I'm an Ecco user for more than 13 years and never found such a great enhancement of Ecco!

EccoMagic XP (date eXPressions) is a date calculator with memory and a brain! Astoundingly powerful tool that at the same time it radically simplifies how you enter dates, gives you complete, exact control over your date scheduling, interpreting and calculating from your explanation in conceptual terms of the date desired.. At first it seems rather complex, and the raw power of the date expressions overwhelming. But, is very much worth the time to explore and master. It really is EASY.

Entering a deadline 3 days from now is as easy as "3". 2 weeks from now.. "2w". 2 weeks and 3 days "2w3d". Long and shorthand work just the same: "next Wednesday" or "nwe". "2 days from now" or "2", "last thursday" or "lth"... etc. Expressions can also be memorized and 'stacked'. You can automatically enter dates relative to the last date you entered... just by beginning your date expression with "}". For example, if you just entered a date "10/2/2010", entering "}" for any other date gives "10/2/2010", "}3" gives "10/5/2010", and "}3" after that would give "10/8/2010".

If you work with dates, EM-XP will quickly become your best friend. Accounting and Law Offices can, for example schedule instantly a deadline for the first monday after the expiration of 120 days, unless a legal holiday, and if so the first non-holiday after (or before) that date. Or... for example, for the 15th of the month for the first month 45 days from next wednesday. And, it's ACCURATE! Hundreds and hundreds of hours have gone into testing.... that the day you enter in your expression... is the day you have set for your item.

Expressions can be memorized and stacked. The deadline above could be instantly memorized "<answer>=", and thereafter, "[answer]" used to automatically compute the date. As easy as "last wed [answer]" sets the deadline (legal holidays and all) based on last Wednesday! Support is included for any alternative calendaring system the mind can imagine, and examples for US Federal legal holidays, and the Hebrew Calendar (with holidays) are included. An unlimited number of sets of memorized dates and/or holidays can be instantly loaded and saved-- right in your Ecco file. By default, EccoMagic XP uses the same date formatting as your eccoPro (US or European style).

EM-XP also has many 'bonus' features to support the date expressions. For example, shorthand keys for short date (2/11/09), long date (February 2, 2009), time (12:12a), a single key context and duplicate item search, safe shortcut key access to multiple files (Application key + number), in the same way regular EccoPro allows Alt + Number access to multiple notepad views, and more.