Print 'danger warnings' based on deadline proximity.

[tdl.git] / tdl.texi

\input texinfo
@c {{{ Main header stuff
@afourwide
@paragraphindent 0
@setfilename tdl.info
@settitle User guide for the tdl program
@c @setchapternewpage off

@ifinfo
@dircategory Utilities
@direntry
* tdl: (tdl).			To-do-list management utility
@end direntry
@end ifinfo

@titlepage
@sp 10
@title The tdl program
@subtitle This manual describes how to use
@subtitle the tdl program for managing to-do-lists.
@author Richard P. Curnow
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
Copyright @copyright{} 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005 Richard P. Curnow
@end titlepage

@contents
@c }}}

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top
@menu
* Introduction::    What the tdl program does
* Installation::    Compiling and installing the software
* Usage::           Quickstart guide and examples of use
* Reference::       Reference section
@end menu
@end ifnottex


@c {{{ Introduction
@node Introduction
@chapter Introduction
tdl is a lightweight program for managing a 'to-do' list of pending jobs that
you have.
    
It supports the following features :
@itemize @bullet
@item 1 database per directory, or per tree of directories (tdl searches up
through parent directories to find the database, so you can have one per
project, for example.)

@item add new entries, mark them done, edit the text of entries

@item add a new entry and immediately mark it done (e.g. to log tasks you did
which you tackled immediately you got them.)

@item organise the entries in a tree structure (sub-tasks of other tasks etc)

@item move the tasks around and re-organise the hierarchy.

@item list the tasks in the database (default listing excludes 'done' tasks,
but these can be shown too if desired).  The listing is in colour by default,
with monochrome output as an option.

@item allows entries to be prioritised (priorities shown in different colours
on listing).  The listing can selectively show only entries at or above a given
priority level.

@item the start time for tasks can be set, to allow for 'deferred' tasks with
start times in the future.  Such tasks are excluded from the default listing.

@item tasks can be marked 'postponed' to avoid them cluttering up the normal
listing.

@item track date added and date completed for each task

@item generate report of tasks completed in a given earlier time period (useful
if you have to produce a weekly summary of your work done, for example)

@item import and export entries, to allow splitting and merging of databases.

@item written in C

@item runs on a Linux console or in a terminal window.  It currently generates
a coloured listing (monochrome is an option), so a colour xterm or rxvt is
preferred.

@item tdl can run a single sub-command direct from the command line, or it can
run in an interactive mode where several sub-commands can be used within a
single run.  If the GNU readline library is available at compile time, the
interactive mode features command line editing and various completion and usage
hint facilities.
@end itemize
@c }}}
@c {{{ Installation
@node Installation
@chapter Installation
This section discusses installation

@menu
* Build from source:: Installing tdl from source code
* Packaging::         Notes for package builders
@end menu

@c {{{ Build from source
@node Build from source
@section Installing tdl from source code
The procedure for installing tdl from source code is as follows:

@enumerate
@item @strong{Unpack the sources}
@example
gunzip < tdl-1.0.tar.gz | tar xvf -
cd tdl-1.0
@end example

@item @strong{Configure the makefile}

tdl does not use a @code{./configure} mechanism (yet!) to configure options.
You have to manually edit @file{Makefile}.  The variables you may want to edit are

@table @samp
@item CC
The choice of C compiler
@item CFLAGS
The choice of flags to pass to the C compiler
@item prefix
The parent directory where the binaries and documentation will be installed.
You'd normally set this to @file{/usr/local} or @file{/usr}, unless you use a
stow or stow-like approach, or are building a distribution package.
@item INC_READLINE
If you want readline support in the interactive mode (highly recommended),
uncomment the appropriate line in the Makefile, and if necessary edit the path
for the include directory where @file{readline.h} and @file{history.h} can be
found.  Note that a @file{readline} subdirectory is assumed to be suffixed onto
whatever path you define.
@item LIB_READLINE
Likewise, edit the path for the directory where @file{libreadline} and
@file{libhistory} can be found.
@end table

@item @strong{Compile the sources}
@example
make
@end example

@item @strong{Install the software}
@example
make install
@end example

@item (Optional) @strong{Build the documentation}

This assumes you have the @file{makeinfo} and @file{tex} tools on your path.
@example
make docs
@end example

@item (Optional) @strong{Install the documentation}

Currently, there are no Makefile targets for this.  Pick the documentation
formats you want to keep and install them manually to the appropriate places.
@end enumerate
@c }}}
@c {{{ Packaging
@node Packaging
@section Notes for package builders
For building a Slackware package, you could follow the steps above except for
the installation

@example
vi Makefile
make
make docs
mkdir pkg
make install DESTDIR=./pkg
(copy appropriate docs into subdirectories of pkg)
cd pkg
makepkg tdl.tgz
@end example

Packagers for other distributions may be able to adapt this.  (The point the
example is making is that @file{Makefile} contains support for using a variable
@var{DESTDIR} in this way.)

An example spec file for RedHat packaging is in the file
@file{tdl.spec.sample}.

@c }}}

@c }}}

@c {{{ Usage
@node Usage
@chapter Usage
This section contains examples of using tdl.

@menu
* Getting started::   Getting started with tdl
@end menu

@c {{{ Getting started
@node Getting started
@section Getting started
This section shows how you can get started with tdl.

Let's assume you have a working directory for a project, and you want to
maintain a to-do list for things you need to do on that project.  Let's assume
the working directory for the project is @file{/home/foobar/myproject}.  Then
you'd start by entering the following commands into your shell:

@example
% cd /home/foobar/myproject
% tdl create
@end example

Now, lets say you have some tasks to keep track of:

@example
% tdl
tdl> add "Write user guide"
tdl> add "Write release notes"
tdl> add "Fix bug where empty data file causes core dump"
tdl> exit
%
@end example

The above sequence will add 3 tasks to your newly created database.  A few days
later, you might come back to the project and think "Hmmm.  What did I need to
do next?"  You can enter

@example
% tdl list
1 Write user guide
2 Write release notes
3 Fix bug where empty data file causes core dump
%
@end example

This shows another feature of tdl.  If you pass a sub-command (and its
arguments, if any) on the tdl command line, tdl will execute just that command,
and return you to your shell prompt.  However, if you run tdl with no
arguments, it will go into its interactive mode.  For a single command like
@command{list} in this situation, you'd probably find the direct method
quicker.

Suppose you fix the bug.  Then you could enter

@example
% tdl done 3
@end example

after which the list command would only show the first two tasks as still being
open, like this:

@example
% tdl list
1 Write user guide
2 Write release notes
%
@end example

The @command{add}, @command{list} and @command{done} commands may be all that
you need in some cases.  However, another useful command is @command{report},
which will summarise all the tasks you completed in a given period.  For
example, you could list everything you completed in the last 7 days like this

@example
% tdl report 7d
- Fix bug where empty data file causes core dump
%
@end example

The other commands in tdl are mostly to do with changing the order of tasks in
the database, assigning them priorities, and so on.
@c }}}

@c }}}

@node Reference
@chapter Reference
@menu
* Start and Exit::      Starting and exiting tdl
* Command line flags::  Flags that can be used from the shell command line
* Node specification::  How to reference existing nodes
* Command list::        Alphabetical list of all commands
* Shortcuts::           Quick access to tdl commands from the shell
* Interrupting::        How to make tdl stop whilst it is running
* Location::            How tdl finds the database file to use
* Completion::          Completion facilities
* Datespec::            How dates are specified
* Backup file::         How tdl saves a backup copy of the database
* Index specification:: How indices can be specified
@end menu

@c {{{ Start and Exit
@node Start and Exit
@section Starting and exiting tdl
tdl has a set of functions that can be accessed in two different ways:

@itemize @bullet
@item Directly from the command line
@item Interactively
@end itemize

In the 'direct' method, the function and its arguments are provided on the
command line.  This mode is useful if you only want to perform a single
operation.  An example

@example
% tdl add "A task"
%
@end example

The 'interactive' method is entered when the tdl command is run with no
arguments.  In this mode, many tdl operations may be performed within a single
run of the program.  This avoids loading and saving the database for each
operation, which may have a small performance benefit.  However, if the program
is compiled with the readline library, the @key{tab} key will provide various
completion functions.  An example

@example
% tdl
tdl> add "A task"
tdl> exit
%
@end example

When in interactive mode, these methods can be used to exit and return to the shell:

@itemize @bullet
@item The @command{exit} command (@pxref{exit command})
@item Hitting @key{Ctrl-D} (i.e. end of file on stdin)
@item Hitting @key{Ctrl-C}, @key{Ctrl-\} etc.  The associated signals are
caught by tdl and it will attempt to save the database.  However, this method
is more risky than the first two.
@item The @command{quit} command (@pxref{quit command}).  @strong{Caution:} this
does not save the modified database back to the disk.  Only use it if you want
to discard all changes made in this tdl run.
@end itemize

@c }}}

@c {{{ Command line flags
@node Command line flags
@section Command line flags
@menu
* -q::              Be quiet
* -R::              Open the database read-only
* -u::              Forced unlock
@end menu

@c {{{ Quiet mode
@node -q
@subsection Quiet mode
If the @command{-q} flag is specified, various warning and informational
messages will be suppressed.

@example
% tdl -q list
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ Read-only mode
@node -R
@subsection Read-only mode
If the @command{-R} flag is specified, the database will be opened in read-only
mode.  In this case, the database will not be locked, and all commands that
modify the database will be barred.

This flag can be used together with the @command{-q} flag if required.

@example
% tdl -R list
% tdl -qR list
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ Forced unlock
@node -u
@subsection Forced unlock
If the @command{-u} flag is specified, the database's lockfile will be removed
if it is found.  This is mainly intended for use when an earlier run has left
the database locked after a crash.

Care shoule be taken that the database is not currently being accessed by a
live process, otherwise updates could be lost by one or other of the processes.
@example
% tdl -u list
@end example
@c }}}
@c }}}
@c {{{ Node specification
@node Node specification
@section Node specification
Many commands in tdl require you to refer to an existing entry, for example
@itemize @bullet
@item to add a child entry to an existing entry
@item to mark an entry as being done
@item and so on
@end itemize

There are two ways you can refer to existing nodes
@itemize @bullet
@item by the numeric path (as shown by @command{tdl list}).
@item by negative numeric path (which is used to refer to a node counted from
the end of its parent)
@item by the start of the node's text, as long as enough is specified to
identify the node unambiguously amongst its peers.  In this case, the node must
be preceded by a single '.' for many commands.
@end itemize

For example, if the database contains
@example
tdl> list
1 foo
   1.1 aaa
   1.2 bbb
2 fee
   2.1 ccc
   2.2 ddd
3 bar
   3.1 eee
   3.2 fff
@end example

then @samp{tdl list 1} will show

@example
tdl> list
1 foo
   1.1 aaa
   1.2 bbb
@end example

and @samp{tdl list .fe} will show
@example
.fe fee
   .fe.1 ccc
   .fe.2 ddd
@end example

@samp{tdl list .f} will fail since it is ambiguous which node (1 or 2) is being referenced.

@samp{tdl list -- -1} will show
@example
-1 bar
   -1.1 eee
   -1.2 fff
@end example

(note that @samp{tdl list -1} has a different meaning (show 1 level and summarise subordinate levels), and shows
@example
1 [2/2] foo
2 [2/2] fee
3 [2/2] bar
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ Command list
@node Command list
@section Alphabetical list of all commands
This section describes each of the tdl subcommands.
@menu
* above command::   Move entries above (before) another entry
* add command::     Add a new entry to the database
* after command::   Move entries after (below) another entry
* before command::  Move entries before (above) another entry
* below command::   Move entries below (after) another entry
* clone command::   Make a deep copy of one or more entries
* copyto command::  Insert a deep copy of one or more entries into an existing entry
* create command::  Create a new database in the current directory
* defer command::   Modify starting time of one or more entries
* delete command::  Remove 1 or more entries from the database
* done command::    Mark 1 or more entries as done
* edit command::    Change the text and/or start time of an entry
* exit command::    Exit program, saving database
* export command::  Export entries to another database
* help command::    Display help information
* ignore command::  Postpone/partially-remove 1 or more entries
* import command::  Import entries from another database
* into command::    Move entries to end of new parent
* list command::    List entries in database (default from top node)
* ls command::      List entries in database (default from top node)
* log command::     Add a new entry to the database, mark it done as well
* moveto command::  Move entries to end of new parent
* narrow command::  Restrict actions to part of the database
* open command::    Move 1 or more entries out of postponed state
* postpone command::Make 1 or more entries postponed
* priority command::Change the priority of 1 or more entries
* purge command::   Remove old done entries in subtrees
* quit command::    Exit program, NOT saving database
* remove command::  Remove 1 or more entries from the database
* report command::  Report completed tasks in interval
* revert command::  Discard changes and reload previous database from disc
* save command::    Save the database to disc and continue working
* undo command::    Mark 1 or more entries as not done (cancel effect of 'done')
* usage command::   Display help information
* version command:: Display program version
* which command::   Display filename of database being used
* widen command::   Widen the part of the database to which actions apply
@end menu
@c }}}
@c {{{ <--COMMANDS-->
@c {{{ above command
@node above command
@subsection above command
The @command{above} command is one of the commands used for re-ordering the
entries in the database.  The @command{above} and @command{before} commands are
synonymous.

The arguments of the @command{above} comamnd are:

@example
tdl> above <index_to_insert_above> <index_to_move> ...
@end example

The first argument is the index of the entry above which the other entries are
to be moved.  The entries corresponding the 2nd index onwards will be placed in
argument order above the first entry.

An example:
@example
tdl> list
1 Task A
2 Task B
3 Task C
4 Task D
tdl> above 1 2 4 3
tdl> list
1 Task B
2 Task D
3 Task C
4 Task A
tdl>
@end example

You can move entries between levels in the hierarchy, with the restriction that
you cannot move a node so that its new parent would be a descendent of itself.

If you want to move entries to the end of the list (i.e. above the bottom of
the list), you can use a zero as the index of the reference entry, for example

@example
tdl> list
1 Task A
   1.1 Task A_A
   1.2 Task A_B
2 Task B
3 Task C
tdl> above 1.0 3 2
tdl> list
1 Task A
   1.1 Task A_A
   1.2 Task A_A
   1.3 Task C
   1.4 Task B
tdl>
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ add command
@node add command
@subsection add command
The @command{add} command is run as follows

@example
tdl> add [@@datespec] [parent-index] [priority] "Text for node"
@end example

In the simplest case of adding a new top-level entry to the database, with
normal priority, starting now, this could be

@example
tdl> add "Wash the dog"
@end example

In a more complex case, to add a high priority entry underneath entry index 1,
with the new entry coming live at 11a.m. next Friday, this would be

@example
tdl> add @@+fri-11 1 hi "Wash the dog"
@end example

If you have several entries to add at once, you can go into an @emph{add} mode.
Enter a blank line to get back to the @t{tdl>} prompt.

@example
tdl> add
add> Wash the dog
add> Wash the car
add>
tdl>
@end example

To add an entry direct from your shell, there is an additional shortcut
(assuming the appropriate symbolic link was created during the installation
process):

@example
% tdla "Wash the dog"
%
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ after command
@node after command
@subsection after command
The @command{after} and @command{below} commands are synonymous.  See the
description of @command{below} (@pxref{below command}).
@c }}}
@c {{{ before command
@node before command
@subsection before command
The @command{above} and @command{before} commands are synonymous.  See the
description of @command{above} (@pxref{above command}).
@c }}}
@c {{{ below command
@node below command
@subsection below command
The @command{below} command is one of the commands used for re-ordering the
entries in the database.  The @command{below} and @command{after} commands are
synonymous.

The arguments of the @command{below} command are:

@example
tdl> below <index_to_insert_below> <index_to_move> ...
@end example

The first argument is the index of the entry below which the other entries are
to be moved.  The entries corresponding the 2nd index onwards will be placed in
argument order above the first entry.

An example:
@example
tdl> list
1 Task A
2 Task B
3 Task C
4 Task D
tdl> below 4 2 1 3
tdl> list
1 Task D
2 Task B
3 Task A
4 Task C
tdl>
@end example

You can move entries between levels in the hierarchy, with the restriction that
you cannot move a node so that its new parent would be a descendent of itself.
This is similar to the description for the @command{above} command
(@pxref{above command}).

@c }}}
@c {{{ clone command
@node clone command
@subsection clone command
The @command{clone} command can be used to make a deep copy of one or more
entries and add them as new top-level entries in the database.  You might use
this if you have a task with a set of subtasks, and find that the same subtasks
apply to some new task.  You could copy the first task, and edit the new
top-level task to change its text.

The arguments of the @command{clone} command are:

@example
tdl> clone <index_to_clone> ...
@end example

An example is:
@example
tdl> list
1 Wash things
  1.1 Car
  1.2 Dog
tdl> clone 1
tdl> edit 2 "Polish things"
tdl> list
1 Wash things
  1.1 Car
  1.2 Dog
2 Polish things
  2.1 Car
  2.2 Dog
@end example

If you want the cloned entries to be children of an existing entry, use the
@command{copyto} command (@pxref{copyto command}).
@c }}}
@c {{{ copyto command
@node copyto command
@subsection copyto command
The @command{copyto} command is very similar to the @command{clone} command
(@pxref{clone command}).  The difference is that @command{copyto} inserts the
newly created entries as children of an existing entry, rather than making them
new top level entries.

The arguments of the @command{copyto} command are:

@example
tdl> copyto <new_parent_index> <index_to_clone> ...
@end example

An example is:
@example
tdl> list
1 Household jobs
  1.1 Wash things
    1.1.1 Car
    1.1.2 Dog
tdl> copyto 1 1.1
tdl> edit 1.2 "Polish things"
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ create command
@node create command
@subsection create command
The @command{create} command can only be used direct from the shell command
line.  It is @strong{not} supported when tdl is used in its interactive
mode.@footnote{This is to avoid confusion over which database file is being
accessed if @command{create} were used after other commands had already
been used in the same session.}

Usually, the @command{create} command will create a new @file{.tdldb} file in
the current directory.  However, if the @var{TDL_DATABASE} environment
variable is set when tdl is run, the path specified by that variable
will be used instead and the database will be created there.  In both
cases, the @command{create} command will refuse to over-write an
existing database; an error message will be generated if that is
attempted.

@example
% tdl create
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ defer command
@node defer command
@subsection defer command
The @command{defer} command is used to modify the start-time of one or more existing entries.  Its argument structure is

@example
tdl> defer @@<datespec> <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

where the @samp{@@} on the datespec is optional because the argument is
required, although the @samp{@@} can be included for consistency with other
commands where a datespec is optional.

An example of use is 

@example
tdl> defer @@+fri 1 2.1... 5
@end example

which defers entries 1, 2.1 and all its children, and 5 until the following
Friday.

To list deferred entries, use @command{list -p}.

To defer entries indefinitely, see @ref{postpone command}.

To re-activate deferred or postponed entries, see @ref{open command}.

@c }}}
@c {{{ delete command
@node delete command
@subsection delete command
This command is synonymous with the @command{remove} command (@pxref{remove command}).

The argument structure is
@example
delete <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ done command
@node done command
@subsection done command
The @command{done} command is run as follows

@example
done [@@<datespec>] <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

The @command{done} command is used to mark one or more tasks as completed.  Any
number of task indices may be specified.

The effects are as follows:

@itemize @bullet
@item
The entries no longer appear on the default listing (produced by the
@command{list} command without the @samp{-a} option).
@item
The entries are eligible to appear on the report list (@pxref{report command})
@item
The entries are eligible for removal by the purge command (@pxref{purge
command})
@end itemize

If the string "..." is appended to an index, it means that entry and all its
descendents.  This provides a quick way to mark a whole sub-tree of tasks as
being completed.

No entry may be marked 'done' if it has any children that are still 'open'
(i.e. not marked 'done').  (The @samp{...} form of the command marks the
deepest entries first to bypass this.)

@c }}}
@c {{{ edit command
@node edit command
@subsection edit command
The @command{edit} command is used to modify the text of an existing entry.
Its argument structure is

@example
tdl> edit <entry_index> [<new_text>]
@end example

A single <entry-index> must be given.  If <new-text> is provided, this replaces
the text describing the specified entry.  If no <new-text> is provided, you
will be prompted with the old text to edit interactively.  (This is only useful
if the GNU readline library has been linked in.)

An examples follows.

To change the text for the entry with index 1,
@example
tdl> edit 1 "New description"
@end example

@example
tdl> list
1 Wash the dog
tdl> edit 1
edit (1)> Wash the dog   (edit 'dog' to 'cat')
tdl> list
1 Wash the cat
tdl>
@end example

(Note, in earlier versions, @command{edit} could be used to change the
start-time of one or more entries.  This is now handled by the @command{defer}
command (@pxref{defer command}).)

@c }}}
@c {{{ exit command
@node exit command
@subsection exit command
The @command{exit} command is used to exit from tdl when it is used in
interactive mode.  The @command{exit} command is not available in the command
line mode, where it would not make sense.  An example:

@example
tdl> exit
%
@end example

The @command{exit} command writes any pending updates to the database before
exiting.  (Compare the @command{quit} command (@pxref{quit command}), which
@strong{loses} all updates made during the current tdl run.)
@c }}}
@c {{{ export command
@node export command
@subsection export command
The @command{export} command is run as follows

@example
export <filename> <entry_index> ...
@end example

It is used to export one or more tasks (and their subtasks) to another tdl
database file.  Perhaps you were keeping all your projects' to-do lists in one
combined file, and decide you want to separate the list for a particular
project.

An example would be

@example
tdl> list
1 Tasks for project X
2 Tasks for project Y
   2.1 Write manual
   2.2 Write release notes
tdl> export /home/foobar/project_y/.tdldb 2.1 2.2
tdl> remove 2...
tdl> exit
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ help command
@node help command
@subsection help command
The @command{help} command displays help information.  When run without
arguments, a list of valid commands is produced.  Note, this list is slightly
different depending on whether the @command{help} command is used through the
interactive readline interface or straight from the shell.

@example
tdl> help
tdl, Copyright (C) 2001-2004 Richard P. Curnow
tdl comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; see the GNU General Public License for details.

above    : Move entries above (before) another entry
add      : Add a new entry to the database
after    : Move entries after (below) another entry
below    : Move entries below (after) another entry
before   : Move entries before (above) another entry
done     : Mark 1 or more entries as done
edit     : Change the text and/or start time of an entry
exit     : Exit program, saving database
export   : Export entries to another database
help     : Display help information
import   : Import entries from another database
into     : Move entries to end of new parent
list     : List entries in database (default from top node)
log      : Add a new entry to the database, mark it done as well
priority : Change the priority of 1 or more entries
purge    : Remove old done entries in subtrees
quit     : Exit program, NOT saving database
remove   : Remove 1 or more entries from the database
report   : Report completed tasks in interval
undo     : Mark 1 or more entries as not done (cancel effect of 'done')
usage    : Display help information
version  : Display program version
which    : Display filename of database being used

Enter 'help <command-name>' for more help on a particular command

tdl>
@end example

If the @command{help} command is passed the name of a sub-command, it shows help for that command.

@example
tdl> help add
Description
  Add a new entry to the database

Synopsis
  add [@@<datespec>] [<parent_index>] [<priority>] <entry_text>

<index>    : 1, 1.1 etc (see output of 'tdl list')
<priority> : urgent|high|normal|low|verylow
<datespec> : [-|+][0-9]+[shdwmy][-hh[mm[ss]]]  OR
             [-|+](sun|mon|tue|wed|thu|fri|sat)[-hh[mm[ss]]] OR
             [[[cc]yy]mm]dd[-hh[mm[ss]]]
<text>     : Any text (you'll need to quote it if >1 word)

tdl>
@end example

The @command{help} command is synonymous with the @command{usage} command.

@c }}}
@c {{{ ignore command
@node ignore command
@subsection ignore command
The @command{ignore} command puts one or more entries into an @emph{ignored}
state.  It is actually implemented in the same way as marking them as
@emph{done}, but as though they were @emph{done} a very long time ago.  Thus,
ignored entries will be deleted by any subsequent purge operation.

I added this feature because, when applying @command{remove} to several
entries, I kept getting tripped up by the indices changing below the entry that
was removed (I kept removing the wrong entries later by not using the revised
indices).  Instead, I can @command{ignore} them and rely on a periodic
@command{purge} to clean up the database.

Another use for the @emph{ignore} command would be to move moribund entries
into a @emph{wastebasket} to stop them cluttering up the normal listing, but
without removing them entirely in case you need to reprieve them later.

The @command{ignore} command is run as follows

@example
ignore <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

An example is
@example
ignore 20 21.6.3 25... 28.1
@end example

If you need to @emph{un-ignore} an entry, just @command{undo} it (@pxref{undo
command}).

@c }}}
@c {{{ import command
@node import command
@subsection import command
The @command{import} command is used as follows:

@example
import <filename>
@end example

This command is used to merge entries from the TDL database @file{filename}
into the default database (i.e. the one that most of the other commands would
be accessing).

You might use this command if you had a number of separate TDL databases, and
wanted to merge their entries to form one combo database.
@c }}}
@c {{{ into command
@node into command
@subsection into command
The @command{into} command is used to make one or more entries into sub-entries
of another entry.  Its usage is

@example
into <new_parent_index> <index_to_move> ...
@end example

The following example shows it use
@example
tdl> list
1 Task A
2 Task B
3 Task C
4 Task D
tdl> into 1 3 2
tdl> list
1 Task A
   1.1 Task C
   1.2 Task B
2 Task D
tdl>
@end example

The @command{into} command is closely related to @command{above},
@command{after}, @command{before} and @command{below}.  In fact the following
three commands are equivalent

@example
tdl> into N <indices> ...
and
tdl> above N.0 <indices> ...
and
tdl> before N.0 <indices> ...
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ list command
@node list command
@subsection list command
The @command{list} command is used to display the tasks in the database.  Its argument structure is:

@example
list [-v] [-a] [-m] [-p] [-1..9]
     [<min-priority>]
     [<parent_index>|<search_condition>...]
@end example

When run with no arguments, the list contains all tasks that are
@itemize @bullet
@item not marked 'done', 'ignored', 'deferred' or 'postponed',
@item at any levels of the database (i.e. any number of components in the task's index), and
@item of priority normal or higher.
@end itemize

The arguments have the following functions:

@table @samp
@item -v
This stands for @emph{verbose}.  It means that more information will be shown
for each task.
@item -a
This stands for @emph{all}.  It means that tasks which are 'done', or which are
'deferred' or 'postponed' (by having arrival times in the future), will be
shown as well as open tasks.
@item -p
This stands for @emph{postponed}.  It means that tasks which are 'deferred' or
'postponed' are shown as well as open tasks.
@item -m
This stands for @emph{monochrome}.  Normally, ANSI escape sequences are
inserted to show the list with colour coding.  This flag stops these sequences
being generated.

If you always want this option, set the @var{TDL_LIST_MONOCHROME} environment
variable to any value.  If this variable exists, a monochrome listing will be
generated.
@item -1, -2, ..., -9
These options restrict the depth of the tree which is generated.  For example,
with the @samp{-1} argument, only the first-level entries in the database are
shown.  Sub-entries of these are shown by summary totals.  See below for an
example.
@item <min-priority>
Normally (at least, if no indices are specified), only tasks with a priority of
at least @samp{normal} are shown in the list.  If you specify this option,
tasks of at least the specified priority are shown.  The values you can use are
@samp{urgent}, @samp{high}, @samp{normal}, @samp{low} or @samp{verylow}.  Each
can be abbreviated to just its initial letter.
@item <parent_index...>
If you want to list just part of the database, you can specify the indices of
the leading entries for the parts you want to see.  Any number of entries can
be included (you could even include an index twice if you wanted to for some
reason.)

When you specify indices, the behaviour regarding priority changes.  If no
@samp{<min-priority>} argument was given, the priority of a sub-entry must be
at least that of the entry with the given index for it to be shown.  This is
most useful when the entire sub-tree has a lower than normal priority.

If you use the @samp{-1} ... @samp{-9} options with this option, the depth is
counted relative to the depth of the indexed node that you specify.
@item <search_condition>
Each search condition specifies a case-insensitive substring match that is
applied to all parent indices further on in the arguments.  (If no parent
indices are given, all the search conditions are and'ed together and applied to
filter all the nodes that would be shown according to the depth, priority etc
arguments).

Each search condition takes one of the following forms
@example
/substring
/substring/1
@end example

In each case, an entry will match if @samp{substring} is actually a substring
of the text of that entry.  In the second form (where the number may be 0, 1, 2
or 3), a match occurs if there are up to that many errors in the substring.  An
@dfn{error} is a single character inserted, removed or changed.

This option is most useful if you have a large database and can remember you
have an entry somewhere containing particular word(s), but can't remember where
it is.

If you need regular expression matching, the best approach would be to run
@command{tdll} from the shell and pipe the output to @command{grep}.  The
internal matching does approximate matches with keys up to 31 characters.

@end table

The command is best illustrated by examples.  Suppose the database contains
these entries

@example
1 bibble
   1.1 zzzz
      1.1.1 (DONE) yyyy
      1.1.2 wwww
2 wibble
   2.1 xxxx
3 wubble
@end example

where @samp{wibble} and @samp{xxxx} have priority @samp{low}.  The following
examples show the list command's behaviour.

@example
tdl> list
1 bibble
   1.1 zzzz
      1.1.2 wwww
3 wubble
@end example

(Entry 2 and its child are omitted due to priority.  Entry 1.1.1 is omitted
because it is done.)

@example
1 bibble
   1.1 zzzz
      1.1.1 (DONE) yyyy
      1.1.2 wwww
2 wibble
   2.1 xxxx
3 wubble
@end example

(Passing these arguments shows the missing entries)

@example
tdl> list -1
1 [1/1] bibble
3 wubble
@end example

(The list is limited to top level entries.  The @samp{[1/1]} indices that entry
1 has 1 open child out of a total of 1 children.)

@example
tdl> list -1 1.1
1.1 [1/2] zzzz
@end example

(This lists the 1.1 subtree, showing that there is 1 open child out of a total
of 2 children.)

@example
tdl> list /ww
      1.1.2 wwww
tdl> list /ww/1
      1.1.2 wwww
3 wubble
tdl>
@end example

(In the first case the substring @samp{ww} must occur exactly in the entry's
text.  In the second case, the string @samp{wu} in @samp{wubble} matches
@samp{ww} with a single error so a match occurs.)
@c }}}
@c {{{ ls command
@node ls command
@subsection ls command
This is synonymous with the @command{list} command (@pxref{list command}).  It
is provided for people who are too used to typing @command{ls} in their shell.
@c }}}
@c {{{ log command
@node log command
@subsection log command
The @command{log} command is very similar to the @command{add} command, except
that it immediately marks the new entry as done.It is the equivalent of using
@command{add} followed by @command{done} on the new entry.  It is run as follows:

@example
log [@@<datespec>] [<parent_index>] [<priority>] <entry_text>
@end example

You might use the @command{log} command if complete a new task immediately but
want to make sure you log it for use in producing your weekly report (using
the @command{report} command, @xref{report command}.)

If you have several entries to add at once, you can go into an @emph{log} mode.
Enter a blank line to get back to the @t{tdl>} prompt.

@example
tdl> log
log> Wash the dog
log> Wash the car
log>
tdl>
@end example

To add an entry direct from your shell, there is an additional shortcut
(assuming the appropriate symbolic link was created during the installation
process):

@example
% tdlg "Wash the dog"
%
@end example

(the ending @samp{g} on the shortcut was chosen as the final letter of the word
@samp{log}.  The shortcut @samp{tdll} was already allocated for the
@command{list} subcommand.)

@c }}}
@c {{{ moveto command
@node moveto command
@subsection moveto command
The @command{moveto} and @command{into} commands are synonymous.  See the
description of @command{into} (@pxref{into command}).
@c }}}
@c {{{ narrow command
@node narrow command
@subsection narrow command
The @command{narrow} command can be used to limit the effects of later commands
to operate within a particular sub-tree of your database.  Because the indices
you specify for the later operations have the common prefix omitted, this can
save typing if you have many changes to make within the same subtree.

The usage of the @command{narrow} command is

@example
narrow <new_root_index>
@end example

The following example illustrates:
@example
tdl> add a
tdl> add b
tdl> add -1 c
tdl> add -1 d
tdl> add -1 e
tdl> list
1 a
2 b
   2.1 c
   2.2 d
   2.3 e
tdl> narrow 2
tdl[2]> list
2 b
2.1 c
2.2 d
2.3 e
tdl[2]> done 1 2
tdl[2]> list
2 b
2.3 e
tdl[2]> widen
tdl>
@end example

If your listings are in colour, the common prefix is coloured in blue whilst
the paths below the root of the sub-tree are shown in the usual green.  (In
monochrome mode, there is no distinction.)

Whilst your view is narrowed, the index of the sub-tree root is shown in square
brackets between @samp{tdl} and @samp{>} (i.e. @samp{[2]} in the example
above).

If you want to operate on the sub-tree root entry itself whilst you are
narrowed, you can use @samp{.} to specify its index (think: current directory
in Unix.)

To reverse the effects of the @command{narrow} command, use the @command{widen}
command (@pxref{widen command}).

This command is only available when @command{tdl} is being run interactively,
i.e. when you have a @samp{tdl} prompt.  It is not available directly from the
shell (where it wouldn't make much sense).
@c }}}
@c {{{ open command
@node open command
@subsection open command
The @command{open} command is used to reverse the effect of the @command{defer}
command (@pxref{defer command}) and @command{postpone} command (@pxref{postpone
command}).  Its effect is actually to set the arrival time of the entries to
the current time.

The @command{open} command is used as follows
@example
open <index_to_reopen>[...] ...
@end example

An example is
@example
open 20 21... 25.2
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ postpone command
@node postpone command
@subsection postpone command
The @command{postpone} command is used to make 1 more more entries postponed
indefinitely.  Its effect is actually to set the arrival time of the entries a
long way in the future (i.e. it's an extreme form of the 'deferred' feature
available in the @command{add} and @command{defer} commands.) Postponed entries
can be re-activated with the @command{open} command (@pxref{open command}).

The @command{postpone} command is used as follows
@example
postpone <index_to_postpone>[...] ...
@end example

An example is
@example
postpone 20 21... 25.2
@end example

To postpone an entry until a specific time in the future, use the
@command{defer} command (@pxref{defer command}).

@c }}}
@c {{{ priority command
@node priority command
@subsection priority command
The @command{priority} command is used to modify the priority of one or more entries.  Its argument structure is

@example
priority <new_priority> <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

The @samp{new_priority} argument is the new priority to be assigned.  The
values you can use are @samp{urgent}, @samp{high}, @samp{normal}, @samp{low} or
@samp{verylow}.  Each can be abbreviated to just its initial letter.

You can specify at least one @samp{entry_index}.  If an index is followed by
@samp{...}, the whole sub-tree under the referenced entry will be modified too.
For example,

@example
tdl> priority high 2 4.1...
@end example

will modify the priority of entry 2, entry 4.1, and all the entries under 4.1,
to high.
@c }}}
@c {{{ purge command
@node purge command
@subsection purge command
The @command{purge} command is used to remove outdated done tasks from the
database.  For example, you might want to automatically remove everything you
completed more than 2 months ago.

Its argument structure is
@example
purge <since_datespec> [<ancestor_index> ...]
@end example

The @samp{since_datespec} argument specifies a date.  All entries which were
marked 'done' before this date will be completely removed from the database.

The default is to scan the entire database for done tasks that meet the date
constraint.  You may specify one or more indices to limit the behaviour.  In
this case, only the sub-trees headed by these indices will be considered for
purge.

An example:
@example
tdl> purge -2m 3.1 5
@end example

will purge all entries underneath entries 3.1 and 5 which were marked 'done'
more than 2 months ago.

@c }}}
@c {{{ quit command
@node quit command
@subsection quit command
The @command{quit} command is used to exit from tdl when it is used in
interactive mode.  The @command{quit} command is not available in the command
line mode, where it would not make sense.  An example

@example
tdl> quit
%
@end example

The @command{quit} command @strong{DOES NOT} write any pending updates to the database before
exiting.  (Compare the @command{exit} command (@pxref{exit command}), which
does write all updates made during the current tdl run.)

The main use for the @command{quit} command would be to avoid damaging the
database if a serious error had been made.
@c }}}
@c {{{ remove command
@node remove command
@subsection remove command
The @command{remove} command is used to remove entries from the database.  It
differs from purge @pxref{purge command} in that there is no date constraint,
and entries do not have to be marked 'done' to be removed.  You might use
@command{remove} if an open tasks no longer needs to be performed.

The argument structure is
@example
remove <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

You can specify one or more entry indices to remove.  If an index is followed
by @samp{...}, tdl will remove the whole sub-tree based at that index.

You cannot remove an entry that has sub-entries below it.  (The @samp{...}
handling for indices removes the deepest entries first to bypass this.)

An example:
@example
tdl> remove 1.5.4 19... 20
@end example

will remove entries 1.5.4 and 20, as well as everything whose index starts with
19.

The @command{remove} command acts immediately to remove the specified entries
from the database.  A less aggressive command with similar effects is
@command{ignore} (@pxref{ignore command}).

The @command{delete} command (@pxref{delete command}) is provided as a synonmym
for the @command{remove} command.

@c }}}
@c {{{ report command
@node report command
@subsection report command
The @command{report} command is used to show entries that were marked 'done'
within a specific time interval.  Its argument structure is

@example
report <start_datespec> [<end_datespec>]
@end example

One or two date specifications may be given.  If only the start_datespec is
provided, the end_datespec defaults to the present time.  The format of both
arguments is described separately.  @xref{Datespec}.

For example, suppose you have to write a report on what you have done in the
last week.  You could use

@example
tdl> report 1w
@end example

The report is produced in a tree structure, mirroring the database structure.
Entries which have 'done' children, but which haven't themselves been marked
done, have their text surrounded by @samp{[[} and @samp{]]}.  For example

@example
tdl> list -a
1 bibble
   1.1 zzzz
      1.1.1 (DONE) yyyy
      1.1.2 wwww
2 wibble
   2.1 xxxx
tdl> report 1w
- [[bibble]]
   - [[zzzz]]
      - yyyy
@end example

You could cut-and-paste this text into your report, as a starting point that
you can reformat into a report.  Alternatively, if you run the command direct
from the shell prompt line, you can redirect the output to a file,

@example
% tdl report 1w > report.txt
%
@end example

@c }}}
@c {{{ revert command
@node revert command
@subsection revert command
The @command{revert} command discards any changes made in the session and
reloads the in-memory database from disc.  If you have used the @command{save}
command (@pxref{save command}) in the session, the database will revert to its
state at the most recent @command{save}.  Otherwise it will revert to its state
when @command{tdl} was initially run.

The @command{revert} command does not take any arguments.
@c }}}
@c {{{ save command
@node save command
@subsection save command

The @command{save} command can be used to write the current in-memory database
out to the disc database file.  The behaviour is currently equivalent to the
command @command{exit} followed by re-running @samp{tdl} from the shell.

This command is useful if you tend to do long interactive tdl sessions.  It guards against the risks of
@enumerate
@item accidentally typing @samp{quit} when you meant @samp{exit}
@item machine crashes
@item running @samp{tdl} in another window and seeing a stale copy of the database file.
@end enumerate

The @command{save} command does not take any arguments.
@c }}}
@c {{{ undo command
@node undo command
@subsection undo command

The @command{undo} command reverses the action of the @command{done} command
@pxref{done command}.  You can use it to re-open entries, e.g. if you marked
them 'done' by mistake.

Its argument structure is
@example
undo <entry_index>[...] ...
@end example

You can specify one or more indices to act on.  If an index is suffixed by
@samp{...}, tdl will re-open the entire sub-tree based at that index.

@c }}}
@c {{{ usage command
@node usage command
@subsection usage command
The @command{usage} command is synonymous with the @command{help} command.
@xref{help command}.
@c }}}
@c {{{ version command
@node version command
@subsection version command
The @command{version} command shows the program version.

@example
tdl> version
tdl V1.1
tdl>
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ which command
@node which command
@subsection which command
The @command{which} command displays the name of the current database file that
tdl is using.  An example:

@example
tdl> which
./.tdldb
tdl>
@end example
@c }}}
@c {{{ widen command
@node widen command
@subsection widen command

This command reverses the effects of the @command{narrow} command
(@pxref{narrow command}).

Its usage is:

@example
tdl> widen [<n_levels>]
@end example

The optional @samp{n_levels} parameter tells tdl how many levels to widen the
view.  If the parameter is not specified, it defaults to 1.  If you try to
widen more levels than the depth of the current sub-tree root node, the
widening will be silently limited to its depth.

This command is only available when @command{tdl} is being run interactively,
i.e. when you have a @samp{tdl} prompt.  It is not available directly from the
shell (where it wouldn't make much sense).

@c }}}
@c }}}
@c {{{ shortcuts
@node Shortcuts
@section Shortcut forms of certain commands
For convenience, several shortcut commands are provided to access the most
common tdl operations.  (These can be used from the shell command line.)

@table @samp
@item tdla
This is a shortcut for @command{tdl add}, e.g.

@example
% tdla "A new item"
@end example

@item tdld
This is a shortcut for @command{tdl delete}.

@item tdlg
This is a shortcut for @command{tdl log}.

@item tdll
This is a shortcut for @command{tdl list}.

@item tdls
This is another shortcut for @command{tdl list}.

@end table
@c }}}
@c {{{ interrupting
@node Interrupting
@section Interrupting
Most programs will stop where they are if you hit @key{Ctrl-C}.  This is also
true (normally) for tdl.  However, tdl intercepts signals like this so that it
can try to write out the database when it is safe to do so.  This avoids the
loss of updates made to the database during the current session.

Because of this approach, it is possible that tdl can get stuck in an endless
loop if a bug arises.  For this reason, tdl will exit forcibly if @key{Ctrl-C}
is pressed 4 times.  After the third press, a warning message is printed.

If tdl has to be terminated in this way, the database will not be written back
out.  Therefore, any edits made in the current session will be lost.  Also, a
stale lock file will be left behind.  The @samp{-u} command line flag should be
used on the next run of tdl to force the removal of this stale lock file.
@c }}}
@c {{{ Location
@node Location
@section How tdl finds the databse file to use
If the @var{TDL_DATABASE} environment variable is set, its value is taken to be
the name of the database to use.  This allows for two distinct modes of use:
@itemize @bullet
@item If you set @var{TDL_DATABASE} to a fixed filename (with a full path), you
can use a single database regardless of your current working directory.
@item If you set @var{TDL_DATABASE} to a relative path (e.g. @file{./.tdldb}),
you will always use a database in the current working directory.
@end itemize

If this environment variable is not set, tdl finds the database by searching up
through the directory tree until it finds a file called @file{.tdldb}.  The
idea is to allow for one database per project, by placing the database in the
parent directory of the project.  Then as long as your current working
directory is anywhere within the project tree, the database will be found
during the search.

The only exception to this is the @command{create} command, which always
operates in the current directory (unless @var{TDL_DATABASE} is set, in which
case this variable's value defines the path to use.)

If you wish to share databases between directory trees in some other way, the
recommended method is to use symbolic (or hard) links to make a single database
appear to be in more than one directory.

@c }}}

@c {{{ Completion
@node Completion
@section Completion facilities
When tdl has been compiled to use the @emph{readline} library, the interactive
mode supports a number of completion functions, activated with the @key{tab}
key.

In particular, the following are supported:

@itemize @bullet

@item @strong{Command completion}.  If @key{tab} is pressed when the command
line is empty, a list of possible commands will be shown.  If @key{tab} is
pressed when a partial command has been typed, the command will be completed
immediately if possible, otherwise a list of commands matching the
already-typed prefix will be shown.

@item @strong{Help completion}.  If @command{help} or @command{usage} is
already in the buffer, a list of commands will be shown(as above).  The
@key{tab} completion works in the same way to complete the name of the command
you want a help summary for.

@item @strong{Priority completion}.  If @command{list} or @command{priority} is
at the start of the input buffer and the current word starts with a letter, tdl
will try to complete the name of a priority level if @key{tab} is pressed.

@item @strong{Open task completion}.  If @command{done} is at the start of the
input buffer, hitting @key{tab} will show a list of task indices that are still
open.  If part of an index has already been typed, the open task indices for
which the typed characters are a prefix will be shown.

@item @strong{Postpone completion}.  If @command{postpone} is at the start of
the input buffer, hitting @key{tab} will show a list of tasks that may be
postponed.  Tasks marked @emph{done} are excluded.  If @command{open} is at the
start of the input buffer, hitting @key{tab} will show a list of tasks that may
be opened.

@item @strong{Parameter hints}.  If some other command is at the start of the
input buffer and @key{tab} is pressed, tdl will show a one-line summary of that
command's parameters.

@end itemize


@c }}}
@c {{{ Datespec
@node Datespec
@section How dates are specified
@multitable @columnfractions .33 .66
@item @strong{Date specification} @tab @strong{Meaning}
@item -1h @tab exactly 1 hour ago
@item -2d @tab exactly 2 days ago
@item +1w @tab exactly 1 week in the future
@item +1m @tab exactly 1 month (30 days) in the future
@item +2y @tab exactly 2 years in the future
@item -1d-0815 @tab 08:15am yesterday
@item +1d-08 @tab 8am tomorrow
@item +1w-08 @tab 8am on the same day as today next week
@item +6h-08 @tab 8am on the day containing the time 6 hours ahead of now
@item .-08 @tab 8am today
@item .-20 @tab 8pm today
@item 20011020 @tab absolute : 12 noon on 20th October 2001
@item 011020 @tab absolute : 12 noon on 20th October 2001 (current century)
@item 1020 @tab absolute : 12 noon on 20th October 2001 (current century and year)
@item 20 @tab absolute : 12 noon on 20th October 2001 (current century, year and month)
@item 20011020-081500 @tab absolute : 08:15am on 20th October 2001
@item 20011020-0815 @tab absolute : 08:15am on 20th October 2001 (seconds=0)
@item 20011020-08 @tab absolute : 08:00am on 20th October 2001 (minutes=seconds=0)
@item 011020-08 @tab absolute : 08:00am on 20th October 2001 (minutes=seconds=0, current century)
@item etc @tab (see below)
@item -sun @tab 12 noon on the previous Sunday
@item +sat @tab 12 noon on the following Saturday
@item +sat-08 @tab 8am on the following Saturday
@item -tue-0815 @tab 08:15am on the previous Tuesday
@item etc @tab (see below)
@end multitable

In the 'all-numeric' format, the rule is that dates can have fields omitted
from the start (assumed to be the current value), and times can have fields
omitted from the end (assumed to be zero, except if the hours figure is missing
it is assumed to be 12, since most work is done in the day.)

In the 'weekday and time' format, the time rule is the same: missing minutes
and seconds are taken as zero and missing hours as 12.  If the weekday is the
same as today, the offset is always 7 days in the required direction.  If the
weekday is not the same as today, the offset will always be less than 7 days in
the required direction.

In the 'relative' format, when a time is included as well, the procedure is as
follows.  First the time is determined which is the given number of hours, days
etc away from the current time.  Then the specified time on that day is used.
The main use for this is to specify times like '8am yesterday'.  Obviously some
of the possible uses of this mode are rather far-fetched.

For the weekday and relative formats, the sign is actually optional.  The
default sign (implying past (-) or future (+)) will then be assumed depending on
the command as shown below:

@multitable @columnfractions .2 .2 .6
@item @strong{Command} @tab @strong{Default} @tab @strong{Reason}
@item add @tab + @tab Add entries with deferred start times
@item edit @tab + @tab Add entries with deferred start times
@item defer @tab + @tab Modify start times of entries
@item done @tab - @tab Entries have been completed at some time in the past
@item log @tab - @tab Entries have been completed at some time in the past
@item report @tab - @tab Reporting on earlier completed tasks not future ones
@item purge @tab - @tab Tasks won't be completed in the future, so no need to purge future ones
@end multitable
@c }}}
@c {{{ Backup file
@node Backup file
@section How tdl saves a backup copy of the database
Whenever tdl writes a modified database to disk, it renames the previous
database by adding @file{.bak} on the end of the filename.  Thus @file{.tdldb}
is renamed to @file{.tdldb.bak}.

If you need to restore the previous @file{.tdldb} for any reason (e.g. a gross
mistake during editing, or if a bug causes it to be corrupted), you can
manually rename @file{.tdldb.bak} to @file{.tdldb}.
@c }}}
@c {{{ Index specification
@node Index specification
@section Index specification
Indices may usually be specified as negative values.  This counts from the end of the list.  The commonest use for this is to add children to an entry you've just typed, e.g.

@example
tdl> add "Parent entry"
tdl> add -1 "Child entry"
tdl> add -1 "Child entry"
tdl> add -1.-1 "Grandchild entry"
@end example

There is one example where negative indices are not handled in the usual way.
This is with the @command{list} command (@pxref{list command}).  Here, a
negative index could be misinterpreted as a depth option.  If you really want
negative indices for the @command{list} command, terminate the options with
@samp{--} before providing indices and search patterns.
@c }}}

@bye
@c vim:cms=@c\ %s:fdm=marker:fdc=5:syntax=off