81 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
81 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
# Save frequently used options
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You can save frequently used options and arguments in an
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[argument file](manual#argument-files), one per
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line, then reuse them via a @FILE argument on the command line.
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(hledger 1.4+)
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Here's an example.
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I keep frequently-used options for quick daily reports in a file
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called `simple.args`. The name can be anything; I use a `.args` suffix
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so I can find these easily. Here's the content of `simple.args`:
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```
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--alias=/:(business|personal):/=:
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--alias=/:(bank|cash|online):/=:
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--alias=/:bofi:/=:b
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--alias=/:unify:/=:u
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--alias=/:wf:/=:w
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-2
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cur:.
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```
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The format is one command-line flag or command-line argument per line.
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Now if I write `@simple.args` in a hledger command line, it will be replaced
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by all of the above options/flags.
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The options above are just an example, but in case you're wondering:
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- the [aliases](manual.html#account-aliases) simplify the chart of accounts, hiding some distinctions (eg business vs. personal) and flattening some bank account names
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- the `-2` [depth flag](manual.html#depth-limiting) limits account depth to 2, hiding deeper subaccounts
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- the `cur:.` [query argument](manual.html#queries) shows only single-character currencies, hiding a bunch of cluttersome commodities I don't want to see
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Ie they remove some detail, giving simplified reports which are easier for me to read at a glance.
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## Usage
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Generate a balance report showing the simplified accounts:
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```shell
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$ hledger bal @simple.args
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```
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Start a live-updating hledger-ui showing the simplified asset accounts only:
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```shell
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$ hledger-ui --watch @simple.args assets
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```
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Options in the arguments file can be overridden by similar options later on
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the command line, in the [usual way](manual.html#options).
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Eg, to show just a little more account detail:
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```shell
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$ hledger bal @simple.args -3
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```
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## Quoting
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[Special characters](manual.html#special-characters) in the arguments file
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may need to be quoted, depending on your shell (bash, fish etc.)
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They'll need one less level of quoting than on the command line.
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I think
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```shell
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$ hledger bal @simple.args
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```
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is equivalent to writing:
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```shell
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$ hledger bal "--alias=/:(business|personal):/=:" "--alias=/:(bank|cash|online):/=:" "--alias=/:bofi:/=:b" "--alias=/:unify:/=:u" "--alias=/:wf:/=:w" "-2" "cur:."
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```
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So in this example, using the bash shell, the `|` pipe character did
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not need to be quoted in the arguments file (and should not be).
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## Suppressing this feature
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If you actually need to write an argument beginning with @,
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eg let's say you have an account pattern beginning with that character,
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you'll want a way to disable this feature. On unix systems at least,
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you can do that by inserting a `--` (double hyphen) argument first. Eg:
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```
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$ hledger bal @somewhere.com # looks for additional arguments in the ./somewhere.com file
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$ hledger bal -- @somewhere.com # matches account names containing "@somewhere.com"
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```
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On windows, this double hyphen trick [might](https://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/13287) require a hledger built with GHC 8.2+.
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(Let us know.)
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