Agenda software

INTRO

This software creates agenda pages roughly in the style of Quo Vadis "Prenote" and "Minister", that is, one week per two pages, with days as columns, and note space at the bottom of each day. Quo Vadis used to make this format available in a smaller format (BusinessNote, I think it was called), but this seems no longer to exist.

ABOUT BOOKBINDING

We prepare files in HTML language, for printing on letter paper in landscape format, with the intention that these sheets be converted to PDF files, printed, and assembled into "signatures", then bound using bookbinding techniques; the resulting agenda will measure 8.5 inches high by 5.5 inches wide (half the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper). The outer pages of the first and last signatures are expected to be used to glue the assembly into the cover.

For an example of how to create a book, see: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-bind-your-own-Hardback-Book/

Note that, instead of stapling, you can simply sew the sheets of a signature together with a regular sewing machine and heavy-duty thread; use a long stitch length. If you want the little page number triangles to tear off, you can create the perforated line using your sewing machine with a shorter stitch length and no thread.

PREREQUISITES

This software has been written for Linux; it might work on Windows, but you're on your own there.

You'll need Perl, with modules DateTime and DateTime::Event::ICal.

You'll need Chromium to translate HTML pages into PDF files; unfortunately the older and simpler conversion programs can't handle the CSS grid format.

You'll need "make", unless you're willing to invoke the PDF translation manually for each individual sheet face.

FILES

bin/agenda_pages: Perl script that creates the agenda page contents as HTML. See "configuration" below.
etc/templates/*: Files included (and substituted into) by the Perl script; you probably won't need to touch these.
etc/dates/birthdays: Birthdays you want listed: edit this.
etc/dates/holidays: Holidays you want listed: edit this.
etc/notes: Miscellaneous text for the back page: edit this.
etc/Style.css: The style sheet; you probably don't need to touch this unless you're changing languages (there are a few spots where there's ":before content" text).
var/Makefile: How to create the HTML and PDF files; you'll need to edit at least the paths in here, to indicate where you've installed the software.
var/html-files/: The directory where new HTML files will be placed.
var/pdf-files/: The directory where new PDF files will be placed.

CONFIGURATION

Basic information is set in the configuration section at the top of the Perl script; there are several items you'll need to edit there. They are pretty self-explanatory. In particular, though, you need to set the start date as well as the number of signatures, and the number of sheets per signature. There's no assumption that the agenda starts on January first and contains twelve months - in fact, I use it to create roughly half-year booklets. If you want to print this in another language, you can set the locale in the configuration section of the Perl script, which takes care of most items, but you'll need to edit a few lines in the Style.css file as well; they are marked with the string "language".

EXAMPLES

Outer sheet showing a glue page
Opposite side of a glue page, showing a calendar
First real page, showing ID
Last real page, showing miscellaneous notes
Regular page, with days on both pages: the two pages are not part of the same week, because of how signatures are assembled.

DOWNLOAD

Here's the tarball; have fun!

AUTHOR

Anne Bennett, anne at porcupine dot ca