* lisp/files.el (file-auto-mode-skip): New var.
[bpt/emacs.git] / doc / emacs / calendar.texi
1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. -*- coding: iso-latin-1 -*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985-1987, 1993-1995, 1997, 2000-2012
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5 @node Calendar/Diary
6 @chapter The Calendar and the Diary
7 @cindex calendar
8 @findex calendar
9
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
13 certain projects.
14
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
20 Calendar mode.
21
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}.
26
27 @iftex
28 This chapter describes the basic calendar features.
29 @inforef{Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage,, emacs-xtra}, for information
30 about more specialized features.
31 @end iftex
32
33 @menu
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 * Appointments:: Reminders when it's time to do something.
45 * Importing Diary:: Converting diary events to/from other formats.
46 * Daylight Saving:: How to specify when daylight saving time is active.
47 * Time Intervals:: Keeping track of time intervals.
48 @ifnottex
49 * Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage:: Advanced Calendar/Diary customization.
50 @end ifnottex
51 @end menu
52
53 @node Calendar Motion
54 @section Movement in the Calendar
55
56 @cindex moving inside the calendar
57 Calendar mode provides commands to move through the calendar in
58 logical units of time such as days, weeks, months, and years. If you
59 move outside the three months originally displayed, the calendar
60 display ``scrolls'' automatically through time to make the selected
61 date visible. Moving to a date lets you view its holidays or diary
62 entries, or convert it to other calendars; moving by long time periods
63 is also useful simply to scroll the calendar.
64
65 @menu
66 * Calendar Unit Motion:: Moving by days, weeks, months, and years.
67 * Move to Beginning or End:: Moving to start/end of weeks, months, and years.
68 * Specified Dates:: Moving to the current date or another
69 specific date.
70 @end menu
71
72 @node Calendar Unit Motion
73 @subsection Motion by Standard Lengths of Time
74
75 The commands for movement in the calendar buffer parallel the
76 commands for movement in text. You can move forward and backward by
77 days, weeks, months, and years.
78
79 @table @kbd
80 @item C-f
81 Move point one day forward (@code{calendar-forward-day}).
82 @item C-b
83 Move point one day backward (@code{calendar-backward-day}).
84 @item C-n
85 Move point one week forward (@code{calendar-forward-week}).
86 @item C-p
87 Move point one week backward (@code{calendar-backward-week}).
88 @item M-@}
89 Move point one month forward (@code{calendar-forward-month}).
90 @item M-@{
91 Move point one month backward (@code{calendar-backward-month}).
92 @item C-x ]
93 Move point one year forward (@code{calendar-forward-year}).
94 @item C-x [
95 Move point one year backward (@code{calendar-backward-year}).
96 @end table
97
98 @kindex C-f @r{(Calendar mode)}
99 @findex calendar-forward-day
100 @kindex C-b @r{(Calendar mode)}
101 @findex calendar-backward-day
102 @kindex C-n @r{(Calendar mode)}
103 @findex calendar-forward-week
104 @kindex C-p @r{(Calendar mode)}
105 @findex calendar-backward-week
106 The day and week commands are natural analogues of the usual Emacs
107 commands for moving by characters and by lines. Just as @kbd{C-n}
108 usually moves to the same column in the following line, in Calendar
109 mode it moves to the same day in the following week. And @kbd{C-p}
110 moves to the same day in the previous week.
111
112 The arrow keys are equivalent to @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-n} and
113 @kbd{C-p}, just as they normally are in other modes.
114
115 @kindex M-@} @r{(Calendar mode)}
116 @findex calendar-forward-month
117 @kindex M-@{ @r{(Calendar mode)}
118 @findex calendar-backward-month
119 @kindex C-x ] @r{(Calendar mode)}
120 @findex calendar-forward-year
121 @kindex C-x [ @r{(Calendar mode)}
122 @findex calendar-forward-year
123 The commands for motion by months and years work like those for
124 weeks, but move a larger distance. The month commands @kbd{M-@}} and
125 @kbd{M-@{} move forward or backward by an entire month. The year
126 commands @kbd{C-x ]} and @w{@kbd{C-x [}} move forward or backward a
127 whole year.
128
129 The easiest way to remember these commands is to consider months and
130 years analogous to paragraphs and pages of text, respectively. But
131 the commands themselves are not quite analogous. The ordinary Emacs
132 paragraph commands move to the beginning or end of a paragraph,
133 whereas these month and year commands move by an entire month or an
134 entire year, keeping the same date within the month or year.
135
136 All these commands accept a numeric argument as a repeat count.
137 For convenience, the digit keys and the minus sign specify numeric
138 arguments in Calendar mode even without the Meta modifier. For example,
139 @kbd{100 C-f} moves point 100 days forward from its present location.
140
141 @node Move to Beginning or End
142 @subsection Beginning or End of Week, Month or Year
143
144 A week (or month, or year) is not just a quantity of days; we think of
145 weeks (months, years) as starting on particular dates. So Calendar mode
146 provides commands to move to the start or end of a week, month or year:
147
148 @table @kbd
149 @kindex C-a @r{(Calendar mode)}
150 @findex calendar-beginning-of-week
151 @item C-a
152 Move point to start of week (@code{calendar-beginning-of-week}).
153 @kindex C-e @r{(Calendar mode)}
154 @findex calendar-end-of-week
155 @item C-e
156 Move point to end of week (@code{calendar-end-of-week}).
157 @kindex M-a @r{(Calendar mode)}
158 @findex calendar-beginning-of-month
159 @item M-a
160 Move point to start of month (@code{calendar-beginning-of-month}).
161 @kindex M-e @r{(Calendar mode)}
162 @findex calendar-end-of-month
163 @item M-e
164 Move point to end of month (@code{calendar-end-of-month}).
165 @kindex M-< @r{(Calendar mode)}
166 @findex calendar-beginning-of-year
167 @item M-<
168 Move point to start of year (@code{calendar-beginning-of-year}).
169 @kindex M-> @r{(Calendar mode)}
170 @findex calendar-end-of-year
171 @item M->
172 Move point to end of year (@code{calendar-end-of-year}).
173 @end table
174
175 These commands also take numeric arguments as repeat counts, with the
176 repeat count indicating how many weeks, months, or years to move
177 backward or forward.
178
179 @vindex calendar-week-start-day
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.
184
185 @node Specified Dates
186 @subsection Specified Dates
187
188 Calendar mode provides commands for moving to a particular date
189 specified in various ways.
190
191 @table @kbd
192 @item g d
193 Move point to specified date (@code{calendar-goto-date}).
194 @item g D
195 Move point to specified day of year (@code{calendar-goto-day-of-year}).
196 @item g w
197 Move point to specified week of year (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}).
198 @item o
199 Center calendar around specified month (@code{calendar-other-month}).
200 @item .
201 Move point to today's date (@code{calendar-goto-today}).
202 @end table
203
204 @kindex g d @r{(Calendar mode)}
205 @findex calendar-goto-date
206 @kbd{g d} (@code{calendar-goto-date}) prompts for a year, a month, and a day
207 of the month, and then moves to that date. Because the calendar includes all
208 dates from the beginning of the current era, you must type the year in its
209 entirety; that is, type @samp{1990}, not @samp{90}.
210
211 @kindex g D @r{(Calendar mode)}
212 @findex calendar-goto-day-of-year
213 @kindex g w @r{(Calendar mode)}
214 @findex calendar-iso-goto-week
215 @kbd{g D} (@code{calendar-goto-day-of-year}) prompts for a year and
216 day number, and moves to that date. Negative day numbers count
217 backward from the end of the year. @kbd{g w}
218 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}) prompts for a year and week number,
219 and moves to that week.
220
221 @kindex o @r{(Calendar mode)}
222 @findex calendar-other-month
223 @kbd{o} (@code{calendar-other-month}) prompts for a month and year,
224 then centers the three-month calendar around that month.
225
226 @kindex . @r{(Calendar mode)}
227 @findex calendar-goto-today
228 You can return to today's date with @kbd{.}@:
229 (@code{calendar-goto-today}).
230
231 @node Scroll Calendar
232 @section Scrolling in the Calendar
233
234 @cindex scrolling in the calendar
235 The calendar display scrolls automatically through time when you
236 move out of the visible portion. You can also scroll it manually.
237 Imagine that the calendar window contains a long strip of paper with
238 the months on it. Scrolling the calendar means moving the strip
239 horizontally, so that new months become visible in the window.
240
241 @table @kbd
242 @item >
243 Scroll calendar one month forward (@code{calendar-scroll-left}).
244 @item <
245 Scroll calendar one month backward (@code{calendar-scroll-right}).
246 @item C-v
247 @itemx @key{next}
248 Scroll three months forward (@code{calendar-scroll-left-three-months}).
249 @item M-v
250 @itemx @key{prior}
251 Scroll three months backward (@code{calendar-scroll-right-three-months}).
252 @end table
253
254 @kindex > @r{(Calendar mode)}
255 @findex calendar-scroll-left
256 @kindex < @r{(Calendar mode)}
257 @findex calendar-scroll-right
258 The most basic calendar scroll commands scroll by one month at a
259 time. This means that there are two months of overlap between the
260 display before the command and the display after. @kbd{>} scrolls the
261 calendar contents one month forward in time. @kbd{<} scrolls the
262 contents one month backwards in time.
263
264 @kindex C-v @r{(Calendar mode)}
265 @findex calendar-scroll-left-three-months
266 @kindex M-v @r{(Calendar mode)}
267 @findex calendar-scroll-right-three-months
268 The commands @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v} scroll the calendar by an entire
269 ``screenful''---three months---in analogy with the usual meaning of
270 these commands. @kbd{C-v} makes later dates visible and @kbd{M-v} makes
271 earlier dates visible. These commands take a numeric argument as a
272 repeat count; in particular, since @kbd{C-u} multiplies the next command
273 by four, typing @kbd{C-u C-v} scrolls the calendar forward by a year and
274 typing @kbd{C-u M-v} scrolls the calendar backward by a year.
275
276 The function keys @key{next} and @key{prior} are equivalent to
277 @kbd{C-v} and @kbd{M-v}, just as they are in other modes.
278
279 @node Counting Days
280 @section Counting Days
281
282 @table @kbd
283 @item M-=
284 Display the number of days in the current region
285 (@code{calendar-count-days-region}).
286 @end table
287
288 @kindex M-= @r{(Calendar mode)}
289 @findex calendar-count-days-region
290 To determine the number of days in a range, set the mark on one
291 date using @kbd{C-SPC}, move point to another date, and type @kbd{M-=}
292 (@code{calendar-count-days-region}). The numbers of days shown is
293 @emph{inclusive}; that is, it includes the days specified by mark and
294 point.
295
296 @node General Calendar
297 @section Miscellaneous Calendar Commands
298
299 @table @kbd
300 @item p d
301 Display day-in-year (@code{calendar-print-day-of-year}).
302 @item C-c C-l
303 Regenerate the calendar window (@code{calendar-redraw}).
304 @item SPC
305 Scroll the next window up (@code{scroll-other-window}).
306 @item DEL
307 Scroll the next window down (@code{scroll-other-window-down}).
308 @item q
309 Exit from calendar (@code{calendar-exit}).
310 @end table
311
312 @kindex p d @r{(Calendar mode)}
313 @cindex day of year
314 @findex calendar-print-day-of-year
315 To display the number of days elapsed since the start of the year, or
316 the number of days remaining in the year, type the @kbd{p d} command
317 (@code{calendar-print-day-of-year}). This displays both of those
318 numbers in the echo area. The count of days elapsed includes the
319 selected date. The count of days remaining does not include that
320 date.
321
322 @kindex C-c C-l @r{(Calendar mode)}
323 @findex calendar-redraw
324 If the calendar window text gets corrupted, type @kbd{C-c C-l}
325 (@code{calendar-redraw}) to redraw it. (This can only happen if you use
326 non-Calendar-mode editing commands.)
327
328 @kindex SPC @r{(Calendar mode)}
329 In Calendar mode, you can use @kbd{SPC} (@code{scroll-other-window})
330 and @kbd{DEL} (@code{scroll-other-window-down}) to scroll the other
331 window (if there is one) up or down, respectively. This is handy when
332 you display a list of holidays or diary entries in another window.
333
334 @kindex q @r{(Calendar mode)}
335 @findex exit-calendar
336 @vindex calendar-remove-frame-by-deleting
337 To exit from the calendar, type @kbd{q} (@code{calendar-exit}). This
338 buries all buffers related to the calendar, selecting other buffers.
339 (If a frame contains a dedicated calendar window, exiting from the
340 calendar deletes or iconifies that frame depending on the value of
341 @code{calendar-remove-frame-by-deleting}.)
342
343 @c FIXME this mentions holidays and diary entries, albeit briefly, so
344 @c should it be moved after those sections? Or at least xref them.
345 @node Writing Calendar Files
346 @section Writing Calendar Files
347
348 You can write calendars and diary entries to HTML and La@TeX{} files.
349
350 @cindex calendar and HTML
351 The Calendar HTML commands produce files of HTML code that contain
352 calendar and diary entries. Each file applies to one month, and has a
353 name of the format @file{@var{yyyy}-@var{mm}.html}, where @var{yyyy} and
354 @var{mm} are the four-digit year and two-digit month, respectively. The
355 variable @code{cal-html-directory} specifies the default output
356 directory for the HTML files.
357
358 @vindex cal-html-css-default
359 Diary entries enclosed by @code{<} and @code{>} are interpreted as
360 HTML tags (for example: this is a diary entry with <font
361 color=''red''>some red text</font>). You can change the overall
362 appearance of the displayed HTML pages (for example, the color of
363 various page elements, header styles) via a stylesheet @file{cal.css} in
364 the directory containing the HTML files (see the value of the variable
365 @code{cal-html-css-default} for relevant style settings).
366
367 @kindex t @r{(Calendar mode)}
368 @table @kbd
369 @item H m
370 Generate a one-month calendar (@code{cal-html-cursor-month}).
371 @item H y
372 Generate a calendar file for each month of a year, as well as an index
373 page (@code{cal-html-cursor-year}). By default, this command writes
374 files to a @var{yyyy} subdirectory - if this is altered some hyperlinks
375 between years will not work.
376 @end table
377
378 If the variable @code{cal-html-print-day-number-flag} is
379 non-@code{nil}, then the monthly calendars show the day-of-the-year
380 number. The variable @code{cal-html-year-index-cols} specifies the
381 number of columns in the yearly index page.
382
383 @cindex calendar and La@TeX{}
384 The Calendar La@TeX{} commands produce a buffer of La@TeX{} code that
385 prints as a calendar. Depending on the command you use, the printed
386 calendar covers the day, week, month or year that point is in.
387
388 @kindex t @r{(Calendar mode)}
389 @table @kbd
390 @item t m
391 Generate a one-month calendar (@code{cal-tex-cursor-month}).
392 @item t M
393 Generate a sideways-printing one-month calendar
394 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-month-landscape}).
395 @item t d
396 Generate a one-day calendar
397 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-day}).
398 @item t w 1
399 Generate a one-page calendar for one week
400 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week}).
401 @item t w 2
402 Generate a two-page calendar for one week
403 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week2}).
404 @item t w 3
405 Generate an ISO-style calendar for one week
406 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-iso}).
407 @item t w 4
408 Generate a calendar for one Monday-starting week
409 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-monday}).
410 @item t f w
411 Generate a Filofax-style two-weeks-at-a-glance calendar
412 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-2week}).
413 @item t f W
414 Generate a Filofax-style one-week-at-a-glance calendar
415 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-week}).
416 @item t y
417 Generate a calendar for one year
418 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year}).
419 @item t Y
420 Generate a sideways-printing calendar for one year
421 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year-landscape}).
422 @item t f y
423 Generate a Filofax-style calendar for one year
424 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-year}).
425 @end table
426
427 Some of these commands print the calendar sideways (in ``landscape
428 mode''), so it can be wider than it is long. Some of them use Filofax
429 paper size (3.75in x 6.75in). All of these commands accept a prefix
430 argument, which specifies how many days, weeks, months or years to print
431 (starting always with the selected one).
432
433 If the variable @code{cal-tex-holidays} is non-@code{nil} (the default),
434 then the printed calendars show the holidays in @code{calendar-holidays}.
435 If the variable @code{cal-tex-diary} is non-@code{nil} (the default is
436 @code{nil}), diary entries are included also (in monthly, filofax, and
437 iso-week calendars only). If the variable @code{cal-tex-rules} is
438 non-@code{nil} (the default is @code{nil}), the calendar displays ruled
439 pages in styles that have sufficient room. Consult the documentation of
440 the individual cal-tex functions to see which calendars support which
441 features.
442
443 You can use the variable @code{cal-tex-preamble-extra} to insert extra
444 La@TeX{} commands in the preamble of the generated document if you need
445 to.
446
447 @node Holidays
448 @section Holidays
449 @cindex holidays
450
451 The Emacs calendar knows about many major and minor holidays,
452 and can display them. You can add your own holidays to the default list.
453
454 @table @kbd
455 @item Mouse-3 Holidays
456 @itemx h
457 Display holidays for the selected date
458 (@code{calendar-cursor-holidays}).
459 @item x
460 Mark holidays in the calendar window (@code{calendar-mark-holidays}).
461 @item u
462 Unmark calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
463 @item a
464 List all holidays for the displayed three months in another window
465 (@code{calendar-list-holidays}).
466 @item M-x holidays
467 List all holidays for three months around today's date in another
468 window.
469 @item M-x list-holidays
470 List holidays in another window for a specified range of years.
471 @end table
472
473 @kindex h @r{(Calendar mode)}
474 @findex calendar-cursor-holidays
475 @vindex calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag
476 To see if any holidays fall on a given date, position point on that
477 date in the calendar window and use the @kbd{h} command. Alternatively,
478 click on that date with @kbd{Mouse-3} and then choose @kbd{Holidays}
479 from the menu that appears. Either way, this displays the holidays for
480 that date, in the echo area if they fit there, otherwise in a separate
481 window.
482
483 @kindex x @r{(Calendar mode)}
484 @findex calendar-mark-holidays
485 @kindex u @r{(Calendar mode)}
486 @findex calendar-unmark
487 @vindex calendar-mark-holidays-flag
488 To view the distribution of holidays for all the dates shown in the
489 calendar, use the @kbd{x} command. This displays the dates that are
490 holidays in a different face.
491 @iftex
492 @inforef{Calendar Customizing, calendar-holiday-marker, emacs-xtra}.
493 @end iftex
494 @ifnottex
495 @xref{Calendar Customizing, calendar-holiday-marker}.
496 @end ifnottex
497 The command applies both to the currently visible months and to
498 other months that subsequently become visible by scrolling. To turn
499 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
500 erases any diary marks (@pxref{Diary}). If the variable
501 @code{calendar-mark-holidays-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
502 updating the calendar marks holidays automatically.
503
504 @kindex a @r{(Calendar mode)}
505 @findex calendar-list-holidays
506 To get even more detailed information, use the @kbd{a} command, which
507 displays a separate buffer containing a list of all holidays in the
508 current three-month range. You can use @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} in the
509 calendar window to scroll that list up and down, respectively.
510
511 @findex holidays
512 The command @kbd{M-x holidays} displays the list of holidays for the
513 current month and the preceding and succeeding months; this works even
514 if you don't have a calendar window. If the variable
515 @code{calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating
516 the calendar displays holidays in this way. If you want the list of
517 holidays centered around a different month, use @kbd{C-u M-x
518 holidays}, which prompts for the month and year.
519
520 The holidays known to Emacs include United States holidays and the
521 major Bahá'í, Chinese, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish holidays; also the
522 solstices and equinoxes.
523
524 @findex list-holidays
525 The command @kbd{M-x holiday-list} displays the list of holidays for
526 a range of years. This function asks you for the starting and stopping
527 years, and allows you to choose all the holidays or one of several
528 categories of holidays. You can use this command even if you don't have
529 a calendar window.
530
531 The dates used by Emacs for holidays are based on @emph{current
532 practice}, not historical fact. For example Veteran's Day began in
533 1919, but is shown in earlier years.
534
535 @node Sunrise/Sunset
536 @section Times of Sunrise and Sunset
537 @cindex sunrise and sunset
538
539 Special calendar commands can tell you, to within a minute or two, the
540 times of sunrise and sunset for any date.
541
542 @table @kbd
543 @item Mouse-3 Sunrise/sunset
544 @itemx S
545 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected date
546 (@code{calendar-sunrise-sunset}).
547 @item M-x sunrise-sunset
548 Display times of sunrise and sunset for today's date.
549 @item C-u M-x sunrise-sunset
550 Display times of sunrise and sunset for a specified date.
551 @item M-x calendar-sunrise-sunset-month
552 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected month.
553 @end table
554
555 @kindex S @r{(Calendar mode)}
556 @findex calendar-sunrise-sunset
557 @findex sunrise-sunset
558 Within the calendar, to display the @emph{local times} of sunrise and
559 sunset in the echo area, move point to the date you want, and type
560 @kbd{S}. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-3} on the date, then choose
561 @samp{Sunrise/sunset} from the menu that appears. The command @kbd{M-x
562 sunrise-sunset} is available outside the calendar to display this
563 information for today's date or a specified date. To specify a date
564 other than today, use @kbd{C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}, which prompts for
565 the year, month, and day.
566
567 You can display the times of sunrise and sunset for any location and
568 any date with @kbd{C-u C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}. This asks you for a
569 longitude, latitude, number of minutes difference from Coordinated
570 Universal Time, and date, and then tells you the times of sunrise and
571 sunset for that location on that date.
572
573 Because the times of sunrise and sunset depend on the location on
574 earth, you need to tell Emacs your latitude, longitude, and location
575 name before using these commands. Here is an example of what to set:
576
577 @vindex calendar-location-name
578 @vindex calendar-longitude
579 @vindex calendar-latitude
580 @example
581 (setq calendar-latitude 40.1)
582 (setq calendar-longitude -88.2)
583 (setq calendar-location-name "Urbana, IL")
584 @end example
585
586 @noindent
587 Use one decimal place in the values of @code{calendar-latitude} and
588 @code{calendar-longitude}.
589
590 Your time zone also affects the local time of sunrise and sunset.
591 Emacs usually gets time zone information from the operating system, but
592 if these values are not what you want (or if the operating system does
593 not supply them), you must set them yourself. Here is an example:
594
595 @vindex calendar-time-zone
596 @vindex calendar-standard-time-zone-name
597 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-zone-name
598 @example
599 (setq calendar-time-zone -360)
600 (setq calendar-standard-time-zone-name "CST")
601 (setq calendar-daylight-time-zone-name "CDT")
602 @end example
603
604 @noindent
605 The value of @code{calendar-time-zone} is the number of minutes
606 difference between your local standard time and Coordinated Universal
607 Time (Greenwich time). The values of
608 @code{calendar-standard-time-zone-name} and
609 @code{calendar-daylight-time-zone-name} are the abbreviations used in
610 your time zone. Emacs displays the times of sunrise and sunset
611 @emph{corrected for daylight saving time}. @xref{Daylight Saving},
612 for how daylight saving time is determined.
613
614 As a user, you might find it convenient to set the calendar location
615 variables for your usual physical location in your @file{.emacs} file.
616 If you are a system administrator, you may want to set these variables
617 for all users in a @file{default.el} file. @xref{Init File}.
618
619 @node Lunar Phases
620 @section Phases of the Moon
621 @cindex phases of the moon
622 @cindex moon, phases of
623
624 These calendar commands display the dates and times of the phases of
625 the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter). This
626 feature is useful for debugging problems that ``depend on the phase of
627 the moon''.
628
629 @table @kbd
630 @item M
631 Display the dates and times for all the quarters of the moon for the
632 three-month period shown (@code{calendar-lunar-phases}).
633 @item M-x lunar-phases
634 Display dates and times of the quarters of the moon for three months around
635 today's date.
636 @end table
637
638 @kindex M @r{(Calendar mode)}
639 @findex calendar-lunar-phases
640 Within the calendar, use the @kbd{M} command to display a separate
641 buffer of the phases of the moon for the current three-month range. The
642 dates and times listed are accurate to within a few minutes.
643
644 @findex lunar-phases
645 Outside the calendar, use the command @kbd{M-x lunar-phases} to
646 display the list of the phases of the moon for the current month and the
647 preceding and succeeding months. For information about a different
648 month, use @kbd{C-u M-x lunar-phases}, which prompts for the month and
649 year.
650
651 The dates and times given for the phases of the moon are given in
652 local time (corrected for daylight saving, when appropriate).
653 See the discussion in the previous section. @xref{Sunrise/Sunset}.
654
655 @node Other Calendars
656 @section Conversion To and From Other Calendars
657
658 @cindex Gregorian calendar
659 The Emacs calendar displayed is @emph{always} the Gregorian calendar,
660 sometimes called the ``new style'' calendar, which is used in most of
661 the world today. However, this calendar did not exist before the
662 sixteenth century and was not widely used before the eighteenth century;
663 it did not fully displace the Julian calendar and gain universal
664 acceptance until the early twentieth century. The Emacs calendar can
665 display any month since January, year 1 of the current era, but the
666 calendar displayed is always the Gregorian, even for a date at which
667 the Gregorian calendar did not exist.
668
669 While Emacs cannot display other calendars, it can convert dates to
670 and from several other calendars.
671
672 @menu
673 * Calendar Systems:: The calendars Emacs understands
674 (aside from Gregorian).
675 * To Other Calendar:: Converting the selected date to various calendars.
676 * From Other Calendar:: Moving to a date specified in another calendar.
677 * Mayan Calendar:: Moving to a date specified in a Mayan calendar.
678 @end menu
679
680 @c FIXME perhaps most of the details should be moved to cal-xtra.
681 @c Just list the major supported systems here?
682 @node Calendar Systems
683 @subsection Supported Calendar Systems
684
685 @cindex ISO commercial calendar
686 The ISO commercial calendar is often used in business.
687
688 @cindex Julian calendar
689 The Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, was the one used in Europe
690 throughout medieval times, and in many countries up until the nineteenth
691 century.
692
693 @cindex Julian day numbers
694 @cindex astronomical day numbers
695 Astronomers use a simple counting of days elapsed since noon, Monday,
696 January 1, 4713 B.C. on the Julian calendar. The number of days elapsed
697 is called the @dfn{Julian day number} or the @dfn{Astronomical day number}.
698
699 @cindex Hebrew calendar
700 The Hebrew calendar is used by tradition in the Jewish religion. The
701 Emacs calendar program uses the Hebrew calendar to determine the dates
702 of Jewish holidays. Hebrew calendar dates begin and end at sunset.
703
704 @cindex Islamic calendar
705 The Islamic calendar is used in many predominantly Islamic countries.
706 Emacs uses it to determine the dates of Islamic holidays. There is no
707 universal agreement in the Islamic world about the calendar; Emacs uses
708 a widely accepted version, but the precise dates of Islamic holidays
709 often depend on proclamation by religious authorities, not on
710 calculations. As a consequence, the actual dates of observance can vary
711 slightly from the dates computed by Emacs. Islamic calendar dates begin
712 and end at sunset.
713
714 @cindex French Revolutionary calendar
715 The French Revolutionary calendar was created by the Jacobins after the 1789
716 revolution, to represent a more secular and nature-based view of the annual
717 cycle, and to install a 10-day week in a rationalization measure similar to
718 the metric system. The French government officially abandoned this
719 calendar at the end of 1805.
720
721 @cindex Mayan calendar
722 The Maya of Central America used three separate, overlapping calendar
723 systems, the @emph{long count}, the @emph{tzolkin}, and the @emph{haab}.
724 Emacs knows about all three of these calendars. Experts dispute the
725 exact correlation between the Mayan calendar and our calendar; Emacs uses the
726 Goodman-Martinez-Thompson correlation in its calculations.
727
728 @cindex Coptic calendar
729 @cindex Ethiopic calendar
730 The Copts use a calendar based on the ancient Egyptian solar calendar.
731 Their calendar consists of twelve 30-day months followed by an extra
732 five-day period. Once every fourth year they add a leap day to this
733 extra period to make it six days. The Ethiopic calendar is identical in
734 structure, but has different year numbers and month names.
735
736 @cindex Persian calendar
737 The Persians use a solar calendar based on a design of Omar Khayyam.
738 Their calendar consists of twelve months of which the first six have 31
739 days, the next five have 30 days, and the last has 29 in ordinary years
740 and 30 in leap years. Leap years occur in a complicated pattern every
741 four or five years.
742 The calendar implemented here is the arithmetical Persian calendar
743 championed by Birashk, based on a 2,820-year cycle. It differs from
744 the astronomical Persian calendar, which is based on astronomical
745 events. As of this writing the first future discrepancy is projected
746 to occur on March 20, 2025. It is currently not clear what the
747 official calendar of Iran will be at that time.
748 @c FIXME not so far in the future now.
749
750 @cindex Chinese calendar
751 The Chinese calendar is a complicated system of lunar months arranged
752 into solar years. The years go in cycles of sixty, each year containing
753 either twelve months in an ordinary year or thirteen months in a leap
754 year; each month has either 29 or 30 days. Years, ordinary months, and
755 days are named by combining one of ten ``celestial stems'' with one of
756 twelve ``terrestrial branches'' for a total of sixty names that are
757 repeated in a cycle of sixty.
758
759 @cindex Bahá'í calendar
760 The Bahá'í calendar system is based on a solar cycle of 19 months with
761 19 days each. The four remaining ``intercalary'' days are placed
762 between the 18th and 19th months.
763
764 @node To Other Calendar
765 @subsection Converting To Other Calendars
766
767 The following commands describe the selected date (the date at point)
768 in various other calendar systems:
769
770 @table @kbd
771 @kindex p @r{(Calendar mode)}
772 @findex calendar-print-other-dates
773 @item Mouse-3 Other calendars
774 @itemx p o
775 Display the selected date in various other calendars.
776 (@code{calendar-print-other-dates}).
777 @findex calendar-iso-print-date
778 @item p c
779 Display ISO commercial calendar equivalent for selected day
780 (@code{calendar-iso-print-date}).
781 @findex calendar-julian-print-date
782 @item p j
783 Display Julian date for selected day (@code{calendar-julian-print-date}).
784 @findex calendar-astro-print-day-number
785 @item p a
786 Display astronomical (Julian) day number for selected day
787 (@code{calendar-astro-print-day-number}).
788 @findex calendar-hebrew-print-date
789 @item p h
790 Display Hebrew date for selected day (@code{calendar-hebrew-print-date}).
791 @findex calendar-islamic-print-date
792 @item p i
793 Display Islamic date for selected day (@code{calendar-islamic-print-date}).
794 @findex calendar-french-print-date
795 @item p f
796 Display French Revolutionary date for selected day
797 (@code{calendar-french-print-date}).
798 @findex calendar-bahai-print-date
799 @item p b
800 Display Bahá'í date for selected day
801 (@code{calendar-bahai-print-date}).
802 @findex calendar-chinese-print-date
803 @item p C
804 Display Chinese date for selected day
805 (@code{calendar-chinese-print-date}).
806 @findex calendar-coptic-print-date
807 @item p k
808 Display Coptic date for selected day
809 (@code{calendar-coptic-print-date}).
810 @findex calendar-ethiopic-print-date
811 @item p e
812 Display Ethiopic date for selected day
813 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-print-date}).
814 @findex calendar-persian-print-date
815 @item p p
816 Display Persian date for selected day
817 (@code{calendar-persian-print-date}).
818 @findex calendar-mayan-print-date
819 @item p m
820 Display Mayan date for selected day (@code{calendar-mayan-print-date}).
821 @end table
822
823 Otherwise, move point to the date you want to convert, then type the
824 appropriate command starting with @kbd{p} from the table above. The
825 prefix @kbd{p} is a mnemonic for ``print'', since Emacs ``prints'' the
826 equivalent date in the echo area. @kbd{p o} displays the
827 date in all forms known to Emacs. You can also use @kbd{Mouse-3} and
828 then choose @kbd{Other calendars} from the menu that appears. This
829 displays the equivalent forms of the date in all the calendars Emacs
830 understands, in the form of a menu. (Choosing an alternative from
831 this menu doesn't actually do anything---the menu is used only for
832 display.)
833
834 @node From Other Calendar
835 @subsection Converting From Other Calendars
836
837 You can use the other supported calendars to specify a date to move
838 to. This section describes the commands for doing this using calendars
839 other than Mayan; for the Mayan calendar, see the following section.
840
841 @kindex g @var{char} @r{(Calendar mode)}
842 @findex calendar-iso-goto-date
843 @findex calendar-iso-goto-week
844 @findex calendar-julian-goto-date
845 @findex calendar-astro-goto-day-number
846 @findex calendar-bahai-goto-date
847 @findex calendar-hebrew-goto-date
848 @findex calendar-islamic-goto-date
849 @findex calendar-french-goto-date
850 @findex calendar-chinese-goto-date
851 @findex calendar-persian-goto-date
852 @findex calendar-coptic-goto-date
853 @findex calendar-ethiopic-goto-date
854 @table @kbd
855 @item g c
856 Move to a date specified in the ISO commercial calendar
857 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-date}).
858 @item g w
859 Move to a week specified in the ISO commercial calendar
860 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}).
861 @item g j
862 Move to a date specified in the Julian calendar
863 (@code{calendar-julian-goto-date}).
864 @item g a
865 Move to a date specified with an astronomical (Julian) day number
866 (@code{calendar-astro-goto-day-number}).
867 @item g b
868 Move to a date specified in the Bahá'í calendar
869 (@code{calendar-bahai-goto-date}).
870 @item g h
871 Move to a date specified in the Hebrew calendar
872 (@code{calendar-hebrew-goto-date}).
873 @item g i
874 Move to a date specified in the Islamic calendar
875 (@code{calendar-islamic-goto-date}).
876 @item g f
877 Move to a date specified in the French Revolutionary calendar
878 (@code{calendar-french-goto-date}).
879 @item g C
880 Move to a date specified in the Chinese calendar
881 (@code{calendar-chinese-goto-date}).
882 @item g p
883 Move to a date specified in the Persian calendar
884 (@code{calendar-persian-goto-date}).
885 @item g k
886 Move to a date specified in the Coptic calendar
887 (@code{calendar-coptic-goto-date}).
888 @item g e
889 Move to a date specified in the Ethiopic calendar
890 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-goto-date}).
891 @end table
892
893 These commands ask you for a date on the other calendar, move point
894 to the Gregorian calendar date equivalent to that date, and display
895 the other calendar's date in the echo area. Emacs uses strict
896 completion (@pxref{Completion Exit}) whenever it asks you to type a
897 month name, so you don't have to worry about the spelling of Hebrew,
898 Islamic, or French names.
899
900 @c FIXME move?
901 @findex calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits
902 @cindex yahrzeits
903 One common issue concerning the Hebrew calendar is the computation
904 of the anniversary of a date of death, called a ``yahrzeit''. The Emacs
905 calendar includes a facility for such calculations. If you are in the
906 calendar, the command @kbd{M-x calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits} asks you for
907 a range of years and then displays a list of the yahrzeit dates for those
908 years for the date given by point. If you are not in the calendar,
909 this command first asks you for the date of death and the range of
910 years, and then displays the list of yahrzeit dates.
911
912 @c FIXME move to emacs-xtra.
913 @node Mayan Calendar
914 @subsection Converting from the Mayan Calendar
915
916 Here are the commands to select dates based on the Mayan calendar:
917
918 @table @kbd
919 @item g m l
920 Move to a date specified by the long count calendar
921 (@code{calendar-mayan-goto-long-count-date}).
922 @item g m n t
923 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
924 tzolkin calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-next-tzolkin-date}).
925 @item g m p t
926 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
927 tzolkin calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-tzolkin-date}).
928 @item g m n h
929 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
930 haab calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-next-haab-date}).
931 @item g m p h
932 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
933 haab calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-haab-date}).
934 @item g m n c
935 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
936 calendar round (@code{calendar-mayan-next-calendar-round-date}).
937 @item g m p c
938 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
939 calendar round (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-calendar-round-date}).
940 @end table
941
942 @cindex Mayan long count
943 To understand these commands, you need to understand the Mayan calendars.
944 The @dfn{long count} is a counting of days with these units:
945
946 @display
947 1 kin = 1 day@ @ @ 1 uinal = 20 kin@ @ @ 1 tun = 18 uinal
948 1 katun = 20 tun@ @ @ 1 baktun = 20 katun
949 @end display
950
951 @kindex g m @r{(Calendar mode)}
952 @findex calendar-mayan-goto-long-count-date
953 @noindent
954 Thus, the long count date 12.16.11.16.6 means 12 baktun, 16 katun, 11
955 tun, 16 uinal, and 6 kin. The Emacs calendar can handle Mayan long
956 count dates as early as 7.17.18.13.3, but no earlier. When you use the
957 @kbd{g m l} command, type the Mayan long count date with the baktun,
958 katun, tun, uinal, and kin separated by periods.
959
960 @findex calendar-mayan-previous-tzolkin-date
961 @findex calendar-mayan-next-tzolkin-date
962 @cindex Mayan tzolkin calendar
963 The Mayan tzolkin calendar is a cycle of 260 days formed by a pair of
964 independent cycles of 13 and 20 days. Since this cycle repeats
965 endlessly, Emacs provides commands to move backward and forward to the
966 previous or next point in the cycle. Type @kbd{g m p t} to go to the
967 previous tzolkin date; Emacs asks you for a tzolkin date and moves point
968 to the previous occurrence of that date. Similarly, type @kbd{g m n t}
969 to go to the next occurrence of a tzolkin date.
970
971 @findex calendar-mayan-previous-haab-date
972 @findex calendar-mayan-next-haab-date
973 @cindex Mayan haab calendar
974 The Mayan haab calendar is a cycle of 365 days arranged as 18 months
975 of 20 days each, followed by a 5-day monthless period. Like the tzolkin
976 cycle, this cycle repeats endlessly, and there are commands to move
977 backward and forward to the previous or next point in the cycle. Type
978 @kbd{g m p h} to go to the previous haab date; Emacs asks you for a haab
979 date and moves point to the previous occurrence of that date.
980 Similarly, type @kbd{g m n h} to go to the next occurrence of a haab
981 date.
982
983 @c This is omitted because it is too long for smallbook format.
984 @c @findex calendar-mayan-previous-calendar-round-date
985 @findex calendar-mayan-next-calendar-round-date
986 @cindex Mayan calendar round
987 The Maya also used the combination of the tzolkin date and the haab
988 date. This combination is a cycle of about 52 years called a
989 @emph{calendar round}. If you type @kbd{g m p c}, Emacs asks you for
990 both a haab and a tzolkin date and then moves point to the previous
991 occurrence of that combination. Use @kbd{g m n c} to move point to the
992 next occurrence of a combination. These commands signal an error if the
993 haab/tzolkin date combination you have typed is impossible.
994
995 Emacs uses strict completion (@pxref{Completion Exit}) whenever it
996 asks you to type a Mayan name, so you don't have to worry about
997 spelling.
998
999 @node Diary
1000 @section The Diary
1001 @cindex diary
1002
1003 The Emacs diary keeps track of appointments or other events on a daily
1004 basis, in conjunction with the calendar. To use the diary feature, you
1005 must first create a @dfn{diary file} containing a list of events and
1006 their dates. Then Emacs can automatically pick out and display the
1007 events for today, for the immediate future, or for any specified
1008 date.
1009
1010 The name of the diary file is specified by the variable
1011 @code{diary-file}; @file{~/diary} is the default. Here's an example
1012 showing what that file looks like:
1013
1014 @example
1015 12/22/2012 Twentieth wedding anniversary!!
1016 &1/1. Happy New Year!
1017 10/22 Ruth's birthday.
1018 * 21, *: Payday
1019 Tuesday--weekly meeting with grad students at 10am
1020 Supowit, Shen, Bitner, and Kapoor to attend.
1021 1/13/89 Friday the thirteenth!!
1022 &thu 4pm squash game with Lloyd.
1023 mar 16 Dad's birthday
1024 April 15, 2013 Income tax due.
1025 &* 15 time cards due.
1026 @end example
1027
1028 @noindent
1029 This format is essentially the same as the one used by the separate
1030 @command{calendar} utility that is present on some Unix systems. This
1031 example uses extra spaces to align the event descriptions of most of
1032 the entries. Such formatting is purely a matter of taste.
1033
1034 Although you probably will start by creating a diary manually, Emacs
1035 provides a number of commands to let you view, add, and change diary
1036 entries.
1037
1038 @menu
1039 * Displaying the Diary:: Viewing diary entries and associated calendar dates.
1040 * Format of Diary File:: Entering events in your diary.
1041 * Date Formats:: Various ways you can specify dates.
1042 * Adding to Diary:: Commands to create diary entries.
1043 * Special Diary Entries:: Anniversaries, blocks of dates, cyclic entries, etc.
1044 @end menu
1045
1046 @node Displaying the Diary
1047 @subsection Displaying the Diary
1048
1049 Once you have created a diary file, you can use the calendar to view
1050 it. You can also view today's events outside of Calendar mode. In the
1051 following, key bindings refer to the Calendar buffer.
1052
1053 @table @kbd
1054 @item Mouse-3 Diary
1055 @itemx d
1056 Display all diary entries for the selected date
1057 (@code{diary-view-entries}).
1058 @item s
1059 Display the entire diary file (@code{diary-show-all-entries}).
1060 @item m
1061 Mark all visible dates that have diary entries
1062 (@code{diary-mark-entries}).
1063 @item u
1064 Unmark the calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
1065 @item M-x diary-print-entries
1066 Print hard copy of the diary display as it appears.
1067 @item M-x diary
1068 Display all diary entries for today's date.
1069 @item M-x diary-mail-entries
1070 Mail yourself email reminders about upcoming diary entries.
1071 @end table
1072
1073 @kindex d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1074 @findex diary-view-entries
1075 @vindex calendar-view-diary-initially-flag
1076 Displaying the diary entries with @kbd{d} shows in a separate window
1077 the diary entries for the selected date in the calendar. The mode line
1078 of the new window shows the date of the diary entries. Holidays are
1079 shown either in the buffer or in the mode line, depending on the display
1080 method you choose
1081 @iftex
1082 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1083 @end iftex
1084 @ifnottex
1085 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1086 @end ifnottex
1087 If you specify a numeric argument with @kbd{d}, it shows all the diary
1088 entries for that many successive days. Thus, @kbd{2 d} displays all the
1089 entries for the selected date and for the following day.
1090
1091 Another way to display the diary entries for a date is to click
1092 @kbd{Mouse-3} on the date, and then choose @kbd{Diary entries} from
1093 the menu that appears. If the variable
1094 @code{calendar-view-diary-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating the
1095 calendar lists the diary entries for the current date (provided the
1096 current date is visible).
1097
1098 @kindex m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1099 @findex diary-mark-entries
1100 @vindex calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag
1101 To get a broader view of which days are mentioned in the diary, use
1102 the @kbd{m} command. This marks the dates that have diary entries in
1103 a different face.
1104 @iftex
1105 @inforef{Calendar Customizing, diary-entry-marker, emacs-xtra}.
1106 @end iftex
1107 @ifnottex
1108 @xref{Calendar Customizing, diary-entry-marker}.
1109 @end ifnottex
1110
1111 This command applies both to the months that are currently visible
1112 and to those that subsequently become visible after scrolling. To turn
1113 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
1114 turns off holiday marks (@pxref{Holidays}). If the variable
1115 @code{calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
1116 updating the calendar marks diary dates automatically.
1117
1118 @kindex s @r{(Calendar mode)}
1119 @findex diary-show-all-entries
1120 To see the full diary file, rather than just some of the entries, use
1121 the @kbd{s} command.
1122
1123 @findex diary
1124 The command @kbd{M-x diary} displays the diary entries for the current
1125 date, independently of the calendar display, and optionally for the next
1126 few days as well; the variable @code{diary-number-of-entries} specifies
1127 how many days to include.
1128 @iftex
1129 @inforef{Diary Customizing,, emacs-xtra}.
1130 @end iftex
1131 @ifnottex
1132 @xref{Diary Customizing, diary-number-of-entries}.
1133 @end ifnottex
1134
1135 If you put @code{(diary)} in your @file{.emacs} file, this
1136 automatically displays a window with the day's diary entries when you
1137 start Emacs.
1138
1139 @findex diary-mail-entries
1140 @vindex diary-mail-days
1141 Some people like to receive email notifications of events in their
1142 diary. To send such mail to yourself, use the command @kbd{M-x
1143 diary-mail-entries}. A prefix argument specifies how many days
1144 (starting with today) to check; otherwise, the variable
1145 @code{diary-mail-days} says how many days.
1146
1147 @node Format of Diary File
1148 @subsection The Diary File
1149 @cindex diary file
1150
1151 @vindex diary-file
1152 Your @dfn{diary file} is a file that records events associated with
1153 particular dates. The name of the diary file is specified by the
1154 variable @code{diary-file}; @file{~/diary} is the default. The
1155 @code{calendar} utility program supports a subset of the format allowed
1156 by the Emacs diary facilities, so you can use that utility to view the
1157 diary file, with reasonable results aside from the entries it cannot
1158 understand.
1159
1160 Each entry in the diary file describes one event and consists of one
1161 or more lines. An entry always begins with a date specification at the
1162 left margin. The rest of the entry is simply text to describe the
1163 event. If the entry has more than one line, then the lines after the
1164 first must begin with whitespace to indicate they continue a previous
1165 entry. Lines that do not begin with valid dates and do not continue a
1166 preceding entry are ignored.
1167
1168 You can also use a format where the first line of a diary entry
1169 consists only of the date or day name (with no following blanks or
1170 punctuation). For example:
1171
1172 @example
1173 02/11/2012
1174 Bill B. visits Princeton today
1175 2pm Cognitive Studies Committee meeting
1176 2:30-5:30 Liz at Lawrenceville
1177 4:00pm Dentist appt
1178 7:30pm Dinner at George's
1179 8:00-10:00pm concert
1180 @end example
1181
1182 @noindent
1183 This entry will have a different appearance if you use the simple diary
1184 display
1185 @iftex
1186 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1187 @end iftex
1188 @ifnottex
1189 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1190 @end ifnottex
1191 The simple diary display omits the date line at the beginning; only the
1192 continuation lines appear. This style of entry looks neater when you
1193 display just a single day's entries, but can cause confusion if you ask
1194 for more than one day's entries.
1195
1196 @vindex diary-nonmarking-symbol
1197 You can inhibit the marking of certain diary entries in the calendar
1198 window; to do this, insert the string that
1199 @code{diary-nonmarking-symbol} specifies (default @samp{&}) at the
1200 beginning of the entry, before the date. This
1201 has no effect on display of the entry in the diary window; it only
1202 affects marks on dates in the calendar window. Nonmarking entries are
1203 especially useful for generic entries that would otherwise mark many
1204 different dates.
1205
1206 @node Date Formats
1207 @subsection Date Formats
1208
1209 Here are some sample diary entries, illustrating different ways of
1210 formatting a date. The examples all show dates in American order
1211 (month, day, year), but Calendar mode supports European order (day,
1212 month, year) and ISO order (year, month, day) as options.
1213
1214 @example
1215 4/20/12 Switch-over to new tabulation system
1216 apr. 25 Start tabulating annual results
1217 4/30 Results for April are due
1218 */25 Monthly cycle finishes
1219 Friday Don't leave without backing up files
1220 @end example
1221
1222 The first entry appears only once, on April 20, 2012. The second and
1223 third appear every year on the specified dates, and the fourth uses a
1224 wildcard (asterisk) for the month, so it appears on the 25th of every
1225 month. The final entry appears every week on Friday.
1226
1227 You can use just numbers to express a date, as in
1228 @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}} or @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}/@var{year}}.
1229 This must be followed by a nondigit. In the date itself, @var{month}
1230 and @var{day} are numbers of one or two digits. The optional @var{year}
1231 is also a number, and may be abbreviated to the last two digits; that
1232 is, you can use @samp{11/12/2012} or @samp{11/12/12}.
1233
1234 Dates can also have the form @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}} or
1235 @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}, @var{year}}, where the month's name can
1236 be spelled in full or abbreviated (with or without a period). The
1237 preferred abbreviations for month and day names can be set using
1238 the variables @code{calendar-abbrev-length},
1239 @code{calendar-month-abbrev-array}, and
1240 @code{calendar-day-abbrev-array}. The default is to use the first three
1241 letters of a name as its abbreviation. Case is not significant.
1242
1243 A date may be @dfn{generic}; that is, partially unspecified. Then the
1244 entry applies to all dates that match the specification. If the date
1245 does not contain a year, it is generic and applies to any year.
1246 Alternatively, @var{month}, @var{day}, or @var{year} can be @samp{*};
1247 this matches any month, day, or year, respectively. Thus, a diary entry
1248 @samp{3/*/*} matches any day in March of any year; so does @samp{march
1249 *}.
1250
1251 @vindex calendar-date-style
1252 @findex calendar-set-date-style
1253 If you prefer the European style of writing dates (in which the day
1254 comes before the month), or the ISO style (in which the order is year,
1255 month, day), type @kbd{M-x calendar-set-date-style} while in the
1256 calendar, or customize the variable @code{calendar-date-style}. This
1257 affects how diary dates are interpreted, date display, and the order in
1258 which some commands expect their arguments to be given.
1259
1260 You can use the name of a day of the week as a generic date which
1261 applies to any date falling on that day of the week. You can abbreviate
1262 the day of the week as described above, or spell it in full; case is not
1263 significant.
1264
1265 @node Adding to Diary
1266 @subsection Commands to Add to the Diary
1267
1268 While in the calendar, there are several commands to create diary
1269 entries. The basic commands are listed here; more sophisticated
1270 commands are in the next section (@pxref{Special Diary Entries}).
1271 Entries can also be based on non-Gregorian calendars.
1272 @iftex
1273 @inforef{Non-Gregorian Diary,, emacs-xtra}.
1274 @end iftex
1275 @ifnottex
1276 @xref{Non-Gregorian Diary}.
1277 @end ifnottex
1278
1279 @table @kbd
1280 @item i d
1281 Add a diary entry for the selected date (@code{diary-insert-entry}).
1282 @item i w
1283 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the week (@code{diary-insert-weekly-entry}).
1284 @item i m
1285 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the month (@code{diary-insert-monthly-entry}).
1286 @item i y
1287 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the year (@code{diary-insert-yearly-entry}).
1288 @end table
1289
1290 @kindex i d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1291 @findex diary-insert-entry
1292 You can make a diary entry for a specific date by selecting that date
1293 in the calendar window and typing the @kbd{i d} command. This command
1294 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1295 date; you can then type the rest of the diary entry.
1296
1297 @kindex i w @r{(Calendar mode)}
1298 @findex diary-insert-weekly-entry
1299 @kindex i m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1300 @findex diary-insert-monthly-entry
1301 @kindex i y @r{(Calendar mode)}
1302 @findex diary-insert-yearly-entry
1303 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to a specific day of
1304 the week, select that day of the week (any occurrence will do) and type
1305 @kbd{i w}. This inserts the day-of-week as a generic date; you can then
1306 type the rest of the diary entry. You can make a monthly diary entry in
1307 the same fashion: select the day of the month, use the @kbd{i m}
1308 command, and type the rest of the entry. Similarly, you can insert a
1309 yearly diary entry with the @kbd{i y} command.
1310
1311 All of the above commands make marking diary entries by default. To
1312 make a nonmarking diary entry, give a prefix argument to the command.
1313 For example, @kbd{C-u i w} makes a nonmarking weekly diary entry.
1314
1315 When you modify the diary file, be sure to save the file before
1316 exiting Emacs. Saving the diary file after using any of the above
1317 insertion commands will automatically update the diary marks in the
1318 calendar window, if appropriate. You can use the command
1319 @code{calendar-redraw} to force an update at any time.
1320
1321 @node Special Diary Entries
1322 @subsection Special Diary Entries
1323
1324 In addition to entries based on calendar dates, the diary file can
1325 contain @dfn{sexp entries} for regular events such as anniversaries.
1326 These entries are based on Lisp expressions (sexps) that Emacs evaluates
1327 as it scans the diary file. Instead of a date, a sexp entry contains
1328 @samp{%%} followed by a Lisp expression which must begin and end with
1329 parentheses. The Lisp expression determines which dates the entry
1330 applies to.
1331
1332 Calendar mode provides commands to insert certain commonly used
1333 sexp entries:
1334
1335 @table @kbd
1336 @item i a
1337 Add an anniversary diary entry for the selected date
1338 (@code{diary-insert-anniversary-entry}).
1339 @item i b
1340 Add a block diary entry for the current region
1341 (@code{diary-insert-block-entry}).
1342 @item i c
1343 Add a cyclic diary entry starting at the date
1344 (@code{diary-insert-cyclic-entry}).
1345 @end table
1346
1347 @kindex i a @r{(Calendar mode)}
1348 @findex diary-insert-anniversary-entry
1349 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to the anniversary of a
1350 specific date, move point to that date and use the @kbd{i a} command.
1351 This displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts
1352 the anniversary description; you can then type the rest of the diary
1353 entry. The entry looks like this:
1354
1355 @findex diary-anniversary
1356 @example
1357 %%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's birthday
1358 @end example
1359
1360 @noindent
1361 This entry applies to October 31 in any year after 1948; @samp{10 31
1362 1948} specifies the date. (If you are using the European or ISO
1363 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1364 The reason this expression requires a beginning year is that advanced
1365 diary functions can use it to calculate the number of elapsed years.
1366
1367 A @dfn{block} diary entry applies to a specified range of consecutive
1368 dates. Here is a block diary entry that applies to all dates from June
1369 24, 2012 through July 10, 2012:
1370
1371 @findex diary-block
1372 @example
1373 %%(diary-block 6 24 2012 7 10 2012) Vacation
1374 @end example
1375
1376 @noindent
1377 The @samp{6 24 2012} indicates the starting date and the @samp{7 10 2012}
1378 indicates the stopping date. (Again, if you are using the European or ISO
1379 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1380
1381 @kindex i b @r{(Calendar mode)}
1382 @findex diary-insert-block-entry
1383 To insert a block entry, place point and the mark on the two
1384 dates that begin and end the range, and type @kbd{i b}. This command
1385 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1386 block description; you can then type the diary entry.
1387
1388 @kindex i c @r{(Calendar mode)}
1389 @findex diary-insert-cyclic-entry
1390 @dfn{Cyclic} diary entries repeat after a fixed interval of days. To
1391 create one, select the starting date and use the @kbd{i c} command. The
1392 command prompts for the length of interval, then inserts the entry,
1393 which looks like this:
1394
1395 @findex diary-cyclic
1396 @example
1397 %%(diary-cyclic 50 3 1 2012) Renew medication
1398 @end example
1399
1400 @noindent
1401 This entry applies to March 1, 2012 and every 50th day following;
1402 @samp{3 1 2012} specifies the starting date. (If you are using the
1403 European or ISO calendar style, the input order of month, day and year
1404 is different.)
1405
1406 All three of these commands make marking diary entries. To insert a
1407 nonmarking entry, give a prefix argument to the command. For example,
1408 @kbd{C-u i a} makes a nonmarking anniversary diary entry.
1409
1410 Marking sexp diary entries in the calendar can be time-consuming,
1411 since every date visible in the calendar window must be individually
1412 checked. So it's a good idea to make sexp diary entries nonmarking
1413 (with @samp{&}) when possible.
1414
1415 Another sophisticated kind of sexp entry, a @dfn{floating} diary entry,
1416 specifies a regularly occurring event by offsets specified in days,
1417 weeks, and months. It is comparable to a crontab entry interpreted by
1418 the @code{cron} utility. Here is a nonmarking, floating diary entry
1419 that applies to the fourth Thursday in November:
1420
1421 @findex diary-float
1422 @example
1423 &%%(diary-float 11 4 4) American Thanksgiving
1424 @end example
1425
1426 @noindent
1427 The 11 specifies November (the eleventh month), the 4 specifies Thursday
1428 (the fourth day of the week, where Sunday is numbered zero), and the
1429 second 4 specifies the fourth Thursday (1 would mean ``first'', 2 would
1430 mean ``second'', @minus{}2 would mean ``second-to-last'', and so on).
1431 The month can be a single month or a list of months. Thus you could change
1432 the 11 above to @samp{'(1 2 3)} and have the entry apply to the last
1433 Thursday of January, February, and March. If the month is @code{t}, the
1434 entry applies to all months of the year.@refill
1435
1436 Each of the standard sexp diary entries takes an optional parameter
1437 specifying the name of a face or a single-character string to use when
1438 marking the entry in the calendar. Most generally, sexp diary entries
1439 can perform arbitrary computations to determine when they apply.
1440 @iftex
1441 @inforef{Sexp Diary Entries,, emacs-xtra}.
1442 @end iftex
1443 @ifnottex
1444 @xref{Sexp Diary Entries}.
1445 @end ifnottex
1446
1447 @node Appointments
1448 @section Appointments
1449 @cindex appointment notification
1450
1451 @vindex appt-display-format
1452 @vindex appt-audible
1453 @vindex appt-display-mode-line
1454 If you have a diary entry for an appointment, and that diary entry
1455 begins with a recognizable time of day, Emacs can warn you in advance
1456 that an appointment is pending. Emacs alerts you
1457 to the appointment by displaying a message in your chosen format, as
1458 specified by the variable @code{appt-display-format}. If the value of
1459 @code{appt-audible} is non-@code{nil}, the warning includes an audible
1460 reminder. In addition, if @code{appt-display-mode-line} is
1461 non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the number of minutes to the
1462 appointment on the mode line.
1463
1464 @vindex appt-display-duration
1465 @vindex appt-disp-window-function
1466 @vindex appt-delete-window-function
1467 If @code{appt-display-format} has the value @code{window}, then the
1468 variable @code{appt-display-duration} controls how long the reminder
1469 window is visible for; and the variables
1470 @code{appt-disp-window-function} and @code{appt-delete-window-function}
1471 give the names of functions used to create and destroy the window,
1472 respectively.
1473
1474 @findex appt-activate
1475 To enable appointment notification, type @kbd{M-x appt-activate}.
1476 With a positive argument, it enables notification; with a negative
1477 argument, it disables notification; with no argument, it toggles.
1478 Enabling notification also sets up an appointment list for today from
1479 the diary file, giving all diary entries found with recognizable times
1480 of day, and reminds you just before each of them.
1481
1482 For example, suppose the diary file contains these lines:
1483
1484 @example
1485 Monday
1486 9:30am Coffee break
1487 12:00pm Lunch
1488 @end example
1489
1490 @vindex appt-message-warning-time
1491 @vindex appt-warning-time-regexp
1492 @noindent
1493 Then on Mondays, you will be reminded at around 9:20am about your
1494 coffee break and at around 11:50am about lunch. The variable
1495 @code{appt-message-warning-time} specifies how many minutes (default 12)
1496 in advance to warn you. This is a default warning time. Each
1497 appointment can specify a different warning time by adding a piece
1498 matching @code{appt-warning-time-regexp} (see that variable's
1499 documentation for details).
1500
1501 You can write times in am/pm style (with @samp{12:00am} standing
1502 for midnight and @samp{12:00pm} standing for noon), or 24-hour
1503 European/military style. You need not be consistent; your diary file
1504 can have a mixture of the two styles. Times must be at the beginning of
1505 diary entries if they are to be recognized.
1506
1507 @vindex appt-display-diary
1508 Emacs updates the appointments list from the diary file
1509 automatically just after midnight. You can force an update at any
1510 time by re-enabling appointment notification. Both these actions also
1511 display the day's diary buffer, unless you set
1512 @code{appt-display-diary} to @code{nil}. The appointments list is
1513 also updated whenever the diary file (or a file it includes; see
1514 @iftex
1515 @inforef{Fancy Diary Display,, emacs-xtra})
1516 @end iftex
1517 @ifnottex
1518 @ref{Fancy Diary Display})
1519 @end ifnottex
1520 is saved.
1521
1522 @findex appt-add
1523 @findex appt-delete
1524 @cindex alarm clock
1525 You can also use the appointment notification facility like an alarm
1526 clock. The command @kbd{M-x appt-add} adds entries to the appointment
1527 list without affecting your diary file. You delete entries from the
1528 appointment list with @kbd{M-x appt-delete}.
1529
1530 @node Importing Diary
1531 @section Importing and Exporting Diary Entries
1532
1533 You can transfer diary entries between Emacs diary files and a
1534 variety of other formats.
1535
1536 @vindex diary-outlook-formats
1537 You can import diary entries from Outlook-generated appointment
1538 messages. While viewing such a message in Rmail or Gnus, do @kbd{M-x
1539 diary-from-outlook} to import the entry. You can make this command
1540 recognize additional appointment message formats by customizing the
1541 variable @code{diary-outlook-formats}.
1542
1543 @c FIXME the name of the RFC is hardly very relevant.
1544 @cindex iCalendar support
1545 The icalendar package allows you to transfer data between your Emacs
1546 diary file and iCalendar files, which are defined in ``RFC
1547 2445---Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification
1548 (iCalendar)'' (as well as the earlier vCalendar format).
1549
1550 @c Importing works for ``ordinary'' (i.e. non-recurring) events, but
1551 @c (at present) may not work correctly (if at all) for recurring events.
1552 @c Exporting of diary files into iCalendar files should work correctly
1553 @c for most diary entries. This feature is a work in progress, so the
1554 @c commands may evolve in future.
1555
1556 @findex icalendar-import-buffer
1557 The command @code{icalendar-import-buffer} extracts
1558 iCalendar data from the current buffer and adds it to your
1559 diary file. This function is also suitable for automatic extraction of
1560 iCalendar data; for example with the Rmail mail client one could use:
1561
1562 @example
1563 (add-hook 'rmail-show-message-hook 'icalendar-import-buffer)
1564 @end example
1565
1566 @findex icalendar-import-file
1567 The command @code{icalendar-import-file} imports an iCalendar file
1568 and adds the results to an Emacs diary file. For example:
1569
1570 @example
1571 (icalendar-import-file "/here/is/calendar.ics"
1572 "/there/goes/ical-diary")
1573 @end example
1574
1575 @noindent
1576 You can use an @code{#include} directive to add the import file contents
1577 to the main diary file, if these are different files.
1578 @iftex
1579 @inforef{Fancy Diary Display,, emacs-xtra}.
1580 @end iftex
1581 @ifnottex
1582 @xref{Fancy Diary Display}.
1583 @end ifnottex
1584
1585
1586 @findex icalendar-export-file, icalendar-export-region
1587 Use @code{icalendar-export-file} to interactively export an entire
1588 Emacs diary file to iCalendar format. To export only a part of a diary
1589 file, mark the relevant area, and call @code{icalendar-export-region}.
1590 In both cases, Emacs appends the result to the target file.
1591
1592 @node Daylight Saving
1593 @section Daylight Saving Time
1594 @cindex daylight saving time
1595
1596 Emacs understands the difference between standard time and daylight
1597 saving time---the times given for sunrise, sunset, solstices,
1598 equinoxes, and the phases of the moon take that into account. The rules
1599 for daylight saving time vary from place to place and have also varied
1600 historically from year to year. To do the job properly, Emacs needs to
1601 know which rules to use.
1602
1603 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts
1604 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends
1605 Some operating systems keep track of the rules that apply to the place
1606 where you are; on these systems, Emacs gets the information it needs
1607 from the system automatically. If some or all of this information is
1608 missing, Emacs fills in the gaps with the rules currently used in
1609 Cambridge, Massachusetts. If the resulting rules are not what you want,
1610 you can tell Emacs the rules to use by setting certain variables:
1611 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} and
1612 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends}.
1613
1614 These values should be Lisp expressions that refer to the variable
1615 @code{year}, and evaluate to the Gregorian date on which daylight
1616 saving time starts or (respectively) ends, in the form of a list
1617 @code{(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year})}. The values should be
1618 @code{nil} if your area does not use daylight saving time.
1619
1620 Emacs uses these expressions to determine the starting date of
1621 daylight saving time for the holiday list and for correcting times of
1622 day in the solar and lunar calculations.
1623
1624 The values for Cambridge, Massachusetts are as follows:
1625
1626 @example
1627 (calendar-nth-named-day 2 0 3 year)
1628 (calendar-nth-named-day 1 0 11 year)
1629 @end example
1630
1631 @noindent
1632 That is, the second 0th day (Sunday) of the third month (March) in
1633 the year specified by @code{year}, and the first Sunday of the eleventh month
1634 (November) of that year. If daylight saving time were
1635 changed to start on October 1, you would set
1636 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} to this:
1637
1638 @example
1639 (list 10 1 year)
1640 @end example
1641
1642 If there is no daylight saving time at your location, or if you want
1643 all times in standard time, set @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts}
1644 and @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends} to @code{nil}.
1645
1646 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-offset
1647 The variable @code{calendar-daylight-time-offset} specifies the
1648 difference between daylight saving time and standard time, measured in
1649 minutes. The value for Cambridge, Massachusetts is 60.
1650
1651 @c @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time too long!
1652 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time
1653 Finally, the two variables
1654 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time} and
1655 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time} specify the number of
1656 minutes after midnight local time when the transition to and from
1657 daylight saving time should occur. For Cambridge, Massachusetts both
1658 variables' values are 120.
1659
1660 @node Time Intervals
1661 @section Summing Time Intervals
1662 @cindex time intervals, summing
1663 @cindex summing time intervals
1664 @cindex timeclock
1665
1666 The timeclock package adds up time intervals, so you can (for
1667 instance) keep track of how much time you spend working on particular
1668 projects.
1669
1670 @findex timeclock-in
1671 @findex timeclock-out
1672 @findex timeclock-change
1673 @findex timeclock-workday-remaining
1674 @findex timeclock-when-to-leave
1675 Use the @kbd{M-x timeclock-in} command when you start working on a
1676 project, and @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} command when you're done. Each
1677 time you do this, it adds one time interval to the record of the
1678 project. You can change to working on a different project with @kbd{M-x
1679 timeclock-change}.
1680
1681 Once you've collected data from a number of time intervals, you can use
1682 @kbd{M-x timeclock-workday-remaining} to see how much time is left to
1683 work today (assuming a typical average of 8 hours a day), and @kbd{M-x
1684 timeclock-when-to-leave} which will calculate when you're ``done''.
1685
1686 @vindex timeclock-modeline-display
1687 @findex timeclock-modeline-display
1688 If you want Emacs to display the amount of time ``left'' of your
1689 workday in the mode line, either customize the
1690 @code{timeclock-modeline-display} variable and set its value to
1691 @code{t}, or invoke the @kbd{M-x timeclock-modeline-display} command.
1692
1693 @vindex timeclock-ask-before-exiting
1694 Terminating the current Emacs session might or might not mean that
1695 you have stopped working on the project and, by default, Emacs asks
1696 you. You can, however, customize the value of the variable
1697 @code{timeclock-ask-before-exiting} to @code{nil} to avoid the question;
1698 then, only an explicit @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} or @kbd{M-x
1699 timeclock-change} will tell Emacs that the current interval is over.
1700
1701 @cindex @file{.timelog} file
1702 @vindex timeclock-file
1703 @findex timeclock-reread-log
1704 The timeclock functions work by accumulating the data in a file
1705 called @file{.timelog} in your home directory. You can specify a
1706 different name for this file by customizing the variable
1707 @code{timeclock-file}. If you edit the timeclock file manually, or if
1708 you change the value of any of timeclock's customizable variables, you
1709 should run the command @kbd{M-x timeclock-reread-log} to update the
1710 data in Emacs from the file.
1711
1712 @ifnottex
1713 @include cal-xtra.texi
1714 @end ifnottex