some auto posting rule parse issues

[simonmichael]

2018/1/1
    (a)   1

= date:from 2018
    b  1

$ hledger-1.9 -f a.j print  --auto
2018/01/01
hledger-1.9: "date:from" gave a date parse error ()

The date: query term fails to parse because of the space. This is probably ok as it wouldn't parse on the command line either. Issues:

• would the parse error be clearer if it (also) said: "date:from 2018" could not be parsed as a query expression ?

• = date:'from 2018', = date:"from 2018", = date:from2018 work, as on the command line. You would also expect either = date:from\ 2018 or = date:from\\ 2018 to work, but they don't.

• any junk after a valid period expression is ignored (= date:'from 2018' blah blah). We should give an error or require it to be commented or something.

• transactions are checked for balanced postings before automated postings are added, and not afterward; it should probably be the reverse.

• auto posting rules are parsed lazily, and should probably be parsed eagerly along with the rest of the journal, like periodic rules are about to be.

[simonmichael]

Related: https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs#L451 https://github.com/simonmichael/hledger/blob/master/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/AutoTransaction.hs#L71

[simonmichael]

These are unimportant and/or no longer true and/or likely to be resolved eventually as part of deeper changes to rules. Closing.