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# Calendar.MatchingPolicy

A hint to the search algorithm to control the method used for searching for dates.

```
enum MatchingPolicy
```

## Topics

### Enumeration Cases

[`Calendar.MatchingPolicy.nextTime`](/documentation/Foundation/Calendar/MatchingPolicy/nextTime)

If there is no matching time before the end of the next instance of the next higher component to the highest specified component in the `DateComponents` argument, the algorithm will return the next existing time which exists.

[`Calendar.MatchingPolicy.nextTimePreservingSmallerComponents`](/documentation/Foundation/Calendar/MatchingPolicy/nextTimePreservingSmallerComponents)

If specified, and there is no matching time before the end of the next instance of the next higher component to the highest specified component in the `DateComponents` argument, the method returns the next existing value of the missing component and preserves the lower components’ values (for example, no 2:37am results in 3:37am, if that exists).

[`Calendar.MatchingPolicy.previousTimePreservingSmallerComponents`](/documentation/Foundation/Calendar/MatchingPolicy/previousTimePreservingSmallerComponents)

If there is no matching time before the end of the next instance of the next higher component to the highest specified component in the `DateComponents` argument, the algorithm will return the previous existing value of the missing component and preserves the lower components’ values.

[`Calendar.MatchingPolicy.strict`](/documentation/Foundation/Calendar/MatchingPolicy/strict)

If specified, the algorithm travels as far forward or backward as necessary looking for a match.


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