Importing and Exporting Data

Learn how to import transactions from other sources and export your data for backup or analysis.

HoneyBear Folio is designed to be interoperable. You can bring your existing data with you and take your data out at any time.

Importing Data

You can import transactions from various file formats. This is useful for migrating from other tools or importing bank statements.

Supported Formats

HoneyBear Folio supports importing files in the following formats:

  • CSV (.csv): Comma-Separated Values.
  • JSON (.json): JavaScript Object Notation.
  • Excel (.xlsx, .xls): Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets.

How to Import

  1. Open the Import modal (usually found in the Sidebar or Settings).
  2. Select your file or drag and drop it into the upload area.
  3. The system will attempt to auto-map columns based on the headers in your file.
  4. Review the mapping. You can manually assign columns to the following fields:
    • Date: Transaction date.
    • Payee: Merchant or description.
    • Amount: Transaction value.
    • Category: Expense or income category.
    • Notes: Additional details.
    • Account: The account associated with the transaction.
    • Ticker / Symbol: For investment transactions.
    • Shares / Quantity: Number of units.
    • Price: Price per unit.
    • Fee: Transaction fees.
    • Currency: Transaction currency.

Automatic Mapping Logic

The importer tries to guess the correct columns by looking for keywords in your file headers (case-insensitive):

  • Date: date
  • Payee: payee, description, merchant
  • Amount: amount, value
  • Category: category
  • Notes: note, memo
  • Account: account, acc
  • Ticker: ticker, symbol
  • Shares: shares, quantity, qty
  • Price: price
  • Fee: fee, commission
  • Currency: currency, curr

JSON Support

For JSON files, the importer looks for an array of transaction objects. It supports:

  • A top-level array: [...]
  • A transactions field: { "transactions": [...] }
  • A data field: { "data": [...] }

Exporting Data

You can export your data for backup purposes or for further analysis in other tools.

Supported Formats

  • JSON (.json): Best for full backups and interoperability.
  • CSV (.csv): Best for importing into spreadsheet software like Google Sheets or Excel.
  • Excel (.xlsx): Generates a native Excel file with multiple sheets.
  • PDF (.pdf): Generates a formatted report of your transactions and accounts.

Export Details

JSON Export

The JSON export includes both Accounts and Transactions.

  • Transaction references to Account IDs are replaced with Account Names for better readability and portability.
  • The file includes a metadata field exportDate.

CSV Export

The CSV export generates a flat list of transactions with the following columns: Date, Account, Payee, Category, Amount, Notes, Ticker, Shares, Price, Fee, Currency.

Excel Export

The Excel export creates a specific .xlsx file containing two sheets:

  1. Transactions: The list of all your transactions.
  2. Accounts: A list of your account definitions.

PDF Export

The PDF export generates a formatted, print-ready report of your data, providing a clean overview of your accounts and transactions.