Add diary comments feature.
[bpt/emacs.git] / doc / emacs / cal-xtra.texi
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6f585e44 1@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
95df8112 2@c Copyright (C) 2004-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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3@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
4@c
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5@c This file is included either in emacs-xtra.texi (when producing the
6@c printed version) or in the main Emacs manual (for the on-line version).
7
8@c Moved here from the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, 2005-03-26.
9@node Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage
10@section Customizing the Calendar and Diary
11
12 There are many customizations that you can use to make the calendar and
13diary suit your personal tastes.
14
15@menu
f9b4c05d 16* Calendar Customizing:: Calendar layout and hooks.
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17* Holiday Customizing:: Defining your own holidays.
18* Date Display Format:: Changing the format.
19* Time Display Format:: Changing the format.
20* Diary Customizing:: Defaults you can set.
f9b4c05d 21* Non-Gregorian Diary:: Diary entries based on other calendars.
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22* Diary Display:: A choice of ways to display the diary.
23* Fancy Diary Display:: Sorting diary entries, using included diary files.
24* Sexp Diary Entries:: More flexible diary entries.
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25@end menu
26
27@node Calendar Customizing
28@subsection Customizing the Calendar
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29
30@vindex calendar-intermonth-text
31@cindex calendar layout
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32@cindex calendar week numbers
33 The calendar display unfortunately cannot be changed from three
34months, but you can customize the whitespace used by setting the
35variables: @code{calendar-left-margin},
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36@code{calendar-day-header-width}, @code{calendar-day-digit-width},
37@code{calendar-column-width}, and @code{calendar-intermonth-spacing}.
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38To display text @emph{between} the months, for example week numbers,
39customize the variables @code{calendar-intermonth-header} and
40@code{calendar-intermonth-text} as described in their documentation.
a43a8a2e 41
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42@vindex calendar-holiday-marker
43@vindex diary-entry-marker
f9b4c05d 44@vindex calenday-today-marker
c5184807 45 The variable @code{calendar-holiday-marker} specifies how to mark a
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46date as being a holiday. Its value may be a single-character string to
47insert next to the date, or a face name to use for displaying the date.
48Likewise, the variable @code{diary-entry-marker} specifies how to mark a
49date that has diary entries, and @code{calenday-today-marker} is used by
50the function @code{calendar-mark-today} to mark today's date. By
51default, the calendar uses faces named @code{holiday}, @code{diary}, and
52@code{calendar-today} for these purposes.
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53
54@vindex calendar-load-hook
55 The variable @code{calendar-load-hook} is a normal hook run when the
56calendar package is first loaded (before actually starting to display
57the calendar).
58
36c0514c 59@vindex calendar-initial-window-hook
c5184807 60 Starting the calendar runs the normal hook
36c0514c 61@code{calendar-initial-window-hook}. Recomputation of the calendar
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62display does not run this hook. But if you leave the calendar with the
63@kbd{q} command and reenter it, the hook runs again.@refill
64
36c0514c 65@vindex calendar-today-visible-hook
f9b4c05d 66@findex calendar-star-date
36c0514c 67 The variable @code{calendar-today-visible-hook} is a normal hook run
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68after the calendar buffer has been prepared with the calendar when the
69current date is visible in the window. One use of this hook is to
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70mark today's date; to do that use either of the functions
71@code{calendar-mark-today} or @code{calendar-star-date}:
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72
73@findex calendar-mark-today
f9b4c05d 74@smallexample
36c0514c 75(add-hook 'calendar-today-visible-hook 'calendar-mark-today)
f9b4c05d 76@end smallexample
c5184807 77
36c0514c 78@vindex calendar-today-invisible-hook
c5184807 79@noindent
36c0514c 80 A similar normal hook, @code{calendar-today-invisible-hook} is run if
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81the current date is @emph{not} visible in the window.
82
83@vindex calendar-move-hook
84 Each of the calendar cursor motion commands runs the hook
85@code{calendar-move-hook} after it moves the cursor.
86
87@node Holiday Customizing
88@subsection Customizing the Holidays
89
90@vindex calendar-holidays
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91@vindex holiday-oriental-holidays
92@vindex holiday-solar-holidays
c5184807 93 Emacs knows about holidays defined by entries on one of several lists.
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94The lists of holidays that Emacs uses are for
95general holidays (@code{holiday-general-holidays}),
96local holidays (@code{holiday-local-holidays}),
97sun- and moon-related holidays (@code{holiday-solar-holidays}),
98Baha'i holidays (@code{holiday-bahai-holidays}),
99Christian holidays (@code{holiday-christian-holidays}),
100Hebrew (Jewish) holidays (@code{holiday-hebrew-holidays}),
101Islamic (Muslim) holidays (@code{holiday-islamic-holidays}),
102Oriental holidays (@code{holiday-oriental-holidays}),
103and other holidays (@code{holiday-other-holidays}).
36c0514c 104
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105You can customize these lists of holidays to your own needs, deleting or
106adding holidays as described below. Set any of them to @code{nil} to
107eliminate the associated holidays.
108
36c0514c 109@vindex holiday-general-holidays
c5184807 110 The general holidays are, by default, holidays common throughout the
f9b4c05d 111United States.
c5184807 112
36c0514c 113@vindex holiday-local-holidays
f9b4c05d 114 There are no default local holidays, but your site may supply some.
c5184807 115
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116@vindex holiday-bahai-holidays
117@vindex holiday-christian-holidays
118@vindex holiday-hebrew-holidays
119@vindex holiday-islamic-holidays
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120@vindex calendar-bahai-all-holidays-flag
121@vindex calendar-christian-all-holidays-flag
122@vindex calendar-hebrew-all-holidays-flag
123@vindex calendar-islamic-all-holidays-flag
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124 By default, Emacs does not include all the holidays of the religions
125that it knows, only those commonly found in secular calendars. For a
126more extensive collection of religious holidays, you can set any (or
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127all) of the variables @code{calendar-bahai-all-holidays-flag},
128@code{calendar-christian-all-holidays-flag},
129@code{calendar-hebrew-all-holidays-flag}, or
f9b4c05d 130@code{calendar-islamic-all-holidays-flag} to @code{t}.
c5184807 131
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132@vindex holiday-other-holidays
133 You can set the variable @code{holiday-other-holidays} to any list of
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134holidays. This list, normally empty, is intended for individual use.
135
136@cindex holiday forms
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137 Each of the holiday variables is a list of @dfn{holiday forms}, each
138form describing a holiday (or sometimes a list of holidays).
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139
140 Here is a table of the possible kinds of holiday form. Day numbers
141and month numbers count starting from 1, but ``dayname'' numbers
142count Sunday as 0. The element @var{string} is always the
f9b4c05d 143description of the holiday, as a string.
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144
145@table @code
146@item (holiday-fixed @var{month} @var{day} @var{string})
147A fixed date on the Gregorian calendar.
148
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149@item (holiday-float @var{month} @var{dayname} @var{k} @var{string}
150 &optional @var{day})
151The @var{k}th @var{dayname} (@var{dayname}=0 for Sunday, and so on)
152after or before Gregorian date @var{month}, @var{day}. Negative @var{k}
153means count back from the end of the month. Optional @var{day} defaults
154to 1 if @var{k} is positive, and the last day of @var{month} otherwise.
c5184807 155
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156@item (holiday-chinese @var{month} @var{day} @var{string})
157A fixed date on the Chinese calendar.
158
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159@item (holiday-hebrew @var{month} @var{day} @var{string})
160A fixed date on the Hebrew calendar.
161
162@item (holiday-islamic @var{month} @var{day} @var{string})
163A fixed date on the Islamic calendar.
164
165@item (holiday-julian @var{month} @var{day} @var{string})
166A fixed date on the Julian calendar.
167
168@item (holiday-sexp @var{sexp} @var{string})
169A date calculated by the Lisp expression @var{sexp}. The expression
170should use the variable @code{year} to compute and return the date of a
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171holiday in the form of a list @code{(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year})},
172or @code{nil} if the holiday doesn't happen this year.
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173
174@item (if @var{condition} @var{holiday-form})
175A holiday that happens only if @var{condition} is true.
176
177@item (@var{function} @r{[}@var{args}@r{]})
178A list of dates calculated by the function @var{function}, called with
179arguments @var{args}.
180@end table
181
182 For example, suppose you want to add Bastille Day, celebrated in
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183France on July 14 (i.e., the fourteenth day of the seventh month). You
184can do this as follows:
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185
186@smallexample
98ad1bae 187(setq holiday-other-holidays '((holiday-fixed 7 14 "Bastille Day")))
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188@end smallexample
189
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190 Many holidays occur on a specific day of the week, at a specific time
191of month. Here is a holiday form describing Hurricane Supplication Day,
192celebrated in the Virgin Islands on the fourth Monday in August:
193
194@smallexample
195(holiday-float 8 1 4 "Hurricane Supplication Day")
196@end smallexample
197
198@noindent
199Here the 8 specifies August, the 1 specifies Monday (Sunday is 0,
200Tuesday is 2, and so on), and the 4 specifies the fourth occurrence in
201the month (1 specifies the first occurrence, 2 the second occurrence,
202@minus{}1 the last occurrence, @minus{}2 the second-to-last occurrence, and
203so on).
204
36c0514c 205 You can specify holidays that occur on fixed days of the Baha'i,
a43a8a2e 206Chinese, Hebrew, Islamic, and Julian calendars too. For example,
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207
208@smallexample
98ad1bae 209(setq holiday-other-holidays
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210 '((holiday-hebrew 10 2 "Last day of Hanukkah")
211 (holiday-islamic 3 12 "Mohammed's Birthday")
212 (holiday-julian 4 2 "Jefferson's Birthday")))
213@end smallexample
214
215@noindent
216adds the last day of Hanukkah (since the Hebrew months are numbered with
2171 starting from Nisan), the Islamic feast celebrating Mohammed's
218birthday (since the Islamic months are numbered from 1 starting with
219Muharram), and Thomas Jefferson's birthday, which is 2 April 1743 on the
220Julian calendar.
221
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222 To include a holiday conditionally, use either Emacs Lisp's @code{if}
223or the @code{holiday-sexp} form. For example, American presidential
224elections occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
225of years divisible by 4:
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226
227@smallexample
f9b4c05d 228(holiday-sexp '(if (zerop (% year 4))
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229 (calendar-gregorian-from-absolute
230 (1+ (calendar-dayname-on-or-before
231 1 (+ 6 (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian
232 (list 11 1 year)))))))
233 "US Presidential Election")
234@end smallexample
235
236@noindent
237or
238
239@smallexample
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240(if (zerop (% displayed-year 4))
241 (holiday-fixed 11
36c0514c 242 (calendar-extract-day
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243 (calendar-gregorian-from-absolute
244 (1+ (calendar-dayname-on-or-before
245 1 (+ 6 (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian
246 (list 11 1 displayed-year)))))))
247 "US Presidential Election"))
248@end smallexample
249
250 Some holidays just don't fit into any of these forms because special
251calculations are involved in their determination. In such cases you
252must write a Lisp function to do the calculation. To include eclipses,
36c0514c 253for example, add @code{(eclipses)} to @code{holiday-other-holidays}
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254and write an Emacs Lisp function @code{eclipses} that returns a
255(possibly empty) list of the relevant Gregorian dates among the range
256visible in the calendar window, with descriptive strings, like this:
257
258@smallexample
259(((6 27 1991) "Lunar Eclipse") ((7 11 1991) "Solar Eclipse") ... )
260@end smallexample
261
262@node Date Display Format
263@subsection Date Display Format
264@vindex calendar-date-display-form
265
266 You can customize the manner of displaying dates in the diary, in mode
267lines, and in messages by setting @code{calendar-date-display-form}.
268This variable holds a list of expressions that can involve the variables
269@code{month}, @code{day}, and @code{year}, which are all numbers in
270string form, and @code{monthname} and @code{dayname}, which are both
271alphabetic strings. In the American style, the default value of this
272list is as follows:
273
274@smallexample
275((if dayname (concat dayname ", ")) monthname " " day ", " year)
276@end smallexample
277
278@noindent
279while in the European style this value is the default:
280
281@smallexample
282((if dayname (concat dayname ", ")) day " " monthname " " year)
283@end smallexample
284
285@noindent
f9b4c05d 286The default ISO date representation is:
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287
288@smallexample
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289((format "%s-%.2d-%.2d" year (string-to-number month)
290 (string-to-number day)))
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291@end smallexample
292
293@noindent
294This specifies a typical American format:
295
296@smallexample
297(month "/" day "/" (substring year -2))
298@end smallexample
299
300@node Time Display Format
301@subsection Time Display Format
302@vindex calendar-time-display-form
303
304 The calendar and diary by default display times of day in the
305conventional American style with the hours from 1 through 12, minutes,
306and either @samp{am} or @samp{pm}. If you prefer the European style,
307also known in the US as military, in which the hours go from 00 to 23,
308you can alter the variable @code{calendar-time-display-form}. This
309variable is a list of expressions that can involve the variables
310@code{12-hours}, @code{24-hours}, and @code{minutes}, which are all
311numbers in string form, and @code{am-pm} and @code{time-zone}, which are
f9b4c05d 312both alphabetic strings. The default value is:
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313
314@smallexample
315(12-hours ":" minutes am-pm
316 (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")"))
317@end smallexample
318
319@noindent
320Here is a value that provides European style times:
321
322@smallexample
323(24-hours ":" minutes
324 (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")"))
325@end smallexample
326
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327Note that few calendar functions return a time of day (at present, only
328solar functions).
329
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330@node Diary Customizing
331@subsection Customizing the Diary
332
36c0514c 333@vindex diary-show-holidays-flag
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334 Ordinarily, the diary window indicates any holidays that fall on the
335date of the diary entries, either in the mode line or the buffer itself.
336The process of checking for holidays can be slow, depending on the
337defined holidays. In that case, setting @code{diary-show-holidays-flag}
338to @code{nil} will speed up the diary display.
c5184807 339
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340@vindex diary-number-of-entries
341 The variable @code{diary-number-of-entries} controls the number of
c5184807 342days of diary entries to be displayed at one time. It affects the
36c0514c 343initial display when @code{calendar-view-diary-initially-flag} is
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344@code{t}, as well as the command @kbd{M-x diary}. For example, a value
345of 1 (the default) displays only the current day's diary entries,
346whereas a value of 2 will also show the next day's entries. The value
347can also be a vector of seven integers: for example, if the value is
348@code{[0 2 2 2 2 4 1]} then no diary entries appear on Sunday, the
349current date's and the next day's diary entries appear Monday through
350Thursday, Friday through Monday's entries appear on Friday, while on
351Saturday only that day's entries appear.
36c0514c 352
c5184807 353@vindex diary-date-forms
f9b4c05d 354 You can customize the form of dates in your diary file by setting the
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355variable @code{diary-date-forms}. This variable is a list of patterns
356for recognizing a date. Each date pattern is a list whose elements may
357be regular expressions (@pxref{Regular Expressions,,, elisp, the Emacs
358Lisp Reference Manual}) or the symbols @code{month}, @code{day},
359@code{year}, @code{monthname}, and @code{dayname}. All these elements
360serve as patterns that match certain kinds of text in the diary file.
361In order for the date pattern, as a whole, to match, all of its elements
362must match consecutively.
363
364 A regular expression in a date pattern matches in its usual fashion,
365using the standard syntax table altered so that @samp{*} is a word
366constituent.
367
368 The symbols @code{month}, @code{day}, @code{year}, @code{monthname},
369and @code{dayname} match the month number, day number, year number,
370month name, and day name of the date being considered. The symbols that
371match numbers allow leading zeros; those that match names allow
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372capitalization and abbreviation (as specified by
373@code{calendar-month-abbrev-array} and
374@code{calendar-day-abbrev-array}). All the symbols can match @samp{*};
375since @samp{*} in a diary entry means ``any day'', ``any month'', and so
376on, it should match regardless of the date being considered.
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377
378 The default value of @code{diary-date-forms} in the American style is
f9b4c05d 379provided by @code{diary-american-date-forms}:
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380
381@example
382((month "/" day "[^/0-9]")
383 (month "/" day "/" year "[^0-9]")
384 (monthname " *" day "[^,0-9]")
385 (monthname " *" day ", *" year "[^0-9]")
386 (dayname "\\W"))
387@end example
388
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389@noindent
390Other default styles are provided by @code{diary-european-date-forms}
391and @code{diary-iso-date-forms}.
392
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393 The date patterns in the list must be @emph{mutually exclusive} and
394must not match any portion of the diary entry itself, just the date and
395one character of whitespace. If, to be mutually exclusive, the pattern
396must match a portion of the diary entry text---beyond the whitespace
397that ends the date---then the first element of the date pattern
398@emph{must} be @code{backup}. This causes the date recognizer to back
399up to the beginning of the current word of the diary entry, after
400finishing the match. Even if you use @code{backup}, the date pattern
401must absolutely not match more than a portion of the first word of the
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402diary entry. For example, the default value of
403@code{diary-european-date-forms} is:
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404
405@example
406((day "/" month "[^/0-9]")
407 (day "/" month "/" year "[^0-9]")
f9b4c05d 408 (backup day " *" monthname "\\W+\\<\\([^*0-9]\\|\\([0-9]+[:aApP]\\)\\)")
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409 (day " *" monthname " *" year "[^0-9]")
410 (dayname "\\W"))
411@end example
412
413@noindent
414Notice the use of @code{backup} in the third pattern, because it needs
415to match part of a word beyond the date itself to distinguish it from
416the fourth pattern.
417
f9b4c05d 418@node Non-Gregorian Diary
c216ec2b 419@subsection Diary Entries Using non-Gregorian Calendars
c5184807 420
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421 As well as entries based on the standard Gregorian calendar, your
422diary can have entries based on Baha'i, Hebrew, or Islamic dates.
423Recognition of such entries can be time-consuming, however, and since
424most people don't use them, you must explicitly enable their use. If
425you want the diary to recognize Hebrew-date diary entries, for example,
426you must do this:
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427
428@vindex diary-nongregorian-listing-hook
429@vindex diary-nongregorian-marking-hook
430@findex diary-hebrew-list-entries
431@findex diary-hebrew-mark-entries
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432@findex diary-islamic-list-entries
433@findex diary-islamic-mark-entries
434@findex diary-bahai-list-entries
435@findex diary-bahai-mark-entries
c5184807 436@smallexample
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437(add-hook 'diary-nongregorian-listing-hook 'diary-hebrew-list-entries)
438(add-hook 'diary-nongregorian-marking-hook 'diary-hebrew-mark-entries)
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439@end smallexample
440
441@noindent
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442Similarly, for Islamic and Baha'i entries, add
443@code{diary-islamic-list-entries} and @code{diary-islamic-mark-entries}, or
444@code{diary-bahai-list-entries} and @code{diary-bahai-mark-entries}.
445
446@vindex diary-bahai-entry-symbol
447@vindex diary-hebrew-entry-symbol
448@vindex diary-islamic-entry-symbol
449 These diary entries have the same formats as Gregorian-date diary
450entries; except that @code{diary-bahai-entry-symbol} (default @samp{B})
451must precede a Baha'i date, @code{diary-hebrew-entry-symbol} (default
452@samp{H}) a Hebrew date, and @code{diary-islamic-entry-symbol} (default
453@samp{I}) an Islamic date. Moreover, non-Gregorian month names may not
454be abbreviated (because the first three letters are often not unique).
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455(Note also that you must use ``Adar I'' if you want Adar of a common
456Hebrew year.) For example, a diary entry for the Hebrew date Heshvan 25
457could look like this:
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458
459@smallexample
460HHeshvan 25 Happy Hebrew birthday!
461@end smallexample
462
463@noindent
464and would appear in the diary for any date that corresponds to Heshvan 25
465on the Hebrew calendar. And here is an Islamic-date diary entry that matches
466Dhu al-Qada 25:
467
468@smallexample
469IDhu al-Qada 25 Happy Islamic birthday!
470@end smallexample
471
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472 As with Gregorian-date diary entries, non-Gregorian entries are
473nonmarking if preceded by @code{diary-nonmarking-symbol} (default
474@samp{&}).
c5184807 475
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476 Here is a table of commands used in the calendar to create diary
477entries that match the selected date and other dates that are similar in
478the Baha'i, Hebrew, or Islamic calendars:
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479
480@table @kbd
481@item i h d
f9b4c05d 482@code{diary-hebrew-insert-entry}
c5184807 483@item i h m
f9b4c05d 484@code{diary-hebrew-insert-monthly-entry}
c5184807 485@item i h y
f9b4c05d 486@code{diary-hebrew-insert-yearly-entry}
c5184807 487@item i i d
f9b4c05d 488@code{diary-islamic-insert-entry}
c5184807 489@item i i m
f9b4c05d 490@code{diary-islamic-insert-monthly-entry}
c5184807 491@item i i y
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492@code{diary-islamic-insert-yearly-entry}
493@item i B d
494@code{diary-bahai-insert-entry}
495@item i B m
496@code{diary-bahai-insert-monthly-entry}
497@item i B y
498@code{diary-bahai-insert-yearly-entry}
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499@end table
500
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501@findex diary-hebrew-insert-entry
502@findex diary-hebrew-insert-monthly-entry
503@findex diary-hebrew-insert-yearly-entry
504@findex diary-islamic-insert-entry
505@findex diary-islamic-insert-monthly-entry
506@findex diary-islamic-insert-yearly-entry
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507@findex diary-bahai-insert-entry
508@findex diary-bahai-insert-monthly-entry
509@findex diary-bahai-insert-yearly-entry
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510 These commands work much like the corresponding commands for ordinary
511diary entries: they apply to the date that point is on in the calendar
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512window, and what they do is insert just the date portion of a diary
513entry at the end of your diary file. You must then insert the rest of
514the diary entry. The basic commands add an entry for the specific
515non-Gregorian date, the @samp{monthly} commands for the given
516non-Gregorian day-within-month in every month, and the @samp{yearly}
517commands for the given non-Gregorian day and month in every year.
c5184807 518
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519@node Diary Display
520@subsection Diary Display
d21d2618 521@vindex diary-display-function
36c0514c 522@findex diary-simple-display
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523@findex diary-fancy-display
524@cindex diary buffer
c5184807 525
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526 Diary display works by preparing the list of diary entries and then
527running the function specified by the variable
528@code{diary-display-function}. The default value
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529@code{diary-fancy-display} displays diary entries and holidays by
530copying them into a special buffer that exists only for the sake of
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531display. Copying diary entries to a separate buffer provides an
532opportunity to change the displayed text to make it prettier---for
533example, to sort the entries by the dates they apply to.
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534
535@vindex diary-list-include-blanks
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536 Ordinarily, the fancy diary buffer does not show days for which there
537are no diary entries, even if that day is a holiday. If you want such
538days to be shown in the fancy diary buffer, set the variable
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539@code{diary-list-include-blanks} to @code{t}.@refill
540
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541@c View mode does not seem to be described in the manual.
542@c buffers.texi has a brief mention.
543 The fancy diary buffer enables View mode, a minor mode that provides
544commands for scrolling and searching the text. For example, @key{SPC}
545and @key{DEL} scroll forward and backward, and @key{s} starts an
546incremental search. See the documentation of the function
547@code{view-mode} for more information.
548
549 The alternative display method @code{diary-simple-display} shows the
550actual diary buffer, and uses invisible text to hide entries that don't
551apply. Holidays are shown in the mode line. The advantage of this
552method is that you can edit the buffer and save your changes directly to
553the diary file. This method is not as flexible as the fancy method,
554however. For example, it cannot sort entries. Another disadvantage is
555that invisible text can be confusing. For example, if you copy a region
556of text in order to paste it elsewhere, invisible text may be included.
557Similarly, since the diary buffer as you see it is an illusion, simply
558printing the buffer may not print what you see on your screen.
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559
560@vindex diary-print-entries-hook
561@findex diary-print-entries
562 For this reason, there is a special command to print hard copy of the
563diary buffer @emph{as it appears}; this command is @kbd{M-x
564diary-print-entries}. It works with either display method, although
565with the fancy display you can also print the buffer like any other. To
566print a hard copy of a day-by-day diary for a week, position point on
567the first day of the week, type @kbd{7 d}, and then do @kbd{M-x
568diary-print-entries}. As usual, the inclusion of the holidays slows
569down the display slightly; you can speed things up by setting the
570variable @code{diary-show-holidays-flag} to @code{nil}.
571
572 This command prepares a temporary buffer that contains only the diary
573entries currently visible in the diary buffer. Unlike with the simple
574display, the other irrelevant entries are really absent, not just
575hidden. After preparing the buffer, it runs the hook
576@code{diary-print-entries-hook}. The default value of this hook sends
577the data directly to the printer with the command @code{lpr-buffer}
578(@pxref{Printing}). If you want to use a different command to do the
579printing, just change the value of this hook. Other uses might include,
580for example, rearranging the lines into order by day and time.
581
582 You can edit the diary entries as they appear in the simple diary
583window, but it is important to remember that the buffer displayed
584contains the @emph{entire} diary file, with portions of it concealed
585from view. This means, for instance, that the @kbd{C-f}
586(@code{forward-char}) command can put point at what appears to be the
587end of the line, but what is in reality the middle of some concealed
588line.
589
590 @emph{Be careful when editing the diary entries in the simple display!}
591Inserting additional lines or adding/deleting characters in the middle
592of a visible line cannot cause problems, but editing at the end of a
593line may not do what you expect. Deleting a line may delete other
594invisible entries that follow it. Before editing the simple diary
595buffer, it is best to display the entire file with @kbd{s}
596(@code{diary-show-all-entries}).
597
598@node Fancy Diary Display
599@subsection Fancy Diary Display
600
601The following features only work with the fancy diary display.
602
c5184807 603@cindex sorting diary entries
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604 You can use the normal hook @code{diary-list-entries-hook} to sort
605each day's diary entries by their time of day. Here's how:
c5184807 606
36c0514c 607@findex diary-sort-entries
c5184807 608@example
36c0514c 609(add-hook 'diary-list-entries-hook 'diary-sort-entries t)
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610@end example
611
612@noindent
613For each day, this sorts diary entries that begin with a recognizable
614time of day according to their times. Diary entries without times come
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615first within each day. Note how the sort command is placed at the end
616of the hook list, in case earlier members of the list change the order
617of the diary entries, or add items.
c5184807 618
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619@vindex diary-comment-start
620 You can write @samp{comments} in diary entries, by setting the
621variables @code{diary-comment-start} and @code{diary-comment-end} to
622strings that delimit comments. The fancy display does not print
623comments. You might want to put meta-data for the use of other packages
624(e.g. the appointment package,
625@iftex
626@pxref{Appointments,,,emacs, the Emacs Manual})
627@end iftex
628@ifnottex
629@pxref{Appointments})
630@end ifnottex
631inside comments.
632
f9b4c05d 633@vindex diary-include-string
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634 Your main diary file can include other files. This permits a group of
635people to share a diary file for events that apply to all of them.
636Lines in the diary file starting with @code{diary-include-string}:
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637
638@smallexample
639#include "@var{filename}"
640@end smallexample
641
642@noindent
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643include the diary entries from the file @var{filename} in the fancy
644diary buffer. The include mechanism is recursive, so that included
645files can include other files, and so on (you must be careful not to
646have a cycle of inclusions, of course). Here is how to enable the
647include facility:
c5184807 648
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649@vindex diary-list-entries-hook
650@vindex diary-mark-entries-hook
651@findex diary-include-other-diary-files
652@findex diary-mark-included-diary-files
c5184807 653@smallexample
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654(add-hook 'diary-list-entries-hook 'diary-include-other-diary-files)
655(add-hook 'diary-mark-entries-hook 'diary-mark-included-diary-files)
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656@end smallexample
657
658The include mechanism works only with the fancy diary display, because
cad04c66 659simple diary display shows the entries directly from your diary file.
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660
661@node Sexp Diary Entries
662@subsection Sexp Entries and the Fancy Diary Display
663@cindex sexp diary entries
664
f9b4c05d 665@vindex diary-sexp-entry-symbol
c5184807 666 Sexp diary entries allow you to do more than just have complicated
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667conditions under which a diary entry applies. Sexp entries should be
668preceded by @code{diary-sexp-entry-symbol} (default @samp{%%}) in the
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669diary file. With the fancy diary display, sexp entries can generate the
670text of the entry depending on the date itself.
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671
672For example, an anniversary diary entry can insert
c5184807 673the number of years since the anniversary date into the text of the
5de4980c 674diary entry. Thus the @samp{%d} in this diary entry:
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675
676@findex diary-anniversary
677@smallexample
678%%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's birthday (%d years old)
679@end smallexample
680
681@noindent
682gets replaced by the age, so on October 31, 1990 the entry appears in
683the fancy diary buffer like this:
684
685@smallexample
686Arthur's birthday (42 years old)
687@end smallexample
688
689@noindent
690If the diary file instead contains this entry:
691
692@smallexample
693%%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's %d%s birthday
694@end smallexample
695
696@noindent
697the entry in the fancy diary buffer for October 31, 1990 appears like this:
698
699@smallexample
700Arthur's 42nd birthday
701@end smallexample
702
703 Similarly, cyclic diary entries can interpolate the number of repetitions
704that have occurred:
705
706@findex diary-cyclic
707@smallexample
708%%(diary-cyclic 50 1 1 1990) Renew medication (%d%s time)
709@end smallexample
710
711@noindent
712looks like this:
713
714@smallexample
715Renew medication (5th time)
716@end smallexample
717
718@noindent
719in the fancy diary display on September 8, 1990.
720
721 There is an early reminder diary sexp that includes its entry in the
722diary not only on the date of occurrence, but also on earlier dates.
723For example, if you want a reminder a week before your anniversary, you
724can use
725
726@findex diary-remind
727@smallexample
728%%(diary-remind '(diary-anniversary 12 22 1968) 7) Ed's anniversary
729@end smallexample
730
731@noindent
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732and the fancy diary will show @samp{Ed's anniversary} both on December
73315 and on December 22.
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734
735@findex diary-date
736 The function @code{diary-date} applies to dates described by a month,
737day, year combination, each of which can be an integer, a list of
f9b4c05d 738integers, or @code{t} (meaning all values). For example,
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739
740@smallexample
741%%(diary-date '(10 11 12) 22 t) Rake leaves
742@end smallexample
743
744@noindent
745causes the fancy diary to show
746
747@smallexample
748Rake leaves
749@end smallexample
750
751@noindent
752on October 22, November 22, and December 22 of every year.
753
754@findex diary-float
755 The function @code{diary-float} allows you to describe diary entries
756that apply to dates like the third Friday of November, or the last
757Tuesday in April. The parameters are the @var{month}, @var{dayname},
f9b4c05d 758and an index @var{n}. The entry appears on the @var{n}th @var{dayname}
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759after the first day of @var{month}, where @var{dayname}=0 means Sunday,
7601 means Monday, and so on. If @var{n} is negative it counts backward
761from the end of @var{month}. The value of @var{month} can be a list of
762months, a single month, or @code{t} to specify all months. You can also
763use an optional parameter @var{day} to specify the @var{n}th
764@var{dayname} on or after/before @var{day} of @var{month}; the value of
765@var{day} defaults to 1 if @var{n} is positive and to the last day of
766@var{month} if @var{n} is negative. For example,
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767
768@smallexample
769%%(diary-float t 1 -1) Pay rent
770@end smallexample
771
772@noindent
773causes the fancy diary to show
774
775@smallexample
776Pay rent
777@end smallexample
778
779@noindent
780on the last Monday of every month.
781
782 The generality of sexp diary entries lets you specify any diary
783entry that you can describe algorithmically. A sexp diary entry
784contains an expression that computes whether the entry applies to any
785given date. If its value is non-@code{nil}, the entry applies to that
786date; otherwise, it does not. The expression can use the variable
787@code{date} to find the date being considered; its value is a list
788(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year}) that refers to the Gregorian
789calendar.
790
791 The sexp diary entry applies to a date when the expression's value
792is non-@code{nil}, but some values have more specific meanings. If
793the value is a string, that string is a description of the event which
794occurs on that date. The value can also have the form
795@code{(@var{mark} . @var{string})}; then @var{mark} specifies how to
796mark the date in the calendar, and @var{string} is the description of
797the event. If @var{mark} is a single-character string, that character
798appears next to the date in the calendar. If @var{mark} is a face
799name, the date is displayed in that face. If @var{mark} is
800@code{nil}, that specifies no particular highlighting for the date.
801
802 Suppose you get paid on the 21st of the month if it is a weekday, and
803on the Friday before if the 21st is on a weekend. Here is how to write
804a sexp diary entry that matches those dates:
805
806@smallexample
807&%%(let ((dayname (calendar-day-of-week date))
f9b4c05d 808 (day (cadr date)))
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809 (or (and (= day 21) (memq dayname '(1 2 3 4 5)))
810 (and (memq day '(19 20)) (= dayname 5)))
811 ) Pay check deposited
812@end smallexample
813
814 The following sexp diary entries take advantage of the ability (in the fancy
815diary display) to concoct diary entries whose text varies based on the date:
816
817@findex diary-sunrise-sunset
8ce2c66f 818@findex diary-lunar-phases
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819@findex diary-day-of-year
820@findex diary-iso-date
821@findex diary-julian-date
822@findex diary-astro-day-number
36c0514c 823@findex diary-bahai-date
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824@findex diary-chinese-date
825@findex diary-coptic-date
826@findex diary-ethiopic-date
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827@findex diary-hebrew-date
828@findex diary-islamic-date
829@findex diary-french-date
830@findex diary-mayan-date
f9b4c05d 831@findex diary-persian-date
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832@table @code
833@item %%(diary-sunrise-sunset)
f9b4c05d 834Make a diary entry for today's local times of sunrise and sunset.
8ce2c66f 835@item %%(diary-lunar-phases)
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836Make a diary entry for the phases (quarters) of the moon.
837@item %%(diary-day-of-year)
838Make a diary entry with today's day number in the current year and the number
839of days remaining in the current year.
840@item %%(diary-iso-date)
841Make a diary entry with today's equivalent ISO commercial date.
842@item %%(diary-julian-date)
f9b4c05d 843Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Julian calendar date.
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844@item %%(diary-astro-day-number)
845Make a diary entry with today's equivalent astronomical (Julian) day number.
36c0514c 846@item %%(diary-bahai-date)
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847Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Baha'i calendar date.
848@item %%(diary-chinese-date)
849Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Chinese calendar date.
850@item %%(diary-coptic-date)
851Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Coptic calendar date.
852@item %%(diary-ethiopic-date)
853Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Ethiopic calendar date.
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854@item %%(diary-french-date)
855Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the French Revolutionary
856calendar.
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857@item %%(diary-hebrew-date)
858Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Hebrew calendar date.
859@item %%(diary-islamic-date)
860Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Islamic calendar date.
c5184807 861@item %%(diary-mayan-date)
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862Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Mayan calendar date.
863@item %%(diary-persian-date)
864Make a diary entry with today's equivalent Persian calendar date.
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865@end table
866
867@noindent
f9b4c05d 868For example, including the diary entry
c5184807 869
f9b4c05d 870@smallexample
c5184807 871&%%(diary-hebrew-date)
f9b4c05d 872@end smallexample
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873
874@noindent
875causes every day's diary display to contain the equivalent date on the
876Hebrew calendar, if you are using the fancy diary display. (With simple
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877diary display, the literal line @samp{&%%(diary-hebrew-date)} appears in
878the diary for any date.)
c5184807 879
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880 This function has been used to construct certain standard Hebrew sexp
881diary entries:
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882
883@cindex rosh hodesh
36c0514c 884@findex diary-hebrew-rosh-hodesh
c5184807 885@cindex parasha, weekly
36c0514c 886@findex diary-hebrew-parasha
c5184807 887@cindex candle lighting times
36c0514c 888@findex diary-hebrew-sabbath-candles
c5184807 889@cindex omer count
36c0514c 890@findex diary-hebrew-omer
c5184807 891@cindex yahrzeits
36c0514c 892@findex diary-hebrew-yahrzeit
c5184807 893@table @code
36c0514c 894@item %%(diary-hebrew-rosh-hodesh)
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895Make a diary entry that tells the occurrence and ritual announcement of each
896new Hebrew month.
36c0514c 897@item %%(diary-hebrew-parasha)
c5184807 898Make a Saturday diary entry that tells the weekly synagogue scripture reading.
36c0514c 899@item %%(diary-hebrew-sabbath-candles)
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900Make a Friday diary entry that tells the @emph{local time} of Sabbath
901candle lighting.
36c0514c 902@item %%(diary-hebrew-omer)
c5184807 903Make a diary entry that gives the omer count, when appropriate.
36c0514c 904@item %%(diary-hebrew-yahrzeit @var{month} @var{day} @var{year}) @var{name}
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905Make a diary entry marking the anniversary of a date of death. The date
906is the @emph{Gregorian} (civil) date of death. The diary entry appears
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907on the proper Hebrew calendar anniversary and on the day before. (The
908order of the parameters changes according to the calendar date style;
909for example in the European style to @var{day}, @var{month}, @var{year}.)
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910@end table
911
912 All the functions documented above take an optional argument
913@var{mark} which specifies how to mark the date in the calendar display.
914If one of these functions decides that it applies to a certain date,
f9b4c05d 915it returns a value that contains @var{mark}, as described above.