Re: How exactly does "C-c ." work in an existing timestamp?

[Nick Dokos <ndokos@gmail.com>]

Jarmo Hurri <jarmo.hurri@iki.fi> writes:

> Nick Dokos <ndokos@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Jarmo Hurri <jarmo.hurri@iki.fi> writes:
>>
>>> # ----------------------------------
>>> * testing
>>>   <2016-01-07 Thu 15:00-16:15>
>>> # ----------------------------------
>>>
>>> When I move my cursor inside the timestamp and press "C-c .", control
>>> jumps to a minibuffer in the echo area. But when I try, in the echo
>>> area, to modify the date in the timestamp, it gets a bit weird to me.
>>>
>>> 1. If I try to use the method specified in the documentation to bump the
>>>    date one day forward by typing +1d, nothing sensible happens. It
>>>    doesn't matter if I type "+1d" directly, or " +1d" with a leading
>>>    space.
>>>
>>
>> That's relative to *today*, not relative to the existing timestamp.
>> +1d changes it to tomorrow. Does that not work for you?
>
> No it doesn't. What's happening...? Are you sure that you are using
> _exactly_ the same timestamp I am using, with the time included in
> addition to the date:
>
> <2016-01-07 Thu 15:00-16:15>
>
> So if you in this timestamp do "C-c ." followed by _nothing else_ than
> "+1d", date switches to tomorrow?
>

As you guessed, I wasn't using your timestamp. The problem is that there
is junk in the minibuffer already (the 15:00-16:15 part) and the cursor
is left right after that without a space. I guess that causes parsing
errors and the date is left unchanged unless you add the space manually
(using the 8 spec, not the +1d spec - the latter does not change
anything, but I haven't chased it through to see if it gets an error in
parsing or there is something else going on).

OTOH, doing a C-a and then entering either "8 " or "+1d " (the space is
necessary to separate the days part from the hour:minutes part)
works. The point is that the time part has to follow the date part.

> A related thing: the documentation on timestamps says that "Org mode
> will find whatever information is in there and derive anything you have
> not specified from the default date and time. The default is usually the
> current date and time, but when modifying an existing timestamp, or when
> entering the second stamp of a range, it is taken from the stamp in the
> buffer." So does this imply that "+1d" - if it would work - should
> actually add one day to the given timestamp, not today?
>

Maybe.

>>> 2. If I type " 8" (note leading space), the date will move to the 8th,
>>>    that is, forward by one day. But a leading space is required.
>>>
>>
>> Not here - with or without space, it changes it to next Friday
>> 2016-01-08.
>
> Nope, doesn't work here without the space, using the timestamp I wrote
> above. I am in GNU Emacs 24.5.1, running the latest Org from git repo.
>
>>> 3. If I move my cursor on top of the current date, still in the echo
>>>    area, the start time of the meeting and the duration start jumping
>>>    forward in the echo area. Please find attached a screenshot of what
>>>    the situation looks like. (This at least looks like a bug, or a
>>>    "feature.")
>>
>> Yes, that's weird - not sure what causes this.
>
> Ok, but it is actually a secondary - or tertiary - issue.
>
> Jarmo
>
>
>

-- 
Nick