Rename a new cal-tex function, document it
[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 For more advanced topics,
30 @pxref{Advanced Calendar/Diary Usage,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs 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 forward by three months (@code{calendar-scroll-left-three-months}).
249 @item M-v
250 @itemx @key{prior}
251 Scroll backward by three months (@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 @LaTeX{} 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 @LaTeX{}
384 The Calendar @LaTeX{} commands produce a buffer of @LaTeX{} 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, with hours
400 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week}).
401 @item t w 2
402 Generate a two-page calendar for one week, with hours
403 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week2}).
404 @item t w 3
405 Generate an ISO-style calendar for one week, without hours
406 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-iso}).
407 @item t w 4
408 Generate a calendar for one Monday-starting week, with hours
409 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week-monday}).
410 @item t w W
411 Generate a two-page calendar for one week, without hours
412 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-week2-summary}).
413 @item t f w
414 Generate a Filofax-style two-weeks-at-a-glance calendar
415 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-2week}).
416 @item t f W
417 Generate a Filofax-style one-week-at-a-glance calendar
418 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-week}).
419 @item t y
420 Generate a calendar for one year
421 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year}).
422 @item t Y
423 Generate a sideways-printing calendar for one year
424 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-year-landscape}).
425 @item t f y
426 Generate a Filofax-style calendar for one year
427 (@code{cal-tex-cursor-filofax-year}).
428 @end table
429
430 Some of these commands print the calendar sideways (in ``landscape
431 mode''), so it can be wider than it is long. Some of them use Filofax
432 paper size (3.75in x 6.75in). All of these commands accept a prefix
433 argument, which specifies how many days, weeks, months or years to print
434 (starting always with the selected one).
435
436 If the variable @code{cal-tex-holidays} is non-@code{nil} (the default),
437 then the printed calendars show the holidays in @code{calendar-holidays}.
438 If the variable @code{cal-tex-diary} is non-@code{nil} (the default is
439 @code{nil}), diary entries are included also (in monthly, filofax, and
440 iso-week calendars only). If the variable @code{cal-tex-rules} is
441 non-@code{nil} (the default is @code{nil}), the calendar displays ruled
442 pages in styles that have sufficient room. Consult the documentation of
443 the individual cal-tex functions to see which calendars support which
444 features.
445
446 You can use the variable @code{cal-tex-preamble-extra} to insert extra
447 @LaTeX{} commands in the preamble of the generated document if you need
448 to.
449
450 @node Holidays
451 @section Holidays
452 @cindex holidays
453
454 The Emacs calendar knows about many major and minor holidays,
455 and can display them. You can add your own holidays to the default list.
456
457 @table @kbd
458 @item Mouse-3 Holidays
459 @itemx h
460 Display holidays for the selected date
461 (@code{calendar-cursor-holidays}).
462 @item x
463 Mark holidays in the calendar window (@code{calendar-mark-holidays}).
464 @item u
465 Unmark calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
466 @item a
467 List all holidays for the displayed three months in another window
468 (@code{calendar-list-holidays}).
469 @item M-x holidays
470 List all holidays for three months around today's date in another
471 window.
472 @item M-x list-holidays
473 List holidays in another window for a specified range of years.
474 @end table
475
476 @kindex h @r{(Calendar mode)}
477 @findex calendar-cursor-holidays
478 @vindex calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag
479 To see if any holidays fall on a given date, position point on that
480 date in the calendar window and use the @kbd{h} command. Alternatively,
481 click on that date with @kbd{Mouse-3} and then choose @kbd{Holidays}
482 from the menu that appears. Either way, this displays the holidays for
483 that date, in the echo area if they fit there, otherwise in a separate
484 window.
485
486 @kindex x @r{(Calendar mode)}
487 @findex calendar-mark-holidays
488 @kindex u @r{(Calendar mode)}
489 @findex calendar-unmark
490 @vindex calendar-mark-holidays-flag
491 To view the distribution of holidays for all the dates shown in the
492 calendar, use the @kbd{x} command. This displays the dates that are
493 holidays in a different face.
494 @iftex
495 @xref{Calendar Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
496 @end iftex
497 @ifnottex
498 @xref{Calendar Customizing, calendar-holiday-marker}.
499 @end ifnottex
500 The command applies both to the currently visible months and to
501 other months that subsequently become visible by scrolling. To turn
502 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
503 erases any diary marks (@pxref{Diary}). If the variable
504 @code{calendar-mark-holidays-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
505 updating the calendar marks holidays automatically.
506
507 @kindex a @r{(Calendar mode)}
508 @findex calendar-list-holidays
509 To get even more detailed information, use the @kbd{a} command, which
510 displays a separate buffer containing a list of all holidays in the
511 current three-month range. You can use @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} in the
512 calendar window to scroll that list up and down, respectively.
513
514 @findex holidays
515 The command @kbd{M-x holidays} displays the list of holidays for the
516 current month and the preceding and succeeding months; this works even
517 if you don't have a calendar window. If the variable
518 @code{calendar-view-holidays-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating
519 the calendar displays holidays in this way. If you want the list of
520 holidays centered around a different month, use @kbd{C-u M-x
521 holidays}, which prompts for the month and year.
522
523 The holidays known to Emacs include United States holidays and the
524 major Bahá'í, Chinese, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish holidays; also the
525 solstices and equinoxes.
526
527 @findex list-holidays
528 The command @kbd{M-x holiday-list} displays the list of holidays for
529 a range of years. This function asks you for the starting and stopping
530 years, and allows you to choose all the holidays or one of several
531 categories of holidays. You can use this command even if you don't have
532 a calendar window.
533
534 The dates used by Emacs for holidays are based on @emph{current
535 practice}, not historical fact. For example Veteran's Day began in
536 1919, but is shown in earlier years.
537
538 @node Sunrise/Sunset
539 @section Times of Sunrise and Sunset
540 @cindex sunrise and sunset
541
542 Special calendar commands can tell you, to within a minute or two, the
543 times of sunrise and sunset for any date.
544
545 @table @kbd
546 @item Mouse-3 Sunrise/sunset
547 @itemx S
548 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected date
549 (@code{calendar-sunrise-sunset}).
550 @item M-x sunrise-sunset
551 Display times of sunrise and sunset for today's date.
552 @item C-u M-x sunrise-sunset
553 Display times of sunrise and sunset for a specified date.
554 @item M-x calendar-sunrise-sunset-month
555 Display times of sunrise and sunset for the selected month.
556 @end table
557
558 @kindex S @r{(Calendar mode)}
559 @findex calendar-sunrise-sunset
560 @findex sunrise-sunset
561 Within the calendar, to display the @emph{local times} of sunrise and
562 sunset in the echo area, move point to the date you want, and type
563 @kbd{S}. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-3} on the date, then choose
564 @samp{Sunrise/sunset} from the menu that appears. The command @kbd{M-x
565 sunrise-sunset} is available outside the calendar to display this
566 information for today's date or a specified date. To specify a date
567 other than today, use @kbd{C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}, which prompts for
568 the year, month, and day.
569
570 You can display the times of sunrise and sunset for any location and
571 any date with @kbd{C-u C-u M-x sunrise-sunset}. This asks you for a
572 longitude, latitude, number of minutes difference from Coordinated
573 Universal Time, and date, and then tells you the times of sunrise and
574 sunset for that location on that date.
575
576 Because the times of sunrise and sunset depend on the location on
577 earth, you need to tell Emacs your latitude, longitude, and location
578 name before using these commands. Here is an example of what to set:
579
580 @vindex calendar-location-name
581 @vindex calendar-longitude
582 @vindex calendar-latitude
583 @example
584 (setq calendar-latitude 40.1)
585 (setq calendar-longitude -88.2)
586 (setq calendar-location-name "Urbana, IL")
587 @end example
588
589 @noindent
590 Use one decimal place in the values of @code{calendar-latitude} and
591 @code{calendar-longitude}.
592
593 Your time zone also affects the local time of sunrise and sunset.
594 Emacs usually gets time zone information from the operating system, but
595 if these values are not what you want (or if the operating system does
596 not supply them), you must set them yourself. Here is an example:
597
598 @vindex calendar-time-zone
599 @vindex calendar-standard-time-zone-name
600 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-zone-name
601 @example
602 (setq calendar-time-zone -360)
603 (setq calendar-standard-time-zone-name "CST")
604 (setq calendar-daylight-time-zone-name "CDT")
605 @end example
606
607 @noindent
608 The value of @code{calendar-time-zone} is the number of minutes
609 difference between your local standard time and Coordinated Universal
610 Time (Greenwich time). The values of
611 @code{calendar-standard-time-zone-name} and
612 @code{calendar-daylight-time-zone-name} are the abbreviations used in
613 your time zone. Emacs displays the times of sunrise and sunset
614 @emph{corrected for daylight saving time}. @xref{Daylight Saving},
615 for how daylight saving time is determined.
616
617 As a user, you might find it convenient to set the calendar location
618 variables for your usual physical location in your @file{.emacs} file.
619 If you are a system administrator, you may want to set these variables
620 for all users in a @file{default.el} file. @xref{Init File}.
621
622 @node Lunar Phases
623 @section Phases of the Moon
624 @cindex phases of the moon
625 @cindex moon, phases of
626
627 These calendar commands display the dates and times of the phases of
628 the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter). This
629 feature is useful for debugging problems that ``depend on the phase of
630 the moon''.
631
632 @table @kbd
633 @item M
634 Display the dates and times for all the quarters of the moon for the
635 three-month period shown (@code{calendar-lunar-phases}).
636 @item M-x lunar-phases
637 Display dates and times of the quarters of the moon for three months around
638 today's date.
639 @end table
640
641 @kindex M @r{(Calendar mode)}
642 @findex calendar-lunar-phases
643 Within the calendar, use the @kbd{M} command to display a separate
644 buffer of the phases of the moon for the current three-month range. The
645 dates and times listed are accurate to within a few minutes.
646
647 @findex lunar-phases
648 Outside the calendar, use the command @kbd{M-x lunar-phases} to
649 display the list of the phases of the moon for the current month and the
650 preceding and succeeding months. For information about a different
651 month, use @kbd{C-u M-x lunar-phases}, which prompts for the month and
652 year.
653
654 The dates and times given for the phases of the moon are given in
655 local time (corrected for daylight saving, when appropriate).
656 See the discussion in the previous section. @xref{Sunrise/Sunset}.
657
658 @node Other Calendars
659 @section Conversion To and From Other Calendars
660
661 @cindex Gregorian calendar
662 The Emacs calendar displayed is @emph{always} the Gregorian calendar,
663 sometimes called the ``new style'' calendar, which is used in most of
664 the world today. However, this calendar did not exist before the
665 sixteenth century and was not widely used before the eighteenth century;
666 it did not fully displace the Julian calendar and gain universal
667 acceptance until the early twentieth century. The Emacs calendar can
668 display any month since January, year 1 of the current era, but the
669 calendar displayed is always the Gregorian, even for a date at which
670 the Gregorian calendar did not exist.
671
672 While Emacs cannot display other calendars, it can convert dates to
673 and from several other calendars.
674
675 @menu
676 * Calendar Systems:: The calendars Emacs understands
677 (aside from Gregorian).
678 * To Other Calendar:: Converting the selected date to various calendars.
679 * From Other Calendar:: Moving to a date specified in another calendar.
680 * Mayan Calendar:: Moving to a date specified in a Mayan calendar.
681 @end menu
682
683 @c FIXME perhaps most of the details should be moved to cal-xtra.
684 @c Just list the major supported systems here?
685 @node Calendar Systems
686 @subsection Supported Calendar Systems
687
688 @cindex ISO commercial calendar
689 The ISO commercial calendar is often used in business.
690
691 @cindex Julian calendar
692 The Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar, was the one used in Europe
693 throughout medieval times, and in many countries up until the nineteenth
694 century.
695
696 @cindex Julian day numbers
697 @cindex astronomical day numbers
698 Astronomers use a simple counting of days elapsed since noon, Monday,
699 January 1, 4713 B.C. on the Julian calendar. The number of days elapsed
700 is called the @dfn{Julian day number} or the @dfn{Astronomical day number}.
701
702 @cindex Hebrew calendar
703 The Hebrew calendar is used by tradition in the Jewish religion. The
704 Emacs calendar program uses the Hebrew calendar to determine the dates
705 of Jewish holidays. Hebrew calendar dates begin and end at sunset.
706
707 @cindex Islamic calendar
708 The Islamic calendar is used in many predominantly Islamic countries.
709 Emacs uses it to determine the dates of Islamic holidays. There is no
710 universal agreement in the Islamic world about the calendar; Emacs uses
711 a widely accepted version, but the precise dates of Islamic holidays
712 often depend on proclamation by religious authorities, not on
713 calculations. As a consequence, the actual dates of observance can vary
714 slightly from the dates computed by Emacs. Islamic calendar dates begin
715 and end at sunset.
716
717 @cindex French Revolutionary calendar
718 The French Revolutionary calendar was created by the Jacobins after the 1789
719 revolution, to represent a more secular and nature-based view of the annual
720 cycle, and to install a 10-day week in a rationalization measure similar to
721 the metric system. The French government officially abandoned this
722 calendar at the end of 1805.
723
724 @cindex Mayan calendar
725 The Maya of Central America used three separate, overlapping calendar
726 systems, the @emph{long count}, the @emph{tzolkin}, and the @emph{haab}.
727 Emacs knows about all three of these calendars. Experts dispute the
728 exact correlation between the Mayan calendar and our calendar; Emacs uses the
729 Goodman-Martinez-Thompson correlation in its calculations.
730
731 @cindex Coptic calendar
732 @cindex Ethiopic calendar
733 The Copts use a calendar based on the ancient Egyptian solar calendar.
734 Their calendar consists of twelve 30-day months followed by an extra
735 five-day period. Once every fourth year they add a leap day to this
736 extra period to make it six days. The Ethiopic calendar is identical in
737 structure, but has different year numbers and month names.
738
739 @cindex Persian calendar
740 The Persians use a solar calendar based on a design of Omar Khayyam.
741 Their calendar consists of twelve months of which the first six have 31
742 days, the next five have 30 days, and the last has 29 in ordinary years
743 and 30 in leap years. Leap years occur in a complicated pattern every
744 four or five years.
745 The calendar implemented here is the arithmetical Persian calendar
746 championed by Birashk, based on a 2,820-year cycle. It differs from
747 the astronomical Persian calendar, which is based on astronomical
748 events. As of this writing the first future discrepancy is projected
749 to occur on March 20, 2025. It is currently not clear what the
750 official calendar of Iran will be at that time.
751 @c FIXME not so far in the future now.
752
753 @cindex Chinese calendar
754 The Chinese calendar is a complicated system of lunar months arranged
755 into solar years. The years go in cycles of sixty, each year containing
756 either twelve months in an ordinary year or thirteen months in a leap
757 year; each month has either 29 or 30 days. Years, ordinary months, and
758 days are named by combining one of ten ``celestial stems'' with one of
759 twelve ``terrestrial branches'' for a total of sixty names that are
760 repeated in a cycle of sixty.
761
762 @cindex Bahá'í calendar
763 The Bahá'í calendar system is based on a solar cycle of 19 months with
764 19 days each. The four remaining ``intercalary'' days are placed
765 between the 18th and 19th months.
766
767 @node To Other Calendar
768 @subsection Converting To Other Calendars
769
770 The following commands describe the selected date (the date at point)
771 in various other calendar systems:
772
773 @table @kbd
774 @kindex p @r{(Calendar mode)}
775 @findex calendar-print-other-dates
776 @item Mouse-3 Other calendars
777 @itemx p o
778 Display the selected date in various other calendars.
779 (@code{calendar-print-other-dates}).
780 @findex calendar-iso-print-date
781 @item p c
782 Display ISO commercial calendar equivalent for selected day
783 (@code{calendar-iso-print-date}).
784 @findex calendar-julian-print-date
785 @item p j
786 Display Julian date for selected day (@code{calendar-julian-print-date}).
787 @findex calendar-astro-print-day-number
788 @item p a
789 Display astronomical (Julian) day number for selected day
790 (@code{calendar-astro-print-day-number}).
791 @findex calendar-hebrew-print-date
792 @item p h
793 Display Hebrew date for selected day (@code{calendar-hebrew-print-date}).
794 @findex calendar-islamic-print-date
795 @item p i
796 Display Islamic date for selected day (@code{calendar-islamic-print-date}).
797 @findex calendar-french-print-date
798 @item p f
799 Display French Revolutionary date for selected day
800 (@code{calendar-french-print-date}).
801 @findex calendar-bahai-print-date
802 @item p b
803 Display Bahá'í date for selected day
804 (@code{calendar-bahai-print-date}).
805 @findex calendar-chinese-print-date
806 @item p C
807 Display Chinese date for selected day
808 (@code{calendar-chinese-print-date}).
809 @findex calendar-coptic-print-date
810 @item p k
811 Display Coptic date for selected day
812 (@code{calendar-coptic-print-date}).
813 @findex calendar-ethiopic-print-date
814 @item p e
815 Display Ethiopic date for selected day
816 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-print-date}).
817 @findex calendar-persian-print-date
818 @item p p
819 Display Persian date for selected day
820 (@code{calendar-persian-print-date}).
821 @findex calendar-mayan-print-date
822 @item p m
823 Display Mayan date for selected day (@code{calendar-mayan-print-date}).
824 @end table
825
826 Otherwise, move point to the date you want to convert, then type the
827 appropriate command starting with @kbd{p} from the table above. The
828 prefix @kbd{p} is a mnemonic for ``print'', since Emacs ``prints'' the
829 equivalent date in the echo area. @kbd{p o} displays the
830 date in all forms known to Emacs. You can also use @kbd{Mouse-3} and
831 then choose @kbd{Other calendars} from the menu that appears. This
832 displays the equivalent forms of the date in all the calendars Emacs
833 understands, in the form of a menu. (Choosing an alternative from
834 this menu doesn't actually do anything---the menu is used only for
835 display.)
836
837 @node From Other Calendar
838 @subsection Converting From Other Calendars
839
840 You can use the other supported calendars to specify a date to move
841 to. This section describes the commands for doing this using calendars
842 other than Mayan; for the Mayan calendar, see the following section.
843
844 @kindex g @var{char} @r{(Calendar mode)}
845 @findex calendar-iso-goto-date
846 @findex calendar-iso-goto-week
847 @findex calendar-julian-goto-date
848 @findex calendar-astro-goto-day-number
849 @findex calendar-bahai-goto-date
850 @findex calendar-hebrew-goto-date
851 @findex calendar-islamic-goto-date
852 @findex calendar-french-goto-date
853 @findex calendar-chinese-goto-date
854 @findex calendar-persian-goto-date
855 @findex calendar-coptic-goto-date
856 @findex calendar-ethiopic-goto-date
857 @table @kbd
858 @item g c
859 Move to a date specified in the ISO commercial calendar
860 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-date}).
861 @item g w
862 Move to a week specified in the ISO commercial calendar
863 (@code{calendar-iso-goto-week}).
864 @item g j
865 Move to a date specified in the Julian calendar
866 (@code{calendar-julian-goto-date}).
867 @item g a
868 Move to a date specified with an astronomical (Julian) day number
869 (@code{calendar-astro-goto-day-number}).
870 @item g b
871 Move to a date specified in the Bahá'í calendar
872 (@code{calendar-bahai-goto-date}).
873 @item g h
874 Move to a date specified in the Hebrew calendar
875 (@code{calendar-hebrew-goto-date}).
876 @item g i
877 Move to a date specified in the Islamic calendar
878 (@code{calendar-islamic-goto-date}).
879 @item g f
880 Move to a date specified in the French Revolutionary calendar
881 (@code{calendar-french-goto-date}).
882 @item g C
883 Move to a date specified in the Chinese calendar
884 (@code{calendar-chinese-goto-date}).
885 @item g p
886 Move to a date specified in the Persian calendar
887 (@code{calendar-persian-goto-date}).
888 @item g k
889 Move to a date specified in the Coptic calendar
890 (@code{calendar-coptic-goto-date}).
891 @item g e
892 Move to a date specified in the Ethiopic calendar
893 (@code{calendar-ethiopic-goto-date}).
894 @end table
895
896 These commands ask you for a date on the other calendar, move point
897 to the Gregorian calendar date equivalent to that date, and display
898 the other calendar's date in the echo area. Emacs uses strict
899 completion (@pxref{Completion Exit}) whenever it asks you to type a
900 month name, so you don't have to worry about the spelling of Hebrew,
901 Islamic, or French names.
902
903 @c FIXME move?
904 @findex calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits
905 @cindex yahrzeits
906 One common issue concerning the Hebrew calendar is the computation
907 of the anniversary of a date of death, called a ``yahrzeit''. The Emacs
908 calendar includes a facility for such calculations. If you are in the
909 calendar, the command @kbd{M-x calendar-hebrew-list-yahrzeits} asks you for
910 a range of years and then displays a list of the yahrzeit dates for those
911 years for the date given by point. If you are not in the calendar,
912 this command first asks you for the date of death and the range of
913 years, and then displays the list of yahrzeit dates.
914
915 @c FIXME move to emacs-xtra.
916 @node Mayan Calendar
917 @subsection Converting from the Mayan Calendar
918
919 Here are the commands to select dates based on the Mayan calendar:
920
921 @table @kbd
922 @item g m l
923 Move to a date specified by the long count calendar
924 (@code{calendar-mayan-goto-long-count-date}).
925 @item g m n t
926 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
927 tzolkin calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-next-tzolkin-date}).
928 @item g m p t
929 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
930 tzolkin calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-tzolkin-date}).
931 @item g m n h
932 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
933 haab calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-next-haab-date}).
934 @item g m p h
935 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
936 haab calendar (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-haab-date}).
937 @item g m n c
938 Move to the next occurrence of a place in the
939 calendar round (@code{calendar-mayan-next-calendar-round-date}).
940 @item g m p c
941 Move to the previous occurrence of a place in the
942 calendar round (@code{calendar-mayan-previous-calendar-round-date}).
943 @end table
944
945 @cindex Mayan long count
946 To understand these commands, you need to understand the Mayan calendars.
947 The @dfn{long count} is a counting of days with these units:
948
949 @display
950 1 kin = 1 day@ @ @ 1 uinal = 20 kin@ @ @ 1 tun = 18 uinal
951 1 katun = 20 tun@ @ @ 1 baktun = 20 katun
952 @end display
953
954 @kindex g m @r{(Calendar mode)}
955 @findex calendar-mayan-goto-long-count-date
956 @noindent
957 Thus, the long count date 12.16.11.16.6 means 12 baktun, 16 katun, 11
958 tun, 16 uinal, and 6 kin. The Emacs calendar can handle Mayan long
959 count dates as early as 7.17.18.13.3, but no earlier. When you use the
960 @kbd{g m l} command, type the Mayan long count date with the baktun,
961 katun, tun, uinal, and kin separated by periods.
962
963 @findex calendar-mayan-previous-tzolkin-date
964 @findex calendar-mayan-next-tzolkin-date
965 @cindex Mayan tzolkin calendar
966 The Mayan tzolkin calendar is a cycle of 260 days formed by a pair of
967 independent cycles of 13 and 20 days. Since this cycle repeats
968 endlessly, Emacs provides commands to move backward and forward to the
969 previous or next point in the cycle. Type @kbd{g m p t} to go to the
970 previous tzolkin date; Emacs asks you for a tzolkin date and moves point
971 to the previous occurrence of that date. Similarly, type @kbd{g m n t}
972 to go to the next occurrence of a tzolkin date.
973
974 @findex calendar-mayan-previous-haab-date
975 @findex calendar-mayan-next-haab-date
976 @cindex Mayan haab calendar
977 The Mayan haab calendar is a cycle of 365 days arranged as 18 months
978 of 20 days each, followed by a 5-day monthless period. Like the tzolkin
979 cycle, this cycle repeats endlessly, and there are commands to move
980 backward and forward to the previous or next point in the cycle. Type
981 @kbd{g m p h} to go to the previous haab date; Emacs asks you for a haab
982 date and moves point to the previous occurrence of that date.
983 Similarly, type @kbd{g m n h} to go to the next occurrence of a haab
984 date.
985
986 @c This is omitted because it is too long for smallbook format.
987 @c @findex calendar-mayan-previous-calendar-round-date
988 @findex calendar-mayan-next-calendar-round-date
989 @cindex Mayan calendar round
990 The Maya also used the combination of the tzolkin date and the haab
991 date. This combination is a cycle of about 52 years called a
992 @emph{calendar round}. If you type @kbd{g m p c}, Emacs asks you for
993 both a haab and a tzolkin date and then moves point to the previous
994 occurrence of that combination. Use @kbd{g m n c} to move point to the
995 next occurrence of a combination. These commands signal an error if the
996 haab/tzolkin date combination you have typed is impossible.
997
998 Emacs uses strict completion (@pxref{Completion Exit}) whenever it
999 asks you to type a Mayan name, so you don't have to worry about
1000 spelling.
1001
1002 @node Diary
1003 @section The Diary
1004 @cindex diary
1005
1006 The Emacs diary keeps track of appointments or other events on a daily
1007 basis, in conjunction with the calendar. To use the diary feature, you
1008 must first create a @dfn{diary file} containing a list of events and
1009 their dates. Then Emacs can automatically pick out and display the
1010 events for today, for the immediate future, or for any specified
1011 date.
1012
1013 The name of the diary file is specified by the variable
1014 @code{diary-file}; @file{~/diary} is the default. Here's an example
1015 showing what that file looks like:
1016
1017 @example
1018 12/22/2012 Twentieth wedding anniversary!!
1019 &1/1. Happy New Year!
1020 10/22 Ruth's birthday.
1021 * 21, *: Payday
1022 Tuesday--weekly meeting with grad students at 10am
1023 Supowit, Shen, Bitner, and Kapoor to attend.
1024 1/13/89 Friday the thirteenth!!
1025 &thu 4pm squash game with Lloyd.
1026 mar 16 Dad's birthday
1027 April 15, 2013 Income tax due.
1028 &* 15 time cards due.
1029 @end example
1030
1031 @noindent
1032 This format is essentially the same as the one used by the separate
1033 @command{calendar} utility that is present on some Unix systems. This
1034 example uses extra spaces to align the event descriptions of most of
1035 the entries. Such formatting is purely a matter of taste.
1036
1037 Although you probably will start by creating a diary manually, Emacs
1038 provides a number of commands to let you view, add, and change diary
1039 entries.
1040
1041 @menu
1042 * Displaying the Diary:: Viewing diary entries and associated calendar dates.
1043 * Format of Diary File:: Entering events in your diary.
1044 * Date Formats:: Various ways you can specify dates.
1045 * Adding to Diary:: Commands to create diary entries.
1046 * Special Diary Entries:: Anniversaries, blocks of dates, cyclic entries, etc.
1047 @end menu
1048
1049 @node Displaying the Diary
1050 @subsection Displaying the Diary
1051
1052 Once you have created a diary file, you can use the calendar to view
1053 it. You can also view today's events outside of Calendar mode. In the
1054 following, key bindings refer to the Calendar buffer.
1055
1056 @table @kbd
1057 @item Mouse-3 Diary
1058 @itemx d
1059 Display all diary entries for the selected date
1060 (@code{diary-view-entries}).
1061 @item s
1062 Display the entire diary file (@code{diary-show-all-entries}).
1063 @item m
1064 Mark all visible dates that have diary entries
1065 (@code{diary-mark-entries}).
1066 @item u
1067 Unmark the calendar window (@code{calendar-unmark}).
1068 @item M-x diary-print-entries
1069 Print hard copy of the diary display as it appears.
1070 @item M-x diary
1071 Display all diary entries for today's date.
1072 @item M-x diary-mail-entries
1073 Mail yourself email reminders about upcoming diary entries.
1074 @end table
1075
1076 @kindex d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1077 @findex diary-view-entries
1078 @vindex calendar-view-diary-initially-flag
1079 Displaying the diary entries with @kbd{d} shows in a separate window
1080 the diary entries for the selected date in the calendar. The mode line
1081 of the new window shows the date of the diary entries. Holidays are
1082 shown either in the buffer or in the mode line, depending on the display
1083 method you choose
1084 @iftex
1085 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1086 @end iftex
1087 @ifnottex
1088 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1089 @end ifnottex
1090 If you specify a numeric argument with @kbd{d}, it shows all the diary
1091 entries for that many successive days. Thus, @kbd{2 d} displays all the
1092 entries for the selected date and for the following day.
1093
1094 Another way to display the diary entries for a date is to click
1095 @kbd{Mouse-3} on the date, and then choose @kbd{Diary entries} from
1096 the menu that appears. If the variable
1097 @code{calendar-view-diary-initially-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating the
1098 calendar lists the diary entries for the current date (provided the
1099 current date is visible).
1100
1101 @kindex m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1102 @findex diary-mark-entries
1103 @vindex calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag
1104 To get a broader view of which days are mentioned in the diary, use
1105 the @kbd{m} command. This marks the dates that have diary entries in
1106 a different face.
1107 @iftex
1108 @xref{Calendar Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1109 @end iftex
1110 @ifnottex
1111 @xref{Calendar Customizing, diary-entry-marker}.
1112 @end ifnottex
1113
1114 This command applies both to the months that are currently visible
1115 and to those that subsequently become visible after scrolling. To turn
1116 marking off and erase the current marks, type @kbd{u}, which also
1117 turns off holiday marks (@pxref{Holidays}). If the variable
1118 @code{calendar-mark-diary-entries-flag} is non-@code{nil}, creating or
1119 updating the calendar marks diary dates automatically.
1120
1121 @kindex s @r{(Calendar mode)}
1122 @findex diary-show-all-entries
1123 To see the full diary file, rather than just some of the entries, use
1124 the @kbd{s} command.
1125
1126 @findex diary
1127 The command @kbd{M-x diary} displays the diary entries for the current
1128 date, independently of the calendar display, and optionally for the next
1129 few days as well; the variable @code{diary-number-of-entries} specifies
1130 how many days to include.
1131 @iftex
1132 @xref{Diary Customizing,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1133 @end iftex
1134 @ifnottex
1135 @xref{Diary Customizing, diary-number-of-entries}.
1136 @end ifnottex
1137
1138 If you put @code{(diary)} in your @file{.emacs} file, this
1139 automatically displays a window with the day's diary entries when you
1140 start Emacs.
1141
1142 @findex diary-mail-entries
1143 @vindex diary-mail-days
1144 Some people like to receive email notifications of events in their
1145 diary. To send such mail to yourself, use the command @kbd{M-x
1146 diary-mail-entries}. A prefix argument specifies how many days
1147 (starting with today) to check; otherwise, the variable
1148 @code{diary-mail-days} says how many days.
1149
1150 @node Format of Diary File
1151 @subsection The Diary File
1152 @cindex diary file
1153
1154 @vindex diary-file
1155 Your @dfn{diary file} is a file that records events associated with
1156 particular dates. The name of the diary file is specified by the
1157 variable @code{diary-file}; @file{~/diary} is the default. The
1158 @code{calendar} utility program supports a subset of the format allowed
1159 by the Emacs diary facilities, so you can use that utility to view the
1160 diary file, with reasonable results aside from the entries it cannot
1161 understand.
1162
1163 Each entry in the diary file describes one event and consists of one
1164 or more lines. An entry always begins with a date specification at the
1165 left margin. The rest of the entry is simply text to describe the
1166 event. If the entry has more than one line, then the lines after the
1167 first must begin with whitespace to indicate they continue a previous
1168 entry. Lines that do not begin with valid dates and do not continue a
1169 preceding entry are ignored.
1170
1171 You can also use a format where the first line of a diary entry
1172 consists only of the date or day name (with no following blanks or
1173 punctuation). For example:
1174
1175 @example
1176 02/11/2012
1177 Bill B. visits Princeton today
1178 2pm Cognitive Studies Committee meeting
1179 2:30-5:30 Liz at Lawrenceville
1180 4:00pm Dentist appt
1181 7:30pm Dinner at George's
1182 8:00-10:00pm concert
1183 @end example
1184
1185 @noindent
1186 This entry will have a different appearance if you use the simple diary
1187 display
1188 @iftex
1189 (@pxref{Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}).
1190 @end iftex
1191 @ifnottex
1192 (@pxref{Diary Display}).
1193 @end ifnottex
1194 The simple diary display omits the date line at the beginning; only the
1195 continuation lines appear. This style of entry looks neater when you
1196 display just a single day's entries, but can cause confusion if you ask
1197 for more than one day's entries.
1198
1199 @vindex diary-nonmarking-symbol
1200 You can inhibit the marking of certain diary entries in the calendar
1201 window; to do this, insert the string that
1202 @code{diary-nonmarking-symbol} specifies (default @samp{&}) at the
1203 beginning of the entry, before the date. This
1204 has no effect on display of the entry in the diary window; it only
1205 affects marks on dates in the calendar window. Nonmarking entries are
1206 especially useful for generic entries that would otherwise mark many
1207 different dates.
1208
1209 @node Date Formats
1210 @subsection Date Formats
1211
1212 Here are some sample diary entries, illustrating different ways of
1213 formatting a date. The examples all show dates in American order
1214 (month, day, year), but Calendar mode supports European order (day,
1215 month, year) and ISO order (year, month, day) as options.
1216
1217 @example
1218 4/20/12 Switch-over to new tabulation system
1219 apr. 25 Start tabulating annual results
1220 4/30 Results for April are due
1221 */25 Monthly cycle finishes
1222 Friday Don't leave without backing up files
1223 @end example
1224
1225 The first entry appears only once, on April 20, 2012. The second and
1226 third appear every year on the specified dates, and the fourth uses a
1227 wildcard (asterisk) for the month, so it appears on the 25th of every
1228 month. The final entry appears every week on Friday.
1229
1230 You can use just numbers to express a date, as in
1231 @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}} or @samp{@var{month}/@var{day}/@var{year}}.
1232 This must be followed by a nondigit. In the date itself, @var{month}
1233 and @var{day} are numbers of one or two digits. The optional @var{year}
1234 is also a number, and may be abbreviated to the last two digits; that
1235 is, you can use @samp{11/12/2012} or @samp{11/12/12}.
1236
1237 Dates can also have the form @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}} or
1238 @samp{@var{monthname} @var{day}, @var{year}}, where the month's name can
1239 be spelled in full or abbreviated (with or without a period). The
1240 preferred abbreviations for month and day names can be set using
1241 the variables @code{calendar-abbrev-length},
1242 @code{calendar-month-abbrev-array}, and
1243 @code{calendar-day-abbrev-array}. The default is to use the first three
1244 letters of a name as its abbreviation. Case is not significant.
1245
1246 A date may be @dfn{generic}; that is, partially unspecified. Then the
1247 entry applies to all dates that match the specification. If the date
1248 does not contain a year, it is generic and applies to any year.
1249 Alternatively, @var{month}, @var{day}, or @var{year} can be @samp{*};
1250 this matches any month, day, or year, respectively. Thus, a diary entry
1251 @samp{3/*/*} matches any day in March of any year; so does @samp{march
1252 *}.
1253
1254 @vindex calendar-date-style
1255 @findex calendar-set-date-style
1256 If you prefer the European style of writing dates (in which the day
1257 comes before the month), or the ISO style (in which the order is year,
1258 month, day), type @kbd{M-x calendar-set-date-style} while in the
1259 calendar, or customize the variable @code{calendar-date-style}. This
1260 affects how diary dates are interpreted, date display, and the order in
1261 which some commands expect their arguments to be given.
1262
1263 You can use the name of a day of the week as a generic date which
1264 applies to any date falling on that day of the week. You can abbreviate
1265 the day of the week as described above, or spell it in full; case is not
1266 significant.
1267
1268 @node Adding to Diary
1269 @subsection Commands to Add to the Diary
1270
1271 While in the calendar, there are several commands to create diary
1272 entries. The basic commands are listed here; more sophisticated
1273 commands are in the next section (@pxref{Special Diary Entries}).
1274 Entries can also be based on non-Gregorian calendars.
1275 @iftex
1276 @xref{Non-Gregorian Diary,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1277 @end iftex
1278 @ifnottex
1279 @xref{Non-Gregorian Diary}.
1280 @end ifnottex
1281
1282 @table @kbd
1283 @item i d
1284 Add a diary entry for the selected date (@code{diary-insert-entry}).
1285 @item i w
1286 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the week (@code{diary-insert-weekly-entry}).
1287 @item i m
1288 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the month (@code{diary-insert-monthly-entry}).
1289 @item i y
1290 Add a diary entry for the selected day of the year (@code{diary-insert-yearly-entry}).
1291 @end table
1292
1293 @kindex i d @r{(Calendar mode)}
1294 @findex diary-insert-entry
1295 You can make a diary entry for a specific date by selecting that date
1296 in the calendar window and typing the @kbd{i d} command. This command
1297 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1298 date; you can then type the rest of the diary entry.
1299
1300 @kindex i w @r{(Calendar mode)}
1301 @findex diary-insert-weekly-entry
1302 @kindex i m @r{(Calendar mode)}
1303 @findex diary-insert-monthly-entry
1304 @kindex i y @r{(Calendar mode)}
1305 @findex diary-insert-yearly-entry
1306 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to a specific day of
1307 the week, select that day of the week (any occurrence will do) and type
1308 @kbd{i w}. This inserts the day-of-week as a generic date; you can then
1309 type the rest of the diary entry. You can make a monthly diary entry in
1310 the same fashion: select the day of the month, use the @kbd{i m}
1311 command, and type the rest of the entry. Similarly, you can insert a
1312 yearly diary entry with the @kbd{i y} command.
1313
1314 All of the above commands make marking diary entries by default. To
1315 make a nonmarking diary entry, give a prefix argument to the command.
1316 For example, @kbd{C-u i w} makes a nonmarking weekly diary entry.
1317
1318 When you modify the diary file, be sure to save the file before
1319 exiting Emacs. Saving the diary file after using any of the above
1320 insertion commands will automatically update the diary marks in the
1321 calendar window, if appropriate. You can use the command
1322 @code{calendar-redraw} to force an update at any time.
1323
1324 @node Special Diary Entries
1325 @subsection Special Diary Entries
1326
1327 In addition to entries based on calendar dates, the diary file can
1328 contain @dfn{sexp entries} for regular events such as anniversaries.
1329 These entries are based on Lisp expressions (sexps) that Emacs evaluates
1330 as it scans the diary file. Instead of a date, a sexp entry contains
1331 @samp{%%} followed by a Lisp expression which must begin and end with
1332 parentheses. The Lisp expression determines which dates the entry
1333 applies to.
1334
1335 Calendar mode provides commands to insert certain commonly used
1336 sexp entries:
1337
1338 @table @kbd
1339 @item i a
1340 Add an anniversary diary entry for the selected date
1341 (@code{diary-insert-anniversary-entry}).
1342 @item i b
1343 Add a block diary entry for the current region
1344 (@code{diary-insert-block-entry}).
1345 @item i c
1346 Add a cyclic diary entry starting at the date
1347 (@code{diary-insert-cyclic-entry}).
1348 @end table
1349
1350 @kindex i a @r{(Calendar mode)}
1351 @findex diary-insert-anniversary-entry
1352 If you want to make a diary entry that applies to the anniversary of a
1353 specific date, move point to that date and use the @kbd{i a} command.
1354 This displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts
1355 the anniversary description; you can then type the rest of the diary
1356 entry. The entry looks like this:
1357
1358 @findex diary-anniversary
1359 @example
1360 %%(diary-anniversary 10 31 1948) Arthur's birthday
1361 @end example
1362
1363 @noindent
1364 This entry applies to October 31 in any year after 1948; @samp{10 31
1365 1948} specifies the date. (If you are using the European or ISO
1366 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1367 The reason this expression requires a beginning year is that advanced
1368 diary functions can use it to calculate the number of elapsed years.
1369
1370 A @dfn{block} diary entry applies to a specified range of consecutive
1371 dates. Here is a block diary entry that applies to all dates from June
1372 24, 2012 through July 10, 2012:
1373
1374 @findex diary-block
1375 @example
1376 %%(diary-block 6 24 2012 7 10 2012) Vacation
1377 @end example
1378
1379 @noindent
1380 The @samp{6 24 2012} indicates the starting date and the @samp{7 10 2012}
1381 indicates the stopping date. (Again, if you are using the European or ISO
1382 calendar style, the input order of month, day and year is different.)
1383
1384 @kindex i b @r{(Calendar mode)}
1385 @findex diary-insert-block-entry
1386 To insert a block entry, place point and the mark on the two
1387 dates that begin and end the range, and type @kbd{i b}. This command
1388 displays the end of your diary file in another window and inserts the
1389 block description; you can then type the diary entry.
1390
1391 @kindex i c @r{(Calendar mode)}
1392 @findex diary-insert-cyclic-entry
1393 @dfn{Cyclic} diary entries repeat after a fixed interval of days. To
1394 create one, select the starting date and use the @kbd{i c} command. The
1395 command prompts for the length of interval, then inserts the entry,
1396 which looks like this:
1397
1398 @findex diary-cyclic
1399 @example
1400 %%(diary-cyclic 50 3 1 2012) Renew medication
1401 @end example
1402
1403 @noindent
1404 This entry applies to March 1, 2012 and every 50th day following;
1405 @samp{3 1 2012} specifies the starting date. (If you are using the
1406 European or ISO calendar style, the input order of month, day and year
1407 is different.)
1408
1409 All three of these commands make marking diary entries. To insert a
1410 nonmarking entry, give a prefix argument to the command. For example,
1411 @kbd{C-u i a} makes a nonmarking anniversary diary entry.
1412
1413 Marking sexp diary entries in the calendar can be time-consuming,
1414 since every date visible in the calendar window must be individually
1415 checked. So it's a good idea to make sexp diary entries nonmarking
1416 (with @samp{&}) when possible.
1417
1418 Another sophisticated kind of sexp entry, a @dfn{floating} diary entry,
1419 specifies a regularly occurring event by offsets specified in days,
1420 weeks, and months. It is comparable to a crontab entry interpreted by
1421 the @code{cron} utility. Here is a nonmarking, floating diary entry
1422 that applies to the fourth Thursday in November:
1423
1424 @findex diary-float
1425 @example
1426 &%%(diary-float 11 4 4) American Thanksgiving
1427 @end example
1428
1429 @noindent
1430 The 11 specifies November (the eleventh month), the 4 specifies Thursday
1431 (the fourth day of the week, where Sunday is numbered zero), and the
1432 second 4 specifies the fourth Thursday (1 would mean ``first'', 2 would
1433 mean ``second'', @minus{}2 would mean ``second-to-last'', and so on).
1434 The month can be a single month or a list of months. Thus you could change
1435 the 11 above to @samp{'(1 2 3)} and have the entry apply to the last
1436 Thursday of January, February, and March. If the month is @code{t}, the
1437 entry applies to all months of the year.@refill
1438
1439 Each of the standard sexp diary entries takes an optional parameter
1440 specifying the name of a face or a single-character string to use when
1441 marking the entry in the calendar. Most generally, sexp diary entries
1442 can perform arbitrary computations to determine when they apply.
1443 @iftex
1444 @xref{Sexp Diary Entries,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1445 @end iftex
1446 @ifnottex
1447 @xref{Sexp Diary Entries}.
1448 @end ifnottex
1449
1450 @node Appointments
1451 @section Appointments
1452 @cindex appointment notification
1453
1454 @vindex appt-display-format
1455 @vindex appt-audible
1456 @vindex appt-display-mode-line
1457 If you have a diary entry for an appointment, and that diary entry
1458 begins with a recognizable time of day, Emacs can warn you in advance
1459 that an appointment is pending. Emacs alerts you
1460 to the appointment by displaying a message in your chosen format, as
1461 specified by the variable @code{appt-display-format}. If the value of
1462 @code{appt-audible} is non-@code{nil}, the warning includes an audible
1463 reminder. In addition, if @code{appt-display-mode-line} is
1464 non-@code{nil}, Emacs displays the number of minutes to the
1465 appointment on the mode line.
1466
1467 @vindex appt-display-duration
1468 @vindex appt-disp-window-function
1469 @vindex appt-delete-window-function
1470 If @code{appt-display-format} has the value @code{window}, then the
1471 variable @code{appt-display-duration} controls how long the reminder
1472 window is visible for; and the variables
1473 @code{appt-disp-window-function} and @code{appt-delete-window-function}
1474 give the names of functions used to create and destroy the window,
1475 respectively.
1476
1477 @findex appt-activate
1478 To enable appointment notification, type @kbd{M-x appt-activate}.
1479 With a positive argument, it enables notification; with a negative
1480 argument, it disables notification; with no argument, it toggles.
1481 Enabling notification also sets up an appointment list for today from
1482 the diary file, giving all diary entries found with recognizable times
1483 of day, and reminds you just before each of them.
1484
1485 For example, suppose the diary file contains these lines:
1486
1487 @example
1488 Monday
1489 9:30am Coffee break
1490 12:00pm Lunch
1491 @end example
1492
1493 @vindex appt-message-warning-time
1494 @vindex appt-warning-time-regexp
1495 @noindent
1496 Then on Mondays, you will be reminded at around 9:20am about your
1497 coffee break and at around 11:50am about lunch. The variable
1498 @code{appt-message-warning-time} specifies how many minutes (default 12)
1499 in advance to warn you. This is a default warning time. Each
1500 appointment can specify a different warning time by adding a piece
1501 matching @code{appt-warning-time-regexp} (see that variable's
1502 documentation for details).
1503
1504 You can write times in am/pm style (with @samp{12:00am} standing
1505 for midnight and @samp{12:00pm} standing for noon), or 24-hour
1506 European/military style. You need not be consistent; your diary file
1507 can have a mixture of the two styles. Times must be at the beginning of
1508 diary entries if they are to be recognized.
1509
1510 @vindex appt-display-diary
1511 Emacs updates the appointments list from the diary file
1512 automatically just after midnight. You can force an update at any
1513 time by re-enabling appointment notification. Both these actions also
1514 display the day's diary buffer, unless you set
1515 @code{appt-display-diary} to @code{nil}. The appointments list is
1516 also updated whenever the diary file (or a file it includes; see
1517 @iftex
1518 @ref{Fancy Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features})
1519 @end iftex
1520 @ifnottex
1521 @ref{Fancy Diary Display})
1522 @end ifnottex
1523 is saved.
1524
1525 @findex appt-add
1526 @findex appt-delete
1527 @cindex alarm clock
1528 You can also use the appointment notification facility like an alarm
1529 clock. The command @kbd{M-x appt-add} adds entries to the appointment
1530 list without affecting your diary file. You delete entries from the
1531 appointment list with @kbd{M-x appt-delete}.
1532
1533 @node Importing Diary
1534 @section Importing and Exporting Diary Entries
1535
1536 You can transfer diary entries between Emacs diary files and a
1537 variety of other formats.
1538
1539 @vindex diary-outlook-formats
1540 You can import diary entries from Outlook-generated appointment
1541 messages. While viewing such a message in Rmail or Gnus, do @kbd{M-x
1542 diary-from-outlook} to import the entry. You can make this command
1543 recognize additional appointment message formats by customizing the
1544 variable @code{diary-outlook-formats}.
1545
1546 @c FIXME the name of the RFC is hardly very relevant.
1547 @cindex iCalendar support
1548 The icalendar package allows you to transfer data between your Emacs
1549 diary file and iCalendar files, which are defined in ``RFC
1550 2445---Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification
1551 (iCalendar)'' (as well as the earlier vCalendar format).
1552
1553 @c Importing works for ``ordinary'' (i.e. non-recurring) events, but
1554 @c (at present) may not work correctly (if at all) for recurring events.
1555 @c Exporting of diary files into iCalendar files should work correctly
1556 @c for most diary entries. This feature is a work in progress, so the
1557 @c commands may evolve in future.
1558
1559 @findex icalendar-import-buffer
1560 The command @code{icalendar-import-buffer} extracts
1561 iCalendar data from the current buffer and adds it to your
1562 diary file. This function is also suitable for automatic extraction of
1563 iCalendar data; for example with the Rmail mail client one could use:
1564
1565 @example
1566 (add-hook 'rmail-show-message-hook 'icalendar-import-buffer)
1567 @end example
1568
1569 @findex icalendar-import-file
1570 The command @code{icalendar-import-file} imports an iCalendar file
1571 and adds the results to an Emacs diary file. For example:
1572
1573 @example
1574 (icalendar-import-file "/here/is/calendar.ics"
1575 "/there/goes/ical-diary")
1576 @end example
1577
1578 @noindent
1579 You can use an @code{#include} directive to add the import file contents
1580 to the main diary file, if these are different files.
1581 @iftex
1582 @xref{Fancy Diary Display,,, emacs-xtra, Specialized Emacs Features}.
1583 @end iftex
1584 @ifnottex
1585 @xref{Fancy Diary Display}.
1586 @end ifnottex
1587
1588
1589 @findex icalendar-export-file, icalendar-export-region
1590 Use @code{icalendar-export-file} to interactively export an entire
1591 Emacs diary file to iCalendar format. To export only a part of a diary
1592 file, mark the relevant area, and call @code{icalendar-export-region}.
1593 In both cases, Emacs appends the result to the target file.
1594
1595 @node Daylight Saving
1596 @section Daylight Saving Time
1597 @cindex daylight saving time
1598
1599 Emacs understands the difference between standard time and daylight
1600 saving time---the times given for sunrise, sunset, solstices,
1601 equinoxes, and the phases of the moon take that into account. The rules
1602 for daylight saving time vary from place to place and have also varied
1603 historically from year to year. To do the job properly, Emacs needs to
1604 know which rules to use.
1605
1606 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts
1607 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends
1608 Some operating systems keep track of the rules that apply to the place
1609 where you are; on these systems, Emacs gets the information it needs
1610 from the system automatically. If some or all of this information is
1611 missing, Emacs fills in the gaps with the rules currently used in
1612 Cambridge, Massachusetts. If the resulting rules are not what you want,
1613 you can tell Emacs the rules to use by setting certain variables:
1614 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} and
1615 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends}.
1616
1617 These values should be Lisp expressions that refer to the variable
1618 @code{year}, and evaluate to the Gregorian date on which daylight
1619 saving time starts or (respectively) ends, in the form of a list
1620 @code{(@var{month} @var{day} @var{year})}. The values should be
1621 @code{nil} if your area does not use daylight saving time.
1622
1623 Emacs uses these expressions to determine the starting date of
1624 daylight saving time for the holiday list and for correcting times of
1625 day in the solar and lunar calculations.
1626
1627 The values for Cambridge, Massachusetts are as follows:
1628
1629 @example
1630 (calendar-nth-named-day 2 0 3 year)
1631 (calendar-nth-named-day 1 0 11 year)
1632 @end example
1633
1634 @noindent
1635 That is, the second 0th day (Sunday) of the third month (March) in
1636 the year specified by @code{year}, and the first Sunday of the eleventh month
1637 (November) of that year. If daylight saving time were
1638 changed to start on October 1, you would set
1639 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts} to this:
1640
1641 @example
1642 (list 10 1 year)
1643 @end example
1644
1645 If there is no daylight saving time at your location, or if you want
1646 all times in standard time, set @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts}
1647 and @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends} to @code{nil}.
1648
1649 @vindex calendar-daylight-time-offset
1650 The variable @code{calendar-daylight-time-offset} specifies the
1651 difference between daylight saving time and standard time, measured in
1652 minutes. The value for Cambridge, Massachusetts is 60.
1653
1654 @c @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time too long!
1655 @vindex calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time
1656 Finally, the two variables
1657 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-starts-time} and
1658 @code{calendar-daylight-savings-ends-time} specify the number of
1659 minutes after midnight local time when the transition to and from
1660 daylight saving time should occur. For Cambridge, Massachusetts both
1661 variables' values are 120.
1662
1663 @node Time Intervals
1664 @section Summing Time Intervals
1665 @cindex time intervals, summing
1666 @cindex summing time intervals
1667 @cindex timeclock
1668
1669 The timeclock package adds up time intervals, so you can (for
1670 instance) keep track of how much time you spend working on particular
1671 projects.
1672
1673 @findex timeclock-in
1674 @findex timeclock-out
1675 @findex timeclock-change
1676 @findex timeclock-workday-remaining
1677 @findex timeclock-when-to-leave
1678 Use the @kbd{M-x timeclock-in} command when you start working on a
1679 project, and @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} command when you're done. Each
1680 time you do this, it adds one time interval to the record of the
1681 project. You can change to working on a different project with @kbd{M-x
1682 timeclock-change}.
1683
1684 Once you've collected data from a number of time intervals, you can use
1685 @kbd{M-x timeclock-workday-remaining} to see how much time is left to
1686 work today (assuming a typical average of 8 hours a day), and @kbd{M-x
1687 timeclock-when-to-leave} which will calculate when you're ``done''.
1688
1689 @vindex timeclock-modeline-display
1690 @findex timeclock-modeline-display
1691 If you want Emacs to display the amount of time ``left'' of your
1692 workday in the mode line, either customize the
1693 @code{timeclock-modeline-display} variable and set its value to
1694 @code{t}, or invoke the @kbd{M-x timeclock-modeline-display} command.
1695
1696 @vindex timeclock-ask-before-exiting
1697 Terminating the current Emacs session might or might not mean that
1698 you have stopped working on the project and, by default, Emacs asks
1699 you. You can, however, customize the value of the variable
1700 @code{timeclock-ask-before-exiting} to @code{nil} to avoid the question;
1701 then, only an explicit @kbd{M-x timeclock-out} or @kbd{M-x
1702 timeclock-change} will tell Emacs that the current interval is over.
1703
1704 @cindex @file{.timelog} file
1705 @vindex timeclock-file
1706 @findex timeclock-reread-log
1707 The timeclock functions work by accumulating the data in a file
1708 called @file{.timelog} in your home directory. You can specify a
1709 different name for this file by customizing the variable
1710 @code{timeclock-file}. If you edit the timeclock file manually, or if
1711 you change the value of any of timeclock's customizable variables, you
1712 should run the command @kbd{M-x timeclock-reread-log} to update the
1713 data in Emacs from the file.
1714
1715 @ifnottex
1716 @include cal-xtra.texi
1717 @end ifnottex