| 1 | @c -*-texinfo-*- |
| 2 | @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. |
| 3 | @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
| 4 | @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
| 5 | @node Calendar, Tips, Display, Top |
| 6 | @chapter Customizing the Calendar and Diary |
| 7 | |
| 8 | There are many customizations that you can use to make the calendar and |
| 9 | diary suit your personal tastes. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | @menu |
| 12 | * Calendar Customizing:: Defaults you can set. |
| 13 | * Holiday Customizing:: Defining your own holidays. |
| 14 | * Date Display Format:: Changing the format. |
| 15 | * Time Display Format:: Changing the format. |
| 16 | * Daylight Savings:: Changing the default. |
| 17 | * Diary Customizing:: Defaults you can set. |
| 18 | * Hebrew/Islamic Entries:: How to obtain them. |
| 19 | * Fancy Diary Display:: Enhancing the diary display, sorting entries, |
| 20 | using included diary files. |
| 21 | * Sexp Diary Entries:: Fancy things you can do. |
| 22 | * Appt Customizing:: Customizing appointment reminders. |
| 23 | @end menu |
| 24 | |
| 25 | @node Calendar Customizing |
| 26 | @section Customizing the Calendar |
| 27 | @vindex view-diary-entries-initially |
| 28 | |
| 29 | If you set the variable @code{view-diary-entries-initially} to |
| 30 | @code{t}, calling up the calendar automatically displays the diary |
| 31 | entries for the current date as well. The diary dates appear only if |
| 32 | the current date is visible. If you add both of the following lines to |
| 33 | your @file{.emacs} file:@refill |
| 34 | |
| 35 | @example |
| 36 | (setq view-diary-entries-initially t) |
| 37 | (calendar) |
| 38 | @end example |
| 39 | |
| 40 | @noindent |
| 41 | they display both the calendar and diary windows whenever you start Emacs. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | @vindex view-calendar-holidays-initially |
| 44 | Similarly, if you set the variable |
| 45 | @code{view-calendar-holidays-initially} to @code{t}, entering the |
| 46 | calendar automatically displays a list of holidays for the current three |
| 47 | month period. The holiday list appears in a separate window.@refill |
| 48 | |
| 49 | @vindex mark-diary-entries-in-calendar |
| 50 | You can set the variable @code{mark-diary-entries-in-calendar} to |
| 51 | @code{t} in order to mark any dates with diary entries. This takes |
| 52 | effect whenever the calendar window contents are recomputed. There are |
| 53 | two ways of marking these dates: by changing the face (@pxref{Faces}), |
| 54 | if the display supports that, or by placing a plus sign (@samp{+}) |
| 55 | beside the date otherwise. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | @vindex mark-holidays-in-calendar |
| 58 | Similarly, setting the variable @code{mark-holidays-in-calendar} to |
| 59 | @code{t} marks holiday dates, either with a change of face or with an |
| 60 | asterisk (@samp{*}). |
| 61 | |
| 62 | @vindex calendar-holiday-marker |
| 63 | @vindex diary-entry-marker |
| 64 | The variable @code{calendar-holiday-marker} specifies how to mark a |
| 65 | date as being a holiday. Its value may be a character to insert next to |
| 66 | the date, or a face name to use for displaying the date. Likewise, the |
| 67 | variable @code{diary-entry-marker} specifies how to mark a date that has |
| 68 | diary entries. |
| 69 | |
| 70 | @vindex calendar-load-hook |
| 71 | The variable @code{calendar-load-hook} is a normal hook run when the |
| 72 | calendar package is first loaded (before actually starting to display |
| 73 | the calendar). |
| 74 | |
| 75 | @vindex initial-calendar-window-hook |
| 76 | Starting the calendar runs the normal hook |
| 77 | @code{initial-calendar-window-hook}. Recomputation of the calendar |
| 78 | display does not run this hook. But if you leave the calendar with the |
| 79 | @kbd{q} command and reenter it, the hook runs again.@refill |
| 80 | |
| 81 | @vindex today-visible-calendar-hook |
| 82 | The variable @code{today-visible-calendar-hook} is a normal hook run |
| 83 | after the calendar buffer has been prepared with the calendar when the |
| 84 | current date is visible in the window. One use of this hook is to |
| 85 | replace today's date with asterisks; to do that, use the hook function |
| 86 | @code{calendar-star-date}. |
| 87 | |
| 88 | @findex calendar-star-date |
| 89 | @example |
| 90 | (add-hook 'today-visible-calendar-hook 'calendar-star-date) |
| 91 | @end example |
| 92 | |
| 93 | @noindent |
| 94 | Another standard hook function marks the current date, either by |
| 95 | changing its face or by adding an asterisk. Here's how to use it: |
| 96 | |
| 97 | @findex calendar-mark-today |
| 98 | @example |
| 99 | (add-hook 'today-visible-calendar-hook 'calendar-mark-today) |
| 100 | @end example |
| 101 | |
| 102 | @noindent |
| 103 | @vindex calendar-today-marker |
| 104 | The variable @code{calendar-today-marker} specifies how to mark today's |
| 105 | date. Its value should be a character to insert next to the date or a |
| 106 | face name to use for displaying the date. |
| 107 | |
| 108 | @vindex today-invisible-calendar-hook |
| 109 | @noindent |
| 110 | A similar normal hook, @code{today-invisible-calendar-hook} is run if |
| 111 | the current date is @emph{not} visible in the window. |
| 112 | |
| 113 | @node Holiday Customizing |
| 114 | @section Customizing the Holidays |
| 115 | |
| 116 | @vindex calendar-holidays |
| 117 | @vindex christian-holidays |
| 118 | @vindex hebrew-holidays |
| 119 | @vindex islamic-holidays |
| 120 | Emacs knows about holidays defined by entries on one of several lists. |
| 121 | You can customize theses lists of holidays to your own needs, adding |
| 122 | holidays or deleting lists of holidays. The lists of holidays that |
| 123 | Emacs uses are for general holidays (@code{general-holidays}), local |
| 124 | holidays (@code{local-holidays}), Christian holidays |
| 125 | (@code{christian-holidays}), Hebrew (Jewish) holidays |
| 126 | (@code{hebrew-holidays}), Islamic (Moslem) holidays |
| 127 | (@code{islamic-holidays}), and other holidays (@code{other-holidays}). |
| 128 | |
| 129 | @vindex general-holidays |
| 130 | The general holidays are, by default, holidays common throughout the |
| 131 | United States. To eliminate these holidays, set @code{general-holidays} |
| 132 | to @code{nil}. |
| 133 | |
| 134 | @vindex local-holidays |
| 135 | There are no default local holidays (but sites may supply some). You |
| 136 | can set the variable @code{local-holidays} to any list of holidays, as |
| 137 | described below. |
| 138 | |
| 139 | @vindex all-christian-calendar-holidays |
| 140 | @vindex all-hebrew-calendar-holidays |
| 141 | @vindex all-islamic-calendar-holidays |
| 142 | By default, Emacs does not include all the holidays of the religions |
| 143 | that it knows; only those commonly found in secular calendars. For a |
| 144 | more extensive collection of religious holidays, you can set any (or |
| 145 | all) of the variables @code{all-christian-calendar-holidays}, |
| 146 | @code{all-hebrew-calendar-holidays}, or |
| 147 | @code{all-islamic-calendar-holidays} to @code{t}. If you want to |
| 148 | eliminate the religious holidays, set any or all of the corresponding |
| 149 | variables @code{christian-holidays}, @code{hebrew-holidays}, and |
| 150 | @code{islamic-holidays} to @code{nil}.@refill |
| 151 | |
| 152 | @vindex other-holidays |
| 153 | You can set the variable @code{other-holidays} to any list of |
| 154 | holidays. This list, normally empty, is intended for individual use. |
| 155 | |
| 156 | @cindex holiday forms |
| 157 | Each of the lists (@code{general-holidays}, @code{local-holidays}, |
| 158 | @code{christian-holidays}, @code{hebrew-holidays}, |
| 159 | @code{islamic-holidays}, and @code{other-holidays}) is a list of |
| 160 | @dfn{holiday forms}, each holiday form describing a holiday (or |
| 161 | sometimes a list of holidays). |
| 162 | |
| 163 | Here is a table of the possible kinds of holiday form. Day numbers |
| 164 | and month numbers count starting from 1, but day-within-week numbers |
| 165 | count Sunday as 0. The element @var{string} is always the |
| 166 | name of the holiday, as a string. |
| 167 | |
| 168 | @table @code |
| 169 | @item (holiday-fixed @var{month} @var{day} @var{string}) |
| 170 | A fixed date on the Gregorian calendar; @var{month} and |
| 171 | @var{day} are numbers. |
| 172 | |
| 173 | @item (holiday-float @var{month} @var{dayname} @var{k} @var{string}) |
| 174 | The @var{k}th @var{dayname} in @var{month} on the Gregorian calendar |
| 175 | (@var{dayname}=0 for Sunday, and so on); negative @var{k} means count back |
| 176 | from the end of the month. |
| 177 | |
| 178 | @item (holiday-hebrew @var{month} @var{day} @var{string}) |
| 179 | A fixed date on the Hebrew calendar; @var{month} and @var{day} are |
| 180 | numbers. |
| 181 | |
| 182 | @item (holiday-islamic @var{month} @var{day} @var{string}) |
| 183 | A fixed date on the Islamic calendar; @var{month} and @var{day} are |
| 184 | numbers. |
| 185 | |
| 186 | @item (holiday-julian @var{month} @var{day} @var{string}) |
| 187 | A fixed date on the Julian calendar; @var{month} and @var{day} are |
| 188 | numbers. |
| 189 | |
| 190 | @item (holiday-sexp @var{sexp} @var{string}) |
| 191 | A date calculated by the Lisp expression @var{sexp}. The expression |
| 192 | should use the variable @code{year} to compute the date of a holiday, or |
| 193 | @code{nil} if the holiday doesn't happen this year. The value of @var{sexp} |
| 194 | must represent the date as a list of the form @code{(@var{month} @var{day} |
| 195 | @var{year})}. |
| 196 | |
| 197 | @item (@var{function} @r{[}@var{args}@r{]}) |
| 198 | A date calculated by the function @var{function}, called with arguments |
| 199 | @var{args}. |
| 200 | @end table |
| 201 | |
| 202 | For example, suppose you want to add Bastille Day, celebrated in |
| 203 | France on July 14. You can do this as follows: |
| 204 | |
| 205 | @smallexample |
| 206 | (setq other-holidays '((holiday-fixed 7 14 "Bastille Day"))) |
| 207 | @end smallexample |
| 208 | |
| 209 | @noindent |
| 210 | The holiday form @code{(holiday-fixed 7 14 "Bastille Day")} specifies the |
| 211 | fourteenth day of the seventh month (July). |
| 212 | |
| 213 | Many holidays occur on a specific day of the week, at a specific time |
| 214 | of month. Here is a holiday form describing Hurricane Supplication Day, |
| 215 | celebrated in the Virgin Islands on the fourth Monday in August: |
| 216 | |
| 217 | @smallexample |
| 218 | (holiday-float 8 1 4 "Hurricane Supplication Day") |
| 219 | @end smallexample |
| 220 | |
| 221 | @noindent |
| 222 | Here the 8 specifies August, the 1 specifies Monday (Sunday is 0, |
| 223 | Tuesday is 2, and so on), and the 4 specifies the fourth occurrence in |
| 224 | the month (1 specifies the first occurrence, 2 the second occurrence, |
| 225 | @minus{}1 the last occurrence, @minus{}2 the second-to-last occurrence, and |
| 226 | so on). |
| 227 | |
| 228 | You can specify holidays that occur on fixed days of the Hebrew, |
| 229 | Islamic, and Julian calendars too. For example, |
| 230 | |
| 231 | @smallexample |
| 232 | (setq other-holidays |
| 233 | '((holiday-hebrew 10 2 "Last day of Hanukkah") |
| 234 | (holiday-islamic 3 12 "Mohammed's Birthday") |
| 235 | (holiday-julian 4 2 "Jefferson's Birthday"))) |
| 236 | @end smallexample |
| 237 | |
| 238 | @noindent |
| 239 | adds the last day of Hanukkah (since the Hebrew months are numbered with |
| 240 | 1 starting from Nisan), the Islamic feast celebrating Mohammed's |
| 241 | birthday (since the Islamic months are numbered from 1 starting with |
| 242 | Muharram), and Thomas Jefferson's birthday, which is 2 April 1743 on the |
| 243 | Julian calendar. |
| 244 | |
| 245 | To include a holiday conditionally, use either Emacs Lisp's @code{if} or the |
| 246 | @code{holiday-sexp} form. For example, American presidential elections |
| 247 | occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of years |
| 248 | divisible by 4: |
| 249 | |
| 250 | @smallexample |
| 251 | (holiday-sexp (if (= 0 (% year 4)) |
| 252 | (calendar-gregorian-from-absolute |
| 253 | (1+ (calendar-dayname-on-or-before |
| 254 | 1 (+ 6 (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian |
| 255 | (list 11 1 year)))))) |
| 256 | "US Presidential Election")) |
| 257 | @end smallexample |
| 258 | |
| 259 | @noindent |
| 260 | or |
| 261 | |
| 262 | @smallexample |
| 263 | (if (= 0 (% displayed-year 4)) |
| 264 | (fixed 11 |
| 265 | (extract-calendar-day |
| 266 | (calendar-gregorian-from-absolute |
| 267 | (1+ (calendar-dayname-on-or-before |
| 268 | 1 (+ 6 (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian |
| 269 | (list 11 1 displayed-year))))))) |
| 270 | "US Presidential Election")) |
| 271 | @end smallexample |
| 272 | |
| 273 | Some holidays just don't fit into any of these forms because special |
| 274 | calculations are involved in their determination. In such cases you |
| 275 | must write a Lisp function to do the calculation. To include eclipses, |
| 276 | for example, add @code{(eclipses)} to @code{other-holidays} |
| 277 | and write an Emacs Lisp function @code{eclipses} that returns a |
| 278 | (possibly empty) list of the relevant Gregorian dates among the range |
| 279 | visible in the calendar window, with descriptive strings, like this: |
| 280 | |
| 281 | @smallexample |
| 282 | (((6 27 1991) "Lunar Eclipse") ((7 11 1991) "Solar Eclipse") ... ) |
| 283 | @end smallexample |
| 284 | |
| 285 | @node Date Display Format |
| 286 | @section Date Display Format |
| 287 | @vindex calendar-date-display-form |
| 288 | |
| 289 | You can customize the manner of displaying dates in the diary, |
| 290 | in mode lines, and in messages by setting |
| 291 | @code{calendar-date-display-form}. This variable holds a list of |
| 292 | expressions that can involve the variables @code{month}, @code{day}, and |
| 293 | @code{year}, all numbers in string form, and @code{monthname} and |
| 294 | @code{dayname}, both alphabetic strings. In the American style, the |
| 295 | default value of this list is as follows: |
| 296 | |
| 297 | @smallexample |
| 298 | ((if dayname (concat dayname ", ")) monthname " " day ", " year) |
| 299 | @end smallexample |
| 300 | |
| 301 | @noindent |
| 302 | while in the European style this value is the default: |
| 303 | |
| 304 | @smallexample |
| 305 | ((if dayname (concat dayname ", ")) day " " monthname " " year) |
| 306 | @end smallexample |
| 307 | |
| 308 | @noindent |
| 309 | The ISO standard date representation is this: |
| 310 | |
| 311 | @smallexample |
| 312 | (year "-" month "-" day) |
| 313 | @end smallexample |
| 314 | |
| 315 | @noindent |
| 316 | This specifies a typical American format: |
| 317 | |
| 318 | @smallexample |
| 319 | (month "/" day "/" (substring year -2)) |
| 320 | @end smallexample |
| 321 | |
| 322 | @node Time Display Format |
| 323 | @section Time Display Format |
| 324 | @vindex calendar-time-display-form |
| 325 | |
| 326 | The calendar and diary by default display times of day in the |
| 327 | conventional American style with the hours from 1 through 12, minutes, |
| 328 | and either @samp{am} or @samp{pm}. If you prefer the European style, |
| 329 | also known in the US as military, in which the hours go from 00 to 23, |
| 330 | you can alter the variable @code{calendar-time-display-form}. This |
| 331 | variable is a list of expressions that can involve the variables |
| 332 | @code{12-hours}, @code{24-hours}, and @code{minutes}, all numbers in |
| 333 | string form, and @code{am-pm} and @code{time-zone}, both alphabetic |
| 334 | strings. The default value of @code{calendar-time-display-form} is as |
| 335 | follows: |
| 336 | |
| 337 | @smallexample |
| 338 | (12-hours ":" minutes am-pm |
| 339 | (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")")) |
| 340 | @end smallexample |
| 341 | |
| 342 | @noindent |
| 343 | Here is a value that provides European style times: |
| 344 | |
| 345 | @smallexample |
| 346 | (24-hours ":" minutes |
| 347 | (if time-zone " (") time-zone (if time-zone ")")) |
| 348 | @end smallexample |
| 349 | |
| 350 | @node Daylight Savings |
| 351 | @section Daylight Savings Time |
| 352 | @cindex daylight savings time |
| 353 | |
| 354 | Emacs understands the difference between standard time and daylight |
| 355 | savings time---the times given for sunrise, sunset, solstices, |
| 356 | equinoxes, and the phases of the moon take that into account. The rules |
| 357 | for daylight savings time vary from place to place and have also varied |
| 358 | historically from year to year. To do the job properly, Emacs needs to |
| 359 | know which rules to use. |
| 360 | |
| 361 | Some operating systems keep track of the rules that apply to the place |
| 362 | where you are; on these systems, Emacs gets the information it needs |
| 363 | from the system automatically. If some or all of this information is |
| 364 | missing, Emacs fills in the gaps with the rules currently used in |
| 365 | Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is the center of GNU's world. If the |
| 366 | default choice of rules is not appropriate for your location, you can |
| 367 | tell Emacs the rules to use by setting certain variables. |
| 368 | |
| 369 | @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts |
| 370 | @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends |
| 371 | These variables are @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} together |
| 372 | with @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends}. Their values should be Lisp |
| 373 | expressions that refer to the variable @code{year}, and evaluate to the |
| 374 | Gregorian date on which daylight savings time starts or (respectively) |
| 375 | ends, in the form of a list @code{(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year})}. |
| 376 | The values should be @code{nil} if your area does not use daylight |
| 377 | savings time. |
| 378 | |
| 379 | Emacs uses these expressions to determine the starting date of |
| 380 | daylight savings time for the holiday list and for correcting times of |
| 381 | day in the solar and lunar calculations. |
| 382 | |
| 383 | The values for Cambridge, Massachusetts are as follows: |
| 384 | |
| 385 | @example |
| 386 | @group |
| 387 | (calendar-nth-named-day 1 0 4 year) |
| 388 | (calendar-nth-named-day -1 0 10 year) |
| 389 | @end group |
| 390 | @end example |
| 391 | |
| 392 | @noindent |
| 393 | i.e., the first 0th day (Sunday) of the fourth month (April) in |
| 394 | the year specified by @code{year}, and the last Sunday of the tenth month |
| 395 | (October) of that year. If daylight savings time were |
| 396 | changed to start on October 1, you would set |
| 397 | @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} to this: |
| 398 | |
| 399 | @example |
| 400 | (list 10 1 year) |
| 401 | @end example |
| 402 | |
| 403 | For a more complex example, suppose daylight savings time begins on |
| 404 | the first of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. You should set |
| 405 | @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} to this value: |
| 406 | |
| 407 | @example |
| 408 | (calendar-gregorian-from-absolute |
| 409 | (calendar-absolute-from-hebrew |
| 410 | (list 1 1 (+ year 3760)))) |
| 411 | @end example |
| 412 | |
| 413 | @noindent |
| 414 | because Nisan is the first month in the Hebrew calendar and the Hebrew |
| 415 | year differs from the Gregorian year by 3760 at Nisan. |
| 416 | |
| 417 | If there is no daylight savings time at your location, or if you want |
| 418 | all times in standard time, set @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} |
| 419 | and @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends} to @code{nil}. |
| 420 | |
| 421 | @vindex calendar-daylight-time-offset |
| 422 | The variable @code{calendar-daylight-time-offset} specifies the |
| 423 | difference between daylight savings time and standard time, measured in |
| 424 | minutes. The value for Cambridge is 60. |
| 425 | |
| 426 | @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time |
| 427 | @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time |
| 428 | The variable @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time} and the |
| 429 | variable @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time} specify the number |
| 430 | of minutes after midnight local time when the transition to and from |
| 431 | daylight savings time should occur. For Cambridge, both variables' |
| 432 | values are 120. |
| 433 | |
| 434 | @node Diary Customizing |
| 435 | @section Customizing the Diary |
| 436 | |
| 437 | @vindex holidays-in-diary-buffer |
| 438 | Ordinarily, the mode line of the diary buffer window indicates any |
| 439 | holidays that fall on the date of the diary entries. The process of |
| 440 | checking for holidays can take several seconds, so including holiday |
| 441 | information delays the display of the diary buffer noticeably. If you'd |
| 442 | prefer to have a faster display of the diary buffer but without the |
| 443 | holiday information, set the variable @code{holidays-in-diary-buffer} to |
| 444 | @code{nil}.@refill |
| 445 | |
| 446 | @vindex number-of-diary-entries |
| 447 | The variable @code{number-of-diary-entries} controls the number of |
| 448 | days of diary entries to be displayed at one time. It affects the |
| 449 | initial display when @code{view-diary-entries-initially} is @code{t}, as |
| 450 | well as the command @kbd{M-x diary}. For example, the default value is |
| 451 | 1, which says to display only the current day's diary entries. If the |
| 452 | value is 2, both the current day's and the next day's entries are |
| 453 | displayed. The value can also be a vector of seven elements: if the |
| 454 | value is @code{[0 2 2 2 2 4 1]} then no diary entries appear on Sunday, |
| 455 | the current date's and the next day's diary entries appear Monday |
| 456 | through Thursday, Friday through Monday's entries appear on Friday, |
| 457 | while on Saturday only that day's entries appear. |
| 458 | |
| 459 | @vindex print-diary-entries-hook |
| 460 | @findex print-diary-entries |
| 461 | The variable @code{print-diary-entries-hook} is a normal hook run |
| 462 | after preparation of a temporary buffer containing just the diary |
| 463 | entries currently visible in the diary buffer. (The other, irrelevant |
| 464 | diary entries are really absent from the temporary buffer; in the diary |
| 465 | buffer, they are merely hidden.) The default value of this hook does |
| 466 | the printing with the command @code{lpr-buffer}. If you want to use a |
| 467 | different command to do the printing, just change the value of this |
| 468 | hook. Other uses might include, for example, rearranging the lines into |
| 469 | order by day and time. |
| 470 | |
| 471 | @vindex diary-date-forms |
| 472 | You can customize the form of dates in your diary file, if neither the |
| 473 | standard American nor European styles suits your needs, by setting the |
| 474 | variable @code{diary-date-forms}. This variable is a list of patterns |
| 475 | for recognizing a date. Each date pattern is a list whose elements may |
| 476 | be regular expressions (@pxref{Regular Expressions}) or the symbols |
| 477 | @code{month}, @code{day}, @code{year}, @code{monthname}, and |
| 478 | @code{dayname}. All these elements serve as patterns that match certain |
| 479 | kinds of text in the diary file. In order for the date pattern, as a |
| 480 | whole, to match, all of its elements must match consecutively. |
| 481 | |
| 482 | A regular expression in a date pattern matches in its usual fashion, |
| 483 | using the standard syntax table altered so that @samp{*} is a word |
| 484 | constituent. |
| 485 | |
| 486 | The symbols @code{month}, @code{day}, @code{year}, @code{monthname}, |
| 487 | and @code{dayname} match the month number, day number, year number, |
| 488 | month name, and day name of the date being considered. The symbols that |
| 489 | match numbers allow leading zeros; those that match names allow |
| 490 | three-letter abbreviations and capitalization. All the symbols can |
| 491 | match @samp{*}; since @samp{*} in a diary entry means ``any day'', ``any |
| 492 | month'', and so on, it should match regardless of the date being |
| 493 | considered. |
| 494 | |
| 495 | The default value of @code{diary-date-forms} in the American style is |
| 496 | this: |
| 497 | |
| 498 | @example |
| 499 | ((month "/" day "[^/0-9]") |
| 500 | (month "/" day "/" year "[^0-9]") |
| 501 | (monthname " *" day "[^,0-9]") |
| 502 | (monthname " *" day ", *" year "[^0-9]") |
| 503 | (dayname "\\W")) |
| 504 | @end example |
| 505 | |
| 506 | The date patterns in the list must be @emph{mutually exclusive} and |
| 507 | must not match any portion of the diary entry itself, just the date and |
| 508 | one character of whitespace. If, to be mutually exclusive, the pattern |
| 509 | must match a portion of the diary entry text---beyond the whitespace |
| 510 | that ends the date---then the first element of the date pattern |
| 511 | @emph{must} be @code{backup}. This causes the date recognizer to back |
| 512 | up to the beginning of the current word of the diary entry, after |
| 513 | finishing the match. Even if you use @code{backup}, the date pattern |
| 514 | must absolutely not match more than a portion of the first word of the |
| 515 | diary entry. The default value of @code{diary-date-forms} in the |
| 516 | European style is this list: |
| 517 | |
| 518 | @example |
| 519 | ((day "/" month "[^/0-9]") |
| 520 | (day "/" month "/" year "[^0-9]") |
| 521 | (backup day " *" monthname "\\W+\\<[^*0-9]") |
| 522 | (day " *" monthname " *" year "[^0-9]") |
| 523 | (dayname "\\W")) |
| 524 | @end example |
| 525 | |
| 526 | @noindent |
| 527 | Notice the use of @code{backup} in the third pattern, because it needs |
| 528 | to match part of a word beyond the date itself to distinguish it from |
| 529 | the fourth pattern. |
| 530 | |
| 531 | @node Hebrew/Islamic Entries |
| 532 | @section Hebrew- and Islamic-Date Diary Entries |
| 533 | |
| 534 | Your diary file can have entries based on Hebrew or Islamic dates, as |
| 535 | well as entries based on the world-standard Gregorian calendar. |
| 536 | However, because recognition of such entries is time-consuming and most |
| 537 | people don't use them, you must explicitly enable their use. If you |
| 538 | want the diary to recognize Hebrew-date diary entries, for example, |
| 539 | you must do this: |
| 540 | |
| 541 | @vindex nongregorian-diary-listing-hook |
| 542 | @vindex nongregorian-diary-marking-hook |
| 543 | @findex list-hebrew-diary-entries |
| 544 | @findex mark-hebrew-diary-entries |
| 545 | @smallexample |
| 546 | (add-hook 'nongregorian-diary-listing-hook 'list-hebrew-diary-entries) |
| 547 | (add-hook 'nongregorian-diary-marking-hook 'mark-hebrew-diary-entries) |
| 548 | @end smallexample |
| 549 | |
| 550 | @noindent |
| 551 | If you want Islamic-date entries, do this: |
| 552 | |
| 553 | @findex list-islamic-diary-entries |
| 554 | @findex mark-islamic-diary-entries |
| 555 | @smallexample |
| 556 | (add-hook 'nongregorian-diary-listing-hook 'list-islamic-diary-entries) |
| 557 | (add-hook 'nongregorian-diary-marking-hook 'mark-islamic-diary-entries) |
| 558 | @end smallexample |
| 559 | |
| 560 | Hebrew- and Islamic-date diary entries have the same formats as |
| 561 | Gregorian-date diary entries, except that @samp{H} precedes a Hebrew |
| 562 | date and @samp{I} precedes an Islamic date. Moreover, because the |
| 563 | Hebrew and Islamic month names are not uniquely specified by the first |
| 564 | three letters, you may not abbreviate them. For example, a diary entry |
| 565 | for the Hebrew date Heshvan 25 could look like this: |
| 566 | |
| 567 | @smallexample |
| 568 | HHeshvan 25 Happy Hebrew birthday! |
| 569 | @end smallexample |
| 570 | |
| 571 | @noindent |
| 572 | and would appear in the diary for any date that corresponds to Heshvan 25 |
| 573 | on the Hebrew calendar. And here is Islamic-date diary entry that matches |
| 574 | Dhu al-Qada 25: |
| 575 | |
| 576 | @smallexample |
| 577 | IDhu al-Qada 25 Happy Islamic birthday! |
| 578 | @end smallexample |
| 579 | |
| 580 | As with Gregorian-date diary entries, Hebrew- and Islamic-date entries |
| 581 | are nonmarking if they are preceded with an ampersand (@samp{&}). |
| 582 | |
| 583 | Here is a table of commands used in the calendar to create diary entries |
| 584 | that match the selected date and other dates that are similar in the Hebrew |
| 585 | or Islamic calendar: |
| 586 | |
| 587 | @table @kbd |
| 588 | @item i h d |
| 589 | Add a diary entry for the Hebrew date corresponding to the selected date |
| 590 | (@code{insert-hebrew-diary-entry}). |
| 591 | @item i h m |
| 592 | Add a diary entry for the day of the Hebrew month corresponding to the |
| 593 | selected date (@code{insert-monthly-hebrew-diary-entry}). This diary |
| 594 | entry matches any date which has the same Hebrew day-within-month as the |
| 595 | selected date. |
| 596 | @item i h y |
| 597 | Add a diary entry for the day of the Hebrew year corresponding to the |
| 598 | selected date (@code{insert-yearly-hebrew-diary-entry}). This diary |
| 599 | entry matches any date which has the same Hebrew month and day-within-month |
| 600 | as the selected date. |
| 601 | @item i i d |
| 602 | Add a diary entry for the Islamic date corresponding to the selected date |
| 603 | (@code{insert-islamic-diary-entry}). |
| 604 | @item i i m |
| 605 | Add a diary entry for the day of the Islamic month corresponding to the |
| 606 | selected date (@code{insert-monthly-islamic-diary-entry}). |
| 607 | @item i i y |
| 608 | Add a diary entry for the day of the Islamic year corresponding to the |
| 609 | selected date (@code{insert-yearly-islamic-diary-entry}). |
| 610 | @end table |
| 611 | |
| 612 | @findex insert-hebrew-diary-entry |
| 613 | @findex insert-monthly-hebrew-diary-entry |
| 614 | @findex insert-yearly-hebrew-diary-entry |
| 615 | @findex insert-islamic-diary-entry |
| 616 | @findex insert-monthly-islamic-diary-entry |
| 617 | @findex insert-yearly-islamic-diary-entry |
| 618 | These commands work much like the corresponding commands for ordinary |
| 619 | diary entries: they apply to the date that point is on, in the calendar |
| 620 | window, and what they do is insert just the date portion of a diary entry |
| 621 | at the end of your diary file. You must then insert the rest of the |
| 622 | diary entry. |
| 623 | |
| 624 | @node Fancy Diary Display |
| 625 | @section Fancy Diary Display |
| 626 | @vindex diary-display-hook |
| 627 | @findex simple-diary-display |
| 628 | |
| 629 | Diary display works by preparing the diary buffer and then running the |
| 630 | hook @code{diary-display-hook}. The default value of this hook |
| 631 | (@code{simple-diary-display}) hides the irrelevant diary entries and |
| 632 | then displays the buffer. However, if you specify the hook as follows, |
| 633 | |
| 634 | @cindex diary buffer |
| 635 | @findex fancy-diary-display |
| 636 | @example |
| 637 | (add-hook 'diary-display-hook 'fancy-diary-display) |
| 638 | @end example |
| 639 | |
| 640 | @noindent |
| 641 | this enables fancy diary display. It displays diary entries and |
| 642 | holidays by copying them into a special buffer that exists only for the |
| 643 | sake of display. Copying to a separate buffer provides an opportunity |
| 644 | to change the displayed text to make it prettier---for example, to sort |
| 645 | the entries by the dates they apply to. |
| 646 | |
| 647 | As with simple diary display, you can print a hard copy of the buffer |
| 648 | with @code{print-diary-entries}. To print a hard copy of a day-by-day |
| 649 | diary for a week by positioning point on Sunday of that week, type |
| 650 | @kbd{7 d} and then do @kbd{M-x print-diary-entries}. As usual, the |
| 651 | inclusion of the holidays slows down the display slightly; you can speed |
| 652 | things up by setting the variable @code{holidays-in-diary-buffer} to |
| 653 | @code{nil}. |
| 654 | |
| 655 | @vindex diary-list-include-blanks |
| 656 | Ordinarily, the fancy diary buffer does not show days for which there are |
| 657 | no diary entries, even if that day is a holiday. If you want such days to be |
| 658 | shown in the fancy diary buffer, set the variable |
| 659 | @code{diary-list-include-blanks} to @code{t}.@refill |
| 660 | |
| 661 | @cindex sorting diary entries |
| 662 | If you use the fancy diary display, you can use the normal hook |
| 663 | @code{list-diary-entries-hook} to sort each day's diary entries by their |
| 664 | time of day. Here's how |
| 665 | |
| 666 | @findex sort-diary-entries |
| 667 | @example |
| 668 | (add-hook 'list-diary-entries-hook 'sort-diary-entries) |
| 669 | @end example |
| 670 | |
| 671 | @noindent |
| 672 | For each day, this sorts diary entries that begin with a recognizable |
| 673 | time of day according to their times. Diary entries without times come |
| 674 | first within each day. |
| 675 | |
| 676 | Fancy diary display also has the ability to process included diary |
| 677 | files. This permits a group of people to share a diary file for events |
| 678 | that apply to all of them. Lines in the diary file of this form: |
| 679 | |
| 680 | @smallexample |
| 681 | #include "@var{filename}" |
| 682 | @end smallexample |
| 683 | |
| 684 | @noindent |
| 685 | includes the diary entries from the file @var{filename} in the fancy |
| 686 | diary buffer The include mechanism is recursive, so that included files |
| 687 | can include other files, and so on; you must be careful not to have a |
| 688 | cycle of inclusions, of course. Here is how to enable the include |
| 689 | facility: |
| 690 | |
| 691 | @vindex list-diary-entries-hook |
| 692 | @vindex mark-diary-entries-hook |
| 693 | @findex include-other-diary-files |
| 694 | @findex mark-included-diary-files |
| 695 | @smallexample |
| 696 | (add-hook 'list-diary-entries-hook 'include-other-diary-files) |
| 697 | (add-hook 'mark-diary-entries-hook 'mark-included-diary-files) |
| 698 | @end smallexample |
| 699 | |
| 700 | The include mechanism works only with the fancy diary display, because |
| 701 | ordinary diary display shows the entries directly from your diary file. |
| 702 | |
| 703 | @node Sexp Diary Entries |
| 704 | @section Sexp Entries and the Fancy Diary Display |
| 705 | @cindex sexp diary entries |
| 706 | |
| 707 | Sexp diary entries allow you to do more than just have complicated |
| 708 | conditions under which a diary entry applies. If you use the fancy |
| 709 | diary display, sexp entries can generate the text of the entry depending |
| 710 | on the date itself. For example, an anniversary diary entry can insert |
| 711 | the number of years since the anniversary date into the text of the |
| 712 | diary entry. Thus the @samp{%d} in this dairy entry: |
| 713 | |
| 714 | @findex diary-anniversary |
| 715 | @smallexample |
| 716 | %%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's birthday (%d years old) |
| 717 | @end smallexample |
| 718 | |
| 719 | @noindent |
| 720 | gets replaced by the age, so on October 31, 1990 the entry appears in |
| 721 | the fancy diary buffer like this: |
| 722 | |
| 723 | @smallexample |
| 724 | Arthur's birthday (42 years old) |
| 725 | @end smallexample |
| 726 | |
| 727 | @noindent |
| 728 | If the diary file instead contains this entry: |
| 729 | |
| 730 | @smallexample |
| 731 | %%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's %d%s birthday |
| 732 | @end smallexample |
| 733 | |
| 734 | @noindent |
| 735 | the entry in the fancy diary buffer for October 31, 1990 appears like this: |
| 736 | |
| 737 | @smallexample |
| 738 | Arthur's 42nd birthday |
| 739 | @end smallexample |
| 740 | |
| 741 | Similarly, cyclic diary entries can interpolate the number of repetitions |
| 742 | that have occurred: |
| 743 | |
| 744 | @findex diary-cyclic |
| 745 | @smallexample |
| 746 | %%(diary-cyclic 50 1 1 1990) Renew medication (%d%s time) |
| 747 | @end smallexample |
| 748 | |
| 749 | @noindent |
| 750 | looks like this: |
| 751 | |
| 752 | @smallexample |
| 753 | Renew medication (5th time) |
| 754 | @end smallexample |
| 755 | |
| 756 | @noindent |
| 757 | in the fancy diary display on September 8, 1990. |
| 758 | |
| 759 | The generality of sexp diary entries lets you specify any diary entry |
| 760 | that you can describe algorithmically. A sexp diary entry contains an |
| 761 | expression that computes whether the entry applies to any given date. |
| 762 | If its value is non-@code{nil}, the entry applies to that date; |
| 763 | otherwise, it does not. The expression can use the variable @code{date} |
| 764 | to find the date being considered; its value is a list (@var{month} |
| 765 | @var{day} @var{year}) that refers to the Gregorian calendar. |
| 766 | |
| 767 | Suppose you get paid on the 21st of the month if it is a weekday, and |
| 768 | to the Friday before if the 21st is on a weekend. Here is how to write |
| 769 | a sexp diary entry that matches those dates: |
| 770 | |
| 771 | @smallexample |
| 772 | &%%(let ((dayname (calendar-day-of-week date)) |
| 773 | (day (car (cdr date)))) |
| 774 | (or (and (= day 21) (memq dayname '(1 2 3 4 5))) |
| 775 | (and (memq day '(19 20)) (= dayname 5))) |
| 776 | ) Pay check deposited |
| 777 | @end smallexample |
| 778 | |
| 779 | The following sexp diary entries take advantage of the ability (in the fancy |
| 780 | diary display) to concoct diary entries whose text varies based on the date: |
| 781 | |
| 782 | @findex diary-sunrise-sunset |
| 783 | @findex diary-phases-of-moon |
| 784 | @findex diary-day-of-year |
| 785 | @findex diary-iso-date |
| 786 | @findex diary-julian-date |
| 787 | @findex diary-astro-day-number |
| 788 | @findex diary-hebrew-date |
| 789 | @findex diary-islamic-date |
| 790 | @findex diary-french-date |
| 791 | @findex diary-mayan-date |
| 792 | @table @code |
| 793 | @item %%(diary-sunrise-sunset) |
| 794 | Make a diary entry for the local times of today's sunrise and sunset. |
| 795 | @item %%(diary-phases-of-moon) |
| 796 | Make a diary entry for the phases (quarters) of the moon. |
| 797 | @item %%(diary-day-of-year) |
| 798 | Make a diary entry with today's day number in the current year and the number |
| 799 | of days remaining in the current year. |
| 800 | @item %%(diary-iso-date) |
| 801 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent ISO commercial date. |
| 802 | @item %%(diary-julian-date) |
| 803 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the Julian calendar. |
| 804 | @item %%(diary-astro-day-number) |
| 805 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent astronomical (Julian) day number. |
| 806 | @item %%(diary-hebrew-date) |
| 807 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the Hebrew calendar. |
| 808 | @item %%(diary-islamic-date) |
| 809 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the Islamic calendar. |
| 810 | @item %%(diary-french-date) |
| 811 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the French Revolutionary |
| 812 | calendar. |
| 813 | @item %%(diary-mayan-date) |
| 814 | Make a diary entry with today's equivalent date on the Mayan calendar. |
| 815 | @end table |
| 816 | |
| 817 | @noindent |
| 818 | Thus including the diary entry |
| 819 | |
| 820 | @example |
| 821 | &%%(diary-hebrew-date) |
| 822 | @end example |
| 823 | |
| 824 | @noindent |
| 825 | causes every day's diary display to contain the equivalent date on the |
| 826 | Hebrew calendar, if you are using the fancy diary display. (With simple |
| 827 | diary display, the line @samp{&%%(diary-hebrew-date)} appears in the |
| 828 | diary for any date, but does nothing particularly useful.) |
| 829 | |
| 830 | These functions can be used in sexp diary entries based on the Hebrew |
| 831 | calendar in certain standard ways: |
| 832 | |
| 833 | @cindex rosh hodesh |
| 834 | @findex diary-rosh-hodesh |
| 835 | @cindex parasha, weekly |
| 836 | @findex diary-parasha |
| 837 | @cindex candle lighting times |
| 838 | @findex diary-sabbath-candles |
| 839 | @cindex omer count |
| 840 | @findex diary-omer |
| 841 | @cindex yahrzeits |
| 842 | @findex diary-yahrzeit |
| 843 | @table @code |
| 844 | @item %%(diary-rosh-hodesh) |
| 845 | Make a diary entry that tells the occurrence and ritual announcement of each |
| 846 | new Hebrew month. |
| 847 | @item %%(diary-parasha) |
| 848 | Make a Saturday diary entry that tells the weekly synagogue scripture reading. |
| 849 | @item %%(diary-sabbath-candles) |
| 850 | Make a Friday diary entry that tells the @emph{local time} of Sabbath |
| 851 | candle lighting. |
| 852 | @item %%(diary-omer) |
| 853 | Make a diary entry that gives the omer count, when appropriate. |
| 854 | @item %%(diary-yahrzeit @var{month} @var{day} @var{year}) @var{name} |
| 855 | Make a diary entry marking the anniversary of a date of death. The date |
| 856 | is the @emph{Gregorian} (civil) date of death. The diary entry appears |
| 857 | on the proper Hebrew calendar anniversary and on the day before. (In |
| 858 | the European style, the order of the parameters is changed to @var{day}, |
| 859 | @var{month}, @var{year}.) |
| 860 | @end table |
| 861 | |
| 862 | @node Appt Customizing |
| 863 | @section Customizing Appointment Reminders |
| 864 | |
| 865 | You can specify exactly how Emacs reminds you of an appointment and |
| 866 | how far in advance it begins doing so. Here are the variables that you |
| 867 | can set: |
| 868 | |
| 869 | @vindex appt-message-warning-time |
| 870 | @vindex appt-audible |
| 871 | @vindex appt-visible |
| 872 | @vindex appt-display-mode-line |
| 873 | @vindex appt-msg-window |
| 874 | @vindex appt-display-duration |
| 875 | @vindex appt-disp-window-function |
| 876 | @vindex appt-delete-window-function |
| 877 | @table @code |
| 878 | @item appt-message-warning-time |
| 879 | The time in minutes before an appointment that the reminder begins. The |
| 880 | default is 10 minutes. |
| 881 | @item appt-audible |
| 882 | If this is non-@code{nil}, Emacs rings the |
| 883 | terminal bell for appointment reminders. The default is @code{t}. |
| 884 | @item appt-visible |
| 885 | If this is non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the appointment |
| 886 | message in echo area. The default is @code{t}. |
| 887 | @item appt-display-mode-line |
| 888 | If this is non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the number of minutes |
| 889 | to the appointment on the mode line. The default is @code{t}. |
| 890 | @item appt-msg-window |
| 891 | If this is non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the appointment |
| 892 | message in another window. The default is @code{t}. |
| 893 | @item appt-disp-window-function |
| 894 | This variable holds a function to use to create the other window |
| 895 | for the appointment message. |
| 896 | @item appt-delete-window-function |
| 897 | This variable holds a function to use to get rid of the appointment |
| 898 | message window, when its time is up. |
| 899 | @item appt-display-duration |
| 900 | The number of seconds to display an appointment message. The default |
| 901 | is 5 seconds. |
| 902 | @end table |