Set up an event or reminder that repeats.
Framework
- Event
Kit
Overview
Recurring events repeat over a specified interval of time. To make an event recurring, assign it a recurrence rule that describes when the event occurs. Recurrence rules are represented by instances of the EKRecurrence
class.
Recurrence is applicable to both calendar events and reminders. Unlike with recurring events, only the first incomplete reminder of a recurring set is obtainable. This is true with EventKit as well as the Reminders app. When the reminder is completed, the next reminder in the recurrence set becomes available.
Create a Basic Rule
You can create a recurrence rule with a simple daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly pattern using the init
method. You provide three values to this method:
The recurrence frequency. This is a value of type
EKRecurrence
Frequency The recurrence interval. This is an integer greater than
0
that specifies how often a pattern repeats. For example, if the recurrence rule is a weekly recurrence rule and its interval is1
, then the pattern repeats every week. If the recurrence rule is a monthly recurrence rule and its interval is3
, then the pattern repeats every three months.The recurrence end. This optional parameter is an instance of the
EKRecurrence
class, which indicates when the recurrence rule ends. The recurrence end can be based on a specific end date or on an amount of occurrences. If you don’t want to specify an end for the recurrence rule, passEnd nil
.
Create a Complex Rule
You can create a recurrence rule with a complex pattern using the init
method. As for a basic recurrence rule, you provide a frequency, interval, and optional end for the recurring event. In addition, you can provide a combination of optional values describing a custom rule, as listed in Table 1.
Complex recurrence rule breakdown
Parameter name | Accepted values | Can be combined with | Example |
---|---|---|---|
| An array of | All recurrence rules except for daily recurrence rules. | An array containing |
| An array of nonzero | Monthly recurrence rules only. | An array containing the values |
| An array of | Yearly recurrence rules only. | If your originating event occurs on January 10, you can provide an array containing the values |
| An array of nonzero | Yearly recurrence rules only. | If your originating event occurs on a Wednesday, you can provide an array containing the values |
| An array of nonzero | Yearly recurrence rules only. | You can provide an array containing the values |
| An array of nonzero | All recurrence rules except for daily recurrence rules. | If you provide an array containing the values |
You can provide values for any number of the parameters in Table 1. Parameters that don’t apply to a particular recurrence rule are ignored. If you provide a value for more than one of the parameters, the recurrence occurs only on days that apply to all provided values.
Once you have created a recurrence rule, you can apply it to a calendar event or reminder with the add
method of EKCalendar
.