Computer Spreadsheet Hall Calendar Templates

It is, of course a fact of life, that in these last decades of the 20th century, computer technology has come to govern much of our working life, and it quickly becomes clear that these aggravating beasts can also be harnessed to do a few jobs for ones personal interests.  Word processors and spreadsheets are very powerful tools and it is hardly surprising to find that many Masonic hall administrators use them for the many tasks that fall their way.

Some years ago, it occurred to me that it would be most useful to produce a hall calendar using a spreadsheet, such a solution would ease the task of laboriously going through a diary sorting out all the dates of all the meetings for a whole year, each year. Furthermore it seemed a good idea to publish a handy calender card for hall users which could also include details of such folk as the hall committee members, lodge secretaries and the like.

The task was to establish the formula for determining dates in each month for 'second tuesdays' and all the other dates one requires. Fortunately most proprietary spreadsheets provide several date functions on which such formula can be based, so using 'Datevalue' which is a day count from January 1900 to the date in question (This will continue to work until 2100!) and an associated 'Weekdayvalue' which gives a unique number for each weekday, one can establish the weekday on which the first of any month falls. However there are significant variations in the date functions provided by the various suppliers. Let us assume that n = the 'Datevalue' number and k = the unique weekday number for a date. For a Sunday k will always = 1, Monday = 2, Saturday = 7, &c., 
When referring to a date MM is the month and YYYY the year.
  First for Supercalc § use these functions:
	b = DATE(MM,1,YYYY) and k = WDAY(b)
  For 123  
	b = @DATE(YYYY,MM,1) and k =@CHOOSE(@MOD(b,7)7,1,2,3,4,5,6)
  for Excel ¶
	b = =DATE(YYYY,MM,1) and k = =CHOOSE(MOD(b,7)+1,7,1,2,3,4,5,6)
  For each individual meeting date we use: 
	d = the weekday number, 2 for a monday, 3 for a tuesday, &c.,
	w = the weeknumber, first week = 0, second week = 7, third = 14 &c.,
	  eg For a second tuesday  d = 3  and w = 7; see example below. 
	now let  f1 = (8 - (k -d))  and   f2 = (w - 7)
	Then p = date (of the month)  is calculated from:
		p = (f1+w) only if f2 is less than or equal to 0 
	 or  p = (f2+w) only if f2 is not less than or equal to 0
	This, in spreadsheet speak is: p = IF(f2<=0,f1+w,f2+w)
As an example, test these for 2nd Tues. for b = Jan 1st 1997, k = 4 (wed)
	f1 = (8-(4-3)) = 7; f2 = (7-7) = 0; f2 is <=0 so p = 7+7 = 14, QED
All that lot was explained for anyone who may wish to calculate meeting dates in bookkeeping speadsheets or wishes to make up their own calendar format.

	Fig 1 shows an abridged style of a Calender which for many years has been published for a hall in the west end of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Should any hall administrator like a template, for all dates, based on this style using any of the proprietary copyright spreadsheets listed below then contact the writer.
	Once a template is customised for the hall meetings, it is only necessary to change the number of the year, when all dates will be automatically recalculated.  Any 'non customary dates', conflicts with Bank Holidays or alterations to meeting nights are easily edited in. The prepared calendar can be printed onto hand-out cards or just used as a helpful tool for those charged with working out all the meeting dates.

   Calendar templates are available for the following DOS ¶ spreadsheets:
	C.A. Supercalc § v5.1	     on IBM compatible PC.
	Lotus 123 v2.01 	 	     on IBM compatible PC.
   WINDOWS ¶ 3.1 and above spreadsheet:
	Excel ¶ v2.1and above on IBM compatible PC.
		(Spreadsheet product versions are upward compatible) 
	All available on either 3.5" or 5.25" disks
   CP/M (Copyright of Digital Research) for Z80 computers:
	Supercalc § 2 			on Amstrad PCW (3" disk only)
   In addition:
	A complex template for the production of an annual planner is also available for Supercalc § 5.1 on IBM PC. only

		¶  Copyright Products of Microsoft Corporation.
		§  Copyright Products of Computer Associates International, Inc
		  Copyright Products of Lotus Develpment Corporation.

	Write, Fax or 'phone for a disk including 'how to do it' on disk documentation for the requested range of templates from:

	Gordon K. Forster, 22 Swarland Avenue, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE7 7TE.
	Phone 0191 266 5673  (Fax on request)  Email:  gkf @ ic24. net (remove spaces)
	Fig 1 below is a copy of a typical calendar for 1998 developed from the template, this canl be given to a printer who will resize it, and print on A6 size coloured card which then folds in half (8 x 11 cm).  Other hall information can be printed on the other side.

	 FALMOUTH HOUSE CALENDAR  1998
	
	                                         | Jan  Feb  Mar | Apr  May  Jun | Jul  Aug  Sep | Oct  Nov  Dec |
	  CRAFT LODGES:                          |               |               |               |               |
	Jesmond 4285                    1st Mon  |       2    2  |  6            |            7  |  5*   2    7  |
	Severus 7864                    1st Wed  |  7    4    4* |  1    6    3  |            2  |  7    4    2  |
	West Gate 5513                  1st Thu  |       5    5  |  2    7       |               |  1    5    3* |
	Swinburn 2680                   2nd Mon  | 12    9    9  | 13   11    8  |           14  | 12    9*  14  |
	St Margarets 5816               2nd Wed  | 14   11   11  |  8   13   10  |            9  | 14*  11    9  |
	Brotherly Love 8511             2nd Thu  |      12*  12  |  9   14       |           10  |  8   12   10  |
	Fenham 4019                     3rd Tue  | 20*       17  | 21   19       |           15  | 20   17   15  |
	Cricketers 7508                 3rd Wed  | 21   18   18  | 15*  20   17  |           16  | 21   18       |
	Nepos 6570                      3rd Thu  | 15*  19!  19  | 16   21       |           17  | 15   19       |
	Remembrance 6319                3rd Fri  | 16*  20   20  | 17   15   19  |           18  | 16   20   18  |
	Moorside 7120                   4th Tue  |      24   24  | 28   26       |           22* | 27   24       |
	Tynedale 3067                   4th Thu  | 22   26   26  | 23*  28   25  |           24  | 22   26       |
	John Stephenson Lecture 9571    Friday   |      27       |               |               |               |
     	                                         |               |               |               |               |
  	  ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS:                   |               |               |               |               |
	Prince of Wales RAC 2520        2nd Tue  |      10       |      12*      |               | 13         8  |
	Severus RAC 7864                4th Wed  |      25*      | 22        24  |               | 28            |
	St Margarets RAC 5816           4th Wed  |           25  |      27       |           23  |      25       |
     	                                         |               |               |               |               |
  	  OTHER ORDERS:                          |               |               |               |               |
	St George KTP Tabernacle, 124   1st Tue  |       3*      |            2  |               |       3       |
	Severus OSM Conclave, 124       2nd Tue  | 13            | 14            |            8* |               |
	St George KT Preceptory, 525    3rd Mon  |      16       |           15* |               | 19        21  |
	Severus Chapter Rose Croix, 940 4th Mon  |               | 27*           |           28  |      23       |
	
                                                     ! 50th Anniversary          * Installation

	Fig 1