---
title: "Date Periods"
description: "Date periods in TapHome: holidays and school breaks as day intervals, yearly repeat, calendar import, access weekly plans and a 1/0 variable."
url: "https://taphome.com/en/docs/configuration/date-periods/"
language: en
lastmod: 2026-11-06
generator: hugo
ai:
  topics: ["date-periods","access-control","calendar","configuration"]
  questions: ["What is a date period in TapHome?","Where do I create date periods in the TapHome app?","How do I import holidays from a calendar file?","How do I block access cards during holidays?","How do I allow access only during a school term?","How do I use a date period in a smart rule or a script?","Can a date period start or end at a specific time of day?"]
---

# Date Periods

A date period is a named set of whole days, such as holidays or a school break, that allows or blocks access weekly plans and drives a variable with the value 1 or 0.

Last updated: 2026-11-06

A date period is a named list of day intervals, for example public holidays or a school break. Access weekly plans use date periods to allow or block cards and PIN codes on those days, and the variable **Date period state** turns the same information into 1 or 0 for smart rules and scripts. One date period can be used in several weekly plans and variables, so a holiday list is entered only once.

## What a date period is

An interval includes both of its days: from the start of the **From** day to the end of the **To** day. A date period without intervals is never active.

## Create a date period

1. Open **Settings → My location → Date periods**.
2. Tap **Add date periods** and enter a name, for example *Public holidays*.
3. In the new date period, tap **Add interval**, name the interval and set **From** and **To**.
4. For a holiday on the same date every year, turn on **Repeat every year**.

A yearly interval may cross the new year, such as 23 December to 2 January; it does not need to be split. Holidays with a different date every year, such as Easter, need a separate interval for each year.

## Import a calendar

In the detail of a date period, **Import calendar** adds intervals from an iCalendar file (`.ics`), such as a published public holiday calendar.

- Each event in the file becomes one interval.
- An event that repeats yearly gets **Repeat every year**. Other repetitions (weekly, monthly) are not imported; such an event is added only once, on its first date.

Imported intervals are added to those already in the date period, so importing the same file twice duplicates them.

## Date periods in access weekly plans

In the detail of a weekly plan of the [access system](https://taphome.com/en/docs/access-control/), add date periods to one of two sections:

| Section | Effect |
|---|---|
| **Allow only during the following date periods** | The weekly plan applies only on days in one of these date periods, for example during a school term. |
| **Disable during the following date periods** | The weekly plan grants no access on these days, for example on public holidays. |

A day in an excluded date period always blocks the weekly plan, even if the same day is also in an allowed date period. On days when the weekly plan applies, its access intervals and validity still limit the time: access is allowed only where all three overlap.

## Date period state variable

To react to a date period outside the access system, add a variable in **Settings → Variables**: from **Time variables** choose **Date period state** and in its settings select the date period under **Date period**.

- The value is **1** on days when the date period is active and **0** otherwise. A deleted date period gives 0.
- The value changes within the first minute after midnight.
- The variable is read-only. Use it in a smart rule or a script, for example to lower the heating set point of a school during holidays.

## Limits

- Date periods work with whole days. A time of day is set in the access intervals of a weekly plan, or in a smart rule that reads the variable.
- The day is taken from the control unit's clock and time zone.
- If **Date periods** is not shown in **My location**, the control unit software is older than this feature. Update it in **Settings → Software updates**.