[GH-ISSUE #2965] [Feature] Progress bar for targets/templates #98601

New Issue

GiteaMirror · 2026-05-29T10:46:14-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:14 -05:00

Originally created by @jacmei on GitHub (Jul 2, 2024).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/2965

Verified feature request does not already exist?

I have searched and found no existing issue

💻

Would you like to implement this feature?

Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve?

Like how YNAB would display a visual indicator for how far along you are until meeting your target, I would love Actual Budget to implement a similar feature.

Describe your ideal solution to this problem

I understand that templates are in the works right now so this should be tackled afterwards. It should be displayed right under each category.

Teaching and learning

No response

Originally created by @jacmei on GitHub (Jul 2, 2024). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues/2965 ### Verified feature request does not already exist? - [X] I have searched and found no existing issue ### 💻 - [ ] Would you like to implement this feature? ### Pitch: what problem are you trying to solve? Like how YNAB would display a visual indicator for how far along you are until meeting your target, I would love Actual Budget to implement a similar feature. ![image](https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/assets/39633460/cc384004-dda6-4192-a40c-3f65ff8db963) ### Describe your ideal solution to this problem I understand that templates are in the works right now so this should be tackled afterwards. It should be displayed right under each category. ### Teaching and learning _No response_

GiteaMirror added the feature needs votes goal templates labels 2026-05-29 10:46:15 -05:00

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-05-29 10:46:16 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:17 -05:00

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Jul 2, 2024):

✨ Thanks for sharing your idea! ✨

This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution).

The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+

Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (Jul 2, 2024): :sparkles: Thanks for sharing your idea! :sparkles: This repository uses lodash style issue management for enhancements. That means enhancement issues are automatically closed. This doesn’t mean we don’t accept feature requests, though! We will consider implementing ones that receive many upvotes, and we welcome contributions for any feature requests marked as needing votes (just post a comment first so we can help you make a successful contribution). The enhancement backlog can be found here: https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/issues?q=label%3A%22needs+votes%22+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc+ Don’t forget to upvote the top comment with 👍!

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:18 -05:00

@wdpk commented on GitHub (Jul 10, 2024):

I hae a userscript proof-of-concept which does this. It seemingly works, but if this is in alignment with the project design, I can work on refactoring into typescript for a possible merge to main.

I don't use the report budget myself so I only have a month of test data.

https://gist.github.com/wdpk/50468c646ded67dfd6eb49775b89b935

@wdpk commented on GitHub (Jul 10, 2024): I hae a userscript proof-of-concept which does this. It seemingly works, but if this is in alignment with the project design, I can work on refactoring into typescript for a possible merge to main. I don't use the report budget myself so I only have a month of test data. ![app actualbudget org_budget (1)](https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/assets/20182595/42db173f-8b5b-499e-9dfe-67e64a174a32) ![image](https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/assets/20182595/59c2e51b-db8b-414a-b17a-814ee6b014fe) ![image](https://github.com/actualbudget/actual/assets/20182595/2e762dee-6b56-4a8b-a1fd-ccd38b307bfd) https://gist.github.com/wdpk/50468c646ded67dfd6eb49775b89b935

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:18 -05:00

@ebkalderon commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025):

Sorry to necro this old ticket, but was this feature actually implemented and completed, as per the issue's current status? I can't see any way to enable this in the demo.actualbudget.org instance.

@ebkalderon commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025): Sorry to necro this old ticket, but was this feature actually implemented and completed, as per the issue's current status? I can't see any way to enable this in the [demo.actualbudget.org](https://demo.actualbudget.org/) instance.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:18 -05:00

@youngcw commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025):

Sorry to necro this old ticket, but was this feature actually implemented and completed, as per the issue's current status? I can't see any way to enable this in the demo.actualbudget.org instance.

This feature request is still open. Progress bars have not been implemented

@youngcw commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025): > Sorry to necro this old ticket, but was this feature actually implemented and completed, as per the issue's current status? I can't see any way to enable this in the [demo.actualbudget.org](https://demo.actualbudget.org/) instance. This feature request is still open. Progress bars have not been implemented

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:19 -05:00

@ebkalderon commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025):

Thanks for the clarification! Apologies again for necro-ing the thread. I wish I was more confident in my JS/TS skills, or I would contribute directly myself.

@ebkalderon commented on GitHub (Feb 10, 2025): Thanks for the clarification! Apologies again for necro-ing the thread. I wish I was more confident in my JS/TS skills, or I would contribute directly myself.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:19 -05:00

@tbuist commented on GitHub (Feb 13, 2025):

I've completed a prototype to show progress bars for categories and templates/goals. I will try to open a PR for this.

@tbuist commented on GitHub (Feb 13, 2025): I've completed a prototype to show progress bars for categories and templates/goals. I will try to open a PR for this. ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f42359f8-bebb-4098-b343-4b4ef7226615)

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:20 -05:00

@tostasmistas commented on GitHub (Feb 13, 2025):

@tbuist - Similar to what YNAB has, do you think it's possible to have the progress bars be optional? I for instance, sometimes liked to have them turned off to be easier to glance at what categories I have and how they are organized.

@tostasmistas commented on GitHub (Feb 13, 2025): @tbuist - Similar to what YNAB has, do you think it's possible to have the progress bars be optional? I for instance, sometimes liked to have them turned off to be easier to glance at what categories I have and how they are organized. <kbd><img width="577" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/186cc18e-3d29-4bcd-9df0-052cc12bb187" /></kbd>

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:20 -05:00

@tbuist commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2025):

Good idea, I've added a configuration option to the Settings->Theme section.

@tbuist commented on GitHub (Feb 16, 2025): Good idea, I've added a configuration option to the Settings->Theme section. ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2af87019-6580-4b98-bb13-04b939c0e57a)

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:21 -05:00

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Feb 18, 2026):

Hey guys - I'm new to this so excuse me if I'm missing any important points while contributiing. I've vibe coded a simple solution but not for targets yet as they are not available in the UI:

Maybe this could be a simple solution to start this whole progress bar topic? I decided to go with a very simple approach: The bar simple compares spent to budgeted. There are the following options:

If there's a budgeted amount (or none at all) and nothing spent, then there's no bar.
If there's a budgeted amount and spendings are below or equal to the budgeted amount, the bar is green and represents the percentage spent from left to right
If the spent amount is larger than what's budgeted, the bar turns red and any overspent amount is represented in a darker red, relative to the amount that was budgeted.
The bars can be toggled on or off in the top right corner. On top of that, it can be toggled on / off in experimental features.

As soon as targets are available in the UI, I think the feature could be adjusted to represent the more complex logic similar to YNAB.

Coming from YNAB, the visual bar is one of the features I miss the most, that's why I decided to give it a try with Claude Code ;)

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Feb 18, 2026): Hey guys - I'm new to this so excuse me if I'm missing any important points while contributiing. I've vibe coded a simple solution but not for targets yet as they are not available in the UI: <img width="1514" height="1000" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/859a5d7a-138b-447d-8a0a-c2ec35aa150d" /> Maybe this could be a simple solution to start this whole progress bar topic? I decided to go with a very simple approach: The bar simple compares spent to budgeted. There are the following options: 1. If there's a budgeted amount (or none at all) and nothing spent, then there's no bar. 2. If there's a budgeted amount and spendings are below or equal to the budgeted amount, the bar is green and represents the percentage spent from left to right 3. If the spent amount is larger than what's budgeted, the bar turns red and any overspent amount is represented in a darker red, relative to the amount that was budgeted. 4. The bars can be toggled on or off in the top right corner. On top of that, it can be toggled on / off in experimental features. As soon as targets are available in the UI, I think the feature could be adjusted to represent the more complex logic similar to YNAB. Coming from YNAB, the visual bar is one of the features I miss the most, that's why I decided to give it a try with Claude Code ;)

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:22 -05:00

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Feb 22, 2026):

I went one step further and combined it with a simple UI for templates:

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Feb 22, 2026): I went one step further and combined it with a simple UI for templates: <img width="779" height="958" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/43d194c2-2c29-42e7-a759-830afbe728bf" />

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:23 -05:00

@RadicalRadish200 commented on GitHub (Mar 24, 2026):

Thanks for putting this together @ohnefrust, it looks really good. Would you consider opening a PR to Actual for it? I think it could be useful for a lot of us here. Sorry in advance, I’m very new to GitHub and not sure how these things usually work. - Radish

@RadicalRadish200 commented on GitHub (Mar 24, 2026): Thanks for putting this together @ohnefrust, it looks really good. Would you consider opening a PR to Actual for it? I think it could be useful for a lot of us here. Sorry in advance, I’m very new to GitHub and not sure how these things usually work. - Radish

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:24 -05:00

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Mar 24, 2026):

@RadicalRadish200 @TacticalPidgeon9941 thanks for the feedback. I've opened the PR. I know I'm mixing two things here (progress bar AND target template UI) but I cannot think of progress bar without thinking of templates.

@ohnefrust commented on GitHub (Mar 24, 2026): @RadicalRadish200 @TacticalPidgeon9941 thanks for the feedback. I've opened the PR. I know I'm mixing two things here (progress bar AND target template UI) but I cannot think of progress bar without thinking of templates.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-05-29 10:46:24 -05:00

@aaryan-rampal commented on GitHub (May 21, 2026):

Lovely product by the way. I am really pro-progress bars ever since I tried out Monarch Money a while back. YNAB is good, but I remember Monarch also had a cool feature where it showed a vertical separator on the progress bar which related to the current day of the month (averaged spending per day). Very small but very neat QOL, instead of trying to keep under budget and mentally doing math, you just try to match that vertical line. Slow down a bit when your spending goes over. It adds more value to the progress bar.

I looked through the previous attempts/discussion in #3424, #4371, and #7276. My read is that the hard part was the progress bar carrying too many meanings at once: budget/spending state, rollover, goal/template progress, underfunding, and target UI.

I’d like to propose a (very) narrow version that is only per-month budget usage, not goal/template progress.

For each visible budget month/category cell:

base = rollover from previous month + budgeted this month
spent = spending in this category for this month

Display rules:

if base > 0:
    if spent < base:
        partial green bar, width = spent / base
    elif spent == base:
        full green bar
    elif spent > base:
        full red bar
elif base == 0:
    if spent == 0:
        full green bar
    elif spent > 0:
        full red bar
elif base < 0:
    full red bar

The bar would mean only:

How much of this month’s available category money has been consumed?

I think this addresses one of the issues raised in #4371, where a category could appear “bad” because spending exceeded the amount budgeted this month, even though the category still had money available from prior-month rollover. I like the rollover functionality of Actual. It gives the user more freedom with re-allocating funds. We should do the same for progress bars. No need to hand-hold the user, they know what they are doing with carryover, the progress bar is just meant to complement their existing relationship with Actual.

It also avoids the broader scope of #7276 by not adding template editing, template columns, backend template preview actions, or target UI.

We could then easily add some sort of vertical line. Nothing fancy for now, but maybe later we could assign green to under budget and a gradient from yellow to red to show a 'danger zone' i.e. overspending relative to averaged spending for the day of the month.

Would this narrower per-month interpretation be acceptable as a focused PR?

@aaryan-rampal commented on GitHub (May 21, 2026): Lovely product by the way. I am really pro-progress bars ever since I tried out Monarch Money a while back. YNAB is good, but I remember Monarch also had a cool feature where it showed a vertical separator on the progress bar which related to the current day of the month (averaged spending per day). Very small but very neat QOL, instead of trying to keep under budget and mentally doing math, you just try to match that vertical line. Slow down a bit when your spending goes over. It adds more value to the progress bar. I looked through the previous attempts/discussion in #3424, #4371, and #7276. My read is that the hard part was the progress bar carrying too many meanings at once: budget/spending state, rollover, goal/template progress, underfunding, and target UI. I’d like to propose a (very) narrow version that is only per-month budget usage, not goal/template progress. For each visible budget month/category cell: `base` = rollover from previous month + budgeted this month `spent` = spending in this category for this month Display rules: ```python if base > 0: if spent < base: partial green bar, width = spent / base elif spent == base: full green bar elif spent > base: full red bar elif base == 0: if spent == 0: full green bar elif spent > 0: full red bar elif base < 0: full red bar ``` The bar would mean only: > How much of this month’s available category money has been consumed? I think this addresses one of the issues raised in #4371, where a category could appear “bad” because spending exceeded the amount budgeted this month, even though the category still had money available from prior-month rollover. I like the rollover functionality of Actual. It gives the user more freedom with re-allocating funds. We should do the same for progress bars. No need to hand-hold the user, they know what they are doing with carryover, the progress bar is just meant to complement their existing relationship with Actual. It also avoids the broader scope of #7276 by not adding template editing, template columns, backend template preview actions, or target UI. We could then easily add some sort of vertical line. Nothing fancy for now, but maybe later we could assign green to under budget and a gradient from yellow to red to show a 'danger zone' i.e. overspending relative to averaged spending for the day of the month. Would this narrower per-month interpretation be acceptable as a focused PR?

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Reference: github-starred/actual#98601