Operation Links

Operation links connect historic bank operations to planned operations or budgets, enabling accurate forecast tracking even when automatic matching fails.

Overview

When you import bank statements, Budget Forecaster automatically tries to match each operation to a planned operation or budget using heuristic rules (amount, date, category, description). However, automatic matching can fail when:

• An operation arrives on an unexpected date (e.g., salary on the 2nd instead of the 28th)
• The amount differs slightly (e.g., electricity bill €102 instead of €95)
• The description doesn't match (e.g., "TRANSFER LANDLORD" instead of "RENT")

Operation links solve this by allowing both automatic and manual associations between operations and their corresponding forecast entries.

How Links Work

Link Types

An operation can be linked to either:

• Planned Operation: A specific iteration of a recurring or one-time planned operation
• Budget: A budget category that tracks spending limits

Link Modes

Mode	Description	Behavior
Automatic	Created by heuristic matching	Can be overwritten by user or recalculation
Manual	Created by user in TUI	Protected from automatic recalculation

Iteration Identification

For recurring planned operations, each occurrence is identified by its iteration date. For example, a monthly rent payment creates iterations on the 1st of each month. When linking an operation, you select the specific iteration it corresponds to.

Automatic Linking

Automatic links are created when:

1. Importing operations: New operations are matched against existing planned operations and budgets
2. Editing a planned operation or budget: Links are recalculated for all unlinked operations

Matching Criteria

The matcher uses these criteria (same as forecast actualization):

Criterion	Weight	Description
Amount	40%	Within configured tolerance (default 5%)
Date	30%	Within configured range (default ±5 days)
Category	20%	Exact category match
Description	10%	Contains configured keywords

An operation matches if all criteria pass. When multiple targets match, the one with the highest score is selected.

Automatic Link from Planned Operation Creation

When you create a planned operation from a historic operation (using P key in the Operations tab), a manual link is automatically created between the source historic operation and the new planned operation. This saves you from having to manually link them afterwards.

Manual Linking in TUI

Viewing Link Status

In the Operations tab, the "Lien" column shows linked operations:

┌──────────┬─────────────────────┬──────────┬─────────────┬──────────────┐
│ Date     │ Description         │ Montant  │ Catégorie   │ Lien         │
├──────────┼─────────────────────┼──────────┼─────────────┼──────────────┤
│ 02/01/25 │ TRANSFER LANDLORD   │  -800.00 │ Loyer       │ 🔗 Loyer     │
│ 15/01/25 │ EDF INVOICE         │   -95.00 │ Electricité │              │
│ 28/01/25 │ SALARY COMPANY      │ +2500.00 │ Salaire     │ 🔗 Salaire   │
└──────────┴─────────────────────┴──────────┴─────────────┴──────────────┘

Creating a Link

There are two ways to create or edit a link:

From the Operations tab

1. Select one or more operations in the Operations tab (see Multi-selection below)
2. Press L to open the link modal
3. Choose the target type (Planned Operation or Budget)
4. Select a target from the list (sorted by match score)
5. Click "Suivant" to proceed
6. Select the specific iteration date
7. Click "Lier" to confirm

Note: When linking multiple operations, all are linked to the same target and iteration. This is useful for split payments or grouping similar transactions.

From the Operation Detail Modal

1. Press Enter on an operation to open its detail modal
2. Click the "Link" button (or press L)
3. Follow the same target selection and iteration flow
4. The modal updates the link label and button text after changes

If the operation already has a link, the button shows "Edit link" instead of "Link". You can also unlink from this modal by clicking "Supprimer le lien" in the target selection step.

Multi-selection

You can select multiple operations before pressing L or C:

Shortcut	Action
Space	Toggle selection of current row
Shift+↑	Extend selection upward
Shift+↓	Extend selection downward
Ctrl+A	Select all operations
Ctrl+Click	Toggle selection of clicked row
Click	Clear selection (if any exists)
Escape	Clear all selections

Selected operations display a ► marker before the date.

Step 1: Select Target

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Lier l'opération                                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ TRANSFER LANDLORD                                                   │ │
│ │ 02/01/2025 | -800.00 €                                              │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                                         │
│ 🔗 Lié à: Loyer                                                         │
│                                                                         │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Opérations planifiées                                           [v] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                                         │
│ Score  Description                      Montant   Catégorie             │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│  85%   Loyer                             -800 €   Loyer       [selected]│
│  42%   Electricité                        -95 €   Electricité           │
│  30%   Salaire                          +2500 €   Salaire               │
│   -    Abonnement téléphone               -20 €   Téléphone             │
│                                                                         │
│ [Supprimer le lien]                           [Annuler]  [Suivant]      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 2: Select Iteration

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Sélectionner l'itération                                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ TRANSFER LANDLORD                                                   │ │
│ │ 02/01/2025 | -800.00 €                                              │ │
│ │ → Loyer                                                             │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                                         │
│              [<]     Nov 2024 - Mar 2025     [>]                        │
│                                                                         │
│ Score  Itération                                                        │
│ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│  55%  01/11/2024                                                        │
│  70%  01/12/2024                                                        │
│  85%  01/01/2025                                              [selected]│
│  70%  01/02/2025                                                        │
│  55%  01/03/2025                                                        │
│                                                                         │
│                                                   [Annuler]  [Lier]     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The modal displays a match score (0-100%) for each target to help you choose.

Removing a Link

1. Select a linked operation (shows 🔗 in the Lien column)
2. Press L to open the link modal
3. Click "Supprimer le lien" at the bottom

Impact on Forecasts

Planned Operations

When an operation is linked to a planned operation iteration:

• The iteration is marked as adjusted and excluded from future forecasts
• The actual amount replaces the planned amount for balance calculations
• Other operations won't automatically match this iteration

Budgets

When an operation is linked to a budget:

• The operation amount decrements the remaining budget for that period
• Multiple operations can be linked to the same budget iteration
• The forecast shows the remaining budget amount

Match Score Calculation

The match score helps identify the most likely target for an operation:

Score = Amount (40%) + Date (30%) + Category (20%) + Description (10%)

Note: Budget targets don't use amount scoring since budget amounts represent total limits, not individual operation amounts. This ensures planned operations are prioritized when both match on other criteria.

Score Interpretation

Score	Interpretation
80-100%	Excellent match, very likely correct
60-79%	Good match, review recommended
40-59%	Possible match, manual verification needed
< 40%	Weak match, probably incorrect

Troubleshooting

Operation not automatically linked

• Check that the operation's category matches the target
• Verify the operation date is within the tolerance range
• Ensure the amount is within the configured ratio
• If using description hints, confirm the keywords appear in the operation description

Wrong automatic link created

1. Open the link modal (L key)
2. Click "Supprimer le lien" to remove the incorrect link
3. Select the correct target and iteration
4. The new link will be manual and protected from recalculation

Link disappeared after editing planned operation

Automatic links are recalculated when you edit a planned operation or budget. If the operation no longer matches the criteria, the link is removed. To preserve links:

1. Create manual links instead of relying on automatic matching
2. Or adjust the planned operation's matching criteria (tolerance, date range, keywords)

Multiple operations for same iteration

Each operation can only have one link, but multiple operations can link to the same iteration. This is useful for:

• Split payments (e.g., paying rent in two transfers)
• Reimbursements followed by the actual expense