Timestamp format questions

Timestamp format questions

[Joost Kremers]

Hi all,

Being a long-time Emacs user, I've finally decided to take the plunge and try
org-mode. I'm still in the process of figuring out what the best way is for me
to use it, (and I suspect I'll need a few more weeks to do so ;-) but I'm
wondering about timestamps, especially about how to represent certain things
that seem to me rather common but aren't discussed explicitly in the manual.

Most pressing: how can I say that a certain event occurs every week on a certain
day and time, but only for a limited period? E.g., for classes I teach I want to
be able to say 'this class takes place from April 8 through July 8, every
Thursday from 12.00 to 14.00. If I write:

   <2010-04-08 Thu 12:00-14.00 +1w>

I get the correct time and interval, but of course it doesn't stop at the
correct date. However, if I write

   <2010-04-08 Thu 12:00-14.00 +1w>--<2010-07-08 Thu>

then it shows up *every day* in the agenda view, not just on Thursdays. (That
actually looks like a bug to me, but perhaps I'm doing something wrong.)

Also, is there a way to say that a certain event that occurs every week does not
occur on one specific date? For example, I teach a class every Thursday, but the
Thu. 13th of May was Ascension Day, so the class was cancelled. I would like the
event to not show up on such days.

BTW, I'm using Aquamacs 2.0, (org-version) says "6.33x", in case that's
relevant.

TIA

Joost


-- 
Dr. Joost Kremers
Georg-August-Universität
Seminar für Deutsche Philologie
Käte-Hamburger-Weg 3
D-37073 Göttingen

Re: Timestamp format questions

[Matt Lundin]

Hi Joost,

Joost Kremers <joostkremers@fastmail.fm> writes:

> Most pressing: how can I say that a certain event occurs every week on
> a certain day and time, but only for a limited period? E.g., for
> classes I teach I want to be able to say 'this class takes place from
> April 8 through July 8, every Thursday from 12.00 to 14.00. If I
> write:
>
>    <2010-04-08 Thu 12:00-14.00 +1w>
>
> I get the correct time and interval, but of course it doesn't stop at the
> correct date. However, if I write
>
>    <2010-04-08 Thu 12:00-14.00 +1w>--<2010-07-08 Thu>
>
> then it shows up *every day* in the agenda view, not just on Thursdays. (That
> actually looks like a bug to me, but perhaps I'm doing something
> wrong.)

You can use diary sexps to schedule more complex appointments.

,---- (info "(org) Timestamps") 
| DIARY-STYLE SEXP ENTRIES
|      For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
|      special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
|      package.  For example
| 
|           * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
|             <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
`----

See also the following FAQ entry:
http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#diary-sexp-in-org-files

The function org-diary-class nicely covers the scenario above:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
* 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
<%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4)>
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#org-diary-class

> Also, is there a way to say that a certain event that occurs every
> week does not occur on one specific date? For example, I teach a class
> every Thursday, but the Thu. 13th of May was Ascension Day, so the
> class was cancelled. I would like the event to not show up on such
> days.

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
* 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
<%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4 19)>
                                        ;; iso number of the week to skip
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Best,
Matt

Re: Timestamp format questions

[Joost Kremers]

On Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 02:40:30PM -0400, Matt Lundin wrote:
> You can use diary sexps to schedule more complex appointments.
> 
> ,---- (info "(org) Timestamps") 
> | DIARY-STYLE SEXP ENTRIES
> |      For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
> |      special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
> |      package.  For example
> | 
> |           * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
> |             <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
> `----
> 
> See also the following FAQ entry:
> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#diary-sexp-in-org-files

Thanks! It seems, though, that this is a very new function, Aquamacs' Org-mode
doesn't contain it... I guess I'll have to find out how to update the Org-mode
that comes with Aquamacs...

> The function org-diary-class nicely covers the scenario above:
> 
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> * 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
> <%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4)>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
> 
> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#org-diary-class

Is it still possible to schedule the time of the event as well?

(I'm a bit surprised, though, that the format is `Month Day Year', when normally
Org-mode uses `Year Day Month'... ;-)

> > Also, is there a way to say that a certain event that occurs every
> > week does not occur on one specific date? For example, I teach a class
> > every Thursday, but the Thu. 13th of May was Ascension Day, so the
> > class was cancelled. I would like the event to not show up on such
> > days.
> 
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> * 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
> <%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4 19)>
>                                         ;; iso number of the week to skip
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Great, thanks!

Joost

-- 
Joost Kremers
Life has its moments

Re: Re: Timestamp format questions

[Carsten Dominik]

On Jun 8, 2010, at 11:13 AM, Joost Kremers wrote:

> On Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 02:40:30PM -0400, Matt Lundin wrote:
>> You can use diary sexps to schedule more complex appointments.
>>
>> ,---- (info "(org) Timestamps")
>> | DIARY-STYLE SEXP ENTRIES
>> |      For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports  
>> using the
>> |      special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/ 
>> diary
>> |      package.  For example
>> |
>> |           * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
>> |             <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
>> `----
>>
>> See also the following FAQ entry:
>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#diary-sexp-in-org-files
>
> Thanks! It seems, though, that this is a very new function,  
> Aquamacs' Org-mode
> doesn't contain it... I guess I'll have to find out how to update  
> the Org-mode
> that comes with Aquamacs...
>
>> The function org-diary-class nicely covers the scenario above:
>>
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>> * 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
>> <%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4)>
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>>
>> http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#org-diary-class
>
> Is it still possible to schedule the time of the event as well?

It is already there, 12-14!

>
> (I'm a bit surprised, though, that the format is `Month Day Year',  
> when normally
> Org-mode uses `Year Day Month'... ;-)

I hate this as well, but the decision was to be consistent within sexp  
commands.
Calendar date format applied to all other sexp commands from the  
diary....

Sometimes you have to make difficult choices.... :-)

- Carsten


>
>>> Also, is there a way to say that a certain event that occurs every
>>> week does not occur on one specific date? For example, I teach a  
>>> class
>>> every Thursday, but the Thu. 13th of May was Ascension Day, so the
>>> class was cancelled. I would like the event to not show up on such
>>> days.
>>
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
>> * 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
>> <%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4 19)>
>>                                        ;; iso number of the week to  
>> skip
>> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>
> Great, thanks!
>
> Joost
>
> -- 
> Joost Kremers
> Life has its moments
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

- Carsten

Re: Re: Timestamp format questions

[Joost Kremers]

On Tue, Jun 08, 2010 at 06:32:46PM +0200, Carsten Dominik wrote:
> On Jun 8, 2010, at 11:13 AM, Joost Kremers wrote:
> >On Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 02:40:30PM -0400, Matt Lundin wrote:
> >>The function org-diary-class nicely covers the scenario above:
> >>
> >>--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> >>* 12:00-14:00 Weekly class
> >><%%(org-diary-class 4 8 2010 7 8 2010 4)>
> >>--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
> >>
> >>http://orgmode.org/worg/org-faq.php#org-diary-class
> >
> >Is it still possible to schedule the time of the event as well?
> 
> It is already there, 12-14!

Oh, cool! I didn't know the time in the header is also added in the agenda view.
Now that I've actually tried it, it works beautifully. :-)
 
> >(I'm a bit surprised, though, that the format is `Month Day Year', when
> >normally Org-mode uses `Year Day Month'... ;-)

Year Month Day, of course... ;-)

> I hate this as well, but the decision was to be consistent within sexp
> commands. Calendar date format applied to all other sexp commands from the
> diary....
> 
> Sometimes you have to make difficult choices.... :-)

Yup, life's that way.

Thanks for your reply.


-- 
Joost Kremers
Life has its moments