# `Beancount.Directive`
[🔗](https://github.com/thanos/beancount_ex/blob/v0.6.0/lib/beancount/directive.ex#L1)

Protocol implemented by every Beancount directive struct.

A directive knows how to render itself into a fragment of valid Beancount
text via `to_bean/1`. The top-level `Beancount.Renderer` is responsible for
joining individual directive fragments into a complete `.bean` document.

## Directive structs

Each module under `Beancount.Directives` documents its Beancount syntax,
Elixir struct shape, and fields. See the
[Beancount language syntax](https://beancount.github.io/docs/beancount_language_syntax/#directives_1).

  * `Beancount.Directives.Open` — `open`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Close` — `close`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Commodity` — `commodity`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Transaction` — `*` / `txn` transactions
  * `Beancount.Directives.Posting` — transaction legs
  * `Beancount.Directives.Balance` — `balance`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Pad` — `pad`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Note` — `note`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Document` — `document`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Price` — `price`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Event` — `event`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Query` — `query`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Custom` — `custom`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Option` — `option`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Include` — `include`
  * `Beancount.Directives.Plugin` — `plugin`
  * `Beancount.Directives.PushTag` — `pushtag`
  * `Beancount.Directives.PopTag` — `poptag`

Prefer `Beancount.open/4`, `Beancount.transaction/6`, and the other
constructor functions in `Beancount` when building ledgers programmatically.

# `t`

```elixir
@type t() :: term()
```

Any value implementing the `Beancount.Directive` protocol.

# `to_bean`

```elixir
@spec to_bean(t()) :: iodata()
```

Render a single directive into Beancount text.

The returned value is `t:iodata/0` without a trailing newline. The renderer
takes care of separating directives.

## Examples

    iex> open = Beancount.open(~D[2026-01-01], "Assets:Bank", ["USD"])
    iex> open |> Beancount.Directive.to_bean() |> IO.iodata_to_binary()
    "2026-01-01 open Assets:Bank USD"

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*Consult [api-reference.md](api-reference.md) for complete listing*