6.4 Repeating items

Org-mode integrates with the Emacs calendar and diary to display cyclic appointments, anniversaries and other special entries in the agenda (see Weekly/Daily agenda). However, it can be useful to have certain deadlines and scheduling items to auto-repeat. The advantage of a deadline or scheduled item is that the they produce warnings ahead of time and automatically forward themselves in the agenda until they are done. The abstract difference is therefore between cyclic appointments and cyclic action items. For appointments you should use the diary, for actions you can uses an org-mode deadline or scheduling time stamp together with a REPEAT cookie. For example:

     * TODO Replace batteries in smoke detector REPEAT(+18m)
       SCHEDULED: <2007-01-01 Mon>
     
     * TODO Get dentist appointment REPEAT(+6m)
       SCHEDULED: <2006-12-19 Tue>
     
     * TODO Tax report to IRS REPEAT(+1y)
       DEADLINE: <2007-04-01 Sun>

Each time you try to mark one of these entries DONE using C-c C-t, they will automatically switch back to the state TODO, and the deadline/scheduling will be shifted accordingly. The time units recognized by org-mode are year (y), month (m), week (w), and day (d). Org-mode will also prompt you for a note and record the fact that you have closed this item in a note under the headline.

One unusual property of these repeating items is that only one instance of each exist at any given time. So if you look back or ahead in the agenda, you will not find past and future instances, only the current one will show up. Use a cyclic diary entry if you need all past and future instances to be visible in the agenda.