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Rules
Rules define which calendar events match a view. Calendars, keywords, and date range are set per view. A few global defaults live in View Defaults.
Calendars
Each view chooses which calendars contribute matches. If an event lives on a calendar you haven’t selected for that view, it won’t appear, even if keywords match.
Calendars synced to Apple Calendar all work: iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, and others.
Keywords
Keywords are search terms attached to a view. Sift matches them against event titles, notes, and locations.
Keywords are per view: adding a keyword to one view does not affect any other view.
Built-in keywords
Sift ships with 35 built-in keywords across four categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Work | Meeting, Standup, Interview, … |
| Social | Dinner, Birthday, Party, … |
| Life Events | Wedding, Funeral, … |
| Lifestyle | Gym, Flight, Doctor, … |
All built-in keywords are available on the free tier. Enable or disable which ones appear when editing views in Settings → Preferences → Calendars & Keywords or View Defaults.
Custom keywords (Sift Plus)
With Sift Plus, add custom keywords: project names, teammates, venues, or any text that appears in your events. Manage them in View Defaults or while editing a view.
Match mode
Each view chooses how keywords combine:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Any | Match if any keyword hits the title, notes, or location |
| All | Match only if every keyword hits (can be across different fields) |
| Except | Match events that do not contain the listed keywords |
Any is the default for broad views (“anything with Meeting or Standup”). All tightens the net (“Work” and “1:1”). Except excludes noise (“everything except Holiday”).
Keywords match text; they do not read calendar colour or attendee lists.
Date range
Each view has a date range: how far ahead Sift looks for matches:
- 7, 14, or 30 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 1 year
- All
Set the range while editing a view. A shorter range keeps the list focused; a longer range is useful for countdown-style views (“Holiday in 47 days”).
Default date range for new views
View Defaults (in Settings) sets the starting date range when you create a new view. Change it under Settings → Preferences → View Defaults → Default Date Range. Existing views keep their own range.
Past events window
Show Past Events is a global setting in View Defaults. It controls whether recently ended events still appear in view lists:
- Off
- Last 24 hours
- Last 48 hours
- Last week
This applies to all views. It does not change which events widgets or alerts consider “next”, those always look forward.
Related
- Views: full list of view fields
- Advanced rules: time, all-day, recurrence, location (Sift Plus)
- Settings: View Defaults and global preferences
- Sift Plus