if tables require hledger field names, not csv field names

[PSLLSP]

I have field with underscore in the name, like amount_in. It works but I cannot use such field in if block:

if,amount_in
xxx,123.45
yyy,321.00

hledger: Error: /home/user/export-test.csv.rules:29:10:
   |
29 | if,amount_in
   |          ^
unexpected '_'
expecting ',' or newline

---

When I try with contract, that is one of my CSV fields, I get this long error:

if,contract
xxx,123
yyy,321

hledger: Error: /home/user/export-test.csv.rules:33:4:
   |
33 | if,contract
   |    ^^^^^^^^^
unexpected "contract<newline>xxx"
expecting "account1", "account10", "account11", "account12", "account13", "account14", "account15", "account16", "account17", "account18", "account19", "account2", "account20", "account21", "account22", "account23", "account24", "account25", "account26", "account27", "account28", "account29", "account3", "account30", "account31", "account32", "account33", "account34", "account35", "account36", "account37", "account38", "account39", "account4", "account40", "account41", "account42", "account43", "account44", "account45", "account46", "account47", "account48", "account49", "account5", "account50", "account51", "account52", "account53", "account54", "account55", "account56", "account57", "account58", "account59", "account6", "account60", "account61", "account62", "account63", "account64", "account65", "account66", "account67", "account68", "account69", "account7", "account70", "account71", "account72", "account73", "account74", "account75", "account76", "account77", "account78", "account79", "account8", "account80", "account81", "account82", "account83", "account84", "account85", "account86", "account87", "account88", "account89", "account9", "account90", "account91", "account92", "account93", "account94", "account95", "account96", "account97", "account98", "account99", "amount", "amount-in", "amount-out", "amount1", "amount1-in", "amount1-out", "amount10", "amount10-in", "amount10-out", "amount11", "amount11-in", "amount11-out", "amount12", "amount12-in", "amount12-out", "amount13", "amount13-in", "amount13-out", "amount14", "amount14-in", "amount14-out", "amount15", "amount15-in", "amount15-out", "amount16", "amount16-in", "amount16-out", "amount17", "amount17-in", "amount17-out", "amount18", "amount18-in", "amount18-out", "amount19", "amount19-in", "amount19-out", "amount2", "amount2-in", "amount2-out", "amount20", "amount20-in", "amount20-out", "amount21", "amount21-in", "amount21-out", "amount22", "amount22-in", "amount22-out", "amount23", "amount23-in", "amount23-out", "amount24", "amount24-in", "amount24-out", "amount25", "amount25-in", "amount25-out", "amount26", "amount26-in", "amount26-out", "amount27", "amount27-in", "amount27-out", "amount28", "amount28-in", "amount28-out", "amount29", "amount29-in", "amount29-out", "amount3", "amount3-in", "amount3out", "amount30", "amount30-in", "amount30-out", "amount31", "amount31-in", "amount31-out", "amount32", "amount32-in", "amount32-out", "amount33", "amount33-in", "amount33-out", "amount34", "amount34-in", "amount34-out", "amount35", "amount35-in", "amount35-out", "amount36", "amount36-in", "amount36-out", "amount37", "amount37-in", "amount37-out", "amount38", "amount38-in", "amount38-out", "amount39", "amount39-in", "amount39-out", "amount4", "amount4-in", "amount4out", "amount40", "amount40-in", "amount40-out", "amount41", "amount41-in", "amount41-out", "amount42", "amount42-in", "amount42-out", "amount43", "amount43-in", "amount43-out", "amount44", "amount44-in", "amount44-out", "amount45", "amount45-in", "amount45-out", "amount46", "amount46-in", "amount46-out", "amount47", "amount47-in", "amount47-out", "amount48", "amount48-in", "amount48-out", "amount49", "amount49-in", "amount49-out", "amount5", "amount5-in", "amount5-out", "amount50", "amount50-in", "amount50-out", "amount51", "amount51-in", "amount51-out", "amount52", "amount52-in", "amount52-out", "amount53", "amount53-in", "amount53-out", "amount54", "amount54-in", "amount54-out", "amount55", "amount55-in", "amount55-out", "amount56", "amount56-in", "amount56-out", "amount57", "amount57-in", "amount57-out", "amount58", "amount58-in", "amount58-out", "amount59", "amount59-in", "amount59-out", "amount6", "amount6-in", "amount6-out", "amount60", "amount60-in", "amount60-out", "amount61", "amount61-in", "amount61out", "amount62", "amount62-in", "amount62-out", "amount63", "amount63-in", "amount63-out", "amount64", "amount64-in", "amount64-out", "amount65", "amount65-in", "amount65-out", "amount66", "amount66-in", "amount66-out", "amount67", "amount67-in", "amount67-out", "amount68", "amount68-in", "amount68-out", "amount69", "amount69-in", "amount69-out", "amount7", "amount7-in", "amount7-out", "amount70", "amount70-in", "amount70-out", "amount71", "amount71-in", "amount71-out", "amount72", "amount72-in", "amount72-out", "amount73", "amount73-in", "amount73-out", "amount74", "amount74-in", "amount74-out", "amount75", "amount75-in", "amount75-out", "amount76", "amount76-in", "amount76-out", "amount77", "amount77-in", "amount77-out", "amount78", "amount78-in", "amount78-out", "amount79", "amount79-in", "amount79-out", "amount8", "amount8-in", "amount8-out", "amount80", "amount80-in", "amount80-out", "amount81", "amount81-in", "amount81-out", "amount82", "amount82-in", "amount82-out", "amount83", "amount83-in", "amount83-out", "amount84", "amount84-in", "amount84-out", "amount85", "amount85-in", "amount85-out", "amount86", "amount86-in", "amount86-out", "amount87", "amount87-in", "amount87-out", "amount88", "amount88-in", "amount88-out", "amount89", "amount89-in", "amount89-out", "amount9", "amount9-in", "amount9-out", "amount90", "amount90-in", "amount90out", "amount91", "amount91-in", "amount91-out", "amount92", "amount92-in", "amount92-out", "amount93", "amount93-in", "amount93-out", "amount94", "amount94-in", "amount94-out", "amount95", "amount95-in", "amount95-out", "amount96", "amount96-in", "amount96-out", "amount97", "amount97-in", "amount97-out", "amount98", "amount98-in", "amount98-out", "amount99", "amount99-in", "amount99-out", "balance", "balance1", "balance10", "balance11", "balance12", "balance13", "balance14", "balance15", "balance16", "balance17", "balance18", "balance19", "balance2", "balance20", "balance21", "balance22", "balance23", "balance24", "balance25", "balance26", "balance27", "balance28", "balance29", "balance3", "balance30", "balance31", "balance32", "balance33", "balance34", "balance35", "balance36", "balance37", "balance38", "balance39", "balance4", "balance40", "balance41", "balance42", "balance43", "balance44", "balance45", "balance46", "balance47", "balance48", "balance49", "balance5", "balance50", "balance51", "balance52", "balance53", "balance54", "balance55", "balance56", "balance57", "balance58", "balance59", "balance6", "balance60", "balance61", "balance62", "balance63", "balance64", "balance65", "balance66", "balance67", "balance68", "balance69", "balance7", "balance70", "balance71", "balance72", "balance73", "balance74", "balance75", "balance76", "balance77", "balance78", "balance79", "balance8", "balance80", "balance81", "balance82", "balance83", "balance84", "balance85", "balance86", "balance87", "balance88", "balance89", "balance9", "balance90", "balance91", "balance92", "balance93", "balance94", "balance95", "balance96", "balance97", "balance98", "balance99", "code", "comment", "comment1", "comment10", "comment11", "comment12", "comment13", "comment14", "comment15", "comment16", "comment17", "comment18", "comment19", "comment2", "comment20", "comment21", "comment22", "comment23", "comment24", "comment25", "comment26", "comment27", "comment28", "comment29", "comment3", "comment30", "comment31", "comment32", "comment33", "comment34", "comment35", "comment36", "comment37", "comment38", "comment39", "comment4", "comment40", "comment41", "comment42", "comment43", "comment44", "comment45", "comment46", "comment47", "comment48", "comment49", "comment5", "comment50", "comment51", "comment52", "comment53", "comment54", "comment55", "comment56", "comment57", "comment58", "comment59", "comment6", "comment60", "comment61", "comment62", "comment63", "comment64", "comment65", "comment66", "comment67", "comment68", "comment69", "comment7", "comment70", "comment71", "comment72", "comment73", "comment74", "comment75", "comment76", "comment77", "comment78", "comment79", "comment8", "comment80", "comment81", "comment82", "comment83", "comment84", "comment85", "comment86", "comment87", "comment88", "comment89", "comment9", "comment90", "comment91", "comment92", "comment93", "comment94", "comment95", "comment96", "comment97", "comment98", "comment99", "currency", "currency1", "currency10", "currency11", "currency12", "currency13", "currency14", "currency15", "currency16", "currency17", "currency18", "currency19", "currency2", "currency20", "currency21", "currency22", "currency23", "currency24", "currency25", "currency26", "currency27", "currency28", "currency29", "currency3", "currency30", "currency31", "currency32", "currency33", "currency34", "currency35", "currency36", "currency37", "currency38", "currency39", "currency4", "currency40", "currency41", "currency42", "currency43", "currency44", "currency45", "currency46", "currency47", "currency48", "currency49", "currency5", "currency50", "currency51", "currency52", "currency53", "currency54", "currency55", "currency56", "currency57", "currency58", "currency59", "currency6", "currency60", "currency61", "currency62", "currency63", "currency64", "currency65", "currency66", "currency67", "currency68", "currency69", "currency7", "currency70", "currency71", "currency72", "currency73", "currency74", "currency75", "currency76", "currency77", "currency78", "currency79", "currency8", "currency80", "currency81", "currency82", "currency83", "currency84", "currency85", "currency86", "currency87", "currency88", "currency89", "currency9", "currency90", "currency91", "currency92", "currency93", "currency94", "currency95", "currency96", "currency97", "currency98", "currency99", "date", "date2", "description", "end", "skip", or "status"

---

UPDATE: It looks like this is issue with documentation that states that field is CSV field. In the real, it is some internal variable that is used to generate journal, so the field has to be from predefined set of fields. Documentation is confusing...

https://hledger.org/1.28/hledger.html#if-table

BTW, what are fields end and skip? How to use them?? (It is explained in doc, in the same chapter, How CSV rules are evaluated)

[simonmichael]

Thanks for the report. It sounds like you resolved the problem, and underscores in field names are not the cause ? Could you show in more detail where the doc is confusing ?

And, did you also figure out end and skip ? Please come to the hledger chat for support, we'll be able to help more there.

[PSLLSP]

I think the underscore is not real cause but that error message was confusing. I think that only very limited set of variables could be used in if block statement, see "long error message". Doc is confusing in the point that it has information that variable is CSV field, I assumed it could be user defined CSV field, like "amount_in" or "contract" but that is not true, the variable has to be from the set of predefined variables, see long error that list them all.

end and skip are documented; I have not used them but these special variables are documented, no issue here...

I am sorry, I will be traveling for next two weeks and I could not join a chat, I will be busy with other topics.

[simonmichael]

No problem, thanks for the feedback. Wow yes that is a very long parse error message. And you're right, the doc for if tables is very confusing. I'll improve it.

[simonmichael]

Not just confusing but wrong, as you said. I have rewritten this and multiple other CSV topics, maybe now I'll get to use if tables myself.
https://hledger.org/dev/hledger.html#if-table