Automations are a great way to keep your books up to date in Ambrook—but in some cases, bulk tagging transactions might be the better option. Bulk tagging lets you quickly apply the same category to multiple transactions at once so you can get to "Ledger 0" faster.
When Bulk Tagging Makes Sense
Descriptions that are too broad for automations: For example, the word “Apple” might appear in transactions from the Apple Store, but also in vendor names like “Johnny Appleseed.” In cases like this, an automation could mis-tag transactions.
The same description needs different tags based on amount: For instance, small gas station charges might be snacks or drinks, while larger charges from the same vendor should be tagged as fuel.
Re-tagging after category changes: If you update your income or expense categories in Settings → Categories, bulk tagging is an easy way to reassign existing transactions.
Tagging loan payment line items: If your loan payments include separate line items for principal and interest, you may want to:
Bulk tag all principal line items as Liability Adjustments
Bulk tag all interest line items as Non-mortgage Interest
How to Bulk Tag
Go to your Ledger.
Select the checkboxes to the left of the transactions you want to tag.
Click Tag in the top-right corner.
Choose the appropriate income or expense category.
Click Tag again to apply the change.
Keyboard Shortcut
To select a large group of transactions at once:
Click the checkbox next to the first transaction.
Hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last transaction.
All transactions in between will be selected automatically.
Filtering tips for Bulk Tagging
Use filters to quickly find the transactions you want to bulk tag:
Search by description or amount: Type part of the transaction description or the amount into the search bar.
Filter by amount: Go to Filter → Amount to find transactions above or below a specific dollar value. You can combine this with a description search.
Filter by tag: Use Filter → Tag to bulk re-tag transactions that already have a category.
Review untagged transactions: Click the Review button to quickly find transactions that haven’t been tagged yet.