5.5. Creating appointments

Here you will get an overview of how to create appointments. Details will follow on the next page.

Note: To create an appointment in a public or shared calendar folder you need to have the folder permission for creating objects.

How to create a new appointment:
  1. In the New panel tab click the Appointment icon. If using the compact panel, click the Appointment panel icon . The Appointment window opens. The Appointment tab is opened.

  2. If required, select a calendar folder by clicking the Folder button and selecting a calendar folder in the pop-up window.

  3. Enter a description, a location, and a comment for the appointment.

  4. Select a start and end date for the appointment. See 5.5.2: Setting the appointment start and end.

  5. Set the appointment reminder. See 5.5.3: Setting or replying to an appointment reminder.

  6. Select the availability view: Booked, Tentative, Absent on business, or Free. See 5.5.6: Setting the availability view.

  7. Use additional options if needed:

  8. Click Save in the panel. The window will close.

Result: The appointment is created.

If you want to cancel the action click Cancel in the panel.

Note: If you create an appointment that overlaps with an existing appointment you might get an error message. Please refer to 5.5.11: Resolving appointment conflicts.

Tip: You can also create a new appointment by clicking on Create new appointment in the Edit panel tab.

The following possibilities exist for creating a new appointment:
How to create a new appointment by dragging open an area:
  1. Display the Day, Work week, or Custom calendar view.

  2. Drag open an area in the time grid. A new appointment is created. Start and end are displayed from the time grid area.

  3. Double-click the new appointment rectangle. The Appointment window opens.

  4. Enter the data for the new appointment. Further information can be found in the instruction above How to create a new appointment:.

5.5.1. Creating an appointment in the team view

When creating an appointment in the team view you can add

  • all team members,

  • specific team members, or

  • an individual team member

as participants.

How to create a new appointment with all team members:
  1. Open the team view. Instructions can be found in 5.4.5: Displaying the team view.

  2. Make sure no team member is selected.

  3. Use one of the following options:

    • In the Appointment panel tab click New. If using the compact panel, click the Appointment panel icon .

    • In the time grid drag a time range by clicking and holding the left mouse button. The time range is entered as appointment start and duration.

Result: The Appointment window opens. The team members are entered in the Participants tab.

How to create a new appointment with specific team members:
  1. Open the team view. Instructions can be found in 5.4.5: Displaying the team view

  2. Select individual team members by clicking on the names and holding the <ctrl> key. Note: On Apple systems use the <cmd> key.

  3. Use one of the following options:

    • In the Appointment panel section click New. If using the compact panel, click the Appointment panel icon .

    • In the time grid drag a time range by clicking and holding the left mouse button. The time range is entered as the appointment start and duration.

Result: The Appointment window opens. The team members are entered in the Participants tab.

How to create a new appointment with an individual team member:
  1. Open the team view. Instructions can be found in 5.4.5: Displaying the team view.

  2. Make sure that no team members are selected.

  3. Double-click on a time in the time grid of the team member you want to add as a participant.

Result: The Appointment window opens. The day and time you double-clicked on is entered as the appointment start. The team member is entered in the Participants tab.

5.5.2. Setting the appointment start and end

The following values are preset:

  • The current date is set as appointment start and end date.

  • The next complete time interval is set as time for the appointment start. The default time interval is 15 minutes.

  • The appointment end is set one hour after the appointment start.

To set individual values for the appointment start and end use the control elements next to Starts at and Ends at in the Appointment window.

How to set the appointment start and end in the Appointment window:
  1. To set the date for the appointment start and end use one of the following alternatives:

    • Enter a valid date in the first input field.

    • Click the calendar icon to the right of the first input field to open the calendar and choose a date.

  2. To set the time of the appointment start and end use one of the following alternatives:

    • Enter a valid time in the second input field.

    • Select the time from the drop-down list.

    • If it is supposed to be a 24 hour appointment activate the All day checkbox.

5.5.3. Setting or replying to an appointment reminder

You can define a time for being reminded of an appointment. A reminder window will alert you of the appointment when the end of the selected period has been reached.

How to set an appointment reminder in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Select a time interval from the Remind me drop-down list. If you do not want to be reminded select No reminder.

Tip: You can select the default time interval for the reminder in the calendar setting Default time for reminder .

As soon as the time interval before the appointment start is reached the Reminder window is displayed. There are several possibilities for replying to this appointment reminder.

How to reply to an appointment reminder:
  • To be reminded again select a time interval from the drop-down list. Click Remind me again. When the end of the interval is reached you will be reminded again.

  • If you do not want to be reminded again click OK.

5.5.4. Creating serial appointments

A serial appointment is an appointment that is repeated several times. When creating a serial appointment the following must be set:

  • The time interval for the appointment series. This defines the period between the individual appointments in the series.

  • The time range for the appointment series. This defines the start and end of the serial appointment.

How to create a serial appointment in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Click the Series button. The Create new series window opens.

  3. Select a time interval for the series.

    • If the appointment is to be repeated daily activate the serial type Daily. In the series options define the interval in days.

    • If the appointment is to be repeated monthly activate the serial type Monthly. In the series options define the interval in months and the day of the month.

    • If the appointment is to be repeated weekly activate the serial type Weekly. In the series options define the interval in weeks and the day of the week.

    • If the appointment is to be repeated yearly activate the serial type Yearly. In the series options define the day of the year.

  4. Define the time range of the serial appointment:

    • Next to Start date set the start of the serial appointment.

    • Next to Ends set the end of the serial appointment.

  5. Click OK.

The following examples show some typical appointment series.

Example 1: An appointment that takes place every 2nd day
  • An appointment should take place every 2nd day. Start date is 22.03.2010. The appointment should take place 5 times.

  • In the Create new series dialog window, set the following:

  • Recurrence type

    Daily

    Recurrence Settings

    Every 2nd Day

    Series Duration

    Start date 22.03.2010

    Series Duration

    Ends after 5 appointments

Example 2: An appointment taking place every Tuesday and Friday
  • An appointment should take place every Tuesday and Friday. Start date is 23.03.2010.

  • In the Create new series dialog window, set the following:

  • Recurrence Type

    Weekly

    Recurrence Settings

    Every 1 Week(s) on Tuesday, Friday

    Series Duration

    Start Date 23.03.2010

     

    Ends never

Example 3: An appointment that takes place every second Wednesday
  • An appointment should take place every second Wednesday. Start date is 24.03.2010. The last appointment is on 29.12.2010.

  • In the Create new series dialog window, set the following:

  • Recurrence Type

    Weekly

    Recurrence Settings

    Every 2 Week(s) on Wednesday

    Series Duration

    Start date 24.03.2010

     

    Ends on 31.12.2010

Example 4: An appointment that takes place on the first Monday of a month
  • An appointment should always take place on the first Monday of a month. Start date is 01.03.2010. The appointment should take place 12 times.

  • In the Create new series dialog window, set the following:

  • Recurrence Type

    Monthly

    Recurrence Settings

    on first Monday of every 1 month

    Series Duration

    Start date 01.03.2010

     

    Ends after 12 appointments

Example 5: An appointment that takes place every year on the last Friday of November
  • An appointment that should take place every year on the last Friday in November. Start date is 26.11.2010.

  • In the Create new series dialog window set the following:

  • Recurrence Type

    Yearly

    Recurrence Settings

    on last Friday in November

    Series Duration

    Start date 26.11.2010

     

    Ends never

5.5.5. Adding categories

A category is a key word that can be used for structuring appointments. There are 2 possibilities for adding categories:

  • Enter object-related categories in the input field next to the Categories button.

  • Select categories from a list of predefined categories. Pre-defined categories are specified by a color.

Information on defining categories can be found in 8.2.3: Managing Tags.

How to add object-related categories in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Double-click on the entry field next to the Categories button.

  3. Enter some text.

Note: Object-oriented categories do not have a color.

How to add predefined categories in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Click the Categories button. The Categories dialog window opens. The Name list field contains all predefined categories.

  3. In the Name list field, activate the control fields for the categories to be assigned to the appointment. Note: The initially selected category specifies the color in which the appointment is displayed.

  4. Click OK.

Result: The categories are entered in the input field.

How to remove added categories in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Click the Categories button. The Categories dialog window opens.

  3. In the Name list field, deactivate the checkboxes of the categories to be removed.

  4. Click OK.

Result: The categories are removed from the appointment.

5.5.6. Setting the availability view

In the calendar views the availability is indicated in different colors. The following colors are used:

  • Reserved: blue

  • Tentative: yellow

  • Absent on business: red

  • Free: green

Further information on availability can be found in 5.2.2: What should I know about appointments?.

The availability controls the groupware behavior in case you create a new appointment that overlaps time-wise with an existing appointment:

  • For the Reserved, Tentative, and Absent on business availabilities a conflict message is shown.

  • For the Free availability no error message is displayed.

Further information on conflict handling can be found in 5.5.11: Resolving appointment conflicts.

How to set the availability view in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Select an option from the Display as drop-down list.

5.5.7. Marking an appointment as private

A private appointment is an appointment that can not be viewed by other users when sharing your calendar with other users.

You can mark an appointment as private if all of the following conditions are met:

  • You are the sole participant, there are no other participants or resources for the appointment.

  • The appointment is created in a personal calendar folder.

How to mark an appointment as private in the Appointment window:
  • Open the Appointment tab.

  • Activate the Private appointment checkbox.

5.5.8. Adding participants and resources

When creating an appointment you are automatically added as a participant. In the calendar settings you can define whether you are entered as a participant when creating an appointment in a public folder, please refer to : Creating public appointments. You can add further participants and resources (such as rooms or projectors).

How to add participants and resources to an appointment in the Appointment window:
  1. In the panel click Add participant. The Select participants and resources window opens.

  2. The global address book is pre-selected. To select another address book click the Contact folder button. Click on a folder in the Select contact folder window.

  3. If you want to view a particular selection of participants or resources, enter a character string next to the Search input field. Click the Search button.

  4. Select one or more users, groups, or resources from the list. Note: Users, groups, and resources are marked with different icons. They are displayed in the following order: users, groups, and resources.

  5. In order to add the selection as participants, click the Add button next to Participants. In order to add the selection as resources click the Add button next to Resource.

    Note: There are the following limitations:

    • Resources can not be added as participants.

    • Groups can not be added as resources.

    Note: Resources in use can not be used as resource in another appointment if the appointments overlap.

  6. If need be, you can change the selection of participants or resources:

    • Select individual entries in the Participants or Resources field.

    • Click the Delete button next to Participants or Resources.

  7. In order to accept the selection click OK. If you do not want to accept the selection, click Cancel.

When adding participants and resources, it might make sense to check their availability.

5.5.8.1. Checking availability

This function shows which participant or resource is already booked on a particular day. The availability status is displayed with colored bars.

The colors correspond to the colors used for displaying availability, please read 5.2.2: What should I know about appointments?.

How to check the availability of participants and resources in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Availability tab.

  2. Choose the date and time range you want to check.

  3. Click the Check button. Colored bars next to a participant or resource indicate that the participant or the resource is booked for this time range.

  4. If necessary you can check another day by selecting it with the navigation arrows next to the date and then clicking the Check button again.

  5. If you find a date and time that is suitable for all participants and resources you can use the dates of the checked time range for your appointment. To do so click the Use for appointment button.

Tip: Prior to creating the appointment you can check the availability of participants in the team view. Further information can be found in 5.4.5: Displaying the team view.

5.5.8.2. Adding external participants without an addressbook entry

You can add external participants that are not entered in the address book. To do so you need the E-Mail address for the external participant.

How to add external participants without an address book entry:
  1. In the Appointment window click on Add external participant.

  2. In the External addresses window enter a name and a valid E-Mail address.

  3. Click Add.

  4. To add additional participants repeat steps 2 and 3. To finish the process click OK.

Result: The external participants without an address book entry are entered as participants.

Further information on appointments with external participants can be found in 5.7: Appointments with external participants.

5.5.8.3. Notify participants by E-Mail

Participants that you add to an appointment receive an appointment notification that offers them the possibility to accept or decline the appointment. Further information can be found in 5.6.1: Accept appointment.

External participants do not receive an appointment notification. To notify external participants of an appointment you can notify all participants by E-Mail.

How to notify all participants by E-Mail in the Appointment window:
  1. Select the Appointment tab.

  2. Activate the Notify all participants by E-Mail checkbox.

5.5.9. Adding attachments

How to add attachments in the Appointment window:
  1. In the panel click Add attachments. The Select attachments dialog window opens.

  2. In the Select attachments dialog window click Browse. Select the file to be added as an attachment. Close the file selection dialog window.

  3. In the Select attachments dialog window click Add. The file is entered in the list field.

  4. To add additional attachments repeat steps 3 and 4.

  5. To remove an attachment select it in the list field. Then click Remove.

  6. In the Select attachments dialog window click OK.

Result: The attachments are added to the appointment.

5.5.10. Creating appointments from iCal attachments

You can create an appointment from an E-Mail's iCal attachment. An iCal attachment can be identified by the file extension .ics.

How to create an appointment from an E-Mail's iCal attachment:
  1. Open the E-Mail in the H split or V split view.

  2. Right-click the .ics file in the lower part of the overview window.

  3. Select Import iCal in the context menu.

Result: The Appointment dialog window opens.

5.5.11. Resolving appointment conflicts

An appointment conflict occurs if the following conditions occur:

  • The availability of an existing appointment is not set to Free.

  • You create a new appointment and do not set its availability to Free. The new appointment overlaps with an already existing appointment.

As soon as you click the Save icon in the panel of the Appointment window the Conflicts detected window opens. It shows the conflicts between the existing appointments and the new appointment. You have to react to the conflict message.

How to react to the conflict message:
  • If you want to solve the conflict by changing the appointment date click on Cancel. Change the appointment date.

  • If you want to create the new appointment despite the appointment conflict click Ignore.