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Capturing entries

The Capture page is where you record what you did for a property. You can use guided single-entry forms or type several lines at once in the batch box — both produce drafts you review before anything saves.

At a glance

  • Two ways in: single-entry forms (Trip, Activity, Expense), or the batch box for several lines at once.
  • Everything is a draft first. Nothing writes to the ledger until you confirm it on the review step.
  • Pick the property and date for each entry so it lands in the right place.

Using the single-entry forms

The simplest way to capture is a form. Choose the type — Trip, Activity, or Expense — pick the property and date, and fill in the fields. The form assembles a structured line behind the scenes and stages it as a draft.

  • Trip — From and To are required; miles, travel hours, and purpose are optional. A trip with no miles still saves, with a gentle reminder that there is no mileage figure to carry.
  • Activity — a description of work you did (for example, cleaning) plus the hours.
  • Expense — vendor, description, amount, category, and payment method. You can add line items to split one receipt into categorized parts.

Using the batch box

The batch box lets you type several entries at once — one entry per line. Each line starts with a prefix that tells Field Ledger what kind of entry it is:

Activity: Cleaning at Brooklyn 2.5h
Trip: Brooklyn to Greenfield Park; 62mi; 1.5h; same-day check-in
Expense: Home Depot; interior paint; 45.00; supplies; card

The Trip origin and destination can be joined with to, ->, or →. A line that does not start with Trip:, Activity:, or Expense: is flagged amber (“may not save”) in the staged list — add a prefix and it will be read correctly.

Expense line items (splitting a receipt)

To split a single receipt into categorized parts for your CPA, add an items block to an Expense line with ::, separating items with |:

Expense: Home Depot; renovation supplies; 236.31; supplies; card :: paint; 45.00; supplies | shelving; 191.31; capital

The Expense form has a repeatable “Line items” section that produces the same thing without typing the delimiters.

What parses, and what to type

Trips, mileage, and expenses need the structured Trip: / Expense: line, which is exactly what the forms produce. If you would rather write in plain English, the optional AI capture feature turns prose into these same prefixed lines for you — see below.

Won’t parse the way you might expect

When you type by hand, an un-prefixed line such as drove to the hardware store and back or spent $60 on cleaning supplies is recorded as a plain activity — not a mileage row, and not an expense. Add the Trip: or Expense: prefix (or use the matching form) so it saves as the record type you intend.

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Need more help?

Email our support team at support@getfieldledger.com, or open the Support page inside Field Ledger (in the sidebar, or your account menu → “Contact support”). You can reach support on any plan, including an expired trial.