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# Creating a recurring event

Set up an event or reminder that repeats.

## Discussion

Recurring events repeat over a specified interval of time. To make an event recurring, assign it a recurrence rule that describes when the event occurs. Recurrence rules are represented by instances of the [`EKRecurrenceRule`](/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceRule) class.

Recurrence is applicable to both calendar events and reminders. Unlike with recurring events, only the first incomplete reminder of a recurring set is obtainable. This is true with EventKit as well as the Reminders app. When the reminder is completed, the next reminder in the recurrence set becomes available.

### Create a Basic Rule

You can create a recurrence rule with a simple daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly pattern using the [`init(recurrenceWith:interval:end:)`](/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceRule/init(recurrenceWith:interval:end:)) method. You provide three values to this method:

- **The recurrence frequency.** This is a value of type ``doc://com.apple.eventkit/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceFrequency`` that indicates whether the recurrence rule is daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
- **The recurrence interval.** This is an integer greater than `0` that specifies how often a pattern repeats. For example, if the recurrence rule is a weekly recurrence rule and its interval is `1`, then the pattern repeats every week. If the recurrence rule is a monthly recurrence rule and its interval is `3`, then the pattern repeats every three months.
- **The recurrence end.** This optional parameter is an instance of the ``doc://com.apple.eventkit/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceEnd`` class, which indicates when the recurrence rule ends. The recurrence end can be based on a specific end date or on an amount of occurrences. If you don’t want to specify an end for the recurrence rule, pass `nil`.

### Create a Complex Rule

You can create a recurrence rule with a complex pattern using the [`init(recurrenceWith:interval:daysOfTheWeek:daysOfTheMonth:monthsOfTheYear:weeksOfTheYear:daysOfTheYear:setPositions:end:)`](/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceRule/init(recurrenceWith:interval:daysOfTheWeek:daysOfTheMonth:monthsOfTheYear:weeksOfTheYear:daysOfTheYear:setPositions:end:)) method. As for a basic recurrence rule, you provide a frequency, interval, and optional end for the recurring event. In addition, you can provide a combination of optional values describing a custom rule, as listed in the table below.

|Parameter name  |Accepted values                                                                                                                                                                                                |Can be combined with                                   |Example                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|`days`          |An array of ``doc://com.apple.eventkit/documentation/EventKit/EKRecurrenceDayOfWeek`` objects.                                                                                                                 |All recurrence rules except for daily recurrence rules.|An array containing ``doc://com.apple.eventkit/documentation/EventKit/EKWeekday/EKTuesday`` and ``doc://com.apple.eventkit/documentation/EventKit/EKWeekday/EKFriday`` objects will create a recurrence that occurs every Tuesday and Friday.                                                                                                                       |
|`monthDays`     |An array of nonzero <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/NSNumber> objects ranging from `–31` to `31`. Negative values indicate counting backward from the end of the month.                |Monthly recurrence rules only.                         |An array containing the values `1` and `–1` will create a recurrence that occurs on the first and last day of every month.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|`months`        |An array of <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/NSNumber> objects with values ranging from 1 to 12, corresponding to Gregorian calendar months.                                            |Yearly recurrence rules only.                          |If your originating event occurs on January 10, you can provide an array containing the values `1` and `2` to create a recurrence that occurs every January 10 and February 10.                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|`weeksOfTheYear`|An array of nonzero <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/NSNumber> objects ranging from `–53` to `53`. Negative values indicate counting backward from the end of the year.                 |Yearly recurrence rules only.                          |If your originating event occurs on a Wednesday, you can provide an array containing the values `1` and `–1` to create a recurrence that occurs on the Wednesday of the first and last weeks of every year. If a specified week does not contain a Wednesday in the current year, as can be the case for the first or last week of a year, the event does not occur.|
|`daysOfTheYear` |An array of nonzero <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/NSNumber> objects ranging from `–366` to `366`. Negative values indicate counting backward from the end of the year.               |Yearly recurrence rules only.                          |You can provide an array containing the values `1` and `–1` to create a recurrence that occurs on the first and last day of every year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|`setPositions`  |An array of nonzero <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Foundation/NSNumber> objects ranging from `–366` to `366`. Negative values indicate counting backward from the end of the list of occurrences.|All recurrence rules except for daily recurrence rules.|If you provide an array containing the values `1` and `–1` to a yearly recurrence rule that has specified Monday through Friday as its value for days of the week, the recurrence occurs only on the first and last weekday of every year.                                                                                                                          |

You can provide values for any number of the parameters in the table. Parameters that don’t apply to a particular recurrence rule are ignored. If you provide a value for more than one of the parameters, the recurrence occurs only on days that apply to all provided values.

Once you have created a recurrence rule, you can apply it to a calendar event or reminder with the [`addRecurrenceRule(_:)`](/documentation/EventKit/EKCalendarItem/addRecurrenceRule(_:)) method of [`EKCalendarItem`](/documentation/EventKit/EKCalendarItem).

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