auto-create missing journal files rather than giving an error

Hledger/Cli/Commands/Add.hs

@@ -28,13 +28,14 @@ import qualified Data.Foldable as Foldable (find)
 -- command has no effect.
 add :: [Opt] -> [String] -> Journal -> IO ()
 add opts args j
-    | filepath j == "-" = return ()
+    | f == "-" = return ()
     | otherwise = do
   hPutStrLn stderr $
     "Enter one or more transactions, which will be added to your journal file.\n"
     ++"To complete a transaction, enter . as account name. To quit, press control-c."
   today <- getCurrentDay
   getAndAddTransactions j opts args today `catch` (\e -> unless (isEOFError e) $ ioError e)
+      where f = filepath j
 
 -- | Read a number of transactions from the command line, prompting,
 -- validating, displaying and appending them to the journal file, until

Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import Hledger.Data
 import Hledger.Read
 import Hledger.Cli.Options (Opt(..),journalFilePathFromOpts) -- ,optsToFilterSpec)
 import Safe (readMay)
-import System.Directory (doesFileExist, getModificationTime, getDirectoryContents, copyFile)
+import System.Directory (getModificationTime, getDirectoryContents, copyFile)
 import System.Exit
 import System.FilePath ((</>), splitFileName, takeDirectory)
 import System.Info (os)
@@ -34,25 +34,21 @@ import System.Time (ClockTime, getClockTime, diffClockTimes, TimeDiff(TimeDiff))
 -- | Parse the user's specified journal file and run a hledger command on
 -- it, or throw an error.
 withJournalDo :: [Opt] -> [String] -> String -> ([Opt] -> [String] -> Journal -> IO ()) -> IO ()
-withJournalDo opts args cmdname cmd = do
+withJournalDo opts args _ cmd = do
   -- We kludgily read the file before parsing to grab the full text, unless
   -- it's stdin, or it doesn't exist and we are adding. We read it strictly
   -- to let the add command work.
-  f <- journalFilePathFromOpts opts
+  journalFilePathFromOpts opts >>= readJournalFile Nothing >>= either error runcmd
-  fileexists <- doesFileExist f
+    where
-  let creating = not fileexists && cmdname == "add"
       costify = (if CostBasis `elem` opts then journalConvertAmountsToCost else id)
       runcmd = cmd opts args . costify
-  if creating
-   then runcmd nulljournal
-   else readJournalFile Nothing f >>= either error runcmd
 
 -- | Get a journal from the given string and options, or throw an error.
 readJournalWithOpts :: [Opt] -> String -> IO Journal
 readJournalWithOpts opts s = do
   j <- readJournal Nothing s >>= either error return
-    let cost = CostBasis `elem` opts
   return $ (if cost then journalConvertAmountsToCost else id) j
+    where cost = CostBasis `elem` opts
 
 -- | Re-read a journal from its data file, or return an error string.
 journalReload :: Journal -> IO (Either String Journal)

hledger-lib/Hledger/Read.hs

@@ -16,16 +16,18 @@ module Hledger.Read (
        myTimelog,
 )
 where
+import Hledger.Data.Dates (getCurrentDay)
 import Hledger.Data.Types (Journal(..))
 import Hledger.Data.Utils
 import Hledger.Read.Common
 import Hledger.Read.Journal as Journal
 import Hledger.Read.Timelog as Timelog
+import Hledger.Cli.Version (version)
 
 import Control.Monad.Error
 import Data.Either (partitionEithers)
 import Safe (headDef)
-import System.Directory (getHomeDirectory)
+import System.Directory (doesFileExist, getHomeDirectory)
 import System.Environment (getEnv)
 import System.FilePath ((</>))
 import System.IO (IOMode(..), withFile, hGetContents, stderr)
@@ -82,10 +84,28 @@ journalFromPathAndString format fp s = do
                 fmt fs = intercalate ", " (init fs) ++ " or " ++ last fs ++ " "
 
 -- | Read a journal from this file, using the specified data format or
--- trying all known formats, or give an error string.
+-- trying all known formats, or give an error string; also create the file
+-- if it doesn't exist.
 readJournalFile :: Maybe String -> FilePath -> IO (Either String Journal)
 readJournalFile format "-" = getContents >>= journalFromPathAndString format "(stdin)"
-readJournalFile format f   = withFile f ReadMode $ \h -> hGetContents h >>= journalFromPathAndString format f
+readJournalFile format f = do
+  ensureJournalFile f
+  withFile f ReadMode $ \h -> hGetContents h >>= journalFromPathAndString format f
+
+-- | Ensure there is a journal at the given file path, creating an empty one if needed.
+ensureJournalFile :: FilePath -> IO ()
+ensureJournalFile f = do
+  exists <- doesFileExist f
+  when (not exists) $ do
+    printf "No journal file at %s, creating...\n" f
+    printf "Edit this file or use hledger add or hledger web to add transactions.\n"
+    emptyJournal >>= writeFile f
+
+-- | Give the content for a new auto-created journal file.
+emptyJournal :: IO String
+emptyJournal = do
+  d <- getCurrentDay
+  return $ printf "; journal created by hledger %s on %s\n; see http://hledger.org/MANUAL.html#file-format\n\n" version (show d)
 
 -- | Read a Journal from this string, using the specified data format or
 -- trying all known formats, or give an error string.