# Save frequently used options

You can save frequently used options and arguments in an 
[argument file](manual#argument-files), one per
line, then reuse them via a @FILE argument on the command line.
(hledger 1.4+)

Here's an example.
I keep frequently-used options for quick daily reports in a file
called `simple.args`. The name can be anything; I use a `.args` suffix
so I can find these easily. Here's the content of `simple.args`:
```
--alias=/:(business|personal):/=:
--alias=/:(bank|cash|online):/=:
--alias=/:bofi:/=:b
--alias=/:unify:/=:u
--alias=/:wf:/=:w
-2
cur:.
```

The format is one command-line flag or command-line argument per line.
Now if I write `@simple.args` in a hledger command line, it will be replaced
by all of the above options/flags.

The options above are just an example, but in case you're wondering:

- the [aliases](manual.html#account-aliases) simplify the chart of accounts, hiding some distinctions (eg business vs. personal) and flattening some bank account names
- the `-2` [depth flag](manual.html#depth-limiting) limits account depth to 2, hiding deeper subaccounts
- the `cur:.` [query argument](manual.html#queries) shows only single-character currencies, hiding a bunch of cluttersome commodities I don't want to see

Ie they remove some detail, giving simplified reports which are easier for me to read at a glance.

## Usage

Generate a balance report showing the simplified accounts:
```shell
$ hledger bal @simple.args
```
Start a live-updating hledger-ui showing the simplified asset accounts only:
```shell
$ hledger-ui --watch @simple.args assets
```

Options in the arguments file can be overridden by similar options later on
the command line, in the [usual way](manual.html#options). 
Eg, to show just a little more account detail:
```shell
$ hledger bal @simple.args -3
```

## Quoting

[Special characters](manual.html#special-characters) in the arguments file 
may need to be quoted, depending on your shell (bash, fish etc.) 
They'll need one less level of quoting than on the command line.
I think
```shell
$ hledger bal @simple.args
```
is equivalent to writing:
```shell
$ hledger bal "--alias=/:(business|personal):/=:" "--alias=/:(bank|cash|online):/=:" "--alias=/:bofi:/=:b" "--alias=/:unify:/=:u" "--alias=/:wf:/=:w" "-2" "cur:."
```
So in this example, using the bash shell, the `|` pipe character did 
not need to be quoted in the arguments file (and should not be). 

## Suppressing this feature

If you actually need to write an argument beginning with @, 
eg let's say you have an account pattern beginning with that character, 
you'll want a way to disable this feature.  On unix systems at least, 
you can do that by inserting a `--` (double hyphen) argument first. Eg:
```
$ hledger bal @somewhere.com       # looks for additional arguments in the ./somewhere.com file
$ hledger bal -- @somewhere.com    # matches account names containing "@somewhere.com"
```

On windows, this double hyphen trick [might](https://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/13287) require a hledger built with GHC 8.2+. 
(Let us know.)