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### 8.1 Timestamps, deadlines, and scheduling

A timestamp is a specification of a date (possibly with a time or a range of times) in a special format, either ‘`<2003-09-16 Tue>`’67 or ‘`<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>`’ or ‘`<2003-09-16 Tue 12:00-12:30>`’68. A timestamp can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree entry. Its presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda (see Weekly/daily agenda). We distinguish:

Plain timestamp; Event; Appointment

  A simple timestamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just like writing down an appointment or event in a paper agenda. In the timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry associated with a plain timestamp will be shown exactly on that date.

      * Meet Peter at the movies
        <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
      * Discussion on climate change
        <2006-11-02 Thu 20:00-22:00>

Timestamp with repeater interval

  A timestamp may contain a repeater interval, indicating that it applies not only on the given date, but again and again after a certain interval of N days (d), weeks (w), months (m), or years (y). The following will show up in the agenda every Wednesday:

      * Pick up Sam at school
        <2007-05-16 Wed 12:30 +1w>

Diary-style sexp entries

  For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary package69. For example with optional time

      * 22:00-23:00 The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
        <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>

Time/Date range

  Two timestamps connected by ‘`--`’ denote a range. The headline will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on any dates that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an example:

      ** Meeting in Amsterdam
         <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>

Inactive timestamp

  Just like a plain timestamp, but with square brackets instead of angular ones. These timestamps are inactive in the sense that they do not trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.

      * Gillian comes late for the fifth time
        [2006-11-01 Wed]

#### Footnotes

### (67)

In this simplest form, the day name is optional when you type the date yourself. However, any dates inserted or modified by Org will add that day name, for reading convenience.

### (68)

This is inspired by the standard ISO 8601 date/time format. To use an alternative format, see Custom time format.

### (69)

When working with the standard diary sexp functions, you need to be very careful with the order of the arguments. That order depend evilly on the variable `calendar-date-style` (or, for older Emacs versions, `european-calendar-style`). For example, to specify a date December 12, 2005, the call might look like `(diary-date 12 1 2005)` or `(diary-date 1 12 2005)` or `(diary-date 2005 12 1)`, depending on the settings. This has been the source of much confusion. Org mode users can resort to special versions of these functions like `org-date` or `org-anniversary`. These work just like the corresponding `diary-` functions, but with stable ISO order of arguments (year, month, day) wherever applicable, independent of the value of `calendar-date-style`.

Next: Creating timestamps, Previous: Dates and Times, Up: Dates and Times [Contents][Index]