The Calendar Demo

In this section, you see the benefits of a flexible calendaring system by creating new calendars, subscribing to calendars, grouping calendars, viewing calendars, and searching for calendars. You also use Communications Express to create tasks. Finally, you export and import a calendar, and you personalize your calendar by modifying calendar options.

To View Calendars: User Interface

1. While still logged in as Duncan, in the Communications Express UI, click the Calendar tab.

   When you first select the Calendar tab, your default calendar is displayed in the default view. You can later select a calendar from the Current Calendar drop-down list to view and create events and tasks. The Current Calendar drop-down list may include personal calendars, subscribed calendars, calendar groups, and temporary virtual calendars. For the selected calendar, you can see events and tasks in traditional or object oriented views that include the Day View, Week View, Month View, Year view, Tasks View, Events View, and Invitations View.

   In the Day View, the main calendar view displays a color-coded appointment for group events. The green box indicates the number of invitees who have confirmed the appointment, the yellow box indicates the number who have tentatively accepted, and the red box indicates the number who have declined the invitation. The grey box indicates the number who have not yet responded to the invitation.

   At the bottom of the Calendar tab, Duncan's calendar is: http://wireless.map.beta.com:80/uwc/?calid=duncan@map.beta.com. Every calendar has its own unique URL that you can send to other users. If you give users permission to view your calendar, they can view it by using this URL.

   Above this URL is the quick-event feature that enables you to create an event with a minimal set of attributes such as event title, date, and time. This feature is ideal for creating non-recurring events with no attendees.

2. Click the Week view, located as a sub-tab of the Calendar tab.

   Examine the events in the calendar for the week.

3. To view other calendars, select a calendar from the Current Calendar drop-down menu.

   Since you haven't yet subscribed to or created additional calendars, you do not see many calendars in this list. However, after you subscribe to or create new calendars, you are able to select and view them.

   You can view the calendars of other individuals provided that you have their permission. For example, if you had previously subscribed to Kathy's or Robert's calendar, select kathy@map.beta.com or robert@map.beta.com to view their calendars.

4. Continue with the next task.

To Create and Subscribe to Calendars

Creating and subscribing to calendars is similar to mail folder operations. In this task, you create a publicly viewable calendar called Demos and a private calendar called Family.

1. Select Manage Calendars from the Current Calendar drop-down menu.

   The Manage Calendars view appears.

2. Click the New Calendar button to create a new calendar.

   The New Calendar window appears.

3. Type the calendar information.

   1. Type a Calendar Name with no embedded spaces (for example, Demos).

   2. Type a Display Name, which can include spaces (for example, Demos Calendar).

4. Select the Anyone Can Read My Calendar check box so that this calendar is viewable by everyone.

   You might need to scroll the window to see this option.

   You can also share this calendar with specific users by typing their user ID and selecting the individual permissions check boxes.

5. Specify a delegated owner for this calendar by typing kathy in the Owner Name text entry area and click Add.

   You can also specify a time zone for this calendar or use the default time zone.

6. Click Save to create the calendar.

7. Click New Calendar to create another calendar.

   The New Calendar window appears.

8. Type the calendar information.

   1. Type a Calendar Name with no embedded spaces, for example, Family.

   2. Type a Display Name, which can include spaces, for example, Family Calendar.

9. Click Save to create the calendar.

   This calendar is not publicly readable because read permission is disabled by default.

10. Click Subscribe to subscribe to an existing calendar.

    The Subscribe to Calendar window appears.

11. Type tina in the Search field and click Search.

    Search results are returned to the window.

12. Select the check box next to the calendar you want to subscribe to and click Subscribe to Calendar(s).

    The new calendar is displayed in the Manage Calendars view.

13. Continue with the next task.

To Create Calendar Groups

Calendar groups are composite calendars formed by individual calendars superimposed upon each other to create a single virtual calendar.

1. While logged in as Duncan, click New Calendar Group.

2. Type the Group Name MyCals.

3. Select duncan@map.beta.com and duncan@map.beta.com:Family from the Quick Add Personal or Subscribed Calendar drop-down menu to create a calendar group composed of these two calendars.

4. Click Save.

5. Click the New Calendar Group button again to create a group composed of personal and subscribed calendars.

6. Type the Group Name AllCals.

7. Select duncan@map.beta.com, duncan@map.beta.com:Family, and tina@map.beta.com from the Quick Add Personal or Subscribed Calendar drop-down menu to create a calendar group composed of these calendars.

8. Click Save.

9. Choose Duncan's Family calendar (duncan@map.beta.com:Family) from the Current Calendar drop-down menu.

10. Click Week to see the Week view.

11. Select MyCals from the Current Calendar drop-down menu to show a composite of personal and family calendars.

    Communications Express enables you to layer your calendars on top of each other to present a single virtual calendar.

12. Select AllCals from the Current Calendar drop-down menu to show all calendars that you have subscribed to layered on top of your own calendars.

    Click Month to see all events for the month.

13. Select duncan@map.beta.com (Duncan Hoff) from the Current Calendar drop-down menu to return to duncan's calendar.

14. Continue with the next task.

To Use Other Calendar Views

1. Click the Events link to get an Events view.

2. Select Events for Week from the Show drop-down menu and click Go

   You can list the events by day, week, month, and by type. You can also filter these events. For example, you might only want to show Accepted events or Declined events.

3. Click the Invitations link to get an Invitations view.

4. Select Invitations for Month from the Show drop-down menu and click Go.

   You can accept a meeting from Kathy, Tina, or Robert directly from this view.

5. Click the Events link.

6. Continue with the next task.

To Search Calendars

1. Type Emergency in the Search for Events field and click Search.

   All events with the keyword Emergency appear.

   You can also search for Calendars in addition to events within calendars.

2. Click the Search for Calendar icon at the top of the Calendar UI.

   The Search for Calendar window appears.

3. Type Family in the Search for Calendar text entry box and click Search.

   All calendars with the word Family are displayed.

4. Click the Cancel button in the Search for Calendar window to dismiss the window.

5. Continue with the next task.

To Create New Calendar Tasks

A task is a single item that you need to do. Tasks are similar to events and are created in almost the same way. The difference between tasks and events is that tasks appear in a tasks bar to the left of the calendar and events appear within the Calendar itself. Tasks also have a completion status whereas events do not. If team members collaborate with one another, the task feature lets members notify one another of a task's status or when a task is completed. In this demo, you create a public task that others can view when they subscribe to your calendar.

1. Click the Week view tab.

2. Click the New Task icon.

   The New Task window appears.

3. Fill in the task template.

   1. Type Progress Report in the Title field.

   2. Verify that the Start Date and Due Date are today's date.

   3. Set the Due Time for 5:00 PM or some other time in the future.

   4. Select 25% from the Status drop-down menu.

   5. Select Public Task from the Privacy drop-down menu.

   6. Type a Location.

   7. Type Use the Progress Report format in the Notes field.

   8. Scroll down to the Attachments area of the New Task window and click Add Attachment to add an attachment to this task.

      The Attach File window appears.

   9. Click Browse to search for an appropriate attachment to add to this task.

      Imagine that this is a file containing the "Progress Report format." A series of windows appears eanbling you to select the file. After selecting the file, click Add to add the attachment. Then click Attach to attach the file to the task.

4. Click the Save button.

   The newly created task appears in the task bar to the left of the Calendar. If you click this task, you are able to retrieve the attachment. Calendar Server provides attachment support for both events and tasks.

5. Continue with the next task.

To Import and Export Calendars

Occasionally, you export a calendar to a file to import into another calendar. For example, you have subscribed to a read-only calendar but you want your own copy that you can modify. Or, you want to share a calendar with others who do not have access to your calendar server. You might also want to export your calendar to make a backup copy.

Sun Java System Calendar Server supports the iCalendar standard calendar schema definition (RFC 2445), and consequently can import and export calendar data in this format. Calendar Server can also import and export calendar data in an XML format.

In this demo, will export your default calendar to a file and then import that file into an empty calendar.

1. Click the Import/Export icon.

   The Import and Export Calendar window appears. You will first perform a calendar export.

2. In the Calendars to Export drop-down menu, select duncan@map.beta.com (Duncan Hoff).

   This is Duncan's default calendar.

3. In the File Format drop-down menu, select iCal.

   An XML format is also available. You can also export calendar data with attachments.

4. Select All for the Date Range.

5. Click Export to export the calendar data.

   You see one or more dialog boxes requiring you to verify that you want to save a file. Additionally, you are prompted for a location to save the file. Note the location where the export.ics file is saved.

6. Approve all dialog windows to save the calendar file and dismiss any pop-up windows that remain after the file has been saved.

   The Import and Export Calendar window should stay visible. Do not dismiss this window because you use it to import the recently saved file.

7. In the Import to Calendar drop-down menu, select the recently created empty calendar called Demos.

   If you do not have an empty calendar, create one. See To Create and Subscribe to Calendars.

8. Click Browse to select the recently exported file that is inserted into the Import from File field.

   When you click Browse, a window appears prompting you to select the file that you exported earlier. By default, the file name is export. When you have located and selected the file, click Open to insert the file name into the Import from File field.

9. In the File Format menu, select iCal.

   An XML format is also available.

10. Select All for the Date Range.

11. Click Import to import the calendar data into the Demos Calendar.

    The following message appears at the top of the Import and Export Calendar window: Successfully Imported the data to the selected calendar

12. Click Close to close the Import and Export Calendar window.

13. From the Current Calendar menu, select the duncan@map.beta.com:Demos calendar to view the results.

    Notice that this calendar has the same events that are in Duncan's default calendar. Also notice that it is not possible to modify these events because the calendar id (calid) of the Organizer does not match the calid of the Demos calendar. To modify events, edit the export.ics file and change the value of the ORGANIZER's calid from duncan@map.beta.com to duncan@map.beta.com:Demos.

14. Continue with the next task.

To Set Calendar Personalization Options

In this demo, you familiarize yourself with some of the calendar personalization options.

1. In the Communications Express UI, click the Options tab.

   The Calendar Options user interface appears. The option interface allows you to personalize the appearance of the calendar user interface. You can change the default calendar view, the daily time scale, how you want the work week to appear, and more. The default calendar time zone is a global property that other applications can use.

2. Click the Global tab just beneath the Mail tab to access the global time zone property.

   You see the default time zone for this calendar. Change the time zone by selecting it from the list that appears.

3. Select your appropriate time zone then click the Save button.

4. Continue with the next demo.