From 34af40024ac5e404ff35a2a1364938f4cc74949c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Simon Michael Date: Wed, 24 May 2017 17:44:32 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] doc: journal: expand transactions/postings/status sections (#553) --- hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5 | 104 +++++-- hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.info | 331 ++++++++++++--------- hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.m4.md | 70 +++-- hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.txt | 363 ++++++++++++++---------- 4 files changed, 541 insertions(+), 327 deletions(-) diff --git a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5 b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5 index 4351d9508..f8e9adf5d 100644 --- a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5 +++ b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5 @@ -61,34 +61,49 @@ Here\[aq]s an example: .SH FILE FORMAT .SS Transactions .PP -Transactions are represented by journal entries. -Each begins with a simple date in column 0, followed by three optional -fields with spaces between them: +Transactions are movements of some quantity of commodities between named +accounts. +Each transaction is represented by a journal entry beginning with a +simple date in column 0. +This can be followed by any of the following, separated by spaces: .IP \[bu] 2 -a status flag, which can be empty or \f[C]!\f[] or \f[C]*\f[] (meaning -"uncleared", "pending" and "cleared", or whatever you want) +(optional) a status character (empty, \f[C]!\f[], or \f[C]*\f[]) .IP \[bu] 2 -a transaction code (eg a check number), +(optional) a transaction code (any short number or text, eg a check +number) .IP \[bu] 2 -and/or a description +(optional) a transaction description (any remaining text until end of +line) .PP -then some number of postings, of some amount to some account. -Each posting is on its own line, consisting of: -.IP \[bu] 2 -indentation of one or more spaces (or tabs) -.IP \[bu] 2 -optionally, a \f[C]!\f[] or \f[C]*\f[] status flag followed by a space -.IP \[bu] 2 -an account name, optionally containing single spaces -.IP \[bu] 2 -optionally, two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount +Then comes zero or more (but usually at least 2) indented lines +representing... +.SS Postings .PP -Usually there are two or more postings, though one or none is also -possible. -The posting amounts within a transaction must always balance, ie add up -to 0. -Optionally one amount can be left blank, in which case it will be -inferred. +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[C]!\f[], or \f[C]*\f[]), +followed by a space +.IP \[bu] 2 +(required) an account name (any text, optionally containing \f[B]single +spaces\f[], until end of line or a double space) +.IP \[bu] 2 +(optional) \f[B]two or more spaces\f[] 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 Dates .SS Simple dates .PP @@ -195,6 +210,49 @@ hledger will attempt to parse any square\-bracketed sequence of the \f[C]0123456789/\-.=\f[] characters in this way. With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its year from DATE. +.SS Status +.PP +More about the status field: transactions, or individual postings within +a transaction, can be in one of three states, represented by a single +character: +.IP \[bu] 2 +empty (no status character) = uncleared +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]!\f[] = pending (aka "tentatively cleared") +.IP \[bu] 2 +\f[C]*\f[] = cleared +.PP +When reporting, you can filter by status using the +\f[C]\-C/\-\-cleared\f[] and \f[C]\-U/\-\-uncleared\f[] flags or the +\f[C]status:\f[] query. +.PP +This feature is optional, but can be helpful for reconciling with +real\-world accounts. +What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actually mean is up to you. +My recommendation: use cleared (\f[C]*\f[]) to mark transactions that +are "complete", ie: +.IP \[bu] 2 +they have cleared with the bank, or the cash has been handed over +.IP \[bu] 2 +you are satisfied they are recorded accurately in the journal +.IP \[bu] 2 +the resulting account balance reported by hledger agrees exactly with +the external source of truth, if any (eg the bank\[aq]s online register +or statement) +.PP +Then, with \-\-cleared you\[aq]ll see the current balance at your bank, +with \-\-uncleared you\[aq]ll see things which will probably hit your +bank soon (eg uncashed checks), and with neither flag (the default) +you\[aq]ll see the most up\-to\-date state of your finances. +.PP +I don\[aq]t use pending (\f[C]!\f[]), but perhaps it is useful in very +tricky reconciliations, as a temporary marker for transactions matched +so far, allowing you start over more easily. +.PP +Tip: some editor modes highlight entries differently based on their +status. +In Emacs ledger\-mode, you can toggle transaction status with +\f[C]C\-c\ C\-e\f[], or posting status with \f[C]C\-c\ C\-c\f[]. .SS Account names .PP Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, diff --git a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.info b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.info index 8d6f1db4f..7e7c0bb03 100644 --- a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.info +++ b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.info @@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: FILE FORMAT, Next: EDITOR SUPPORT, Prev: * Menu: * Transactions:: +* Postings:: * Dates:: +* Status:: * Account names:: * Amounts:: * Virtual Postings:: @@ -76,37 +78,57 @@ File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: FILE FORMAT, Next: EDITOR SUPPORT, Prev: * Directives::  -File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Transactions, Next: Dates, Up: FILE FORMAT +File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Transactions, Next: Postings, Up: FILE FORMAT 1.1 Transactions ================ -Transactions are represented by journal entries. Each begins with a -simple date in column 0, followed by three optional fields with spaces -between them: +Transactions are movements of some quantity of commodities between named +accounts. Each transaction is represented by a journal entry beginning +with a simple date in column 0. This can be followed by any of the +following, separated by spaces: - * a status flag, which can be empty or '!' or '*' (meaning - "uncleared", "pending" and "cleared", or whatever you want) - * a transaction code (eg a check number), - * and/or a description + * (optional) a status character (empty, '!', or '*') + * (optional) a transaction code (any short number or text, eg a check + number) + * (optional) a transaction description (any remaining text until end + of line) - then some number of postings, of some amount to some account. Each -posting is on its own line, consisting of: - - * indentation of one or more spaces (or tabs) - * optionally, a '!' or '*' status flag followed by a space - * an account name, optionally containing single spaces - * optionally, two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount - - Usually there are two or more postings, though one or none is also -possible. The posting amounts within a transaction must always balance, -ie add up to 0. Optionally one amount can be left blank, in which case -it will be inferred. + Then comes zero or more (but usually at least 2) indented lines +representing...  -File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Dates, Next: Account names, Prev: Transactions, Up: FILE FORMAT +File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Postings, Next: Dates, Prev: Transactions, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.2 Dates +1.2 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_journal.5.info, Node: Dates, Next: Status, Prev: Postings, Up: FILE FORMAT + +1.3 Dates ========= * Menu: @@ -118,7 +140,7 @@ File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Dates, Next: Account names, Prev: Transac  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Simple dates, Next: Secondary dates, Up: Dates -1.2.1 Simple dates +1.3.1 Simple dates ------------------ Within a journal file, transaction dates use Y/M/D (or Y-M-D or Y.M.D) @@ -131,7 +153,7 @@ command is run. Some examples: '2010/01/31', '1/31', '2010-01-31',  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Secondary dates, Next: Posting dates, Prev: Simple dates, Up: Dates -1.2.2 Secondary dates +1.3.2 Secondary dates --------------------- Real-life transactions sometimes involve more than one date - eg the @@ -172,7 +194,7 @@ confusing alternative.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Posting dates, Prev: Secondary dates, Up: Dates -1.2.3 Posting dates +1.3.3 Posting dates ------------------- You can give individual postings a different date from their parent @@ -205,9 +227,50 @@ characters in this way. With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its year from DATE.  -File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Account names, Next: Amounts, Prev: Dates, Up: FILE FORMAT +File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Status, Next: Account names, Prev: Dates, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.3 Account names +1.4 Status +========== + +More about the status field: transactions, or individual postings within +a transaction, can be in one of three states, represented by a single +character: + + * empty (no status character) = uncleared + * '!' = pending (aka "tentatively cleared") + * '*' = cleared + + When reporting, you can filter by status using the '-C/--cleared' and +'-U/--uncleared' flags or the 'status:' query. + + This feature is optional, but can be helpful for reconciling with +real-world accounts. What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" +actually mean is up to you. My recommendation: use cleared ('*') to +mark transactions that are "complete", ie: + + * they have cleared with the bank, or the cash has been handed over + * you are satisfied they are recorded accurately in the journal + * the resulting account balance reported by hledger agrees exactly + with the external source of truth, if any (eg the bank's online + register or statement) + + Then, with -cleared you'll see the current balance at your bank, with +-uncleared you'll see things which will probably hit your bank soon (eg +uncashed checks), and with neither flag (the default) you'll see the +most up-to-date state of your finances. + + I don't use pending ('!'), but perhaps it is useful in very tricky +reconciliations, as a temporary marker for transactions matched so far, +allowing you start over more easily. + + Tip: some editor modes highlight entries differently based on their +status. In Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle transaction status with +'C-c C-e', or posting status with 'C-c C-c'. + + +File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Account names, Next: Amounts, Prev: Status, Up: FILE FORMAT + +1.5 Account names ================= Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, @@ -225,7 +288,7 @@ more spaces* (or newline).  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Amounts, Next: Virtual Postings, Prev: Account names, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.4 Amounts +1.6 Amounts =========== After the account name, there is usually an amount. Important: between @@ -280,7 +343,7 @@ format with a commodity directive.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Virtual Postings, Next: Balance Assertions, Prev: Amounts, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.5 Virtual Postings +1.7 Virtual Postings ==================== When you parenthesise the account name in a posting, we call that a @@ -315,7 +378,7 @@ is more correct and provides better error checking.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Balance Assertions, Next: Balance Assignments, Prev: Virtual Postings, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.6 Balance Assertions +1.8 Balance Assertions ====================== hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. @@ -349,7 +412,7 @@ or for reading Ledger files.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and ordering, Next: Assertions and included files, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.1 Assertions and ordering +1.8.1 Assertions and ordering ----------------------------- hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and @@ -368,7 +431,7 @@ can assert intra-day balances.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and included files, Next: Assertions and multiple -f options, Prev: Assertions and ordering, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.2 Assertions and included files +1.8.2 Assertions and included files ----------------------------------- With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including @@ -380,7 +443,7 @@ you'll have to put the assertion in the right file.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and multiple -f options, Next: Assertions and commodities, Prev: Assertions and included files, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.3 Assertions and multiple -f options +1.8.3 Assertions and multiple -f options ---------------------------------------- Balance assertions don't work well across files specified with multiple @@ -389,7 +452,7 @@ Balance assertions don't work well across files specified with multiple  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and commodities, Next: Assertions and subaccounts, Prev: Assertions and multiple -f options, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.4 Assertions and commodities +1.8.4 Assertions and commodities -------------------------------- The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in @@ -408,7 +471,7 @@ for this kind of total balance assertion if there's demand.)  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and subaccounts, Next: Assertions and virtual postings, Prev: Assertions and commodities, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.5 Assertions and subaccounts +1.8.5 Assertions and subaccounts -------------------------------- Balance assertions do not count the balance from subaccounts; they check @@ -431,7 +494,7 @@ $ hledger bal checking --flat  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Assertions and virtual postings, Prev: Assertions and subaccounts, Up: Balance Assertions -1.6.6 Assertions and virtual postings +1.8.6 Assertions and virtual postings ------------------------------------- Balance assertions are checked against all postings, both real and @@ -441,7 +504,7 @@ query.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Balance Assignments, Next: Prices, Prev: Balance Assertions, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.7 Balance Assignments +1.9 Balance Assignments ======================= Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like @@ -474,8 +537,8 @@ hledger or do the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Prices, Next: Comments, Prev: Balance Assignments, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.8 Prices -========== +1.10 Prices +=========== * Menu: @@ -485,8 +548,8 @@ File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Prices, Next: Comments, Prev: Balance Ass  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Transaction prices, Next: Market prices, Up: Prices -1.8.1 Transaction prices ------------------------- +1.10.1 Transaction prices +------------------------- Within a transaction, you can note an amount's price in another commodity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or @@ -546,8 +609,8 @@ $ hledger bal -N --flat -B  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Market prices, Prev: Transaction prices, Up: Prices -1.8.2 Market prices -------------------- +1.10.2 Market prices +-------------------- Market prices are not tied to a particular transaction; they represent historical exchange rates between two commodities. (Ledger calls them @@ -575,8 +638,8 @@ P 2010/1/1 € $1.40  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Comments, Next: Tags, Prev: Prices, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.9 Comments -============ +1.11 Comments +============= Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (';') or hash ('#') or asterisk ('*') are comments, and will be ignored. (Asterisk comments @@ -615,7 +678,7 @@ end comment  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Tags, Next: Directives, Prev: Comments, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.10 Tags +1.12 Tags ========= Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to postings and @@ -661,7 +724,7 @@ are simple strings.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Implicit tags, Up: Tags -1.10.1 Implicit tags +1.12.1 Implicit tags -------------------- Some predefined "implicit" tags are also provided: @@ -679,7 +742,7 @@ the same as 'description'.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Directives, Prev: Tags, Up: FILE FORMAT -1.11 Directives +1.13 Directives =============== * Menu: @@ -696,7 +759,7 @@ File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Directives, Prev: Tags, Up: FILE FORMAT  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Account aliases, Next: account directive, Up: Directives -1.11.1 Account aliases +1.13.1 Account aliases ---------------------- You can define aliases which rewrite your account names (after reading @@ -721,7 +784,7 @@ be useful for:  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Basic aliases, Next: Regex aliases, Up: Account aliases -1.11.1.1 Basic aliases +1.13.1.1 Basic aliases ...................... To set an account alias, use the 'alias' directive in your journal file. @@ -744,7 +807,7 @@ alias checking = assets:bank:wells fargo:checking  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Regex aliases, Next: Multiple aliases, Prev: Basic aliases, Up: Account aliases -1.11.1.2 Regex aliases +1.13.1.2 Regex aliases ...................... There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression, @@ -767,7 +830,7 @@ alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+)(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Multiple aliases, Next: end aliases, Prev: Regex aliases, Up: Account aliases -1.11.1.3 Multiple aliases +1.13.1.3 Multiple aliases ......................... You can define as many aliases as you like using directives or @@ -783,7 +846,7 @@ following order:  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: end aliases, Prev: Multiple aliases, Up: Account aliases -1.11.1.4 end aliases +1.13.1.4 end aliases .................... You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases with the 'end @@ -794,7 +857,7 @@ end aliases  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: account directive, Next: apply account directive, Prev: Account aliases, Up: Directives -1.11.2 account directive +1.13.2 account directive ------------------------ The 'account' directive predefines account names, as in Ledger and @@ -815,7 +878,7 @@ account expenses:food  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: apply account directive, Next: Multi-line comments, Prev: account directive, Up: Directives -1.11.3 apply account directive +1.13.3 apply account directive ------------------------------ You can specify a parent account which will be prepended to all accounts @@ -851,7 +914,7 @@ supported.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Multi-line comments, Next: commodity directive, Prev: apply account directive, Up: Directives -1.11.4 Multi-line comments +1.13.4 Multi-line comments -------------------------- A line containing just 'comment' starts a multi-line comment, and a line @@ -860,7 +923,7 @@ containing just 'end comment' ends it. See comments.  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: commodity directive, Next: Default commodity, Prev: Multi-line comments, Up: Directives -1.11.5 commodity directive +1.13.5 commodity directive -------------------------- The 'commodity' directive predefines commodities (currently this is just @@ -892,7 +955,7 @@ commodity INR  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Default commodity, Next: Default year, Prev: commodity directive, Up: Directives -1.11.6 Default commodity +1.13.6 Default commodity ------------------------ The D directive sets a default commodity (and display format), to be @@ -912,7 +975,7 @@ D $1,000.00  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Default year, Next: Including other files, Prev: Default commodity, Up: Directives -1.11.7 Default year +1.13.7 Default year ------------------- You can set a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don't @@ -938,7 +1001,7 @@ Y2010 ; change default year to 2010  File: hledger_journal.5.info, Node: Including other files, Prev: Default year, Up: Directives -1.11.8 Including other files +1.13.8 Including other files ---------------------------- You can pull in the content of additional journal files by writing an @@ -977,77 +1040,81 @@ Tag Table: Node: Top78 Node: FILE FORMAT2292 Ref: #file-format2418 -Node: Transactions2601 -Ref: #transactions2721 -Node: Dates3663 -Ref: #dates3791 -Node: Simple dates3856 -Ref: #simple-dates3984 -Node: Secondary dates4350 -Ref: #secondary-dates4506 -Node: Posting dates6069 -Ref: #posting-dates6200 -Node: Account names7574 -Ref: #account-names7713 -Node: Amounts8200 -Ref: #amounts8338 -Node: Virtual Postings10439 -Ref: #virtual-postings10600 -Node: Balance Assertions11820 -Ref: #balance-assertions11997 -Node: Assertions and ordering12893 -Ref: #assertions-and-ordering13081 -Node: Assertions and included files13781 -Ref: #assertions-and-included-files14024 -Node: Assertions and multiple -f options14357 -Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-options14613 -Node: Assertions and commodities14745 -Ref: #assertions-and-commodities14982 -Node: Assertions and subaccounts15678 -Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts15912 -Node: Assertions and virtual postings16433 -Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings16642 -Node: Balance Assignments16784 -Ref: #balance-assignments16953 -Node: Prices18072 -Ref: #prices18205 -Node: Transaction prices18256 -Ref: #transaction-prices18401 -Node: Market prices20557 -Ref: #market-prices20692 -Node: Comments21652 -Ref: #comments21774 -Node: Tags22887 -Ref: #tags23007 -Node: Implicit tags24436 -Ref: #implicit-tags24544 -Node: Directives25061 -Ref: #directives25176 -Node: Account aliases25369 -Ref: #account-aliases25515 -Node: Basic aliases26119 -Ref: #basic-aliases26264 -Node: Regex aliases26954 -Ref: #regex-aliases27124 -Node: Multiple aliases27839 -Ref: #multiple-aliases28013 -Node: end aliases28511 -Ref: #end-aliases28653 -Node: account directive28754 -Ref: #account-directive28936 -Node: apply account directive29232 -Ref: #apply-account-directive29430 -Node: Multi-line comments30089 -Ref: #multi-line-comments30281 -Node: commodity directive30409 -Ref: #commodity-directive30595 -Node: Default commodity31467 -Ref: #default-commodity31642 -Node: Default year32179 -Ref: #default-year32346 -Node: Including other files32769 -Ref: #including-other-files32928 -Node: EDITOR SUPPORT33325 -Ref: #editor-support33445 +Node: Transactions2625 +Ref: #transactions2748 +Node: Postings3307 +Ref: #postings3436 +Node: Dates4431 +Ref: #dates4548 +Node: Simple dates4613 +Ref: #simple-dates4741 +Node: Secondary dates5107 +Ref: #secondary-dates5263 +Node: Posting dates6826 +Ref: #posting-dates6957 +Node: Status8331 +Ref: #status8455 +Node: Account names10018 +Ref: #account-names10158 +Node: Amounts10645 +Ref: #amounts10783 +Node: Virtual Postings12884 +Ref: #virtual-postings13045 +Node: Balance Assertions14265 +Ref: #balance-assertions14442 +Node: Assertions and ordering15338 +Ref: #assertions-and-ordering15526 +Node: Assertions and included files16226 +Ref: #assertions-and-included-files16469 +Node: Assertions and multiple -f options16802 +Ref: #assertions-and-multiple--f-options17058 +Node: Assertions and commodities17190 +Ref: #assertions-and-commodities17427 +Node: Assertions and subaccounts18123 +Ref: #assertions-and-subaccounts18357 +Node: Assertions and virtual postings18878 +Ref: #assertions-and-virtual-postings19087 +Node: Balance Assignments19229 +Ref: #balance-assignments19398 +Node: Prices20517 +Ref: #prices20652 +Node: Transaction prices20703 +Ref: #transaction-prices20850 +Node: Market prices23006 +Ref: #market-prices23143 +Node: Comments24103 +Ref: #comments24227 +Node: Tags25340 +Ref: #tags25460 +Node: Implicit tags26889 +Ref: #implicit-tags26997 +Node: Directives27514 +Ref: #directives27629 +Node: Account aliases27822 +Ref: #account-aliases27968 +Node: Basic aliases28572 +Ref: #basic-aliases28717 +Node: Regex aliases29407 +Ref: #regex-aliases29577 +Node: Multiple aliases30292 +Ref: #multiple-aliases30466 +Node: end aliases30964 +Ref: #end-aliases31106 +Node: account directive31207 +Ref: #account-directive31389 +Node: apply account directive31685 +Ref: #apply-account-directive31883 +Node: Multi-line comments32542 +Ref: #multi-line-comments32734 +Node: commodity directive32862 +Ref: #commodity-directive33048 +Node: Default commodity33920 +Ref: #default-commodity34095 +Node: Default year34632 +Ref: #default-year34799 +Node: Including other files35222 +Ref: #including-other-files35381 +Node: EDITOR SUPPORT35778 +Ref: #editor-support35898  End Tag Table diff --git a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.m4.md b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.m4.md index fee3fff22..037c96779 100644 --- a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.m4.md +++ b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.m4.md @@ -65,27 +65,33 @@ Here's an example: ## Transactions -Transactions are represented by journal entries. Each begins with a -[simple date](#simple-dates) in column 0, followed by three optional -fields with spaces between them: +Transactions are movements of some quantity of commodities between named accounts. +Each transaction is represented by a journal entry beginning with a [simple date](#simple-dates) in column 0. +This can be followed by any of the following, separated by spaces: -- a status flag, which can be empty or `!` or `*` (meaning "uncleared", - "pending" and "cleared", or whatever you want) -- a transaction code (eg a check number), -- and/or a description +- (optional) a [status](#status) character (empty, `!`, or `*`) +- (optional) a transaction code (any short number or text, eg a check number) +- (optional) a transaction description (any remaining text until end of line) -then some number of postings, of some amount to some account. Each -posting is on its own line, consisting of: +Then comes zero or more (but usually at least 2) indented lines representing... -- indentation of one or more spaces (or tabs) -- optionally, a `!` or `*` status flag followed by a space -- an account name, optionally containing single spaces -- optionally, two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount +## 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: -Usually there are two or more postings, though one or none is also -possible. The posting amounts within a transaction must always balance, -ie add up to 0. Optionally one amount can be left blank, in which case -it will be inferred. +- (optional) a [status](#status) character (empty, `!`, or `*`), followed by a space +- (required) an [account name](#account-names) (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](#amounts). + +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. ## Dates @@ -177,6 +183,36 @@ 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. +## Status + +More about the status field: transactions, or individual postings within a transaction, +can be in one of three states, represented by a single character: + +- empty (no status character) = uncleared +- `!` = pending (aka "tentatively cleared") +- `*` = cleared + +When reporting, you can filter by status using the `-C/--cleared` and `-U/--uncleared` flags +or the `status:` query. + +This feature is optional, but can be helpful for reconciling with real-world accounts. +What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actually mean is up to you. +My recommendation: use cleared (`*`) to mark transactions that are "complete", ie: + +- they have cleared with the bank, or the cash has been handed over +- you are satisfied they are recorded accurately in the journal +- the resulting account balance reported by hledger agrees exactly with the external source of truth, if any (eg the bank's online register or statement) + +Then, with --cleared you'll see the current balance at your bank, +with --uncleared you'll see things which will probably hit your bank soon (eg uncashed checks), +and with neither flag (the default) you'll see the most up-to-date state of your finances. + +I don't use pending (`!`), but perhaps it is useful in very tricky reconciliations, +as a temporary marker for transactions matched so far, allowing you start over more easily. + +Tip: some [editor modes](#editor-support) highlight entries differently based on their status. +In Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle transaction status with `C-c C-e`, or posting status with `C-c C-c`. + ## Account names Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, from diff --git a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.txt b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.txt index d3585059e..81a9bce47 100644 --- a/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.txt +++ b/hledger-lib/doc/hledger_journal.5.txt @@ -53,32 +53,45 @@ DESCRIPTION FILE FORMAT Transactions - Transactions are represented by journal entries. Each begins with a - simple date in column 0, followed by three optional fields with spaces - between them: + Transactions are movements of some quantity of commodities between + named accounts. Each transaction is represented by a journal entry + beginning with a simple date in column 0. This can be followed by any + of the following, separated by spaces: - o a status flag, which can be empty or ! or * (meaning "uncleared", - "pending" and "cleared", or whatever you want) + o (optional) a status character (empty, !, or *) - o a transaction code (eg a check number), + o (optional) a transaction code (any short number or text, eg a check + number) - o and/or a description + o (optional) a transaction description (any remaining text until end of + line) - then some number of postings, of some amount to some account. Each - posting is on its own line, consisting of: + Then comes zero or more (but usually at least 2) indented lines repre- + senting... - o indentation of one or more spaces (or tabs) + 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 optionally, a ! or * status flag followed by a space + o (optional) a status character (empty, !, or *), followed by a space - o an account name, optionally containing single spaces + o (required) an account name (any text, optionally containing single + spaces, until end of line or a double space) - o optionally, two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount + o (optional) two or more spaces or tabs followed by an amount. - Usually there are two or more postings, though one or none is also pos- - sible. The posting amounts within a transaction must always balance, - ie add up to 0. Optionally one amount can be left blank, in which case - it will be inferred. + 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. Dates Simple dates @@ -155,14 +168,54 @@ FILE FORMAT With this syntax, DATE infers its year from the transaction and DATE2 infers its year from DATE. - Account names - Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, - from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can - be anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five - top-level accounts: assets, liabilities, income, expenses, and equity. + Status + More about the status field: transactions, or individual postings + within a transaction, can be in one of three states, represented by a + single character: - Account names may contain single spaces, eg: assets:accounts receiv- - able. Because of this, they must always be followed by two or more + o empty (no status character) = uncleared + + o ! = pending (aka "tentatively cleared") + + o * = cleared + + When reporting, you can filter by status using the -C/--cleared and + -U/--uncleared flags or the status: query. + + This feature is optional, but can be helpful for reconciling with + real-world accounts. What "uncleared", "pending", and "cleared" actu- + ally mean is up to you. My recommendation: use cleared (*) to mark + transactions that are "complete", ie: + + o they have cleared with the bank, or the cash has been handed over + + o you are satisfied they are recorded accurately in the journal + + o the resulting account balance reported by hledger agrees exactly with + the external source of truth, if any (eg the bank's online register + or statement) + + Then, with --cleared you'll see the current balance at your bank, with + --uncleared you'll see things which will probably hit your bank soon + (eg uncashed checks), and with neither flag (the default) you'll see + the most up-to-date state of your finances. + + I don't use pending (!), but perhaps it is useful in very tricky recon- + ciliations, as a temporary marker for transactions matched so far, + allowing you start over more easily. + + Tip: some editor modes highlight entries differently based on their + status. In Emacs ledger-mode, you can toggle transaction status with + C-c C-e, or posting status with C-c C-c. + + Account names + Account names typically have several parts separated by a full colon, + from which hledger derives a hierarchical chart of accounts. They can + be anything you like, but in finance there are traditionally five + top-level accounts: assets, liabilities, income, expenses, and equity. + + Account names may contain single spaces, eg: assets:accounts receiv- + able. Because of this, they must always be followed by two or more spaces (or newline). Account names can be aliased. @@ -171,7 +224,7 @@ FILE FORMAT After the account name, there is usually an amount. Important: between account name and amount, there must be two or more spaces. - Amounts consist of a number and (usually) a currency symbol or commod- + Amounts consist of a number and (usually) a currency symbol or commod- ity name. Some examples: 2.00001 @@ -184,53 +237,53 @@ FILE FORMAT As you can see, the amount format is somewhat flexible: - o amounts are a number (the "quantity") and optionally a currency sym- + o amounts are a number (the "quantity") and optionally a currency sym- bol/commodity name (the "commodity"). - o the commodity is a symbol, word, or phrase, on the left or right, - with or without a separating space. If the commodity contains num- - bers, spaces or non-word punctuation it must be enclosed in double + o the commodity is a symbol, word, or phrase, on the left or right, + with or without a separating space. If the commodity contains num- + bers, spaces or non-word punctuation it must be enclosed in double quotes. o negative amounts with a commodity on the left can have the minus sign before or after it - o digit groups (thousands, or any other grouping) can be separated by - commas (in which case period is used for decimal point) or periods + o digit groups (thousands, or any other grouping) can be separated by + commas (in which case period is used for decimal point) or periods (in which case comma is used for decimal point) - You can use any of these variations when recording data, but when - hledger displays amounts, it will choose a consistent format for each - commodity. (Except for price amounts, which are always formatted as + You can use any of these variations when recording data, but when + hledger displays amounts, it will choose a consistent format for each + commodity. (Except for price amounts, which are always formatted as written). The display format is chosen as follows: o if there is a commodity directive specifying the format, that is used - o otherwise the format is inferred from the first posting amount in - that commodity in the journal, and the precision (number of decimal + o otherwise the format is inferred from the first posting amount in + that commodity in the journal, and the precision (number of decimal places) will be the maximum from all posting amounts in that commmod- ity - o or if there are no such amounts in the journal, a default format is + o or if there are no such amounts in the journal, a default format is used (like $1000.00). - Price amounts and amounts in D directives usually don't affect amount - format inference, but in some situations they can do so indirectly. - (Eg when D's default commodity is applied to a commodity-less amount, + Price amounts and amounts in D directives usually don't affect amount + format inference, but in some situations they can do so indirectly. + (Eg when D's default commodity is applied to a commodity-less amount, or when an amountless posting is balanced using a price's commodity, or - when -V is used.) If you find this causing problems, set the desired + when -V is used.) If you find this causing problems, set the desired format with a commodity directive. Virtual Postings - When you parenthesise the account name in a posting, we call that a + When you parenthesise the account name in a posting, we call that a virtual posting, which means: o it is ignored when checking that the transaction is balanced - o it is excluded from reports when the --real/-R flag is used, or the + o it is excluded from reports when the --real/-R flag is used, or the real:1 query. - You could use this, eg, to set an account's opening balance without + You could use this, eg, to set an account's opening balance without needing to use the equity:opening balances account: 1/1 special unbalanced posting to set initial balance @@ -238,8 +291,8 @@ FILE FORMAT When the account name is bracketed, we call it a balanced virtual post- ing. This is like an ordinary virtual posting except the balanced vir- - tual postings in a transaction must balance to 0, like the real post- - ings (but separately from them). Balanced virtual postings are also + tual postings in a transaction must balance to 0, like the real post- + ings (but separately from them). Balanced virtual postings are also excluded by --real/-R or real:1. 1/1 buy food with cash, and update some budget-tracking subaccounts elsewhere @@ -249,13 +302,13 @@ FILE FORMAT [assets:checking:budget:food] $-10 Virtual postings have some legitimate uses, but those are few. You can - usually find an equivalent journal entry using real postings, which is + usually find an equivalent journal entry using real postings, which is more correct and provides better error checking. Balance Assertions - hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. - These look like =EXPECTEDBALANCE following a posting's amount. Eg in - this example we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b + hledger supports Ledger-style balance assertions in journal files. + These look like =EXPECTEDBALANCE following a posting's amount. Eg in + this example we assert the expected dollar balance in accounts a and b after each posting: 2013/1/1 @@ -267,31 +320,31 @@ FILE FORMAT b $-1 =$-2 After reading a journal file, hledger will check all balance assertions - and report an error if any of them fail. Balance assertions can pro- - tect you from, eg, inadvertently disrupting reconciled balances while - cleaning up old entries. You can disable them temporarily with the - --ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or + 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 + --ignore-assertions flag, which can be useful for troubleshooting or for reading Ledger files. Assertions and ordering - hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and - then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is dif- + hledger sorts an account's postings and assertions first by date and + then (for postings on the same day) by parse order. Note this is dif- ferent from Ledger, which sorts assertions only by parse order. (Also, - Ledger assertions do not see the accumulated effect of repeated post- + Ledger assertions do not see the accumulated effect of repeated post- ings to the same account within a transaction.) - So, hledger balance assertions keep working if you reorder differ- - ently-dated transactions within the journal. But if you reorder + So, hledger balance assertions keep working if you reorder differ- + ently-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 con- + updating. This order dependence does bring an advantage: precise con- trol over the order of postings and assertions within a day, so you can assert intra-day balances. Assertions and included files - With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including - preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multi- - ple postings to an account on the same day, split across different - files, and you also want to assert the account's balance on the same + With included files, things are a little more complicated. Including + preserves the ordering of postings and assertions. If you have multi- + ple postings to an account on the same day, split across different + files, and you also want to assert the account's balance on the same day, you'll have to put the assertion in the right file. Assertions and multiple -f options @@ -299,21 +352,21 @@ FILE FORMAT -f options. Use include or concatenate the files instead. Assertions and commodities - The asserted balance must be a simple single-commodity amount, and in - fact the assertion checks only this commodity's balance within the - (possibly multi-commodity) account balance. We could call this a par- - tial balance assertion. This is compatible with Ledger, and makes it + 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. We could call this a par- + tial balance assertion. This is compatible with Ledger, and makes it possible to make assertions about accounts containing multiple commodi- ties. - To assert each commodity's balance in such a multi-commodity account, - you can add multiple postings (with amount 0 if necessary). But note - that no matter how many assertions you add, you can't be sure the + To assert each commodity's balance in such a multi-commodity account, + you can add multiple postings (with amount 0 if necessary). But note + that no matter how many assertions you add, you can't be sure the account does not contain some unexpected commodity. (We'll add support for this kind of total balance assertion if there's demand.) Assertions and subaccounts - Balance assertions do not count the balance from subaccounts; they + Balance assertions do not count the balance from subaccounts; they check the posted account's exclusive balance. For example: 1/1 @@ -321,7 +374,7 @@ FILE FORMAT checking 1 = 1 ; post to the parent account, its exclusive balance is now 1 equity - The balance report's flat mode shows these exclusive balances more + The balance report's flat mode shows these exclusive balances more clearly: $ hledger bal checking --flat @@ -335,10 +388,10 @@ FILE FORMAT tual. They are not affected by the --real/-R flag or real: query. Balance Assignments - Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like - balance assertions, but with no posting amount on the left side of the - equals sign; instead it is calculated automatically so as to satisfy - the assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when + Ledger-style balance assignments are also supported. These are like + balance assertions, but with no posting amount on the left side of the + equals sign; instead it is calculated automatically so as to satisfy + the assertion. This can be a convenience during data entry, eg when setting opening balances: ; starting a new journal, set asset account balances @@ -356,8 +409,8 @@ FILE FORMAT expenses:misc The calculated amount depends on the account's balance in the commodity - at that point (which depends on the previously-dated postings of the - commodity to that account since the last balance assertion or assign- + at that point (which depends on the previously-dated postings of the + commodity to that account since the last balance assertion or assign- ment). Note that using balance assignments makes your journal a little less explicit; to know the exact amount posted, you have to run hledger or do the calculations yourself, instead of just reading it. @@ -365,12 +418,12 @@ FILE FORMAT Prices Transaction prices Within a transaction, you can note an amount's price in another commod- - ity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or selling - price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful to + ity. This can be used to document the cost (in a purchase) or selling + price (in a sale). For example, transaction prices are useful to record purchases of a foreign currency. - Transaction prices are fixed, and do not change over time. (Ledger - users: Ledger uses a different syntax for fixed prices, {=UNITPRICE}, + Transaction prices are fixed, and do not change over time. (Ledger + users: Ledger uses a different syntax for fixed prices, {=UNITPRICE}, which hledger currently ignores). There are several ways to record a transaction price: @@ -394,9 +447,9 @@ FILE FORMAT assets:euros 100 ; one hundred euros purchased assets:dollars $-135 ; for $135 - Amounts with transaction prices can be displayed in the transaction + Amounts with transaction prices can be displayed in the transaction price's commodity by using the -B/--cost flag (except for #551) ("B" is - from "cost Basis"). Eg for the above, here is how -B affects the bal- + from "cost Basis"). Eg for the above, here is how -B affects the bal- ance report: $ hledger bal -N --flat @@ -406,8 +459,8 @@ FILE FORMAT $-135 assets:dollars $135 assets:euros # <- the euros' cost - Note -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a transaction price - is inferred: the inferred price will be in the commodity of the last + Note -B is sensitive to the order of postings when a transaction price + is inferred: the inferred price will be in the commodity of the last amount. So if example 3's postings are reversed, while the transaction is equivalent, -B shows something different: @@ -420,41 +473,41 @@ FILE FORMAT 100 assets:euros Market prices - Market prices are not tied to a particular transaction; they represent - historical exchange rates between two commodities. (Ledger calls them - historical prices.) For example, the prices published by a stock - exchange or the foreign exchange market. hledger can use these prices + Market prices are not tied to a particular transaction; they represent + historical exchange rates between two commodities. (Ledger calls them + historical prices.) For example, the prices published by a stock + exchange or the foreign exchange market. hledger can use these prices to show the market value of things at a given date, see market value. - To record market prices, use P directives in the main journal or in an + To record market prices, use P directives in the main journal or in an included file. Their format is: P DATE COMMODITYBEINGPRICED UNITPRICE - DATE is a simple date as usual. COMMODITYBEINGPRICED is the symbol of - the commodity being priced. UNITPRICE is an ordinary amount (symbol - and quantity) in a second commodity, specifying the unit price or con- - version rate for the first commodity in terms of the second, on the + DATE is a simple date as usual. COMMODITYBEINGPRICED is the symbol of + the commodity being priced. UNITPRICE is an ordinary amount (symbol + and quantity) in a second commodity, specifying the unit price or con- + version rate for the first commodity in terms of the second, on the given date. - For example, the following directives say that one euro was worth 1.35 + For example, the following directives say that one euro was worth 1.35 US dollars during 2009, and $1.40 from 2010 onward: P 2009/1/1 $1.35 P 2010/1/1 $1.40 Comments - Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (;) or hash (#) or - asterisk (*) are comments, and will be ignored. (Asterisk comments - make it easy to treat your journal like an org-mode outline in emacs.) + Lines in the journal beginning with a semicolon (;) or hash (#) or + asterisk (*) are comments, and will be ignored. (Asterisk comments + make it easy to treat your journal like an org-mode outline in emacs.) - Also, anything between comment and end comment directives is a - (multi-line) comment. If there is no end comment, the comment extends + Also, anything between comment and end comment directives is a + (multi-line) comment. If there is no end comment, the comment extends to the end of the file. - You can attach comments to a transaction by writing them after the - description and/or indented on the following lines (before the post- - ings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting by + You can attach comments to a transaction by writing them after the + description and/or indented on the following lines (before the post- + ings). Similarly, you can attach comments to an individual posting by writing them after the amount and/or indented on the following lines. Some examples: @@ -479,20 +532,20 @@ FILE FORMAT ; a journal comment (because not indented) Tags - Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to postings and + Tags are a way to add extra labels or labelled data to postings and transactions, which you can then search or pivot on. - A simple tag is a word (which may contain hyphens) followed by a full + A simple tag is a word (which may contain hyphens) followed by a full colon, written inside a transaction or posting comment line: 2017/1/16 bought groceries ; sometag: - Tags can have a value, which is the text after the colon, up to the + Tags can have a value, which is the text after the colon, up to the next comma or end of line, with leading/trailing whitespace removed: expenses:food $10 ; a-posting-tag: the tag value - Note this means hledger's tag values can not contain commas or new- + Note this means hledger's tag values can not contain commas or new- lines. Ending at commas means you can write multiple short tags on one line, comma separated: @@ -506,16 +559,16 @@ FILE FORMAT o "tag2" is another tag, whose value is "some value ..." - Tags in a transaction comment affect the transaction and all of its - postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. - For example, the following transaction has three tags (A, TAG2, + Tags in a transaction comment affect the transaction and all of its + postings, while tags in a posting comment affect only that posting. + For example, the following transaction has three tags (A, TAG2, third-tag) and the posting has four (those plus posting-tag): 1/1 a transaction ; A:, TAG2: ; third-tag: a third transaction tag, <- with a value (a) $1 ; posting-tag: - Tags are like Ledger's metadata feature, except hledger's tag values + Tags are like Ledger's metadata feature, except hledger's tag values are simple strings. Implicit tags @@ -529,14 +582,14 @@ FILE FORMAT o note - the part of description after |, or all of it - payee and note support descriptions written in a special PAYEE | NOTE + payee and note support descriptions written in a special PAYEE | NOTE format, accessing the parts before and after the pipe character respec- - tively. For descriptions not containing a pipe character they are the + tively. For descriptions not containing a pipe character they are the same as description. Directives Account aliases - You can define aliases which rewrite your account names (after reading + You can define aliases which rewrite your account names (after reading the journal, before generating reports). hledger's account aliases can be useful for: @@ -553,8 +606,8 @@ FILE FORMAT See also Cookbook: 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 + 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. The spaces around the = are optional: alias OLD = NEW @@ -562,52 +615,52 @@ FILE FORMAT 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 full account names. hledger will replace any occur- - rence of the old account name with the new one. Subaccounts are also + OLD and NEW are full account names. hledger will replace any occur- + rence 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" Regex aliases - There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression, + There is also a more powerful variant that uses a regular expression, indicated by the forward slashes: alias /REGEX/ = REPLACEMENT or --alias '/REGEX/=REPLACEMENT'. - REGEX is a case-insensitive regular expression. Anywhere it matches - inside an account name, the matched part will be replaced by REPLACE- - MENT. If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be ref- + REGEX is a case-insensitive regular expression. Anywhere it matches + inside an account name, the matched part will be replaced by REPLACE- + MENT. If REGEX contains parenthesised match groups, these can be ref- erenced by the usual numeric backreferences in REPLACEMENT. Note, cur- - rently regular expression aliases may cause noticeable slow-downs. + rently regular expression aliases may cause noticeable slow-downs. (And if you use Ledger on your hledger file, they will be ignored.) Eg: alias /^(.+):bank:([^:]+)(.*)/ = \1:\2 \3 # rewrites "assets:bank:wells fargo:checking" to "assets:wells fargo checking" Multiple aliases - You can define as many aliases as you like using directives or com- - mand-line options. Aliases are recursive - each alias sees the result - of applying previous ones. (This is different from Ledger, where + You can define as many aliases as you like using directives or com- + mand-line options. Aliases are recursive - each alias sees the result + of applying previous ones. (This is different from Ledger, where aliases are non-recursive by default). Aliases are applied in the fol- lowing order: - 1. alias directives, most recently seen first (recent directives take + 1. alias directives, most recently seen first (recent directives take precedence over earlier ones; directives not yet seen are ignored) 2. alias options, in the order they appear on the command line end aliases - You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases with the + You can clear (forget) all currently defined aliases with the end aliases directive: end aliases account directive - The account directive predefines account names, as in Ledger and Bean- - count. This may be useful for your own documentation; hledger doesn't + The account directive predefines account names, as in Ledger and Bean- + count. This may be useful for your own documentation; hledger doesn't make use of it yet. ; account ACCT @@ -622,8 +675,8 @@ FILE FORMAT ; etc. apply account directive - You can specify a parent account which will be prepended to all - accounts within a section of the journal. Use the apply account and + You can specify a parent account which will be prepended to all + accounts within a section of the journal. Use the apply account and end apply account directives like so: apply account home @@ -640,7 +693,7 @@ FILE FORMAT home:food $10 home:cash $-10 - If end apply account is omitted, the effect lasts to the end of the + If end apply account is omitted, the effect lasts to the end of the file. Included files are also affected, eg: apply account business @@ -649,16 +702,16 @@ FILE FORMAT apply account personal include personal.journal - Prior to hledger 1.0, legacy account and end spellings were also sup- + Prior to hledger 1.0, legacy account and end spellings were also sup- ported. Multi-line comments - A line containing just comment starts a multi-line comment, and a line + A line containing just comment starts a multi-line comment, and a line containing just end comment ends it. See comments. commodity directive - The commodity directive predefines commodities (currently this is just - informational), and also it may define the display format for amounts + The commodity directive predefines commodities (currently this is just + informational), and also it may define the display format for amounts in this commodity (overriding the automatically inferred format). It may be written on a single line, like this: @@ -670,8 +723,8 @@ FILE FORMAT ; separating thousands with comma. commodity 1,000.0000 AAAA - or on multiple lines, using the "format" subdirective. In this case - the commodity symbol appears twice and should be the same in both + or on multiple lines, using the "format" subdirective. In this case + the commodity symbol appears twice and should be the same in both places: ; commodity SYMBOL @@ -684,10 +737,10 @@ FILE FORMAT format INR 9,99,99,999.00 Default commodity - The D directive sets a default commodity (and display format), to be + The D directive sets a default commodity (and display format), to be used for amounts without a commodity symbol (ie, plain numbers). (Note - this differs from Ledger's default commodity directive.) The commodity - and display format will be applied to all subsequent commodity-less + this differs from Ledger's default commodity directive.) The commodity + and display format will be applied to all subsequent commodity-less amounts, or until the next D directive. # commodity-less amounts should be treated as dollars @@ -699,8 +752,8 @@ FILE FORMAT b Default year - You can set a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don't - specify a year. This is a line beginning with Y followed by the year. + You can set a default year to be used for subsequent dates which don't + specify a year. This is a line beginning with Y followed by the year. Eg: Y2009 ; set default year to 2009 @@ -720,24 +773,24 @@ FILE FORMAT assets Including other files - You can pull in the content of additional journal files by writing an + You can pull in the content of additional journal files by writing an include directive, like this: include path/to/file.journal - If the path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the current + If the path does not begin with a slash, it is relative to the current file. Glob patterns (*) are not currently supported. - The include directive can only be used in journal files. It can + The include directive can only be used in journal files. It can include journal, timeclock or timedot files, but not CSV files. EDITOR SUPPORT Add-on modes exist for various text editors, to make working with jour- - nal files easier. They add colour, navigation aids and helpful com- - mands. For hledger users who edit the journal file directly (the + nal files easier. They add colour, navigation aids and helpful com- + mands. For hledger users who edit the journal file directly (the majority), using one of these modes is quite recommended. - These were written with Ledger in mind, but also work with hledger + These were written with Ledger in mind, but also work with hledger files: @@ -746,16 +799,16 @@ EDITOR SUPPORT ting-started Sublime Text https://github.com/ledger/ledger/wiki/Using-Sub- lime-Text - Textmate https://github.com/ledger/ledger/wiki/Using-Text- Mate-2 + Text Wrangler https://github.com/ledger/ledger/wiki/Edit- ing-Ledger-files-with-TextWrangler REPORTING BUGS - Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org (or on the #hledger IRC channel + Report bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org (or on the #hledger IRC channel or hledger mail list) @@ -769,7 +822,7 @@ COPYRIGHT SEE ALSO - hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), hledger-api(1), + hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), hledger-api(1), hledger_csv(5), hledger_journal(5), hledger_timeclock(5), hledger_time- dot(5), ledger(1)