Syntax quick reference: Ledger

Big 3 | Ledger | hledger | Beancount

Brief (incomplete) syntax overview for Ledger's journal file format. Last tested: 2016. See also: Ledger manual, Cheatsheets

Basic example

; a comment

2016/1/1 set opening balance
   assets:checking       $500.00
   equity:opening balances

2016/1/5 farmer's market
   expenses:groceries     $50.00
   Assets:checking

Comments, directives, and/or transactions in any order.

Comments

; comment
# comment
% comment
| comment
* comment and org-mode outline node

Non-comment lines may end with a comment. Indented comments are attached to the preceding transaction or posting.

Basic transactions

DATE [DESCRIPTION]
   ACCOUNT    AMOUNT
   ACCOUNT    [AMOUNT]

A transaction contains any number of indented postings (usually two), whose amounts must sum to zero. At least two spaces required between account and amount. One amount may be omitted.

Dates

YYYY-MM-DD
YYYY/MM/DD
YYYY.MM.DD
MM-DD
MM/DD
MM.DD

Other formats allowed if specified with --input-date-format.

Account names

TOPACCT[:SUBACCT[:...]]

Revenues:Salary
liabilities:credit card:CITI 1234
other assets:house

Account names begin with a letter. May contain single spaces. May contain subaccounts separated by : (colon).

Amounts

One of COMMODITY QUANTITY, QUANTITY COMMODITY, QUANTITY.

10
$10.00
1,000.0001 USD
10 "prepaid classes"

COMMODITY is a symbol, word or phrase; if it contains spaces or numbers, it must be in double quotes. It can be on the left or right, with or without a separating space. QUANTITY is a number with 0 or more decimal places. Decimal point is . (period). Digits can be grouped into thousands by , (comma). Amount styles influence the standard display style for each commodity.

More transaction features

DATE [FLAG] [(CODE)] DESCRIPTION
   [FLAG] ACCOUNT  AMOUNT [PRICE] [=BAL]
   ...
   [FLAG] ACCOUNT  [AMOUNT [PRICE] [=BAL]]

FLAG (aka STATE) is empty, ! or * meaning uncleared, pending or cleared CODE is any string, in parentheses DESCRIPTION can be a payee name, narration, or both

Prices

One of @ UNITPRICE, @@ TOTALPRICE and/or one of {LOTUNITPRICE}, {=FIXEDLOTUNITPRICE} and/or [LOTDATE].

A UNITPRICE or TOTALPRICE also records a market price on this date. A LOTDATE is written in square brackets.

Balance assertions

= AMOUNT after posting amount & price.

2016-03-10
   Expenses:Food      $20
   Assets:Cash       $-20 = $80

Asserts the balance in this commodity, in this account, excluding subaccounts, at this point in the parse order.

Balance assignments

= AMOUNT with no preceding/inferred posting amount.

2012-03-10 Adjustment
   Assets:Cash            = $50
   Expenses:Misc

Sets the posting amount so as to make the balance assertion true. (The other amountless posting allows the transaction to balance).

Directives

KEYWORD ARGS...
   [SUBDIRECTIVES]

account 

alias
apply
assert
bucket
capture
check
comment
commodity
define
end
expr
fixed
include
P 

payee
tag
test
year

Timeclock directives:
i
o
b
h

account, open

account ACCOUNT 
   [SUBDIRECTIVES]

account Revenues:Salary
account Expenses:Food:Chicken
   note chicken food expenses
   alias food
   payee ^(KFC|Popeyes)$
   check commodity == "$"
   assert commodity == "$"
   eval print("Hello!")
   default

Gives more error checking with --strict or --pedantic. Optional subdirectives do more stuff.

close

commodity

commodity COMMODITY

commodity EUR
commodity $
  note American Dollars
  format $1,000.00
  nomarket
  default

Gives more error checking with --strict or --pedantic. Optional subdirectives do more stuff.

market price

P DATE TIME COMMODITY UNITPRICE

P 2004/06/21 02:18:02 AAPL $32.91
P 2004/06/21 02:18:02 AU $400.00

Used by -V and -X. Also set by transaction prices.