Using Calcurse to keep track of appointments and tasks
Adaptable
If the program does not suit your needs, you can configure it in different ways: In addition to the color scheme, you can vary the layout of the components and set the options for notifications and key mappings.
The software offers two approaches for doing this: You can launch your favorite editor and modify the configuration file directly, or you can use the program's interactive configure mode.
This mode is launched by pressing C. Next, you can select G for general options, L for layout, S to adjust the sidebar, C for the color scheme, N to set the notifications, or K for the key assignments. Figure 3 shows the options for the layout, with the classic color combination of green on black in this case.
Alternatives
If you do not enjoy working with Calcurse or if it does not offer you enough in terms of features, just check out what else your preferred distribution has in stock. The choice of calendars and appointment managers is usually huge. Besides Mical [5], in particular, a combination of Wyrd [6] and Remind [7] is very popular.
Wyrd also builds on ncurses but uses Remind as its back end, which is a powerful piece of software with alarm and reminder functions. If you only need a view of the current month, the veterans cal
and ncal
[8] will do the trick (Figure 4).
PCAL, which I mentioned previously, generates a calendar as a PostScript file. It does not require an X Window system for this; instead, you use it completely at the command line. The pcal package includes two tools – pcal
for creating monthly calendars and lcal
for annual overviews. Lcal is the abbreviation for "lunar calendar," and it gives you a view that matches the phases of the moon.
Conclusions
Calcurse's approach works. It is characterized by clarity, ease of use at the keyboard, and compactness. It offers all the features you need as an individual user in everyday life and requires very little in terms of storage space. The options for the interface and the command line make input and output easy.
The documentation is not short, but it is understandable and is easily accessible in-line through the man page [9]. Additionally, the program has been localized in various languages. This feature should be a matter of course – and other tools might do well to look to Calcurse as their role model here.
Acknowledgements
The author sincerely thanks Werner Heuser for his tips and advice on this article.
Infos
- "Enfache Freuden" by Frank Hofmann and Thomas Winde, LinuxUser: http://www.linux-community.de/31704 [in German]
- Calcurse: http://calcurse.org
- iCalendar specification: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2445
- PCAL: http://pcal.sourceforge.net
- Mical: http://freshmeat.net/projects/mical/
- Wyrd: http://packages.debian.org/wheezy/wyrd
- Remind: http://packages.debian.org/wheezy/remind
- Ncal: http://packages.debian.org/en/wheezy/bsdmainutils
- Online documentation for Calcurse: http://calcurse.org/files/manual.html
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
News
-
An All-Snap Version of Ubuntu is In The Works
Along with the standard deb version of the open-source operating system, Canonical will release an-all snap version.
-
Mageia 9 Beta 2 Ready for Testing
The latest beta of the popular Mageia distribution now includes the latest kernel and plenty of updated applications.
-
KDE Plasma 6 Looks to Bring Basic HDR Support
The KWin piece of KDE Plasma now has HDR support and color management geared for the 6.0 release.
-
Bodhi Linux 7.0 Beta Ready for Testing
The latest iteration of the Bohdi Linux distribution is now available for those who want to experience what's in store and for testing purposes.
-
Changes Coming to Ubuntu PPA Usage
The way you manage Personal Package Archives will be changing with the release of Ubuntu 23.10.
-
AlmaLinux 9.2 Now Available for Download
AlmaLinux has been released and provides a free alternative to upstream Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
-
An Immutable Version of Fedora Is Under Consideration
For anyone who's a fan of using immutable versions of Linux, the Fedora team is currently considering adding a new spin called Fedora Onyx.
-
New Release of Br OS Includes ChatGPT Integration
Br OS 23.04 is now available and is geared specifically toward web content creation.
-
Command-Line Only Peropesis 2.1 Available Now
The latest iteration of Peropesis has been released with plenty of updates and introduces new software development tools.
-
TUXEDO Computers Announces InfinityBook Pro 14
With the new generation of their popular InfinityBook Pro 14, TUXEDO upgrades its ultra-mobile, powerful business laptop with some impressive specs.