f[R], \f[V]Liability\f[R] or \f[V]Equity\f[R] type (see+account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]asset\f[R], \f[V]liability\f[R] or \f[V]equity\f[R] (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balancesheetequity+Balance Sheet With Equity++Assets:+                 $-2  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-3    cash+--------------------+                 $-2++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Equity:+          $1  equity:owner+--------------------+          $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to \f[V]hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity\f[R],+but with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed+with their sign flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS cashflow+.PP+(cf)+.PP+This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and+outflows affecting \[dq]cash\[dq] (ie, liquid, easily convertible)+assets.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Cash\f[R] type (see+account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts+.IP \[bu] 2+under a top-level account named \f[V]asset\f[R] (case insensitive,+plural allowed)+.IP \[bu] 2+whose name contains some variation of \f[V]cash\f[R], \f[V]bank\f[R],+\f[V]checking\f[R] or \f[V]saving\f[R].+.PP+More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular+expression:+.PP+\f[V]\[ha]assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)\f[R]+.PP+and their subaccounts.+.PP+An example cashflow report:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger cashflow+Cashflow Statement++Cash flows:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Total:+--------------------+                 $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to+\f[V]hledger balance assets not:fixed not:investment not:receivable\f[R],+but with smarter account detection.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS check+.PP+Check for various kinds of errors in your data.+.PP+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+\f[V]check\f[R] 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).+.PP+Some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger check      # basic checks+hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to run+these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.+.PP+Here are the checks currently available:+.SS Basic checks+.PP+These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger+commands, including \f[V]check\f[R]:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]parseable\f[R] - data files are well-formed and can be successfully+parsed+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]balancedwithautoconversion\f[R] - all transactions are balanced,+inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting+commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]assertions\f[R] - all balance assertions in the journal are+passing.+(This check can be disabled with+\f[V]-I\f[R]/\f[V]--ignore-assertions\f[R].)+.SS Strict checks+.PP+These additional checks are run when the \f[V]-s\f[R]/\f[V]--strict\f[R]+(strict mode) flag is used.+Or, they can be run by giving their names as arguments to+\f[V]check\f[R]:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]accounts\f[R] - all account names used by transactions have been+declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]commodities\f[R] - all commodity symbols used have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]balancednoautoconversion\f[R] - transactions are balanced, possibly+using explicit costs but not inferred ones+.SS Other checks+.PP+These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to+\f[V]check\f[R].+They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone, therefore+optional:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]ordereddates\f[R] - transactions are ordered by date within each+file+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]payees\f[R] - all payees used by transactions have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]recentassertions\f[R] - all accounts with balance assertions have a+balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]tags\f[R] - all tags used by transactions have been declared+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]uniqueleafnames\f[R] - all account leaf names are unique+.SS Custom checks+.PP+A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]hledger-check-tagfiles\f[R] - all tag values containing / (a+forward slash) exist as file paths+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[B]hledger-check-fancyassertions\f[R] - more complex balance+assertions are passing+.PP+You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.+See: Cookbook -> Scripting.+.SS More about specific checks+.PP+\f[V]hledger check recentassertions\f[R] will complain if any+balance-asserted account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days+before its latest posting.+This aims to prevent the situation where you are regularly updating your+journal, but forgetting to check your balances against the real world,+then one day must dig back through months of data to find an error.+It assumes that adding a balance assertion requires/reminds you to check+the real-world balance.+That may not be true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank+data; in that case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then+use the manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the+latest assertions against real-world balances.+.SS close+.PP+(equity)+.PP+Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from+another account (typically equity).+This can be useful for migrating balances to a new journal file, or for+merging earnings into equity at end of accounting period.+.PP+By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (asset,+liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be+configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.+.PP+\f[I](experimental)\f[R]+.PP+This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use+cases:+.IP "1." 3+With \f[V]--close\f[R] (default), it prints a \[dq]closing balances\[dq]+transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by+default (this requires account types to be inferred or declared); or,+the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.+.IP "2." 3+With \f[V]--open\f[R], it prints an opposite \[dq]opening balances\[dq]+transaction that restores those balances from zero.+This is similar to Ledger\[aq]s equity command.+.IP "3." 3+With \f[V]--migrate\f[R], it prints both the closing and opening+transactions.+This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a new file: run+\f[V]hledger close --migrate\f[R], add the closing transaction at the+end of the old file, and add the opening transaction at the start of the+new file.+The matching closing/opening transactions cancel each other out,+preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.+.IP "4." 3+With \f[V]--retain\f[R], it prints a \[dq]retain earnings\[dq]+transaction that transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to+\f[V]equity:retained earnings\f[R].+Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each accounting period;+it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it could still+be useful if you want to see the accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.+.PP+In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:+.IP \[bu] 2+the transaction descriptions can be changed with+\f[V]--close-desc=DESC\f[R] and \f[V]--open-desc=DESC\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the account to transfer to/from can be changed with+\f[V]--close-acct=ACCT\f[R] and \f[V]--open-acct=ACCT\f[R]+.IP \[bu] 2+the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with \f[V]ACCTQUERY\f[R]+(account query arguments).+.IP \[bu] 2+the closing/opening dates can be changed with \f[V]-e DATE\f[R] (a+report end date)+.PP+By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+amount left implicit.+With \f[V]--x/--explicit\f[R], the amount will be shown explicitly, and+if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting will be+generated for each of them (similar to \f[V]print -x\f[R]).+.PP+With \f[V]--show-costs\f[R], any amount costs are shown, with separate+postings for each cost.+This is currently the best way to view investment lots.+If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can+generate very large journal entries.+.PP+With \f[V]--interleaved\f[R], each individual transfer is shown with+source and destination postings next to each other.+This could be useful for troubleshooting.+.PP+The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal\[aq]s end date,+whichever is later.+You can change this by specifying a report end date with \f[V]-e\f[R].+The last day of the report period will be the closing date, eg+\f[V]-e 2024\f[R] means \[dq]close on 2023-12-31\[dq].+The opening date is always the day after the closing date.+.SS close and balance assertions+.PP+Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if+there is an opening transaction).+.PP+These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporarily+with \f[V]-I\f[R], or remove them if you prefer.+.PP+You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or realness+(\f[V]-C\f[R], \f[V]-R\f[R], \f[V]status:\f[R]), or generating postings+(\f[V]--auto\f[R]), with this command, since the balance assertions+would depend on these.+.PP+Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the+balance assertions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary+account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two+single-day transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; in 2022.journal:+2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    equity:pending        -5++; in 2023.journal:+2023-01-02 last year\[aq]s transaction cleared+    equity:pending         5 = 0+    assets:bank:checking  -5+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: retain earnings+.PP+Record 2022\[aq]s revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,+appending the generated transaction to the journal:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note 2022\[aq]s income statement will now show only zeroes, because+revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.+To see them again, you could exclude the retain transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:\[aq]retain earnings\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: migrate balances to a new file+.PP+Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on+2023-01-01:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now 2022\[aq]s balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a+balanced accounting equation.+(Unless you are using \[at]/\[at]\[at] notation - in that case, try+adding --infer-equity.)+To see the end-of-year balances again, you could exclude the closing+transaction:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:\[aq]closing balances\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+.PP+When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening+transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like+\f[V]print\f[R] and \f[V]register\f[R].+You can exclude them as shown above, but \f[V]not:desc:...\f[R] is not+ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions; also you will want to+avoid excluding the very first opening transaction, which could be+awkward.+Here is one alternative, using tags:+.PP+Add \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tags to all opening/closing balances transactions+except the first, like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2021.journal+2021-06-01 first opening balances+\&...+2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2022.journal+2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+\&...+2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; 2023.journal+2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+\&...+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Now, assuming a combined journal like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+; all.journal+include 2021.journal+include 2022.journal+include 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]clopen:\f[R] tag can exclude all but the first opening+transaction.+To show a clean multi-year checking register:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+And the year values allow more precision.+To show 2022\[aq]s year-end balance sheet:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023+\f[R]+.fi+.SS codes+.PP+List the codes seen in transactions, in the order parsed.+.PP+This command prints the value of each transaction\[aq]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.+.PP+Transactions aren\[aq]t required to have a code, and missing or empty+codes will not be shown by default.+With the \f[V]-E\f[R]/\f[V]--empty\f[R] flag, they will be printed as+blank lines.+.PP+You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   + Food       $5.00+ Checking    ++2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+ Postage    $8.32+ Checking++2022/1/3 Supermarket+ Food      $11.23+ Checking ++2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+ Postage    $3.21+ Checking+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger codes+123+124+126+\f[R]+.fi+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger codes -E+123+124++126+\f[R]+.fi+.SS commodities+.PP+List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.+.SS demo+.PP+Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.+.PP+Run this command with no argument to list the demos.+To play a demo, write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.+Tips:+.PP+Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.+.PP+Use the -s/--speed SPEED option to set your preferred playback speed, eg+\f[V]-s4\f[R] to play at 4x original speed or \f[V]-s.5\f[R] to play at+half speed.+The default speed is 2x.+.PP+Other asciinema options can be added following a double dash, eg+\f[V]-- -i.1\f[R] to limit pauses or \f[V]-- -h\f[R] to list+asciinema\[aq]s other options.+.PP+During playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause, .+to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger demo               # list available demos+$ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+$ hledger demo install -s4   # play the \[dq]install\[dq] demo at 4x speed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS descriptions+.PP+List the unique descriptions that appear in transactions.+.PP+This command lists the unique descriptions that appear in transactions,+in alphabetic order.+You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger descriptions+Store Name+Gas Station | Petrol+Person A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS diff+.PP+Compares a particular account\[aq]s transactions in two input files.+It shows any transactions to this account which are in one file but not+in the other.+.PP+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.+.PP+This is useful eg if you have downloaded an account\[aq]s transactions+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.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger diff -f $LEDGER_FILE -f bank.csv assets:bank:giro +These transactions are in the first file only:++2014/01/01 Opening Balances+    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+    ...+    equity:opening balances       EUR -...++These transactions are in the second file only:+\f[R]+.fi+.SS files+.PP+List all files included in the journal.+With a REGEX argument, only file names matching the regular expression+(case sensitive) are shown.+.SS help+.PP+Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with \f[V]info\f[R],+\f[V]man\f[R], or a pager.+With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.+TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case+insensitive.+Eg: \f[V]commands\f[R], \f[V]print\f[R], \f[V]forecast\f[R],+\f[V]journal\f[R], \f[V]amount\f[R], \f[V]\[dq]auto postings\[dq]\f[R].+.PP+This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.+It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web+browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are not+installed on your system.+.PP+By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+order): \f[V]info\f[R], \f[V]man\f[R], \f[V]$PAGER\f[R], \f[V]less\f[R],+\f[V]more\f[R].+You can force the use of info, man, or a pager with the \f[V]-i\f[R],+\f[V]-m\f[R], or \f[V]-p\f[R] flags, If no viewer can be found, or the+command is run non-interactively, it just prints the manual to stdout.+.PP+If using \f[V]info\f[R], note that version 6 or greater is needed for+TOPIC lookup.+If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should consider+installing a newer version, eg with \f[V]brew install texinfo\f[R]+(#1770).+.PP+Examples+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed+\f[R]+.fi+.SS import+.PP+Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to+the journal.+Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that would be added.+Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs\[aq] transactions as+imported, without actually importing any.+.PP+This command may append new transactions to the main journal file (which+should be in journal format).+Existing transactions are not changed.+This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file+(see also \f[V]add\f[R]).+.PP+Unlike other hledger commands, with \f[V]import\f[R] 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, so to import one or more CSV+files to your main journal, you will run+\f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] or perhaps+\f[V]hledger import *.csv\f[R].+.PP+Note you can import from any file format, though CSV files are the most+common import source, and these docs focus on that case.+.SS Deduplication+.PP+As a convenience \f[V]import\f[R] does \f[I]deduplication\f[R] while+reading transactions.+This does not mean \[dq]ignore transactions that look the same\[dq], but+rather \[dq]ignore transactions that have been seen before\[dq].+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 \f[V]hledger import bank.csv\f[R] and only new+transactions will be imported.+(\f[V]import\f[R] is idempotent.)+.PP+Since the items being read (CSV records, eg) often do not come with+unique identifiers, hledger detects new transactions by date, assuming+that:+.IP "1." 3+new items always have the newest dates+.IP "2." 3+item dates do not change across reads+.IP "3." 3+and items with the same date remain in the same relative order across+reads.+.PP+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\[aq]t matter (and if you import often, the new transactions will be+few, so less likely to be the ones affected).+.PP+hledger remembers the latest date processed in each input file by saving+a hidden \[dq].latest\[dq] state file in the same directory.+Eg when reading \f[V]finance/bank.csv\f[R], it will look for and update+the \f[V]finance/.latest.bank.csv\f[R] state file.+The format is simple: one or more lines containing the same ISO-format+date (YYYY-MM-DD), meaning \[dq]I have processed transactions up to this+date, and this many of them on that date.\[dq] Normally you won\[aq]t+see or manipulate these state files yourself.+But if needed, you can delete them to reset the state (making all+transactions \[dq]new\[dq]), or you can construct them to \[dq]catch+up\[dq] to a certain date.+.PP+Note deduplication (and updating of state files) can also be done by+\f[V]print --new\f[R], but this is less often used.+.SS Import testing+.PP+With \f[V]--dry-run\f[R], 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+categorised:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+or (live updating):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ ls bank.csv* | entr bash -c \[aq]echo ====; hledger import --dry bank.csv | hledger -f- -I print unknown\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it\[aq]s currently+possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the+actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving+them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).+To prevent this, do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the+real import.+.SS Importing balance assignments+.PP+Entries added by import will have their posting amounts made explicit+(like \f[V]hledger print -x\f[R]).+This means that any balance assignments in imported files must be+evaluated; but, imported files don\[aq]t get to see the main file\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+(If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,+please test it and send a pull request.)+.SS Commodity display styles+.PP+Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.+.SS incomestatement+.PP+(is)+.PP+This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and expenses+during one or more periods.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.+.PP+This report shows accounts declared with the \f[V]Revenue\f[R] or+\f[V]Expense\f[R] type (see account types).+Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named+\f[V]revenue\f[R] or \f[V]income\f[R] or \f[V]expense\f[R] (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger incomestatement+Income Statement++Revenues:+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+--------------------+                 $-2++Expenses:+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+--------------------+                  $2++Total:+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command is a higher-level variant of the \f[V]balance\f[R] command,+and supports many of that command\[aq]s features, such as multi-period+reports.+It is similar to+\f[V]hledger balance \[aq](revenues|income)\[aq] expenses\f[R], but with+smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their sign+flipped.+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+\f[V]html\f[R], and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS notes+.PP+List the unique notes that appear in transactions.+.PP+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 a | character+(or if there is no |, the whole description).+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger notes+Petrol+Snacks+\f[R]+.fi+.SS payees+.PP+List the unique payee/payer names that appear in transactions.+.PP+This command lists unique payee/payer names which have been declared+with payee directives (--declared), used in transaction descriptions+(--used), or both (the default).+.PP+The payee/payer is the part of the transaction description before a |+character (or if there is no |, the whole description).+.PP+You can add query arguments to select a subset of transactions.+This implies --used.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger payees+Store Name+Gas Station+Person A+\f[R]+.fi+.SS prices+.PP+Print market price directives from the journal.+With --infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from+costs.+With --infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting+known prices.+Prices can be filtered by a query.+Price amounts are displayed with their full precision.+.SS print+.PP+Show transaction journal entries, sorted by date.+.PP+The print command displays full journal entries (transactions) from the+journal file, sorted by date (or with \f[V]--date2\f[R], by secondary+date).+.PP+Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg 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.)+.PP+Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not across+all transactions).+.PP+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+directives and file-level comments.+.PP+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print+2008/01/01 income+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:salary                  $-1++2008/06/01 gift+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:gifts                   $-1++2008/06/02 save+    assets:bank:saving              $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++2008/06/03 * eat & shop+    expenses:food                $1+    expenses:supplies            $1+    assets:cash                 $-2++2008/12/31 * pay off+    liabilities:debts               $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+print\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+# 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+There are some situations where print\[aq]s output can become+unparseable:+.IP \[bu] 2+Valuation affects posting amounts but not balance assertion or balance+assignment amounts, potentially causing those to fail.+.IP \[bu] 2+Auto postings can generate postings with too many missing amounts.+.IP \[bu] 2+Account aliases can generate bad account names.+.PP+Normally, the journal entry\[aq]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 cost is implied but not written, it will not appear in+the output.+You can use the \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] flag to make all+amounts and costs explicit, which can be useful for troubleshooting or+for making your journal more readable and robust against data entry+errors.+\f[V]-x\f[R] is also implied by using any of+\f[V]-B\f[R],\f[V]-V\f[R],\f[V]-X\f[R],\f[V]--value\f[R].+.PP+Note, \f[V]-x\f[R]/\f[V]--explicit\f[R] 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.+.PP+With \f[V]-B\f[R]/\f[V]--cost\f[R], amounts with costs are converted to+cost using that price.+This can be used for troubleshooting.+.PP+With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], print does a fuzzy search+for one recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC.+DESC should contain at least two characters.+If there is no similar-enough match, no transaction will be shown and+the program exit code will be non-zero.+.PP+With \f[V]--new\f[R], hledger prints only transactions it has not seen+on a previous run.+This uses the same deduplication system as the \f[V]import\f[R] command.+(See import\[aq]s docs for details.)+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R] and \f[V]sql\f[R].+.PP+Here\[aq]s an example of print\[aq]s CSV output:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print -Ocsv+\[dq]txnidx\[dq],\[dq]date\[dq],\[dq]date2\[dq],\[dq]status\[dq],\[dq]code\[dq],\[dq]description\[dq],\[dq]comment\[dq],\[dq]account\[dq],\[dq]amount\[dq],\[dq]commodity\[dq],\[dq]credit\[dq],\[dq]debit\[dq],\[dq]posting-status\[dq],\[dq]posting-comment\[dq]+\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]2008/01/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:salary\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/01\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]gift\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]income:gifts\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:saving\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]3\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/02\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]save\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:food\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]expenses:supplies\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]4\[dq],\[dq]2008/06/03\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]eat & shop\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:cash\[dq],\[dq]-2\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]2\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]liabilities:debts\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\[dq]5\[dq],\[dq]2008/12/31\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]*\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]pay off\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]assets:bank:checking\[dq],\[dq]-1\[dq],\[dq]$\[dq],\[dq]1\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq],\[dq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.IP \[bu] 2+There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction\[aq]s+fields repeated.+.IP \[bu] 2+The \[dq]txnidx\[dq] (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 order, etc.)+.IP \[bu] 2+The amount is separated into \[dq]commodity\[dq] (the symbol) and+\[dq]amount\[dq] (numeric quantity) fields.+.IP \[bu] 2+The numeric amount is repeated in either the \[dq]credit\[dq] or+\[dq]debit\[dq] 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.)+.SS register+.PP+(reg)+.PP+Show postings and their running total.+.PP+The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts, in+date order, with their running total or running historical balance.+(See also the \f[V]aregister\f[R] command, which shows matched+transactions in a specific account.)+.PP+register normally shows line per posting, but note that multi-commodity+amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per commodity).+.PP+It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to see+that account\[aq]s activity:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register checking+2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1+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           $-1            0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With \f[V]--date2\f[R], it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.+.PP+For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.+If you want to ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and+memory, use the \f[V]--align-all\f[R] flag.+.PP+The \f[V]--historical\f[R]/\f[V]-H\f[R] flag adds the balance from any+undisplayed prior postings to the running total.+This is useful when you want to see only recent activity, with a+historically accurate running balance:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option limits the amount of sub-account detail+displayed.+.PP+The \f[V]--average\f[R]/\f[V]-A\f[R] 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 \f[V]--empty\f[R] (see below).+It is affected by \f[V]--historical\f[R].+It works best when showing just one account and one commodity.+.PP+The \f[V]--related\f[R]/\f[V]-r\f[R] flag shows the \f[I]other\f[R]+postings in the transactions of the postings which would normally be+shown.+.PP+The \f[V]--invert\f[R] flag negates all amounts.+For example, it can be used on an income account where amounts are+normally displayed as negative numbers.+It\[aq]s also useful to show postings on the checking account together+with the related account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per+interval, aggregating the postings to each account:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly income+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount, are+not shown by default; use the \f[V]--empty\f[R]/\f[V]-E\f[R] flag to see+them:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly income -E+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/02                                                          0          $-1+2008/03                                                          0          $-1+2008/04                                                          0          $-1+2008/05                                                          0          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+2008/07                                                          0          $-2+2008/08                                                          0          $-2+2008/09                                                          0          $-2+2008/10                                                          0          $-2+2008/11                                                          0          $-2+2008/12                                                          0          $-2+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Often, you\[aq]ll want to see just one line per interval.+The \f[V]--depth\f[R] option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be+aggregated:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0+2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+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.+.PP+With \f[V]-m DESC\f[R]/\f[V]--match=DESC\f[R], register does a fuzzy+search for one recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC.+DESC should contain at least two characters.+If there is no similar-enough match, no posting will be shown and the+program exit code will be non-zero.+.SS Custom register output+.PP+register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.+You can override this by setting the \f[V]COLUMNS\f[R] environment+variable (not a bash shell variable) or by using the+\f[V]--width\f[R]/\f[V]-w\f[R] option.+.PP+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\[aq]s argument, comma-separated: \f[V]--width W,D\f[R] .+Here\[aq]s a diagram (won\[aq]t display correctly in --help):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->+date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)+DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+and some examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ 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+$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40+$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are \f[V]txt\f[R], \f[V]csv\f[R],+and (experimental) \f[V]json\f[R].+.SS rewrite+.PP+Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.+For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print+--auto.+.PP+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+transaction\[aq]s first posting amount.+.PP+Examples:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs \[ha]income --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33  ; income tax\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  $100\[aq]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](reserve:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]+$ hledger-rewrite.hs -f rewrites.hledger+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+rewrites.hledger may consist of entries like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= \[ha]income amt:<0 date:2017+  (liabilities:tax)  *0.33  ; tax on income+  (reserve:grocery)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery+  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the two+spaces between account and amount.+.PP+More:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- [QUERY]        --add-posting \[dq]ACCT  AMTEXPR\[dq] ...+$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]+$ hledger rewrite -- expenses:gifts --add-posting \[aq](budget:gifts)  *-1\[dq]\[aq]+$ hledger rewrite -- \[ha]income        --add-posting \[aq](budget:foreign currency)  *0.25 JPY; diversify\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Argument for \f[V]--add-posting\f[R] option is a usual posting of+transaction with an exception for amount specification.+More precisely, you can use \f[V]\[aq]*\[aq]\f[R] (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\[aq]s commodity.+.SS Re-write rules in a file+.PP+During the run this tool will execute so called \[dq]Automated+Transactions\[dq] found in any journal it process.+I.e instead of specifying this operations in command line you can put+them in a journal file.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ rewrite-rules.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Make contents look like this:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+= \[ha]income+    (liabilities:tax)  *.33++= expenses:gifts+    budget:gifts  *-1+    assets:budget  *1+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Note that \f[V]\[aq]=\[aq]\f[R] (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.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal -f rewrite-rules.journal > rewritten-tidy-output.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This is something similar to the commands pipeline:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- -f input.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq] \[rs]+  | hledger rewrite -- -f - expenses:gifts      --add-posting \[aq]budget:gifts  *-1\[aq]       \[rs]+                                                --add-posting \[aq]assets:budget  *1\[aq]       \[rs]+  > rewritten-tidy-output.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+It is important to understand that relative order of such entries in+journal is important.+You can re-use result of previously added postings.+.SS Diff output format+.PP+To use this tool for batch modification of your journal files you may+find useful output in form of unified diff.+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger rewrite -- --diff -f examples/sample.journal \[aq]\[ha]income\[aq] --add-posting \[aq](liabilities:tax)  *.33\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Output might look like:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+--- /tmp/examples/sample.journal++++ /tmp/examples/sample.journal+\[at]\[at] -18,3 +18,4 \[at]\[at]+ 2008/01/01 income+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:salary++    (liabilities:tax)                0+\[at]\[at] -22,3 +23,4 \[at]\[at]+ 2008/06/01 gift+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:gifts++    (liabilities:tax)                0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If you\[aq]ll pass this through \f[V]patch\f[R] tool you\[aq]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 \f[V]--file\f[R] options and \f[V]include\f[R]+directives inside of these files.+.PP+Be careful.+Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output from+\f[V]hledger print\f[R].+.PP+See also:+.PP+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99+.SS rewrite vs. print --auto+.PP+This command predates print --auto, and currently does much the same+thing, but with these differences:+.IP \[bu] 2+with multiple files, rewrite lets rules in any file affect all other+files.+print --auto uses standard directive scoping; rules affect only child+files.+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite\[aq]s query limits which transactions can be rewritten; all are+printed.+print --auto\[aq]s query limits which transactions are printed.+.IP \[bu] 2+rewrite applies rules specified on command line or in the journal.+print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.+.SS roi+.PP+Shows the time-weighted (TWR) and money-weighted (IRR) rate of return on+your investments.+.PP+At a minimum, you need to supply a query (which could be just an account+name) to select your investment(s) with \f[V]--inv\f[R], and another+query to identify your profit and loss transactions with+\f[V]--pnl\f[R].+.PP+If you do not record changes in the value of your investment manually,+or do not require computation of time-weighted return (TWR),+\f[V]--pnl\f[R] could be an empty query (\f[V]--pnl \[dq]\[dq]\f[R] or+\f[V]--pnl STR\f[R] where \f[V]STR\f[R] does not match any of your+accounts).+.PP+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.+.PP+Price directives will be taken into account if you supply appropriate+\f[V]--cost\f[R] or \f[V]--value\f[R] flags (see VALUATION).+.PP+Note, in some cases this report can fail, for these reasons:+.IP \[bu] 2+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.+.IP \[bu] 2+Error (SearchFailed): Failed to find solution for Internal Rate of+Return (IRR).+Either search does not converge to a solution, or converges too slowly.+.PP+Examples:+.IP \[bu] 2+Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger+.IP \[bu] 2+Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html+.SS Spaces and special characters in \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]+.PP+Note that \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]\[aq]s argument is a query,+and queries could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).+.PP+To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument, you+will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger roi --inv \[aq]term1 term2 term3 ...\[aq]+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+level of nested quoting, eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger roi --inv=\[dq]\[aq]Assets:Test 1\[aq]\[dq] --pnl=\[dq]\[aq]Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss\[aq]\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Semantics of \f[V]--inv\f[R] and \f[V]--pnl\f[R]+.PP+Query supplied to \f[V]--inv\f[R] has to match all transactions that are+related to your investment.+Transactions not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R] will be ignored.+.PP+In these transactions, ROI will conside postings that match+\f[V]--inv\f[R] to be \[dq]investment postings\[dq] and other postings+(not matching \f[V]--inv\f[R]) will be sorted into two categories:+\[dq]cash flow\[dq] and \[dq]profit and loss\[dq], as ROI needs to know+which part of the investment value is your contributions and which is+due to the return on investment.+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Cash flow\[dq] is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or+selling assets, or otherwise converting between your investment+commodity and any other commodity.+Example:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+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+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+\[dq]Profit and loss\[dq] is change in the value of your investment:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019-06-01 Snake Oil falls in value+  investment:snake oil  = $57+  equity:unrealized profit or loss+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+All non-investment postings are assumed to be \[dq]cash flow\[dq],+unless they match \f[V]--pnl\f[R] query.+Changes in value of your investment due to \[dq]profit and loss\[dq]+postings will be considered as part of your investment return.+.PP+Example: if you use \f[V]--inv snake --pnl equity:unrealized\f[R], then+postings in the example below would be classifed as:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2019-01-01 Snake Oil #1+  assets:cash          -$100   ; cash flow posting+  investment:snake oil         ; investment posting++2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+  snake oil                    ; investment posting++2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting+\f[R]+.fi+.SS IRR and TWR explained+.PP+\[dq]ROI\[dq] stands for \[dq]return on investment\[dq].+Traditionally this was computed as a difference between current value of+investment and its initial value, expressed in percentage of the initial+value.+.PP+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 different ways to compute rate of+return, and this command implements two of them: IRR and TWR.+.PP+Internal rate of return, or \[dq]IRR\[dq] (also called+\[dq]money-weighted rate of return\[dq]) 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.+.PP+As mentioned before, in-flows and out-flows would be any cash that you+personally put in or withdraw, and for the \[dq]roi\[dq] command, these+are the postings that match the query in the\f[V]--inv\f[R] argument and+NOT match the query in the\f[V]--pnl\f[R] argument.+.PP+If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as+transactions that balance them against \[dq]profit and loss\[dq] (or+\[dq]unrealized gains\[dq]) 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.+.PP+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\[aq]t done discounted cash flow analysis before.+Implementation of IRR in hledger should produce results that match the+\f[V]XIRR\f[R] formula in Excel.+.PP+Second way to compute rate of return that \f[V]roi\f[R] command+implements is called \[dq]time-weighted rate of return\[dq] or+\[dq]TWR\[dq].+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 are quite different.+.PP+TWR represents your investment as an imaginary \[dq]unit fund\[dq] where+in-flows/ out-flows lead to buying or selling \[dq]units\[dq] of your+investment and changes in its value change the value of \[dq]investment+unit\[dq].+Change in \[dq]unit price\[dq] over the reporting period gives you rate+of return of your investment.+.PP+References:+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of rate of return+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of IRR+.IP \[bu] 2+Explanation of TWR+.IP \[bu] 2+Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of the limitations of+both metrics+.SS stats+.PP+Show journal and performance statistics.+.PP+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.+.PP+At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number+of transactions processed per second.+Note these are approximate and will vary based on machine, current load,+data size, hledger version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..+but they may be of interest.+The \f[V]stats\f[R] command\[aq]s run time is similar to that of a+single-column balance report.+.PP+Example:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 1000+Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+Market prices            : 1000 (A)++Run time                 : 0.12 s+Throughput               : 8342 txns/s+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not+-O/--output-format selection).+.SS tags+.PP+List the tags used in the journal, or their values.+.PP+This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on+transactions, postings, or account declarations.+.PP+With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular+expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.+.PP+With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this query+are considered.+If the query involves transaction fields (date:, desc:, amt:, ...), the+search is restricted to the matched transactions and their accounts.+.PP+With the --values flag, the tags\[aq] unique non-empty values are listed+instead.+With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.+.PP+With --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+with duplicates included.+(Except, tags from account declarations are always shown first.)+.PP+Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings+also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also+acquire tags from their postings.+.SS test+.PP+Run built-in unit tests.+.PP+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.+.PP+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!+.PP+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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger test -- -pData.Amount --color=never+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+For help on these, see https://github.com/feuerbach/tasty#options+(\f[V]-- --help\f[R] currently doesn\[aq]t show them).+.PP+.SH PART 5: COMMON TASKS+.PP+Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.+.SS Getting help+.PP+Here\[aq]s how to list commands and view options and command docs:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger                # show available commands+$ hledger --help         # show common options+$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD\[aq]s options, common options and CMD\[aq]s documentation+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can also view your hledger version\[aq]s manual in several formats+by using the help command.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit+https://hledger.org.+Chat and mail list support and discussion archives can be found at+https://hledger.org/support.+.SS Constructing command lines+.PP+hledger has a flexible command line interface.+We strive to keep it simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of+the sharp edges described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might+help:+.IP \[bu] 2+command-specific options must go after the command (it\[aq]s fine to put+common options there too: \f[V]hledger CMD OPTS ARGS\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing+(\f[V]hledger-ui OPTS ARGS\f[R])+.IP \[bu] 2+enclose \[dq]problematic\[dq] args in single quotes+.IP \[bu] 2+if needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression+metacharacters from the shell+.IP \[bu] 2+to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add+\f[V]--debug=2\f[R].+.SS Starting a journal file+.PP+hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,+\f[V]$HOME/.hledger.journal\f[R] by default:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger stats+The hledger journal file \[dq]/Users/simon/.hledger.journal\[dq] was not found.+Please create it first, eg with \[dq]hledger add\[dq] or a text editor.+Or, specify an existing journal file with -f or LEDGER_FILE.+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+You can override this by setting the \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] environment+variable (see below).+It\[aq]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:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ mkdir \[ti]/finance+$ cd \[ti]/finance+$ git init+Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+$ touch 2023.journal+$ echo \[dq]export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal\[dq] >> \[ti]/.profile+$ source \[ti]/.profile+$ hledger stats+Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+Last transaction         : none+Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 0+Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+Commodities              : 0 ()+Market prices            : 0 ()+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Setting LEDGER_FILE+.PP+How to set \f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] permanently depends on your setup:+.PP+On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will work for+many people; adapt as needed:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[aq]export LEDGER_FILE=\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\[ga] >> \[ti]/.profile+$ source \[ti]/.profile+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+When correctly configured, in a new terminal window+\f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] will show your file, and so will+\f[V]hledger files\f[R].+.PP+On mac, this additional step might be helpful for GUI applications (like+Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to+\f[V]\[ti]/.MacOSX/environment.plist\f[R] like+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+{+  \[dq]LEDGER_FILE\[dq] : \[dq]\[ti]/finance/2023.journal\[dq]+}+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+and then run \f[V]killall Dock\f[R] in a terminal window (or restart the+machine).+.PP+On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or try+running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if it+persists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+> CD+> MKDIR finance+> SETX LEDGER_FILE \[dq]C:\[rs]Users\[rs]USERNAME\[rs]finance\[rs]2023.journal\[dq]+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Setting opening balances+.PP+Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some+real-world assets (bank accounts, wallet..)+and liabilities (credit cards..).+.PP+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 always come back later and add more accounts and older+transactions, eg going back to january 1st.+.PP+Add an opening balances transaction to the journal, declaring the+balances on this date.+Here are two ways to do it:+.IP \[bu] 2+The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an entry+like this:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+    assets:cash                          $100   = $100+    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+These are start-of-day balances, ie whatever was in the account at the+end of the previous day.+.PP+The * after the date is an optional status flag.+Here it means \[dq]cleared & confirmed\[dq].+.PP+The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you\[aq]ll+be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.+.PP+The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra error+checking.+.RE+.IP \[bu] 2+The second way: run \f[V]hledger add\f[R] and follow the prompts to+record a similar transaction:+.RS 2+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+Description: * opening balances+Account 1: assets:bank:checking+Amount  1: $1000+Account 2: assets:bank:savings+Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+Account 3: assets:cash+Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+Amount  5 [$-3050]: +Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2023-01-01]: .+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.PP+If you\[aq]re using version control, this could be a good time to commit+the journal.+Eg:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ git commit -m \[aq]initial balances\[aq] 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Recording transactions+.PP+As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the+hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.+.PP+Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual and+hledger.org for more ideas:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023/1/10 * gift received+  assets:cash   $20+  income:gifts++2023.1.12 * farmers market+  expenses:food    $13+  assets:cash++2023-01-15 paycheck+  income:salary+  assets:bank:checking    $1000+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reconciling+.PP+Periodically you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported+balances against external sources of truth, like bank statements or your+bank\[aq]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 pile up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors+and discrepancies.+.PP+A typical workflow:+.IP "1." 3+Reconcile cash.+Count what\[aq]s in your wallet.+Compare with what hledger reports (\f[V]hledger bal cash\f[R]).+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 (\f[V]hledger reg cash\f[R]).+If you can\[aq]t find the error, add an adjustment transaction.+Eg if you have $105 after the above, and can\[aq]t explain the missing+$2, it could be:+.RS 4+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash    $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.RE+.IP "2." 3+Reconcile checking.+Log in to your bank\[aq]s website.+Compare today\[aq]s (cleared) balance with hledger\[aq]s cleared balance+(\f[V]hledger bal checking -C\f[R]).+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+\f[V]hledger reg checking -C\f[R].+This will be easier if you generally record transaction dates quite+similar to your bank\[aq]s clearing dates.+.IP "3." 3+Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.+.PP+Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a+live-updating register while you edit the journal:+\f[V]hledger-ui --watch --register checking -C\f[R]+.PP+After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled+transactions\[aq] status as \[dq]cleared and confirmed\[dq], if you want+to track that, by adding the \f[V]*\f[R] marker.+Eg in the paycheck transaction above, insert \f[V]*\f[R] between+\f[V]2023-01-15\f[R] and \f[V]paycheck\f[R]+.PP+If you\[aq]re using version control, this can be another good time to+commit:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ git commit -m \[aq]txns\[aq] 2023.journal+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Reporting+.PP+Here are some basic reports.+.PP+Show all transactions:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger print+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++2023-01-10 * gift received+    assets:cash              $20+    income:gifts++2023-01-12 * farmers market+    expenses:food             $13+    assets:cash++2023-01-15 * paycheck+    income:salary+    assets:bank:checking           $1000++2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash               $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show account names, and their hierarchy:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger accounts --tree+assets+  bank+    checking+    savings+  cash+equity+  opening/closing balances+expenses+  food+  misc+income+  gifts+  salary+liabilities+  creditcard+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show all account totals:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger balance+               $4105  assets+               $4000    bank+               $2000      checking+               $2000      savings+                $105    cash+              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                 $15  expenses+                 $13    food+                  $2    misc+              $-1020  income+                $-20    gifts+              $-1000    salary+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+                   0+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to depth+2:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+               $4000  assets:bank+                $105  assets:cash+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+               $4055+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+balance sheet:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger bs -2+Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                        || 2023-01-16 +========================++============+ Assets                 ||            +------------------------++------------+ assets:bank            ||      $4000 + assets:cash            ||       $105 +------------------------++------------+                        ||      $4105 +========================++============+ Liabilities            ||            +------------------------++------------+ liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 +------------------------++------------+                        ||        $50 +========================++============+ Net:                   ||      $4055 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The final total is your \[dq]net worth\[dq] on the end date.+(Or use \f[V]bse\f[R] for a full balance sheet with equity.)+.PP+Show income and expense totals, formatted as an income statement:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+hledger is +Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++               || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16 +===============++=======================+ Revenues      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ income:gifts  ||                   $20 + income:salary ||                 $1000 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                 $1020 +===============++=======================+ Expenses      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ expenses:food ||                   $13 + expenses:misc ||                    $2 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                   $15 +===============++=======================+ Net:          ||                 $1005 +\f[R]+.fi+.PP+The final total is your net income during this period.+.PP+Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger register cash+2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ hledger activity -W+2019-12-30 *****+2023-01-06 ****+2023-01-13 ****+\f[R]+.fi+.SS Migrating to a new file+.PP+At the end of the year, you may want to continue your journal in a new+file, so that old transactions don\[aq]t slow down or clutter your+reports, and to help ensure the integrity of your accounting history.+See the close command.+.PP+If using version control, don\[aq]t forget to \f[V]git add\f[R] the new+file.+.SH BUGS+.PP+We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support).+.PP+Some known issues and limitations:+.PP+The need to precede add-on command options with \f[V]--\f[R] when+invoked from hledger is awkward.+(See Command options, Constructing command lines.)+.PP+A UTF-8-aware system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+data.+(See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)+.PP+On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD window+or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger, non-ascii+characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key may not be+supported by \f[V]hledger add\f[R].+(Running in a WSL window should resolve these.)+.PP+When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than Ledger.+.SS Troubleshooting+.PP+Here are some common issues you might encounter when you run hledger,+and how to resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+Support):+.PP+\f[B]PATH issues: I get an error like \[dq]No command \[aq]hledger\[aq]+found\[dq]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+shell\[aq]s PATH.+Eg on unix systems, stack installs hledger in \f[V]\[ti]/.local/bin\f[R]+and cabal installs it in \f[V]\[ti]/.cabal/bin\f[R].+You may need to add one of these directories to your shell\[aq]s PATH,+and/or open a new terminal window.+.PP+\f[B]LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is not+using it\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+.IP \[bu] 2+\f[V]LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should be a real environment variable, not just a+shell variable.+Eg on unix, the command \f[V]env | grep LEDGER_FILE\f[R] should show it.+You may need to use \f[V]export\f[R] (see+https://stackoverflow.com/a/7411509).+.IP \[bu] 2+You may need to force your shell to see the new configuration.+A simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.+.PP+\f[B]LANG issues: I get errors like \[dq]Illegal byte sequence\[dq] or+\[dq]Invalid or incomplete multibyte or wide character\[dq] or+\[dq]commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argument (invalid+character)\[dq]\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Programs compiled with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.)+need the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail when they+encounter non-ascii characters.+To fix it, set the LANG environment variable to a locale which supports+UTF-8 and which is installed on your system.+.PP+On unix, \f[V]locale -a\f[R] lists the installed locales.+Look for one which mentions \f[V]utf8\f[R], \f[V]UTF-8\f[R] or similar.+Some examples: \f[V]C.UTF-8\f[R], \f[V]en_US.utf-8\f[R],+\f[V]fr_FR.utf8\f[R].+If necessary, use your system package manager to install one.+Then select it by setting the \f[V]LANG\f[R] environment variable.+Note, exact spelling and capitalisation of the locale name may be+important: Here\[aq]s one common way to configure this permanently for+your shell:+.IP+.nf+\f[C]+$ echo \[dq]export LANG=en_US.utf8\[dq] >>\[ti]/.profile+# close and re-open terminal window+\f[R]+.fi+.PP+\f[B]COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger+file\f[R]+.PD 0+.P+.PD+Not all of Ledger\[aq]s journal file syntax or feature set is supported.+See hledger and Ledger for full details.+  .SH AUTHORS Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.
hledger.cabal view
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack  name:           hledger-version:        1.29.2+version:        1.30 synopsis:       Command-line interface for the hledger accounting system description:    The command-line interface for the hledger accounting system.                 Its basic function is to read a plain text file describing@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Close       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Codes       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Commodities+      Hledger.Cli.Commands.Demo       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Descriptions       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Diff       Hledger.Cli.Commands.Help@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@   other-modules:       Paths_hledger   ghc-options: -Wall -Wno-incomplete-uni-patterns -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-orphans -Wno-type-defaults -Wno-unused-do-bind -optP-Wno-nonportable-include-path-  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.29.2"+  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.30"   build-depends:       Decimal >=0.5.1     , Diff >=0.2@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@     , githash >=0.1.6.2     , hashable >=1.2.4     , haskeline >=0.6-    , hledger-lib >=1.29.2 && <1.30+    , hledger-lib ==1.30.*     , lucid     , math-functions >=0.3.3.0     , megaparsec >=7.0.0 && <9.4@@ -183,7 +184,7 @@   hs-source-dirs:       app   ghc-options: -Wall -Wno-incomplete-uni-patterns -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-orphans -Wno-type-defaults -Wno-unused-do-bind -optP-Wno-nonportable-include-path-  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.29.2"+  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.30"   build-depends:       Decimal >=0.5.1     , aeson >=1@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@     , githash >=0.1.6.2     , haskeline >=0.6     , hledger-    , hledger-lib >=1.29.2 && <1.30+    , hledger-lib ==1.30.*     , math-functions >=0.3.3.0     , megaparsec >=7.0.0 && <9.4     , microlens >=0.4@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@   hs-source-dirs:       test   ghc-options: -Wall -Wno-incomplete-uni-patterns -Wno-missing-signatures -Wno-orphans -Wno-type-defaults -Wno-unused-do-bind -optP-Wno-nonportable-include-path-  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.29.2"+  cpp-options: -DVERSION="1.30"   build-depends:       Decimal >=0.5.1     , aeson >=1@@ -250,7 +251,7 @@     , githash >=0.1.6.2     , haskeline >=0.6     , hledger-    , hledger-lib >=1.29.2 && <1.30+    , hledger-lib ==1.30.*     , math-functions >=0.3.3.0     , megaparsec >=7.0.0 && <9.4     , microlens >=0.4@@ -299,7 +300,7 @@     , githash >=0.1.6.2     , haskeline >=0.6     , hledger-    , hledger-lib >=1.29.2 && <1.30+    , hledger-lib ==1.30.*     , html     , math-functions >=0.3.3.0     , megaparsec >=7.0.0 && <9.4
hledger.info view
@@ -14,10997 +14,11310 @@ hledger - robust, friendly plain text accounting (CLI version)     'hledger'-'hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]'-'hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]'--   hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and largely interconvertible with-beancount(1).--   This manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.29.2.-It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-all hledger programs.  It might accidentally teach you some-bookkeeping/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in-here to use hledger productively, but when you have a question about-functionality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip-ahead or skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an-info manual or man page on your system.  You can also get it from-hledger itself with-'hledger --man', 'hledger --info' or 'hledger help [TOPIC]'.--   The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files-describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a-useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect-other 'hledger-*' executables as extra subcommands.--   hledger reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock,-timedot, or CSV format.  The default file is '.hledger.journal' in your-home directory; this can be overridden with one or more '-f FILE'-options, or the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable.  hledger CLI can-also read from stdin with '-f-'; more on that below.--   Here is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one-transaction:--2015-10-16 bought food-  expenses:food          $10-  assets:cash--   Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more-_accounts_: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,-people, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using ':' to-indicate subaccounts.  There must be at least two spaces between account-name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (_debit_),-negatives are outflow from it (_credit_).  (Some reports show revenue,-liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;-this is normal.)--   hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can-install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more-extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM-+ vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good choices (see-https://hledger.org/editors.html).--   To get started, run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts, or save-some entries like the above in '$HOME/.hledger.journal', then try-commands like:-'hledger print -x'-'hledger aregister assets'-'hledger balance'-'hledger balancesheet'-'hledger incomestatement'.-Run 'hledger' to list the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal-file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.--* Menu:--* PART 1 USER INTERFACE::-* Options::-* Environment::-* Input::-* Commands::-* Output::-* Limitations::-* Troubleshooting::-* PART 2 DATA FORMATS::-* Journal::-* CSV::-* Timeclock::-* Timedot::-* PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS::-* Time periods::-* Depth::-* Queries::-* Pivoting::-* Generating data::-* Forecasting::-* Budgeting::-* Cost reporting::-* Valuation::-* PART 4 COMMANDS::-* PART 5 COMMON TASKS::---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Next: Options,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top--1 PART 1: USER INTERFACE-************************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Options,  Next: Environment,  Prev: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Up: Top--2 Options-*********--* Menu:--* General options::-* Command options::-* Command arguments::-* Special characters::-* Unicode characters::-* Regular expressions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: General options,  Next: Command options,  Up: Options--2.1 General options-===================--To see general usage help, including general options which are supported-by most hledger commands, run 'hledger -h'.--   General help options:--'-h --help'--     show general or COMMAND help-'--man'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with man-'--info'--     show general or COMMAND user manual with info-'--version'--     show general or ADDONCMD version-'--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'--     Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)-'--separator=CHAR'--     Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')-'--alias=OLD=NEW'--     rename accounts named OLD to NEW-'--anon'--     anonymize accounts and payees-'--pivot FIELDNAME'--     use some other field or tag for the account name-'-I --ignore-assertions'--     disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-     assignments)-'-s --strict'--     do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are-     declared)--   General reporting options:--'-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'--     include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to-     following subperiod end when using a report interval)-'-D --daily'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by day-'-W --weekly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by week-'-M --monthly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by month-'-Q --quarterly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter-'-Y --yearly'--     multiperiod/multicolumn report by year-'-p --period=PERIODEXP'--     set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once-     using period expressions syntax-'--date2'--     match the secondary date instead (see command help for other-     effects)-'--today=DATE'--     override today's date (affects relative smart dates, for-     tests/examples)-'-U --unmarked'--     include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)-'-P --pending'--     include only pending postings/txns-'-C --cleared'--     include only cleared postings/txns-'-R --real'--     include only non-virtual postings-'-NUM --depth=NUM'--     hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep-'-E --empty'--     show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-     hledger-ui/hledger-web)-'-B --cost'--     convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time-'-V --market'--     convert amounts to their market value in default valuation-     commodities-'-X --exchange=COMM'--     convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM-'--value'--     convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than-     -B/-V/-X-'--infer-market-prices'--     use transaction prices (recorded with @ or @@) as additional market-     prices, as if they were P directives-'--auto'--     apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.-'--forecast'--     generate future transactions from periodic transaction rules, for-     the next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui, also-     make ordinary future transactions visible.-'--commodity-style'--     Override the commodity style in the output for the specified-     commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.-'--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-     NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.-'--pretty[=WHEN]'--     Show prettier output, e.g.  using unicode box-drawing characters.-     Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always', 'never'-     also work).  If you provide an argument you must use '=', e.g.-     '-pretty=yes'.--   When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line,-the last one takes precedence.--   Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Command options,  Next: Command arguments,  Prev: General options,  Up: Options--2.2 Command options-===================--To see options for a particular command, including command-specific-options, run: 'hledger COMMAND -h'.--   Command-specific options must be written after the command name, eg:-'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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Command arguments,  Next: Special characters,  Prev: Command options,  Up: Options--2.3 Command arguments-=====================--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--- @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:--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:---X"$"--   Good:---X$--   See also: Save frequently used options.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Special characters,  Next: Unicode characters,  Prev: Command arguments,  Up: Options--2.4 Special characters-======================--* Menu:--* Single escaping shell metacharacters::-* Double escaping regular expression metacharacters::-* Triple escaping for add-on commands::-* Less escaping::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Next: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.1 Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-----------------------------------------------In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as-spaces, '<', '>', '(', ')', '|', '$' and '\' - should be "shell-escaped"-if you want hledger to see them.  This is done by enclosing them in-single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to-match an account name containing a space:--$ hledger register 'credit card'--   or:--$ hledger register credit\ card--   Windows users should keep in mind that 'cmd' treats single quote as a-regular character, so you should be using double quotes exclusively.-PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Next: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Prev: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.2 Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)------------------------------------------------------------Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such-as '.', '^', '$', '[', ']', '(', ')', '|', and '\' - may need to be-"regex-escaped" if you don't want them to be interpreted by hledger's-regular expression engine.  This is done by writing backslashes before-them, but since backslash is typically also a shell metacharacter, both-shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed.  Eg to match a literal-'$' sign while using the bash shell:--$ hledger balance cur:'\$'--   or:--$ hledger balance cur:\\$---File: hledger.info,  Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Next: Less escaping,  Prev: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters--2.4.3 Triple escaping (for add-on commands)----------------------------------------------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 '$' sign while using the-bash shell and running an add-on command ('ui'):--$ hledger ui cur:'\\$'--   or:--$ hledger ui cur:\\\\$--   If you wondered why _four_ backslashes, perhaps this helps:--unescaped:        '$'-escaped:          '\$'-double-escaped:   '\\$'-triple-escaped:   '\\\\$'--   Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable-directly:--$ hledger-ui cur:\\$---File: hledger.info,  Node: Less escaping,  Prev: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Up: Special characters--2.4.4 Less escaping----------------------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:--   * an @argumentfile-   * hledger-ui's filter field-   * hledger-web's search form-   * GHCI's prompt (used by developers).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Unicode characters,  Next: Regular expressions,  Prev: Special characters,  Up: Options--2.5 Unicode characters-======================--hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:--   * they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command-     line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's-     search/add/edit forms, etc.)--   * 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:--   * 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-     will quit on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all-     GHC-compiled programs).--   * your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-     must support unicode--   * the terminal must be using a font which includes the required-     unicode glyphs--   * the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as-     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-     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--2.6 Regular expressions-=======================--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 directive and '--alias' option: '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-     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.--   Some things to note:--   * 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 '$' as-     a literal character, prepend a backslash.  Eg to search for amounts-     with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write 'cur:\$'.--   * On the command line, some metacharacters like '$' 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: Input,  Prev: Options,  Up: Top--3 Environment-*************--*LEDGER_FILE* The journal file path when not specified with '-f'.--   On unix computers, the default value is: '~/.hledger.journal'.--   A more typical value is something like '~/finance/YYYY.journal',-where '~/finance' is a version-controlled finance directory and YYYY is-the current year.  Or, '~/finance/current.journal', where-current.journal is a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--   The usual way to set this permanently is to add a command to one of-your shell's startup files (eg '~/.profile'):--export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--   On some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set-environment variables, that will also affect applications started from-the GUI (eg, Emacs started from a dock icon): In-'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist', add an entry like:--{-  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-}--   For this to take effect you might need to 'killall Dock', or reboot.--   On Windows computers, the default value is probably-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal'.  You can change this by running a-command like this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be-an Administrator, and if this persists across a reboot):--> setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--   Or, change it in settings: see-https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html.--   *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 is overriden by the--color/-colour option.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Input,  Next: Commands,  Prev: Environment,  Up: Top--4 Input-*******--hledger reads transactions from one or more data files.  The default-data file is '$HOME/.hledger.journal' (or on Windows, something like-'C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal').--   You can override this with the '$LEDGER_FILE' environment variable:--$ setenv LEDGER_FILE ~/finance/2016.journal-$ hledger stats--   or with one or more '-f/--file' options:--$ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats--   The file name '-' means standard input:--$ cat some.journal | hledger -f---* Menu:--* Data formats::-* Multiple files::-* Strict mode::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Data formats,  Next: Multiple files,  Up: Input--4.1 Data formats-================--Usually the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in-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--   These formats are described in more detail 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-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:--$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats--   Or to read stdin ('-') as timeclock format:--$ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -ftimeclock:----File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple files,  Next: Strict mode,  Prev: Data formats,  Up: Input--4.2 Multiple files-==================--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-     a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict mode,  Prev: Multiple files,  Up: Input--4.3 Strict mode-===============--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:--   * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an 'account' directive ?-     (Account error checking)-   * Are all commodities declared with a 'commodity' directive ?-     (Commodity error checking)-   * Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?--   You can use the check command to run individual checks - the ones-listed above and some more.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands,  Next: Output,  Prev: Input,  Up: Top--5 Commands-**********--hledger provides a number of built-in subcommands (described below).-Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-A few assist with data entry and management.--   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'.--* Menu:--* Add-on commands::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Add-on commands,  Up: Commands--5.1 Add-on commands-===================--Add-on commands are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts in-your PATH--   * whose name starts with 'hledger-'-   * whose name ends with a recognised file extension:-     '.bat','.com','.exe', '.hs','.lhs','.pl','.py','.rb','.rkt','.sh'-     or none-   * and (on unix, mac) which are executable by the current user.--   Addons can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or-programs have a big advantage: they can use hledger's library code, for-command-line options, parsing and reporting.--   Several add-on commands are installed by the hledger-install script.-See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.--   Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a-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').--   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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output,  Next: Limitations,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Top--6 Output-********--* Menu:--* Output destination::-* Output format::-* Commodity styles::-* Colour::-* Box-drawing::-* Paging::-* Debug output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output destination,  Next: Output format,  Up: Output--6.1 Output destination-======================--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:--$ hledger print -o foo.txt-$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Output format,  Next: Commodity styles,  Prev: Output destination,  Up: Output--6.2 Output format-=================--Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the-terminal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:---                           txt       csv       html         json     sql-------------------------------------------------------------------------------aregister                   Y         Y         Y            Y-balance                     Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1,2_      Y-balancesheet                Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-balancesheetequity          Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-cashflow                    Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-incomestatement             Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y-print                       Y         Y                      Y        Y-register                    Y         Y                      Y--   * _1 Also affected by the balance commands' '--layout' option._-   * _2 'balance' does not support html output without a report interval-     or with '--budget'._--   The output format is selected by the '-O/--output-format=FMT' option:--$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout--   or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the-'-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT' option:--$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv--   The '-O' option can be combined with '-o' to override the file-extension, if needed:--$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt--   Some notes about the various output formats:--* Menu:--* CSV output::-* HTML output::-* JSON output::-* SQL output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV output,  Next: HTML output,  Up: Output format--6.2.1 CSV output-------------------   * In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-     disabled automatically.---File: hledger.info,  Node: HTML output,  Next: JSON output,  Prev: CSV output,  Up: Output format--6.2.2 HTML output--------------------   * HTML output can be styled by an optional 'hledger.css' file in the-     same directory.---File: hledger.info,  Node: JSON output,  Next: SQL output,  Prev: HTML output,  Up: Output format--6.2.3 JSON output--------------------   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--   * Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful-     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-     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-     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)---File: hledger.info,  Node: SQL output,  Prev: JSON output,  Up: Output format--6.2.4 SQL output-------------------   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--   * SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and-     Postgres.--   * For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated 'id'-     field to be a PRIMARY KEY. Eg:--     $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...--   * 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'-     SQL statements) or drop tables completely as otherwise your-     postings will be duped.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity styles,  Next: Colour,  Prev: Output format,  Up: Output--6.3 Commodity styles-====================--When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for-each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.--   If needed, this can be overridden by a '-c/--commodity-style' option-(except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the 'print' command,-which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the-following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:--$ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'--   This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple-commodities/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity-directive.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Colour,  Next: Box-drawing,  Prev: Commodity styles,  Up: Output--6.4 Colour-==========--In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-supports it:--   * if the '--color/--colour' option is given a value of 'yes' or-     'always' (or 'no' or 'never'), colour will (or will not) be used;-   * otherwise, if the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable is set, colour-     will not be used;-   * otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)-     supports it.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Box-drawing,  Next: Paging,  Prev: Colour,  Up: Output--6.5 Box-drawing-===============--In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-render prettier tables:--   * if the '--pretty' option is given a value of 'yes' or 'always' (or-     'no' or 'never'), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;-   * otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Paging,  Next: Debug output,  Prev: Box-drawing,  Up: Output--6.6 Paging-==========--When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-pager specified by the 'PAGER' environment variable, or 'less', or-'more'.  (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time-rather than scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this-only for help output, not for reports; specifically,--   * when listing commands, with 'hledger'-   * when showing help with 'hledger [CMD] --help',-   * when viewing manuals with 'hledger help' or 'hledger --man'.--   Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses-eg for bold emphasis.  For the common pager 'less' (and its 'more'-compatibility mode), we add 'R' to the 'LESS' and 'MORE' environment-variables to make this work.  If you use a different pager, you might-need to configure it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us-know).  Otherwise, you can set the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable to 1-to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Debug output,  Prev: Paging,  Up: Output--6.7 Debug output-================--We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-develop.  You can add '--debug[=N]' to any hledger command line to see-additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to-9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase until-you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected-by '-o/--output-file' (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-'2>&1').  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help-reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in-a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:--hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log---File: hledger.info,  Node: Limitations,  Next: Troubleshooting,  Prev: Output,  Up: Top--7 Limitations-*************--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-POSIX, set LANG to something other than C.--   In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours-are not supported.--   On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when-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 hledger-and Ledger > Differences > journal format.--   On large data files, hledger is slower and uses more memory than-Ledger.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Troubleshooting,  Next: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Prev: Limitations,  Up: Top--8 Troubleshooting-*****************--Here are some issues you might encounter when you run hledger (and-remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or bug-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,-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.--   *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-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.--   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 $LANG-C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-$ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-C-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-Ubuntu/Debian:--$ apt-get install language-pack-fr-$ locale -a-C-en_US.utf8-fr_BE.utf8-fr_CA.utf8-fr_CH.utf8-fr_FR.utf8-fr_LU.utf8-POSIX-$ 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)-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---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Next: Journal,  Prev: Troubleshooting,  Up: Top--9 PART 2: DATA FORMATS-**********************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal,  Next: CSV,  Prev: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Up: Top--10 Journal-**********--hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's a-cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal format.--* Menu:--* Journal cheatsheet::-* About journal format::-* Comments::-* Transactions::-* Dates::-* Status::-* Code::-* Description::-* Transaction comments::-* Postings::-* Account names::-* Amounts::-* Costs::-* Balance assertions::-* Posting comments::-* Tags::-* Directives::-* account directive::-* alias directive::-* commodity directive::-* decimal-mark directive::-* include directive::-* P directive::-* payee directive::-* tag directive::-* Periodic transactions::-* Other syntax::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal cheatsheet,  Next: About journal format,  Up: Journal--10.1 Journal cheatsheet-=======================--# Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format-# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--###############################################################################-# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".--# hash comment line-; semicolon comment line-comment-These lines-are commented.-end comment--# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--###############################################################################-# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-alias chkg = assets:checking-commodity $0.00-decimal-mark .-include /dev/null-payee Whole Foods-P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-    expenses:food       $400-    expenses:home      $1000-    budgeted--###############################################################################-# 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,-# usually describing movements of money.-# They begin with a date.--# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-#               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".-    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-    ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"--Kv-2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-    expenses:clothing       GBP 10-    assets:gringotts           -10 gold-    assets:pouch                10 gold-    revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols-    assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.--2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@-    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost-    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost-    assets:checking            $-7.00--2022-01-02 assert balances-    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-    assets:savings              $0      = $1000--1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-    ; Postings are not required.--2022.01.01 These date-2022/1/1   formats are-12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).---File: hledger.info,  Node: About journal format,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Journal cheatsheet,  Up: Journal--10.2 About journal format-=========================--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 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-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-configuration at hledger.org for the full list.--   Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's-data model).--   A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file-comments, transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction-rules and auto posting rules as directives).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Transactions,  Prev: About journal format,  Up: Journal--10.3 Comments-=============--Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash ('#') or-a semicolon (';').  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore-regions beginning with a 'comment' line and ending with an 'end comment'-line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:--   * '#' for top-level notes-   * ';' for commenting out things temporarily-   * 'comment' for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's-     there, or you might get confused)--   Eg:--# a comment line-; another commentline-comment-A multi-line comment block,-continuing until "end comment" directive-or the end of the current file.-end comment--   Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-from ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments, Posting-comments, and Account comments below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Transactions,  Next: Dates,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Journal--10.4 Transactions-=================--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-optional fields, separated by spaces:--   * 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).--   Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction:--2008/01/01 income-  assets:bank:checking   $1-  income:salary         $-1---File: hledger.info,  Node: Dates,  Next: Status,  Prev: Transactions,  Up: Journal--10.5 Dates-==========--* Menu:--* Simple dates::-* Posting dates::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple dates,  Next: Posting dates,  Up: Dates--10.5.1 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-be omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the-current transaction, the default year set with a 'Y' 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.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting dates,  Prev: Simple dates,  Up: Dates--10.5.2 Posting 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-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.-The 'date:' tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present, eg-a 'date:' tag with no value is not allowed.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Status,  Next: Code,  Prev: Dates,  Up: Journal--10.6 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,-indicating one of three statuses:--mark  status- -------------------      unmarked-'!'   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.--   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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Code,  Next: Description,  Prev: Status,  Up: Journal--10.7 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-or reference number.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Description,  Next: Transaction comments,  Prev: Code,  Up: Journal--10.8 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-"narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you-wish, or left blank.  Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike-comments.--* Menu:--* Payee and note::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Payee and note,  Up: Description--10.8.1 Payee and note------------------------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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Transaction comments,  Next: Postings,  Prev: Description,  Up: Journal--10.9 Transaction comments-=========================--Text following ';', after a transaction description, and/or on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.  They-are reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-tags, which are not ignored.--2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-    ; a second line of transaction comment-    expenses   1-    assets---File: hledger.info,  Node: Postings,  Next: Account names,  Prev: Transaction comments,  Up: Journal--10.10 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-tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by:--   * (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)-   * (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-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-the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account names,  Next: Amounts,  Prev: Postings,  Up: Journal--10.11 Account names-===================--Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.  As in-Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts (such-as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed-from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".--   You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the-traditional accounting categories, which in english are 'assets',-'liabilities', 'equity', 'revenues', 'expenses'.  (You might see these-referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)--   For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-name parts.  For example, from the account names 'assets:bank:checking'-and 'expenses:food', hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:--assets-assets:bank-assets:bank:checking-expenses-expenses:food--   Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:--assets- bank-  checking-expenses- food--   hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you-can go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-names relatively simple may be best when starting out.--   Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,-numbers, symbols, or single spaces.  Note, when an account name and an-amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by *two or-more spaces* (or tabs).--   Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate-virtual postings, described below.  Parentheses or brackets internal to-the account name have no special meaning.--   Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account-aliases.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amounts,  Next: Costs,  Prev: Account names,  Up: Journal--10.12 Amounts-=============--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"):--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 space:--$1-4000 AAPL-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-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--* Menu:--* Decimal marks digit group marks::-* Commodity::-* Directives influencing number parsing and display::-* Commodity display style::-* Rounding::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Next: Commodity,  Up: Amounts--10.12.1 Decimal marks, digit group marks-------------------------------------------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):--     $1,000,000.00-  EUR 2.000.000,00-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 ?--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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,-especially if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands-separators), we recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark-character in each journal file, using a directive at the top of the-file.  The 'decimal-mark' directive is best, otherwise 'commodity'-directives will also work.  These are described below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity,  Next: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Prev: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Up: Amounts--10.12.2 Commodity--------------------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-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".--   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 are the 'Amount' and 'MixedAmount' types.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Next: Commodity display style,  Prev: Commodity,  Up: Amounts--10.12.3 Directives influencing number parsing and display------------------------------------------------------------You can add 'decimal-mark' and 'commodity' directives to the journal, to-declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.  These-are described below, but here's a quick example:--# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-decimal-mark .--# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-commodity $1,000.00-commodity EUR 1.000,00-commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-commodity 1 000 000.9455---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display style,  Next: Rounding,  Prev: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Up: Amounts--10.12.4 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-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 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-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'.-     (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.--   Cost 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 cost).  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:--# 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-commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-commodity 1 000.--   The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command-line option.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Rounding,  Prev: Commodity display style,  Up: Amounts--10.12.5 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").---File: hledger.info,  Node: Costs,  Next: Balance assertions,  Prev: Amounts,  Up: Journal--10.13 Costs-===========--After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either '@-UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE' after it.  This indicates a conversion-transaction, where one commodity is exchanged for another.--   (You might also see this called "transaction price" in hledger docs,-discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded-that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just call it-"cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase-or a sale.)--   Costs are usually written explicitly with '@' or '@@', but can also-be inferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.-Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the-first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.--   As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or-implicitly:--  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:--     2009/1/1-       assets:euros     €100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-       assets:dollars--  3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities,-     and let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.-     Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first-     posting, making it '€100 @@ $135', as in example 2:--     2009/1/1-       assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased-       assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135--   Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the '-B/--cost'-flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING section.--* Menu:--* Other cost/lot notations::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other cost/lot notations,  Up: Costs--10.13.1 Other cost/lot notations-----------------------------------A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a number-of cost/lot-related notations:--   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'-        * expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger-        * when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at-          selling time--   * '(@) UNITCOST' and '(@@) TOTALCOST' (virtual cost)-        * like the above, but also means "this cost was exceptional,-          don't use it when inferring market prices".--   Currently, hledger treats the above like '@' and '@@'; the-parentheses are ignored.--   * '{=FIXEDUNITCOST}' and '{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}' (fixed price)-        * when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't-          let it fluctuate in value reports"--   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}' (lot price)-        * can be used identically to '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST',-          also creates a lot-        * when selling, combined with '@ ...', specifies an investment-          lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present--   * and related: '[YYYY/MM/DD]' (lot date)-        * when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot-        * when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date--   * '(SOME TEXT)' (lot note)-        * when buying, attaches this note to the lot-        * when selling, selects a lot by its note--   Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after-the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction-balancing.)--   For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:--   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'-        * expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger-        * when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined-          with '{...}': documents the cost/selling price (not used for-          transaction balancing)--   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}'-        * when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction-          balancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis-          attached-        * when selling (reducing),-             * selects a lot by its cost basis-             * raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be-               selected unambiguously (depending on booking method-               configured)-             * expresses the selling price for transaction balancing--   Currently, hledger accepts the '{UNITCOST}'/'{{TOTALCOST}}' notation-but ignores it.--   * variations: '{}', '{YYYY-MM-DD}', '{"LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST,-     "LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"}' etc.--   Currently, hledger rejects these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assertions,  Next: Posting comments,  Prev: Costs,  Up: Journal--10.14 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-b after each posting:--2013/1/1-  a   $1  =$1-  b       =$-1--2013/1/2-  a   $1  =$2-  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 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, described below).--* Menu:--* Assertions and ordering::-* Assertions and multiple included files::-* Assertions and multiple -f files::-* Assertions and commodities::-* Assertions and prices::-* Assertions and subaccounts::-* Assertions and virtual postings::-* Assertions and auto postings::-* Assertions and precision::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and ordering,  Next: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.1 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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple included files,  Next: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Prev: Assertions and ordering,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.2 Assertions and multiple included files-------------------------------------------------Multiple files included with the 'include' directive are processed as if-concatenated into one file, preserving their order and the posting order-within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later files will-see balance from earlier files.--   And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day,-split across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's-balance on that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file-- the last one in the sequence, probably.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Next: Assertions and commodities,  Prev: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.3 Assertions and multiple -f files-------------------------------------------Unlike 'include', when multiple files are specified on the command line-with multiple '-f/--file' options, balance assertions will not see-balance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want-problems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.--   If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use-'include', or concatenate the files temporarily.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and commodities,  Next: Assertions and prices,  Prev: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.4 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 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-other commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,-that their balance is 0).--2013/1/1-  a   $1-  a    1€-  b  $-1-  c   -1€--2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-  a    0  =  $1-  a    0  =   1€-  b    0 == $-1-  c    0 ==  -1€--2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1€-  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 into its own subaccount:--2013/1/1-  a:usd   $1-  a:euro   1€-  b--2013/1/2-  a        0 ==  0-  a:usd    0 == $1-  a:euro   0 ==  1€---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and prices,  Next: Assertions and subaccounts,  Prev: Assertions and commodities,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.5 Assertions and prices--------------------------------Balance assertions ignore costs, 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-_assignments_ do use them (see below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and subaccounts,  Next: Assertions and virtual postings,  Prev: Assertions and prices,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.6 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 '==*',-eg:--2019/1/1-  equity:opening balances-  checking:a       5-  checking:b       5-  checking         1  ==* 11---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and virtual postings,  Next: Assertions and auto postings,  Prev: Assertions and subaccounts,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.7 Assertions and virtual postings------------------------------------------Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-are not affected by the '--real/-R' flag or 'real:' query.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and auto postings,  Next: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and virtual postings,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.8 Assertions and auto postings---------------------------------------Balance assertions _are_ affected by the '--auto' flag, which generates-auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings-are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two-balances.  But balance assertions can only test one or the other of-these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:--   * assert the balance calculated with '--auto', and always use-     '--auto' with that file-   * or assert the balance calculated without '--auto', and never use-     '--auto' with that file-   * or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings-     (or avoid auto postings entirely).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and auto postings,  Up: Balance assertions--10.14.9 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 assertions.  Balance-assertion failure messages show exact amounts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting comments,  Next: Tags,  Prev: Balance assertions,  Up: Journal--10.15 Posting comments-======================--Text following ';', at the end of a posting line, and/or on indented-lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.  They are-reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-tags, which are not ignored.--2012-01-01-    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-    assets-    ; a comment for posting 2-    ; a second comment line for posting 2---File: hledger.info,  Node: Tags,  Next: Directives,  Prev: Posting comments,  Up: Journal--10.16 Tags-==========--Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.--   They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately-followed by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account-directive's comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that-things in comments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are-recorded: one on the checking account, two on the transaction, and one-on the expenses posting:--account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-    ; transactiontag-2:-    assets:checking        $-1-    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:--   Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.-And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'-accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively-has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the-transaction also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses-posting).--   You can list tag names with 'hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]', or match by-tag name with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX' query.--* Menu:--* Tag values::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Tag values,  Up: Tags--10.16.1 Tag values---------------------Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a-comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this-means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the-following posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and-"" (empty) respectively:--    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz--   Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than-overriding: when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the-new name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to-override a tag's value or remove a tag.)--   You can list a tag's values with 'hledger tags TAGNAME --values', or-match by tag value with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX' query.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives,  Next: account directive,  Prev: Tags,  Up: Journal--10.17 Directives-================--A directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-and so on.  hledger's directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger's,-but there are many differences, and also some differences between-hledger versions.  Here are some more definitions:--   * _subdirective_ - Some directives support subdirectives, written-     indented below the parent directive.--   * _decimal mark_ - The character to interpret as a decimal mark-     (period or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.--   * _display style_ - How to display amounts of a commodity in output:-     symbol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number of-     decimal places.--   Directives are not required when starting out with hledger, but you-will probably want to add some as your needs grow.  Here some key-directives for particular needs:--purpose                                      directives----------------------------------------------------------------------------*READING DATA:*-Declare file's decimal mark to help parse    'decimal-mark'-amounts accurately-Rewrite account names                        'alias'-Comment out sections of the data             'comment'-Include extra data files                     'include'-*GENERATING DATA:*-Generate recurring transactions or budget    '~'-goals-Generate extra postings on transactions      '='-*CHECKING FOR ERRORS:*-Define valid entities to provide more        'account', 'commodity',-error checking                               'payee'-*REPORTING:*-Declare accounts' type and display order     'account'-Declare commodity display styles             'commodity'-Declare market prices                        'P'--* Menu:--* Directive effects::-* Directives and multiple files::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directive effects,  Next: Directives and multiple files,  Up: Directives--10.17.1 Directive effects----------------------------And here is what each directive does, and which files and journal-entries (transactions) it affects:--directivewhat it does                                                   ends-                                                                        at-                                                                        file-                                                                        end?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*'account'*Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; andN-     its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-*'alias'*Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of      Y-     current file or 'end aliases'.  Command line equivalent:-     '--alias'-*'comment'*Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file orY-     'end comment'.-*'commodity'*Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checkingN,Y,N,N-     all amounts in all files 2.  the decimal mark for parsing-     amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of-     current file (if there is no 'decimal-mark' directive) 3.  and-     the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.  which is-     also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in-     this commodity.  Takes precedence over 'D'.  Subdirectives:-     'format' (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:-     '-c/--commodity-style'-*'decimal-mark'*Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all   Y-     commodities in following entries until next 'decimal-mark' or-     end of current file.  Included files can override.  Takes-     precedence over 'commodity' and 'D'.-*'include'*Includes entries and directives from another file, as if theyN-     were written inline.  Command line alternative: multiple-     '-f/--file'-*'payee'*Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.  N-*'P'*Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N-     reports.-*'~'*Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future         N-(tilde)transactions with '--forecast' and budget goals with 'balance-     --budget'.-Other-syntax:-*'applyPrepends a common parent account to all account names, in        Y-account'*following entries until end of current file or 'end apply-     account'.-*'D'*Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if      Y,Y,N,N-     there is no 'commodity' directive for this commodity: its-     decimal mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.-*'Y'*Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following    Y-     entries until end of current file.-*'='*Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on     partly-(equals)matched transactions with '--auto', in current, parent, and-     child files (but not sibling files, see #1212).-*OtherOther directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but-Ledgerignored.-directives*---File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives and multiple files,  Prev: Directive effects,  Up: Directives--10.17.2 Directives and multiple files----------------------------------------If you use multiple '-f'/'--file' options, or the 'include' directive,-hledger will process multiple input files.  But directives which affect-input typically have effect only until the end of the file in which they-occur (and on any included files in that region).--   This may seem inconvenient, but it's intentional; it makes reports-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'-directives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: account directive,  Next: alias directive,  Prev: Directives,  Up: Journal--10.18 'account' directive-=========================--'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.-   * In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by-     transactions, which helps detect typos.-   * They control account display order in reports, allowing-     non-alphabetic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).-   * They help with account name completion (in hledger add,-     hledger-web, hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)-   * They can store additional account information as comments, or as-     tags which can be used to filter or pivot reports.-   * They can help hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,-     equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and-     incomestatement.--   They are written as the word 'account' followed by a hledger-style-account name, eg:--account assets:bank:checking--   Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not-allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:--account (assets:bank:checking)--* Menu:--* Account comments::-* Account subdirectives::-* Account error checking::-* Account display order::-* Account types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account comments,  Next: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive--10.18.1 Account comments---------------------------Text following *two or more spaces* and ';' at the end of an account-directive line, and/or following ';' on indented lines immediately below-it, form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may-contain tags, which are not ignored.--   The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because-';' is allowed in account names.--account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-  ; next-line comment-  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account subdirectives,  Next: Account error checking,  Prev: Account comments,  Up: account directive--10.18.2 Account subdirectives--------------------------------Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently-ignored:--account assets:bank:checking-  format subdirective is ignored---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account error checking,  Next: Account display order,  Prev: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive--10.18.3 Account error checking---------------------------------By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when-a posting references them.  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 that 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-report an error if any transaction uses an account name that has not-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-     included files of all types.-   * It's currently not possible to declare "all possible subaccounts"-     with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account display order,  Next: Account types,  Prev: Account error checking,  Up: account directive--10.18.4 Account display order--------------------------------The order in which account directives are written influences the order-in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By-default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these-account directives to the journal file:--account assets-account liabilities-account equity-account revenues-account expenses--   those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:--$ hledger accounts -1-assets-liabilities-equity-revenues-expenses--   Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.--   Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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-means:--   * 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').---File: hledger.info,  Node: Account types,  Prev: Account display order,  Up: account directive--10.18.5 Account types------------------------hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports like balancesheet and-incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the 'type:' query.--   As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types-automatically if you are using common english-language top-level account-names (described below).  But generally we recommend you declare types-explicitly, by adding a 'type:' tag to your top-level account-directives.  Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The-tag's value should be one of the five main account types:--   * 'A' or 'Asset' (things you own)-   * 'L' or 'Liability' (things you owe)-   * 'E' or 'Equity' (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of-     assets & liabilities)-   * 'R' or 'Revenue' (what you received money from, AKA income;-     technically part of Equity)-   * 'X' or 'Expense' (what you spend money on; technically part of-     Equity)--   or, it can be (these are used less often):--   * 'C' or 'Cash' (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the-     cashflow report)-   * 'V' or 'Conversion' (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST-     REPORTING).)--   Here is a typical set of account type declarations:--account assets             ; type: A-account liabilities        ; type: L-account equity             ; type: E-account revenues           ; type: R-account expenses           ; type: X--account assets:bank        ; type: C-account assets:cash        ; type: C--account equity:conversion  ; type: V--   Here are some tips for working with account types.--   * The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.-     These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get-     going; if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare-     your account types.  See also Regular expressions.--     If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:-     --------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------     ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-     ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-     ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-     ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-     ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-     ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-     ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense--   * If you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an-     account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared-     and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.--   * Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.  See-     Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.--   * As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their-     parent account.  More precisely, an account's type is decided by-     the first of these that exists:--       1. A 'type:' declaration for this account.-       2. A 'type:' declaration in the parent accounts above it,-          preferring the nearest.-       3. An account type inferred from this account's name.-       4. An account type inferred from a parent account's name,-          preferring the nearest parent.-       5. Otherwise, it will have no type.--   * For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:--     $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]---File: hledger.info,  Node: alias directive,  Next: commodity directive,  Prev: account directive,  Up: Journal--10.19 'alias' directive-=======================--You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-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-   * combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference-     on one line-   * customising reports--   Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.-They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or-hledger-web.--   Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use-correctly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them;-more on this below.--   See also Rewrite account names.--* Menu:--* Basic aliases::-* Regex aliases::-* Combining aliases::-* Aliases and multiple files::-* end aliases directive::-* Aliases can generate bad account names::-* Aliases and account types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic aliases,  Next: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.1 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-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-interactively.--   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:--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"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Regex aliases,  Next: Combining aliases,  Prev: Basic aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.2 Regex aliases------------------------There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,-indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the only-place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular-expression.)--   Eg:--alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT--   or:--$ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...--   Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by-REPLACEMENT. REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.--   If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg-'/\/=:'.--   If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced-by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:--alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3-; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"--   REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end-of option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining aliases,  Next: Aliases and multiple files,  Prev: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.3 Combining aliases----------------------------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-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-entry, we apply:--  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-     (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-which aliases are being applied when.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and multiple files,  Next: end aliases directive,  Prev: Combining aliases,  Up: alias directive--10.19.4 Aliases and multiple files-------------------------------------As explained at Directives and multiple files, 'alias' directives do not-affect parent or sibling files.  Eg in this command,--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-  foo  1-  bar--   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--2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-  foo  1-  bar--include c.journal  ; also affected---File: hledger.info,  Node: end aliases directive,  Next: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Prev: Aliases and multiple files,  Up: alias directive--10.19.5 'end aliases' directive----------------------------------You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the-journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:--end aliases---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Next: Aliases and account types,  Prev: end aliases directive,  Up: alias directive--10.19.6 Aliases can generate bad account names-------------------------------------------------Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which-could cause confusing reports or invalid 'print' output.  For example,-you could erase all account names:--2021-01-01-  a:aa     1-  b--$ hledger print --alias '/.*/='-2021-01-01-                   1--   The above 'print' output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert-an illegal double space, causing 'print' output that would give a-different journal when reparsed:--2021-01-01-  old    1-  other--$ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print-2021-01-01-    new             USD 1-    other---File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and account types,  Prev: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Up: alias directive--10.19.7 Aliases and account types------------------------------------If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in-effect.--   However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg-renaming parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could-prevent child accounts from inheriting the account type of their-parents.--   Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,-renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.--   If you are using account aliases and the 'type:' query is not-matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts-command, eg something like:--$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a---File: hledger.info,  Node: commodity directive,  Next: decimal-mark directive,  Prev: alias directive,  Up: Journal--10.20 'commodity' directive-===========================--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-     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)--  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-     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.--   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-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-appears twice; it must be the same in both places:--;commodity SYMBOL-;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-commodity INR-  format INR 1,00,00,000.00--   Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or-punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).--   The amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is-significant.  It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a-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-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.)--   Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display-style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.--* Menu:--* Commodity error checking::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity error checking,  Up: commodity directive--10.20.1 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.--   Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because-currently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity-with a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts-are always allowed to have no commodity symbol.---File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark directive,  Next: include directive,  Prev: commodity directive,  Up: Journal--10.21 'decimal-mark' directive-==============================--You can use a 'decimal-mark' directive - usually one per file, at the-top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark-when parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like--decimal-mark .--   or--decimal-mark ,--   This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we-recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg-thousands separators).---File: hledger.info,  Node: include directive,  Next: P directive,  Prev: decimal-mark directive,  Up: Journal--10.22 'include' directive-=========================--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-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'.--   The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:-'include *.journal'.--   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'.--   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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: P directive,  Next: payee directive,  Prev: include directive,  Up: Journal--10.23 'P' directive-===================--The 'P' directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate-between two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to-convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after-that date.  These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange,-cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.--   The format is:--P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT--   DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: payee directive,  Next: tag directive,  Prev: P directive,  Up: Journal--10.24 'payee' directive-=======================--'payee PAYEE NAME'--   This 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:--payee Whole Foods--   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.---File: hledger.info,  Node: tag directive,  Next: Periodic transactions,  Prev: payee directive,  Up: Journal--10.25 'tag' directive-=====================--'tag TAGNAME'--   This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names-allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:--tag  item-id--   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   The "tags" check will report an error if any undeclared tag name is-used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use-of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can-declare and check your tags .---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic transactions,  Next: Other syntax,  Prev: tag directive,  Up: Journal--10.26 Periodic transactions-===========================--The '~' directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives-allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in-reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.--   Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-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-     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-     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-     an error.-  7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically-     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-     day of month from 2020/01/01', will be adjusted to start on-     2019/12/10.--* Menu:--* Periodic rule syntax::-* Periodic rules and relative dates::-* Two spaces between period expression and description!::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rule syntax,  Next: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.1 Periodic rule syntax-------------------------------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.):--# every first of month-~ monthly-    expenses:rent          $2000-    assets:bank:checking--# every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:-~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-    expenses:utilities          $400-    assets:bank:checking--   The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying-multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies-report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start-dates).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Next: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rule syntax,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.2 Periodic rules and relative dates--------------------------------------------Partial or relative dates (like '12/31', '25', 'tomorrow', 'last week',-'next quarter') are usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the-results will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted-relative to, in order of preference:--  1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent 'Y'-     directive-  2. or the date specified with '--today'-  3. or the date on which you are running the report.--   They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period-dates.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions--10.26.3 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-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-~ every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-    assets:bank:checking   $1500-    income:acme inc--   So,--   * 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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other syntax,  Prev: Periodic transactions,  Up: Journal--10.27 Other syntax-==================--hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to-make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some of-the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases, but-in general, features in this section are considered less important or-even not recommended for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to help-you decide if you want to use them.--* Menu:--* Auto postings::-* Balance assignments::-* Bracketed posting dates::-* D directive::-* apply account directive::-* Y directive::-* Secondary dates::-* Star comments::-* Valuation expressions::-* Virtual postings::-* Other Ledger directives::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings,  Next: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.1 Auto postings------------------------The '=' directive declares a rule for automatically adding temporary-extra postings (visible in reports, not in the journal file) to all-transactions matched by a certain query, when you use the '--auto' flag.--   Downsides: depending on generated data for your reports makes your-financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in-an audit.  Also, because the feature is optional, other features like-balance assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.--   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-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-     posting will be added to this.-   * 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,-     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-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--; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-= expenses:gifts-    assets:checking:gifts  *-1-    assets:checking         *1--2017/12/1-  expenses:food    $10-  assets:checking--2017/12/14-  expenses:gifts   $20-  assets:checking--$ hledger print --auto-2017-12-01-    expenses:food              $10-    assets:checking-    (liabilities:charity)      $-1--2017-12-14-    expenses:gifts             $20-    assets:checking-    assets:checking:gifts     -$20-    assets:checking            $20--* Menu:--* Auto postings and multiple files::-* Auto postings and dates::-* Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions::-* Auto posting tags::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and multiple files,  Next: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.1 Auto postings and multiple files-..........................................--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).---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--10.27.1.2 Auto postings and dates-.................................--A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be-used in the generated posting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Next: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.3 Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred-............................................................--amounts / 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-for background.--   This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with-a missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to-infer amounts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings--10.27.1.4 Auto posting tags-...........................--Automated postings will have some extra tags:--   * '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-     "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-     transaction was modified "just now".---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments,  Next: Bracketed posting dates,  Prev: Auto postings,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.2 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 setting-opening balances:--; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-2016/1/1 opening balances-  assets:checking            = $409.32-  assets:savings             = $735.24-  assets:cash                 = $42-  equity: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-  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-assignment).--   Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less-explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do-the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.  Also balance-assignments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make-your financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less-trustworthy in an audit.--* Menu:--* Balance assignments and prices::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments and prices,  Up: Balance assignments--10.27.2.1 Balance assignments and prices-........................................--A cost 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Bracketed posting dates,  Next: D directive,  Prev: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.3 Bracketed posting dates----------------------------------For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's-bracketed date syntax is also supported: '[DATE]', '[DATE=DATE2]' or-'[=DATE2]' in posting comments.  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.--   Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger's-'date:'/'date2:' tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date-syntax.---File: hledger.info,  Node: D directive,  Next: apply account directive,  Prev: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.4 'D' directive------------------------'D AMOUNT'--   This 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-of the journal.--   For compatibility/historical reasons, 'D' also acts like a-'commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing-and display style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity-symbol, but a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must-include a decimal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:--; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-D $1,000.00--1/1-  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-  b--   Interactions with other directives:--   For setting a commodity's display style, a 'commodity' directive has-highest priority, then a 'D' directive.--   For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during parsing,-'decimal-mark' has highest priority, then 'commodity', then 'D'.--   For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a 'commodity'-directive is required ('hledger check commodities' ignores 'D'-directives).--   Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less-explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is-usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to-track multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with functions redundant-with 'commodity' and 'decimal-mark'.  And it works differently from-Ledger's 'D'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: apply account directive,  Next: Y directive,  Prev: D directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.5 'apply account' directive------------------------------------This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to-all accounts in following entries, until an 'end apply account'-directive or end of current file.  Eg:--apply account home--2010/1/1-    food    $10-    cash--end apply account--   is equivalent to:--2010/01/01-    home:food           $10-    home:cash          $-10--   'account' directives are also affected, and so is any 'include'd-content.--   Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not-affected.--   Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is-prepended.--   Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less-portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Y directive,  Next: Secondary dates,  Prev: apply account directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.6 'Y' directive------------------------'Y YEAR'--   or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):--   'year YEAR' 'apply year YEAR'--   The space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for-subsequent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:--Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-  expenses  1-  assets--year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-  expenses  1-  assets--1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-  expenses  1-  assets--   Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at-least) makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less-trustworthy in an audit.  Such dates can get separated from their-corresponding Y directive, eg when evaluating a region of the journal in-your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today's-date.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Secondary dates,  Next: Star comments,  Prev: Y directive,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.7 Secondary dates--------------------------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-(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 =-date the transaction was initiated, if different".--   Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,-and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates-consistent requires discipline, and you have to remember which reporting-mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are simpler and-better.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Star comments,  Next: Valuation expressions,  Prev: Secondary dates,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.8 Star comments------------------------Lines beginning with '*' (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This-feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,-allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-with org mode.--   Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.-Decreases your journal's portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode-just for folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of ledger mode;-nowadays you can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without-losing ledger mode's features.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation expressions,  Next: Virtual postings,  Prev: Star comments,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.9 Valuation expressions--------------------------------Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double-parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Virtual postings,  Next: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Valuation expressions,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.10 Virtual postings----------------------------A posting with parentheses around the account name is called a _virtual-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 bookkeeping, 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:--2022-01-01 opening balances-  (assets:checking)   $1000-  (assets:savings)    $2000--   A posting with brackets around the 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:--2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-  expenses:food                    $7  ; <--  expenses:food                    $3  ; <--  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance--   Postings whose account names are neither parenthesised nor bracketed-are called _real postings_.  You can exclude virtual postings from-reports with the '-R/--real' flag or a 'real:1' query.--   Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid-figuring out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable-and less trustworthy in an audit.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Virtual postings,  Up: Other syntax--10.27.11 Other Ledger directives-----------------------------------These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This-allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's-reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.--apply fixed COMM AMT-apply tag   TAG-assert      EXPR-bucket / A  ACCT-capture     ACCT REGEX-check       EXPR-define      VAR=EXPR-end apply fixed-end apply tag-end apply year-end tag-eval / expr EXPR-python-  PYTHONCODE-tag         NAME-value       EXPR---command-line-flags--   See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed-hledger/Ledger syntax comparison.---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV,  Next: Timeclock,  Prev: Journal,  Up: Top--11 CSV-******--hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting-each record into a transaction.--   (To learn about _writing_ CSV, see CSV output.)--   For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure-they have a corresponding '.csv', '.tsv' or '.ssv' file extension or use-a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).--   Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding _rules file_.-This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,-date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and-how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.--   By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file-with an extra '.rules' extension, in the same directory.  Eg when asked-to read 'foo/FILE.csv', hledger looks for 'foo/FILE.csv.rules'.  You can-specify a different rules file with the '--rules-file' option.  If no-rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which-you'll need to adjust.--   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:--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-    income:unknown            -10.23--   There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,-and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.--* Menu:--* CSV rules cheatsheet::-* separator::-* skip::-* date-format::-* timezone::-* newest-first::-* intra-day-reversed::-* decimal-mark::-* fields list::-* Field assignment::-* Field names::-* if block::-* Matchers::-* if table::-* balance-type::-* include::-* Working with CSV::-* CSV rules examples::---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Next: separator,  Up: CSV--11.1 CSV rules cheatsheet-=========================--The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-(Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' or '*' are ignored.)--*'separator'*            declare the field separator, instead of-                         relying on file extension-*'skip'*                 skip one or more header lines at start of file-*'date-format'*          declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-*'timezone'*             declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV-                         date-times-*'newest-first'*         improve txn order when: there are multiple-                         records, newest first, all with the same date-*'intra-day-reversed'*   improve txn order when: same-day txns are in-                         opposite order to the overall file-*'decimal-mark'*         declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,-                         when ambiguous-*'fields' list*          name CSV fields for easy reference, and-                         optionally assign their values to hledger-                         fields-*Field assignment*       assign a CSV value or interpolated text value-                         to a hledger field-*'if' block*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                         or 'skip' a record or 'end' (skip rest of-                         file)-*'if' table*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                         using compact syntax-*'balance-type'*         select which type of balance-                         assertions/assignments to generate-*'include'*              inline another CSV rules file--   Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are-evaluated.---File: hledger.info,  Node: separator,  Next: skip,  Prev: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Up: CSV--11.2 '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-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-inferred automatically, and you won't need this rule.---File: hledger.info,  Node: skip,  Next: date-format,  Prev: separator,  Up: CSV--11.3 'skip'-===========--skip N--   The word 'skip' followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells-hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input-data.  (Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't need-to count those.)  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains-header lines.  Header lines skipped in this way are ignored, and not-parsed as CSV.--   'skip' can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to skip-individual data records.  Note records skipped in this way are still-required to be valid CSV, even though otherwise ignored.---File: hledger.info,  Node: date-format,  Next: timezone,  Prev: skip,  Up: CSV--11.4 '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',-you'll need to add a date-format rule describing them with a-strptime-style date parsing pattern - see-https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.-The pattern 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: timezone,  Next: newest-first,  Prev: date-format,  Up: CSV--11.5 'timezone'-===============--timezone TIMEZONE--   When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone-other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you-can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time zone, which helps-prevent off-by-one dates.--   When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don't-need this rule; instead, use '%Z' in 'date-format' (or '%z', '%EZ',-'%Ez'; see the formatTime link above).--   In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware-conversion, localising the CSV date-times to your current system time-zone.  If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for-reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with-the TZ environment variable, eg:--$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv--   'timezone' currently does not understand timezone names, except-"UTC", "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".-For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.---File: hledger.info,  Node: newest-first,  Next: intra-day-reversed,  Prev: timezone,  Up: CSV--11.6 'newest-first'-===================--hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-chronologically, including intra-day transactions.  Usually it can-auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV-where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are-oldest first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,-like:--2022-10-01, txn 3...-2022-10-01, txn 2...-2022-10-01, txn 1...--   you can add the 'newest-first' rule to help hledger generate the-transactions in correct order.--# same-day CSV records are newest first-newest-first---File: hledger.info,  Node: intra-day-reversed,  Next: decimal-mark,  Prev: newest-first,  Up: CSV--11.7 'intra-day-reversed'-=========================--CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-the overall date order.  Eg, here dates are newest first, but the-transactions on each date are oldest first:--2022-10-02, txn 3...-2022-10-02, txn 4...-2022-10-01, txn 1...-2022-10-01, txn 2...--   In this situation, add the 'intra-day-reversed' rule, and hledger-will compensate, improving the order of transactions.--# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-intra-day-reversed---File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark,  Next: fields list,  Prev: intra-day-reversed,  Up: CSV--11.8 'decimal-mark'-===================--decimal-mark .--   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-CSV contain digit group marks, such as thousand-separating commas, you-should declare the decimal mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid-misparsed numbers.---File: hledger.info,  Node: fields list,  Next: Field assignment,  Prev: decimal-mark,  Up: CSV--11.9 'fields' list-==================--fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...--   A fields list (the word 'fields' followed by comma-separated field-names) is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:--  1. It names the CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if-     you are referencing them in other rules, so you can say-     '%SomeField' instead of remembering '%13'.--  2. Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described-     below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger-     field.  This is the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and-     build a 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--   In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to-the CSV file's separator.  Also:--   * There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).-   * Field names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field-     names are optional.-   * Field names may contain '_' (underscore) or '-' (hyphen).-   * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name or an empty-     name.--   If the CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for-your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces replaced-by underscores).--   Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning-to a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's-"balance" field 'balance_' to avoid directly setting hledger's 'balance'-field (and generating a balance assertion).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Field assignment,  Next: Field names,  Prev: fields list,  Up: CSV--11.10 Field assignment-======================--HLEDGERFIELD 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-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-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-('%CSVFIELD').--   Some examples:--# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended-amount %4 USD--# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1--   Tips:--   * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like '" 1 "'-     becomes '1' when interpolated) (#1051).-   * Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate-     a hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Field names,  Next: if block,  Prev: Field assignment,  Up: CSV--11.11 Field names-=================--Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in-hledger CSV rules files:--  1. *CSV field names* ('CSVFIELD' in these docs): you can optionally-     name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet-     automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing-     arbitrary names in a 'fields' list, eg:--     fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar--  2. Special *hledger field names* ('HLEDGERFIELD' in these docs): you-     must set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction-     from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field-     assignment, eg:--     date        %When-     code        %Some_Id-     description %What-     comment     %Foo %Bar-     amount1     $ %Total--     or directly in a 'fields' list:--     fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-     currency $-     comment  %Foo %Bar--   Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what-happens when you assign values to them:--* Menu:--* date field::-* date2 field::-* status field::-* code field::-* description field::-* comment field::-* account field::-* amount field::-* currency field::-* balance field::---File: hledger.info,  Node: date field,  Next: date2 field,  Up: Field names--11.11.1 date field---------------------Assigning to 'date' sets the transaction date.---File: hledger.info,  Node: date2 field,  Next: status field,  Prev: date field,  Up: Field names--11.11.2 date2 field----------------------'date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: status field,  Next: code field,  Prev: date2 field,  Up: Field names--11.11.3 status field-----------------------'status' sets the transaction's status, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: code field,  Next: description field,  Prev: status field,  Up: Field names--11.11.4 code field---------------------'code' sets the transaction's code, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: description field,  Next: comment field,  Prev: code field,  Up: Field names--11.11.5 description field----------------------------'description' sets the transaction's description, if any.---File: hledger.info,  Node: comment field,  Next: account field,  Prev: description field,  Up: Field names--11.11.6 comment field------------------------'comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any.--   'commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.--   You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal '\n' in the-code.  A comment starting with '\n' will begin on a new line.--   Comments can contain tags, as usual.---File: hledger.info,  Node: account field,  Next: amount field,  Prev: comment field,  Up: Field names--11.11.7 account field------------------------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-based on each transaction's description, in conditional rules.--   If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount is set (see-below), a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"-or "income:unknown").---File: hledger.info,  Node: amount field,  Next: currency field,  Prev: account field,  Up: Field names--11.11.8 amount field-----------------------There are several "amount" field name variants, useful for different-situations:--   * '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.  Posting numbers don't-     have to be consecutive; in certain situations using a high number-     might be helpful to influence the layout of postings.--   * 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' should be used instead, as a pair,-     when and only when the amount must be obtained from two CSV fields.-     Eg when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a-     single Amount field.  Note:--        * Don't think "-in is for the first posting and -out is for the-          second posting" - that's not correct.  Think: "'amountN-in'-          and 'amountN-out' together detect the amount for posting N, by-          inspecting two CSV fields at once."-        * hledger assumes both CSV fields are unsigned, and will-          automatically negate the -out value.-        * It also expects that at least one of the values is empty or-          zero, so it knows which one to ignore.  If that's not the case-          you'll need an if rule (see Setting amounts below).--   * 'amount', with no posting number (and similarly, 'amount-in' and-     'amount-out' with no number) are an older syntax.  We keep them for-     backwards compatibility, and because they have special behaviour-     that is sometimes convenient:--        * They set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of-          posting 2.-        * Posting 2's amount will be converted to cost if it has a cost-          price.-        * Any of the newer rules for posting 1 or 2 (like 'amount1', or-          'amount2-in' and 'amount2-out') will take precedence.  This-          allows incrementally migrating old rules files to the new-          syntax.--   There's more to say about amount-setting that doesn't fit here;-please see also "Setting amounts" below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: currency field,  Next: balance field,  Prev: amount field,  Up: Field names--11.11.9 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-symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.--   'currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's-amount.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance field,  Prev: currency field,  Up: Field names--11.11.10 balance field-------------------------'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'.--   You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the-'balance-type' rule (see below).--   See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.---File: hledger.info,  Node: if block,  Next: Matchers,  Prev: Field names,  Up: CSV--11.12 'if' block-================--Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV-data.  This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can-categorise transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on-their description (for example).  There are two ways to write-conditional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if tables",-described below.--   An if block is the word 'if' and one or more "matcher" expressions-(can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or-next line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,--if MATCHER- RULE--   or--if-MATCHER-MATCHER-MATCHER- RULE- RULE--   If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special-rules may also be used within an if block:--   * 'skip' - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction-     from it)-   * 'end' - skips the rest of the current CSV file.--   Some examples:--# if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"-if groceries- account2 expenses:groceries--# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-if-monthly service fee-atm transaction fee-banking thru software- account2 expenses:business:banking- comment  XXX deductible ? check it--# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-if ,,,,- end---File: hledger.info,  Node: Matchers,  Next: if table,  Prev: if block,  Up: CSV--11.13 Matchers-==============--There are two kinds:--  1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular-     expression ('REGEX'), which hledger will try to match-     case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.-     Eg: 'whole foods'--  2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name-     ('%CSVFIELD REGEX').  hledger will try to match these just within-     the named CSV field.-     Eg: '%date 2023'--   The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended-regular expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B',-'\<', '\>'), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular-expressions" in the hledger manual-(https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).--   With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched-is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be-converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing-whitespace) are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if-the original record was:--2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000--   the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:--2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000--   When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:--   * By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)-   * When a matcher is preceded by ampersand ('&') it will be AND'ed-     with the previous matcher (both of them must match).--   There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.---File: hledger.info,  Node: if table,  Next: balance-type,  Prev: Matchers,  Up: CSV--11.14 'if' table-================--"if tables" are an alternative to if blocks; they can express many-matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format, like-this:--if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-<empty line>--   The first character after 'if' is taken to be the separator for the-rest of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like ','-or '|' that does not appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is-unrelated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace can be used in the-matcher lines for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The-table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each line-must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.--   The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher-succeeds, assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding-hledger fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.  It is-equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:--if MATCHERA-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERB-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--if MATCHERC-  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-  ...--   Example:--if,account2,comment-atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-%description groceries,expenses:groceries,-2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance-type,  Next: include,  Prev: if table,  Up: CSV--11.15 '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:--# 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-==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts---File: hledger.info,  Node: include,  Next: Working with CSV,  Prev: balance-type,  Up: CSV--11.16 '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-several rules files, eg:--# someaccount.csv.rules--## someaccount-specific rules-fields   date,description,amount-account1 assets:someaccount-account2 expenses:misc--## common rules-include categorisation.rules---File: hledger.info,  Node: Working with CSV,  Next: CSV rules examples,  Prev: include,  Up: CSV--11.17 Working with CSV-======================--Some tips:--* Menu:--* Rapid feedback::-* Valid CSV::-* File Extension::-* Reading CSV from standard input::-* Reading multiple CSV files::-* Valid transactions::-* Deduplicating importing::-* Setting amounts::-* Amount signs::-* Setting currency/commodity::-* Amount decimal places::-* Referencing other fields::-* How CSV rules are evaluated::-* Well factored rules::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Rapid feedback,  Next: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.1 Rapid feedback-------------------------It's a good idea to get rapid feedback while creating/troubleshooting-CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid CSV,  Next: File Extension,  Prev: Rapid feedback,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.2 Valid CSV--------------------Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and-equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab-as separators).  This means, eg:--   * Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in-     single quotes is not allowed.  (Eg ''A','B'' is rejected.)-   * When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the-     quotes are not allowed.  (Eg '"A", "B"' is rejected.)-   * When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-     quotes.  (Eg 'A"A, B' is rejected.)--   If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to-transform it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more-permissive CSV parser like python's csv lib.---File: hledger.info,  Node: File Extension,  Next: Reading CSV from standard input,  Prev: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.3 File Extension-------------------------To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error-messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),-it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a '.csv', '.ssv' or '.tsv'-filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)--   When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV-reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file path with-'csv:', 'ssv:' or 'tsv:': Eg:--$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print--   You can also override the default field separator with a separator-rule if needed.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading CSV from standard input,  Next: Reading multiple CSV files,  Prev: File Extension,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.4 Reading CSV from standard input------------------------------------------You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,-since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:--$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading multiple CSV files,  Next: Valid transactions,  Prev: Reading CSV from standard input,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.5 Reading multiple CSV files-------------------------------------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-used for all the CSV files.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid transactions,  Next: Deduplicating importing,  Prev: Reading multiple CSV files,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.6 Valid transactions-----------------------------After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the-generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing-them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.-Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying-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-assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:--$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print---File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplicating importing,  Next: Setting amounts,  Prev: Valid transactions,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.7 Deduplicating, importing-----------------------------------When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-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,-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:--# 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-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:--   * https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows-   * https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting amounts,  Next: Amount signs,  Prev: Deduplicating importing,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.8 Setting amounts--------------------------Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling-various amount-setting situations:--  1. *If the amount is in a single CSV field:*--       a. *If its sign indicates direction of flow:*-          Assign it to 'amountN', to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is-          usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.--       b. *If another field indicates direction of flow:*-          Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate-          amount sign.  Eg:--     # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":-     amount1  -%Amount-     if %Type deposit-       amount1  %Amount--  2. *If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):*--       a. *If both fields are unsigned:*-          Assign the fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out'.  This-          sets posting N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero-          value.  If it's the -out value, the amount will be negated.--       b. *If either field is signed:*-          Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg-          below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo-          hledger's automatic negating by negating once more (but only-          if the field is non-empty, so that we don't leave a minus sign-          by itself):--     fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-     if %amount1-out [1-9]-      amount1-out -%amount1-out--       c. *If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be-          empty):*-          The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is-          non-zero/non-empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such-          as '1' and 'none'.  For such cases, use conditional rules to-          help select the amount.  Eg, to handle the above you could-          select the value containing non-zero digits:--     fields date, description, in, out-     if %in [1-9]-      amount1 %in-     if %out [1-9]-      amount1 %out--  3. *If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:*-     Use the unnumbered 'amount' (or 'amount-in' and 'amount-out')-     syntax.--  4. *If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:*-     Assign to 'balanceN', to set a balance assignment on the Nth-     posting, causing the posting's amount to be calculated-     automatically.  'balance' with no number is equivalent to-     'balance1'.  In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the-     wrong default account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount signs,  Next: Setting currency/commodity,  Prev: Setting amounts,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.9 Amount signs-----------------------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'--   * *If an amount value is parenthesised:*-     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'--   * *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 '""'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting currency/commodity,  Next: Amount decimal places,  Prev: Amount signs,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.10 Setting currency/commodity--------------------------------------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:--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-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:--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' --that would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount decimal places,  Next: Referencing other fields,  Prev: Setting currency/commodity,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.11 Amount decimal places---------------------------------Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-'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-style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Referencing other fields,  Next: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Prev: Amount decimal places,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.12 Referencing other fields------------------------------------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-field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the-hledger field:--# Name the third CSV field "amount1"-fields date,description,amount1--# Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-amount1 %amount1 USD--# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-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:--comment A-comment B-if something- comment C---File: hledger.info,  Node: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Next: Well factored rules,  Prev: Referencing other fields,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.13 How CSV rules are evaluated---------------------------------------Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-to).  First,--   * '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-repeated, the last one wins:--   * '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-     the last one.-   * compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was-     assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a-     default-   * generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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-successfully, the transactions are passed as input to whichever hledger-command the user specified.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Well factored rules,  Prev: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Up: Working with CSV--11.17.14 Well factored rules-------------------------------Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules-files:--   * Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a-     'common.rules', and adding 'include common.rules' to each CSV's-     rules file.--   * Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the-     frequently used parts.---File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules examples,  Prev: Working with CSV,  Up: CSV--11.18 CSV rules examples-========================--* Menu:--* Bank of Ireland::-* Coinbase::-* Amazon::-* Paypal::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Bank of Ireland,  Next: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.1 Bank of Ireland--------------------------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-skip--# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--# We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"-# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-#-# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-#-# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--# date is in UK/Ireland format-date-format  %d/%m/%Y--# set the currency-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-    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--2012-12-07 PAYMENT-    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0--   The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're-reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-imported into a journal file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Coinbase,  Next: Amazon,  Prev: Bank of Ireland,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.2 Coinbase-------------------A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.  The spot price is-recorded using cost notation.  The legacy 'amount' field name-conveniently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.--# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"--# coinbase.csv.rules-skip         1-fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-date         %Timestamp-date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-description  %Notes-account1     assets:coinbase:cc-amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency--$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP-    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP---File: hledger.info,  Node: Amazon,  Next: Paypal,  Prev: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.3 Amazon-----------------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-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","$1.00","17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL"--# amazon-orders.csv.rules--# skip one header line-skip 1--# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.-# Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.-fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--# how to parse the date-date-format %b %-d, %Y--# combine two fields to make the description-description %toorfrom %name--# save the status as a tag-comment     status:%amzstatus--# set the base account for all transactions-account1    assets:amazon-# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-# I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember--# set a generic account2-account2    expenses:misc-amount2     %amzamount-# and maybe refine it further:-#include categorisation.rules--# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-if %fees [1-9]- account3    expenses:fees- amount3     %fees--$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print-2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $20.00--2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-    assets:amazon-    expenses:misc          $25.00-    expenses:fees           $1.00---File: hledger.info,  Node: Paypal,  Prev: Amazon,  Up: CSV rules examples--11.18.4 Paypal-----------------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",""-"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""-"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""-"10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""-"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:-# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-# Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"-# Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:-# "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"-# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":-# "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"--fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--skip  1--date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--# ignore some paypal events-if-In Progress-Temporary Hold-Update to- skip--# add more fields to the description-description %description_ %itemtitle--# save some other fields as tags-comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--# convert to short currency symbols-if %currency USD- currency $-if %currency EUR- currency E-if %currency GBP- currency P--# generate postings--# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-account1 assets:online:paypal-amount1  %netamount--# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-# (account2 is set below)-amount2  -%grossamount--# if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-if %feeamount [1-9]- account3 expenses:banking:paypal- amount3  -%feeamount- comment3 business:--# choose an account for the second posting--# override the default account names:-# if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)-if %grossamount ^[^-]- account2 income:unknown-# if negative, it's an expense (a credit)-if %grossamount ^-- account2 expenses:unknown--# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-include common.rules--# apply some overrides specific to this csv--# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-# which can be disregarded in this case.-if-Bank Account-Bank Deposit to PP Account- description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle- account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking- account1 assets:online:paypal--# Currency conversions-if Currency Conversion- account2 equity:currency conversion--# common.rules--if-darcs-noble benefactor- account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub- comment2 business:--if-Calm Radio- account2 expenses:online:apps--if-electronic frontier foundation-Patreon-wikimedia-Advent of Code- account2 expenses:dues--if Google- account2 expenses:online:apps- description google | music--$ 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-    expenses:online:apps           $6.99--2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-    expenses:dues                  $7.00--2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-    expenses:dues                     $2.00-    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:---File: hledger.info,  Node: Timeclock,  Next: Timedot,  Prev: CSV,  Up: Top--12 Timeclock-************--The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.--   hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.  As with Ledger,-these are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and-clock-out entries as in the example below.  The date is a simple date.-The time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ]. Seconds and timezone are-optional.  The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored-(currently the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines-beginning with '#' or ';' or '*', and blank lines, are ignored.--i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some:account name  optional description after two spaces-o 2015/03/30 09:20:00-i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another account-o 2015/04/01 02:00:34--   hledger treats each clock-in/clock-out pair as a transaction posting-some number of hours to an account.  Or if the session spans more than-one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day.  For-the above time log, 'hledger print' generates these journal entries:--$ hledger -f t.timeclock print-2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-    (some:account name)         0.33h--2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-    (another account)         1.64h--2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-    (another account)         2.01h--   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--   To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:--   * 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"'--   * 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,  Next: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Prev: Timeclock,  Up: Top--13 Timedot-**********--'timedot' format is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.-Compared to 'timeclock' format, it is--   * convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging-   * readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.--   A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look-like this:--2021-08-04-hom:errands          .... ....-fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-per:admin:finance    --   hledger reads this as three time transactions on this day, with each-dot representing a quarter-hour spent:--$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-2021-08-04 *-    (hom:errands)            2.00--2021-08-04 *-    (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--2021-08-04 *-    (per:admin:finance)      0--   A day entry begins with a date line:--   * a non-indented *simple date* (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).--   Optionally this can be followed on the same line by--   * a common *transaction description* for this day-   * a common *transaction comment* for this day, after a semicolon-     (';').--   After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time-transaction lines, consisting of:--   * an *account name* - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style-     account name.-   * *two or more spaces* - a field separator, required if there is an-     amount (as in journal format).-   * a *timedot amount* - dots representing quarter hours, or a number-     representing hours.-   * an optional *comment* beginning with semicolon.  This is ignored.--   In more detail, timedot amounts can be:--   * *dots*: zero or more period characters, each representing one-     quarter-hour.  Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.-     Eg: '.... ..'--   * a *number*, representing hours.  Eg: '1.5'--   * a *number immediately followed by a unit symbol* 's', 'm', 'h',-     'd', 'w', 'mo', or 'y', representing seconds, minutes, hours, days-     weeks, months or years.  Eg '1.5h' or '90m'.  The following-     equivalencies are assumed:-     '60s' = '1m', '60m' = '1h', '24h' = '1d', '7d' = '1w', '30d' =-     '1mo', '365d' = '1y'.  (This unit will not be visible in the-     generated transaction amount, which is always in hours.)--   There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in-the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:--   * Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored.--   * Before the first date line, lines beginning with '*' are ignored.-     From the first date line onward, a sequence of '*''s followed by a-     space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs-     Org mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an-     Org headline, and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org-     headlines.--   * Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as-     transactions with zero amount.  (Most hledger reports hide these by-     default; add -E to see them.)--   More examples:--# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-2016/2/1-inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-fos:haskell   .... ..-biz:research  .--2016/2/2-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-**** DONE-0700 yoga-**** UNPLANNED-**** BEGUN-hom:chores- cleaning  ...- water plants-  outdoor - one full watering can-  indoor - light watering-**** TODO-adm:planning: trip-*** LATER--   Reporting:--$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-2016-02-02 *-    (inc:client1)          2.00--2016-02-02 *-    (biz:research)          0.25--$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--            ||  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 -------------++-----------------------------------------            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 --   Using period instead of colon as account name separator:--2016/2/4-fos.hledger.timedot  4-fos.ledger           ..--$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree-                4.50  fos-                4.00    hledger:timedot-                0.50    ledger----------------------                4.50--   A sample.timedot file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Next: Time periods,  Prev: Timedot,  Up: Top--14 PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-*****************************---File: hledger.info,  Node: Time periods,  Next: Depth,  Prev: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Up: Top--15 Time periods-***************--* Menu:--* Report start & end date::-* Smart dates::-* Report intervals::-* Date adjustment::-* Period expressions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Report start & end date,  Next: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods--15.1 Report start & end date-============================--By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time-represented by the journal.  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-these accept the smart date syntax (below).--   Some notes:--   * End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date-     _after_ the last day you want to see in the report.-   * As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-     _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-     2019, the smallest common time span.-   * In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall-     on interval boundaries (see below).--   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-              (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'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Smart dates,  Next: Report intervals,  Prev: Report start & end date,  Up: Time periods--15.2 Smart dates-================--hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added-convenience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative to today's date, be-written with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted-(missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some 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-day/week/month/quarter/year'-'in n                     n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years'-'n                        n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years-ahead'-'n                        -n periods from the current period-days/weeks/months/quarters/years-ago'-'20181201'                8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and-                          day-'201812'                  6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month--   Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give-surprising results:--'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-             8-digit year-'20181232'   8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-'201801012'  9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error--   "Today's date" can be overridden with the '--today' option, in case-it's needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for-periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by '--today'.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Report intervals,  Next: Date adjustment,  Prev: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods--15.3 Report intervals-=====================--A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,-balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a-separate row or column.--   The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line-flags:--   * '-D/--daily'-   * '-W/--weekly'-   * '-M/--monthly'-   * '-Q/--quarterly'-   * '-Y/--yearly'--   More complex intervals can be specified using '-p/--period',-described below.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Date adjustment,  Next: Period expressions,  Prev: Report intervals,  Up: Time periods--15.4 Date adjustment-====================--When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically-adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for producing-simple periodic reports.  More precisely:--   * an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall-     on a natural period boundary--   * an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the-     last period the same length as the others.--   By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly,-with '-b', '-e', '-p' or 'date:', will not be adjusted (since hledger-1.29).  This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods,-but it also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should-pick one that's on a period boundary if you want to see simple report-period headings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions,  Prev: Date adjustment,  Up: Time periods--15.5 Period expressions-=======================--The '-p/--period' option specifies a period expression, which is a-compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report-interval.--   Here's a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the-first quarter of 2009):--'-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'--   Several keywords like "from" and "to" are supported for readability;-these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".."  or "-".  The-spaces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.-So the following are equivalent to the above:--'-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, these are also-equivalent to the above:--'-p "1/1 4/1"'-'-p "jan-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 date in the journal:--'-p "from 2009/1/1"'   everything after january 1, 2009-'-p "since 2009/1"'    the same, since is a synonym-'-p "from 2009"'       the same-'-p "to 2009"'         everything before january 1, 2009--   You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full-date:--'-p "2009"'     the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1”-'-p "2009/1"'   the month of january 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-                2009/2/1”-'-p             the first day of 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-"2009/1/1"'     2009/1/2”--   or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):--'-p "2009Q1"'    first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to-                 2009/4/1”-'-p "q4"'        fourth quarter of the current year--* Menu:--* Period expressions with a report interval::-* More complex report intervals::-* Multiple weekday intervals::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions with a report interval,  Next: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.1 Period expressions with a report interval---------------------------------------------------A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated-from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word 'in':--'-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'-'-p "monthly in 2008"'-'-p "quarterly"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: More complex report intervals,  Next: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: Period expressions with a report interval,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.2 More complex report intervals---------------------------------------Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-such as:--   * 'biweekly' (every two weeks)-   * 'fortnightly'-   * 'bimonthly' (every two months)-   * 'every day|week|month|quarter|year'-   * 'every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years'--   Weekly on a custom day:--   * 'every Nth day of week' ('th', 'nd', 'rd', or 'st' are all accepted-     after the number)-   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME' (full or three-letter english weekday name,-     case insensitive)--   Monthly on a custom day:--   * 'every Nth day [of month]'-   * 'every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]'--   Yearly on a custom day:--   * 'every MM/DD [of year]' (month number and day of month number)-   * 'every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]' (full or three-letter english-     month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)-   * 'every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]' (equivalent to the above)--   Examples:--'-p "bimonthly from-2008"'-'-p "every 2 weeks"'-'-p "every 5 months from-2009/03"'-'-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-                            November-'-p "every 5th November"'   same-'-p "every Nov 5th"'        same--   Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is-an end date, exclusive as always):--$ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"--   Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following-tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):--$ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions--15.5.3 Multiple weekday intervals------------------------------------This special form is also supported:--   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...' (full or three-letter english-     weekday names, case insensitive)--   Also, 'weekday' and 'weekendday' are shorthand for-'mon,tue,wed,thu,fri' and 'sat,sun'.--   This is mainly intended for use with '--forecast', to generate-periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less-useful with '-p', since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal-length, which is unusual.  (Related: #1632)--   Examples:--'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be-mon,wed,fri"'      Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will-weekday"'          be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun-'-p "every         dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-weekendday"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth,  Next: Queries,  Prev: Time periods,  Up: Top--16 Depth-********--With the '--depth NUM' option (short form: '-NUM'), reports will show-accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use-this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same-effect as a 'depth:' query argument: 'depth:2', '--depth=2' or '-2' are-equivalent.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries,  Next: Pivoting,  Prev: Depth,  Up: Top--17 Queries-**********--One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise-subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query-arguments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:--   * Zero or more space-separated query terms.  These are most often-     account name substrings:--     'utilities food:groceries'--   * Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-     quotes:--     '"personal care"'--   * Regular expressions are also supported:--     '"^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"'--   * Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:--     'date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:'--   * Add a 'not:' prefix to negate a term:--     'not:cur:USD'--* Menu:--* Query types::-* Combining query terms::-* Queries and command options::-* Queries and valuation::-* Querying with account aliases::-* Querying with cost or value::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Query types,  Next: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries--17.1 Query types-================--Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be-prefixed with *'not:'* to convert them into a negative match.--   *'acct:REGEX', 'REGEX'*-Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular-expression.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and-regular expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just-write an account name substring, like 'expenses' or 'food'.--   *'amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N'*-Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or-greater than N. (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.--   *'code:REGEX'*-Match by transaction code (eg check number).--   *'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 special characters which are-regex-significant, you need to escape them with '\'.  And for characters-which are significant to your shell you may need one more level of-escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:-'hledger print cur:\\$'.--   *'desc:REGEX'*-Match transaction descriptions.--   *'date:PERIODEXPR'*-Match dates (or with the '--date2' flag, secondary dates) within the-specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report-interval.  Examples:-'date:2016', 'date:thismonth', 'date:2/1-2/15',-'date:2021-07-27..nextquarter'.--   *'date2:PERIODEXPR'*-Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the-'--date2' flag).--   *'depth:N'*-Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this-depth.--   *'note:REGEX'*-Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of '|', or-the whole description if there's no '|').--   *'payee:REGEX'*-Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of-'|', or the whole description if there's no '|').--   *'real:, real:0'*-Match real or virtual postings respectively.--   *'status:, status:!, status:*'*-Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.--   *'type:TYPECODES'*-Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).-'TYPECODES' is one or more of the single-letter account type codes-'ALERXCV', case insensitive.  Note 'type:A' and 'type:E' will also match-their respective subtypes 'C' (Cash) and 'V' (Conversion).  Certain-kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts-> Aliases and account types.--   *'tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'*-Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by-value, use 'tag:.=REGEX'.)--   When querying by tag, note that:--   * Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts-   * Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their-     transaction-   * Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.--   (*'inacct:ACCTNAME'*-A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells-hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining query terms,  Next: Queries and command options,  Prev: Query types,  Up: Queries--17.2 Combining query terms-==========================--When given multiple query terms, most commands select things which-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 is a little different, showing 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.--   Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not-support full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND-or OR in your queries).  This makes certain queries hard to express, but-here are some tricks that can help:--  1. Use a doubled 'not:' prefix.  Eg, to print only the food expenses-     paid with cash:--     $ hledger print food not:not:cash--  2. Or pre-filter the transactions with 'print', piping the result into-     a second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):--     $ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and command options,  Next: Queries and valuation,  Prev: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries--17.3 Queries and command options-================================--Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: 'depth:2' is-equivalent to '--depth 2', 'date:2020' is equivalent to '-p 2020', etc.-When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the-resulting query is their intersection.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and valuation,  Next: Querying with account aliases,  Prev: Queries and command options,  Up: Queries--17.4 Queries and valuation-==========================--When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, 'cur:' and 'amt:' match the old commodity symbol and the old-amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's-reversed, see #1625).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with account aliases,  Next: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Queries and valuation,  Up: Queries--17.5 Querying with account aliases-==================================--When account names are rewritten with '--alias' or 'alias', note that-'acct:' will match either the old or the new account name.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Querying with account aliases,  Up: Queries--17.6 Querying with cost or value-================================--When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value-reports, note that 'cur:' matches the new commodity symbol, and not the-old one, and 'amt:' matches the new quantity, and not the old one.-Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see-the discussion at #1625.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Pivoting,  Next: Generating data,  Prev: Queries,  Up: Top--18 Pivoting-***********--Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.  The-'--pivot FIELD' option substitutes some other transaction field for-account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's-value instead.  FIELD can be any of the transaction fields 'status',-'code', 'description', 'payee', 'note', or a tag name.  When pivoting on-a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first-value is displayed.  Values containing 'colon:separated:parts' will be-displayed hierarchically, like account names.--   Some examples:--2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-    assets:bank account                 2 EUR-    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe--   Normal balance report showing account names:--$ hledger balance-               2 EUR  assets:bank account-              -2 EUR  income:dues----------------------                   0--   Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:--$ hledger balance --pivot member-               2 EUR-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------                   0--   One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):--$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR--   Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted "account-name"):--$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-              -2 EUR  John Doe----------------------              -2 EUR---File: hledger.info,  Node: Generating data,  Next: Forecasting,  Prev: Pivoting,  Up: Top--19 Generating data-******************--Two features for generating transient data (visible only at report time)-are built in to hledger's journal format:--   * Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain-     transactions.  They are activated by the '--auto' flag.--   * Periodic transaction rules can generate repeating transactions,-     usually dated in the future, to help with forecasting or budgeting.-     They are activated by the '--forecast' or 'balance --budget'-     options, described next.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecasting,  Next: Budgeting,  Prev: Generating data,  Up: Top--20 Forecasting-**************--The '--forecast' flag activates any periodic transaction rules in the-journal.  These will generate temporary additional transactions, usually-recurring and in the future, which will appear in all reports.  'hledger-print --forecast' is a good way to see them.--   This can be useful for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-experimenting with different scenarios.--   It could also be useful for scripted data entry: you could describe-recurring transactions, and every so often copy the output of 'print---forecast' into the journal.--   The generated transactions will have an extra tag, like-'generated-transaction:~ PERIODICEXPR', indicating which periodic rule-generated them.  There is also a similar, hidden tag, named-'_generated-transaction:', which you can use to reliably match-transactions generated "just now" (rather than 'print'ed in the past).--   The forecast transactions are generated within a _forecast period_,-which is independent of the report period.  (Forecast period sets the-bounds for generated transactions, report period controls which-transactions are reported.)  The forecast period begins on:--   * the start date provided within '--forecast''s argument, if any-   * otherwise, the later of-        * the report start date, if specified (with '-b'/'-p'/'date:')-        * the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal,-          if any--   * otherwise today.--   It ends on:--   * the end date provided within '--forecast''s argument, if any-   * otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with-     '-e'/'-p'/'date:')-   * otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.--   Note, this means that ordinary transactions will suppress periodic-transactions, by default; the periodic transactions will not start until-after the last ordinary transaction.  This is usually convenient, but-you can get around it in two ways:--   * If you need to record some transactions in the future, make them-     periodic transactions (with a single occurrence, eg: '~-     YYYY-MM-DD') rather than ordinary transactions.  That way they-     won't suppress other periodic transactions.--   * Or give '--forecast' a period expression argument.  A forecast-     period specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions, and-     need not be in the future.  Some things to note:--        * You must use '=' between flag and argument; a space won't-          work.-        * The period expression can specify the forecast period's start-          date, end date, or both.  See also Report start & end date.-        * The period expression should not specify a report interval.-          (Each periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)--   Some examples: '--forecast=202001-202004', '--forecast=jan-',-'--forecast=2021'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgeting,  Next: Cost reporting,  Prev: Forecasting,  Up: Top--21 Budgeting-************--With the balance command's '--budget' report, each periodic transaction-rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and goals-and actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc-below.--   See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost reporting,  Next: Valuation,  Prev: Budgeting,  Up: Top--22 Cost reporting-*****************--This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions-where one commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of-currency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:--   * Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.-     Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-     cryptocurrency.--   * Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more-     conversions.--   * Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other,-     ie the exchange rate.--   * Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.-     And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the-     "secondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a-     purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.-     Also, the "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.--* Menu:--* -B Convert to cost::-* Equity conversion postings::-* Inferring equity postings from cost::-* Inferring cost from equity postings::-* When to infer cost/equity::-* How to record conversions::-* Cost tips::---File: hledger.info,  Node: -B Convert to cost,  Next: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.1 -B: Convert to cost-========================--As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can-also record the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding '@-UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE'.--   Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding-the '-B/--cost' flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).-Eg:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each--$ hledger bal -N-               $-135  assets:dollars-                €100  assets:euros-$ hledger bal -N -B-               $-135  assets:dollars-                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost--   Notes:--   -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros--$ hledger bal -N -B-               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price-                €100  assets:euros--   The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks: it does-not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting-equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Equity conversion postings,  Next: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Prev: -B Convert to cost,  Up: Cost reporting--22.2 Equity conversion postings-===============================--By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a-different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance-conversion transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be-written:--2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-    assets:dollars      $-135-    equity:conversion    $135-    equity:conversion   €-100-    assets:euros         €100--   This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and makes cost-reporting more difficult for PTA tools.--   Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to-the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.--   You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at-the same time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But be-sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see a-not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Next: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Prev: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.3 Inferring equity postings from cost-========================================--With '--infer-equity', hledger detects transactions written with PTA-cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:--2022-01-01-  assets:dollars  -$135-  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35--$ hledger print --infer-equity-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars                    $-135-    assets:euros               €100 @ $1.35-    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:-    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:--   The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion-account type declaration.--   -infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded-using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and-balance reports' zero total, or to produce more conventional journal-entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Next: When to infer cost/equity,  Prev: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Up: Cost reporting--22.4 Inferring cost from equity postings-========================================--The reverse operation is possible using '--infer-costs', which detects-transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds cost-notation to them:--2022-01-01-    assets:dollars            $-135-    equity:conversion          $135-    equity:conversion         €-100-    assets:euros               €100--$ hledger print --infer-costs-2022-01-01-    assets:dollars       $-135 @@ €100-    equity:conversion             $135-    equity:conversion            €-100-    assets:euros                  €100--   -infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/-cost, allowing cost-reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity-postings:--$ hledger print --infer-costs -B-2009-01-01-    assets:dollars           €-100-    assets:euros              €100--   Notes:--   For '--infer-costs' to work, an exchange must consist of four-postings:--  1. two non-equity postings-  2. two equity postings, next to one another-  3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type-     'V'/'Conversion' (or if they are not declared, they must be named-     'equity:conversion', 'equity:trade', 'equity:trading' or-     subaccounts of these)-  4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity-     postings' amounts.--   Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.--   When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added-to the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the-commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.  If-you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can use-explicit cost notation instead.--   -infer-equity and -infer-costs can be used together, if you have a-mixture of both notations in your journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: When to infer cost/equity,  Next: How to record conversions,  Prev: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Up: Cost reporting--22.5 When to infer cost/equity-==============================--Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled-by default.  We're not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two-suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:--  1. When you use -B, always use -infer-costs as well.  Eg: 'hledger bal-     -B --infer-costs'--  2. Always run hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: 'alias hl="hledger-     --infer-equity --infer-costs"'---File: hledger.info,  Node: How to record conversions,  Next: Cost tips,  Prev: When to infer cost/equity,  Up: Cost reporting--22.6 How to record conversions-==============================--Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in-hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.--* Menu:--* Conversion with implicit cost::-* Conversion with explicit cost::-* Conversion with equity postings::-* Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with implicit cost,  Next: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.1 Conversion with implicit cost---------------------------------------Let's assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD. You can just record the-outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the appropriate asset account:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash    -100 EUR-    assets:cash     120 USD--   hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. You can see the inferred rate-by using 'hledger print -x'.--   Pro:--   * Concise, easy--   Con:--   * Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not-     be detected-   * Conversion rate is not clear-   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity-     flag--   You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped-commodity symbol, by using 'hledger check commodities'.--   You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using 'hledger-check balancednoautoconversion', or '-s/--strict'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with explicit cost,  Next: Conversion with equity postings,  Prev: Conversion with implicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.2 Conversion with explicit cost---------------------------------------You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an-error otherwise.--   Pro:--   * Still concise-   * Makes the conversion rate clear-   * Provides more error checking--   Con:--   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity-     flag---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings,  Next: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.3 Conversion with equity postings-----------------------------------------In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not-balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD-appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents-reports like 'balancesheetequity' from showing a zero total.--   The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for-each commodity, using an equity account:--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Pro:--   * Preserves the accounting equation-   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-   * Standard, works in any double entry accounting system--   Con:--   * More verbose-   * Conversion rate is not obvious-   * Cost reporting requires adding the -infer-costs flag---File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with equity postings,  Up: How to record conversions--22.6.4 Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-----------------------------------------------------------Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.--2021-01-01-    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-    equity:conversion   100 EUR-    equity:conversion  -120 USD-    assets:cash         120 USD--   Pro:--   * Preserves the accounting equation-   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place-   * Makes the conversion rate clear-   * Provides more error checking--   Con:--   * Most verbose-   * Not compatible with ledger---File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost tips,  Prev: How to record conversions,  Up: Cost reporting--22.7 Cost tips-==============--   * Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it-     makes that clear and helps detect errors.-   * Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping-     and preserves the accounting equation.-   * Combining these is possible.-   * When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use-     '-B' (short form of '--cost').-   * If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add-     '--infer-costs' also.-   * If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want-     to see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries,-     use '--infer-equity'.-   * Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation,  Next: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Prev: Cost reporting,  Up: Top--23 Valuation-************--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:--* Menu:--* -V Value::-* -X Value in specified commodity::-* Valuation date::-* Finding market price::-* --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions::-* Valuation commodity::-* Simple valuation examples::-* --value Flexible valuation::-* More valuation examples::-* Interaction of valuation and queries::-* Effect of valuation on reports::---File: hledger.info,  Node: -V Value,  Next: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.1 -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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: -X Value in specified commodity,  Next: Valuation date,  Prev: -V Value,  Up: Valuation--23.2 -X: Value in specified commodity-=====================================--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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation date,  Next: Finding market price,  Prev: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.3 Valuation date-===================--Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports-have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-prices will be used.--   For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Finding market price,  Next: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Prev: Valuation date,  Up: Valuation--23.4 Finding market price-=========================--To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in-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-prices' flag) inferred-     from costs.--  2. A _reverse market price_: the inverse of a declared or inferred-     market price from B to A.--  3. A _forward chain of market prices_: a synthetic price formed by-     combining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market-     prices, leading from A to B.--  4. _Any chain of market prices_: a chain of any market prices,-     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.--   Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not-converted.---File: hledger.info,  Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Next: Valuation commodity,  Prev: Finding market price,  Up: Valuation--23.5 -infer-market-prices: 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-chore, and since transactions usually take place at close to market-value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as-Ledger does) ?  Adding the '--infer-market-prices' flag to '-V', '-X' or-'--value' enables this.--   So for example, 'hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices' will get market-prices both from P directives and from transactions.  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-you, read all of this Valuation section carefully, and try adding-'--debug' or '--debug=2' to troubleshoot.--   '--infer-market-prices' can infer market prices from:--   * 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 equity postings, if cost is-     inferred with '--infer-costs'.--   There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is-not specified, prices inferred with '--infer-market-prices' do not help-select a default valuation commodity, as 'P' prices would.  So-conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected-('--debug=2' will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation-commmodity, eg:--   * '-X EUR --infer-market-prices', not '-V --infer-market-prices'-   * '--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices', not '--value=then-     --infer-market-prices'--   Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here-is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should-work differently, see #1870.)--2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 @ A 1--2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B -1 @@ A 1---2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 @ A -1--2022-01-02 Negative total prices-    a        A 1-    b        B 1 @@ A -1---2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 @ A -1--2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-    a        A -1-    b        B -1 @@ A -1--   All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each-day, the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the-market prices inferred for B:--$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-P 2022-01-01 B A 1-P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-P 2022-01-02 B A -1-P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-P 2022-01-03 B A -1-P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation commodity,  Next: Simple valuation examples,  Prev: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Up: Valuation--23.6 Valuation commodity-========================--*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'):*-For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as-follows, in this order of preference:--  1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A-     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-     prices before the valuation date.)--  3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-     '--infer-market-prices' 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'-     will convert, and to what.--   * If you have no P directives, and use the '--infer-market-prices'-     flag, costs determine it.--   Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not-converted.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple valuation examples,  Next: --value Flexible valuation,  Prev: Valuation commodity,  Up: Valuation--23.7 Simple valuation examples-==============================--Here are some quick examples of '-V':--; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-P 2016/11/01 € $1.10--; purchase some euros on nov 3-2016/11/3-    assets:euros        €100-    assets:checking--; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-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-             $110.00  assets:euros--   What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?  (no report end date-specified, defaults to today)--$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-             $103.00  assets:euros---File: hledger.info,  Node: --value Flexible valuation,  Next: More valuation examples,  Prev: Simple valuation examples,  Up: Valuation--23.8 -value: Flexible valuation-===============================--'-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.-                      Shows amounts converted to:-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date--   The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:--'--value=then'--     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity,-     using market prices on each posting's date.-'--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'--     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity-     using current market prices (as of when report is generated).-'--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-this commodity, deducing market prices as described above.---File: hledger.info,  Node: More valuation examples,  Next: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Prev: --value Flexible valuation,  Up: Valuation--23.9 More valuation examples-============================--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-P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--2000-01-01-  (a)      1 A @ 5 B--2000-02-01-  (a)      1 A @ 6 B--2000-03-01-  (a)      1 A @ 7 B--   Show the cost of each posting:--$ hledger -f- print --cost-2000-01-01-    (a)             5 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             6 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             7 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             2 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             3 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             3 B--   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--2000-02-01-    (a)             4 B--2000-03-01-    (a)             4 B--   Show the value on 2000/01/15:--$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-2000-01-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-02-01-    (a)             1 B--2000-03-01-    (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:--P 2000-01-01 A 2B--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b--$ hledger print -x -X A-2000-01-01-    a               0-    b               0--   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-commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:--P 2000-01-01 A 2B-commodity 0.00A--2000-01-01-  a  1B-  b--$ hledger print -X A-2000-01-01-    a           0.50A-    b          -0.50A---File: hledger.info,  Node: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Next: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: More valuation examples,  Up: Valuation--23.10 Interaction of valuation and queries-==========================================--When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,-the following happens.--  1. The query is separated into two parts:-       1. the currency ('cur:') or amount ('amt:').-       2. all other parts.--  2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based-     on pre-valued amounts.-  3. Valuation is applied to the postings.-  4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on-     post-valued amounts.--   See: 1625---File: hledger.info,  Node: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Up: Valuation--23.11 Effect of valuation on reports-====================================--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.--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-balance    unchanged    unchanged    unchanged          unchanged    unchanged-assertions/assignments-*register*-starting   cost         value at     valued at day      value at     value-balance                 report or    each historical    report or    at-(-H)                    journal      posting was made   journal      DATE/today-                        end                             end-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-with                    journal                         journal-report                  start                           start-interval-posting    cost         value at     value at posting   value at     value-amounts                 report or    date               report or    at-                        journal                         journal      DATE/today-                        end                             end-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-running    sum/average  sum/average  sum/average of     sum/average  sum/average-total/averageof         of           displayed values   of           of-           displayed    displayed                       displayed    displayed-           values       values                          values       values-*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-                                                                     postings-budget     like         like         like balance       like         like-amounts    balance      balance      changes            balances     balance-(-budget)  changes      changes                                      changes-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-(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-           start to                  posting dates                   postings-           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-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-a zero starting balance.--   *Glossary:*--_cost_--     calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).-_value_--     market value using available market price declarations, or the-     unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.-_report start_--     the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or-     date:, otherwise today.-_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_--     the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,-     otherwise today.-_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_--     a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the-     report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many-     subperiods).---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Next: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: Valuation,  Up: Top--24 PART 4: COMMANDS-*******************--* Menu:--* Commands overview::-* accounts::-* activity::-* add::-* aregister::-* balance::-* balancesheet::-* balancesheetequity::-* cashflow::-* check::-* close::-* codes::-* commodities::-* descriptions::-* diff::-* files::-* help::-* import::-* incomestatement::-* notes::-* payees::-* prices::-* print::-* register::-* rewrite::-* roi::-* stats::-* tags::-* test::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands overview,  Next: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.1 Commands overview-======================--Here are the built-in commands:--* Menu:--* DATA ENTRY::-* DATA CREATION::-* DATA MANAGEMENT::-* REPORTS FINANCIAL::-* REPORTS VERSATILE::-* REPORTS BASIC::-* HELP::-* ADD-ONS::---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA ENTRY,  Next: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.1 DATA ENTRY--------------------These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your-journal file.--   * add - add transactions using terminal prompts-   * import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA CREATION,  Next: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Prev: DATA ENTRY,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.2 DATA CREATION-----------------------   * close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions-   * rewrite - generate auto postings, like print -auto---File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Next: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Prev: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.3 DATA MANAGEMENT-------------------------   * check - check for various kinds of error in the data-   * diff - compare account transactions in two journal files---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Next: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Prev: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.4 REPORTS, FINANCIAL----------------------------   * 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---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Next: REPORTS BASIC,  Prev: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.5 REPORTS, VERSATILE----------------------------   * balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets,-     gains..-   * print - show transactions or export journal data-   * register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running-     total-   * roi - show return on investments---File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS BASIC,  Next: HELP,  Prev: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.6 REPORTS, BASIC------------------------   * accounts - show account names-   * activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period-   * codes - show transaction codes-   * commodities - show commodity/currency symbols-   * descriptions - show transaction descriptions-   * files - show input file paths-   * notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions-   * payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions-   * prices - show market prices-   * stats - show journal statistics-   * tags - show tag names-   * test - run self tests---File: hledger.info,  Node: HELP,  Next: ADD-ONS,  Prev: REPORTS BASIC,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.7 HELP--------------   * help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager---File: hledger.info,  Node: ADD-ONS,  Prev: HELP,  Up: Commands overview--24.1.8 ADD-ONS-----------------And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed-by the hledger-install script.  If installed, they will appear in-hledger's commands list:--   * ui - run hledger's terminal UI-   * web - run hledger's web UI-   * iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)-   * interest - generate interest transactions-   * stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage-   * Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-     pijul, plot, and more..--   Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.---File: hledger.info,  Node: accounts,  Next: activity,  Prev: Commands overview,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.2 accounts-=============--Show account names.--   This command lists account names.  By default it shows all known-accounts, either used in transactions or declared with account-directives.--   With query arguments, only matched account names and account names-referenced by matched postings are shown.--   Or it can show just the used accounts ('--used'/'-u'), the declared-accounts ('--declared'/'-d'), the accounts declared but not used-('--unused'), the accounts used but not declared ('--undeclared'), or-the first account matched by an account name pattern, if any ('--find').--   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'.--   With '--types', it also shows each account's type, if it's known.-(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)--   With '--positions', it also shows the file and line number of each-account's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration-order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.--   With '--directives', it adds the 'account' keyword, showing valid-account directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is-useful together with '--undeclared' when updating your account-declarations to satisfy 'hledger check accounts'.--   The '--find' flag can be used to look up a single account name, in-the same way that the 'aregister' command does.  It returns the-alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none can be found, it-fails with a non-zero exit code.--   Examples:--$ hledger accounts-assets:bank:checking-assets:bank:saving-assets:cash-expenses:food-expenses:supplies-income:gifts-income:salary-liabilities:debts--$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-$ hledger check accounts---File: hledger.info,  Node: activity,  Next: add,  Prev: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.3 activity-=============--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.--   Examples:--$ hledger activity --quarterly-2008-01-01 **-2008-04-01 *******-2008-07-01 -2008-10-01 **---File: hledger.info,  Node: add,  Next: aregister,  Prev: activity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.4 add-========--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-transactions, and appends them to the main journal file (which should be-in journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This is one-of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also-'import').--   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:--   * 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,-     payees/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.-   * 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-     backward.-   * Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal-     supports it.--   Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):--$ hledger add-Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-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]: -Description: supermarket-Account 1: expenses:food-Amount  1: $10-Account 2: assets:checking-Amount  2 [$-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]: -Saved.-Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $--   On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the-file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).---File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister,  Next: balance,  Prev: add,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.5 aregister-==============--(areg)--   Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single-account, with each transaction displayed as one line.--   'aregister' shows the overall transactions affecting a particular-account (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one-transaction in this account.  Transactions before the report start date-are always included in the running balance ('--historical' mode is-always on).--   This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the 'register'-command (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple-accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of-thumb: - use 'aregister' for reviewing and reconciling real-world-asset/liability accounts - use 'register' for reviewing detailed-revenues/expenses.--   'aregister' requires one argument: the account to report on.  You can-write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive regular-expression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.--   When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can-be surprising; eg if you have 'assets:per:checking 1' and-'assets:biz:checking 2' accounts, 'hledger areg checking' would select-'assets:biz:checking 2'.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if-in doubt, write the full account name, or a distinctive substring that-matches uniquely.--   Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be-shown.  'aregister' ignores depth limits, so its final total will always-match a balance report with similar arguments.--   Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the-transactions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance,-causing it to be different from the account's real-world running-balance.--   An example: this shows the transactions and historical running-balance during july, in the first account whose name contains-"checking":--$ hledger areg checking date:jul--   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.--   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the-'--align-all' flag.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options.  The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and 'json'.--* Menu:--* aregister and custom posting dates::---File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister and custom posting dates,  Up: aregister--24.5.1 aregister and custom posting dates--------------------------------------------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.--   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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance,  Next: balancesheet,  Prev: aregister,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.6 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-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'.--* Menu:--* balance features::-* Simple balance report::-* Balance report line format::-* Filtered balance report::-* List or tree mode::-* Depth limiting::-* Dropping top-level accounts::-* Showing declared accounts::-* Sorting by amount::-* Percentages::-* Multi-period balance report::-* Balance change end balance::-* Balance report types::-* Budget report::-* Data layout::-* Useful balance reports::---File: hledger.info,  Node: balance features,  Next: Simple balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.1 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-higher-level commands as well.--   'balance' can show..--   * 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 unrealised capital gain/loss ('--gain')--   ..in..--   * one time period (the whole journal period by default)-   * 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')--   ..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')--   ..with..--   * 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')-   * commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines-     ('--layout')--   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,-negative amounts are shown in red.--   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the balance of the _other_ postings-in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple balance report,  Next: Balance report line format,  Prev: balance features,  Up: balance--24.6.2 Simple balance report-------------------------------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.  ("Simple" here-means just one column of numbers, covering a single period.  You can-also have multi-period reports, described later.)--   For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be 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-examples/sample.journal):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  --   Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree-mode - see below) are hidden by default.  Use '-E/--empty' to show them-(revealing 'assets:bank:checking' here):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                   0  assets:bank:checking-                  $1  assets:bank:saving-                 $-2  assets:cash-                  $1  expenses:food-                  $1  expenses:supplies-                 $-1  income:gifts-                 $-1  income:salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0  --   The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-'-N'/'--no-total' is used.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report line format,  Next: Filtered balance report,  Prev: Simple balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.3 Balance report line format------------------------------------For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you-can use '--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each line.-Eg:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"-              assets          $-1-         bank:saving           $1-                cash          $-2-            expenses           $2-                food           $1-            supplies           $1-              income          $-2-               gifts          $-1-              salary          $-1-   liabilities:debts           $1-----------------------------------                                0--   The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each-account/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data-fields interpolated like so:--   '%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)'--   * MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)--   * MAX truncates at this width (optional)--   * FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:--        * 'depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's-          depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.-        * 'account' - the account's name-        * 'total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified--   Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how-multi-commodity amounts are rendered:--   * '%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)-   * '%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned-   * '%,' - render on one line, comma-separated--   There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, '%(depth_spacer)' has no-effect, instead '%(account)' has indentation built in.  Experimentation-may be needed to get pleasing results.--   Some example formats:--   * '%(total)' - the account's total-   * '%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to-     20 characters and clipped at 20 characters-   * '%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50-     characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple-     commodities rendered on one line-   * '%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for-     the single-column balance report---File: hledger.info,  Node: Filtered balance report,  Next: List or tree mode,  Prev: Balance report line format,  Up: balance--24.6.4 Filtered balance report---------------------------------You can show fewer accounts, a different time period, totals from-cleared transactions only, etc.  by using query arguments or options to-limit the postings being matched.  Eg:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                 $-2  assets:cash----------------------                 $-2  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: List or tree mode,  Next: Depth limiting,  Prev: Filtered balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.5 List or tree mode---------------------------By default, or with '-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with-their full names visible, as in the examples above.--   With '-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts'-"leaf" names indented below their parent:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                   0--   Notes:--   * "Boring" accounts are combined with their subaccount for more-     compact output, unless '--no-elide' is used.  Boring accounts have-     no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg 'assets:bank'-     and 'liabilities' above).--   * All balances shown are "inclusive", ie including the balances from-     all subaccounts.  Note this means some repetition in the output,-     which requires explanation when sharing reports with-     non-plaintextaccounting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is-     the sum of the top-level balances shown, not of all the balances-     shown.--   * Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is-     sorted separately.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth limiting,  Next: Dropping top-level accounts,  Prev: List or tree mode,  Up: balance--24.6.6 Depth limiting------------------------With a 'depth:NUM' query, or '--depth NUM' option, or just '-NUM' (eg:-'-3') balance reports will show accounts only to the specified depth,-hiding the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful for getting an-overview without too much detail.--   Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from-any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                 $-1  assets-                  $2  expenses-                 $-2  income-                  $1  liabilities----------------------                   0  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Dropping top-level accounts,  Next: Showing declared accounts,  Prev: Depth limiting,  Up: balance--24.6.7 Dropping top-level accounts-------------------------------------You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using-'--drop NUM'.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level-account names:--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                  $1  food-                  $1  supplies----------------------                  $2  ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Showing declared accounts,  Next: Sorting by amount,  Prev: Dropping top-level accounts,  Up: balance--24.6.8 Showing declared accounts-----------------------------------With '--declared', accounts which have been declared with an account-directive will be included in the balance report, even if they have no-transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-'-E/--empty' to see them.)--   More precisely, _leaf_ declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will-be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.--   The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete" balance-report, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared-accounts yet.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Sorting by amount,  Next: Percentages,  Prev: Showing declared accounts,  Up: balance--24.6.9 Sorting by amount---------------------------With '-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive)-balances are shown first.  Eg: 'hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your-biggest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity-is present, they will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity-first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount is missing a-commodity, it is treated as 0).--   Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so-'-S' shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can add-'--invert' to flip the signs.  (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,-which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: 'hledger incomestatement -MAS').---File: hledger.info,  Node: Percentages,  Next: Multi-period balance report,  Prev: Sorting by amount,  Up: balance--24.6.10 Percentages----------------------With '-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value expressed-as a percentage of the (column) total.--   Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a-column have mixed signs.  In this case, make a separate report for each-sign, eg:--$ 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-separate report for each commodity:--$ hledger bal -% cur:\\$-$ hledger bal -% cur:€---File: hledger.info,  Node: Multi-period balance report,  Next: Balance change end balance,  Prev: Percentages,  Up: balance--24.6.11 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):--$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-Balance changes in 2008:--                   ||  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 --------------------++----------------------------------                   ||     $-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.-   * Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless-     '-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.--   Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy-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'-   * 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-     && open a.html'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance change end balance,  Next: Balance report types,  Prev: Multi-period balance report,  Up: balance--24.6.12 Balance change, end balance--------------------------------------It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in-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.--   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!)--   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-historical end balances:--  1. Initialise account starting balances with an "opening balances"-     transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the-     journal covers the account's full lifetime.--  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-     ignored when summing postings.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report types,  Next: Budget report,  Prev: Balance change end balance,  Up: balance--24.6.13 Balance report types-------------------------------The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to-control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated, don't-worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does typically take some-time and experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.--   There are three important option groups:--   'hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE]-...'--* Menu:--* Calculation type::-* Accumulation type::-* Valuation type::-* Combining balance report types::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Calculation type,  Next: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.1 Calculation type-..........................--The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:--   * '--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*)-   * '--budget' : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount-     (for each account/period)-   * '--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance-     values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price-     fluctuations)-   * '--gain' : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current-     valued balance minus each amount's original cost)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Accumulation type,  Next: Valuation type,  Prev: Calculation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.2 Accumulation type-...........................--How amounts should accumulate across report periods.  Another way to say-it: which time period's postings should contribute to each cell's-calculation.  It is one of:--   * '--change' : calculate with postings from column start to column-     end, ie "just this column".  Typically used to see-     revenues/expenses.  (*default for balance, incomestatement*)--   * '--cumulative' : calculate with postings from report start to-     column end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used-     to show changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not-     often used.--   * '--historical/-H' : calculate with postings from journal start to-     column end, ie "all postings from before report start date until-     this column's end".  Typically used to see historical end balances-     of assets/liabilities/equity.  (*default for balancesheet,-     balancesheetequity, cashflow*)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation type,  Next: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.3 Valuation type-........................--Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before-displaying the report.  It is one of:--   * no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (*default*)-   * '--value=cost[,COMM]' : convert amounts to cost (then optionally to-     some other commodity)-   * '--value=then[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on-     transaction dates-   * '--value=end[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on period-     end date(s)-     (*default with '--valuechange', '--gain'*)-   * '--value=now[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on today's-     date-   * '--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on-     another date--   or one of the equivalent simpler flags:--   * '-B/--cost' : like -value=cost (though, note -cost and -value are-     independent options which can both be used at once)-   * '-V/--market' : like -value=end-   * '-X COMM/--exchange COMM' : like -value=end,COMM--   See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Valuation type,  Up: Balance report types--24.6.13.4 Combining balance report types-........................................--Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,-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'--   For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and-valuation show:--Valuation:>no valuation    '--value= then'   '--value= end'   '--value=-Accumulation:v                                                YYYY-MM-DD-                                                              /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---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report,  Next: Data layout,  Prev: Balance report types,  Up: balance--24.6.14 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 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-  expenses:food    $400-  expenses:bus     $50-  expenses:movies  $30-  assets:bank:checking--;; Two months worth of expenses-2017-11-01-  income  $1950-  expenses:food    $396-  expenses:bus     $49-  expenses:movies  $30-  expenses:supplies  $20-  assets:bank:checking--2017-12-01-  income  $2100-  expenses:food    $412-  expenses:bus     $53-  expenses:gifts   $100-  assets:bank:checking--   You can now see a monthly budget report:--$ hledger balance -M --budget-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] --   This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:--   * Only accounts with budget goals during the report period are shown,-     by default.--   * In each column, in square brackets after the actual amount, budget-     goal amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.  (Note:-     budget goals should be in the same commodity as the actual amount.)--   * All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.  Eg-     assets, assets:bank, and expenses above.--   * Amounts always include all subaccounts, budgeted or unbudgeted,-     even in list mode.--   This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!  Eg-above, the 'expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies-transactions, but the 'expenses:gifts' and 'expenses:supplies' accounts-are not shown, as they have no budget amounts declared.--   This can be confusing.  When you need to make things clearer, use the-'-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted-ones, giving the full picture.  Eg:--$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      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  $2000] -----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] --   You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with '--cumulative':--$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative-Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                      ||                      Nov                       Dec -======================++====================================================- 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] --   It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses--hledger bal -M --budget expenses--   or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):--hledger bal -M --budget type:rx--   It's also common to limit or convert them to a single currency-('cur:COMM' or '-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]').  If showing multiple-currencies, '--layout bare' or '--layout tall' can help.--   For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.--* Menu:--* Budget report start date::-* Budgets and subaccounts::-* Selecting budget goals::-* Budget vs forecast::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report start date,  Next: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.1 Budget report start date-..................................--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-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-default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:--~ monthly in 2020-  (expenses:food)  $500--2020-01-15-  expenses:food    $400-  assets:checking--$ hledger bal expenses --budget-Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--              || 2020-01-15 -==============++============- <unbudgeted> ||       $400 ---------------++-------------              ||       $400 --   To avoid this, specify the budget report's period, or at least the-start date, with '-b'/'-e'/'-p'/'date:', to ensure it includes the-budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want.  Eg,-adding '-b 2020/1/1' to the above:--$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 -===============++========================- expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] ----------------++-------------------------               ||     $400 [80% of $500] ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgets and subaccounts,  Next: Selecting budget goals,  Prev: Budget report start date,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.2 Budgets and subaccounts-.................................--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.--   In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-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-    liabilities--   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.--   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-    liabilities--2019/01/01 Google home hub-    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-    liabilities                           $-90.00--2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-    liabilities--2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-    liabilities--2019/01/03 Flowers-    expenses:personal          $30.00-    liabilities--   As you can see, we have transactions in-'expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and 'expenses:personal:train-tickets', and since both of these accounts are without explicitly-defined budget, these transactions would be counted towards budgets of-'expenses:personal:electronics' and 'expenses:personal' accordingly:--$ hledger balance --budget -M-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] --------------------------------++--------------------------------                               ||        0 [                 0] --   And with '--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation-and consumption:--$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty-Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                        ||                           Jan -========================================++===============================- 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 $-1100.00] -----------------------------------------++--------------------------------                                        ||        0 [                 0] ---File: hledger.info,  Node: Selecting budget goals,  Next: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.3 Selecting budget goals-................................--The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate-special "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each-account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting, you can use-'print --forecast' to show these as forecasted transactions:--$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated--   By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report-interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly-periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly-budget report.--   You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-the '--budget' flag.  '--budget=DESCPAT' will match all periodic rules-whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-regular expression or query).  This means you can give your periodic-rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then-select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Selecting budget goals,  Up: Budget report--24.6.14.4 Budget vs forecast-............................--'hledger --forecast ...' and 'hledger balance --budget ...' are separate-features, though both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined-in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions for-reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal-transactions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same-time if you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger-1.29:--   CLI:--   * -forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command-   * -budget is a 'balance' command option, usable only with that-     command.--   Visibility of generated transactions:--   * forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary-     transactions-   * budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts-     they produce in -budget reports.--   Periodic transaction rules:--   * -forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules-   * -budget uses all periodic rules ('--budget') or a selected subset-     ('--budget=DESCPAT')--   Period of generated transactions:--   * -forecast generates forecast transactions-        * from after the last regular transaction to the end of the-          report period ('--forecast')-        * or, during a specified period ('--forecast=PERIODEXPR')-        * possibly further restricted by a period specified in the-          periodic transaction rule-        * and always restricted within the bounds of the report period--   * -budget generates budget goal transactions-        * throughout the report period-        * possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic-          transaction rule.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Data layout,  Next: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Budget report,  Up: balance--24.6.15 Data layout----------------------The '--layout' option affects how balance reports show multi-commodity-amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can-also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has-four possible values:--   * '--layout=wide[,WIDTH]': commodities are shown on a single line,-     optionally elided to WIDTH-   * '--layout=tall': each commodity is shown on a separate line-   * '--layout=bare': commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts-     are bare numbers-   * '--layout=tidy': data is normalised to easily-consumed "tidy" form,-     with one row per data value--   Here are the '--layout' modes supported by each output format; note-only CSV output supports all of them:---      txt   csv   html   json   sql-----------------------------------------wide   Y     Y     Y-tall   Y     Y     Y-bare   Y     Y     Y-tidy         Y--   Examples:--   * Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total -     ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT -     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT --   * Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some-     commodities will be hidden:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total -     ==================++===========================================================================================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. -     ------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. --   * Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in-     each column), and account names are repeated:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       ||       2012        2013         2014        Total -     ==================++==================================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -      Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -      Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -      Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -      Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT -     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------                       || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD -                       || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT -                       ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD -                       || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA -                       ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT --   * Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each-     commodity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:-     -                       || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total -     ==================++=============================================-      Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -      Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -      Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 -     ------------------++----------------------------------------------                       || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 -                       || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 -                       || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 -                       || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 -                       || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 --   * Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing-     data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-     "account","commodity","balance"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"-     "total","GLD","70.00"-     "total","ITOT","17.00"-     "total","USD","5120.50"-     "total","VEA","36.00"-     "total","VHT","294.00"--   * Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable-     has its own column and each row represents a single data point.-     See-     https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html-     for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other software to-     consume.  Here's how it looks:--     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-     "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"-     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Data layout,  Up: balance--24.6.16 Useful balance reports---------------------------------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 -H assets liabilities'-     Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.  Also-     available as the 'balancesheet' command.--   * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities equity'-     Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.-     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.--   Also:--   * 'bal -M expenses -2 -SA'-     Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average-     amount.--   * 'bal -M --budget expenses'-     Show monthly expenses and budget goals.--   * 'bal -M --valuechange investments'-     Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.--   * 'bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA-     [--invert]'-     Show top gainers [or losers] last week---File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheet,  Next: balancesheetequity,  Prev: balance,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.7 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-sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash' or-'Liability' type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are-declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset' or 'liability' (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger balancesheet-Balance Sheet--Assets:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with-smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their sign-flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheetequity,  Next: cashflow,  Prev: balancesheet,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.8 balancesheetequity-=======================--(bse)--   This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending-balances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown-with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash',-'Liability' or 'Equity' type (see account types).  Or if no such-accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset',-'liability' or 'equity' (case insensitive, plurals allowed) and their-subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger balancesheetequity-Balance Sheet With Equity--Assets:-                 $-2  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-3    cash----------------------                 $-2--Liabilities:-                  $1  liabilities:debts----------------------                  $1--Equity:-          $1  equity:owner----------------------          $1--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but-with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with-their sign flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: cashflow,  Next: check,  Prev: balancesheetequity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.9 cashflow-=============--(cf)--   This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid, easily convertible) assets.-Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional-financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Cash' type (see account-types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts--   * under a top-level account named 'asset' (case insensitive, plural-     allowed)-   * whose name contains some variation of 'cash', 'bank', 'checking' or-     'saving'.--   More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular-expression:--   '^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)'--   and their subaccounts.--   An example cashflow report:--$ hledger cashflow-Cashflow Statement--Cash flows:-                 $-1  assets-                  $1    bank:saving-                 $-2    cash----------------------                 $-1--Total:----------------------                 $-1--   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-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'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: check,  Next: close,  Prev: cashflow,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.10 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-argument(s).--   Some examples:--hledger check      # basic checks-hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks--   If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to-run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.--   Here are the checks currently available:--* Menu:--* Basic checks::-* Strict checks::-* Other checks::-* Custom checks::-* More about specific checks::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic checks,  Next: Strict checks,  Up: check--24.10.1 Basic checks-----------------------These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger-commands, including 'check':--   * *parseable* - data files are well-formed and can be successfully-     parsed--   * *balancedwithautoconversion* - all transactions are balanced,-     inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting-     commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs--   * *assertions* - all balance assertions in the journal are passing.-     (This check can be disabled with '-I'/'--ignore-assertions'.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict checks,  Next: Other checks,  Prev: Basic checks,  Up: check--24.10.2 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':--   * *accounts* - all account names used by transactions have been-     declared--   * *commodities* - all commodity symbols used have been declared--   * *balancednoautoconversion* - transactions are balanced, possibly-     using explicit costs but not inferred ones---File: hledger.info,  Node: Other checks,  Next: Custom checks,  Prev: Strict checks,  Up: check--24.10.3 Other checks-----------------------These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to-'check'.  They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone,-therefore optional:--   * *ordereddates* - transactions are ordered by date within each file--   * *payees* - all payees used by transactions have been declared--   * *recentassertions* - all accounts with balance assertions have a-     balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting--   * *tags* - all tags used by transactions have been declared--   * *uniqueleafnames* - all account leaf names are unique---File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom checks,  Next: More about specific checks,  Prev: Other checks,  Up: check--24.10.4 Custom checks------------------------A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in-https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:--   * *hledger-check-tagfiles* - all tag values containing / (a forward-     slash) exist as file paths--   * *hledger-check-fancyassertions* - more complex balance assertions-     are passing--   You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.-See: Cookbook -> Scripting.---File: hledger.info,  Node: More about specific checks,  Prev: Custom checks,  Up: check--24.10.5 More about specific checks-------------------------------------'hledger check recentassertions' will complain if any balance-asserted-account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its-latest posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where you are-regularly updating your journal, but forgetting to check your balances-against the real world, then one day must dig back through months of-data to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion-requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not be-true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that-case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use the-manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest-assertions against real-world balances.---File: hledger.info,  Node: close,  Next: codes,  Prev: check,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.11 close-===========--(equity)--   Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from-another account (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating-balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity at-end of accounting period.--   By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts-(asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be-configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.--   _(experimental)_--   This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common-use cases:--  1. With '--close' (default), it prints a "closing balances"-     transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts-     by default (this requires account types to be inferred or-     declared); or, the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY-     arguments.--  2. With '--open', it prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction-     that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to-     Ledger's equity command.--  3. With '--migrate', it prints both the closing and opening-     transactions.  This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a-     new file: run 'hledger close --migrate', add the closing-     transaction at the end of the old file, and add the opening-     transaction at the start of the new file.  The matching-     closing/opening transactions cancel each other out, preserving-     correct balances during multi-file reporting.--  4. With '--retain', it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that-     transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to 'equity:retained-     earnings'.  Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each-     accounting period; it is less necessary with computer-based-     accounting, but it could still be useful if you want to see the-     accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.--   In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:--   * the transaction descriptions can be changed with-     '--close-desc=DESC' and '--open-desc=DESC'-   * the account to transfer to/from can be changed with-     '--close-acct=ACCT' and '--open-acct=ACCT'-   * the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with 'ACCTQUERY'-     (account query arguments).--   By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its-amount left implicit.  With '--x/--explicit', the amount will be shown-explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting-will be generated for each of them (similar to 'print -x').--   With '--show-costs', any amount costs are shown, with separate-postings for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view-investment lots.  If you have many currency conversion or investment-transactions, it can generate very large journal entries.--   With '--interleaved', each individual transfer is shown with source-and destination postings next to each other.  This could be useful for-troubleshooting.--   The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date,-whichever is later.  You can change this by specifying a report end-date; (The report start date does not matter.)  The last day of the-report period will be the closing date; eg '-e 2022' means "close on-2022-12-31".  The opening date is always the day after the closing date.--* Menu:--* close and balance assertions::-* Example retain earnings::-* Example migrate balances to a new file::-* Example excluding closing/opening transactions::---File: hledger.info,  Node: close and balance assertions,  Next: Example retain earnings,  Up: close--24.11.1 close and balance assertions---------------------------------------Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if-there is an opening transaction).--   These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them-temporarily with '-I', or remove them if you prefer.--   You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or-realness ('-C', '-R', 'status:'), or generating postings ('--auto'),-with this command, since the balance assertions would depend on these.--   Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the-balance assertions:--2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02--   To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary-account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two-single-day transactions:--; in 2022.journal:-2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-    expenses:food          5-    equity:pending        -5--; in 2023.journal:-2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared-    equity:pending         5 = 0-    assets:bank:checking  -5---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example retain earnings,  Next: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Prev: close and balance assertions,  Up: close--24.11.2 Example: retain earnings-----------------------------------Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-appending the generated transaction to the journal:--$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal--   Note 2022's income statement will now show only zeroes, because-revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.  To see them-again, you could exclude the retain transaction:--$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Next: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example retain earnings,  Up: close--24.11.3 Example: migrate balances to a new file--------------------------------------------------Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on-2023-01-01:--$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal--   Now 2022's balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced-accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@ notation - in that-case, try adding -infer-equity.)  To see the end-of-year balances again,-you could exclude the closing transaction:--$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'---File: hledger.info,  Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Up: close--24.11.4 Example: excluding closing/opening transactions----------------------------------------------------------When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening-transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like-'print' and 'register'.  You can exclude them as shown above, but-'not:desc:...' is not ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions;-also you will want to avoid excluding the very first opening-transaction, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using-tags:--   Add 'clopen:' tags to all opening/closing balances transactions-except the first, like this:--; 2021.journal-2021-06-01 first opening balances-...-2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-...--; 2022.journal-2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-...-2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-...--; 2023.journal-2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-...--   Now, assuming a combined journal like:--; all.journal-include 2021.journal-include 2022.journal-include 2023.journal--   The 'clopen:' tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.-To show a clean multi-year checking register:--$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen--   And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end-balance sheet:--$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023---File: hledger.info,  Node: codes,  Next: commodities,  Prev: close,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.12 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-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 printed as blank lines.--   You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.--   Examples:--2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   - Food       $5.00- Checking    --2022/1/2 (124) Post Office- Postage    $8.32- Checking--2022/1/3 Supermarket- Food      $11.23- Checking --2022/1/4 (126) Post Office- Postage    $3.21- Checking--$ hledger codes-123-124-126--$ hledger codes -E-123-124--126---File: hledger.info,  Node: commodities,  Next: descriptions,  Prev: codes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.13 commodities-=================--List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.---File: hledger.info,  Node: descriptions,  Next: diff,  Prev: commodities,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.14 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-subset of transactions.--   Example:--$ hledger descriptions-Store Name-Gas Station | Petrol-Person A---File: hledger.info,  Node: diff,  Next: files,  Prev: descriptions,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.15 diff-==========--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.--   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 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 -These transactions are in the first file only:--2014/01/01 Opening Balances-    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-    ...-    equity:opening balances       EUR -...--These transactions are in the second file only:---File: hledger.info,  Node: files,  Next: help,  Prev: diff,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.16 files-===========--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: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.17 help-==========--Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with 'info', 'man', or a-pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.  TOPIC-can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case insensitive.-Eg: 'commands', 'print', 'forecast', 'journal', 'amount', '"auto-postings"'.--   This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger-version.  It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal-to a web browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing-tools are not installed on your system.--   By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this-order): 'info', 'man', '$PAGER', 'less', 'more'.  You can force the use-of info, man, or a pager with the '-i', '-m', or '-p' flags, If no-viewer can be found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just-prints the manual to stdout.--   If using 'info', note that version 6 or greater is needed for TOPIC-lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should-consider installing a newer version, eg with 'brew install texinfo'-(#1770).--   Examples--$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed---File: hledger.info,  Node: import,  Next: incomestatement,  Prev: help,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.18 import-============--Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to-the journal.  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.--   This command may append new transactions to the main journal file-(which should be in journal format).  Existing transactions are not-changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the-journal file (see also 'add').--   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,-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.--* Menu:--* Deduplication::-* Import testing::-* Importing balance assignments::-* Commodity display styles::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplication,  Next: Import testing,  Up: import--24.18.1 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.)--   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-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-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-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.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Import testing,  Next: Importing balance assignments,  Prev: Deduplication,  Up: import--24.18.2 Import testing-------------------------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-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'--   Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently-possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the-actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving-them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To-prevent this, do a -dry-run first and fix any problems before the real-import.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Importing balance assignments,  Next: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Import testing,  Up: import--24.18.3 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-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:--$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE--   (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,-please test it and send a pull request.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Importing balance assignments,  Up: import--24.18.4 Commodity display styles-----------------------------------Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.---File: hledger.info,  Node: incomestatement,  Next: notes,  Prev: import,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.19 incomestatement-=====================--(is)--   This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and-expenses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal-positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Revenue' or 'Expense'-type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows-top-level accounts named 'revenue' or 'income' or 'expense' (case-insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--   Example:--$ hledger incomestatement-Income Statement--Revenues:-                 $-2  income-                 $-1    gifts-                 $-1    salary----------------------                 $-2--Expenses:-                  $2  expenses-                  $1    food-                  $1    supplies----------------------                  $2--Total:----------------------                   0--   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and-supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.-It is similar to 'hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but-with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their-sign flipped.--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: notes,  Next: payees,  Prev: incomestatement,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.20 notes-===========--List the unique notes that appear in transactions.--   This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in-alphabetic order.  You can add a query to select a subset of-transactions.  The note is the part of the transaction description after-a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description).--   Example:--$ hledger notes-Petrol-Snacks---File: hledger.info,  Node: payees,  Next: prices,  Prev: notes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.21 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-(-used), or both (the default).--   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-implies -used.--   Example:--$ hledger payees-Store Name-Gas Station-Person A---File: hledger.info,  Node: prices,  Next: print,  Prev: payees,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.22 prices-============--Print market price directives from the journal.  With--infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from costs.-With -infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting-known prices.  Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts are-displayed with their full precision.---File: hledger.info,  Node: print,  Next: register,  Prev: prices,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.23 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).--   Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg-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.)--   Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not-across all transactions).--   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-directives and file-level comments.--   Eg:--$ hledger print-2008/01/01 income-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:salary                  $-1--2008/06/01 gift-    assets:bank:checking            $1-    income:gifts                   $-1--2008/06/02 save-    assets:bank:saving              $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--2008/06/03 * eat & shop-    expenses:food                $1-    expenses:supplies            $1-    assets:cash                 $-2--2008/12/31 * pay off-    liabilities:debts               $1-    assets:bank:checking           $-1--   print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can-process it again with a second hledger command.  This can be useful for-certain kinds of search, eg:--# Show running total of food expenses paid from cash.-# -f- reads from stdin. -I/--ignore-assertions is sometimes needed.-$ hledger print assets:cash | hledger -f- -I reg expenses:food--   There are some situations where print's output can become-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.-   * Account aliases can generate bad account names.--   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 cost is implied but-not written, it will not appear in the output.  You can use the-'-x'/'--explicit' flag to make all amounts and costs 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 the output parseable.--   With '-B'/'--cost', amounts with costs are converted to cost using-that price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.--   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', print does a fuzzy search for one-recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC-should contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough-match, no transaction will be shown and the program exit code will be-non-zero.--   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'.--   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","$","","1","",""-"1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""-"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""-"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""-"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""-"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""-"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""-"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","1","",""-"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""--   * There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's-     fields repeated.-   * The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong-     to the same transaction.  (This number might change if transactions-     are reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a-     different order, etc.)-   * The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount"-     (numeric quantity) fields.-   * The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit"-     column, for convenience.  (Those names are not accurate in the-     accounting sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and-     zero or greater amounts under debit.)---File: hledger.info,  Node: register,  Next: rewrite,  Prev: print,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.24 register-==============--(reg)--   Show postings and their running total.--   The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts,-in date order, with their running total or running historical balance.-(See also the 'aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a-specific account.)--   register normally shows line per posting, but note that-multi-commodity amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per-commodity).--   It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to-see that account's activity:--$ hledger register checking-2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1-2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2-2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0--   With '--date2', it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.--   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first-1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause-visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the-'--align-all' flag.--   The '--historical'/'-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed-prior postings to the running total.  This is useful when you want to-see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance:--$ 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           $-1            0--   The '--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail-displayed.--   The '--average'/'-A' flag shows the running average posting amount-instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the-average for the whole report period).  This flag implies '--empty' (see-below).  It is affected by '--historical'.  It works best when showing-just one account and one commodity.--   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the-transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.--   The '--invert' flag negates all amounts.  For example, it can be used-on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative-numbers.  It's also useful to show postings on the checking account-together with the related account:--$ 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          $-2--   Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount,-are not shown by default; use the '--empty'/'-E' flag to see them:--$ hledger register --monthly income -E-2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-2008/02                                                          0          $-1-2008/03                                                          0          $-1-2008/04                                                          0          $-1-2008/05                                                          0          $-1-2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-2008/07                                                          0          $-2-2008/08                                                          0          $-2-2008/09                                                          0          $-2-2008/10                                                          0          $-2-2008/11                                                          0          $-2-2008/12                                                          0          $-2--   Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The '--depth'-option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:--$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h-2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1-2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0-2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1--   Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates-these will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of-intervals.  This ensures that the first and last intervals are full-length and comparable to the others in the report.--   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', register does a fuzzy search for one-recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC should-contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,-no posting will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.--* Menu:--* Custom register output::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom register output,  Up: register--24.24.1 Custom register output---------------------------------register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.-You can override this by setting the 'COLUMNS' environment variable (not-a bash shell variable) or by using the '--width'/'-w' option.--   The description and account columns normally share the space equally-(about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a-description width as part of -width's argument, comma-separated:-'--width W,D' .  Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help):--<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->-date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA--   and some examples:--$ 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-$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40-$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40--   This command also supports the output destination and output format-options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and-(experimental) 'json'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite,  Next: roi,  Prev: register,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.25 rewrite-=============--Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.-For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print--auto.--   This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries.  It-reads the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but-adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY.-The posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing-transaction's first posting amount.--   Examples:--$ 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-  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery--   Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the-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-commodity.--* Menu:--* Re-write rules in a file::-* Diff output format::-* rewrite vs print --auto::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Re-write rules in a file,  Next: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite--24.25.1 Re-write rules in a file-----------------------------------During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transactions"-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--= expenses:gifts-    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.--$ 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-postings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Diff output format,  Next: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Re-write rules in a file,  Up: rewrite--24.25.2 Diff output format-----------------------------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 @@- 2008/01/01 income--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     income:salary-+    (liabilities:tax)                0-@@ -22,3 +23,4 @@- 2008/06/01 gift--    assets:bank:checking  $1-+    assets:bank:checking            $1-     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-multiple 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 from 'hledger print'.--   See also:--   https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99---File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite--24.25.3 rewrite vs. print -auto----------------------------------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-     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.--   * 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: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.26 roi-=========--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'.--   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-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).--   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-     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.--   Examples:--   * Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:-     https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger--   * Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html--* Menu:--* Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl::-* Semantics of --inv and --pnl::-* IRR and TWR explained::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Next: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.1 Spaces and special characters in '--inv' and-------------------------------------------------------'--pnl' Note that '--inv' and '--pnl''s argument is a query, and queries-could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).--   To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument,-you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):--$ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'--   If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-level of nested quoting, eg:--$ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"---File: hledger.info,  Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Next: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.2 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.--   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:--     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-"profit and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment-return.--   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--2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-  snake oil                    ; investment posting--2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting---File: hledger.info,  Node: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi--24.26.3 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.--   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-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.--   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.--   If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as-transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unrealized-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-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-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,-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-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.--   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---File: hledger.info,  Node: stats,  Next: tags,  Prev: roi,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.27 stats-===========--Show journal and performance 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.--   At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and-number of transactions processed per second.  Note these are approximate-and will vary based on machine, current load, data size, hledger-version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of-interest.  The 'stats' command's run time is similar to that of a-single-column balance report.--   Example:--$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 1000-Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-Market prices            : 1000 (A)--Run time                 : 0.12 s-Throughput               : 8342 txns/s--   This command supports the -o/-output-file option (but not--O/-output-format selection).---File: hledger.info,  Node: tags,  Next: test,  Prev: stats,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.28 tags-==========--List the tags used in the journal, or their values.--   This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on-transactions, postings, or account declarations.--   With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular-expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.--   With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this-query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,-desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions-and their accounts.--   With the -values flag, the tags' unique non-empty values are listed-instead.  With -E/-empty, blank/empty values are also shown.--   With -parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations are-always shown first.)--   Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents,-postings also acquire tags from their account and transaction,-transactions also acquire tags from their postings.---File: hledger.info,  Node: test,  Prev: tags,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS--24.29 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.--   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-- (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).---File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Up: Top--25 PART 5: COMMON TASKS-***********************--Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.--* Menu:--* Getting help::-* Constructing command lines::-* Starting a journal file::-* Setting opening balances::-* Recording transactions::-* Reconciling::-* Reporting::-* Migrating to a new file::---File: hledger.info,  Node: Getting help,  Next: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.1 Getting help-=================--Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:--$ hledger                # show available commands-$ hledger --help         # show common options-$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation--   You can also view your hledger version's manual in several formats by-using the help command.  Eg:--$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command--   To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit-https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list support and discussion archives-can be found at https://hledger.org/support.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Constructing command lines,  Next: Starting a journal file,  Prev: Getting help,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.2 Constructing command lines-===============================--hledger has a flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it-simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the sharp edges-described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:--   * command-specific options must go after the command (it's fine to-     put common options there too: 'hledger CMD OPTS ARGS')-   * running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing-     ('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 line is being parsed, add-     '--debug=2'.---File: hledger.info,  Node: Starting a journal file,  Next: Setting opening balances,  Prev: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.3 Starting a journal file-============================--hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,-'$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default:--$ 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:--$ mkdir ~/finance-$ cd ~/finance-$ git init-Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-$ touch 2020.journal-$ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal" >> ~/.bashrc-$ source ~/.bashrc-$ hledger stats-Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-Included files           : -Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-Last transaction         : none-Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-Payees/descriptions      : 0-Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-Commodities              : 0 ()-Market prices            : 0 ()---File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting opening balances,  Next: Recording transactions,  Prev: Starting a journal file,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.4 Setting opening balances-=============================--Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some-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-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:--   * 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-         assets:cash                          $100   = $100-         liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-         equity:opening/closing balances--     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-     "cleared & confirmed".--     The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as-     you'll be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.--     The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra-     error checking.--   * 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.-     Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-     An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-     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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-     Description: * opening balances-     Account 1: assets:bank:checking-     Amount  1: $1000-     Account 2: assets:bank:savings-     Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-     Account 3: assets:cash-     Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-     Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-     Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-     Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-     Amount  5 [$-3050]: -     Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-     2020-01-01 * opening balances-         assets:bank:checking                      $1000-         assets:bank:savings                       $2000-         assets:cash                                $100-         liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-         equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050-     -     Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: -     Saved.-     Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-     Date [2020-01-01]: .--   If you're using version control, this could be a good time to commit-the journal.  Eg:--$ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2020.journal---File: hledger.info,  Node: Recording transactions,  Next: Reconciling,  Prev: Setting opening balances,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.5 Recording transactions-===========================--As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the-hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-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--2020.1.12 * farmers market-  expenses:food    $13-  assets:cash--2020-01-15 paycheck-  income:salary-  assets:bank:checking    $1000---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reconciling,  Next: Reporting,  Prev: Recording transactions,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.6 Reconciling-================--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-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-     can't explain the missing $2, it could be:--     2020-01-16 * adjust cash-         assets:cash    $-2 = $105-         expenses:misc--  2. Reconcile checking.  Log in to your bank's website.  Compare-     today's (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance ('hledger-     bal checking -C').  If they are different, track down the error or-     record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment transaction,-     similar to the above.  Unlike the cash case, you can usually-     compare the transaction history and running balance from your bank-     with the one reported by 'hledger reg checking -C'.  This will be-     easier if you generally record transaction dates quite similar to-     your bank's clearing dates.--  3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.--   Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a-live-updating register while you edit the journal: 'hledger-ui --watch---register checking -C'--   After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled-transactions' status as "cleared and confirmed", if you want to track-that, by adding the '*' marker.  Eg in the paycheck transaction above,-insert '*' between '2020-01-15' and 'paycheck'--   If you're using version control, this can be another good time to-commit:--$ git commit -m 'txns' 2020.journal---File: hledger.info,  Node: Reporting,  Next: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reconciling,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.7 Reporting-==============--Here are some basic reports.--   Show all transactions:--$ hledger print-2020-01-01 * opening balances-    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-    assets:cash                                $100-    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--2020-01-10 * gift received-    assets:cash              $20-    income:gifts--2020-01-12 * farmers market-    expenses:food             $13-    assets:cash--2020-01-15 * paycheck-    income:salary-    assets:bank:checking           $1000--2020-01-16 * adjust cash-    assets:cash               $-2 = $105-    expenses:misc--   Show account names, and their hierarchy:--$ hledger accounts --tree-assets-  bank-    checking-    savings-  cash-equity-  opening/closing balances-expenses-  food-  misc-income-  gifts-  salary-liabilities-  creditcard--   Show all account totals:--$ hledger balance-               $4105  assets-               $4000    bank-               $2000      checking-               $2000      savings-                $105    cash-              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                 $15  expenses-                 $13    food-                  $2    misc-              $-1020  income-                $-20    gifts-              $-1000    salary-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------                   0--   Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to-depth 2:--$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-               $4000  assets:bank-                $105  assets:cash-                $-50  liabilities:creditcard----------------------               $4055--   Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-balance sheet:--$ hledger bs -2-Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                        || 2020-01-16 -========================++============- Assets                 ||            -------------------------++------------- assets:bank            ||      $4000 - assets:cash            ||       $105 -------------------------++-------------                        ||      $4105 -========================++============- Liabilities            ||            -------------------------++------------- liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 -------------------------++-------------                        ||        $50 -========================++============- Net:                   ||      $4055 --   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 -Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--               || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16 -===============++=======================- Revenues      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ income:gifts  ||                   $20 - income:salary ||                 $1000 ----------------++------------------------               ||                 $1020 -===============++=======================- Expenses      ||                       ----------------++------------------------ expenses:food ||                   $13 - expenses:misc ||                    $2 ----------------++------------------------               ||                   $15 -===============++=======================- 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          $120-2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105--   Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:--$ hledger activity -W-2019-12-30 *****-2020-01-06 ****-2020-01-13 ****---File: hledger.info,  Node: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reporting,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS--25.8 Migrating to a new file-============================--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-close command.--   If using version control, don't forget to 'git add' the new file.---Tag Table:-Node: Top210-Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE3860-Ref: #part-1-user-interface4001-Node: Options4001-Ref: #options4120-Node: General options4262-Ref: #general-options4387-Node: Command options8600-Ref: #command-options8751-Node: Command arguments9151-Ref: #command-arguments9309-Node: Special characters10189-Ref: #special-characters10352-Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters10515-Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters10756-Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters11359-Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters11670-Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands12196-Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands12456-Node: Less escaping13100-Ref: #less-escaping13254-Node: Unicode characters13578-Ref: #unicode-characters13743-Node: Regular expressions15155-Ref: #regular-expressions15295-Node: Environment17039-Ref: #environment17150-Node: Input18719-Ref: #input18819-Node: Data formats19362-Ref: #data-formats19475-Node: Multiple files20861-Ref: #multiple-files20998-Node: Strict mode21467-Ref: #strict-mode21577-Node: Commands22301-Ref: #commands22402-Node: Add-on commands22874-Ref: #add-on-commands22976-Node: Output24061-Ref: #output24164-Node: Output destination24291-Ref: #output-destination24422-Node: Output format24847-Ref: #output-format24993-Node: CSV output26531-Ref: #csv-output26647-Node: HTML output26750-Ref: #html-output26888-Node: JSON output26982-Ref: #json-output27120-Node: SQL output28042-Ref: #sql-output28158-Node: Commodity styles28893-Ref: #commodity-styles29033-Node: Colour29632-Ref: #colour29750-Node: Box-drawing30154-Ref: #box-drawing30272-Node: Paging30562-Ref: #paging30676-Node: Debug output31629-Ref: #debug-output31735-Node: Limitations32398-Ref: #limitations32518-Node: Troubleshooting33287-Ref: #troubleshooting33428-Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS35910-Ref: #part-2-data-formats36057-Node: Journal36057-Ref: #journal36168-Node: Journal cheatsheet36807-Ref: #journal-cheatsheet36948-Node: About journal format40936-Ref: #about-journal-format41098-Node: Comments42616-Ref: #comments42748-Node: Transactions43564-Ref: #transactions43689-Node: Dates44703-Ref: #dates44812-Node: Simple dates44857-Ref: #simple-dates44975-Node: Posting dates45475-Ref: #posting-dates45595-Node: Status46564-Ref: #status46667-Node: Code48375-Ref: #code48480-Node: Description48712-Ref: #description48845-Node: Payee and note49165-Ref: #payee-and-note49273-Node: Transaction comments49608-Ref: #transaction-comments49763-Node: Postings50126-Ref: #postings50261-Node: Account names51256-Ref: #account-names51388-Node: Amounts53062-Ref: #amounts53179-Node: Decimal marks digit group marks54164-Ref: #decimal-marks-digit-group-marks54341-Node: Commodity55355-Ref: #commodity55544-Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display56496-Ref: #directives-influencing-number-parsing-and-display56757-Node: Commodity display style57209-Ref: #commodity-display-style57417-Node: Rounding59586-Ref: #rounding59706-Node: Costs60005-Ref: #costs60123-Node: Other cost/lot notations62122-Ref: #other-costlot-notations62256-Node: Balance assertions64845-Ref: #balance-assertions64998-Node: Assertions and ordering66081-Ref: #assertions-and-ordering66272-Node: Assertions and multiple included files66972-Ref: #assertions-and-multiple-included-files67234-Node: Assertions and multiple -f files67734-Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-files67987-Node: Assertions and commodities68384-Ref: #assertions-and-commodities68608-Node: Assertions and prices69788-Ref: #assertions-and-prices69996-Node: Assertions and subaccounts70423-Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts70646-Node: Assertions and virtual postings70970-Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings71210-Node: Assertions and auto postings71342-Ref: #assertions-and-auto-postings71574-Node: Assertions and precision72219-Ref: #assertions-and-precision72403-Node: Posting comments72670-Ref: #posting-comments72818-Node: Tags73195-Ref: #tags73311-Node: Tag values74504-Ref: #tag-values74595-Node: Directives75354-Ref: #directives75483-Node: Directive effects77289-Ref: #directive-effects77445-Node: Directives and multiple files80410-Ref: #directives-and-multiple-files80590-Node: account directive81282-Ref: #account-directive81440-Node: Account comments82838-Ref: #account-comments82990-Node: Account subdirectives83498-Ref: #account-subdirectives83691-Node: Account error checking83833-Ref: #account-error-checking84033-Node: Account display order85222-Ref: #account-display-order85412-Node: Account types86513-Ref: #account-types86656-Node: alias directive90283-Ref: #alias-directive90446-Node: Basic aliases91496-Ref: #basic-aliases91629-Node: Regex aliases92373-Ref: #regex-aliases92532-Node: Combining aliases93422-Ref: #combining-aliases93602-Node: Aliases and multiple files94878-Ref: #aliases-and-multiple-files95084-Node: end aliases directive95663-Ref: #end-aliases-directive95884-Node: Aliases can generate bad account names96033-Ref: #aliases-can-generate-bad-account-names96283-Node: Aliases and account types96868-Ref: #aliases-and-account-types97062-Node: commodity directive97758-Ref: #commodity-directive97934-Node: Commodity error checking100508-Ref: #commodity-error-checking100656-Node: decimal-mark directive101171-Ref: #decimal-mark-directive101355-Node: include directive101752-Ref: #include-directive101918-Node: P directive102842-Ref: #p-directive102989-Node: payee directive103872-Ref: #payee-directive104023-Node: tag directive104339-Ref: #tag-directive104496-Node: Periodic transactions104964-Ref: #periodic-transactions105130-Node: Periodic rule syntax106836-Ref: #periodic-rule-syntax107016-Node: Periodic rules and relative dates107661-Ref: #periodic-rules-and-relative-dates107929-Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!108440-Ref: #two-spaces-between-period-expression-and-description108719-Node: Other syntax109403-Ref: #other-syntax109529-Node: Auto postings110174-Ref: #auto-postings110310-Node: Auto postings and multiple files112781-Ref: #auto-postings-and-multiple-files112983-Node: Auto postings and dates113192-Ref: #auto-postings-and-dates113464-Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions113639-Ref: #auto-postings-and-transaction-balancing-inferred-amounts-balance-assertions113978-Node: Auto posting tags114481-Ref: #auto-posting-tags114694-Node: Balance assignments115330-Ref: #balance-assignments115510-Node: Balance assignments and prices116840-Ref: #balance-assignments-and-prices117010-Node: Bracketed posting dates117221-Ref: #bracketed-posting-dates117407-Node: D directive117921-Ref: #d-directive118091-Node: apply account directive119691-Ref: #apply-account-directive119873-Node: Y directive120560-Ref: #y-directive120722-Node: Secondary dates121550-Ref: #secondary-dates121706-Node: Star comments122520-Ref: #star-comments122682-Node: Valuation expressions123214-Ref: #valuation-expressions123393-Node: Virtual postings123515-Ref: #virtual-postings123696-Node: Other Ledger directives125258-Ref: #other-ledger-directives125423-Node: CSV125989-Ref: #csv126082-Node: CSV rules cheatsheet128151-Ref: #csv-rules-cheatsheet128283-Node: separator129983-Ref: #separator130110-Node: skip130650-Ref: #skip130758-Node: date-format131329-Ref: #date-format131450-Node: timezone132174-Ref: #timezone132297-Node: newest-first133302-Ref: #newest-first133440-Node: intra-day-reversed134018-Ref: #intra-day-reversed134172-Node: decimal-mark134665-Ref: #decimal-mark134806-Node: fields list135145-Ref: #fields-list135282-Node: Field assignment136953-Ref: #field-assignment137097-Node: Field names138124-Ref: #field-names138255-Node: date field139458-Ref: #date-field139576-Node: date2 field139624-Ref: #date2-field139765-Node: status field139821-Ref: #status-field139964-Node: code field140013-Ref: #code-field140158-Node: description field140203-Ref: #description-field140363-Node: comment field140422-Ref: #comment-field140577-Node: account field140870-Ref: #account-field141020-Node: amount field141590-Ref: #amount-field141739-Node: currency field143758-Ref: #currency-field143911-Node: balance field144168-Ref: #balance-field144300-Node: if block144672-Ref: #if-block144793-Node: Matchers146201-Ref: #matchers146315-Node: if table147797-Ref: #if-table147919-Node: balance-type149341-Ref: #balance-type149470-Node: include150170-Ref: #include150297-Node: Working with CSV150741-Ref: #working-with-csv150888-Node: Rapid feedback151259-Ref: #rapid-feedback151392-Node: Valid CSV151844-Ref: #valid-csv151990-Node: File Extension152722-Ref: #file-extension152895-Node: Reading CSV from standard input153459-Ref: #reading-csv-from-standard-input153683-Node: Reading multiple CSV files153847-Ref: #reading-multiple-csv-files154065-Node: Valid transactions154306-Ref: #valid-transactions154500-Node: Deduplicating importing155128-Ref: #deduplicating-importing155323-Node: Setting amounts156359-Ref: #setting-amounts156530-Node: Amount signs158995-Ref: #amount-signs159163-Node: Setting currency/commodity159850-Ref: #setting-currencycommodity160054-Node: Amount decimal places161228-Ref: #amount-decimal-places161434-Node: Referencing other fields161746-Ref: #referencing-other-fields161959-Node: How CSV rules are evaluated162856-Ref: #how-csv-rules-are-evaluated163073-Node: Well factored rules164526-Ref: #well-factored-rules164694-Node: CSV rules examples165018-Ref: #csv-rules-examples165153-Node: Bank of Ireland165218-Ref: #bank-of-ireland165355-Node: Coinbase166817-Ref: #coinbase166955-Node: Amazon168002-Ref: #amazon168127-Node: Paypal169846-Ref: #paypal169954-Node: Timeclock177598-Ref: #timeclock177703-Node: Timedot179835-Ref: #timedot179958-Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS184655-Ref: #part-3-reporting-concepts184819-Node: Time periods184819-Ref: #time-periods184953-Node: Report start & end date185071-Ref: #report-start-end-date185223-Node: Smart dates186882-Ref: #smart-dates187035-Node: Report intervals188903-Ref: #report-intervals189058-Node: Date adjustment189476-Ref: #date-adjustment189636-Node: Period expressions190487-Ref: #period-expressions190628-Node: Period expressions with a report interval192392-Ref: #period-expressions-with-a-report-interval192626-Node: More complex report intervals192840-Ref: #more-complex-report-intervals193085-Node: Multiple weekday intervals194886-Ref: #multiple-weekday-intervals195075-Node: Depth195897-Ref: #depth195999-Node: Queries196295-Ref: #queries196397-Node: Query types197306-Ref: #query-types197427-Node: Combining query terms200601-Ref: #combining-query-terms200778-Node: Queries and command options201852-Ref: #queries-and-command-options202051-Node: Queries and valuation202300-Ref: #queries-and-valuation202495-Node: Querying with account aliases202724-Ref: #querying-with-account-aliases202935-Node: Querying with cost or value203065-Ref: #querying-with-cost-or-value203242-Node: Pivoting203543-Ref: #pivoting203657-Node: Generating data205115-Ref: #generating-data205247-Node: Forecasting205727-Ref: #forecasting205852-Node: Budgeting208623-Ref: #budgeting208743-Node: Cost reporting209006-Ref: #cost-reporting209134-Node: -B Convert to cost210241-Ref: #b-convert-to-cost210397-Node: Equity conversion postings211789-Ref: #equity-conversion-postings212003-Node: Inferring equity postings from cost212894-Ref: #inferring-equity-postings-from-cost213143-Node: Inferring cost from equity postings213954-Ref: #inferring-cost-from-equity-postings214202-Node: When to infer cost/equity215969-Ref: #when-to-infer-costequity216187-Node: How to record conversions216583-Ref: #how-to-record-conversions216775-Node: Conversion with implicit cost217066-Ref: #conversion-with-implicit-cost217271-Node: Conversion with explicit cost218148-Ref: #conversion-with-explicit-cost218393-Node: Conversion with equity postings218810-Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings219079-Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost219898-Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings-and-explicit-cost220165-Node: Cost tips220627-Ref: #cost-tips220753-Node: Valuation221459-Ref: #valuation221583-Node: -V Value222357-Ref: #v-value222483-Node: -X Value in specified commodity222678-Ref: #x-value-in-specified-commodity222873-Node: Valuation date223022-Ref: #valuation-date223193-Node: Finding market price223630-Ref: #finding-market-price223835-Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions225005-Ref: #infer-market-prices-market-prices-from-transactions225281-Node: Valuation commodity228037-Ref: #valuation-commodity228250-Node: Simple valuation examples229463-Ref: #simple-valuation-examples229661-Node: --value Flexible valuation230320-Ref: #value-flexible-valuation230524-Node: More valuation examples232168-Ref: #more-valuation-examples232377-Node: Interaction of valuation and queries234376-Ref: #interaction-of-valuation-and-queries234617-Node: Effect of valuation on reports235089-Ref: #effect-of-valuation-on-reports235286-Node: PART 4 COMMANDS242983-Ref: #part-4-commands243126-Node: Commands overview243496-Ref: #commands-overview243630-Node: DATA ENTRY243809-Ref: #data-entry243933-Node: DATA CREATION244132-Ref: #data-creation244286-Node: DATA MANAGEMENT244404-Ref: #data-management244569-Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL244690-Ref: #reports-financial244865-Node: REPORTS VERSATILE245170-Ref: #reports-versatile245343-Node: REPORTS BASIC245596-Ref: #reports-basic245748-Node: HELP246257-Ref: #help246379-Node: ADD-ONS246436-Ref: #add-ons246542-Node: accounts247121-Ref: #accounts247254-Node: activity249141-Ref: #activity249260-Node: add249634-Ref: #add249744-Node: aregister252555-Ref: #aregister252676-Node: aregister and custom posting dates255564-Ref: #aregister-and-custom-posting-dates255730-Node: balance256282-Ref: #balance256408-Node: balance features257383-Ref: #balance-features257523-Node: Simple balance report259447-Ref: #simple-balance-report259632-Node: Balance report line format261257-Ref: #balance-report-line-format261459-Node: Filtered balance report263617-Ref: #filtered-balance-report263809-Node: List or tree mode264136-Ref: #list-or-tree-mode264304-Node: Depth limiting265649-Ref: #depth-limiting265815-Node: Dropping top-level accounts266416-Ref: #dropping-top-level-accounts266616-Node: Showing declared accounts266926-Ref: #showing-declared-accounts267125-Node: Sorting by amount267656-Ref: #sorting-by-amount267823-Node: Percentages268493-Ref: #percentages268652-Node: Multi-period balance report269200-Ref: #multi-period-balance-report269400-Node: Balance change end balance271675-Ref: #balance-change-end-balance271884-Node: Balance report types273312-Ref: #balance-report-types273493-Node: Calculation type274003-Ref: #calculation-type274158-Node: Accumulation type274663-Ref: #accumulation-type274843-Node: Valuation type275745-Ref: #valuation-type275933-Node: Combining balance report types276928-Ref: #combining-balance-report-types277122-Node: Budget report278960-Ref: #budget-report279112-Node: Budget report start date284794-Ref: #budget-report-start-date284972-Node: Budgets and subaccounts286304-Ref: #budgets-and-subaccounts286511-Node: Selecting budget goals289951-Ref: #selecting-budget-goals290150-Node: Budget vs forecast291185-Ref: #budget-vs-forecast291344-Node: Data layout292974-Ref: #data-layout293124-Node: Useful balance reports301019-Ref: #useful-balance-reports301169-Node: balancesheet302254-Ref: #balancesheet302399-Node: balancesheetequity303719-Ref: #balancesheetequity303877-Node: cashflow305266-Ref: #cashflow305397-Node: check306825-Ref: #check306939-Node: Basic checks307741-Ref: #basic-checks307861-Node: Strict checks308381-Ref: #strict-checks308524-Node: Other checks308947-Ref: #other-checks309089-Node: Custom checks309652-Ref: #custom-checks309809-Node: More about specific checks310226-Ref: #more-about-specific-checks310388-Node: close311116-Ref: #close311227-Node: close and balance assertions314637-Ref: #close-and-balance-assertions314815-Node: Example retain earnings315966-Ref: #example-retain-earnings316183-Node: Example migrate balances to a new file316615-Ref: #example-migrate-balances-to-a-new-file316880-Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions317456-Ref: #example-excluding-closingopening-transactions317705-Node: codes318923-Ref: #codes319040-Node: commodities319904-Ref: #commodities320040-Node: descriptions320110-Ref: #descriptions320247-Node: diff320538-Ref: #diff320653-Node: files321695-Ref: #files321804-Node: help321945-Ref: #help-1322054-Node: import323427-Ref: #import323550-Node: Deduplication324636-Ref: #deduplication324761-Node: Import testing326655-Ref: #import-testing326820-Node: Importing balance assignments327663-Ref: #importing-balance-assignments327869-Node: Commodity display styles328518-Ref: #commodity-display-styles328691-Node: incomestatement328820-Ref: #incomestatement328962-Node: notes330283-Ref: #notes330405-Node: payees330767-Ref: #payees330882-Node: prices331401-Ref: #prices331516-Node: print331814-Ref: #print331929-Node: register337267-Ref: #register337389-Node: Custom register output342420-Ref: #custom-register-output342551-Node: rewrite343888-Ref: #rewrite344006-Node: Re-write rules in a file345904-Ref: #re-write-rules-in-a-file346067-Node: Diff output format347216-Ref: #diff-output-format347399-Node: rewrite vs print --auto348491-Ref: #rewrite-vs.-print---auto348651-Node: roi349207-Ref: #roi349314-Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl351035-Ref: #spaces-and-special-characters-in---inv-and---pnl351275-Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl351763-Ref: #semantics-of---inv-and---pnl352002-Node: IRR and TWR explained353852-Ref: #irr-and-twr-explained354012-Node: stats357098-Ref: #stats357206-Node: tags358593-Ref: #tags-1358700-Node: test359709-Ref: #test359802-Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS360544-Ref: #part-5-common-tasks360677-Node: Getting help360951-Ref: #getting-help361092-Node: Constructing command lines361852-Ref: #constructing-command-lines362053-Node: Starting a journal file362710-Ref: #starting-a-journal-file362917-Node: Setting opening balances364105-Ref: #setting-opening-balances364310-Node: Recording transactions367451-Ref: #recording-transactions367640-Node: Reconciling368196-Ref: #reconciling368348-Node: Reporting370605-Ref: #reporting370754-Node: Migrating to a new file374739-Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file374896+'hledger COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]'+'hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]'++   hledger is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with ledger(1), and largely interconvertible with+beancount(1).++   This manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.30.+It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by+all hledger programs.  It might accidentally teach you some+bookkeeping/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in+here to use hledger productively, but when you have a question about+functionality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip+ahead or skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an+info manual or man page on your system.  You can also get it from+hledger itself with+'hledger --man', 'hledger --info' or 'hledger help [TOPIC]'.++   The main function of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files+describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a+useful report on the terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).+Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect+other 'hledger-*' executables as extra subcommands.++   hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified+by the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable (defaulting to+'$HOME/.hledger.journal'); or you can specify files with '-f' options.+It can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any CSV/SSV/TSV file+with a date field.++   Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:++2015-10-16 bought food+  expenses:food          $10+  assets:cash++   Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more+_accounts_: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,+people, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using ':' to+indicate subaccounts.  There must be at least two spaces between account+name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (_debit_),+negatives are outflow from it (_credit_).  (Some reports show revenue,+liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;+this is normal.)++   hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can+install other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more+extensive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM++ vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode are some good choices (see+https://hledger.org/editors.html).++   To get started, run 'hledger add' and follow the prompts, or save+some entries like the above in '$HOME/.hledger.journal', then try+commands like:+'hledger print -x'+'hledger aregister assets'+'hledger balance'+'hledger balancesheet'+'hledger incomestatement'.+Run 'hledger' to list the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal+file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.++* Menu:++* PART 1 USER INTERFACE::+* Input::+* Commands::+* Options::+* Command line tips::+* Output::+* Environment::+* PART 2 DATA FORMATS::+* Journal::+* CSV::+* Timeclock::+* Timedot::+* PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS::+* Time periods::+* Depth::+* Queries::+* Pivoting::+* Generating data::+* Forecasting::+* Budgeting::+* Cost reporting::+* Valuation::+* PART 4 COMMANDS::+* PART 5 COMMON TASKS::+* BUGS::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Next: Input,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top++1 PART 1: USER INTERFACE+************************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Input,  Next: Commands,  Prev: PART 1 USER INTERFACE,  Up: Top++2 Input+*******++hledger reads one or more data files, each time you run it.  You can+specify a file with '-f', like so++$ hledger -f FILE print++   Files are most often in hledger's journal format, with the '.journal'+file extension ('.hledger' or '.j' also work); these files describe+transactions, like an accounting general journal.++   When no file is specified, hledger looks for '.hledger.journal' in+your home directory.++   But most people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+perhaps with version control.  Also, starting a new journal file each+year is common (it's not required, but helps keep things fast and+organised).  So we usually configure a different journal file, by+setting the 'LEDGER_FILE' environment variable, to something like+'~/finance/2023.journal'.  For more about how to do that on your system,+see Common tasks > Setting LEDGER_FILE.++* Menu:++* Data formats::+* Standard input::+* Multiple files::+* Strict mode::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Data formats,  Next: Standard input,  Up: Input++2.1 Data formats+================++Usually the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in+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'    CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated          '.csv' '.ssv' '.tsv'+         values, for data import                  '.csv.rules'+                                                  '.ssv.rules'+                                                  '.tsv.rules'++   These formats are described in more detail 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+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:++$ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Standard input,  Next: Multiple files,  Prev: Data formats,  Up: Input++2.2 Standard input+==================++The file name '-' means standard input:++$ cat FILE | hledger -f- print++   If reading non-journal data in this way, you'll need to add a file+format prefix, like:++$ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -f timeclock:-+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple files,  Next: Strict mode,  Prev: Standard input,  Up: Input++2.3 Multiple files+==================++You can specify multiple '-f' options, to read multiple files as one big+journal.  When doing this, note that certain features (described below)+will be affected:++   * Balance assertions will not see the effect of transactions in+     previous files.  (Usually this doesn't matter as each file will set+     the corresponding opening balances.)+   * Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.++   If needed, you can work around these by using a single parent file+which includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg: 'cat+a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict mode,  Prev: Multiple files,  Up: Input++2.4 Strict mode+===============++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:++   * Are all accounts posted to, declared with an 'account' directive ?+     (Account error checking)+   * Are all commodities declared with a 'commodity' directive ?+     (Commodity error checking)+   * Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?++   You can use the check command to run individual checks - the ones+listed above and some more.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands,  Next: Options,  Prev: Input,  Up: Top++3 Commands+**********++hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.  Most of+these commands do not change the journal file; they just read it and+output a report.  A few commands assist with adding data and file+management.++   To show the commands list, run 'hledger' with no arguments.  The+commands are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.++   To use a particular command, run 'hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS]',++   * CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation shown in+     the commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.++   * CMDOPTS are command-specific options, if any.  Command-specific+     options must be written after the command name.  Eg: 'hledger print+     -x'.++   * CMDARGS are additional arguments to the command, if any.  Most+     hledger commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit+     the data in some way.  Eg: 'hledger reg assets:checking'.++   To list a command's options, arguments, and documentation in the+terminal, run 'hledger CMD -h'.  Eg: 'hledger bal -h'.++* Menu:++* Add-on commands::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Add-on commands,  Up: Commands++3.1 Add-on commands+===================++In addition to the built-in commands, you can install _add-on commands_:+programs or scripts named "hledger-SOMETHING", which will also appear in+hledger's commands list.  If you used the hledger-install script, you+will have several add-ons installed already.  Some more can be found in+hledger's bin/ directory, documented at+https://hledger.org/scripts.html.++   More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your+shell's PATH, whose name starts with "hledger-" and ends with no+extension or a recognised extension (".bat", ".com", ".exe", ".hs",+".js", ".lhs", ".lua", ".php", ".pl", ".py", ".rb", ".rkt", or ".sh"),+and (on unix and mac) which has executable permission for the current+user.++   You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in+commands: 'hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS]'.  But note+the double hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific options.+Eg: 'hledger ui -- --watch' or 'hledger web -- --serve'.  If this causes+difficulty, you can always run the add-on directly, without using+'hledger': 'hledger-ui --watch' or 'hledger-web --serve'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Options,  Next: Command line tips,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Top++4 Options+*********++Run 'hledger -h' to see general command line help, and general options+which are common to most hledger commands.  These options can be written+anywhere on the command line.  They can be grouped into help, input, and+reporting options:++* Menu:++* General help options::+* General input options::+* General reporting options::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General help options,  Next: General input options,  Up: Options++4.1 General help options+========================++'-h --help'++     show general or COMMAND help+'--man'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with man+'--info'++     show general or COMMAND user manual with info+'--version'++     show general or ADDONCMD version+'--debug[=N]'++     show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General input options,  Next: General reporting options,  Prev: General help options,  Up: Options++4.2 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'++     Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)+'--separator=CHAR'++     Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')+'--alias=OLD=NEW'++     rename accounts named OLD to NEW+'--anon'++     anonymize accounts and payees+'--pivot FIELDNAME'++     use some other field or tag for the account name+'-I --ignore-assertions'++     disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+     assignments)+'-s --strict'++     do extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are+     declared)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: General reporting options,  Prev: General input options,  Up: Options++4.3 General reporting options+=============================++'-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'++     include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to+     following subperiod end when using a report interval)+'-D --daily'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by day+'-W --weekly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by week+'-M --monthly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by month+'-Q --quarterly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter+'-Y --yearly'++     multiperiod/multicolumn report by year+'-p --period=PERIODEXP'++     set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once+     using period expressions syntax+'--date2'++     match the secondary date instead (see command help for other+     effects)+'--today=DATE'++     override today's date (affects relative smart dates, for+     tests/examples)+'-U --unmarked'++     include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)+'-P --pending'++     include only pending postings/txns+'-C --cleared'++     include only cleared postings/txns+'-R --real'++     include only non-virtual postings+'-NUM --depth=NUM'++     hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep+'-E --empty'++     show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+     hledger-ui/hledger-web)+'-B --cost'++     convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time+'-V --market'++     convert amounts to their market value in default valuation+     commodities+'-X --exchange=COMM'++     convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM+'--value'++     convert amounts to cost or market value, more flexibly than+     -B/-V/-X+'--infer-equity'++     infer conversion equity postings from costs+'--infer-costs'++     infer costs from conversion equity postings+'--infer-market-prices'++     use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P directives+'--forecast'++     generate transactions from periodic rules, between the latest+     recorded txn and 6 months from today, or during the specified+     PERIOD (= is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+     these transactions as well.  Also, in hledger-ui make future-dated+     transactions visible.+'--auto'++     generate extra postings by applying auto posting rules to all txns+     (not just forecast txns)+'--verbose-tags'++     add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which have+     been generated/modified+'--commodity-style'++     Override the commodity style in the output for the specified+     commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.+'--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+     NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.+'--pretty[=WHEN]'++     Show prettier output, e.g.  using unicode box-drawing characters.+     Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always', 'never'+     also work).  If you provide an argument you must use '=', e.g.+     '-pretty=yes'.++   When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line,+the last one takes precedence.++   Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Command line tips,  Next: Output,  Prev: Options,  Up: Top++5 Command line tips+*******************++Here are some details useful to know about for hledger command lines+(and elsewhere).  Feel free to skip this section until you need it.++* Menu:++* Special characters::+* Unicode characters::+* Regular expressions::+* Argument files::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Special characters,  Next: Unicode characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.1 Special characters+======================++* Menu:++* Single escaping shell metacharacters::+* Double escaping regular expression metacharacters::+* Triple escaping for add-on commands::+* Less escaping::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Next: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.1 Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+--------------------------------------------++In shell command lines, characters significant to your shell - such as+spaces, '<', '>', '(', ')', '|', '$' and '\' - should be "shell-escaped"+if you want hledger to see them.  This is done by enclosing them in+single or double quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to+match an account name containing a space:++$ hledger register 'credit card'++   or:++$ hledger register credit\ card++   Windows users should keep in mind that 'cmd' treats single quote as a+regular character, so you should be using double quotes exclusively.+PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Next: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Prev: Single escaping shell metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.2 Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+---------------------------------------------------------++Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+as '.', '^', '$', '[', ']', '(', ')', '|', and '\' - may need to be+"regex-escaped" if you don't want them to be interpreted by hledger's+regular expression engine.  This is done by writing backslashes before+them, but since backslash is typically also a shell metacharacter, both+shell-escaping and regex-escaping will be needed.  Eg to match a literal+'$' sign while using the bash shell:++$ hledger balance cur:'\$'++   or:++$ hledger balance cur:\\$+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Next: Less escaping,  Prev: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters,  Up: Special characters++5.1.3 Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+-------------------------------------------++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 '$' sign while using the+bash shell and running an add-on command ('ui'):++$ hledger ui cur:'\\$'++   or:++$ hledger ui cur:\\\\$++   If you wondered why _four_ backslashes, perhaps this helps:++unescaped:        '$'+escaped:          '\$'+double-escaped:   '\\$'+triple-escaped:   '\\\\$'++   Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+directly:++$ hledger-ui cur:\\$+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Less escaping,  Prev: Triple escaping for add-on commands,  Up: Special characters++5.1.4 Less escaping+-------------------++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:++   * an @argumentfile+   * hledger-ui's filter field+   * hledger-web's search form+   * GHCI's prompt (used by developers).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Unicode characters,  Next: Regular expressions,  Prev: Special characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.2 Unicode characters+======================++hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:++   * they should be parsed correctly in input files and on the command+     line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's+     search/add/edit forms, etc.)++   * 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:++   * 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+     will quit on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all+     GHC-compiled programs).++   * your terminal software (eg Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)+     must support unicode++   * the terminal must be using a font which includes the required+     unicode glyphs++   * the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as+     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+     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,  Next: Argument files,  Prev: Unicode characters,  Up: Command line tips++5.3 Regular expressions+=======================++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 directive and '--alias' option: '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+     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.++   Some things to note:++   * 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 '$' as+     a literal character, prepend a backslash.  Eg to search for amounts+     with the dollar sign in hledger-web, write 'cur:\$'.++   * On the command line, some metacharacters like '$' have a special+     meaning to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.+     See Special characters.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Argument files,  Prev: Regular expressions,  Up: Command line tips++5.4 Argument files+==================++You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+then reuse them by writing '@FILENAME' as a command line argument.  Eg:+'hledger bal @foo.args'.++   Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one option or+argument.  Don't use spaces except inside quotes (or you'll see a+confusing error); write '=' (or nothing) between a flag and its+argument.  For the special characters mentioned above, use one less+level of quoting than you would at the command prompt.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output,  Next: Environment,  Prev: Command line tips,  Up: Top++6 Output+********++* Menu:++* Output destination::+* Output format::+* Commodity styles::+* Colour::+* Box-drawing::+* Paging::+* Debug output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output destination,  Next: Output format,  Up: Output++6.1 Output destination+======================++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:++$ hledger print -o foo.txt+$ hledger print -o -        # write to stdout (the default)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Output format,  Next: Commodity styles,  Prev: Output destination,  Up: Output++6.2 Output format+=================++Some commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the+terminal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:++-                           txt       csv       html         json     sql+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+aregister                   Y         Y         Y            Y+balance                     Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1,2_      Y+balancesheet                Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+balancesheetequity          Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+cashflow                    Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+incomestatement             Y _1_     Y _1_     Y _1_        Y+print                       Y         Y                      Y        Y+register                    Y         Y                      Y++   * _1 Also affected by the balance commands' '--layout' option._+   * _2 'balance' does not support html output without a report interval+     or with '--budget'._++   The output format is selected by the '-O/--output-format=FMT' option:++$ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout++   or by the filename extension of an output file specified with the+'-o/--output-file=FILE.FMT' option:++$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv++   The '-O' option can be combined with '-o' to override the file+extension, if needed:++$ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt++   Some notes about the various output formats:++* Menu:++* CSV output::+* HTML output::+* JSON output::+* SQL output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV output,  Next: HTML output,  Up: Output format++6.2.1 CSV output+----------------++   * In CSV output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+     disabled automatically.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: HTML output,  Next: JSON output,  Prev: CSV output,  Up: Output format++6.2.2 HTML output+-----------------++   * HTML output can be styled by an optional 'hledger.css' file in the+     same directory.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: JSON output,  Next: SQL output,  Prev: HTML output,  Up: Output format++6.2.3 JSON output+-----------------++   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++   * Our JSON is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful+     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+     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+     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)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: SQL output,  Prev: JSON output,  Up: Output format++6.2.4 SQL output+----------------++   * This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++   * SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and+     Postgres.++   * For SQLite, it will be more useful if you modify the generated 'id'+     field to be a PRIMARY KEY. Eg:++     $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...++   * 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'+     SQL statements) or drop tables completely as otherwise your+     postings will be duped.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity styles,  Next: Colour,  Prev: Output format,  Up: Output++6.3 Commodity styles+====================++When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard display style for+each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.++   If needed, this can be overridden by a '-c/--commodity-style' option+(except for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the 'print' command,+which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the+following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:++$ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'++   This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple+commodities/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity+directive.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Colour,  Next: Box-drawing,  Prev: Commodity styles,  Up: Output++6.4 Colour+==========++In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal+supports it:++   * if the '--color/--colour' option is given a value of 'yes' or+     'always' (or 'no' or 'never'), colour will (or will not) be used;+   * otherwise, if the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable is set, colour+     will not be used;+   * otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)+     supports it.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Box-drawing,  Next: Paging,  Prev: Colour,  Up: Output++6.5 Box-drawing+===============++In terminal output, you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to+render prettier tables:++   * if the '--pretty' option is given a value of 'yes' or 'always' (or+     'no' or 'never'), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;+   * otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Paging,  Next: Debug output,  Prev: Box-drawing,  Up: Output++6.6 Paging+==========++When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the+pager specified by the 'PAGER' environment variable, or 'less', or+'more'.  (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time+rather than scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this+only for help output, not for reports; specifically,++   * when listing commands, with 'hledger'+   * when showing help with 'hledger [CMD] --help',+   * when viewing manuals with 'hledger help' or 'hledger --man'.++   Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses+eg for bold emphasis.  For the common pager 'less' (and its 'more'+compatibility mode), we add 'R' to the 'LESS' and 'MORE' environment+variables to make this work.  If you use a different pager, you might+need to configure it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us+know).  Otherwise, you can set the 'NO_COLOR' environment variable to 1+to disable all ANSI output (see Colour).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Debug output,  Prev: Paging,  Up: Output++6.7 Debug output+================++We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+develop.  You can add '--debug[=N]' to any hledger command line to see+additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default) to+9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase until+you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not affected+by '-o/--output-file' (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+'2>&1').  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can help+reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in+a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:++hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Environment,  Next: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Prev: Output,  Up: Top++7 Environment+*************++These environment variables affect hledger:++   *COLUMNS* This is normally set by your terminal; some hledger+commands ('register') will format their output to this width.  If not+set, they will try to use the available terminal width.++   *LEDGER_FILE* The main journal file to use when not specified with+'-f/--file'.  Default: '$HOME/.hledger.journal'.++   *NO_COLOR* If this environment variable is set (with any value),+hledger will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless+overridden by an explicit '--color/--colour' option.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Next: Journal,  Prev: Environment,  Up: Top++8 PART 2: DATA FORMATS+**********************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal,  Next: CSV,  Prev: PART 2 DATA FORMATS,  Up: Top++9 Journal+*********++hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's a+cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal format.++* Menu:++* Journal cheatsheet::+* About journal format::+* Comments::+* Transactions::+* Dates::+* Status::+* Code::+* Description::+* Transaction comments::+* Postings::+* Account names::+* Amounts::+* Costs::+* Balance assertions::+* Posting comments::+* Tags::+* Directives::+* account directive::+* alias directive::+* commodity directive::+* decimal-mark directive::+* include directive::+* P directive::+* payee directive::+* tag directive::+* Periodic transactions::+* Auto postings::+* Other syntax::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Journal cheatsheet,  Next: About journal format,  Up: Journal++9.1 Journal cheatsheet+======================++# Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format+# (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+# hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++###############################################################################+# 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+# They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".++# hash comment line+; semicolon comment line+comment+These lines+are commented.+end comment++# Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+# from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++###############################################################################+# 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+# They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+alias chkg = assets:checking+commodity $0.00+decimal-mark .+include /dev/null+payee Whole Foods+P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+    expenses:food       $400+    expenses:home      $1000+    budgeted++###############################################################################+# 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,+# usually describing movements of money.+# They begin with a date.++# DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+#   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+#               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+#   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+    assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+    assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+    assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+    liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+    equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+    ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".+    ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+    ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+    assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+    expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                    ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"++2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+    ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+    assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+    expenses:clothing       GBP 10+    assets:gringotts           -10 gold+    assets:pouch                10 gold+    revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols+    assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.++2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@+    assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost+    assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost+    assets:checking            $-7.00++2022-01-02 assert balances+    ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+    assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+    assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+    assets:savings              $0      = $1000++1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+    ; Postings are not required.++2022.01.01 These date+2022/1/1   formats are+12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: About journal format,  Next: Comments,  Prev: Journal cheatsheet,  Up: Journal++9.2 About journal format+========================++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 compatible with most of Ledger's journal+format, but not all of it.  The differences and interoperation tips are+described at hledger and Ledger.  With some care, and by avoiding+incompatible features, you can keep your hledger journal readable by+Ledger and vice versa.  This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour+of one app against the other.++   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+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+configuration at hledger.org for the full list.++   Here's a description of each part of the file format (and hledger's+data model).++   A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file+comments, transactions, and/or directives (counting periodic transaction+rules and auto posting rules as directives).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Comments,  Next: Transactions,  Prev: About journal format,  Up: Journal++9.3 Comments+============++Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash ('#') or+a semicolon (';').  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore+regions beginning with a 'comment' line and ending with an 'end comment'+line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:++   * '#' for top-level notes+   * ';' for commenting out things temporarily+   * 'comment' for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's+     there, or you might get confused)++   Eg:++# a comment line+; another commentline+comment+A multi-line comment block,+continuing until "end comment" directive+or the end of the current file.+end comment++   Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+from ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments, Posting+comments, and Account comments below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Transactions,  Next: Dates,  Prev: Comments,  Up: Journal++9.4 Transactions+================++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+optional fields, separated by spaces:++   * 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).++   Here's a simple journal file containing one transaction:++2008/01/01 income+  assets:bank:checking   $1+  income:salary         $-1+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Dates,  Next: Status,  Prev: Transactions,  Up: Journal++9.5 Dates+=========++* Menu:++* Simple dates::+* Posting dates::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple dates,  Next: Posting dates,  Up: Dates++9.5.1 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+be omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context: the+current transaction, the default year set with a 'Y' 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.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting dates,  Prev: Simple dates,  Up: Dates++9.5.2 Posting 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+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.+The 'date:' tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present, eg+a 'date:' tag with no value is not allowed.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Status,  Next: Code,  Prev: Dates,  Up: Journal++9.6 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,+indicating one of three statuses:++mark  status+ +-----------------+      unmarked+'!'   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.++   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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Code,  Next: Description,  Prev: Status,  Up: Journal++9.7 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+or reference number.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Description,  Next: Transaction comments,  Prev: Code,  Up: Journal++9.8 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+"narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you+wish, or left blank.  Transaction descriptions can be queried, unlike+comments.++* Menu:++* Payee and note::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Payee and note,  Up: Description++9.8.1 Payee and note+--------------------++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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Transaction comments,  Next: Postings,  Prev: Description,  Up: Journal++9.9 Transaction comments+========================++Text following ';', after a transaction description, and/or on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that transaction.  They+are reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+tags, which are not ignored.++2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+    ; a second line of transaction comment+    expenses   1+    assets+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Postings,  Next: Account names,  Prev: Transaction comments,  Up: Journal++9.10 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+tab (2 or 4 spaces is common), followed by:++   * (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)+   * (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+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+the amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account names,  Next: Amounts,  Prev: Postings,  Up: Journal++9.11 Account names+==================++Accounts are the main way of categorising things in hledger.  As in+Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts (such+as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed+from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".++   You can use any account names you like, but we usually start with the+traditional accounting categories, which in english are 'assets',+'liabilities', 'equity', 'revenues', 'expenses'.  (You might see these+referred to as A, L, E, R, X for short.)++   For more precise reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+name parts.  For example, from the account names 'assets:bank:checking'+and 'expenses:food', hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:++assets+assets:bank+assets:bank:checking+expenses+expenses:food++   Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:++assets+ bank+  checking+expenses+ food++   hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you+can go as deep as you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+names relatively simple may be best when starting out.++   Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters,+numbers, symbols, or single spaces.  Note, when an account name and an+amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by *two or+more spaces* (or tabs).++   Parentheses or brackets enclosing the full account name indicate+virtual postings, described below.  Parentheses or brackets internal to+the account name have no special meaning.++   Account names can be altered temporarily or permanently by account+aliases.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amounts,  Next: Costs,  Prev: Account names,  Up: Journal++9.12 Amounts+============++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"):++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 space:++$1+4000 AAPL+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+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++* Menu:++* Decimal marks digit group marks::+* Commodity::+* Directives influencing number parsing and display::+* Commodity display style::+* Rounding::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Next: Commodity,  Up: Amounts++9.12.1 Decimal marks, digit group marks+---------------------------------------++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):++     $1,000,000.00+  EUR 2.000.000,00+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 ?++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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,+especially if your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands+separators), we recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark+character in each journal file, using a directive at the top of the+file.  The 'decimal-mark' directive is best, otherwise 'commodity'+directives will also work.  These are described below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity,  Next: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Prev: Decimal marks digit group marks,  Up: Amounts++9.12.2 Commodity+----------------++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+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".++   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 are the 'Amount' and 'MixedAmount' types.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Next: Commodity display style,  Prev: Commodity,  Up: Amounts++9.12.3 Directives influencing number parsing and display+--------------------------------------------------------++You can add 'decimal-mark' and 'commodity' directives to the journal, to+declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.  These+are described below, but here's a quick example:++# the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+decimal-mark .++# display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+commodity $1,000.00+commodity EUR 1.000,00+commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+commodity 1 000 000.9455+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display style,  Next: Rounding,  Prev: Directives influencing number parsing and display,  Up: Amounts++9.12.4 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+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 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+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'.+     (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.++   Cost 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 cost).  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:++# 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+commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+commodity 1 000.++   The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying a command+line option.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Rounding,  Prev: Commodity display style,  Up: Amounts++9.12.5 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").+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Costs,  Next: Balance assertions,  Prev: Amounts,  Up: Journal++9.13 Costs+==========++After a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing either '@+UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE' after it.  This indicates a conversion+transaction, where one commodity is exchanged for another.++   (You might also see this called "transaction price" in hledger docs,+discussions, or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded+that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just call it+"cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase+or a sale.)++   Costs are usually written explicitly with '@' or '@@', but can also+be inferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.+Note, if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the+first posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.++   As an example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly or+implicitly:++  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:++     2009/1/1+       assets:euros     €100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+       assets:dollars++  3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities,+     and let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.+     Note the effect of posting order: the price is added to first+     posting, making it '€100 @@ $135', as in example 2:++     2009/1/1+       assets:euros     €100          ; one hundred euros purchased+       assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135++   Amounts can be converted to cost at report time using the '-B/--cost'+flag; this is discussed more in the ˜COST REPORTING section.++   Note that the cost normally should be a positive amount, though it's+not required to be.  This can be a little confusing, see discussion at+-infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions.++* Menu:++* Other cost/lot notations::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other cost/lot notations,  Up: Costs++9.13.1 Other cost/lot notations+-------------------------------++A slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a number+of cost/lot-related notations:++   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'+        * expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger+        * when buying, also creates a lot than can be selected at+          selling time++   * '(@) UNITCOST' and '(@@) TOTALCOST' (virtual cost)+        * like the above, but also means "this cost was exceptional,+          don't use it when inferring market prices".++   Currently, hledger treats the above like '@' and '@@'; the+parentheses are ignored.++   * '{=FIXEDUNITCOST}' and '{{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}}' (fixed price)+        * when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't+          let it fluctuate in value reports"++   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}' (lot price)+        * can be used identically to '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST',+          also creates a lot+        * when selling, combined with '@ ...', specifies an investment+          lot by its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present++   * and related: '[YYYY/MM/DD]' (lot date)+        * when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot+        * when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date++   * '(SOME TEXT)' (lot note)+        * when buying, attaches this note to the lot+        * when selling, selects a lot by its note++   Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any order after+the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction+balancing.)++   For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:++   * '@ UNITCOST' and '@@ TOTALCOST'+        * expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger+        * when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined+          with '{...}': documents the cost/selling price (not used for+          transaction balancing)++   * '{UNITCOST}' and '{{TOTALCOST}}'+        * when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for transaction+          balancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis+          attached+        * when selling (reducing),+             * selects a lot by its cost basis+             * raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be+               selected unambiguously (depending on booking method+               configured)+             * expresses the selling price for transaction balancing++   Currently, hledger accepts the '{UNITCOST}'/'{{TOTALCOST}}' notation+but ignores it.++   * variations: '{}', '{YYYY-MM-DD}', '{"LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST,+     "LABEL"}', '{UNITCOST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"}' etc.++   Currently, hledger rejects these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assertions,  Next: Posting comments,  Prev: Costs,  Up: Journal++9.14 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+b after each posting:++2013/1/1+  a   $1  =$1+  b       =$-1++2013/1/2+  a   $1  =$2+  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 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, described below).++* Menu:++* Assertions and ordering::+* Assertions and multiple included files::+* Assertions and multiple -f files::+* Assertions and commodities::+* Assertions and prices::+* Assertions and subaccounts::+* Assertions and virtual postings::+* Assertions and auto postings::+* Assertions and precision::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and ordering,  Next: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.1 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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple included files,  Next: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Prev: Assertions and ordering,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.2 Assertions and multiple included files+---------------------------------------------++Multiple files included with the 'include' directive are processed as if+concatenated into one file, preserving their order and the posting order+within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later files will+see balance from earlier files.++   And if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day,+split across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's+balance on that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file+- the last one in the sequence, probably.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Next: Assertions and commodities,  Prev: Assertions and multiple included files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.3 Assertions and multiple -f files+---------------------------------------++Unlike 'include', when multiple files are specified on the command line+with multiple '-f/--file' options, balance assertions will not see+balance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want+problems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.++   If you do want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use+'include', or concatenate the files temporarily.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and commodities,  Next: Assertions and prices,  Prev: Assertions and multiple -f files,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.4 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 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+other commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,+that their balance is 0).++2013/1/1+  a   $1+  a    1€+  b  $-1+  c   -1€++2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+  a    0  =  $1+  a    0  =   1€+  b    0 == $-1+  c    0 ==  -1€++2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1€+  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 into its own subaccount:++2013/1/1+  a:usd   $1+  a:euro   1€+  b++2013/1/2+  a        0 ==  0+  a:usd    0 == $1+  a:euro   0 ==  1€+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and prices,  Next: Assertions and subaccounts,  Prev: Assertions and commodities,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.5 Assertions and prices+----------------------------++Balance assertions ignore costs, 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+_assignments_ do use them (see below).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and subaccounts,  Next: Assertions and virtual postings,  Prev: Assertions and prices,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.6 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 '==*',+eg:++2019/1/1+  equity:opening balances+  checking:a       5+  checking:b       5+  checking         1  ==* 11+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and virtual postings,  Next: Assertions and auto postings,  Prev: Assertions and subaccounts,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.7 Assertions and virtual postings+--------------------------------------++Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+are not affected by the '--real/-R' flag or 'real:' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and auto postings,  Next: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and virtual postings,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.8 Assertions and auto postings+-----------------------------------++Balance assertions _are_ affected by the '--auto' flag, which generates+auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings+are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two+balances.  But balance assertions can only test one or the other of+these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:++   * assert the balance calculated with '--auto', and always use+     '--auto' with that file+   * or assert the balance calculated without '--auto', and never use+     '--auto' with that file+   * or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings+     (or avoid auto postings entirely).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Assertions and precision,  Prev: Assertions and auto postings,  Up: Balance assertions++9.14.9 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 assertions.  Balance+assertion failure messages show exact amounts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Posting comments,  Next: Tags,  Prev: Balance assertions,  Up: Journal++9.15 Posting comments+=====================++Text following ';', at the end of a posting line, and/or on indented+lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.  They are+reproduced by 'print' but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+tags, which are not ignored.++2012-01-01+    expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+    assets+    ; a comment for posting 2+    ; a second comment line for posting 2+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Tags,  Next: Directives,  Prev: Posting comments,  Up: Journal++9.16 Tags+=========++Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,+postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.++   They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately+followed by a full colon, in a transaction or posting or account+directive's comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that+things in comments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are+recorded: one on the checking account, two on the transaction, and one+on the expenses posting:++account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+    ; transactiontag-2:+    assets:checking        $-1+    expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:++   Postings also inherit tags from their transaction and their account.+And transactions also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'+accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses posting effectively+has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the+transaction also has all four tags (by acquiring from the expenses+posting).++   You can list tag names with 'hledger tags [NAMEREGEX]', or match by+tag name with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX' query.++* Menu:++* Tag values::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Tag values,  Up: Tags++9.16.1 Tag values+-----------------++Tags can have a value, which is any text after the colon up until a+comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this+means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the+following posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and+"" (empty) respectively:++    expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz++   Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than+overriding: when the same tag name is seen again with a new value, the+new name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to+override a tag's value or remove a tag.)++   You can list a tag's values with 'hledger tags TAGNAME --values', or+match by tag value with a 'tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives,  Next: account directive,  Prev: Tags,  Up: Journal++9.17 Directives+===============++Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a 'journal'+file: directives.  These are declarations, beginning with a keyword,+that modify hledger's behaviour.  Some directives can have more specific+subdirectives, indented below them.  hledger's directives are similar to+Ledger's in many cases, but there are also many differences.  Directives+are not required, but can be useful.  Here are the main directives:++purpose                                   directive+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+*READING DATA:*+Rewrite account names                     'alias'+Comment out sections of the file          'comment'+Declare file's decimal mark, to help      'decimal-mark'+parse amounts accurately+Include other data files                  'include'+*GENERATING DATA:*+Generate recurring transactions or        '~'+budget goals+Generate extra postings on existing       '='+transactions+*CHECKING FOR ERRORS:*+Define valid entities to provide more     'account', 'commodity',+error checking                            'payee', 'tag'+*REPORTING:*+Declare accounts' type and display        'account'+order+Declare commodity display styles          'commodity'+Declare market prices                     'P'++* Menu:++* Directives and multiple files::+* Directive effects::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directives and multiple files,  Next: Directive effects,  Up: Directives++9.17.1 Directives and multiple files+------------------------------------++Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which input+files they affect.  Most often, a directive will affect the following+entries and included files if any, until the end of the current file -+and no further.  You might find this inconvenient!  For example, 'alias'+directives do not affect parent or sibling files.  But there are usually+workarounds; for example, put 'alias' directives in your top-most file,+before including other files.++   The restriction, though it may be annoying at first, is in a good+cause; it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of+the order of input.  Without it, reports could show different numbers+depending on the order of -f options, or the positions of include+directives in your files.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Directive effects,  Prev: Directives and multiple files,  Up: Directives++9.17.2 Directive effects+------------------------++Here are all hledger's directives, with their effects and scope+summarised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider+non-essential:++directivewhat it does                                                   ends+                                                                        at+                                                                        file+                                                                        end?+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+*'account'*Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files; andN+     its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+*'alias'*Rewrites account names, in following entries until end of      Y+     current file or 'end aliases'.  Command line equivalent:+     '--alias'+*'comment'*Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current file orY+     'end comment'.+*'commodity'*Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checkingN,Y,N,N+     all amounts in all files 2.  the decimal mark for parsing+     amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of+     current file (if there is no 'decimal-mark' directive) 3.  and+     the display style for amounts of this commodity 4.  which is+     also the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking in+     this commodity.  Takes precedence over 'D'.  Subdirectives:+     'format' (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:+     '-c/--commodity-style'+*'decimal-mark'*Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of all   Y+     commodities in following entries until next 'decimal-mark' or+     end of current file.  Included files can override.  Takes+     precedence over 'commodity' and 'D'.+*'include'*Includes entries and directives from another file, as if theyN+     were written inline.  Command line alternative: multiple+     '-f/--file'+*'payee'*Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.  N+*'P'*Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N+     reports.+*'~'*Declares a periodic transaction rule that generates future         N+(tilde)transactions with '--forecast' and budget goals with 'balance+     --budget'.+Other+syntax:+*'applyPrepends a common parent account to all account names, in        Y+account'*following entries until end of current file or 'end apply+     account'.+*'D'*Sets a default commodity to use for no-symbol amounts;and, if      Y,Y,N,N+     there is no 'commodity' directive for this commodity: its+     decimal mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.+*'Y'*Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following    Y+     entries until end of current file.+*'='*Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra postings on     partly+(equals)matched transactions with '--auto', in current, parent, and+     child files (but not sibling files, see #1212).+*OtherOther directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but+Ledgerignored.+directives*+++File: hledger.info,  Node: account directive,  Next: alias directive,  Prev: Directives,  Up: Journal++9.18 'account' directive+========================++'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.+   * In strict mode, they restrict which accounts may be posted to by+     transactions, which helps detect typos.+   * They control account display order in reports, allowing+     non-alphabetic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).+   * They help with account name completion (in hledger add,+     hledger-web, hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)+   * They can store additional account information as comments, or as+     tags which can be used to filter or pivot reports.+   * They can help hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,+     equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports like balancesheet and+     incomestatement.++   They are written as the word 'account' followed by a hledger-style+account name, eg:++account assets:bank:checking++   Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not+allowed to have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts+used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:++account (assets:bank:checking)++* Menu:++* Account comments::+* Account subdirectives::+* Account error checking::+* Account display order::+* Account types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account comments,  Next: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive++9.18.1 Account comments+-----------------------++Text following *two or more spaces* and ';' at the end of an account+directive line, and/or following ';' on indented lines immediately below+it, form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may+contain tags, which are not ignored.++   The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is because+';' is allowed in account names.++account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+  ; next-line comment+  ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account subdirectives,  Next: Account error checking,  Prev: Account comments,  Up: account directive++9.18.2 Account subdirectives+----------------------------++Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also accepted, but currently+ignored:++account assets:bank:checking+  format subdirective is ignored+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account error checking,  Next: Account display order,  Prev: Account subdirectives,  Up: account directive++9.18.3 Account error checking+-----------------------------++By default, accounts need not be declared; they come into existence when+a posting references them.  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 that 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+report an error if any transaction uses an account name that has not+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+     included files of all types.+   * It's currently not possible to declare "all possible subaccounts"+     with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account display order,  Next: Account types,  Prev: Account error checking,  Up: account directive++9.18.4 Account display order+----------------------------++The order in which account directives are written influences the order+in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By+default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these+account directives to the journal file:++account assets+account liabilities+account equity+account revenues+account expenses++   those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:++$ hledger accounts -1+assets+liabilities+equity+revenues+expenses++   Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.++   Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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+means:++   * 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').+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Account types,  Prev: Account display order,  Up: account directive++9.18.5 Account types+--------------------++hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports like balancesheet and+incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the 'type:' query.++   As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types+automatically if you are using common english-language top-level account+names (described below).  But generally we recommend you declare types+explicitly, by adding a 'type:' tag to your top-level account+directives.  Subaccounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The+tag's value should be one of the five main account types:++   * 'A' or 'Asset' (things you own)+   * 'L' or 'Liability' (things you owe)+   * 'E' or 'Equity' (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of+     assets & liabilities)+   * 'R' or 'Revenue' (what you received money from, AKA income;+     technically part of Equity)+   * 'X' or 'Expense' (what you spend money on; technically part of+     Equity)++   or, it can be (these are used less often):++   * 'C' or 'Cash' (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the+     cashflow report)+   * 'V' or 'Conversion' (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST+     REPORTING).)++   Here is a typical set of account type declarations:++account assets             ; type: A+account liabilities        ; type: L+account equity             ; type: E+account revenues           ; type: R+account expenses           ; type: X++account assets:bank        ; type: C+account assets:cash        ; type: C++account equity:conversion  ; type: V++   Here are some tips for working with account types.++   * The rules for inferring types from account names are as follows.+     These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get+     going; if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare+     your account types.  See also Regular expressions.++     If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+     --------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+     ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+     ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+     ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+     ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+     ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+     ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+     ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense++   * If you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an+     account for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared+     and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.++   * Certain uses of account aliases can disrupt account types.  See+     Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.++   * As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their+     parent account.  More precisely, an account's type is decided by+     the first of these that exists:++       1. A 'type:' declaration for this account.+       2. A 'type:' declaration in the parent accounts above it,+          preferring the nearest.+       3. An account type inferred from this account's name.+       4. An account type inferred from a parent account's name,+          preferring the nearest parent.+       5. Otherwise, it will have no type.++   * For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:++     $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]+++File: hledger.info,  Node: alias directive,  Next: commodity directive,  Prev: account directive,  Up: Journal++9.19 'alias' directive+======================++You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+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+   * combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference+     on one line+   * customising reports++   Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.+They do not affect account names being entered via hledger add or+hledger-web.++   Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use+correctly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them;+more on this below.++   See also Rewrite account names.++* Menu:++* Basic aliases::+* Regex aliases::+* Combining aliases::+* Aliases and multiple files::+* end aliases directive::+* Aliases can generate bad account names::+* Aliases and account types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic aliases,  Next: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.1 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+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+interactively.++   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:++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"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Regex aliases,  Next: Combining aliases,  Prev: Basic aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.2 Regex aliases+--------------------++There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the only+place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular+expression.)++   Eg:++alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT++   or:++$ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...++   Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be replaced by+REPLACEMENT. REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.++   If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+'/\/=:'.++   If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced+by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:++alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3+; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"++   REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end+of option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining aliases,  Next: Aliases and multiple files,  Prev: Regex aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.3 Combining aliases+------------------------++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+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+entry, we apply:++  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+     (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+which aliases are being applied when.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and multiple files,  Next: end aliases directive,  Prev: Combining aliases,  Up: alias directive++9.19.4 Aliases and multiple files+---------------------------------++As explained at Directives and multiple files, 'alias' directives do not+affect parent or sibling files.  Eg in this command,++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++2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+  foo  1+  bar++   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++2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+  foo  1+  bar++include c.journal  ; also affected+++File: hledger.info,  Node: end aliases directive,  Next: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Prev: Aliases and multiple files,  Up: alias directive++9.19.5 'end aliases' directive+------------------------------++You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the+journal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:++end aliases+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Next: Aliases and account types,  Prev: end aliases directive,  Up: alias directive++9.19.6 Aliases can generate bad account names+---------------------------------------------++Be aware that account aliases can produce malformed account names, which+could cause confusing reports or invalid 'print' output.  For example,+you could erase all account names:++2021-01-01+  a:aa     1+  b++$ hledger print --alias '/.*/='+2021-01-01+                   1++   The above 'print' output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert+an illegal double space, causing 'print' output that would give a+different journal when reparsed:++2021-01-01+  old    1+  other++$ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print+2021-01-01+    new             USD 1+    other+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Aliases and account types,  Prev: Aliases can generate bad account names,  Up: alias directive++9.19.7 Aliases and account types+--------------------------------++If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in+effect.++   However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg+renaming parent accounts but not their children, or vice versa) could+prevent child accounts from inheriting the account type of their+parents.++   Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,+renaming it by an alias could prevent or alter that.++   If you are using account aliases and the 'type:' query is not+matching accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts+command, eg something like:++$ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a+++File: hledger.info,  Node: commodity directive,  Next: decimal-mark directive,  Prev: alias directive,  Up: Journal++9.20 'commodity' directive+==========================++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+     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)++  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+     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.++   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+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+appears twice; it must be the same in both places:++;commodity SYMBOL+;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+commodity INR+  format INR 1,00,00,000.00++   Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   Remember that if the commodity symbol contains spaces, numbers, or+punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).++   The amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is+significant.  It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a+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+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.)++   Even in the presence of commodity directives, the commodity display+style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.++* Menu:++* Commodity error checking::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity error checking,  Up: commodity directive++9.20.1 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.++   Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol, because+currently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity+with a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero amounts+are always allowed to have no commodity symbol.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark directive,  Next: include directive,  Prev: commodity directive,  Up: Journal++9.21 'decimal-mark' directive+=============================++You can use a 'decimal-mark' directive - usually one per file, at the+top of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark+when parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like++decimal-mark .++   or++decimal-mark ,++   This prevents any ambiguity when parsing numbers in the file, so we+recommend it, especially if the file contains digit group marks (eg+thousands separators).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: include directive,  Next: P directive,  Prev: decimal-mark directive,  Up: Journal++9.22 'include' directive+========================++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+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'.++   The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg:+'include *.journal'.++   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'.++   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/2023*.md'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: P directive,  Next: payee directive,  Prev: include directive,  Up: Journal++9.23 'P' directive+==================++The 'P' directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate+between two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to+convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after+that date.  These prices are often obtained from a stock exchange,+cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.++   The format is:++P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT++   DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: payee directive,  Next: tag directive,  Prev: P directive,  Up: Journal++9.24 'payee' directive+======================++'payee PAYEE NAME'++   This 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:++payee Whole Foods++   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: tag directive,  Next: Periodic transactions,  Prev: payee directive,  Up: Journal++9.25 'tag' directive+====================++'tag TAGNAME'++   This directive can be used to declare a limited set of tag names+allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:++tag  item-id++   Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   The "tags" check will report an error if any undeclared tag name is+used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use+of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you can+declare and check your tags .+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic transactions,  Next: Auto postings,  Prev: tag directive,  Up: Journal++9.26 Periodic transactions+==========================++The '~' directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives+allow hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in+reports, not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.++   Periodic transactions can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+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+     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+     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+     an error.+  7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically+     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 2023/01', which is equivalent to '~ every 10th+     day of month from 2023/01/01', will be adjusted to start on+     2019/12/10.++* Menu:++* Periodic rule syntax::+* Periodic rules and relative dates::+* Two spaces between period expression and description!::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rule syntax,  Next: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.1 Periodic rule syntax+---------------------------++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.):++# every first of month+~ monthly+    expenses:rent          $2000+    assets:bank:checking++# every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:+~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+    expenses:utilities          $400+    assets:bank:checking++   The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying+multi-period reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies+report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start+dates).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Next: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rule syntax,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.2 Periodic rules and relative dates+----------------------------------------++Partial or relative dates (like '12/31', '25', 'tomorrow', 'last week',+'next quarter') are usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the+results will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted+relative to, in order of preference:++  1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent 'Y'+     directive+  2. or the date specified with '--today'+  3. or the date on which you are running the report.++   They will not be affected at all by report period or forecast period+dates.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!,  Prev: Periodic rules and relative dates,  Up: Periodic transactions++9.26.3 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+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 2023"+;               ||+;               vv+~ every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+    assets:bank:checking   $1500+    income:acme inc++   So,++   * 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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings,  Next: Other syntax,  Prev: Periodic transactions,  Up: Journal++9.27 Auto postings+==================++The '=' directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra+postings on transactions.  Wherever the rule matches an existing+posting, it can add one or more companion postings below that one,+optionally influenced by the matched posting's amount.  This can be+useful for generating tax postings with a standard percentage, for+example.++   Note that depending on generated data is not ideal for financial+records (it's less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by+others, and less robust, since other features like balance assertions+will depend on using or not using '--auto').++   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+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+     posting will be added to this.+   * 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,+     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+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++; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+= expenses:gifts+    assets:checking:gifts  *-1+    assets:checking         *1++2017/12/1+  expenses:food    $10+  assets:checking++2017/12/14+  expenses:gifts   $20+  assets:checking++$ hledger print --auto+2017-12-01+    expenses:food              $10+    assets:checking+    (liabilities:charity)      $-1++2017-12-14+    expenses:gifts             $20+    assets:checking+    assets:checking:gifts     -$20+    assets:checking            $20++* Menu:++* Auto postings and multiple files::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and multiple files,  Up: Auto postings++9.27.1 Auto postings and multiple files+---------------------------------------++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).++* Menu:++* Auto postings and dates::+* Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions::+* Auto posting tags::+* Auto postings on forecast transactions only::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and dates,  Next: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.1 Auto postings and dates+................................++A posting date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself, will also be+used in the generated posting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Next: Auto posting tags,  Prev: Auto postings and dates,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.2 Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred+...........................................................++amounts / 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+for background.++   This also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with+a missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable to+infer amounts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto posting tags,  Next: Auto postings on forecast transactions only,  Prev: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.3 Auto posting tags+..........................++Automated postings will have some extra tags:++   * '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+     "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+     transaction was modified "just now".+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Auto postings on forecast transactions only,  Prev: Auto posting tags,  Up: Auto postings and multiple files++9.27.1.4 Auto postings on forecast transactions only+....................................................++Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast+transactions but not recorded transactions, by adding+'tag:_generated-transaction' to their QUERY. This can be useful when+generating new journal entries to be saved in the journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other syntax,  Prev: Auto postings,  Up: Journal++9.28 Other syntax+=================++hledger journal format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some of+the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases, but+in general, features in this section are considered less important or+even not recommended for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to help+you decide if you want to use them.++* Menu:++* Balance assignments::+* Bracketed posting dates::+* D directive::+* apply account directive::+* Y directive::+* Secondary dates::+* Star comments::+* Valuation expressions::+* Virtual postings::+* Other Ledger directives::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments,  Next: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.1 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 setting+opening balances:++; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+2016/1/1 opening balances+  assets:checking            = $409.32+  assets:savings             = $735.24+  assets:cash                 = $42+  equity: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+  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+assignment).++   Downsides: using balance assignments makes your journal less+explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do+the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.  Also balance+assignments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make+your financial data less portable, less future-proof, and less+trustworthy in an audit.++* Menu:++* Balance assignments and prices::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance assignments and prices,  Up: Balance assignments++9.28.1.1 Balance assignments and prices+.......................................++A cost 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Bracketed posting dates,  Next: D directive,  Prev: Balance assignments,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.2 Bracketed posting dates+------------------------------++For setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's+bracketed date syntax is also supported: '[DATE]', '[DATE=DATE2]' or+'[=DATE2]' in posting comments.  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.++   Downsides: another syntax to learn, redundant with hledger's+'date:'/'date2:' tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date+syntax.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: D directive,  Next: apply account directive,  Prev: Bracketed posting dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.3 'D' directive+--------------------++'D AMOUNT'++   This 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+of the journal.++   For compatibility/historical reasons, 'D' also acts like a+'commodity' directive (setting the commodity's decimal mark for parsing+and display style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity+symbol, but a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must+include a decimal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:++; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+D $1,000.00++1/1+  a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+  b++   Interactions with other directives:++   For setting a commodity's display style, a 'commodity' directive has+highest priority, then a 'D' directive.++   For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during parsing,+'decimal-mark' has highest priority, then 'commodity', then 'D'.++   For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a 'commodity'+directive is required ('hledger check commodities' ignores 'D'+directives).++   Downsides: omitting commodity symbols makes your financial data less+explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is+usually an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to+track multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with functions redundant+with 'commodity' and 'decimal-mark'.  And it works differently from+Ledger's 'D'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: apply account directive,  Next: Y directive,  Prev: D directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.4 'apply account' directive+--------------------------------++This directive sets a default parent account, which will be prepended to+all accounts in following entries, until an 'end apply account'+directive or end of current file.  Eg:++apply account home++2010/1/1+    food    $10+    cash++end apply account++   is equivalent to:++2010/01/01+    home:food           $10+    home:cash          $-10++   'account' directives are also affected, and so is any 'include'd+content.++   Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not+affected.++   Account aliases, if any, are applied after the parent account is+prepended.++   Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less+portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Y directive,  Next: Secondary dates,  Prev: apply account directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.5 'Y' directive+--------------------++'Y YEAR'++   or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):++   'year YEAR' 'apply year YEAR'++   The space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for+subsequent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:++Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+  expenses  1+  assets++year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+  expenses  1+  assets++1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+  expenses  1+  assets++   Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at+least) makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less+trustworthy in an audit.  Such dates can get separated from their+corresponding Y directive, eg when evaluating a region of the journal in+your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on today's+date.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Secondary dates,  Next: Star comments,  Prev: Y directive,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.6 Secondary dates+----------------------++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+(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 =+date the transaction was initiated, if different".++   Downsides: makes your financial data more complicated, less portable,+and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates+consistent requires discipline, and you have to remember which reporting+mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are simpler and+better.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Star comments,  Next: Valuation expressions,  Prev: Secondary dates,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.7 Star comments+--------------------++Lines beginning with '*' (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This+feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal,+allowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed+with org mode.++   Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.+Decreases your journal's portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode+just for folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of ledger mode;+nowadays you can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without+losing ledger mode's features.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation expressions,  Next: Virtual postings,  Prev: Star comments,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.8 Valuation expressions+----------------------------++Ledger allows a valuation function or value to be written in double+parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Virtual postings,  Next: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Valuation expressions,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.9 Virtual postings+-----------------------++A posting with parentheses around the account name ('(some:account)') is+called a _unbalanced virtual posting_.  Such postings do not participate+in transaction balancing.  (And if you write them without an amount, a+zero amount is always inferred.)  These can occasionally be convenient+for special circumstances, but they violate double entry bookkeeping and+make your data less portable across applications, so many people avoid+using them at all.++   A posting with brackets around the account name ('[some:account]') is+called a _balanced virtual posting_.  The balanced virtual postings in a+transaction must add up to zero, just like ordinary postings, but+separately from them.  These are not part of double entry bookkeeping+either, but they are at least balanced.  An example:++2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+  assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+  expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+  expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+  [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+  [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+  (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance++   Ordinary postings, whose account names are neither parenthesised nor+bracketed, are called _real postings_.  You can exclude virtual postings+from reports with the '-R/--real' flag or a 'real:1' query.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other Ledger directives,  Prev: Virtual postings,  Up: Other syntax++9.28.10 Other Ledger directives+-------------------------------++These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This+allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's+reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.++apply fixed COMM AMT+apply tag   TAG+assert      EXPR+bucket / A  ACCT+capture     ACCT REGEX+check       EXPR+define      VAR=EXPR+end apply fixed+end apply tag+end apply year+end tag+eval / expr EXPR+python+  PYTHONCODE+tag         NAME+value       EXPR+--command-line-flags++   See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed+hledger/Ledger syntax comparison.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV,  Next: Timeclock,  Prev: Journal,  Up: Top++10 CSV+******++hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,+semicolon, or tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+each record into a transaction.++   (To learn about _writing_ CSV, see CSV output.)++   For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure+they have a corresponding '.csv', '.tsv' or '.ssv' file extension or use+a hledger file prefix (see File Extension below).++   Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding _rules file_.+This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields layout,+date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it, and+how to categorise transactions based on description or other attributes.++   By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file+with an extra '.rules' extension, in the same directory.  Eg when asked+to read 'foo/FILE.csv', hledger looks for 'foo/FILE.csv.rules'.  You can+specify a different rules file with the '--rules-file' option.  If no+rules file is found, hledger will create a sample rules file, which+you'll need to adjust.++   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:++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+    income:unknown            -10.23++   There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org,+and more CSV rules examples below, and a larger collection at+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.++* Menu:++* CSV rules cheatsheet::+* source::+* separator::+* skip::+* date-format::+* timezone::+* newest-first::+* intra-day-reversed::+* decimal-mark::+* fields list::+* Field assignment::+* Field names::+* if block::+* Matchers::+* if table::+* balance-type::+* include::+* Working with CSV::+* CSV rules examples::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Next: source,  Up: CSV++10.1 CSV rules cheatsheet+=========================++The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+(Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' or '*' are ignored.)++*'source'*               optionally declare which file to read data+                         from+*'separator'*            declare the field separator, instead of+                         relying on file extension+*'skip'*                 skip one or more header lines at start of file+*'date-format'*          declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+*'timezone'*             declare the time zone of ambiguous CSV+                         date-times+*'newest-first'*         improve txn order when: there are multiple+                         records, newest first, all with the same date+*'intra-day-reversed'*   improve txn order when: same-day txns are in+                         opposite order to the overall file+*'decimal-mark'*         declare the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,+                         when ambiguous+*'fields' list*          name CSV fields for easy reference, and+                         optionally assign their values to hledger+                         fields+*Field assignment*       assign a CSV value or interpolated text value+                         to a hledger field+*'if' block*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                         or 'skip' a record or 'end' (skip rest of+                         file)+*'if' table*             conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                         using compact syntax+*'balance-type'*         select which type of balance+                         assertions/assignments to generate+*'include'*              inline another CSV rules file++   Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV rules are+evaluated.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: source,  Next: separator,  Prev: CSV rules cheatsheet,  Up: CSV++10.2 'source'+=============++If you tell hledger to read a csv file with '-f foo.csv', it will look+for rules in 'foo.csv.rules'.  Or, you can tell it to read the rules+file, with '-f foo.csv.rules', and it will look for data in 'foo.csv'+(since 1.30).++   These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some+extra features.  For one, the data file can be missing, without causing+an error; it is just considered empty.  And, you can specify a different+data file by adding a "source" rule:++source ./Checking1.csv++   If you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for+it in your system's downloads directory ('~/Downloads', currently):++source Checking1.csv++   And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent+of the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):++source Checking1*.csv++   See also "Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule".+++File: hledger.info,  Node: separator,  Next: skip,  Prev: source,  Up: CSV++10.3 '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+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+inferred automatically, and you won't need this rule.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: skip,  Next: date-format,  Prev: separator,  Up: CSV++10.4 'skip'+===========++skip N++   The word 'skip' followed by a number (or no number, meaning 1) tells+hledger to ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input+data.  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains header lines.+Note, empty and blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't need+to count those.++   'skip' has a second meaning: it can be used inside if blocks+(described below), to skip one or more records whenever the condition is+true.  Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still+required to be valid CSV.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date-format,  Next: timezone,  Prev: skip,  Up: CSV++10.5 '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',+you'll need to add a date-format rule describing them with a+strptime-style date parsing pattern - see+https://hackage.haskell.org/package/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.+The pattern 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: timezone,  Next: newest-first,  Prev: date-format,  Up: CSV++10.6 'timezone'+===============++timezone TIMEZONE++   When CSV contains date-times that are implicitly in some time zone+other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you+can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time zone, which helps+prevent off-by-one dates.++   When the CSV date-times do contain time zone information, you don't+need this rule; instead, use '%Z' in 'date-format' (or '%z', '%EZ',+'%Ez'; see the formatTime link above).++   In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware+conversion, localising the CSV date-times to your current system time+zone.  If you prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for+reproducibility, you can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with+the TZ environment variable, eg:++$ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv++   'timezone' currently does not understand timezone names, except+"UTC", "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".+For others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: newest-first,  Next: intra-day-reversed,  Prev: timezone,  Up: CSV++10.7 'newest-first'+===================++hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+chronologically, including intra-day transactions.  Usually it can+auto-detect how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV+where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are+oldest first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,+like:++2022-10-01, txn 3...+2022-10-01, txn 2...+2022-10-01, txn 1...++   you can add the 'newest-first' rule to help hledger generate the+transactions in correct order.++# same-day CSV records are newest first+newest-first+++File: hledger.info,  Node: intra-day-reversed,  Next: decimal-mark,  Prev: newest-first,  Up: CSV++10.8 'intra-day-reversed'+=========================++CSV records for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+the overall date order.  Eg, here dates are newest first, but the+transactions on each date are oldest first:++2022-10-02, txn 3...+2022-10-02, txn 4...+2022-10-01, txn 1...+2022-10-01, txn 2...++   In this situation, add the 'intra-day-reversed' rule, and hledger+will compensate, improving the order of transactions.++# transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+intra-day-reversed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: decimal-mark,  Next: fields list,  Prev: intra-day-reversed,  Up: CSV++10.9 'decimal-mark'+===================++decimal-mark .++   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+CSV contain digit group marks, such as thousand-separating commas, you+should declare the decimal mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid+misparsed numbers.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: fields list,  Next: Field assignment,  Prev: decimal-mark,  Up: CSV++10.10 'fields' list+===================++fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...++   A fields list (the word 'fields' followed by comma-separated field+names) is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:++  1. It names the CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if+     you are referencing them in other rules, so you can say+     '%SomeField' instead of remembering '%13'.++  2. Whenever you use one of the special hledger field names (described+     below), it assigns the CSV value in this position to that hledger+     field.  This is the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and+     build a 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++   In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to+the CSV file's separator.  Also:++   * There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).+   * Field names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field+     names are optional.+   * Field names may contain '_' (underscore) or '-' (hyphen).+   * Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy name or an empty+     name.++   If the CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for+your field names, suitably modified (eg lower-cased with spaces replaced+by underscores).++   Sometimes you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning+to a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's+"balance" field 'balance_' to avoid directly setting hledger's 'balance'+field (and generating a balance assertion).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Field assignment,  Next: Field names,  Prev: fields list,  Up: CSV++10.11 Field assignment+======================++HLEDGERFIELD 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+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+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+('%CSVFIELD').++   Some examples:++# set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended+amount %4 USD++# combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1++   Tips:++   * Interpolation strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like '" 1 "'+     becomes '1' when interpolated) (#1051).+   * Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate+     a hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Field names,  Next: if block,  Prev: Field assignment,  Up: CSV++10.12 Field names+=================++Note the two kinds of field names mentioned here, and used only in+hledger CSV rules files:++  1. *CSV field names* ('CSVFIELD' in these docs): you can optionally+     name the CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet+     automatically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing+     arbitrary names in a 'fields' list, eg:++     fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar++  2. Special *hledger field names* ('HLEDGERFIELD' in these docs): you+     must set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction+     from a CSV record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field+     assignment, eg:++     date        %When+     code        %Some_Id+     description %What+     comment     %Foo %Bar+     amount1     $ %Total++     or directly in a 'fields' list:++     fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+     currency $+     comment  %Foo %Bar++   Here are all the special hledger field names available, and what+happens when you assign values to them:++* Menu:++* date field::+* date2 field::+* status field::+* code field::+* description field::+* comment field::+* account field::+* amount field::+* currency field::+* balance field::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date field,  Next: date2 field,  Up: Field names++10.12.1 date field+------------------++Assigning to 'date' sets the transaction date.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: date2 field,  Next: status field,  Prev: date field,  Up: Field names++10.12.2 date2 field+-------------------++'date2' sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: status field,  Next: code field,  Prev: date2 field,  Up: Field names++10.12.3 status field+--------------------++'status' sets the transaction's status, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: code field,  Next: description field,  Prev: status field,  Up: Field names++10.12.4 code field+------------------++'code' sets the transaction's code, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: description field,  Next: comment field,  Prev: code field,  Up: Field names++10.12.5 description field+-------------------------++'description' sets the transaction's description, if any.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: comment field,  Next: account field,  Prev: description field,  Up: Field names++10.12.6 comment field+---------------------++'comment' sets the transaction's comment, if any.++   'commentN', where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.++   You can assign multi-line comments by writing literal '\n' in the+code.  A comment starting with '\n' will begin on a new line.++   Comments can contain tags, as usual.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: account field,  Next: amount field,  Prev: comment field,  Up: Field names++10.12.7 account field+---------------------++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+based on each transaction's description, in conditional rules.++   If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount is set (see+below), a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"+or "income:unknown").+++File: hledger.info,  Node: amount field,  Next: currency field,  Prev: account field,  Up: Field names++10.12.8 amount field+--------------------++Amount setting can get a bit complex.  Assigning to 'amount' is+sufficient for simple transactions, but there are four field name+variants you can use for different situations:++   * *'amountN' sets a specific posting's amount from one CSV field or+     arbitrary value.*+     Assigning to 'amountN' sets the amount of the Nth posting - and+     also causes that posting to be generated.  N is most often 1 or 2+     but can go up to 99, potentially generating a 99-posting+     transaction.  (Posting numbers don't have to be consecutive; higher+     posting numbers can sometimes be useful with conditional rules, to+     ensure a certain ordering of postings.)++   * *'amountN-in/-out' sets a specific posting's amount from two CSV+     fields.*+     When the amount is provided as two CSV fields - "Debit"/"Credit",+     "Deposit"/"Withdrawal", "Money In"/"Money Out" or similar - assign+     those fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' respectively (or+     possibly the other way round, depending on signs).  This will set+     the Nth posting's amount to whichever of the two CSV field values+     is non-zero.  Some notes:++        * Don't mix 'amountN' and 'amountN-in'/'-out'.  When you have+          one CSV amount field, use 'amountN'.  When you have two CSV+          amount fields, use 'amountN-in'/'amountN-out'.+        * 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out' are always used together, as a+          pair.  Assign to both of them.+        * They do not generate two separate postings; rather, they+          generate the Nth posting's single amount, from the value found+          in one or other of the two CSV fields.+        * In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must+          contain a zero amount or be empty.+        * hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers,+          and it will automatically negate the -out amount.+        * This variant can be convenient, but it doesn't handle every+          two-amount-field situation; if you need more flexibility, use+          an 'if' rule (see "Setting amounts" below).++   The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but+can still be convenient sometimes:++   * *'amount' sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from one CSV field or+     value.*+     Assigning to 'amount', with no posting number,++        * sets posting 1's amount (like 'amount1')+        * sets posting 2's amount to the same amount but with opposite+          sign; and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price+        * can be overridden by 'amount1' and/or 'amount2' assignments.+          (This helps with incremental migration of old rules files to+          the newer syntax.)++   * *'amount-in/-out' sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from two CSV+     fields.*+     Assigning 'amount-in' and 'amount-out', with no posting numbers, to+     two CSV fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero as the+     amount, and then sets the first two posting amounts as above.++   We recommend using only one of these variants within a rules file,+rather than mixing them.  And remember that a 'fields' list can also do+assignments, so eg naming a CSV field "amount" counts as an assignment+to 'amount'; if you don't want that, call it something else, like+"amount_".++   In addition to this section, please see also the tips beginning at+"Working with CSV > Setting amounts" below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: currency field,  Next: balance field,  Prev: amount field,  Up: Field names++10.12.9 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+symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.++   'currencyN' prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's+amount.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance field,  Prev: currency field,  Up: Field names++10.12.10 balance field+----------------------++'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'.++   You can adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the+'balance-type' rule (see below).++   See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: if block,  Next: Matchers,  Prev: Field names,  Up: CSV++10.13 'if' block+================++Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns in the CSV+data.  This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can+categorise transactions, selecting an appropriate account name based on+their description (for example).  There are two ways to write+conditional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if tables",+described below.++   An if block is the word 'if' and one or more "matcher" expressions+(can be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or+next line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,++if MATCHER+ RULE++   or++if+MATCHER+MATCHER+MATCHER+ RULE+ RULE++   If any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be+applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special+rules may also be used within an if block:++   * 'skip' - skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction+     from it)+   * 'end' - skips the rest of the current CSV file.++   Some examples:++# if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"+if groceries+ account2 expenses:groceries++# if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+if+monthly service fee+atm transaction fee+banking thru software+ account2 expenses:business:banking+ comment  XXX deductible ? check it++# if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+if ,,,,+ end+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Matchers,  Next: if table,  Prev: if block,  Up: CSV++10.14 Matchers+==============++There are two kinds:++  1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment or regular+     expression ('REGEX'), which hledger will try to match+     case-insensitively anywhere within the CSV record.+     Eg: 'whole foods'++  2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV field name+     ('%CSVFIELD REGEX').  hledger will try to match these just within+     the named CSV field.+     Eg: '%date 2023'++   The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended+regular expression, that also supports GNU word boundaries ('\b', '\B',+'\<', '\>'), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular+expressions" in the hledger manual+(https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expressions).++   With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched+is not the original CSV record, but a modified one: separators will be+converted to commas, and enclosing double quotes (but not enclosing+whitespace) are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if+the original record was:++2023-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000++   the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:++2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000++   When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:++   * By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)+   * When a matcher is preceded by ampersand ('&') it will be AND'ed+     with the previous matcher (both of them must match).++   There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: if table,  Next: balance-type,  Prev: Matchers,  Up: CSV++10.15 'if' table+================++"if tables" are an alternative to if blocks; they can express many+matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular format, like+this:++if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+<empty line>++   The first character after 'if' is taken to be the separator for the+rest of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like ','+or '|' that does not appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is+unrelated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace can be used in the+matcher lines for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The+table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each line+must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.++   The above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher+succeeds, assign all of the values on that line to the corresponding+hledger fields; later lines can overrider earlier ones.  It is+equivalent to this sequence of if blocks:++if MATCHERA+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERB+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++if MATCHERC+  HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+  HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+  ...++   Example:++if,account2,comment+atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+%description groceries,expenses:groceries,+2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance-type,  Next: include,  Prev: if table,  Up: CSV++10.16 '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:++# 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+==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts+++File: hledger.info,  Node: include,  Next: Working with CSV,  Prev: balance-type,  Up: CSV++10.17 '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+several rules files, eg:++# someaccount.csv.rules++## someaccount-specific rules+fields   date,description,amount+account1 assets:someaccount+account2 expenses:misc++## common rules+include categorisation.rules+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Working with CSV,  Next: CSV rules examples,  Prev: include,  Up: CSV++10.18 Working with CSV+======================++Some tips:++* Menu:++* Rapid feedback::+* Valid CSV::+* File Extension::+* Reading CSV from standard input::+* Reading multiple CSV files::+* Reading files specified by rule::+* Valid transactions::+* Deduplicating importing::+* Setting amounts::+* Amount signs::+* Setting currency/commodity::+* Amount decimal places::+* Referencing other fields::+* How CSV rules are evaluated::+* Well factored rules::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Rapid feedback,  Next: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.1 Rapid feedback+----------------------++It's a good idea to get rapid feedback while creating/troubleshooting+CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid CSV,  Next: File Extension,  Prev: Rapid feedback,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.2 Valid CSV+-----------------++Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180, and+equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or tab+as separators).  This means, eg:++   * Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in+     single quotes is not allowed.  (Eg ''A','B'' is rejected.)+   * When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the+     quotes are not allowed.  (Eg '"A", "B"' is rejected.)+   * When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double+     quotes.  (Eg 'A"A, B' is rejected.)++   If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to+transform it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more+permissive CSV parser like python's csv lib.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: File Extension,  Next: Reading CSV from standard input,  Prev: Valid CSV,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.3 File Extension+----------------------++To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and show the right error+messages (and choose the right field separator character by default),+it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with a '.csv', '.ssv' or '.tsv'+filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)++   When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV+reader (and the default field separator) by prefixing the file path with+'csv:', 'ssv:' or 'tsv:': Eg:++$ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print++   You can also override the default field separator with a separator+rule if needed.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading CSV from standard input,  Next: Reading multiple CSV files,  Prev: File Extension,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.4 Reading CSV from standard input+---------------------------------------++You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:++$ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading multiple CSV files,  Next: Reading files specified by rule,  Prev: Reading CSV from standard input,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.5 Reading multiple CSV files+----------------------------------++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+used for all the CSV files.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reading files specified by rule,  Next: Valid transactions,  Prev: Reading multiple CSV files,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.6 Reading files specified by rule+---------------------------------------++Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+rules file, as in 'hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD'.  By default this will+read data from foo.csv in the same directory, but you can add a source+rule to specify a different data file, perhaps located in your web+browser's download directory.++   This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won't see it in most+CSV rules examples.  But it helps remove some of the busywork of+managing CSV downloads.  Most of your financial institutions's default+CSV filenames are different and can be recognised by a glob pattern.  So+you can put a rule like 'source Checking1*.csv' in+foo-checking.csv.rules, and then periodically follow a workflow like:++  1. Download CSV from Foo's website, using your browser's defaults+  2. Run 'hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules' to import any new+     transactions++   After import, you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.  If you do nothing,+next time your browser will save something like Checking1-2.csv, and+hledger will use that because of the '*' wild card and because it is the+most recent.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valid transactions,  Next: Deduplicating importing,  Prev: Reading files specified by rule,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.7 Valid transactions+--------------------------++After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the+generated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing+them, applying balance assignments, and canonicalising amount styles.+Any errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying+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+assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:++$ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplicating importing,  Next: Setting amounts,  Prev: Valid transactions,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.8 Deduplicating, importing+--------------------------------++When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank+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,+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:++# 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+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:++   * https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows+   * https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting amounts,  Next: Amount signs,  Prev: Deduplicating importing,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.9 Setting amounts+-----------------------++Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling+various amount-setting situations:++  1. *If the amount is in a single CSV field:*++       a. *If its sign indicates direction of flow:*+          Assign it to 'amountN', to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is+          usually 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.++       b. *If another field indicates direction of flow:*+          Use one or more conditional rules to set the appropriate+          amount sign.  Eg:++     # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":+     amount1  -%Amount+     if %Type deposit+       amount1  %Amount++  2. *If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):*++       a. *If both fields are unsigned:*+          Assign the fields to 'amountN-in' and 'amountN-out'.  This+          sets posting N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero+          value.  If it's the -out value, the amount will be negated.++       b. *If either field is signed:*+          Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg+          below, the -out value already has a minus sign so we undo+          hledger's automatic negating by negating once more (but only+          if the field is non-empty, so that we don't leave a minus sign+          by itself):++     fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+     if %amount1-out [1-9]+      amount1-out -%amount1-out++       c. *If both fields can contain a non-zero value (or both can be+          empty):*+          The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is+          non-zero/non-empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such+          as '1' and 'none'.  For such cases, use conditional rules to+          help select the amount.  Eg, to handle the above you could+          select the value containing non-zero digits:++     fields date, description, in, out+     if %in [1-9]+      amount1 %in+     if %out [1-9]+      amount1 %out++  3. *If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:*+     Use the unnumbered 'amount' (or 'amount-in' and 'amount-out')+     syntax.++  4. *If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:*+     Assign to 'balanceN', to set a balance assignment on the Nth+     posting, causing the posting's amount to be calculated+     automatically.  'balance' with no number is equivalent to+     'balance1'.  In this situation hledger is more likely to guess the+     wrong default account name, so you may need to set that explicitly.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount signs,  Next: Setting currency/commodity,  Prev: Setting amounts,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.10 Amount signs+---------------------++There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+amount signs.  (This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts+such as COST in 'amount1 AMT @ COST'):++   * *If an amount value begins with a plus sign:*+     that will be removed: '+AMT' becomes 'AMT'++   * *If an amount value is parenthesised:*+     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'++   * *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 '""'.++   It's not possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount to+its absolute value, ie discard its sign.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting currency/commodity,  Next: Amount decimal places,  Prev: Amount signs,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.11 Setting currency/commodity+-----------------------------------++If the currency/commodity symbol is included in the CSV's amount+field(s):++2023-01-01,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:++fields date,description,amount++2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown         $123.00+    income:unknown          $-123.00++   If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:++2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00++   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++2023-01-01 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:++fields date,description,cur,amt+amount %amt %cur++2023-01-01 foo+    expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+    income:unknown         -123.00 USD++   Note we used a temporary field name ('cur') that is not 'currency' -+that would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amount decimal places,  Next: Referencing other fields,  Prev: Setting currency/commodity,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.12 Amount decimal places+------------------------------++Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+'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+style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Referencing other fields,  Next: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Prev: Amount decimal places,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.13 Referencing other fields+---------------------------------++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+field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the+hledger field:++# Name the third CSV field "amount1"+fields date,description,amount1++# Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+amount1 %amount1 USD++# Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+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:++comment A+comment B+if something+ comment C+++File: hledger.info,  Node: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Next: Well factored rules,  Prev: Referencing other fields,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.14 How CSV rules are evaluated+------------------------------------++Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need+to).  First,++   * '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+repeated, the last one wins:++   * '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+     the last one.+   * compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was+     assigned to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a+     default+   * generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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+successfully, the transactions are passed as input to whichever hledger+command the user specified.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Well factored rules,  Prev: How CSV rules are evaluated,  Up: Working with CSV++10.18.15 Well factored rules+----------------------------++Some things than can help reduce duplication and complexity in rules+files:++   * Extracting common rules usable with multiple CSV files into a+     'common.rules', and adding 'include common.rules' to each CSV's+     rules file.++   * Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the+     frequently used parts.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: CSV rules examples,  Prev: Working with CSV,  Up: CSV++10.19 CSV rules examples+========================++* Menu:++* Bank of Ireland::+* Coinbase::+* Amazon::+* Paypal::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Bank of Ireland,  Next: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.1 Bank of Ireland+-----------------------++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+skip++# name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++# We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"+# above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+#+# - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+#   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+#+# - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+#   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++# date is in UK/Ireland format+date-format  %d/%m/%Y++# set the currency+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+    income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++2012-12-07 PAYMENT+    assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+    expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0++   The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're+reading directly from CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are+imported into a journal file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Coinbase,  Next: Amazon,  Prev: Bank of Ireland,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.2 Coinbase+----------------++A simple example with some CSV from Coinbase.  The spot price is+recorded using cost notation.  The legacy 'amount' field name+conveniently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.++# Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+# 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"++# coinbase.csv.rules+skip         1+fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+date         %Timestamp+date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+description  %Notes+account1     assets:coinbase:cc+amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency++$ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+    assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP+    income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Amazon,  Next: Paypal,  Prev: Coinbase,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.3 Amazon+--------------++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+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","$1.00","17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL"++# amazon-orders.csv.rules++# skip one header line+skip 1++# name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.+# Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.+fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++# how to parse the date+date-format %b %-d, %Y++# combine two fields to make the description+description %toorfrom %name++# save the status as a tag+comment     status:%amzstatus++# set the base account for all transactions+account1    assets:amazon+# leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+# I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember++# set a generic account2+account2    expenses:misc+amount2     %amzamount+# and maybe refine it further:+#include categorisation.rules++# add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+if %fees [1-9]+ account3    expenses:fees+ amount3     %fees++$ hledger -f amazon-orders.csv print+2012-07-29 (16000000000000DGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Foo.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $20.00++2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+    assets:amazon+    expenses:misc          $25.00+    expenses:fees           $1.00+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Paypal,  Prev: Amazon,  Up: CSV rules examples++10.19.4 Paypal+--------------++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",""+"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""+"10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""+"10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""+"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:+# Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+# Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"+# Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:+# "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"+# This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":+# "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"++fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++skip  1++date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++# ignore some paypal events+if+In Progress+Temporary Hold+Update to+ skip++# add more fields to the description+description %description_ %itemtitle++# save some other fields as tags+comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++# convert to short currency symbols+if %currency USD+ currency $+if %currency EUR+ currency E+if %currency GBP+ currency P++# generate postings++# the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+# (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+account1 assets:online:paypal+amount1  %netamount++# the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+# (account2 is set below)+amount2  -%grossamount++# if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+if %feeamount [1-9]+ account3 expenses:banking:paypal+ amount3  -%feeamount+ comment3 business:++# choose an account for the second posting++# override the default account names:+# if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)+if %grossamount ^[^-]+ account2 income:unknown+# if negative, it's an expense (a credit)+if %grossamount ^-+ account2 expenses:unknown++# apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+include common.rules++# apply some overrides specific to this csv++# Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+# which can be disregarded in this case.+if+Bank Account+Bank Deposit to PP Account+ description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+ account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+ account1 assets:online:paypal++# Currency conversions+if Currency Conversion+ account2 equity:currency conversion++# common.rules++if+darcs+noble benefactor+ account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+ comment2 business:++if+Calm Radio+ account2 expenses:online:apps++if+electronic frontier foundation+Patreon+wikimedia+Advent of Code+ account2 expenses:dues++if Google+ account2 expenses:online:apps+ description google | music++$ 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+    expenses:online:apps           $6.99++2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+    expenses:dues                  $7.00++2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+    expenses:dues                     $2.00+    expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+    assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+    assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+    assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+    revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+    expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Timeclock,  Next: Timedot,  Prev: CSV,  Up: Top++11 Timeclock+************++The time logging format of timeclock.el, as read by hledger.++   hledger can read time logs in timeclock format.  As with Ledger,+these are (a subset of) timeclock.el's format, containing clock-in and+clock-out entries as in the example below.  The date is a simple date.+The time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ]. Seconds and timezone are+optional.  The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored+(currently the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines+beginning with '#' or ';' or '*', and blank lines, are ignored.++i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+o 2015/03/30 09:20:00+i 2015/03/31 22:21:45 another:account+o 2015/04/01 02:00:34++   hledger treats each clock-in/clock-out pair as a transaction posting+some number of hours to an account.  Or if the session spans more than+one day, it is split into several transactions, one for each day.  For+the above time log, 'hledger print' generates these journal entries:++$ hledger -f t.timeclock print+2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+    (some account)           0.33h++2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+    (another:account)           1.64h++2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+    (another:account)           2.01h++   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++   To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:++   * 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"'++   * 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,  Next: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Prev: Timeclock,  Up: Top++12 Timedot+**********++'timedot' format is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.+Compared to 'timeclock' format, it is++   * convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging+   * readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.++   A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look+like this:++2023-05-01+hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+per:admin:finance++   hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three+(unbalanced) postings, where each dot represents "0.25".  No commodity+is assumed, but normally we interpret it as hours, with each dot+representing a quarter-hour.  It's convenient, though not required, to+group the dots in fours for easy reading.++$ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+2023-05-01 *+    (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+    (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+    (per:admin:finance)                 0++   A transaction begins with a non-indented *simple date* (Y-M-D, Y/M/D,+or Y.M.D). It can optionally be preceded by one or more stars and a+space, for Emacs org mode compatibility.  It can optionally be followed+on the same line by a transaction description, and/or a transaction+comment following a semicolon.++   After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:++   * an *account name* - any hledger-style account name, optionally+     hierarchical, optionally indented.+   * *two or more spaces* - a field separator, required if there is an+     amount (as in journal format).+   * an optional *timedot amount* - dots representing quarter hours, or+     a number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.+   * an optional *posting comment* following a semicolon.++   Timedot amounts can be:++   * *dots*: zero or more period characters ('.'), each representing+     0.25.  Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: '....+     ..'++   * or a *number*.  Eg: '1.5'++   * or a *number immediately followed by a unit symbol* 's', 'm', 'h',+     'd', 'w', 'mo', or 'y'.  These are interpreted as seconds, minutes,+     hours, days weeks, months or years, and converted to hours,+     assuming:+     '60s' = '1m', '60m' = '1h', '24h' = '1d', '7d' = '1w', '30d' =+     '1mo', '365d' = '1y'.  Eg '90m' is parsed as '1.5'.++   There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:++   * Blank lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are ignored.++   * Before the first date line, lines beginning with '*' are ignored.++   * From the first date line onward, one or more '*''s followed by a+     space at beginning of lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs+     Org mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an+     Org headline, and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org+     headlines.++   * Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as+     postings with zero amount.  Note hledger's register reports hide+     these by default (add -E to see them).++   More examples:++# on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+2016/2/1+inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+fos:haskell   .... ..+biz:research  .++2016/2/2+inc:client1   .... ....+biz:research  .++2016/2/3+inc:client1   4+fos:hledger   3+biz:research  1++* Time log+** 2023-01-01+*** adm:time  .+*** adm:finance  .++* 2023 Work Diary+** Q1+*** 2023-02-29+**** DONE+0700 yoga+**** UNPLANNED+**** BEGUN+hom:chores+ cleaning  ...+ water plants+  outdoor - one full watering can+  indoor - light watering+**** TODO+adm:planning: trip+*** LATER++   Reporting:++$ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+2016-02-02 *+    (inc:client1)          2.00++2016-02-02 *+    (biz:research)          0.25++$ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++            ||  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 +------------++----------------------------------------+            ||         7.75         2.25         8.00 ++   Using period instead of colon as account name separator:++2016/2/4+fos.hledger.timedot  4+fos.ledger           ..++$ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree+                4.50  fos+                4.00    hledger:timedot+                0.50    ledger+--------------------+                4.50++   A sample.timedot file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Next: Time periods,  Prev: Timedot,  Up: Top++13 PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+*****************************+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Time periods,  Next: Depth,  Prev: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS,  Up: Top++14 Time periods+***************++* Menu:++* Report start & end date::+* Smart dates::+* Report intervals::+* Date adjustment::+* Period expressions::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Report start & end date,  Next: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods++14.1 Report start & end date+============================++By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time+represented by the journal.  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+these accept the smart date syntax (below).++   Some notes:++   * End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write the date+     _after_ the last day you want to see in the report.+   * As noted in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+     _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+     2019, the smallest common time span.+   * In some cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall+     on interval boundaries (see below).++   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+              (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'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Smart dates,  Next: Report intervals,  Prev: Report start & end date,  Up: Time periods++14.2 Smart dates+================++hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added+convenience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative to today's date, be+written with english words, and have less-significant parts omitted+(missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some 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+day/week/month/quarter/year'+'in n                     n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years'+'n                        n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years+ahead'+'n                        -n periods from the current period+days/weeks/months/quarters/years+ago'+'20181201'                8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and+                          day+'201812'                  6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month++   Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give+surprising results:++'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+             8-digit year+'20181232'   8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+'201801012'  9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error++   "Today's date" can be overridden with the '--today' option, in case+it's needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for+periodic transaction rules, which are not affected by '--today'.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Report intervals,  Next: Date adjustment,  Prev: Smart dates,  Up: Time periods++14.3 Report intervals+=====================++A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,+balance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a+separate row or column.++   The following standard intervals can be enabled with command-line+flags:++   * '-D/--daily'+   * '-W/--weekly'+   * '-M/--monthly'+   * '-Q/--quarterly'+   * '-Y/--yearly'++   More complex intervals can be specified using '-p/--period',+described below.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Date adjustment,  Next: Period expressions,  Prev: Report intervals,  Up: Time periods++14.4 Date adjustment+====================++When there is a report interval (other than daily), report start/end+dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for producing+simple periodic reports.  More precisely:++   * an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall+     on a natural period boundary++   * an inferred end date will be adjusted later if needed to make the+     last period the same length as the others.++   By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly,+with '-b', '-e', '-p' or 'date:', will not be adjusted (since hledger+1.29).  This makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods,+but it also means that if you are specifying a start date, you should+pick one that's on a period boundary if you want to see simple report+period headings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions,  Prev: Date adjustment,  Up: Time periods++14.5 Period expressions+=======================++The '-p/--period' option specifies a period expression, which is a+compact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report+interval.++   Here's a period expression with a start and end date (specifying the+first quarter of 2009):++'-p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'++   Several keywords like "from" and "to" are supported for readability;+these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".."  or "-".  The+spaces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.+So the following are equivalent to the above:++'-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, these are also+equivalent to the above:++'-p "1/1 4/1"'+'-p "jan-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 date in the journal:++'-p "from 2009/1/1"'   everything after january 1, 2009+'-p "since 2009/1"'    the same, since is a synonym+'-p "from 2009"'       the same+'-p "to 2009"'         everything before january 1, 2009++   You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full+date:++'-p "2009"'     the year 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1”+'-p "2009/1"'   the month of january 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+                2009/2/1”+'-p             the first day of 2009; equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+"2009/1/1"'     2009/1/2”++   or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):++'-p "2009Q1"'    first quarter of 2009, equivalent to “2009/1/1 to+                 2009/4/1”+'-p "q4"'        fourth quarter of the current year++* Menu:++* Period expressions with a report interval::+* More complex report intervals::+* Multiple weekday intervals::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Period expressions with a report interval,  Next: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.1 Period expressions with a report interval+------------------------------------------------++A period expression can also begin with a report interval, separated+from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word 'in':++'-p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"'+'-p "monthly in 2008"'+'-p "quarterly"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More complex report intervals,  Next: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: Period expressions with a report interval,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.2 More complex report intervals+------------------------------------++Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+such as:++   * 'biweekly' (every two weeks)+   * 'fortnightly'+   * 'bimonthly' (every two months)+   * 'every day|week|month|quarter|year'+   * 'every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years'++   Weekly on a custom day:++   * 'every Nth day of week' ('th', 'nd', 'rd', or 'st' are all accepted+     after the number)+   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME' (full or three-letter english weekday name,+     case insensitive)++   Monthly on a custom day:++   * 'every Nth day [of month]'+   * 'every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]'++   Yearly on a custom day:++   * 'every MM/DD [of year]' (month number and day of month number)+   * 'every MONTHNAME DDth [of year]' (full or three-letter english+     month name, case insensitive, and day of month number)+   * 'every DDth MONTHNAME [of year]' (equivalent to the above)++   Examples:++'-p "bimonthly from+2008"'+'-p "every 2 weeks"'+'-p "every 5 months from+2009/03"'+'-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+                            November+'-p "every 5th November"'   same+'-p "every Nov 5th"'        same++   Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is+an end date, exclusive as always):++$ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"++   Group postings from the start of wednesday to end of the following+tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):++$ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multiple weekday intervals,  Prev: More complex report intervals,  Up: Period expressions++14.5.3 Multiple weekday intervals+---------------------------------++This special form is also supported:++   * 'every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,...' (full or three-letter english+     weekday names, case insensitive)++   Also, 'weekday' and 'weekendday' are shorthand for+'mon,tue,wed,thu,fri' and 'sat,sun'.++   This is mainly intended for use with '--forecast', to generate+periodic transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less+useful with '-p', since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal+length, which is unusual.  (Related: #1632)++   Examples:++'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be+mon,wed,fri"'      Mon-Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+'-p "every         dates will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will+weekday"'          be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun+'-p "every         dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+weekendday"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth,  Next: Queries,  Prev: Time periods,  Up: Top++15 Depth+********++With the '--depth NUM' option (short form: '-NUM'), reports will show+accounts only to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use+this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same+effect as a 'depth:' query argument: 'depth:2', '--depth=2' or '-2' are+equivalent.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries,  Next: Pivoting,  Prev: Depth,  Up: Top++16 Queries+**********++One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise+subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query+arguments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:++   * Zero or more space-separated query terms.  These are most often+     account name substrings:++     'utilities food:groceries'++   * Terms with spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in+     quotes:++     '"personal care"'++   * Regular expressions are also supported:++     '"^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"'++   * Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:++     'date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:'++   * Add a 'not:' prefix to negate a term:++     'not:cur:USD'++* Menu:++* Query types::+* Combining query terms::+* Queries and command options::+* Queries and valuation::+* Querying with account aliases::+* Querying with cost or value::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Query types,  Next: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries++16.1 Query types+================++Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be+prefixed with *'not:'* to convert them into a negative match.++   *'acct:REGEX', 'REGEX'*+Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular+expression.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and+regular expression syntax is typically not needed, so usually we just+write an account name substring, like 'expenses' or 'food'.++   *'amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N'*+Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+greater than N. (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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, ignoring sign.++   *'code:REGEX'*+Match by transaction code (eg check number).++   *'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 special characters which are+regex-significant, you need to escape them with '\'.  And for characters+which are significant to your shell you may need one more level of+escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:+'hledger print cur:\\$'.++   *'desc:REGEX'*+Match transaction descriptions.++   *'date:PERIODEXPR'*+Match dates (or with the '--date2' flag, secondary dates) within the+specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report+interval.  Examples:+'date:2016', 'date:thismonth', 'date:2/1-2/15',+'date:2021-07-27..nextquarter'.++   *'date2:PERIODEXPR'*+Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent of the+'--date2' flag).++   *'depth:N'*+Match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this+depth.++   *'note:REGEX'*+Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of '|', or+the whole description if there's no '|').++   *'payee:REGEX'*+Match transaction payee/payer names (the part of the description left of+'|', or the whole description if there's no '|').++   *'real:, real:0'*+Match real or virtual postings respectively.++   *'status:, status:!, status:*'*+Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.++   *'type:TYPECODES'*+Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).+'TYPECODES' is one or more of the single-letter account type codes+'ALERXCV', case insensitive.  Note 'type:A' and 'type:E' will also match+their respective subtypes 'C' (Cash) and 'V' (Conversion).  Certain+kinds of account alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts+> Aliases and account types.++   *'tag:REGEX[=REGEX]'*+Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by+value, use 'tag:.=REGEX'.)++   When querying by tag, note that:++   * Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts+   * Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their+     transaction+   * Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.++   (*'inacct:ACCTNAME'*+A special query term used automatically in hledger-web only: tells+hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining query terms,  Next: Queries and command options,  Prev: Query types,  Up: Queries++16.2 Combining query terms+==========================++When given multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+things which 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 is a little different, showing 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.++   We also support more complex boolean queries with the 'expr:' prefix.+This allows one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for 'not:'.++   Examples of such queries are:++   * Match transactions with 'cool' in the description AND with the 'A'+     tag++     'expr:"desc:cool AND tag:A"'++   * Match transactions NOT to the 'expenses:food' account OR with the+     'A' tag++     'expr:"NOT expenses:food OR tag:A"'++   * Match transactions NOT involving the 'expenses:food' account OR+     with the 'A' tag AND involving the 'expenses:drink' account.  (the+     AND is implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules+     above)++     'expr:"expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and command options,  Next: Queries and valuation,  Prev: Combining query terms,  Up: Queries++16.3 Queries and command options+================================++Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: 'depth:2' is+equivalent to '--depth 2', 'date:2023' is equivalent to '-p 2023', etc.+When you mix command options and query arguments, generally the+resulting query is their intersection.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Queries and valuation,  Next: Querying with account aliases,  Prev: Queries and command options,  Up: Queries++16.4 Queries and valuation+==========================++When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, 'cur:' and 'amt:' match the old commodity symbol and the old+amount quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's+reversed, see #1625).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with account aliases,  Next: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Queries and valuation,  Up: Queries++16.5 Querying with account aliases+==================================++When account names are rewritten with '--alias' or 'alias', note that+'acct:' will match either the old or the new account name.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Querying with cost or value,  Prev: Querying with account aliases,  Up: Queries++16.6 Querying with cost or value+================================++When amounts are converted to other commodities in cost or value+reports, note that 'cur:' matches the new commodity symbol, and not the+old one, and 'amt:' matches the new quantity, and not the old one.+Note: this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the reverse, see+the discussion at #1625.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Pivoting,  Next: Generating data,  Prev: Queries,  Up: Top++17 Pivoting+***********++Normally, hledger groups and sums amounts within each account.  The+'--pivot FIELD' option substitutes some other transaction field for+account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's+value instead.  FIELD can be any of the transaction fields 'status',+'code', 'description', 'payee', 'note', or a tag name.  When pivoting on+a tag and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first+value is displayed.  Values containing 'colon:separated:parts' will be+displayed hierarchically, like account names.++   Some examples:++2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+    assets:bank account                 2 EUR+    income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe++   Normal balance report showing account names:++$ hledger balance+               2 EUR  assets:bank account+              -2 EUR  income:dues+--------------------+                   0++   Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:++$ hledger balance --pivot member+               2 EUR+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+                   0++   One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):++$ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR++   Another way (the acct: query matches against the pivoted "account+name"):++$ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+              -2 EUR  John Doe+--------------------+              -2 EUR+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Generating data,  Next: Forecasting,  Prev: Pivoting,  Up: Top++18 Generating data+******************++hledger has several features for generating data, such as:++   * Periodic transaction rules can generate single or repeating+     transactions following a template.  These are usually dated in the+     future, eg to help with forecasting.  They are activated by the+     '--forecast' option.++   * The balance command's '--budget' option uses these same periodic+     rules to generate goals for the budget report.++   * Auto posting rules can generate extra postings on certain matched+     transactions.  They are always applied to forecast transactions;+     with the '--auto' flag they are applied to transactions recorded in+     the journal as well.++   * The '--infer-equity' flag infers missing conversion equity postings+     from @/@@ costs.  And the inverse '--infer-costs' flag infers+     missing @/@@ costs from conversion equity postings.++   Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report+time.  But you can see it in the output of 'hledger print', and you can+save that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary+generated data to permanent recorded data.  This could be useful as a+data entry aid.++   If you are wondering what data is being generated and why, add the+'--verbose-tags' flag.  In 'hledger print' output you will see extra+tags like 'generated-transaction', 'generated-posting', and 'modified'+on generated/modified data.  Also, even without '--verbose-tags',+generated data always has equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore+prefix), so eg you could match generated transactions with+'tag:_generated-transaction'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecasting,  Next: Budgeting,  Prev: Generating data,  Up: Top++19 Forecasting+**************++Forecasting, or speculative future reporting, can be useful for+estimating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.++   The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to+manually record a bunch of future-dated transactions.  You could keep+these in a separate 'future.journal' and include that with '-f' only+when you want to see them.++* Menu:++* --forecast::+* Inspecting forecast transactions::+* Forecast reports::+* Forecast tags::+* Forecast period in detail::+* Forecast troubleshooting::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --forecast,  Next: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Up: Forecasting++19.1 -forecast+==============++There is another way: with the '--forecast' option, hledger can generate+temporary "forecast transactions" for reporting purposes, according to+periodic transaction rules defined in the journal.  Each rule can+generate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing one rule you+can change many forecasted transactions.  (These same rules can also+generate budget goals, described in Budgeting.)++   Forecast transactions usually start after ordinary transactions end.+By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+today, whichever is later, and they end six months from today.  (The+exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)++   This is the "forecast period", which need not be the same as the+report period.  You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the+future, or to force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary+transactions - by giving the -forecast option a period expression+argument, like '--forecast=..2099' or '--forecast=2023-02-15..'.  Note+that the '=' is required.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Next: Forecast reports,  Prev: --forecast,  Up: Forecasting++19.2 Inspecting forecast transactions+=====================================++'print' is the best command for inspecting and troubleshooting forecast+transactions.  Eg:++~ monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent           $1000++$ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+2023-05-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-06-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-07-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-08-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++2023-09-20 rent+    ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+    assets:bank:checking+    expenses:rent                  $1000++   Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted+transactions begin on the first occurence after today's date.  (You+won't normally use '--today'; it's just to make these examples+reproducible.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast reports,  Next: Forecast tags,  Prev: Inspecting forecast transactions,  Up: Forecasting++19.3 Forecast reports+=====================++Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.  Eg:++$ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000++$ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++               ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep +===============++===================================+ expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +---------------++-----------------------------------+               || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000 +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast tags,  Next: Forecast period in detail,  Prev: Forecast reports,  Up: Forecasting++19.4 Forecast tags+==================++Forecast transactions generated by -forecast have a hidden tag,+'_generated-transaction'.  So if you ever need to match forecast+transactions, you could use 'tag:_generated-transaction' (or just+'tag:generated') in a query.++   For troubleshooting, you can add the '--verbose-tags' flag.  Then,+visible 'generated-transaction' tags will be added also, so you can view+them with the 'print' command.  Their value indicates which periodic+rule was responsible.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast period in detail,  Next: Forecast troubleshooting,  Prev: Forecast tags,  Up: Forecasting++19.5 Forecast period, in detail+===============================++Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by+default in almost all situations, while also being flexible.  Here are+(with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:++   The forecast period starts on:++   * the later of+        * the start date in the periodic transaction rule+        * the start date in '--forecast''s argument++   * otherwise (if those are not available): the later of+        * the report start date specified with '-b'/'-p'/'date:'+        * the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal++   * otherwise (if none of these are available): today.++   The forecast period ends on:++   * the earlier of+        * the end date in the periodic transaction rule+        * the end date in '--forecast''s argument++   * otherwise: the report end date specified with '-e'/'-p'/'date:'+   * otherwise: 180 days (~6 months) from today.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Forecast troubleshooting,  Prev: Forecast period in detail,  Up: Forecasting++19.6 Forecast troubleshooting+=============================++When -forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+help:++   * Remember to use the '--forecast' option.+   * Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your+     journal.+   * Test with 'print --forecast'.+   * Check for typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+     transaction rule.+   * Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule's period expression and+     description fields.+   * Check for future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+     transactions.+   * Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with '-b', '-e',+     '-p' or 'date:'+   * Try adding the '-E' flag to encourage display of empty periods/zero+     transactions.+   * Try setting explicit forecast start and/or end dates with+     '--forecast=START..END'+   * Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.+   * Check inside the engine: add '--debug=2' (eg).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgeting,  Next: Cost reporting,  Prev: Forecasting,  Up: Top++20 Budgeting+************++With the balance command's '--budget' report, each periodic transaction+rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and goals+and actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc+below.++   You can generate budget goals and forecast transactions at the same+time, from the same or different periodic transaction rules: 'hledger+bal -M --budget --forecast ...'++   See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost reporting,  Next: Valuation,  Prev: Budgeting,  Up: Top++21 Cost reporting+*****************++This section is about recording the cost of things, in transactions+where one commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of+currency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:++   * Conversion - an exchange of one currency or commodity for another.+     Eg a foreign currency exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+     cryptocurrency.++   * Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more+     conversions.++   * Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other,+     ie the exchange rate.++   * Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.+     And more generally, in hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the+     "secondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a+     purchase or a sale, and whether expressed per unit or in total.+     Also, the "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.++* Menu:++* -B Convert to cost::+* Equity conversion postings::+* Inferring equity postings from cost::+* Inferring cost from equity postings::+* When to infer cost/equity::+* How to record conversions::+* Cost tips::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -B Convert to cost,  Next: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.1 -B: Convert to cost+========================++As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction you can+also record the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding '@+UNITPRICE' or '@@ TOTALPRICE'.++   Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding+the '-B/--cost' flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).+Eg:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each++$ hledger bal -N+               $-135  assets:dollars+                €100  assets:euros+$ hledger bal -N -B+               $-135  assets:dollars+                $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost++   Notes:++   -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+  assets:euros     €100              ; for 100 euros++$ hledger bal -N -B+               €-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price+                €100  assets:euros++   The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks: it does+not truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting+equation and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Equity conversion postings,  Next: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Prev: -B Convert to cost,  Up: Cost reporting++21.2 Equity conversion postings+===============================++By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a+different notation: an extra pair of equity postings to balance+conversion transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be+written:++2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+    assets:dollars      $-135+    equity:conversion    $135+    equity:conversion   €-100+    assets:euros         €100++   This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and makes cost+reporting more difficult for PTA tools.++   Happily, current hledger can read either notation, or convert one to+the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.++   You can even use cost notation and equivalent conversion postings at+the same time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But be+sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see a+not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Next: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Prev: Equity conversion postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.3 Inferring equity postings from cost+========================================++With '--infer-equity', hledger detects transactions written with PTA+cost notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:++2022-01-01+  assets:dollars  -$135+  assets:euros     €100 @ $1.35++$ hledger print --infer-equity+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars                    $-135+    assets:euros               €100 @ $1.35+    equity:conversion:$-€:€           €-100  ; generated-posting:+    equity:conversion:$-€:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:++   The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion+account type declaration.++   -infer-equity is useful when when transactions have been recorded+using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and+balance reports' zero total, or to produce more conventional journal+entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Next: When to infer cost/equity,  Prev: Inferring equity postings from cost,  Up: Cost reporting++21.4 Inferring cost from equity postings+========================================++The reverse operation is possible using '--infer-costs', which detects+transactions written with equity conversion postings and adds cost+notation to them:++2022-01-01+    assets:dollars            $-135+    equity:conversion          $135+    equity:conversion         €-100+    assets:euros               €100++$ hledger print --infer-costs+2022-01-01+    assets:dollars       $-135 @@ €100+    equity:conversion             $135+    equity:conversion            €-100+    assets:euros                  €100++   -infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/-cost, allowing cost+reporting even when transactions have been recorded using equity+postings:++$ hledger print --infer-costs -B+2009-01-01+    assets:dollars           €-100+    assets:euros              €100++   Notes:++   For '--infer-costs' to work, an exchange must consist of four+postings:++  1. two non-equity postings+  2. two equity postings, next to one another+  3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type+     'V'/'Conversion' (or if they are not declared, they must be named+     'equity:conversion', 'equity:trade', 'equity:trading' or+     subaccounts of these)+  4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity+     postings' amounts.++   Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.++   When inferring cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added+to the first of the non-equity postings involved in the exchange, in the+commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.  If+you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can use+explicit cost notation instead.++   -infer-equity and -infer-costs can be used together, if you have a+mixture of both notations in your journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: When to infer cost/equity,  Next: How to record conversions,  Prev: Inferring cost from equity postings,  Up: Cost reporting++21.5 When to infer cost/equity+==============================++Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not enabled+by default.  We're not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two+suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:++  1. When you use -B, always use -infer-costs as well.  Eg: 'hledger bal+     -B --infer-costs'++  2. Always run hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: 'alias hl="hledger+     --infer-equity --infer-costs"'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: How to record conversions,  Next: Cost tips,  Prev: When to infer cost/equity,  Up: Cost reporting++21.6 How to record conversions+==============================++Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion transaction in+hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.++* Menu:++* Conversion with implicit cost::+* Conversion with explicit cost::+* Conversion with equity postings::+* Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with implicit cost,  Next: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.1 Conversion with implicit cost+------------------------------------++Let's assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD. You can just record the+outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in the appropriate asset account:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash    -100 EUR+    assets:cash     120 USD++   hledger will assume this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD. You can see the inferred rate+by using 'hledger print -x'.++   Pro:++   * Concise, easy++   Con:++   * Less error checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not+     be detected+   * Conversion rate is not clear+   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity+     flag++   You can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped+commodity symbol, by using 'hledger check commodities'.++   You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using 'hledger+check balancednoautoconversion', or '-s/--strict'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with explicit cost,  Next: Conversion with equity postings,  Prev: Conversion with implicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.2 Conversion with explicit cost+------------------------------------++You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an+error otherwise.++   Pro:++   * Still concise+   * Makes the conversion rate clear+   * Provides more error checking++   Con:++   * Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add the -infer-equity+     flag+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings,  Next: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with explicit cost,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.3 Conversion with equity postings+--------------------------------------++In strict double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not+balanced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears, and some USD+appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents+reports like 'balancesheetequity' from showing a zero total.++   The proper way to make it balance is to add a balancing posting for+each commodity, using an equity account:++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Pro:++   * Preserves the accounting equation+   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+   * Standard, works in any double entry accounting system++   Con:++   * More verbose+   * Conversion rate is not obvious+   * Cost reporting requires adding the -infer-costs flag+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost,  Prev: Conversion with equity postings,  Up: How to record conversions++21.6.4 Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+--------------------------------------------------------++Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.++2021-01-01+    assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+    equity:conversion   100 EUR+    equity:conversion  -120 USD+    assets:cash         120 USD++   Pro:++   * Preserves the accounting equation+   * Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place+   * Makes the conversion rate clear+   * Provides more error checking++   Con:++   * Most verbose+   * Not compatible with ledger+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Cost tips,  Prev: How to record conversions,  Up: Cost reporting++21.7 Cost tips+==============++   * Recording the cost/conversion rate explicitly is good because it+     makes that clear and helps detect errors.+   * Recording equity postings is good because it is correct bookkeeping+     and preserves the accounting equation.+   * Combining these is possible.+   * When you want to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use+     '-B' (short form of '--cost').+   * If you use conversion postings without cost notation, add+     '--infer-costs' also.+   * If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want+     to see a balanced balance sheet or print correct journal entries,+     use '--infer-equity'.+   * Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation,  Next: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Prev: Cost reporting,  Up: Top++22 Valuation+************++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:++* Menu:++* -V Value::+* -X Value in specified commodity::+* Valuation date::+* Finding market price::+* --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions::+* Valuation commodity::+* Simple valuation examples::+* --value Flexible valuation::+* More valuation examples::+* Interaction of valuation and queries::+* Effect of valuation on reports::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -V Value,  Next: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.1 -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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: -X Value in specified commodity,  Next: Valuation date,  Prev: -V Value,  Up: Valuation++22.2 -X: Value in specified commodity+=====================================++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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation date,  Next: Finding market price,  Prev: -X Value in specified commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.3 Valuation date+===================++Since market prices can change from day to day, market value reports+have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+prices will be used.++   For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Finding market price,  Next: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Prev: Valuation date,  Up: Valuation++22.4 Finding market price+=========================++To convert a commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate) as follows, in+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-prices' flag) inferred+     from costs.++  2. A _reverse market price_: the inverse of a declared or inferred+     market price from B to A.++  3. A _forward chain of market prices_: a synthetic price formed by+     combining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market+     prices, leading from A to B.++  4. _Any chain of market prices_: a chain of any market prices,+     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.++   Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are not+converted.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Next: Valuation commodity,  Prev: Finding market price,  Up: Valuation++22.5 -infer-market-prices: 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+chore, and since transactions usually take place at close to market+value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as+Ledger does) ?  Adding the '--infer-market-prices' flag to '-V', '-X' or+'--value' enables this.++   So for example, 'hledger bs -V --infer-market-prices' will get market+prices both from P directives and from transactions.  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+you, read all of this Valuation section carefully, and try adding+'--debug' or '--debug=2' to troubleshoot.++   '--infer-market-prices' can infer market prices from:++   * 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 equity postings, if cost is+     inferred with '--infer-costs'.++   There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is+not specified, prices inferred with '--infer-market-prices' do not help+select a default valuation commodity, as 'P' prices would.  So+conversion might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected+('--debug=2' will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation+commmodity, eg:++   * '-X EUR --infer-market-prices', not '-V --infer-market-prices'+   * '--value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices', not '--value=then+     --infer-market-prices'++   Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here+is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should+work differently, see #1870.)++2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 @ A 1++2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B -1 @@ A 1+++2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 @ A -1++2022-01-02 Negative total prices+    a        A 1+    b        B 1 @@ A -1+++2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 @ A -1++2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+    a        A -1+    b        B -1 @@ A -1++   All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each+day, the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the+market prices inferred for B:++$ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+P 2022-01-01 B A 1+P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+P 2022-01-02 B A -1+P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+P 2022-01-03 B A -1+P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation commodity,  Next: Simple valuation examples,  Prev: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions,  Up: Valuation++22.6 Valuation commodity+========================++*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'):*+For each commodity A, hledger picks a default valuation commodity as+follows, in this order of preference:++  1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A+     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+     prices before the valuation date.)++  3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the+     '--infer-market-prices' 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'+     will convert, and to what.++   * If you have no P directives, and use the '--infer-market-prices'+     flag, costs determine it.++   Amounts for which no valuation commodity can be found are not+converted.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple valuation examples,  Next: --value Flexible valuation,  Prev: Valuation commodity,  Up: Valuation++22.7 Simple valuation examples+==============================++Here are some quick examples of '-V':++; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+P 2016/11/01 € $1.10++; purchase some euros on nov 3+2016/11/3+    assets:euros        €100+    assets:checking++; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+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+             $110.00  assets:euros++   What are they worth after 2016/12/21 ?  (no report end date+specified, defaults to today)++$ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+             $103.00  assets:euros+++File: hledger.info,  Node: --value Flexible valuation,  Next: More valuation examples,  Prev: Simple valuation examples,  Up: Valuation++22.8 -value: Flexible valuation+===============================++'-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.+                      Shows amounts converted to:+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                      - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date++   The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:++'--value=then'++     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity,+     using market prices on each posting's date.+'--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'++     Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation commodity+     using current market prices (as of when report is generated).+'--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+this commodity, deducing market prices as described above.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More valuation examples,  Next: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Prev: --value Flexible valuation,  Up: Valuation++22.9 More valuation examples+============================++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+P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++2000-01-01+  (a)      1 A @ 5 B++2000-02-01+  (a)      1 A @ 6 B++2000-03-01+  (a)      1 A @ 7 B++   Show the cost of each posting:++$ hledger -f- print --cost+2000-01-01+    (a)             5 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             6 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             7 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             2 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             3 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             3 B++   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++2000-02-01+    (a)             4 B++2000-03-01+    (a)             4 B++   Show the value on 2000/01/15:++$ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+2000-01-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-02-01+    (a)             1 B++2000-03-01+    (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:++P 2000-01-01 A 2B++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b++$ hledger print -x -X A+2000-01-01+    a               0+    b               0++   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+commodity directive sets a more useful display style for A:++P 2000-01-01 A 2B+commodity 0.00A++2000-01-01+  a  1B+  b++$ hledger print -X A+2000-01-01+    a           0.50A+    b          -0.50A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Next: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: More valuation examples,  Up: Valuation++22.10 Interaction of valuation and queries+==========================================++When matching postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+the following happens.++  1. The query is separated into two parts:+       1. the currency ('cur:') or amount ('amt:').+       2. all other parts.++  2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based+     on pre-valued amounts.+  3. Valuation is applied to the postings.+  4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the query based on+     post-valued amounts.++   See: 1625+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Effect of valuation on reports,  Prev: Interaction of valuation and queries,  Up: Valuation++22.11 Effect of valuation on reports+====================================++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.++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+balance    unchanged    unchanged    unchanged          unchanged    unchanged+assertions/assignments+*register*+starting   cost         value at     valued at day      value at     value+balance                 report or    each historical    report or    at+(-H)                    journal      posting was made   journal      DATE/today+                        end                             end+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+with                    journal                         journal+report                  start                           start+interval+posting    cost         value at     value at posting   value at     value+amounts                 report or    date               report or    at+                        journal                         journal      DATE/today+                        end                             end+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+running    sum/average  sum/average  sum/average of     sum/average  sum/average+total/averageof         of           displayed values   of           of+           displayed    displayed                       displayed    displayed+           values       values                          values       values+*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+                                                                     postings+budget     like         like         like balance       like         like+amounts    balance      balance      changes            balances     balance+(-budget)  changes      changes                                      changes+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+(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+           start to                  posting dates                   postings+           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+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+a zero starting balance.++   *Glossary:*++_cost_++     calculated using price(s) recorded in the transaction(s).+_value_++     market value using available market price declarations, or the+     unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.+_report start_++     the first day of the report period specified with -b or -p or+     date:, otherwise today.+_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_++     the last day of the report period specified with -e or -p or date:,+     otherwise today.+_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_++     a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates the+     report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many+     subperiods).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Next: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Prev: Valuation,  Up: Top++23 PART 4: COMMANDS+*******************++* Menu:++* Commands overview::+* accounts::+* activity::+* add::+* aregister::+* balance::+* balancesheet::+* balancesheetequity::+* cashflow::+* check::+* close::+* codes::+* commodities::+* demo::+* descriptions::+* diff::+* files::+* help::+* import::+* incomestatement::+* notes::+* payees::+* prices::+* print::+* register::+* rewrite::+* roi::+* stats::+* tags::+* test::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commands overview,  Next: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.1 Commands overview+======================++Here are the built-in commands:++* Menu:++* DATA ENTRY::+* DATA CREATION::+* DATA MANAGEMENT::+* REPORTS FINANCIAL::+* REPORTS VERSATILE::+* REPORTS BASIC::+* HELP::+* ADD-ONS::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA ENTRY,  Next: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.1 DATA ENTRY+-----------------++These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your+journal file.++   * add - add transactions using terminal prompts+   * import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA CREATION,  Next: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Prev: DATA ENTRY,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.2 DATA CREATION+--------------------++   * close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions+   * rewrite - generate auto postings, like print -auto+++File: hledger.info,  Node: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Next: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Prev: DATA CREATION,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.3 DATA MANAGEMENT+----------------------++   * check - check for various kinds of error in the data+   * diff - compare account transactions in two journal files+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Next: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Prev: DATA MANAGEMENT,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.4 REPORTS, FINANCIAL+-------------------------++   * 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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Next: REPORTS BASIC,  Prev: REPORTS FINANCIAL,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.5 REPORTS, VERSATILE+-------------------------++   * balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets,+     gains..+   * print - show transactions or export journal data+   * register (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running+     total+   * roi - show return on investments+++File: hledger.info,  Node: REPORTS BASIC,  Next: HELP,  Prev: REPORTS VERSATILE,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.6 REPORTS, BASIC+---------------------++   * accounts - show account names+   * activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period+   * codes - show transaction codes+   * commodities - show commodity/currency symbols+   * descriptions - show transaction descriptions+   * files - show input file paths+   * notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions+   * payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions+   * prices - show market prices+   * stats - show journal statistics+   * tags - show tag names+   * test - run self tests+++File: hledger.info,  Node: HELP,  Next: ADD-ONS,  Prev: REPORTS BASIC,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.7 HELP+-----------++   * help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager+   * demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: ADD-ONS,  Prev: HELP,  Up: Commands overview++23.1.8 ADD-ONS+--------------++And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed+by the hledger-install script.  If installed, they will appear in+hledger's commands list:++   * ui - run hledger's terminal UI+   * web - run hledger's web UI+   * iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)+   * interest - generate interest transactions+   * stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage+   * Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,+     pijul, plot, and more..++   Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: accounts,  Next: activity,  Prev: Commands overview,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.2 accounts+=============++Show account names.++   This command lists account names.  By default it shows all known+accounts, either used in transactions or declared with account+directives.++   With query arguments, only matched account names and account names+referenced by matched postings are shown.++   Or it can show just the used accounts ('--used'/'-u'), the declared+accounts ('--declared'/'-d'), the accounts declared but not used+('--unused'), the accounts used but not declared ('--undeclared'), or+the first account matched by an account name pattern, if any ('--find').++   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'.++   With '--types', it also shows each account's type, if it's known.+(See Declaring accounts > Account types.)++   With '--positions', it also shows the file and line number of each+account's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration+order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.++   With '--directives', it adds the 'account' keyword, showing valid+account directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is+useful together with '--undeclared' when updating your account+declarations to satisfy 'hledger check accounts'.++   The '--find' flag can be used to look up a single account name, in+the same way that the 'aregister' command does.  It returns the+alphanumerically-first matched account name, or if none can be found, it+fails with a non-zero exit code.++   Examples:++$ hledger accounts+assets:bank:checking+assets:bank:saving+assets:cash+expenses:food+expenses:supplies+income:gifts+income:salary+liabilities:debts++$ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+$ hledger check accounts+++File: hledger.info,  Node: activity,  Next: add,  Prev: accounts,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.3 activity+=============++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.++   Examples:++$ hledger activity --quarterly+2008-01-01 **+2008-04-01 *******+2008-07-01 +2008-10-01 **+++File: hledger.info,  Node: add,  Next: aregister,  Prev: activity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.4 add+========++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+transactions, and appends them to the main journal file (which should be+in journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This is one+of the few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also+'import').++   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:++   * 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,+     payees/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.+   * 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+     backward.+   * Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+     supports it.++   Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):++$ hledger add+Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+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]: +Description: supermarket+Account 1: expenses:food+Amount  1: $10+Account 2: assets:checking+Amount  2 [$-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]: +Saved.+Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $++   On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no part of the+file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister,  Next: balance,  Prev: add,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.5 aregister+==============++(areg)++   Show the transactions and running historical balance of a single+account, with each transaction displayed as one line.++   'aregister' shows the overall transactions affecting a particular+account (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one+transaction in this account.  Transactions before the report start date+are always included in the running balance ('--historical' mode is+always on).++   This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the 'register'+command (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple+accounts, not necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of+thumb: - use 'aregister' for reviewing and reconciling real-world+asset/liability accounts - use 'register' for reviewing detailed+revenues/expenses.++   'aregister' requires one argument: the account to report on.  You can+write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive regular+expression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.++   When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can+be surprising; eg if you have 'assets:per:checking 1' and+'assets:biz:checking 2' accounts, 'hledger areg checking' would select+'assets:biz:checking 2'.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if+in doubt, write the full account name, or a distinctive substring that+matches uniquely.++   Transactions involving subaccounts of this account will also be+shown.  'aregister' ignores depth limits, so its final total will always+match a balance report with similar arguments.++   Any additional arguments form a query which will filter the+transactions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance,+causing it to be different from the account's real-world running+balance.++   An example: this shows the transactions and historical running+balance during july, in the first account whose name contains+"checking":++$ hledger areg checking date:jul++   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.++   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+'--align-all' flag.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options.  The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and 'json'.++* Menu:++* aregister and custom posting dates::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: aregister and custom posting dates,  Up: aregister++23.5.1 aregister and custom posting dates+-----------------------------------------++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.++   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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance,  Next: balancesheet,  Prev: aregister,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.6 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+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'.++* Menu:++* balance features::+* Simple balance report::+* Balance report line format::+* Filtered balance report::+* List or tree mode::+* Depth limiting::+* Dropping top-level accounts::+* Showing declared accounts::+* Sorting by amount::+* Percentages::+* Multi-period balance report::+* Balance change end balance::+* Balance report types::+* Budget report::+* Data layout::+* Useful balance reports::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balance features,  Next: Simple balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.1 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+higher-level commands as well.++   'balance' can show..++   * 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 unrealised capital gain/loss ('--gain')+   * or postings count ('--count')++   ..in..++   * one time period (the whole journal period by default)+   * 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')++   ..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')++   ..with..++   * 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')+   * commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines+     ('--layout')++   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,+negative amounts are shown in red.++   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the balance of the _other_ postings+in the transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Simple balance report,  Next: Balance report line format,  Prev: balance features,  Up: balance++23.6.2 Simple balance report+----------------------------++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.  ("Simple" here+means just one column of numbers, covering a single period.  You can+also have multi-period reports, described later.)++   For real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be 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+examples/sample.journal):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  ++   Accounts with a zero balance (and no non-zero subaccounts, in tree+mode - see below) are hidden by default.  Use '-E/--empty' to show them+(revealing 'assets:bank:checking' here):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                   0  assets:bank:checking+                  $1  assets:bank:saving+                 $-2  assets:cash+                  $1  expenses:food+                  $1  expenses:supplies+                 $-1  income:gifts+                 $-1  income:salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0  ++   The total of the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+'-N'/'--no-total' is used.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report line format,  Next: Filtered balance report,  Prev: Simple balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.3 Balance report line format+---------------------------------++For single-period balance reports displayed in the terminal (only), you+can use '--format FMT' to customise the format and content of each line.+Eg:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"+              assets          $-1+         bank:saving           $1+                cash          $-2+            expenses           $2+                food           $1+            supplies           $1+              income          $-2+               gifts          $-1+              salary          $-1+   liabilities:debts           $1+---------------------------------+                                0++   The FMT format string specifies the formatting applied to each+account/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data+fields interpolated like so:++   '%[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)'++   * MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)++   * MAX truncates at this width (optional)++   * FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:++        * 'depth_spacer' - a number of spaces equal to the account's+          depth, or if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.+        * 'account' - the account's name+        * 'total' - the account's balance/posted total, right justified++   Also, FMT can begin with an optional prefix to control how+multi-commodity amounts are rendered:++   * '%_' - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)+   * '%^' - render on multiple lines, top-aligned+   * '%,' - render on one line, comma-separated++   There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, '%(depth_spacer)' has no+effect, instead '%(account)' has indentation built in.  Experimentation+may be needed to get pleasing results.++   Some example formats:++   * '%(total)' - the account's total+   * '%-20.20(account)' - the account's name, left justified, padded to+     20 characters and clipped at 20 characters+   * '%,%-50(account) %25(total)' - account name padded to 50+     characters, total padded to 20 characters, with multiple+     commodities rendered on one line+   * '%20(total) %2(depth_spacer)%-(account)' - the default format for+     the single-column balance report+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Filtered balance report,  Next: List or tree mode,  Prev: Balance report line format,  Up: balance++23.6.4 Filtered balance report+------------------------------++You can show fewer accounts, a different time period, totals from+cleared transactions only, etc.  by using query arguments or options to+limit the postings being matched.  Eg:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                 $-2  assets:cash+--------------------+                 $-2  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: List or tree mode,  Next: Depth limiting,  Prev: Filtered balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.5 List or tree mode+------------------------++By default, or with '-l/--flat', accounts are shown as a flat list with+their full names visible, as in the examples above.++   With '-t/--tree', the account hierarchy is shown, with subaccounts'+"leaf" names indented below their parent:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                   0++   Notes:++   * "Boring" accounts are combined with their subaccount for more+     compact output, unless '--no-elide' is used.  Boring accounts have+     no balance of their own and just one subaccount (eg 'assets:bank'+     and 'liabilities' above).++   * All balances shown are "inclusive", ie including the balances from+     all subaccounts.  Note this means some repetition in the output,+     which requires explanation when sharing reports with+     non-plaintextaccounting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is+     the sum of the top-level balances shown, not of all the balances+     shown.++   * Each group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is+     sorted separately.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Depth limiting,  Next: Dropping top-level accounts,  Prev: List or tree mode,  Up: balance++23.6.6 Depth limiting+---------------------++With a 'depth:NUM' query, or '--depth NUM' option, or just '-NUM' (eg:+'-3') balance reports will show accounts only to the specified depth,+hiding the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful for getting an+overview without too much detail.++   Account balances at the depth limit always include the balances from+any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                 $-1  assets+                  $2  expenses+                 $-2  income+                  $1  liabilities+--------------------+                   0  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Dropping top-level accounts,  Next: Showing declared accounts,  Prev: Depth limiting,  Up: balance++23.6.7 Dropping top-level accounts+----------------------------------++You can also hide one or more top-level account name parts, using+'--drop NUM'.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level+account names:++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                  $1  food+                  $1  supplies+--------------------+                  $2  +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Showing declared accounts,  Next: Sorting by amount,  Prev: Dropping top-level accounts,  Up: balance++23.6.8 Showing declared accounts+--------------------------------++With '--declared', accounts which have been declared with an account+directive will be included in the balance report, even if they have no+transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+'-E/--empty' to see them.)++   More precisely, _leaf_ declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will+be included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.++   The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete" balance+report, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared+accounts yet.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Sorting by amount,  Next: Percentages,  Prev: Showing declared accounts,  Up: balance++23.6.9 Sorting by amount+------------------------++With '-S/--sort-amount', accounts with the largest (most positive)+balances are shown first.  Eg: 'hledger bal expenses -MAS' shows your+biggest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity+is present, they will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity+first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount is missing a+commodity, it is treated as 0).++   Revenues and liability balances are typically negative, however, so+'-S' shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can add+'--invert' to flip the signs.  (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,+which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: 'hledger incomestatement -MAS').+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Percentages,  Next: Multi-period balance report,  Prev: Sorting by amount,  Up: balance++23.6.10 Percentages+-------------------++With '-%/--percent', balance reports show each account's value expressed+as a percentage of the (column) total.++   Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a+column have mixed signs.  In this case, make a separate report for each+sign, eg:++$ 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+separate report for each commodity:++$ hledger bal -% cur:\\$+$ hledger bal -% cur:€+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Multi-period balance report,  Next: Balance change end balance,  Prev: Percentages,  Up: balance++23.6.11 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):++$ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+Balance changes in 2008:++                   ||  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 +-------------------++---------------------------------+                   ||     $-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.+   * Accounts (rows) containing all zeroes are not shown, unless+     '-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.++   Multi-period reports with many periods can be too wide for easy+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'+   * 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+     && open a.html'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance change end balance,  Next: Balance report types,  Prev: Multi-period balance report,  Up: balance++23.6.12 Balance change, end balance+-----------------------------------++It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in+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.++   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!)++   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+historical end balances:++  1. Initialise account starting balances with an "opening balances"+     transaction (a transfer from equity to the account), unless the+     journal covers the account's full lifetime.++  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+     ignored when summing postings.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Balance report types,  Next: Budget report,  Prev: Balance change end balance,  Up: balance++23.6.13 Balance report types+----------------------------++The balance command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how to+control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated, don't+worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does take time and+experimentation to get familiar with all the report modes.++   There are three important option groups:++   'hledger balance [CALCULATIONTYPE] [ACCUMULATIONTYPE] [VALUATIONTYPE]+...'++* Menu:++* Calculation type::+* Accumulation type::+* Valuation type::+* Combining balance report types::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Calculation type,  Next: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.1 Calculation type+..........................++The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:++   * '--sum' : sum the posting amounts (*default*)+   * '--budget' : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount+     (for each account/period)+   * '--valuechange' : show the change in period-end historical balance+     values (caused by deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price+     fluctuations)+   * '--gain' : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the current+     valued balance minus each amount's original cost)+   * '--count' : show the count of postings+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Accumulation type,  Next: Valuation type,  Prev: Calculation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.2 Accumulation type+...........................++How amounts should accumulate across report periods.  Another way to say+it: which time period's postings should contribute to each cell's+calculation.  It is one of:++   * '--change' : calculate with postings from column start to column+     end, ie "just this column".  Typically used to see+     revenues/expenses.  (*default for balance, incomestatement*)++   * '--cumulative' : calculate with postings from report start to+     column end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used+     to show changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not+     often used.++   * '--historical/-H' : calculate with postings from journal start to+     column end, ie "all postings from before report start date until+     this column's end".  Typically used to see historical end balances+     of assets/liabilities/equity.  (*default for balancesheet,+     balancesheetequity, cashflow*)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Valuation type,  Next: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Accumulation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.3 Valuation type+........................++Which kind of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, before+displaying the report.  It is one of:++   * no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (*default*)+   * '--value=cost[,COMM]' : convert amounts to cost (then optionally to+     some other commodity)+   * '--value=then[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on+     transaction dates+   * '--value=end[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on period+     end date(s)+     (*default with '--valuechange', '--gain'*)+   * '--value=now[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on today's+     date+   * '--value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]' : convert amounts to market value on+     another date++   or one of the equivalent simpler flags:++   * '-B/--cost' : like -value=cost (though, note -cost and -value are+     independent options which can both be used at once)+   * '-V/--market' : like -value=end+   * '-X COMM/--exchange COMM' : like -value=end,COMM++   See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Combining balance report types,  Prev: Valuation type,  Up: Balance report types++23.6.13.4 Combining balance report types+........................................++Most combinations of these options should produce reasonable reports,+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'++   For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and+valuation show:++Valuation:>no valuation    '--value= then'   '--value= end'   '--value=+Accumulation:v                                                YYYY-MM-DD+                                                              /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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report,  Next: Data layout,  Prev: Balance report types,  Up: balance++23.6.14 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 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+  expenses:food    $400+  expenses:bus     $50+  expenses:movies  $30+  assets:bank:checking++;; Two months worth of expenses+2017-11-01+  income  $1950+  expenses:food    $396+  expenses:bus     $49+  expenses:movies  $30+  expenses:supplies  $20+  assets:bank:checking++2017-12-01+  income  $2100+  expenses:food    $412+  expenses:bus     $53+  expenses:gifts   $100+  assets:bank:checking++   You can now see a monthly budget report:++$ hledger balance -M --budget+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] ++   This is different from a normal balance report in several ways.+Currently:++   * Accounts with budget goals during the report period, and their+     parents, are shown.+   * Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).+   * Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated and shown as+     "<unbudgeted>".+   * Amounts are always inclusive (subaccount-including), even in list+     mode.+   * After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and+     percentage of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.++   This means that the numbers displayed will not always add up!  Eg+above, the 'expenses' actual amount includes the gifts and supplies+transactions, but the 'expenses:gifts' and 'expenses:supplies' accounts+are not shown, as they have no budget amounts declared.++   This can be confusing.  When you need to make things clearer, use the+'-E/--empty' flag, which will reveal all accounts including unbudgeted+ones, giving the full picture.  Eg:++$ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      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  $2000] +----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                      ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0] ++   You can roll over unspent budgets to next period with '--cumulative':++$ hledger balance -M --budget --cumulative+Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                      ||                      Nov                       Dec +======================++====================================================+ 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] ++   It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses++hledger bal -M --budget expenses++   or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):++hledger bal -M --budget type:rx++   It's also common to limit or convert them to a single currency+('cur:COMM' or '-X COMM [--infer-market-prices]').  If showing multiple+currencies, '--layout bare' or '--layout tall' can help.++   For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.++* Menu:++* Budget report start date::+* Budgets and subaccounts::+* Selecting budget goals::+* Budget vs forecast::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget report start date,  Next: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.1 Budget report start date+..................................++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+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+default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:++~ monthly in 2020+  (expenses:food)  $500++2020-01-15+  expenses:food    $400+  assets:checking++$ hledger bal expenses --budget+Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++              || 2020-01-15 +==============++============+ <unbudgeted> ||       $400 +--------------++------------+              ||       $400 ++   To avoid this, specify the budget report's period, or at least the+start date, with '-b'/'-e'/'-p'/'date:', to ensure it includes the+budget goal transactions (periodic transactions) that you want.  Eg,+adding '-b 2020/1/1' to the above:++$ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++               || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15 +===============++========================+ expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500] +---------------++------------------------+               ||     $400 [80% of $500] +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budgets and subaccounts,  Next: Selecting budget goals,  Prev: Budget report start date,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.2 Budgets and subaccounts+.................................++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.++   In the most simple case this means that once you add a budget to any+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+    liabilities++   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.++   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+    liabilities++2019/01/01 Google home hub+    expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+    liabilities                           $-90.00++2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+    expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+    liabilities++2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+    expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+    liabilities++2019/01/03 Flowers+    expenses:personal          $30.00+    liabilities++   As you can see, we have transactions in+'expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades' and 'expenses:personal:train+tickets', and since both of these accounts are without explicitly+defined budget, these transactions would be counted towards budgets of+'expenses:personal:electronics' and 'expenses:personal' accordingly:++$ hledger balance --budget -M+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                               ||                           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 $-1100.00] +-------------------------------++-------------------------------+                               ||        0 [                 0] ++   And with '--empty', we can get a better picture of budget allocation+and consumption:++$ hledger balance --budget -M --empty+Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                        ||                           Jan +========================================++===============================+ 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 $-1100.00] +----------------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                        ||        0 [                 0] +++File: hledger.info,  Node: Selecting budget goals,  Next: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Budgets and subaccounts,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.3 Selecting budget goals+................................++The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate+special "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each+account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting, you can use+'print --forecast' to show these as forecasted transactions:++$ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated++   By default, the budget report uses all available periodic transaction+rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report+interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly+periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly+budget report.++   You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to+the '--budget' flag.  '--budget=DESCPAT' will match all periodic rules+whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+regular expression or query).  This means you can give your periodic+rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then+select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Budget vs forecast,  Prev: Selecting budget goals,  Up: Budget report++23.6.14.4 Budget vs forecast+............................++'hledger --forecast ...' and 'hledger balance --budget ...' are separate+features, though both of them use the periodic transaction rules defined+in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions for+reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal+transactions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same+time if you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger+1.29:++   CLI:++   * -forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command+   * -budget is a 'balance' command option, usable only with that+     command.++   Visibility of generated transactions:++   * forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary+     transactions+   * budget goal transactions are invisible except for the goal amounts+     they produce in -budget reports.++   Periodic transaction rules:++   * -forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules+   * -budget uses all periodic rules ('--budget') or a selected subset+     ('--budget=DESCPAT')++   Period of generated transactions:++   * -forecast generates forecast transactions+        * from after the last regular transaction to the end of the+          report period ('--forecast')+        * or, during a specified period ('--forecast=PERIODEXPR')+        * possibly further restricted by a period specified in the+          periodic transaction rule+        * and always restricted within the bounds of the report period++   * -budget generates budget goal transactions+        * throughout the report period+        * possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic+          transaction rule.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Data layout,  Next: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Budget report,  Up: balance++23.6.15 Data layout+-------------------++The '--layout' option affects how balance reports show multi-commodity+amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can+also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has+four possible values:++   * '--layout=wide[,WIDTH]': commodities are shown on a single line,+     optionally elided to WIDTH+   * '--layout=tall': each commodity is shown on a separate line+   * '--layout=bare': commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts+     are bare numbers+   * '--layout=tidy': data is normalised to easily-consumed "tidy" form,+     with one row per data value++   Here are the '--layout' modes supported by each output format; note+only CSV output supports all of them:++-      txt   csv   html   json   sql+---------------------------------------+wide   Y     Y     Y+tall   Y     Y     Y+bare   Y     Y     Y+tidy         Y++   Examples:++   * Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total +     ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT +     ------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT ++   * Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some+     commodities will be hidden:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total +     ==================++===========================================================================================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. +     ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more.. ++   * Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line (may be different in+     each column), and account names are repeated:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       ||       2012        2013         2014        Total +     ==================++==================================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +      Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +      Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +      Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +      Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT +     ------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                       || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD +                       || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT +                       ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD +                       || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA +                       ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT ++   * Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each+     commodity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+     Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:+     +                       || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total +     ==================++=============================================+      Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +      Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +      Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 +     ------------------++---------------------------------------------+                       || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00 +                       || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00 +                       || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50 +                       || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00 +                       || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00 ++   * Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is useful for producing+     data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+     "account","commodity","balance"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"+     "total","GLD","70.00"+     "total","ITOT","17.00"+     "total","USD","5120.50"+     "total","VEA","36.00"+     "total","VHT","294.00"++   * Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable+     has its own column and each row represents a single data point.+     See+     https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-data.html+     for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other software to+     consume.  Here's how it looks:++     $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+     "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"+     "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Useful balance reports,  Prev: Data layout,  Up: balance++23.6.16 Useful balance reports+------------------------------++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 -H assets liabilities'+     Show historical asset/liability balances at each month end.  Also+     available as the 'balancesheet' command.++   * 'bal -M -H assets liabilities equity'+     Show historical asset/liability/equity balances at each month end.+     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.++   Also:++   * 'bal -M expenses -2 -SA'+     Show monthly expenses summarised to depth 2 and sorted by average+     amount.++   * 'bal -M --budget expenses'+     Show monthly expenses and budget goals.++   * 'bal -M --valuechange investments'+     Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.++   * 'bal investments --valuechange -D date:lastweek amt:'>1000' -STA+     [--invert]'+     Show top gainers [or losers] last week+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheet,  Next: balancesheetequity,  Prev: balance,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.7 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+sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash' or+'Liability' type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are+declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset' or 'liability' (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger balancesheet+Balance Sheet++Assets:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities', but with+smarter account detection, and liabilities displayed with their sign+flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: balancesheetequity,  Next: cashflow,  Prev: balancesheet,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.8 balancesheetequity+=======================++(bse)++   This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending+balances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown+with normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Asset', 'Cash',+'Liability' or 'Equity' type (see account types).  Or if no such+accounts are declared, it shows top-level accounts named 'asset',+'liability' or 'equity' (case insensitive, plurals allowed) and their+subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger balancesheetequity+Balance Sheet With Equity++Assets:+                 $-2  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-3    cash+--------------------+                 $-2++Liabilities:+                  $1  liabilities:debts+--------------------+                  $1++Equity:+          $1  equity:owner+--------------------+          $1++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity', but+with smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with+their sign flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: cashflow,  Next: check,  Prev: balancesheetequity,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.9 cashflow+=============++(cf)++   This command displays a cashflow statement, showing the inflows and+outflows affecting "cash" (ie, liquid, easily convertible) assets.+Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional+financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Cash' type (see account+types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts++   * under a top-level account named 'asset' (case insensitive, plural+     allowed)+   * whose name contains some variation of 'cash', 'bank', 'checking' or+     'saving'.++   More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular+expression:++   '^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)'++   and their subaccounts.++   An example cashflow report:++$ hledger cashflow+Cashflow Statement++Cash flows:+                 $-1  assets+                  $1    bank:saving+                 $-2    cash+--------------------+                 $-1++Total:+--------------------+                 $-1++   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+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'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: check,  Next: close,  Prev: cashflow,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.10 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+argument(s).++   Some examples:++hledger check      # basic checks+hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks++   If you are an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to+run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.++   Here are the checks currently available:++* Menu:++* Basic checks::+* Strict checks::+* Other checks::+* Custom checks::+* More about specific checks::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Basic checks,  Next: Strict checks,  Up: check++23.10.1 Basic checks+--------------------++These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger+commands, including 'check':++   * *parseable* - data files are well-formed and can be successfully+     parsed++   * *balancedwithautoconversion* - all transactions are balanced,+     inferring missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting+     commodities using costs or automatically-inferred costs++   * *assertions* - all balance assertions in the journal are passing.+     (This check can be disabled with '-I'/'--ignore-assertions'.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Strict checks,  Next: Other checks,  Prev: Basic checks,  Up: check++23.10.2 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':++   * *accounts* - all account names used by transactions have been+     declared++   * *commodities* - all commodity symbols used have been declared++   * *balancednoautoconversion* - transactions are balanced, possibly+     using explicit costs but not inferred ones+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Other checks,  Next: Custom checks,  Prev: Strict checks,  Up: check++23.10.3 Other checks+--------------------++These checks can be run only by giving their names as arguments to+'check'.  They are more specialised and not desirable for everyone,+therefore optional:++   * *ordereddates* - transactions are ordered by date within each file++   * *payees* - all payees used by transactions have been declared++   * *recentassertions* - all accounts with balance assertions have a+     balance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting++   * *tags* - all tags used by transactions have been declared++   * *uniqueleafnames* - all account leaf names are unique+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom checks,  Next: More about specific checks,  Prev: Other checks,  Up: check++23.10.4 Custom checks+---------------------++A few more checks are are available as separate add-on commands, in+https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:++   * *hledger-check-tagfiles* - all tag values containing / (a forward+     slash) exist as file paths++   * *hledger-check-fancyassertions* - more complex balance assertions+     are passing++   You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.+See: Cookbook -> Scripting.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: More about specific checks,  Prev: Custom checks,  Up: check++23.10.5 More about specific checks+----------------------------------++'hledger check recentassertions' will complain if any balance-asserted+account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its+latest posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where you are+regularly updating your journal, but forgetting to check your balances+against the real world, then one day must dig back through months of+data to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion+requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not be+true if you auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that+case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use the+manual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest+assertions against real-world balances.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: close,  Next: codes,  Prev: check,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.11 close+===========++(equity)++   Generate transactions which transfer account balances to and/or from+another account (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating+balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity at+end of accounting period.++   By default, it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts+(asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be+configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.++   _(experimental)_++   This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common+use cases:++  1. With '--close' (default), it prints a "closing balances"+     transaction that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts+     by default (this requires account types to be inferred or+     declared); or, the accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY+     arguments.++  2. With '--open', it prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction+     that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to+     Ledger's equity command.++  3. With '--migrate', it prints both the closing and opening+     transactions.  This is the preferred way to migrate balances to a+     new file: run 'hledger close --migrate', add the closing+     transaction at the end of the old file, and add the opening+     transaction at the start of the new file.  The matching+     closing/opening transactions cancel each other out, preserving+     correct balances during multi-file reporting.++  4. With '--retain', it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that+     transfers RX (revenue and expense) balances to 'equity:retained+     earnings'.  Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each+     accounting period; it is less necessary with computer-based+     accounting, but it could still be useful if you want to see the+     accounting equation (A=L+E) satisfied.++   In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:++   * the transaction descriptions can be changed with+     '--close-desc=DESC' and '--open-desc=DESC'+   * the account to transfer to/from can be changed with+     '--close-acct=ACCT' and '--open-acct=ACCT'+   * the accounts to be closed/opened can be changed with 'ACCTQUERY'+     (account query arguments).+   * the closing/opening dates can be changed with '-e DATE' (a report+     end date)++   By default just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+amount left implicit.  With '--x/--explicit', the amount will be shown+explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting+will be generated for each of them (similar to 'print -x').++   With '--show-costs', any amount costs are shown, with separate+postings for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view+investment lots.  If you have many currency conversion or investment+transactions, it can generate very large journal entries.++   With '--interleaved', each individual transfer is shown with source+and destination postings next to each other.  This could be useful for+troubleshooting.++   The default closing date is yesterday, or the journal's end date,+whichever is later.  You can change this by specifying a report end date+with '-e'.  The last day of the report period will be the closing date,+eg '-e 2024' means "close on 2023-12-31".  The opening date is always+the day after the closing date.++* Menu:++* close and balance assertions::+* Example retain earnings::+* Example migrate balances to a new file::+* Example excluding closing/opening transactions::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: close and balance assertions,  Next: Example retain earnings,  Up: close++23.11.1 close and balance assertions+------------------------------------++Balance assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+been reset to zero (and then restored to their previous balances, if+there is an opening transaction).++   These provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them+temporarily with '-I', or remove them if you prefer.++   You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or+realness ('-C', '-R', 'status:'), or generating postings ('--auto'),+with this command, since the balance assertions would depend on these.++   Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will disrupt the+balance assertions:++2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02++   To solve that you can transfer the money to and from a temporary+account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two+single-day transactions:++; in 2022.journal:+2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+    expenses:food          5+    equity:pending        -5++; in 2023.journal:+2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared+    equity:pending         5 = 0+    assets:bank:checking  -5+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example retain earnings,  Next: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Prev: close and balance assertions,  Up: close++23.11.2 Example: retain earnings+--------------------------------++Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31,+appending the generated transaction to the journal:++$ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal++   Note 2022's income statement will now show only zeroes, because+revenues and expenses have been moved entirely to equity.  To see them+again, you could exclude the retain transaction:++$ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Next: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example retain earnings,  Up: close++23.11.3 Example: migrate balances to a new file+-----------------------------------------------++Close assets/liabilities/equity on 2022-12-31 and re-open them on+2023-01-01:++$ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+# copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+# copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal++   Now 2022's balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced+accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@ notation - in that+case, try adding -infer-equity.)  To see the end-of-year balances again,+you could exclude the closing transaction:++$ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions,  Prev: Example migrate balances to a new file,  Up: close++23.11.4 Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+-------------------------------------------------------++When combining many files for multi-year reports, the closing/opening+transactions cause some noise in transaction-oriented reports like+'print' and 'register'.  You can exclude them as shown above, but+'not:desc:...' is not ideal as it depends on consistent descriptions;+also you will want to avoid excluding the very first opening+transaction, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using+tags:++   Add 'clopen:' tags to all opening/closing balances transactions+except the first, like this:++; 2021.journal+2021-06-01 first opening balances+...+2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+...++; 2022.journal+2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+...+2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+...++; 2023.journal+2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+...++   Now, assuming a combined journal like:++; all.journal+include 2021.journal+include 2022.journal+include 2023.journal++   The 'clopen:' tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.+To show a clean multi-year checking register:++$ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen++   And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end+balance sheet:++$ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023+++File: hledger.info,  Node: codes,  Next: commodities,  Prev: close,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.12 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+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 printed as blank lines.++   You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.++   Examples:++2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket   + Food       $5.00+ Checking    ++2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+ Postage    $8.32+ Checking++2022/1/3 Supermarket+ Food      $11.23+ Checking ++2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+ Postage    $3.21+ Checking++$ hledger codes+123+124+126++$ hledger codes -E+123+124++126+++File: hledger.info,  Node: commodities,  Next: demo,  Prev: codes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.13 commodities+=================++List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: demo,  Next: descriptions,  Prev: commodities,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.14 demo+==========++Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.++   Run this command with no argument to list the demos.  To play a demo,+write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.  Tips:++   Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.++   Use the -s/-speed SPEED option to set your preferred playback speed,+eg '-s4' to play at 4x original speed or '-s.5' to play at half speed.+The default speed is 2x.++   Other asciinema options can be added following a double dash, eg '--+-i.1' to limit pauses or '-- -h' to list asciinema's other options.++   During playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause,+.  to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.++   Examples:++$ hledger demo               # list available demos+$ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+$ hledger demo install -s4   # play the "install" demo at 4x speed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: descriptions,  Next: diff,  Prev: demo,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.15 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+subset of transactions.++   Example:++$ hledger descriptions+Store Name+Gas Station | Petrol+Person A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: diff,  Next: files,  Prev: descriptions,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.16 diff+==========++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.++   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 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 +These transactions are in the first file only:++2014/01/01 Opening Balances+    assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+    ...+    equity:opening balances       EUR -...++These transactions are in the second file only:+++File: hledger.info,  Node: files,  Next: help,  Prev: diff,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.17 files+===========++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: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.18 help+==========++Show the hledger user manual in the terminal, with 'info', 'man', or a+pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open it at that topic if possible.  TOPIC+can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix, case insensitive.+Eg: 'commands', 'print', 'forecast', 'journal', 'amount', '"auto+postings"'.++   This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger+version.  It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal+to a web browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or viewing+tools are not installed on your system.++   By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+order): 'info', 'man', '$PAGER', 'less', 'more'.  You can force the use+of info, man, or a pager with the '-i', '-m', or '-p' flags, If no+viewer can be found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just+prints the manual to stdout.++   If using 'info', note that version 6 or greater is needed for TOPIC+lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should+consider installing a newer version, eg with 'brew install texinfo'+(#1770).++   Examples++$ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+$ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+$ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed+++File: hledger.info,  Node: import,  Next: incomestatement,  Prev: help,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.19 import+============++Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them to+the journal.  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.++   This command may append new transactions to the main journal file+(which should be in journal format).  Existing transactions are not+changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that writes to the+journal file (see also 'add').++   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,+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.++* Menu:++* Deduplication::+* Import testing::+* Importing balance assignments::+* Commodity display styles::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Deduplication,  Next: Import testing,  Up: import++23.19.1 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.)++   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+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+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+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.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Import testing,  Next: Importing balance assignments,  Prev: Deduplication,  Up: import++23.19.2 Import testing+----------------------++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+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'++   Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently+possible for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the+actual import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving+them out of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To+prevent this, do a -dry-run first and fix any problems before the real+import.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Importing balance assignments,  Next: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Import testing,  Up: import++23.19.3 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+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:++$ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE++   (If you think import should leave amounts implicit like print does,+please test it and send a pull request.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Commodity display styles,  Prev: Importing balance assignments,  Up: import++23.19.4 Commodity display styles+--------------------------------++Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: incomestatement,  Next: notes,  Prev: import,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.20 incomestatement+=====================++(is)++   This command displays an income statement, showing revenues and+expenses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal+positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++   This report shows accounts declared with the 'Revenue' or 'Expense'+type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows+top-level accounts named 'revenue' or 'income' or 'expense' (case+insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++   Example:++$ hledger incomestatement+Income Statement++Revenues:+                 $-2  income+                 $-1    gifts+                 $-1    salary+--------------------+                 $-2++Expenses:+                  $2  expenses+                  $1    food+                  $1    supplies+--------------------+                  $2++Total:+--------------------+                   0++   This command is a higher-level variant of the 'balance' command, and+supports many of that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+It is similar to 'hledger balance '(revenues|income)' expenses', but+with smarter account detection, and revenues/income displayed with their+sign flipped.++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', 'html', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: notes,  Next: payees,  Prev: incomestatement,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.21 notes+===========++List the unique notes that appear in transactions.++   This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in+alphabetic order.  You can add a query to select a subset of+transactions.  The note is the part of the transaction description after+a | character (or if there is no |, the whole description).++   Example:++$ hledger notes+Petrol+Snacks+++File: hledger.info,  Node: payees,  Next: prices,  Prev: notes,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.22 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+(-used), or both (the default).++   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+implies -used.++   Example:++$ hledger payees+Store Name+Gas Station+Person A+++File: hledger.info,  Node: prices,  Next: print,  Prev: payees,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.23 prices+============++Print market price directives from the journal.  With+-infer-market-prices, generate additional market prices from costs.+With -infer-reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting+known prices.  Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts are+displayed with their full precision.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: print,  Next: register,  Prev: prices,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.24 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).++   Amounts are shown mostly normalised to commodity display style, eg+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.)++   Amounts are shown right-aligned within each transaction (but not+across all transactions).++   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+directives and file-level comments.++   Eg:++$ hledger print+2008/01/01 income+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:salary                  $-1++2008/06/01 gift+    assets:bank:checking            $1+    income:gifts                   $-1++2008/06/02 save+    assets:bank:saving              $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++2008/06/03 * eat & shop+    expenses:food                $1+    expenses:supplies            $1+    assets:cash                 $-2++2008/12/31 * pay off+    liabilities:debts               $1+    assets:bank:checking           $-1++   print's output is usually a valid hledger journal, and you can+process it again with a second hledger command.  This can be useful for+certain kinds of search, eg:++# Show running total of food expenses paid from cash.+# -f- reads from stdin. -I/--ignore-assertions is sometimes needed.+$ hledger print assets:cash | hledger -f- -I reg expenses:food++   There are some situations where print's output can become+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.+   * Account aliases can generate bad account names.++   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 cost is implied but+not written, it will not appear in the output.  You can use the+'-x'/'--explicit' flag to make all amounts and costs 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 the output parseable.++   With '-B'/'--cost', amounts with costs are converted to cost using+that price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.++   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', print does a fuzzy search for one+recent transaction whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC+should contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough+match, no transaction will be shown and the program exit code will be+non-zero.++   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'.++   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","$","","1","",""+"1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""+"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""+"2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""+"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""+"3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""+"4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""+"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","1","",""+"5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""++   * There is one CSV record per posting, with the parent transaction's+     fields repeated.+   * The "txnidx" (transaction index) field shows which postings belong+     to the same transaction.  (This number might change if transactions+     are reordered within the file, files are parsed/included in a+     different order, etc.)+   * The amount is separated into "commodity" (the symbol) and "amount"+     (numeric quantity) fields.+   * The numeric amount is repeated in either the "credit" or "debit"+     column, for convenience.  (Those names are not accurate in the+     accounting sense; it just puts negative amounts under credit and+     zero or greater amounts under debit.)+++File: hledger.info,  Node: register,  Next: rewrite,  Prev: print,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.25 register+==============++(reg)++   Show postings and their running total.++   The register command displays matched postings, across all accounts,+in date order, with their running total or running historical balance.+(See also the 'aregister' command, which shows matched transactions in a+specific account.)++   register normally shows line per posting, but note that+multi-commodity amounts will occupy multiple lines (one line per+commodity).++   It is typically used with a query selecting a particular account, to+see that account's activity:++$ hledger register checking+2008/01/01 income               assets:bank:checking            $1           $1+2008/06/01 gift                 assets:bank:checking            $1           $2+2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1+2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0++   With '--date2', it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.++   For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based on the first+1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+'--align-all' flag.++   The '--historical'/'-H' flag adds the balance from any undisplayed+prior postings to the running total.  This is useful when you want to+see only recent activity, with a historically accurate running balance:++$ 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           $-1            0++   The '--depth' option limits the amount of sub-account detail+displayed.++   The '--average'/'-A' flag shows the running average posting amount+instead of the running total (so, the final number displayed is the+average for the whole report period).  This flag implies '--empty' (see+below).  It is affected by '--historical'.  It works best when showing+just one account and one commodity.++   The '--related'/'-r' flag shows the _other_ postings in the+transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.++   The '--invert' flag negates all amounts.  For example, it can be used+on an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative+numbers.  It's also useful to show postings on the checking account+together with the related account:++$ 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          $-2++   Periods with no activity, and summary postings with a zero amount,+are not shown by default; use the '--empty'/'-E' flag to see them:++$ hledger register --monthly income -E+2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+2008/02                                                          0          $-1+2008/03                                                          0          $-1+2008/04                                                          0          $-1+2008/05                                                          0          $-1+2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+2008/07                                                          0          $-2+2008/08                                                          0          $-2+2008/09                                                          0          $-2+2008/10                                                          0          $-2+2008/11                                                          0          $-2+2008/12                                                          0          $-2++   Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The '--depth'+option helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:++$ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+2008/06                 assets                                 $-1            0+2008/12                 assets                                 $-1          $-1++   Note when using report intervals, if you specify start/end dates+these will be adjusted outward if necessary to contain a whole number of+intervals.  This ensures that the first and last intervals are full+length and comparable to the others in the report.++   With '-m DESC'/'--match=DESC', register does a fuzzy search for one+recent posting whose description is most similar to DESC. DESC should+contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,+no posting will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.++* Menu:++* Custom register output::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Custom register output,  Up: register++23.25.1 Custom register output+------------------------------++register uses the full terminal width by default, except on windows.+You can override this by setting the 'COLUMNS' environment variable (not+a bash shell variable) or by using the '--width'/'-w' option.++   The description and account columns normally share the space equally+(about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a+description width as part of -width's argument, comma-separated:+'--width W,D' .  Here's a diagram (won't display correctly in -help):++<--------------------------------- width (W) ---------------------------------->+date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)+DDDDDDDDDD dddddddddddddddddddd  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  AAAAAAAAAAAA  AAAAAAAAAAAA++   and some examples:++$ 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+$ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+$ hledger reg -w 100,40           # set overall width 100, description width 40+$ hledger reg -w $COLUMNS,40      # use terminal width, & description width 40++   This command also supports the output destination and output format+options The output formats supported are 'txt', 'csv', and+(experimental) 'json'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite,  Next: roi,  Prev: register,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.26 rewrite+=============++Print all transactions, rewriting the postings of matched transactions.+For now the only rewrite available is adding new postings, like print+-auto.++   This is a start at a generic rewriter of transaction entries.  It+reads the default journal and prints the transactions, like print, but+adds one or more specified postings to any transactions matching QUERY.+The posting amounts can be fixed, or a multiplier of the existing+transaction's first posting amount.++   Examples:++$ 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+  (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery++   Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the+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+commodity.++* Menu:++* Re-write rules in a file::+* Diff output format::+* rewrite vs print --auto::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Re-write rules in a file,  Next: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite++23.26.1 Re-write rules in a file+--------------------------------++During the run this tool will execute so called "Automated Transactions"+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++= expenses:gifts+    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.++$ 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+postings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Diff output format,  Next: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Re-write rules in a file,  Up: rewrite++23.26.2 Diff output format+--------------------------++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 @@+ 2008/01/01 income+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     income:salary++    (liabilities:tax)                0+@@ -22,3 +23,4 @@+ 2008/06/01 gift+-    assets:bank:checking  $1++    assets:bank:checking            $1+     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+multiple 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 from 'hledger print'.++   See also:++   https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99+++File: hledger.info,  Node: rewrite vs print --auto,  Prev: Diff output format,  Up: rewrite++23.26.3 rewrite vs. print -auto+-------------------------------++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+     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.++   * 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: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.27 roi+=========++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'.++   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+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).++   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+     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.++   Examples:++   * Using roi to compute total return of investment in stocks:+     https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/investing/roi-unrealised.ledger++   * Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html++* Menu:++* Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl::+* Semantics of --inv and --pnl::+* IRR and TWR explained::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Next: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.1 Spaces and special characters in '--inv' and+----------------------------------------------------++'--pnl' Note that '--inv' and '--pnl''s argument is a query, and queries+could have several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).++   To indicate that all search terms form single command-line argument,+you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):++$ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'++   If any query terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+level of nested quoting, eg:++$ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Next: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.2 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.++   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:++     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+"profit and loss" postings will be considered as part of your investment+return.++   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++2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+  equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+  snake oil                    ; investment posting++2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+  equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+  cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+  snake oil     $50            ; investment posting+++File: hledger.info,  Node: IRR and TWR explained,  Prev: Semantics of --inv and --pnl,  Up: roi++23.27.3 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.++   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+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.++   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.++   If you manually record changes in the value of your investment as+transactions that balance them against "profit and loss" (or "unrealized+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+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+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,+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+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.++   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+++File: hledger.info,  Node: stats,  Next: tags,  Prev: roi,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.28 stats+===========++Show journal and performance 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.++   At the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and+number of transactions processed per second.  Note these are approximate+and will vary based on machine, current load, data size, hledger+version, haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of+interest.  The 'stats' command's run time is similar to that of a+single-column balance report.++   Example:++$ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 1000+Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+Market prices            : 1000 (A)++Run time                 : 0.12 s+Throughput               : 8342 txns/s++   This command supports the -o/-output-file option (but not+-O/-output-format selection).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: tags,  Next: test,  Prev: stats,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.29 tags+==========++List the tags used in the journal, or their values.++   This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on+transactions, postings, or account declarations.++   With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular+expression (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.++   With QUERY arguments, only transactions and accounts matching this+query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,+desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions+and their accounts.++   With the -values flag, the tags' unique non-empty values are listed+instead.  With -E/-empty, blank/empty values are also shown.++   With -parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations are+always shown first.)++   Tip: remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents,+postings also acquire tags from their account and transaction,+transactions also acquire tags from their postings.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: test,  Prev: tags,  Up: PART 4 COMMANDS++23.30 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.++   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+- (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).+++File: hledger.info,  Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Next: BUGS,  Prev: PART 4 COMMANDS,  Up: Top++24 PART 5: COMMON TASKS+***********************++Here are some quick examples of how to do some basic tasks with hledger.++* Menu:++* Getting help::+* Constructing command lines::+* Starting a journal file::+* Setting LEDGER_FILE::+* Setting opening balances::+* Recording transactions::+* Reconciling::+* Reporting::+* Migrating to a new file::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Getting help,  Next: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.1 Getting help+=================++Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:++$ hledger                # show available commands+$ hledger --help         # show common options+$ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation++   You can also view your hledger version's manual in several formats by+using the help command.  Eg:++$ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+$ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+$ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command++   To view manuals and introductory docs on the web, visit+https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list support and discussion archives+can be found at https://hledger.org/support.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Constructing command lines,  Next: Starting a journal file,  Prev: Getting help,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.2 Constructing command lines+===============================++hledger has a flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it+simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the sharp edges+described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:++   * command-specific options must go after the command (it's fine to+     put common options there too: 'hledger CMD OPTS ARGS')+   * running add-on executables directly simplifies command line parsing+     ('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 line is being parsed, add+     '--debug=2'.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Starting a journal file,  Next: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Prev: Constructing command lines,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.3 Starting a journal file+============================++hledger looks for your accounting data in a journal file,+'$HOME/.hledger.journal' by default:++$ 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 (see below).  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+$ git init+Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+$ touch 2023.journal+$ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal" >> ~/.profile+$ source ~/.profile+$ hledger stats+Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+Included files           : +Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+Last transaction         : none+Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+Payees/descriptions      : 0+Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+Commodities              : 0 ()+Market prices            : 0 ()+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Next: Setting opening balances,  Prev: Starting a journal file,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.4 Setting LEDGER_FILE+========================++How to set 'LEDGER_FILE' permanently depends on your setup:++   On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will work for+many people; adapt as needed:++$ echo 'export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/2023.journal` >> ~/.profile+$ source ~/.profile++   When correctly configured, in a new terminal window 'env | grep+LEDGER_FILE' will show your file, and so will 'hledger files'.++   On mac, this additional step might be helpful for GUI applications+(like Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to+'~/.MacOSX/environment.plist' like++{+  "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/2023.journal"+}++   and then run 'killall Dock' in a terminal window (or restart the+machine).++   On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or+try running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if it+persists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):++> CD+> MKDIR finance+> SETX LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\USERNAME\finance\2023.journal"+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Setting opening balances,  Next: Recording transactions,  Prev: Setting LEDGER_FILE,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.5 Setting opening balances+=============================++Pick a starting date for which you can look up the balances of some+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+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:++   * The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an+     entry like this:++     2023-01-01 * opening balances+         assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+         assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+         assets:cash                          $100   = $100+         liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+         equity:opening/closing balances++     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+     "cleared & confirmed".++     The currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as+     you'll be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.++     The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra+     error checking.++   * 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/2023.journal+     Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+     Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+     An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+     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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+     Description: * opening balances+     Account 1: assets:bank:checking+     Amount  1: $1000+     Account 2: assets:bank:savings+     Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+     Account 3: assets:cash+     Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+     Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+     Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+     Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+     Amount  5 [$-3050]: +     Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+     2023-01-01 * opening balances+         assets:bank:checking                      $1000+         assets:bank:savings                       $2000+         assets:cash                                $100+         liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+         equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050+     +     Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]: +     Saved.+     Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+     Date [2023-01-01]: .++   If you're using version control, this could be a good time to commit+the journal.  Eg:++$ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2023.journal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Recording transactions,  Next: Reconciling,  Prev: Setting opening balances,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.6 Recording transactions+===========================++As you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add) or by using the+hledger-iadd or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.++   Here are some simple transactions, see the hledger_journal(5) manual+and hledger.org for more ideas:++2023/1/10 * gift received+  assets:cash   $20+  income:gifts++2023.1.12 * farmers market+  expenses:food    $13+  assets:cash++2023-01-15 paycheck+  income:salary+  assets:bank:checking    $1000+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reconciling,  Next: Reporting,  Prev: Recording transactions,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.7 Reconciling+================++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+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+     can't explain the missing $2, it could be:++     2023-01-16 * adjust cash+         assets:cash    $-2 = $105+         expenses:misc++  2. Reconcile checking.  Log in to your bank's website.  Compare+     today's (cleared) balance with hledger's cleared balance ('hledger+     bal checking -C').  If they are different, track down the error or+     record the missing transaction(s) or add an adjustment transaction,+     similar to the above.  Unlike the cash case, you can usually+     compare the transaction history and running balance from your bank+     with the one reported by 'hledger reg checking -C'.  This will be+     easier if you generally record transaction dates quite similar to+     your bank's clearing dates.++  3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.++   Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a+live-updating register while you edit the journal: 'hledger-ui --watch+--register checking -C'++   After reconciling, it could be a good time to mark the reconciled+transactions' status as "cleared and confirmed", if you want to track+that, by adding the '*' marker.  Eg in the paycheck transaction above,+insert '*' between '2023-01-15' and 'paycheck'++   If you're using version control, this can be another good time to+commit:++$ git commit -m 'txns' 2023.journal+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Reporting,  Next: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reconciling,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.8 Reporting+==============++Here are some basic reports.++   Show all transactions:++$ hledger print+2023-01-01 * opening balances+    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+    assets:cash                                $100+    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++2023-01-10 * gift received+    assets:cash              $20+    income:gifts++2023-01-12 * farmers market+    expenses:food             $13+    assets:cash++2023-01-15 * paycheck+    income:salary+    assets:bank:checking           $1000++2023-01-16 * adjust cash+    assets:cash               $-2 = $105+    expenses:misc++   Show account names, and their hierarchy:++$ hledger accounts --tree+assets+  bank+    checking+    savings+  cash+equity+  opening/closing balances+expenses+  food+  misc+income+  gifts+  salary+liabilities+  creditcard++   Show all account totals:++$ hledger balance+               $4105  assets+               $4000    bank+               $2000      checking+               $2000      savings+                $105    cash+              $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                 $15  expenses+                 $13    food+                  $2    misc+              $-1020  income+                $-20    gifts+              $-1000    salary+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+                   0++   Show only asset and liability balances, as a flat list, limited to+depth 2:++$ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+               $4000  assets:bank+                $105  assets:cash+                $-50  liabilities:creditcard+--------------------+               $4055++   Show the same thing without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+balance sheet:++$ hledger bs -2+Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                        || 2023-01-16 +========================++============+ Assets                 ||            +------------------------++------------+ assets:bank            ||      $4000 + assets:cash            ||       $105 +------------------------++------------+                        ||      $4105 +========================++============+ Liabilities            ||            +------------------------++------------+ liabilities:creditcard ||        $50 +------------------------++------------+                        ||        $50 +========================++============+ Net:                   ||      $4055 ++   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 +Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++               || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16 +===============++=======================+ Revenues      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ income:gifts  ||                   $20 + income:salary ||                 $1000 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                 $1020 +===============++=======================+ Expenses      ||                       +---------------++-----------------------+ expenses:food ||                   $13 + expenses:misc ||                    $2 +---------------++-----------------------+               ||                   $15 +===============++=======================+ Net:          ||                 $1005 ++   The final total is your net income during this period.++   Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:++$ hledger register cash+2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105++   Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:++$ hledger activity -W+2019-12-30 *****+2023-01-06 ****+2023-01-13 ****+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Migrating to a new file,  Prev: Reporting,  Up: PART 5 COMMON TASKS++24.9 Migrating to a new file+============================++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+close command.++   If using version control, don't forget to 'git add' the new file.+++File: hledger.info,  Node: BUGS,  Prev: PART 5 COMMON TASKS,  Up: Top++25 BUGS+*******++We welcome bug reports in the hledger issue tracker (shortcut:+http://bugs.hledger.org), or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+(https://hledger.org/support).++   Some known issues and limitations:++   The need to precede add-on command options with '--' when invoked+from hledger is awkward.  (See Command options, Constructing command+lines.)++   A UTF-8-aware system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+data.  (See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)++   On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD+window or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger,+non-ascii characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key+may not be supported by 'hledger add'.  (Running in a WSL window should+resolve these.)++   When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than+Ledger.++* Menu:++* Troubleshooting::+++File: hledger.info,  Node: Troubleshooting,  Up: BUGS++25.1 Troubleshooting+====================++Here are some common issues you might encounter when you run hledger,+and how to resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+Support):++   *PATH issues: I get an error like "No command 'hledger' found"*+Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+shell's PATH. Eg on unix systems, stack installs hledger in+'~/.local/bin' and cabal installs it in '~/.cabal/bin'.  You may need to+add one of these directories to your shell's PATH, and/or open a new+terminal window.++   *LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is not+using it*++   * 'LEDGER_FILE' should be a real environment variable, not just a+     shell variable.  Eg on unix, the command 'env | grep LEDGER_FILE'+     should show it.  You may need to use 'export' (see+     https://stackoverflow.com/a/7411509).+   * You may need to force your shell to see the new configuration.  A+     simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.++   *LANG issues: I get 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+the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail when they+encounter non-ascii characters.  To fix it, set the LANG environment+variable to a locale which supports UTF-8 and which is installed on your+system.++   On unix, 'locale -a' lists the installed locales.  Look for one which+mentions 'utf8', 'UTF-8' or similar.  Some examples: 'C.UTF-8',+'en_US.utf-8', 'fr_FR.utf8'.  If necessary, use your system package+manager to install one.  Then select it by setting the 'LANG'+environment variable.  Note, exact spelling and capitalisation of the+locale name may be important: Here's one common way to configure this+permanently for your shell:++$ echo "export LANG=en_US.utf8" >>~/.profile+# close and re-open terminal window++   *COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger file*+Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax or feature set is supported.+See hledger and Ledger for full details.+++Tag Table:+Node: Top210+Node: PART 1 USER INTERFACE3779+Ref: #part-1-user-interface3918+Node: Input3918+Ref: #input4028+Node: Data formats4977+Ref: #data-formats5090+Node: Standard input6523+Ref: #standard-input6663+Node: Multiple files6890+Ref: #multiple-files7029+Node: Strict mode7627+Ref: #strict-mode7737+Node: Commands8461+Ref: #commands8563+Node: Add-on commands9630+Ref: #add-on-commands9732+Node: Options10848+Ref: #options10960+Node: General help options11288+Ref: #general-help-options11434+Node: General input options11716+Ref: #general-input-options11898+Node: General reporting options12600+Ref: #general-reporting-options12761+Node: Command line tips16151+Ref: #command-line-tips16281+Node: Special characters16518+Ref: #special-characters16665+Node: Single escaping shell metacharacters16828+Ref: #single-escaping-shell-metacharacters17069+Node: Double escaping regular expression metacharacters17672+Ref: #double-escaping-regular-expression-metacharacters17983+Node: Triple escaping for add-on commands18509+Ref: #triple-escaping-for-add-on-commands18769+Node: Less escaping19413+Ref: #less-escaping19567+Node: Unicode characters19891+Ref: #unicode-characters20066+Node: Regular expressions21478+Ref: #regular-expressions21651+Node: Argument files23395+Ref: #argument-files23531+Node: Output24028+Ref: #output24140+Node: Output destination24267+Ref: #output-destination24398+Node: Output format24823+Ref: #output-format24969+Node: CSV output26507+Ref: #csv-output26623+Node: HTML output26726+Ref: #html-output26864+Node: JSON output26958+Ref: #json-output27096+Node: SQL output28018+Ref: #sql-output28134+Node: Commodity styles28869+Ref: #commodity-styles29009+Node: Colour29608+Ref: #colour29726+Node: Box-drawing30130+Ref: #box-drawing30248+Node: Paging30538+Ref: #paging30652+Node: Debug output31605+Ref: #debug-output31711+Node: Environment32374+Ref: #environment32498+Node: PART 2 DATA FORMATS33042+Ref: #part-2-data-formats33185+Node: Journal33185+Ref: #journal33294+Node: Journal cheatsheet33951+Ref: #journal-cheatsheet34090+Node: About journal format38075+Ref: #about-journal-format38235+Node: Comments39851+Ref: #comments39981+Node: Transactions40797+Ref: #transactions40920+Node: Dates41934+Ref: #dates42041+Node: Simple dates42086+Ref: #simple-dates42202+Node: Posting dates42702+Ref: #posting-dates42820+Node: Status43789+Ref: #status43890+Node: Code45598+Ref: #code45701+Node: Description45933+Ref: #description46064+Node: Payee and note46384+Ref: #payee-and-note46490+Node: Transaction comments46825+Ref: #transaction-comments46978+Node: Postings47341+Ref: #postings47474+Node: Account names48469+Ref: #account-names48599+Node: Amounts50273+Ref: #amounts50388+Node: Decimal marks digit group marks51373+Ref: #decimal-marks-digit-group-marks51548+Node: Commodity52562+Ref: #commodity52749+Node: Directives influencing number parsing and display53701+Ref: #directives-influencing-number-parsing-and-display53960+Node: Commodity display style54412+Ref: #commodity-display-style54618+Node: Rounding56787+Ref: #rounding56905+Node: Costs57204+Ref: #costs57320+Node: Other cost/lot notations59518+Ref: #other-costlot-notations59650+Node: Balance assertions62239+Ref: #balance-assertions62390+Node: Assertions and ordering63473+Ref: #assertions-and-ordering63662+Node: Assertions and multiple included files64362+Ref: #assertions-and-multiple-included-files64622+Node: Assertions and multiple -f files65122+Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-files65373+Node: Assertions and commodities65770+Ref: #assertions-and-commodities65992+Node: Assertions and prices67172+Ref: #assertions-and-prices67378+Node: Assertions and subaccounts67805+Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts68026+Node: Assertions and virtual postings68350+Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings68588+Node: Assertions and auto postings68720+Ref: #assertions-and-auto-postings68950+Node: Assertions and precision69595+Ref: #assertions-and-precision69777+Node: Posting comments70044+Ref: #posting-comments70190+Node: Tags70567+Ref: #tags70681+Node: Tag values71874+Ref: #tag-values71963+Node: Directives72722+Ref: #directives72849+Node: Directives and multiple files74179+Ref: #directives-and-multiple-files74357+Node: Directive effects75124+Ref: #directive-effects75278+Node: account directive78291+Ref: #account-directive78447+Node: Account comments79845+Ref: #account-comments79995+Node: Account subdirectives80503+Ref: #account-subdirectives80694+Node: Account error checking80836+Ref: #account-error-checking81034+Node: Account display order82223+Ref: #account-display-order82411+Node: Account types83512+Ref: #account-types83653+Node: alias directive87280+Ref: #alias-directive87441+Node: Basic aliases88491+Ref: #basic-aliases88622+Node: Regex aliases89366+Ref: #regex-aliases89523+Node: Combining aliases90413+Ref: #combining-aliases90591+Node: Aliases and multiple files91867+Ref: #aliases-and-multiple-files92071+Node: end aliases directive92650+Ref: #end-aliases-directive92869+Node: Aliases can generate bad account names93018+Ref: #aliases-can-generate-bad-account-names93266+Node: Aliases and account types93851+Ref: #aliases-and-account-types94043+Node: commodity directive94739+Ref: #commodity-directive94913+Node: Commodity error checking97487+Ref: #commodity-error-checking97633+Node: decimal-mark directive98148+Ref: #decimal-mark-directive98330+Node: include directive98727+Ref: #include-directive98891+Node: P directive99815+Ref: #p-directive99960+Node: payee directive100843+Ref: #payee-directive100992+Node: tag directive101308+Ref: #tag-directive101463+Node: Periodic transactions101931+Ref: #periodic-transactions102096+Node: Periodic rule syntax103802+Ref: #periodic-rule-syntax103980+Node: Periodic rules and relative dates104625+Ref: #periodic-rules-and-relative-dates104891+Node: Two spaces between period expression and description!105402+Ref: #two-spaces-between-period-expression-and-description105679+Node: Auto postings106363+Ref: #auto-postings106511+Node: Auto postings and multiple files108948+Ref: #auto-postings-and-multiple-files109112+Node: Auto postings and dates109513+Ref: #auto-postings-and-dates109761+Node: Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance assertions109936+Ref: #auto-postings-and-transaction-balancing-inferred-amounts-balance-assertions110292+Node: Auto posting tags110795+Ref: #auto-posting-tags111077+Node: Auto postings on forecast transactions only111713+Ref: #auto-postings-on-forecast-transactions-only111959+Node: Other syntax112206+Ref: #other-syntax112322+Node: Balance assignments112949+Ref: #balance-assignments113105+Node: Balance assignments and prices114435+Ref: #balance-assignments-and-prices114603+Node: Bracketed posting dates114814+Ref: #bracketed-posting-dates114998+Node: D directive115512+Ref: #d-directive115680+Node: apply account directive117280+Ref: #apply-account-directive117460+Node: Y directive118147+Ref: #y-directive118307+Node: Secondary dates119135+Ref: #secondary-dates119289+Node: Star comments120103+Ref: #star-comments120263+Node: Valuation expressions120795+Ref: #valuation-expressions120972+Node: Virtual postings121094+Ref: #virtual-postings121271+Node: Other Ledger directives122708+Ref: #other-ledger-directives122871+Node: CSV123437+Ref: #csv123530+Node: CSV rules cheatsheet125610+Ref: #csv-rules-cheatsheet125739+Node: source127537+Ref: #source127660+Node: separator128540+Ref: #separator128653+Node: skip129193+Ref: #skip129301+Node: date-format129845+Ref: #date-format129966+Node: timezone130690+Ref: #timezone130813+Node: newest-first131818+Ref: #newest-first131956+Node: intra-day-reversed132534+Ref: #intra-day-reversed132688+Node: decimal-mark133181+Ref: #decimal-mark133322+Node: fields list133661+Ref: #fields-list133800+Node: Field assignment135471+Ref: #field-assignment135615+Node: Field names136642+Ref: #field-names136773+Node: date field137976+Ref: #date-field138094+Node: date2 field138142+Ref: #date2-field138283+Node: status field138339+Ref: #status-field138482+Node: code field138531+Ref: #code-field138676+Node: description field138721+Ref: #description-field138881+Node: comment field138940+Ref: #comment-field139095+Node: account field139388+Ref: #account-field139538+Node: amount field140108+Ref: #amount-field140257+Node: currency field143633+Ref: #currency-field143786+Node: balance field144043+Ref: #balance-field144175+Node: if block144547+Ref: #if-block144668+Node: Matchers146076+Ref: #matchers146190+Node: if table147672+Ref: #if-table147794+Node: balance-type149216+Ref: #balance-type149345+Node: include150045+Ref: #include150172+Node: Working with CSV150616+Ref: #working-with-csv150763+Node: Rapid feedback151170+Ref: #rapid-feedback151303+Node: Valid CSV151755+Ref: #valid-csv151901+Node: File Extension152633+Ref: #file-extension152806+Node: Reading CSV from standard input153370+Ref: #reading-csv-from-standard-input153594+Node: Reading multiple CSV files153758+Ref: #reading-multiple-csv-files153989+Node: Reading files specified by rule154230+Ref: #reading-files-specified-by-rule154458+Node: Valid transactions155629+Ref: #valid-transactions155828+Node: Deduplicating importing156456+Ref: #deduplicating-importing156651+Node: Setting amounts157687+Ref: #setting-amounts157858+Node: Amount signs160323+Ref: #amount-signs160493+Node: Setting currency/commodity161390+Ref: #setting-currencycommodity161594+Node: Amount decimal places162768+Ref: #amount-decimal-places162974+Node: Referencing other fields163286+Ref: #referencing-other-fields163499+Node: How CSV rules are evaluated164396+Ref: #how-csv-rules-are-evaluated164613+Node: Well factored rules166066+Ref: #well-factored-rules166234+Node: CSV rules examples166558+Ref: #csv-rules-examples166693+Node: Bank of Ireland166758+Ref: #bank-of-ireland166895+Node: Coinbase168357+Ref: #coinbase168495+Node: Amazon169542+Ref: #amazon169667+Node: Paypal171386+Ref: #paypal171494+Node: Timeclock179138+Ref: #timeclock179243+Node: Timedot181421+Ref: #timedot181544+Node: PART 3 REPORTING CONCEPTS186413+Ref: #part-3-reporting-concepts186577+Node: Time periods186577+Ref: #time-periods186711+Node: Report start & end date186829+Ref: #report-start-end-date186981+Node: Smart dates188640+Ref: #smart-dates188793+Node: Report intervals190661+Ref: #report-intervals190816+Node: Date adjustment191234+Ref: #date-adjustment191394+Node: Period expressions192245+Ref: #period-expressions192386+Node: Period expressions with a report interval194150+Ref: #period-expressions-with-a-report-interval194384+Node: More complex report intervals194598+Ref: #more-complex-report-intervals194843+Node: Multiple weekday intervals196644+Ref: #multiple-weekday-intervals196833+Node: Depth197655+Ref: #depth197757+Node: Queries198053+Ref: #queries198155+Node: Query types199064+Ref: #query-types199185+Node: Combining query terms202359+Ref: #combining-query-terms202536+Node: Queries and command options203804+Ref: #queries-and-command-options204003+Node: Queries and valuation204252+Ref: #queries-and-valuation204447+Node: Querying with account aliases204676+Ref: #querying-with-account-aliases204887+Node: Querying with cost or value205017+Ref: #querying-with-cost-or-value205194+Node: Pivoting205495+Ref: #pivoting205609+Node: Generating data207067+Ref: #generating-data207199+Node: Forecasting208782+Ref: #forecasting208907+Node: --forecast209438+Ref: #forecast209569+Node: Inspecting forecast transactions210615+Ref: #inspecting-forecast-transactions210817+Node: Forecast reports211947+Ref: #forecast-reports212120+Node: Forecast tags213056+Ref: #forecast-tags213216+Node: Forecast period in detail213676+Ref: #forecast-period-in-detail213870+Node: Forecast troubleshooting214764+Ref: #forecast-troubleshooting214932+Node: Budgeting215835+Ref: #budgeting215955+Node: Cost reporting216392+Ref: #cost-reporting216520+Node: -B Convert to cost217627+Ref: #b-convert-to-cost217783+Node: Equity conversion postings219175+Ref: #equity-conversion-postings219389+Node: Inferring equity postings from cost220280+Ref: #inferring-equity-postings-from-cost220529+Node: Inferring cost from equity postings221340+Ref: #inferring-cost-from-equity-postings221588+Node: When to infer cost/equity223355+Ref: #when-to-infer-costequity223573+Node: How to record conversions223969+Ref: #how-to-record-conversions224161+Node: Conversion with implicit cost224452+Ref: #conversion-with-implicit-cost224657+Node: Conversion with explicit cost225534+Ref: #conversion-with-explicit-cost225779+Node: Conversion with equity postings226196+Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings226465+Node: Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost227284+Ref: #conversion-with-equity-postings-and-explicit-cost227551+Node: Cost tips228013+Ref: #cost-tips228139+Node: Valuation228845+Ref: #valuation228969+Node: -V Value229743+Ref: #v-value229869+Node: -X Value in specified commodity230064+Ref: #x-value-in-specified-commodity230259+Node: Valuation date230408+Ref: #valuation-date230579+Node: Finding market price231016+Ref: #finding-market-price231221+Node: --infer-market-prices market prices from transactions232391+Ref: #infer-market-prices-market-prices-from-transactions232667+Node: Valuation commodity235423+Ref: #valuation-commodity235636+Node: Simple valuation examples236849+Ref: #simple-valuation-examples237047+Node: --value Flexible valuation237706+Ref: #value-flexible-valuation237910+Node: More valuation examples239554+Ref: #more-valuation-examples239763+Node: Interaction of valuation and queries241762+Ref: #interaction-of-valuation-and-queries242003+Node: Effect of valuation on reports242475+Ref: #effect-of-valuation-on-reports242672+Node: PART 4 COMMANDS250369+Ref: #part-4-commands250512+Node: Commands overview250891+Ref: #commands-overview251025+Node: DATA ENTRY251204+Ref: #data-entry251328+Node: DATA CREATION251527+Ref: #data-creation251681+Node: DATA MANAGEMENT251799+Ref: #data-management251964+Node: REPORTS FINANCIAL252085+Ref: #reports-financial252260+Node: REPORTS VERSATILE252565+Ref: #reports-versatile252738+Node: REPORTS BASIC252991+Ref: #reports-basic253143+Node: HELP253652+Ref: #help253774+Node: ADD-ONS253884+Ref: #add-ons253990+Node: accounts254569+Ref: #accounts254702+Node: activity256589+Ref: #activity256708+Node: add257082+Ref: #add257192+Node: aregister260003+Ref: #aregister260124+Node: aregister and custom posting dates263012+Ref: #aregister-and-custom-posting-dates263178+Node: balance263730+Ref: #balance263856+Node: balance features264831+Ref: #balance-features264971+Node: Simple balance report266930+Ref: #simple-balance-report267115+Node: Balance report line format268740+Ref: #balance-report-line-format268942+Node: Filtered balance report271100+Ref: #filtered-balance-report271292+Node: List or tree mode271619+Ref: #list-or-tree-mode271787+Node: Depth limiting273132+Ref: #depth-limiting273298+Node: Dropping top-level accounts273899+Ref: #dropping-top-level-accounts274099+Node: Showing declared accounts274409+Ref: #showing-declared-accounts274608+Node: Sorting by amount275139+Ref: #sorting-by-amount275306+Node: Percentages275976+Ref: #percentages276135+Node: Multi-period balance report276683+Ref: #multi-period-balance-report276883+Node: Balance change end balance279158+Ref: #balance-change-end-balance279367+Node: Balance report types280795+Ref: #balance-report-types280976+Node: Calculation type281474+Ref: #calculation-type281629+Node: Accumulation type282178+Ref: #accumulation-type282358+Node: Valuation type283260+Ref: #valuation-type283448+Node: Combining balance report types284443+Ref: #combining-balance-report-types284637+Node: Budget report286475+Ref: #budget-report286627+Node: Budget report start date292281+Ref: #budget-report-start-date292459+Node: Budgets and subaccounts293791+Ref: #budgets-and-subaccounts293998+Node: Selecting budget goals297438+Ref: #selecting-budget-goals297637+Node: Budget vs forecast298672+Ref: #budget-vs-forecast298831+Node: Data layout300461+Ref: #data-layout300611+Node: Useful balance reports308506+Ref: #useful-balance-reports308656+Node: balancesheet309741+Ref: #balancesheet309886+Node: balancesheetequity311206+Ref: #balancesheetequity311364+Node: cashflow312753+Ref: #cashflow312884+Node: check314312+Ref: #check314426+Node: Basic checks315228+Ref: #basic-checks315348+Node: Strict checks315868+Ref: #strict-checks316011+Node: Other checks316434+Ref: #other-checks316576+Node: Custom checks317139+Ref: #custom-checks317296+Node: More about specific checks317713+Ref: #more-about-specific-checks317875+Node: close318603+Ref: #close318714+Node: close and balance assertions322179+Ref: #close-and-balance-assertions322357+Node: Example retain earnings323508+Ref: #example-retain-earnings323725+Node: Example migrate balances to a new file324157+Ref: #example-migrate-balances-to-a-new-file324422+Node: Example excluding closing/opening transactions324998+Ref: #example-excluding-closingopening-transactions325247+Node: codes326465+Ref: #codes326582+Node: commodities327446+Ref: #commodities327574+Node: demo327644+Ref: #demo327765+Node: descriptions328681+Ref: #descriptions328811+Node: diff329102+Ref: #diff329217+Node: files330259+Ref: #files330368+Node: help330509+Ref: #help-1330618+Node: import331991+Ref: #import332114+Node: Deduplication333200+Ref: #deduplication333325+Node: Import testing335219+Ref: #import-testing335384+Node: Importing balance assignments336227+Ref: #importing-balance-assignments336433+Node: Commodity display styles337082+Ref: #commodity-display-styles337255+Node: incomestatement337384+Ref: #incomestatement337526+Node: notes338847+Ref: #notes338969+Node: payees339331+Ref: #payees339446+Node: prices339965+Ref: #prices340080+Node: print340378+Ref: #print340493+Node: register345831+Ref: #register345953+Node: Custom register output350984+Ref: #custom-register-output351115+Node: rewrite352452+Ref: #rewrite352570+Node: Re-write rules in a file354468+Ref: #re-write-rules-in-a-file354631+Node: Diff output format355780+Ref: #diff-output-format355963+Node: rewrite vs print --auto357055+Ref: #rewrite-vs.-print---auto357215+Node: roi357771+Ref: #roi357878+Node: Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl359599+Ref: #spaces-and-special-characters-in---inv-and---pnl359839+Node: Semantics of --inv and --pnl360327+Ref: #semantics-of---inv-and---pnl360566+Node: IRR and TWR explained362416+Ref: #irr-and-twr-explained362576+Node: stats365662+Ref: #stats365770+Node: tags367157+Ref: #tags-1367264+Node: test368273+Ref: #test368366+Node: PART 5 COMMON TASKS369108+Ref: #part-5-common-tasks369254+Node: Getting help369552+Ref: #getting-help369693+Node: Constructing command lines370453+Ref: #constructing-command-lines370654+Node: Starting a journal file371311+Ref: #starting-a-journal-file371513+Node: Setting LEDGER_FILE372715+Ref: #setting-ledger_file372907+Node: Setting opening balances373864+Ref: #setting-opening-balances374065+Node: Recording transactions377206+Ref: #recording-transactions377395+Node: Reconciling377951+Ref: #reconciling378103+Node: Reporting380360+Ref: #reporting380509+Node: Migrating to a new file384494+Ref: #migrating-to-a-new-file384651+Node: BUGS384950+Ref: #bugs385040+Node: Troubleshooting385919+Ref: #troubleshooting386019  End Tag Table
hledger.txt view
@@ -8,8692 +8,8854 @@  SYNOPSIS        hledger-       hledger [-f FILE] COMMAND [OPTS] [ARGS]-       hledger [-f FILE] ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]--INTRODUCTION-       hledger  is a robust, user-friendly, 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 compatible with  ledger(1),  and  largely  interconvertible-       with beancount(1).--       This  manual  is  for hledger's command line interface, version 1.29.2.-       It also describes the common options, file formats and concepts used by-       all  hledger  programs.  It might accidentally teach you some bookkeep--       ing/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in  here  to-       use  hledger productively, but when you have a question about function--       ality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip ahead  or-       skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual-       or man page on your system.  You can also get it  from  hledger  itself-       with-       hledger --man, hledger --info or hledger help [TOPIC].--       The  main  function  of  the  hledger  CLI  is to read plain text files-       describing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a use--       ful  report  on  the  terminal  (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).-       Many reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will  also  detect-       other hledger-* executables as extra subcommands.--       hledger  reads data from one or more files in journal, timeclock, time--       dot, or CSV format.  The default file is .hledger.journal in your  home-       directory;  this can be overridden with one or more -f FILE options, or-       the LEDGER_FILE environment variable.  hledger CLI can also  read  from-       stdin with -f-; more on that below.--       Here  is a small but valid hledger journal file describing one transac--       tion:--              2015-10-16 bought food-                expenses:food          $10-                assets:cash--       Transactions are dated movements of money (etc.)  between two  or  more-       accounts:  bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories, peo--       ple, etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using : to  indi--       cate  subaccounts.   There  must be at least two spaces between account-       name and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account  (debit),-       negatives  are  outflow  from it (credit).  (Some reports show revenue,-       liability and equity account balances as negative numbers as a  result;-       this is normal.)--       hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can install-       other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more exten--       sive/efficient  changes,  use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode, VIM +-       vim-ledger, or VS Code + hledger-vscode  are  some  good  choices  (see-       https://hledger.org/editors.html).--       To  get  started,  run hledger add and follow the prompts, or save some-       entries like the above in  $HOME/.hledger.journal,  then  try  commands-       like:-       hledger print -x-       hledger aregister assets-       hledger balance-       hledger balancesheet-       hledger incomestatement.-       Run  hledger  to  list  the commands.  See also the "Starting a journal-       file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON  TASKS.--PART 1: USER INTERFACE-Options-   General options-       To  see  general  usage  help, including general options which are sup--       ported by most hledger commands, run hledger -h.--       General help options:--       -h --help-              show general or COMMAND help--       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man--       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info--       --version-              show general or ADDONCMD version--       --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-              Conversion   rules  file  to  use  when  reading  CSV  (default:-              FILE.rules)--       --separator=CHAR-              Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')--       --alias=OLD=NEW-              rename accounts named OLD to NEW--       --anon anonymize accounts and payees--       --pivot FIELDNAME-              use some other field or tag for the account name--       -I --ignore-assertions-              disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance-              assignments)--       -s --strict-              do  extra  error  checking  (check  that all posted accounts are-              declared)--       General reporting options:--       -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-              include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to fol--              lowing subperiod end when using a report interval)--       -D --daily-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by day--       -W --weekly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by week--       -M --monthly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by month--       -Q --quarterly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter--       -Y --yearly-              multiperiod/multicolumn report by year--       -p --period=PERIODEXP-              set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at  once-              using period expressions syntax--       --date2-              match  the  secondary  date  instead (see command help for other-              effects)--       --today=DATE-              override  today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,   for-              tests/examples)--       -U --unmarked-              include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)--       -P --pending-              include only pending postings/txns--       -C --cleared-              include only cleared postings/txns--       -R --real-              include only non-virtual postings--       -NUM --depth=NUM-              hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep--       -E --empty-              show  items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in-              hledger-ui/hledger-web)--       -B --cost-              convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time--       -V --market-              convert  amounts to their market value in default valuation com--              modities--       -X --exchange=COMM-              convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM--       --value-              convert amounts to cost or  market  value,  more  flexibly  than-              -B/-V/-X--       --infer-market-prices-              use  transaction  prices  (recorded  with @ or @@) as additional-              market prices, as if they were P directives--       --auto apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.--       --forecast-              generate future transactions from  periodic  transaction  rules,-              for  the  next 6 months or till report end date.  In hledger-ui,-              also make ordinary future transactions visible.--       --commodity-style-              Override the commodity style in the  output  for  the  specified-              commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.--       --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-              NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.--       --pretty[=WHEN]-              Show  prettier  output,  e.g.  using unicode box-drawing charac--              ters.  Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n',  'always',-              'never'  also  work).   If  you provide an argument you must use-              '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.--       When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the-       last one takes precedence.--       Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.--   Command options-       To  see  options  for  a particular command, including command-specific-       options, run: hledger COMMAND -h.--       Command-specific options must be written after the  command  name,  eg:-       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.--   Command arguments-       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 ---       @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  noth--       ing).  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:--              -X"$"--       Good:--              -X$--       See also: Save frequently used options.--   Special characters-   Single escaping (shell metacharacters)-       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  dou--       ble  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--       Windows users should keep in mind that cmd treats  single  quote  as  a-       regular  character,  so  you should be using double quotes exclusively.-       PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.--   Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)-       Characters significant in regular expressions (described below) -  such-       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 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:--              $ hledger balance cur:'\$'--       or:--              $ hledger balance cur:\\$--   Triple escaping (for add-on commands)-       When you use hledger to  run  an  external  add-on  command  (described-       below),  one  level of shell-escaping is lost from any options or argu--       ments 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):--              $ hledger ui cur:'\\$'--       or:--              $ hledger ui cur:\\\\$--       If you wondered why four backslashes, perhaps this helps:---       unescaped:        $-       escaped:          \$-       double-escaped:   \\$-       triple-escaped:   \\\\$--       Or, you can avoid the extra escaping by running the  add-on  executable-       directly:--              $ hledger-ui cur:\\$--   Less escaping-       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:--       o an @argumentfile--       o hledger-ui's filter field--       o hledger-web's search form--       o GHCI's prompt (used by developers).--   Unicode characters-       hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:--       o they  should  be  parsed  correctly in input files and on the command-         line, by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's  search/add/edit-         forms, etc.)--       o 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:--       o 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  Trou--         bleshooting.   This step is essential - without it, hledger will quit-         on encountering a non-ascii character (as with all GHC-compiled  pro--         grams).--       o your  terminal  software  (eg  Terminal.app, iTerm, CMD.exe, xterm..)-         must support unicode--       o the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode-         glyphs--       o the  terminal should be configured to display wide characters as dou--         ble width (for report alignment)--       o 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 stan--         dard 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).--   Regular expressions-       hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:--       o query terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search  form:-         REGEX, desc:REGEX, cur:REGEX, tag:...=REGEX--       o CSV rules conditional blocks: if REGEX ...--       o account  alias directive and --alias option: alias /REGEX/ = REPLACE--         MENT, --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  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.--       Some things to note:--       o In  the  alias directive and --alias option, regular expressions must-         be enclosed in forward  slashes  (/REGEX/).   Elsewhere  in  hledger,-         these are not required.--       o 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:\$.--       o On  the command line, some metacharacters like $ have a special mean--         ing to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.  See Spe--         cial characters.--Environment-       LEDGER_FILE The journal file path when not specified with -f.--       On unix computers, the default value is: ~/.hledger.journal.--       A  more  typical  value is something like ~/finance/YYYY.journal, where-       ~/finance is a version-controlled finance directory  and  YYYY  is  the-       current  year.  Or, ~/finance/current.journal, where current.journal is-       a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.--       The usual way to set this permanently is to add a  command  to  one  of-       your shell's startup files (eg ~/.profile):--              export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`--       On  some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment-       variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,-       Emacs started from a dock icon): In ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist, add an-       entry like:--              {-                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"-              }--       For this to take effect you might need to killall Dock, or reboot.--       On Windows computers, the  default  value  is  probably  C:\Users\YOUR--       NAME\.hledger.journal.   You  can change this by running a command like-       this in a powershell window (let us know if you need to be an  Adminis--       trator, and if this persists across a reboot):--              > setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"--       Or,   change   it   in   settings:   see  https://www.java.com/en/down--       load/help/path.html.--       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  is  overriden  by  the-       --color/--colour option.--Input-       hledger  reads  transactions  from one or more data files.  The default-       data file is $HOME/.hledger.journal  (or  on  Windows,  something  like-       C:\Users\YOURNAME\.hledger.journal).--       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:--              $ hledger -f /some/file -f another_file stats--       The file name - means standard input:--              $ cat some.journal | hledger -f---   Data formats-       Usually  the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in-       any of the supported file formats, which currently are:---       Reader:    Reads:                                    Used  for  file  exten--                                                            sions:-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------       journal    hledger  journal  files and some Ledger   .journal  .j   .hledger-                  journals, for transactions                .ledger-       time-      timeclock files, for precise time  log-   .timeclock-       clock      ging-       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 more detail 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-       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:--              $ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats--       Or to read stdin (-) as timeclock format:--              $ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -ftimeclock:---   Multiple files-       You can specify multiple -f options, to read multiple files as one  big-       journal.  There are some limitations with this:--       o most directives do not affect sibling files--       o balance  assertions  will  not see any account balances from previous-         files--       If you need either of those things, you can--       o use a single parent file which includes the others--       o or concatenate the files into one before reading, eg:  cat  a.journal-         b.journal | hledger -f- CMD.--   Strict mode-       hledger checks input files for valid data.  By default, the most impor--       tant errors are detected, while  still  accepting  easy  journal  files-       without a lot of declarations:--       o Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?--       o Are all transactions balanced ?--       o Do all balance assertions pass ?--       With the -s/--strict flag, additional checks are performed:--       o Are  all  accounts  posted  to,  declared with an account directive ?-         (Account error checking)--       o Are all commodities declared with a commodity directive ?  (Commodity-         error checking)--       o Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?--       You  can  use  the  check  command to run individual checks -- the ones-       listed above and some more.--Commands-       hledger provides a number of built-in  subcommands  (described  below).-       Most of these read your data without changing it, and display a report.-       A few assist with data entry and management.--       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.--   Add-on commands-       Add-on  commands  are extra subcommands provided by programs or scripts-       in your PATH--       o whose name starts with hledger---       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.--       Addons  can be written in any language, but haskell scripts or programs-       have a big advantage: they can use hledger's library code, for command--       line options, parsing and reporting.--       Several  add-on  commands  are installed by the hledger-install script.-       See https://hledger.org/scripts.html for more details.--       Note in a hledger command line, add-on command flags must have a 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).--       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--Output-   Output destination-       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 pro--       vide 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)--   Output format-       Some  commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the termi--       nal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:---       -                            txt         csv         html           json      sql-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       aregister                    Y           Y           Y              Y-       balance                      Y 1         Y 1         Y 1,2          Y-       balancesheet                 Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       balancesheetequity           Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       cashflow                     Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       incomestatement              Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y-       print                        Y           Y                          Y         Y-       register                     Y           Y                          Y--       o 1 Also affected by the balance commands' --layout option.--       o 2 balance does not support html output without a report  interval  or-         with --budget.--       The output format is selected by the -O/--output-format=FMT option:--              $ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout--       or  by  the  filename  extension  of  an output file specified with the-       -o/--output-file=FILE.FMT option:--              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv--       The -O option can be combined with -o to override the  file  extension,-       if needed:--              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt--       Some notes about the various output formats:--   CSV output-       o In  CSV  output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are-         disabled automatically.--   HTML output-       o HTML output can be styled by an optional hledger.css file in the same-         directory.--   JSON output-       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--       o Our  JSON  is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful repre--         sentation 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.--       o hledger  represents  quantities  as  Decimal values storing up to 255-         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 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)--   SQL output-       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.--       o SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and  Post--         gres.--       o For  SQLite,  it  will  be more useful if you modify the generated id-         field to be a PRIMARY KEY.  Eg:--                $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...--       o SQL output is structured with the expectations that  statements  will-         be  executed  in the empty database.  If you already have tables cre--         ated via SQL output of hledger, you would  probably  want  to  either-         clear tables of existing data (via delete or truncate SQL statements)-         or drop tables completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.--   Commodity styles-       When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard  display  style  for-       each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.--       If needed, this can be  overridden  by  a  -c/--commodity-style  option-       (except  for  cost  amounts and amounts displayed by the print command,-       which are always displayed with all decimal digits).  For example,  the-       following will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:--              $ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'--       This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple commodi--       ties/currencies.  Its argument is as described in the commodity  direc--       tive.--   Colour-       In  terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the terminal-       supports it:--       o if the --color/--colour option is given a value of yes or always  (or-         no or never), colour will (or will not) be used;--       o otherwise,  if  the NO_COLOR environment variable is set, colour will-         not be used;--       o otherwise, colour will be used if the output (terminal or file)  sup--         ports it.--   Box-drawing-       In  terminal  output,  you can enable unicode box-drawing characters to-       render prettier tables:--       o if the --pretty option is given a value of yes or always  (or  no  or-         never), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;--       o otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.--   Paging-       When  showing  long output in the terminal, hledger will try to use the-       pager specified by the PAGER environment variable, or  less,  or  more.-       (A  pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather than-       scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this only for help-       output, not for reports; specifically,--       o when listing commands, with hledger--       o when showing help with hledger [CMD] --help,--       o when viewing manuals with hledger help or hledger --man.--       Note  the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses eg-       for bold emphasis.  For the common pager less (and its more compatibil--       ity  mode), we add R to the LESS and MORE environment variables to make-       this work.  If you use a different pager, you might need  to  configure-       it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).  Otherwise,-       you can set the NO_COLOR environment variable to 1 to disable all  ANSI-       output (see Colour).--   Debug output-       We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and-       develop.  You can add --debug[=N] to any hledger command  line  to  see-       additional  debug  output.  N ranges from 1 (least output, the default)-       to 9 (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1  and  increase-       until  you  are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and is not-       affected by -o/--output-file (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:-       2>&1).   It  will  be  interleaved  with  normal output, which can help-       reveal when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture  debug  output-       in a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:--              hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log--Limitations-       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 POSIX,-       set LANG to something other than C.--       In a Microsoft Windows CMD window, non-ascii characters and colours are-       not supported.--       On Windows, non-ascii characters may not display correctly when 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 hledger and-       Ledger > Differences > journal format.--       On large data files, hledger  is  slower  and  uses  more  memory  than-       Ledger.--Troubleshooting-       Here  are  some  issues  you  might encounter when you run hledger (and-       remember you can also seek help from the IRC channel, mail list or  bug-       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,-       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.--       Getting errors like "Illegal byte sequence" or "Invalid  or  incomplete-       multibyte  or wide character" or "commitAndReleaseBuffer: invalid argu--       ment (invalid character)"-       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 sup--       ports 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-              C                                      # LANG is set to the default locale, which does not support UTF8-              $ locale -a                            # which locales are installed ?-              C-              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-       Ubuntu/Debian:--              $ apt-get install language-pack-fr-              $ locale -a-              C-              en_US.utf8-              fr_BE.utf8-              fr_CA.utf8-              fr_CH.utf8-              fr_FR.utf8-              fr_LU.utf8-              POSIX-              $ 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  differ--       ence  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--PART 2: DATA FORMATS-Journal-       hledger's default file format, representing a General Journal.   Here's-       a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal for--       mat.--   Journal cheatsheet-              # Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format-              # (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).-              # hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:--              ###############################################################################-              # 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.-              # They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".--              # hash comment line-              ; semicolon comment line-              comment-              These lines-              are commented.-              end comment--              # Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,-              # from ; (semicolon) to end of line.--              ###############################################################################-              # 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.-              # They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).--              account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.-              account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)-              alias chkg = assets:checking-              commodity $0.00-              decimal-mark .-              include /dev/null-              payee Whole Foods-              P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40-              ~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description-                  expenses:food       $400-                  expenses:home      $1000-                  budgeted--              ###############################################################################-              # 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,-              # usually describing movements of money.-              # They begin with a date.--              # DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.-              #   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.-              #   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.-              #               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.-              #   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).--              2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way-                  assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.-                  assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.-                  assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.-                  liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.-                  equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.--              2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes-                  ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".-                  ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.-                  ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:-                  assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)-                  expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)-                                                  ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"--              Kv-              2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.-                  ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.-                  assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10-                  expenses:clothing       GBP 10-                  assets:gringotts           -10 gold-                  assets:pouch                10 gold-                  revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols-                  assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.--              2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@-                  assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost-                  assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost-                  assets:checking            $-7.00--              2022-01-02 assert balances-                  ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.-                  assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA-                  assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold-                  assets:savings              $0      = $1000--              1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.-                  ; Postings are not required.--              2022.01.01 These date-              2022/1/1   formats are-              12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).--   About journal format-       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-       ledger on the same journal file, eg to validate the results you're get--       ting.--       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  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).--       A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,-       transactions, and/or directives (counting  periodic  transaction  rules-       and auto posting rules as directives).--   Comments-       Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash (#) or a-       semicolon (;).  (See also Other  syntax.)   hledger  will  also  ignore-       regions  beginning  with  a comment line and ending with an end comment-       line (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:--       o # for top-level notes--       o ; for commenting out things temporarily--       o comment for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's there, or-         you might get confused)--       Eg:--              # a comment line-              ; another commentline-              comment-              A multi-line comment block,-              continuing until "end comment" directive-              or the end of the current file.-              end comment--       Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from-       ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments,  Posting  com--       ments, and Account comments below.--   Transactions-       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-       optional fields, separated by spaces:--       o a status character (empty, !, or *)--       o a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)--       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-         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-         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--   Dates-   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 be-       omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context:  the  cur--       rent  transaction, the default year set with a Y directive, or the cur--       rent  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.)--   Posting 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-       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.-       The date: tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present,  eg-       a date: tag with no value is not allowed.--   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,-       indicating one of three statuses:---       mark     status-       -------------------                unmarked-       !        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.--       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--       ing, 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 short--       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.-       Here's one suggestion:---       status       meaning-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------       uncleared    recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review-       pending      tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconcil--                    iation)-       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-       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-       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-       "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you-       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-       precise querying and pivoting by payee or by note.--   Transaction comments-       Text  following  ;, after a transaction description, and/or on indented-       lines immediately below it, form comments for that  transaction.   They-       are  reproduced by print but otherwise ignored, except they may contain-       tags, which are not ignored.--              2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment-                  ; a second line of transaction comment-                  expenses   1-                  assets--   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-       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-         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-       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-       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-       amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.--   Account names-       Accounts  are  the  main  way of categorising things in hledger.  As in-       Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts  (such-       as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed-       from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".--       You can use any account names you like, but we usually start  with  the-       traditional accounting categories, which in english are assets, liabil--       ities, equity, revenues, expenses.  (You might see these referred to as-       A, L, E, R, X for short.)--       For  more  precise  reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts-       into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account-       name  parts.   For example, from the account names assets:bank:checking-       and expenses:food, hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:--              assets-              assets:bank-              assets:bank:checking-              expenses-              expenses:food--       Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:--              assets-               bank-                checking-              expenses-               food--       hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can-       go  as  deep  as  you like with subcategories, but keeping your account-       names relatively simple may be best when starting out.--       Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters, num--       bers,  symbols,  or  single  spaces.  Note, when an account name and an-       amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by  two  or-       more spaces (or tabs).--       Parentheses  or  brackets enclosing the full account name indicate vir--       tual postings, described below.  Parentheses or  brackets  internal  to-       the account name have no special meaning.--       Account  names  can  be  altered  temporarily or permanently by account-       aliases.--   Amounts-       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--       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-       space:--              $1-              4000 AAPL-              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--       modity 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--   Decimal marks, digit group marks-       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):--                   $1,000,000.00-                EUR 2.000.000,00-              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 ?--              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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,  especially-       if  your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we-       recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each jour--       nal  file,  using a directive at the top of the file.  The decimal-mark-       directive is best,  otherwise  commodity  directives  will  also  work.-       These are described below.--   Commodity-       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",-       "ABC123").--       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-       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.)--   Directives influencing number parsing and display-       You  can  add  decimal-mark and commodity directives to the journal, to-       declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.   These-       are described below, but here's a quick example:--              # the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)-              decimal-mark .--              # display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:-              commodity $1,000.00-              commodity EUR 1.000,00-              commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00-              commodity 1 000 000.9455---   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-       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-       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-       order of preference:--       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.-         (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--         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-         amount--       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.--       Cost 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 cost).  If you find this causing problems, use a  com--       modity 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:--              # 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-              commodity 1000.00000000 BTC-              commodity 1 000.--       The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying  a  command-       line option.--   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").---   Costs-       After  a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling-       price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing  either  @  UNIT--       PRICE  or @@ TOTALPRICE after it.  This indicates a conversion transac--       tion, where one commodity is exchanged for another.--       (You might also see this called "transaction price"  in  hledger  docs,-       discussions,  or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded-       that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just  call  it-       "cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase-       or a sale.)--       Costs are usually written explicitly with @ or  @@,  but  can  also  be-       inferred  automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.  Note,-       if costs are inferred, the order of postings is significant; the  first-       posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.--       As  an  example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign-       currency in hledger, using  the  cost  notation  either  explicitly  or-       implicitly:--       1. Write the price per unit, as @ UNITPRICE after the amount:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100 @ $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:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot-                    assets:dollars--       3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and-          let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.  Note the-          effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting, making-          it EUR100 @@ $135, as in example 2:--                  2009/1/1-                    assets:euros     EUR100          ; one hundred euros purchased-                    assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135--       Amounts can be converted to cost at report  time  using  the  -B/--cost-       flag; this is discussed more in the COST REPORTING section.--   Other cost/lot notations-       A  slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a num--       ber of cost/lot-related notations:--       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST--         o expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger--         o when buying, also creates a lot than can  be  selected  at  selling-           time--       o (@) UNITCOST and (@@) TOTALCOST (virtual cost)--         o like  the  above,  but also means "this cost was exceptional, don't-           use it when inferring market prices".--       Currently, hledger treats the above like @ and @@; the parentheses  are-       ignored.--       o {=FIXEDUNITCOST} and {{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}} (fixed price)--         o when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't let it-           fluctuate in value reports"--       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}} (lot price)--         o can be used identically to @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST,  also  cre--           ates a lot--         o when  selling,  combined with @ ..., specifies an investment lot by-           its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present--       o and related: [YYYY/MM/DD] (lot date)--         o when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot--         o when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date--       o (SOME TEXT) (lot note)--         o when buying, attaches this note to the lot--         o when selling, selects a lot by its note--       Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any  order  after-       the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction bal--       ancing.)--       For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:--       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST--         o expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger--         o when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with-           {...}:  documents  the cost/selling price (not used for transaction-           balancing)--       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}}--         o when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for  transaction  bal--           ancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached--         o when selling (reducing),--           o selects a lot by its cost basis--           o raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected-             unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)--           o expresses the selling price for transaction balancing--       Currently, hledger accepts the  {UNITCOST}/{{TOTALCOST}}  notation  but-       ignores it.--       o variations:  {}, {YYYY-MM-DD}, {"LABEL"}, {UNITCOST, "LABEL"}, {UNIT--         COST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"} etc.--       Currently, hledger rejects these.--   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 b after each posting:--              2013/1/1-                a   $1  =$1-                b       =$-1--              2013/1/2-                a   $1  =$2-                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-       -I/--ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or-       for reading Ledger files.  (Note: this flag currently does not  disable-       balance assignments, described 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--       ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order.  (Also,-       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.-       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 multiple included files-       Multiple files included with the include directive are processed as  if-       concatenated  into  one  file,  preserving  their order and the posting-       order within each file.  It means  that  balance  assertions  in  later-       files will see balance from earlier files.--       And  if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split-       across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's balance  on-       that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file - the last-       one in the sequence, probably.--   Assertions and multiple -f files-       Unlike include, when multiple files are specified on the  command  line-       with  multiple  -f/--file options, balance assertions will not see bal--       ance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want prob--       lems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.--       If  you  do  want  assertions  to  see  balance from earlier files, use-       include, or concatenate the files temporarily.--   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-       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 other-       commodities  in the account besides the asserted one (or at least, that-       their balance is 0).--              2013/1/1-                a   $1-                a    1EUR-                b  $-1-                c   -1EUR--              2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed-                a    0  =  $1-                a    0  =   1EUR-                b    0 == $-1-                c    0 ==  -1EUR--              2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1EUR-                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-       into its own subaccount:--              2013/1/1-                a:usd   $1-                a:euro   1EUR-                b--              2013/1/2-                a        0 ==  0-                a:usd    0 == $1-                a:euro   0 ==  1EUR--   Assertions and prices-       Balance assertions ignore costs, 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--       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-       assert the balance including subaccounts by writing =* or ==*, eg:--              2019/1/1-                equity:opening balances-                checking:a       5-                checking:b       5-                checking         1  ==* 11--   Assertions and virtual postings-       Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they-       are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query.--   Assertions and auto postings-       Balance assertions are affected by the  --auto  flag,  which  generates-       auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings-       are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two-       balances.   But  balance  assertions  can only test one or the other of-       these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:--       o assert the balance calculated with --auto, and always use --auto with-         that file--       o or assert the balance calculated without --auto, and never use --auto-         with that file--       o or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or-         avoid auto postings entirely).--   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--       tions.  Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts.--   Posting comments-       Text following ;, at the end of a  posting  line,  and/or  on  indented-       lines  immediately  below it, form comments for that posting.  They are-       reproduced by print but otherwise  ignored,  except  they  may  contain-       tags, which are not ignored.--              2012-01-01-                  expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1-                  assets-                  ; a comment for posting 2-                  ; a second comment line for posting 2--   Tags-       Tags  are  a  way to add extra labels or labelled data to transactions,-       postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.--       They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed-       by  a  full  colon,  in a transaction or posting or account directive's-       comment.  (This is an exception to the usual rule that things  in  com--       ments  are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one on-       the checking account, two on the transaction, and one on  the  expenses-       posting:--              account assets:checking         ; accounttag:--              2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:-                  ; transactiontag-2:-                  assets:checking        $-1-                  expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:--       Postings  also  inherit  tags from their transaction and their account.-       And transactions also acquire tags from their postings  (and  postings'-       accounts).   So  in the example above, the expenses posting effectively-       has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the-       transaction  also  has  all  four  tags (by acquiring from the expenses-       posting).--       You can list tag names with hledger tags [NAMEREGEX], or match  by  tag-       name with a tag:NAMEREGEX query.--   Tag values-       Tags  can  have  a  value, which is any text after the colon up until a-       comma or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note  this-       means  that  hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in the fol--       lowing posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and ""-       (empty) respectively:--                  expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz--       Note  that  tags can be repeated, and are additive rather than overrid--       ing: when the same tag name is seen again with a  new  value,  the  new-       name:value  pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to override-       a tag's value or remove a tag.)--       You can list a tag's values with  hledger  tags  TAGNAME  --values,  or-       match by tag value with a tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX query.--   Directives-       A  directive is a line in the journal beginning with a special keyword,-       that influences how the journal is processed, how things are displayed,-       and  so  on.  hledger's directives are based on (a subset of) Ledger's,-       but there are many  differences,  and  also  some  differences  between-       hledger versions.  Here are some more definitions:--       o subdirective   -   Some  directives  support  subdirectives,  written-         indented below the parent directive.--       o decimal mark - The character to interpret as a decimal  mark  (period-         or comma) when parsing amounts of a commodity.--       o display style - How to display amounts of a commodity in output: sym--         bol side and spacing, digit groups, decimal mark, and number of deci--         mal places.--       Directives  are  not  required  when starting out with hledger, but you-       will probably want to add some as  your  needs  grow.   Here  some  key-       directives for particular needs:---       purpose                                       directives-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------       READING DATA:-       Declare  file's  decimal mark to help parse   decimal-mark-       amounts accurately-       Rewrite account names                         alias-       Comment out sections of the data              comment-       Include extra data files                      include-       GENERATING DATA:-       Generate recurring transactions  or  budget   ~-       goals-       Generate extra postings on transactions       =-       CHECKING FOR ERRORS:-       Define valid entities to provide more error   account, commodity, payee-       checking-       REPORTING:-       Declare accounts' type and display order      account-       Declare commodity display styles              commodity-       Declare market prices                         P--   Directive effects-       And here is what each directive  does,  and  which  files  and  journal-       entries (transactions) it affects:---       direc-     what it does                                                       ends-       tive                                                                          at-                                                                                     file-                                                                                     end?-       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       account    Declares an account, for checking all entries in all files;  and   N-                  its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.-       alias      Rewrites  account  names, in following entries until end of cur-   Y-                  rent file or end aliases.  Command line equivalent: --alias-       comment    Ignores  part  of the journal file, until end of current file or   Y-                  end comment.-       commod-    Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checking   N,Y,N,N-       ity        all amounts in all  files  2.   the  decimal  mark  for  parsing-                  amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of-                  current file (if there is no decimal-mark directive) 3.  and the-                  display  style  for  amounts of this commodity 4.  which is also-                  the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking  in  this-                  commodity.   Takes  precedence  over  D.   Subdirectives: format-                  (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:  -c/--com--                  modity-style-       deci-      Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of  all  commodi-   Y-       mal-       ties in following entries until next decimal-mark or end of cur--       mark       rent file.  Included files can override.  Takes precedence  over-                  commodity and D.-       include    Includes entries and directives from another file,  as  if  they   N-                  were   written   inline.   Command  line  alternative:  multiple-                  -f/--file-       payee      Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.      N-       P          Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N-                  reports.-       ~          Declares  a  periodic  transaction  rule  that  generates future   N-       (tilde)    transactions with  --forecast  and  budget  goals  with  balance-                  --budget.-       Other-       syntax:-       apply      Prepends  a  common parent account to all account names, in fol-   Y-       account    lowing entries until end of current file or end apply account.-       D          Sets a default commodity to use for  no-symbol  amounts;and,  if   Y,Y,N,N-                  there  is no commodity directive for this commodity: its decimal-                  mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.-       Y          Sets  a default year to use for any yearless dates, in following   Y-                  entries until end of current file.----       =          Declares an auto posting rule that generates extra  postings  on   partly-       (equals)   matched  transactions with --auto, in current, parent, and child-                  files (but not sibling files, see #1212).-       Other      Other  directives  from  Ledger's  file  format are accepted but-       Ledger     ignored.-       direc--       tives--   Directives and multiple files-       If you use  multiple  -f/--file  options,  or  the  include  directive,-       hledger will process multiple input files.  But directives which affect-       input typically have effect only until the end of  the  file  in  which-       they occur (and on any included files in that region).--       This may seem inconvenient, but it's intentional; it makes reports sta--       ble 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 direc--       tives do not affect parent or sibling files (see below).--   account directive-       account directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places that-       amounts  are transferred from and to).  Though not required, these dec--       larations can provide several benefits:--       o They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a refer--         ence.--       o In  strict  mode,  they  restrict  which accounts may be posted to by-         transactions, which helps detect typos.--       o They control account display order in  reports,  allowing  non-alpha--         betic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).--       o They  help with account name completion (in hledger add, hledger-web,-         hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)--       o They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags-         which can be used to filter or pivot reports.--       o They  can  help  hledger know your accounts' types (asset, liability,-         equity, revenue, expense), affecting reports  like  balancesheet  and-         incomestatement.--       They  are  written  as  the  word  account  followed by a hledger-style-       account name, eg:--              account assets:bank:checking--       Note, however, that accounts declared in  account  directives  are  not-       allowed  to  have surrounding brackets and parentheses, unlike accounts-       used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:--              account (assets:bank:checking)--   Account comments-       Text following two or more spaces and ; at the end of an account direc--       tive  line,  and/or following ; on indented lines immediately below it,-       form comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may  con--       tain tags, which are not ignored.--       The  two-space  requirement for same-line account comments is because ;-       is allowed in account names.--              account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon-                ; next-line comment-                ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345--   Account subdirectives-       Ledger-style indented subdirectives are also  accepted,  but  currently-       ignored:--              account assets:bank:checking-                format subdirective is ignored--   Account error checking-       By  default,  accounts  need  not be declared; they come into existence-       when a posting references them.   This  is  convenient,  but  it  means-       hledger  can't warn you when you mis-spell an account name in the jour--       nal.  Usually you'll find that error later, as an extra account in bal--       ance reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.--       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:--       o The  declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the correct-         account name capitalisation.--       o The account directive's scope is "whole file and below"  (see  direc--         tives).  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.--       o Accounts can only be declared  in  journal  files,  but  will  affect-         included files of all types.--       o It's  currently  not  possible  to declare "all possible subaccounts"-         with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.--   Account display order-       The order in which account directives are written influences the  order-       in  which  accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web etc.  By-       default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but  if  you  add  these-       account directives to the journal file:--              account assets-              account liabilities-              account equity-              account revenues-              account expenses--       those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:--              $ hledger accounts -1-              assets-              liabilities-              equity-              revenues-              expenses--       Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.--       Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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 means:--       o you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg account  other  above)-         that  you  don't  intend  to post to, just to customize their display-         order--       o sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display x:y  in  between-         a:b and a:c).--   Account types-       hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,-       expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports  like  balancesheet  and-       incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the type: query.--       As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically-       if you  are  using  common  english-language  top-level  account  names-       (described  below).   But  generally  we  recommend  you  declare types-       explicitly, by adding a type: tag to your top-level account directives.-       Subaccounts  will  inherit  the  type of their parent.  The tag's value-       should be one of the five main account types:--       o A or Asset (things you own)--       o L or Liability (things you owe)--       o E or Equity (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of  assets  &-         liabilities)--       o R  or  Revenue (what you received money from, AKA income; technically-         part of Equity)--       o X or Expense (what you spend money on; technically part of Equity)--       or, it can be (these are used less often):--       o C or Cash (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the cash--         flow report)--       o V  or  Conversion  (a  subtype  of  Equity, for conversions (see COST-         REPORTING).)--       Here is a typical set of account type declarations:--              account assets             ; type: A-              account liabilities        ; type: L-              account equity             ; type: E-              account revenues           ; type: R-              account expenses           ; type: X--              account assets:bank        ; type: C-              account assets:cash        ; type: C--              account equity:conversion  ; type: V--       Here are some tips for working with account types.--       o The rules for inferring types from  account  names  are  as  follows.-         These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going;-         if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare your account-         types.  See also Regular expressions.--                If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:-                --------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------                ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash-                ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset-                ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability-                ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion-                ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity-                ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue-                ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense--       o If  you  declare  any  account  types, it's a good idea to declare an-         account for all of the account types, because a mixture  of  declared-         and name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.--       o Certain  uses  of  account  aliases  can  disrupt account types.  See-         Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.--       o As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent-         account.   More  precisely, an account's type is decided by the first-         of these that exists:--         1. A type: declaration for this account.--         2. A type: declaration in the parent accounts  above  it,  preferring-            the nearest.--         3. An account type inferred from this account's name.--         4. An  account type inferred from a parent account's name, preferring-            the nearest parent.--         5. Otherwise, it will have no type.--       o For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:--                $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]--   alias directive-       You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or-       parts of them, before generating reports.  This can be useful for:--       o expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier-         data entry and a less verbose journal--       o adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts--       o experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy--       o combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on-         one line--       o customising reports--       Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.  They-       do not affect account names being entered via hledger add  or  hledger--       web.--       Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use cor--       rectly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them; more-       on this below.--       See also Rewrite account names.--   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-       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 interactively.--       OLD and NEW are  case  sensitive  full  account  names.   hledger  will-       replace  any occurrence of the old account name with the new one.  Sub--       accounts 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"--   Regex aliases-       There is also a more powerful variant that uses a  regular  expression,-       indicated  by  wrapping  the  pattern in forward slashes.  (This is the-       only place where hledger requires  forward  slashes  around  a  regular-       expression.)--       Eg:--              alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT--       or:--              $ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...--       Any  part  of  an  account  name  matched  by REGEX will be replaced by-       REPLACEMENT.  REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.--       If you need to match a forward slash, escape it with  a  backslash,  eg-       /\/=:.--       If  REGEX  contains parenthesised match groups, these can be referenced-       by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:--              alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3-              ; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"--       REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of-       option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.--   Combining aliases-       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-       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-       entry, we apply:--       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-          (left to right).--       In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:--       o the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first--       o the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on--       o aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.--       This  gives nearby aliases precedence over distant ones, and helps pro--       vide semantic stability - aliases will keep working the same way  inde--       pendent of which files are being read and in which order.--       In  case  of  trouble,  adding  --debug=6 to the command line will show-       which aliases are being applied when.--   Aliases and multiple files-       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-                foo  1-                bar--       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--              2020-01-01  ; affected by aliases above-                foo  1-                bar--              include c.journal  ; also affected--   end aliases directive-       You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the jour--       nal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:--              end aliases--   Aliases can generate bad account names-       Be aware that account aliases  can  produce  malformed  account  names,-       which could cause confusing reports or invalid print output.  For exam--       ple, you could erase all account names:--              2021-01-01-                a:aa     1-                b--              $ hledger print --alias '/.*/='-              2021-01-01-                                 1--       The above print output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert  an-       illegal  double space, causing print output that would give a different-       journal when reparsed:--              2021-01-01-                old    1-                other--              $ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print-              2021-01-01-                  new             USD 1-                  other--   Aliases and account types-       If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account-       types)  is  renamed  by  an alias, normally the account type remains in-       effect.--       However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg  renaming-       parent  accounts  but  not their children, or vice versa) could prevent-       child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.--       Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,  renam--       ing it by an alias could prevent or alter that.--       If  you  are  using account aliases and the type: query is not matching-       accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts  command,-       eg something like:--              $ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a--   commodity directive-       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 Com--          modity 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)--       3. It  declares  how  to render the commodity's amounts when displaying-          output - the decimal mark, any digit group marks, the number of dec--          imal  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.--       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 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  subdirec--       tive,  as  in  Ledger.   Note in this case the commodity symbol appears-       twice; it must be the same in both places:--              ;commodity SYMBOL-              ;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT--              ; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,-              ; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,-              ; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.-              commodity INR-                format INR 1,00,00,000.00--       Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--       Remember that if the commodity  symbol  contains  spaces,  numbers,  or-       punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).--       The  amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is significant.-       It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a 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-              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.)--       Even in the presence of commodity  directives,  the  commodity  display-       style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.--   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.--       Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol,  because  cur--       rently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity with-       a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero  amounts  are-       always allowed to have no commodity symbol.--   decimal-mark directive-       You can use a decimal-mark directive - usually one per file, at the top-       of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark when-       parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like--              decimal-mark .--       or--              decimal-mark ,--       This  prevents  any  ambiguity  when parsing numbers in the file, so we-       recommend it, especially if the file contains  digit  group  marks  (eg-       thousands separators).--   include directive-       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  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.--       The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg: include-       *.journal.--       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.--       The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format, overrid--       ing  the  file  extension  (as  described in hledger.1 -> Input files):-       include timedot:~/notes/2020*.md.--   P directive-       The P directive declares a market price, which  is  a  conversion  rate-       between  two  commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports-       to convert amounts of one commodity to their value in  another,  on  or-       after  that  date.   These  prices  are  often  obtained  from  a stock-       exchange, cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.--       The format is:--              P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT--       DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the  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 EUR $1.35--              # and $1.40 from 2010-01-01 onward:-              P 2010-01-01 EUR $1.40--       The  -V,  -X  and  --value flags use these market prices to show amount-       values in another commodity.  See Valuation.---   payee directive-       payee PAYEE NAME--       This 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:--              payee Whole Foods--       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--   tag directive-       tag TAGNAME--       This  directive  can  be  used  to  declare  a limited set of tag names-       allowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:--              tag  item-id--       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.--       The "tags" check will report an error if any  undeclared  tag  name  is-       used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use-       of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you  can-       declare and check your tags .--   Periodic transactions-       The ~ directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives allow-       hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in  reports,-       not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.--       Periodic  transactions  can be a little tricky, so before you use them,-       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-          tag:generated.--       3. Forecasted  transactions  will  begin  only after the last non-fore--          casted 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-          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  an-          error.--       7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically 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 day of month from-          2020/01/01, will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.--   Periodic rule syntax-       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.):--              # every first of month-              ~ monthly-                  expenses:rent          $2000-                  assets:bank:checking--              # every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:-              ~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16-                  expenses:utilities          $400-                  assets:bank:checking--       The period expression is the same syntax  used  for  specifying  multi--       period  reports,  just  interpreted  differently;  there,  it specifies-       report periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods'  start-       dates).--   Periodic rules and relative dates-       Partial  or  relative  dates (like 12/31, 25, tomorrow, last week, next-       quarter) are usually not  recommended  in  periodic  rules,  since  the-       results  will change as time passes.  If used, they will be interpreted-       relative to, in order of preference:--       1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent Y directive--       2. or the date specified with --today--       3. or the date on which you are running the report.--       They will not be affected at all by report period  or  forecast  period-       dates.--   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-       where the period expression ends, so that descriptions can not acciden--       tally 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-              ~ every 2 months  in 2020, we will review-                  assets:bank:checking   $1500-                  income:acme inc--       So,--       o Do write two spaces between your period expression and your  transac--         tion description, if any.--       o Don't  accidentally  write  two  spaces  in the middle of your period-         expression.--   Other syntax-       hledger journal format supports quite a few other features,  mainly  to-       make  interoperating  with or converting from Ledger easier.  Note some-       of the features below are powerful and can be useful in special  cases,-       but  in general, features in this section are considered less important-       or even not recommended for most users.   Downsides  are  mentioned  to-       help you decide if you want to use them.--   Auto postings-       The  =  directive  declares  a  rule for automatically adding temporary-       extra postings (visible in reports, not in the  journal  file)  to  all-       transactions  matched by a certain query, when you use the --auto flag.--       Downsides: depending on generated data  for  your  reports  makes  your-       financial  data  less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy-       in an audit.  Also, because the feature  is  optional,  other  features-       like balance assertions can break depending on whether it is on or off.--       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  match--       ing),  followed  by a query (which matches existing postings), and each-       "posting" line describes a posting to be  generated,  and  the  posting-       amounts can be:--       o a  normal  amount  with a commodity symbol, eg $2.  This will be used-         as-is.--       o a number, eg 2.  The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched post--         ing will be added to this.--       o 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.--       o 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-       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--              ; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount-              = expenses:gifts-                  assets:checking:gifts  *-1-                  assets:checking         *1--              2017/12/1-                expenses:food    $10-                assets:checking--              2017/12/14-                expenses:gifts   $20-                assets:checking--              $ hledger print --auto-              2017-12-01-                  expenses:food              $10-                  assets:checking-                  (liabilities:charity)      $-1--              2017-12-14-                  expenses:gifts             $20-                  assets:checking-                  assets:checking:gifts     -$20-                  assets:checking            $20--   Auto postings and multiple files-       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).--   Auto postings and dates-       A  posting  date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking-       precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself,  will  also-       be used in the generated posting.--   Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance asser--       tions-       Currently, auto postings are added:--       o after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked  for-         balancedness,--       o 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-       for background.--       This  also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a-       missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable  to-       infer amounts.--   Auto posting tags-       Automated postings will have some extra tags:--       o generated-posting:= QUERY - shows this was generated by an auto post--         ing rule, and the query--       o _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:--       o modified: - this transaction was modified--       o _modified: - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this transac--         tion was modified "just now".--   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-       setting opening balances:--              ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances-              2016/1/1 opening balances-                assets:checking            = $409.32-                assets:savings             = $735.24-                assets:cash                 = $42-                equity: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-                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--       ment).--       Downsides:  using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;-       to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the cal--       culations  yourself,  instead of just reading it.  Also balance assign--       ments' forcing of balances can hide errors.   These  things  make  your-       financial  data  less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy-       in an audit.--   Balance assignments and prices-       A cost in a balance assignment will cause the calculated amount to have-       that price attached:--              2019/1/1-                (a)             = $1 @ EUR2--              $ hledger print --explicit-              2019-01-01-                  (a)         $1 @ EUR2 = $1 @ EUR2--   Bracketed posting dates-       For  setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's brack--       eted date syntax is also supported: [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2] in-       posting  comments.   hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed-       sequence of the 0123456789/-.= characters in this way.  With this  syn--       tax,  DATE  infers  its  year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its-       year from DATE.--       Downsides:  another  syntax  to   learn,   redundant   with   hledger's-       date:/date2: tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date syntax.--   D directive-       D AMOUNT--       This directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any  subsequent-       commodityless  amounts (ie, plain numbers) seen while parsing the jour--       nal.  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 and display-       style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but-       a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must include a deci--       mal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:--              ; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars-              ; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)-              D $1,000.00--              1/1-                a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00-                b--       Interactions with other directives:--       For  setting  a  commodity's  display  style, a commodity directive has-       highest priority, then a D directive.--       For detecting a commodity's decimal mark during  parsing,  decimal-mark-       has highest priority, then commodity, then D.--       For  checking  commodity  symbols  with  the check command, a commodity-       directive is required (hledger check commodities ignores D directives).--       Downsides:  omitting  commodity  symbols makes your financial data less-       explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is  usu--       ally  an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to track-       multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with  functions  redundant  with-       commodity  and decimal-mark.  And it works differently from Ledger's D.--   apply account directive-       This directive sets a default parent account, which will  be  prepended-       to all accounts in following entries, until an end apply account direc--       tive or end of current file.  Eg:--              apply account home--              2010/1/1-                  food    $10-                  cash--              end apply account--       is equivalent to:--              2010/01/01-                  home:food           $10-                  home:cash          $-10--       account directives are also affected, and so is any included content.--       Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not  affected.--       Account  aliases,  if  any,  are  applied  after  the parent account is-       prepended.--       Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less porta--       ble, and less trustworthy in an audit.--   Y directive-       Y YEAR--       or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):--       year YEAR apply year YEAR--       The  space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for subse--       quent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:--              Y2009  ; set default year to 2009--              12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15-                expenses  1-                assets--              year 2010  ; change default year to 2010--              2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected-                expenses  1-                assets--              1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31-                expenses  1-                assets--       Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)-       makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less trust--       worthy in an audit.  Such dates can get  separated  from  their  corre--       sponding  Y  directive,  eg  when evaluating a region of the journal in-       your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on  today's-       date.--   Secondary dates-       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-       (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  =-       date the transaction was initiated, if different".--       Downsides:  makes  your financial data more complicated, less portable,-       and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates-       consistent  requires discipline, and you have to remember which report--       ing mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are  simpler-       and better.--   Star comments-       Lines  beginning  with  * (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This-       feature allows Emacs users to insert org  headings  in  their  journal,-       allowing  them  to  fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed-       with org mode.--       Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.   Decreases-       your  journal's  portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode just for-       folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of  ledger  mode;  nowadays-       you  can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without losing-       ledger mode's features.--   Valuation expressions-       Ledger allows a valuation function or value to  be  written  in  double-       parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.--   Virtual postings-       A  posting with parentheses around the account name is called a virtual-       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 bookkeeping, 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:--              2022-01-01 opening balances-                (assets:checking)   $1000-                (assets:savings)    $2000--       A posting with brackets around the 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:--              2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else-                assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other-                expenses:food                    $7  ; <--                expenses:food                    $3  ; <--                [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other-                [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <--                (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance--       Postings whose account names are neither  parenthesised  nor  bracketed-       are  called  real  postings.   You  can  exclude  virtual postings from-       reports with the -R/--real flag or a real:1 query.--       Downsides: violates double entry bookkeeping, can be used to avoid fig--       uring  out correct entries, makes your financial data less portable and-       less trustworthy in an audit.--   Other Ledger directives-       These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This-       allows  hledger  to read more Ledger files, but be aware that hledger's-       reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.--              apply fixed COMM AMT-              apply tag   TAG-              assert      EXPR-              bucket / A  ACCT-              capture     ACCT REGEX-              check       EXPR-              define      VAR=EXPR-              end apply fixed-              end apply tag-              end apply year-              end tag-              eval / expr EXPR-              python-                PYTHONCODE-              tag         NAME-              value       EXPR-              --command-line-flags--       See also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed  hledger/Ledger-       syntax comparison.---CSV-       hledger  can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually comma,-       semicolon, or tab) containing dated records,  automatically  converting-       each record into a transaction.--       (To learn about writing CSV, see CSV output.)--       For  best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure they-       have a corresponding .csv, .tsv or .ssv file extension or use a hledger-       file prefix (see File Extension below).--       Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding rules file.-       This  contains  rules describing the CSV data (header line, fields lay--       out, date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from  it,-       and  how  to  categorise  transactions  based  on  description or other-       attributes.--       By default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file  with-       an  extra  .rules  extension,  in the same directory.  Eg when asked to-       read foo/FILE.csv, hledger looks for foo/FILE.csv.rules.  You can spec--       ify  a  different rules file with the --rules-file option.  If no rules-       file is found, hledger will create a sample rules  file,  which  you'll-       need to adjust.--       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:--              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-                  income:unknown            -10.23--       There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org, and-       more  CSV  rules  examples  below,   and   a   larger   collection   at-       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.--   CSV rules cheatsheet-       The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.-       (Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; or * are ignored.)---       separator                  declare the field separator, instead of  rely--                                  ing on file extension-       skip                       skip one or more header lines at start of file-       date-format                declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times-       timezone                   declare the time zone of ambiguous  CSV  date--                                  times-       newest-first               improve  txn  order  when:  there are multiple-                                  records, newest first, all with the same date---       intra-day-reversed         improve txn order when: same-day txns  are  in-                                  opposite order to the overall file-       decimal-mark               declare  the decimal mark used in CSV amounts,-                                  when ambiguous-       fields list                name  CSV  fields  for  easy  reference,   and-                                  optionally  assign  their  values  to  hledger-                                  fields-       Field assignment           assign a CSV value or interpolated text  value-                                  to a hledger field-       if block                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                                  or skip a record or end (skip rest of file)-       if table                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,-                                  using compact syntax-       balance-type               select    which   type   of   balance   asser--                                  tions/assignments to generate-       include                    inline another CSV rules file--       Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV  rules  are-       evaluated.--   separator-       You  can  use the separator rule to read other kinds of character-sepa--       rated 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 inferred automat--       ically, and you won't need this rule.--   skip-              skip N--       The word skip followed by a number (or  no  number,  meaning  1)  tells-       hledger  to  ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input-       data.  (Empty/blank lines are skipped automatically, so you don't  need-       to  count  those.)   You'll  need  this whenever your CSV data contains-       header lines.  Header lines skipped in this way are  ignored,  and  not-       parsed as CSV.--       skip can also be used inside if blocks (described below), to skip indi--       vidual data records.  Note  records  skipped  in  this  way  are  still-       required to be valid CSV, even though otherwise ignored.--   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,  you'll-       need  to  add  a date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style-       date   parsing   pattern   -   see    https://hackage.haskell.org/pack--       age/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.    The  pattern  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--   timezone-              timezone TIMEZONE--       When CSV contains date-times that are  implicitly  in  some  time  zone-       other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you-       can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time  zone,  which  helps-       prevent off-by-one dates.--       When  the  CSV  date-times  do contain time zone information, you don't-       need this rule; instead, use %Z in date-format (or %z,  %EZ,  %Ez;  see-       the formatTime link above).--       In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,-       localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.  If you-       prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for reproducibility, you-       can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with the TZ  environment-       variable, eg:--              $ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv--       timezone  currently  does  not understand timezone names, except "UTC",-       "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".   For-       others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.--   newest-first-       hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered-       chronologically, including  intra-day  transactions.   Usually  it  can-       auto-detect  how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV-       where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are-       oldest  first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,-       like:--              2022-10-01, txn 3...-              2022-10-01, txn 2...-              2022-10-01, txn 1...--       you can add the newest-first rule to help hledger generate the transac--       tions in correct order.--              # same-day CSV records are newest first-              newest-first--   intra-day-reversed-       CSV  records  for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to-       the overall date order.  Eg, here  dates  are  newest  first,  but  the-       transactions on each date are oldest first:--              2022-10-02, txn 3...-              2022-10-02, txn 4...-              2022-10-01, txn 1...-              2022-10-01, txn 2...--       In  this  situation,  add the intra-day-reversed rule, and hledger will-       compensate, improving the order of transactions.--              # transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order-              intra-day-reversed--   decimal-mark-              decimal-mark .--       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 CSV-       contain digit group marks,  such  as  thousand-separating  commas,  you-       should  declare  the  decimal  mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid-       misparsed numbers.--   fields list-              fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...--       A fields list (the word fields followed by comma-separated field names)-       is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:--       1. It  names  the  CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if-          you are referencing them in other rules, so you can  say  %SomeField-          instead of remembering %13.--       2. Whenever  you  use one of the special hledger field names (described-          below), it assigns the CSV value in this position  to  that  hledger-          field.   This  is  the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and-          build a 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--       In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the-       CSV file's separator.  Also:--       o There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).--       o Field  names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field names-         are optional.--       o Field names may contain _ (underscore) or - (hyphen).--       o Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy  name  or  an  empty-         name.--       If  the  CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for-       your  field  names,  suitably  modified  (eg  lower-cased  with  spaces-       replaced by underscores).--       Sometimes  you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to-       a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's  "bal--       ance"  field balance_ to avoid directly setting hledger's balance field-       (and generating a balance assertion).--   Field assignment-              HLEDGERFIELD 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-       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  inter--       polate  CSV  fields,  referenced  by  their 1-based position in the CSV-       record (%N), or by the name they were given in the fields  list  (%CSV--       FIELD).--       Some examples:--              # set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended-              amount %4 USD--              # combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags-              comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1--       Tips:--       o Interpolation  strips  outer  whitespace  (so  a CSV value like " 1 "-         becomes 1 when interpolated) (#1051).--       o Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate  a-         hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).--   Field names-       Note  the  two  kinds  of  field names mentioned here, and used only in-       hledger CSV rules files:--       1. CSV field names (CSVFIELD in these docs): you  can  optionally  name-          the  CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet auto--          matically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing arbi--          trary names in a fields list, eg:--                  fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar--       2. Special  hledger  field names (HLEDGERFIELD in these docs): you must-          set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction  from-          a  CSV  record,  by  writing  them  as the left hand side of a field-          assignment, eg:--                  date        %When-                  code        %Some_Id-                  description %What-                  comment     %Foo %Bar-                  amount1     $ %Total--           or directly in a fields list:--                  fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar-                  currency $-                  comment  %Foo %Bar--       Here are all the special hledger field names available, and  what  hap--       pens when you assign values to them:--   date field-       Assigning to date sets the transaction date.--   date2 field-       date2 sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.--   status field-       status sets the transaction's status, if any.--   code field-       code sets the transaction's code, if any.--   description field-       description sets the transaction's description, if any.--   comment field-       comment sets the transaction's comment, if any.--       commentN, where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.--       You  can  assign multi-line comments by writing literal \n in the code.-       A comment starting with \n will begin on a new line.--       Comments can contain tags, as usual.--   account field-       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 based on-       each transaction's description, in conditional rules.--       If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount  is  set  (see-       below),  a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"-       or "income:unknown").--   amount field-       There are several "amount" field name variants,  useful  for  different-       situations:--       o 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.  Posting numbers don't have to be-         consecutive; in certain situations using a high number might be help--         ful to influence the layout of postings.--       o amountN-in  and  amountN-out  should be used instead, as a pair, when-         and only when the amount must be obtained from two  CSV  fields.   Eg-         when the CSV has separate Debit and Credit fields instead of a single-         Amount field.  Note:--         o Don't think "-in is for the first posting and -out is for the  sec--           ond posting" - that's not correct.  Think: "amountN-in and amountN--           out together detect the amount for posting N, by inspecting two CSV-           fields at once."--         o hledger  assumes  both  CSV fields are unsigned, and will automati--           cally negate the -out value.--         o It also expects that at least one of the values is empty  or  zero,-           so  it  knows  which  one to ignore.  If that's not the case you'll-           need an if rule (see Setting amounts below).--       o amount, with no posting number (and similarly, amount-in and  amount--         out  with no number) are an older syntax.  We keep them for backwards-         compatibility, and because they have special behaviour that is  some--         times convenient:--         o They  set the amount of posting 1 and (negated) the amount of post--           ing 2.--         o Posting 2's amount will be converted to  cost  if  it  has  a  cost-           price.--         o Any  of  the  newer  rules  for  posting  1  or 2 (like amount1, or-           amount2-in and amount2-out)  will  take  precedence.   This  allows-           incrementally migrating old rules files to the new syntax.--       There's  more to say about amount-setting that doesn't fit here; please-       see also "Setting amounts" below.--   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-       symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.--       currencyN prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's  amount.--   balance field-       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.--       You  can  adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the balance-type-       rule (see below).--       See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.--   if block-       Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns  in  the  CSV-       data.   This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can cate--       gorise transactions, selecting an appropriate  account  name  based  on-       their  description  (for  example).  There are two ways to write condi--       tional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if  tables",  described-       below.--       An  if  block is the word if and one or more "matcher" expressions (can-       be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or next-       line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,--              if MATCHER-               RULE--       or--              if-              MATCHER-              MATCHER-              MATCHER-               RULE-               RULE--       If  any  of  the  matchers  succeeds, all of the indented rules will be-       applied.  They are usually field assignments, but the following special-       rules may also be used within an if block:--       o skip  -  skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction from-         it)--       o end - skips the rest of the current CSV file.--       Some examples:--              # if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"-              if groceries-               account2 expenses:groceries--              # if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown-              if-              monthly service fee-              atm transaction fee-              banking thru software-               account2 expenses:business:banking-               comment  XXX deductible ? check it--              # if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file-              if ,,,,-               end--   Matchers-       There are two kinds:--       1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment  or  regular-          expression  (REGEX),  which  hledger will try to match case-insensi--          tively anywhere within the CSV record.-       Eg: whole foods--       2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV  field  name-          (%CSVFIELD  REGEX).  hledger will try to match these just within the-          named CSV field.-       Eg: %date 2023--       The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended  regu--       lar  expression,  that  also  supports GNU word boundaries (\b, \B, \<,-       \>), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular  expressions"-       in the hledger manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expres--       sions).--       With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched is-       not  the  original  CSV  record, but a modified one: separators will be-       converted to commas, and enclosing double  quotes  (but  not  enclosing-       whitespace)  are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if-       the original record was:--              2020-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000--       the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:--              2020-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000--       When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:--       o By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)--       o When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (&) it will  be  AND'ed  with-         the previous matcher (both of them must match).--       There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.--   if table-       "if  tables"  are  an  alternative  to if blocks; they can express many-       matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular  format,  like-       this:--              if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...-              MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...-              <empty line>--       The  first character after if is taken to be the separator for the rest-       of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like  ,  or  |-       that  does  not  appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is unre--       lated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace  can  be  used  in  the-       matcher  lines  for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The-       table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each  line-       must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.--       The  above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,-       assign all of the values on that  line  to  the  corresponding  hledger-       fields;  later  lines  can overrider earlier ones.  It is equivalent to-       this sequence of if blocks:--              if MATCHERA-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--              if MATCHERB-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--              if MATCHERC-                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1-                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2-                ...--       Example:--              if,account2,comment-              atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it-              %description groceries,expenses:groceries,-              2020/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out--   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:--              # 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-              ==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts--   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-       several rules files, eg:--              # someaccount.csv.rules--              ## someaccount-specific rules-              fields   date,description,amount-              account1 assets:someaccount-              account2 expenses:misc--              ## common rules-              include categorisation.rules--   Working with CSV-       Some tips:--   Rapid feedback-       It's a good idea to get rapid feedback  while  creating/troubleshooting-       CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.--   Valid CSV-       Note  that  hledger  will only accept valid CSV conforming to RFC 4180,-       and equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or-       tab as separators).  This means, eg:--       o Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in single-         quotes is not allowed.  (Eg 'A','B' is rejected.)--       o When values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the  quotes-         are not allowed.  (Eg "A", "B" is rejected.)--       o When  values  are not enclosed in quotes, they may not contain double-         quotes.  (Eg A"A, B is rejected.)--       If your CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need  to  trans--       form  it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more permis--       sive CSV parser like python's csv lib.--   File Extension-       To help hledger choose the CSV file reader and  show  the  right  error-       messages  (and  choose the right field separator character by default),-       it's best if CSV/SSV/TSV files are named with  a  .csv,  .ssv  or  .tsv-       filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)--       When  reading  files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure the CSV-       reader (and the default field separator) by  prefixing  the  file  path-       with csv:, ssv: or tsv:: Eg:--              $ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print--       You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule-       if needed.--   Reading CSV from standard input-       You'll need the file format prefix when reading CSV  from  stdin  also,-       since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:--              $ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print--   Reading multiple CSV files-       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-       used for all the CSV files.--   Valid transactions-       After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the gen--       erated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing them,-       applying balance assignments, and canonicalising  amount  styles.   Any-       errors  at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying 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-       assertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:--              $ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print--   Deduplicating, importing-       When  you  download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your latest bank-       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, 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:--              # 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-       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:--       o https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows--       o https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion--   Setting amounts-       Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling var--       ious amount-setting situations:--       1. If the amount is in a single CSV field:--           a. If its sign indicates direction of flow:-           Assign  it  to amountN, to set the Nth posting's amount.  N is usu--           ally 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.--           b. If another field indicates direction of flow:-           Use one or more conditional rules to  set  the  appropriate  amount-           sign.  Eg:--                  # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":-                  amount1  -%Amount-                  if %Type deposit-                    amount1  %Amount--       2. If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):--           a. If both fields are unsigned:-           Assign the fields to amountN-in and amountN-out.  This sets posting-           N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero value.  If it's the-           -out value, the amount will be negated.--           b. If either field is signed:-           Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg below, the-           -out value already has a minus sign so we undo hledger's  automatic-           negating by negating once more (but only if the field is non-empty,-           so that we don't leave a minus sign by itself):--                  fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out-                  if %amount1-out [1-9]-                   amount1-out -%amount1-out--           c. If both fields can contain a non-zero  value  (or  both  can  be-              empty):-           The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is non-zero/non--           empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as 1 and none.  For-           such  cases,  use conditional rules to help select the amount.  Eg,-           to handle the above you could select the value containing  non-zero-           digits:--                  fields date, description, in, out-                  if %in [1-9]-                   amount1 %in-                  if %out [1-9]-                   amount1 %out--       3. If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:-       Use the unnumbered amount (or amount-in and amount-out) syntax.--       4. If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:-       Assign  to  balanceN,  to  set a balance assignment on the Nth posting,-       causing the posting's amount to be calculated  automatically.   balance-       with no number is equivalent to balance1.  In this situation hledger is-       more likely to guess the wrong default account name, so you may need to-       set that explicitly.--   Amount signs-       There  is  some  special handling for amount signs, to simplify parsing-       and sign-flipping:--       o If an amount value begins with a plus sign:-       that will be removed: +AMT becomes AMT--       o If an amount value is parenthesised:-       it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: (AMT) becomes -AMT--       o 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--       o If  an  amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of parenthe--         ses):-       that is removed, making it an empty value.  "+" or "-" or "()"  becomes-       "".--   Setting currency/commodity-       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:--              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 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:--              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 - that-       would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.--   Amount decimal places-       Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like-       amount1 influence commodity display styles, such as the number of deci--       mal places displayed in reports.--       The original amounts as written in the CSV file do not  affect  display-       style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).--   Referencing other fields-       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-       field  named  amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field, not the-       hledger field:--              # Name the third CSV field "amount1"-              fields date,description,amount1--              # Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD-              amount1 %amount1 USD--              # Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)-              comment %amount1--       Here, since there's no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a  lit--       eral "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:--              comment A-              comment B-              if something-               comment C--   How CSV rules are evaluated-       Here's  how  to  think of CSV rules being evaluated (if you really need-       to).  First,--       o 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-       repeated, the last one wins:--       o skip (at top level)--       o date-format--       o newest-first--       o fields - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial assignments-         to hledger fields--       Then for each CSV record in turn:--       o 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.--       o 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.--       o compute  a  value  for  each  hledger field - either the one that was-         assigned to it (and  interpolate  the  %CSVFIELD  references),  or  a-         default--       o generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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  successfully,-       the  transactions  are passed as input to whichever hledger command the-       user specified.---   Well factored rules-       Some things than can help reduce duplication and  complexity  in  rules-       files:--       o Extracting  common  rules  usable with multiple CSV files into a com--         mon.rules, and adding include common.rules to each CSV's rules  file.--       o Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently-         used parts.--   CSV rules examples-   Bank of Ireland-       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 neces--       sary 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-              skip--              # name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields-              fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance--              # We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"-              # above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:-              #-              # - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,-              #   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience-              #-              # - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,-              #   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day--              # date is in UK/Ireland format-              date-format  %d/%m/%Y--              # set the currency-              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-                  income:unknown                  EUR-10.0--              2012-12-07 PAYMENT-                  assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0-                  expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0--       The balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're  read--       ing  directly  from  CSV, but they will be checked if these entries are-       imported into a journal file.--   Coinbase-       A simple example with some  CSV  from  Coinbase.   The  spot  price  is-       recorded  using  cost  notation.   The  legacy amount field name conve--       niently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.--              # Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes-              # 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"--              # coinbase.csv.rules-              skip         1-              fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes-              date         %Timestamp-              date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z-              description  %Notes-              account1     assets:coinbase:cc-              amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency--              $ hledger print -f coinbase.csv-              2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account-                  assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP-                  income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP--   Amazon-       Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to gener--       ate  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-              skip 1--              # name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.-              # Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.-              fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code--              # how to parse the date-              date-format %b %-d, %Y--              # combine two fields to make the description-              description %toorfrom %name--              # save the status as a tag-              comment     status:%amzstatus--              # set the base account for all transactions-              account1    assets:amazon-              # leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).-              # I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember--              # set a generic account2-              account2    expenses:misc-              amount2     %amzamount-              # and maybe refine it further:-              #include categorisation.rules--              # add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.-              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-                  expenses:misc          $20.00--              2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed-                  assets:amazon-                  expenses:misc          $25.00-                  expenses:fees           $1.00--   Paypal-       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",""-              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""-              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""-              "10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""-              "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:-              # Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download-              # Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"-              # Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:-              # "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"-              # This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":-              # "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"--              fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note--              skip  1--              date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y--              # ignore some paypal events-              if-              In Progress-              Temporary Hold-              Update to-               skip--              # add more fields to the description-              description %description_ %itemtitle--              # save some other fields as tags-              comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_--              # convert to short currency symbols-              if %currency USD-               currency $-              if %currency EUR-               currency E-              if %currency GBP-               currency P--              # generate postings--              # the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account-              # (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)-              account1 assets:online:paypal-              amount1  %netamount--              # the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party-              # (account2 is set below)-              amount2  -%grossamount--              # if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.-              if %feeamount [1-9]-               account3 expenses:banking:paypal-               amount3  -%feeamount-               comment3 business:--              # choose an account for the second posting--              # override the default account names:-              # if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)-              if %grossamount ^[^-]-               account2 income:unknown-              # if negative, it's an expense (a credit)-              if %grossamount ^--               account2 expenses:unknown--              # apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks-              include common.rules--              # apply some overrides specific to this csv--              # Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,-              # which can be disregarded in this case.-              if-              Bank Account-              Bank Deposit to PP Account-               description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle-               account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking-               account1 assets:online:paypal--              # Currency conversions-              if Currency Conversion-               account2 equity:currency conversion--              # common.rules--              if-              darcs-              noble benefactor-               account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub-               comment2 business:--              if-              Calm Radio-               account2 expenses:online:apps--              if-              electronic frontier foundation-              Patreon-              wikimedia-              Advent of Code-               account2 expenses:dues--              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-                  expenses:online:apps           $6.99--              2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99--              2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00-                  expenses:dues                  $7.00--              2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00--              2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00-                  expenses:dues                     $2.00-                  expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:--              2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending-                  assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00-                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00--              2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed-                  assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41-                  revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:-                  expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:--Timeclock-       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.  The-       time format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ].  Seconds and timezone are  optional.-       The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored (currently-       the time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines beginning  with-       # or ; or *, and blank lines, are ignored.--              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:--              $ hledger -f t.timeclock print-              2015-03-30 * optional description after two spaces-                  (some:account name)         0.33h--              2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59-                  (another account)         1.64h--              2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00-                  (another account)         2.01h--       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--       To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:--       o use emacs and the built-in timeclock.el, or the  extended  timeclock--         x.el and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el--       o 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"--       o 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.---Timedot-       timedot  format  is hledger's human-friendly time logging format.  Com--       pared to timeclock format, it is--       o convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging--       o readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.--       A timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look  like-       this:--              2021-08-04-              hom:errands          .... ....-              fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; docs-              per:admin:finance--       hledger  reads  this  as three time transactions on this day, with each-       dot representing a quarter-hour spent:--              $ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension activates the timedot reader-              2021-08-04 *-                  (hom:errands)            2.00--              2021-08-04 *-                  (fos:hledger:timedot)    0.50--              2021-08-04 *-                  (per:admin:finance)      0--       A day entry begins with a date line:--       o a non-indented simple date (Y-M-D, Y/M/D, or Y.M.D).--       Optionally this can be followed on the same line by--       o a common transaction description for this day--       o a common transaction comment for this day, after a semicolon (;).--       After the date line are zero or more optionally-indented time  transac--       tion lines, consisting of:--       o an account name - any word or phrase, usually a hledger-style account-         name.--       o two or more spaces - a field  separator,  required  if  there  is  an-         amount (as in journal format).--       o a  timedot amount - dots representing quarter hours, or a number rep--         resenting hours.--       o an optional comment beginning with semicolon.  This is ignored.--       In more detail, timedot amounts can be:--       o dots: zero or more period characters, each representing one  quarter--         hour.   Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: .... ..--       o a number, representing hours.  Eg: 1.5--       o a number immediately followed by a unit symbol s, m, h, d, w, mo,  or-         y, representing seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks, months or years.-         Eg 1.5h or 90m.  The following equivalencies are assumed:-       60s = 1m, 60m = 1h, 24h = 1d, 7d = 1w, 30d = 1mo,  365d  =  1y.   (This-       unit  will not be visible in the generated transaction amount, which is-       always in hours.)--       There is some added flexibility to help with keeping time log  data  in-       the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:--       o Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; are ignored.--       o Before the first date line, lines beginning with * are ignored.  From-         the first date line onward, a sequence of *'s followed by a space  at-         beginning  of  lines (ie, the headline prefix used by Emacs Org mode)-         is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under an  Org  head--         line,  and date lines or time transaction lines can be Org headlines.--       o Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed as  trans--         actions  with  zero  amount.   (Most  hledger  reports  hide these by-         default; add -E to see them.)--       More examples:--              # on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.-              2016/2/1-              inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....-              fos:haskell   .... ..-              biz:research  .--              2016/2/2-              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-              **** DONE-              0700 yoga-              **** UNPLANNED-              **** BEGUN-              hom:chores-               cleaning  ...-               water plants-                outdoor - one full watering can-                indoor - light watering-              **** TODO-              adm:planning: trip-              *** LATER--       Reporting:--              $ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2-              2016-02-02 *-                  (inc:client1)          2.00--              2016-02-02 *-                  (biz:research)          0.25--              $ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree-              Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:--                          ||  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-              ------------++-----------------------------------------                          ||         7.75         2.25         8.00--       Using period instead of colon as account name separator:--              2016/2/4-              fos.hledger.timedot  4-              fos.ledger           ..--              $ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree-                              4.50  fos-                              4.00    hledger:timedot-                              0.50    ledger-              ---------------------                              4.50--       A sample.timedot file.--PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS-Time periods-   Report start & end date-       By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time repre--       sented  by  the  journal.   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 these-       accept the smart date syntax (below).--       Some notes:--       o End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write  the  date-         after the last day you want to see in the report.--       o As  noted  in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with-         options, the last (i.e.  right-most) option takes precedence.--       o 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  2019,  the-         smallest common time span.--       o In  some  cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall-         on interval boundaries (see below).--       Examples:---       -b 2016/3/17       begin on St. Patrick's day 2016-       -e 12/1            end  at  the  start  of  december  1st of the current year-                          (11/30 will be the last date included)-       -b thismonth       all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month-       -p thismonth       all transactions in the current month-       date:2016/3/17..   the  above  written  as  queries  instead  (.. can also be-                          replaced with -)-       date:..12/1-       date:thismonth..-       date:thismonth--   Smart dates-       hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added conve--       nience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative  to  today's  date,  be-       written  with  english  words,  and have less-significant parts omitted-       (missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some examples:---       2004/10/1,   2004-01-01,   exact  date, several separators allowed.  Year-       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, tomor-   -1, 0, 1 days from today-       row-       last/this/next             -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period-       day/week/month/quar--       ter/year-       in                     n   n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years-       n                          n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years ahead-       n                          -n periods from the current period-       days/weeks/months/quar--       ters/years ago-       20181201                   8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day--       201812                     6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month--       Some counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give  surprising-       results:---       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-                     8-digit year-       20181232      8 digits with an invalid day gives an error-       201801012     9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error--       "Today's  date" can be overridden with the --today option, in case it's-       needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for periodic-       transaction rules, which are not affected by --today.)--   Report intervals-       A  report interval can be specified so that reports like register, bal--       ance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a sepa--       rate row or column.--       The  following  standard  intervals  can  be  enabled with command-line-       flags:--       o -D/--daily--       o -W/--weekly--       o -M/--monthly--       o -Q/--quarterly--       o -Y/--yearly--       More complex intervals can be specified  using  -p/--period,  described-       below.--   Date adjustment-       When  there  is  a report interval (other than daily), report start/end-       dates which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are  automatically-       adjusted  to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for produc--       ing simple periodic reports.  More precisely:--       o an inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall  on-         a natural period boundary--       o an  inferred  end  date  will be adjusted later if needed to make the-         last period the same length as the others.--       By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with-       -b,  -e,  -p or date:, will not be adjusted (since hledger 1.29).  This-       makes it possible to specify non-standard report periods, but  it  also-       means  that  if  you  are  specifying a start date, you should pick one-       that's on a period boundary if you want to  see  simple  report  period-       headings.--   Period expressions-       The  -p/--period  option specifies a period expression, which is a com--       pact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report  interval.--       Here's  a  period  expression with a start and end date (specifying the-       first quarter of 2009):---       -p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"--       Several keywords like "from" and "to" are  supported  for  readability;-       these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".." or "-".  The spa--       ces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.  So-       the following are equivalent to the above:---       -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, these are also-       equivalent to the above:---       -p "1/1 4/1"-       -p "jan-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 date in the journal:---       -p "from 2009/1/1"   everything  after  january-                            1, 2009-       -p "since 2009/1"    the same, since is a  syn--                            onym-       -p "from 2009"       the same-       -p "to 2009"         everything  before january-                            1, 2009--       You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:---       -p "2009"        the year 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1"-       -p "2009/1"      the  month  of january 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to-                        2009/2/1"-       -p "2009/1/1"    the first day  of  2009;  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1  to-                        2009/1/2"--       or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):---       -p "2009Q1"       first  quarter  of  2009,  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1 to-                         2009/4/1"-       -p "q4"           fourth quarter of the current year--   Period expressions with a report interval-       A period expression can also begin with a  report  interval,  separated-       from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word in:---       -p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"-       -p "monthly in 2008"-       -p "quarterly"--   More complex report intervals-       Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,-       such as:--       o biweekly (every two weeks)--       o fortnightly--       o bimonthly (every two months)--       o every day|week|month|quarter|year--       o every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years--       Weekly on a custom day:--       o every Nth day of week (th, nd, rd, or st are all accepted  after  the-         number)--       o every  WEEKDAYNAME  (full  or three-letter english weekday name, case-         insensitive)--       Monthly on a custom day:--       o every Nth day [of month]--       o every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]--       Yearly on a custom day:--       o every MM/DD [of year] (month number and day of month number)--       o every MONTHNAME DDth [of year] (full or  three-letter  english  month-         name, case insensitive, and day of month number)--       o every DDth MONTHNAME [of year] (equivalent to the above)--       Examples:---       -p "bimonthly from 2008"-       -p "every 2 weeks"-       -p  "every  5  months  from-       2009/03"-       -p "every 2nd day of week"    periods will go from Tue to Tue-       -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-                                     November-       -p "every 5th November"       same-       -p "every Nov 5th"            same--       Show  historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is an-       end date, exclusive as always):--              $ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"--       Group postings from the start of wednesday  to  end  of  the  following-       tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):--              $ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"--   Multiple weekday intervals-       This special form is also supported:--       o every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,... (full or three-letter english week--         day names, case insensitive)--       Also, weekday and weekendday are shorthand for mon,tue,wed,thu,fri  and-       sat,sun.--       This  is  mainly intended for use with --forecast, to generate periodic-       transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less useful with-       -p, since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal length, which-       is unusual.  (Related: #1632)--       Examples:---       -p          "every   dates  will  be  Mon, Wed, Fri; periods will be Mon--       mon,wed,fri"         Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun-       -p "every weekday"   dates  will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will-                            be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun-       -p "every weekend-   dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri-       day"--Depth-       With the --depth NUM option  (short  form:  -NUM),  reports  will  show-       accounts  only  to the specified depth, hiding deeper subaccounts.  Use-       this when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the  same-       effect as a depth: query argument: depth:2, --depth=2 or -2 are equiva--       lent.--Queries-       One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise-       subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query argu--       ments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:--       o Zero or more space-separated  query  terms.   These  are  most  often-         account name substrings:--         utilities food:groceries--       o Terms  with  spaces or other special characters should be enclosed in-         quotes:--         "personal care"--       o Regular expressions are also supported:--         "^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"--       o Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:--         date:202012- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:--       o Add a not: prefix to negate a term:--         not:cur:USD--   Query types-       Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be-       prefixed with not: to convert them into a negative match.--       acct:REGEX, REGEX-       Match  account names containing this (case insensitive) regular expres--       sion.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and reg--       ular  expression  syntax  is  typically  not needed, so usually we just-       write an account name substring, like expenses or food.--       amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N-       Match postings with a single-commodity amount equal to, less  than,  or-       greater  than N.  (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not 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.  Oth--       erwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, ignoring sign.--       code:REGEX-       Match by transaction code (eg check number).--       cur:REGEX-       Match  postings  or  transactions  including  any  amounts  whose  cur--       rency/commodity  symbol  is  fully  matched  by  REGEX.  (For a partial-       match, use .*REGEX.*).  Note, to match  special  characters  which  are-       regex-significant,  you need to escape them with \.  And for characters-       which are significant to your shell you may  need  one  more  level  of-       escaping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:-       hledger print cur:\\$.--       desc:REGEX-       Match transaction descriptions.--       date:PERIODEXPR-       Match  dates  (or  with  the  --date2 flag, secondary dates) within the-       specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period  expression  with  no  report-       interval.  Examples:-       date:2016, date:thismonth, date:2/1-2/15, date:2021-07-27..nextquarter.--       date2:PERIODEXPR-       Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent  of  the-       --date2 flag).--       depth:N-       Match  (or  display,  depending  on  command) accounts at or above this-       depth.--       note:REGEX-       Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of |, or the-       whole description if there's no |).--       payee:REGEX-       Match  transaction  payee/payer names (the part of the description left-       of |, or the whole description if there's no |).--       real:, real:0-       Match real or virtual postings respectively.--       status:, status:!, status:*-       Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.--       type:TYPECODES-       Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).   TYPE--       CODES  is  one or more of the single-letter account type codes ALERXCV,-       case insensitive.  Note type:A and type:E will also match their respec--       tive  subtypes  C  (Cash) and V (Conversion).  Certain kinds of account-       alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts >  Aliases  and-       account types.--       tag:REGEX[=REGEX]-       Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by-       value, use tag:.=REGEX.)--       When querying by tag, note that:--       o Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts--       o Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction--       o Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.--       (inacct:ACCTNAME-       A  special  query  term  used  automatically in hledger-web only: tells-       hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)--   Combining query terms-       When given multiple query terms,  most  commands  select  things  which-       match:--       o any of the description terms AND--       o any of the account terms AND--       o any of the status terms AND--       o all the other terms.--       The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:--       o match any of the description terms AND--       o have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND--       o have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND--       o match all the other terms.--       Although these fixed rules are enough for many needs, we do not support-       full boolean expressions (#203), (and you should not write AND or OR in-       your  queries).   This  makes certain queries hard to express, but here-       are some tricks that can help:--       1. Use a doubled not: prefix.  Eg, to print only the food expenses paid-          with cash:--                  $ hledger print food not:not:cash--       2. Or  pre-filter the transactions with print, piping the result into a-          second hledger command (with balance assertions disabled):--                  $ hledger print cash | hledger -f- -I balance food--   Queries and command options-       Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: depth:2  is-       equivalent to --depth 2, date:2020 is equivalent to -p 2020, etc.  When-       you mix command options and query arguments,  generally  the  resulting-       query is their intersection.--   Queries and valuation-       When  amounts  are  converted  to  other  commodities  in cost or value-       reports, cur: and amt: match the  old  commodity  symbol  and  the  old-       amount  quantity, not the new ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's-       reversed, see #1625).--   Querying with account aliases-       When account names are rewritten with --alias or alias, note that acct:-       will match either the old or the new account name.--   Querying with cost or value-       When  amounts  are  converted  to  other  commodities  in cost or value-       reports, note that cur: matches the new commodity symbol, and  not  the-       old one, and amt: matches the new quantity, and not the old one.  Note:-       this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the  reverse,  see  the-       discussion at #1625.--Pivoting-       Normally,  hledger  groups  and  sums amounts within each account.  The-       --pivot FIELD option  substitutes  some  other  transaction  field  for-       account names, causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's-       value instead.  FIELD can be any  of  the  transaction  fields  status,-       code,  description, payee, note, or a tag name.  When pivoting on a tag-       and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first value  is-       displayed.   Values  containing colon:separated:parts will be displayed-       hierarchically, like account names.--       Some examples:--              2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment-                  assets:bank account                 2 EUR-                  income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe--       Normal balance report showing account names:--              $ hledger balance-                             2 EUR  assets:bank account-                            -2 EUR  income:dues-              ---------------------                                 0--       Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:--              $ hledger balance --pivot member-                             2 EUR-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                                 0--       One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):--              $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                            -2 EUR--       Another way (the acct:  query  matches  against  the  pivoted  "account-       name"):--              $ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.-                            -2 EUR  John Doe-              ---------------------                            -2 EUR--Generating data-       Two  features  for  generating  transient  data (visible only at report-       time) are built in to hledger's journal format:--       o Auto posting rules can generate extra postings  on  certain  transac--         tions.  They are activated by the --auto flag.--       o Periodic  transaction rules can generate repeating transactions, usu--         ally dated in the future, to  help  with  forecasting  or  budgeting.-         They  are  activated  by  the --forecast or balance --budget options,-         described next.--Forecasting-       The --forecast flag activates any periodic  transaction  rules  in  the-       journal.   These  will generate temporary additional transactions, usu--       ally recurring and in the future, which will  appear  in  all  reports.-       hledger print --forecast is a good way to see them.--       This  can  be  useful  for estimating balances into the future, perhaps-       experimenting with different scenarios.--       It could also be useful for scripted data  entry:  you  could  describe-       recurring  transactions,  and  every  so often copy the output of print-       --forecast into the journal.--       The generated transactions will have  an  extra  tag,  like  generated--       transaction:~  PERIODICEXPR,  indicating  which periodic rule generated-       them.  There is also a similar, hidden tag,  named  _generated-transac--       tion:, which you can use to reliably match transactions generated "just-       now" (rather than printed in the past).--       The forecast transactions are generated within a forecast period, which-       is  independent of the report period.  (Forecast period sets the bounds-       for generated transactions, report period controls  which  transactions-       are reported.)  The forecast period begins on:--       o the start date provided within --forecast's argument, if any--       o otherwise, the later of--         o the report start date, if specified (with -b/-p/date:)--         o the  day  after  the latest ordinary transaction in the journal, if-           any--       o otherwise today.--       It ends on:--       o the end date provided within --forecast's argument, if any--       o otherwise, the report end date, if specified (with -e/-p/date:)--       o otherwise 180 days (6 months) from today.--       Note, this means that  ordinary  transactions  will  suppress  periodic-       transactions,  by  default;  the  periodic  transactions will not start-       until after the last ordinary transaction.  This is usually convenient,-       but you can get around it in two ways:--       o If  you  need  to  record  some transactions in the future, make them-         periodic transactions (with a single occurrence,  eg:  ~  YYYY-MM-DD)-         rather  than  ordinary  transactions.   That  way they won't suppress-         other periodic transactions.--       o Or give --forecast a period expression argument.  A  forecast  period-         specified this way can overlap ordinary transactions, and need not be-         in the future.  Some things to note:--         o You must use = between flag and argument; a space won't work.--         o The period expression can specify the forecast period's start date,-           end date, or both.  See also Report start & end date.--         o The  period expression should not specify a report interval.  (Each-           periodic transaction rule specifies its own interval.)--       Some  examples:  --forecast=202001-202004,   --forecast=jan-,   --fore--       cast=2021.--Budgeting-       With  the  balance command's --budget report, each periodic transaction-       rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and  goals-       and  actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc-       below.--       See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.--Cost reporting-       This section is about recording the cost  of  things,  in  transactions-       where  one  commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of cur--       rency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:--       o Conversion - an exchange of one currency or  commodity  for  another.-         Eg  a  foreign  currency  exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or-         cryptocurrency.--       o Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more  conver--         sions.--       o Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie-         the exchange rate.--       o Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.   And-         more  generally,  in  hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the "sec--         ondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a purchase-         or  a  sale,  and  whether expressed per unit or in total.  Also, the-         "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.--   -B: Convert to cost-       As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction  you  can-       also  record  the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding @ UNIT--       PRICE or @@ TOTALPRICE.--       Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the-       -B/--cost flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).  Eg:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..-                assets:euros     EUR100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each--              $ hledger bal -N-                             $-135  assets:dollars-                              EUR100  assets:euros-              $ hledger bal -N -B-                             $-135  assets:dollars-                              $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost--       Notes:--       -B  is  sensitive to the order of postings when a cost 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:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold-                assets:euros     EUR100              ; for 100 euros--              $ hledger bal -N -B-                             EUR-100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price-                              EUR100  assets:euros--       The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks:  it  does-       not  truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting equa--       tion and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.--   Equity conversion postings-       By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a differ--       ent  notation:  an  extra pair of equity postings to balance conversion-       transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be written:--              2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each-                  assets:dollars      $-135-                  equity:conversion    $135-                  equity:conversion   EUR-100-                  assets:euros         EUR100--       This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and  makes  cost-       reporting more difficult for PTA tools.--       Happily,  current  hledger  can read either notation, or convert one to-       the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.--       You can even use cost notation and equivalent  conversion  postings  at-       the  same  time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But-       be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see  a-       not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.--   Inferring equity postings from cost-       With --infer-equity, hledger detects transactions written with PTA cost-       notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:--              2022-01-01-                assets:dollars  -$135-                assets:euros     EUR100 @ $1.35--              $ hledger print --infer-equity-              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars                    $-135-                  assets:euros               EUR100 @ $1.35-                  equity:conversion:$-EUR:EUR           EUR-100  ; generated-posting:-                  equity:conversion:$-EUR:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:--       The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account-       type declaration.--       --infer-equity  is  useful  when  when  transactions have been recorded-       using cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and  bal--       ance  reports'  zero  total,  or  to  produce more conventional journal-       entries for sharing with non-PTA-users.--   Inferring cost from equity postings-       The reverse operation is possible using  --infer-costs,  which  detects-       transactions  written  with  equity  conversion  postings and adds cost-       notation to them:--              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars            $-135-                  equity:conversion          $135-                  equity:conversion         EUR-100-                  assets:euros               EUR100--              $ hledger print --infer-costs-              2022-01-01-                  assets:dollars       $-135 @@ EUR100-                  equity:conversion             $135-                  equity:conversion            EUR-100-                  assets:euros                  EUR100--       --infer-costs is useful when combined  with  -B/--cost,  allowing  cost-       reporting  even when transactions have been recorded using equity post--       ings:--              $ hledger print --infer-costs -B-              2009-01-01-                  assets:dollars           EUR-100-                  assets:euros              EUR100--       Notes:--       For --infer-costs to work, an exchange must consist of four postings:--       1. two non-equity postings--       2. two equity postings, next to one another--       3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type V/Conversion-          (or  if they are not declared, they must be named equity:conversion,-          equity:trade, equity:trading or subaccounts of these)--       4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity post--          ings' amounts.--       Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.--       When  inferring  cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added-       to the first of the non-equity postings involved in  the  exchange,  in-       the  commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.-       If you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can-       use explicit cost notation instead.--       --infer-equity  and  --infer-costs  can be used together, if you have a-       mixture of both notations in your journal.--   When to infer cost/equity-       Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not  enabled-       by  default.   We're  not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two-       suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:--       1. When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.  Eg: hledger  bal-          -B --infer-costs--       2. Always  run  hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: alias hl="hledger-          --infer-equity --infer-costs"--   How to record conversions-       Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion  transaction  in-       hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.--   Conversion with implicit cost-       Let's  assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.  You can just record the-       outflow (100 EUR)  and  inflow  (120  USD)  in  the  appropriate  asset-       account:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash    -100 EUR-                  assets:cash     120 USD--       hledger  will  assume  this transaction is balanced, inferring that the-       conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.  You  can  see  the  inferred-       rate by using hledger print -x.--       Pro:--       o Concise, easy--       Con:--       o Less  error  checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not-         be detected--       o Conversion rate is not clear--       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity-         flag--       You  can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped com--       modity symbol, by using hledger check commodities.--       You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using  hledger  check-       balancednoautoconversion, or -s/--strict.--   Conversion with explicit cost-       You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error-       otherwise.--       Pro:--       o Still concise--       o Makes the conversion rate clear--       o Provides more error checking--       Con:--       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity-         flag--   Conversion with equity postings-       In  strict  double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not bal--       anced in EUR or in  USD,  since  some  EUR  disappears,  and  some  USD-       appears.  This violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents-       reports like balancesheetequity from showing a zero total.--       The proper way to make it balance is to add  a  balancing  posting  for-       each commodity, using an equity account:--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR-                  equity:conversion   100 EUR-                  equity:conversion  -120 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Pro:--       o Preserves the accounting equation--       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place--       o Standard, works in any double entry accounting system--       Con:--       o More verbose--       o Conversion rate is not obvious--       o Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag--   Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost-       Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.--              2021-01-01-                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD-                  equity:conversion   100 EUR-                  equity:conversion  -120 USD-                  assets:cash         120 USD--       Pro:--       o Preserves the accounting equation--       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place--       o Makes the conversion rate clear--       o Provides more error checking--       Con:--       o Most verbose--       o Not compatible with ledger--   Cost tips-       o Recording  the  cost/conversion  rate  explicitly  is good because it-         makes that clear and helps detect errors.--       o Recording equity postings is good because it is  correct  bookkeeping-         and preserves the accounting equation.--       o Combining these is possible.--       o When  you  want  to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use -B-         (short form of --cost).--       o If you use conversion postings without cost  notation,  add  --infer--         costs also.--       o If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to-         see a balanced balance sheet or print correct  journal  entries,  use-         --infer-equity.--       o Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).--Valuation-       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:--   -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.--   -X: Value in specified commodity-       The -X/--exchange=COMM option is like -V, except you tell it which cur--       rency  you  want  to  convert to, and it tries to convert everything to-       that.--   Valuation date-       Since market prices can change from day to day,  market  value  reports-       have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market-       prices will be used.--       For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is 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.--   Finding market price-       To  convert  a  commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,-       hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate)  as  follows,-       in 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 direc--          tive,  or (with the --infer-market-prices flag) inferred from costs.--       2. A reverse market price: the inverse of a declared or inferred market-          price from B to A.--       3. A  forward  chain of market prices: a synthetic price formed by com--          bining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market prices,-          leading from A to B.--       4. Any  chain of market prices: a chain of any market prices, 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.--       Amounts for which no suitable market price can be found, are  not  con--       verted.--   --infer-market-prices: 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-       chore,  and  since  transactions  usually take place at close to market-       value, why not use the recorded costs as additional market  prices  (as-       Ledger  does)  ?   Adding  the  --infer-market-prices flag to -V, -X or-       --value enables this.--       So for example, hledger bs -V  --infer-market-prices  will  get  market-       prices  both from P directives and from transactions.  If both occur on-       the same day, the P directive takes precedence.--       There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in confus--       ing/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.--       --infer-market-prices can infer market prices from:--       o multicommodity transactions with explicit prices (@/@@)--       o multicommodity  transactions with implicit prices (no @, two commodi--         ties, unbalanced).  (With  these,  the  order  of  postings  matters.-         hledger print -x can be useful for troubleshooting.)--       o multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred-         with --infer-costs.--       There is a limitation (bug) currently: when a  valuation  commodity  is-       not  specified,  prices inferred with --infer-market-prices do not help-       select a default valuation commodity, as P prices would.  So conversion-       might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected (--debug=2-       will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:--       o -X EUR --infer-market-prices, not -V --infer-market-prices--       o --value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices, not --value=then --infer-mar--         ket-prices--       Signed  costs  and market prices can be confusing.  For reference, here-       is the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it  should-       work differently, see #1870.)--              2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B -1 @ A 1--              2022-01-01 Positive Total prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B -1 @@ A 1---              2022-01-02 Negative unit prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B 1 @ A -1--              2022-01-02 Negative total prices-                  a        A 1-                  b        B 1 @@ A -1---              2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices-                  a        A -1-                  b        B -1 @ A -1--              2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices-                  a        A -1-                  b        B -1 @@ A -1--       All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,-       the two transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are  the  market-       prices inferred for B:--              $ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices-              P 2022-01-01 B A 1-              P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0-              P 2022-01-02 B A -1-              P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0-              P 2022-01-03 B A -1-              P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0--   Valuation commodity-       When you specify a valuation commodity (-X COMM or --value TYPE,COMM):-       hledger  will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a suit--       able market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).--       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:--       1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A 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-          prices before the valuation date.)--       3. If  there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and the-          --infer-market-prices flag is used: the  price  commodity  from  the-          latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.--       This means:--       o If you have P directives, they determine which  commodities  -V  will-         convert, and to what.--       o If  you have no P directives, and use the --infer-market-prices flag,-         costs determine it.--       Amounts for which no valuation commodity can  be  found  are  not  con--       verted.--   Simple valuation examples-       Here are some quick examples of -V:--              ; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1-              P 2016/11/01 EUR $1.10--              ; purchase some euros on nov 3-              2016/11/3-                  assets:euros        EUR100-                  assets:checking--              ; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21-              P 2016/12/21 EUR $1.03--       How many euros do I have ?--              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros-                              EUR100  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)--              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V-                           $103.00  assets:euros--   --value: Flexible valuation-       -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.-                                    Shows amounts converted to:-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices-                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date--       The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:--       --value=then-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity, using market prices on each posting's date.--       --value=end-              Convert  amounts to their value in the default valuation commod--              ity, 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-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity  using  current  market  prices (as of when report is gener--              ated).--       --value=YYYY-MM-DD-              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod--              ity 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 this commodity, deducing-       market prices as described above.--   More valuation examples-       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-              P 2000-03-01 A  3 B-              P 2000-04-01 A  4 B--              2000-01-01-                (a)      1 A @ 5 B--              2000-02-01-                (a)      1 A @ 6 B--              2000-03-01-                (a)      1 A @ 7 B--       Show the cost of each posting:--              $ hledger -f- print --cost-              2000-01-01-                  (a)             5 B--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             6 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             7 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             2 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             3 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             3 B--       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--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             4 B--              2000-03-01-                  (a)             4 B--       Show the value on 2000/01/15:--              $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15-              2000-01-01-                  (a)             1 B--              2000-02-01-                  (a)             1 B--              2000-03-01-                  (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:--              P 2000-01-01 A 2B--              2000-01-01-                a  1B-                b--              $ hledger print -x -X A-              2000-01-01-                  a               0-                  b               0--       Explanation: because there's no amount or commodity directive  specify--       ing  a display style for A, 0.5A gets the default style, which shows no-       decimal digits.  Because the displayed amount looks like zero, the com--       modity  symbol  and minus sign are not displayed either.  Adding a com--       modity directive sets a more useful display style for A:--              P 2000-01-01 A 2B-              commodity 0.00A--              2000-01-01-                a  1B-                b--              $ hledger print -X A-              2000-01-01-                  a           0.50A-                  b          -0.50A--   Interaction of valuation and queries-       When matching postings based on queries in the presence  of  valuation,-       the following happens.--       1. The query is separated into two parts:--           1. the currency (cur:) or amount (amt:).--           2. all other parts.--       2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on-          pre-valued amounts.--       3. Valuation is applied to the postings.--       4. The postings are matched to the other parts of the  query  based  on-          post-valued amounts.--       See: 1625--   Effect of valuation on reports-       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.---       Report          -B, --cost     -V, -X         --value=then        --value=end    --value=DATE,-       type                                                                             --value=now-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       print-       posting         cost           value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       amounts                        report   end   date                report    or   DATE/today-                                      or today                           journal end-       balance         unchanged      unchanged      unchanged           unchanged      unchanged-       asser--       tions/assign--       ments--       register-       starting bal-   cost           value     at   valued   at   day   value     at   value      at-       ance (-H)                      report    or   each   historical   report    or   DATE/today-                                      journal end    posting was made    journal end-       starting bal-   cost           value at day   valued   at   day   value at day   value      at-       ance     (-H)                  before         each   historical   before         DATE/today-       with   report                  report    or   posting was made    report    or-       interval                       journal                            journal-                                      start                              start-       posting         cost           value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       amounts                        report    or   date                report    or   DATE/today-                                      journal end                        journal end-       summary post-   summarised     value     at   sum  of  postings   value     at   value      at-       ing   amounts   cost           period ends    in interval, val-   period ends    DATE/today-       with   report                                 ued  at  interval-       interval                                      start--       running         sum/average    sum/average    sum/average    of   sum/average    sum/average-       total/average   of displayed   of displayed   displayed values    of displayed   of  displayed-                       values         values                             values         values--       balance  (bs,-       bse, cf, is)-       balance         sums      of   value     at   value  at posting   value     at   value      at-       changes         costs          report   end   date                report    or   DATE/today of-                                      or  today of                       journal  end   sums of post--                                      sums      of                       of  sums  of   ings-                                      postings                           postings-       budget          like balance   like balance   like      balance   like    bal-   like  balance-       amounts         changes        changes        changes             ances          changes-       (--budget)-       grand total     sum of  dis-   sum of  dis-   sum of  displayed   sum  of dis-   sum  of  dis--                       played  val-   played  val-   valued              played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues--       balance  (bs,-       bse, cf,  is)-       with   report-       interval-       starting bal-   sums      of   value     at   sums of values of   value     at   sums of post--       ances (-H)      costs     of   report start   postings   before   report start   ings   before-                       postings       of  sums  of   report  start  at   of  sums  of   report start-                       before         all postings   respective  post-   all postings-                       report start   before         ing dates           before-                                      report start                       report start-       balance         sums      of   same      as   sums of values of   balance        value      at-       changes (bal,   costs     of   --value=end    postings       in   change    in   DATE/today of-       is,        bs   postings  in                  period at respec-   each period,   sums of post--       --change,  cf   period                        tive      posting   valued    at   ings-       --change)                                     dates               period ends-       end  balances   sums      of   same      as   sums of values of   period   end   value      at-       (bal  -H,  is   costs     of   --value=end    postings     from   balances,      DATE/today of-       --H, bs, cf)    postings                      before     period   valued    at   sums of post--                       from  before                  start  to  period   period ends    ings-                       report start                  end at respective-                       to    period                  posting dates-                       end-       budget          like balance   like balance   like      balance   like    bal-   like  balance-       amounts         changes/end    changes/end    changes/end  bal-   ances          changes/end-       (--budget)      balances       balances       ances                              balances-       row   totals,   sums,  aver-   sums,  aver-   sums, averages of   sums,  aver-   sums,   aver--       row  averages   ages of dis-   ages of dis-   displayed values    ages of dis-   ages  of dis--       (-T, -A)        played  val-   played  val-                       played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues-       column totals   sums of dis-   sums of dis-   sums of displayed   sums of dis-   sums  of dis--                       played  val-   played  val-   values              played  val-   played values-                       ues            ues                                ues-       grand  total,   sum, average   sum, average   sum,  average  of   sum, average   sum,  average-       grand average   of    column   of    column   column totals       of    column   of     column-                       totals         totals                             totals         totals---       --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  market  value  using available market price declarations, or the-              unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.--       report start-              the first day of the report period specified with -b  or  -p  or-              date:, otherwise today.--       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-              the  last  day  of  the report period specified with -e or -p or-              date:, otherwise today.--       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-              a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates  the-              report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperi--              ods).--PART 4: COMMANDS-   Commands overview-       Here are the built-in commands:--   DATA ENTRY-       These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your jour--       nal file.--       o add - add transactions using terminal prompts--       o import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files--   DATA CREATION-       o close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions--       o rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto--   DATA MANAGEMENT-       o check - check for various kinds of error in the data--       o diff - compare account transactions in two journal files--   REPORTS, FINANCIAL-       o aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account--       o balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth--       o balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity--       o cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets--       o incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses--   REPORTS, VERSATILE-       o balance  (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..--       o print - show transactions or export journal data--       o register (reg) - show postings in one  or  more  accounts  &  running-         total--       o roi - show return on investments--   REPORTS, BASIC-       o accounts - show account names--       o activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period--       o codes - show transaction codes--       o commodities - show commodity/currency symbols--       o descriptions - show transaction descriptions--       o files - show input file paths--       o notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions--       o payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions--       o prices - show market prices--       o stats - show journal statistics--       o tags - show tag names--       o test - run self tests--   HELP-       o help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager---   ADD-ONS-       And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed-       by the hledger-install script.   If  installed,  they  will  appear  in-       hledger's commands list:--       o ui - run hledger's terminal UI--       o web - run hledger's web UI--       o iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)--       o interest - generate interest transactions--       o stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage--       o Scripts  and  add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo, git, move,-         pijul, plot, and more..--       Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.--   accounts-       Show account names.--       This command lists account  names.   By  default  it  shows  all  known-       accounts,  either  used in transactions or declared with account direc--       tives.--       With query arguments, only matched account names and account names ref--       erenced by matched postings are shown.--       Or  it  can  show  just  the  used  accounts  (--used/-u), the declared-       accounts  (--declared/-d),  the  accounts   declared   but   not   used-       (--unused),  the  accounts used but not declared (--undeclared), or the-       first account matched by an account name pattern, if any (--find).--       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.--       With  --types,  it also shows each account's type, if it's known.  (See-       Declaring accounts > Account types.)--       With --positions, it also shows  the  file  and  line  number  of  each-       account's  declaration,  if  any, and the account's overall declaration-       order; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display  order.--       With  --directives,  it adds the account keyword, showing valid account-       directives which can be pasted into a journal  file.   This  is  useful-       together  with  --undeclared when updating your account declarations to-       satisfy hledger check accounts.--       The --find flag can be used to look up a single account  name,  in  the-       same  way that the aregister command does.  It returns the alphanumeri--       cally-first matched account name, or if none can  be  found,  it  fails-       with a non-zero exit code.--       Examples:--              $ hledger accounts-              assets:bank:checking-              assets:bank:saving-              assets:cash-              expenses:food-              expenses:supplies-              income:gifts-              income:salary-              liabilities:debts--              $ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE-              $ hledger check accounts--   activity-       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.--       Examples:--              $ hledger activity --quarterly-              2008-01-01 **-              2008-04-01 *******-              2008-07-01-              2008-10-01 **--   add-       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  trans--       actions,  and appends them to the main journal file (which should be in-       journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This  is  one-       of  the  few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also-       import).--       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:--       o add tries to provide useful defaults,  using  the  most  similar  (by-         description)  recent transaction (filtered by the query, if any) as a-         template.--       o You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.--       o Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.--       o The tab key will auto-complete whenever  possible  -  accounts,  pay--         ees/descriptions,  dates  (yesterday, today, tomorrow).  If the input-         area is empty, it will insert the default value.--       o If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added  to  any-         bare numbers entered.--       o A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.--       o Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.--       o If you make a mistake, enter < at any prompt to go one step backward.--       o Input prompts are displayed in a different colour when  the  terminal-         supports it.--       Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):--              $ hledger add-              Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal-              Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.-              Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-              An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-              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]:-              Description: supermarket-              Account 1: expenses:food-              Amount  1: $10-              Account 2: assets:checking-              Amount  2 [$-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]:-              Saved.-              Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)-              Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $--       On  Microsoft  Windows,  the add command makes sure that no part of the-       file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).--   aregister-       (areg)--       Show the transactions  and  running  historical  balance  of  a  single-       account, with each transaction displayed as one line.--       aregister shows the overall transactions affecting a particular account-       (and any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one transaction  in-       this  account.   Transactions  before  the report start date are always-       included in the running balance (--historical mode is always on).--       This is a more "real world", bank-like view than the  register  command-       (which  shows individual postings, possibly from multiple accounts, not-       necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of thumb: - use areg--       ister for reviewing and reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts-       - use register for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.--       aregister requires one argument: the account to  report  on.   You  can-       write  either  the  full  account  name,  or a case-insensitive regular-       expression which will select the alphabetically first matched  account.--       When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be-       surprising; eg if you have assets:per:checking 1 and  assets:biz:check--       ing  2 accounts, hledger areg checking would select assets:biz:checking-       2.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt,  write  the-       full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.--       Transactions  involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.-       aregister ignores depth limits, so its final total will always match  a-       balance report with similar arguments.--       Any  additional  arguments  form a query which will filter the transac--       tions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance, caus--       ing it to be different from the account's real-world running balance.--       An  example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance-       during july, in the first account whose name contains "checking":--              $ hledger areg checking date:jul--       Each aregister line item shows:--       o the transaction's date (or the relevant posting's date if  different,-         see below)--       o the  names  of  all the other account(s) involved in this transaction-         (probably abbreviated)--       o the total change to this account's balance from this transaction--       o 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.--       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first-       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause-       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the-       --align-all flag.--       This  command  also  supports  the output destination and output format-       options.  The output formats supported are txt, csv, and json.--   aregister and custom posting dates-       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.--       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.--   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-       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,  bal--       ancesheetequity, cashflow and incomestatement.  When you need more con--       trol, then use balance.--   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-       higher-level commands as well.--       balance can show..--       o accounts as a list (-l) or a tree (-t)--       o optionally depth-limited (-[1-9])--       o sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount--       ..and their..--       o balance changes (the default)--       o or actual and planned balance changes (--budget)--       o or value of balance changes (-V)--       o or change of balance values (--valuechange)--       o or unrealised capital gain/loss (--gain)--       ..in..--       o one time period (the whole journal period by default)--       o or multiple periods (-D, -W, -M, -Q, -Y, -p INTERVAL)--       ..either..--       o per period (the default)--       o or accumulated since report start date (--cumulative)--       o or accumulated since account creation (--historical/-H)--       ..possibly converted to..--       o cost (--value=cost[,COMM]/--cost/-B)--       o or market value, as of transaction dates (--value=then[,COMM])--       o or at period ends (--value=end[,COMM])--       o or now (--value=now)--       o or at some other date (--value=YYYY-MM-DD)--       ..with..--       o totals  (-T),  averages  (-A),  percentages   (-%),   inverted   sign-         (--invert)--       o rows and columns swapped (--transpose)--       o another field used as account name (--pivot)--       o custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only) (--format)--       o commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines (--layout)--       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, negative amounts-       are shown in red.--       The --related/-r flag shows the balance of the other  postings  in  the-       transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.--   Simple balance report-       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.  ("Simple" here-       means just one column of numbers, covering a single  period.   You  can-       also have multi-period reports, described later.)--       For  real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end bal--       ance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.--       Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any,  and  then  alphabeti--       cally by account name.  For instance (using examples/sample.journal):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal-                                $1  assets:bank:saving-                               $-2  assets:cash-                                $1  expenses:food-                                $1  expenses:supplies-                               $-1  income:gifts-                               $-1  income:salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 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):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E-                                 0  assets:bank:checking-                                $1  assets:bank:saving-                               $-2  assets:cash-                                $1  expenses:food-                                $1  expenses:supplies-                               $-1  income:gifts-                               $-1  income:salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 0--       The  total  of  the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless-       -N/--no-total is used.--   Balance report line format-       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:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"-                            assets          $-1-                       bank:saving           $1-                              cash          $-2-                          expenses           $2-                              food           $1-                          supplies           $1-                            income          $-2-                             gifts          $-1-                            salary          $-1-                 liabilities:debts           $1-              ----------------------------------                                              0--       The  FMT  format  string  specifies  the  formatting  applied  to  each-       account/balance  pair.   It  may  contain  any suitable text, with data-       fields interpolated like so:--       %[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)--       o MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)--       o MAX truncates at this width (optional)--       o FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:--         o depth_spacer - a number of spaces equal to the account's depth,  or-           if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.--         o account - the account's name--         o total - the account's balance/posted total, right justified--       Also,  FMT  can begin with an optional prefix to control how multi-com--       modity amounts are rendered:--       o %_ - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)--       o %^ - render on multiple lines, top-aligned--       o %, - 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:--       o %(total) - the account's total--       o %-20.20(account) - the account's name, left justified, padded  to  20-         characters and clipped at 20 characters--       o %,%-50(account)   %25(total)  - account name padded to 50 characters,-         total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities rendered  on-         one line--       o %20(total)   %2(depth_spacer)%-(account) - the default format for the-         single-column balance report--   Filtered balance report-       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:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806-                               $-2  assets:cash-              ---------------------                               $-2--   List or tree mode-       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'-       "leaf" names indented below their parent:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-                                $2  expenses-                                $1    food-                                $1    supplies-                               $-2  income-                               $-1    gifts-                               $-1    salary-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                 0--       Notes:--       o "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).--       o All  balances  shown  are "inclusive", ie including the balances from-         all subaccounts.  Note this means  some  repetition  in  the  output,-         which requires explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextac--         counting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is the sum  of  the-         top-level balances shown, not of all the balances shown.--       o Each  group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted-         separately.--   Depth limiting-       With a depth:NUM query, or --depth NUM option, or just  -NUM  (eg:  -3)-       balance  reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding-       the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful  for  getting  an  overview-       without too much detail.--       Account  balances  at  the depth limit always include the balances from-       any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1-                               $-1  assets-                                $2  expenses-                               $-2  income-                                $1  liabilities-              ---------------------                                 0--   Dropping top-level accounts-       You can also hide one or  more  top-level  account  name  parts,  using-       --drop NUM.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account-       names:--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1-                                $1  food-                                $1  supplies-              ---------------------                                $2---   Showing declared accounts-       With --declared, accounts which have  been  declared  with  an  account-       directive  will be included in the balance report, even if they have no-       transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need-       -E/--empty to see them.)--       More  precisely,  leaf  declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will be-       included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.--       The idea of this is to be able  to  see  a  useful  "complete"  balance-       report,  even  when you don't have transactions in all of your declared-       accounts yet.--   Sorting by amount-       With -S/--sort-amount, accounts with the largest (most  positive)  bal--       ances  are  shown first.  Eg: hledger bal expenses -MAS shows your big--       gest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity  is-       present,  they  will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity-       first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount  is  missing  a-       commodity, it is treated as 0).--       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).---   Percentages-       With  -%/--percent, balance reports show each account's value expressed-       as a percentage of the (column) total.--       Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a col--       umn  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 separate-       report for each commodity:--              $ hledger bal -% cur:\\$-              $ hledger bal -% cur:EUR--   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), bal--       ance shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive  time-       periods (and a title):--              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E-              Balance changes in 2008:--                                 ||  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-              -------------------++----------------------------------                                 ||     $-1      $1       0       0--       Notes:--       o The report's start/end dates will be expanded, if necessary, to fully-         encompass the displayed subperiods (so that the first and last subpe--         riods have the same duration as the others).--       o Leading  and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are not-         shown, unless -E/--empty is used.--       o Accounts  (rows)  containing  all  zeroes  are  not   shown,   unless-         -E/--empty is used.--       o Amounts  with  many commodities are shown in abbreviated form, unless-         --no-elide is used.  (experimental)--       o Average and/or total columns can be added with the  -A/--average  and-         -T/--row-total flags.--       o The --transpose flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.--       o 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:--       o Hide the totals row with -N/--no-total--       o Convert to a single currency with -V--       o Maximize the terminal window--       o Reduce the terminal's font size--       o View  with  a  pager like less, eg: hledger bal -D --color=yes | less-         -RS--       o 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)--       o Output as HTML and view with a browser: hledger bal -D -o  a.html  &&-         open a.html--   Balance change, end balance-       It's  important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in bal--       ance 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.--       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!)--       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 historical-       end balances:--       1. Initialise account starting  balances  with  an  "opening  balances"-          transaction  (a  transfer  from  equity  to the account), unless the-          journal covers the account's full lifetime.--       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 ignored when summing post--          ings.)--   Balance report types-       The  balance  command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how-       to control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated,  don't-       worry - this is for advanced reporting, and it does typically take some-       time and experimentation to get clear on all these report modes.--       There are three important option groups:--       hledger balance  [CALCULATIONTYPE]  [ACCUMULATIONTYPE]  [VALUATIONTYPE]-       ...--   Calculation type-       The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:--       o --sum : sum the posting amounts (default)--       o --budget : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount (for-         each account/period)--       o --valuechange : show the change in period-end historical balance val--         ues  (caused  by  deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price fluctua--         tions)--       o --gain : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the  current  valued-         balance minus each amount's original cost)--   Accumulation type-       How  amounts  should  accumulate across report periods.  Another way to-       say it: which time period's postings should contribute to  each  cell's-       calculation.  It is one of:--       o --change  :  calculate with postings from column start to column end,-         ie "just this column".   Typically  used  to  see  revenues/expenses.-         (default for balance, incomestatement)--       o --cumulative  :  calculate  with postings from report start to column-         end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used to  show-         changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not often used.--       o --historical/-H  : calculate with postings from journal start to col--         umn end, ie "all postings from before report start  date  until  this-         column's  end".   Typically  used  to  see historical end balances of-         assets/liabilities/equity.  (default for balancesheet, balancesheete--         quity, cashflow)--   Valuation type-       Which  kind  of  value  or  cost  conversion should be applied, if any,-       before displaying the report.  It is one of:--       o no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (default)--       o --value=cost[,COMM] : convert amounts to  cost  (then  optionally  to-         some other commodity)--       o --value=then[,COMM]  : convert amounts to market value on transaction-         dates--       o --value=end[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value  on  period  end-         date(s)-       (default with --valuechange, --gain)--       o --value=now[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value on today's date--       o --value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]  :  convert  amounts  to  market  value  on-         another date--       or one of the equivalent simpler flags:--       o -B/--cost : like --value=cost (though, note --cost  and  --value  are-         independent options which can both be used at once)--       o -V/--market : like --value=end--       o -X COMM/--exchange COMM : like --value=end,COMM--       See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.--   Combining balance report types-       Most  combinations  of these options should produce reasonable reports,-       but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let  us  know.   The-       following restrictions are applied:--       o --valuechange implies --value=end--       o --valuechange  makes  --change  the  default  when used with the bal--         ancesheet/balancesheetequity commands--       o --cumulative or --historical disables --row-total/-T--       For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and valua--       tion show:---       Valua-     no valuation       --value= then       --value= end      --value= YYYY--       tion:>                                                              MM-DD /now-       Accumu--       lation:v-       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------       --change   change in period   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-                                     date  market val-   value of change   change      in-                                     ues in period       in period         period-       --cumu-    change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-       lative     report start  to   date market  val-   value of change   change    from-                  period end         ues  from  report   from     report   report   start-                                     start  to  period   start to period   to period end-                                     end                 end-       --his-     change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of-       torical    journal start to   date  market val-   value of change   change    from-       /-H        period end (his-   ues from  journal   from    journal   journal  start-                  torical end bal-   start  to  period   start to period   to period end-                  ance)              end                 end--   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 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-                expenses:food    $400-                expenses:bus     $50-                expenses:movies  $30-                assets:bank:checking--              ;; Two months worth of expenses-              2017-11-01-                income  $1950-                expenses:food    $396-                expenses:bus     $49-                expenses:movies  $30-                expenses:supplies  $20-                assets:bank:checking--              2017-12-01-                income  $2100-                expenses:food    $412-                expenses:bus     $53-                expenses:gifts   $100-                assets:bank:checking--       You can now see a monthly budget report:--              $ hledger balance -M --budget-              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                                    ||                      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]-              ----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]--       This is different from a normal balance report in several ways:--       o Only  accounts  with budget goals during the report period are shown,-         by default.--       o In each column, in square brackets after the  actual  amount,  budget-         goal  amounts are shown, and the actual/goal percentage.  (Note: bud--         get goals should be in the same commodity as the actual amount.)--       o All parent accounts are always shown, even in list mode.  Eg  assets,-         assets:bank, and expenses above.--       o 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 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:--              $ hledger balance -M --budget --empty-              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:--                                    ||                      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]-              ----------------------++-----------------------------------------------------                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]--       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-              ======================++====================================================-               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]--       It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses--              hledger bal -M --budget expenses--       or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):--              hledger bal -M --budget type:rx--       It's  also  common  to  limit  or  convert  them  to  a single currency-       (cur:COMM or -X COMM  [--infer-market-prices]).   If  showing  multiple-       currencies, --layout bare or --layout tall can help.--       For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.--   Budget report start date-       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-       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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:--              ~ monthly in 2020-                (expenses:food)  $500--              2020-01-15-                expenses:food    $400-                assets:checking--              $ hledger bal expenses --budget-              Budget performance in 2020-01-15:--                            || 2020-01-15-              ==============++============-               <unbudgeted> ||       $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:--              $ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1-              Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:--                             || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15-              ===============++========================-               expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500]-              ---------------++-------------------------                             ||     $400 [80% of $500]--   Budgets and subaccounts-       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 bud--       get(s) of the child account(s) would be added to the  budget  of  their-       parent, much like account balances behave.--       In  the  most  simple case this means that once you add a budget to any-       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-                  liabilities--       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.--       Transactions in  expenses:personal:electronics  will  be  counted  both-       towards  its  $100 budget and $1100 of expenses:personal , and transac--       tions 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-                  liabilities--              2019/01/01 Google home hub-                  expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00-                  liabilities                           $-90.00--              2019/01/02 Phone screen protector-                  expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00-                  liabilities--              2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket-                  expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00-                  liabilities--              2019/01/03 Flowers-                  expenses:personal          $30.00-                  liabilities--       As  you  can  see,  we have transactions in expenses:personal:electron--       ics:upgrades and expenses:personal:train tickets,  and  since  both  of-       these  accounts  are  without explicitly defined budget, these transac--       tions would be counted towards budgets of expenses:personal:electronics-       and expenses:personal accordingly:--              $ hledger balance --budget -M-              Budget performance in 2019/01:--                                             ||                           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]-              -------------------------------++--------------------------------                                             ||        0 [                 0]--       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-              ========================================++===============================-               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]--   Selecting budget goals-       The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate spe--       cial  "goal  transactions",  which  generate  the goal amounts for each-       account in each report subperiod.  When troubleshooting,  you  can  use-       print --forecast to show these as forecasted transactions:--              $ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated--       By  default,  the budget report uses all available periodic transaction-       rules to generate goals.  This includes rules with a  different  report-       interval  from  your  report.  Eg if you have daily, weekly and monthly-       periodic rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a  monthly-       budget report.--       You  can  select a subset of periodic rules by providing an argument to-       the --budget flag.  --budget=DESCPAT  will  match  all  periodic  rules-       whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a-       regular expression or query).  This means you can  give  your  periodic-       rules  descriptions  (remember  that  two  spaces are needed), and then-       select from multiple budgets defined in your journal.--   Budget vs forecast-       hledger --forecast ... and hledger balance --budget  ...  are  separate-       features,  though  both  of  them  use  the  periodic transaction rules-       defined in the journal, and both of them  generate  temporary  transac--       tions  for reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal-       transactions", respectively).  You can use both features  at  the  same-       time  if  you  want.   Here  are  some  differences between them, as of-       hledger 1.29:--       CLI:--       o --forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command--       o --budget is a balance command option, usable only with that  command.--       Visibility of generated transactions:--       o forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary trans--         actions--       o budget goal transactions are invisible except for  the  goal  amounts-         they produce in --budget reports.--       Periodic transaction rules:--       o --forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules--       o --budget  uses  all  periodic  rules  (--budget) or a selected subset-         (--budget=DESCPAT)--       Period of generated transactions:--       o --forecast generates forecast transactions--         o from after the last regular transaction to the end  of  the  report-           period (--forecast)--         o or, during a specified period (--forecast=PERIODEXPR)--         o possibly  further  restricted by a period specified in the periodic-           transaction rule--         o and always restricted within the bounds of the report period--       o --budget generates budget goal transactions--         o throughout the report period--         o possibly restricted by a period specified in the periodic  transac--           tion rule.--   Data layout-       The  --layout  option  affects how balance reports show multi-commodity-       amounts and commodity symbols, which can improve readability.   It  can-       also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has-       four possible values:--       o --layout=wide[,WIDTH]:  commodities  are  shown  on  a  single  line,-         optionally elided to WIDTH--       o --layout=tall: each commodity is shown on a separate line--       o --layout=bare: commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts are-         bare numbers--       o --layout=tidy: data is normalised  to  easily-consumed  "tidy"  form,-         with one row per data value--       Here  are the --layout modes supported by each output format; note only-       CSV output supports all of them:---       -      txt   csv   html   json   sql-       --------------------------------------       wide   Y     Y     Y-       tall   Y     Y     Y-       bare   Y     Y     Y-       tidy         Y--       Examples:--       o Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total-                ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT-                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT--       o Limited wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some  com--         modities will be hidden:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total-                ==================++===========================================================================================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..-                ------------------++----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..--       o Tall  layout.   Each  commodity  gets a new line (may be different in-         each column), and account names are repeated:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total-                ==================++==================================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT-                 Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD-                 Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA-                 Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT-                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------                                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD-                                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT-                                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD-                                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA-                                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT--       o Bare layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each  commod--         ity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare-                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:--                                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total-                ==================++=============================================-                 Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50-                 Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00-                 Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00-                ------------------++----------------------------------------------                                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00-                                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00-                                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50-                                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00-                                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00--       o Bare  layout  also  affects CSV output, which is useful for producing-         data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare-                "account","commodity","balance"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"-                "total","GLD","70.00"-                "total","ITOT","17.00"-                "total","USD","5120.50"-                "total","VEA","36.00"-                "total","VHT","294.00"--       o Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable has-         its  own  column  and  each  row represents a single data point.  See-         https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy--         data.html for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other soft--         ware to consume.  Here's how it looks:--                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy-                "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"-                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"--   Useful balance reports-       Some frequently used balance options/reports are:--       o bal -M revenues expenses-       Show revenues/expenses in each month.  Also available as  the  incomes--       tatement command.--       o bal -M -H assets liabilities-       Show  historical  asset/liability  balances  at  each  month end.  Also-       available as the balancesheet command.--       o bal -M -H assets liabilities equity-       Show historical asset/liability/equity  balances  at  each  month  end.-       Also available as the balancesheetequity command.--       o bal -M assets not:receivable-       Show  changes  to  liquid  assets in each month.  Also available as the-       cashflow command.--       Also:--       o bal -M expenses -2 -SA-       Show monthly expenses summarised to  depth  2  and  sorted  by  average-       amount.--       o bal -M --budget expenses-       Show monthly expenses and budget goals.--       o bal -M --valuechange investments-       Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.--       o bal  investments  --valuechange  -D  date:lastweek  amt:'>1000'  -STA-         [--invert]-       Show top gainers [or losers] last week--   balancesheet-       (bs)--       This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical  ending  bal--       ances 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.--       This  report  shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash or Liability-       type (see account types).  Or if no  such  accounts  are  declared,  it-       shows  top-level  accounts  named asset or liability (case insensitive,-       plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger balancesheet-              Balance Sheet--              Assets:-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-              ---------------------                               $-1--              Liabilities:-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                $1--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 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.-       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 (experi--       mental) json.--   balancesheetequity-       (bse)--       This command displays a balance sheet, showing historical  ending  bal--       ances  of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown with-       normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.--       This report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash, Liability  or-       Equity  type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are declared,-       it shows top-level accounts named  asset,  liability  or  equity  (case-       insensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger balancesheetequity-              Balance Sheet With Equity--              Assets:-                               $-2  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-3    cash-              ---------------------                               $-2--              Liabilities:-                                $1  liabilities:debts-              ---------------------                                $1--              Equity:-                        $1  equity:owner-              ---------------------                        $1--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 0--       This command is a higher-level variant of the balance command, and sup--       ports many of that command's features, such  as  multi-period  reports.-       It is similar to hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity, but with-       smarter account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with  their-       sign flipped.--       This  command  also  supports  the output destination and output format-       options The output formats supported are txt, csv, html,  and  (experi--       mental) json.--   cashflow-       (cf)--       This  command  displays  a  cashflow statement, showing the inflows and-       outflows affecting "cash"  (ie,  liquid,  easily  convertible)  assets.-       Amounts  are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional finan--       cial statements.--       This report shows accounts declared with the  Cash  type  (see  account-       types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts--       o under  a  top-level  account  named  asset  (case insensitive, plural-         allowed)--       o whose name contains some variation of cash, bank, checking or saving.--       More  precisely:  all  accounts  matching this case insensitive regular-       expression:--       ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)--       and their subaccounts.--       An example cashflow report:--              $ hledger cashflow-              Cashflow Statement--              Cash flows:-                               $-1  assets-                                $1    bank:saving-                               $-2    cash-              ---------------------                               $-1--              Total:-              ---------------------                               $-1--       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.-       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 (experi--       mental) json.--   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-       argument(s).--       Some examples:--              hledger check      # basic checks-              hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks-              hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks--       If you are an Emacs user, you can also  configure  flycheck-hledger  to-       run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.--       Here are the checks currently available:--   Basic checks-       These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger com--       mands, including check:--       o parseable - data files are well-formed and can be successfully parsed--       o balancedwithautoconversion - all transactions are balanced, inferring-         missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting  commodities-         using costs or automatically-inferred costs--       o assertions  -  all  balance  assertions  in  the journal are passing.-         (This check can be disabled with -I/--ignore-assertions.)--   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:--       o accounts - all account names used by transactions have been declared--       o commodities - all commodity symbols used have been declared--       o balancednoautoconversion - transactions are balanced, possibly  using-         explicit costs but not inferred ones--   Other checks-       These  checks  can  be  run  only by giving their names as arguments to-       check.  They are more  specialised  and  not  desirable  for  everyone,-       therefore optional:--       o ordereddates - transactions are ordered by date within each file--       o payees - all payees used by transactions have been declared--       o recentassertions  -  all accounts with balance assertions have a bal--         ance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting--       o tags - all tags used by transactions have been declared--       o uniqueleafnames - all account leaf names are unique--   Custom checks-       A few more checks are are available as  separate  add-on  commands,  in-       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:--       o hledger-check-tagfiles  -  all  tag  values  containing  / (a forward-         slash) exist as file paths--       o hledger-check-fancyassertions - more complex balance  assertions  are-         passing--       You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.  See:-       Cookbook -> Scripting.--   More about specific checks-       hledger check recentassertions will complain  if  any  balance-asserted-       account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its lat--       est posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where  you  are  regu--       larly  updating  your  journal,  but  forgetting to check your balances-       against the real world, then one day must dig back  through  months  of-       data  to  find  an  error.   It assumes that adding a balance assertion-       requires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That may not  be-       true  if  you  auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that-       case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use  the  man--       ual-review-and-mark-cleared  phase  as  a  reminder to check the latest-       assertions against real-world balances.--   close-       (equity)--       Generate transactions which transfer account balances  to  and/or  from-       another  account  (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating-       balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity  at-       end of accounting period.--       By  default,  it  prints  a  transaction  that  zeroes out ALE accounts-       (asset, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types  to  be-       configured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.--       (experimental)--       This command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common  use-       cases:--       1. With  --close  (default), it prints a "closing balances" transaction-          that zeroes out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts  by  default-          (this  requires  account  types to be inferred or declared); or, the-          accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.--       2. With --open, it prints an opposite  "opening  balances"  transaction-          that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to Ledger's-          equity command.--       3. With --migrate, it prints both the closing and opening transactions.-          This  is  the  preferred  way to migrate balances to a new file: run-          hledger close --migrate, add the closing transaction at the  end  of-          the  old  file,  and add the opening transaction at the start of the-          new file.  The matching  closing/opening  transactions  cancel  each-          other  out, preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.--       4. With --retain, it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that trans--          fers  RX (revenue and expense) balances to equity:retained earnings.-          Businesses traditionally do this  at  the  end  of  each  accounting-          period;  it is less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it-          could still be useful if you want to  see  the  accounting  equation-          (A=L+E) satisfied.--       In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:--       o the  transaction  descriptions  can be changed with --close-desc=DESC-         and --open-desc=DESC--       o the account to transfer to/from can be changed with --close-acct=ACCT-         and --open-acct=ACCT--       o the  accounts  to  be  closed/opened  can  be  changed with ACCTQUERY-         (account query arguments).--       By default just one destination/source posting will be used,  with  its-       amount  left  implicit.   With --x/--explicit, the amount will be shown-       explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting-       will be generated for each of them (similar to print -x).--       With  --show-costs,  any amount costs are shown, with separate postings-       for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view investment lots.-       If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can-       generate very large journal entries.--       With --interleaved, each individual transfer is shown with  source  and-       destination  postings  next  to  each  other.  This could be useful for-       troubleshooting.--       The default closing date is  yesterday,  or  the  journal's  end  date,-       whichever  is  later.   You  can change this by specifying a report end-       date; (The report start date does not matter.)  The  last  day  of  the-       report  period  will  be  the  closing date; eg -e 2022 means "close on-       2022-12-31".  The opening date is always  the  day  after  the  closing-       date.--   close and balance assertions-       Balance  assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have-       been reset to zero (and then restored to their  previous  balances,  if-       there is an opening transaction).--       These  provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporar--       ily with -I, or remove them if you prefer.--       You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or  realness-       (-C,  -R, status:), or generating postings (--auto), with this command,-       since the balance assertions would depend on these.--       Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will  disrupt  the-       balance assertions:--              2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-                  expenses:food          5-                  assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02--       To  solve  that  you  can  transfer  the  money to and from a temporary-       account, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into two single--       day transactions:--              ; in 2022.journal:-              2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january-                  expenses:food          5-                  equity:pending        -5--              ; in 2023.journal:-              2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared-                  equity:pending         5 = 0-                  assets:bank:checking  -5--   Example: retain earnings-       Record  2022's  revenues/expenses  as  retained earnings on 2022-12-31,-       appending the generated transaction to the journal:--              $ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal--       Note 2022's income statement will now show only  zeroes,  because  rev--       enues  and  expenses  have  been moved entirely to equity.  To see them-       again, you could exclude the retain transaction:--              $ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'--   Example: migrate balances to a new file-       Close assets/liabilities/equity  on  2022-12-31  and  re-open  them  on-       2023-01-01:--              $ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022-              # copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal-              # copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal--       Now  2022's  balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced-       accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@  notation  -  in  that-       case,  try  adding  --infer-equity.)   To  see the end-of-year balances-       again, you could exclude the closing transaction:--              $ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'--   Example: excluding closing/opening transactions-       When combining many files for multi-year reports,  the  closing/opening-       transactions  cause  some  noise  in  transaction-oriented reports like-       print  and  register.   You  can  exclude  them  as  shown  above,  but-       not:desc:...  is  not  ideal  as it depends on consistent descriptions;-       also you will want to avoid excluding the very first  opening  transac--       tion, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using tags:--       Add  clopen:  tags  to all opening/closing balances transactions except-       the first, like this:--              ; 2021.journal-              2021-06-01 first opening balances-              ...-              2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022-              ...--              ; 2022.journal-              2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022-              ...-              2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023-              ...--              ; 2023.journal-              2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023-              ...--       Now, assuming a combined journal like:--              ; all.journal-              include 2021.journal-              include 2022.journal-              include 2023.journal--       The clopen: tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.   To-       show a clean multi-year checking register:--              $ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen--       And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end bal--       ance sheet:--              $ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023--   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-       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-       printed as blank lines.--       You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.--       Examples:--              2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket-               Food       $5.00-               Checking--              2022/1/2 (124) Post Office-               Postage    $8.32-               Checking--              2022/1/3 Supermarket-               Food      $11.23-               Checking--              2022/1/4 (126) Post Office-               Postage    $3.21-               Checking--              $ hledger codes-              123-              124-              126--              $ hledger codes -E-              123-              124--              126--   commodities-       List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.--   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 subset of  trans--       actions.--       Example:--              $ hledger descriptions-              Store Name-              Gas Station | Petrol-              Person A--   diff-       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 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-       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-              These transactions are in the first file only:--              2014/01/01 Opening Balances-                  assets:bank:giro              EUR ...-                  ...-                  equity:opening balances       EUR -...--              These transactions are in the second file only:--   files-       List  all  files  included in the journal.  With a REGEX argument, only-       file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are  shown.--   help-       Show  the  hledger  user  manual  in the terminal, with info, man, or a-       pager.  With a TOPIC argument, open  it  at  that  topic  if  possible.-       TOPIC  can  be  any  heading  in  the manual, or a heading prefix, case-       insensitive.  Eg: commands, print,  forecast,  journal,  amount,  "auto-       postings".--       This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.-       It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web-       browser,  or  when  the appropriate hledger manual or viewing tools are-       not installed on your system.--       By default it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying  (in  this-       order):  info, man, $PAGER, less, more.  You can force the use of info,-       man, or a pager with the -i, -m, or -p  flags,  If  no  viewer  can  be-       found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just prints the man--       ual to stdout.--       If using info, note that version 6  or  greater  is  needed  for  TOPIC-       lookup.   If  you  are on mac you will likely have info 4.8, and should-       consider installing a newer  version,  eg  with  brew  install  texinfo-       (#1770).--       Examples--              $ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works-              $ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER-              $ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-              $ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed--   import-       Read  new  transactions added to each FILE since last run, and add them-       to the journal.  Or with --dry-run, just print  the  transactions  that-       would  be added.  Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs' trans--       actions as imported, without actually importing any.--       This command may append new  transactions  to  the  main  journal  file-       (which  should  be  in  journal format).  Existing transactions are not-       changed.  This is one of the few hledger commands that  writes  to  the-       journal file (see also add).--       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-       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.-       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--       potent.)--       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-       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  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-       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--       tain date.--       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-       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-       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'--       Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently possi--       ble for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the actual-       import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving them out-       of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To prevent this,-       do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the real import.--   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-       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:--              $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE--       (If you think import should leave amounts  implicit  like  print  does,-       please test it and send a pull request.)--   Commodity display styles-       Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity-       styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.--   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 report shows accounts declared with the Revenue  or  Expense  type-       (see  account  types).   Or  if no such accounts are declared, it shows-       top-level accounts named revenue or income or  expense  (case  insensi--       tive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.--       Example:--              $ hledger incomestatement-              Income Statement--              Revenues:-                               $-2  income-                               $-1    gifts-                               $-1    salary-              ---------------------                               $-2--              Expenses:-                                $2  expenses-                                $1    food-                                $1    supplies-              ---------------------                                $2--              Total:-              ---------------------                                 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.-       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  (experi--       mental) json.--   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 |-       character (or if there is no |, the whole description).--       Example:--              $ hledger notes-              Petrol-              Snacks--   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-       (--used), or both (the default).--       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-       implies --used.--       Example:--              $ hledger payees-              Store Name-              Gas Station-              Person A--   prices-       Print market price directives from the journal.   With  --infer-market--       prices,  generate  additional  market prices from costs.  With --infer--       reverse-prices, also generate market prices by inverting known  prices.-       Prices  can  be  filtered by a query.  Price amounts are displayed with-       their full precision.--   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).--       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.-       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-       directives and file-level comments.--       Eg:--              $ hledger print-              2008/01/01 income-                  assets:bank:checking            $1-                  income:salary                  $-1--              2008/06/01 gift-                  assets:bank:checking            $1-                  income:gifts                   $-1--              2008/06/02 save-                  assets:bank:saving              $1-                  assets:bank:checking           $-1--              2008/06/03 * eat & shop-                  expenses:food                $1-                  expenses:supplies            $1-                  assets:cash                 $-2--              2008/12/31 * pay off-                  liabilities:debts               $1-                  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 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--       There are some situations where print's output can become unparseable:--       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.--       o Account aliases can generate bad account names.--       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 cost is implied but not-       written,  it  will  not  appear  in  the  output.   You  can  use   the-       -x/--explicit flag to make all amounts and costs 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-       the output parseable.--       With  -B/--cost,  amounts  with  costs are converted to cost using that-       price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.--       With -m DESC/--match=DESC, print does a fuzzy  search  for  one  recent-       transaction  whose  description  is  most similar to DESC.  DESC should-       contain at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough  match,-       no  transaction  will  be  shown and the program exit code will be non--       zero.--       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)-       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","$","","1","",""-              "1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""-              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""-              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""-              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""-              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""-              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""-              "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","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-         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-         order, etc.)--       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-         greater amounts under debit.)--   register-       (reg)--       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-       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-       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-              2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1-              2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0--       With --date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.--       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first-       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause-       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to-       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the-       --align-all flag.--       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 displayed.--       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-       account and one commodity.--       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-       an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative num--       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-       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:--              $ hledger register --monthly income -E-              2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1-              2008/02                                                          0          $-1-              2008/03                                                          0          $-1-              2008/04                                                          0          $-1-              2008/05                                                          0          $-1-              2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2-              2008/07                                                          0          $-2-              2008/08                                                          0          $-2-              2008/09                                                          0          $-2-              2008/10                                                          0          $-2-              2008/11                                                          0          $-2-              2008/12                                                          0          $-2--       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-              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-       length and comparable to the others in the report.--       With  -m DESC/--match=DESC, register does a fuzzy search for one recent-       posting whose description is most similar to DESC.  DESC should contain-       at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match, no post--       ing will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.--   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.--       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) ---------------------------------->-              date (10)  description (D)       account (W-41-D)     amount (12)   balance (12)-              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-              $ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)-              $ 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.--   rewrite-       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 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  transac--       tion'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-                (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery--       Note  the  single  quotes to protect the dollar sign from bash, and the-       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 com--       modity.--   Re-write rules in a file-       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.--              $ rewrite-rules.journal--       Make contents look like this:--              = ^income-                  (liabilities:tax)  *.33--              = expenses:gifts-                  budget:gifts  *-1-                  assets:budget  *1--       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.--              $ 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 post--       ings.--   Diff output format-       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 @@-               2008/01/01 income-              -    assets:bank:checking  $1-              +    assets:bank:checking            $1-                   income:salary-              +    (liabilities:tax)                0-              @@ -22,3 +23,4 @@-               2008/06/01 gift-              -    assets:bank:checking  $1-              +    assets:bank:checking            $1-                   income:gifts-              +    (liabilities:tax)                0--       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-       --file options and include directives inside of these files.--       Be careful.  Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of  output-       from hledger print.--       See also:--       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99--   rewrite vs. print --auto-       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-         only child files.--       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.-         print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.--   roi-       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.--       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-       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).--       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-         becomes negative at some point in time.--       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:-         https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/invest--         ing/roi-unrealised.ledger--       o Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html--   Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl-       Note that --inv and --pnl's argument is a query, and queries could have-       several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).--       To indicate that all search terms form  single  command-line  argument,-       you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):--              $ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'--       If  any  query  terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra-       level of nested quoting, eg:--              $ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"--   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.--       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.--       o "Cash  flow"  is  depositing  or withdrawing money, buying or selling-         assets, or otherwise converting between your investment commodity 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--       o "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  "profit-       and  loss"  postings  will  be  considered  as  part of your investment-       return.--       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--              2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2-                equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting-                snake oil                    ; investment posting--              2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3-                equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting-                cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting-                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--       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-       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-       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  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-       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.--       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-       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-       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,-       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-       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.--       References:--       o Explanation of rate of return--       o Explanation of IRR--       o Explanation of TWR--       o Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of  the  limitations-         of both metrics--   stats-       Show journal and performance 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.--       At  the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number-       of transactions processed per second.  Note these are  approximate  and-       will  vary  based on machine, current load, data size, hledger version,-       haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of interest.   The-       stats  command's run time is similar to that of a single-column balance-       report.--       Example:--              $ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal-              Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal-              Included files           :-              Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)-              Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)-              Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)-              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Payees/descriptions      : 1000-              Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)-              Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)-              Market prices            : 1000 (A)--              Run time                 : 0.12 s-              Throughput               : 8342 txns/s--       This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not -O/--output--       format selection).--   tags-       List the tags used in the journal, or their values.--       This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on trans--       actions, postings, or account declarations.--       With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular  expres--       sion (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.--       With  QUERY  arguments,  only  transactions  and accounts matching this-       query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,-       desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions-       and their accounts.--       With the --values flag, the tags' unique non-empty  values  are  listed-       instead.  With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.--       With  --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,-       with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations  are-       always shown first.)--       Tip:  remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings-       also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also-       acquire tags from their postings.--   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.--       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 ---       (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).---PART 5: COMMON TASKS-       Here  are  some  quick  examples  of  how  to  do some basic tasks with-       hledger.--   Getting help-       Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:--              $ hledger                # show available commands-              $ hledger --help         # show common options-              $ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation--       You can also view your hledger version's manual in several  formats  by-       using the help command.  Eg:--              $ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)-              $ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual-              $ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command--       To   view   manuals   and   introductory   docs   on   the  web,  visit-       https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list  support  and  discussion  ar--       chives can be found at https://hledger.org/support.--   Constructing command lines-       hledger  has  a  flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it-       simple and ergonomic, but if you  run  into  one  of  the  sharp  edges-       described in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:--       o command-specific  options must go after the command (it's fine to put-         common options there too: hledger CMD OPTS ARGS)--       o running add-on executables directly simplifies command  line  parsing-         (hledger-ui OPTS ARGS)--       o enclose "problematic" args in single quotes--       o if  needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression metachar--         acters from the shell--       o to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add --debug=2.--   Starting a journal file-       hledger   looks   for   your   accounting   data  in  a  journal  file,-       $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:--              $ mkdir ~/finance-              $ cd ~/finance-              $ git init-              Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/-              $ touch 2020.journal-              $ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2020.journal" >> ~/.bashrc-              $ source ~/.bashrc-              $ hledger stats-              Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2020.journal-              Included files           :-              Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)-              Last transaction         : none-              Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)-              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)-              Payees/descriptions      : 0-              Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)-              Commodities              : 0 ()-              Market prices            : 0 ()--   Setting opening balances-       Pick  a  starting  date  for which you can look up the balances of some-       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-       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 bal--       ances on this date.  Here are two ways to do it:--       o 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-                    assets:cash                          $100   = $100-                    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50-                    equity:opening/closing balances--         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-         "cleared & confirmed".--         The  currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you'll-         be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.--         The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra  error-         checking.--       o 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.-                Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.-                An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.-                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 [2020-02-07]: 2020-01-01-                Description: * opening balances-                Account 1: assets:bank:checking-                Amount  1: $1000-                Account 2: assets:bank:savings-                Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000-                Account 3: assets:cash-                Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100-                Account 4: liabilities:creditcard-                Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50-                Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances-                Amount  5 [$-3050]:-                Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .-                2020-01-01 * opening balances-                    assets:bank:checking                      $1000-                    assets:bank:savings                       $2000-                    assets:cash                                $100-                    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-                    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--                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:--              $ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2020.journal--   Recording transactions-       As  you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using-       one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add)  or  by  using  the-       hledger-iadd  or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to-       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--              2020.1.12 * farmers market-                expenses:food    $13-                assets:cash--              2020-01-15 paycheck-                income:salary-                assets:bank:checking    $1000--   Reconciling-       Periodically  you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported bal--       ances 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  pile  up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors and dis--       crepancies.--       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 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 check--          ing -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 trans--          action  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 --reg--       ister 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--       If  you're using version control, this can be another good time to com--       mit:--              $ git commit -m 'txns' 2020.journal--   Reporting-       Here are some basic reports.--       Show all transactions:--              $ hledger print-              2020-01-01 * opening balances-                  assets:bank:checking                      $1000-                  assets:bank:savings                       $2000-                  assets:cash                                $100-                  liabilities:creditcard                     $-50-                  equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050--              2020-01-10 * gift received-                  assets:cash              $20-                  income:gifts--              2020-01-12 * farmers market-                  expenses:food             $13-                  assets:cash--              2020-01-15 * paycheck-                  income:salary-                  assets:bank:checking           $1000--              2020-01-16 * adjust cash-                  assets:cash               $-2 = $105-                  expenses:misc--       Show account names, and their hierarchy:--              $ hledger accounts --tree-              assets-                bank-                  checking-                  savings-                cash-              equity-                opening/closing balances-              expenses-                food-                misc-              income-                gifts-                salary-              liabilities-                creditcard--       Show all account totals:--              $ hledger balance-                             $4105  assets-                             $4000    bank-                             $2000      checking-                             $2000      savings-                              $105    cash-                            $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances-                               $15  expenses-                               $13    food-                                $2    misc-                            $-1020  income-                              $-20    gifts-                            $-1000    salary-                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard-              ---------------------                                 0--       Show only asset and liability balances, as  a  flat  list,  limited  to-       depth 2:--              $ hledger bal assets liabilities -2-                             $4000  assets:bank-                              $105  assets:cash-                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard-              ---------------------                             $4055--       Show  the  same  thing  without negative numbers, formatted as a simple-       balance sheet:--              $ hledger bs -2-              Balance Sheet 2020-01-16--                                      || 2020-01-16-              ========================++============-               Assets                 ||-              ------------------------++-------------               assets:bank            ||      $4000-               assets:cash            ||       $105-              ------------------------++-------------                                      ||      $4105-              ========================++============-               Liabilities            ||-              ------------------------++-------------               liabilities:creditcard ||        $50-              ------------------------++-------------                                      ||        $50-              ========================++============-               Net:                   ||      $4055--       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-              Income Statement 2020-01-01-2020-01-16--                             || 2020-01-01-2020-01-16-              ===============++=======================-               Revenues      ||-              ---------------++------------------------               income:gifts  ||                   $20-               income:salary ||                 $1000-              ---------------++------------------------                             ||                 $1020-              ===============++=======================-               Expenses      ||-              ---------------++------------------------               expenses:food ||                   $13-               expenses:misc ||                    $2-              ---------------++------------------------                             ||                   $15-              ===============++=======================-               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-              2020-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107-              2020-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105--       Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:--              $ hledger activity -W-              2019-12-30 *****-              2020-01-06 ****-              2020-01-13 ****--   Migrating to a new file-       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-       close command.--       If using version control, don't forget to git add the new file.----REPORTING BUGS-       Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org (or  on  the  #hledger  chat  or-       hledger mail list)---AUTHORS-       Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.-       See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html---COPYRIGHT-       Copyright 2007-2023 Simon Michael and contributors.---LICENSE-       Released under GNU GPL v3 or later.---SEE ALSO-       hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), ledger(1)----hledger-1.29.2                    April 2023                        HLEDGER(1)+       hledger COMMAND     [OPTS] [ARGS]+       hledger ADDONCMD -- [OPTS] [ARGS]++DESCRIPTION+       hledger  is a robust, user-friendly, cross-platform set of programs for+       tracking money, time, or any other commodity,  using  double-entry  ac-+       counting  and  a  simple, editable file format.  hledger is inspired by+       and largely compatible with  ledger(1),  and  largely  interconvertible+       with beancount(1).++       This  manual is for hledger's command line interface, version 1.30.  It+       also describes the common options, file formats and  concepts  used  by+       all  hledger  programs.  It might accidentally teach you some bookkeep-+       ing/accounting as well!  You don't need to know everything in  here  to+       use  hledger productively, but when you have a question about function-+       ality, this doc should answer it.  It is detailed, so do skip ahead  or+       skim when needed.  You can read it on hledger.org, or as an info manual+       or man page on your system.  You can also get it  from  hledger  itself+       with+       hledger --man, hledger --info or hledger help [TOPIC].++       The  main  function  of the hledger CLI is to read plain text files de-+       scribing financial transactions, crunch the numbers, and print a useful+       report  on  the  terminal (or save it as HTML, CSV, JSON or SQL).  Many+       reports are available, as subcommands.  hledger will also detect  other+       hledger-* executables as extra subcommands.++       hledger usually reads from (and appends to) a journal file specified by+       the     LEDGER_FILE     environment     variable     (defaulting     to+       $HOME/.hledger.journal);  or you can specify files with -f options.  It+       can also read timeclock files, timedot files, or any  CSV/SSV/TSV  file+       with a date field.++       Here is a small journal file describing one transaction:++              2015-10-16 bought food+                expenses:food          $10+                assets:cash++       Transactions  are  dated movements of money (etc.)  between two or more+       accounts: bank accounts, your wallet, revenue/expense categories,  peo-+       ple,  etc.  You can choose any account names you wish, using : to indi-+       cate subaccounts.  There must be at least two  spaces  between  account+       name  and amount.  Positive amounts are inflow to that account (debit),+       negatives are outflow from it (credit).  (Some  reports  show  revenue,+       liability  and equity account balances as negative numbers as a result;+       this is normal.)++       hledger's add command can help you add transactions, or you can install+       other data entry UIs like hledger-web or hledger-iadd.  For more exten-+       sive/efficient changes, use a text editor: Emacs + ledger-mode,  VIM  ++       vim-ledger,  or  VS  Code  +  hledger-vscode are some good choices (see+       https://hledger.org/editors.html).++       To get started, run hledger add and follow the prompts,  or  save  some+       entries  like  the  above  in $HOME/.hledger.journal, then try commands+       like:+       hledger print -x+       hledger aregister assets+       hledger balance+       hledger balancesheet+       hledger incomestatement.+       Run hledger to list the commands.  See also  the  "Starting  a  journal+       file" and "Setting opening balances" sections in PART 5: COMMON TASKS.++PART 1: USER INTERFACE+Input+       hledger  reads  one  or more data files, each time you run it.  You can+       specify a file with -f, like so++              $ hledger -f FILE print++       Files are most often in hledger's journal  format,  with  the  .journal+       file  extension (.hledger or .j also work); these files describe trans-+       actions, like an accounting general journal.++       When no file is specified, hledger looks for .hledger.journal  in  your+       home directory.++       But  most  people prefer to keep financial files in a dedicated folder,+       perhaps with version control.  Also, starting a new journal  file  each+       year  is  common (it's not required, but helps keep things fast and or-+       ganised).  So we usually configure a different journal file, by setting+       the   LEDGER_FILE   environment   variable,  to  something  like  ~/fi-+       nance/2023.journal.  For more about how to do that on your system,  see+       Common tasks > Setting LEDGER_FILE.++   Data formats+       Usually  the data file is in hledger's journal format, but it can be in+       any of the supported file formats, which currently are:++       Reader:    Reads:                                    Used  for  file  exten-+                                                            sions:+       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------+       journal    hledger  journal  files and some Ledger   .journal  .j   .hledger+                  journals, for transactions                .ledger+       time-      timeclock files, for precise time  log-   .timeclock+       clock      ging+       timedot    timedot  files,  for  approximate  time   .timedot+                  logging+       csv        CSV/SSV/TSV/character-separated values,   .csv      .ssv     .tsv+                  for data import                           .csv.rules   .ssv.rules+                                                            .tsv.rules++       These formats are described in more detail 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+       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:++              $ hledger -f csv:/some/csv-file.dat stats++   Standard input+       The file name - means standard input:++              $ cat FILE | hledger -f- print++       If reading non-journal data in this way, you'll need to add a file for-+       mat prefix, like:++              $ echo 'i 2009/13/1 08:00:00' | hledger print -f timeclock:-++   Multiple files+       You  can specify multiple -f options, to read multiple files as one big+       journal.  When doing this, note that certain features (described below)+       will be affected:++       o Balance  assertions will not see the effect of transactions in previ-+         ous files.  (Usually this doesn't matter as each file  will  set  the+         corresponding opening balances.)++       o Some directives will not affect previous or subsequent files.++       If  needed,  you  can  work  around these by using a single parent file+       which includes the others, or concatenating the files into one, eg: cat+       a.journal b.journal | hledger -f- CMD.++   Strict mode+       hledger checks input files for valid data.  By default, the most impor-+       tant errors are detected, while  still  accepting  easy  journal  files+       without a lot of declarations:++       o Are the input files parseable, with valid syntax ?++       o Are all transactions balanced ?++       o Do all balance assertions pass ?++       With the -s/--strict flag, additional checks are performed:++       o Are  all  accounts  posted  to,  declared with an account directive ?+         (Account error checking)++       o Are all commodities declared with a commodity directive ?  (Commodity+         error checking)++       o Are all commodity conversions declared explicitly ?++       You  can  use  the  check  command to run individual checks -- the ones+       listed above and some more.++Commands+       hledger provides various subcommands for getting things done.  Most  of+       these  commands  do  not change the journal file; they just read it and+       output a report.  A few commands assist with adding data and file  man-+       agement.++       To show the commands list, run hledger with no arguments.  The commands+       are described in detail in PART 4: COMMANDS, below.++       To use a particular command, run hledger CMD [CMDOPTS] [CMDARGS],++       o CMD is the full command name, or its standard abbreviation  shown  in+         the commands list, or any unambiguous prefix of the name.++       o CMDOPTS  are  command-specific options, if any.  Command-specific op-+         tions must be written after the command name.  Eg: hledger print -x.++       o CMDARGS are additional  arguments  to  the  command,  if  any.   Most+         hledger  commands accept arguments representing a query, to limit the+         data in some way.  Eg: hledger reg assets:checking.++       To list a command's options, arguments, and documentation in the termi-+       nal, run hledger CMD -h.  Eg: hledger bal -h.++   Add-on commands+       In  addition to the built-in commands, you can install add-on commands:+       programs or scripts named "hledger-SOMETHING", which will  also  appear+       in  hledger's  commands  list.  If you used the hledger-install script,+       you will have several add-ons installed  already.   Some  more  can  be+       found     in     hledger's     bin/     directory,     documented    at+       https://hledger.org/scripts.html.++       More precisely, add-on commands are programs or scripts in your shell's+       PATH, whose name starts with "hledger-" and ends with no extension or a+       recognised extension (".bat", ".com",  ".exe",  ".hs",  ".js",  ".lhs",+       ".lua",  ".php",  ".pl",  ".py", ".rb", ".rkt", or ".sh"), and (on unix+       and mac) which has executable permission for the current user.++       You can run add-on commands using hledger, much like built-in commands:+       hledger ADDONCMD [-- ADDONCMDOPTS] [ADDONCMDARGS].  But note the double+       hyphen argument, required before add-on-specific options.  Eg:  hledger+       ui  --  --watch  or hledger web -- --serve.  If this causes difficulty,+       you can always run the add-on directly, without using hledger: hledger-+       ui --watch or hledger-web --serve.++Options+       Run  hledger  -h  to see general command line help, and general options+       which are common to most hledger commands.  These options can be  writ-+       ten  anywhere  on the command line.  They can be grouped into help, in-+       put, and reporting options:++   General help options+       -h --help+              show general or COMMAND help++       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man++       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info++       --version+              show general or ADDONCMD version++       --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+              Conversion   rules  file  to  use  when  reading  CSV  (default:+              FILE.rules)++       --separator=CHAR+              Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')++       --alias=OLD=NEW+              rename accounts named OLD to NEW++       --anon anonymize accounts and payees++       --pivot FIELDNAME+              use some other field or tag for the account name++       -I --ignore-assertions+              disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance+              assignments)++       -s --strict+              do  extra error checking (check that all posted accounts are de-+              clared)++   General reporting options+       -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+              include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to fol-+              lowing subperiod end when using a report interval)++       -D --daily+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by day++       -W --weekly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by week++       -M --monthly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by month++       -Q --quarterly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter++       -Y --yearly+              multiperiod/multicolumn report by year++       -p --period=PERIODEXP+              set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at  once+              using period expressions syntax++       --date2+              match the secondary date instead (see command help for other ef-+              fects)++       --today=DATE+              override  today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,   for+              tests/examples)++       -U --unmarked+              include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)++       -P --pending+              include only pending postings/txns++       -C --cleared+              include only cleared postings/txns++       -R --real+              include only non-virtual postings++       -NUM --depth=NUM+              hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep++       -E --empty+              show  items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa in+              hledger-ui/hledger-web)++       -B --cost+              convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time++       -V --market+              convert amounts to their market value in default valuation  com-+              modities++       -X --exchange=COMM+              convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM++       --value+              convert  amounts  to  cost  or  market value, more flexibly than+              -B/-V/-X++       --infer-equity+              infer conversion equity postings from costs++       --infer-costs+              infer costs from conversion equity postings++       --infer-market-prices+              use costs as additional market prices, as if they were P  direc-+              tives++       --forecast+              generate  transactions  from  periodic rules, between the latest+              recorded txn and 6 months from today, or  during  the  specified+              PERIOD  (=  is required).  Auto posting rules will be applied to+              these transactions as well.  Also, in  hledger-ui  make  future-+              dated transactions visible.++       --auto generate  extra  postings  by applying auto posting rules to all+              txns (not just forecast txns)++       --verbose-tags+              add visible tags indicating transactions or postings which  have+              been generated/modified++       --commodity-style+              Override  the  commodity  style  in the output for the specified+              commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.++       --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+              NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.++       --pretty[=WHEN]+              Show prettier output, e.g.  using  unicode  box-drawing  charac-+              ters.   Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always',+              'never' also work).  If you provide an  argument  you  must  use+              '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.++       When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the+       last one takes precedence.++       Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.++Command line tips+       Here are some details useful to know about for  hledger  command  lines+       (and elsewhere).  Feel free to skip this section until you need it.++   Special characters+   Single escaping (shell metacharacters)+       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 dou-+       ble quotes, or by writing a backslash before them.  Eg to match an  ac-+       count name containing a space:++              $ hledger register 'credit card'++       or:++              $ hledger register credit\ card++       Windows  users  should  keep  in mind that cmd treats single quote as a+       regular character, so you should be using  double  quotes  exclusively.+       PowerShell treats both single and double quotes as quotes.++   Double escaping (regular expression metacharacters)+       Characters  significant in regular expressions (described below) - such+       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  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:++              $ hledger balance cur:'\$'++       or:++              $ hledger balance cur:\\$++   Triple escaping (for add-on commands)+       When  you  use hledger to run an external add-on command (described be-+       low), 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):++              $ hledger ui cur:'\\$'++       or:++              $ hledger ui cur:\\\\$++       If you wondered why four backslashes, perhaps this helps:++       unescaped:        $+       escaped:          \$+       double-escaped:   \\$+       triple-escaped:   \\\\$++       Or,  you  can avoid the extra escaping by running the add-on executable+       directly:++              $ hledger-ui cur:\\$++   Less escaping+       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:++       o an @argumentfile++       o hledger-ui's filter field++       o hledger-web's search form++       o GHCI's prompt (used by developers).++   Unicode characters+       hledger is expected to handle non-ascii characters correctly:++       o they should be parsed correctly in input files  and  on  the  command+         line,  by all hledger tools (add, iadd, hledger-web's search/add/edit+         forms, etc.)++       o 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:++       o A  system  locale must be configured, and it must be one that can de-+         code 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 Trou-+         bleshooting.  This step is essential - without it, hledger will  quit+         on  encountering a non-ascii character (as with all GHC-compiled pro-+         grams).++       o your terminal software (eg  Terminal.app,  iTerm,  CMD.exe,  xterm..)+         must support unicode++       o the terminal must be using a font which includes the required unicode+         glyphs++       o the terminal should be configured to display wide characters as  dou-+         ble width (for report alignment)++       o 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  stan-+         dard  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).++   Regular expressions+       hledger uses regular expressions in a number of places:++       o query  terms, on the command line and in the hledger-web search form:+         REGEX, desc:REGEX, cur:REGEX, tag:...=REGEX++       o CSV rules conditional blocks: if REGEX ...++       o account alias directive and --alias option: alias /REGEX/ =  REPLACE-+         MENT, --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 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.++       Some things to note:++       o In the alias directive and --alias option, regular  expressions  must+         be  enclosed  in  forward  slashes  (/REGEX/).  Elsewhere in hledger,+         these are not required.++       o 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:\$.++       o On the command line, some metacharacters like $ have a special  mean-+         ing to the shell and so must be escaped at least once more.  See Spe-+         cial characters.++   Argument files+       You can save a set of command line options and arguments in a file, and+       then  reuse  them by writing @FILENAME as a command line argument.  Eg:+       hledger bal @foo.args.++       Inside the argument file, each line should contain just one  option  or+       argument.   Don't use spaces except inside quotes (or you'll see a con-+       fusing error); write = (or nothing) between a flag  and  its  argument.+       For the special characters mentioned above, use one less level of quot-+       ing than you would at the command prompt.++Output+   Output destination+       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 pro-+       vide 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)++   Output format+       Some  commands offer other kinds of output, not just text on the termi-+       nal.  Here are those commands and the formats currently supported:++       -                            txt         csv         html           json      sql+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       aregister                    Y           Y           Y              Y+       balance                      Y 1         Y 1         Y 1,2          Y+       balancesheet                 Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       balancesheetequity           Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       cashflow                     Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       incomestatement              Y 1         Y 1         Y 1            Y+       print                        Y           Y                          Y         Y+       register                     Y           Y                          Y++       o 1 Also affected by the balance commands' --layout option.++       o 2 balance does not support html output without a report  interval  or+         with --budget.++       The output format is selected by the -O/--output-format=FMT option:++              $ hledger print -O csv    # print CSV on stdout++       or  by  the  filename  extension  of  an output file specified with the+       -o/--output-file=FILE.FMT option:++              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.csv    # write CSV to foo.csv++       The -O option can be combined with -o to override the  file  extension,+       if needed:++              $ hledger balancesheet -o foo.txt -O csv    # write CSV to foo.txt++       Some notes about the various output formats:++   CSV output+       o In  CSV  output, digit group marks (such as thousands separators) are+         disabled automatically.++   HTML output+       o HTML output can be styled by an optional hledger.css file in the same+         directory.++   JSON output+       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++       o Our  JSON  is rather large and verbose, since it is a faithful repre-+         sentation 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.++       o hledger  represents  quantities  as  Decimal values storing up to 255+         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 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)++   SQL output+       o This is not yet much used; real-world feedback is welcome.++       o SQL output is expected to work at least with SQLite, MySQL and  Post-+         gres.++       o For  SQLite,  it  will  be more useful if you modify the generated id+         field to be a PRIMARY KEY.  Eg:++                $ hledger print -O sql | sed 's/id serial/id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL/g' | ...++       o SQL output is structured with the expectations that  statements  will+         be  executed  in the empty database.  If you already have tables cre-+         ated via SQL output of hledger, you would  probably  want  to  either+         clear tables of existing data (via delete or truncate SQL statements)+         or drop tables completely as otherwise your postings will be duped.++   Commodity styles+       When displaying amounts, hledger infers a standard  display  style  for+       each commodity/currency, as described below in Commodity display style.++       If needed, this can be overridden by a -c/--commodity-style option (ex-+       cept for cost amounts and amounts displayed by the print command, which+       are  always  displayed with all decimal digits).  For example, the fol-+       lowing will force dollar amounts to be displayed as shown:++              $ hledger print -c '$1.000,0'++       This option can repeated to set the display style for multiple commodi-+       ties/currencies.   Its argument is as described in the commodity direc-+       tive.++   Colour+       In terminal output, some commands can produce colour when the  terminal+       supports it:++       o if  the --color/--colour option is given a value of yes or always (or+         no or never), colour will (or will not) be used;++       o otherwise, if the NO_COLOR environment variable is set,  colour  will+         not be used;++       o otherwise,  colour will be used if the output (terminal or file) sup-+         ports it.++   Box-drawing+       In terminal output, you can enable unicode  box-drawing  characters  to+       render prettier tables:++       o if  the  --pretty  option is given a value of yes or always (or no or+         never), unicode characters will (or will not) be used;++       o otherwise, unicode characters will not be used.++   Paging+       When showing long output in the terminal, hledger will try to  use  the+       pager  specified  by  the PAGER environment variable, or less, or more.+       (A pager is a helper program that shows one page at a time rather  than+       scrolling everything off screen).  Currently it does this only for help+       output, not for reports; specifically,++       o when listing commands, with hledger++       o when showing help with hledger [CMD] --help,++       o when viewing manuals with hledger help or hledger --man.++       Note the pager is expected to handle ANSI codes, which hledger uses  eg+       for bold emphasis.  For the common pager less (and its more compatibil-+       ity mode), we add R to the LESS and MORE environment variables to  make+       this  work.   If you use a different pager, you might need to configure+       it similarly, to avoid seeing junk on screen (let us know).  Otherwise,+       you  can set the NO_COLOR environment variable to 1 to disable all ANSI+       output (see Colour).++   Debug output+       We intend hledger to be relatively easy to troubleshoot, introspect and+       develop.   You  can  add --debug[=N] to any hledger command line to see+       additional debug output.  N ranges from 1 (least output,  the  default)+       to  9  (maximum output).  Typically you would start with 1 and increase+       until you are seeing enough.  Debug output goes to stderr, and  is  not+       affected by -o/--output-file (unless you redirect stderr to stdout, eg:+       2>&1).  It will be interleaved with normal output, which can  help  re-+       veal  when parts of the code are evaluated.  To capture debug output in+       a log file instead, you can usually redirect stderr, eg:++              hledger bal --debug=3 2>hledger.log++Environment+       These environment variables affect hledger:++       COLUMNS This is normally set by your terminal;  some  hledger  commands+       (register)  will  format  their output to this width.  If not set, they+       will try to use the available terminal width.++       LEDGER_FILE The main journal  file  to  use  when  not  specified  with+       -f/--file.  Default: $HOME/.hledger.journal.++       NO_COLOR  If this environment variable is set (with any value), hledger+       will not use ANSI color codes in terminal output, unless overridden  by+       an explicit --color/--colour option.++PART 2: DATA FORMATS+Journal+       hledger's  default file format, representing a General Journal.  Here's+       a cheatsheet/mini-tutorial, or you can skip ahead to About journal for-+       mat.++   Journal cheatsheet+              # Here is the main syntax of hledger's journal format+              # (omitting extra Ledger compatibility syntax).+              # hledger journals contain comments, directives, and transactions, in any order:++              ###############################################################################+              # 1. Comment lines are for notes or temporarily disabling things.+              # They begin with #, ;, or a line containing the word "comment".++              # hash comment line+              ; semicolon comment line+              comment+              These lines+              are commented.+              end comment++              # Some but not all hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them,+              # from ; (semicolon) to end of line.++              ###############################################################################+              # 2. Directives modify parsing or reports in some way.+              # They begin with a word or letter (or symbol).++              account actifs     ; type:A, declare an account that is an Asset. 2+ spaces before ;.+              account passifs    ; type:L, declare an account that is a Liability, and so on.. (ALERX)+              alias chkg = assets:checking+              commodity $0.00+              decimal-mark .+              include /dev/null+              payee Whole Foods+              P 2022-01-01 AAAA $1.40+              ~ monthly    budget goals  ; <- 2+ spaces between period expression and description+                  expenses:food       $400+                  expenses:home      $1000+                  budgeted++              ###############################################################################+              # 3. Transactions are what it's all about; they are dated events,+              # usually describing movements of money.+              # They begin with a date.++              # DATE DESCRIPTION           ; This is a transaction comment.+              #   ACCOUNT NAME 1  AMOUNT1  ; <- posting 1. This is a posting comment.+              #   ACCOUNT NAME 2  AMOUNT2  ; <- posting 2. Postings must be indented.+              #               ; ^^ At least 2 spaces between account and amount.+              #   ...  ; Any number of postings is allowed. The amounts must balance (sum to 0).++              2022-01-01 opening balances are declared this way+                  assets:checking          $1000  ; Account names can be anything. lower case is easy to type.+                  assets:savings           $1000  ; assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, expenses are common.+                  assets:cash:wallet        $100  ; : indicates subaccounts.+                  liabilities:credit card  $-200  ; liabilities, equity, revenues balances are usually negative.+                  equity                          ; One amount can be left blank; $-1900 is inferred here.++              2022-04-15 * (#12345) pay taxes+                  ; There can be a ! or * after the date meaning "pending" or "cleared".+                  ; There can be a transaction code (text in parentheses) after the date/status.+                  ; Amounts' sign represents direction of flow, or credit/debit:+                  assets:checking          $-500  ; minus means removed from this account (credit)+                  expenses:tax:us:2021      $500  ; plus  means added to this account (debit)+                                                  ; revenue/expense categories are also "accounts"++              2022-01-01                          ; The description is optional.+                  ; Any currency/commodity symbols are allowed, on either side.+                  assets:cash:wallet     GBP -10+                  expenses:clothing       GBP 10+                  assets:gringotts           -10 gold+                  assets:pouch                10 gold+                  revenues:gifts              -2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; Complex symbols+                  assets:bag                   2 "Liquorice Wands"  ; must be double-quoted.++              2022-01-01 Cost in another commodity can be noted with @ or @@+                  assets:investments           2.0 AAAA @ $1.50  ; @  means per-unit cost+                  assets:investments           3.0 AAAA @@ $4    ; @@ means total cost+                  assets:checking            $-7.00++              2022-01-02 assert balances+                  ; Balances can be asserted for extra error checking, in any transaction.+                  assets:investments           0 AAAA = 5.0 AAAA+                  assets:pouch                 0 gold = 10 gold+                  assets:savings              $0      = $1000++              1999-12-31 Ordering transactions by date is recommended but not required.+                  ; Postings are not required.++              2022.01.01 These date+              2022/1/1   formats are+              12/31      also allowed (but consistent YYYY-MM-DD is recommended).++   About journal format+       hledger's usual data source is a plain text file containing journal en-+       tries in hledger journal format.  This file represents a  standard  ac-+       counting  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 compatible with most of Ledger's journal+       format, but not all of it.  The differences and interoperation tips are+       described  at  hledger and Ledger.  With some care, and by avoiding in-+       compatible features, you can keep  your  hledger  journal  readable  by+       Ledger  and vice versa.  This can useful eg for comparing the behaviour+       of one app against the other.++       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  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).++       A hledger journal file can contain three kinds of thing: file comments,+       transactions, and/or directives (counting  periodic  transaction  rules+       and auto posting rules as directives).++   Comments+       Lines in the journal will be ignored if they begin with a hash (#) or a+       semicolon (;).  (See also Other syntax.)  hledger will also ignore  re-+       gions beginning with a comment line and ending with an end comment line+       (or file end).  Here's a suggestion for choosing between them:++       o # for top-level notes++       o ; for commenting out things temporarily++       o comment for quickly commenting large regions (remember it's there, or+         you might get confused)++       Eg:++              # a comment line+              ; another commentline+              comment+              A multi-line comment block,+              continuing until "end comment" directive+              or the end of the current file.+              end comment++       Some hledger entries can have same-line comments attached to them, from+       ; (semicolon) to end of line.  See Transaction comments,  Posting  com-+       ments, and Account comments below.++   Transactions+       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 op-+       tional fields, separated by spaces:++       o a status character (empty, !, or *)++       o a code (any short number or text, enclosed in parentheses)++       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+         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+         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++   Dates+   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 be+       omitted, in which case it will be inferred from the context:  the  cur-+       rent  transaction, the default year set with a Y directive, or the cur-+       rent  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.)++   Posting 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 re-+       ports, 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.+       The date: tag must have a valid simple date value if it is present,  eg+       a date: tag with no value is not allowed.++   Status+       Transactions,  or  individual postings within a transaction, can have a+       status mark, which is a single character  before  the  transaction  de-+       scription  or posting account name, separated from it by a space, indi-+       cating one of three statuses:++       mark     status+       ------------------+                unmarked+       !        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.++       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 un-+       marked for clarity.++       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+       real-world accounts.  Some editor modes provide highlighting and short-+       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.+       Here's one suggestion:++       status       meaning+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------+       uncleared    recorded but not yet reconciled; needs review+       pending      tentatively reconciled (if needed, eg during a big reconcil-+                    iation)+       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 un-+       cashed  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+       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+       "narration" in traditional bookkeeping, it can be used for whatever you+       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 (af-+       ter the first |).  This may be worthwhile if you need to do  more  pre-+       cise querying and pivoting by payee or by note.++   Transaction comments+       Text  following  ;, after a transaction description, and/or on indented+       lines immediately below it, form comments for that  transaction.   They+       are  reproduced by print but otherwise ignored, except they may contain+       tags, which are not ignored.++              2012-01-01 something  ; a transaction comment+                  ; a second line of transaction comment+                  expenses   1+                  assets++   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+       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+         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+       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+       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+       amount, the amount will be considered part of the account name.++   Account names+       Accounts  are  the  main  way of categorising things in hledger.  As in+       Double Entry Bookkeeping, they can represent real world accounts  (such+       as a bank account), or more abstract categories such as "money borrowed+       from Frank" or "money spent on electricity".++       You can use any account names you like, but we usually start  with  the+       traditional accounting categories, which in english are assets, liabil-+       ities, equity, revenues, expenses.  (You might see these referred to as+       A, L, E, R, X for short.)++       For  more  precise  reporting, we usually divide the top level accounts+       into more detailed subaccounts, by writing a full colon between account+       name  parts.   For example, from the account names assets:bank:checking+       and expenses:food, hledger will infer this hierarchy of five accounts:++              assets+              assets:bank+              assets:bank:checking+              expenses+              expenses:food++       Shown as an outline, the hierarchical tree structure is more clear:++              assets+               bank+                checking+              expenses+               food++       hledger reports can summarise the account tree to any depth, so you can+       go  as  deep  as  you like with subcategories, but keeping your account+       names relatively simple may be best when starting out.++       Account names may be capitalised or not; they may contain letters, num-+       bers,  symbols,  or  single  spaces.  Note, when an account name and an+       amount are written on the same line, they must be separated by  two  or+       more spaces (or tabs).++       Parentheses  or  brackets enclosing the full account name indicate vir-+       tual postings, described below.  Parentheses or  brackets  internal  to+       the account name have no special meaning.++       Account  names  can  be  altered  temporarily or permanently by account+       aliases.++   Amounts+       After the account name, there is usually an  amount.   (Important:  be-+       tween 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-+       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+       space:++              $1+              4000 AAPL+              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-+       modity 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++   Decimal marks, digit group marks+       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):++                   $1,000,000.00+                EUR 2.000.000,00+              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 ?++              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 confusing parsing mistakes and undetected typos,  especially+       if  your data contains digit group marks (eg, thousands separators), we+       recommend explicitly declaring the decimal mark character in each jour-+       nal  file,  using a directive at the top of the file.  The decimal-mark+       directive is best,  otherwise  commodity  directives  will  also  work.+       These are described below.++   Commodity+       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",+       "ABC123").++       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+       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.)++   Directives influencing number parsing and display+       You  can  add  decimal-mark and commodity directives to the journal, to+       declare and control these things more explicitly and precisely.   These+       are described below, but here's a quick example:++              # the decimal mark character used by all amounts in this file (all commodities)+              decimal-mark .++              # display styles for the $, EUR, INR and no-symbol commodities:+              commodity $1,000.00+              commodity EUR 1.000,00+              commodity INR 9,99,99,999.00+              commodity 1 000 000.9455++   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+       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+       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+       order of preference:++       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.+         (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-+         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+         amount++       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.++       Cost amounts don't affect the commodity display style directly, but oc-+       casionally they can do so indirectly (eg when a posting's amount is in-+       ferred using a cost).  If you find this causing problems, use a commod-+       ity 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:++              # 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+              commodity 1000.00000000 BTC+              commodity 1 000.++       The inferred commodity style can be overridden by supplying  a  command+       line option.++   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").++   Costs+       After  a posting amount, you can note its cost (when buying) or selling+       price (when selling) in another commodity, by writing  either  @  UNIT-+       PRICE  or @@ TOTALPRICE after it.  This indicates a conversion transac-+       tion, where one commodity is exchanged for another.++       (You might also see this called "transaction price"  in  hledger  docs,+       discussions,  or code; that term was directionally neutral and reminded+       that it is a price specific to a transaction, but we now just  call  it+       "cost", with the understanding that the transaction could be a purchase+       or a sale.)++       Costs are usually written explicitly with @ or @@, but can also be  in-+       ferred automatically for simple multi-commodity transactions.  Note, if+       costs are inferred, the order of postings  is  significant;  the  first+       posting will have a cost attached, in the commodity of the second.++       As  an  example, here are several ways to record purchases of a foreign+       currency in hledger, using the cost notation either explicitly  or  im-+       plicitly:++       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:++                  2009/1/1+                    assets:euros     100 @@ $135  ; one hundred euros purchased at $135 for the lot+                    assets:dollars++       3. Specify amounts for all postings, using exactly two commodities, and+          let hledger infer the price that balances the transaction.  Note the+          effect of posting order: the price is added to first posting, making+          it 100 @@ $135, as in example 2:++                  2009/1/1+                    assets:euros     100          ; one hundred euros purchased+                    assets:dollars  $-135          ; for $135++       Amounts can be converted to cost at report  time  using  the  -B/--cost+       flag; this is discussed more in the COST REPORTING section.++       Note  that  the  cost normally should be a positive amount, though it's+       not required to be.  This can be a little confusing, see discussion  at+       --infer-market-prices: market prices from transactions.++   Other cost/lot notations+       A  slight digression for Ledger and Beancount users.  Ledger has a num-+       ber of cost/lot-related notations:++       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST++         o expresses a conversion rate, as in hledger++         o when buying, also creates a lot than can  be  selected  at  selling+           time++       o (@) UNITCOST and (@@) TOTALCOST (virtual cost)++         o like  the  above,  but also means "this cost was exceptional, don't+           use it when inferring market prices".++       Currently, hledger treats the above like @ and @@; the parentheses  are+       ignored.++       o {=FIXEDUNITCOST} and {{=FIXEDTOTALCOST}} (fixed price)++         o when buying, means "this cost is also the fixed price, don't let it+           fluctuate in value reports"++       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}} (lot price)++         o can be used identically to @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST,  also  cre-+           ates a lot++         o when  selling,  combined with @ ..., specifies an investment lot by+           its cost basis; does not check if that lot is present++       o and related: [YYYY/MM/DD] (lot date)++         o when buying, attaches this acquisition date to the lot++         o when selling, selects a lot by its acquisition date++       o (SOME TEXT) (lot note)++         o when buying, attaches this note to the lot++         o when selling, selects a lot by its note++       Currently, hledger accepts any or all of the above in any  order  after+       the posting amount, but ignores them.  (This can break transaction bal-+       ancing.)++       For Beancount users, the notation and behaviour is different:++       o @ UNITCOST and @@ TOTALCOST++         o expresses a cost without creating a lot, as in hledger++         o when buying (augmenting) or selling (reducing) a lot, combined with+           {...}:  documents  the cost/selling price (not used for transaction+           balancing)++       o {UNITCOST} and {{TOTALCOST}}++         o when buying (augmenting), expresses the cost for  transaction  bal-+           ancing, and also creates a lot with this cost basis attached++         o when selling (reducing),++           o selects a lot by its cost basis++           o raises an error if that lot is not present or can not be selected+             unambiguously (depending on booking method configured)++           o expresses the selling price for transaction balancing++       Currently, hledger accepts the  {UNITCOST}/{{TOTALCOST}}  notation  but+       ignores it.++       o variations:  {}, {YYYY-MM-DD}, {"LABEL"}, {UNITCOST, "LABEL"}, {UNIT-+         COST, YYYY-MM-DD, "LABEL"} etc.++       Currently, hledger rejects these.++   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 b after each posting:++              2013/1/1+                a   $1  =$1+                b       =$-1++              2013/1/2+                a   $1  =$2+                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+       -I/--ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or+       for reading Ledger files.  (Note: this flag currently does not  disable+       balance assignments, described 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-+       ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order.  (Also,+       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.+       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 multiple included files+       Multiple files included with the include directive are processed as  if+       concatenated  into one file, preserving their order and the posting or-+       der within each file.  It means that balance assertions in later  files+       will see balance from earlier files.++       And  if you have multiple postings to an account on the same day, split+       across multiple files, and you want to assert the account's balance  on+       that day, you'll need to put the assertion in the right file - the last+       one in the sequence, probably.++   Assertions and multiple -f files+       Unlike include, when multiple files are specified on the  command  line+       with  multiple  -f/--file options, balance assertions will not see bal-+       ance from earlier files.  This can be useful when you do not want prob-+       lems in earlier files to disrupt valid assertions in later files.++       If  you  do  want assertions to see balance from earlier files, use in-+       clude, or concatenate the files temporarily.++   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+       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 other+       commodities in the account besides the asserted one (or at least,  that+       their balance is 0).++              2013/1/1+                a   $1+                a    1+                b  $-1+                c   -1++              2013/1/2  ; These assertions succeed+                a    0  =  $1+                a    0  =   1+                b    0 == $-1+                c    0 ==  -1++              2013/1/3  ; This assertion fails as 'a' also contains 1+                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+       into its own subaccount:++              2013/1/1+                a:usd   $1+                a:euro   1+                b++              2013/1/2+                a        0 ==  0+                a:usd    0 == $1+                a:euro   0 ==  1++   Assertions and prices+       Balance assertions ignore costs, 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 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+       assert the balance including subaccounts by writing =* or ==*, eg:++              2019/1/1+                equity:opening balances+                checking:a       5+                checking:b       5+                checking         1  ==* 11++   Assertions and virtual postings+       Balance assertions always consider both real and virtual postings; they+       are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query.++   Assertions and auto postings+       Balance  assertions  are  affected  by the --auto flag, which generates+       auto postings, which can alter account balances.  Because auto postings+       are optional in hledger, accounts affected by them effectively have two+       balances.  But balance assertions can only test one  or  the  other  of+       these.  So to avoid making fragile assertions, either:++       o assert the balance calculated with --auto, and always use --auto with+         that file++       o or assert the balance calculated without --auto, and never use --auto+         with that file++       o or avoid balance assertions on accounts affected by auto postings (or+         avoid auto postings entirely).++   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-+       tions.  Balance assertion failure messages show exact amounts.++   Posting comments+       Text  following  ;,  at  the  end of a posting line, and/or on indented+       lines immediately below it, form comments for that posting.   They  are+       reproduced  by  print  but  otherwise  ignored, except they may contain+       tags, which are not ignored.++              2012-01-01+                  expenses   1  ; a comment for posting 1+                  assets+                  ; a comment for posting 2+                  ; a second comment line for posting 2++   Tags+       Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled  data  to  transactions,+       postings, or accounts, which you can then search or pivot on.++       They are written as a word (optionally hyphenated) immediately followed+       by a full colon, in a transaction or  posting  or  account  directive's+       comment.   (This  is an exception to the usual rule that things in com-+       ments are ignored.)  Eg, here four different tags are recorded: one  on+       the  checking  account, two on the transaction, and one on the expenses+       posting:++              account assets:checking         ; accounttag:++              2017/1/16 bought groceries      ; transactiontag-1:+                  ; transactiontag-2:+                  assets:checking        $-1+                  expenses:food           $1  ; postingtag:++       Postings also inherit tags from their transaction  and  their  account.+       And  transactions  also acquire tags from their postings (and postings'+       accounts).  So in the example above, the expenses  posting  effectively+       has all four tags (by inheriting from account and transaction), and the+       transaction also has all four tags  (by  acquiring  from  the  expenses+       posting).++       You  can  list tag names with hledger tags [NAMEREGEX], or match by tag+       name with a tag:NAMEREGEX query.++   Tag values+       Tags can have a value, which is any text after the  colon  up  until  a+       comma  or end of line (with surrounding whitespace removed).  Note this+       means that hledger tag values can not contain commas.  Eg in  the  fol-+       lowing posting, the three tags' values are "value 1", "value 2", and ""+       (empty) respectively:++                  expenses:food   $10    ; foo, tag1: value 1 , tag2:value 2, bar tag3: , baz++       Note that tags can be repeated, and are additive rather  than  overrid-+       ing:  when  the  same  tag name is seen again with a new value, the new+       name:value pair is added to the tags.  (It is not possible to  override+       a tag's value or remove a tag.)++       You  can  list  a  tag's  values with hledger tags TAGNAME --values, or+       match by tag value with a tag:NAMEREGEX=VALUEREGEX query.++   Directives+       Besides transactions, there is something else you can put in a  journal+       file:  directives.   These  are declarations, beginning with a keyword,+       that modify hledger's behaviour.  Some directives can  have  more  spe-+       cific  subdirectives,  indented  below  them.  hledger's directives are+       similar to Ledger's in many cases, but there are also many differences.+       Directives  are not required, but can be useful.  Here are the main di-+       rectives:++       purpose                                    directive+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------+       READING DATA:+       Rewrite account names                      alias+       Comment out sections of the file           comment+       Declare file's  decimal  mark,  to  help   decimal-mark+       parse amounts accurately+       Include other data files                   include+       GENERATING DATA:+       Generate  recurring transactions or bud-   ~+       get goals+       Generate  extra  postings  on   existing   =+       transactions+       CHECKING FOR ERRORS:+       Define  valid  entities  to provide more   account, commodity, payee, tag+       error checking+       REPORTING:+       Declare accounts' type and display order   account+       Declare commodity display styles           commodity+       Declare market prices                      P++   Directives and multiple files+       Directives vary in their scope, ie which journal entries and which  in-+       put files they affect.  Most often, a directive will affect the follow-+       ing entries and included files if any, until the  end  of  the  current+       file - and no further.  You might find this inconvenient!  For example,+       alias directives do not affect parent or sibling files.  But there  are+       usually workarounds; for example, put alias directives in your top-most+       file, before including other files.++       The restriction, though it may be annoying  at  first,  is  in  a  good+       cause; it allows reports to be stable and deterministic, independent of+       the order of input.  Without it, reports could show  different  numbers+       depending  on  the order of -f options, or the positions of include di-+       rectives in your files.++   Directive effects+       Here are all hledger's directives, with their effects  and  scope  sum-+       marised - nine main directives, plus four others which we consider non-+       essential:++       di-        what it does                                                       ends+       rec-                                                                          at+       tive                                                                          file+                                                                                     end?+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       ac-        Declares  an account, for checking all entries in all files; and   N+       count      its display order and type.  Subdirectives: any text, ignored.+       alias      Rewrites account names, in following entries until end  of  cur-   Y+                  rent file or end aliases.  Command line equivalent: --alias+       com-       Ignores part of the journal file, until end of current  file  or   Y+       ment       end comment.+       com-       Declares up to four things: 1.  a commodity symbol, for checking   N,Y,N,N+       mod-       all amounts in all  files  2.   the  decimal  mark  for  parsing+       ity        amounts of this commodity, in the following entries until end of+                  current file (if there is no decimal-mark directive) 3.  and the+                  display  style  for  amounts of this commodity 4.  which is also+                  the precision to use for balanced-transaction checking  in  this+                  commodity.   Takes  precedence  over  D.   Subdirectives: format+                  (Ledger-compatible syntax).  Command line equivalent:  -c/--com-+                  modity-style+       deci-      Declares the decimal mark, for parsing amounts of  all  commodi-   Y+       mal-       ties in following entries until next decimal-mark or end of cur-+       mark       rent file.  Included files can override.  Takes precedence  over+                  commodity and D.+       in-        Includes entries and directives from another file,  as  if  they   N+       clude      were   written   inline.   Command  line  alternative:  multiple+                  -f/--file+       payee      Declares a payee name, for checking all entries in all files.      N+       P          Declares the market price of a commodity on some date, for value   N+                  reports.+       ~          Declares  a  periodic  transaction  rule  that  generates future   N+       (tilde)    transactions with  --forecast  and  budget  goals  with  balance+                  --budget.+       Other+       syntax:+       apply      Prepends  a  common parent account to all account names, in fol-   Y+       account    lowing entries until end of current file or end apply account.+       D          Sets a default commodity to use for  no-symbol  amounts;and,  if   Y,Y,N,N+                  there  is no commodity directive for this commodity: its decimal+                  mark, balancing precision, and display style, as above.+       Y          Sets a default year to use for any yearless dates, in  following   Y+                  entries until end of current file.+       =          Declares  an  auto posting rule that generates extra postings on   partly+       (equals)   matched transactions with --auto, in current, parent, and  child+                  files (but not sibling files, see #1212).+       Other      Other directives from Ledger's file format are accepted but  ig-+       Ledger     nored.+       direc-+       tives++   account directive+       account directives can be used to declare accounts (ie, the places that+       amounts are transferred from and to).  Though not required, these  dec-+       larations can provide several benefits:++       o They can document your intended chart of accounts, providing a refer-+         ence.++       o In strict mode, they restrict which accounts  may  be  posted  to  by+         transactions, which helps detect typos.++       o They  control  account  display order in reports, allowing non-alpha-+         betic sorting (eg Revenues to appear above Expenses).++       o They help with account name completion (in hledger add,  hledger-web,+         hledger-iadd, ledger-mode, etc.)++       o They can store additional account information as comments, or as tags+         which can be used to filter or pivot reports.++       o They can help hledger know your accounts'  types  (asset,  liability,+         equity,  revenue,  expense),  affecting reports like balancesheet and+         incomestatement.++       They are written as the word account followed by  a  hledger-style  ac-+       count name, eg:++              account assets:bank:checking++       Note, however, that accounts declared in account directives are not al-+       lowed to have surrounding brackets  and  parentheses,  unlike  accounts+       used in postings.  So the following journal will not parse:++              account (assets:bank:checking)++   Account comments+       Text following two or more spaces and ; at the end of an account direc-+       tive line, and/or following ; on indented lines immediately  below  it,+       form  comments for that account.  They are ignored except they may con-+       tain tags, which are not ignored.++       The two-space requirement for same-line account comments is  because  ;+       is allowed in account names.++              account assets:bank:checking    ; same-line comment, at least 2 spaces before the semicolon+                ; next-line comment+                ; some tags - type:A, acctnum:12345++   Account subdirectives+       Ledger-style  indented  subdirectives  are also accepted, but currently+       ignored:++              account assets:bank:checking+                format subdirective is ignored++   Account error checking+       By default, accounts need not be declared;  they  come  into  existence+       when  a  posting  references  them.   This  is convenient, but it means+       hledger can't warn you when you mis-spell an account name in the  jour-+       nal.  Usually you'll find that error later, as an extra account in bal-+       ance reports, or an incorrect balance when reconciling.++       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 de-+       clared by an account directive.  Some notes:++       o The declaration is case-sensitive; transactions must use the  correct+         account name capitalisation.++       o The  account  directive's scope is "whole file and below" (see direc-+         tives).  This means it affects all of the current file, and any files+         it  includes,  but  not parent or sibling files.  The position of ac-+         count directives within the file does not matter, though  it's  usual+         to put them at the top.++       o Accounts  can  only be declared in journal files, but will affect in-+         cluded files of all types.++       o It's currently not possible to  declare  "all  possible  subaccounts"+         with a wildcard; every account posted to must be declared.++   Account display order+       The  order in which account directives are written influences the order+       in which accounts appear in reports, hledger-ui, hledger-web  etc.   By+       default accounts appear in alphabetical order, but if you add these ac-+       count directives to the journal file:++              account assets+              account liabilities+              account equity+              account revenues+              account expenses++       those accounts will be displayed in declaration order:++              $ hledger accounts -1+              assets+              liabilities+              equity+              revenues+              expenses++       Any undeclared accounts are displayed last, in alphabetical order.++       Sorting is done at each level of the account tree, within 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 means:++       o you will sometimes declare parent accounts (eg account  other  above)+         that you don't intend to post to, just to customize their display or-+         der++       o sibling accounts stay together (you couldn't display x:y  in  between+         a:b and a:c).++   Account types+       hledger knows that accounts come in several types: assets, liabilities,+       expenses and so on.  This enables easy reports  like  balancesheet  and+       incomestatement, and filtering by account type with the type: query.++       As a convenience, hledger will detect these account types automatically+       if you are using common english-language top-level account  names  (de-+       scribed  below).   But generally we recommend you declare types explic-+       itly, by adding a type: tag to your top-level account directives.  Sub-+       accounts will inherit the type of their parent.  The tag's value should+       be one of the five main account types:++       o A or Asset (things you own)++       o L or Liability (things you owe)++       o E or Equity (investment/ownership; balanced counterpart of  assets  &+         liabilities)++       o R  or  Revenue (what you received money from, AKA income; technically+         part of Equity)++       o X or Expense (what you spend money on; technically part of Equity)++       or, it can be (these are used less often):++       o C or Cash (a subtype of Asset, indicating liquid assets for the cash-+         flow report)++       o V  or  Conversion (a subtype of Equity, for conversions (see COST RE-+         PORTING).)++       Here is a typical set of account type declarations:++              account assets             ; type: A+              account liabilities        ; type: L+              account equity             ; type: E+              account revenues           ; type: R+              account expenses           ; type: X++              account assets:bank        ; type: C+              account assets:cash        ; type: C++              account equity:conversion  ; type: V++       Here are some tips for working with account types.++       o The rules for inferring types from  account  names  are  as  follows.+         These are just a convenience that sometimes help new users get going;+         if they don't work for you, just ignore them and declare your account+         types.  See also Regular expressions.++                If account's name contains this (CI) regular expression:            | its type is:+                --------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------+                ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|current)(:|$) | Cash+                ^assets?(:|$)                                                       | Asset+                ^(debts?|liabilit(y|ies))(:|$)                                      | Liability+                ^equity:(trad(e|ing)|conversion)s?(:|$)                             | Conversion+                ^equity(:|$)                                                        | Equity+                ^(income|revenue)s?(:|$)                                            | Revenue+                ^expenses?(:|$)                                                     | Expense++       o If  you declare any account types, it's a good idea to declare an ac-+         count for all of the account types, because a mixture of declared and+         name-inferred types can disrupt certain reports.++       o Certain  uses  of  account  aliases  can  disrupt account types.  See+         Rewriting accounts > Aliases and account types.++       o As mentioned above, subaccounts will inherit a type from their parent+         account.   More  precisely, an account's type is decided by the first+         of these that exists:++         1. A type: declaration for this account.++         2. A type: declaration in the parent accounts  above  it,  preferring+            the nearest.++         3. An account type inferred from this account's name.++         4. An  account type inferred from a parent account's name, preferring+            the nearest parent.++         5. Otherwise, it will have no type.++       o For troubleshooting, you can list accounts and their types with:++                $ hledger accounts --types [ACCTPAT] [-DEPTH] [type:TYPECODES]++   alias directive+       You can define account alias rules which rewrite your account names, or+       parts of them, before generating reports.  This can be useful for:++       o expanding shorthand account names to their full form, allowing easier+         data entry and a less verbose journal++       o adapting old journals to your current chart of accounts++       o experimenting with new account organisations, like a new hierarchy++       o combining two accounts into one, eg to see their sum or difference on+         one line++       o customising reports++       Account aliases also rewrite account names in account directives.  They+       do not affect account names being entered via hledger add  or  hledger-+       web.++       Account aliases are very powerful.  They are generally easy to use cor-+       rectly, but you can also generate invalid account names with them; more+       on this below.++       See also Rewrite account names.++   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+       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 interactively.++       OLD  and  NEW  are case sensitive full account names.  hledger will re-+       place any occurrence of the old account name with the new one.   Subac-+       counts 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"++   Regex aliases+       There  is  also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression,+       indicated by wrapping the pattern in forward  slashes.   (This  is  the+       only  place where hledger requires forward slashes around a regular ex-+       pression.)++       Eg:++              alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT++       or:++              $ hledger --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT' ...++       Any part of an account name matched by REGEX will be  replaced  by  RE-+       PLACEMENT.  REGEX is case-insensitive as usual.++       If  you  need  to match a forward slash, escape it with a backslash, eg+       /\/=:.++       If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can  be  referenced+       by the usual backslash and number in REPLACEMENT:++              alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+):(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3+              ; rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to  "assets:wells fargo checking"++       REPLACEMENT continues to the end of line (or on command line, to end of+       option argument), so it can contain trailing whitespace.++   Combining aliases+       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+       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+       entry, we apply:++       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+          (left to right).++       In other words, for (an account name in) a given journal entry:++       o the nearest alias declaration before/above the entry is applied first++       o the next alias before/above that will be be applied next, and so on++       o aliases defined after/below the entry do not affect it.++       This  gives nearby aliases precedence over distant ones, and helps pro-+       vide semantic stability - aliases will keep working the same way  inde-+       pendent of which files are being read and in which order.++       In  case  of  trouble,  adding  --debug=6 to the command line will show+       which aliases are being applied when.++   Aliases and multiple files+       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.  In-+       cluding the aliases doesn't work either:++              include a.aliases++              2023-01-01  ; not affected by a.aliases+                foo  1+                bar++       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++              2023-01-01  ; affected by aliases above+                foo  1+                bar++              include c.journal  ; also affected++   end aliases directive+       You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases (seen in the jour-+       nal so far, or defined on the command line) with this directive:++              end aliases++   Aliases can generate bad account names+       Be aware that account aliases  can  produce  malformed  account  names,+       which could cause confusing reports or invalid print output.  For exam-+       ple, you could erase all account names:++              2021-01-01+                a:aa     1+                b++              $ hledger print --alias '/.*/='+              2021-01-01+                                 1++       The above print output is not a valid journal.  Or you could insert  an+       illegal  double space, causing print output that would give a different+       journal when reparsed:++              2021-01-01+                old    1+                other++              $ hledger print --alias old="new  USD" | hledger -f- print+              2021-01-01+                  new             USD 1+                  other++   Aliases and account types+       If an account with a type declaration (see Declaring accounts > Account+       types) is renamed by an alias, normally the account type remains in ef-+       fect.++       However, renaming in a way that reshapes the account tree (eg  renaming+       parent  accounts  but  not their children, or vice versa) could prevent+       child accounts from inheriting the account type of their parents.++       Secondly, if an account's type is being inferred from its name,  renam-+       ing it by an alias could prevent or alter that.++       If  you  are  using account aliases and the type: query is not matching+       accounts as you expect, try troubleshooting with the accounts  command,+       eg something like:++              $ hledger accounts --alias assets=bassetts type:a++   commodity directive+       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 Com-+          modity error checking)++       2. It declares which decimal mark character (period or comma),  to  ex-+          pect  when parsing input - useful to disambiguate international num-+          ber 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 dec-+          imal  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.++       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 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  subdirec-+       tive,  as  in  Ledger.   Note in this case the commodity symbol appears+       twice; it must be the same in both places:++              ;commodity SYMBOL+              ;  format SAMPLEAMOUNT++              ; display indian rupees with currency name on the left,+              ; thousands, lakhs and crores comma-separated,+              ; period as decimal point, and two decimal places.+              commodity INR+                format INR 1,00,00,000.00++       Other indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++       Remember that if the commodity  symbol  contains  spaces,  numbers,  or+       punctuation, it must be enclosed in double quotes (cf Commodity).++       The  amount's quantity does not matter; only the format is significant.+       It must include a decimal mark - either a period or a 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+              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.)++       Even in the presence of commodity  directives,  the  commodity  display+       style can still be overridden by supplying a command line option.++   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.++       Note, this disallows amounts without a commodity symbol,  because  cur-+       rently it's not possible (?)  to declare the "no-symbol" commodity with+       a directive.  This is one exception for convenience: zero  amounts  are+       always allowed to have no commodity symbol.++   decimal-mark directive+       You can use a decimal-mark directive - usually one per file, at the top+       of the file - to declare which character represents a decimal mark when+       parsing amounts in this file.  It can look like++              decimal-mark .++       or++              decimal-mark ,++       This  prevents  any  ambiguity  when parsing numbers in the file, so we+       recommend it, especially if the file contains  digit  group  marks  (eg+       thousands separators).++   include directive+       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  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.++       The path may contain glob patterns to match multiple files, eg: include+       *.journal.++       There is limited support for recursive wildcards: **/ (the slash is re-+       quired) 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.++       The path may also be prefixed to force a specific file format, overrid-+       ing  the file extension (as described in hledger.1 -> Input files): in-+       clude timedot:~/notes/2023*.md.++   P directive+       The P directive declares a market price, which is a conversion rate be-+       tween  two commodities on a certain date.  This allows value reports to+       convert amounts of one commodity to their value in another, on or after+       that  date.   These  prices  are  often obtained from a stock exchange,+       cryptocurrency exchange, the or foreign exchange market.++       The format is:++              P DATE COMMODITY1SYMBOL COMMODITY2AMOUNT++       DATE is a simple date, COMMODITY1SYMBOL is the symbol of the  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.  Ex-+       amples:++              # 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.++   payee directive+       payee PAYEE NAME++       This 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:++              payee Whole Foods++       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++   tag directive+       tag TAGNAME++       This  directive  can  be used to declare a limited set of tag names al-+       lowed in tags.  TAGNAME should be a valid tag name (no spaces).  Eg:++              tag  item-id++       Any indented subdirectives are currently ignored.++       The "tags" check will report an error if any  undeclared  tag  name  is+       used.  It is quite easy to accidentally create a tag through normal use+       of colons in comments(#comments]; if you want to prevent this, you  can+       declare and check your tags .++   Periodic transactions+       The ~ directive declares recurring transactions.  Such directives allow+       hledger to generate temporary future transactions (visible in  reports,+       not in the journal file) to help with forecasting or budgeting.++       Periodic  transactions  can be a little tricky, so before you use them,+       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+          tag:generated.++       3. Forecasted  transactions  will  begin  only after the last non-fore-+          casted 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 im-+          provement, 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  an+          error.++       7. Other period expressions with an interval are automatically 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+          2023/01,  which  is  equivalent  to  ~  every 10th day of month from+          2023/01/01, will be adjusted to start on 2019/12/10.++   Periodic rule syntax+       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.):++              # every first of month+              ~ monthly+                  expenses:rent          $2000+                  assets:bank:checking++              # every 15th of month in 2023's first quarter:+              ~ monthly from 2023-04-15 to 2023-06-16+                  expenses:utilities          $400+                  assets:bank:checking++       The period expression is the same syntax used for specifying  multi-pe-+       riod  reports, just interpreted differently; there, it specifies report+       periods; here it specifies recurrence dates (the periods' start dates).++   Periodic rules and relative dates+       Partial or relative dates (like 12/31, 25, tomorrow,  last  week,  next+       quarter)  are  usually not recommended in periodic rules, since the re-+       sults will change as time passes.  If used, they  will  be  interpreted+       relative to, in order of preference:++       1. the first day of the default year specified by a recent Y directive++       2. or the date specified with --today++       3. or the date on which you are running the report.++       They  will  not  be affected at all by report period or forecast period+       dates.++   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+       where the period expression ends, so that descriptions can not acciden-+       tally alter their meaning, as in this example:++              ; 2 or more spaces needed here, so the period is not understood as "every 2 months in 2023"+              ;               ||+              ;               vv+              ~ every 2 months  in 2023, we will review+                  assets:bank:checking   $1500+                  income:acme inc++       So,++       o Do  write two spaces between your period expression and your transac-+         tion description, if any.++       o Don't accidentally write two spaces in the middle of your period  ex-+         pression.++   Auto postings+       The = directive declares a rule for generating temporary extra postings+       on transactions.  Wherever the rule matches an existing posting, it can+       add  one  or  more companion postings below that one, optionally influ-+       enced by the matched posting's amount.  This can be useful for generat-+       ing tax postings with a standard percentage, for example.++       Note  that  depending  on  generated  data  is  not ideal for financial+       records (it's less portable, less future-proof, less auditable by  oth-+       ers, and less robust, since other features like balance assertions will+       depend on using or not using --auto).++       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  match-+       ing),  followed  by a query (which matches existing postings), and each+       "posting" line describes a posting to be  generated,  and  the  posting+       amounts can be:++       o a  normal  amount  with a commodity symbol, eg $2.  This will be used+         as-is.++       o a number, eg 2.  The commodity symbol (if any) from the matched post-+         ing will be added to this.++       o 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.++       o 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+       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++              ; when I buy a gift, also deduct that amount from a budget envelope subaccount+              = expenses:gifts+                  assets:checking:gifts  *-1+                  assets:checking         *1++              2017/12/1+                expenses:food    $10+                assets:checking++              2017/12/14+                expenses:gifts   $20+                assets:checking++              $ hledger print --auto+              2017-12-01+                  expenses:food              $10+                  assets:checking+                  (liabilities:charity)      $-1++              2017-12-14+                  expenses:gifts             $20+                  assets:checking+                  assets:checking:gifts     -$20+                  assets:checking            $20++   Auto postings and multiple files+       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).++   Auto postings and dates+       A  posting  date (or secondary date) in the matched posting, or (taking+       precedence) a posting date in the auto posting rule itself,  will  also+       be used in the generated posting.++   Auto postings and transaction balancing / inferred amounts / balance asser-+       tions+       Currently, auto postings are added:++       o after missing amounts are inferred, and transactions are checked  for+         balancedness,++       o 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+       for background.++       This  also means that you cannot have more than one auto-posting with a+       missing amount applied to a given transaction, as it will be unable  to+       infer amounts.++   Auto posting tags+       Automated postings will have some extra tags:++       o generated-posting:= QUERY - shows this was generated by an auto post-+         ing rule, and the query++       o _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:++       o modified: - this transaction was modified++       o _modified: - a hidden tag not appearing in the comment; this transac-+         tion was modified "just now".++   Auto postings on forecast transactions only+       Tip: you can can make auto postings that will apply to forecast  trans-+       actions  but not recorded transactions, by adding tag:_generated-trans-+       action to their QUERY.  This can be useful when generating new  journal+       entries to be saved in the journal.++   Other syntax+       hledger  journal  format supports quite a few other features, mainly to+       make interoperating with or converting from Ledger easier.   Note  some+       of  the features below are powerful and can be useful in special cases,+       but in general, features in this section are considered less  important+       or  even  not  recommended  for most users.  Downsides are mentioned to+       help you decide if you want to use them.++   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+       setting opening balances:++              ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances+              2016/1/1 opening balances+                assets:checking            = $409.32+                assets:savings             = $735.24+                assets:cash                 = $42+                equity: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+                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-+       ment).++       Downsides:  using balance assignments makes your journal less explicit;+       to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the cal-+       culations  yourself,  instead of just reading it.  Also balance assign-+       ments' forcing of balances can hide errors.  These things make your fi-+       nancial  data less portable, less future-proof, and less trustworthy in+       an audit.++   Balance assignments and prices+       A cost 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++   Bracketed posting dates+       For  setting posting dates and secondary posting dates, Ledger's brack-+       eted date syntax is also supported: [DATE], [DATE=DATE2] or [=DATE2] in+       posting  comments.   hledger will attempt to parse any square-bracketed+       sequence of the 0123456789/-.= characters in this way.  With this  syn-+       tax,  DATE  infers  its  year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its+       year from DATE.++       Downsides:  another  syntax  to   learn,   redundant   with   hledger's+       date:/date2: tags, and confusingly similar to Ledger's lot date syntax.++   D directive+       D AMOUNT++       This  directive sets a default commodity, to be used for any subsequent+       commodityless amounts (ie, plain numbers) seen while parsing the  jour-+       nal.   This  effect lasts until the next D directive, or the end of the+       journal.++       For compatibility/historical reasons, D also acts like a commodity  di-+       rective  (setting  the commodity's decimal mark for parsing and display+       style for output).  So its argument is not just a commodity symbol, but+       a full amount demonstrating the style.  The amount must include a deci-+       mal mark (either period or comma).  Eg:++              ; commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars+              ; (and displayed with the dollar sign on the left, thousands separators and two decimal places)+              D $1,000.00++              1/1+                a     5  ; <- commodity-less amount, parsed as $5 and displayed as $5.00+                b++       Interactions with other directives:++       For setting a commodity's display  style,  a  commodity  directive  has+       highest priority, then a D directive.++       For  detecting  a commodity's decimal mark during parsing, decimal-mark+       has highest priority, then commodity, then D.++       For checking commodity symbols with the check command, a commodity  di-+       rective is required (hledger check commodities ignores D directives).++       Downsides:  omitting  commodity  symbols makes your financial data less+       explicit, less portable, and less trustworthy in an audit.  It is  usu-+       ally  an unsustainable shortcut; sooner or later you will want to track+       multiple commodities.  D is overloaded with  functions  redundant  with+       commodity and decimal-mark.  And it works differently from Ledger's D.++   apply account directive+       This  directive  sets a default parent account, which will be prepended+       to all accounts in following entries, until an end apply account direc-+       tive or end of current file.  Eg:++              apply account home++              2010/1/1+                  food    $10+                  cash++              end apply account++       is equivalent to:++              2010/01/01+                  home:food           $10+                  home:cash          $-10++       account directives are also affected, and so is any included content.++       Account names entered via hledger add or hledger-web are not affected.++       Account  aliases,  if  any,  are  applied  after  the parent account is+       prepended.++       Downsides: this can make your financial data less explicit, less porta-+       ble, and less trustworthy in an audit.++   Y directive+       Y YEAR++       or (deprecated backward-compatible forms):++       year YEAR apply year YEAR++       The  space is optional.  This sets a default year to be used for subse-+       quent dates which don't specify a year.  Eg:++              Y2009  ; set default year to 2009++              12/15  ; equivalent to 2009/12/15+                expenses  1+                assets++              year 2010  ; change default year to 2010++              2009/1/30  ; specifies the year, not affected+                expenses  1+                assets++              1/31   ; equivalent to 2010/1/31+                expenses  1+                assets++       Downsides: omitting the year (from primary transaction dates, at least)+       makes your financial data less explicit, less portable, and less trust-+       worthy in an audit.  Such dates can get  separated  from  their  corre-+       sponding  Y  directive,  eg  when evaluating a region of the journal in+       your editor.  A missing Y directive makes reports dependent on  today's+       date.++   Secondary dates+       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+       (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  =+       date the transaction was initiated, if different".++       Downsides:  makes  your financial data more complicated, less portable,+       and less trustworthy in an audit.  Keeping the meaning of the two dates+       consistent  requires discipline, and you have to remember which report-+       ing mode is appropriate for a given report.  Posting dates are  simpler+       and better.++   Star comments+       Lines  beginning  with  * (star/asterisk) are also comment lines.  This+       feature allows Emacs users to insert org headings in their journal, al-+       lowing them to fold/unfold/navigate it like an outline when viewed with+       org mode.++       Downsides: another, unconventional comment syntax to learn.   Decreases+       your  journal's  portability.  And switching to Emacs org mode just for+       folding/unfolding meant losing the benefits of  ledger  mode;  nowadays+       you  can add outshine mode to ledger mode to get folding without losing+       ledger mode's features.++   Valuation expressions+       Ledger allows a valuation function or value to  be  written  in  double+       parentheses after an amount.  hledger ignores these.++   Virtual postings+       A  posting with parentheses around the account name ((some:account)) is+       called a unbalanced virtual posting.  Such postings do not  participate+       in  transaction balancing.  (And if you write them without an amount, a+       zero amount is always inferred.)  These can occasionally be  convenient+       for  special  circumstances,  but they violate double entry bookkeeping+       and make your data less portable across applications,  so  many  people+       avoid using them at all.++       A  posting  with  brackets  around the account name ([some:account]) is+       called a balanced virtual posting.  The balanced virtual postings in  a+       transaction must add up to zero, just like ordinary postings, but sepa-+       rately from them.  These are not part of double entry  bookkeeping  ei-+       ther, but they are at least balanced.  An example:++              2022-01-01 buy food with cash, update budget envelope subaccounts, & something else+                assets:cash                    $-10  ; <- these balance each other+                expenses:food                    $7  ; <-+                expenses:food                    $3  ; <-+                [assets:checking:budget:food]  $-10  ;   <- and these balance each other+                [assets:checking:available]     $10  ;   <-+                (something:else)                 $5  ;     <- this is not required to balance++       Ordinary  postings,  whose  account names are neither parenthesised nor+       bracketed, are called real postings.  You can exclude virtual  postings+       from reports with the -R/--real flag or a real:1 query.++   Other Ledger directives+       These other Ledger directives are currently accepted but ignored.  This+       allows hledger to read more Ledger files, but be aware  that  hledger's+       reports may differ from Ledger's if you use these.++              apply fixed COMM AMT+              apply tag   TAG+              assert      EXPR+              bucket / A  ACCT+              capture     ACCT REGEX+              check       EXPR+              define      VAR=EXPR+              end apply fixed+              end apply tag+              end apply year+              end tag+              eval / expr EXPR+              python+                PYTHONCODE+              tag         NAME+              value       EXPR+              --command-line-flags++       See  also https://hledger.org/ledger.html for a detailed hledger/Ledger+       syntax comparison.++CSV+       hledger can read CSV files (Character Separated Value - usually  comma,+       semicolon,  or  tab) containing dated records, automatically converting+       each record into a transaction.++       (To learn about writing CSV, see CSV output.)++       For best error messages when reading CSV/TSV/SSV files, make sure  they+       have a corresponding .csv, .tsv or .ssv file extension or use a hledger+       file prefix (see File Extension below).++       Each CSV file must be described by a corresponding rules file.+       This contains rules describing the CSV data (header line,  fields  lay-+       out,  date format etc.), how to construct hledger transactions from it,+       and how to categorise transactions based on description  or  other  at-+       tributes.++       By  default hledger looks for a rules file named like the CSV file with+       an extra .rules extension, in the same directory.   Eg  when  asked  to+       read foo/FILE.csv, hledger looks for foo/FILE.csv.rules.  You can spec-+       ify a different rules file with the --rules-file option.  If  no  rules+       file  is  found,  hledger will create a sample rules file, which you'll+       need to adjust.++       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:++              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+                  income:unknown            -10.23++       There's an introductory Importing CSV data tutorial on hledger.org, and+       more   CSV   rules   examples   below,   and  a  larger  collection  at+       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/examples/csv.++   CSV rules cheatsheet+       The following kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any order.+       (Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; or * are ignored.)++       source                     optionally  declare  which  file  to read data+                                  from+       separator                  declare the field separator, instead of  rely-+                                  ing on file extension+       skip                       skip one or more header lines at start of file+       date-format                declare how to parse CSV dates/date-times+       timezone                   declare  the  time zone of ambiguous CSV date-+                                  times+       newest-first               improve txn order  when:  there  are  multiple+                                  records, newest first, all with the same date+       intra-day-reversed         improve  txn  order when: same-day txns are in+                                  opposite order to the overall file+       decimal-mark               declare the decimal mark used in CSV  amounts,+                                  when ambiguous+       fields list                name  CSV  fields  for easy reference, and op-+                                  tionally assign their values to hledger fields+       Field assignment           assign a CSV value or interpolated text  value+                                  to a hledger field+       if block                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                                  or skip a record or end (skip rest of file)+       if table                   conditionally assign values to hledger fields,+                                  using compact syntax+       balance-type               select  which  type  of balance assertions/as-+                                  signments to generate+       include                    inline another CSV rules file++       Working with CSV tips can be found below, including How CSV  rules  are+       evaluated.++   source+       If  you  tell  hledger to read a csv file with -f foo.csv, it will look+       for rules in foo.csv.rules.  Or, you can tell  it  to  read  the  rules+       file,  with  -f  foo.csv.rules,  and  it  will look for data in foo.csv+       (since 1.30).++       These are mostly equivalent, but the second method provides some  extra+       features.   For  one,  the data file can be missing, without causing an+       error; it is just considered empty.  And, you can specify  a  different+       data file by adding a "source" rule:++              source ./Checking1.csv++       If  you specify just a file name with no path, hledger will look for it+       in your system's downloads directory (~/Downloads, currently):++              source Checking1.csv++       And if you specify a glob pattern, hledger will read the most recent of+       the matched files (useful with repeated downloads):++              source Checking1*.csv++       See also "Working with CSV > Reading files specified by rule".++   separator+       You  can  use the separator rule to read other kinds of character-sepa-+       rated 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 inferred automat-+       ically, and you won't need this rule.++   skip+              skip N++       The word skip followed by a number (or  no  number,  meaning  1)  tells+       hledger  to  ignore this many non-empty lines at the start of the input+       data.  You'll need this whenever your CSV data contains  header  lines.+       Note,  empty  and  blank  lines are skipped automatically, so you don't+       need to count those.++       skip has a second meaning: it can be used inside if  blocks  (described+       below),  to  skip  one  or more records whenever the condition is true.+       Records skipped in this way are ignored, except they are still required+       to be valid CSV.++   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,  you'll+       need  to  add  a date-format rule describing them with a strptime-style+       date   parsing   pattern   -   see    https://hackage.haskell.org/pack-+       age/time/docs/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime.    The  pattern  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++   timezone+              timezone TIMEZONE++       When CSV contains date-times that are  implicitly  in  some  time  zone+       other than yours, but containing no explicit time zone information, you+       can use this rule to declare the CSV's native time  zone,  which  helps+       prevent off-by-one dates.++       When  the  CSV  date-times  do contain time zone information, you don't+       need this rule; instead, use %Z in date-format (or %z,  %EZ,  %Ez;  see+       the formatTime link above).++       In either of these cases, hledger will do a time-zone-aware conversion,+       localising the CSV date-times to your current system time zone.  If you+       prefer to localise to some other time zone, eg for reproducibility, you+       can (on unix at least) set the output timezone with the TZ  environment+       variable, eg:++              $ TZ=-1000 hledger print -f foo.csv  # or TZ=-1000 hledger import foo.csv++       timezone  currently  does  not understand timezone names, except "UTC",+       "GMT", "EST", "EDT", "CST", "CDT", "MST", "MDT", "PST", or "PDT".   For+       others, use numeric format: +HHMM or -HHMM.++   newest-first+       hledger tries to ensure that the generated transactions will be ordered+       chronologically, including  intra-day  transactions.   Usually  it  can+       auto-detect  how the CSV records are ordered.  But if it encounters CSV+       where all records are on the same date, it assumes that the records are+       oldest  first.  If in fact the CSV's records are normally newest first,+       like:++              2022-10-01, txn 3...+              2022-10-01, txn 2...+              2022-10-01, txn 1...++       you can add the newest-first rule to help hledger generate the transac-+       tions in correct order.++              # same-day CSV records are newest first+              newest-first++   intra-day-reversed+       CSV  records  for each day are sometimes ordered in reverse compared to+       the overall date order.  Eg, here  dates  are  newest  first,  but  the+       transactions on each date are oldest first:++              2022-10-02, txn 3...+              2022-10-02, txn 4...+              2022-10-01, txn 1...+              2022-10-01, txn 2...++       In  this  situation,  add the intra-day-reversed rule, and hledger will+       compensate, improving the order of transactions.++              # transactions within each day are reversed with respect to the overall date order+              intra-day-reversed++   decimal-mark+              decimal-mark .++       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 CSV+       contain digit group marks,  such  as  thousand-separating  commas,  you+       should  declare  the  decimal  mark explicitly with this rule, to avoid+       misparsed numbers.++   fields list+              fields FIELDNAME1, FIELDNAME2, ...++       A fields list (the word fields followed by comma-separated field names)+       is optional, but convenient.  It does two things:++       1. It  names  the  CSV field in each column.  This can be convenient if+          you are referencing them in other rules, so you can  say  %SomeField+          instead of remembering %13.++       2. Whenever  you  use one of the special hledger field names (described+          below), it assigns the CSV value in this position  to  that  hledger+          field.   This  is  the quickest way to populate hledger's fields and+          build a 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++       In a fields list, the separator is always comma; it is unrelated to the+       CSV file's separator.  Also:++       o There must be least two items in the list (at least one comma).++       o Field  names may not contain spaces.  Spaces before/after field names+         are optional.++       o Field names may contain _ (underscore) or - (hyphen).++       o Fields you don't care about can be given a dummy  name  or  an  empty+         name.++       If  the  CSV contains column headings, it's convenient to use these for+       your field names, suitably modified (eg  lower-cased  with  spaces  re-+       placed by underscores).++       Sometimes  you may want to alter a CSV field name to avoid assigning to+       a hledger field with the same name.  Eg you could call the CSV's  "bal-+       ance"  field balance_ to avoid directly setting hledger's balance field+       (and generating a balance assertion).++   Field assignment+              HLEDGERFIELD 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+       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  inter-+       polate  CSV  fields,  referenced  by  their 1-based position in the CSV+       record (%N), or by the name they were given in the fields  list  (%CSV-+       FIELD).++       Some examples:++              # set the amount to the 4th CSV field, with " USD" appended+              amount %4 USD++              # combine three fields to make a comment, containing note: and date: tags+              comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1++       Tips:++       o Interpolation  strips outer whitespace (so a CSV value like " 1 " be-+         comes 1 when interpolated) (#1051).++       o Interpolations always refer to a CSV field - you can't interpolate  a+         hledger field.  (See Referencing other fields below).++   Field names+       Note  the  two  kinds  of  field names mentioned here, and used only in+       hledger CSV rules files:++       1. CSV field names (CSVFIELD in these docs): you  can  optionally  name+          the  CSV columns for easy reference (since hledger doesn't yet auto-+          matically recognise column headings in a CSV file), by writing arbi-+          trary names in a fields list, eg:++                  fields When, What, Some_Id, Net, Total, Foo, Bar++       2. Special  hledger  field names (HLEDGERFIELD in these docs): you must+          set at least some of these to generate the hledger transaction  from+          a  CSV  record, by writing them as the left hand side of a field as-+          signment, eg:++                  date        %When+                  code        %Some_Id+                  description %What+                  comment     %Foo %Bar+                  amount1     $ %Total++           or directly in a fields list:++                  fields date, description, code, , amount1, Foo, Bar+                  currency $+                  comment  %Foo %Bar++       Here are all the special hledger field names available, and  what  hap-+       pens when you assign values to them:++   date field+       Assigning to date sets the transaction date.++   date2 field+       date2 sets the transaction's secondary date, if any.++   status field+       status sets the transaction's status, if any.++   code field+       code sets the transaction's code, if any.++   description field+       description sets the transaction's description, if any.++   comment field+       comment sets the transaction's comment, if any.++       commentN, where N is a number, sets the Nth posting's comment.++       You  can  assign multi-line comments by writing literal \n in the code.+       A comment starting with \n will begin on a new line.++       Comments can contain tags, as usual.++   account field+       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 based on+       each transaction's description, in conditional rules.++       If a posting's account name is left unset but its amount  is  set  (see+       below),  a default account name will be chosen (like "expenses:unknown"+       or "income:unknown").++   amount field+       Amount setting can get a bit complex.  Assigning to  amount  is  suffi-+       cient  for  simple transactions, but there are four field name variants+       you can use for different situations:++       o amountN sets a specific posting's amount from one CSV field or  arbi-+         trary value.+       Assigning  to  amountN  sets  the  amount of the Nth posting - and also+       causes that posting to be generated.  N is most often 1 or 2 but can go+       up  to  99,  potentially generating a 99-posting transaction.  (Posting+       numbers don't have to be consecutive; higher posting numbers can  some-+       times be useful with conditional rules, to ensure a certain ordering of+       postings.)++       o amountN-in/-out sets a specific posting's amount from two CSV fields.+       When the amount is provided as two CSV fields - "Debit"/"Credit",  "De-+       posit"/"Withdrawal",  "Money  In"/"Money Out" or similar - assign those+       fields to amountN-in and  amountN-out  respectively  (or  possibly  the+       other  way round, depending on signs).  This will set the Nth posting's+       amount to whichever of the two CSV  field  values  is  non-zero.   Some+       notes:++         o Don't  mix  amountN  and  amountN-in/-out.   When  you have one CSV+           amount field, use amountN.  When you have two  CSV  amount  fields,+           use amountN-in/amountN-out.++         o amountN-in  and  amountN-out  are  always used together, as a pair.+           Assign to both of them.++         o They do not generate two separate postings; rather,  they  generate+           the  Nth  posting's  single  amount, from the value found in one or+           other of the two CSV fields.++         o In each record, at least one of the two CSV fields must  contain  a+           zero amount or be empty.++         o hledger assumes the two CSV fields contain unsigned numbers, and it+           will automatically negate the -out amount.++         o This variant can be convenient, but it doesn't  handle  every  two-+           amount-field  situation;  if  you  need more flexibility, use an if+           rule (see "Setting amounts" below).++       The other two variants are older and considered legacy syntax, but  can+       still be convenient sometimes:++       o amount sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from one CSV field or value.+       Assigning to amount, with no posting number,++         o sets posting 1's amount (like amount1)++         o sets  posting 2's amount to the same amount but with opposite sign;+           and also converts it to cost if it has a cost price++         o can be overridden by amount1  and/or  amount2  assignments.   (This+           helps  with  incremental  migration of old rules files to the newer+           syntax.)++       o amount-in/-out sets posting 1 and 2's amounts from two CSV fields.+       Assigning amount-in and amount-out, with no posting numbers, to two CSV+       fields reads whichever of the two values is non-zero as the amount, and+       then sets the first two posting amounts as above.++       We recommend using only one of these  variants  within  a  rules  file,+       rather  than  mixing them.  And remember that a fields list can also do+       assignments, so eg naming a CSV field "amount" counts as an  assignment+       to  amount;  if  you  don't  want  that,  call  it something else, like+       "amount_".++       In addition to this section, please see  also  the  tips  beginning  at+       "Working with CSV > Setting amounts" below.++   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+       symbol, eg if it is in a separate column.++       currencyN prepends a currency symbol to just the Nth posting's amount.++   balance field+       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.++       You  can  adjust the type of assertion/assignment with the balance-type+       rule (see below).++       See Tips below for more about setting amounts and currency.++   if block+       Rules can be applied conditionally, depending on patterns  in  the  CSV+       data.   This allows flexibility; in particular, it is how you can cate-+       gorise transactions, selecting an appropriate  account  name  based  on+       their  description  (for  example).  There are two ways to write condi-+       tional rules: "if blocks", described here, and "if  tables",  described+       below.++       An  if  block is the word if and one or more "matcher" expressions (can+       be a word or phrase), one per line, starting either on the same or next+       line; followed by one or more indented rules.  Eg,++              if MATCHER+               RULE++       or++              if+              MATCHER+              MATCHER+              MATCHER+               RULE+               RULE++       If  any of the matchers succeeds, all of the indented rules will be ap-+       plied.  They are usually field assignments, but the  following  special+       rules may also be used within an if block:++       o skip  -  skips the matched CSV record (generating no transaction from+         it)++       o end - skips the rest of the current CSV file.++       Some examples:++              # if the record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"+              if groceries+               account2 expenses:groceries++              # if the record contains any of these phrases, set account2 and a transaction comment as shown+              if+              monthly service fee+              atm transaction fee+              banking thru software+               account2 expenses:business:banking+               comment  XXX deductible ? check it++              # if an empty record is seen (assuming five fields), ignore the rest of the CSV file+              if ,,,,+               end++   Matchers+       There are two kinds:++       1. A record matcher is a word or single-line text fragment  or  regular+          expression  (REGEX),  which  hledger will try to match case-insensi-+          tively anywhere within the CSV record.+       Eg: whole foods++       2. A field matcher is preceded with a percent sign and CSV  field  name+          (%CSVFIELD  REGEX).  hledger will try to match these just within the+          named CSV field.+       Eg: %date 2023++       The regular expression is (as usual in hledger) a POSIX extended  regu-+       lar  expression,  that  also  supports GNU word boundaries (\b, \B, \<,+       \>), and nothing else.  If you have trouble, see "Regular  expressions"+       in the hledger manual (https://hledger.org/hledger.html#regular-expres-+       sions).++       With record matchers, it's important to know that the record matched is+       not  the  original  CSV  record, but a modified one: separators will be+       converted to commas, and enclosing double  quotes  (but  not  enclosing+       whitespace)  are removed.  So for example, when reading an SSV file, if+       the original record was:++              2023-01-01; "Acme, Inc.";  1,000++       the regex would see, and try to match, this modified record text:++              2023-01-01,Acme, Inc.,  1,000++       When an if block has multiple matchers, they are combined as follows:++       o By default they are OR'd (any one of them can match)++       o When a matcher is preceded by ampersand (&) it will  be  AND'ed  with+         the previous matcher (both of them must match).++       There's not yet an easy syntax to negate a matcher.++   if table+       "if  tables"  are  an  alternative  to if blocks; they can express many+       matchers and field assignments in a more compact tabular  format,  like+       this:++              if,HLEDGERFIELD1,HLEDGERFIELD2,...+              MATCHERA,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              MATCHERB,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              MATCHERC,VALUE1,VALUE2,...+              <empty line>++       The  first character after if is taken to be the separator for the rest+       of the table.  It should be a non-alphanumeric character like  ,  or  |+       that  does  not  appear anywhere else in the table.  (Note: it is unre-+       lated to the CSV file's separator.)  Whitespace  can  be  used  in  the+       matcher  lines  for readability, but not in the if line currently.  The+       table must be terminated by an empty line (or end of file).  Each  line+       must contain the same number of separators; empty values are allowed.++       The  above means: try all of the matchers; whenever a matcher succeeds,+       assign all of the values on that  line  to  the  corresponding  hledger+       fields;  later  lines  can overrider earlier ones.  It is equivalent to+       this sequence of if blocks:++              if MATCHERA+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++              if MATCHERB+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++              if MATCHERC+                HLEDGERFIELD1 VALUE1+                HLEDGERFIELD2 VALUE2+                ...++       Example:++              if,account2,comment+              atm transaction fee,expenses:business:banking,deductible? check it+              %description groceries,expenses:groceries,+              2023/01/12.*Plumbing LLC,expenses:house:upkeep,emergency plumbing call-out++   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:++              # 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+              ==*  multi commodity,  include subaccounts++   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+       several rules files, eg:++              # someaccount.csv.rules++              ## someaccount-specific rules+              fields   date,description,amount+              account1 assets:someaccount+              account2 expenses:misc++              ## common rules+              include categorisation.rules++   Working with CSV+       Some tips:++   Rapid feedback+       It's a good idea to get rapid feedback  while  creating/troubleshooting+       CSV rules.  Here's a good way, using entr from 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.++   Valid CSV+       Note that hledger will only accept valid CSV conforming  to  RFC  4180,+       and equivalent SSV and TSV formats (like RFC 4180 but with semicolon or+       tab as separators).  This means, eg:++       o Values may be enclosed in double quotes, or not.  Enclosing in single+         quotes is not allowed.  (Eg 'A','B' is rejected.)++       o When  values are enclosed in double quotes, spaces outside the quotes+         are not allowed.  (Eg "A", "B" is rejected.)++       o When values are not enclosed in quotes, they may not  contain  double+         quotes.  (Eg A"A, B is rejected.)++       If  your  CSV/SSV/TSV is not valid in this sense, you'll need to trans-+       form it before reading with hledger.  Try using sed, or a more  permis-+       sive CSV parser like python's csv lib.++   File Extension+       To  help  hledger  choose  the CSV file reader and show the right error+       messages (and choose the right field separator character  by  default),+       it's  best  if  CSV/SSV/TSV  files  are named with a .csv, .ssv or .tsv+       filename extension.  (More about this at Data formats.)++       When reading files with the "wrong" extension, you can ensure  the  CSV+       reader  (and  the  default  field separator) by prefixing the file path+       with csv:, ssv: or tsv:: Eg:++              $ hledger -f ssv:foo.dat print++       You can also override the default field separator with a separator rule+       if needed.++   Reading CSV from standard input+       You'll  need  the  file format prefix when reading CSV from stdin also,+       since hledger assumes journal format by default.  Eg:++              $ cat foo.dat | hledger -f ssv:- print++   Reading multiple CSV files+       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+       used for all the CSV files.++   Reading files specified by rule+       Instead of specifying a CSV file in the command line, you can specify a+       rules file, as in hledger -f foo.csv.rules CMD.  By default  this  will+       read  data from foo.csv in the same directory, but you can add a source+       rule to specify a different data file,  perhaps  located  in  your  web+       browser's download directory.++       This feature was added in hledger 1.30, so you won't see it in most CSV+       rules examples.  But it helps remove some of the busywork  of  managing+       CSV downloads.  Most of your financial institutions's default CSV file-+       names are different and can be recognised by a glob  pattern.   So  you+       can  put  a  rule like source Checking1*.csv in foo-checking.csv.rules,+       and then periodically follow a workflow like:++       1. Download CSV from Foo's website, using your browser's defaults++       2. Run hledger import foo-checking.csv.rules to import any new transac-+          tions++       After  import,  you can: discard the CSV, or leave it where it is for a+       while, or move it into your archives, as you prefer.  If you  do  noth-+       ing,  next  time your browser will save something like Checking1-2.csv,+       and hledger will use that because of the * wild card and because it  is+       the most recent.++   Valid transactions+       After reading a CSV file, hledger post-processes and validates the gen-+       erated journal entries as it would for a journal file - balancing them,+       applying  balance  assignments,  and canonicalising amount styles.  Any+       errors at this stage will be reported in the usual way, displaying  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 as-+       sertions generated from CSV right away, pipe into another hledger:++              $ hledger -f file.csv print | hledger -f- print++   Deduplicating, importing+       When you download a CSV file periodically, eg to get your  latest  bank+       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, 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:++              # 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+       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:++       o https://hledger.org/cookbook.html#setups-and-workflows++       o https://plaintextaccounting.org -> data import/conversion++   Setting amounts+       Continuing from amount field above, here are more tips on handling var-+       ious amount-setting situations:++       1. If the amount is in a single CSV field:+           a. If its sign indicates direction of flow:+           Assign it to amountN, to set the Nth posting's amount.  N  is  usu-+           ally 1 or 2 but can go up to 99.++           b. If another field indicates direction of flow:+           Use  one  or  more  conditional rules to set the appropriate amount+           sign.  Eg:++                  # assume a withdrawal unless Type contains "deposit":+                  amount1  -%Amount+                  if %Type deposit+                    amount1  %Amount++       2. If the amount is in one of two CSV fields (eg Debit and Credit):+           a. If both fields are unsigned:+           Assign the fields to amountN-in and amountN-out.  This sets posting+           N's amount to whichever of these has a non-zero value.  If it's the+           -out value, the amount will be negated.++           b. If either field is signed:+           Use a conditional rule to flip the sign when needed.  Eg below, the+           -out  value already has a minus sign so we undo hledger's automatic+           negating by negating once more (but only if the field is non-empty,+           so that we don't leave a minus sign by itself):++                  fields date, description, amount1-in, amount1-out+                  if %amount1-out [1-9]+                   amount1-out -%amount1-out++           c. If  both  fields  can  contain  a non-zero value (or both can be+              empty):+           The -in/-out rules normally choose the value which is non-zero/non-+           empty.  Some value pairs can be ambiguous, such as 1 and none.  For+           such cases, use conditional rules to help select the  amount.   Eg,+           to  handle the above you could select the value containing non-zero+           digits:++                  fields date, description, in, out+                  if %in [1-9]+                   amount1 %in+                  if %out [1-9]+                   amount1 %out++       3. If you want posting 2's amount converted to cost:+       Use the unnumbered amount (or amount-in and amount-out) syntax.++       4. If the CSV has only balance amounts, not transaction amounts:+       Assign to balanceN, to set a balance assignment  on  the  Nth  posting,+       causing  the  posting's amount to be calculated automatically.  balance+       with no number is equivalent to balance1.  In this situation hledger is+       more likely to guess the wrong default account name, so you may need to+       set that explicitly.++   Amount signs+       There is some special handling making it easier to parse and to reverse+       amount signs.  (This only works for whole amounts, not for cost amounts+       such as COST in amount1  AMT @ COST):++       o If an amount value begins with a plus sign:+       that will be removed: +AMT becomes AMT++       o If an amount value is parenthesised:+       it will be de-parenthesised and sign-flipped: (AMT) becomes -AMT++       o 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++       o If  an  amount value contains just a sign (or just a set of parenthe-+         ses):+       that is removed, making it an empty value.  "+" or "-" or "()"  becomes+       "".++       It's  not  possible (without preprocessing the CSV) to set an amount to+       its absolute value, ie discard its sign.++   Setting currency/commodity+       If the currency/commodity  symbol  is  included  in  the  CSV's  amount+       field(s):++              2023-01-01,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:++              fields date,description,amount++              2023-01-01 foo+                  expenses:unknown         $123.00+                  income:unknown          $-123.00++       If the currency is provided as a separate CSV field:++              2023-01-01,foo,USD,123.00++       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++              2023-01-01 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:++              fields date,description,cur,amt+              amount %amt %cur++              2023-01-01 foo+                  expenses:unknown        123.00 USD+                  income:unknown         -123.00 USD++       Note we used a temporary field name (cur) that is not currency  -  that+       would trigger the prepending effect, which we don't want here.++   Amount decimal places+       Like amounts in a journal file, the amounts generated by CSV rules like+       amount1 influence commodity display styles, such as the number of deci-+       mal places displayed in reports.++       The  original  amounts as written in the CSV file do not affect display+       style (because we don't yet reliably know their commodity).++   Referencing other fields+       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+       field named amount1, but %amount1 always means the CSV field,  not  the+       hledger field:++              # Name the third CSV field "amount1"+              fields date,description,amount1++              # Set hledger's amount1 to the CSV amount1 field followed by USD+              amount1 %amount1 USD++              # Set comment to the CSV amount1 (not the amount1 assigned above)+              comment %amount1++       Here,  since there's no CSV amount1 field, %amount1 will produce a lit-+       eral "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:++              comment A+              comment B+              if something+               comment C++   How CSV rules are evaluated+       Here's how to think of CSV rules being evaluated (if  you  really  need+       to).  First,++       o 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 re-+       peated, the last one wins:++       o skip (at top level)++       o date-format++       o newest-first++       o fields - names the CSV fields, optionally sets up initial assignments+         to hledger fields++       Then for each CSV record in turn:++       o test  all if blocks.  If any of them contain a end rule, skip all re-+         maining 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.++       o 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.++       o compute a value for each hledger field - either the one that was  as-+         signed to it (and interpolate the %CSVFIELD references), or a default++       o generate a hledger transaction (journal entry) 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  successfully,+       the  transactions  are passed as input to whichever hledger command the+       user specified.++   Well factored rules+       Some things than can help reduce duplication and  complexity  in  rules+       files:++       o Extracting  common  rules  usable with multiple CSV files into a com-+         mon.rules, and adding include common.rules to each CSV's rules file.++       o Splitting if blocks into smaller if blocks, extracting the frequently+         used parts.++   CSV rules examples+   Bank of Ireland+       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  neces-+       sary 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+              skip++              # name the csv fields, and assign some of them as journal entry fields+              fields  date, description, amount-out, amount-in, balance++              # We generate balance assertions by assigning to "balance"+              # above, but you may sometimes need to remove these because:+              #+              # - the CSV balance differs from the true balance,+              #   by up to 0.0000000000005 in my experience+              #+              # - it is sometimes calculated based on non-chronological ordering,+              #   eg when multiple transactions clear on the same day++              # date is in UK/Ireland format+              date-format  %d/%m/%Y++              # set the currency+              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+                  income:unknown                  EUR-10.0++              2012-12-07 PAYMENT+                  assets:bank:boi:checking         EUR-5.0 = EUR126.0+                  expenses:unknown                  EUR5.0++       The  balance assertions don't raise an error above, because we're read-+       ing directly from CSV, but they will be checked if  these  entries  are+       imported into a journal file.++   Coinbase+       A  simple  example  with  some  CSV  from  Coinbase.  The spot price is+       recorded using cost notation.  The  legacy  amount  field  name  conve-+       niently sets amount 2 (posting 2's amount) to the total cost.++              # Timestamp,Transaction Type,Asset,Quantity Transacted,Spot Price Currency,Spot Price at Transaction,Subtotal,Total (inclusive of fees and/or spread),Fees and/or Spread,Notes+              # 2021-12-30T06:57:59Z,Receive,USDC,100,GBP,0.740000,"","","","Received 100.00 USDC from an external account"++              # coinbase.csv.rules+              skip         1+              fields       Timestamp,Transaction_Type,Asset,Quantity_Transacted,Spot_Price_Currency,Spot_Price_at_Transaction,Subtotal,Total,Fees_Spread,Notes+              date         %Timestamp+              date-format  %Y-%m-%dT%T%Z+              description  %Notes+              account1     assets:coinbase:cc+              amount       %Quantity_Transacted %Asset @ %Spot_Price_at_Transaction %Spot_Price_Currency++              $ hledger print -f coinbase.csv+              2021-12-30 Received 100.00 USDC from an external account+                  assets:coinbase:cc    100 USDC @ 0.740000 GBP+                  income:unknown                 -74.000000 GBP++   Amazon+       Here we convert amazon.com order history, and use an if block to gener-+       ate 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+              skip 1++              # name the csv fields, and assign the transaction's date, amount and code.+              # Avoided the "status" and "amount" hledger field names to prevent confusion.+              fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amzamount, fees, code++              # how to parse the date+              date-format %b %-d, %Y++              # combine two fields to make the description+              description %toorfrom %name++              # save the status as a tag+              comment     status:%amzstatus++              # set the base account for all transactions+              account1    assets:amazon+              # leave amount1 blank so it can balance the other(s).+              # I'm assuming amzamount excludes the fees, don't remember++              # set a generic account2+              account2    expenses:misc+              amount2     %amzamount+              # and maybe refine it further:+              #include categorisation.rules++              # add a third posting for fees, but only if they are non-zero.+              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+                  expenses:misc          $20.00++              2012-07-30 (17LA58JSKRD4HDGLNJPI1P9B8DKPVHL) To Adapteva, Inc.  ; status:Completed+                  assets:amazon+                  expenses:misc          $25.00+                  expenses:fees           $1.00++   Paypal+       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",""+              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","Patreon","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","USD","-7.00","0.00","-7.00","simon@joyful.com","support@patreon.com","2722394R5F586712G","Patreon* Membership","","B-0PG93074E7M86381M","","-7.00",""+              "10/01/2019","08:57:01","PDT","","Bank Deposit to PP Account ","Pending","USD","7.00","0.00","7.00","","simon@joyful.com","71854087RG994194F","Patreon* Membership","","2722394R5F586712G","","0.00",""+              "10/19/2019","03:02:12","PDT","Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","Subscription Payment","Completed","USD","-2.00","0.00","-2.00","simon@joyful.com","tle@wikimedia.org","K9U43044RY432050M","Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation","","I-R5C3YUS3285L","","-2.00",""+              "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:+              # Export from Activity -> Statements -> Custom -> Activity download+              # Suggested transaction type: "Balance affecting"+              # Paypal's default fields in 2018 were:+              # "Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping Address","Address Status","Item Title","Item ID","Shipping and Handling Amount","Insurance Amount","Sales Tax","Option 1 Name","Option 1 Value","Option 2 Name","Option 2 Value","Reference Txn ID","Invoice Number","Custom Number","Quantity","Receipt ID","Balance","Address Line 1","Address Line 2/District/Neighborhood","Town/City","State/Province/Region/County/Territory/Prefecture/Republic","Zip/Postal Code","Country","Contact Phone Number","Subject","Note","Country Code","Balance Impact"+              # This rules file assumes the following more detailed fields, configured in "Customize report fields":+              # "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"++              fields date, time, timezone, description_, type, status_, currency, grossamount, feeamount, netamount, fromemail, toemail, code, itemtitle, itemid, referencetxnid, receiptid, balance, note++              skip  1++              date-format  %-m/%-d/%Y++              # ignore some paypal events+              if+              In Progress+              Temporary Hold+              Update to+               skip++              # add more fields to the description+              description %description_ %itemtitle++              # save some other fields as tags+              comment  itemid:%itemid, fromemail:%fromemail, toemail:%toemail, time:%time, type:%type, status:%status_++              # convert to short currency symbols+              if %currency USD+               currency $+              if %currency EUR+               currency E+              if %currency GBP+               currency P++              # generate postings++              # the first posting will be the money leaving/entering my paypal account+              # (negative means leaving my account, in all amount fields)+              account1 assets:online:paypal+              amount1  %netamount++              # the second posting will be money sent to/received from other party+              # (account2 is set below)+              amount2  -%grossamount++              # if there's a fee, add a third posting for the money taken by paypal.+              if %feeamount [1-9]+               account3 expenses:banking:paypal+               amount3  -%feeamount+               comment3 business:++              # choose an account for the second posting++              # override the default account names:+              # if the amount is positive, it's income (a debit)+              if %grossamount ^[^-]+               account2 income:unknown+              # if negative, it's an expense (a credit)+              if %grossamount ^-+               account2 expenses:unknown++              # apply common rules for setting account2 & other tweaks+              include common.rules++              # apply some overrides specific to this csv++              # Transfers from/to bank. These are usually marked Pending,+              # which can be disregarded in this case.+              if+              Bank Account+              Bank Deposit to PP Account+               description %type for %referencetxnid %itemtitle+               account2 assets:bank:wf:pchecking+               account1 assets:online:paypal++              # Currency conversions+              if Currency Conversion+               account2 equity:currency conversion++              # common.rules++              if+              darcs+              noble benefactor+               account2 revenues:foss donations:darcshub+               comment2 business:++              if+              Calm Radio+               account2 expenses:online:apps++              if+              electronic frontier foundation+              Patreon+              wikimedia+              Advent of Code+               account2 expenses:dues++              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+                  expenses:online:apps           $6.99++              2019-10-01 (0TU1544T080463733) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 60P57143A8206782E  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:46:20, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $6.99 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-6.99++              2019-10-01 (2722394R5F586712G) Patreon Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:support@patreon.com, time:08:57:01, type:PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal          $-7.00 = $-7.00+                  expenses:dues                  $7.00++              2019-10-01 (71854087RG994194F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for 2722394R5F586712G Patreon* Membership  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:08:57:01, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $7.00 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-7.00++              2019-10-19 (K9U43044RY432050M) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Monthly donation to the Wikimedia Foundation  ; itemid:, fromemail:simon@joyful.com, toemail:tle@wikimedia.org, time:03:02:12, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal             $-2.00 = $-2.00+                  expenses:dues                     $2.00+                  expenses:banking:paypal      ; business:++              2019-10-19 (3XJ107139A851061F) Bank Deposit to PP Account for K9U43044RY432050M  ; itemid:, fromemail:, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:03:02:12, type:Bank Deposit to PP Account, status:Pending+                  assets:online:paypal               $2.00 = $0.00+                  assets:bank:wf:pchecking          $-2.00++              2019-10-22 (6L8L1662YP1334033) Noble Benefactor Joyful Systems  ; itemid:, fromemail:noble@bene.fac.tor, toemail:simon@joyful.com, time:05:07:06, type:Subscription Payment, status:Completed+                  assets:online:paypal                       $9.41 = $9.41+                  revenues:foss donations:darcshub         $-10.00  ; business:+                  expenses:banking:paypal                    $0.59  ; business:++Timeclock+       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.   The+       time  format is HH:MM[:SS][+-ZZZZ].  Seconds and timezone are optional.+       The timezone, if present, must be four digits and is ignored (currently+       the  time is always interpreted as a local time).  Lines beginning with+       # or ; or *, and blank lines, are ignored.++              i 2015/03/30 09:00:00 some account  optional description after 2 spaces ; optional comment, tags:+              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:++              $ hledger -f t.timeclock print+              2015-03-30 * optional description after 2 spaces   ; optional comment, tags:+                  (some account)           0.33h++              2015-03-31 * 22:21-23:59+                  (another:account)           1.64h++              2015-04-01 * 00:00-02:00+                  (another:account)           2.01h++       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++       To generate time logs, ie to clock in and clock out, you could:++       o use  emacs  and the built-in timeclock.el, or the extended timeclock-+         x.el and perhaps the extras in ledgerutils.el++       o 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"++       o 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.++Timedot+       timedot format is hledger's human-friendly time logging  format.   Com-+       pared to timeclock format, it is++       o convenient for quick, approximate, and retroactive time logging++       o readable: you can see at a glance where time was spent.++       A  timedot file contains a series of day entries, which might look like+       this:++              2023-05-01+              hom:errands          .... ....  ; two hours+              fos:hledger:timedot  ..         ; half an hour+              per:admin:finance++       hledger reads this as a transaction on this day with three (unbalanced)+       postings,  where  each dot represents "0.25".  No commodity is assumed,+       but normally we interpret it as hours, with  each  dot  representing  a+       quarter-hour.   It's convenient, though not required, to group the dots+       in fours for easy reading.++              $ hledger -f a.timedot print   # .timedot file extension (or timedot: prefix) is required+              2023-05-01 *+                  (hom:errands)                    2.00  ; two hours+                  (fos:hledger:timedot)            0.50  ; half an hour+                  (per:admin:finance)                 0++       A transaction begins with a non-indented simple date (Y-M-D, Y/M/D,  or+       Y.M.D).   It  can  optionally  be  preceded  by one or more stars and a+       space, for Emacs org mode compatibility.  It can optionally be followed+       on  the  same  line  by a transaction description, and/or a transaction+       comment following a semicolon.++       After the date line are zero or more time postings, consisting of:++       o an account name - any hledger-style account name, optionally  hierar-+         chical, optionally indented.++       o two  or  more  spaces  -  a  field separator, required if there is an+         amount (as in journal format).++       o an optional timedot amount - dots representing quarter  hours,  or  a+         number representing hours, optionally with a unit suffix.++       o an optional posting comment following a semicolon.++       Timedot amounts can be:++       o dots:  zero  or  more  period characters (.), each representing 0.25.+         Spaces are ignored and can be used for grouping.  Eg: .... ..++       o or a number.  Eg: 1.5++       o or a number immediately followed by a unit symbol s, m, h, d, w,  mo,+         or  y.  These are interpreted as seconds, minutes, hours, days weeks,+         months or years, and converted to hours, assuming:+       60s = 1m, 60m = 1h, 24h = 1d, 7d = 1w, 30d = 1mo, 365d = 1y.  Eg 90m is+       parsed as 1.5.++       There  is  some added flexibility to help with keeping time log data in+       the same file as your notes, todo lists, etc.:++       o Blank lines and lines beginning with # or ; are ignored.++       o Before the first date line, lines beginning with * are ignored.++       o From the first date line onward, one or more *'s followed by a  space+         at  beginning  of  lines  (ie,  the headline prefix used by Emacs Org+         mode) is ignored.  This means the time log can be kept under  an  Org+         headline,  and  date lines or time transaction lines can be Org head-+         lines.++       o Lines not ending with a double-space and amount are parsed  as  post-+         ings with zero amount.  Note hledger's register reports hide these by+         default (add -E to see them).++       More examples:++              # on this day, 6h was spent on client work, 1.5h on haskell FOSS work, etc.+              2016/2/1+              inc:client1   .... .... .... .... .... ....+              fos:haskell   .... ..+              biz:research  .++              2016/2/2+              inc:client1   .... ....+              biz:research  .++              2016/2/3+              inc:client1   4+              fos:hledger   3+              biz:research  1++              * Time log+              ** 2023-01-01+              *** adm:time  .+              *** adm:finance  .++              * 2023 Work Diary+              ** Q1+              *** 2023-02-29+              **** DONE+              0700 yoga+              **** UNPLANNED+              **** BEGUN+              hom:chores+               cleaning  ...+               water plants+                outdoor - one full watering can+                indoor - light watering+              **** TODO+              adm:planning: trip+              *** LATER++       Reporting:++              $ hledger -f a.timedot print date:2016/2/2+              2016-02-02 *+                  (inc:client1)          2.00++              2016-02-02 *+                  (biz:research)          0.25++              $ hledger -f a.timedot bal --daily --tree+              Balance changes in 2016-02-01-2016-02-03:++                          ||  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+              ------------++----------------------------------------+                          ||         7.75         2.25         8.00++       Using period instead of colon as account name separator:++              2016/2/4+              fos.hledger.timedot  4+              fos.ledger           ..++              $ hledger -f a.timedot --alias /\\./=: bal --tree+                              4.50  fos+                              4.00    hledger:timedot+                              0.50    ledger+              --------------------+                              4.50++       A sample.timedot file.++PART 3: REPORTING CONCEPTS+Time periods+   Report start & end date+       By default, most hledger reports will show the full span of time repre-+       sented  by  the  journal.   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 these+       accept the smart date syntax (below).++       Some notes:++       o End dates are exclusive, as in Ledger, so you should write  the  date+         after the last day you want to see in the report.++       o As  noted  in reporting options: among start/end dates specified with+         options, the last (i.e.  right-most) option takes precedence.++       o 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  2019,  the+         smallest common time span.++       o In  some  cases a report interval will adjust start/end dates to fall+         on interval boundaries (see below).++       Examples:++       -b 2016/3/17       begin on St. Patrick's day 2016+       -e 12/1            end at the start of  december  1st  of  the  current  year+                          (11/30 will be the last date included)+       -b thismonth       all transactions on or after the 1st of the current month+       -p thismonth       all transactions in the current month+       date:2016/3/17..   the above written as queries instead (.. can also  be  re-+                          placed with -)+       date:..12/1+       date:thismonth..+       date:thismonth++   Smart dates+       hledger's user interfaces accept a "smart date" syntax for added conve-+       nience.  Smart dates optionally can be relative  to  today's  date,  be+       written  with  english  words,  and have less-significant parts omitted+       (missing parts are inferred as 1).  Some examples:++       2004/10/1,   2004-01-01,   exact  date, several separators allowed.  Year+       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, tomor-   -1, 0, 1 days from today+       row+       last/this/next             -1, 0, 1 periods from the current period+       day/week/month/quar-+       ter/year+       in                     n   n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years+       n                          n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years ahead+       n                          -n periods from the current period+       days/weeks/months/quar-+       ters/years ago+       20181201                   8 digit YYYYMMDD with valid year month and day+       201812                     6 digit YYYYMM with valid year and month++       Some  counterexamples - malformed digit sequences might give surprising+       results:++       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+                     8-digit year+       20181232      8 digits with an invalid day gives an error+       201801012     9+ digits beginning with a valid YYYYMMDD gives an error++       "Today's date" can be overridden with the --today option, in case  it's+       needed for testing or for recreating old reports.  (Except for periodic+       transaction rules, which are not affected by --today.)++   Report intervals+       A report interval can be specified so that reports like register,  bal-+       ance or activity become multi-period, showing each subperiod as a sepa-+       rate row or column.++       The following standard  intervals  can  be  enabled  with  command-line+       flags:++       o -D/--daily++       o -W/--weekly++       o -M/--monthly++       o -Q/--quarterly++       o -Y/--yearly++       More  complex  intervals  can be specified using -p/--period, described+       below.++   Date adjustment+       When there is a report interval (other than  daily),  report  start/end+       dates  which have been inferred, eg from the journal, are automatically+       adjusted to natural period boundaries.  This is convenient for  produc-+       ing simple periodic reports.  More precisely:++       o an  inferred start date will be adjusted earlier if needed to fall on+         a natural period boundary++       o an inferred end date will be adjusted later if  needed  to  make  the+         last period the same length as the others.++       By contrast, start/end dates which have been specified explicitly, with+       -b, -e, -p or date:, will not be adjusted (since hledger  1.29).   This+       makes  it  possible to specify non-standard report periods, but it also+       means that if you are specifying a start  date,  you  should  pick  one+       that's  on  a  period  boundary if you want to see simple report period+       headings.++   Period expressions+       The -p/--period option specifies a period expression, which is  a  com-+       pact way of expressing a start date, end date, and/or report interval.++       Here's  a  period  expression with a start and end date (specifying the+       first quarter of 2009):++       -p "from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"++       Several keywords like "from" and "to" are  supported  for  readability;+       these are optional.  "to" can also be written as ".." or "-".  The spa-+       ces are also optional, as long as you don't run two dates together.  So+       the following are equivalent to the above:++       -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, these are also+       equivalent to the above:++       -p "1/1 4/1"+       -p "jan-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 date in the journal:++       -p "from 2009/1/1"   everything  after  january+                            1, 2009+       -p "since 2009/1"    the same, since is a  syn-+                            onym+       -p "from 2009"       the same+       -p "to 2009"         everything  before january+                            1, 2009++       You can also specify a period by writing a single partial or full date:++       -p "2009"        the year 2009; equivalent to "2009/1/1 to 2010/1/1"+       -p "2009/1"      the month of january 2009; equivalent to  "2009/1/1  to+                        2009/2/1"+       -p "2009/1/1"    the  first  day  of  2009;  equivalent  to "2009/1/1 to+                        2009/1/2"++       or by using the "Q" quarter-year syntax (case insensitive):++       -p "2009Q1"       first quarter  of  2009,  equivalent  to  "2009/1/1  to+                         2009/4/1"+       -p "q4"           fourth quarter of the current year++   Period expressions with a report interval+       A  period  expression  can also begin with a report interval, separated+       from the start/end dates (if any) by a space or the word in:++       -p "weekly from 2009/1/1 to 2009/4/1"+       -p "monthly in 2008"+       -p "quarterly"++   More complex report intervals+       Some more complex intervals can be specified within period expressions,+       such as:++       o biweekly (every two weeks)++       o fortnightly++       o bimonthly (every two months)++       o every day|week|month|quarter|year++       o every N days|weeks|months|quarters|years++       Weekly on a custom day:++       o every  Nth  day of week (th, nd, rd, or st are all accepted after the+         number)++       o every WEEKDAYNAME (full or three-letter english  weekday  name,  case+         insensitive)++       Monthly on a custom day:++       o every Nth day [of month]++       o every Nth WEEKDAYNAME [of month]++       Yearly on a custom day:++       o every MM/DD [of year] (month number and day of month number)++       o every  MONTHNAME  DDth  [of year] (full or three-letter english month+         name, case insensitive, and day of month number)++       o every DDth MONTHNAME [of year] (equivalent to the above)++       Examples:++       -p "bimonthly from 2008"+       -p "every 2 weeks"+       -p  "every  5  months  from+       2009/03"+       -p "every 2nd day of week"    periods will go from Tue to Tue+       -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+                                     November+       -p "every 5th November"       same+       -p "every Nov 5th"            same++       Show historical balances at end of the 15th day of each month (N is  an+       end date, exclusive as always):++              $ hledger balance -H -p "every 16th day"++       Group  postings  from  the  start  of wednesday to end of the following+       tuesday (N is both (inclusive) start date and (exclusive) end date):++              $ hledger register checking -p "every 3rd day of week"++   Multiple weekday intervals+       This special form is also supported:++       o every WEEKDAYNAME,WEEKDAYNAME,... (full or three-letter english week-+         day names, case insensitive)++       Also,  weekday and weekendday are shorthand for mon,tue,wed,thu,fri and+       sat,sun.++       This is mainly intended for use with --forecast, to  generate  periodic+       transactions on arbitrary days of the week.  It may be less useful with+       -p, since it divides each week into subperiods of unequal length, which+       is unusual.  (Related: #1632)++       Examples:++       -p          "every   dates will be Mon, Wed, Fri; periods  will  be  Mon-+       mon,wed,fri"         Tue, Wed-Thu, Fri-Sun+       -p "every weekday"   dates  will be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri; periods will+                            be Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri-Sun+       -p "every weekend-   dates will be Sat, Sun; periods will be Sat, Sun-Fri+       day"++Depth+       With  the  --depth NUM option (short form: -NUM), reports will show ac-+       counts only to the specified depth,  hiding  deeper  subaccounts.   Use+       this  when you want a summary with less detail.  This flag has the same+       effect as a depth: query argument: depth:2, --depth=2 or -2 are equiva-+       lent.++Queries+       One of hledger's strengths is being able to quickly report on a precise+       subset of your data.  Most hledger commands accept optional query argu-+       ments to restrict their scope.  The syntax is as follows:++       o Zero  or  more space-separated query terms.  These are most often ac-+         count name substrings:++         utilities food:groceries++       o Terms with spaces or other special characters should be  enclosed  in+         quotes:++         "personal care"++       o Regular expressions are also supported:++         "^expenses\b" "accounts (payable|receivable)"++       o Add a query type prefix to match other parts of the data:++         date:202312- desc:amazon cur:USD amt:">100" status:++       o Add a not: prefix to negate a term:++         not:cur:USD++   Query types+       Here are the types of query term available.  Remember these can also be+       prefixed with not: to convert them into a negative match.++       acct:REGEX, REGEX+       Match account names containing this (case insensitive) regular  expres-+       sion.  This is the default query type when there is no prefix, and reg-+       ular expression syntax is typically not  needed,  so  usually  we  just+       write an account name substring, like expenses or food.++       amt:N, amt:<N, amt:<=N, amt:>N, amt:>=N+       Match  postings  with a single-commodity amount equal to, less than, or+       greater than N.  (Postings with multi-commodity amounts are not  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.   Oth-+       erwise, the absolute magnitudes are compared, ignoring sign.++       code:REGEX+       Match by transaction code (eg check number).++       cur:REGEX+       Match  postings  or  transactions  including  any  amounts  whose  cur-+       rency/commodity symbol is fully  matched  by  REGEX.   (For  a  partial+       match,  use  .*REGEX.*).   Note,  to match special characters which are+       regex-significant, you need to escape them with \.  And for  characters+       which  are significant to your shell you may need one more level of es-+       caping.  So eg to match the dollar sign:+       hledger print cur:\\$.++       desc:REGEX+       Match transaction descriptions.++       date:PERIODEXPR+       Match dates (or with the --date2  flag,  secondary  dates)  within  the+       specified period.  PERIODEXPR is a period expression with no report in-+       terval.  Examples:+       date:2016, date:thismonth, date:2/1-2/15, date:2021-07-27..nextquarter.++       date2:PERIODEXPR+       Match secondary dates within the specified period (independent  of  the+       --date2 flag).++       depth:N+       Match  (or  display,  depending  on  command) accounts at or above this+       depth.++       note:REGEX+       Match transaction notes (the part of the description right of |, or the+       whole description if there's no |).++       payee:REGEX+       Match  transaction  payee/payer names (the part of the description left+       of |, or the whole description if there's no |).++       real:, real:0+       Match real or virtual postings respectively.++       status:, status:!, status:*+       Match unmarked, pending, or cleared transactions respectively.++       type:TYPECODES+       Match by account type (see Declaring accounts > Account types).   TYPE-+       CODES  is  one or more of the single-letter account type codes ALERXCV,+       case insensitive.  Note type:A and type:E will also match their respec-+       tive  subtypes  C  (Cash) and V (Conversion).  Certain kinds of account+       alias can disrupt account types, see Rewriting accounts >  Aliases  and+       account types.++       tag:REGEX[=REGEX]+       Match by tag name, and optionally also by tag value.  (To match only by+       value, use tag:.=REGEX.)++       When querying by tag, note that:++       o Accounts also inherit the tags of their parent accounts++       o Postings also inherit the tags of their account and their transaction++       o Transactions also acquire the tags of their postings.++       (inacct:ACCTNAME+       A special query term used  automatically  in  hledger-web  only:  tells+       hledger-web to show the transaction register for an account.)++   Combining query terms+       When  given  multiple space-separated query terms, most commands select+       things which match:++       o any of the description terms AND++       o any of the account terms AND++       o any of the status terms AND++       o all the other terms.++       The print command is a little different, showing transactions which:++       o match any of the description terms AND++       o have any postings matching any of the positive account terms AND++       o have no postings matching any of the negative account terms AND++       o match all the other terms.++       We also support more complex boolean queries with the  'expr:'  prefix.+       This  allows  one to combine queries using one of three operators: AND,+       OR, and NOT, where NOT is different syntax for 'not:'.++       Examples of such queries are:++       o Match transactions with 'cool' in the description AND  with  the  'A'+         tag++         expr:"desc:cool AND tag:A"++       o Match transactions NOT to the 'expenses:food' account OR with the 'A'+         tag++         expr:"NOT expenses:food OR tag:A"++       o Match transactions NOT involving the 'expenses:food' account OR  with+         the  'A' tag AND involving the 'expenses:drink' account.  (the AND is+         implicitly added by space-separation, following the rules above)++         expr:"expenses:food OR (tag:A expenses:drink)"++   Queries and command options+       Some queries can also be expressed as command-line options: depth:2  is+       equivalent to --depth 2, date:2023 is equivalent to -p 2023, etc.  When+       you mix command options and query arguments,  generally  the  resulting+       query is their intersection.++   Queries and valuation+       When  amounts  are  converted to other commodities in cost or value re-+       ports, cur: and amt: match the old commodity symbol and the old  amount+       quantity,  not  the  new  ones (except in hledger 1.22.0 where it's re-+       versed, see #1625).++   Querying with account aliases+       When account names are rewritten with --alias or alias, note that acct:+       will match either the old or the new account name.++   Querying with cost or value+       When  amounts  are  converted to other commodities in cost or value re-+       ports, note that cur: matches the new commodity symbol, and not the old+       one,  and  amt:  matches  the new quantity, and not the old one.  Note:+       this changed in hledger 1.22, previously it was the  reverse,  see  the+       discussion at #1625.++Pivoting+       Normally,  hledger  groups  and  sums amounts within each account.  The+       --pivot FIELD option substitutes some other transaction field  for  ac-+       count  names,  causing amounts to be grouped and summed by that field's+       value instead.  FIELD can be any  of  the  transaction  fields  status,+       code,  description, payee, note, or a tag name.  When pivoting on a tag+       and a posting has multiple values of that tag, only the first value  is+       displayed.   Values  containing colon:separated:parts will be displayed+       hierarchically, like account names.++       Some examples:++              2016/02/16 Yearly Dues Payment+                  assets:bank account                 2 EUR+                  income:dues                        -2 EUR  ; member: John Doe++       Normal balance report showing account names:++              $ hledger balance+                             2 EUR  assets:bank account+                            -2 EUR  income:dues+              --------------------+                                 0++       Pivoted balance report, using member: tag values instead:++              $ hledger balance --pivot member+                             2 EUR+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                                 0++       One way to show only amounts with a member: value (using a query):++              $ hledger balance --pivot member tag:member=.+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                            -2 EUR++       Another way (the acct:  query  matches  against  the  pivoted  "account+       name"):++              $ hledger balance --pivot member acct:.+                            -2 EUR  John Doe+              --------------------+                            -2 EUR++Generating data+       hledger has several features for generating data, such as:++       o Periodic  transaction rules can generate single or repeating transac-+         tions following a template.  These are usually dated in  the  future,+         eg  to  help  with forecasting.  They are activated by the --forecast+         option.++       o The balance command's --budget option uses these same periodic  rules+         to generate goals for the budget report.++       o Auto  posting  rules  can  generate extra postings on certain matched+         transactions.  They are always applied to forecast transactions; with+         the  --auto  flag  they  are  applied to transactions recorded in the+         journal as well.++       o The --infer-equity flag infers  missing  conversion  equity  postings+         from  @/@@  costs.  And the inverse --infer-costs flag infers missing+         @/@@ costs from conversion equity postings.++       Generated data of this kind is temporary, existing only at report time.+       But  you  can  see  it in the output of hledger print, and you can save+       that to your journal, in effect converting it from temporary  generated+       data  to permanent recorded data.  This could be useful as a data entry+       aid.++       If you are wondering what data is being  generated  and  why,  add  the+       --verbose-tags  flag.   In hledger print output you will see extra tags+       like generated-transaction, generated-posting, and modified  on  gener-+       ated/modified  data.  Also, even without --verbose-tags, generated data+       always has equivalen hidden tags (with an underscore prefix), so eg you+       could match generated transactions with tag:_generated-transaction.++Forecasting+       Forecasting,  or  speculative future reporting, can be useful for esti-+       mating future balances, or for exploring different future scenarios.++       The simplest and most flexible way to do it with hledger is to manually+       record a bunch of future-dated transactions.  You could keep these in a+       separate future.journal and include that with -f only when you want  to+       see them.++   --forecast+       There  is another way: with the --forecast option, hledger can generate+       temporary "forecast transactions" for reporting purposes, according  to+       periodic  transaction rules defined in the journal.  Each rule can gen-+       erate multiple recurring transactions, so by changing one rule you  can+       change many forecasted transactions.  (These same rules can also gener-+       ate budget goals, described in Budgeting.)++       Forecast transactions usually start after  ordinary  transactions  end.+       By default, they begin after your latest-dated ordinary transaction, or+       today, whichever is later, and they end six months  from  today.   (The+       exact rules are a little more complicated, and are given below.)++       This is the "forecast period", which need not be the same as the report+       period.  You can override it - eg to forecast farther into the  future,+       or to force forecast transactions to overlap your ordinary transactions+       - by giving the --forecast option a period  expression  argument,  like+       --forecast=..2099  or  --forecast=2023-02-15...  Note that the = is re-+       quired.++   Inspecting forecast transactions+       print is the best command for inspecting and  troubleshooting  forecast+       transactions.  Eg:++              ~ monthly from 2022-12-20    rent+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent           $1000++              $ hledger print --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              2023-05-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-06-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-07-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-08-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++              2023-09-20 rent+                  ; generated-transaction: ~ monthly from 2022-12-20+                  assets:bank:checking+                  expenses:rent                  $1000++       Here there are no ordinary transactions, so the forecasted transactions+       begin on the first occurence after today's date.  (You  won't  normally+       use --today; it's just to make these examples reproducible.)++   Forecast reports+       Forecast transactions affect all reports, as you would expect.  Eg:++              $ hledger areg rent --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              Transactions in expenses:rent and subaccounts:+              2023-05-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $1000+              2023-06-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $2000+              2023-07-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $3000+              2023-08-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $4000+              2023-09-20 rent                 as:ba:checking               $1000         $5000++              $ hledger bal -M expenses --forecast --today=2023/4/21+              Balance changes in 2023-05-01..2023-09-30:++                             ||   May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep+              ===============++===================================+               expenses:rent || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000+              ---------------++-----------------------------------+                             || $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000  $1000++   Forecast tags+       Forecast  transactions generated by --forecast have a hidden tag, _gen-+       erated-transaction.  So if you ever need  to  match  forecast  transac-+       tions, you could use tag:_generated-transaction (or just tag:generated)+       in a query.++       For troubleshooting, you can add the --verbose-tags flag.  Then,  visi-+       ble generated-transaction tags will be added also, so you can view them+       with the print command.  Their value indicates which periodic rule  was+       responsible.++   Forecast period, in detail+       Forecast start/end dates are chosen so as to do something useful by de-+       fault in almost all situations, while also being  flexible.   Here  are+       (with luck) the exact rules, to help with troubleshooting:++       The forecast period starts on:++       o the later of++         o the start date in the periodic transaction rule++         o the start date in --forecast's argument++       o otherwise (if those are not available): the later of++         o the report start date specified with -b/-p/date:++         o the day after the latest ordinary transaction in the journal++       o otherwise (if none of these are available): today.++       The forecast period ends on:++       o the earlier of++         o the end date in the periodic transaction rule++         o the end date in --forecast's argument++       o otherwise: the report end date specified with -e/-p/date:++       o otherwise: 180 days (~6 months) from today.++   Forecast troubleshooting+       When  --forecast is not doing what you expect, one of these tips should+       help:++       o Remember to use the --forecast option.++       o Remember to have at least one periodic transaction rule in your jour-+         nal.++       o Test with print --forecast.++       o Check  for  typos or too-restrictive start/end dates in your periodic+         transaction rule.++       o Leave at least 2 spaces between the rule's period expression and  de-+         scription fields.++       o Check  for  future-dated ordinary transactions suppressing forecasted+         transactions.++       o Try setting explicit report start and/or end dates with -b, -e, -p or+         date:++       o Try  adding  the  -E  flag to encourage display of empty periods/zero+         transactions.++       o Try setting explicit forecast start and/or  end  dates  with  --fore-+         cast=START..END++       o Consult Forecast period, in detail, above.++       o Check inside the engine: add --debug=2 (eg).++Budgeting+       With  the  balance command's --budget report, each periodic transaction+       rule generates recurring budget goals in specified accounts, and  goals+       and  actual performance can be compared.  See the balance command's doc+       below.++       You can generate budget goals and forecast  transactions  at  the  same+       time,  from  the  same or different periodic transaction rules: hledger+       bal -M --budget --forecast ...++       See also: Budgeting and Forecasting.++Cost reporting+       This section is about recording the cost  of  things,  in  transactions+       where  one  commodity is exchanged for another.  Eg an exchange of cur-+       rency, or a stock purchase or sale.  First, a quick glossary:++       o Conversion - an exchange of one currency or  commodity  for  another.+         Eg  a  foreign  currency  exchange, or a purchase or sale of stock or+         cryptocurrency.++       o Conversion transaction - a transaction involving one or more  conver-+         sions.++       o Conversion rate - the cost per unit of one commodity in the other, ie+         the exchange rate.++       o Cost - how much of one commodity was paid to acquire the other.   And+         more  generally,  in  hledger docs: the amount exchanged in the "sec-+         ondary" commodity (usually your base currency), whether in a purchase+         or  a  sale,  and  whether expressed per unit or in total.  Also, the+         "@/@@ PRICE" notation used to represent this.++   -B: Convert to cost+       As discussed in JOURNAL > Costs, when recording a transaction  you  can+       also  record  the amount's cost in another commodity, by adding @ UNIT-+       PRICE or @@ TOTALPRICE.++       Then you can see a report with amounts converted to cost, by adding the+       -B/--cost flag.  (Mnemonic: "B" from "cost Basis", as in Ledger).  Eg:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  $-135          ; 135 dollars is exchanged for..+                assets:euros     100 @ $1.35  ; one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each++              $ hledger bal -N+                             $-135  assets:dollars+                              100  assets:euros+              $ hledger bal -N -B+                             $-135  assets:dollars+                              $135  assets:euros    # <- the euros' cost++       Notes:++       -B  is  sensitive to the order of postings when a cost is inferred: the+       inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount.  So if  ex-+       ample  3's  postings are reversed, while the transaction is equivalent,+       -B shows something different:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  $-135              ; 135 dollars sold+                assets:euros     100              ; for 100 euros++              $ hledger bal -N -B+                             -100  assets:dollars  # <- the dollars' selling price+                              100  assets:euros++       The @/@@ cost notation is convenient, but has some drawbacks:  it  does+       not  truly balance the transaction, so it disrupts the accounting equa-+       tion and tends to causes a non-zero total in balance reports.++   Equity conversion postings+       By contrast, conventional double entry bookkeeping (DEB) uses a differ-+       ent  notation:  an  extra pair of equity postings to balance conversion+       transactions.  In this style, the above entry might be written:++              2022-01-01 one hundred euros purchased at $1.35 each+                  assets:dollars      $-135+                  equity:conversion    $135+                  equity:conversion   -100+                  assets:euros         100++       This style is more correct, but it's also more verbose and  makes  cost+       reporting more difficult for PTA tools.++       Happily,  current  hledger  can read either notation, or convert one to+       the other when needed, so you can use the one you prefer.++       You can even use cost notation and equivalent  conversion  postings  at+       the  same  time, for clarity.  hledger will ignore the redundancy.  But+       be sure the cost and conversion posting amounts match, or you'll see  a+       not-so-clear transaction balancing error message.++   Inferring equity postings from cost+       With --infer-equity, hledger detects transactions written with PTA cost+       notation and adds equity conversion postings to them:++              2022-01-01+                assets:dollars  -$135+                assets:euros     100 @ $1.35++              $ hledger print --infer-equity+              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars                    $-135+                  assets:euros               100 @ $1.35+                  equity:conversion:$-:           -100  ; generated-posting:+                  equity:conversion:$-:$         $135.00  ; generated-posting:++       The conversion account names can be changed with the conversion account+       type declaration.++       --infer-equity  is useful when when transactions have been recorded us-+       ing cost notation, to help preserve the accounting equation and balance+       reports'  zero  total,  or to produce more conventional journal entries+       for sharing with non-PTA-users.++   Inferring cost from equity postings+       The reverse operation is possible using  --infer-costs,  which  detects+       transactions  written with equity conversion postings and adds cost no-+       tation to them:++              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars            $-135+                  equity:conversion          $135+                  equity:conversion         -100+                  assets:euros               100++              $ hledger print --infer-costs+              2022-01-01+                  assets:dollars       $-135 @@ 100+                  equity:conversion             $135+                  equity:conversion            -100+                  assets:euros                  100++       --infer-costs is useful when combined with -B/--cost, allowing cost re-+       porting  even  when  transactions have been recorded using equity post-+       ings:++              $ hledger print --infer-costs -B+              2009-01-01+                  assets:dollars           -100+                  assets:euros              100++       Notes:++       For --infer-costs to work, an exchange must consist of four postings:++       1. two non-equity postings++       2. two equity postings, next to one another++       3. the equity accounts must be declared, with account type V/Conversion+          (or  if they are not declared, they must be named equity:conversion,+          equity:trade, equity:trading or subaccounts of these)++       4. the equity postings' amounts must exactly match the non-equity post-+          ings' amounts.++       Multiple such exchanges can coexist within a single transaction.++       When  inferring  cost, the order of postings matters: the cost is added+       to the first of the non-equity postings involved in  the  exchange,  in+       the  commodity of the last non-equity posting involved in the exchange.+       If you don't want to write your postings in the required order, you can+       use explicit cost notation instead.++       --infer-equity  and  --infer-costs  can be used together, if you have a+       mixture of both notations in your journal.++   When to infer cost/equity+       Inferring equity postings or costs is still fairly new, so not  enabled+       by  default.   We're  not sure yet if that should change.  Here are two+       suggestions to try, experience reports welcome:++       1. When you use -B, always use --infer-costs as well.  Eg: hledger  bal+          -B --infer-costs++       2. Always  run  hledger with both flags enabled.  Eg: alias hl="hledger+          --infer-equity --infer-costs"++   How to record conversions+       Essentially there are four ways to record a conversion  transaction  in+       hledger.  Here are all of them, with pros and cons.++   Conversion with implicit cost+       Let's  assume 100 EUR is converted to 120 USD.  You can just record the+       outflow (100 EUR) and inflow (120 USD) in  the  appropriate  asset  ac-+       count:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash    -100 EUR+                  assets:cash     120 USD++       hledger  will  assume  this transaction is balanced, inferring that the+       conversion rate must be 1 EUR = 1.20 USD.  You  can  see  the  inferred+       rate by using hledger print -x.++       Pro:++       o Concise, easy++       Con:++       o Less  error  checking - typos in amounts or commodity symbols may not+         be detected++       o Conversion rate is not clear++       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity+         flag++       You  can prevent accidental implicit conversions due to a mistyped com-+       modity symbol, by using hledger check commodities.++       You can prevent implicit conversions entirely, by using  hledger  check+       balancednoautoconversion, or -s/--strict.++   Conversion with explicit cost+       You can add the conversion rate using @ notation:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Now hledger will check that 100 * 1.20 = 120, and would report an error+       otherwise.++       Pro:++       o Still concise++       o Makes the conversion rate clear++       o Provides more error checking++       Con:++       o Disturbs the accounting equation, unless you add  the  --infer-equity+         flag++   Conversion with equity postings+       In  strict  double entry bookkeeping, the above transaction is not bal-+       anced in EUR or in USD, since some EUR disappears,  and  some  USD  ap-+       pears.   This  violates the accounting equation (A+L+E=0), and prevents+       reports like balancesheetequity from showing a zero total.++       The proper way to make it balance is to add  a  balancing  posting  for+       each commodity, using an equity account:++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR+                  equity:conversion   100 EUR+                  equity:conversion  -120 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Pro:++       o Preserves the accounting equation++       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place++       o Standard, works in any double entry accounting system++       Con:++       o More verbose++       o Conversion rate is not obvious++       o Cost reporting requires adding the --infer-costs flag++   Conversion with equity postings and explicit cost+       Here both equity postings and @ notation are used together.++              2021-01-01+                  assets:cash        -100 EUR @ 1.20 USD+                  equity:conversion   100 EUR+                  equity:conversion  -120 USD+                  assets:cash         120 USD++       Pro:++       o Preserves the accounting equation++       o Keeps track of conversions and related gains/losses in one place++       o Makes the conversion rate clear++       o Provides more error checking++       Con:++       o Most verbose++       o Not compatible with ledger++   Cost tips+       o Recording  the  cost/conversion  rate  explicitly  is good because it+         makes that clear and helps detect errors.++       o Recording equity postings is good because it is  correct  bookkeeping+         and preserves the accounting equation.++       o Combining these is possible.++       o When  you  want  to see the cost (or sale proceeds) of things, use -B+         (short form of --cost).++       o If you use conversion postings without cost  notation,  add  --infer-+         costs also.++       o If you use cost notation without conversion postings, and you want to+         see a balanced balance sheet or print correct  journal  entries,  use+         --infer-equity.++       o Conversion to cost is performed before valuation (described next).++Valuation+       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]  op-+       tion,  which  will  be described below.  We also provide the simpler -V+       and -X COMMODITY options, and often one of these is all you need:++   -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.++   -X: Value in specified commodity+       The -X/--exchange=COMM option is like -V, except you tell it which cur-+       rency  you  want  to  convert to, and it tries to convert everything to+       that.++   Valuation date+       Since market prices can change from day to day,  market  value  reports+       have a valuation date (or more than one), which determines which market+       prices will be used.++       For single period reports, if an explicit report end date is 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.++   Finding market price+       To  convert  a  commodity A to its market value in another commodity B,+       hledger looks for a suitable market price (exchange rate)  as  follows,+       in 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 direc-+          tive, or (with the --infer-market-prices flag) inferred from costs.++       2. A reverse market price: the inverse of a declared or inferred market+          price from B to A.++       3. A forward chain of market prices: a synthetic price formed  by  com-+          bining the shortest chain of "forward" (only 1 above) market prices,+          leading from A to B.++       4. Any chain of market prices: a chain of any market prices,  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.++       Amounts  for  which no suitable market price can be found, are not con-+       verted.++   --infer-market-prices: 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+       chore, and since transactions usually take place  at  close  to  market+       value,  why  not use the recorded costs as additional market prices (as+       Ledger does) ?  Adding the --infer-market-prices  flag  to  -V,  -X  or+       --value enables this.++       So  for  example,  hledger  bs -V --infer-market-prices will get market+       prices both from P directives and from transactions.  If both occur  on+       the same day, the P directive takes precedence.++       There is a downside: value reports can sometimes be affected in confus-+       ing/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.++       --infer-market-prices can infer market prices from:++       o multicommodity transactions with explicit prices (@/@@)++       o multicommodity transactions with implicit prices (no @, two  commodi-+         ties,  unbalanced).   (With  these,  the  order  of postings matters.+         hledger print -x can be useful for troubleshooting.)++       o multicommodity transactions with equity postings, if cost is inferred+         with --infer-costs.++       There  is  a  limitation (bug) currently: when a valuation commodity is+       not specified, prices inferred with --infer-market-prices do  not  help+       select a default valuation commodity, as P prices would.  So conversion+       might not happen because no valuation commodity was detected (--debug=2+       will show this).  To be safe, specify the valuation commmodity, eg:++       o -X EUR --infer-market-prices, not -V --infer-market-prices++       o --value=then,EUR --infer-market-prices, not --value=then --infer-mar-+         ket-prices++       Signed costs and market prices can be confusing.  For  reference,  here+       is  the current behaviour, since hledger 1.25.  (If you think it should+       work differently, see #1870.)++              2022-01-01 Positive Unit prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B -1 @ A 1++              2022-01-01 Positive Total prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B -1 @@ A 1+++              2022-01-02 Negative unit prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B 1 @ A -1++              2022-01-02 Negative total prices+                  a        A 1+                  b        B 1 @@ A -1+++              2022-01-03 Double Negative unit prices+                  a        A -1+                  b        B -1 @ A -1++              2022-01-03 Double Negative total prices+                  a        A -1+                  b        B -1 @@ A -1++       All of the transactions above are considered balanced (and on each day,+       the  two  transactions are considered equivalent).  Here are the market+       prices inferred for B:++              $ hledger -f- --infer-market-prices prices+              P 2022-01-01 B A 1+              P 2022-01-01 B A 1.0+              P 2022-01-02 B A -1+              P 2022-01-02 B A -1.0+              P 2022-01-03 B A -1+              P 2022-01-03 B A -1.0++   Valuation commodity+       When you specify a valuation commodity (-X COMM or --value TYPE,COMM):+       hledger will convert all amounts to COMM, wherever it can find a  suit-+       able market price (including by reversing or chaining prices).++       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:++       1. The price commodity from the latest P-declared market price for A 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+          prices before the valuation date.)++       3. If there are no P directives at all (any commodity or date) and  the+          --infer-market-prices  flag  is  used:  the price commodity from the+          latest transaction-inferred price for A on or before valuation date.++       This means:++       o If you have P directives, they determine which  commodities  -V  will+         convert, and to what.++       o If  you have no P directives, and use the --infer-market-prices flag,+         costs determine it.++       Amounts for which no valuation commodity can  be  found  are  not  con-+       verted.++   Simple valuation examples+       Here are some quick examples of -V:++              ; one euro is worth this many dollars from nov 1+              P 2016/11/01  $1.10++              ; purchase some euros on nov 3+              2016/11/3+                  assets:euros        100+                  assets:checking++              ; the euro is worth fewer dollars by dec 21+              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)++              $ hledger -f t.j bal -N euros -V+                           $103.00  assets:euros++   --value: Flexible valuation+       -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.+                                    Shows amounts converted to:+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at posting dates+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at period end(s)+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using current market prices+                                    - default valuation commodity (or COMM) using market prices at some date++       The TYPE part selects cost or value and valuation date:++       --value=then+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity, using market prices on each posting's date.++       --value=end+              Convert  amounts to their value in the default valuation commod-+              ity, 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+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity  using  current  market  prices (as of when report is gener-+              ated).++       --value=YYYY-MM-DD+              Convert amounts to their value in the default valuation  commod-+              ity 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 this commodity, deducing+       market prices as described above.++   More valuation examples+       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+              P 2000-03-01 A  3 B+              P 2000-04-01 A  4 B++              2000-01-01+                (a)      1 A @ 5 B++              2000-02-01+                (a)      1 A @ 6 B++              2000-03-01+                (a)      1 A @ 7 B++       Show the cost of each posting:++              $ hledger -f- print --cost+              2000-01-01+                  (a)             5 B++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             6 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             7 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             2 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             3 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             3 B++       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++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             4 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             4 B++       Show the value on 2000/01/15:++              $ hledger -f- print --value=2000-01-15+              2000-01-01+                  (a)             1 B++              2000-02-01+                  (a)             1 B++              2000-03-01+                  (a)             1 B++       You may need to explicitly set a commodity's display  style,  when  re-+       verse prices are used.  Eg this output might be surprising:++              P 2000-01-01 A 2B++              2000-01-01+                a  1B+                b++              $ hledger print -x -X A+              2000-01-01+                  a               0+                  b               0++       Explanation:  because there's no amount or commodity directive specify-+       ing a display style for A, 0.5A gets the default style, which shows  no+       decimal digits.  Because the displayed amount looks like zero, the com-+       modity symbol and minus sign are not displayed either.  Adding  a  com-+       modity directive sets a more useful display style for A:++              P 2000-01-01 A 2B+              commodity 0.00A++              2000-01-01+                a  1B+                b++              $ hledger print -X A+              2000-01-01+                  a           0.50A+                  b          -0.50A++   Interaction of valuation and queries+       When  matching  postings based on queries in the presence of valuation,+       the following happens.++       1. The query is separated into two parts:++           1. the currency (cur:) or amount (amt:).++           2. all other parts.++       2. The postings are matched to the currency and amount queries based on+          pre-valued amounts.++       3. Valuation is applied to the postings.++       4. The  postings  are  matched to the other parts of the query based on+          post-valued amounts.++       See: 1625++   Effect of valuation on reports+       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.  Re-+       lated: #329, #1083.++       Report      -B, --cost     -V, -X         --value=then         --value=end    --value=DATE,+       type                                                                          --value=now+       --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       print+       posting     cost           value at re-   value at  posting    value at re-   value      at+       amounts                    port  end or   date                 port      or   DATE/today+                                  today                               journal end+       balance     unchanged      unchanged      unchanged            unchanged      unchanged+       asser-+       tions/as-+       signments++       register+       starting    cost           value at re-   valued   at   day    value at re-   value      at+       balance                    port      or   each   historical    port      or   DATE/today+       (-H)                       journal end    posting was made     journal end+       starting    cost           value at day   valued   at   day    value at day   value      at+       balance                    before   re-   each   historical    before   re-   DATE/today+       (-H) with                  port      or   posting was made     port      or+       report                     journal                             journal+       interval                   start                               start+       posting     cost           value at re-   value at  posting    value at re-   value      at+       amounts                    port      or   date                 port      or   DATE/today+                                  journal end                         journal end+       summary     summarised     value at pe-   sum  of  postings    value at pe-   value      at+       posting     cost           riod ends      in interval, val-    riod ends      DATE/today+       amounts                                   ued  at  interval+       with  re-                                 start+       port  in-+       terval+       running     sum/average    sum/average    sum/average    of    sum/average    sum/average+       total/av-   of displayed   of displayed   displayed values     of displayed   of  displayed+       erage       values         values                              values         values++       balance+       (bs, bse,+       cf, is)+       balance     sums      of   value at re-   value  at posting    value at re-   value      at+       changes     costs          port end  or   date                 port      or   DATE/today of+                                  today     of                        journal  end   sums of post-+                                  sums      of                        of  sums  of   ings+                                  postings                            postings+       budget      like balance   like balance   like      balance    like    bal-   like  balance+       amounts     changes        changes        changes              ances          changes+       (--bud-+       get)+       grand to-   sum of  dis-   sum of  dis-   sum of  displayed    sum  of dis-   sum  of  dis-+       tal         played  val-   played  val-   valued               played  val-   played values+                   ues            ues                                 ues++       balance+       (bs, bse,+       cf,   is)+       with  re-+       port  in-+       terval+       starting    sums      of   value at re-   sums of values of    value at re-   sums of post-+       balances    costs     of   port   start   postings   before    port   start   ings   before+       (-H)        postings be-   of  sums  of   report  start  at    of  sums  of   report start+                   fore  report   all postings   respective  post-    all postings+                   start          before   re-   ing dates            before   re-+                                  port start                          port start++++       balance     sums      of   same      as   sums of values of    balance        value      at+       changes     costs     of   --value=end    postings  in  pe-    change    in   DATE/today of+       (bal, is,   postings  in                  riod  at  respec-    each period,   sums of post-+       bs          period                        tive      posting    valued    at   ings+       --change,                                 dates                period ends+       cf+       --change)+       end  bal-   sums      of   same      as   sums of values of    period   end   value      at+       ances       costs     of   --value=end    postings from be-    balances,      DATE/today of+       (bal  -H,   postings                      fore period start    valued    at   sums of post-+       is   --H,   from  before                  to period end  at    period ends    ings+       bs, cf)     report start                  respective  post-+                   to    period                  ing dates+                   end+       budget      like balance   like balance   like      balance    like    bal-   like  balance+       amounts     changes/end    changes/end    changes/end  bal-    ances          changes/end+       (--bud-     balances       balances       ances                               balances+       get)+       row   to-   sums,  aver-   sums,  aver-   sums, averages of    sums,  aver-   sums,   aver-+       tals, row   ages of dis-   ages of dis-   displayed values     ages of dis-   ages of  dis-+       averages    played  val-   played  val-                        played  val-   played values+       (-T, -A)    ues            ues                                 ues+       column      sums of dis-   sums of dis-   sums of displayed    sums of dis-   sums  of dis-+       totals      played  val-   played  val-   values               played  val-   played values+                   ues            ues                                 ues+       grand to-   sum, average   sum, average   sum,  average  of    sum, average   sum,  average+       tal,        of    column   of    column   column totals        of    column   of column to-+       grand av-   totals         totals                              totals         tals+       erage+++       --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  market  value  using available market price declarations, or the+              unchanged amount if no conversion rate can be found.++       report start+              the first day of the report period specified with -b  or  -p  or+              date:, otherwise today.++       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+              the  last  day  of  the report period specified with -e or -p or+              date:, otherwise today.++       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+              a flag (-D/-W/-M/-Q/-Y) or period expression that activates  the+              report's multi-period mode (whether showing one or many subperi-+              ods).++PART 4: COMMANDS+   Commands overview+       Here are the built-in commands:++   DATA ENTRY+       These data entry commands are the only ones which can modify your jour-+       nal file.++       o add - add transactions using terminal prompts++       o import - add new transactions from other files, eg CSV files++   DATA CREATION+       o close - generate balance-zeroing/restoring transactions++       o rewrite - generate auto postings, like print --auto++   DATA MANAGEMENT+       o check - check for various kinds of error in the data++       o diff - compare account transactions in two journal files++   REPORTS, FINANCIAL+       o aregister (areg) - show transactions in a particular account++       o balancesheet (bs) - show assets, liabilities and net worth++       o balancesheetequity (bse) - show assets, liabilities and equity++       o cashflow (cf) - show changes in liquid assets++       o incomestatement (is) - show revenues and expenses++   REPORTS, VERSATILE+       o balance (bal) - show balance changes, end balances, budgets, gains..++       o print - show transactions or export journal data++       o register  (reg) - show postings in one or more accounts & running to-+         tal++       o roi - show return on investments++   REPORTS, BASIC+       o accounts - show account names++       o activity - show bar charts of posting counts per period++       o codes - show transaction codes++       o commodities - show commodity/currency symbols++       o descriptions - show transaction descriptions++       o files - show input file paths++       o notes - show note parts of transaction descriptions++       o payees - show payee parts of transaction descriptions++       o prices - show market prices++       o stats - show journal statistics++       o tags - show tag names++       o test - run self tests++   HELP+       o help - show the hledger manual with info/man/pager++       o demo - show small hledger demos in the terminal++   ADD-ONS+       And here are some typical add-on commands.  Some of these are installed+       by  the  hledger-install  script.   If  installed,  they will appear in+       hledger's commands list:++       o ui - run hledger's terminal UI++       o web - run hledger's web UI++       o iadd - add transactions using a TUI (currently hard to build)++       o interest - generate interest transactions++       o stockquotes - download market prices from AlphaVantage++       o Scripts and add-ons - check-fancyassertions, edit, fifo,  git,  move,+         pijul, plot, and more..++       Next, each command is described in detail, in alphabetical order.++   accounts+       Show account names.++       This  command  lists  account names.  By default it shows all known ac-+       counts, either used in transactions or  declared  with  account  direc-+       tives.++       With query arguments, only matched account names and account names ref-+       erenced by matched postings are shown.++       Or it can show just the used accounts  (--used/-u),  the  declared  ac-+       counts  (--declared/-d), the accounts declared but not used (--unused),+       the accounts used but not declared (--undeclared), or the first account+       matched by an account name pattern, if any (--find).++       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.++       With --types, it also shows each account's type, if it's  known.   (See+       Declaring accounts > Account types.)++       With  --positions,  it  also shows the file and line number of each ac-+       count's declaration, if any, and the account's overall declaration  or-+       der; these may be useful when troubleshooting account display order.++       With  --directives,  it adds the account keyword, showing valid account+       directives which can be pasted into a journal file.  This is useful to-+       gether  with  --undeclared  when  updating your account declarations to+       satisfy hledger check accounts.++       The --find flag can be used to look up a single account  name,  in  the+       same  way that the aregister command does.  It returns the alphanumeri-+       cally-first matched account name, or if none can  be  found,  it  fails+       with a non-zero exit code.++       Examples:++              $ hledger accounts+              assets:bank:checking+              assets:bank:saving+              assets:cash+              expenses:food+              expenses:supplies+              income:gifts+              income:salary+              liabilities:debts++              $ hledger accounts --undeclared --directives >> $LEDGER_FILE+              $ hledger check accounts++   activity+       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.++       Examples:++              $ hledger activity --quarterly+              2008-01-01 **+              2008-04-01 *******+              2008-07-01+              2008-10-01 **++   add+       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  trans-+       actions,  and appends them to the main journal file (which should be in+       journal format).  Existing transactions are not changed.  This  is  one+       of  the  few hledger commands that writes to the journal file (see also+       import).++       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:++       o add tries to provide useful defaults, using the most similar (by  de-+         scription)  recent  transaction  (filtered by the query, if any) as a+         template.++       o You can also set the initial defaults with command line arguments.++       o Readline-style edit keys can be used during data entry.++       o The tab key will auto-complete whenever  possible  -  accounts,  pay-+         ees/descriptions,  dates  (yesterday, today, tomorrow).  If the input+         area is empty, it will insert the default value.++       o If the journal defines a default commodity, it will be added  to  any+         bare numbers entered.++       o A parenthesised transaction code may be entered following a date.++       o Comments and tags may be entered following a description or amount.++       o If you make a mistake, enter < at any prompt to go one step backward.++       o Input  prompts  are displayed in a different colour when the terminal+         supports it.++       Example (see https://hledger.org/add.html for a detailed tutorial):++              $ hledger add+              Adding transactions to journal file /src/hledger/examples/sample.journal+              Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+              Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+              An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+              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]:+              Description: supermarket+              Account 1: expenses:food+              Amount  1: $10+              Account 2: assets:checking+              Amount  2 [$-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]:+              Saved.+              Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+              Date [2015/05/22]: <CTRL-D> $++       On Microsoft Windows, the add command makes sure that no  part  of  the+       file path ends with a period, as that would cause problems (#1056).++   aregister+       (areg)++       Show  the  transactions  and running historical balance of a single ac-+       count, with each transaction displayed as one line.++       aregister shows the overall transactions affecting a particular account+       (and  any subaccounts).  Each report line represents one transaction in+       this account.  Transactions before the report start date are always in-+       cluded in the running balance (--historical mode is always on).++       This  is  a more "real world", bank-like view than the register command+       (which shows individual postings, possibly from multiple accounts,  not+       necessarily in historical mode).  As a quick rule of thumb: - use areg-+       ister for reviewing and reconciling real-world asset/liability accounts+       - use register for reviewing detailed revenues/expenses.++       aregister  requires  one  argument:  the account to report on.  You can+       write either the full account name, or a case-insensitive  regular  ex-+       pression which will select the alphabetically first matched account.++       When there are multiple matches, the alphabetically-first choice can be+       surprising; eg if you have assets:per:checking 1 and  assets:biz:check-+       ing  2 accounts, hledger areg checking would select assets:biz:checking+       2.  It's just a convenience to save typing, so if in doubt,  write  the+       full account name, or a distinctive substring that matches uniquely.++       Transactions  involving subaccounts of this account will also be shown.+       aregister ignores depth limits, so its final total will always match  a+       balance report with similar arguments.++       Any  additional  arguments  form a query which will filter the transac-+       tions shown.  Note some queries will disturb the running balance, caus-+       ing it to be different from the account's real-world running balance.++       An  example: this shows the transactions and historical running balance+       during july, in the first account whose name contains "checking":++              $ hledger areg checking date:jul++       Each aregister line item shows:++       o the transaction's date (or the relevant posting's date if  different,+         see below)++       o the  names  of  all the other account(s) involved in this transaction+         (probably abbreviated)++       o the total change to this account's balance from this transaction++       o 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.++       For  performance  reasons,  column widths are chosen based on the first+       1000 lines; this means unusually wide values in later lines  can  cause+       visual  discontinuities  as column widths are adjusted.  If you want to+       ensure perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use  the+       --align-all flag.++       This command also supports the output destination and output format op-+       tions.  The output formats supported are txt, csv, and json.++   aregister and custom posting dates+       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.++       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.++   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+       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,  bal-+       ancesheetequity, cashflow and incomestatement.  When you need more con-+       trol, then use balance.++   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+       higher-level commands as well.++       balance can show..++       o accounts as a list (-l) or a tree (-t)++       o optionally depth-limited (-[1-9])++       o sorted by declaration order and name, or by amount++       ..and their..++       o balance changes (the default)++       o or actual and planned balance changes (--budget)++       o or value of balance changes (-V)++       o or change of balance values (--valuechange)++       o or unrealised capital gain/loss (--gain)++       o or postings count (--count)++       ..in..++       o one time period (the whole journal period by default)++       o or multiple periods (-D, -W, -M, -Q, -Y, -p INTERVAL)++       ..either..++       o per period (the default)++       o or accumulated since report start date (--cumulative)++       o or accumulated since account creation (--historical/-H)++       ..possibly converted to..++       o cost (--value=cost[,COMM]/--cost/-B)++       o or market value, as of transaction dates (--value=then[,COMM])++       o or at period ends (--value=end[,COMM])++       o or now (--value=now)++       o or at some other date (--value=YYYY-MM-DD)++       ..with..++       o totals (-T), averages (-A), percentages (-%),  inverted  sign  (--in-+         vert)++       o rows and columns swapped (--transpose)++       o another field used as account name (--pivot)++       o custom-formatted line items (single-period reports only) (--format)++       o commodities displayed on the same line or multiple lines (--layout)++       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, negative amounts+       are shown in red.++       The --related/-r flag shows the balance of the other  postings  in  the+       transactions of the postings which would normally be shown.++   Simple balance report+       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.  ("Simple" here+       means just one column of numbers, covering a single  period.   You  can+       also have multi-period reports, described later.)++       For  real-world accounts, these numbers will normally be their end bal-+       ance at the end of the journal period; more on this below.++       Accounts are sorted by declaration order if any,  and  then  alphabeti-+       cally by account name.  For instance (using examples/sample.journal):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal+                                $1  assets:bank:saving+                               $-2  assets:cash+                                $1  expenses:food+                                $1  expenses:supplies+                               $-1  income:gifts+                               $-1  income:salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 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  (re-+       vealing assets:bank:checking here):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal  -E+                                 0  assets:bank:checking+                                $1  assets:bank:saving+                               $-2  assets:cash+                                $1  expenses:food+                                $1  expenses:supplies+                               $-1  income:gifts+                               $-1  income:salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 0++       The  total  of  the amounts displayed is shown as the last line, unless+       -N/--no-total is used.++   Balance report line format+       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:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance --format "%20(account) %12(total)"+                            assets          $-1+                       bank:saving           $1+                              cash          $-2+                          expenses           $2+                              food           $1+                          supplies           $1+                            income          $-2+                             gifts          $-1+                            salary          $-1+                 liabilities:debts           $1+              ---------------------------------+                                              0++       The FMT format string specifies the  formatting  applied  to  each  ac-+       count/balance pair.  It may contain any suitable text, with data fields+       interpolated like so:++       %[MIN][.MAX](FIELDNAME)++       o MIN pads with spaces to at least this width (optional)++       o MAX truncates at this width (optional)++       o FIELDNAME must be enclosed in parentheses, and can be one of:++         o depth_spacer - a number of spaces equal to the account's depth,  or+           if MIN is specified, MIN * depth spaces.++         o account - the account's name++         o total - the account's balance/posted total, right justified++       Also,  FMT  can begin with an optional prefix to control how multi-com-+       modity amounts are rendered:++       o %_ - render on multiple lines, bottom-aligned (the default)++       o %^ - render on multiple lines, top-aligned++       o %, - render on one line, comma-separated++       There are some quirks.  Eg in one-line mode, %(depth_spacer) has no ef-+       fect, instead %(account) has indentation built in.  Experimentation may+       be needed to get pleasing results.++       Some example formats:++       o %(total) - the account's total++       o %-20.20(account) - the account's name, left justified, padded  to  20+         characters and clipped at 20 characters++       o %,%-50(account)   %25(total)  - account name padded to 50 characters,+         total padded to 20 characters, with multiple commodities rendered  on+         one line++       o %20(total)   %2(depth_spacer)%-(account) - the default format for the+         single-column balance report++   Filtered balance report+       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:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --cleared assets date:200806+                               $-2  assets:cash+              --------------------+                               $-2++   List or tree mode+       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'+       "leaf" names indented below their parent:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+                                $2  expenses+                                $1    food+                                $1    supplies+                               $-2  income+                               $-1    gifts+                               $-1    salary+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                 0++       Notes:++       o "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).++       o All  balances  shown  are "inclusive", ie including the balances from+         all subaccounts.  Note this means  some  repetition  in  the  output,+         which requires explanation when sharing reports with non-plaintextac-+         counting-users.  A tree mode report's final total is the sum  of  the+         top-level balances shown, not of all the balances shown.++       o Each  group of sibling accounts (ie, under a common parent) is sorted+         separately.++   Depth limiting+       With a depth:NUM query, or --depth NUM option, or just  -NUM  (eg:  -3)+       balance  reports will show accounts only to the specified depth, hiding+       the deeper subaccounts.  This can be useful  for  getting  an  overview+       without too much detail.++       Account  balances  at  the depth limit always include the balances from+       any deeper subaccounts (even in list mode).  Eg, limiting to depth 1:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal balance -1+                               $-1  assets+                                $2  expenses+                               $-2  income+                                $1  liabilities+              --------------------+                                 0++   Dropping top-level accounts+       You can also hide one or  more  top-level  account  name  parts,  using+       --drop NUM.  This can be useful for hiding repetitive top-level account+       names:++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal expenses --drop 1+                                $1  food+                                $1  supplies+              --------------------+                                $2++   Showing declared accounts+       With --declared, accounts which have been declared with an account  di-+       rective  will  be  included in the balance report, even if they have no+       transactions.  (Since they will have a zero balance, you will also need+       -E/--empty to see them.)++       More  precisely,  leaf  declared accounts (with no subaccounts) will be+       included, since those are usually the more useful in reports.++       The idea of this is to be able to see a useful "complete"  balance  re-+       port, even when you don't have transactions in all of your declared ac-+       counts yet.++   Sorting by amount+       With -S/--sort-amount, accounts with the largest (most  positive)  bal-+       ances  are  shown first.  Eg: hledger bal expenses -MAS shows your big-+       gest averaged monthly expenses first.  When more than one commodity  is+       present,  they  will be sorted by the alphabetically earliest commodity+       first, and then by subsequent commodities (if an amount  is  missing  a+       commodity, it is treated as 0).++       Revenues  and liability balances are typically negative, however, so -S+       shows these in reverse order.  To work around this, you can  add  --in-+       vert  to  flip  the  signs.   (Or, use one of the higher-level reports,+       which flip the sign automatically.  Eg: hledger incomestatement -MAS).++   Percentages+       With -%/--percent, balance reports show each account's value  expressed+       as a percentage of the (column) total.++       Note it is not useful to calculate percentages if the amounts in a col-+       umn 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  separate+       report for each commodity:++              $ hledger bal -% cur:\\$+              $ hledger bal -% cur:++   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),  bal-+       ance  shows a tabular report, with columns representing successive time+       periods (and a title):++              $ hledger -f examples/sample.journal bal --quarterly income expenses -E+              Balance changes in 2008:++                                 ||  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+              -------------------++---------------------------------+                                 ||     $-1      $1       0       0++       Notes:++       o The report's start/end dates will be expanded, if necessary, to fully+         encompass the displayed subperiods (so that the first and last subpe-+         riods have the same duration as the others).++       o Leading and trailing periods (columns) containing all zeroes are  not+         shown, unless -E/--empty is used.++       o Accounts   (rows)   containing  all  zeroes  are  not  shown,  unless+         -E/--empty is used.++       o Amounts with many commodities are shown in abbreviated  form,  unless+         --no-elide is used.  (experimental)++       o Average  and/or  total columns can be added with the -A/--average and+         -T/--row-total flags.++       o The --transpose flag can be used to exchange rows and columns.++       o 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:++       o Hide the totals row with -N/--no-total++       o Convert to a single currency with -V++       o Maximize the terminal window++       o Reduce the terminal's font size++       o View with a pager like less, eg: hledger bal -D  --color=yes  |  less+         -RS++       o 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)++       o Output  as  HTML and view with a browser: hledger bal -D -o a.html &&+         open a.html++   Balance change, end balance+       It's important to be clear on the meaning of the numbers shown in  bal-+       ance reports.  Here is some terminology we use:++       A  balance  change  is the net amount added to, or removed from, an ac-+       count 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.++       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!)++       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 historical+       end balances:++       1. Initialise account starting  balances  with  an  "opening  balances"+          transaction  (a  transfer  from  equity  to the account), unless the+          journal covers the account's full lifetime.++       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 ignored when summing post-+          ings.)++   Balance report types+       The  balance  command is quite flexible; here is the full detail on how+       to control what it reports.  If the following seems complicated,  don't+       worry  -  this is for advanced reporting, and it does take time and ex-+       perimentation to get familiar with all the report modes.++       There are three important option groups:++       hledger balance  [CALCULATIONTYPE]  [ACCUMULATIONTYPE]  [VALUATIONTYPE]+       ...++   Calculation type+       The basic calculation to perform for each table cell.  It is one of:++       o --sum : sum the posting amounts (default)++       o --budget : sum the amounts, but also show the budget goal amount (for+         each account/period)++       o --valuechange : show the change in period-end historical balance val-+         ues  (caused  by  deposits, withdrawals, and/or market price fluctua-+         tions)++       o --gain : show the unrealised capital gain/loss, (the  current  valued+         balance minus each amount's original cost)++       o --count : show the count of postings++   Accumulation type+       How  amounts  should  accumulate across report periods.  Another way to+       say it: which time period's postings should contribute to  each  cell's+       calculation.  It is one of:++       o --change  :  calculate with postings from column start to column end,+         ie "just this column".   Typically  used  to  see  revenues/expenses.+         (default for balance, incomestatement)++       o --cumulative  :  calculate  with postings from report start to column+         end, ie "previous columns plus this column".  Typically used to  show+         changes accumulated since the report's start date.  Not often used.++       o --historical/-H  : calculate with postings from journal start to col-+         umn end, ie "all postings from before report start  date  until  this+         column's  end".  Typically used to see historical end balances of as-+         sets/liabilities/equity.  (default for  balancesheet,  balancesheete-+         quity, cashflow)++   Valuation type+       Which  kind  of value or cost conversion should be applied, if any, be-+       fore displaying the report.  It is one of:++       o no valuation type : don't convert to cost or value (default)++       o --value=cost[,COMM] : convert amounts to  cost  (then  optionally  to+         some other commodity)++       o --value=then[,COMM]  : convert amounts to market value on transaction+         dates++       o --value=end[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value  on  period  end+         date(s)+       (default with --valuechange, --gain)++       o --value=now[,COMM] : convert amounts to market value on today's date++       o --value=YYYY-MM-DD[,COMM]  :  convert  amounts to market value on an-+         other date++       or one of the equivalent simpler flags:++       o -B/--cost : like --value=cost (though, note --cost  and  --value  are+         independent options which can both be used at once)++       o -V/--market : like --value=end++       o -X COMM/--exchange COMM : like --value=end,COMM++       See Cost reporting and Valuation for more about these.++   Combining balance report types+       Most  combinations  of these options should produce reasonable reports,+       but if you find any that seem wrong or misleading, let  us  know.   The+       following restrictions are applied:++       o --valuechange implies --value=end++       o --valuechange  makes  --change  the  default  when used with the bal-+         ancesheet/balancesheetequity commands++       o --cumulative or --historical disables --row-total/-T++       For reference, here is what the combinations of accumulation and valua-+       tion show:++       Valua-     no valuation       --value= then       --value= end      --value= YYYY-+       tion:>                                                              MM-DD /now+       Accumu-+       lation:v+       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       --change   change in period   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+                                     date market  val-   value of change   change in  pe-+                                     ues in period       in period         riod+       --cumu-    change from  re-   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+       lative     port   start  to   date  market val-   value of change   change    from+                  period end         ues  from  report   from     report   report   start+                                     start  to  period   start to period   to period end+                                     end                 end+       --his-     change      from   sum  of  posting-   period-end        DATE-value  of+       torical    journal start to   date market  val-   value of change   change    from+       /-H        period end (his-   ues  from journal   from    journal   journal  start+                  torical end bal-   start  to  period   start to period   to period end+                  ance)              end                 end++   Budget report+       The --budget report type activates extra  columns  showing  any  budget+       goals for each account and period.  The budget goals are defined by pe-+       riodic transactions.  This is useful for comparing planned  and  actual+       income, expenses, time usage, etc.++       For  example,  you  can take average monthly expenses in the common ex-+       pense categories to construct a minimal monthly budget:++              ;; Budget+              ~ monthly+                income  $2000+                expenses:food    $400+                expenses:bus     $50+                expenses:movies  $30+                assets:bank:checking++              ;; Two months worth of expenses+              2017-11-01+                income  $1950+                expenses:food    $396+                expenses:bus     $49+                expenses:movies  $30+                expenses:supplies  $20+                assets:bank:checking++              2017-12-01+                income  $2100+                expenses:food    $412+                expenses:bus     $53+                expenses:gifts   $100+                assets:bank:checking++       You can now see a monthly budget report:++              $ hledger balance -M --budget+              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                                    ||                      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]+              ----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]++       This is different from a normal balance report in several  ways.   Cur-+       rently:++       o Accounts  with  budget goals during the report period, and their par-+         ents, are shown.++       o Their subaccounts are not shown (regardless of the depth setting).++       o Accounts without budget goals, if any, are aggregated  and  shown  as+         "<unbudgeted>".++       o Amounts  are  always  inclusive  (subaccount-including), even in list+         mode.++       o After each actual amount, the corresponding goal amount and  percent-+         age of goal reached are also shown, in square brackets.++       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:++              $ hledger balance -M --budget --empty+              Budget performance in 2017/11/01-2017/12/31:++                                    ||                      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]+              ----------------------++----------------------------------------------------+                                    ||      0 [              0]       0 [              0]++       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+              ======================++====================================================+               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]++       It's common to limit budgets/budget reports to just expenses++              hledger bal -M --budget expenses++       or just revenues and expenses (eg, using account types):++              hledger bal -M --budget type:rx++       It's also common  to  limit  or  convert  them  to  a  single  currency+       (cur:COMM  or  -X  COMM  [--infer-market-prices]).  If showing multiple+       currencies, --layout bare or --layout tall can help.++       For more examples and notes, see Budgeting.++   Budget report start date+       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+       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 default report period is just the day of 2020-01-15:++              ~ monthly in 2020+                (expenses:food)  $500++              2020-01-15+                expenses:food    $400+                assets:checking++              $ hledger bal expenses --budget+              Budget performance in 2020-01-15:++                            || 2020-01-15+              ==============++============+               <unbudgeted> ||       $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:++              $ hledger bal expenses --budget -b 2020/1/1+              Budget performance in 2020-01-01..2020-01-15:++                             || 2020-01-01..2020-01-15+              ===============++========================+               expenses:food ||     $400 [80% of $500]+              ---------------++------------------------+                             ||     $400 [80% of $500]++   Budgets and subaccounts+       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 bud-+       get(s)  of  the  child account(s) would be added to the budget of their+       parent, much like account balances behave.++       In the most simple case this means that once you add a  budget  to  any+       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+                  liabilities++       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.++       Transactions  in expenses:personal:electronics will be counted both to-+       wards 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+                  liabilities++              2019/01/01 Google home hub+                  expenses:personal:electronics          $90.00+                  liabilities                           $-90.00++              2019/01/02 Phone screen protector+                  expenses:personal:electronics:upgrades          $10.00+                  liabilities++              2019/01/02 Weekly train ticket+                  expenses:personal:train tickets       $153.00+                  liabilities++              2019/01/03 Flowers+                  expenses:personal          $30.00+                  liabilities++       As you can see, we  have  transactions  in  expenses:personal:electron-+       ics:upgrades  and  expenses:personal:train  tickets,  and since both of+       these accounts are without explicitly defined  budget,  these  transac-+       tions would be counted towards budgets of expenses:personal:electronics+       and expenses:personal accordingly:++              $ hledger balance --budget -M+              Budget performance in 2019/01:++                                             ||                           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]+              -------------------------------++-------------------------------+                                             ||        0 [                 0]++       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+              ========================================++===============================+               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]++   Selecting budget goals+       The budget report evaluates periodic transaction rules to generate spe-+       cial "goal transactions", which generate the goal amounts for each  ac-+       count  in  each  report  subperiod.   When troubleshooting, you can use+       print --forecast to show these as forecasted transactions:++              $ hledger print --forecast=BUDGETREPORTPERIOD tag:generated++       By default, the budget report uses all available  periodic  transaction+       rules  to  generate goals.  This includes rules with a different report+       interval from your report.  Eg if you have daily,  weekly  and  monthly+       periodic  rules, all of these will contribute to the goals in a monthly+       budget report.++       You can select a subset of periodic rules by providing an  argument  to+       the  --budget  flag.   --budget=DESCPAT  will  match all periodic rules+       whose description contains DESCPAT, a case-insensitive substring (not a+       regular  expression  or  query).  This means you can give your periodic+       rules descriptions (remember that two spaces are needed), and then  se-+       lect from multiple budgets defined in your journal.++   Budget vs forecast+       hledger  --forecast  ...  and hledger balance --budget ... are separate+       features, though both of them use the periodic  transaction  rules  de-+       fined  in the journal, and both of them generate temporary transactions+       for reporting purposes ("forecast transactions" and "budget goal trans-+       actions", respectively).  You can use both features at the same time if+       you want.  Here are some differences between them, as of hledger 1.29:++       CLI:++       o --forecast is a general hledger option, usable with any command++       o --budget is a balance command option, usable only with that command.++       Visibility of generated transactions:++       o forecast transactions are visible in any report, like ordinary trans-+         actions++       o budget  goal  transactions  are invisible except for the goal amounts+         they produce in --budget reports.++       Periodic transaction rules:++       o --forecast uses all available periodic transaction rules++       o --budget uses all periodic rules  (--budget)  or  a  selected  subset+         (--budget=DESCPAT)++       Period of generated transactions:++       o --forecast generates forecast transactions++         o from  after  the  last regular transaction to the end of the report+           period (--forecast)++         o or, during a specified period (--forecast=PERIODEXPR)++         o possibly further restricted by a period specified in  the  periodic+           transaction rule++         o and always restricted within the bounds of the report period++       o --budget generates budget goal transactions++         o throughout the report period++         o possibly  restricted by a period specified in the periodic transac-+           tion rule.++   Data layout+       The --layout option affects how balance  reports  show  multi-commodity+       amounts  and  commodity symbols, which can improve readability.  It can+       also normalise the data for easy consumption by other programs.  It has+       four possible values:++       o --layout=wide[,WIDTH]:  commodities  are  shown on a single line, op-+         tionally elided to WIDTH++       o --layout=tall: each commodity is shown on a separate line++       o --layout=bare: commodity symbols are in their own column, amounts are+         bare numbers++       o --layout=tidy:  data  is  normalised  to easily-consumed "tidy" form,+         with one row per data value++       Here are the --layout modes supported by each output format; note  only+       CSV output supports all of them:++       -      txt   csv   html   json   sql+       -------------------------------------+       wide   Y     Y     Y+       tall   Y     Y     Y+       bare   Y     Y     Y+       tidy         Y++       Examples:++       o Wide layout.  With many commodities, reports can be very wide:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||                                          2012                                                     2013                                             2014                                                      Total+                ==================++====================================================================================================================================================================================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT+                ------------------++--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 12.00 VEA, 106.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, -98.12 USD, 10.00 VEA, 18.00 VHT  -11.00 ITOT, 4881.44 USD, 14.00 VEA, 170.00 VHT  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 5120.50 USD, 36.00 VEA, 294.00 VHT++       o Limited  wide layout.  A width limit reduces the width, but some com-+         modities will be hidden:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=wide,32+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||                             2012                             2013                   2014                            Total+                ==================++===========================================================================================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..+                ------------------++---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT, 337.18 USD, 2 more..  70.00 GLD, 18.00 ITOT, 3 more..  -11.00 ITOT, 3 more..  70.00 GLD, 17.00 ITOT, 3 more..++       o Tall layout.  Each commodity gets a new line  (may  be  different  in+         each column), and account names are repeated:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=tall+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  ||       2012        2013         2014        Total+                ==================++==================================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT+                 Assets:US:ETrade ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD+                 Assets:US:ETrade || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA+                 Assets:US:ETrade ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT+                ------------------++--------------------------------------------------+                                  || 10.00 ITOT   70.00 GLD  -11.00 ITOT    70.00 GLD+                                  || 337.18 USD  18.00 ITOT  4881.44 USD   17.00 ITOT+                                  ||  12.00 VEA  -98.12 USD    14.00 VEA  5120.50 USD+                                  || 106.00 VHT   10.00 VEA   170.00 VHT    36.00 VEA+                                  ||              18.00 VHT                294.00 VHT++       o Bare  layout.  Commodity symbols are kept in one column, each commod-+         ity gets its own report row, account names are repeated:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -T -Y --layout=bare+                Balance changes in 2012-01-01..2014-12-31:++                                  || Commodity    2012    2013     2014    Total+                ==================++=============================================+                 Assets:US:ETrade || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50+                 Assets:US:ETrade || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00+                 Assets:US:ETrade || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00+                ------------------++---------------------------------------------+                                  || GLD             0   70.00        0    70.00+                                  || ITOT        10.00   18.00   -11.00    17.00+                                  || USD        337.18  -98.12  4881.44  5120.50+                                  || VEA         12.00   10.00    14.00    36.00+                                  || VHT        106.00   18.00   170.00   294.00++       o Bare layout also affects CSV output, which is  useful  for  producing+         data that is easier to consume, eg for making charts:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -O csv --layout=bare+                "account","commodity","balance"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","GLD","70.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","ITOT","17.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","USD","5120.50"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","VEA","36.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","VHT","294.00"+                "total","GLD","70.00"+                "total","ITOT","17.00"+                "total","USD","5120.50"+                "total","VEA","36.00"+                "total","VHT","294.00"++       o Tidy layout produces normalised "tidy data", where every variable has+         its own column and each row represents  a  single  data  point.   See+         https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/tidyr/vignettes/tidy-+         data.html for more.  This is the easiest kind of data for other soft-+         ware to consume.  Here's how it looks:++                $ hledger -f examples/bcexample.hledger bal assets:us:etrade -3 -Y -O csv --layout=tidy+                "account","period","start_date","end_date","commodity","value"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","GLD","0"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","ITOT","10.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","USD","337.18"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VEA","12.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2012","2012-01-01","2012-12-31","VHT","106.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","GLD","70.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","ITOT","18.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","USD","-98.12"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VEA","10.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2013","2013-01-01","2013-12-31","VHT","18.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","GLD","0"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","ITOT","-11.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","USD","4881.44"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VEA","14.00"+                "Assets:US:ETrade","2014","2014-01-01","2014-12-31","VHT","170.00"++   Useful balance reports+       Some frequently used balance options/reports are:++       o bal -M revenues expenses+       Show  revenues/expenses  in each month.  Also available as the incomes-+       tatement command.++       o bal -M -H assets liabilities+       Show historical asset/liability  balances  at  each  month  end.   Also+       available as the balancesheet command.++       o bal -M -H assets liabilities equity+       Show  historical  asset/liability/equity  balances  at  each month end.+       Also available as the balancesheetequity command.++       o bal -M assets not:receivable+       Show changes to liquid assets in each month.   Also  available  as  the+       cashflow command.++       Also:++       o bal -M expenses -2 -SA+       Show  monthly  expenses  summarised  to  depth  2 and sorted by average+       amount.++       o bal -M --budget expenses+       Show monthly expenses and budget goals.++       o bal -M --valuechange investments+       Show monthly change in market value of investment assets.++       o bal  investments  --valuechange  -D  date:lastweek  amt:'>1000'  -STA+         [--invert]+       Show top gainers [or losers] last week++   balancesheet+       (bs)++       This  command  displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending bal-+       ances 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.++       This report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash  or  Liability+       type  (see  account  types).   Or  if no such accounts are declared, it+       shows top-level accounts named asset or  liability  (case  insensitive,+       plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger balancesheet+              Balance Sheet++              Assets:+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+              --------------------+                               $-1++              Liabilities:+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                $1++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 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.+       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 op-+       tions The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and  (experimen-+       tal) json.++   balancesheetequity+       (bse)++       This  command  displays a balance sheet, showing historical ending bal-+       ances of asset, liability and equity accounts.  Amounts are shown  with+       normal positive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++       This  report shows accounts declared with the Asset, Cash, Liability or+       Equity type (see account types).  Or if no such accounts are  declared,+       it  shows top-level accounts named asset, liability or equity (case in-+       sensitive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger balancesheetequity+              Balance Sheet With Equity++              Assets:+                               $-2  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-3    cash+              --------------------+                               $-2++              Liabilities:+                                $1  liabilities:debts+              --------------------+                                $1++              Equity:+                        $1  equity:owner+              --------------------+                        $1++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 0++       This command is a higher-level variant of the balance command, and sup-+       ports  many  of  that command's features, such as multi-period reports.+       It is similar to hledger balance -H assets liabilities equity, but with+       smarter  account detection, and liabilities/equity displayed with their+       sign flipped.++       This command also supports the output destination and output format op-+       tions  The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experimen-+       tal) json.++   cashflow+       (cf)++       This command displays a cashflow statement,  showing  the  inflows  and+       outflows  affecting  "cash"  (ie,  liquid,  easily convertible) assets.+       Amounts are shown with normal positive sign, as in conventional  finan-+       cial statements.++       This  report  shows  accounts  declared with the Cash type (see account+       types).  Or if no such accounts are declared, it shows accounts++       o under a top-level account named asset (case insensitive,  plural  al-+         lowed)++       o whose name contains some variation of cash, bank, checking or saving.++       More precisely: all accounts matching this case insensitive regular ex-+       pression:++       ^assets?(:.+)?:(cash|bank|che(ck|que?)(ing)?|savings?|currentcash)(:|$)++       and their subaccounts.++       An example cashflow report:++              $ hledger cashflow+              Cashflow Statement++              Cash flows:+                               $-1  assets+                                $1    bank:saving+                               $-2    cash+              --------------------+                               $-1++              Total:+              --------------------+                               $-1++       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.+       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 op-+       tions The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and  (experimen-+       tal) json.++   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+       argument(s).++       Some examples:++              hledger check      # basic checks+              hledger check -s   # basic + strict checks+              hledger check ordereddates payees  # basic + two other checks++       If  you  are  an Emacs user, you can also configure flycheck-hledger to+       run these checks, providing instant feedback as you edit the journal.++       Here are the checks currently available:++   Basic checks+       These checks are always run automatically, by (almost) all hledger com-+       mands, including check:++       o parseable - data files are well-formed and can be successfully parsed++       o balancedwithautoconversion - all transactions are balanced, inferring+         missing amounts where necessary, and possibly converting  commodities+         using costs or automatically-inferred costs++       o assertions  -  all  balance  assertions  in  the journal are passing.+         (This check can be disabled with -I/--ignore-assertions.)++   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:++       o accounts - all account names used by transactions have been declared++       o commodities - all commodity symbols used have been declared++       o balancednoautoconversion - transactions are balanced, possibly  using+         explicit costs but not inferred ones++   Other checks+       These  checks  can  be  run  only by giving their names as arguments to+       check.  They are more  specialised  and  not  desirable  for  everyone,+       therefore optional:++       o ordereddates - transactions are ordered by date within each file++       o payees - all payees used by transactions have been declared++       o recentassertions  -  all accounts with balance assertions have a bal-+         ance assertion no more than 7 days before their latest posting++       o tags - all tags used by transactions have been declared++       o uniqueleafnames - all account leaf names are unique++   Custom checks+       A few more checks are are available as  separate  add-on  commands,  in+       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/tree/master/bin:++       o hledger-check-tagfiles  -  all  tag  values  containing  / (a forward+         slash) exist as file paths++       o hledger-check-fancyassertions - more complex balance  assertions  are+         passing++       You could make similar scripts to perform your own custom checks.  See:+       Cookbook -> Scripting.++   More about specific checks+       hledger check recentassertions will complain  if  any  balance-asserted+       account does not have a balance assertion within 7 days before its lat-+       est posting.  This aims to prevent the situation where  you  are  regu-+       larly  updating  your  journal,  but  forgetting to check your balances+       against the real world, then one day must dig back  through  months  of+       data  to find an error.  It assumes that adding a balance assertion re-+       quires/reminds you to check the real-world balance.  That  may  not  be+       true  if  you  auto-generate balance assertions from bank data; in that+       case, I recommend to import transactions uncleared, then use  the  man-+       ual-review-and-mark-cleared phase as a reminder to check the latest as-+       sertions against real-world balances.++   close+       (equity)++       Generate transactions which transfer account balances  to  and/or  from+       another  account  (typically equity).  This can be useful for migrating+       balances to a new journal file, or for merging earnings into equity  at+       end of accounting period.++       By  default,  it prints a transaction that zeroes out ALE accounts (as-+       set, liability, equity accounts; this requires account types to be con-+       figured); or if ACCTQUERY is provided, the accounts matched by that.++       (experimental)++       This  command has four main modes, corresponding to the most common use+       cases:++       1. With --close (default), it prints a "closing  balances"  transaction+          that  zeroes  out ALE (asset, liability, equity) accounts by default+          (this requires account types to be inferred or  declared);  or,  the+          accounts matched by the provided ACCTQUERY arguments.++       2. With  --open,  it  prints an opposite "opening balances" transaction+          that restores those balances from zero.  This is similar to Ledger's+          equity command.++       3. With --migrate, it prints both the closing and opening transactions.+          This is the preferred way to migrate balances to  a  new  file:  run+          hledger  close  --migrate, add the closing transaction at the end of+          the old file, and add the opening transaction at the  start  of  the+          new  file.   The  matching  closing/opening transactions cancel each+          other out, preserving correct balances during multi-file reporting.++       4. With --retain, it prints a "retain earnings" transaction that trans-+          fers  RX (revenue and expense) balances to equity:retained earnings.+          Businesses traditionally do this at the end of each  accounting  pe-+          riod;  it  is  less necessary with computer-based accounting, but it+          could still be useful if you want to  see  the  accounting  equation+          (A=L+E) satisfied.++       In all modes, the defaults can be overridden:++       o the  transaction  descriptions  can be changed with --close-desc=DESC+         and --open-desc=DESC++       o the account to transfer to/from can be changed with --close-acct=ACCT+         and --open-acct=ACCT++       o the  accounts  to be closed/opened can be changed with ACCTQUERY (ac-+         count query arguments).++       o the closing/opening dates can be changed with -e DATE (a  report  end+         date)++       By  default  just one destination/source posting will be used, with its+       amount left implicit.  With --x/--explicit, the amount  will  be  shown+       explicitly, and if it involves multiple commodities, a separate posting+       will be generated for each of them (similar to print -x).++       With --show-costs, any amount costs are shown, with  separate  postings+       for each cost.  This is currently the best way to view investment lots.+       If you have many currency conversion or investment transactions, it can+       generate very large journal entries.++       With  --interleaved,  each individual transfer is shown with source and+       destination postings next to each other.   This  could  be  useful  for+       troubleshooting.++       The  default  closing  date  is  yesterday,  or the journal's end date,+       whichever is later.  You can change this by  specifying  a  report  end+       date  with  -e.   The last day of the report period will be the closing+       date, eg -e 2024 means "close on 2023-12-31".  The opening date is  al-+       ways the day after the closing date.++   close and balance assertions+       Balance  assertions will be generated, verifying that the accounts have+       been reset to zero (and then restored to their  previous  balances,  if+       there is an opening transaction).++       These  provide useful error checking, but you can ignore them temporar-+       ily with -I, or remove them if you prefer.++       You probably should avoid filtering transactions by status or  realness+       (-C,  -R, status:), or generating postings (--auto), with this command,+       since the balance assertions would depend on these.++       Note custom posting dates spanning the file boundary will  disrupt  the+       balance assertions:++              2023-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+                  expenses:food          5+                  assets:bank:checking  -5  ; date: 2023-01-02++       To  solve  that  you can transfer the money to and from a temporary ac-+       count, in effect splitting the multi-day transaction into  two  single-+       day transactions:++              ; in 2022.journal:+              2022-12-30 a purchase made in december, cleared in january+                  expenses:food          5+                  equity:pending        -5++              ; in 2023.journal:+              2023-01-02 last year's transaction cleared+                  equity:pending         5 = 0+                  assets:bank:checking  -5++   Example: retain earnings+       Record 2022's revenues/expenses as retained earnings on 2022-12-31, ap-+       pending the generated transaction to the journal:++              $ hledger close --retain -f 2022.journal -p 2022 >> 2022.journal++       Note 2022's income statement will now show only  zeroes,  because  rev-+       enues  and  expenses  have  been moved entirely to equity.  To see them+       again, you could exclude the retain transaction:++              $ hledger -f 2022.journal is not:desc:'retain earnings'++   Example: migrate balances to a new file+       Close assets/liabilities/equity  on  2022-12-31  and  re-open  them  on+       2023-01-01:++              $ hledger close --migrate -f 2022.journal -p 2022+              # copy/paste the closing transaction to the end of 2022.journal+              # copy/paste the opening transaction to the start of 2023.journal++       Now  2022's  balance sheet will show only zeroes, indicating a balanced+       accounting equation.  (Unless you are using @/@@  notation  -  in  that+       case,  try  adding  --infer-equity.)   To  see the end-of-year balances+       again, you could exclude the closing transaction:++              $ hledger -f 2022.journal bs not:desc:'closing balances'++   Example: excluding closing/opening transactions+       When combining many files for multi-year reports,  the  closing/opening+       transactions  cause  some  noise  in  transaction-oriented reports like+       print  and  register.   You  can  exclude  them  as  shown  above,  but+       not:desc:...  is  not  ideal  as it depends on consistent descriptions;+       also you will want to avoid excluding the very first  opening  transac-+       tion, which could be awkward.  Here is one alternative, using tags:++       Add  clopen:  tags  to all opening/closing balances transactions except+       the first, like this:++              ; 2021.journal+              2021-06-01 first opening balances+              ...+              2021-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2022+              ...++              ; 2022.journal+              2022-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2022+              ...+              2022-12-31 closing balances  ; clopen:2023+              ...++              ; 2023.journal+              2023-01-01 opening balances  ; clopen:2023+              ...++       Now, assuming a combined journal like:++              ; all.journal+              include 2021.journal+              include 2022.journal+              include 2023.journal++       The clopen: tag can exclude all but the first opening transaction.   To+       show a clean multi-year checking register:++              $ hledger -f all.journal areg checking not:tag:clopen++       And the year values allow more precision.  To show 2022's year-end bal-+       ance sheet:++              $ hledger -f all.journal bs -e2023 not:tag:clopen=2023++   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+       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+       printed as blank lines.++       You can add a query to select a subset of transactions.++       Examples:++              2022/1/1 (123) Supermarket+               Food       $5.00+               Checking++              2022/1/2 (124) Post Office+               Postage    $8.32+               Checking++              2022/1/3 Supermarket+               Food      $11.23+               Checking++              2022/1/4 (126) Post Office+               Postage    $3.21+               Checking++              $ hledger codes+              123+              124+              126++              $ hledger codes -E+              123+              124++              126++   commodities+       List all commodity/currency symbols used or declared in the journal.++   demo+       Play demos of hledger usage in the terminal, if asciinema is installed.++       Run  this  command with no argument to list the demos.  To play a demo,+       write its number or a prefix or substring of its title.  Tips:++       Make your terminal window large enough to see the demo clearly.++       Use the -s/--speed SPEED option to set your preferred  playback  speed,+       eg -s4 to play at 4x original speed or -s.5 to play at half speed.  The+       default speed is 2x.++       Other asciinema options can be added following a  double  dash,  eg  --+       -i.1 to limit pauses or -- -h to list asciinema's other options.++       During  playback, several keys are available: SPACE to pause/unpause, .+       to step forward (while paused), CTRL-c quit.++       Examples:++              $ hledger demo               # list available demos+              $ hledger demo 1             # play the first demo at default speed (2x)+              $ hledger demo install -s4   # play the "install" demo at 4x speed++   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 subset of trans-+       actions.++       Example:++              $ hledger descriptions+              Store Name+              Gas Station | Petrol+              Person A++   diff+       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 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+       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+              These transactions are in the first file only:++              2014/01/01 Opening Balances+                  assets:bank:giro              EUR ...+                  ...+                  equity:opening balances       EUR -...++              These transactions are in the second file only:++   files+       List  all  files  included in the journal.  With a REGEX argument, only+       file names matching the regular expression (case sensitive) are shown.++   help+       Show the hledger user manual in the terminal,  with  info,  man,  or  a+       pager.   With  a  TOPIC  argument,  open  it at that topic if possible.+       TOPIC can be any heading in the manual, or a heading prefix,  case  in-+       sensitive.  Eg: commands, print, forecast, journal, amount, "auto post-+       ings".++       This command shows the hledger manual built in to your hledger version.+       It can be useful when offline, or when you prefer the terminal to a web+       browser, or when the appropriate hledger manual or  viewing  tools  are+       not installed on your system.++       By  default  it chooses the best viewer found in $PATH, trying (in this+       order): info, man, $PAGER, less, more.  You can force the use of  info,+       man,  or  a  pager  with  the  -i, -m, or -p flags, If no viewer can be+       found, or the command is run non-interactively, it just prints the man-+       ual to stdout.++       If  using  info,  note  that  version  6 or greater is needed for TOPIC+       lookup.  If you are on mac you will likely have info  4.8,  and  should+       consider  installing  a  newer  version,  eg  with brew install texinfo+       (#1770).++       Examples++              $ hledger help --help      # show how the help command works+              $ hledger help             # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER+              $ hledger help journal     # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+              $ hledger help -m journal  # show it with man, even if info is installed++   import+       Read new transactions added to each FILE since last run, and  add  them+       to  the  journal.   Or with --dry-run, just print the transactions that+       would be added.  Or with --catchup, just mark all of the FILEs'  trans-+       actions as imported, without actually importing any.++       This  command  may  append  new  transactions  to the main journal file+       (which should be in journal format).   Existing  transactions  are  not+       changed.   This  is  one of the few hledger commands that writes to the+       journal file (see also add).++       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+       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.+       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  al-+       ready-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+       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+       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 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+       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-+       tain date.++       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+       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+       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'++       Note: when importing from multiple files at once, it's currently possi-+       ble for some .latest files to be updated successfully, while the actual+       import fails because of a problem in one of the files, leaving them out+       of sync (and causing some transactions to be missed).  To prevent this,+       do a --dry-run first and fix any problems before the real import.++   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+       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:++              $ hledger print IMPORTFILE [--new] >> $LEDGER_FILE++       (If  you  think  import  should leave amounts implicit like print does,+       please test it and send a pull request.)++   Commodity display styles+       Imported amounts will be formatted according to the canonical commodity+       styles (declared or inferred) in the main journal file.++   incomestatement+       (is)++       This  command  displays  an  income statement, showing revenues and ex-+       penses during one or more periods.  Amounts are shown with normal posi-+       tive sign, as in conventional financial statements.++       This  report  shows  accounts declared with the Revenue or Expense type+       (see account types).  Or if no such accounts  are  declared,  it  shows+       top-level  accounts  named  revenue or income or expense (case insensi-+       tive, plurals allowed) and their subaccounts.++       Example:++              $ hledger incomestatement+              Income Statement++              Revenues:+                               $-2  income+                               $-1    gifts+                               $-1    salary+              --------------------+                               $-2++              Expenses:+                                $2  expenses+                                $1    food+                                $1    supplies+              --------------------+                                $2++              Total:+              --------------------+                                 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.+       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 op-+       tions  The output formats supported are txt, csv, html, and (experimen-+       tal) json.++   notes+       List the unique notes that appear in transactions.++       This command lists the unique notes that appear in transactions, in al-+       phabetic  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:++              $ hledger notes+              Petrol+              Snacks++   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+       (--used), or both (the default).++       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+       implies --used.++       Example:++              $ hledger payees+              Store Name+              Gas Station+              Person A++   prices+       Print  market  price directives from the journal.  With --infer-market-+       prices, generate additional market prices from costs.  With --infer-re-+       verse-prices,  also  generate  market prices by inverting known prices.+       Prices can be filtered by a query.  Price amounts  are  displayed  with+       their full precision.++   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).++       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.+       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 di-+       rectives and file-level comments.++       Eg:++              $ hledger print+              2008/01/01 income+                  assets:bank:checking            $1+                  income:salary                  $-1++              2008/06/01 gift+                  assets:bank:checking            $1+                  income:gifts                   $-1++              2008/06/02 save+                  assets:bank:saving              $1+                  assets:bank:checking           $-1++              2008/06/03 * eat & shop+                  expenses:food                $1+                  expenses:supplies            $1+                  assets:cash                 $-2++              2008/12/31 * pay off+                  liabilities:debts               $1+                  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 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++       There are some situations where print's output can become unparseable:++       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.++       o Account aliases can generate bad account names.++       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 cost is  implied  but  not+       written,  it  will  not appear in the output.  You can use the -x/--ex-+       plicit flag to make all amounts and costs 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+       the output parseable.++       With -B/--cost, amounts with costs are converted  to  cost  using  that+       price.  This can be used for troubleshooting.++       With  -m  DESC/--match=DESC,  print  does a fuzzy search for one recent+       transaction whose description is most similar  to  DESC.   DESC  should+       contain  at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match,+       no transaction will be shown and the program exit  code  will  be  non-+       zero.++       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 op-+       tions 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","$","","1","",""+              "1","2008/01/01","","","","income","","income:salary","-1","$","1","","",""+              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","assets:bank:checking","1","$","","1","",""+              "2","2008/06/01","","","","gift","","income:gifts","-1","$","1","","",""+              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:saving","1","$","","1","",""+              "3","2008/06/02","","","","save","","assets:bank:checking","-1","$","1","","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:food","1","$","","1","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","expenses:supplies","1","$","","1","",""+              "4","2008/06/03","","*","","eat & shop","","assets:cash","-2","$","2","","",""+              "5","2008/12/31","","*","","pay off","","liabilities:debts","1","$","","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+         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+         order, etc.)++       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+         greater amounts under debit.)++   register+       (reg)++       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+       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+       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+              2008/06/02 save                 assets:bank:checking           $-1           $1+              2008/12/31 pay off              assets:bank:checking           $-1            0++       With --date2, it shows and sorts by secondary date instead.++       For performance reasons, column widths are chosen based  on  the  first+       1000  lines;  this means unusually wide values in later lines can cause+       visual discontinuities as column widths are adjusted.  If you  want  to+       ensure  perfect alignment, at the cost of more time and memory, use the+       --align-all flag.++       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 displayed.++       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 ac-+       count and one commodity.++       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+       an income account where amounts are normally displayed as negative num-+       bers.   It's  also  useful to show postings on the checking account to-+       gether with the related account:++              $ hledger register --related --invert assets:checking++       With a reporting interval, register shows summary postings, one per in-+       terval, 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:++              $ hledger register --monthly income -E+              2008/01                 income:salary                          $-1          $-1+              2008/02                                                          0          $-1+              2008/03                                                          0          $-1+              2008/04                                                          0          $-1+              2008/05                                                          0          $-1+              2008/06                 income:gifts                           $-1          $-2+              2008/07                                                          0          $-2+              2008/08                                                          0          $-2+              2008/09                                                          0          $-2+              2008/10                                                          0          $-2+              2008/11                                                          0          $-2+              2008/12                                                          0          $-2++       Often, you'll want to see just one line per interval.  The --depth  op-+       tion helps with this, causing subaccounts to be aggregated:++              $ hledger register --monthly assets --depth 1h+              2008/01                 assets                                  $1           $1+              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  in-+       tervals.   This  ensures  that  the  first  and last intervals are full+       length and comparable to the others in the report.++       With -m DESC/--match=DESC, register does a fuzzy search for one  recent+       posting whose description is most similar to DESC.  DESC should contain+       at least two characters.  If there is no similar-enough match, no post-+       ing will be shown and the program exit code will be non-zero.++   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.++       The  description  and  account columns normally share the space equally+       (about half of (width - 40) each).  You can adjust this by adding a de-+       scription width as part of --width's argument, comma-separated: --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)+              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+              $ export COLUMNS=100; hledger reg # set till session end (or window resize)+              $ 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 op-+       tions  The  output  formats  supported are txt, csv, and (experimental)+       json.++   rewrite+       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 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 transac-+       tion'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+                (reserve:)  *0.25  ; reserve 25% for grocery++       Note the single quotes to protect the dollar sign from  bash,  and  the+       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  in-+       cludes a commodity name, the new posting amount will be in the new com-+       modity; otherwise, it will be in the matched posting  amount's  commod-+       ity.++   Re-write rules in a file+       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.++              $ rewrite-rules.journal++       Make contents look like this:++              = ^income+                  (liabilities:tax)  *.33++              = expenses:gifts+                  budget:gifts  *-1+                  assets:budget  *1++       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.++              $ 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  post-+       ings.++   Diff output format+       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 @@+               2008/01/01 income+              -    assets:bank:checking  $1+              +    assets:bank:checking            $1+                   income:salary+              +    (liabilities:tax)                0+              @@ -22,3 +23,4 @@+               2008/06/01 gift+              -    assets:bank:checking  $1+              +    assets:bank:checking            $1+                   income:gifts+              +    (liabilities:tax)                0++       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+       --file options and include directives inside of these files.++       Be  careful.  Whole transaction being re-formatted in a style of output+       from hledger print.++       See also:++       https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/issues/99++   rewrite vs. print --auto+       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+         only child files.++       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.+         print --auto applies rules specified in the journal.++   roi+       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  ac-+       count  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 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+       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).++       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  be-+         comes negative at some point in time.++       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:+         https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/examples/invest-+         ing/roi-unrealised.ledger++       o Cookbook > Return on Investment: https://hledger.org/roi.html++   Spaces and special characters in --inv and --pnl+       Note that --inv and --pnl's argument is a query, and queries could have+       several space-separated terms (see QUERIES).++       To indicate that all search terms form  single  command-line  argument,+       you will need to put them in quotes (see Special characters):++              $ hledger roi --inv 'term1 term2 term3 ...'++       If  any  query  terms contain spaces themselves, you will need an extra+       level of nested quoting, eg:++              $ hledger roi --inv="'Assets:Test 1'" --pnl="'Equity:Unrealized Profit and Loss'"++   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.++       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.++       o "Cash flow" is depositing or withdrawing money, buying or selling as-+         sets, or otherwise converting between your investment  commodity  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++       o "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  "profit+       and  loss"  postings  will be considered as part of your investment re-+       turn.++       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++              2019-03-01 Snake Oil #2+                equity:unrealized pnl  -$100 ; profit and loss posting+                snake oil                    ; investment posting++              2019-07-01 Snake Oil #3+                equity:unrealized pnl        ; profit and loss posting+                cash          -$100          ; cash flow posting+                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-+       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+       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+       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  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 pe-+       riod 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.++       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+       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+       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,+       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+       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.++       References:++       o Explanation of rate of return++       o Explanation of IRR++       o Explanation of TWR++       o Examples of computing IRR and TWR and discussion of  the  limitations+         of both metrics++   stats+       Show journal and performance 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.++       At  the end, it shows (in the terminal) the overall run time and number+       of transactions processed per second.  Note these are  approximate  and+       will  vary  based on machine, current load, data size, hledger version,+       haskell lib versions, GHC version..  but they may be of interest.   The+       stats  command's run time is similar to that of a single-column balance+       report.++       Example:++              $ hledger stats -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal+              Main file                : /Users/simon/src/hledger/examples/1000x1000x10.journal+              Included files           :+              Transactions span        : 2000-01-01 to 2002-09-27 (1000 days)+              Last transaction         : 2002-09-26 (6995 days ago)+              Transactions             : 1000 (1.0 per day)+              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Payees/descriptions      : 1000+              Accounts                 : 1000 (depth 10)+              Commodities              : 26 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)+              Market prices            : 1000 (A)++              Run time                 : 0.12 s+              Throughput               : 8342 txns/s++       This command supports the -o/--output-file option (but not -O/--output-+       format selection).++   tags+       List the tags used in the journal, or their values.++       This command lists the tag names used in the journal, whether on trans-+       actions, postings, or account declarations.++       With a TAGREGEX argument, only tag names matching this regular  expres-+       sion (case insensitive, infix matched) are shown.++       With  QUERY  arguments,  only  transactions  and accounts matching this+       query are considered.  If the query involves transaction fields (date:,+       desc:, amt:, ...), the search is restricted to the matched transactions+       and their accounts.++       With the --values flag, the tags' unique non-empty  values  are  listed+       instead.  With -E/--empty, blank/empty values are also shown.++       With  --parsed, tags or values are shown in the order they were parsed,+       with duplicates included.  (Except, tags from account declarations  are+       always shown first.)++       Tip:  remember, accounts also acquire tags from their parents, postings+       also acquire tags from their account and transaction, transactions also+       acquire tags from their postings.++   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.++       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 --+       (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).++PART 5: COMMON TASKS+       Here  are  some  quick  examples  of  how  to  do some basic tasks with+       hledger.++   Getting help+       Here's how to list commands and view options and command docs:++              $ hledger                # show available commands+              $ hledger --help         # show common options+              $ hledger CMD --help     # show CMD's options, common options and CMD's documentation++       You can also view your hledger version's manual in several  formats  by+       using the help command.  Eg:++              $ hledger help           # show the hledger manual with info, man or $PAGER (best available)+              $ hledger help journal   # show the journal topic in the hledger manual+              $ hledger help --help    # find out more about the help command++       To   view   manuals   and   introductory   docs   on   the  web,  visit+       https://hledger.org.  Chat and mail list  support  and  discussion  ar-+       chives can be found at https://hledger.org/support.++   Constructing command lines+       hledger  has  a  flexible command line interface.  We strive to keep it+       simple and ergonomic, but if you run into one of the  sharp  edges  de-+       scribed in OPTIONS, here are some tips that might help:++       o command-specific  options must go after the command (it's fine to put+         common options there too: hledger CMD OPTS ARGS)++       o running add-on executables directly simplifies command  line  parsing+         (hledger-ui OPTS ARGS)++       o enclose "problematic" args in single quotes++       o if  needed, also add a backslash to hide regular expression metachar-+         acters from the shell++       o to see how a misbehaving command line is being parsed, add --debug=2.++   Starting a journal file+       hledger  looks  for  your  accounting   data   in   a   journal   file,+       $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+       (see below).  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+              $ git init+              Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/simon/finance/.git/+              $ touch 2023.journal+              $ echo "export LEDGER_FILE=$HOME/finance/2023.journal" >> ~/.profile+              $ source ~/.profile+              $ hledger stats+              Main file                : /Users/simon/finance/2023.journal+              Included files           :+              Transactions span        :  to  (0 days)+              Last transaction         : none+              Transactions             : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 30 days: 0 (0.0 per day)+              Transactions last 7 days : 0 (0.0 per day)+              Payees/descriptions      : 0+              Accounts                 : 0 (depth 0)+              Commodities              : 0 ()+              Market prices            : 0 ()++   Setting LEDGER_FILE+       How to set LEDGER_FILE permanently depends on your setup:++       On unix and mac, running these commands in the terminal will  work  for+       many people; adapt as needed:++              $ echo 'export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/2023.journal` >> ~/.profile+              $ source ~/.profile++       When  correctly  configured,  in  a  new  terminal  window  env  | grep+       LEDGER_FILE will show your file, and so will hledger files.++       On mac, this additional step might  be  helpful  for  GUI  applications+       (like  Emacs started from the dock): add an entry to ~/.MacOSX/environ-+       ment.plist like++              {+                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/2023.journal"+              }++       and then run killall Dock in a terminal  window  (or  restart  the  ma-+       chine).++       On Windows, see https://www.java.com/en/download/help/path.html, or try+       running these commands in a powershell window (let us know if  it  per-+       sists across a reboot, and if you need to be an Administrator):++              > CD+              > MKDIR finance+              > SETX LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\USERNAME\finance\2023.journal"++   Setting opening balances+       Pick  a  starting  date  for which you can look up the balances of some+       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 re-+       cent  starting  date, like today or the start of the week.  You can al-+       ways 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 bal-+       ances on this date.  Here are two ways to do it:++       o The first way: open the journal in any text editor and save an  entry+         like this:++                2023-01-01 * opening balances+                    assets:bank:checking                $1000   = $1000+                    assets:bank:savings                 $2000   = $2000+                    assets:cash                          $100   = $100+                    liabilities:creditcard               $-50   = $-50+                    equity:opening/closing balances++         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+         "cleared & confirmed".++         The  currency symbols are optional, but usually a good idea as you'll+         be dealing with multiple currencies sooner or later.++         The = amounts are optional balance assertions, providing extra  error+         checking.++       o 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/2023.journal+                Any command line arguments will be used as defaults.+                Use tab key to complete, readline keys to edit, enter to accept defaults.+                An optional (CODE) may follow transaction dates.+                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 [2023-02-07]: 2023-01-01+                Description: * opening balances+                Account 1: assets:bank:checking+                Amount  1: $1000+                Account 2: assets:bank:savings+                Amount  2 [$-1000]: $2000+                Account 3: assets:cash+                Amount  3 [$-3000]: $100+                Account 4: liabilities:creditcard+                Amount  4 [$-3100]: $-50+                Account 5: equity:opening/closing balances+                Amount  5 [$-3050]:+                Account 6 (or . or enter to finish this transaction): .+                2023-01-01 * opening balances+                    assets:bank:checking                      $1000+                    assets:bank:savings                       $2000+                    assets:cash                                $100+                    liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+                    equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++                Save this transaction to the journal ? [y]:+                Saved.+                Starting the next transaction (. or ctrl-D/ctrl-C to quit)+                Date [2023-01-01]: .++       If you're using version control, this could be a good  time  to  commit+       the journal.  Eg:++              $ git commit -m 'initial balances' 2023.journal++   Recording transactions+       As  you spend or receive money, you can record these transactions using+       one of the methods above (text editor, hledger add)  or  by  using  the+       hledger-iadd  or hledger-web add-ons, or by using the import command to+       convert CSV data downloaded from your bank.++       Here are some simple transactions, see  the  hledger_journal(5)  manual+       and hledger.org for more ideas:++              2023/1/10 * gift received+                assets:cash   $20+                income:gifts++              2023.1.12 * farmers market+                expenses:food    $13+                assets:cash++              2023-01-15 paycheck+                income:salary+                assets:bank:checking    $1000++   Reconciling+       Periodically  you should reconcile - compare your hledger-reported bal-+       ances 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  pile  up, expect it to take longer as you hunt down errors and dis-+       crepancies.++       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  al-+          ready-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:++                  2023-01-16 * 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 check-+          ing -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 trans-+          action  history  and running balance from your bank with the one re-+          ported by hledger reg checking -C.  This will be easier if you  gen-+          erally  record transaction dates quite similar to your bank's clear-+          ing dates.++       3. Repeat for other asset/liability accounts.++       Tip: instead of the register command, use hledger-ui to see a  live-up-+       dating register while you edit the journal: hledger-ui --watch --regis-+       ter 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 2023-01-15 and paycheck++       If  you're using version control, this can be another good time to com-+       mit:++              $ git commit -m 'txns' 2023.journal++   Reporting+       Here are some basic reports.++       Show all transactions:++              $ hledger print+              2023-01-01 * opening balances+                  assets:bank:checking                      $1000+                  assets:bank:savings                       $2000+                  assets:cash                                $100+                  liabilities:creditcard                     $-50+                  equity:opening/closing balances          $-3050++              2023-01-10 * gift received+                  assets:cash              $20+                  income:gifts++              2023-01-12 * farmers market+                  expenses:food             $13+                  assets:cash++              2023-01-15 * paycheck+                  income:salary+                  assets:bank:checking           $1000++              2023-01-16 * adjust cash+                  assets:cash               $-2 = $105+                  expenses:misc++       Show account names, and their hierarchy:++              $ hledger accounts --tree+              assets+                bank+                  checking+                  savings+                cash+              equity+                opening/closing balances+              expenses+                food+                misc+              income+                gifts+                salary+              liabilities+                creditcard++       Show all account totals:++              $ hledger balance+                             $4105  assets+                             $4000    bank+                             $2000      checking+                             $2000      savings+                              $105    cash+                            $-3050  equity:opening/closing balances+                               $15  expenses+                               $13    food+                                $2    misc+                            $-1020  income+                              $-20    gifts+                            $-1000    salary+                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard+              --------------------+                                 0++       Show only asset and liability balances, as  a  flat  list,  limited  to+       depth 2:++              $ hledger bal assets liabilities -2+                             $4000  assets:bank+                              $105  assets:cash+                              $-50  liabilities:creditcard+              --------------------+                             $4055++       Show  the  same  thing  without negative numbers, formatted as a simple+       balance sheet:++              $ hledger bs -2+              Balance Sheet 2023-01-16++                                      || 2023-01-16+              ========================++============+               Assets                 ||+              ------------------------++------------+               assets:bank            ||      $4000+               assets:cash            ||       $105+              ------------------------++------------+                                      ||      $4105+              ========================++============+               Liabilities            ||+              ------------------------++------------+               liabilities:creditcard ||        $50+              ------------------------++------------+                                      ||        $50+              ========================++============+               Net:                   ||      $4055++       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+              Income Statement 2023-01-01-2023-01-16++                             || 2023-01-01-2023-01-16+              ===============++=======================+               Revenues      ||+              ---------------++-----------------------+               income:gifts  ||                   $20+               income:salary ||                 $1000+              ---------------++-----------------------+                             ||                 $1020+              ===============++=======================+               Expenses      ||+              ---------------++-----------------------+               expenses:food ||                   $13+               expenses:misc ||                    $2+              ---------------++-----------------------+                             ||                   $15+              ===============++=======================+               Net:          ||                 $1005++       The final total is your net income during this period.++       Show transactions affecting your wallet, with running total:++              $ hledger register cash+              2023-01-01 opening balances     assets:cash                   $100          $100+              2023-01-10 gift received        assets:cash                    $20          $120+              2023-01-12 farmers market       assets:cash                   $-13          $107+              2023-01-16 adjust cash          assets:cash                    $-2          $105++       Show weekly posting counts as a bar chart:++              $ hledger activity -W+              2019-12-30 *****+              2023-01-06 ****+              2023-01-13 ****++   Migrating to a new file+       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+       close command.++       If using version control, don't forget to git add the new file.++BUGS+       We  welcome  bug  reports  in  the  hledger  issue  tracker  (shortcut:+       http://bugs.hledger.org),  or on the #hledger chat or hledger mail list+       (https://hledger.org/support).++       Some known issues and limitations:++       The need to precede add-on command options with --  when  invoked  from+       hledger is awkward.  (See Command options, Constructing command lines.)++       A  UTF-8-aware  system locale must be configured to work with non-ascii+       data.  (See Unicode characters, Troubleshooting.)++       On Microsoft Windows, depending whether you are running in a CMD window+       or a Cygwin/MSYS/Mintty window and how you installed hledger, non-ascii+       characters and colours may not be supported, and the tab key may not be+       supported  by  hledger  add.   (Running  in a WSL window should resolve+       these.)++       When processing large data files, hledger uses more memory than Ledger.++   Troubleshooting+       Here are some common issues you might encounter when you  run  hledger,+       and  how  to  resolve them (and remember also you can usually get quick+       Support):++       PATH issues: I get an error like "No command 'hledger' found"+       Depending how you installed hledger, the executables may not be in your+       shell's  PATH.   Eg  on  unix systems, stack installs hledger in ~/.lo-+       cal/bin and cabal installs it in ~/.cabal/bin.  You may need to add one+       of  these  directories to your shell's PATH, and/or open a new terminal+       window.++       LEDGER_FILE issues: I configured LEDGER_FILE but hledger is  not  using+       it+       o LEDGER_FILE  should  be a real environment variable, not just a shell+         variable.  Eg on unix, the command env | grep LEDGER_FILE should show+         it.    You   may   need   to   use   export  (see  https://stackover-+         flow.com/a/7411509).++       o You may need to force your shell to see  the  new  configuration.   A+         simple way is to close your terminal window and open a new one.++       LANG  issues:  I get errors like "Illegal byte sequence" or "Invalid or+       incomplete multibyte or wide character" or "commitAndReleaseBuffer: in-+       valid argument (invalid character)"+       Programs  compiled  with GHC (hledger, haskell build tools, etc.)  need+       the system locale to be UTF-8-aware, or they will fail  when  they  en-+       counter  non-ascii  characters.   To  fix  it, set the LANG environment+       variable to a locale which supports UTF-8 and  which  is  installed  on+       your system.++       On  unix,  locale  -a  lists the installed locales.  Look for one which+       mentions utf8, UTF-8 or similar.  Some examples: C.UTF-8,  en_US.utf-8,+       fr_FR.utf8.   If  necessary, use your system package manager to install+       one.  Then select it by setting the LANG environment  variable.   Note,+       exact  spelling and capitalisation of the locale name may be important:+       Here's one common way to configure this permanently for your shell:++              $ echo "export LANG=en_US.utf8" >>~/.profile+              # close and re-open terminal window++       COMPATIBILITY ISSUES: hledger gives an error with my Ledger file+       Not all of Ledger's journal file syntax or feature  set  is  supported.+       See hledger and Ledger for full details.++++AUTHORS+       Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors.+       See http://hledger.org/CREDITS.html+++COPYRIGHT+       Copyright 2007-2023 Simon Michael and contributors.+++LICENSE+       Released under GNU GPL v3 or later.+++SEE ALSO+       hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), ledger(1)++++hledger-1.30                       June 2023                        HLEDGER(1)