From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: Feature request: Periodic events based on count of specific weekdays Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:56:51 +1100 Message-ID: <87r5rsdcuk.fsf@benfinney.id.au> References: <87ws214lpo.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <87fx8p434f.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <87bpjc4u4i.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <87vdh6gmpc.fsf_-_@benfinney.id.au> <77D21500-F2A5-45AA-9490-660C4AA7EF07@gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Return-path: Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1NBcQ0-00072J-RB for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:32 -0500 Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1NBcPt-0006rm-RB for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:31 -0500 Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=59847 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1NBcPt-0006rZ-GK for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:25 -0500 Received: from lo.gmane.org ([80.91.229.12]:37815) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1NBcPs-0000KH-K2 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:25 -0500 Received: from list by lo.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.50) id 1NBcPm-0003Ji-Jp for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:57:18 +0100 Received: from eth595.vic.adsl.internode.on.net ([150.101.214.82]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:57:18 +0100 Received: from ben+emacs by eth595.vic.adsl.internode.on.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:57:18 +0100 List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org Carsten Dominik writes: > extending the date format would be a significant amount of work. The > current time/date format is already complex to handle internally, > mainly because it was build not with a clean design but step by step. I don't know anything about elisp. But isn't that an indication that it might be time to re-work the design so it's easier to maintain? > My feeling is that date specifications like this are seldomly used, I'm surprised at this assertion. Just about every club or social organisation, etc., that I've heard of that meets monthly, does so by meeting “on the second Tuesday of the month” or equivalent monthly specification. It's surely not seldom in my experience. It may be the case that not many *programs* implement this; but has that ever been a reason to avoid mapping a real-world need into Org mode before? :-) > and as far as readability is concerned, for these few events you could > just (as suggested by Matt) write a note explaining what the entry > does. Unfortunately, I can't see how to do that *and* have the rest of the Org mode timestamp specification; I'm wanting to have all the current features of Org timestamp specification plus day-of-week-based periodic events. For example, I can't see how to get an sexp timestamp to simultaneously have a “second Tuesday of the month” period and a time-of-day specification. I also can't see how to get these specifications to display like other Org timestamps in agenda and other generated views. So, while I appreciate that the current timestamp parser design might make implementation difficult, I don't think the current features of either Org timestamp specification or sexp specification will meet this goal. That's why I'm asking for this feature request. I'm happy to discuss different specifications; the latest one I proposed was for discussion, and I'm not wedded to it. Is there a different syntax that would make parsing easier, while still adding the feature I've described? -- \ “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them | `\ to do to their fellows, because it always coincides with their | _o__) own desires.” —Susan Brownell Anthony, 1896 | Ben Finney