<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2-Based Variant V1.1//EN" "dtd/kdex.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY kappname "&kalarm;">
  <!ENTITY package "kdepim">
  <!ENTITY % addindex "IGNORE">
  <!ENTITY % English "INCLUDE"><!-- change language only here -->
]>

<!-- The language must NOT be changed here. -->

<book lang="&language;">

<bookinfo>
<title>The &kalarm; Handbook</title>

<authorgroup>
<author>
<firstname>David</firstname>
<othername></othername>
<surname>Jarvie</surname>
<affiliation>
<address><email>software@astrojar.org.uk</email></address>
</affiliation>
</author>
</authorgroup>

<!-- TRANS:ROLES_OF_TRANSLATORS -->

<copyright>
<year>2001</year><year>2002</year>
<holder>David Jarvie</holder>
</copyright>

<legalnotice>&FDLNotice;</legalnotice>

<!-- Don't change format of date and version of the documentation -->

<date>2002-10-04</date>
<releaseinfo>0.08.01</releaseinfo>

<abstract>
<para>&kalarm; is a personal alarm/reminder message, and command, scheduler for &kde;.</para>
</abstract>


<keywordset>
<keyword>KDE</keyword>
<keyword>kdepim</keyword>
<keyword>kalarm</keyword>
<keyword>alarm</keyword>
<keyword>reminder</keyword>
</keywordset>

</bookinfo>


<chapter id="introduction">
<title>Introduction</title>

<para>&kalarm; is a personal alarm message and command scheduler. It
lets you set up personal alarm/reminder messages which pop up on the
screen at the time you specify, or you can set up commands to be
executed.</para>

<para>In its default graphical mode, &kalarm; displays a list of
pending alarms, showing their times and details.  You can create new
alarms, or you can select existing alarms for modification or
deletion.</para>

<para>When setting up or modifying an alarm, you may either type in
the alarm message text, specify a text file to display, or specify a
command to execute. You can also choose the colour of the alarm
message, whether it should repeat, whether to play a sound, and
whether the alarm should be cancelled if it can't be triggered at its
scheduled time.</para>

<para>Alarms may also be scheduled on the command line, or via &DCOP;
calls from programs.</para>

<para>When an alarm message is due, it is displayed on each &kde;
desktop to ensure that you don't miss it. The message window shows the
time for which the alarm was scheduled. It usually has a defer option
to ask for the alarm to be displayed again later. An example of an
alarm message:</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Screenshot of the &kalarm; message window</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="alarmmessage.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Alarm message</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>When the alarm specifies a command to execute, &kalarm; displays
nothing.</para>

<para>&kalarm; can run in either of two modes:
<quote>continuous</quote> (the default) where it runs from the &kde;
system tray, or <quote>on-demand</quote> where it runs as and when
required (with the option of displaying an independent system tray
icon).</para>

<para>This document makes various references to the <application>alarm
daemon</application>.  This is an application which runs in the
background, checking pending alarms and telling &kalarm; to display
them when they become due.</para>

</chapter>

<chapter id="using-kalarm">
<title>Using &kalarm;</title>

<sect1 id="graphmode">
<title>Graphical mode</title>

<para>When it is run with no command line parameters, &kalarm; starts
in graphical mode. It displays the current list of outstanding alarms,
showing their times, repetition intervals, colours, and message texts,
names of files to display or commands to execute. (For a recurring
alarm, the time shown is its next scheduled trigger time.) An icon at
the left of each alarm text/file/command indicates the type of
alarm.</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Screenshot of the &kalarm; main window</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="mainwindow.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Main window</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>For a repeated alarm, the list shows its next scheduled trigger
time and the number of times which it is due to repeat after
that.</para>

<para>The alarms may be ordered by date/time, repeat interval, colour
or text by clicking on the title bar for the appropriate column.
To reverse the sort order, click the column title bar again.</para>

<para>When &kalarm; starts in graphical mode, it checks whether the
<application>alarm daemon</application> is running. If it is not
already running, &kalarm; starts it.</para>

<sect2>
<title>Adding a new alarm</title>

<para>To add a new alarm, select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
This displays the alarm edit dialog as described below.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Modifying an existing alarm</title>

<para>To modify an existing alarm, do one of the following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Double click on its entry in the alarm list.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>Select it by clicking on its entry in the alarm list. Then
choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Actions</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Modify</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on its entry in the alarm
list and choose
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Modify</guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the
context menu.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>This displays the alarm edit dialog:</para>

<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Screenshot of the alarm edit dialog</screeninfo>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata fileref="editwindow.png" format="PNG"/>
</imageobject>
<textobject>
<phrase>Alarm edit dialog</phrase>
</textobject>
</mediaobject>
</screenshot>

<para>In the <guilabel>Action</guilabel> group box, select either
<guilabel>Text</guilabel> in order to enter the message text (which
may include newlines) in the edit box, <guilabel>File</guilabel> to
enter the name or &URL; of a text file whose contents are to be
displayed in the alarm message, or <guilabel>Command</guilabel> to
enter a shell command to execute.  When <guilabel>File</guilabel> is
selected, the button to the right of the edit box may be used to
display a file selection dialog.</para>

<para>If the alarm is a recurring alarm and it was deferred after it
was last displayed, the <guilabel>Deferred Alarm</guilabel> group box
shows the time the alarm was deferred to.
<guibutton>Change...</guibutton> displays a dialog which allows you to
change the deferred time or to cancel the deferral.</para>

<para>In the <guilabel>Time</guilabel> group box, select either</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para><guilabel>At date/time</guilabel> to enter the date and time
when the alarm is to be triggered. Check the <guilabel>Any
time</guilabel> checkbox if you want to specify only a date for the
alarm: in this case the alarm will be displayed at the first
opportunity on or after the configured start-of-day time, on the
specified date. (<link linkend="preferences">Configuring default
options</link> describes how to set the start-of-day time.)</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para><guilabel>Time from now</guilabel> to enter how long after now
(in hours and minutes) the alarm should be triggered.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Specify whether or how the alarm should be repeated in the
<guilabel>Repetition</guilabel> group box.</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>To trigger the alarm once only, select <guilabel>No
repetition</guilabel>.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Repeat at login</guilabel> to trigger
the alarm whenever you log in, until its scheduled time. (Note that an
alarm repeated at login will also be triggered any time you enable
alarms, or restart or reset the <application>alarm
daemon</application>.)</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>Recur</guilabel> to trigger the alarm
at regular intervals. You must then specify the recurrence parameters
in the <guilabel>Recurrence</guilabel> tab.</para>

<para>In the <guilabel>Recurrence Rule</guilabel> group box, set the
recurrence time period by selecting one of the time period types and
entering in the <guilabel>Recur every</guilabel> box how many time
periods should elapse between recurrences. For example, to repeat
every fortnight, you could select <guilabel>Daily</guilabel> and enter
a value of 14, or select <guilabel>Weekly</guilabel> and enter a value
of 2. Depending on the time period type selected, you may have further
options:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>For a weekly recurrence, check each day in the week on which you
wish to trigger the alarm.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>For a monthly recurrence, you may select either a fixed date, or
a position (&eg; the second Tuesday).</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>For a yearly recurrence, you may select either a fixed date in
the year, or a position in a month (&eg; the last Saturday in
May).</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>In the <guilabel>Recurrence End</guilabel> group box, set the
overall recurrence time span as follows:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>No end</guilabel> to continue the
repetitions indefinitely.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>End after</guilabel> to specify the
total number of occurrences of the alarm.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Select <guilabel>End by</guilabel> to specify the
date/time until which the alarm will be repeated.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>The <guilabel>Cancel if late</guilabel> checkbox determines what
happens if the alarm can't be triggered at its scheduled time. Check
this box to cancel the alarm if it can't be triggered within one
minute after the right time. Leave the box unchecked to
trigger the alarm at the first opportunity starting at the scheduled
time. Date-only alarms, &ie; ones for which the <guilabel>Any
time</guilabel> option is selected, will be cancelled if they cannot
be displayed within 24 hours of the start-of-day time on the date
scheduled.</para>

<note><para>An alarm can only be triggered while you are logged in,
and while both X and the <application>alarm daemon</application> are
running.</para></note>

<para>The <guilabel>Confirm acknowledgement</guilabel> checkbox lets
you specify whether you will be prompted for confirmation when you
close the alarm message window. This may be used as a safeguard
against accidental acknowledgement of alarms.</para>

<para>Check the <guilabel>Sound</guilabel> checkbox if you want an
audible alarm to sound when the alarm message is displayed. By default
a beep is sounded; use the button on the right to select an audio file
to play. To revert to a beep, click the button again. To see what your
current sound selection is, hover the mouse above the button until a
tooltip appears.</para>

<para>Select the background colour for the alarm message
window.</para>

<para>Press the <guibutton>OK</guibutton> button
when all details are correct, to add the alarm to the scheduled
list.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Deleting an existing alarm</title>

<para>To delete an existing alarm, do one of the following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Select it by clicking on its entry in the alarm list. Then choose
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on its entry in the alarm
list and choose
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
from the context menu.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Acknowledging an alarm</title>

<para>See <link linkend="message-window">Alarm message window</link>
for how to acknowledge alarms.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Displaying &kalarm; in the system tray</title>

<para>You must be running the &kde; desktop in order to display
&kalarm; in the system tray. If &kalarm; is running in
<quote>continuous</quote> mode, the system tray icon is always
displayed. These instructions apply only to <quote>on-demand</quote>
mode. (See <link linkend="preferences">Configuring default
options</link> for a description of run modes.)</para>

<para>To display &kalarm; in the &kde; system tray, select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>View</guimenu><guimenuitem>Show in System Tray</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>.</para>

<para>To remove &kalarm; from the &kde; system tray, do one of the
following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Select <menuchoice><guimenu>View</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Hide from System Tray</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on the system tray icon
and choose <menuchoice><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
from the context menu.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Use of the system tray icon is described
<link linkend="system-tray">below</link>.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="enable-disable">
<title>Enabling/disabling alarm monitoring</title>

<sect3>
<title>Enabling alarm monitoring</title>

<para>First, if &kalarm;'s run mode is <quote>continuous</quote> and
you have selected <guilabel>Disable alarms while not
running</guilabel> in the Preferences dialog, you must ensure that
&kalarm; is running in order for alarm monitoring to take
place.</para>

<para>Then if alarm monitoring is currently disabled, do one of the
following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Select <menuchoice><guimenu>Actions</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Enable Alarms</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on the system tray icon
and choose
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Enable Alarms</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
from the context menu.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>The <application>alarm daemon</application> is started if
necessary and alarms will be monitored for when they become due.</para>

<warning><para>Starting the <application>alarm daemon</application>
will affect any other applications which use the <application>alarm
daemon</application>.</para></warning>

</sect3>

<sect3>
<title>Disabling alarm monitoring</title>

<para>There are several ways to disable alarm monitoring, which
prevents &kalarm; from displaying any further alarms either until you
re-enable alarms, or - assuming that the <application>alarm
daemon</application> is configured to start at login - until the next
time you log in.</para>

<para>To disable alarms without stopping the <application>alarm
daemon</application> (and therefore without affecting any other
applications which use the <application>alarm daemon</application>),
do one of the following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Select <menuchoice><guimenu>Actions</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Alarms Enabled</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on the system tray icon
and choose
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Alarms Enabled</guimenuitem></menuchoice>
from the context menu.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>If &kalarm;'s run mode is <quote>continuous</quote> and you have
selected <guilabel>Disable alarms while not running</guilabel> in the
Preferences dialog, quit &kalarm;.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>To disable alarms by stopping the <application>alarm
daemon</application>:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Select <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Control Alarm Daemon...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This
displays the Service Manager dialog which enables you to stop the
<application>alarm daemon</application>.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<warning><para>This will affect any other applications which use the
<application>alarm daemon</application>.</para></warning>

</sect3>
</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Refreshing alarms</title>

<para>If in the unlikely event that any alarm was not triggered when
it should have been, you can refresh the alarm list and trigger any
missed alarms by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>Refresh Alarms</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>.</para>

<para>&kalarm; retriggers missed alarms by resetting the
<application>alarm daemon</application>, which is discussed in the
<link linkend="daemon-reset">Alarm daemon</link> section.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Controlling the <application>alarm daemon</application></title>

<para>To control the <application>alarm daemon</application>, select
<menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Control Alarm
Daemon...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This displays the Service
Manager dialog which allows you to stop or start the
<application>alarm daemon</application> and configure whether it runs
automatically at login. See
<link linkend="daemon-control">Controlling the alarm daemon with the
Service Manager</link> for details.</para>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Quitting the program</title>

<para>Quit &kalarm; by closing all its windows and the system tray
icon, or if it is running in <quote>continuous</quote> mode, by
closing any message windows and selecting
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem></menuchoice> in the
system tray icon context menu.</para>

<para><menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice> closes only the window concerned. The effect of the
system tray icon context menu item
<menuchoice><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem></menuchoice> depends on
the run mode: in <quote>on-demand</quote> mode it hides the system
tray icon, while in <quote>continuous</quote> mode it quits the
program.</para>

<tip><para>Quitting &kalarm; has no effect on the <application>alarm
daemon</application>, which if already active will continue to monitor
scheduled alarms and request their display when they become due
(unless you have selected <guilabel>Disable alarms while not
running</guilabel> in the Preferences dialog).</para></tip>

</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="message-window">
<title>Alarm message window</title>

<para>When an alarm message is due, it is displayed on each &kde;
desktop and cannot be covered by ordinary windows, to ensure that
you see it. The message window shows the time for which the alarm was
scheduled, so that you can see when it popped up if you were away from
the computer at the time.</para>

<para>In the case of a repeated alarm, if an unacknowledged message
window remains from a previous occurrence of the alarm, the existing
window is simply popped up when the alarm recurs. This avoids having
to acknowledge multiple copies of the same message should you not
wish, or be unable, to acknowledge a message at the time it
appears.</para>

<para>When an alarm message window is displayed, do one of the
following:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Acknowledge it by clicking the <guibutton>Close</guibutton>
button. This closes the window (after a prompt for confirmation, if
you selected <guilabel>Confirm acknowledgement</guilabel>).</para>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>Display options to defer the alarm by clicking the
<guibutton>Defer...</guibutton> button. Then select
<guilabel>Defer to date/time</guilabel> to enter the date and time
when the message is to be redisplayed, or select <guilabel>Defer for
time interval</guilabel> to enter how long after now (in hours and
minutes) the message should be redisplayed. Then click
<guibutton>Defer</guibutton> to defer the alarm message.</para>

<note><para>If the alarm recurs regularly, the time it is deferred to
must be earlier than its next scheduled repetition.</para></note>

<note><para>The <guibutton>Defer...</guibutton> button is not
available for alarms which are displayed at login due to the
<guilabel>Repeat at login</guilabel> option having been
selected.</para></note>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>The button showing the <guiicon>&kalarm;</guiicon> icon provides a
convenient way to activate &kalarm;. Clicking it has no effect on the
alarm message window.</para>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="system-tray">
<title>System tray icon</title>

<para>&kalarm; may be run as an icon in the &kde; system tray. This
icon allows one-click activation of &kalarm;, and provides both
control and status indication of alarm monitoring. A normal &kalarm;
icon indicates that alarms are being monitored, while a red cross
through the icon indicates that alarms are not being monitored.</para>

<para><mousebutton>Left</mousebutton> click on the system tray icon to
toggle between displaying and hiding the &kalarm; main window.</para>

<para><mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> click on the system tray icon to
display its context menu:</para>

<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Enable Alarms</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Enables monitoring of alarms.</action></para>
<para>See
<link linkend="enable-disable">Enabling/disabling alarm monitoring</link>
for details.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Alarms Enabled</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Disables monitoring of alarms.</action></para>
<para>See
<link linkend="enable-disable">Enabling/disabling alarm monitoring</link>
for details.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Configure &kalarm;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Displays the &kalarm; preferences dialog.</action></para>
<para>The preferences dialog is described in
<link linkend="preferences">Configuring default options</link>. It
includes options relating to the &kalarm; system tray icon.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Control Alarm Daemon...</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Displays the Service Manager dialog which
allows you to control the alarm
daemon.</action></para>
<para>See
<link linkend="daemon-control">Controlling the alarm daemon with the
Service Manager</link> for details.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Restore / Minimise</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Restores or minimises the main &kalarm; window.</action></para>
<para>This option is only available if the run mode is
<quote>continuous</quote>. (See
<link linkend="preferences">Configuring default options</link> for a
description of run modes.)</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><menuchoice><guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem></menuchoice></term>
<listitem><para><action>Closes the &kalarm; system tray
icon.</action></para>
<para>In <quote>continuous</quote> run mode
only, it also closes all &kalarm; main windows. It has no effect on
the monitoring of alarms by the <application>alarm
daemon</application> (unless you have selected <guilabel>Disable
alarms while not running</guilabel> in the Preferences dialog).</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="preferences">
<title>Configuring default options</title>

<para>To set default options for &kalarm;, select
<menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Configure &kalarm;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.
This displays the configuration dialog. The
<guilabel>General</guilabel> section lets you control &kalarm;'s
overall behaviour:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Specify &kalarm;'s run mode. You can choose either to
run it continuously in the &kde; system tray, or to run it only on
demand. This selection does not affect the display of alarms when they
become due, since it is the <application>alarm daemon</application>
and not &kalarm; which monitors the alarm list. Running &kalarm; in
the system tray makes the application more accessible and displays an
alarm-enabled indication, but running an application continuously does
consume some system resources. So if system performance is of concern,
the <quote>on-demand</quote> option may be preferable.</para>

<para>When running in <quote>on-demand</quote> mode, the system tray
icon can still be displayed. The main difference in operation between
the two modes is the effect of closing the system tray icon: in
<quote>on-demand</quote> mode, closing it has no effect on any
&kalarm; windows, while in <quote>continuous</quote> mode, closing it
also closes all &kalarm; main windows.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>If you specified that &kalarm; should run in
<quote>continuous</quote> mode, you can disable all alarms due for
display while &kalarm; is not running.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Specify that the &kalarm; system tray icon should be
displayed at &kde; session login.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Set the frequency at which the &kalarm; system tray
icon is updated to reflect whether alarms are currently being
monitored. This involves checking whether the <application>alarm
daemon</application> is running.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Set the start-of-day time for the purposes of
triggering date-only alarms, &ie; ones for which the <guilabel>Any
time</guilabel> option was selected. On the date when they are due,
such alarms will be output at the earliest opportunity during the
24 hours starting from the start-of-day time.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Specify whether you should be prompted for
confirmation each time you delete an alarm.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>The <guilabel>Alarm Defaults</guilabel> and
<guilabel>Appearance</guilabel> sections let you choose default values
for the options in the alarm edit dialog:</para>
<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para>Set the default font and background colour to use for
alarm message display.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Set the default states for the <guilabel>Cancel if
late</guilabel> and <guilabel>Confirm acknowledgement</guilabel>
checkboxes.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Set beep as the default for the
<guilabel>Sound</guilabel> option.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>Set the default recurrence period for recurring
alarms.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="cmdline-operation">
<title>Command line operation</title>

<para>When command line parameters are supplied, &kalarm; does not
display the list of scheduled alarms as described in <link
linkend="graphmode">Graphical mode</link> above. Command line options
specific to &kalarm; may be used to perform the following
operations:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>schedule a new alarm</para>
</listitem>
<listitem><para>control the <application>alarm daemon</application></para>
</listitem>
<listitem><para>control &kalarm;'s display mode</para>
</listitem>
<listitem><para>obtain help</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Additional command line options are provided primarily to enable
other programs to interface to &kalarm;. They are described in the
chapter <link linkend="cmdline-interface">Developer's Guide to
&kalarm;</link>.</para>

<para>The command line must only contain options applicable to one
&kalarm; operation. If you want to perform multiple operations, you
must invoke &kalarm; multiple times with a single set of options each
time.</para>

<sect2 id="cmdline-schedule">
<title>Schedule a new alarm</title>

<para>The following options are used to schedule a new alarm:</para>

<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
  <entry>Option</entry>
  <entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
  <entry><option>-a</option>, <option>--ack-confirm</option></entry>
  <entry>Prompt for confirmation when the alarm message is
  acknowledged.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-b</option>, <option>--beep</option></entry>
  <entry>Make an audible beep when the message is displayed.
  <option>--sound</option> must not be present if this option is
  specified.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-c</option>, <option>--color</option>, <option>--colour
  <replaceable>colour</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Set the message background colour to the specified &Qt;
  colour name or hex code 0xRRGGBB.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-e</option>, <option>--exec <replaceable>commandline</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Specify a shell command to execute. If specified, this option
  must be the last &kalarm; option in &kalarm;'s command line. All subsequent
  command parameters and options  are interpreted as forming the command line to 
  execute. <option>--file</option> cannot be specified with this 
  option. <option>--ack-confirm</option>, <option>--beep</option> and
  <option>--color</option> are ignored with this option.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-f</option>, <option>--file <replaceable>URL</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Specify the name or &URL; of a text file whose contents are
  to form the alarm message. <replaceable>message</replaceable> must
  not be present if this option is specified.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-i</option>, <option>--interval
  <replaceable>period</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Set the interval between repetitions of the alarm.
  Hours/minutes are specified in the format
  <replaceable>nHnM</replaceable>, where <replaceable>n</replaceable>
  is a number, &eg; 3H30M. Other time periods are specified in the
  format <replaceable>nX</replaceable>, where
  <replaceable>n</replaceable> is a number and
  <replaceable>X</replaceable> is one of the following letters: Y
  (years), M (months), W (weeks), D (days).
  Mandatory if <option>--repeat</option> or <option>--until</option>
  is specified.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-l</option>, <option>--late-cancel</option></entry>
  <entry>Cancel the alarm if it cannot be triggered at the correct
  time.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-L</option>, <option>--login</option></entry>
  <entry>Trigger the alarm every time you log in.
  <option>--interval</option>, <option>--repeat</option> and
  <option>--until</option> cannot be specified with this
  option.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-r</option>, <option>--repeat
  <replaceable>count</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>The number of times the alarm should be triggered. Specify
  -1 to repeat the alarm indefinitely. <option>--interval</option>
  must be, and<option>--until</option> cannot be, specified with this
  option.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-s</option>, <option>--sound <replaceable>URL</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Specify the name or &URL; of an audio file to be played when
  the alarm message is displayed. <option>--beep</option> must
  not be present if this option is specified.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-t</option>, <option>--time
  <replaceable>date/time</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Trigger alarm on the date or at the date/time specified.
  Specify a date without a time in the format
  <replaceable>yyyy-mm-dd</replaceable>; specify a date and time by
  <replaceable>[[[yyyy-]mm-]dd-]hh:mm</replaceable> (where omitted,
  date fields default to the values for today).</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-u</option>, <option>--until
  <replaceable>date/time</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Repeat the alarm until the date or date/time specified.
  Specify a date without a time in the same format as for
  <option>--time</option>. <option>--interval</option> must be, and
  <option>--repeat</option> cannot be, specified with this
  option.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><replaceable>message</replaceable></entry>
  <entry>Message text to display.</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>

<para>Either a message text, <option>--file</option> or
<option>--exec</option> must be specified; except as noted above, all
the options are optional.</para>

<para>Two alternative examples which display a multi-line message with
a red background at 10 p.m. on the 27th of this month are:</para>

<informalexample><screen>
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>-c <replaceable>red</replaceable></option> <option>-t <replaceable>27-22:00</replaceable></option> <option><replaceable>"Remember to\nSTOP"</replaceable></option></userinput>
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>-c <replaceable>0xFF0000</replaceable></option> <option>-t <replaceable>27-22:00</replaceable></option> <option><replaceable>"Remember to\nSTOP"</replaceable></option></userinput>
</screen>
</informalexample>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Other options</title>

<para>The following options are used to reset or halt the
<application>alarm daemon</application>, or to control &kalarm;'s
display mode.</para>

<para>See the <link linkend="daemon-reset">Alarm daemon</link> section
for a discussion about resetting and stopping the <application>alarm
daemon</application>.</para>

<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
  <entry>Option</entry>
  <entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
  <entry><option>--reset</option></entry>
  <entry>Reset the <application>alarm daemon</application>.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--stop</option></entry>
  <entry>Stop the <application>alarm daemon</application>.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--tray</option></entry>
  <entry>Display &kalarm; as an icon in the &kde; system tray.</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>

<para>For example, to reset the <application>alarm
daemon</application>:</para>

<informalexample><screen>
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>--reset</option></userinput>
</screen>
</informalexample>

</sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Help options</title>

<para>The following help options are common to all &kde;
programs:</para>

<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
  <entry>Option</entry>
  <entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
  <entry><option>--help</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows a brief options help text.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--help-qt</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows numerous generic &Qt;-specific options.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--help-kde</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows numerous generic &kde;-specific options.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--help-all</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows all options.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--author</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows the names and email addresses of &kalarm; authors.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>-v</option>, <option>--version</option></entry>
  <entry>Shows the running versions of the &Qt; library , &kde; and
  &kalarm;.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--license</option></entry>
  <entry>Show licence information.</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>

</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="daemon">
<title>Alarm daemon</title>

<para>The <application>alarm daemon</application>, &kalarmd;, monitors
&kalarm;'s calendar file for alarms becoming due. When it determines
that an alarm is due, it tells &kalarm; to display or execute it, or
to cancel it if it is late and late trigger was not selected for that
alarm.</para>

<para>Under &kde;3, the <application>alarm daemon</application> may
also be used by other applications, including KOrganizer.</para>

<para>The <application>alarm daemon</application> runs in the
background, with no user interface. It may be controlled as described
below.</para>

<sect2>
<title>Starting, resetting and stopping the <application>alarm daemon</application></title>

<para>The <application>alarm daemon</application> is normally started
at &kde; session login (unless you use the Service Manager dialog to
disable auto start), and runs continuously until logout. If for any
reason it is not running, alarm monitoring will not occur and &kalarm;
will not display or execute any alarms.</para>

<sect3>
<title>Starting the <application>alarm daemon</application></title>

<para>To start the <application>alarm daemon</application>, you can
either run &kalarm; in its default graphical mode (&ie; without any
command line parameters), enable alarms using &kalarm;'s system tray
icon menu, reset the daemon as described
<link linkend="daemon-reset">below</link>, start it using the
Service Manager dialog (see <link linkend="daemon-control">Controlling
the alarm daemon with the Service Manager</link>) or you can run the
<application>alarm daemon</application> directly from the command
line:</para>

<screen width="40">
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarmd</command></userinput>
</screen>

</sect3>

<sect3 id="daemon-reset">
<title>Resetting the <application>alarm daemon</application></title>

<para>It is also possible to reset the <application>alarm
daemon</application> without stopping it. Resetting causes the
<application>alarm daemon</application> to re-read the list of
scheduled messages from the calendar file and re-initialise its
&kalarm;-related data.</para>

<para>Why might you want to reset the <application>alarm
daemon</application>? It isn't a very likely occurrence, but if for
any reason &kalarm; was not able to run when the <application>alarm
daemon</application> told it to trigger an alarm, that alarm will
never be displayed or executed until the <application>alarm
daemon</application> is either reset or restarted. Resetting is
preferable to stopping the <application>alarm daemon</application> and
restarting it, since resetting the daemon will not affect any other
applications which use the <application>alarm daemon</application>.</para>

<tip><para>Resetting starts the <application>alarm
daemon</application> if it is not currently running.</para></tip>

<para>To reset the <application>alarm daemon</application>, either use
the menu command <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Actions</guimenu><guimenuitem>Refresh Alarms</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice> or type the following command:</para>

<screen width="40">
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>--reset</option></userinput>
</screen>

</sect3>

<sect3>
<title>Stopping the <application>alarm daemon</application></title>

<para>Stopping the <application>alarm daemon</application> will
prevent any further monitoring of scheduled alarm messages until the
daemon is restarted.</para>

<warning><para>Stopping it will affect the functioning of any other
applications which also use the <application>alarm
daemon</application>. Consider resetting the daemon
instead.</para></warning>

<para>To stop the <application>alarm daemon</application>, either use
the Service Manager dialog (see
<link linkend="daemon-control">Controlling the alarm daemon with the
Service Manager</link>), or type the following command:</para>

<screen width="40">
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>--stop</option></userinput>
</screen>
</sect3>

</sect2>

<sect2 id="daemon-control">
<title>Controlling the <application>alarm daemon</application> with the Service Manager</title>

<para>The Service Manager dialog allows you to configure and control
the <application>alarm daemon</application>. You can:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Configure whether it runs automatically at login.</para>
<warning><para>If neither the <application>alarm daemon</application>
nor &kalarm; is configured to run at login, alarm monitoring will not
occur and &kalarm; will not display or execute any
alarms.</para></warning>
</listitem>

<listitem>
<para>Stop and start the <application>alarm
daemon</application>.</para>
<warning><para>Starting or stopping the <application>alarm
daemon</application> will affect any other applications which use the
<application>alarm daemon</application>.</para></warning>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>The Service Manager dialog can be accessed either via the menu
option <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Control
Alarm Daemon...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>, or via the &kde; Control
Centre.</para>

</sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>

<chapter id="developers">
<title>Developer's Guide to &kalarm;</title>

<para>&kalarm; provides an interface to allow other applications to
request the following functions:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>schedule a new alarm</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>trigger or cancel an already scheduled
alarm</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>cancel an already scheduled alarm</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>trigger an already scheduled alarm</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>Each of the above functions is implemented both by a &DCOP; call
and by the command line. &DCOP; calls should be used in preference if
&kalarm; is already running.</para>

<sect1 id="dcop-interface">
<title>&DCOP; interface</title>

<refentry id="cancelEvent">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>cancelEvent</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>cancelEvent</refname>
<refpurpose>cancel an already scheduled alarm.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
void cancelEvent(const QString&amp; <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>eventID</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>calendarFile</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the &URL; of the calendar file containing the event to
be cancelled.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>eventID</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the unique ID of the event to be cancelled, as stored
in <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>

<para><function>cancelEvent()</function> is a &DCOP; call to cancel
the specified alarm. &kalarm; deletes the alarm from the calendar file
without displaying or executing it.</para>

<note><para>The <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable> parameter is
only used for integrity checking: if the &URL; does not specify
&kalarm;'s current default calendar file, the request will be
ignored.</para></note>

<note><para>The old name for this function, 
<function>cancelMessage</function>, has been retained for
compatibility, but all new applications should use
<function>cancelEvent</function>.</para></note>

</refsect1>
</refentry>

<refentry id="triggerEvent">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>triggerEvent</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>triggerEvent</refname>
<refpurpose>trigger an already scheduled alarm.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
void triggerEvent(const QString&amp; <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>eventID</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>calendarFile</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the &URL; of the calendar file containing the event to
be triggered.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>eventID</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the unique ID of the event to be triggered, as stored
in <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>

<para><function>triggerEvent()</function> is a &DCOP; call to trigger
the immediate display or execution of the specified alarm (regardless
of what time it is scheduled for). &kalarm; retrieves the alarm from
the calendar file and then displays or executes it.</para>

<para>If the alarm is already due, &kalarm; then deletes all scheduled
occurrences of the alarm up to the current time, and if no repetitions
of the alarm still remain, the alarm is deleted from the calendar
file. If the alarm is not due yet, its scheduled occurrences are left
unchanged.</para>

<note><para>The <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable> parameter is
only used for integrity checking: if the &URL; does not specify
&kalarm;'s current default calendar file, the request will be
ignored.</para></note>

<note><para>The old name for this function, 
<function>displayMessage</function>, has been retained for
compatibility, but all new applications should use
<function>triggerEvent</function>.</para></note>

</refsect1>
</refentry>

<refentry id="handleEvent">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>handleEvent</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>handleEvent</refname>
<refpurpose>trigger or cancel an already scheduled alarm.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
void handleEvent(const QString&amp; <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>eventID</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>calendarFile</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the &URL; of the calendar file containing the event to
be displayed/executed or cancelled.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>eventID</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the unique ID of the event to be displayed/executed or
cancelled, as stored in
<replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>

<para><function>handleEvent()</function> is a &DCOP; call to
display/execute or cancel the specified alarm. &kalarm; retrieves the
alarm from the calendar file and then determines what action to take
depending on when the alarm is due.</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>If the alarm is not yet due, nothing happens.</para>
</listitem>

<listitem><para>If the alarm is due, it acts as follows. If the
late-cancel flag is set and the alarm is late, &ie; the scheduled
trigger time was longer then one minute ago, &kalarm; does not display
or execute the alarm; otherwise, &kalarm; displays or executes the
alarm. If no repetitions of the alarm are still scheduled, &kalarm;
then deletes the alarm from the calendar file.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<note><para>The <replaceable>calendarFile</replaceable> parameter is
only used for integrity checking: if the &URL; does not specify
&kalarm;'s current default calendar file, the request will be
ignored.</para></note>

</refsect1>
</refentry>

<refentry id="scheduleMessage">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>scheduleMessage</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>scheduleMessage</refname>
<refpurpose>schedule a new alarm message.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleMessage(const QString&amp; <replaceable>message</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleMessage(const QString&amp; <replaceable>message</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, int <replaceable>repeatCount</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleMessage(const QString&amp; <replaceable>message</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>endTime</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>message</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the text of the message to be scheduled.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>dateTime</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the scheduled date and time at which the message
should be displayed.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>bg</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the background colour for displaying the message.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>flags</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the logical OR of the desired alarm message flags. The
flag bits are those defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>audioURL</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the name or &URL; of an audio file which is to be
played when the message is displayed.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>simpleRepeatType</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the recurrence type for the alarm. The permissible
values are MINUTELY, DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY_DAY, ANNUAL_DATE. These
are defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>interval</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of periods
(minutes/days/weeks/months/years) between repetitions of the alarm
message.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>repeatCount</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of times that the alarm message should be
displayed. Specify -1 to repeat the alarm indefinitely.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1 id="scheduleMessage-descrip">
<title>Description</title>
<para><function>scheduleMessage()</function> is a &DCOP; call to
schedule the specified alarm message for display at the specified date
and time. It has three forms: one for a non-repeating alarm, one
for a repeating alarm with a repetition count, and one for a
repeating alarm with an end time.</para>

<para>If the scheduled time (including any repetitions) has already
passed, &kalarm; immediately displays the message or, if the
LATE_CANCEL flag bit is set, ignores the request. If the scheduled
time (or a repetition) is in the future, &kalarm; adds the alarm
message to the calendar file for later display.</para>

<para>Use a code sequence similar to the following to set up the
parameter data for the &DCOP; call to
<function>scheduleMessage()</function> for a non-repeating
alarm:</para>

<screen>
QString message, audioFile;
QDateTime dateTime;
QColor bgColour;
Q_UINT32 flags;
. . .
QByteArray data;
QDataStream arg(data, IO_WriteOnly);
arg &lt;&lt; message;
arg.writeRawBytes((char*)&amp;dateTime, sizeof(QDateTime));
arg.writeRawBytes((char*)&amp;bgColour, sizeof(QColor));
arg &lt;&lt; flags &lt;&lt; audioFile;
</screen>

<para>Use a code sequence similar to the following to set up the
parameter data for the &DCOP; call to
<function>scheduleMessage()</function> for a repeating alarm:</para>

<screen>
QString message, audioFile;
QDateTime dateTime;
QColor bgColour;
Q_UINT32 flags;
Q_INT32 repeatType, repeatCount, repeatInterval;
. . .
QByteArray data;
QDataStream arg(data, IO_WriteOnly);
arg &lt;&lt; message;
arg.writeRawBytes((char*)&amp;dateTime, sizeof(QDateTime));
arg.writeRawBytes((char*)&amp;bgColour, sizeof(QColor));
arg &lt;&lt; flags &lt;&lt; audioFile &lt;&lt; repeatType &lt;&lt; repeatCount &lt;&lt; repeatInterval;
</screen>
</refsect1>
</refentry>

<refentry id="scheduleFile">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>scheduleFile</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>scheduleFile</refname>
<refpurpose>schedule a new alarm which displays the contents of a
text file.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleFile(const QString&amp; <replaceable>URL</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleFile(const QString&amp; <replaceable>URL</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, int <replaceable>repeatCount</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleFile(const QString&amp; <replaceable>URL</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, const QColor&amp; <replaceable>bg</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, const QString&amp; <replaceable>audioURL</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>endTime</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>URL</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the name or &URL; of a text file whose contents are to
be displayed in the message to be scheduled.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>dateTime</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the scheduled date and time at which the file
should be displayed.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>bg</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the background colour for displaying the file.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>flags</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the logical OR of the desired alarm flags. The flag
bits are those defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>audioURL</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the name or &URL; of an audio file which is to be
played when the message is displayed.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>simpleRepeatType</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the recurrence type for the alarm. The permissible
values are MINUTELY, DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY_DAY, ANNUAL_DATE. These
are defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>interval</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of periods
(minutes/days/weeks/months/years) between repetitions of the
alarm.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>repeatCount</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of times that the file should be displayed.
Specify -1 to repeat the alarm indefinitely.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>
<para><function>scheduleFile()</function> is a &DCOP; call to schedule
the specified text file for display at the specified date and time.
Apart from specifying a file name or &URL;, its usage is identical to
<link linkend="scheduleMessage-descrip"><function>scheduleMessage</function></link>
- see the description of that function for further details.</para>
</refsect1>
</refentry>


<refentry id="scheduleCommand">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>scheduleCommand</refentrytitle>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>scheduleCommand</refname>
<refpurpose>schedule a new alarm which executes a shell
command.</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>
<refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleCommand(const QString&amp; <replaceable>commandLine</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleCommand(const QString&amp; <replaceable>commandLine</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, int <replaceable>repeatCount</replaceable>)
</synopsis>
<synopsis>
bool scheduleCommand(const QString&amp; <replaceable>commandLine</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>dateTime</replaceable>, int <replaceable>flags</replaceable>, int <replaceable>simpleRepeatType</replaceable>, int <replaceable>interval</replaceable>, const QDateTime&amp; <replaceable>endTime</replaceable>)
</synopsis>

<refsect2>
<title>Parameters</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>commandLine</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the shell command line whose execution is to be
scheduled.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>dateTime</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the scheduled date and time at which the command
should be executed.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>flags</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the logical OR of the desired alarm flags. The flag
bits are those defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename> except that the BEEP flag bit is
ignored.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>simpleRepeatType</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the recurrence type for the alarm. The permissible
values are MINUTELY, DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY_DAY, ANNUAL_DATE. These
are defined in class KAlarmEvent in
<filename>msgevent.h</filename>.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>interval</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of periods
(minutes/days/weeks/months/years) between repetitions of the
alarm.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>
<term><parameter>repeatCount</parameter></term>
<listitem>
<para>Specifies the number of times that the alarm should be repeated.
Specify -1 to repeat the alarm indefinitely.</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>
<title>Description</title>
<para><function>scheduleCommand()</function> is a &DCOP; call to
schedule the specified shell command line for execution at the
specified date and time. Apart from specifying a command line and
omitting the message colour and audio file parameters, its usage is
identical to
<link linkend="scheduleMessage-descrip"><function>scheduleMessage</function></link>
- see the description of that function for further details.</para>
</refsect1>
</refentry>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="cmdline-interface">
<title>Command line interface</title>

<para>Command line options are provided to enable other programs (such
as the <application>alarm daemon</application>) to start up &kalarm;
if it is not already running, in order to trigger or cancel scheduled
alarms, or schedule new alarms. The reason for using command line
options for this purpose is that if &kalarm; were started without any
command line parameters and then sent &DCOP; requests, it would start
in its default graphical mode, which is clearly undesirable for an
inter-program request.</para>

<note><para>Programs should first check whether &kalarm; is already
running; if it is, they should instead use &DCOP; calls to request these
operations.</para></note>

<para>The command line options for scheduling a new alarm are as
described in the chapter <link linkend="cmdline-operation">Using
&kalarm;</link>. The options for triggering and cancelling scheduled
alarms are as follows:</para>

<note><para>Normal users may also if they wish use these command line
options (assuming that they can supply the necessary parameter
information).</para></note>

<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
  <entry>Option</entry>
  <entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
  <entry><option>--calendarURL <replaceable>url</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Use the calendar file with the specified &URL;. This option
  is only used for integrity checking: if the &URL; doesn't specify
  &kalarm;'s current default calendar file, the request will be
  ignored.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--cancelEvent <replaceable>eventID</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Cancel the event with the specified event ID.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--triggerEvent <replaceable>eventID</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Trigger the event with the specified event ID. The action
  taken is the same as for the
  <link linkend="triggerEvent">triggerEvent()</link> &DCOP;
  call.</entry>
</row>
<row>
  <entry><option>--handleEvent <replaceable>eventID</replaceable></option></entry>
  <entry>Trigger or cancel the event with the specified event
  ID. &kalarm; determines which action to take in the same way as for
  the <link linkend="handleEvent">handleEvent()</link> &DCOP; call.</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>

<para><option>--cancelEvent</option>, <option>--triggerEvent</option>
and <option>--handleEvent</option> are mutually
exclusive. <option>--calendarURL</option> is optional, but can only be
used with one of the other three options.</para>

<para>Examples are:</para>

<informalexample><screen>
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>--triggerEvent <replaceable>&kalarm;-387486299.702</replaceable></option> <option>--calendarURL <replaceable>file:/home/zaphod/hydra.ics</replaceable></option></userinput>
<prompt>%</prompt> <userinput><command>kalarm</command> <option>--cancelEvent <replaceable>&kalarm;-388886299.793</replaceable></option></userinput>
</screen>
</informalexample>

</sect1>
</chapter>


<chapter id="faq">
<title>Questions and Answers</title>

&reporting.bugs;
&updating.documentation;

<qandaset id="faqlist">
<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>What configuration files does &kalarm; use?</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>The file <filename>$KDEHOME/share/config/kalarmrc</filename>
holds your &kalarm; preferences.</para>

<para>The calendar file which stores your scheduled alarms is
<filename>$KDEHOME/share/apps/kalarm/calendar.ics</filename>, unless
a different calendar file is specified in the preferences file.</para>

<note><para>If you change the calendar file in the preferences file,
you should also edit the <application>alarm daemon</application>'s
<filename>clients</filename> configuration file to remove the old
calendar file reference. This should be done while the
<application>alarm daemon</application> is not running to avoid it
overwriting your change.</para></note>
</answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>What configuration files does the <application>alarm
daemon</application> use?</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>The file <filename>$KDEHOME/share/config/kalarmdrc</filename>
holds your <application>alarm daemon</application> preferences.</para>

<para>The file <filename>$KDEHOME/share/apps/kalarmd/clients</filename>
holds details of client applications which have previously been
registered with the <application>alarm daemon</application>, and their
calendar files.</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>

<qandaentry>
<question>
<para>What are the application names of &kalarm; and the
<application>alarm daemon</application>?</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>&kalarm;'s application name is <application>kalarm</application>,
and the <application>alarm daemon</application>'s application name is
<application>kalarmd</application>. In addition, in &kde; versions
previous to 3.1, there is a small application
<application>kalarmautostart</application> whose function is to start
&kalarm;'s system tray icon at login.</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>

</qandaset>
</chapter>


<chapter id="credits">

<title>Credits and Licence</title>

<para>
&kalarm;
</para>
<para>
Program copyright 2001, 2002 David Jarvie <email>software@astrojar.org.uk</email>
</para>
<para>
Alarm daemon authors:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Preston Brown <email>pbrown@kde.org</email></para>
</listitem>
<listitem><para>David Jarvie <email>software@astrojar.org.uk</email></para>
</listitem>
<listitem><para>Cornelius Schumacher <email>schumacher@kde.org</email></para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>

<para>
Documentation copyright 2001, 2002 David Jarvie <email>software@astrojar.org.uk</email>
</para>

<!-- TRANS:CREDIT_FOR_TRANSLATORS -->

<para>Thanks go to the author of the &kde;1 KAlarm application,
Stefan Nikolaus <email>stefan.nikolaus@stuco.uni-oldenburg.de</email>,
who kindly agreed to allow the name &kalarm; to be used by this
&kde;2/&kde;3 application.
</para>

&underFDL;               <!-- FDL: do not remove -->

&underGPL;        	 <!-- GPL License -->

</chapter>

<appendix id="installation">
<title>Installation</title>

<sect1 id="getting-kalarm">
<title>How to obtain &kalarm;</title>

&install.intro.documentation;

<para>&kalarm; is available for &kde;2 and as a standalone package for
&kde;3 from <ulink url="http://www.astrojar.org.uk/linux">http://www.astrojar.org.uk/linux</ulink>
</para>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="requirements">
<title>Requirements</title>

<para>&kalarm; requires the standard &kde; libraries to be installed
(the <filename>kdelibs</filename> package). To compile from source,
you also need the &Qt; and <filename>kdelibs</filename> development
packages.</para>

<para>&kalarm; uses about 12 Mb and the <application>alarm
daemon</application> uses about 2.5 Mb of memory to run, but this may
vary depending on your platform and configuration.</para>

<para>You can find a list of changes in the
<filename>ChangeLog</filename> file, or at <ulink
url="http://www.astrojar.org.uk/linux/kalarm.html">http://www.astrojar.org.uk/linux/kalarm.html</ulink>.</para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="compilation">
<title>Compilation and installation</title>

<para>If you cannot obtain a suitable precompiled binary package, you
need to compile &kalarm; yourself from source files. Get the source
package file <filename>kdepim-x.x.tar.bz2</filename> or
<filename>kalarm-x.x.tar.bz2</filename> (or similar), depending on
whether you want to install &package; or just &kalarm;. Unpack it in a
new directory using a command similar to
<userinput><command>tar</command> <option>xvfj
<replaceable>package.tar.bz2</replaceable></option></userinput>, and
change to the directory which has been created.</para>

&install.compile.documentation;

<note><para>If you have more than one version of &kde; installed
(e.g. &kde;2 and &kde;3), this may possibly install &kalarm; into the
wrong &kde; directory. If necessary, you can give the &kde; directory
as a parameter to
<userinput><command>./configure</command></userinput> . For example,
if your &kde; is installed in <filename>/opt/kde2</filename>:</para>

<para><userinput><command>./configure</command> --prefix=<replaceable>/opt/kde2</replaceable></userinput></para>
</note>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="configuration">
<title>Configuration</title>

<para>No special configuration is required to set up &kalarm; to run
on the &kde; desktop. Once you have run &kalarm; for the first time,
the <application>alarm daemon</application> will start every time you
log in, in order to monitor scheduled alarms.</para>

<para>To run &kalarm; on a non-&kde; desktop, the main requirement is
to ensure that the <application>alarm daemon</application> is run
automatically whenever you log in. More detailed instructions are
contained in the <filename>INSTALL</filename> file which is
distributed with &kalarm;.</para>

</sect1>

</appendix>

&documentation.index;
</book>
<!--
Local Variables:
mode: sgml
sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
sgml-general-insert-case:lower
sgml-indent-step:0
sgml-indent-data:nil
End:
-->

