Calendar

The Calendar module is used to schedule events, either one time or on a recurring basis, or one or more users or groups. There can also be multiple calendars, which can be associated with particular users, groups, holiday sets, or other, user defined criteria. The creation of a new calendar also implies the creation of an entire set of policies and permissions regarding its use

• [NOTE]See the Admin Module section for details on setting permissions.

The use of multiple calendars has several effects:

• Events from separate calendars are view-separable. A given calendar view can show the events from any combination of calendars to which the user has access, including all events for all calendars simultaneously.
• The calendar that opens by default in the online calendar view pages is the one associated with that user only. However, this can be set (see below).

Opening the Calendar Module, by default, opens the Day View for Today, where the user can see all of the events in their schedule for that day. The calendar can be navigated by following the links around the page, to change the date viewed.

Other views can be selected by clicking Calendar in the navigation menu. These are all intuitively navigable. The only point that need be mentioned is that Day View sets the user's view to the last selected day, even if the view is currently month or year, while Today will bring you to the current day in the view you are in; if you are in a month or week view you will be taken to the month or week corresponding to Today.

This leaves five additional options selectable from the navigation Calendar menu, Print, HTML Calendar Generation, Custom View, Calendar Manager, and New Appointment.

Print

Creates a printable HTML version of the current calendar view (day, month, year, etc.) in another window, and then sets that window to print.

HTML Calendar Generation

This page controls the automatic, scheduled generation of external calendar HTML files. These files can be linked to other web pages, for view outside of the WebShare Manager system. Generally, only administrators have access to this area.

The main page of this area is a simple listing of the currently scheduled HTML Generations, with the ability to edit or delete same, given permission. As usual, the Edit screen and New HTML Calendar screens are identical, except that the values in the former are completed.

Creating or editing a new HTML Calendar Generation brings up this window:

Title of Calendar

This specifies the title that will be displayed on the calendar and in the web browsers window border for the generated HTML Calendar.

Create Calendar on the following basis

Determines if the created calendars should be Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Group to generate calendar for

This sets the group-owner of the generated HTML Calendar. Choices are only those groups the WebShare Manager knows about at the moment.

Virtual Host to Store Calendar in:

Calendars are put in the directory "calendar" right under the html-root of the specified virtual host. (The directory structure inside "calendar" is determined by the basis, selected above.

Style Sheet File Name

Optional field with browse-button, used in case inserting the calendar into a standard cascading style-sheet is desired. The box will contain the location of the standard CSS.

Header:

Optional header HTML code.

Footer

Optional footer HTML code.

Comment/Description

This text describes the purpose of the generated HTML Calendar. This is for the purposes of maintenance in the WebShare Manager; it does not appear in the generated calendars.

Active

(Default yes) This radio button determines if the HTML Calendars will be built; allowing them to be turned off or on as required.

Custom View

Use this page to select the calendars whose events are shown. By default, only the user's own calendar is shown.

Calendar Manager

Generally only the administrator has access to this page. It allows the creation and/or deletion of calendars. Calendars of type "User" or "Group" are created by the WebShare Manager system on the event of a successful login by a user (or group member) who has permission to use the Calendar Module. Users may define calendars of types "Holidays" or "Other", using the "Holidays" check-box to determine which one. Other than that, Calendars only get a name and a location field.

New Appointment

This page allows new events to be scheduled. It should open up a pop-up with this form (the window may have to be expanded):

In all cases, the "..." box allows the relevant form elements to be set using a tiny, pop-up calendar.

Start

The date/time that the event begins for the first time.

End

The date/time that the event beginning at the start time ends.

Entire Day

Check this to ignore the time section of start and end; the event is all day.

Public/Confidential/Private 

Public is viewable by anyone. Private means viewable only by the creator of the appointment, everyone else will only see that you are busy. Confidential is more useful than Private, in that everyone the appointment pertains to can view its details, but for everyone else, those users are simply busy.

Summary

Brief description of the appointment (IE: IT Weekly Meeting)

Location

Where the appointment takes place. (optional)

Homepage

URL of web page related to appointment, active in listings. (optional)

Description

This has all the bells and whistles of a basic Wordpad-style text editor. It can function as a place to put a meeting agenda, or anything else important to those going to the appointment. It is not included in simple listings.

Repetitions

The appointment can be made to repeat on a regular basis; either none (default, non-repeating), daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.

Until

These repetitions can end at or before a certain date. Click Forever to ignore the date and do the obvious thing.

Days

This is relevant only if Repetitions is set to Daily. Use the check boxes to specify what days are meant by Daily.

Count

Stop after a certain set number of meetings. The default, 0, deactivates this feature.

Interval

In order to schedule something for "every other day", set the interval to 2. 1 is the default, meaning "every". Of course the interval can be set to space things apart further, or to count weeks months, or years.

Search

This field is meaningless, as is the field next to it, except that together, they help determine how other fields might be filled when the << button is pressed next to them (as opposed to filling them by hand). Essentially, the contents of the Search box are used to auto-select a user, group or contact from the left pull-down menu, which may have a very large number of them. This determines what name the << adds to a given list.

Required

These users/groups/etc. must go to this appointment. Fill using a comma-separated list, or use <<.

Not required

These users/groups/etc. are encouraged to attend the appointment, but are not required to.

Optional

These users/groups/etc. are allowed to go to the appointment. They still can see details if it is Confidential.

Categories

Appointments can be given one or more categories, though these are basically meaningless.

Calendar

Choose the calendar to which this appointment belongs. A given appointment can only be placed into one calendar. (See above)