# Is it possible to combine 2 csv transactions into 1 using hledger? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [September 27, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635 "2025-09-27T15:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@sid](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/sid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/1 "2025-09-27T15:34:54Z")
I have a csv file from a crypto exchange which looks something like this: ```auto date,transaction id,currency,amount 2025-09-27,abc123,USD,-20 2025-09-27,abc123,BTC,1.2 2025-09-10,xyz456,USD,-55 2025-09-10,xyz456,BTC,3.1 ``` Basically each purchase is split it into 2 records, the fiat currency deducted and the cryptocurrency purchased and they share the same transaction id. Is it possible for hledger to automatically detect the 2 csv rows with identical IDs and create a single transaction from it? PS: less important, but I have a similar situation with currency conversion transactions on credit-card statement. When I purchase something with a different currency, a 2nd transaction shows up with the same description as the main one plus a special string, something like ` CCY CONVERSION`. ---
**Author:** ![simonmic](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.plaintextaccounting.org/simonmic/32/1_2.png) [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/2 "2025-09-27T15:43:12Z")
Not directly; you’d have to configure a [data cleaning command](https://hledger.org/1.50/hledger.html#data-cleaning--generating-commands) to preprocess the csv. Paypal csv is like this with currency conversions. I handle that by generating two transactions, each one balanced by `equity:conversion.` ---
**Author:** ![sid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@sid](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/sid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 5:13am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/3 "2025-09-28T05:13:24Z")
Thanks simonmic! I was hoping to hear from you 🙂 As a matter of fact I came across the data cleaning command yesterday and that’s what led me to ask this question. For the currency conversion fee I have been dealing with it with a custom python script that scans all transactions and finds the conversion transactions and adds identifying info to it so that the csv rules file can auto-categorize it. In short, a lot of python magic which I would like to get rid of or at least simplify. Even with data cleaning, there is no way to do this out-of-the-box right? I’d have to write a script that gets called by the data-cleaning command, if I understand it correctly. Still, I appreciate the data-cleaning step now baked into the CSV rules. It eliminates a big preprocessing step for me. I’ll try your method of using a temporary account to hold the transfer/conversion. ---
**Author:** ![sid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@sid](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/sid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 5:46am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/4 "2025-09-28T05:46:03Z")
I just realized that I won’t be able to use the `@@` format for these purchases if I split them into separate transactions. So I won’t be able to use P directives to track the performance or PNL. I think writing a script which can combine 2 transactions into 1 based on the value of a csv column might be a better solution for me. ---
**Author:** ![simonmic](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.plaintextaccounting.org/simonmic/32/1_2.png) [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 7:34am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/5 "2025-09-28T07:34:06Z")
No way with hledger to build a single entry based on two CSV records, no; you’d have to preprocess and merge all the required info into one record first. Here’s the rules I came up with. (The if block is just to order the postings in a sequence that I like.) ```plaintext skip 1 fields date,id,_currency,_amount intra-day-reversed description %id account1 equity:conversion account2 assets:exchange:%_currency amount -%_amount %_currency if %_amount ^- account1 assets:exchange:%_currency account2 equity:conversion amount %_amount %_currency ``` And here's the conversion: ```auto $ hledger -f a.csv print 2025-09-10 xyz456 assets:exchange:USD -55 USD equity:conversion 55 USD 2025-09-10 xyz456 equity:conversion -3.1 BTC assets:exchange:BTC 3.1 BTC 2025-09-27 abc123 assets:exchange:USD -20 USD equity:conversion 20 USD 2025-09-27 abc123 equity:conversion -1.2 BTC assets:exchange:BTC 1.2 BTC ``` Yes I think you're right that with separate entries like these, you can't record the costs, you can't --infer-costs, you can't --infer-market-prices, you can't show a bal --gain report. ---
**Author:** ![sid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@sid](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/sid)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 9:40am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/6 "2025-09-28T09:40:37Z")
Your rules are way simpler than the hodge-podge I came up with, haha. Thanks for that! And yeah, I did a few experiments. Can't get the cost with this. Wrote a short python script which combines the transactions. Thanks for your help! ---
**Author:** ![rdsteed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3be4f8/32.png) [@rdsteed](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/rdsteed)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/7 "2025-09-29T15:54:19Z")
Trying not to be too pedantic, but it might be better to say, “Is it possible to combine 2 csv _ **postings** _ into one _ **transaction** _ using hledger? I believe this would be a nice feature for hledger (and all PDA programs). Also, rather than combining two lines, it would be nice to combine n lines with a unique transaction\_id field. ---
**Author:** ![simonmic](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.plaintextaccounting.org/simonmic/32/1_2.png) [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-it-possible-to-combine-2-csv-transactions-into-1-using-hledger/635/8 "2025-09-30T02:58:09Z")
Transactions is a generic term, and usually what the exporting app calls them. I usually say "csv records". There's a question of how much complexity is too much for csv rules, which are supposed to be simple and approachable for non-programmers. They could easily grow into yet another never finished programming language. Ie at some point a person with advanced custom needs should just write a conversion script with a real programming language. But hledger csv rules also have some smarts that make them better at doing this robustly. I feel the sweet spot is to use them as much as possible; and when necessary, assist them by preprocessing (or generating) the csv with an [external script](https://hledger.org/1.50/hledger.html#data-cleaning--generating-commands).