1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 2000-2018 Free Software
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
6 @chapter The Calendar and the Diary
10 Emacs provides the functions of a desk calendar, with a diary of
11 planned or past events. It also has facilities for managing your
12 appointments, and keeping track of how much time you spend working on
15 To enter the calendar, type @kbd{M-x calendar}. This displays a
16 three-month calendar centered on the current month, with point on the
17 current date. With a numeric argument, as in @kbd{C-u M-x calendar}, it
18 prompts you for the month and year to be the center of the three-month
19 calendar. The calendar uses its own buffer, whose major mode is
22 @kbd{mouse-3} in the calendar brings up a menu of operations on a
23 particular date; @kbd{mouse-2} brings up a menu of commonly used
24 calendar features that are independent of any particular date. To exit
25 the calendar, type @kbd{q}.
28 This chapter describes the basic calendar features.
29 For more advanced topics,
30 @pxref{Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
34 * Calendar Motion:: Moving through the calendar; selecting a date.
35 * Scroll Calendar:: Bringing earlier or later months onto the screen.
36 * Counting Days:: How many days are there between two dates?
37 * General Calendar:: Exiting or recomputing the calendar.
38 * Writing Calendar Files:: Writing calendars to files of various formats.
39 * Holidays:: Displaying dates of holidays.
40 * Sunrise/Sunset:: Displaying local times of sunrise and sunset.
41 * Lunar Phases:: Displaying phases of the moon.
42 * Other Calendars:: Converting dates to other calendar systems.
43 * Diary:: Displaying events from your diary.
44 * Daylight Saving:: How to specify when daylight saving time is active.
45 * Time Intervals:: Keeping track of time intervals.
47 * Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage:: Advanced Calendar/Diary customization.
52 @section Movement in the Calendar
54 @cindex moving inside the calendar
55 Calendar mode provides commands to move through the calendar in
56 logical units of time such as days, weeks, months, and years. If you
57 move outside the three months originally displayed, the calendar
58 display scrolls automatically through time to make the selected
59 date visible. Moving to a date lets you view its holidays or diary
60 entries, or convert it to other calendars; moving by long time periods
61 is also useful simply to scroll the calendar.
64 * Calendar Unit Motion:: Moving by days, weeks, months, and years.
65 * Move to Beginning or End:: Moving to start/end of weeks, months, and years.
66 * Specified Dates:: Moving to the current date or another
70 @node Calendar Unit Motion
71 @subsection Motion by Standard Lengths of Time
73 The commands for movement in the calendar buffer parallel the
74 commands for movement in text. You can move forward and backward by
75 days, weeks, months, and years.
79 Move point one day forward (@code{calendar-forward-day}).
81 Move point one day backward (@code{calendar-backward-day}).
83 Move point one week forward (@code{calendar-forward-week}).
85 Move point one week backward (@code{calendar-backward-week}).
87 Move point one month forward (@code{calendar-forward-month}).
89 Move point one month backward (@code{calendar-backward-month}).
91 Move point one year forward (@code{calendar-forward-year}).
93 Move point one year backward (@code{calendar-backward-year}).
96 @kindex C-f @r{(Calendar mode)}
97 @findex calendar-forward-day
98 @kindex C-b @r{(Calendar mode)}
99 @findex calendar-backward-day
100 @kindex C-n @r{(Calendar mode)}
101 @findex calendar-forward-week
102 @kindex C-p @r{(Calendar mode)}
103 @findex calendar-backward-week
104 The day and week commands are natural analogues of the usual Emacs
105 commands for moving by characters and by lines. Just as @kbd{C-n}
106 usually moves to the same column in the following line, in Calendar
107 mode it moves to the same day in the following week. And @kbd{C-p}
108 moves to the same day in the previous week.
110 The arrow keys are equivalent to @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-n} and
111 @kbd{C-p}, just as they normally are in other modes.
113 @kindex M-@} @r{(Calendar mode)}
114 @findex calendar-forward-month
115 @kindex M-@{ @r{(Calendar mode)}
116 @findex calendar-backward-month
117 @kindex C-x ] @r{(Calendar mode)}
118 @findex calendar-forward-year
119 @kindex C-x [ @r{(Calendar mode)}
120 @findex calendar-backward-year
121 The commands for motion by months and years work like those for
122 weeks, but move a larger distance. The month commands @kbd{M-@}} and
123 @kbd{M-@{} move forward or backward by an entire month. The year
124 commands @kbd{C-x ]} and @w{@kbd{C-x [}} move forward or backward a
127 The easiest way to remember these commands is to consider months and
128 years analogous to paragraphs and pages of text, respectively. But
129 the calendar movement commands themselves do not quite parallel those
130 for movement through text: the ordinary Emacs paragraph commands move
131 to the beginning or end of a paragraph, whereas these month and year
132 commands move by an entire month or an entire year, keeping the same
133 date within the month or year.
135 All these commands accept a numeric argument as a repeat count.
136 For convenience, the digit keys and the minus sign specify numeric
137 arguments in Calendar mode even without the Meta modifier. For example,
138 @kbd{100 C-f} moves point 100 days forward from its present location.
140 @node Move to Beginning or End
141 @subsection Beginning or End of Week, Month or Year
143 A week (or month, or year) is not just a quantity of days; we think of
144 weeks (months, years) as starting on particular dates. So Calendar mode
145 provides commands to move to the start or end of a week, month or year:
148 @kindex C-a @r{(Calendar mode)}
149 @findex calendar-beginning-of-week
151 Move point to start of week (@code{calendar-beginning-of-week}).
152 @kindex C-e @r{(Calendar mode)}
153 @findex calendar-end-of-week
155 Move point to end of week (@code{calendar-end-of-week}).
156 @kindex M-a @r{(Calendar mode)}
157 @findex calendar-beginning-of-month
159 Move point to start of month (@code{calendar-beginning-of-month}).
160 @kindex M-e @r{(Calendar mode)}
161 @findex calendar-end-of-month
163 Move point to end of month (@code{calendar-end-of-month}).
164 @kindex M-< @r{(Calendar mode)}
165 @findex calendar-beginning-of-year
167 Move point to start of year (@code{calendar-beginning-of-year}).
168 @kindex M-> @r{(Calendar mode)}
169 @findex calendar-end-of-year
171 Move point to end of year (@code{calendar-end-of-year}).
174 These commands also take numeric arguments as repeat counts, with the
175 repeat count indicating how many weeks, months, or years to move
178 @vindex calendar-week-start-day
179 @vindex calendar-weekend-days
180 @cindex weeks, which day they start on
181 @cindex calendar, first day of week
182 By default, weeks begin on Sunday. To make them begin on Monday
183 instead, set the variable @code{calendar-week-start-day} to 1. To
184 change which day headers are highlighted as weekend days, set the
185 variable @code{calendar-weekend-days}.
187 @node Specified Dates
188 @subsection Specified Dates
190 Calendar mode provides commands for moving to a particular date
191 specified in various ways.
195 Move point to specified date (@code{calendar-goto-date}).
197 Move point to specified day of year (@code{calendar-goto-day-of-year}).
199 Move point to specified week of year (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}).
201 Center calendar around specified month (@code{calendar-other-month}).
203 Move point to today's date (@code{calendar-goto-today}).
206 @kindex g d @r{(Calendar mode)}
207 @findex calendar-goto-date
208 @kbd{g d} (@code{calendar-goto-date}) prompts for a year, a month, and a day
209 of the month, and then moves to that date. Because the calendar includes all
210 dates from the beginning of the current era, you must type the year in its
211 entirety; that is, type @samp{2010}, not @samp{10}.
213 @kindex g D @r{(Calendar mode)}
214 @findex calendar-goto-day-of-year
215 @kindex g w @r{(Calendar mode)}
216 @findex calendar-iso-goto-week
217 @kbd{g D} (@code{calendar-goto-day-of-year}) prompts for a year and
218 day number, and moves to that date. Negative day numbers count
219 backward from the end of the year. @kbd{g w}
220 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}) prompts for a year and week number,
221 and moves to that week.
223 @kindex o @r{(Calendar mode)}
224 @findex calendar-other-month
225 @kbd{o} (@code{calendar-other-month}) prompts for a month and year,
226 then centers the three-month calendar around that month.
228 @kindex . @r{(Calendar mode)}
229 @findex calendar-goto-today
230 You can return to today's date with @kbd{.}@:
231 (@code{calendar-goto-today}).
233 @node Scroll Calendar
234 @section Scrolling in the Calendar
236 @cindex scrolling in the calendar
237 The calendar display scrolls automatically through time when you
238 move out of the visible portion. You can also scroll it manually.
239 Imagine that the calendar window contains a long strip of paper with
240 the months on it. Scrolling the calendar means moving the strip
241 horizontally, so that new months become visible in the window.
245 Scroll calendar one month forward (@code{calendar-scroll-left}).
247 Scroll calendar one month backward (@code{calendar-scroll-right}).
250 Scroll forward by three months (@code{calendar-scroll-left-three-months}).
253 Scroll backward by three months (@code{calendar-scroll-right-three-months}).
256 @kindex > @r{(Calendar mode)}
257 @findex calendar-scroll-left
258 @kindex < @r{(Calendar mode)}
259 @findex calendar-scroll-right
260 The most basic calendar scroll commands scroll by one month at a
261 time. This means that there are two months of overlap between the
262 display before the command and the display after. @kbd{>} scrolls the
263 calendar contents one month forward in time. @kbd{<} scrolls the
264 contents one month backwards in time.
266 @kindex C-v @r{(Calendar mode)}
267 @findex calendar-scroll-left-three-months
268 @kindex M-v @r{(Calendar mode)}
269 @findex calendar-scroll-right-three-months
270 The commands @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v} scroll the calendar by an entire
271 screenful---three months---in analogy with the usual meaning of
272 these commands. @kbd{C-v} makes later dates visible and @kbd{M-v} makes
273 earlier dates visible. These commands take a numeric argument as a
274 repeat count; in particular, since @kbd{C-u} multiplies the next command
275 by four, typing @kbd{C-u C-v} scrolls the calendar forward by a year and
276 typing @kbd{C-u M-v} scrolls the calendar backward by a year.
278 The function keys @key{next} and @key{prior} are equivalent to
279 @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v}, just as they are in other modes.
282 @section Counting Days
286 Display the number of days in the current region
287 (@code{calendar-count-days-region}).
290 @kindex M-= @r{(Calendar mode)}
291 @findex calendar-count-days-region
292 To determine the number of days in a range, set the mark on one
293 date using @kbd{C-@key{SPC}}, move point to another date, and type @kbd{M-=}
294 (@code{calendar-count-days-region}). The numbers of days shown is
295 @emph{inclusive}; that is, it includes the days specified by mark and
298 @node General Calendar
299 @section Miscellaneous Calendar Commands
303 Display day-in-year (@code{calendar-print-day-of-year}).
305 Regenerate the calendar window (@code{calendar-redraw}).
307 Scroll the next window up (@code{scroll-other-window}).
310 Scroll the next window down (@code{scroll-other-window-down}).
312 Exit from calendar (@code{calendar-exit}).
315 @kindex p d @r{(Calendar mode)}
317 @findex calendar-print-day-of-year
318 To display the number of days elapsed since the start of the year, or
319 the number of days remaining in the year, type the @kbd{p d} command
320 (@code{calendar-print-day-of-year}). This displays both of those
321 numbers in the echo area. The count of days elapsed includes the
322 selected date. The count of days remaining does not include that
325 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(Calendar mode)}
326 @findex calendar-redraw
327 If the calendar window text gets corrupted, type @kbd{C-c C-l}
328 (@code{calendar-redraw}) to redraw it. (This can only happen if you use
329 non-Calendar-mode editing commands.)
331 @kindex SPC @r{(Calendar mode)}
332 In Calendar mode, you can use @key{SPC} (@code{scroll-other-window})
333 and @key{DEL} (@code{scroll-other-window-down}) to scroll the other
334 window (if there is one) up or down, respectively. This is handy when
335 you display a list of holidays or diary entries in another window.
337 @kindex q @r{(Calendar mode)}
338 @findex exit-calendar
339 @vindex calendar-remove-frame-by-deleting
340 To exit from the calendar, type @kbd{q} (@code{calendar-exit}). This
341 buries all buffers related to the calendar, selecting other buffers.
342 (If a frame contains a dedicated calendar window, exiting from the
343 calendar deletes or iconifies that frame depending on the value of
344 @code{calendar-remove-frame-by-deleting}.)
346 @c FIXME this mentions holidays and diary entries, albeit briefly, so
347 @c should it be moved after those sections? Or at least xref them.
348 @node Writing Calendar Files
349 @section Writing Calendar Files
351 You can write calendars and diary entries to HTML and @LaTeX{} files.
353 @cindex calendar and HTML
354 The Calendar HTML commands produce files of HTML code that contain
355 calendar, holiday, and diary entries. Each file applies to one month,
356 and has a name of the format @file{@var{yyyy}-@var{mm}.html}, where
357 @var{yyyy} and @var{mm} are the four-digit year and two-digit month,
358 respectively. The variable @code{cal-html-directory} specifies the
359 default output directory for the HTML files. To prevent holidays
360 from being shown, customize @code{cal-html-holidays}.
362 @vindex cal-html-css-default
363 Diary entries enclosed by @code{<} and @code{>} are interpreted as
364 HTML tags (for example: this is a diary entry with <font
365 color=''red''>some red text</font>). You can change the overall
366 appearance of the displayed HTML pages (for example, the color of
367 various page elements, header styles) via a stylesheet @file{cal.css} in
368 the directory containing the HTML files (see the value of the variable
369 @code{cal-html-css-default} for relevant style settings).
371 @kindex H @r{(Calendar mode)}
374 Generate a one-month calendar (@code{cal-html-cursor-month}).
376 Generate a calendar file for each month of a year, as well as an index
377 page (@code{cal-html-cursor-year}). By default, this command writes
378 files to a @var{yyyy} subdirectory---if this is altered some hyperlinks
379 between years will not work.
382 If the variable @code{cal-html-print-day-number-flag} is
383 non-@code{nil}, then the monthly calendars show the day-of-the-year
384 number. The variable @code{cal-html-year-index-cols} specifies the
385 number of columns in the yearly index page.
387 @cindex calendar and @LaTeX{}
388 The Calendar @LaTeX{} commands produce a buffer of @LaTeX{} code that
389 prints as a calendar. Depending on the command you use, the printed
390 calendar covers the day, week, month or year that point is in.
392 @kindex t @r{(Calendar mode)}
395 Generate a one-month calendar (@code{cal-tex-cursor-month}).
397 Generate a sideways-printing one-month calendar
398 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-month-landscape}).
400 Generate a one-day calendar
401 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-day}).
403 Generate a one-page calendar for one week, with hours
404 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week}).
406 Generate a two-page calendar for one week, with hours
407 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week2}).
409 Generate an ISO-style calendar for one week, without hours
410 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-iso}).
412 Generate a calendar for one Monday-starting week, with hours
413 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-monday}).
415 Generate a two-page calendar for one week, without hours
416 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week2-summary}).
418 Generate a Filofax-style two-weeks-at-a-glance calendar
419 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-2week}).
421 Generate a Filofax-style one-week-at-a-glance calendar
422 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-week}).
424 Generate a calendar for one year
425 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year}).
427 Generate a sideways-printing calendar for one year
428 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year-landscape}).
430 Generate a Filofax-style calendar for one year
431 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-year}).
434 Some of these commands print the calendar sideways (in landscape
435 mode), so it can be wider than it is long. Some of them use Filofax
436 paper size (3.75in x 6.75in). All of these commands accept a prefix
437 argument, which specifies how many days, weeks, months or years to print
438 (starting always with the selected one).
440 If the variable @code{cal-tex-holidays} is non-@code{nil} (the default),
441 then the printed calendars show the holidays in @code{calendar-holidays}.
442 If the variable @code{cal-tex-diary} is non-@code{nil} (the default is
443 @code{nil}), diary entries are included also (in monthly, Filofax, and
444 iso-week calendars only). If the variable @code{cal-tex-rules} is
445 non-@code{nil} (the default is @code{nil}), the calendar displays ruled
446 pages in styles that have sufficient room. Consult the documentation of
447 the individual cal-tex functions to see which calendars support which
450 You can use the variable @code{cal-tex-preamble-extra} to insert extra
451 @LaTeX{} commands in the preamble of the generated document if you need
458 The Emacs calendar knows about many major and minor holidays,
459 and can display them. You can add your own holidays to the default list.
462 @item mouse-3 Holidays
464 Display holidays for the selected date
465 (@code{calendar-cursor-holidays}).
467 Mark holidays in the calendar window (@code{calendar-mark-holidays}).
469 Unmark calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
471 List all holidays for the displayed three months in another window
472 (@code{calendar-list-holidays}).
474 List all holidays for three months around today's date in another
476 @item M-x list-holidays
477 List holidays in another window for a specified range of years.
480 @kindex h @r{(Calendar mode)}
481 @findex calendar-cursor-holidays
482 @vindex calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag
483 To see if any holidays fall on a given date, position point on that
484 date in the calendar window and use the @kbd{h} command. Alternatively,
485 click on that date with @kbd{mouse-3} and then choose @kbd{Holidays}
486 from the menu that appears. Either way, this displays the holidays for
487 that date, in the echo area if they fit there, otherwise in a separate
490 @kindex x @r{(Calendar mode)}
491 @findex calendar-mark-holidays
492 @kindex u @r{(Calendar mode)}
493 @findex calendar-unmark
494 @vindex calendar-mark-holidays-flag
495 To view the distribution of holidays for all the dates shown in the
496 calendar, use the @kbd{x} command. This displays the dates that are
497 holidays in a different face.
499 @xref{Calendar Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
502 @xref{Calendar Customizing, calendar-holiday-marker}.
504 The command applies both to the currently visible months and to
505 other months that subsequently become visible by scrolling. To turn
506 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
507 erases any diary marks (@pxref{Diary}). If the variable
508 @code{calendar-mark-holidays-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
509 updating the calendar marks holidays automatically.
511 @kindex a @r{(Calendar mode)}
512 @findex calendar-list-holidays
513 To get even more detailed information, use the @kbd{a} command, which
514 displays a separate buffer containing a list of all holidays in the
515 current three-month range. You can use @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} in the
516 calendar window to scroll that list up and down, respectively.
519 The command @kbd{M-x holidays} displays the list of holidays for the
520 current month and the preceding and succeeding months; this works even
521 if you don't have a calendar window. If the variable
522 @code{calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating
523 the calendar displays holidays in this way. If you want the list of
524 holidays centered around a different month, use @kbd{C-u M-x
525 holidays}, which prompts for the month and year.
527 The holidays known to Emacs include United States holidays and the
528 major Bahá'Ã, Chinese, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish holidays; also the
529 solstices and equinoxes.
531 @findex list-holidays
532 The command @kbd{M-x holiday-list} displays the list of holidays for
533 a range of years. This function asks you for the starting and stopping
534 years, and allows you to choose all the holidays or one of several
535 categories of holidays. You can use this command even if you don't have
538 The dates used by Emacs for holidays are based on @emph{current
539 practice}, not historical fact. For example Veteran's Day began in
540 1919, but is shown in earlier years.
543 @section Times of Sunrise and Sunset
544 @cindex sunrise and sunset
546 Special calendar commands can tell you, to within a minute or two, the
547 times of sunrise and sunset for any date.
550 @item mouse-3 Sunrise/sunset
552 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected date
553 (@code{calendar-sunrise-sunset}).
554 @item M-x sunrise-sunset
555 Display times of sunrise and sunset for today's date.
556 @item C-u M-x sunrise-sunset
557 Display times of sunrise and sunset for a specified date.
558 @item M-x calendar-sunrise-sunset-month
559 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected month.
562 @kindex S @r{(Calendar mode)}
563 @findex calendar-sunrise-sunset
564 @findex sunrise-sunset
565 Within the calendar, to display the @emph{local times} of sunrise and
566 sunset in the echo area, move point to the date you want, and type
567 @kbd{S}. Alternatively, click @kbd{mouse-3} on the date, then choose
568 @samp{Sunrise/sunset} from the menu that appears. The command @kbd{M-x
569 sunrise-sunset} is available outside the calendar to display this
570 information for today's date or a specified date. To specify a date
571 other than today, use @kbd{C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}, which prompts for
572 the year, month, and day.
574 You can display the times of sunrise and sunset for any location and
575 any date with @kbd{C-u C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}. This asks you for a
576 longitude, latitude, number of minutes difference from Coordinated
577 Universal Time, and date, and then tells you the times of sunrise and
578 sunset for that location on that date.
580 Because the times of sunrise and sunset depend on the location on
581 earth, you need to tell Emacs your latitude, longitude, and location
582 name before using these commands. Here is an example of what to set:
584 @vindex calendar-location-name
585 @vindex calendar-longitude
586 @vindex calendar-latitude
588 (setq calendar-latitude 40.1)
589 (setq calendar-longitude -88.2)
590 (setq calendar-location-name "Urbana, IL")
594 Use one decimal place in the values of @code{calendar-latitude} and
595 @code{calendar-longitude}.
597 Your time zone also affects the local time of sunrise and sunset.
598 Emacs usually gets time zone information from the operating system, but
599 if these values are not what you want (or if the operating system does
600 not supply them), you must set them yourself. Here is an example:
602 @vindex calendar-time-zone
603 @vindex calendar-standard-time-zone-name
604 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-zone-name
606 (setq calendar-time-zone -360)
607 (setq calendar-standard-time-zone-name "CST")
608 (setq calendar-daylight-time-zone-name "CDT")
612 The value of @code{calendar-time-zone} is the number of minutes
613 difference between your local standard time and Coordinated Universal
614 Time (Greenwich time). The values of
615 @code{calendar-standard-time-zone-name} and
616 @code{calendar-daylight-time-zone-name} are the abbreviations used in
617 your time zone. Emacs displays the times of sunrise and sunset
618 @emph{corrected for daylight saving time}. @xref{Daylight Saving},
619 for how daylight saving time is determined.
621 As a user, you might find it convenient to set the calendar location
622 variables for your usual physical location in your @file{.emacs} file.
623 If you are a system administrator, you may want to set these variables
624 for all users in a @file{default.el} file. @xref{Init File}.
627 @section Phases of the Moon
628 @cindex phases of the moon
629 @cindex moon, phases of
631 These calendar commands display the dates and times of the phases of
632 the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter). This
633 feature is useful for debugging problems that depend on the phase of
638 Display the dates and times for all the quarters of the moon for the
639 three-month period shown (@code{calendar-lunar-phases}).
640 @item M-x lunar-phases
641 Display dates and times of the quarters of the moon for three months around
645 @kindex M @r{(Calendar mode)}
646 @findex calendar-lunar-phases
647 Within the calendar, use the @kbd{M} command to display a separate
648 buffer of the phases of the moon for the current three-month range. The
649 dates and times listed are accurate to within a few minutes.
652 Outside the calendar, use the command @kbd{M-x lunar-phases} to
653 display the list of the phases of the moon for the current month and the
654 preceding and succeeding months. For information about a different
655 month, use @kbd{C-u M-x lunar-phases}, which prompts for the month and
658 The dates and times given for the phases of the moon are given in
659 local time (corrected for daylight saving, when appropriate).
660 See the discussion in the previous section. @xref{Sunrise/Sunset}.
662 @node Other Calendars
663 @section Conversion To and From Other Calendars
665 @cindex Gregorian calendar
666 The Emacs calendar displayed is @emph{always} the Gregorian calendar,
667 sometimes called the New Style calendar, which is used in most of
668 the world today. However, this calendar did not exist before the
669 sixteenth century and was not widely used before the eighteenth century;
670 it did not fully displace the Julian calendar and gain universal
671 acceptance until the early twentieth century. The Emacs calendar can
672 display any month since January, year 1 of the current era, but the
673 calendar displayed is always the Gregorian, even for a date at which
674 the Gregorian calendar did not exist.
676 While Emacs cannot display other calendars, it can convert dates to
677 and from several other calendars.
680 * Calendar Systems:: The calendars Emacs understands
681 (aside from Gregorian).
682 * To Other Calendar:: Converting the selected date to various calendars.
683 * From Other Calendar:: Moving to a date specified in another calendar.
686 @c FIXME perhaps most of the details should be moved to cal-xtra.
687 @c Just list the major supported systems here?
688 @node Calendar Systems
689 @subsection Supported Calendar Systems
691 @cindex ISO commercial calendar
692 The ISO commercial calendar is often used in business.
694 @cindex Julian calendar
695 The Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, was the one used in Europe
696 throughout medieval times, and in many countries up until the nineteenth
699 @cindex Julian day numbers
700 @cindex astronomical day numbers
701 Astronomers use a simple counting of days elapsed since noon, Monday,
702 January 1, 4713 B.C. on the Julian calendar. The number of days elapsed
703 is called the @dfn{Julian day number} or the @dfn{Astronomical day number}.
705 @cindex Hebrew calendar
706 The Hebrew calendar is used by tradition in the Jewish religion. The
707 Emacs calendar program uses the Hebrew calendar to determine the dates
708 of Jewish holidays. Hebrew calendar dates begin and end at sunset.
710 @cindex Islamic calendar
711 The Islamic calendar is used in many predominantly Islamic countries.
712 Emacs uses it to determine the dates of Islamic holidays. There is no
713 universal agreement in the Islamic world about the calendar; Emacs uses
714 a widely accepted version, but the precise dates of Islamic holidays
715 often depend on proclamation by religious authorities, not on
716 calculations. As a consequence, the actual dates of observance can vary
717 slightly from the dates computed by Emacs. Islamic calendar dates begin
720 @cindex French Revolutionary calendar
721 The French Revolutionary calendar was created by the Jacobins after the 1789
722 revolution, to represent a more secular and nature-based view of the annual
723 cycle, and to install a 10-day week in a rationalization measure similar to
724 the metric system. The French government officially abandoned this
725 calendar at the end of 1805.
727 @cindex Mayan calendars
728 The Maya of Central America used three separate, overlapping calendar
729 systems, the @emph{long count}, the @emph{tzolkin}, and the @emph{haab}.
730 Emacs knows about all three of these calendars. Experts dispute the
731 exact correlation between the Mayan calendar and our calendar; Emacs uses the
732 Goodman-Martinez-Thompson correlation in its calculations.
734 @cindex Coptic calendar
735 @cindex Ethiopic calendar
736 The Copts use a calendar based on the ancient Egyptian solar calendar.
737 Their calendar consists of twelve 30-day months followed by an extra
738 five-day period. Once every fourth year they add a leap day to this
739 extra period to make it six days. The Ethiopic calendar is identical in
740 structure, but has different year numbers and month names.
742 @cindex Persian calendar
743 The Persians use a solar calendar based on a design of Omar Khayyam.
744 Their calendar consists of twelve months of which the first six have 31
745 days, the next five have 30 days, and the last has 29 in ordinary years
746 and 30 in leap years. Leap years occur in a complicated pattern every
748 The calendar implemented here is the arithmetical Persian calendar
749 championed by Birashk, based on a 2,820-year cycle. It differs from
750 the astronomical Persian calendar, which is based on astronomical
751 events. As of this writing the first future discrepancy is projected
752 to occur on March 20, 2025. It is currently not clear what the
753 official calendar of Iran will be at that time.
754 @c FIXME not so far in the future now.
756 @cindex Chinese calendar
757 The Chinese calendar is a complicated system of lunar months arranged
758 into solar years. The years go in cycles of sixty, each year containing
759 either twelve months in an ordinary year or thirteen months in a leap
760 year; each month has either 29 or 30 days. Years, ordinary months, and
761 days are named by combining one of ten @dfn{celestial stems} with one of
762 twelve @dfn{terrestrial branches} for a total of sixty names that are
763 repeated in a cycle of sixty.
765 @cindex Bahá'à calendar
766 The Bahá'à calendar system is based on a solar cycle of 19 months with
767 19 days each. The four remaining intercalary days are placed
768 between the 18th and 19th months.
770 @node To Other Calendar
771 @subsection Converting To Other Calendars
773 The following commands describe the selected date (the date at point)
774 in various other calendar systems:
777 @kindex p @r{(Calendar mode)}
778 @findex calendar-print-other-dates
779 @item mouse-3 Other calendars
781 Display the selected date in various other calendars.
782 (@code{calendar-print-other-dates}).
783 @findex calendar-iso-print-date
785 Display ISO commercial calendar equivalent for selected day
786 (@code{calendar-iso-print-date}).
787 @findex calendar-julian-print-date
789 Display Julian date for selected day (@code{calendar-julian-print-date}).
790 @findex calendar-astro-print-day-number
792 Display astronomical (Julian) day number for selected day
793 (@code{calendar-astro-print-day-number}).
794 @findex calendar-hebrew-print-date
796 Display Hebrew date for selected day (@code{calendar-hebrew-print-date}).
797 @findex calendar-islamic-print-date
799 Display Islamic date for selected day (@code{calendar-islamic-print-date}).
800 @findex calendar-french-print-date
802 Display French Revolutionary date for selected day
803 (@code{calendar-french-print-date}).
804 @findex calendar-bahai-print-date
806 Display Bahá'à date for selected day
807 (@code{calendar-bahai-print-date}).
808 @findex calendar-chinese-print-date
810 Display Chinese date for selected day
811 (@code{calendar-chinese-print-date}).
812 @findex calendar-coptic-print-date
814 Display Coptic date for selected day
815 (@code{calendar-coptic-print-date}).
816 @findex calendar-ethiopic-print-date
818 Display Ethiopic date for selected day
819 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-print-date}).
820 @findex calendar-persian-print-date
822 Display Persian date for selected day
823 (@code{calendar-persian-print-date}).
824 @findex calendar-mayan-print-date
826 Display Mayan date for selected day (@code{calendar-mayan-print-date}).
829 Otherwise, move point to the date you want to convert, then type the
830 appropriate command starting with @kbd{p} from the table above. The
831 prefix @kbd{p} is a mnemonic for ``print'', since Emacs ``prints'' the
832 equivalent date in the echo area. @kbd{p o} displays the
833 date in all forms known to Emacs. You can also use @kbd{mouse-3} and
834 then choose @kbd{Other calendars} from the menu that appears. This
835 displays the equivalent forms of the date in all the calendars Emacs
836 understands, in the form of a menu. (Choosing an alternative from
837 this menu doesn't actually do anything---the menu is used only for
840 @node From Other Calendar
841 @subsection Converting From Other Calendars
843 You can use the other supported calendars to specify a date to move
844 to. This section describes the commands for doing this using calendars
845 other than Mayan; for the Mayan calendar, see the following section.
847 @kindex g @var{char} @r{(Calendar mode)}
848 @findex calendar-iso-goto-date
849 @findex calendar-julian-goto-date
850 @findex calendar-astro-goto-day-number
851 @findex calendar-bahai-goto-date
852 @findex calendar-hebrew-goto-date
853 @findex calendar-islamic-goto-date
854 @findex calendar-french-goto-date
855 @findex calendar-chinese-goto-date
856 @findex calendar-persian-goto-date
857 @findex calendar-coptic-goto-date
858 @findex calendar-ethiopic-goto-date
861 Move to a date specified in the ISO commercial calendar
862 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-date}).
864 Move to a week specified in the ISO commercial calendar
865 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}).
867 Move to a date specified in the Julian calendar
868 (@code{calendar-julian-goto-date}).
870 Move to a date specified with an astronomical (Julian) day number
871 (@code{calendar-astro-goto-day-number}).
873 Move to a date specified in the Bahá'à calendar
874 (@code{calendar-bahai-goto-date}).
876 Move to a date specified in the Hebrew calendar
877 (@code{calendar-hebrew-goto-date}).
879 Move to a date specified in the Islamic calendar
880 (@code{calendar-islamic-goto-date}).
882 Move to a date specified in the French Revolutionary calendar
883 (@code{calendar-french-goto-date}).
885 Move to a date specified in the Chinese calendar
886 (@code{calendar-chinese-goto-date}).
888 Move to a date specified in the Persian calendar
889 (@code{calendar-persian-goto-date}).
891 Move to a date specified in the Coptic calendar
892 (@code{calendar-coptic-goto-date}).
894 Move to a date specified in the Ethiopic calendar
895 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-goto-date}).
898 These commands ask you for a date on the other calendar, move point
899 to the Gregorian calendar date equivalent to that date, and display
900 the other calendar's date in the echo area. Emacs uses strict
901 completion (@pxref{Completion Exit}) whenever it asks you to type a
902 month name, so you don't have to worry about the spelling of Hebrew,
903 Islamic, or French names.
906 @findex calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits
908 One common issue concerning the Hebrew calendar is the computation
909 of the anniversary of a date of death, called a @dfn{yahrzeit}. The Emacs
910 calendar includes a facility for such calculations. If you are in the
911 calendar, the command @kbd{M-x calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits} asks you for
912 a range of years and then displays a list of the yahrzeit dates for those
913 years for the date given by point. If you are not in the calendar,
914 this command first asks you for the date of death and the range of
915 years, and then displays the list of yahrzeit dates.
921 The Emacs diary keeps track of appointments or other events on a daily
922 basis, in conjunction with the calendar. To use the diary feature, you
923 must first create a diary file containing a list of events and
924 their dates. Then Emacs can automatically pick out and display the
925 events for today, for the immediate future, or for any specified
928 Although you probably will start by creating a diary manually, Emacs
929 provides a number of commands to let you view, add, and change diary
933 * Format of Diary File:: Entering events in your diary.
934 * Displaying the Diary:: Viewing diary entries and associated calendar dates.
935 * Date Formats:: Various ways you can specify dates.
936 * Adding to Diary:: Commands to create diary entries.
937 * Special Diary Entries:: Anniversaries, blocks of dates, cyclic entries, etc.
938 * Appointments:: Reminders when it's time to do something.
939 * Importing Diary:: Converting diary events to/from other formats.
942 @node Format of Diary File
943 @subsection The Diary File
947 Your @dfn{diary file} is a file that records events associated with
948 particular dates. The name of the diary file is specified by the
949 variable @code{diary-file}. The default is @file{~/.emacs.d/diary},
950 though for compatibility with older versions Emacs will use
951 @file{~/diary} if it exists.
953 @c I don't think this is relevant any more. The utility doesn't seem
954 @c to be part of the default install on GNU/Linux machines these days.
955 @c When I tried it with my basic diary file, it just died with an error.
956 The @code{calendar} utility program supports a subset of the format
957 allowed by the Emacs diary facilities, so you can use that utility to
958 view the diary file, with reasonable results aside from the entries it
962 Each entry in the diary file describes one event and consists of one
963 or more lines. An entry always begins with a date specification at the
964 left margin. The rest of the entry is simply text to describe the
965 event. If the entry has more than one line, then the lines after the
966 first must begin with whitespace to indicate they continue a previous
967 entry. Lines that do not begin with valid dates and do not continue a
968 preceding entry are ignored. Here's an example:
971 12/22/2015 Twentieth wedding anniversary!
972 10/22 Ruth's birthday.
974 Tuesday--weekly meeting with grad students at 10am
975 Supowit, Shen, Bitner, and Kapoor to attend.
976 1/13/89 Friday the thirteenth!!
977 thu 4pm squash game with Lloyd.
978 mar 16 Dad's birthday
979 April 15, 2016 Income tax due.
984 This example uses extra spaces to align the event descriptions of most
985 of the entries. Such formatting is purely a matter of taste.
987 You can also use a format where the first line of a diary entry
988 consists only of the date or day name (with no following blanks or
989 punctuation). For example:
993 Bill B. visits Princeton today
994 2pm Cognitive Studies Committee meeting
995 2:30-5:30 Liz at Lawrenceville
997 7:30pm Dinner at George's
1002 This entry will have a different appearance if you use the simple diary
1005 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1008 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1010 The simple diary display omits the date line at the beginning; only the
1011 continuation lines appear. This style of entry looks neater when you
1012 display just a single day's entries, but can cause confusion if you ask
1013 for more than one day's entries.
1015 @node Displaying the Diary
1016 @subsection Displaying the Diary
1018 Once you have created a diary file, you can use the calendar to view
1019 it. You can also view today's events outside of Calendar mode. In the
1020 following, key bindings refer to the Calendar buffer.
1025 Display all diary entries for the selected date
1026 (@code{diary-view-entries}).
1028 Display the entire diary file (@code{diary-show-all-entries}).
1030 Mark all visible dates that have diary entries
1031 (@code{diary-mark-entries}).
1033 Unmark the calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
1034 @item M-x diary-print-entries
1035 Print hard copy of the diary display as it appears.
1037 Display all diary entries for today's date.
1038 @item M-x diary-mail-entries
1039 Mail yourself email reminders about upcoming diary entries.
1042 @kindex d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1043 @findex diary-view-entries
1044 @vindex calendar-view-diary-initially-flag
1045 Displaying the diary entries with @kbd{d} shows in a separate buffer
1046 the diary entries for the selected date in the calendar. The mode line
1047 of the new buffer shows the date of the diary entries. Holidays are
1048 shown either in the buffer or in the mode line, depending on the display
1051 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1054 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1056 If you specify a numeric argument with @kbd{d}, it shows all the diary
1057 entries for that many successive days. Thus, @kbd{2 d} displays all the
1058 entries for the selected date and for the following day.
1060 Another way to display the diary entries for a date is to click
1061 @kbd{mouse-3} on the date, and then choose @kbd{Diary entries} from
1062 the menu that appears. If the variable
1063 @code{calendar-view-diary-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating the
1064 calendar lists the diary entries for the current date (provided the
1065 current date is visible).
1067 @kindex m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1068 @findex diary-mark-entries
1069 @vindex calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag
1070 To get a broader view of which days are mentioned in the diary, use
1071 the @kbd{m} command. This marks the dates that have diary entries in
1074 @xref{Calendar Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1077 @xref{Calendar Customizing, diary-entry-marker}.
1080 This command applies both to the months that are currently visible
1081 and to those that subsequently become visible after scrolling. To turn
1082 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
1083 turns off holiday marks (@pxref{Holidays}). If the variable
1084 @code{calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
1085 updating the calendar marks diary dates automatically.
1087 @vindex diary-nonmarking-symbol
1088 To prevent an individual diary entry from being marked in the
1089 calendar, insert the string that @code{diary-nonmarking-symbol}
1090 specifies (the default is @samp{&}) at the beginning of the entry,
1091 before the date. This has no effect on display of the entry in the
1092 diary buffer; it only affects marks on dates in the calendar.
1093 Nonmarking entries can be useful for generic entries that would
1094 otherwise mark many different dates.
1096 @kindex s @r{(Calendar mode)}
1097 @findex diary-show-all-entries
1098 To see the full diary file, rather than just some of the entries, use
1099 the @kbd{s} command.
1102 The command @kbd{M-x diary} displays the diary entries for the current
1103 date, independently of the calendar display, and optionally for the next
1104 few days as well; the variable @code{diary-number-of-entries} specifies
1105 how many days to include.
1107 @xref{Diary Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1110 @xref{Diary Customizing, diary-number-of-entries}.
1113 If you put @code{(diary)} in your @file{.emacs} file, this
1114 automatically displays a window with the day's diary entries when you
1117 @findex diary-mail-entries
1118 @vindex diary-mail-days
1119 Some people like to receive email notifications of events in their
1120 diary. To send such mail to yourself, use the command @kbd{M-x
1121 diary-mail-entries}. A prefix argument specifies how many days
1122 (starting with today) to check; otherwise, the variable
1123 @code{diary-mail-days} says how many days.
1126 @subsection Date Formats
1128 Here are some sample diary entries, illustrating different ways of
1129 formatting a date. The examples all show dates in American order
1130 (month, day, year), but Calendar mode supports European order (day,
1131 month, year) and ISO order (year, month, day) as options.
1134 4/20/12 Switch-over to new tabulation system
1135 apr. 25 Start tabulating annual results
1136 4/30 Results for April are due
1137 */25 Monthly cycle finishes
1138 Friday Don't leave without backing up files
1141 The first entry appears only once, on April 20, 2012. The second and
1142 third appear every year on the specified dates, and the fourth uses a
1143 wildcard (asterisk) for the month, so it appears on the 25th of every
1144 month. The final entry appears every week on Friday.
1146 You can use just numbers to express a date, as in
1147 @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}} or @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}/@var{year}}.
1148 This must be followed by a nondigit. In the date itself, @var{month}
1149 and @var{day} are numbers of one or two digits. The optional @var{year}
1150 is also a number, and may be abbreviated to the last two digits; that
1151 is, you can use @samp{11/12/2012} or @samp{11/12/12}.
1153 Dates can also have the form @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}} or
1154 @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}, @var{year}}, where the month's name can
1155 be spelled in full or abbreviated (with or without a period). The
1156 preferred abbreviations for month and day names can be set using
1157 the variables @code{calendar-abbrev-length},
1158 @code{calendar-month-abbrev-array}, and
1159 @code{calendar-day-abbrev-array}. The default is to use the first three
1160 letters of a name as its abbreviation. Case is not significant.
1162 A date may be @dfn{generic}; that is, partially unspecified. Then the
1163 entry applies to all dates that match the specification. If the date
1164 does not contain a year, it is generic and applies to any year.
1165 Alternatively, @var{month}, @var{day}, or @var{year} can be @samp{*};
1166 this matches any month, day, or year, respectively. Thus, a diary entry
1167 @samp{3/*/*} matches any day in March of any year; so does @samp{march
1170 @vindex calendar-date-style
1171 @findex calendar-set-date-style
1172 If you prefer the European style of writing dates (in which the day
1173 comes before the month), or the ISO style (in which the order is year,
1174 month, day), type @kbd{M-x calendar-set-date-style} while in the
1175 calendar, or customize the variable @code{calendar-date-style}. This
1176 affects how diary dates are interpreted, date display, and the order in
1177 which some commands expect their arguments to be given.
1179 You can use the name of a day of the week as a generic date which
1180 applies to any date falling on that day of the week. You can abbreviate
1181 the day of the week as described above, or spell it in full; case is not
1184 @node Adding to Diary
1185 @subsection Commands to Add to the Diary
1187 While in the calendar, there are several commands to create diary
1188 entries. The basic commands are listed here; more sophisticated
1189 commands are in the next section (@pxref{Special Diary Entries}).
1190 Entries can also be based on non-Gregorian calendars.
1192 @xref{Non-Gregorian Diary,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1195 @xref{Non-Gregorian Diary}.
1200 Add a diary entry for the selected date (@code{diary-insert-entry}).
1202 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the week (@code{diary-insert-weekly-entry}).
1204 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the month (@code{diary-insert-monthly-entry}).
1206 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the year (@code{diary-insert-yearly-entry}).
1209 @kindex i d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1210 @findex diary-insert-entry
1211 You can make a diary entry for a specific date by selecting that date
1212 in the calendar window and typing the @kbd{i d} command. This command
1213 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1214 date; you can then type the rest of the diary entry.
1216 @kindex i w @r{(Calendar mode)}
1217 @findex diary-insert-weekly-entry
1218 @kindex i m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1219 @findex diary-insert-monthly-entry
1220 @kindex i y @r{(Calendar mode)}
1221 @findex diary-insert-yearly-entry
1222 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to a specific day of
1223 the week, select that day of the week (any occurrence will do) and type
1224 @kbd{i w}. This inserts the day-of-week as a generic date; you can then
1225 type the rest of the diary entry. You can make a monthly diary entry in
1226 the same fashion: select the day of the month, use the @kbd{i m}
1227 command, and type the rest of the entry. Similarly, you can insert a
1228 yearly diary entry with the @kbd{i y} command.
1230 All of the above commands make marking diary entries by default. To
1231 make a nonmarking diary entry, give a prefix argument to the command.
1232 For example, @kbd{C-u i w} makes a nonmarking weekly diary entry.
1234 When you modify the diary file, be sure to save the file before
1235 exiting Emacs. Saving the diary file after using any of the above
1236 insertion commands will automatically update the diary marks in the
1237 calendar window, if appropriate. You can use the command
1238 @code{calendar-redraw} to force an update at any time.
1240 @node Special Diary Entries
1241 @subsection Special Diary Entries
1243 In addition to entries based on calendar dates, the diary file can
1244 contain @dfn{sexp entries} for regular events such as anniversaries.
1245 These entries are based on Lisp expressions (sexps) that Emacs evaluates
1246 as it scans the diary file. Instead of a date, a sexp entry contains
1247 @samp{%%} followed by a Lisp expression which must begin and end with
1248 parentheses. The Lisp expression determines which dates the entry
1251 Calendar mode provides commands to insert certain commonly used
1256 Add an anniversary diary entry for the selected date
1257 (@code{diary-insert-anniversary-entry}).
1259 Add a block diary entry for the current region
1260 (@code{diary-insert-block-entry}).
1262 Add a cyclic diary entry starting at the date
1263 (@code{diary-insert-cyclic-entry}).
1266 @kindex i a @r{(Calendar mode)}
1267 @findex diary-insert-anniversary-entry
1268 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to the anniversary of a
1269 specific date, move point to that date and use the @kbd{i a} command.
1270 This displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts
1271 the anniversary description; you can then type the rest of the diary
1272 entry. The entry looks like this:
1274 @findex diary-anniversary
1276 %%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1988) Arthur's birthday
1280 This entry applies to October 31 in any year after 1988; @samp{10 31
1281 1988} specifies the date. (If you are using the European or ISO
1282 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1283 The reason this expression requires a beginning year is that advanced
1284 diary functions can use it to calculate the number of elapsed years.
1286 A @dfn{block} diary entry applies to a specified range of consecutive
1287 dates. Here is a block diary entry that applies to all dates from June
1288 24, 2012 through July 10, 2012:
1292 %%(diary-block 6 24 2012 7 10 2012) Vacation
1296 The @samp{6 24 2012} indicates the starting date and the @samp{7 10 2012}
1297 indicates the stopping date. (Again, if you are using the European or ISO
1298 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1300 @kindex i b @r{(Calendar mode)}
1301 @findex diary-insert-block-entry
1302 To insert a block entry, place point and the mark on the two
1303 dates that begin and end the range, and type @kbd{i b}. This command
1304 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1305 block description; you can then type the diary entry.
1307 @kindex i c @r{(Calendar mode)}
1308 @findex diary-insert-cyclic-entry
1309 @dfn{Cyclic} diary entries repeat after a fixed interval of days. To
1310 create one, select the starting date and use the @kbd{i c} command. The
1311 command prompts for the length of interval, then inserts the entry,
1312 which looks like this:
1314 @findex diary-cyclic
1316 %%(diary-cyclic 50 3 1 2012) Renew medication
1320 This entry applies to March 1, 2012 and every 50th day following;
1321 @samp{3 1 2012} specifies the starting date. (If you are using the
1322 European or ISO calendar style, the input order of month, day and year
1325 All three of these commands make marking diary entries. To insert a
1326 nonmarking entry, give a prefix argument to the command. For example,
1327 @kbd{C-u i a} makes a nonmarking anniversary diary entry.
1329 Marking sexp diary entries in the calendar can be time-consuming,
1330 since every date visible in the calendar window must be individually
1331 checked. So it's a good idea to make sexp diary entries nonmarking
1332 (with @samp{&}) when possible.
1334 Another sophisticated kind of sexp entry, a @dfn{floating} diary entry,
1335 specifies a regularly occurring event by offsets specified in days,
1336 weeks, and months. It is comparable to a crontab entry interpreted by
1337 the @code{cron} utility. Here is a nonmarking, floating diary entry
1338 that applies to the fourth Thursday in November:
1342 &%%(diary-float 11 4 4) American Thanksgiving
1346 The 11 specifies November (the eleventh month), the 4 specifies Thursday
1347 (the fourth day of the week, where Sunday is numbered zero), and the
1348 second 4 specifies the fourth Thursday (1 would mean ``first'', 2 would
1349 mean ``second'', @minus{}2 would mean ``second-to-last'', and so on).
1350 The month can be a single month or a list of months. Thus you could change
1351 the 11 above to @samp{'(1 2 3)} and have the entry apply to the last
1352 Thursday of January, February, and March. If the month is @code{t}, the
1353 entry applies to all months of the year.
1355 Each of the standard sexp diary entries takes an optional parameter
1356 specifying the name of a face or a single-character string to use when
1357 marking the entry in the calendar. Most generally, sexp diary entries
1358 can perform arbitrary computations to determine when they apply.
1360 @xref{Sexp Diary Entries,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1363 @xref{Sexp Diary Entries}.
1367 @subsection Appointments
1368 @cindex appointment notification
1370 @vindex appt-display-format
1371 @vindex appt-audible
1372 @vindex appt-display-mode-line
1373 If you have a diary entry for an appointment, and that diary entry
1374 begins with a recognizable time of day, Emacs can warn you in advance
1375 that an appointment is pending. Emacs alerts you
1376 to the appointment by displaying a message in your chosen format, as
1377 specified by the variable @code{appt-display-format}. If the value of
1378 @code{appt-audible} is non-@code{nil}, the warning includes an audible
1379 reminder. In addition, if @code{appt-display-mode-line} is
1380 non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the number of minutes to the
1381 appointment on the mode line.
1383 @vindex appt-display-duration
1384 @vindex appt-disp-window-function
1385 @vindex appt-delete-window-function
1386 If @code{appt-display-format} has the value @code{window}, then the
1387 variable @code{appt-display-duration} controls how long the reminder
1388 window is visible for; and the variables
1389 @code{appt-disp-window-function} and @code{appt-delete-window-function}
1390 give the names of functions used to create and destroy the window,
1393 @findex appt-activate
1394 To enable appointment notification, type @kbd{M-x appt-activate}.
1395 With a positive argument, it enables notification; with a negative
1396 argument, it disables notification; with no argument, it toggles.
1397 Enabling notification also sets up an appointment list for today from
1398 the diary file, giving all diary entries found with recognizable times
1399 of day, and reminds you just before each of them.
1401 For example, suppose the diary file contains these lines:
1409 @vindex appt-message-warning-time
1410 @vindex appt-warning-time-regexp
1412 Then on Mondays, you will be reminded at around 9:20am about your
1413 coffee break and at around 11:50am about lunch. The variable
1414 @code{appt-message-warning-time} specifies how many minutes (default 12)
1415 in advance to warn you. This is a default warning time. Each
1416 appointment can specify a different warning time by adding a piece
1417 matching @code{appt-warning-time-regexp} (see that variable's
1418 documentation for details).
1420 You can write times in am/pm style (with @samp{12:00am} standing
1421 for midnight and @samp{12:00pm} standing for noon), or 24-hour
1422 European/military style. You need not be consistent; your diary file
1423 can have a mixture of the two styles. Times must be at the beginning of
1424 diary entries if they are to be recognized.
1426 @vindex appt-display-diary
1427 Emacs updates the appointments list from the diary file
1428 automatically just after midnight. You can force an update at any
1429 time by re-enabling appointment notification. Both these actions also
1430 display the day's diary buffer, unless you set
1431 @code{appt-display-diary} to @code{nil}. The appointments list is
1432 also updated whenever the diary file (or a file it includes; see
1434 @ref{Fancy Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features})
1437 @ref{Fancy Diary Display})
1439 is saved. If you use the Org Mode and keep appointments in your Org
1440 agenda files, you can add those appointments to the list using the
1441 @code{org-agenda-to-appt} command. @xref{Weekly/daily agenda,
1442 Appointment reminders,,org, The Org Manual}, for more about that
1448 You can also use the appointment notification facility like an alarm
1449 clock. The command @kbd{M-x appt-add} adds entries to the appointment
1450 list without affecting your diary file. You delete entries from the
1451 appointment list with @kbd{M-x appt-delete}.
1453 @node Importing Diary
1454 @subsection Importing and Exporting Diary Entries
1456 You can transfer diary entries between Emacs diary files and a
1457 variety of other formats.
1459 @vindex diary-outlook-formats
1460 You can import diary entries from Outlook-generated appointment
1461 messages. While viewing such a message in Rmail or Gnus, do @kbd{M-x
1462 diary-from-outlook} to import the entry. You can make this command
1463 recognize additional appointment message formats by customizing the
1464 variable @code{diary-outlook-formats}. Other mail clients can set
1465 @code{diary-from-outlook-function} to an appropriate value.
1467 @c FIXME the name of the RFC is hardly very relevant.
1468 @cindex iCalendar support
1469 The icalendar package allows you to transfer data between your Emacs
1470 diary file and iCalendar files, which are defined in @cite{RFC
1471 2445---Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification
1472 (iCalendar)} (as well as the earlier vCalendar format).
1474 @c Importing works for ordinary (i.e., non-recurring) events, but
1475 @c (at present) may not work correctly (if at all) for recurring events.
1476 @c Exporting of diary files into iCalendar files should work correctly
1477 @c for most diary entries. This feature is a work in progress, so the
1478 @c commands may evolve in future.
1480 @findex icalendar-import-buffer
1481 The command @code{icalendar-import-buffer} extracts
1482 iCalendar data from the current buffer and adds it to your
1483 diary file. This function is also suitable for automatic extraction of
1484 iCalendar data; for example with the Rmail mail client one could use:
1487 (add-hook 'rmail-show-message-hook 'icalendar-import-buffer)
1490 @findex icalendar-import-file
1491 The command @code{icalendar-import-file} imports an iCalendar file
1492 and adds the results to an Emacs diary file. For example:
1495 (icalendar-import-file "/here/is/calendar.ics"
1496 "/there/goes/ical-diary")
1500 You can use an @code{#include} directive to add the import file contents
1501 to the main diary file, if these are different files.
1503 @xref{Fancy Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1506 @xref{Fancy Diary Display}.
1510 @findex icalendar-export-file
1511 @findex icalendar-export-region
1512 Use @code{icalendar-export-file} to interactively export an entire
1513 Emacs diary file to iCalendar format. To export only a part of a diary
1514 file, mark the relevant area, and call @code{icalendar-export-region}.
1515 In both cases, Emacs appends the result to the target file.
1517 @node Daylight Saving
1518 @section Daylight Saving Time
1519 @cindex daylight saving time
1521 Emacs understands the difference between standard time and daylight
1522 saving time---the times given for sunrise, sunset, solstices,
1523 equinoxes, and the phases of the moon take that into account. The rules
1524 for daylight saving time vary from place to place and have also varied
1525 historically from year to year. To do the job properly, Emacs needs to
1526 know which rules to use.
1528 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts
1529 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends
1530 Some operating systems keep track of the rules that apply to the place
1531 where you are; on these systems, Emacs gets the information it needs
1532 from the system automatically. If some or all of this information is
1533 missing, Emacs fills in the gaps with the rules currently used in
1534 Cambridge, Massachusetts. If the resulting rules are not what you want,
1535 you can tell Emacs the rules to use by setting certain variables:
1536 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} and
1537 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends}.
1539 These values should be Lisp expressions that refer to the variable
1540 @code{year}, and evaluate to the Gregorian date on which daylight
1541 saving time starts or (respectively) ends, in the form of a list
1542 @code{(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year})}. The values should be
1543 @code{nil} if your area does not use daylight saving time.
1545 Emacs uses these expressions to determine the starting date of
1546 daylight saving time for the holiday list and for correcting times of
1547 day in the solar and lunar calculations.
1549 The values for Cambridge, Massachusetts are as follows:
1552 (calendar-nth-named-day 2 0 3 year)
1553 (calendar-nth-named-day 1 0 11 year)
1557 That is, the second 0th day (Sunday) of the third month (March) in
1558 the year specified by @code{year}, and the first Sunday of the eleventh month
1559 (November) of that year. If daylight saving time were
1560 changed to start on October 1, you would set
1561 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} to this:
1567 If there is no daylight saving time at your location, or if you want
1568 all times in standard time, set @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts}
1569 and @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends} to @code{nil}.
1571 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-offset
1572 The variable @code{calendar-daylight-time-offset} specifies the
1573 difference between daylight saving time and standard time, measured in
1574 minutes. The value for Cambridge, Massachusetts is 60.
1576 @c @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time too long!
1577 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time
1578 Finally, the two variables
1579 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time} and
1580 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time} specify the number of
1581 minutes after midnight local time when the transition to and from
1582 daylight saving time should occur. For Cambridge, Massachusetts both
1583 variables' values are 120.
1585 @node Time Intervals
1586 @section Summing Time Intervals
1587 @cindex time intervals, summing
1588 @cindex summing time intervals
1590 @cindex clocking time
1592 The timeclock package adds up time intervals, so you can (for
1593 instance) keep track of how much time you spend working on particular
1594 projects. (A more advanced alternative is to use the Org Mode's
1595 facilities for clocking time, @pxref{Clocking work time,,,org, The Org
1598 @findex timeclock-in
1599 @findex timeclock-out
1600 @findex timeclock-change
1601 @findex timeclock-workday-remaining
1602 @findex timeclock-when-to-leave
1603 Use the @kbd{M-x timeclock-in} command when you start working on a
1604 project, and @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} command when you're done. Each
1605 time you do this, it adds one time interval to the record of the
1606 project. You can change to working on a different project with @kbd{M-x
1609 Once you've collected data from a number of time intervals, you can use
1610 @kbd{M-x timeclock-workday-remaining} to see how much time is left to
1611 work today (assuming a typical average of 8 hours a day), and @kbd{M-x
1612 timeclock-when-to-leave} which will calculate when you're done.
1614 @vindex timeclock-modeline-display
1615 @findex timeclock-modeline-display
1616 If you want Emacs to display the amount of time left of your
1617 workday in the mode line, either customize the
1618 @code{timeclock-modeline-display} variable and set its value to
1619 @code{t}, or invoke the @kbd{M-x timeclock-modeline-display} command.
1621 @vindex timeclock-ask-before-exiting
1622 Terminating the current Emacs session might or might not mean that
1623 you have stopped working on the project and, by default, Emacs asks
1624 you. You can, however, customize the value of the variable
1625 @code{timeclock-ask-before-exiting} to @code{nil} to avoid the question;
1626 then, only an explicit @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} or @kbd{M-x
1627 timeclock-change} will tell Emacs that the current interval is over.
1629 @cindex @file{timelog} file
1630 @vindex timeclock-file
1631 @findex timeclock-reread-log
1632 The timeclock functions work by accumulating the data in a file
1633 called @file{~/.emacs.d/timelog}. You can specify a
1634 different name for this file by customizing the variable
1635 @code{timeclock-file}. If you edit the timeclock file manually, or if
1636 you change the value of any of timeclock's customizable variables, you
1637 should run the command @kbd{M-x timeclock-reread-log} to update the
1638 data in Emacs from the file.
1641 @include cal-xtra.texi