164 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
164 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: intro
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...
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.highslide img {max-width:200px; float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em;}
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</style>
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<!-- main content -->
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## What is hledger ?
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It's a [plain text accounting](http://plaintextaccounting.org) program,
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for tracking money, time, or other commodities,
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on unix, mac and windows.
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With simple yet powerful functionality accessed from command line, terminal or web browser,
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it is a dependable, cross-platform alternative to Quickbooks, GnuCash, spreadsheets etc.
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<div class="indent0">
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### plain text ? How does that work ?
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**Step 1:**
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Record your transactions in a plain text file.
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(Use hledger's interactive assistant.. the web interface.. any text editor.. a shell alias.. CSV/OFX import..)
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<!-- using a simple format. -->
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<!-- Do it daily, or all at once. -->
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<!-- Record what you know; you'll get better at it. -->
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**Step 2:**
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Ask hledger about your accounts.. transactions.. balances.. currencies.. monthly averages.. budgets.. market values..
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You can start very simply, and get more sophisticated as you learn more about double-entry accounting.
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There is an enthusiastic and growing community practising this way of accounting.
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which can be quite educational and enjoyable.
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If you'd like more background,
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we have collected many useful resources at **[plaintextaccounting.org](http://plaintextaccounting.org)**.
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Read on for more about hledger, or if you're keen to get going,
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**[download](download.html)** it and start the **[tutorial](step-by-step.html)** now!
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<!-- I use it for: -->
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<!-- - tracking spending and income -->
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<!-- - seeing time reports by day/week/month/project -->
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<!-- - getting accurate numbers for client billing and tax filing -->
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<!-- - tracking invoices -->
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<!-- - building financial and time clarity and serenity -->
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</div>
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<div class="indent1">
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### hledger is Free software
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<a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 0;"><img width="104" height="20" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPLv3+-brightgreen.svg" /></a>
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hledger is Free software, created by [Simon Michael](http://joyful.com)
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and released under GNU GPLv3+.
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I have been actively developing and using hledger since 2007,
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together with 80+ other committers and an unknown number of usually happy-sounding users.
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</div>
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<div class="indent2">
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### inspired by Ledger
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hledger is a Haskell [reimplementation](https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/wiki/FAQ#hledger--ledger)
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of the excellent [Ledger](http://ledger-cli.org).
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It remains substantially compatible with Ledger, and if you wish you can keep your data compatible with both.
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Read more about the [differences](https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/wiki/FAQ#features) in the FAQ.
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</div>
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<div class="indent1">
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### a command-line tool, that respects your data
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<a href="images/balance-q-inc.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/balance-q-inc.png" title="Balance report showing income/expense by quarter" /></a>
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hledger is first a command-line tool.
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Your data lives in a plain text journal file which you can edit
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any way you wish; hledger reads that file and produces reports of
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various kinds, without changing your data. (It can help you add new
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transactions, but does not change existing ones.)
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</div>
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<a name="and-a-console-ui"></a>
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<div class="indent0">
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### a console UI
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<a href="images/hledger-ui/hledger-ui-bcexample-acc.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-ui/hledger-ui-bcexample-acc.png" title="hledger-ui accounts screen" /></a>
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hledger also provides a curses-style [console interface](manual#ui)
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that lets you review account balances and transactions quickly and without fuss.
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([screencast](https://asciinema.org/a/29665))
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</div>
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<div class="indent1">
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### a web UI
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<a href="images/hledger-web/normal/register.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-web/normal/register.png" title="Account register view with accounts sidebar" /></a>
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And, a zero-setup
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[web interface](manual.html#web) (
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[demo](http://demo.hledger.org)) for a more point-and-click experience.
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You can also set up your own public/private web instance in a few clicks
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at
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[Sandstorm](https://apps.sandstorm.io/app/8x12h6p0x0nrzk73hfq6zh2jxtgyzzcty7qsatkg7jfg2mzw5n90).
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</div>
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<div class="indent2">
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### a Haskell application and library
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<a href="images/hledger-lib-api.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-lib-api.png" title="Part of hledger-lib's haddock api documentation" /></a>
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hledger is written in Haskell, a modern, highly-regarded
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programming language which contributes to hledger's robustness,
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performance and long-term maintainability. Most functionality is
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exposed as
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[reusable](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hledger-lib)
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[Haskell](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hledger)
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[libraries](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/hledger-web), making it
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easy to write your own hledger-compatible
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[scripts](more-docs.html#scripting-examples), [add-ons](manual.html#add-ons) and
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applications.
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[](https://travis-ci.org/simonmichael/hledger)
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</div>
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<!-- <div class="indent1"> -->
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<!-- ### comfortable for techies, usable by all -->
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<!-- hledger aims to be useful to both computer experts and regular folks. -->
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<!-- Currently it is a bit more suited to power users, who appreciate the -->
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<!-- power of text files, revision control, scriptability and double entry -->
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<!-- accounting. The web interface helps make it accessible to GUI-only -->
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<!-- folk as well. -->
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<!-- </div> -->
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<div class="indent1">
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### fully documented
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We practice documentation-driven development.
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Every feature must be **[well documented](index.html#reference)**,
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and getting started must be easy.
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</div>
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<div class="indent0">
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### focussed on serving users
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hledger strives to be usable, practical and to provide real-world value.
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Intuitive features, bug-free operation and complete, accurate documentation are top goals.
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Currently it is particularly suited to techies, ie users who appreciate the
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power of text files, revision control, scriptability and double entry
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accounting.
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</div>
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