2175 lines
78 KiB
Text
2175 lines
78 KiB
Text
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@setfilename ledger3.info
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@settitle Ledger: Command-Line Accounting
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@dircategory User Applications
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@copying
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Copyright (c) 2003-2010, John Wiegley. All rights reserved.
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Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
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modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
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met:
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- Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
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notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
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- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
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notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
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documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
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- Neither the name of New Artisans LLC nor the names of its
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contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
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this software without specific prior written permission.
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THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
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"AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
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LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
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A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
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OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
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SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
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LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
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DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
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THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
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(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
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OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
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@end copying
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@documentencoding UTF-8
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@iftex
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@finalout
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@end iftex
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@titlepage
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@title LEDGER: Command-Line Accounting
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@author John Wiegley
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@end titlepage
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@direntry
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* Ledger3: (ledger). Command-Line Accounting
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@end direntry
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top, Copying, (dir), (dir)
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@top Overview
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LEDGER is a command line accounting tool that provides double-entry
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accounting based on a text journal. It provides no bells or whistles,
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and returns the user to the days before user interfaces were even a
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twinkling in their father's CRT.
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@c @insertcopying
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@end ifnottex
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@menu
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* Copying::
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* Introduction to Ledger::
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* Ledger Tutorial ::
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* Principles of Accounting::
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* Keeping a Journal::
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* Command-line Syntax::
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* Basic Reporting Commands::
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* Value Expressions::
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* Format Strings::
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* Journal File Format::
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* Extending with Python::
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@end menu
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@node Copying, Introduction to Ledger, Top, Top
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@chapter Copying
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@insertcopying
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@node Introduction to Ledger, Ledger Tutorial , Copying, Top
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@chapter Introduction to Ledger
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@menu
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* Fat-free Accounting::
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* Building the Program::
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* Getting Help::
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@end menu
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@node Fat-free Accounting, Building the Program, Introduction to Ledger, Introduction to Ledger
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@section Fat-free Accounting
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LEDGER is an accounting tool with the moxie to exist. It provides no
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bells or whistles, and returns the user to the days before user
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interfaces were even a twinkling in their father's CRT.
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What it does offer is a double-entry accounting journal with all the
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flexibility and muscle of its modern day cousins, without any of the
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fat. Think of it as the Bran Muffin of accounting tools.
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To use it, you need to start keeping a journal. This is the basis of
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all accounting, and if you haven't started yet, now is the time to
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learn. The little booklet that comes with your checkbook is a journal,
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so we'll describe double-entry accounting in terms of that. If you use
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another GUI accounting program like GNUCash, the vast majority of its
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functionality is geared towards helping you keep a journal.
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A checkbook journal records debits (subtractions, or withdrawals) and
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credits (additions, or deposits) with reference to a single account:
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the checking account. Where the money comes from, and where it goes
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to, are described in the payee field, where you write the person or
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company's name. The ultimate aim of keeping a checkbook journal is to
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know how much money is available to spend. That's really the aim of
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all journals.
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What computers add is the ability to walk through these postings,
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and tell you things about your spending habits; to let you devise
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budgets and get control over your spending; to squirrel away money
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into virtual savings account without having to physically move money
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around; etc. As you keep your journal, you are recording information
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about your life and habits, and sometimes that information can start
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telling you things you aren't aware of. Such is the aim of all good
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accounting tools.
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The next step up from a checkbook journal, is a journal that keeps track
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of all your accounts, not just checking. In such a journal, you record
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not only who gets paid---in the case of a debit---but where the money
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came from. In a checkbook journal, its assumed that all the money
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comes from your checking account. But in a general journal, you write
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posting two-lines: the source account and target account.
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@emph{There must always be a debit from at least one account for every
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credit made to another account}. This is what is meant by
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``double-entry'' accounting: the journal must always balance to zero,
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with an equal number of debits and credits.
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For example, let's say you have a checking account and a brokerage
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account, and you can write checks from both of them. Rather than keep
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two checkbooks, you decide to use one journal for both. In this general
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journal you need to record a payment to Pacific Bell for your monthly
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phone bill, and a transfer (via check) from your brokerage account to
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your checking account. The Pacific Bell bill is $23.00, let's say, and
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you want to pay it from your checking account. In the general journal
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you need to say where the money came from, in addition to where it's
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going to. These transactions might look like this:
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@smallexample
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9/29 Pacific Bell $23.00 $23.00
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Checking $-23.00 0
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9/30 Checking $100.00 $100.00
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(123) Brokerage $-100.00 0
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@end smallexample
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The posting must balance to $0: $23 went to Pacific Bell, $23 came from
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Checking. The next entry shows check number 123 written against your
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brokerage account, transfering money to your checking account. There is
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nothing left over to be accounted for, since the money has simply moved
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from one account to another in both cases. This is the basis of
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double-entry accounting: money never pops in or out of existence; it is
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always a posting from one account to another.
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Keeping a general journal is the same as keeping two separate journals:
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One for Pacific Bell and one for Checking. In that case, each time a
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payment is written into one, you write a corresponding withdrawal into
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the other. This makes it easier to write in a ``running balance'',
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since you don't have to look back at the last time the account was
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referenced---but it also means having a lot of journal books, if you
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deal with multiple accounts.
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Here is a good place for an aside on the use of the word `account'.
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Most private people consider an account to be something that holds money
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at an institution for them. LEDGER uses a more general definition
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of the word. An account is anywhere money can go. Other finance
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programs use ``categories'', LEDGER uses accounts. So, for
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example, if you buy some groceries at Trader Joe's then more groceries
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at Whole Foods Markets you might assign the transactions like this
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@smallexample
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2011/03/15 Trader Joe's
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Expenses:Groceries $100.00
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Assets:Checking
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2011/03/15 Whole Food Market
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Expenses:Groceries $75.00
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Assets:Checking
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@end smallexample
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In both cases the money goes to the ``Groceries'' account, even though
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the payees were different. You can set up your accounts in any way you
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choose.
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Enter the beauty of computerized accounting. The purpose of the
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LEDGER program is to make general journal accounting simple, by keeping
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track of the balances for you. Your only job is to enter the
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postings. If an individual posting does not balance, LEDGER displays an
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error and indicates the incorrect posting.@footnote{In some
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special cases, it automatically balances this transaction for you.}
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In summary, there are two aspects of LEDGER use: updating the journal
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data file, and using the LEDGER tool to view the summarized result of
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your transactions.
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And just for the sake of example---as a starting point for those who
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want to dive in head-first---here are the journal transactions from above,
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formatted as the LEDGER program wishes to see them:
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@smallexample
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2004/09/29 Pacific Bell
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Expenses:Pacific Bell $23.00
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Assets:Checking
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@end smallexample
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The account balances and registers in this file, if saved as
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@file{ledger.dat}, could be reported using:
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@example
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$ ledger -f ledger.dat balance
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$ ledger -f ledger.dat register checking
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$ ledger -f ledger.dat register bell
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@end example
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An important difference between LEDGER and other finance packages is
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that journal will never alter your input file. You can create and edit
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that file in any way you prefer, but journal is only for analyzing the
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data, not for altering it.
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@node Building the Program, Getting Help, Fat-free Accounting, Introduction to Ledger
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@section Building the program
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LEDGER is written in ANSI C++, and should compile on any platform. It
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depends on the GNU multiprecision integer library (libgmp), and the
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Perl regular expression library (libpcre). It was developed using GNU
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make and gcc 3.3, on a PowerBook running OS/X.
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To build and install once you have these libraries on your system,
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enter these commands:
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@example
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./configure && make install
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@end example
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@node Getting Help, , Building the Program, Introduction to Ledger
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@section Getting help
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If you need help on how to use LEDGER, or run into problems, you can
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join the LEDGER mailing list at the following Web address:
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@example
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http://groups.google.com/group/ledger-cli
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@end example
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You can also find help at the @samp{#ledger} channel on the IRC server
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@samp{irc.freenode.net}.
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@node Ledger Tutorial , Principles of Accounting, Introduction to Ledger, Top
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@chapter Ledger Tutorial
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@menu
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* Start a Journal::
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* Run Some Reports::
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@end menu
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@node Start a Journal, Run Some Reports, Ledger Tutorial , Ledger Tutorial
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@section Start a Journal File
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@node Run Some Reports, , Start a Journal, Ledger Tutorial
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@section Run a Few Reports
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@node Principles of Accounting, Keeping a Journal, Ledger Tutorial , Top
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@chapter Principles of Accounting
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@node Keeping a Journal, Command-line Syntax, Principles of Accounting, Top
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@chapter Keeping a Journal
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The most important part of accounting is keeping a good journal. If you
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have a good journal, tools can be written to work whatever mathematical
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tricks you need to better understand your spending patterns. Without a
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good journal, no tool, however smart, can help you.
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The LEDGER program aims at making journal transactions as simple as
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possible. Since it is a command-line tool, it does not provide a user
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interface for keeping a journal. If you like, you may use GnuCash to
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maintain your journal, in which case LEDGER will read
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GnuCash's data files directly. In that case, read the GnuCash manual
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now, and skip to the next chapter.
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If you are not using GnuCash, but a text editor to maintain your
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journal, read on. LEDGER has been designed to make data transactions as
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simple as possible, by keeping the journal format easy, and also by
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automagically determining as much information as possible based on the
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nature of your transactions.
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For example, you do not need to tell LEDGER about the accounts you
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use. Any time LEDGER sees a posting involving an account it knows
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nothing about, it will create it@footnote{This also means if you
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misspell an account it will end up getting counted separately from what
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you intended. The provided Emacs major mode provides for automatically
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filling in account names.}. If you use a commodity that is new to
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LEDGER, it will create that commodity, and determine its display
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characteristics (placement of the symbol before or after the amount,
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display precision, etc) based on how you used the commodity in the
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posting.
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@menu
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* Most Basic Entry::
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* Currency and Commodities::
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* Structuring Your Accounts::
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* Transaction Notes and Tags::
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* Advanced Transactions::
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* File Format::
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* Archiving Previous Years ::
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@end menu
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@node Most Basic Entry, Currency and Commodities, Keeping a Journal, Keeping a Journal
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@section The Most Basic Entry
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Here is the Pacific Bell example from above, given as a LEDGER
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posting, with the additional of a check number:
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@smallexample
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9/29 (1023) Pacific Bell
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Expenses:Utilities:Phone $23.00
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Assets:Checking $-23.00
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@end smallexample
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As you can see, it is very similar to what would be written on paper,
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minus the computed balance totals, and adding in account names that work
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better with LEDGER's scheme of things. In fact, since
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LEDGER is smart about many things, you don't need to specify the
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balanced amount, if it is the same as the first line:
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@smallexample
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9/29 (1023) Pacific Bell
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Expenses:Utilities:Phone $23.00
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Assets:Checking
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@end smallexample
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For this transaction, LEDGER will figure out that $-23.00 must come from
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@samp{Assets:Checking} in order to balance the transaction.
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Also note the structure of the account entries. There is an implied
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hierarchy established by separating with colons (see @pxref{Structuring Your Accounts}).
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@strong{The format is very flexible and it isn't necessary that you
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indent and space out things exactly as shown. The only requirements are
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that the start of the transaction (the date typically) is at the
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beginning of the first line of the transaction, and the accounts are
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indented by at least one space. If you omit the leading spaces in the
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account lines LEDGER will not count the transaction and will not
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give an error. There must be at least two spaces, or a tab, between the
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amount and the account. If you do not have adequate separation between
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the amount and the account LEDGER will give an error and stop
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calculating}
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@node Currency and Commodities, Structuring Your Accounts, Most Basic Entry, Keeping a Journal
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@section Currency and Commodities
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LEDGER is agnostic when it comes to how you value your accounts.
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Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Francs, Shares etc. are just ``commodities''.
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Holdings in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other financial instruments
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can be label using whatever is convenient for you (stock ticker symbols
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are suggested for publicly traded assets).@footnote{you can track
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ANYTHING, even time. As long as it cannot be created or destroyed inside
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your accounting system.}
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For the rest of this manual, we will only use the word ``commodities''
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when refering to the units on a transaction value.
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This is fundamentally different than many common accounting packages,
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which assume the same currency throughout all of your accounts. This
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means if you typically operate in Euros, but travel to the US and have
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some expenses, you would have to do the currency conversion BEFORE you
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made the entry into your financial system. With ledger this is not
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required. In the same journal you can have entries in any or all
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commodities you actually hold. You can use the reporting capabilities
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to convert all commodities to a single commodity for reporting purposes
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without ever changing the underlying entry.
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For example, the following entries reflect transaction made for a
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business trip to Europe from the US:
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@smallexample
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2011/09/23 Cash in Munich
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Assets:Cash E50.00
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Assets:Checking $-66.00
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2011/09/24 Dinner in Munich
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Expenses:Business:Travel E35.00
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Assets:Cash
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@end smallexample
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This says that $66.00 came out of checking and turned into 50 Euros. The
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implied exchange rate was $1.32. Then 35.00 Euros was spent on Dinner in Munich.
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Running a ledger balance report shows:
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@smallexample
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macbook-2:$ ledger -f example.dat bal
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$-66.00
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E15.00 Assets
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E15.00 Cash
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$-66.00 Checking
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E35.00 Expenses:Business:Travel
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--------------------
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$-66.00
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E50.00
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@end smallexample
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The top two lines show my current assets as $-66.00 in checking (in this
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very short example I didn't establish opening an opening balance for the
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checking account) and E15.00. After spending on dinner i have E15.00 in
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my wallet. The bottom line balances to zero, but is shown in two lines
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since we haven't told ledger to convert commodities.
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@node Structuring Your Accounts, Transaction Notes and Tags, Currency and Commodities, Keeping a Journal
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@section Structuring your Accounts
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There really are no requirements for how you do this, but to preserve
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your sanity we suggest some very basic structure to your accounting
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system.
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At the highest level you have five sorts of accounts:
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@enumerate
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@item
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Expenses, where money goes
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@item
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Assets, where money sits
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@item
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Income, where moeny comes from
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@item
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Liabilities, money you owe
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@item
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Equity, the real value of your property.
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@end enumerate
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Starting the structure off this way will make it simpler for you to get
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answers to the questions you really need to ask about your finances.
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Beneath these top level accounts you can have any level of detail you
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desire. If you want to keep specific track of how much you spend on
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burgers and fries, you could have the following:
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@smallexample
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Expenses:Food:Hamburgers and Fries
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@end smallexample
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@node Transaction Notes and Tags, Advanced Transactions, Structuring Your Accounts, Keeping a Journal
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@section Transaction Notes and Tags
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LEDGER 3.0 supports entry and transaction ``notes'', which may
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contain new metadata and tag markers. Here's an example:
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@smallexample
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2004/05/27 (100) Credit card company
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; This is an entry note!
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; Sample: Value
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Liabilities:MasterCard $20.00
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; This is a transaction note!
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; Sample: Another Value
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; :MyTag:
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Assets:Bank:Checking
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; :AnotherTag:
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@end smallexample
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An indented paragraph starting with `;' is parsed as a persistent note
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for its preceding category. These notes will get printed back to you
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with the ``print'' command. They are accessible to value expressions
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using the ``note'' variable.
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Further, any occurrence of ``:foo:'' in a note will cause a metadata tag
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for "foo" to be registered for that entry. You can then search for
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such transactions using:
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@smallexample
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ledger reg %foo
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ledger reg tag foo
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@end smallexample
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Also, if any word in the note ends (but does not start) with a colon,
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the remainder of that line will be taken to be the metadata value for
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that tag. That is:
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@smallexample
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; :foo:bar:baz: <-- These are three tags
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; name: value <-- this is a tag with a value
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@end smallexample
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Tags with value can be searched for just like tags. In addition, you
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can further limit your tag search by looking for only those tags that
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have specific values:
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@smallexample
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ledger reg %name=value
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ledger reg tag name=value
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@end smallexample
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The group-by and sort functions also support tags:
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@smallexample
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ledger --group-by "tag('foo')" bal
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@end smallexample
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Will produce a balance summary of all transanction with tag `foo' group
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by transactions wiht the same value for `foo'.
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
ledger reg --sort "tag('foo')" %foo
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
Produces a register view with the transaction have tag `foo' sorted by
|
|
the tags value.
|
|
|
|
Comments that occur before an entry, or which starts at column zero, are
|
|
always ignored and are neither searched nor printed back.
|
|
|
|
@node Advanced Transactions, File Format, Transaction Notes and Tags, Keeping a Journal
|
|
@section Advanced Transactions
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Multiple Account Transactions::
|
|
* Virtual Transactions::
|
|
* Automatic Transactions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Multiple Account Transactions, Virtual Transactions, Advanced Transactions, Advanced Transactions
|
|
@subsection Multiple Account Transactions
|
|
|
|
Often times a transaction needs to be split across several accounts. This is trivially simple in a LEDGER journal:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2011/09/15 * Deposit Acme Bytepumps Monthly Paycheck
|
|
Income:Taxable:Acme Bytepumps Inc. $-2500.00
|
|
Assets:Brokerage:Checking $175.00
|
|
Assets:Investments:401K Deferred $250.00
|
|
Expenses:Tax:Medicare $36.25
|
|
Expenses:Tax:Federal Tax $200.00
|
|
Expenses:Tax:State Tax $20.00
|
|
Expenses:Insurance:Life $18.75
|
|
Assets:Credit Union:Joint Checking
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
This is an example of a paycheck entry. THe money comes OUT of your
|
|
income account, and is spent into several other accounts. The last line
|
|
doesn't require an amount, as ledger will automatically balance the
|
|
transaction (it will be $1800 into the Joint Checking account)
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Virtual Transactions, Automatic Transactions, Multiple Account Transactions, Advanced Transactions
|
|
@subsection Virtual Transactions
|
|
|
|
|
|
A virtual posting is when you, in your mind, see money as moving
|
|
to a certain place, when in reality that money has not moved at all.
|
|
There are several scenarios in which this type of tracking comes in
|
|
handy, and each of them will be discussed in detail.
|
|
|
|
To enter a virtual posting, surround the account name in
|
|
parentheses. This form of usage does not need to balance. However,
|
|
if you want to ensure the virtual posting balances with other
|
|
virtual postings in the same transaction, use square brackets. For
|
|
example:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
10/2 Paycheck
|
|
Assets:Checking $1000.00
|
|
Income:Salary $-1000.00
|
|
(Debt:Alimony) $200.00
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
In this example, after receiving a paycheck an alimony debt is
|
|
increased---even though no money has moved around yet.
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
10/2 Paycheck
|
|
Assets:Checking $1000.00
|
|
Income:Salary $-1000.00
|
|
[Savings:Trip] $200.00
|
|
[Assets:Checking] $-200.00
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
In this example, $200 has been deducted from checking toward savings
|
|
for a trip. It will appear as though the money has been moved from
|
|
the account into @samp{Savings:Trip}, although no money has actually
|
|
moved anywhere.
|
|
|
|
When balances are displayed, virtual postings will be factored in.
|
|
To view balances without any virtual balances factored in, using the
|
|
@option{-R} flag, for ``reality''.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Automatic Transactions, , Virtual Transactions, Advanced Transactions
|
|
@subsection Automatic Transactions
|
|
|
|
As a Bahá'í, I need to compute Huqúqu'lláh whenever I acquire assets.
|
|
It is similar to tithing for Jews and Christians, or to Zakát for
|
|
Muslims. The exact details of computing Huqúqu'lláh are somewhat
|
|
complex, but if you have further interest, please consult the Web.
|
|
|
|
Ledger makes this otherwise difficult law very easy. Just set up an
|
|
automated posting at the top of your ledger file:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
; This automated transaction will compute Huqúqu'lláh based on this
|
|
; journal's postings. Any that match will affect the
|
|
; Liabilities:Huququ'llah account by 19% of the value of that posting.
|
|
|
|
= /^(?:Income:|Expenses:(?:Business|Rent$|Furnishings|Taxes|Insurance))/
|
|
(Liabilities:Huququ'llah) 0.19
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
This automated posting works by looking at each posting in the
|
|
ledger file. If any match the given value expression, 19% of the
|
|
posting's value is applied to the @samp{Liabilities:Huququ'llah}
|
|
account. So, if $1000 is earned from @samp{Income:Salary}, $190 is
|
|
added to @samp{Liabilities:Huqúqu'lláh}; if $1000 is spent on Rent,
|
|
$190 is subtracted. The ultimate balance of Huqúqu'lláh reflects how
|
|
much is owed in order to fulfill one's obligation to Huqúqu'lláh.
|
|
When ready to pay, just write a check to cover the amount shown in
|
|
@samp{Liabilities:Huququ'llah}. That transaction would look like:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2003/01/01 (101) Baha'i Huqúqu'lláh Trust
|
|
Liabilities:Huququ'llah $1,000.00
|
|
Assets:Checking
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
That's it. To see how much Huqúq is currently owed based on your
|
|
ledger transactions, use:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger balance Liabilities:Huquq
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
This works fine, but omits one aspect of the law: that Huquq is only
|
|
due once the liability exceeds the value of 19 mithqáls of gold (which
|
|
is roughly 2.22 ounces). So what we want is for the liability to
|
|
appear in the balance report only when it exceeds the present day
|
|
value of 2.22 ounces of gold. This can be accomplished using the
|
|
command:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
ledger -Q -t "/Liab.*Huquq/?(a/P@{2.22 AU@}<=@{-1.0@}&a):a" -s bal liab
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
With this command, the current price for gold is downloaded, and the
|
|
Huqúqu'lláh is reported only if its value exceeds that of 2.22 ounces
|
|
of gold. If you wish the liability to be reflected in the parent
|
|
subtotal either way, use this instead:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
ledger -Q -T "/Liab.*Huquq/?(O/P@{2.22 AU@}<=@{-1.0@}&O):O" -s bal liab
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
In some cases, you may wish to refer to the account of whichever
|
|
posting matched your automated transaction's value expression. To do
|
|
this, use the special account name @samp{$account}:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
= /^Some:Long:Account:Name/
|
|
[$account] -0.10
|
|
[Savings] 0.10
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
This example causes 10% of the matching account's total to be deferred
|
|
to the @samp{Savings} account---as a balanced virtual posting,
|
|
which may be excluded from reports by using @option{--real}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node File Format, Archiving Previous Years , Advanced Transactions, Keeping a Journal
|
|
@section File Format for Users
|
|
|
|
The ledger file format is quite simple, but also very flexible. It
|
|
supports many options, though typically the user can ignore most of
|
|
them. They are summarized below.
|
|
|
|
The initial character of each line determines what the line means, and
|
|
how it should be interpreted. Allowable initial characters are:
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item NUMBER
|
|
A line beginning with a number denotes a transaction. It may be followed
|
|
by any number of lines, each beginning with whitespace, to denote the
|
|
transaction's account postings. The format of the first line is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
DATE[=EDATE] [*|!] [(CODE)] DESC
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
If @samp{*} appears after the date (with optional effective date), it
|
|
indicates the transaction is ``cleared'', which can mean whatever the user
|
|
wants it to mean. If @samp{!} appears after the date, it indicates d
|
|
the transaction is ``pending''; i.e., tentatively cleared from the user's
|
|
point of view, but not yet actually cleared. If a @samp{CODE} appears
|
|
in parentheses, it may be used to indicate a check number, or the type
|
|
of the posting. Following these is the payee, or a description of
|
|
the posting.
|
|
|
|
The format of each following posting is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ACCOUNT AMOUNT [; NOTE]
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The @samp{ACCOUNT} may be surrounded by parentheses if it is a virtual
|
|
posting, or square brackets if it is a virtual posting that
|
|
must balance. The @samp{AMOUNT} can be followed by a per-unit
|
|
posting cost, by specifying @samp{@@ AMOUNT}, or a complete
|
|
posting cost with @samp{@@@@ AMOUNT}. Lastly, the @samp{NOTE} may
|
|
specify an actual and/or effective date for the posting by using
|
|
the syntax @samp{[ACTUAL_DATE]} or @samp{[=EFFECTIVE_DATE]} or
|
|
@samp{[ACTUAL_DATE=EFFECtIVE_DATE]}.(See @pxref{Virtual Transactions})
|
|
|
|
@item =
|
|
An automated transaction. A value expression must appear after the equal
|
|
sign.
|
|
|
|
After this initial line there should be a set of one or more
|
|
postings, just as if it were normal transaction. If the amounts of the
|
|
postings have no commodity, they will be applied as modifiers to
|
|
whichever real posting is matched by the value expression(See @pxref{Automatic Transactions}).
|
|
|
|
@item ~
|
|
A period transaction. A period expression must appear after the tilde.
|
|
|
|
After this initial line there should be a set of one or more
|
|
postings, just as if it were normal transaction.
|
|
|
|
@item !
|
|
A line beginning with an exclamation mark denotes a command directive.
|
|
It must be immediately followed by the command word. The supported
|
|
commands are:
|
|
|
|
@table @samp
|
|
@item !include
|
|
Include the stated journal file.
|
|
|
|
@item !account
|
|
The account name is given is taken to be the parent of all
|
|
postings that follow, until @samp{!end} is seen.
|
|
|
|
@item !end
|
|
Ends an account block.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@item ;
|
|
A line beginning with a colon indicates a comment, and is
|
|
ignored. Comments will not be returned in a ``print'' response.
|
|
@item indented ;
|
|
If the semi colon is indented and occurs inside a transaction, it is
|
|
parsed as a persistent note for its preceding category. These notes or
|
|
tags can be used to augment to reporting and filtering capabilities of
|
|
LEDGER.
|
|
@item Y
|
|
If a line begins with a capital Y, it denotes the year used for all
|
|
subsequent transactions that give a date without a year. The year should
|
|
appear immediately after the Y, for example: @samp{Y2004}. This is
|
|
useful at the beginning of a file, to specify the year for that file.
|
|
If all transactions specify a year, however, this command has no effect.
|
|
|
|
@item P
|
|
Specifies a historical price for a commodity. These are usually found
|
|
in a pricing history file (see the @option{-Q} option). The syntax
|
|
is:
|
|
@example
|
|
P DATE SYMBOL PRICE
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@item N SYMBOL
|
|
Indicates that pricing information is to be ignored for a given
|
|
symbol, nor will quotes ever be downloaded for that symbol. Useful
|
|
with a home currency, such as the dollar ($). It is recommended that
|
|
these pricing options be set in the price database file, which
|
|
defaults to @file{~/.pricedb}. The syntax for this command is:
|
|
@example
|
|
N SYMBOL
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@item D AMOUNT
|
|
Specifies the default commodity to use, by specifying an amount in the
|
|
expected format. The @command{transaction} command will use this commodity
|
|
as the default when none other can be determined. This command may be
|
|
used multiple times, to set the default flags for different
|
|
commodities; whichever is seen last is used as the default commodity.
|
|
For example, to set US dollars as the default commodity, while also
|
|
setting the thousands flag and decimal flag for that commodity, use:
|
|
@example
|
|
D $1,000.00
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@item C AMOUNT1 = AMOUNT2
|
|
Specifies a commodity conversion, where the first amount is given to
|
|
be equivalent to the second amount. The first amount should use the
|
|
decimal precision desired during reporting:
|
|
@example
|
|
C 1.00 Kb = 1024 bytes
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@item i, o, b, h
|
|
These four relate to timeclock support, which permits LEDGER to read
|
|
timelog files. See the timeclock's documentation for more info on the
|
|
syntax of its timelog files.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Archiving Previous Years , , File Format, Keeping a Journal
|
|
@section Archiving Previous Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
After a while, your journal can get to be pretty large. While this will
|
|
not slow down LEDGER---it's designed to process journals very
|
|
quickly---things can start to feel ``messy''; and it's a universal
|
|
complaint that when finances feel messy, people avoid them.
|
|
|
|
Thus, archiving the data from previous years into their own files can
|
|
offer a sense of completion, and freedom from the past. But how to best
|
|
accomplish this with the ledger program? There are two commands that
|
|
make it very simple: @command{print}, and @command{equity}.
|
|
|
|
Let's take an example file, with data ranging from year 2000 until 2004.
|
|
We want to archive years 2000 and 2001 to their own file, leaving just
|
|
2003 and 2004 in the current file. So, use @command{print} to output
|
|
all the earlier transactions to a file called @file{ledger-old.dat}:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
ledger -f ledger.dat -b 2000 -e 2001 print > ledger-old.dat
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
To delete older data from the current ledger file, use @command{print}
|
|
again, this time specifying year 2002 as the starting date:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -f ledger.dat -b 2002 print > x
|
|
mv x ledger.dat
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
However, now the current file contains @emph{only} postings from 2002
|
|
onward, which will not yield accurate present-day balances, because the
|
|
net income from previous years is no longer being tallied. To
|
|
compensate for this, we must append an equity report for the old ledger
|
|
at the beginning of the new one:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -f ledger-old.dat equity > equity.dat
|
|
cat equity.dat ledger.dat > x
|
|
mv x ledger.dat
|
|
rm equity.dat
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Now the balances reported from @file{ledger.dat} are identical to what
|
|
they were before the data was split.
|
|
|
|
How often should you split your ledger? You never need to, if you
|
|
don't want to. Even eighty years of data will not slow down ledger
|
|
much---and that's just using present day hardware! Or, you can keep
|
|
the previous and current year in one file, and each year before that
|
|
in its own file. It's really up to you, and how you want to organize
|
|
your finances. For those who also keep an accurate paper trail, it
|
|
might be useful to archive the older years to their own files, then
|
|
burn those files to a CD to keep with the paper records---along with
|
|
any electronic statements received during the year. In the arena of
|
|
organization, just keep in mind this maxim: Do whatever keeps you
|
|
doing it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Command-line Syntax, Basic Reporting Commands, Keeping a Journal, Top
|
|
@chapter Command-line Syntax
|
|
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Cookbook::
|
|
* Quick Reference::
|
|
* Commands::
|
|
* Options::
|
|
* Period Expressions::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Cookbook, Quick Reference, Command-line Syntax, Command-line Syntax
|
|
@section Cookbook
|
|
|
|
@subsection Invoking Ledger
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger --group-by "tag('trip')" bal
|
|
legder reg --sort "tag('foo')" %foo
|
|
ledger cleared VWCU NFCU Tithe Misentry
|
|
ledger register Joint --uncleared
|
|
ledger register NFCUChecking --sort d -d 'd>[2011/04/01]' until 2011/05/25
|
|
@end example
|
|
@subsection Ledger Files
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
= /^Income:Taxable/
|
|
(Liabilities:Tithe Owed) -0.1
|
|
= /Noah/
|
|
(Liabilities:Tithe Owed) -0.1
|
|
= /Jonah/
|
|
(Liabilities:Tithe Owed) -0.1
|
|
= /Tithe/
|
|
(Liabilities:Tithe Owed) -1.0
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@node Quick Reference, Commands, Cookbook, Command-line Syntax
|
|
@section Quick Reference
|
|
|
|
This chapter describes LEDGER's features and serves as a quick
|
|
reference. You may wish to survey this to get an overview before diving
|
|
in to the @ref{Ledger Tutorial} and more detailed examples that follow.
|
|
|
|
LEDGER has a very simple command-line interface, named---enticingly
|
|
enough---@command{ledger}. It supports a few reporting commands, and
|
|
a large number of options for refining the output from those commands.
|
|
The basic syntax of any ledger command is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger [OPTIONS...] COMMAND [ARGS...]
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Command options must always precede the command word. After the
|
|
command word there may appear any number of arguments. For most
|
|
commands, these arguments are regular expressions that cause the
|
|
output to relate only to postings matching those regular
|
|
expressions. For the @command{transaction} command, the arguments have a
|
|
special meaning, described below.
|
|
|
|
The regular expressions arguments always match the account name that a
|
|
posting refers to. To match on the payee of the transaction instead,
|
|
precede the regular expression with @samp{--}. For example, the
|
|
following balance command reports account totals for rent, food and
|
|
movies, but only those whose payee matches Freddie:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger bal rent food movies -- freddie
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
There are many, many command options available with the
|
|
@command{ledger} command, and it takes a while to master them.
|
|
However, none of them are required to use the basic reporting
|
|
commands.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Commands, Options, Quick Reference, Command-line Syntax
|
|
@section Commands
|
|
|
|
@subsection balance
|
|
|
|
The @command{balance} command reports the current balance of all
|
|
accounts. It accepts a list of optional regexps, which confine the
|
|
balance report to the matching accounts. If an account contains
|
|
multiple types of commodities, each commodity's total is reported
|
|
separately.
|
|
|
|
@subsection register
|
|
|
|
The @command{register} command displays all the postings occurring
|
|
in a single account, line by line. The account regexp must be
|
|
specified as the only argument to this command. If any regexps occur
|
|
after the required account name, the register will contain only those
|
|
postings that match. Very useful for hunting down a particular
|
|
posting.
|
|
|
|
The output from @command{register} is very close to what a typical
|
|
checkbook, or single-account ledger, would look like. It also shows a
|
|
running balance. The final running balance of any register should
|
|
always be the same as the current balance of that account.
|
|
|
|
If you have Gnuplot installed, you may plot the amount or running
|
|
total of any register by using the script @file{report}, which is
|
|
included in the LEDGER distribution. The only requirement is that you
|
|
add either @option{-j} or @option{-J} to your register command, in
|
|
order to plot either the amount or total column, respectively.
|
|
|
|
@subsection print
|
|
|
|
The @command{print} command prints out ledger transactions in a textual
|
|
format that can be parsed by LEDGER. They will be properly formatted,
|
|
and output in the most economic form possible. The ``print'' command
|
|
also takes a list of optional regexps, which will cause only those
|
|
postings which match in some way to be printed.
|
|
|
|
The @command{print} command can be a handy way to clean up a ledger
|
|
file whose formatting has gotten out of hand.
|
|
|
|
@subsection output
|
|
|
|
The @command{output} command is very similar to the @command{print}
|
|
command, except that it attempts to replicate the specified ledger
|
|
file exactly. The format of the command is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -f FILENAME output FILENAME
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Where @file{FILENAME} is the name of the ledger file to output. The
|
|
reason for specifying this command is that only transactions contained
|
|
within that file will be output, and not an included transactions (as can
|
|
happen with the @command{print} command).
|
|
|
|
@subsection xml
|
|
|
|
The @command{xml} command outputs results similar to what
|
|
@command{print} and @command{register} display, but as an XML form.
|
|
This data can then be read in and processed. Use the
|
|
@option{--totals} option to include the running total with each
|
|
posting.
|
|
|
|
@subsection emacs
|
|
|
|
The @command{emacs} command outputs results in a form that can be read
|
|
directly by Emacs Lisp. The format of the sexp is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
((BEG-POS CLEARED DATE CODE PAYEE
|
|
(ACCOUNT AMOUNT)...) ; list of postings
|
|
...) ; list of transactions
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@subsection equity
|
|
|
|
The @command{equity} command prints out accounts balances as if they
|
|
were transactions. This makes it easy to establish the starting balances
|
|
for an account, such as when @ref{Archiving Previous Years}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection prices
|
|
|
|
The @command{prices} command displays the price history for matching
|
|
commodities. The @option{-A} flag is useful with this report, to
|
|
display the running average price, or @option{-D} to show each price's
|
|
deviation from that average.
|
|
|
|
There is also a @command{pricesdb} command which outputs the same
|
|
information as @command{prices}, but does in a format that can be
|
|
parsed by LEDGER.
|
|
|
|
@subsection xact
|
|
|
|
The @command{xact} commands simplifies the creation of new transactions.
|
|
It works on the principle that 80% of all postings are variants of
|
|
earlier postings. Here's how it works:
|
|
|
|
Say you currently have this posting in your ledger file:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2004/03/15 * Viva Italiano
|
|
Expenses:Food $12.45
|
|
Expenses:Tips $2.55
|
|
Liabilities:MasterCard $-15.00
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
Now it's @samp{2004/4/9}, and you've just eating at @samp{Viva
|
|
Italiano} again. The exact amounts are different, but the overall
|
|
form is the same. With the @command{xact} command you can type:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger xact 2004/4/9 viva food 11 tips 2.50
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
This produces the following output:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2004/04/09 Viva Italiano
|
|
Expenses:Food $11.00
|
|
Expenses:Tips $2.50
|
|
Liabilities:MasterCard $-13.50
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
It works by finding a past posting matching the regular expression
|
|
@samp{viva}, and assuming that any accounts or amounts specified will
|
|
be similar to that earlier posting. If LEDGER does not succeed in
|
|
generating a new transaction, an error is printed and the exit code is set
|
|
to @samp{1}.
|
|
|
|
There is a shell script in the distribution's @file{scripts} directory
|
|
called @file{xact}, which simplifies the task of adding a new transaction
|
|
to your ledger. It launches @command{vi} to confirm that the transaction
|
|
looks appropriate.
|
|
|
|
Here are a few more examples of the @command{xact} command, assuming
|
|
the above journal transaction:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva 11.50
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva 11.50 checking # (from `checking')
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva food 11.50 tips 8
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva food 11.50 tips 8 cash
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva food $11.50 tips $8 cash
|
|
ledger xact 4/9 viva dining "DM 11.50"
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@node Options, Period Expressions, Commands, Command-line Syntax
|
|
@section Options
|
|
|
|
With all of the reports, command-line options are useful to modify the
|
|
output generated. These command-line options always occur before the
|
|
command word. This is done to distinguish options from exclusive
|
|
regular expressions, which also begin with a dash. The basic form for
|
|
most commands is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger [OPTIONS] COMMAND [REGEXPS...] [-- [REGEXPS...]]
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The @var{OPTIONS} and @var{REGEXPS} expressions are both optional.
|
|
You could just use @samp{ledger balance}, without any options---which
|
|
prints a summary of all accounts. But for more specific reporting, or
|
|
to change the appearance of the output, options are needed.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Basic options
|
|
|
|
These are the most basic command options. Most likely, the user will
|
|
want to set them using environment variables (see @ref{Options}),
|
|
instead of using actual command-line options:
|
|
|
|
@option{--help} (@option{-h}) prints a summary of all the options, and
|
|
what they are used for. This can be a handy way to remember which
|
|
options do what. This help screen is also printed if ledger is run
|
|
without a command.
|
|
|
|
@option{--version} (@option{-v}) prints the current version of ledger
|
|
and exits. This is useful for sending bug reports, to let the author
|
|
know which version of ledger you are using.
|
|
|
|
@option{--file FILE} (@option{-f FILE}) reads FILE as a ledger file.
|
|
This command may be used multiple times.
|
|
Typically, the environment variable
|
|
@env{LEDGER_FILE} is set, rather than using this command-line option.
|
|
|
|
@option{--output FILE} (@option{-o FILE}) redirects output from any
|
|
command to @var{FILE}. By default, all output goes to standard
|
|
output.
|
|
|
|
@option{--init-file FILE} (@option{-i FILE}) causes FILE to be read by
|
|
ledger before any other ledger file. This file may not contain any
|
|
postings, but it may contain option settings. To specify options
|
|
in the init file, use the same syntax as the command-line, but put each
|
|
option on it's own line. Here's an example init file:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
--price-db ~/finance/.pricedb
|
|
--cache /tmp/ledger-cache
|
|
|
|
; ~/.ledgerrc ends here
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
Option settings on the command-line or in the environment always take
|
|
precedence over settings in the init file.
|
|
|
|
@option{--cache FILE} identifies FILE as the default binary cache
|
|
file. That is, if the ledger files to be read are specified using the
|
|
environment variable @env{LEDGER_FILE}, then whenever a command is
|
|
finished a binary copy will be written to the specified cache, to
|
|
speed up the loading time of subsequent queries. This filename can
|
|
also be given using the environment variable @env{LEDGER_CACHE}, or by
|
|
putting the option into your init file. The @option{--no-cache}
|
|
option causes LEDGER to always ignore the binary cache.
|
|
|
|
@option{--account NAME} (@option{-a NAME}) specifies the default
|
|
account which QIF file postings are assumed to relate to.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Report filtering
|
|
|
|
These options change which postings affect the outcome of a
|
|
report, in ways other than just using regular expressions:
|
|
|
|
@option{--current}(@option{-c}) displays only transactions occurring on or
|
|
before the current date.
|
|
|
|
@option{--begin DATE} (@option{-b DATE}) constrains the report to
|
|
transactions on or after @var{DATE}. Only transactions after that date will be
|
|
calculated, which means that the running total in the balance report
|
|
will always start at zero with the first matching transaction. (Note: This
|
|
is different from using @option{--display} to constrain what is
|
|
displayed).
|
|
|
|
@option{--end DATE} (@option{-e DATE}) constrains the report so that
|
|
transactions on or after @var{DATE} are not considered. The ending date
|
|
is inclusive.
|
|
|
|
@option{--period STR} (@option{-p STR}) sets the reporting period
|
|
to @var{STR}. This will subtotal all matching transactions within each
|
|
period separately, making it easy to see weekly, monthly, quarterly,
|
|
etc., posting totals. A period string can even specify the
|
|
beginning and end of the report range, using simple terms like ``last
|
|
june'' or ``next month''. For more using period expressions, see
|
|
@ref{Period Expressions}.
|
|
|
|
@option{--period-sort EXPR} sorts the postings within each
|
|
reporting period using the value expression @var{EXPR}. This is most
|
|
often useful when reporting monthly expenses, in order to view the
|
|
highest expense categories at the top of each month:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -M --period-sort -At reg ^Expenses
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@option{--cleared} (@option{-C}) displays only postings whose transaction
|
|
has been marked ``cleared'' (by placing an asterix to the right of the
|
|
date).
|
|
|
|
@option{--uncleared} (@option{-U}) displays only postings whose
|
|
transaction has not been marked ``cleared'' (i.e., if there is no asterix to
|
|
the right of the date).
|
|
|
|
@option{--real} (@option{-R}) displays only real postings, not
|
|
virtual. (A virtual posting is indicated by surrounding the
|
|
account name with parentheses or brackets; see the section on using
|
|
virtual postings for more information).
|
|
|
|
@option{--actual} (@option{-L}) displays only actual postings, and
|
|
not those created due to automated postings.
|
|
|
|
@option{--related} (@option{-r}) displays postings that are
|
|
related to whichever postings would otherwise have matched the
|
|
filtering criteria. In the register report, this shows where money
|
|
went to, or the account it came from. In the balance report, it shows
|
|
all the accounts affected by transactions having a related posting.
|
|
For example, if a file had this transaction:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2004/03/20 Safeway
|
|
Expenses:Food $65.00
|
|
Expenses:Cash $20.00
|
|
Assets:Checking $-85.00
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
And the register command was:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -r register food
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The following would be output, showing the postings related to the
|
|
posting that matched:
|
|
|
|
@smallexample
|
|
2004/03/20 Safeway Expenses:Cash $-20.00 $-20.00
|
|
Assets:Checking $85.00 $65.00
|
|
@end smallexample
|
|
|
|
@option{--budget} is useful for displaying how close your postings
|
|
meet your budget. @option{--add-budget} also shows unbudgeted
|
|
postings, while @option{--unbudgeted} shows only those.
|
|
@option{--forecast} is a related option that projects your budget into
|
|
the future, showing how it will affect future balances.
|
|
@xref{Budgeting and Forecasting}.
|
|
|
|
@option{--limit EXPR} (@option{-l EXPR}) limits which postings
|
|
take part in the calculations of a report.
|
|
|
|
@option{--amount EXPR} (@option{-t EXPR}) changes the value expression
|
|
used to calculate the ``value'' column in the @command{register}
|
|
report, the amount used to calculate account totals in the
|
|
@command{balance} report, and the values printed in the
|
|
@command{equity} report. @xref{Value Expressions}.
|
|
|
|
@option{--total EXPR} (@option{-T EXPR}) sets the value expression
|
|
used for the ``totals'' column in the @command{register} and
|
|
@command{balance} reports.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Output customization
|
|
|
|
These options affect only the output, but not which postings are
|
|
used to create it:
|
|
|
|
@option{--collapse} (@option{-n}) causes transactions in a
|
|
@command{register} report with multiple postings to be collapsed
|
|
into a single, subtotaled transaction.
|
|
|
|
@option{--subtotal} (@option{-s}) causes all transactions in a
|
|
@command{register} report to be collapsed into a single, subtotaled
|
|
transaction.
|
|
|
|
@option{--by-payee} (@option{-P}) reports subtotals by payee.
|
|
|
|
@option{--comm-as-payee} (@option{-x}) changes the payee of every
|
|
posting to be the commodity used in that posting. This can be
|
|
useful when combined with other options, such as @option{-s}.
|
|
|
|
@option{--empty} (@option{-E}) includes even empty accounts in the
|
|
@command{balance} report.
|
|
|
|
@option{--weekly} (@option{-W}) reports posting totals by the
|
|
week. The week begins on whichever day of the week begins the month
|
|
containing that posting. To set a specific begin date, use a
|
|
period string, such as @samp{weekly from DATE}. @option{--monthly}
|
|
(@option{-M}) reports posting totals by month; @option{--yearly}
|
|
(@option{-Y}) reports posting totals by year. For more complex
|
|
period, using the @option{--period} option described above.
|
|
|
|
@option{--dow} reports postings totals for each day of the week.
|
|
This is an easy way to see if weekend spending is more than on
|
|
weekdays.
|
|
|
|
@option{--sort EXPR} (@option{-S EXPR}) sorts a report by comparing
|
|
the values determined using the value expression @var{EXPR}. For
|
|
example, using @option{-S -UT} in the balance report will sort account
|
|
balances from greatest to least, using the absolute value of the
|
|
total. For more on how to use value expressions, see @ref{Value
|
|
Expressions}.
|
|
|
|
@option{--wide} (@option{-w}) causes the default @command{register}
|
|
report to assume 132 columns instead of 80.
|
|
|
|
@option{--head} causes only the first N transactions to be printed. This
|
|
is different from using the command-line utility @command{head}, which
|
|
would limit to the first N postings. @option{--tail} outputs only
|
|
the last N transactions. Both options may be used simultaneously. If a
|
|
negative amount is given, it will invert the meaning of the flag
|
|
(instead of the first five transactions being printed, for example, it
|
|
would print all but the first five).
|
|
|
|
@option{--pager} tells LEDGER to pass its output to the given pager
|
|
program---very useful when the output is especially long. This
|
|
behavior can be made the default by setting the @env{LEDGER_PAGER}
|
|
environment variable.
|
|
|
|
@option{--average} (@option{-A}) reports the average posting
|
|
value.
|
|
|
|
@option{--deviation} (@option{-D}) reports each posting's
|
|
deviation from the average. It is only meaningful in the
|
|
@command{register} and @command{prices} reports.
|
|
|
|
@option{--percentage} (@option{-%}) shows account subtotals in the
|
|
@command{balance} report as percentages of the parent account.
|
|
|
|
@option{--totals} include running total information in the
|
|
@command{xml} report.
|
|
|
|
@option{--amount-data} (@option{-j}) changes the @command{register}
|
|
report so that it outputs nothing but the date and the value column,
|
|
and the latter without commodities. This is only meaningful if the
|
|
report uses a single commodity. This data can then be fed to other
|
|
programs, which could plot the date, analyze it, etc.
|
|
|
|
@option{--total-data} (@option{-J}) changes the @command{register}
|
|
report so that it outputs nothing but the date and totals column,
|
|
without commodities.
|
|
|
|
@option{--display EXPR} (@option{-d EXPR}) limits which postings
|
|
or accounts or actually displayed in a report. They might still be
|
|
calculated, and be part of the running total of a register report, for
|
|
example, but they will not be displayed. This is useful for seeing
|
|
last month's checking postings, against a running balance which
|
|
includes all posting values:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -d "d>=[last month]" reg checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The output from this command is very different from the following,
|
|
whose running total includes only postings from the last month
|
|
onward:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -p "last month" reg checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Which is more useful depends on what you're looking to know: the total
|
|
amount for the reporting range (@option{-p}), or simply a display
|
|
restricted to the reporting range (using @option{-d}).
|
|
|
|
@option{--date-format STR} (@option{-y STR}) changes the basic date
|
|
format used by reports. The default uses a date like 2004/08/01,
|
|
which represents the default date format of @samp{%Y/%m/%d}. To
|
|
change the way dates are printed in general, the easiest way is to put
|
|
@option{--date-format FORMAT} in the LEDGER initialization file
|
|
@file{~/.ledgerrc} (or the file referred to by @env{LEDGER_INIT}).
|
|
|
|
@option{--format STR} (@option{-F STR}) sets the reporting format for
|
|
whatever report ledger is about to make. @xref{Format Strings}.
|
|
There are also specific format commands for each report type:
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item @option{--balance-format STR}
|
|
@item @option{--register-format STR}
|
|
@item @option{--print-format STR}
|
|
@item @option{--plot-amount-format STR} (-j @command{register})
|
|
@item @option{--plot-total-format STR} (-J @command{register})
|
|
@item @option{--equity-format STR}
|
|
@item @option{--prices-format STR}
|
|
@item @option{--wide-register-format STR} (-w @command{register})
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@subsection Commodity reporting
|
|
|
|
These options affect how commodity values are displayed:
|
|
|
|
@option{--price-db FILE} sets the file that is used for recording
|
|
downloaded commodity prices. It is always read on startup, to
|
|
determine historical prices. Other settings can be placed in this
|
|
file manually, to prevent downloading quotes for a specific, for
|
|
example. This is done by adding a line like the following:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
; Don't download quotes for the dollar, or timelog values
|
|
N $
|
|
N h
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@option{--price-exp MINS} (@option{-L MINS}) sets the expected
|
|
freshness of price quotes, in minutes. That is, if the last known
|
|
quote for any commodity is older than this value---and if
|
|
@option{--download} is being used---then the Internet will be
|
|
consulted again for a newer price. Otherwise, the old price is still
|
|
considered to be fresh enough.
|
|
|
|
@option{--download} (@option{-Q}) causes quotes to be automagically
|
|
downloaded, as needed, by running a script named @command{getquote}
|
|
and expecting that script to return a value understood by ledger. A
|
|
sample implementation of a @command{getquote} script, implemented in
|
|
Perl, is provided in the distribution. Downloaded quote price are
|
|
then appended to the price database, usually specified using the
|
|
environment variable @env{LEDGER_PRICE_DB}.
|
|
|
|
There are several different ways that ledger can report the totals it
|
|
displays. The most flexible way to adjust them is by using value
|
|
expressions, and the @option{-t} and @option{-T} options. However,
|
|
there are also several ``default'' reports, which will satisfy most
|
|
users basic reporting needs:
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item -O, --quantity
|
|
Reports commodity totals (this is the default)
|
|
|
|
@item -B, --basis
|
|
Reports the cost basis for all postings.
|
|
|
|
@item -V, --market
|
|
Reports the last known market value for all commodities.
|
|
|
|
@item -G --gain
|
|
Reports the net gain/loss for all commodities in the report that have
|
|
a price history.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@subsection Environment variables
|
|
|
|
Every option to ledger may be set using an environment variable. If
|
|
an option has a long name such @option{--this-option}, setting the
|
|
environment variable @env{LEDGER_THIS_OPTION} will have the same
|
|
affect as specifying that option on the command-line. Options on the
|
|
command-line always take precedence over environment variable
|
|
settings, however.
|
|
|
|
Note that you may also permanently specify option values by placing
|
|
option settings in the file @file{~/.ledgerrc}, for example:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
--cache /tmp/.mycache
|
|
--pager /bin/cat
|
|
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@node Period Expressions, , Options, Command-line Syntax
|
|
@section Period Expressions
|
|
|
|
A period expression indicates a span of time, or a reporting interval,
|
|
or both. The full syntax is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
[INTERVAL] [BEGIN] [END]
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The optional @var{INTERVAL} part may be any one of:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
every day
|
|
every week
|
|
every monthly
|
|
every quarter
|
|
every year
|
|
every N days # N is any integer
|
|
every N weeks
|
|
every N months
|
|
every N quarters
|
|
every N years
|
|
daily
|
|
weekly
|
|
biweekly
|
|
monthly
|
|
bimonthly
|
|
quarterly
|
|
yearly
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
After the interval, a begin time, end time, both or neither may be
|
|
specified. As for the begin time, it can be either of:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
from <SPEC>
|
|
since <SPEC>
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The end time can be either of:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
to <SPEC>
|
|
until <SPEC>
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Where @var{SPEC} can be any of:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2004
|
|
2004/10
|
|
2004/10/1
|
|
10/1
|
|
october
|
|
oct
|
|
this week # or day, month, quarter, year
|
|
next week
|
|
last week
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The beginning and ending can be given at the same time, if it spans a
|
|
single period. In that case, just use @var{SPEC} by itself. In that
|
|
case, the period @samp{oct}, for example, will cover all the days in
|
|
october. The possible forms are:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
<SPEC>
|
|
in <SPEC>
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Here are a few examples of period expressions:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
monthly
|
|
monthly in 2004
|
|
weekly from oct
|
|
weekly from last month
|
|
from sep to oct
|
|
from 10/1 to 10/5
|
|
monthly until 2005
|
|
from apr
|
|
until nov
|
|
last oct
|
|
weekly last august
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Basic Reporting Commands, Value Expressions, Command-line Syntax, Top
|
|
@chapter Basic Reporting Commands
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Budgeting and Forecasting::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Budgeting and Forecasting, , Basic Reporting Commands, Basic Reporting Commands
|
|
@section Budgeting and Forecasting
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Value Expressions, Format Strings, Basic Reporting Commands, Top
|
|
@chapter Value Expressions
|
|
|
|
Value expressions are an expression language used by LEDGER to
|
|
calculate values used by the program for many different purposes:
|
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item
|
|
The values displayed in reports
|
|
@item
|
|
For predicates (where truth is anything non-zero), to determine which
|
|
postings are calculated (@option{-l}) or displayed (@option{-d}).
|
|
@item
|
|
For sorting criteria, to yield the sort key.
|
|
@item
|
|
In the matching criteria used by automated postings.
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
Value expressions support most simple math and logic operators, in
|
|
addition to a set of one letter functions and variables. A function's
|
|
argument is whatever follows it. The following is a display predicate
|
|
that I use with the @command{balance} command:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -d /^Liabilities/?T<0:UT>100 balance
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The effect is that account totals are displayed only if: 1) A
|
|
Liabilities account has a total less than zero; or 2) the absolute
|
|
value of the account's total exceeds 100 units of whatever commodity
|
|
contains. If it contains multiple commodities, only one of them must
|
|
exceed 100 units.
|
|
|
|
Display predicates are also very handy with register reports, to
|
|
constrain which transactions are printed. For example, the following
|
|
command shows only transactions from the beginning of the current month,
|
|
while still calculating the running balance based on all transactions:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -d "d>[this month]" register checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
This advantage to this command's complexity is that it prints the
|
|
running total in terms of all transactions in the register. The following,
|
|
simpler command is similar, but totals only the displayed
|
|
postings:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
ledger -b "this month" register checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
* Variables::
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
@node Variables, , Value Expressions, Value Expressions
|
|
@section Variables
|
|
|
|
Below are the one letter variables available in any value expression.
|
|
For the register and print commands, these variables relate to
|
|
individual postings, and sometimes the account affected by a
|
|
posting. For the balance command, these variables relate to
|
|
accounts---often with a subtle difference in meaning. The use of each
|
|
variable for both is specified.
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item t
|
|
This maps to whatever the user specified with @option{-t}. In a
|
|
register report, @option{-t} changes the value column; in a balance
|
|
report, it has no meaning by default. If @option{-t} was not
|
|
specified, the current report style's value expression is used.
|
|
|
|
@item T
|
|
This maps to whatever the user specified with @option{-T}. In a
|
|
register report, @option{-T} changes the totals column; in a balance
|
|
report, this is the value given for each account. If @option{-T} was
|
|
not specified, the current report style's value expression is used.
|
|
|
|
@item m
|
|
This is always the present moment/date.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@subsection Posting/account details
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item d
|
|
A posting's date, as the number of seconds past the epoch. This
|
|
is always ``today'' for an account.
|
|
|
|
@item a
|
|
The posting's amount; the balance of an account, without
|
|
considering children.
|
|
|
|
@item b
|
|
The cost of a posting; the cost of an account, without its
|
|
children.
|
|
|
|
@item v
|
|
The market value of a posting, or an account without its children.
|
|
|
|
@item g
|
|
The net gain (market value minus cost basis), for a posting or an
|
|
account without its children. It is the same as @samp{v-b}.
|
|
|
|
@item l
|
|
The depth (``level'') of an account. If an account has one parent,
|
|
it's depth is one.
|
|
|
|
@item n
|
|
The index of a posting, or the count of postings affecting an
|
|
account.
|
|
|
|
@item X
|
|
1 if a posting's transaction has been cleared, 0 otherwise.
|
|
|
|
@item R
|
|
1 if a posting is not virtual, 0 otherwise.
|
|
|
|
@item Z
|
|
1 if a posting is not automated, 0 otherwise.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@subsection Calculated totals
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item O
|
|
The total of all postings seen so far, or the total of an account
|
|
and all its children.
|
|
|
|
@item N
|
|
The total count of postings affecting an account and all its
|
|
children.
|
|
|
|
@item B
|
|
The total cost of all postings seen so far; the total cost of an
|
|
account and all its children.
|
|
|
|
@item V
|
|
The market value of all postings seen so far, or of an account and
|
|
all its children.
|
|
|
|
@item G
|
|
The total net gain (market value minus cost basis), for a series of
|
|
postings, or an account and its children. It is the same as
|
|
@samp{V-B}.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@section Functions
|
|
|
|
The available one letter functions are:
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item -
|
|
Negates the argument.
|
|
|
|
@item U
|
|
The absolute (unsigned) value of the argument.
|
|
|
|
@item S
|
|
Strips the commodity from the argument.
|
|
|
|
@item A
|
|
The arithmetic mean of the argument; @samp{Ax} is the same as
|
|
@samp{x/n}.
|
|
|
|
@item P
|
|
The present market value of the argument. The syntax @samp{P(x,d)} is
|
|
supported, which yields the market value at time @samp{d}. If no date
|
|
is given, then the current moment is used.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
@section Operators
|
|
|
|
The binary and ternary operators, in order of precedence, are:
|
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
@item @samp{* /}
|
|
@item @samp{+ -}
|
|
@item @samp{! < > =}
|
|
@item @samp{& | ?:}
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
@section Complex expressions
|
|
|
|
More complicated expressions are possible using:
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item NUM
|
|
A plain integer represents a commodity-less amount.
|
|
|
|
@item @{AMOUNT@}
|
|
An amount in braces can be any kind of amount supported by ledger,
|
|
with or without a commodity. Use this for decimal values.
|
|
|
|
@item /REGEXP/
|
|
@item W/REGEXP/
|
|
A regular expression that matches against an account's full name. If
|
|
a posting, this will match against the account affected by the
|
|
posting.
|
|
|
|
@item //REGEXP/
|
|
@item p/REGEXP/
|
|
A regular expression that matches against a transaction's payee name.
|
|
|
|
@item ///REGEXP/
|
|
@item w/REGEXP/
|
|
A regular expression that matches against an account's base name. If
|
|
a posting, this will match against the account affected by the
|
|
posting.
|
|
|
|
@item c/REGEXP/
|
|
A regular expression that matches against the transaction code (the text
|
|
that occurs between parentheses before the payee name).
|
|
|
|
@item e/REGEXP/
|
|
A regular expression that matches against a posting's note, or
|
|
comment field.
|
|
|
|
@item (EXPR)
|
|
A sub-expression is nested in parenthesis. This can be useful passing
|
|
more complicated arguments to functions, or for overriding the natural
|
|
precedence order of operators.
|
|
|
|
@item [DATE]
|
|
Useful specifying a date in plain terms. For example, you could say
|
|
@samp{[2004/06/01]}.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Format Strings, Journal File Format, Value Expressions, Top
|
|
@chapter Format Strings
|
|
|
|
Format strings may be used to change the output format of reports.
|
|
They are specified by passing a formatting string to the
|
|
@option{--format} (@option{-F}) option. Within that string,
|
|
constructs are allowed which make it possible to display the various
|
|
parts of an account or posting in custom ways.
|
|
|
|
Within a format strings, a substitution is specified using a percent
|
|
character (@samp{%}). The basic format of all substitutions is:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
%[-][MIN WIDTH][.MAX WIDTH]EXPR
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
If the optional minus sign (@samp{-}) follows the percent character,
|
|
whatever is substituted will be left justified. The default is right
|
|
justified. If a minimum width is given next, the substituted text
|
|
will be at least that wide, perhaps wider. If a period and a maximum
|
|
width is given, the substituted text will never be wider than this,
|
|
and will be truncated to fit. Here are some examples:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
%-P a transaction's payee, left justified
|
|
%20P The same, right justified, at least 20 chars wide
|
|
%.20P The same, no more than 20 chars wide
|
|
%-.20P Left justified, maximum twenty chars wide
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The expression following the format constraints can be a single
|
|
letter, or an expression enclosed in parentheses or brackets. The
|
|
allowable expressions are:
|
|
|
|
@table @code
|
|
@item %
|
|
Inserts a percent sign.
|
|
|
|
@item t
|
|
Inserts the results of the value expression specified by @option{-t}.
|
|
If @option{-t} was not specified, the current report style's value
|
|
expression is used.
|
|
|
|
@item T
|
|
Inserts the results of the value expression specified by @option{-T}.
|
|
If @option{-T} was not specified, the current report style's value
|
|
expression is used.
|
|
|
|
@item |
|
|
Inserts a single space. This is useful if a width is specified, for
|
|
inserting a certain number of spaces.
|
|
|
|
@item _
|
|
Inserts a space for each level of an account's depth. That is, if an
|
|
account has two parents, this construct will insert two spaces. If a
|
|
minimum width is specified, that much space is inserted for each level
|
|
of depth. Thus @samp{%5_}, for an account with four parents, will
|
|
insert twenty spaces.
|
|
|
|
@item (EXPR)
|
|
Inserts the amount resulting from the value expression given in
|
|
parentheses. To insert five times the total value of an account, for
|
|
example, one could say @samp{%12(5*O)}. Note: It's important to put
|
|
the five first in that expression, so that the commodity doesn't get
|
|
stripped from the total.
|
|
|
|
@item [DATEFMT]
|
|
Inserts the result of formatting a posting's date with a date
|
|
format string, exactly like those supported by @code{strftime}. For
|
|
example: @samp{%[%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S]}.
|
|
|
|
@item S
|
|
Insert the pathname of the file from which the transaction's data was read.
|
|
|
|
@item B
|
|
Inserts the beginning character position of that transaction within the file.
|
|
|
|
@item b
|
|
Inserts the beginning line of that transaction within the file.
|
|
|
|
@item E
|
|
Inserts the ending character position of that transaction within the file.
|
|
|
|
@item e
|
|
Inserts the ending line of that transaction within the file.
|
|
|
|
@item D
|
|
By default, this is the same as @samp{%[%Y/%m%/d]}. The date format
|
|
used can be changed at any time with the @option{-y} flag, however.
|
|
Using @samp{%D} gives the user more control over the way dates are
|
|
output.
|
|
|
|
@item d
|
|
This is the same as the @samp{%D} option, unless the transaction has an
|
|
effective date, in which case it prints
|
|
@samp{[ACTUAL_DATE=EFFECTIVE_DATE]}.
|
|
|
|
@item X
|
|
If a posting has been cleared, this inserts @samp{*} followed by a
|
|
space; otherwise nothing is inserted.
|
|
|
|
@item Y
|
|
This is the same as @samp{%X}, except that it only displays a state
|
|
character if all of the member postings have the same state.
|
|
|
|
@item C
|
|
Inserts the checking number for a transaction, in parentheses, followed by
|
|
a space; if none was specified, nothing is inserted.
|
|
|
|
@item P
|
|
Inserts the payee related to a posting.
|
|
|
|
@item a
|
|
Inserts the optimal short name for an account. This is normally used
|
|
in balance reports. It prints a parent account's name if that name
|
|
has not been printed yet, otherwise it just prints the account's name.
|
|
|
|
@item A
|
|
Inserts the full name of an account.
|
|
|
|
@item W
|
|
This is the same as @samp{%A}, except that it first displays the
|
|
posting's state @emph{if the transaction's posting states are not
|
|
all the same}, followed by the full account name. This is offered as
|
|
a printing optimization, so that combined with @samp{%Y}, only the
|
|
minimum amount of state detail is printed.
|
|
|
|
@item o
|
|
Inserts the ``optimized'' form of a posting's amount. This is
|
|
used by the print report. In some cases, this inserts nothing; in
|
|
others, it inserts the posting amount and its cost. It's use is
|
|
not recommend unless you are modifying the print report.
|
|
|
|
@item n
|
|
Inserts the note associated with a posting, preceded by two spaces
|
|
and a semi-colon, if it exists. Thus, no none becomes an empty
|
|
string, while the note @samp{foo} is substituted as @samp{ ; foo}.
|
|
|
|
@item N
|
|
Inserts the note associated with a posting, if one exists.
|
|
|
|
@item /
|
|
The @samp{%/} construct is special. It separates a format string
|
|
between what is printed for the first posting of a transaction, and
|
|
what is printed for all subsequent postings. If not used, the
|
|
same format string is used for all postings.
|
|
@end table
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Journal File Format, Extending with Python, Format Strings, Top
|
|
@chapter Journal File Format for Developers
|
|
|
|
This chapter offers a complete description of the journal data format,
|
|
suitable for implementors in other languages to follow. For users,
|
|
the chapter on keeping a journal is less extensive, but more typical
|
|
of common usage (@pxref{Keeping a Journal}).
|
|
|
|
Data is collected in the form of @dfn{transactions} which occur in one
|
|
or more @dfn{journal files}. Each transaction, in turn, is made up of
|
|
one or more @dfn{postings}, which describe how @dfn{amounts} flow from
|
|
one @dfn{account} to another. Here is an example of the simplest of
|
|
journal files:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Just an example
|
|
Expenses:Some:Account $100.00
|
|
Income:Another:Account
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
In this example, there is a transaction date, a payee, or description
|
|
of the transaction, and two postings. The postings show movement of
|
|
one hundred dollars from an account within the Income hierarchy, to
|
|
the specified expense account. The name and meaning of these accounts
|
|
in arbitrary, with no preferences implied, although you will find it
|
|
useful to follow standard accounting practice (@pxref{Principles of
|
|
Accounting}).
|
|
|
|
Since an amount is missing from the second posting, it is assumed to
|
|
be the inverse of the first. This guarantee the cardinal rule of
|
|
double-entry accounting: the sum of every transaction must balance to
|
|
zero, or it is in error. Whenever Ledger encounters a @dfn{null
|
|
posting} in a transaction, it uses it to balance the remainder.
|
|
|
|
It is also typical---though not enforced---to think of the first
|
|
posting as the destination, and the final as the source. Thus, the
|
|
amount of the first posting is typically positive. Consider:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 An income transaction
|
|
Assets:Checking $1,000.00
|
|
Income:Salary
|
|
|
|
2010/05/31 An expense transaction
|
|
Expenses:Dining $100.00
|
|
Assets:Checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
@emph{Note:} It is important to note that there must be at least two spaces between
|
|
the end of the post and the beginning of the amount (including and
|
|
commdity designator).
|
|
|
|
@section Specifying amounts
|
|
|
|
The heart of a journal is the amounts it records, and this fact is
|
|
reflected in the diversity of amount expressions allowed. All of them
|
|
are covered here, though it must be said that sometimes, there are
|
|
multiple ways to achieve a desired result.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Integer amounts
|
|
|
|
In the simplest form, bare decimal numbers are accepted:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 An income transaction
|
|
Assets:Checking 1000.00
|
|
Income:Salary
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Such amounts may only use an optional period for a decimal point.
|
|
These are referred to as @dfn{integer amounts} or @dfn{uncommoditized
|
|
amounts}. In most ways they are similar to @dfn{commoditized
|
|
amounts}, but for one signficant difference: They always display in
|
|
reports with @dfn{full precision}. More on this in a moment. For
|
|
now, a word must be said about how Ledger stores numbers.
|
|
|
|
Every number parsed by Ledger is stored internally as an
|
|
infinite-precision rational value. Floating-point math is never used,
|
|
as it cannot be trusted to maintain precision of values. So, in the
|
|
case of @samp{1000.00} above, the internal value is @samp{100000/100}.
|
|
|
|
While rational numbers are great at not losing precision, the question
|
|
arises: How should they be displayed? A number like @samp{100000/100}
|
|
is no problem, since it represents a clean decimal fraction. But what
|
|
about when the number @samp{1/1} is divided by three? How should one
|
|
print @samp{1/3}, an infinitely repeating decimal?
|
|
|
|
Ledger gets around this problem by rendering rationals into decimal at
|
|
the last possible moment, and only for display. As such, some
|
|
rounding must, at times, occur. If this rounding would affect the
|
|
calculation of a running total, special accommodation postings are
|
|
generated to make you aware it has happened. In practice, it happens
|
|
rarely, but even then it does not reflect adjustment of the
|
|
@emph{internal amount}, only the displayed amount.
|
|
|
|
What has still not been answered is how Ledger rounds values. Should
|
|
@samp{1/3} be printed as @samp{0.33} or @samp{0.33333}? For
|
|
commoditized amounts, the number of decimal places is decided by
|
|
observing how each commodity is used; but in the case of integer
|
|
amounts, an arbitrary factor must be chosen. Initially, this factor
|
|
is six. Thus, @samp{1/3} is printed back as @samp{0.333333}.
|
|
Further, this rounding factor becomes associated with each particular
|
|
value, and is carried through mathematical operations. For example,
|
|
if that particular number were multiplied by itself, the decimal
|
|
precision of the result would be twelve. Addition and subtraction do
|
|
not affect precision.
|
|
|
|
Since each integer amount retains its own display precision, this is
|
|
called @dfn{full precision}, as opposed to commoditized amounts, which
|
|
always look to their commodity to know what precision they should
|
|
round to, and so use @dfn{commodity precision}.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Commoditized amounts
|
|
|
|
A @dfn{commoditized amount} is an integer amount which has an
|
|
associated commodity. This commodity can appear before or after the
|
|
amount, and may or may not be separated from it by a space. Most
|
|
characters are allowed in a commodity name, except for the following:
|
|
|
|
@itemize
|
|
@item Any kind of whitespace
|
|
@item Numerical digits
|
|
@item Punctuation: @samp{.,;:?!}
|
|
@item Mathematical and logical operators: @samp{-+*/^&|=}
|
|
@item Bracketing characters: @samp{<>[]()}@{@}
|
|
@item The at symbol: @samp{@@}
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
And yet, any of these may appear in a commodity name if it is
|
|
surrounded by double quotes, for example:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
100 "EUN+133"
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
If a @dfn{quoted commodity} is found, it is displayed in quotes as
|
|
well, to avoid any confusion as to which part is the amount, and which
|
|
part is the commodity.
|
|
|
|
Another feature of commoditized amounts is that they are reported back
|
|
in the same form as parsed. If you specify dollar amounts using
|
|
@samp{$100}, they will print the same; likewise with @samp{100 $} or
|
|
@samp{$100.000}. You may even use decimal commas, such as
|
|
@samp{$100,00}, or thousand-marks, as in @samp{$10,000.00}.
|
|
|
|
These display characteristics become associated with the commodity,
|
|
with the result being that all amounts of the same commodity are
|
|
reported consistently. Where this is most noticeable is the
|
|
@dfn{display precision}, which is determined by the most precise value
|
|
seen for a given commodity. In most cases.
|
|
|
|
Ledger makes a distinction by @dfn{observed amounts} and unobserved
|
|
amounts. An observed amount is critiqued by Ledger to determine how
|
|
amounts using that commodity should be displayed; unobserved amounts
|
|
are significant in their value only---no matter how they are
|
|
specified, it does not change how other amounts in that commodity will
|
|
be displayed.
|
|
|
|
An example of this is found in cost expressions, covered next.
|
|
|
|
@section Posting costs
|
|
|
|
You have seen how to specify either a commoditized or an integer
|
|
amount for a posting. But what if the amount you paid for something
|
|
was in one commodity, and the amount received was another? There are
|
|
two main ways to express this:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Farmer's Market
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 apples
|
|
Assets:Checking $20.00
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
In this example, you have paid twenty dollars for one hundred apples.
|
|
The cost to you is twenty cents per apple, and Ledger calculates this
|
|
implied cost for you. You can also make the cost explicit using a
|
|
@dfn{cost amount}:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Farmer's Market
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 apples @@ $0.200000
|
|
Assets:Checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Here the @dfn{per-unit cost} is given explicitly in the form of a cost
|
|
amount; and since cost amount are @emph{unobserved}, the use of six
|
|
decimal places has no effect on how dollar amounts are displayed in
|
|
the final report. You can also specify the @dfn{total cost}:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Farmer's Market
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 apples @@@@ $20
|
|
Assets:Checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
These three forms have identical meaning. In most cases the first is
|
|
preferred, but the second two are necessary when more than two
|
|
postings are involved:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Farmer's Market
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 apples @@ $0.200000
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 pineapples @@ $0.33
|
|
Assets:My Larder 100 "crab apples" @@ $0.04
|
|
Assets:Checking
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
Here the implied cost is @samp{$57.00}, which is entered into the null
|
|
posting automatically so that the transaction balances.
|
|
|
|
@subsection Primary commodities
|
|
|
|
In every transaction involving more than one commodity, there is
|
|
always one which is the @dfn{primary commodity}. This commodity
|
|
should be thought of as the exchange commodity, or the commodity used
|
|
to buy and sells units of the other commodity. In the fruit examples
|
|
above, dollars are the primary commodity. This is decided by Ledger
|
|
on the placement of the commodity in the transaction:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
2010/05/31 Sample Transaction
|
|
Expenses 100 secondary
|
|
Assets 50 primary
|
|
|
|
2010/05/31 Sample Transaction
|
|
Expenses 100 secondary @@ 0.5 primary
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
2010/05/31 Sample Transaction
|
|
Expenses 100 secondary @@@@ 50 primary
|
|
Assets
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
The only case where knowledge of primary versus secondary comes into
|
|
play is in reports that use the @option{-V} or @option{-B} options.
|
|
With these, only primary commodities are shown.
|
|
|
|
If a transaction uses only one commodity, this commodity is also
|
|
considered a primary. In fact, when Ledger goes about ensures that
|
|
all transactions balance to zero, it only ever asks this of primary
|
|
commodities.
|
|
|
|
@node Extending with Python, , Journal File Format, Top
|
|
@chapter Extending with Python
|
|
|
|
@bye
|