path: root/doc/calcurse.1.txt

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////

calcurse(1)
===========

Name
----

calcurse - text-based organizer

Synopsis
--------

[verse]
'calcurse' *-Q* [options] [*--from* <date>] [*--to* <date>|*--days* <num>]
'calcurse' *-G* [options]
'calcurse' *-i*<file>
'calcurse' *-x*<format>
'calcurse' *--gc*
'calcurse' *--status*
'calcurse' *--version*
'calcurse' *--help*

Description
-----------

Calcurse is a text-based calendar and scheduling application. It helps keeping
track of events, appointments and everyday tasks.  A configurable notification
system reminds user of upcoming deadlines, and the curses based interface can
be customized to suit user needs.  All of the commands are documented within an
online help system.  

Options
-------

The following options are supported:

*-a*, *--appointment*::
  Print the appointments and events for the current day and exit. Equivalent to
  *-Q --filter-type cal*. 'Note:' The calendar from which to read the
  appointments can be specified using the *-c* flag.

*-c* <file>, *--calendar* <file>::
  Specify the calendar file to use. The default calendar is *~/.calcurse/apts*
  (see section 'FILES' below). This option has precedence over *-D*.

*-d* <date|num>, *--day* <date|num>::
  Print the appointments for the given date  or  for  the given  number  of
  upcoming days, depending on the argument format. Two possible formats are
  supported:
+
--
  * a date (possible formats described below).
  * a number *n*.
--
+
In the first  case,  the  appointment  list  for  the specified  date will be
returned, while in the second case the appointment list for the *n*  upcoming
days will be returned.
+
As an example, typing *calcurse -d  3*  will  display your  appointments  for
today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. The first form is equivalent to
*-Q --filter-type cal --from <date>*, the second form is equivalent to *-Q
--filter-type cal --days <num>*.
+
'Note:' as for the *-a* flag, the calendar  from which to  read  the
appointments can be specified using the *-c* flag.

*--days* <num>::
  Specify the length of the range (in days) when used with *-Q*. Cannot be
  combined with *--to*.

*--export-uid*::
  When exporting items, add the hash of each item to the exported object as an
  UID property.

*-D* <dir>, *--directory* <dir>::
  Specify the data directory to use. If not specified, the default directory is
  *~/.calcurse/*.

*-F*, *--filter*::
  Read items from the data files and write them back. The filter interface can
  be used to drop specific items. Be careful with this option, specifying a
  wrong filter might result it data loss! It is highly recommended to test the
  effect of filters with -G first. See also: 'Filter Options'.

*--from* <date>::
  Specify the start date of the range when used with *-Q*.

*-g*, *--gc*::
  Run the garbage collector for note files and exit.

*-G*, *--grep*::
  Print appointments and TODO items using the calcurse data file format. The
  filter interface can be used to further restrict the output. See also:
  'Filter Options'.

*-h*, *--help*::
  Print  a  short  help  text  describing  the  supported command-line options,
  and exit.

*-i* <file>, *--import* <file>::
  Import the icalendar data contained in 'file'.

*-l* <num>, *--limit* <num>::
  Limit the number of results printed to 'num'.

*--dump-imported*::
  When importing items, print each newly created object to stdout. Format
  strings can be used to specify which details are printed. See also:
  'Formatting Options'.

*-n*, *--next*::
  Print the next appointment within upcoming 24 hours and exit.  The indicated
  time is the number of hours and minutes left before this appointment.
+
'Note:' the calendar from which to read the appointments can be specified using
the *-c* flag.

*-q*, *--quiet*::
  Be quiet. Do not show system dialogs.

*-Q*, *--query*::
  Print all appointments inside a given query range, followed by all TODO
  items. The query range defaults to the current day and can be changed by
  using the *--from* and *--to* (or *--days*) parameters. The filter interface
  can be used to further restrict the output. See also: 'Filter Options',
  'Formatting Options'.

*-r*[num], *--range*[=num]::
  Print events and appointments for the 'num' number of days and exit. If no
  'num' is given, a range of 1 day is considered. Equivalent to *-Q
  --filter-type cal --days <num>*.

*--read-only*::
  Don't save configuration nor appointments/todos.
+
'Warning:' Use this this with care! If you run an interactive calcurse instance
in read-only mode, all changes from this session will be lost without warning!

*-s*[date], *--startday*[=date]::
  Print  events  and appointments from 'date' and exit.  If no 'date' is given,
  the current day is considered. Equivalent to *-Q --filter-type cal --from
  <date>*.

*-S*<regex>, *--search*=<regex>::
  When used with the *-a*, *-d*, *-r*, *-s*, or *-t* flag, print only the items
  having a description that matches the given regular expression. Equivalent to
  *-Q --filter-pattern <regex>*.

*--status*::
  Display  the  status of running instances of calcurse. If calcurse is
  running, this will tell  if  the  interactive mode  was  launched  or  if
  calcurse is running in background.  The process pid will also be indicated.

*-t*[num], *--todo*[=num]::
  Print the *todo* list and exit. If the optional number 'num' is given, then
  only uncompleted todos having a priority equal to 'num' will be returned. The
  priority number must be between 1 (highest) and 9 (lowest). It is also
  possible to specify *0* for the priority, in which case only completed tasks
  will be shown. Equivalent to *-Q --filter-type todo*, combined with
  *--filter-priority* and *--filter-completed* or *--filter-uncompleted*.

*--to* <date>::
  Specify the end date of the range when used with *-Q*. Cannot be combined
  with *--days*.

*-v*, *--version*::
  Display *calcurse* version and exit.

*-x*[format], *--export*[=format]::
  Export user data to specified format. Events, appointments and todos are
  converted and echoed to stdout.  Two possible formats are available: 'ical'
  and 'pcal'.  If the optional argument 'format' is not given, ical format is
  selected by default.
+
'Note:' redirect standard output to export data to a file, by issuing a command
such as:
+
----
$ calcurse --export > my_data.dat
----

'Note:' The *-N* option has been removed in calcurse 3.0.0. See the 'FORMAT
STRINGS' section on how to print note along with appointments and events.

Filter Options
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Filters can be used to restrict the set of items which are loaded from the
appointments file when using calcurse in non-interactive mode. The following
filters are currently supported:

*--filter-hash <pattern>*::
  Only include items with a hash starting with the specified pattern. The
  pattern can be inverted by prepending an exclamation mark ('!').

*--filter-type* <type>::
  Ignore any items that do not match the type mask. The type mask is a
  comma-separated list of valid type descriptions which include 'event', 'apt',
  'recur-event', 'recur-apt' and 'todo'. You can also use 'recur' as a
  shorthand for 'recur-event,recur-apt' and 'cal' as a shorthand for
  'event,apt,recur'.

*--filter-pattern* <pattern>::
  Ignore any items with a description that does not match the pattern. The
  pattern is interpreted as extended regular expression.

*--filter-start-from* <date>::
  Ignore any items that start before a given date.

*--filter-start-to* <date>::
  Ignore any items that start after a given date.

*--filter-start-after* <date>::
  Only include items that start after a given date.

*--filter-start-before* <date>::
  Only include items that start before a given date.

*--filter-start-range* <range>::
  Only include items with a start date that falls within a given range. A range
  consists of a start date and an end date, separated by a comma.

*--filter-end-from* <date>::
  Ignore any items that end before a given date.

*--filter-end-to* <date>::
  Ignore any items that end after a given date.

*--filter-end-after* <date>::
  Only include items that end after a given date.

*--filter-end-before* <date>::
  Only include items that end before a given date.

*--filter-end-range* <range>::
  Only include items with an end date that falls within a given range. A range
  consists of a start date and an end date, separated by a comma.

*--filter-priority* <priority>::
  Only include items with a given priority.

*--filter-completed*::
  Only include completed TODO items.

*--filter-uncompleted*::
  Only include uncompleted TODO items.

Formatting Options
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*--format-apt* <format>::
  Specify a format to control the output of appointments in non-interactive
  mode. See the 'FORMAT STRINGS' section for detailed information on format
  strings.

*--format-recur-apt* <format>::
  Specify a format to control the output of recurrent appointments in
  non-interactive mode. See the 'FORMAT STRINGS' section for detailed
  information on format strings.

*--format-event* <format>::
  Specify a format to control the output of events in non-interactive mode. See
  the 'FORMAT STRINGS' section for detailed information on format strings.

*--format-recur-event* <format>::
  Specify a format to control the output of recurrent events in non-interactive
  mode. See the 'FORMAT STRINGS' section for detailed information on format
  strings.

*--format-todo* <format>::
  Specify a format to control the output of todo items in non-interactive mode.
  See the 'FORMAT STRINGS' section for detailed information on format strings.

Format strings
--------------

Format strings are composed of printf()-style format specifiers -- ordinary
characters are copied to stdout without modification. Each specifier is
introduced by a *%* and is followed by a character which specifies the field to
print. The set of available fields depends on the item type.

Format specifiers for appointments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*s*::
  Print the start time of the appointment as UNIX time stamp
*S*::
  Print the start time of the appointment using the *hh:mm* format
*d*::
  Print the duration of the appointment in seconds
*e*::
  Print the end time of the appointment as UNIX time stamp
*E*::
  Print the end time of the appointment using the *hh:mm* format
*m*::
  Print the description of the item
*n*::
  Print the name of the note file belonging to the item
*N*::
  Print the note belonging to the item

Format specifiers for events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*m*::
  Print the description of the item
*n*::
  Print the name of the note file belonging to the item
*N*::
  Print the note belonging to the item

Format specifiers for todo items
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*p*::
  Print the priority of the item
*m*::
  Print the description of the item
*n*::
  Print the name of the note file belonging to the item
*N*::
  Print the note belonging to the item

Examples
~~~~~~~~

*`calcurse -r7 --format-apt='- %S -> %E\n\t%m\n%N'`*::
  Print appointments and events for the next seven days. Also, print the notes
  attached to each regular appointment (simulates *-N* for appointments).

*`calcurse -r7 --format-apt=' - %m (%S to %E)\n' --format-recur-apt=' - %m (%S to %E)\n'`*::
  Print appointments and events for the next seven days and use a custom format
  for (recurrent) appointments: * - Some appointment (18:30 to 21:30)*.

*`calcurse -t --format-todo '(%p) %m\n'`*::
  List all todo items and put parentheses around the priority specifiers.

Extended format specifiers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extended format specifiers can be used if you want to specify advanced
formatting options. Extended specifiers are introduced by *%(* and are
terminated by a closing parenthesis (*)*). The following list includes all
short specifiers and corresponding long options:

* *s*: *(start)*
* *S*: *(start:epoch)*
* *e*: *(end)*
* *E*: *(end:epoch)*
* *d*: *(duration)*
* *r*: *(remaining)*
* *m*: *(message)*
* *n*: *(noteid)*
* *N*: *(note)*
* *p*: *(priority)*

The *(start)* and *(end)* specifiers support strftime()-style extended
formatting options that can be used for fine-grained formatting. Additionally,
the special formats *epoch* (which is equivalent to *(start:%s)* or *(end:%s)*)
and *default* (which is mostly equivalent to *(start:%H:%M)* or *(end:%H:%M)*
but displays *..:..* if the item doesn't start/end at the current day) are
supported.

The *(remaining)* and *(duration)* specifiers support a subset of the
strftime()-style formatting options, along with two extra qualifiers.
The supported options are *%d*, *%H*, *%M* and *%S*, and by default each
of these is zero-padded to two decimal places. To avoid the
zero-padding, add *-* in front of the formatting option (for example,
*%-d*). Additionally, the *E* option will display the total number of
time units until the appointment, rather than showing the remaining
number of time units modulo the next larger time unit. For example, an
appointment in 50 hours will show as 02:00 with the formatting string
*%H:%M*, but will show 50:00 with the formatting string *%EH:%M*. Note
that if you are combining the *-* and *E* options, the *-* must come
first. The default format for the *(remaining)* specifier is *%EH:%M*.

There are two additional long format specifiers that do not have any
corresponding short options. They can be used to print an item's hash or its
internal representation and were designed to be used for scripting:

* *(hash)*
* *(raw)*

Hooks
-----

You can place scripts in `$HOME/.calcurse/hooks/` to trigger actions at certain
events. To enable a hook, add a script with one of the following names to this
directory. Also make sure the scripts are executable.

*pre-load*::
  Executed before the data files are loaded.
*post-load*::
  Executed after the data files are saved.
*pre-save*::
  Executed before the data files are loaded.
*post-save*::
  Executed after the data files are saved.

Some examples can be found in the `contrib/hooks/` directory of the calcurse
source tree.

Notes
-----

Calcurse interface contains three different panels (calendar, appointment list,
and todo list) on which you can perform different actions. All the possible
actions, together with their associated keystrokes, are listed on the status
bar. This status bar takes place at the bottom of the screen.

At any time, the built-in help system can be invoked by pressing the '?' key.
Once viewing the help screens, informations on a specific command can be
accessed by pressing the keystroke corresponding to that command.

Configuration
-------------

The calcurse options can be changed from the configuration menu (shown when 'C'
is hit). Five possible categories are to be chosen from : the color scheme, the
layout (the location of the three panels on the screen), notification options,
key bindings configuration menu, and more general options (such as automatic
save before quitting).  All of these options are detailed in the configuration
menu.

Files
-----

The following structure is created in your $HOME directory (or in the directory
you specified with the *-D* option), the first time calcurse is run:

----
$HOME/.calcurse/
          |___notes/
          |___conf 
          |___keys
          |___apts 
          |___todo
----

The 'notes' subdirectory contains descriptions of the notes which are attached
to appointments, events or todos. One text file is created per note, whose name
is the SHA1 message digest of the note itself.

The 'conf' file contains the user configuration. The 'keys' file contains the
user-defined key bindings. The 'apts' file contains all of the user's
appointments and events, and the 'todo' file contains the todo list.

'Note:' if the logging of calcurse daemon activity was set in the notification
configuration menu, the extra file 'daemon.log' will appear in calcurse data
directory. This file contains logs about calcurse activity when running in
background.

Environment
-----------

This section describes the environment variables that affect how calcurse
operates. 

*VISUAL*::
  Specifies the external editor to use for writing notes.
*EDITOR*::
  If the 'VISUAL' environment variable is not set, then 'EDITOR' will be used
  as the default external editor. If none of those variables are set, then
  '/usr/bin/vi' is used instead.
*PAGER*::
  Specifies the default viewer to be used for reading notes. If this variable
  is not set, then '/usr/bin/less' is used.

Bugs
----

Incorrect highlighting of items appear when using calcurse black and white
theme together with a *$TERM* variable set to 'xterm-color'.  To fix this bug,
and as advised by Thomas E. Dickey (xterm maintainer), 'xterm-xfree86' should
be used instead of 'xterm-color' to set the *$TERM* variable:

    "The xterm-color value for $TERM is a bad choice for 
     XFree86 xterm because it is commonly used for a 
     terminfo entry which happens to not support bce. 
     Use the xterm-xfree86 entry which is distributed 
     with XFree86 xterm (or the similar one distributed 
     with ncurses)."

If you find other bugs, please send a report to bugs@calcurse.org or to one of
the authors, below.

See also
--------

vi(1), less(1), ncurses(3), mkstemp(3)

The ical specification (rfc2445) can be found at:
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2445

The pcal project page: http://pcal.sourceforge.net/

Calcurse home page: http://calcurse.org/

Calcurse complete manual, translated in many languages and maintained in
html format, can be found in the doc/ directory of the source package, 
or at: http://calcurse.org/files/manual.html

Authors
-------

* *Frederic Culot* <frederic@culot.org>
* *Lukas Fleischer* <lfleischer@calcurse.org>

Copyright
---------

Copyright (c) 2004-2016 calcurse Development Team.
This software is released under the BSD License.