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docs: split three docs out of the manual, manual updates

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ALIASES.md Normal file
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---
title: hledger How to use account aliases
---
# How to use account aliases
Here's an example of using [account aliases](MANUAL.html#account-aliases).
Say a sole proprietor has a personal.journal:
1/1
expenses:food $1
assets:cash
and a business.journal:
1/1
expenses:office supplies $1
assets:business checking
Here each entity has a simple journal with its own simple chart of
accounts. But at tax reporting time, we need to view these as a single
entity. So in unified.journal we adjust the personal account names to fit
within the business chart of accounts:
alias expenses = equity:draw:personal
alias assets:cash = assets:personal cash
include personal.journal
end aliases
include business.journal
giving:
$ hledger -f unified.journal print
2011/01/01
equity:draw:personal:food $1
assets:personal cash $-1
2011/01/01
expenses:office supplies $1
assets:business checking $-1
You can also specify aliases on the command line. This could be useful to
rewrite account names when sharing a report with someone else, such as
your accountant:
$ hledger --alias 'my earning=income:business'
Command-line alias options are applied after any alias directives in the
journal. At most one alias directive and one alias option will be applied
to each account name.

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---
title: hledger How to read CSV files
---
# How to read CSV files
Here's a quick example of [converting a CSV file](MANUAL.html#csv-files).
Say we have downloaded `checking.csv` from a bank for the first time:
"Date","Note","Amount"
"2012/3/22","DEPOSIT","50.00"
"2012/3/23","TRANSFER TO SAVINGS","-10.00"
We could create `checking.csv.rules` containing:
account1 assets:bank:checking
skip 1
fields date, description, amount
currency $
if ~ SAVINGS
account2 assets:bank:savings
This says:
"always use assets:bank:checking as the first account;
ignore the first line;
use the first, second and third CSV fields as the entry date, description and amount respectively;
always prepend $ to the amount value;
if the CSV record contains 'SAVINGS', use assets:bank:savings as the second account".
[CSV files](MANUAL.html#csv-files) in the manual describes the syntax.
Now hledger can read this CSV file:
$ hledger -f checking.csv print
using conversion rules file checking.csv.rules
2012/03/22 DEPOSIT
income:unknown $-50.00
assets:bank:checking $50.00
2012/03/23 TRANSFER TO SAVINGS
assets:bank:savings $10.00
assets:bank:checking $-10.00
We might save this output as `checking.journal`, and/or merge it (manually) into the main journal file.

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@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ be better used elsewhere. So, I do it when stimulated by donations.
Binaries funded in this way will then be available to all - a quick way to Binaries funded in this way will then be available to all - a quick way to
help the project and your fellow users! help the project and your fellow users!
The available binaries are below. For additional help, and other install options, The available binaries are below.
see the [Installation Guide](INSTALL.html). The current hledger release is 0.19.3.
For additional help, and other install options, see the [Installation Guide](INSTALL.html).
<table> <table>
<tr> <tr>

4
FAQ.md
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@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ separate mail lists
to give back by providing infrastructure to give back by providing infrastructure
([ledger-cli.org](http://ledger-cli.org)) and IRC support. ([ledger-cli.org](http://ledger-cli.org)) and IRC support.
hledger stays compatible with ledger wherever possible, so that you hledger stays compatible with ledger wherever possible, so that you
can often use both tools on the same data file. Here is can often use both tools on the same data file. Here is more about
[more about compatibility](MANUAL.html#compatibility-with-c-ledger). [compatibility](LEDGER.html).
Summary: hledger is a friendly, co-evolving, compatible rewrite of ledger Summary: hledger is a friendly, co-evolving, compatible rewrite of ledger
in Haskell, lacking some of ledger's power features and raw performance, in Haskell, lacking some of ledger's power features and raw performance,

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---
title: hledger Compatibility with ledger
---
# Compatibility with ledger
hledger mimics a subset of [ledger 3.x](http://ledger-cli.org), and adds some features of its own.
## Implementation
ledger is written in C++, whereas hledger is written in the
[Haskell](http://haskell.org) programming language.
Haskell is a 20+-year-old, up-and-coming language that enables
a coding style known as pure functional programming, offering the
promise of more bug-free and maintainable software built in fewer
lines of code. Haskell also provides a more abstracted, portable
platform which can make deployment and installation easier in some
cases. Haskell also brings some new challenges such as managing memory
growth and laziness.
## File format
hledger's file format is mostly identical with ledger's, by design.
Generally, it's easy to keep a journal file that works with both hledger
and ledger if you avoid ledger's most advanced features.
Some ledger features are parsed but ignored, eg:
- automated transactions ( = ... , ~ ... )
- balance assertions ( AMT1=AMT2 )
- fixed lot prices ( {...} )
- historical prices ( P ... )
Some features are not currently parsed and will cause an error, eg:
- balance assignments
- some top level directives like "account"
There can also be subtle differences in parser behaviour, eg
comments may be permissible in different places.
## Features
We currently support:
- ledger's journal format, mostly
- csv format
- timelog format
- regular journal transactions
- multiple commodities
- fixed prices and price history
- virtual postings
- print, register & balance commands
- filtering by many criteria, with different query syntax
- display expressions containing just a simple date predicate
- some basic output formatting
We do not support:
- automated transactions
- value expressions
- fluctuating prices
- display formats other than `d>[DATE]` or similar
- budget reports
And we add these commands:
- add
- balancesheet
- cashflow
- chart
- incomestatement
- irr
- interest
- vty
- web
ledger options and commands not supported include:
Basic options:
-o, --output FILE write output to FILE
-i, --init-file FILE initialize ledger using FILE (default: ~/.ledgerrc)
-a, --account NAME use NAME for the default account (useful with QIF)
Report filtering:
-c, --current show only current and past entries (not future)
--period-sort EXPR sort each report period's entries by EXPR
-L, --actual consider only actual (non-automated) transactions
--budget generate budget entries based on periodic entries
--add-budget show all transactions plus the budget
--unbudgeted show only unbudgeted transactions
--forecast EXPR generate forecast entries while EXPR is true
-l, --limit EXPR calculate only transactions matching EXPR
-t, --amount EXPR use EXPR to calculate the displayed amount
-T, --total EXPR use EXPR to calculate the displayed total
Output customization:
-n, --collapse Only show totals in the top-most accounts.
-P, --by-payee show summarized totals by payee
-x, --comm-as-payee set commodity name as the payee, for reporting
--dow show a days-of-the-week report
-S, --sort EXPR sort report according to the value expression EXPR
--head COUNT show only the first COUNT entries (negative inverts)
--tail COUNT show only the last COUNT entries (negative inverts)
--pager PAGER send all output through the given PAGER program
-A, --average report average transaction amount
-D, --deviation report deviation from the average
-%, --percentage report balance totals as a percentile of the parent
--totals in the "xml" report, include running total
-j, --amount-data print only raw amount data (useful for scripting)
-J, --total-data print only raw total data
-y, --date-format STR use STR as the date format (default: %Y/%m/%d)
--balance-format --register-format --print-format
--plot-amount-format --plot-total-format --equity-format
--prices-format --wide-register-format
Commodity reporting:
--price-db FILE sets the price database to FILE (def: ~/.pricedb)
-L, --price-exp MINS download quotes only if newer than MINS (def: 1440)
-Q, --download download price information when needed
-O, --quantity report commodity totals (this is the default)
-V, --market report last known market value
-g, --performance report gain/loss for each displayed transaction
-G, --gain report net gain/loss
Commands:
xml [REGEXP]... print matching entries in XML format
equity [REGEXP]... output equity entries for matching accounts
prices [REGEXP]... display price history for matching commodities
entry DATE PAYEE AMT output a derived entry, based on the arguments
## Functionality
- hledger recognises description and negative patterns by "desc:"
and "not:" prefixes, unlike ledger 3's free-form parser
- hledger doesn't require a space before command-line option
values, eg `-fFILE` or `-f FILE` works
- hledger's weekly reporting intervals always start on mondays
- hledger shows start and end dates of the intervals requested,
not just the span containing data
- hledger always shows timelog balances in hours
- hledger splits multi-day timelog sessions at midnight
- hledger doesn't track the value of commodities with varying
price; prices are fixed as of the transaction date
- hledger's output follows the decimal point character, digit grouping,
and digit group separator character used in the journal.
- hledger print shows amounts for all postings, and shows unit prices for
amounts which have them. (This means that it does not currently print
multi-commodity transactions in valid journal format.)
- hledger print ignores the --date2 flag, always showing both dates.
ledger print shows only the secondary date with --aux-date, but not
vice versa.
- hledger's default commodity directive (D) sets the commodity for
subsequent commodityless amounts, and sets that commodity's display
settings if such an amount is the first seen. ledger uses D only for
commodity display settings and for the entry command.
- hledger generates a description for timelog sessions, instead of
taking it from the clock-out entry
- hledger's [include directive](MANUAL.html#including-other-files) does not support
shell glob patterns (eg `include *.journal` ), which ledger does.

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@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ For: latest developer version
## Introduction ## Introduction
[hledger](http://hledger.org) is a program for tracking money, time, or [hledger](http://hledger.org) is a program for tracking money, time,
any other commodity, using a simple, editable file format and the powerful or any other commodity, using a simple, editable file format and
principles of double-entry accounting. It was inspired by double-entry accounting, inspired by and largely compatible with
[ledger](http://ledger-cli.org). hledger is Free Software released under [ledger](http://ledger-cli.org). hledger is Free Software released
GPL version 3 or later. under GPL version 3 or later.
hledger's basic function is to read a plain text file describing (eg) hledger's basic function is to read a plain text file describing (eg)
financial transactions, and quickly generate useful reports via the financial transactions, and quickly generate useful reports via the
@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ in a simple format readable by both hledger and humans.
hledger's journal format is a compatible subset, mostly, hledger's journal format is a compatible subset, mostly,
of [c++ ledger's journal format](http://ledger-cli.org/3.0/doc/ledger3.html#Journal-Format), of [c++ ledger's journal format](http://ledger-cli.org/3.0/doc/ledger3.html#Journal-Format),
so hledger can work with [compatible](#file-format-compatibility) c++ ledger journal files as well. so hledger can work with [compatible](LEDGER.html) c++ ledger journal files as well.
It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the same journal file, It's safe, and encouraged, to run both hledger and ledger on the same journal file,
eg to validate the results you're getting. eg to validate the results you're getting.
@ -410,111 +410,25 @@ You can define account aliases to rewrite certain account names (and their subac
This tends to be a little more reliable than post-processing with sed or similar. This tends to be a little more reliable than post-processing with sed or similar.
The directive is `alias ORIG = ALIAS`, where ORIG and ALIAS are full account names. The directive is `alias ORIG = ALIAS`, where ORIG and ALIAS are full account names.
To forget all aliases defined to this point, use `end aliases`. To forget all aliases defined to this point, use `end aliases`.
For an example, see [How to use account aliases](ALIASES.html).
Here's an example: say a sole proprietor has a personal.journal:
1/1
expenses:food $1
assets:cash
and a business.journal:
1/1
expenses:office supplies $1
assets:business checking
Here each entity has a simple journal with its own simple chart of
accounts. But at tax reporting time, we need to view these as a single
entity. So in unified.journal we adjust the personal account names to fit
within the business chart of accounts:
alias expenses = equity:draw:personal
alias assets:cash = assets:personal cash
include personal.journal
end aliases
include business.journal
giving:
$ hledger -f unified.journal print
2011/01/01
equity:draw:personal:food $1
assets:personal cash $-1
2011/01/01
expenses:office supplies $1
assets:business checking $-1
You can also specify aliases on the command line. This could be useful to
rewrite account names when sharing a report with someone else, such as
your accountant:
$ hledger --alias 'my earning=income:business'
Command-line alias options are applied after any alias directives in the
journal. At most one alias directive and one alias option will be applied
to each account name.
### CSV files ### CSV files
hledger can also read hledger can also read
[CSV](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma-separated_values) files, [CSV](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma-separated_values) files,
translating the CSV records into journal entries on the fly. In this translating the CSV records into journal entries on the fly.
case, we must provide an additional "rules file", which is a file We must provide some some conversion hints in a "rules file", named
named like the CSV file with an extra `.rules` suffix, containing like the CSV file with an extra `.rules` suffix (you can choose another name with `--rules-file`).
rules specifying things like:
- which CSV fields correspond to which journal entry fields If the rules file does not exist, it will be created with default rules, which you'll need to tweak.
- which date format is being used Here's a minimal rules file. It says that the first and second CSV fields
- which account name(s) to use are the journal entry's date and amount:
Typically you'll keep one rules file for each account which you fields date, amount
download as CSV. A default rules file will be created if it doesn't
exist, in which case you'll need to refine it to get the best results.
You can override the default rules file name with `--rules-file`.
Here's a quick example. Say we have downloaded `checking.csv` from a Lines beginning with `#` or `;` and blank lines are ignored.
bank for the first time: The following kinds of rule can appear in any order:
"Date","Note","Amount"
"2012/3/22","DEPOSIT","50.00"
"2012/3/23","TRANSFER TO SAVINGS","-10.00"
We could create `checking.csv.rules` containing:
account1 assets:bank:checking
skip 1
fields date, description, amount
currency $
if ~ SAVINGS
account2 assets:bank:savings
This says:
"always use assets:bank:checking as the first account;
ignore the first line;
use the first, second and third CSV fields as the entry date, description and amount respectively;
always prepend $ to the amount value;
if the CSV record contains 'SAVINGS', use assets:bank:savings as the second account".
Now hledger can read this CSV file:
$ hledger -f checking.csv print
using conversion rules file checking.csv.rules
2012/03/22 DEPOSIT
income:unknown $-50.00
assets:bank:checking $50.00
2012/03/23 TRANSFER TO SAVINGS
assets:bank:savings $10.00
assets:bank:checking $-10.00
We might save this output as `checking.journal`, and/or merge it (manually) into the main journal file.
#### Rules syntax
Lines beginning with `#` or `;` and blank lines are ignored,
and the following kinds of rule can appear in any order:
**fields** *CSVFIELDNAME1*, *CSVFIELDNAME1*, ... **fields** *CSVFIELDNAME1*, *CSVFIELDNAME1*, ...
: (Field list) This names the CSV fields (names may not contain whitespace or `;` or `#`), : (Field list) This names the CSV fields (names may not contain whitespace or `;` or `#`),
@ -569,6 +483,9 @@ and the following kinds of rule can appear in any order:
%-m/%-d/%Y %-m/%-d/%Y
%Y-%h-%d %Y-%h-%d
Typically you'll keep one rules file for each account which you
download as CSV. For an example, see [How to read CSV files](CSV.html).
### Timelog files ### Timelog files
hledger can also read time log files. These are (a subset of) timeclock.el's hledger can also read time log files. These are (a subset of) timeclock.el's
@ -1159,166 +1076,6 @@ Please also seek
Note some platforms allow variant locale spellings, but not all (ubuntu Note some platforms allow variant locale spellings, but not all (ubuntu
accepts `fr_FR.UTF8`, mac osx requires exactly `fr_FR.UTF-8`). accepts `fr_FR.UTF8`, mac osx requires exactly `fr_FR.UTF-8`).
### Compatibility with c++ ledger
hledger mimics a subset of ledger 3.x, and adds some features of its own.
We currently support:
- regular journal transactions
- journal format (we should be able to parse most ledger journals)
- timelog format
- multiple commodities
- prices and price history (with non-changing prices)
- virtual postings
- filtering by account and description
- print, register & balance commands
- period expressions quite similar to ledger's
- display expressions containing just a simple date predicate
- basic support (read: incomplete) for display formatting
We do not support:
- periodic and modifier transactions
- fluctuating prices
- display formats (actually, a small subset is supported)
- budget reports
And we add these commands:
- add
- chart
- vty
- web
#### Implementation
Unlike c++ ledger, hledger is written in the Haskell programming
language. Haskell enables a coding style known as pure lazy functional
programming, which holds the promise of more robust and maintainable
software built with fewer lines of code. Haskell also provides a more
abstracted, portable platform which can make deployment and installation
easier in some cases. Haskell also brings some new challenges such as
managing memory growth.
#### File format compatibility
hledger's file format is mostly identical with that of c++ ledger, with
some features being accepted but ignored (eg, modifier entries and
periodic entries). There are subtle differences in parser behaviour, eg
comments may be permissible in different places. hledger does not allow
separate dates for individual postings, or AMT1=AMT2 or { } syntax.
Generally, it's easy to keep a journal file that works with both hledger
and c++ ledger if you avoid these. Occasionally you'll need to make small
adjustments to restore compatibility for one or the other.
See also:
[other differences](#other-differences),
[usage issues](#usage-issues).
#### Features not supported
c++ ledger features not currently supported include: modifier and periodic
entries, and the following c++ ledger options and commands:
Basic options:
-o, --output FILE write output to FILE
-i, --init-file FILE initialize ledger using FILE (default: ~/.ledgerrc)
-a, --account NAME use NAME for the default account (useful with QIF)
Report filtering:
-c, --current show only current and past entries (not future)
--period-sort EXPR sort each report period's entries by EXPR
-L, --actual consider only actual (non-automated) transactions
-r, --related calculate report using related transactions
--budget generate budget entries based on periodic entries
--add-budget show all transactions plus the budget
--unbudgeted show only unbudgeted transactions
--forecast EXPR generate forecast entries while EXPR is true
-l, --limit EXPR calculate only transactions matching EXPR
-t, --amount EXPR use EXPR to calculate the displayed amount
-T, --total EXPR use EXPR to calculate the displayed total
Output customization:
-n, --collapse Only show totals in the top-most accounts.
-s, --subtotal other: show subtotals
-P, --by-payee show summarized totals by payee
-x, --comm-as-payee set commodity name as the payee, for reporting
--dow show a days-of-the-week report
-S, --sort EXPR sort report according to the value expression EXPR
-w, --wide for the default register report, use 132 columns
--head COUNT show only the first COUNT entries (negative inverts)
--tail COUNT show only the last COUNT entries (negative inverts)
--pager PAGER send all output through the given PAGER program
-A, --average report average transaction amount
-D, --deviation report deviation from the average
-%, --percentage report balance totals as a percentile of the parent
--totals in the "xml" report, include running total
-j, --amount-data print only raw amount data (useful for scripting)
-J, --total-data print only raw total data
-y, --date-format STR use STR as the date format (default: %Y/%m/%d)
-F, --format STR use STR as the format; for each report type, use:
--balance-format --register-format --print-format
--plot-amount-format --plot-total-format --equity-format
--prices-format --wide-register-format
Commodity reporting:
--price-db FILE sets the price database to FILE (def: ~/.pricedb)
-L, --price-exp MINS download quotes only if newer than MINS (def: 1440)
-Q, --download download price information when needed
-O, --quantity report commodity totals (this is the default)
-V, --market report last known market value
-g, --performance report gain/loss for each displayed transaction
-G, --gain report net gain/loss
Commands:
xml [REGEXP]... print matching entries in XML format
equity [REGEXP]... output equity entries for matching accounts
prices [REGEXP]... display price history for matching commodities
entry DATE PAYEE AMT output a derived entry, based on the arguments
#### Functionality differences
- hledger recognises description and negative patterns by "desc:"
and "not:" prefixes, unlike ledger 3's free-form parser
- hledger doesn't require a space before command-line option
values, eg `-fFILE` or `-f FILE` works
- hledger's weekly reporting intervals always start on mondays
- hledger shows start and end dates of the intervals requested,
not just the span containing data
- hledger always shows timelog balances in hours
- hledger splits multi-day timelog sessions at midnight
- hledger doesn't track the value of commodities with varying
price; prices are fixed as of the transaction date
- hledger's output follows the decimal point character, digit grouping,
and digit group separator character used in the journal.
- hledger print shows amounts for all postings, and shows unit prices for
amounts which have them. (This means that it does not currently print
multi-commodity transactions in valid journal format.)
- hledger print ignores the --date2 flag, always showing both dates.
ledger print shows only the secondary date with --aux-date, but not
vice versa.
- hledger's default commodity directive (D) sets the commodity for
subsequent commodityless amounts, and sets that commodity's display
settings if such an amount is the first seen. ledger uses D only for
commodity display settings and for the entry command.
- hledger generates a description for timelog sessions, instead of
taking it from the clock-out entry
- hledger's [include directive](including-other-files) does not support
shell glob patterns (eg `include *.journal` ), which ledger does.
### Examples and recipes ### Examples and recipes
- Here's a bash function that will run hledger chart and display - Here's a bash function that will run hledger chart and display

7
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@ -13,3 +13,10 @@ title: hledger docs
[Contributor Guide](DEVELOPMENT.html) [Contributor Guide](DEVELOPMENT.html)
[FAQ](FAQ.html) [FAQ](FAQ.html)
[Compatibility with ledger](LEDGER.html)
[How to read CSV files](CSV.html)
[How to use account aliases](ALIASES.html)