MUSC Calendar

1. I just entered an event or task. Why can't I see/find it?

You may have entered the event or task on a different calendar. Check all other calendars you are subscribed to by going to the Current Calendar: drop-down menu.

It's also possible that you may have forgotten to change the default date, time or a.m./p.m. designation for the event.

To find an event or task you can use your calendar's Search feature.

Click on the Search option.

In the window that opens enter a keyword or two into the text field. Click the Search button and your calendar will create a list of events and tasks with titles and descriptions containing the keyword(s) you entered.

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2. Can I have separate personal and work calendars?

Yes, you can create as many calendars as you would like with different availability and permission options. Create a new calendar by clicking on the Calendars tab and clicking on the New Cal icon. If you check yes for the availability option, permissions for this calendar must also have availability checked on for everybody.

Enter a name for your new calendar, a display name, and a description. You also have an availability option with each calendar you create; checking this will include the calendar when you or someone else is checking your availability.

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3. How do I know which calendar I am using when I create a new event or task?

When you are working with the calendar, the Current Calendar drop down menu displays the calendar you are working with. It's a good idea to check the Current Calendar drop down menu every time you create an event.

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5. How do I set up a recurring meeting?

When you create a new event, by clicking on the New Event tab, click on the Repeat option radio button.

A Recurrence option window will open. Select the Repeat Pattern that suits your needs. You can choose daily, weekly, monthly and yearly recurring events with various options within these intervals. You can also select how many times the event will repeat or when the occurrences will end. The maximum number of repetitions allowed for an event is 180.

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6. How do I see information for all of my calendars?

To view all of your calendars at once, create a Group that contains all of your calendars (for example, personal and work). To create a Group, click on the Groups tab and then click on the New Group icon.

In the window that opens you would enter a Group Name. Next, you can search for or type in a calendar ID. Or you can Quick Add a calendar ID by selecting from the list of your subscribed calendars in the Quick Add drop down box. Click OK to save the Group.

Click on the View tab to return to the main calendar page. From the Current Calendar: drop down menu select the group that contains your calendars. You will now see events from all of the calendars included in your group.

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7. How do I check the availability of other MUSC calendar users?

In general, if you are subscribed to the person's calendar simply select their calendar as Current Calendar, from the drop down menu. This arrangement is useful for people who work closely together (e.g. team members or members of a work unit). Note: If the person has given you read access to their calendar, you will be able to read details for the public events on their calendar. If the person has not granted you read access, you will simply see Busy for each of their scheduled timeslots.

To check someone's availability for a specific meeting, begin by creating an event and inviting the person to the event. Do this by clicking on the New Event icon. In the Compose window that opens, enter the time and date you would like to check. In the User text field, enter the MNA user id (ie their email id) for the person's availability you would like to check and click the Invite button. (If you do not know the person's MNA user id, click on the Search button and use the search tool that opens.)You can then check the availability of everyone you've invited by clicking on the Availability tab. On the availability window, you can move forward and backward between days, and/or revise dates and times to review invitees' free or booked time.

Please be aware that while checking availability, if you click on OK, you will save the event and invite all the invitees you were checking availability for. Clicking the Compose tab on the availability screen sends you back to the event entry window where you can modify the event information or the invitation list.

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8. How do I invite other MUSC calendar users to a meeting?

You can invite other MUSC calendar users to a meeting by clicking on the New Event icon. In the Compose window that opens, enter the time and date you would like to schedule for the meeting. In the Invite other users or resources text field, enter the MNA user id (ie their email id) for the person or resource you would like to invite and click the Invite button. You can also quickly enter someone onto your invitation list if you've subscribed to their calendar. Go to the Quick Invite box and select the desired individual or group from the drop down list.

If you do not know the MNA user id for who you would like to invite, click on the Search button, and use the search tool that opens. If the person is not a calendar user, you can still invite them by typing their e-mail address in the Invite user field. Click on the Invite button.

It is helpful to the invitees if you use a meaningful event name, add description detail to the event if needed, and specify a meeting location.

As soon as you press OK on any of the event screens (Compose, Reminders, Availability, or Preview) the event will be saved and the invitations will be sent.

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10. Does my calendar have reminder capabilities?

Yes. You can have Event and Task Reminders sent to you via e-mail at a time of your choosing. To receive reminders for every event and task on your calendar, click on the Options tab, and then click on Settings. In the Event & Task Reminders section, check Email me a reminder, and enter a unit of time that best suits you. Enter your e-mail address in the text field provided, if it is not already in there.

If you would rather not have reminders sent for every event, do not check the Email me a reminder option. Instead, you can request a reminder for a specific event or task by going to the Reminders tab for that specific event or task and entering the desired reminder information.

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11. There’s a new event on my calendar that I did not create or accept. What happened?

Chances are another MUSC calendar user invited you to a meeting. When someone does this, it automatically shows up on your calendar.

If you have invitations, click on them to find out more about the events.

The + radio button means accept, the - radio button means decline, and the ? radio button means undecided. Clicking on the event name will display detailed information about the event. Clicking on the organizer name will start an email compose session (handy for asking for more information about the event or to explain why you are declining). Checking the delete box will remove the event from your calendar. Use this function only in conjunction with the decline button.

Even if you decline an invitation, you must still delete the meeting from your calendar by hand.

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12. How do I give access to someone else to view my calendar?

Click on the Calendars tab and select Edit Properties for the calendar you wish to give access to. In the Edit Calendar window that opens, click on the Permissions tab. To give a user access, enter their MNA user id into the User Name: text field and click on the Add User button. Once the user is added, check mark the privacy options you would like to grant them.

It’s up to you how many access privileges you will provide to all calendar users ("everybody") and how you will adjust these for specific users.

Availability—allows users to check your availability for events.
Invite—allows users to invite you to events.
Read—allows users to see details about your scheduled meetings and tasks.
Delete—allows users to remove meetings from your calendar.
Modify—allows users to modify events on your calendar.

It is generally recommended that you allow "availability" and "invite" for everyone on your default work calendar.

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13. How do I create an all day event (like a birthday)?

When you compose a new event, check mark the All Day option. This will not block out your available time. If you have an all day event that should block out your available time (such as an all day meeting or a vacation day) you should specify the start time and number of hours (for example 8 a.m., 9 hours).

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14. How can I check on who is coming to a meeting?

If you organized the meeting, click on the meeting, and in the Edit Event window that opens, click on the Preview tab. The Attendees section will contain the names of all participants and reflect whether or not they have accepted the invitation. If you are not the meeting organizer, clicking on the meeting will take you directly to the summary page where all information about the event, including attendees, is displayed.

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15. I'm having trouble reading the screen, is there anything I can do to remedy this situation? Can I change the appearance of my calendar?

Calendar users can customize the color scheme, font size, font face, and toolbar by clicking on the Options tab, then selecting Appearance. Adjusting your appearance options may be helpful if you are having trouble reading the calendar.

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16. How do I quickly jump to a specific date on my calendar?

You can use the Jump To feature, by clicking on the Jump To tab. The window that opens will look similar to the one below:

Simply click on the month and date you want to jump to.

You can also enter a specific date in the date boxes beneath the small monthly calendar display in the upper right of the calendar view panel.

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17. How do I quickly make my calendar return to today's events and tasks?

If you want to return quickly to today's events or tasks, click on the Today is: link at the bottom of the small month calendar on the calendar view page, as highlighted below:

Clicking on this link will immediately return your calendar view to today's schedule.

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18. Can I change the initial view of my calendar to something else?

Yes. Click on the Options tab, and then click on Settings. From the Default Initial View drop-down menu, you can select the default view of your calendar. Your options are overview, day, week, month, year, and comparison. You also have the option of specifying the week start day for the weekly and monthly views (for example Monday vs. Sunday).

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19. Can I be notified when someone has invited me to an event?

Yes. You can be notified via e-mail when someone has invited you to an event. Click on the Options tab, and then click on Settings. In the Event Notifications section (toward the bottom), check mark Email me a notification whenever someone schedules an event on my calendar. Then enter your e-mail address into the text field provided if not already displayed.

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20.How do I quickly determine a free time for my unit or conference room?

It's helpful if your work group or conference rooms are defined as a Group. To build a group create a group (via the Group tab) by adding each of the desired calendars to the group. As a Group you can choose the Comparison view for the Group which will show each group member's schedule.

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21. Where can I go for MUSC calendar help or support?

There are several support options available to you. You can click on the Help button in your calendar for MUSC calendar documentation. You can also consult your ITC in your department. As always, you can contact the CCIT Help Desk at 792-9700.

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22. Why can't I use Netscape 7.0 on my Macintosh?

Because Sun no longer supports this platform's Netscape browser. Please use Mozilla for the Macintosh platform.

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