actual-budget-template

Command line utility for applying a budget template to ActualBudget.

Synopsis

npx bdoherty/actual-budget-template <budget-id>  [month] [--preview] [--force]
actual-budget-template <budget-id> [month] [--preview] [--force]

budget-id You can find your budget id in the "Advanced" section of the settings page.
month The month in yyyy-MM format that you want to apply the budget template to. Defaults to the current month.
--preview Displays a preview of what changes will be made, without making any updates.
--force Applies to the budget template to all categories, even those with a Budgeted value. Can be combined with --preview.

This utility uses the Actual API. Currently, the API requires Actual must be running locally before you can apply a budget template.

Template

Create a template by adding a note to a category and adding a line that begins with #template.

You are welcome to have other lines in your note, but the #template line must match the syntax.

Syntax	Description	How I use this
`#template $50`	Budget $50 each month	Regular monthly bills, such as internet
`#template up to $150`	Budget up to $150 each month	Variable expenses, such as petrol and groceries
`#template $50 up to $300`	Budget $50 each month up to a maximum of $300	Funding rainy day categories, such as replacement shoes and bicycle repairs
`#template $500 by 2022-03`	Break down large, less-frequent expenses into manageable monthly expenses	Saving for a replacement car in a few years
`#template $500 by 2021-03 repeat every 6 months`	Break down large, less-frequent expenses into manageable monthly expenses	Biannual credit card fees
`#template $500 by 2021-03 repeat every year`	Break down large, less-frequent expenses into manageable monthly expenses	Annual insurance premium
`#template $500 by 2021-03 repeat every 2 years`	Break down large, less-frequent expenses into manageable monthly expenses	Domain name renewal
`#template $500 by 2021-12 spend from 2021-03`	Budget $500 by December. Any spending between March and December is OK.	Christmas presents, overseas holiday, or any other expenses that I will be partially paying for before the target period ends.
`#template $500 by 2021-12 spend from 2021-03 repeat every year`
`#template $500 by 2021-12 spend from 2021-03 repeat every 2 years`
`#template $10 repeat every week starting 2022-01-03`	Budget $10 a week
`#template $10 repeat every week starting 2022-01-03 up to 80`	Budget $10 a week, up to a maximum of $80
`#template $10 repeat every 2 weeks starting 2022-01-04`	Budget $10 fortnightly
`#template $10 repeat every 9 weeks starting 2022-01-04 up to 30`	Budget $10 every 9 weeks, up to a maximum of $30

Notes

$ sign is optional, #template $50 and #template 50 are the same.
Other currency symbols are not supported.
Number formats that use comma for the decimal seperator are not supported (eg, 123,45). You must use 123.45.
Thousands separators are not supported (eg, 1,234). You must use 1234.

Multiple Template Lines

You can add multiple #template lines for a single category note. Lines that don't have a 'by' keyword in them add together, where as lines that do have the 'by' keyword are run sequentially - only the next next due template line is applied.

For examples:

Budget $200/month for 3 months, then $400/month for the next 3 months

#template $600 by 2021-03 repeat every 6 months
#template $1200 by 2021-06 repeat every 6 months

#template

Streaming Services: $42.97

Netflix
#template $24.99
Disney Plus
#template $9.99
Amazon Prime
#template $7.99

$120 in February 2022, $130 in March 2022

#template $10 repeat every 2 weeks starting 2022-01-04
#template $100

Prerequisites

Actual
Node https://nodejs.dev/

How to get started.

You can run this utility without installing it by running the following command. This about 20 seconds slower to run, as it downloads the software each time. As a benefit, you will always be using the latest version.

npx bdoherty/actual-budget-template <budget-id>  [month] [--preview] [--force]

Alternatively you can create a new folder, and then run the following command within that folder from command prompt (on Windows) or Terminal (on Mac) to install the utility. The utility will run faster, as it doesn't need to download the software each time it runs.

npm i --prefix ./ bdoherty/actual-budget-template

You should then be able to run actual-budget-template from command prompt / Terminal from this folder. If you want to upgrade the utility to the latest version, just run the above command from the same folder.

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License and Disclaimer

MIT License

The developer of this tool is not associated with Actual Budget. Any issues with this tool should be directed here and not to Actual Budget support.

bdoherty / actual-budget-template