Commodities

Commodities are the units your amounts are in: currencies, crypto, shares, or any other unit you track. You manage them under Settings > Commodities, pick them when recording amounts, and use a default commodity so new entries and page views start with a familiar unit.

How-to

Add a commodity

1. Open Settings, then Commodities.
2. Choose Add Commodity.
3. Enter a Commodity Name (for example EUR), or pick a currency from the list.
4. Set Commodity Fraction Digits (or leave Auto).
5. Optionally turn on Set as default commodity.
6. Choose Add.

You can also add a commodity from many Select commodity fields by choosing Add New Commodity, then completing the same dialog.

Edit a commodity

1. Open Settings > Commodities.
2. Open the menu on the commodity and choose Edit.
3. Change Commodity Fraction Digits if needed.
4. Choose Save.

You cannot change the Commodity Name after the commodity is created.

Set the default commodity

From the commodities list

1. Open Settings > Commodities.
2. Open the menu on the commodity you want.
3. Choose Set as default.

The default commodity shows a star in the list.

When adding a commodity

1. Follow Add a commodity above.
2. Turn on Set as default commodity before you choose Add.

You also choose a Default commodity during initial setup under preferences.

Delete a commodity

1. Open Settings > Commodities.
2. Open the menu on the commodity and choose Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion.

You cannot delete the default commodity until you set another commodity as default. You also cannot delete a commodity that is still used in transactions, transaction rules, widgets, or prices.

Choose a commodity in a selector

1. Open a field labelled Select commodity (or a similar commodity field).
2. Start typing to filter the list, or browse the options.
3. Select a commodity.

Where the field allows it, choose Add New Commodity to create one and select it.

Choose the commodity for an account or dashboard page

1. Open an account page (Assets, Expenses, Liabilities, or Revenues) or a dashboard.
2. Open the page menu.
3. Choose Commodity.
4. Pick a commodity in Select Commodity.

That choice sets the commodity used for balances and widgets on that page when those widgets use the page commodity. Widgets can instead turn off Use global commodity and pick their own Commodity.

Reference

Where commodities appear

• Settings > Commodities - List and manage commodities. Subtitle: Customize your commodities and currencies. Header action: Add Commodity.
• Commodity selectors - Fields across the app (transactions, rules, prices, widgets, and setup) to pick a commodity. Placeholder text is often Select commodity. Many selectors offer Add New Commodity.
• Setup preferences - Default commodity when you finish first-time setup.
• Account and dashboard page menus - Commodity opens Select Commodity for the page-level commodity used by widgets that follow the page setting.
• Widget settings - Use global commodity uses the page commodity; when off, the widget's own Commodity setting applies. Help text for that setting: convert monetary values to the selected commodity.

Commodities also appear on transaction amounts, cost amounts, balance assertions, prices (Commodity and Price Commodity), and rules.

Add / Edit Commodity fields

• Commodity Name - The commodity code or label (for example EUR, USD, or a custom name). Required when adding. Cannot be edited later.
• Commodity Fraction Digits - How many decimal places to show for amounts in this commodity. Options: Auto, or 0 through 5.
• Set as default commodity - Shown when adding (when the dialog allows it). Makes this commodity the app default after you add it.

In the add dialog, the name field can suggest standard currency codes, or you can enter a custom name (for example a stock ticker or another unit you track).

List actions

On each row in Settings > Commodities:

• Set as default - Makes this the default commodity (hidden when it already is).
• Edit - Opens Edit Commodity (fraction digits only).
• Delete - Removes the commodity after confirmation, subject to delete limits.

The default commodity is marked with a Default commodity indicator (star).

Delete limits

A commodity cannot be deleted when:

• It is the default commodity (The default commodity cannot be deleted. Please set another commodity as default before deleting this one.)
• It is used in one or more transactions (The commodity cannot be deleted due to its usage in one or more transactions.)
• It is used in one or more transaction rules
• It is used in one or more widgets
• It is used in one or more prices (The commodity cannot be deleted because it is used in one or more prices.)

Explanation

What a commodity is

A commodity is the unit attached to an amount. Most people start with a main currency (for example euros or dollars). You can also track other units in the same ledger: another currency, cryptocurrency, shares, or a custom label for something you count.

Every amount has both a quantity (the number) and a commodity (the unit). Accounts say where value sits; the commodity says what unit that value is in. You can hold more than one commodity across your accounts.

Default commodity

The default commodity is the unit Lui Ledger prefers when it needs a starting choice:

• New transaction postings typically start with this commodity.
• Account and dashboard pages use it as the page commodity until you pick another from the page menu.

You set it in setup, from Settings > Commodities, or when adding a commodity with Set as default commodity. Only one commodity is default at a time.

Fraction digits and Auto

Commodity Fraction Digits controls how many decimal places amounts in that commodity use when shown in the app.

• Pick 0 through 5 to fix the number of decimal places.
• Choose Auto to follow the usual decimal places for that currency when Lui Ledger knows them (for example two places for many currencies). For custom names without a standard currency definition, the app falls back to its normal number formatting.

Editing fraction digits does not rename the commodity; it only changes how amounts in that unit are displayed.

Several commodities in one ledger

You can use different commodities in different transactions and accounts. When you convert one commodity into another, bookkeeping still needs both sides to balance. Lui Ledger supports that with cost amounts on transactions and with Conversion equity accounts. Prices let you express one commodity in terms of another for reports and widgets.

For how balanced transactions and equity fit together, see Double-entry bookkeeping. For market prices, transaction cost, and price evaluation time, see Prices.