To use tags in Fava with Beancount, follow these steps:

1. Adding Tags in Beancount

• Include #tagname in your transaction entries:

  2023-10-01 * "Coffee Shop" #food
    Expenses:Coffee   20 USD
    Assets:Cash
  

• Multiple Tags: Add multiple tags separated by spaces:

  2023-10-02 * "Business Trip" #travel #business
    Expenses:Travel   500 USD
    Liabilities:CreditCard
  

2. Viewing Tags in Fava

• Tags Tab: Navigate to the "Tags" section in Fava's sidebar to see all tags used.
• Transaction View: Tags appear as clickable links in individual transactions.

3. Filtering by Tags

• Click a Tag: Click any tag in a transaction or the Tags sidebar to filter all entries with that tag.
• Search Bar:
  • Filter by tag: tag:food
  • Exclude a tag: -tag:food
  • Combine with other filters: tag:food account:Expenses:Coffee

4. Advanced Tag Usage

• Grouped Reports:
  • In the Income/Expense Report, use the "Group by" dropdown and select "Tag".
• Custom Queries:
  Use Fava's query interface (e.g., SELECT * WHERE tag = 'food').

5. Managing Tags

• Rename/Delete: Edit your .beancount file directly (Fava doesn’t support in-app tag editing).
• Tag Directives: Use pushtag/poptag to apply tags to multiple transactions:

  pushtag #vacation
  2023-07-15 * "Flight" #travel
    Expenses:Flights   300 USD
    Liabilities:CreditCard
  poptag
  

Example Workflow

1. Tag Transactions: Add #food, #travel, etc., to relevant transactions.
2. Analyze in Fava:
   • Go to Tags > click #travel to see all travel expenses.
   • Use the Income/Expense Report grouped by tag to compare spending categories.

Key Notes

• Tags vs. Links: Tags (#) categorize transactions, while links (^) connect related transactions.
• Combining Filters: Use Fava’s search syntax (e.g., tag:business amount:>100) for advanced filtering.

Tags enhance categorization and reporting, making it easier to track specific expenses or income streams in Fava.

#python #accounting