Shortcuts
After you pay, let your iPhone open New entry
An iPhone Shortcut opens Futari's New entry once you've paid, with the amount, category and description already filled in. Look it over, change what you need, then tap Save.
How do I quickly log an Apple Pay payment in Futari?
Futari doesn't connect to any payment account and doesn't read your payment data. The work is done by an iPhone Shortcut: after you pay, it opens Futari's New entry with the amount, category and description filled in. You check it and tap Save yourself, and only then is anything written to your ledger. This works only with the Shortcuts app on iPhone.
Apple Pay: open New entry after you tap to pay
Before you start: Futari is installed on your iPhone and you are signed in. This uses a Wallet automation, so each Apple Pay payment opens a filled-in New entry.
1Create a Wallet automation
Open the Shortcuts app, go to Automation, tap + and choose Wallet. On the screen that follows, tick the cards you want to log; you can leave all the categories ticked. Tap Next, then New Shortcut. Finally, on the automation's settings row, choose Run Immediately, so you do not have to tap a notification first.
2Round the amount (recommended)
Recommended: add a Round Number action and set its input to Shortcut Input, then choose Amount. If the amount carries decimals (for example 120.00), Futari leaves the amount blank, so rounding first is safer. "120", "1,280" and full-width digits work; "120.00", "NT$120.00" and "120 dollars" leave it blank.
3URL-encode the merchant name
Add a URL Encode action and set its input to Shortcut Input, then choose Merchant. Without encoding, spaces and non-Latin characters break the link in the middle and the description comes out blank or cut short. The description is optional: to leave it out, skip this step and remove the whole ¬e=… part of the link.
4Build the link with a Text action
Add a Text action and paste the link below, replacing [Amount] with the result of step 2 and [Merchant] with the result of step 3 (if you skipped step 2, use Shortcut Input, then Amount). To use another category, change the id after category= (see the category table below).
Link (app)dev.southernlight.futari://add?amount=[Amount]&category=dining¬e=[Merchant]
5Open the URL
Add an Open URLs action and give it the text from the previous step. From then on, each Apple Pay payment opens Futari's New entry. Check it and tap save.
Foreign currency: when you pay in another currency, the Shortcut passes the foreign amount, and Futari fills it in as an amount in your ledger's main currency. Change it in New entry to the amount you were actually charged.
This works only with the Shortcuts app on iPhone.
No app installed: use the web link
If you use Futari in a browser or from your Home Screen instead of the app, swap the link for the one below. Open URLs then opens it in Safari. You need to have signed in to Futari in Safari first. Whatever follows the # stays in your browser and is not sent to the server.
https://futari.southern-light.dev/dashboard#add=expense&amount=[Amount]&category=dining¬e=[Merchant]
What the link can carry
All three parameters are optional. If one value is not valid, only that field is left empty and the others are still filled in.
| Parameter | Rule | If not valid |
|---|---|---|
| amount | A whole number from 1 to 9,999,999. Thousands commas (1,200) and full-width digits are fine. Decimals, negative numbers and forms like 1e5 are rejected. | Amount stays empty; type it in |
| category | One of the ids in the table below, all lowercase and spelled exactly. | Falls back to Dining |
| note | Becomes the description, up to 100 characters. | Description stays empty; fill it in before saving |
Category ids
| id | Shown as |
|---|---|
| dining | Dining |
| clothing | Clothing |
| housing | Housing |
| transit | Transit |
| education | Education |
| entertainment | Entertainment |
| health | Health |
| financial | Financial |
| other | Other |
The link carries only these three values. The date (today), who paid (you), the split and the currency follow the usual New entry defaults, and putting them in the link changes nothing. It also does not file the expense under a trip in progress; pick the trip on screen if you want that.
When New entry does not appear
The Shortcut only opens Futari. In these three cases Futari quietly ignores it and leaves your screen alone:
- Another window is open (for example, you are editing an entry): the Shortcut is ignored and your half-finished edit is untouched. Close the window and run the Shortcut again.
- You are viewing a past chapter: past chapters are read-only, so switch back to the current chapter first.
- You are not signed in: after you sign in you land on the home page and the filled-in values are not kept. Run the Shortcut again.
Common problems
| What you see | Why |
|---|---|
| New entry opens but the amount is blank | The amount is not a whole number. Usually the Round Number step is missing, or the amount carries a currency symbol or unit. |
| The description is blank or cut short | The merchant name was not passed through URL Encode. |
| The category is Dining, not the one I wrote | The category id is misspelled or uses capital letters. |