hledger User Cookbook
Goal for 2022: This page aims to become the comprehensive list of concrete, actionable, task-oriented advice for hledger users on how to tackle common real-world problems, using hledger where possible, but pointing to other tools if more effective, and including placeholders where we don't yet have a good answer.
See also:
- https://plaintextaccounting.org and https://wiki.plaintextaccounting.org collect similar but more generic advice for any and all PTA tools.
- If you don't yet know the basics of hledger, see the home page, eg How to get started.
- When you find something that's not covered here, or you have a suggestion, we'd appreciate a chat message (or email).
The cookbook falls into two parts: the General usage of hledger, and Accounting and bookkeeping examples.
General usage
Data entry
Preserving your data
- Track changes with version control
- Keep backups - 3-2-1 rule
Checking for errors
Reporting techniques
Making charts
Customising
- Change account name separator
- Command line completion
- Editor configuration
- Save frequently used options
- Scripting hledger
Setups and workflows
Other user interfaces
Interoperating with other software
- Exporting from hledger
- hledger and Beancount
- hledger and dsq / DataStation
- hledger and GnuCash
- hledger and Ledger
- hledger and SQLite
- hledger and Quicken/Quickbooks
Accounting and bookkeeping
Learning accounting and bookkeeping
Borrowing and lending
Budgeting
Eco accounting
Forecasting
Inventory tracking
Investing and trading
- Track investments (2017)
- Track investments (2020)
- Calculate unrealized gain
- Calculate return on investment