# csv format

This doc is for version **1.5**. []{.docversions}

-   toc

## NAME

CSV - how hledger reads CSV data, and the CSV rules file format

## DESCRIPTION

hledger can read
[CSV](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma-separated_values)
(comma-separated value) files as if they were journal files,
automatically converting each CSV record into a transaction. (To learn
about *writing* CSV, see [CSV output](hledger.html#csv-output).)

Converting CSV to transactions requires some special conversion rules.
These do several things:

-   they describe the layout and format of the CSV data
-   they can customize the generated journal entries using a simple
    templating language
-   they can add refinements based on patterns in the CSV data, eg
    categorizing transactions with more detailed account names.

When reading a CSV file named `FILE.csv`, hledger looks for a conversion
rules file named `FILE.csv.rules` in the same directory. You can
override this with the `--rules-file` option. If the rules file does not
exist, hledger will auto-create one with some example rules, which
you'll need to adjust.

At minimum, the rules file must identify the `date` and `amount` fields.
It may also be necessary to specify the date format, and the number of
header lines to skip. Eg:

    fields date, _, _, amount
    date-format  %d/%m/%Y
    skip 1

A more complete example:

    # hledger CSV rules for amazon.com order history

    # sample:
    # "Date","Type","To/From","Name","Status","Amount","Fees","Transaction ID"
    # "Jul 29, 2012","Payment","To","Adapteva, Inc.","Completed","$25.00","$0.00","17LA58JSK6PRD4HDGLNJQPI1PB9N8DKPVHL"

    # skip one header line
    skip 1

    # name the csv fields (and assign the transaction's date, amount and code)
    fields date, _, toorfrom, name, amzstatus, amount, fees, code

    # how to parse the date
    date-format %b %-d, %Y

    # combine two fields to make the description
    description %toorfrom %name

    # save these fields as tags
    comment     status:%amzstatus, fees:%fees

    # set the base account for all transactions
    account1    assets:amazon

    # flip the sign on the amount
    amount      -%amount

For more examples, see [Convert CSV files](csv-import.html).

## CSV RULES

The following seven kinds of rule can appear in the rules file, in any
order. Blank lines and lines beginning with `#` or `;` are ignored.

### skip

`skip`*`N`*

Skip this number of CSV records at the beginning. You'll need this
whenever your CSV data contains header lines. Eg: <!-- XXX -->
<!-- hledger tries to skip initial CSV header lines automatically. -->
<!-- If it guesses wrong, use this directive to skip exactly N lines. -->
<!-- This can also be used in a conditional block to ignore certain CSV records. -->

``` {.rules}
# ignore the first CSV line
skip 1
```

### date-format

`date-format`*`DATEFMT`*

When your CSV date fields are not formatted like `YYYY/MM/DD` (or
`YYYY-MM-DD` or `YYYY.MM.DD`), you'll need to specify the format.
DATEFMT is a [strptime-like date parsing
pattern](http://hackage.haskell.org/packages/archive/time/latest/doc/html/Data-Time-Format.html#v:formatTime),
which must parse the date field values completely. Examples:

``` {.rules .display-table}
# for dates like "6/11/2013":
date-format %-d/%-m/%Y
```

``` {.rules .display-table}
# for dates like "11/06/2013":
date-format %m/%d/%Y
```

``` {.rules .display-table}
# for dates like "2013-Nov-06":
date-format %Y-%h-%d
```

``` {.rules .display-table}
# for dates like "11/6/2013 11:32 PM":
date-format %-m/%-d/%Y %l:%M %p
```

### field list

`fields`*`FIELDNAME1`*, *`FIELDNAME2`*...

This (a) names the CSV fields, in order (names may not contain
whitespace; uninteresting names may be left blank), and (b) assigns them
to journal entry fields if you use any of these standard field names:
`date`, `date2`, `status`, `code`, `description`, `comment`, `account1`,
`account2`, `amount`, `amount-in`, `amount-out`, `currency`, `balance`.
Eg:

``` {.rules}
# use the 1st, 2nd and 4th CSV fields as the entry's date, description and amount,
# and give the 7th and 8th fields meaningful names for later reference:
#
# CSV field:
#      1     2            3 4       5 6 7          8
# entry field:
fields date, description, , amount, , , somefield, anotherfield
```

### field assignment

*`ENTRYFIELDNAME`* *`FIELDVALUE`*

This sets a journal entry field (one of the standard names above) to the
given text value, which can include CSV field values interpolated by
name (`%CSVFIELDNAME`) or 1-based position (`%N`).
<!-- Whitespace before or after the value is ignored. --> Eg:

``` {.rules .display-table}
# set the amount to the 4th CSV field with "USD " prepended
amount USD %4
```

``` {.rules .display-table}
# combine three fields to make a comment (containing two tags)
comment note: %somefield - %anotherfield, date: %1
```

Field assignments can be used instead of or in addition to a field list.

### conditional block

`if` *`PATTERN`*\
    *`FIELDASSIGNMENTS`*...

`if`\
*`PATTERN`*\
*`PATTERN`*...\
    *`FIELDASSIGNMENTS`*...

This applies one or more field assignments, only to those CSV records
matched by one of the PATTERNs. The patterns are case-insensitive
regular expressions which match anywhere within the whole CSV record
(it's not yet possible to match within a specific field). When there are
multiple patterns they can be written on separate lines, unindented. The
field assignments are on separate lines indented by at least one space.
Examples:

``` {.rules .display-table}
# if the CSV record contains "groceries", set account2 to "expenses:groceries"
if groceries
 account2 expenses:groceries
```

``` {.rules .display-table}
# if the CSV record contains any of these patterns, set account2 and comment as shown
if
monthly service fee
atm transaction fee
banking thru software
 account2 expenses:business:banking
 comment  XXX deductible ? check it
```

### include

`include`*`RULESFILE`*

Include another rules file at this point. `RULESFILE` is either an
absolute file path or a path relative to the current file's directory.
Eg:

``` {.rules}
# rules reused with several CSV files
include common.rules
```

### newest-first

`newest-first`

Consider adding this rule if all of the following are true: you might be
processing just one day of data, your CSV records are in reverse
chronological order (newest first), and you care about preserving the
order of same-day transactions. It usually isn't needed, because hledger
autodetects the CSV order, but when all CSV records have the same date
it will assume they are oldest first.

## CSV TIPS

### CSV ordering

The generated [journal entries](/journal.html#transactions) will be
sorted by date. The order of same-day entries will be preserved (except
in the special case where you might need
[`newest-first`](#newest-first), see above).

### CSV accounts

Each journal entry will have two [postings](/journal.html#postings), to
`account1` and `account2` respectively. It's not yet possible to
generate entries with more than two postings. It's conventional and
recommended to use `account1` for the account whose CSV we are reading.

### CSV amounts

The `amount` field sets the [amount](/journal.html#amounts) of the
`account1` posting.

If the CSV has debit/credit amounts in separate fields, assign to the
`amount-in` and `amount-out` pseudo fields instead. (Whichever one has a
value will be used, with appropriate sign. If both contain a value, it
may not work so well.)

If an amount value is parenthesised, it will be de-parenthesised and
sign-flipped.

If an amount value begins with a double minus sign, those will cancel
out and be removed.

If the CSV has the currency symbol in a separate field, assign that to
the `currency` pseudo field to have it prepended to the amount. Or, you
can use a [field assignment](#field-assignment) to `amount` that
interpolates both CSV fields (giving more control, eg to put the
currency symbol on the right).

### CSV balance assertions

If the CSV includes a running balance, you can assign that to the
`balance` pseudo field; whenever the running balance value is non-empty,
it will be [asserted](/journal.html#balance-assertions) as the balance
after the `account1` posting.

### Reading multiple CSV files

You can read multiple CSV files at once using multiple `-f` arguments on
the command line, and hledger will look for a correspondingly-named
rules file for each. Note if you use the `--rules-file` option, this one
rules file will be used for all the CSV files being read.
