In the world of Linux, the terminal is a powerful tool that allows users to perform a myriad of tasks. One such task is displaying a calendar. This article will walk you through how to display a calendar in the terminal using simple commands.
To display a calendar in the terminal, you can use the cal command. Simply type cal into the terminal to display the current month’s calendar. You can also specify a specific month and year using the format cal MM YYYY. Additionally, there are alternative tools like khal, YAD, Zenity, and ccal that offer different features and interfaces for displaying calendars in the terminal.
The cal Command
The cal command is a built-in Unix command used to display a calendar in the terminal. By default, when you type cal into the terminal and hit Enter, it will display the current month’s calendar.
calThe cal command can also display a calendar for a specific month or year. For example, to display a calendar for January 2022, you would use:
cal 01 2022In this command, 01 represents the month (January), and 2022 is the year.
The cal Command Parameters
The cal command also accepts parameters to customize the output. For example, you can use the -A parameter to display the next two months:
cal -A 2In this command, -A 2 indicates that the calendar should display the current month and the next two months.
The ncal Command
In Ubuntu versions after 20.04, you may need to use the ncal command instead of cal. You can install it by running:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ncalncal includes the cal command and is available in earlier Ubuntu versions as well.
Other Alternatives
If you prefer a more modern and interactive interface, consider using the khal calendar application. It can be installed via:
pip3 install khalkhal supports syncing with a CalDav server, providing a more feature-rich experience.
For GUI calendars that can be called from the terminal, consider YAD (Yet Another Dialog) or Zenity. These tools allow you to navigate through months and years and can be called from Bash scripts or directly from the terminal.
Finally, there is an enhanced version of cal called ccal by Alex Matulich. ccal offers user-configurable colors and the ability to display reminders and appointments alongside the calendar. It can be installed with:
sudo apt install ccalConclusion
Displaying a calendar in the terminal is a simple task that can be accomplished using various commands and tools. Whether you prefer the simplicity of cal, the modern interface of khal, or the enhanced features of ccal, there’s a solution that will meet your needs. Experiment with these options and find the one that suits you best. Happy calendaring!
To display a calendar for a specific month using the cal command, you can specify the month and year as parameters. For example, to display the calendar for January 2022, you would use the command cal 01 2022.
To display the next two months using the cal command, you can use the -A parameter followed by the number of months you want to display. For example, cal -A 2 will display the current month and the next two months.
If the cal command doesn’t work in your Ubuntu version, you can try using the ncal command instead. In Ubuntu versions after 20.04, ncal is the default command for displaying the calendar. You can install it by running sudo apt update followed by sudo apt install ncal.
Yes, there are alternative tools for displaying calendars in the terminal. Some options include khal, which is a more modern and interactive calendar application that supports syncing with a CalDav server. You can install khal using pip3 install khal. Another option is ccal, which is an enhanced version of cal that offers user-configurable colors and the ability to display reminders and appointments alongside the calendar. It can be installed with sudo apt install ccal.
