---
title: Alert template syntax
description: Every variable you can put in an alert title, from the event name to how long is left before it starts.
order: 2
---

# Alert template syntax

Variables for customising alert titles and notifications in templates. See
[Reminders and alerts](/docs/everyday-use/reminders-and-alerts.html) for where these templates
are set and when they fire.

**Format:** `%<letter><modifier>`

---

## Event identity

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%t` | Event title | `"Team Standup"` |
| `%T` | Alert title | `"10 min reminder"` |

---

## Time to event

Time relative to the event, adapting to whichever phase the alert fires in:

- **Before** the event starts: time remaining *until* it starts.
- **During** the event (after it starts, before it ends): time elapsed *since* it started.
- **After** the event ends: time elapsed *since* it ended.

The same variables work whether the alert is configured to fire before, during, or
after the event; no separate codes are needed for each phase.

These come in two flavours: a **bare value** (just a number) and a **sentence form**, whose
code ends in `l`, that reads as a phrase and picks its own tense — see
[Sentence forms](#sentence-forms) below.

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%tm` | Minutes until/since | `15` |
| `%ts` | Seconds until/since | `900` |
| `%th` | Hours until/since | `0.25` |
| `%td` | Days until/since | `1` |
| `%tf` | Broken into units | `"1 day, 3 hours, 10 minutes"` |

`%tf` accepts a [style parameter](#style-parameter): `%tf{compact}` → `"1d 3h 10m"`.

With the bare values you write the connecting words yourself, and you must phrase each phase
separately — the number adapts, but "in"/"ago" won't:

```
"%t in %tm minutes"          (before) -> "Client call in 45 minutes"
"%t started %tm minutes ago" (during) -> "Client call started 12 minutes ago"
"%t ended %tm minutes ago"   (after)  -> "Client call ended 5 minutes ago"
```

To have one code do all three, use the sentence form `%tml` instead.

**Live updates:** an alert whose title contains any time-relative code (`%tm`, `%ts`, `%th`, `%td`,
`%tf`, or a sentence form) is re-rendered **once a minute** while it is showing, so the value counts
down/up rather than freezing at its fire-time snapshot. Updates pause while the phone is asleep and
catch up the moment the screen comes back on. Note this cadence means the seconds codes (`%ts`,
`%tsl`) still only refresh once a minute — they show exact seconds, not a ticking countdown.

---

## Event duration

How long the event lasts. Duration isn't relative to "now", so its sentence forms carry no tense —
they just add the unit word.

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%dm` | Duration in minutes | `90` |
| `%ds` | Duration in seconds | `5400` |
| `%dh` | Duration in hours | `1.5` |
| `%df` | Broken into units | `"1 hour, 30 minutes"` |
| `%dml` | Minutes, worded | `"90 minutes"` |
| `%dsl` | Seconds, worded | `"5400 seconds"` |
| `%dhl` | Hours, worded | `"1.5 hours"` |
| `%dfl` | Broken into units, worded | `"1 hour, 30 minutes"` |

`%df`, `%dfl` and the worded forms all accept the [style parameter](#style-parameter):
`%df{compact}` → `"1h 30m"`, `%dml{short}` → `"90 mins"`.

---

## Sentence forms

Add `l` to any time code to get its **sentence form**: a ready-made phrase that picks the right
tense automatically from the phase the alert fires in. No need to write separate templates for
before, during and after.

| Code | Before | During | After |
|------|--------|--------|-------|
| `%tml` | `in 15 minutes` | `started 15 minutes ago` | `ended 15 minutes ago` |
| `%tsl` | `in 900 seconds` | `started 900 seconds ago` | `ended 900 seconds ago` |
| `%thl` | `in 3 hours` | `started 3 hours ago` | `ended 3 hours ago` |
| `%tdl` | `in 1 day` | `started 1 day ago` | `ended 1 day ago` |
| `%tfl` | `in 1 day, 3 hours` | `started 1 day, 3 hours ago` | `ended 1 day, 3 hours ago` |

```
"%t %tml"
  (before) -> "Client call in 15 minutes"
  (during) -> "Client call started 15 minutes ago"
  (after)  -> "Client call ended 15 minutes ago"
```

Words are pluralised for you (`1 minute` vs `15 minutes`).

---

## Style parameter

The broken-into-units and sentence forms accept an optional `{…}` parameter that sets how verbose
the unit words are. The default is `long`.

| Style | second | minute | hour | day |
|-------|--------|--------|------|-----|
| `{long}` *(default)* | seconds | minutes | hours | days |
| `{short}` | secs | mins | hrs | days |
| `{compact}` | s | m | h | d |
| `{clock}` | digits-only stopwatch reading — see below | | | |

```
"%tml"          -> "in 15 minutes"
"%tml{short}"   -> "in 15 mins"
"%tml{compact}" -> "in 15m"

"%tf{compact}"  -> "1d 3h 10m"
"%df{short}"    -> "1 hr, 30 mins"
```

An unrecognised style (e.g. `%tml{huge}`) is left in the text untouched, so typos are easy to spot.

### `{clock}`

Renders `%tf`/`%df` as a stopwatch: `MM:SS` under an hour, `H:MM:SS` beyond it. Days roll up into
hours, so a day and a half reads `36:00:00`.

```
"%tf{clock}"   -> "04:59"
"%tfl{clock}"  -> "in 04:59"
"%df{clock}"   -> "1:30:00"
```

`{clock}` needs at least two fields to be a clock, so on a single-unit code (`%tm`, `%tml`, …) it
falls back to the default wording rather than emitting a bare number.

**Where seconds actually tick.** The ringing alarm screen re-resolves every second when the template
asks for second-level detail (`%ts` or `{clock}`). **Notifications still refresh only once a
minute**, so a `{clock}` there shows an exact value that then holds for a minute before jumping. For
a genuinely ticking notification countdown, use a **Countdown** alert instead — the system ticks
that one natively, at no battery cost.

---

## Event date and time

Date and time of the event.

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%Ed` | Event date (locale format) | `"29 May 2026"` |
| `%ED` | Event date short | `"29/05/26"` |
| `%Ei` | Event date ISO | `"2026-05-29"` |
| `%Ew` | Day of week | `"Thursday"` |
| `%EW` | Day of week short | `"Thu"` |
| `%Et` | Event time 24-hour | `"14:00"` |
| `%ET` | Event time AM/PM | `"2:00 PM"` |
| `%Ee` | Event end time | `"15:00"` |

---

## Event properties

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%l` | Location | `"Meeting Room A"` |
| `%L` | Location short (before comma) | `"Meeting Room"` |
| `%g` | Tag name | `"Work"` |
| `%G` | Tag colour (hex) | `"#9C6B2E"` |

---

## System

| Code | Result | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| `%n` | Current time | `"09:45"` |
| `%N` | Current date | `"29 May 2026"` |

---

## Examples

### Simple reminders

```
"%t alert"
→ "Team Standup alert"

"%t in %tm minutes"
→ "Client call in 45 minutes"
```

### Full descriptions

```
"%t - %tf to start"
→ "Q2 Planning - 1 day, 3 hours to start"

"%t (%df{compact} total)"
→ "Sprint Review (2h 30m total)"
```

### With date and time

```
"%t at %Et on %Ew"
→ "Conference trip at 09:00 on Saturday"

"%t %Ew %Ed %ET"
→ "Board meeting Thursday 29 May 2:00 PM"
```

### With location

```
"%t at %l"
→ "Team Standup at Meeting Room B"

"%t @ %L"
→ "Client call @ Conference Room"
```

### Complex example

```
"%t tomorrow at %Et (%tf away)"
→ "Project kickoff tomorrow at 14:00 (1 day, 2 hours away)"
```

---

## Escaping

To include a literal `%`, use `%%`:

```
"100%% done with %t"
→ "100% done with Team Standup"
```

---

## Unknown variables

If a variable is used but not available (e.g., `%l` when no location is set), it resolves to an empty string.

```
"%t at %l"
→ "Team Standup at "   (if location not set)
```