[Orgmode] Re: Feature request: Periodic events based on count of specific weekdays

[Ben Finney]

Carsten Dominik <address@hidden> 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