Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro, 2nd Edition (2014)

Part IV. Taking MacBook Pro Further

Chapter 16. Managing Calendars

Explore Calendar

Calendar is OS X's calendar application. You can use it to track your calendar events, such as appointments, meetings, and dates. Calendar can remind you of upcoming events to help ensure you do not miss any unintentionally.

Calendar enables you to share your calendars on the web so other people can work with them. By subscribing to other people's calendars, you can see their commitments, which makes coordinating events among a group of people much easier. You can also use Calendar to directly coordinate events with other people, such as inviting people to a meeting you are hosting.

A Back and Forward Buttons

Click these buttons to move back or forward in the calendar; these work when you are viewing the calendar by day, week, month, or year.

B View Selection Buttons

Use these buttons to determine whether you view the calendar by day, week, month, or year.

C Search Box

Enables you to search events on your calendars.

D Calendars

Enables you to manage the calendars with which you are working.

E Create Quick Event

Enables you to create an event with basic information.

F Events

Colored blocks represent events; the color indicates the calendar on which those events are stored.

G All-Day Events

At the top of each day, you see the events that are scheduled across the entire day.

H Accounts

Calendars are associated with specific accounts, such as iCloud, Exchange, and so on.

Create a Calendar

In Calendar, you store events and reminders on a calendar. You can have as many calendars as you want. For example, you might want one calendar for work information and another for family events. You can configure a calendar so its events appear in the Calendar window or are hidden. In addition, each calendar can have its own color so that you can see what events and reminders are associated with it. You can create calendars for online accounts, such as iCloud or Exchange, and then access your calendars from other devices, such as an iPhone.

Create a Calendar

Launch Calendar by clicking its icon () on the Dock.

Click File.

Click or highlight New Calendar.

Click the account in which to store the calendar.

Type the name of the calendar and press .

Perform a secondary click on the new calendar.

Select Get Info.

Type a description of the calendar.

If you want alarms on the calendar to be ignored, select the Ignore alerts check box ( changes to ).

Click the color pop-up menu () and select the color to use for the calendar.

Click OK.

The sheet closes and the new calendar is ready to use.

Add an Event to a Calendar

An event in Calendar is a period for which you want to plan, such as a meeting, recurring activity, or vacation. Each event is assigned to a specific time period on a calendar within Calendar. An event can also have lots of other information, including file attachments and web addresses.

You can create an event on a calendar and then set its details, such as the time, date, and alarms. You can drag to create events when viewing the calendar by Day or Week. You can double-click a date in Day, Week, or Month view to create an event.

Add an Event to a Calendar

Move to the calendar and to the date on which you want to create an event.

Drag over the time period for the event.

Note: You can drag across multiple days if the event extends beyond one day.

Release the trackpad when you reach the end of the event.

Note: You can create a new event quickly by clicking Create New Event () and then working on the sheet that pops up.

The new event is created.

The event summary window appears.

Type the name of the event.

A Click the color pop-up menu () if you want to change the calendar to which the event is assigned.

Click Location and type the location for the event.

Click the date and time for the event.

The date and time controls appear.

If needed, change the event's date and times.

If the event repeats, select the frequency of the event on the repeat pop-up menu (). Set the last date on which the event should be scheduled on the end pop-up menu.

Note: You can set a custom repeat schedule by clicking the repeat pop-up menu (), clicking Custom, and working in the dialog that appears.

If the event requires travel, click the travel time pop-up menu () and select the time needed. Click Custom to set a custom time.

To set alerts for the event, select the kind of alert on the alert pop-up menu (), and then configure it using the controls that appear.

Note: After setting one alert, you can click Add () to set up another alert — for example, for a vital appointment.

Click Add Notes and type any notes needed.

To store a file on the event, click Add Attachment and select the file you want to attach.

To include a URL with the event, type it in the Add URL field.

Click outside the Info window to close the window.

Calendar saves the event.

Note: To delete an event, select it and press .

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How can I be alerted to an event?

You can associate alerts with your events; an event can have multiple alerts. Alert options include Message that displays a message about the event; Message with Sound that displays a message and plays a sound; Email that sends an e-mail about the event; and Open file that causes a file to open. If you do not want to be alerted about an event, select None.

Schedule and Manage Events with Other People

Many of the events you manage in Calendar involve other people, such as meetings you want to have, group activities you are planning, and so on. You can include other people in events by inviting them.

Each invitee receives an e-mail containing information about the event with a calendar item as an attachment. If the invitees also use Calendar or another compatible calendar application and mail application, they can accept or decline your invitation. When you open the event's Info window, you see the status of each invitation, such as a question mark if the invitee has not responded.

Schedule and Manage Events with Other People

Schedule an Event with Other People

Create an event as described in the previous task.

Click Add Invitees.

Enter the e-mail address of the first invitee.

Note: If possible, Calendar replaces the e-mail address with the person's name.

Press .

Note: If Calendar presents the address you want to use, click it or select it and press .

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have entered addresses for all the invitees.

Click Send.

Each person you invited receives a notification about the event. He can accept the event to add it to his calendar or he can decline.

Accept or Decline Invitations

When you see the invitation badge on the Calendar icon or when a number appears in the Invitation button (), click it.

Note: To see the event on the calendar, click the event information box. The calendar scrolls so that you can see the event you are potentially adding to your calendar.

To add the event to your calendar, click Accept; to decline it, click Decline; or to indicate you are considering it, click Maybe.

The person who invited you to the event receives a notification about your decision.

Manage Events that Involve Other People

Open an event to which you have invited others.

A The icon next to each name indicates the status of the person's attendance. For example, if the person has accepted the event, the icon is a check mark in a green circle ().

When you finish viewing the status information, click outside the information window.

The information window closes.

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How do I invite someone to an existing event?

Open the event, click Add Invitees, and enter the e-mail address of the person you want to add to the event. Click Update. Calendar sends an invitation to the person you added.

Share Calendars with Other People

The Calendar app enables you to share your calendars with other people. You can share a calendar with specific people and choose whether each person can edit the calendar or only view it. Calendar invites the people via e-mail messages.

You can also publish a calendar to the web so that anybody can view it using a web browser. When you publish a calendar like this, only the people whom you have individually granted permission can edit the calendar; everybody else can only view it but not edit it.

Share Calendars with Other People

Share a Calendar

In the Calendars pane, move the mouse over the calendar you want to share.

Note: If the Calendars pane is not displayed at the left side of the Calendar window, click Calendars to display the pane.

Click Share ().

If you want to make this calendar public, select the Public Calendar check box ( changes to ).

A The Share button () appears.

Type the e-mail address of the first person you want to share the calendar with.

Press .

The person's name or e-mail address appears as a button.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add each other person with whom you want to share the calendar.

Click a person's button.

The pop-up menu opens.

Click View & Edit if you want the person to be able to edit the calendar. Otherwise, click View Only to allow only viewing.

Click Done.

The dialog closes.

Calendar e-mails invitations to the people you specified.

Accept or Decline an Invitation to a Shared Calendar

B If you see a notification inviting you to join a calendar, click Join or Close, as appropriate.

In the Calendar app, click Invitations ().

The Invitations dialog opens.

Click Join Calendar or Decline, as appropriate.

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How do I stop publishing or sharing a calendar?

Control+click the shared or published calendar in the Calendars pane, then select Stop Sharing. Click Stop Sharing again at the prompt. The calendar is no longer available to others.

How can I tell if someone has accepted my calendar?

When someone accepts your calendar, you see a notification informing you about it. You can also Control+click the calendar in the Calendars pane and then select Sharing Settings to display the Share dialog. You see the accepted icon () next to people who have accepted the calendar.

Working with Shared Calendars

Other people who use Calendar can publish their calendars as easily as you can publish yours. When someone sends his calendar information to you, you can subscribe to the calendar or visit it on the web. If you subscribe to the calendar, you can only view its information.

When you subscribe to a calendar, the Calendar application adds it to your list of calendars, and you can view it in the same way you use to view your own calendars. When you visit a calendar on the web, you view it using a web browser, such as Safari.

Working with Shared Calendars

Subscribe to Calendars

Open an e-mail message containing calendar subscription information.

Click the link in the message.

Calendar becomes active and the subscribe sheet appears.

Click Subscribe.

Calendar downloads the calendar information, and you see the calendar's Info sheet.

If you want to change the name of the calendar that appears in your Calendar application, edit the name in the Name field.

Click the color pop-up menu () and then select the color.

Click the Location pop-up menu () and then select the location.

Select Alerts ( changes to ) if you do not want to remove alerts from the calendar.

Select Attachments ( changes to ) if you do not want to remove attachments.

Click the Auto-refresh pop-up menu () and select the interval for updating the calendar.

Click OK.

Calendar adds the calendar to your list, and its events appear.

View or Share the Location of a Shared Calendar

Click the calendar in the Calendars pane.

Click Share ().

Select the means of sharing you want to use. For example, select Messages to start creating an instant message containing the calendar's URL.

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How do I know when people have changed a shared calendar?

When changes are made to a shared calendar, you receive notifications informing you about the change.

What are the Birthdays calendar and the Holidays calendar?

The Birthdays calendar automatically creates events for the birthdays you have stored in your contact records in the Contacts app. The Holidays calendar contains national holidays for your region. If you do not want to use the Birthdays calendar or the Holidays calendar, disable them as explained in the next task.

Configure Calendar Preferences

You can customize the way Calendar works by changing its preferences. For example, on the General tab, you can determine whether weeks are five or seven days long and when days start. You can also configure the start and end time for the “working” part of the day. On the Advanced tab, you can determine how reminders are managed and control alarms for all Calendar events and reminders.

Configure Calendar Preferences

In the Calendar app, click Calendar and Preferences or press +.

Click General.

Click the Days per week pop-up menu () and select 5 if you want weeks to be shown as the five workdays. Select 7 if you want to see all seven days.

Click the Start week on pop-up menu () and select the first day of the week.

Click the Scroll in week view by pop-up menu () and select Week or Day to control how the calendar scrolls in this view.

Click the Day starts at pop-up menu () and select the time when the work day begins.

Click the Day ends at pop-up menu () and select the time when the work day ends.

Click the Show pop-up menu () and select the number of hours to show.

Click the Default Calendar pop-up menu () and select the calendar to use as the default for new events.

Deselect the Show Birthdays calendar check box ( changes to ) if you want to hide the Birthdays calendar.

Deselect the Show Holidays calendar check box ( changes to ) if you want to hide the Holidays calendar.

Click Advanced.

Select the Turn on time zone support check box ( changes to ) if you want to be able to manage events in different time zones.

Select the Show events in year view check box ( changes to ) if you want to display events in Year view.

Select the Show week numbers check box ( changes to ) if you want to display week numbers.

Select the Open events in separate windows check box ( changes to ) if you want to open events in separate windows instead of using the floating window.

Deselect the Ask before sending changes to events check box ( changes to ) if you do not want Calendar to prompt you before sending events to invitees.

Click Alerts.

Click the Account pop-up menu () and select the account you want to affect.

Click the Events, All Day Events, and Birthdays pop-up menus () and select the alert timing to use for each option.

Select Use the default alerts on only this computer ( changes to ) if you want to use these defaults only on this computer.

Click Close ().

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How does time zone support work?

When you enable time zone support, Calendar can help you manage the often confusing situation when you are managing events across multiple time zones. When you create an event, you can associate it with a specific time zone. When viewing your calendars, you can set the current Calendar time zone using the Time Zone pop-up menu located in the upper-right corner of the Calendar window. When you set this, all events are shifted according to the relationship between their specific time zones and Calendar's so that you see all events according to the current time zone. To see an event in a specific time zone, such as when you travel there, select that time zone in the pop-up menu.

Print Calendars

Although using an electronic calendar is convenient and more powerful than a paper-based calendar, sometimes you might want to carry a paper calendar with you when you do not have your MacBook or iOS device. You can use Calendar to print calendars in various formats and with specific options. Printed calendars can mimic Calendar's Day, Week, or Month view, or you can print a calendar list, which is an efficient way to print information for many events.

Print Calendars

Print Day, Week, or Month View

Click File.

Click Print.

Click the View pop-up menu () and select Day, Week, or Month.

A The preview of the calendar in the left pane changes to reflect your selection.

Use the controls in the Time range section to determine how much calendar time the printed version covers.

Select the check box ( changes to ) for each calendar you want included on the printed version.

Deselect the check box ( changes to ) for each calendar you want to omit.

Select or deselect the Option check boxes to control what the calendar contains and how it appears.

Click the Text size pop-up menu () and select the relative font size to use.

Click Continue.

The Print dialog displays printer options.

Note: If the Show Details button appears, click it to display the full set of printer options.

Use the printer's options to configure the print job. These options vary depending on the printer you have.

Click Print.

The calendar prints using the settings you chose.

Print a Calendar List

Press + or click File and Print.

The Print dialog appears.

Click the View pop-up menu () and select List.

B The Calendar events and reminders appear in a list format, which makes them more compact than a calendar view.

Use the Time range controls to set the number of days included on the printed list.

Use the other controls to set various options for the printed list, such as what calendars are included and whether timed events are included.

Click Continue.

Use the Print dialog to configure and print the list.

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How can I access my calendars when I am away from my MacBook Pro?

When you use a calendar stored on an online account, such as iCloud, Google, or Exchange, you can access that calendar from any device that has web browser access by logging in to your iCloud website and using its Calendar application. You can also set up your accounts on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad so that your calendars are available on those devices too.

Explore Reminders

The Reminders application gives you an easy way to create and maintain a list of reminders for things you need to do. You can use Reminders to remind you of anything that you want to be reminded of, such as items you have to do, things you want to pick up at the store, and so on. You can associate an alert with a reminder so your MacBook or your iOS device can prompt you to perform an action at a particular time or place.

A Reminder Lists

You can create and manage multiple lists of reminders, such as one for work and one for a hobby.

B Current List

When you select a list, you see the reminders it contains.

C Complete Reminders

When you mark a reminder as complete, it disappears from the list, but is still available by clicking the Completed link.

D Priority

You can associate an importance level with your reminders; this is indicated by the exclamation marks.

E Due Dates

You can assign a due date to reminders, or you can leave them without a date.

F Complete Check Box

Select a reminder's check box to mark it as complete.

G Show Calendar

When you click this, a mini-calendar appears in the lower-left corner of the Reminders window.

H Add List

Click this and select a location in which to create a new list.

Create a Reminder

Whereas events are periods of time for which you want to plan and that you want to manage, reminders are specific actions that you want to perform or are something you want to remember. Reminders can contain basic information about something, such as a description, along with information to associate it with a date or a location. You can configure reminders with alerts, a priority, and related information.

Create a Reminder

Select the list to which you want to add a reminder.

Click Add ().

Type the text for the reminder.

Move the mouse to the right side of the window and click the Info button ().

To set an alert for the reminder, select the On a Day check box ( changes to ).

Note: You can also link a reminder to a location. Select the At a Location check box ( changes to ), type the location or pick it from the menu that appears, and then click Leaving or Arriving ( changes to ).

Use the date and time controls to set when you want to be alerted.

Click the priority pop-up menu () and select the priority for the reminder.

Enter notes about the reminder.

Click Done.

The reminder appears on the selected list.