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How to display count of repeating events

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Gary

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Sep 28, 2016, 5:32:32 AM9/28/16
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It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?

It's easy enough to create annual birthdays and show age, but it
surprises me there isn't a straightforward way to do this with other
than annual events.

Any suggestions (other than creating 30 events)?

Lewis

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Sep 28, 2016, 10:43:19 AM9/28/16
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In message <2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom>
Gary <gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
> October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
> that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
> some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?

Not without creating 30 events. However, it is trivial to create a
single event that repeats for 30 days that says "Take pill". Why you
would need (or want) to number this reminder is puzzling. But if it's
important, 30 events it is.

--
One of the most basic rules of survival on any planet is never to upset
someone wearing black leather. --The Last Continent

Jolly Roger

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Sep 28, 2016, 12:33:11 PM9/28/16
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Lewis <g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:
> In message <2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom>
> Gary <gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
>> October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
>> that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
>> some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?
>
> Not without creating 30 events. However, it is trivial to create a
> single event that repeats for 30 days that says "Take pill". Why you
> would need (or want) to number this reminder is puzzling. But if it's
> important, 30 events it is.

Yes. I would just create one event that repeats each day and ends after 30
days.

And if you wanted to automate the creation of 30 different events, you
could write a little AppleScript to create them in a repeat loop, giving
each one a name with an incrementing counter (Take pill 1, Take pill 2, and
so on).

--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.

JR

Snit

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Sep 28, 2016, 2:56:06 PM9/28/16
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On 9/28/16, 2:32 AM, in article 2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom,
Use at your own risk and know I am NOT a programmer or scripter of any value
AT ALL, but I tested this (with a loop of 5) and it worked for me:

--------
tell application "Calendar"
activate
set theCount to 1
set theDate to date "Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 6:00:00 PM"
tell calendar "Test"
repeat 30 times
make new event with properties {description:"Take Pill " & theCount,
summary:"Take Pill " & theCount, start date:theDate}
set theDate to theDate + 60 * 60 * 24
set theCount to theCount + 1
end repeat
end tell
reload calendars
end tell
--------

Loaded it in Script Editor, ran, and got five events. Be careful if the
"make new event" line wraps around.

You would need to change the name of the calendar to something other than
"Test" -- and no promises it will work, not give you acne, or anything else.


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Snit

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Sep 28, 2016, 3:46:15 PM9/28/16
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On 9/28/16, 11:55 AM, in article
D411604C.7EC11%use...@gallopinginsanity.com, "Snit"
I think it is clear, but just in case, yes, this does create 30 events...
which you said you did not want to do -- but it automates it so you have the
events you want without manually creating them.

As far as I know there is no way to create a recurring event with a counter
built in. Would be cool if there was.

android

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:07:00 PM9/28/16
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> > On 9/28/16, 2:32 AM, in article 2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom,
> > "Gary" <gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
> >> October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
> >> that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
> >> some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?

Why not just create a recurring event that repeats 30 times like:

New Event "start date" > repeat: Every day > end: "on date" > alarm:
"message"?
--
teleportation kills

Your Name

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:21:28 PM9/28/16
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In article <2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom>, Gary
Unless they're are specifically numbered pills that have to be taken in
the correct order, there's no real reason to do that. Even if they are
like that (perhaps a decreasing dosage in each pill), then the
packaging should be numbered anyway, so you just have to be reminded
each day to take the pill in the next not-already-empty packet.

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:55:05 PM9/28/16
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Hmmm, Snit, you'd better check that a "Day" is actually 24 hours in your script,
it's pretty obvious you're taking pills 1, 2,3 and 4 much closer intervals
than that.

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:58:13 PM9/28/16
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Do not feed Snit. He set himself up with this sock so he can rescue someone and then troll COLA.

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:58:18 PM9/28/16
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You could just not feed Snit.

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:58:54 PM9/28/16
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This is just another Snit sock trying to stir up trouble. Snit does this all the time, finds an answer somewhere online then asks a question so he can come to the rescue.

It is the only way he knows how to be liked.

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 4:59:13 PM9/28/16
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Here is Snit with a magical solution which works and he created it quickly right after he had his ass handed to him about being ignorant of AppleScript.

Nobody is going to fall for this crap, Snit.

Davoud

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Sep 28, 2016, 6:40:35 PM9/28/16
to
In article <2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom>, Gary
<gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Yes. You're missing something, i.e., not seeing something on the page.
Create an event in the Apple Calendar and, in the process, have it
repeat every day. After you select "repeat" an "end repeat" field will
appear. Insert the appropriate ending date. Select your desired alert
time and you're good to go.

I did this on a Mac on an iPhone. If you are using the incredibly
useful iCloud calendar sharing facility you need create it on only one
device and it will appear on all of your devices that are logged in to
the same iCloud account and that have Calendar sharing enabled.

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

Snit

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Sep 28, 2016, 8:36:53 PM9/28/16
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On 9/28/16, 3:40 PM, in article 280920161840314970%st...@sky.net, "Davoud"
<st...@sky.net> wrote:

> In article <2016092805322540488-garyw1@hotmailcom>, Gary
> <gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
>> October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
>> that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
>> some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?
>>
>> It's easy enough to create annual birthdays and show age, but it
>> surprises me there isn't a straightforward way to do this with other
>> than annual events.
>>
>> Any suggestions (other than creating 30 events)?
>
> Yes. You're missing something, i.e., not seeing something on the page.
> Create an event in the Apple Calendar and, in the process, have it
> repeat every day. After you select "repeat" an "end repeat" field will
> appear. Insert the appropriate ending date. Select your desired alert
> time and you're good to go.
>
> I did this on a Mac on an iPhone. If you are using the incredibly
> useful iCloud calendar sharing facility you need create it on only one
> device and it will appear on all of your devices that are logged in to
> the same iCloud account and that have Calendar sharing enabled.

While I agree with you in that is how I would do it... would be good to have
a count-up or count-down feature... so many days until Christmas type thing.

I am hardly a decent scripter and figured out a method pretty quickly to add
such things but for most people it would be a non-starter.

Gary

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Sep 28, 2016, 8:38:53 PM9/28/16
to
-- Thanks for all the good ideas, especially the AppleScript.
Just to comment to those who said "why do you really need what you are
asking for?",
the answer is that I don't really need it. I just wanted it, and I was
surprised that
there didn't seem to be a way to do it. I could imagine that, some day
for some
unanticipated reason, I might want something much more important to me to have
sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a repeating event.
I wondered
why Apple didn't provide it.

Your Name

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Sep 28, 2016, 9:57:32 PM9/28/16
to
In article <20160928203847906-garyw1@hotmailcom>, Gary
Probably because nobody / almost nobody would ever use it. There's
little point in tacking in features that only two people on the planet
would use (once) ... that's what Adobe and Microsloth do, and there
apps are more and more bloated and buggy with every release.

Snit

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Sep 28, 2016, 10:43:41 PM9/28/16
to
On 9/28/16, 5:38 PM, in article 20160928203847906-garyw1@hotmailcom, "Gary"
<gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> On 2016-09-28 09:32:25 +0000, Gary said:
>
>> It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
>> October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
>> that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
>> some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?
>>
>> It's easy enough to create annual birthdays and show age, but it
>> surprises me there isn't a straightforward way to do this with other
>> than annual events.
>>
>> Any suggestions (other than creating 30 events)?
>
>
> -- Thanks for all the good ideas, especially the AppleScript.

You are welcome.

> Just to comment to those who said "why do you really need what you are asking
> for?", the answer is that I don't really need it. I just wanted it, and I was
> surprised that there didn't seem to be a way to do it. I could imagine that,
> some day for some unanticipated reason, I might want something much more
> important to me to have sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a
> repeating event. I wondered why Apple didn't provide it.

The example I used was a count down to Christmas or another holiday or a
birthday. Heck, wish I had thought of that when my kids were younger and
they were always asking... now I tell them to go figure it out! :)

Steve Carroll

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Sep 28, 2016, 10:57:36 PM9/28/16
to
On Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 5:38:53 PM UTC-7, Gary wrote:
> On 2016-09-28 09:32:25 +0000, Gary said:
>
> > It is important to remember to take 30 pills, one a day, starting
> > October 1. I want to create a daily repeating event in my Mac calendar
> > that says something like Pill 1, Pill 2, ... up to Pill 30. Is there
> > some way to accomplish this in either MacOS or in IOS?
> >
> > It's easy enough to create annual birthdays and show age, but it
> > surprises me there isn't a straightforward way to do this with other
> > than annual events.
> >
> > Any suggestions (other than creating 30 events)?
>
>
> -- Thanks for all the good ideas, especially the AppleScript.

Very first line you mention the AppleScript without your normal name, Snit. Next time try to be a bit less obvious.

> Just to comment to those who said "why do you really need what you are
> asking for?",
> the answer is that I don't really need it.

Except to further your trolling, Snit, and make you seem like a hero rushing in with an AppleScript right when some guy with no history happens to ask.

> I just wanted it, and I was
> surprised that
> there didn't seem to be a way to do it. I could imagine that, some day
> for some
> unanticipated reason, I might want something much more important to me to have
> sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a repeating event.
> I wondered
> why Apple didn't provide it.

You do not hide your style well at all Snit.

Lewis

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Sep 29, 2016, 12:30:53 AM9/29/16
to
In message <20160928203847906-garyw1@hotmailcom>
Gary <gar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I could imagine that, some day for some unanticipated reason, I might
> want something much more important to me to have sequential numbers on
> the successive occurrences of a repeating event. I wondered why Apple
> didn't provide it.

Probably because they, like most everyone on this thread, can't imagine
that being useful.

I've created many repeating calendar events over the years. I've never
had even a fleeting desire to number them sequentially.

--
I DID NOT SEE ELVIS Bart chalkboard Ep. 7G07

Snit

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Sep 29, 2016, 1:44:22 AM9/29/16
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On 9/28/16, 9:30 PM, in article slrnnup67s....@snow.local, "Lewis"
I do not think anyone is saying you have to. He asked because he had the
desire. Once he did I thought of other reasons I might want something
similar, but even if I did not think I ever would I figured it would not
take long to create a solution which would do much of what he wanted.

No harm in his asking.

Davoud

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Sep 29, 2016, 8:19:58 AM9/29/16
to
Gary:

> I might want something much more important to me to have
> sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a repeating event.
> I wondered why Apple didn't provide it.

I hope you took away from this discussion the fact that Apple *did*
provide the functionality that you want in Calendar.app.

Snit

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Sep 29, 2016, 1:41:46 PM9/29/16
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On 9/29/16, 5:19 AM, in article 290920160819564869%st...@sky.net, "Davoud"
<st...@sky.net> wrote:

> Gary:
>
>> I might want something much more important to me to have
>> sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a repeating event.
>> I wondered why Apple didn't provide it.
>
> I hope you took away from this discussion the fact that Apple *did*
> provide the functionality that you want in Calendar.app.

They have repeating events but not ones where you have count-downs (or
count-ups)... and it would be a cool feature, even if one that was not used
that often.

android

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Sep 29, 2016, 2:38:53 PM9/29/16
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In article <D4129261.7ED94%use...@gallopinginsanity.com>,
Snit <use...@gallopinginsanity.com> wrote:

> On 9/29/16, 5:19 AM, in article 290920160819564869%st...@sky.net, "Davoud"
> <st...@sky.net> wrote:
>
> > Gary:
> >
> >> I might want something much more important to me to have
> >> sequential numbers on the successive occurrences of a repeating event.
> >> I wondered why Apple didn't provide it.
> >
> > I hope you took away from this discussion the fact that Apple *did*
> > provide the functionality that you want in Calendar.app.
>
> They have repeating events but not ones where you have count-downs (or
> count-ups)... and it would be a cool feature, even if one that was not used
> that often.

Oki... But why? If you put a reminder, or "message alarm" for a
repeating event then you have will have to click it away and it will be
very hard to miss.
--
teleportation kills

Snit

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Sep 29, 2016, 3:56:44 PM9/29/16
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On 9/29/16, 11:38 AM, in article
here-09C007.2...@news.individual.net, "android" <he...@there.was>
wrote:
My kids are old enough now where I just tell them to figure it out, but it
used to be that before every birthday and major holiday my kids wanted to
know how many days until X. Having had a mark on my calendar, or, even
better, on a read-only one for the kids, would have been great.

We did make for some holidays a count-down calendar out of paper where each
day they got to flip up or rip off a cover for a number. And there was
nothing wrong with that but I would not want to (and did not) make one for
every event.

Now that I have my script I would just modify it to add daily events.

But even if I did not ever have such a need or understand why someone else
would, does not mean I cannot help them with it. Also does not mean you
cannot have a different solution you think will fulfill the same task.

android

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Sep 29, 2016, 9:11:18 PM9/29/16
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In article <D412B23F.7EE11%use...@gallopinginsanity.com>,
I was going on the OPs description of purpose: He didn't want to miss a
pill.
--
teleportation kills

Snit

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Sep 29, 2016, 9:57:58 PM9/29/16
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On 9/29/16, 6:11 PM, in article
here-A090B4.0...@news.individual.net, "android" <he...@there.was>
Even with that, if you have a reminder a day you may forget if you have
taken it or not. As it turned out, his was a simple case: the day of the
month works as the counter (1=1, 2=2, etc.). But even if he was a day off of
that it would be useful. But, yes, as written the date seems to work as
well. :)
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