(gl_MACROS): Require gl_ULLONG_MAX.

[gnulib.git] / doc / getdate.texi

diff --git a/doc/getdate.texi b/doc/getdate.texi
index 9280c50..2a7fbab 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/getdate.texi
+++ b/doc/getdate.texi
@@ -89,13 +89,17 @@ many flavors of items:
 @findex first @r{in date strings}
 @findex next @r{in date strings}
 @findex last @r{in date strings}
-A few numbers may be written out in words in most contexts.  This is
+A few ordinal numbers may be written out in words in some contexts.  This is
 most useful for specifying day of the week items or relative items (see
-below).  Here is the list: @samp{first} for 1, @samp{next} for 2,
-@samp{third} for 3, @samp{fourth} for 4, @samp{fifth} for 5,
+below).  Among the most commonly used ordinal numbers, the word
+@samp{last} stands for @math{-1}, @samp{this} stands for 0, and
+@samp{first} and @samp{next} both stand for 1.  Because the word
+@samp{second} stands for the unit of time there is no way to write the
+ordinal number 2, but for convenience @samp{third} stands for 3,
+@samp{fourth} for 4, @samp{fifth} for 5,
 @samp{sixth} for 6, @samp{seventh} for 7, @samp{eighth} for 8,
 @samp{ninth} for 9, @samp{tenth} for 10, @samp{eleventh} for 11 and
-@samp{twelfth} for 12.  Also, @samp{last} means exactly @math{-1}.
+@samp{twelfth} for 12.
 
 @cindex months, written-out
 When a month is written this way, it is still considered to be written
@@ -255,10 +259,13 @@ which uses @samp{12m} for noon and @samp{12pm} for midnight.)
 The time may alternatively be followed by a time zone correction,
 expressed as @samp{@var{s}@var{hh}@var{mm}}, where @var{s} is @samp{+}
 or @samp{-}, @var{hh} is a number of zone hours and @var{mm} is a number
-of zone minutes.  When a time zone correction is given this way, it
+of zone minutes.  You can also separate @var{hh} from @var{mm} with a colon.
+When a time zone correction is given this way, it
 forces interpretation of the time relative to
 Coordinated Universal Time (@sc{utc}), overriding any previous
-specification for the time zone or the local time zone.  The @var{minute}
+specification for the time zone or the local time zone.  For example,
+@samp{+0530} and @samp{+05:30} both stand for the time zone 5.5 hours
+ahead of @sc{utc} (e.g., India).  The @var{minute}
 part of the time of day may not be elided when a time zone correction
 is used.  This is the best way to specify a time zone correction by
 fractional parts of an hour.
@@ -279,6 +286,10 @@ Time.  Any included periods are ignored.  By following a
 non-daylight-saving time zone by the string @samp{DST} in a separate
 word (that is, separated by some white space), the corresponding
 daylight saving time zone may be specified.
+Alternatively, a non-daylight-saving time zone can be followed by a
+time zone correction, to add the two values.  This is normally done
+only for @samp{UTC}; for example, @samp{UTC+05:30} is equivalent to
+@samp{+05:30}.
 
 Time zone items other than @samp{UTC} and @samp{Z}
 are obsolescent and are not recommended, because they