
HLEDGER-WEB(1)               hledger User Manuals               HLEDGER-WEB(1)



NAME
       hledger-web  is  a web interface (WUI) for the hledger accounting tool.
       This manual is for hledger-web 1.25.

SYNOPSIS
       hledger-web [OPTIONS]
       hledger web -- [OPTIONS]

DESCRIPTION
       hledger is a reliable, cross-platform  set  of  programs  for  tracking
       money,  time, or any other commodity, using double-entry accounting and
       a simple, editable file format.  hledger is  inspired  by  and  largely
       compatible with ledger(1).

       hledger-web  is hledger's web interface.  It starts a simple web appli-
       cation for browsing and adding transactions, and optionally opens it in
       a  web browser window if possible.  It provides a more user-friendly UI
       than the hledger CLI or hledger-ui  interface,  showing  more  at  once
       (accounts,  the  current account register, balance charts) and allowing
       history-aware data entry, interactive searching, and bookmarking.

       hledger-web also lets you share a ledger with multiple users,  or  even
       the  public  web.   There is no access control, so if you need that you
       should put it behind a suitable  web  proxy.   As  a  small  protection
       against  data  loss  when  running an unprotected instance, it writes a
       numbered backup of the main journal file (only ?)  on every edit.

       Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in hledger  journal,
       timeclock,  timedot,  or CSV format specified with -f, or $LEDGER_FILE,
       or       $HOME/.hledger.journal       (on       windows,        perhaps
       C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal).  For more about this see hledger(1).

OPTIONS
       Command-line options and arguments may be used to set an initial filter
       on the data.  These filter options are not shown in the web UI, but  it
       will be applied in addition to any search query entered there.

       Note:  if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write -- before
       options, as shown in the synopsis above.

       --serve
              serve and log requests, don't browse or auto-exit

       --serve-api
              like --serve, but serve only  the  JSON  web  API,  without  the
              server-side web UI

       --host=IPADDR
              listen on this IP address (default: 127.0.0.1)

       --port=PORT
              listen on this TCP port (default: 5000)

       --socket=SOCKETFILE
              use  a unix domain socket file to listen for requests instead of
              a TCP socket.  Implies --serve.  It can  only  be  used  if  the
              operating system can provide this type of socket.

       --base-url=URL
              set  the  base  url  (default:  http://IPADDR:PORT).   You would
              change this when sharing over the network, or integrating within
              a larger website.

       --file-url=URL
              set the static files url (default: BASEURL/static).  hledger-web
              normally serves static files itself, but if you wanted to  serve
              them  from  another server for efficiency, you would set the url
              with this.

       --capabilities=CAP[,CAP..]
              enable the  view,  add,  and/or  manage  capabilities  (default:
              view,add)

       --capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER
              read  capabilities  to  enable  from a HTTP header, like X-Sand-
              storm-Permissions (default: disabled)

       --test run hledger-web's tests and exit.  hspec test  runner  args  may
              follow a --, eg: hledger-web --test -- --help

       hledger input options:

       -f FILE --file=FILE
              use  a  different  input  file.   For  stdin,  use  -  (default:
              $LEDGER_FILE or $HOME/.hledger.journal)

       --rules-file=RULESFILE
              Conversion  rules  file  to  use  when  reading  CSV   (default:
              FILE.rules)

       --separator=CHAR
              Field separator to expect when reading CSV (default: ',')

       --alias=OLD=NEW
              rename accounts named OLD to NEW

       --anon anonymize accounts and payees

       --pivot FIELDNAME
              use some other field or tag for the account name

       -I --ignore-assertions
              disable balance assertion checks (note: does not disable balance
              assignments)

       -s --strict
              do extra error checking (check  that  all  posted  accounts  are
              declared)

       hledger reporting options:

       -b --begin=DATE
              include postings/txns on or after this date (will be adjusted to
              preceding subperiod start when using a report interval)

       -e --end=DATE
              include postings/txns before this date (will be adjusted to fol-
              lowing subperiod end when using a report interval)

       -D --daily
              multiperiod/multicolumn report by day

       -W --weekly
              multiperiod/multicolumn report by week

       -M --monthly
              multiperiod/multicolumn report by month

       -Q --quarterly
              multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter

       -Y --yearly
              multiperiod/multicolumn report by year

       -p --period=PERIODEXP
              set  start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once
              using period expressions syntax

       --date2
              match the secondary date instead (see  command  help  for  other
              effects)

       --today=DATE
              override   today's  date  (affects  relative  smart  dates,  for
              tests/examples)

       -U --unmarked
              include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)

       -P --pending
              include only pending postings/txns

       -C --cleared
              include only cleared postings/txns

       -R --real
              include only non-virtual postings

       -NUM --depth=NUM
              hide/aggregate accounts or postings more than NUM levels deep

       -E --empty
              show items with zero amount, normally hidden (and vice-versa  in
              hledger-ui/hledger-web)

       -B --cost
              convert amounts to their cost/selling amount at transaction time

       -V --market
              convert amounts to their market value in default valuation  com-
              modities

       -X --exchange=COMM
              convert amounts to their market value in commodity COMM

       --value
              convert  amounts  to  cost  or  market value, more flexibly than
              -B/-V/-X

       --infer-market-prices
              use transaction prices (recorded with @  or  @@)  as  additional
              market prices, as if they were P directives

       --auto apply automated posting rules to modify transactions.

       --forecast
              generate  future  transactions  from periodic transaction rules,
              for the next 6 months or till report end date.   In  hledger-ui,
              also make ordinary future transactions visible.

       --commodity-style
              Override  the  commodity  style  in the output for the specified
              commodity.  For example 'EUR1.000,00'.

       --color=WHEN (or --colour=WHEN)
              Should color-supporting commands use ANSI color  codes  in  text
              output.   'auto' (default): whenever stdout seems to be a color-
              supporting terminal.  'always' or 'yes': always, useful eg  when
              piping  output  into  'less  -R'.   'never'  or  'no': never.  A
              NO_COLOR environment variable overrides this.

       --pretty[=WHEN]
              Show prettier output, e.g.  using  unicode  box-drawing  charac-
              ters.   Accepts 'yes' (the default) or 'no' ('y', 'n', 'always',
              'never' also work).  If you provide an  argument  you  must  use
              '=', e.g.  '--pretty=yes'.

       When a reporting option appears more than once in the command line, the
       last one takes precedence.

       Some reporting options can also be written as query arguments.

       hledger help options:

       -h --help
              show general or COMMAND help

       --man  show general or COMMAND user manual with man

       --info show general or COMMAND user manual with info

       --version
              show general or ADDONCMD version

       --debug[=N]
              show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)

       A @FILE argument will be expanded to the contents of FILE, which should
       contain  one  command line option/argument per line.  (To prevent this,
       insert a -- argument before.)

       By default, hledger-web starts the web app in "transient mode" and also
       opens it in your default web browser if possible.  In this mode the web
       app will keep running for as long as you have it open in a browser win-
       dow,  and will exit after two minutes of inactivity (no requests and no
       browser windows viewing it).  With --serve, it just runs  the  web  app
       without  exiting,  and logs requests to the console.  With --serve-api,
       only the JSON web api (see  below)  is  served,  with  the  usual  HTML
       server-side web UI disabled.

       By  default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible only
       to local requests.  You can  use  --host  to  change  this,  eg  --host
       0.0.0.0 to listen on all configured addresses.

       Similarly,  use --port to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if you are
       running multiple hledger-web instances.

       Both of these options are ignored when --socket is used.  In this case,
       it  creates  an  AF_UNIX socket file at the supplied path and uses that
       for communication.  This is an  alternative  way  of  running  multiple
       hledger-web  instances  behind a reverse proxy that handles authentica-
       tion for different users.  The path can be  derived  in  a  predictable
       way, eg by using the username within the path.  As an example, nginx as
       reverse proxy can use the variable $remote_user to derive a  path  from
       the  username  used  in  a  HTTP  basic  authentication.  The following
       proxy_pass directive allows access to all  hledger-web  instances  that
       created a socket in /tmp/hledger/:

                proxy_pass http://unix:/tmp/hledger/${remote_user}.socket;

       You  can use --base-url to change the protocol, hostname, port and path
       that appear in hyperlinks, useful eg for integrating hledger-web within
       a  larger website.  The default is http://HOST:PORT/ using the server's
       configured host address and TCP port (or http://HOST if PORT is 80).

       With --file-url you can set a different base url for static  files,  eg
       for better caching or cookie-less serving on high performance websites.

PERMISSIONS
       By default, hledger-web allows anyone who can  reach  it  to  view  the
       journal and to add new transactions, but not to change existing data.

       You can restrict who can reach it by

       o setting  the IP address it listens on (see --host above).  By default
         it listens on  127.0.0.1,  accessible  to  all  users  on  the  local
         machine.

       o putting it behind an authenticating proxy, using eg apache or nginx

       o custom firewall rules

       You can restrict what the users who reach it can do, by

       o using the --capabilities=CAP[,CAP..] flag when you start it, enabling
         one or more of the following  capabilities.   The  default  value  is
         view,add:

         o view - allows viewing the journal file and all included files

         o add - allows adding new transactions to the main journal file

         o manage  -  allows  editing,  uploading  or  downloading the main or
           included files

       o using the --capabilities-header=HTTPHEADER flag  to  specify  a  HTTP
         header  from  which it will read capabilities to enable.  hledger-web
         on Sandstorm uses the  X-Sandstorm-Permissions  header  to  integrate
         with Sandstorm's permissions.  This is disabled by default.

EDITING, UPLOADING, DOWNLOADING
       If  you  enable the manage capability mentioned above, you'll see a new
       "spanner" button to the right of the search form.  Clicking  this  will
       let  you  edit,  upload,  or  download the journal file or any files it
       includes.

       Note, unlike any other hledger command, in this mode you (or any  visi-
       tor) can alter or wipe the data files.

       Normally  whenever  a  file is changed in this way, hledger-web saves a
       numbered backup (assuming file permissions allow it, the  disk  is  not
       full,  etc.)  hledger-web is not aware of version control systems, cur-
       rently; if you use one, you'll have to arrange to  commit  the  changes
       yourself (eg with a cron job or a file watcher like entr).

       Changes  which would leave the journal file(s) unparseable or non-valid
       (eg with failing balance assertions) are prevented.   (Probably.   This
       needs re-testing.)

RELOADING
       hledger-web detects changes made to the files by other means (eg if you
       edit it directly, outside of hledger-web), and it  will  show  the  new
       data  when  you reload the page or navigate to a new page.  If a change
       makes a file unparseable, hledger-web will  display  an  error  message
       until the file has been fixed.

       (Note: if you are viewing files mounted from another machine, make sure
       that both machine clocks are roughly in step.)

JSON API
       In addition to the web UI, hledger-web also serves a JSON API that  can
       be  used to get data or add new transactions.  If you want the JSON API
       only, you can use the --serve-api flag.  Eg:

              $ hledger-web -f examples/sample.journal --serve-api
              ...

       You can get JSON data from these routes:

              /version
              /accountnames
              /transactions
              /prices
              /commodities
              /accounts
              /accounttransactions/ACCOUNTNAME

       Eg, all account names in the journal (similar to the accounts command).
       (hledger-web's  JSON  does  not include newlines, here we use python to
       prettify it):

              $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/accountnames | python -m json.tool
              [
                  "assets",
                  "assets:bank",
                  "assets:bank:checking",
                  "assets:bank:saving",
                  "assets:cash",
                  "expenses",
                  "expenses:food",
                  "expenses:supplies",
                  "income",
                  "income:gifts",
                  "income:salary",
                  "liabilities",
                  "liabilities:debts"
              ]

       Or all transactions:

              $ curl -s http://127.0.0.1:5000/transactions | python -m json.tool
              [
                  {
                      "tcode": "",
                      "tcomment": "",
                      "tdate": "2008-01-01",
                      "tdate2": null,
                      "tdescription": "income",
                      "tindex": 1,
                      "tpostings": [
                          {
                              "paccount": "assets:bank:checking",
                              "pamount": [
                                  {
                                      "acommodity": "$",
                                      "aismultiplier": false,
                                      "aprice": null,
              ...

       Most of the JSON corresponds to hledger's data types;  for  details  of
       what  the fields mean, see the Hledger.Data.Json haddock docs and click
       on the various data types, eg Transaction.   And  for  a  higher  level
       understanding, see the journal manual.

       In some cases there is outer JSON corresponding to a "Report" type.  To
       understand that, go to the Hledger.Web.Handler.MiscR haddock  and  look
       at  the  source for the appropriate handler to see what it returns.  Eg
       for  /accounttransactions  it's  getAccounttransactionsR,  returning  a
       "accountTransactionsReport  ...".   Looking  up the haddock for that we
       can see that /accounttransactions returns an AccountTransactionsReport,
       which  consists  of a report title and a list of AccountTransactionsRe-
       portItem (etc).

       You can add a new transaction to the journal  with  a  PUT  request  to
       /add,  if  hledger-web  was started with the add capability (enabled by
       default).  The payload must be the full, exact JSON representation of a
       hledger  transaction  (partial data won't do).  You can get sample JSON
       from hledger-web's /transactions or /accounttransactions,  or  you  can
       export it with hledger-lib, eg like so:

              .../hledger$ stack ghci hledger-lib
              >>> writeJsonFile "txn.json" (head $ jtxns samplejournal)
              >>> :q

       Here's how it looks as of hledger-1.17 (remember, this JSON corresponds
       to hledger's Transaction and related data types):

              {
                  "tcomment": "",
                  "tpostings": [
                      {
                          "pbalanceassertion": null,
                          "pstatus": "Unmarked",
                          "pamount": [
                              {
                                  "aprice": null,
                                  "acommodity": "$",
                                  "aquantity": {
                                      "floatingPoint": 1,
                                      "decimalPlaces": 10,
                                      "decimalMantissa": 10000000000
                                  },
                                  "aismultiplier": false,
                                  "astyle": {
                                      "ascommodityside": "L",
                                      "asdigitgroups": null,
                                      "ascommodityspaced": false,
                                      "asprecision": 2,
                                      "asdecimalpoint": "."
                                  }
                              }
                          ],
                          "ptransaction_": "1",
                          "paccount": "assets:bank:checking",
                          "pdate": null,
                          "ptype": "RegularPosting",
                          "pcomment": "",
                          "pdate2": null,
                          "ptags": [],
                          "poriginal": null
                      },
                      {
                          "pbalanceassertion": null,
                          "pstatus": "Unmarked",
                          "pamount": [
                              {
                                  "aprice": null,
                                  "acommodity": "$",
                                  "aquantity": {
                                      "floatingPoint": -1,
                                      "decimalPlaces": 10,
                                      "decimalMantissa": -10000000000
                                  },
                                  "aismultiplier": false,
                                  "astyle": {
                                      "ascommodityside": "L",
                                      "asdigitgroups": null,
                                      "ascommodityspaced": false,
                                      "asprecision": 2,
                                      "asdecimalpoint": "."
                                  }
                              }
                          ],
                          "ptransaction_": "1",
                          "paccount": "income:salary",
                          "pdate": null,
                          "ptype": "RegularPosting",
                          "pcomment": "",
                          "pdate2": null,
                          "ptags": [],
                          "poriginal": null
                      }
                  ],
                  "ttags": [],
                  "tsourcepos": {
                      "tag": "JournalSourcePos",
                      "contents": [
                          "",
                          [
                              1,
                              1
                          ]
                      ]
                  },
                  "tdate": "2008-01-01",
                  "tcode": "",
                  "tindex": 1,
                  "tprecedingcomment": "",
                  "tdate2": null,
                  "tdescription": "income",
                  "tstatus": "Unmarked"
              }

       And here's how to test adding it with curl.   This  should  add  a  new
       entry to your journal:

              $ curl http://127.0.0.1:5000/add -X PUT -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data-binary @txn.json

ENVIRONMENT
       LEDGER_FILE The journal file path when not specified with -f.

       On unix computers, the default value is: ~/.hledger.journal.

       A  more  typical  value is something like ~/finance/YYYY.journal, where
       ~/finance is a version-controlled finance directory  and  YYYY  is  the
       current  year.  Or, ~/finance/current.journal, where current.journal is
       a symbolic link to YYYY.journal.

       The usual way to set this permanently is to add a  command  to  one  of
       your shell's startup files (eg ~/.profile):

              export LEDGER_FILE=~/finance/current.journal`

       On  some Mac computers, there is a more thorough way to set environment
       variables, that will also affect applications started from the GUI (eg,
       Emacs started from a dock icon): In ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist, add an
       entry like:

              {
                "LEDGER_FILE" : "~/finance/current.journal"
              }

       For this to take effect you might need to killall Dock, or reboot.

       On Windows computers, the default value  is  probably  C:\Users\MyUser-
       Name\.hledger.journal.   You  can change this by running a command like
       this in a powershell window:

              > setx LEDGER_FILE "C:\Users\MyUserName\finance\2021.journal"

       (Let us know if you need to be an Administrator, and if  this  persists
       across a reboot.)

FILES
       Reads  data from one or more files in hledger journal, timeclock, time-
       dot,  or  CSV  format  specified   with   -f,   or   $LEDGER_FILE,   or
       $HOME/.hledger.journal           (on          windows,          perhaps
       C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal).

BUGS
       The need to precede options with -- when invoked from hledger  is  awk-
       ward.

       -f- doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin).

       Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored.

       Does not work in text-mode browsers.

       Does not work well on small screens.



REPORTING BUGS
       Report  bugs at http://bugs.hledger.org (or on the #hledger IRC channel
       or hledger mail list)


AUTHORS
       Simon Michael <simon@joyful.com> and contributors


COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2007-2020 Simon Michael.
       Released under GNU GPL v3 or later.


SEE ALSO
       hledger(1), hledger-ui(1), hledger-web(1), ledger(1)



hledger-web-1.25                  March 2022                    HLEDGER-WEB(1)
