UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
WEBCENTRAL CALENDAR AND GROUPS

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Create, modify, and delete events

Share calendars

Change permissions of a calendar

Create, modify, and delete tasks

Synchronize Outlook calendars or your PDA with webCentral

Join and create community groups

WEBCENTRAL CALENDAR

The webCentral calendar enables you to do the following:

Access and manage your schedule from any Web browser.

Share your calendar with co-workers.

Access other user's calendars.

Schedule email reminders for appointments

Create a calendar group allowing you to manage more than one calendar.

Synchronize with a Palm.

Accessing the Calendar:

To access the calendar, login to webCentral:

Open a Web browser of your choice and access the DU home page located at www.du.edu.

Click the WebCentral link located at the bottom of the home page.

Enter your DU ID number and passcode.

After logging into webCentral, click the Calendar icon located in the top right corner of the screen. By default, your individual calendar will be displayed. It is recommended that this calendar be used to track all your business-related events.

CALENDAR VIEWS AND NAVIGATION

By default when you first open your calendar, an overview of the week ahead (Week Ahead view) will be displayed. The Week Ahead view shows the current day with the upcoming week, starting with tomorrow. To change your calendar view, click one of the following links: .

The Day view gives a detailed view of a single day in an hourly format.

The Week view shows your week within a vertical grid. By default, the week always begins on the Sunday of the current week. You can change this setting in the Options tab as described later in the handout.

The Month view gives a quick view of the entire month. When you click the Month view, the current month is highlighted.

The Year view displays the entire year at a glance.

The Comparison view is used to compare several calendars at once and is used when sharing calendars. This will be discussed in greater detail in the calendar groups section of this handout.

To navigate from one day to another, do the following:

Click the small arrows in the top left corner of the window beside the current date. The left arrow will navigate back one day, the right arrow will navigate forward one day.

To navigate from one month to another, do one of the following:

Click the small arrows beside the monthly calendar to the right of the window. The left arrow will navigate back one month, while the right arrow will navigate forward one month. Select the date you wish to schedule an appointment for within the monthly calendar.

To return to the current date, click the date link at the bottom of the monthly calendar.

To navigate to a specific date:

Click the Jump to button located at the top left corner of the window.

Type in the date you wish to jump to or navigate using the calendar.

Click OK to navigate to the specified date.

WORKING WITH EVENTS

An event is any scheduled item that you put on your calendar. Your events might include business meetings, birthday reminders, appointments, social engagements, or anniversaries.

Add an Event:

To create an Event, do the following:

Navigate to the date you wish to create an event for.

Click the New Event icon located in the top left corner of the calendar window. Or, click the Schedule a new appointment button located within each of the dates. The "Compose" dialog box will appear.

Enter a name for the event in the Title text field. This appears as the title of the event on your calendar.

Enter the date, start time, and duration for the event in the Date and Time fields. You can use the Jump To icon at the end of the date range to go to a specific date.

Some events such as a vacation day do not have an associated start and stop time within the given day. Instead, it is an all-day event. You should then click the All day checkbox.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you intend to share your calendar with other individuals, do not use the "All Day" checkbox. If you do so, the event will not be displayed when viewing one another's calendars. Instead, you must be sure to assign a start and stop time as you would a regular event.

If you want the event to repeat, select the Repeat radio button. To set the Repeat options for the event, do the following:

o The Weekly view will be displayed as default. Click the Daily, Monthly or Yearly tabs to view the options to have the event repeat daily, monthly or yearly.

o For each view, you can enter the start date and finish date for the repeating event to indicate how long you would like the event to repeat.

o Click OK to set the repeats.

Within the "New Event" dialog box, click the Details tab to enter the location and description of the event. Hint: To add a location to your event, it is recommended that you include it within the title of the event rather than here in the details tab. When you add a location within the details tab, you will notice that the formatting does not work very well.

Click the Reminders tab to send yourself an email reminder prior to the event.

Click the Preview tab to view the event.

Click OK in the bottom right corner of the window to place the event on your calendar.

Inviting and informing others of events

If you invite an individual to an event, the event will automatically be placed on their calendar and they have the option to accept or decline your invitation. The invitee will receive an automatic email inviting them to the event. If an individual is informed of an event, they will also receive an email regarding the event and it will automatically be placed on their calendar. The difference is that they do not have the chance to accept or decline the event. They are not expected to attend they are only notified of the event. Note: If the recipient does not receive an email regarding the invitation, it is because they have changed their calendar options. They must go to their calendar and select the Options tab. They must then scroll down to the bottom of the window and make sure the checkbox is selected to "E-mail a notification whenever someone schedules an event on my calendar."

To invite or inform others of an event, follow the steps below:

Create an event as described above. However, before clicking OK to accept the event, follow the remaining steps.

Within the Compose tab, enter the DU ID number of the person you wish to invite or inform in the User text box field and click the Invite or Inform button. Their name should now be displayed within the "Invite to event" or "Inform about event" portion of the window. If you do not know the individual's DU ID number, do the following:

o Click the Locate a user button beside the invite or inform button.

o Enter the name of the individual you are searching for within the text box and click Search.

o Select the appropriate person by placing a checkmark in the box beside their name.

o Click Invite or Inform in the lower right corner of the window.

o Their name should now be displayed within the "Invite to event" or "Inform about event" portion of the window.

To invite or inform an entire listserv, enter "mailto:" followed by the listserv name.

To determine the availability of an individual you are inviting to the event:

o Click the Availability tab after inviting the individual.

o The default calendar for each individual you invited to the event will be displayed. Assuming the other individuals are using their calendar, you should then be able to determine when they are free and busy.

To preview your invitation before sending, click the Preview tab. A list of all those invited and informed will be displayed.

To remove an invitee, return to the Compose tab, select the individual and click the Remove button.

If you invite an individual, the event will automatically appear on the invitee's calendar and the link to Invitations within the Action Items pane to the right of their calendar will be blue. The invitee will also receive an email inviting them to the event.

To respond to an invitation:

Click the link to invitations on the right within the "Action Items" list. You will see a dialog box that allows you to choose a plus (+) for attend, a minus (-) for will not attend, or a question mark (?) for undecided.

Make your selection and click Save and Close.

Or, select the event directly from your calendar. A dialog box will appear summarizing the event.

Click the drop-down arrow beside Reply and select the desired response. Click OK.

As the event organizer, to determine who is attending or not, click the link to the event within your calendar. Select the Preview tab. A summary of all attendees will be listed.

If you inform an individual of an upcoming event, the event will automatically appear on the invitee's calendar. The invitee will also receive an email. However, the email does not specify whether or not they are invited or informed of the event. To clarify this, you may want to enter a sentence within the description of the event that states, "I am only informing you of this event."

Note: If a recipient does not receive email regarding an invitation, it is because they have modified their calendar options. They must go to their calendar and select the Options tab. They must scroll down to the bottom of the window and make sure that the checkbox is selected to "E-mail a notification whenever someone schedules an event on my calendar."

Edit an event:

To edit an event:

Select the event you want to modify from any of the calendar views.

Make the appropriate changes within the dialog box and click OK.

Note: All individuals that you invited or informed of the event will automatically receive an email summarizing the changes.

Delete an event:

To delete an event:

Select the event you want to delete from any of the views.

Within the "Compose" dialog box, click the Delete button located in the lower-left corner of the window. The event is removed from your calendar.

Note: All individuals that you invited or informed of the event will automatically receive an email notifying them of the cancellation.

Search for an event:

To search for an event, do the following:

Select the View tab within the calendar.

Click the Search icon .

Enter the name of the event or keywords of the event you are searching for.

Click the Search button. If the event exists, it will then be displayed. To view an event in further detail, click the associated link.

CREATING ADDITIONAL CALENDARS

By default, each person who logs into webCentral has been assigned a default calendar. However, you may wish to create a secondary calendar in order to maintain birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Or perhaps you would like to create a separate calendar documenting your exercise routine. To create another calendar:

Click the Calendars tab from any of the views.

Click the New Cal icon .

Type a short name for the new calendar in the Calendar Identifier field. This will be the name you see for the new calendar. For example, you could use the name "Personal."

If necessary, provide a display name for the calendar. This display name is used to remind you of the purpose of the calendar. For example, if the short name for the calendar is "Personal", the display name could be something like "Carolyn's Personal Calendar".

Click the Availability check box if you want this calendar to display when determining your availability for an event.

Click on OK when finished.

Note: If you share calendars, only the information displayed on your default calendar will be available. The events you place on any "added" calendars will not be displayed. If you want to copy event information from an "added" calendar to your default calendar, simply inform yourself of the event.

DELETING CALENDARS:

To delete a calendar, do the following:

Click the Calendars tab from one of the views.

Click the checkbox of the calendar(s) you want to delete.

Click the Remove Selected button. The calendar is deleted from the list.

SHARING CALENDARS:

You may want to view several different people's calendars simultaneously. For example, within a department you may wish to view everybody's calendar at the same time in order to easily schedule events. To do this, you will create a "Calendar Group." A calendar group is essentially a folder that contains many different calendars. For example, a calendar group for your department might consist of your default calendar and all other default calendars of people in your department. You can create as many calendar groups as you need.

Creating a calendar group

To create a calendar group:

Subscribe to the calendars of everyone who will be included in your group. To subscribe to other people's calendars:

o Within the calendars view, select the Calendars tab.

o Click the Subscribe button .

o Enter the name of the individual whose calendar you wish to view. Use the search criteria from the drop-down menus to narrow your search. For example, you can choose to search by name and ID, name only, primary owner, or ID only. You can filter your search by using a "contains" or "begins with" in the name field. Click the Find button.

o Select the name of the individual whose calendar you wish to subscribe to and click the Subscribe button.

o The calendar will now be displayed in your list of calendars. (This will be their default calendar.)

o Repeat these steps for each calendar you wish to subscribe to.

Within the calendar view, click the Groups tab.

Click the New Group icon .

Enter a name for your calendar group in the Group Name field. Note: Do not use punctuation in the name.

If necessary, click the Timezones tab to set a time zone for your calendar group other than the default time zone.

Add the calendars to which you have subscribed by selecting a calendar from the "Add Calendars to Group" list, then clicking the Add button.

Click OK to create the calendar group.

Using the comparison view with a calendar group

The Comparison View is useful when working with a calendar group. Using comparison view allows you to view other user's schedules that are a part of the calendar group and determine when those individuals are free and busy. By default, you will not be able to read the specific details of an event. To allow others to view the details of your events, you must change the permissions as described later in the handout.

To change to the comparison view:

Select the appropriate calendar group by clicking the drop-down arrow beside the current calendar . (Calendar groups are displayed at the bottom of the list.)

Select the Comparison link .

The schedules of everyone in your group will be displayed.

Note: If you have scheduled an event as "All Day" on your calendar, it will not be displayed in the Comparison view. Rather than scheduling vacation or sick time as an "All Day" event, you must instead give the event a specific time range. For example, have the event begin at 8:00 a.m. and last for 9 hours.

Tip if converting an Outlook calendar: If you are converting an Outlook calendar into a webCentral calendar and have blocked out several days for an event (such as a vacation), the comparison view incorrectly displays the event as multiple 24-hour time ranges. You must then edit any events covering more than one day once they are converted from Outlook into webCentral.

Modifying a calendar group

To add or remove calendars from a group, do the following:

From the main calendar window, select the Groups tab.

Click the Edit Properties link within the Change column.

To add a calendar to the group, select the appropriate calendar from the "Add Calendars to Groups list and click the Add button .

To remove a calendar from a group, select the appropriate calendar from the list box on the right and click the Remove button .

CHANGING PERMISSIONS OF A CALENDAR

You can control what others can view and change on your calendar by modifying the permissions of your calendar. By default everybody automatically can view your availability and invite you to events, thus automatically placing those invitations on your calendar. However, they are unable to read, modify, or delete your events. To change these settings:

From the main calendar window, click the Calendars tab.

Click the Edit link to the right of your calendar whose permissions you wish to change. (You cannot change the permissions to someone else's calendar). You will see the "Edit Calendar" dialog box.

Click the Permissions tab. By default "everybody" has the capability of viewing your availability and inviting you to events. To change these permissions, select the appropriate checkboxes. Use the following information to modify the privacy settings:

To change the permission settings for individual users who may subscribe to your calendar, do the following:

o Enter the user's DU ID number in the "User Name" text box. Unfortunately, you cannot just enter the other user's name you must enter their DU ID number.

Hint: To find a user's DU ID without personally contacting the person, do the following:

Subscribe to their calendar as described earlier.

Click on the Calendars tab within the main calendar window.

Click the Edit button to the right of their name.

Within the "Edit Calendar" window, select the Permissions tab. The DU ID number will be displayed at the top of the window beside the name.

o Click the Add User button .

o The DU ID will be added to the permission list. Select the appropriate permissions for this user.

o Repeat this process for all users.

o Click OK.

You may want to give another individual ownership rights of your calendar. For example, you may want someone else to be able to respond to invitations on your behalf, or create, modify and delete events on your behalf. To do this:

o Within the calendar window, select the Calendars tab.

o Click the Edit link to the right of your calendar.

o Click the Owners tab.

o Enter the DU ID number of the individual you wish to give ownership privileges to.

o Click the Add Owner button .

o Click OK.

o Note: If you ever need to delete an owner, simply return to this window, select the checkbox next to the name of the person you wish to delete and click the Delete Owner button.

o Click OK to save your changes.

PRINTING THE CALENDAR

To print the calendar:

Navigate to the view which you wish to print.

Click the Printable button .

Note: Unfortunately, there are no additional printing options.

CHANGING CALENDAR OPTIONS

Within the main page of your calendar, select the Options tab. The left side of the window displays three options: Settings, Import, and Export.

Settings

Click the Settings link to modify the behavior of your calendar.

Date. Change the order of the date display and the date delimiter. This is useful for international calendars that display the date in a different order.

Time. Select the 12 hour or 24 hour time format.

Day. Select a start and end time for your calendar days. The default is 8am to 6pm.

Split days. Indicate the measure of time used to divide each day. The increments are from 15 to 30 minutes, 1, 2, and 4 hours. The default is every hour.

First day of the week. Select the day of the week that each calendar will start on. The default is Sunday.

Timezone. Change this default time zone to another. You can set up separate time zones for each calendar. You can change the time zone by clicking options then the time zone link under the Timezone heading. For example, the time zone link could be America/Denver. After clicking the link, choose the radio button next to the correct time zone.

Event reminders. Specify whether or not you want an email reminder sent to you prior to an event. If you want the reminder sent to several e-mail addresses, separate each e-mail address with a comma.

Event notifications. Specify whether or not you want an email notification whenever someone schedules an event on your calendar.

Click Save Changes when you have made the modifications.

Importing calendar data:

There may be times when you will want to import other calendar data into your webCentral calendar. For example, if you have backed up your webCentral calendar data previously and now want to restore it, you would use the import feature.

To import calendar data (with the exception of Outlook) into webCentral:

Select the Options tab within the main calendar page.

Click the Import link to the left of your calendar.

Select an event destination which calendar do you want to place the events in?

Select an import format from the drop-down list, and select a source file to import. For example, "iCal" (iCalendar is an internet standard format), or XML (a format based on the iCalendar standard).

Select a date range. You can choose to import all events from the file, or indicate a beginning and end range for the dates.

Click the Import button.

Exporting calendar data:

Exporting allows you to export the data from any calendars to which you have subscribed or have access to. Exporting is also useful if you want to back up your existing calendar from its current location to another location on the server, CD-ROM, etc., and then restore it (via importing) to the current location.

To export calendar data:

Select the Options tab within the main calendar page.

Click Export from the panel on the left. A list of all available calendars will be displayed.

Select the calendar you wish to export from the Calendars list box on the left and click the Add button to move it to the "Calendars To Export" box. You can remove a calendar from the "Calendars To Export" box by selecting the calendar and clicking the Remove button .

Select a date range. You can choose to export all events from the file, or indicate a beginning and end range for the dates.

Select an export format from the drop-down list. For example, iCal (iCalendar is an internet standard format) or XML (a format based on the iCalendar standard).

Click the Export button to begin exporting your file to your selected location.

SYNCHRONIZING OUTLOOK OR PDAS WITH WEBCENTRAL:

You can synchronize data directly between Microsoft Outlook and webCentral or between Outlook, your PDA and webCentral. Here's how:

Download the synchronization software to your computer by clicking the Help button , selecting General Information and clicking on the link to Synchronize a PDA. Download the software in Step 1. Your browser should open a dialog window with a Save option. Click Save and save the file to your desktop (or another folder, as long as you can find it later).

To install the synchronization software on your computer, do the following:

o Open My Computer or Windows Explorer and find the file you saved.

o Double-click on the file to launch the installation.

o Follow the instructions in the series of installation screens.

o When installation is complete, click Finish.

Configure the synchronization software to communicate with webCentral.

o Launch the synchronization software:

o Click the Start button and go to Programs.

o Select Sun ONE Synchronization.

o Then select Synchronize.

o Click the Settings button.

o Click the Translators tab.

o Click the Sun ONE translator icon.

o Click the Configure button. This will take you to the Translator Settings screen.

o In the Calendar tab, under Network Settings in the Server field, type webCentral.du.edu

o In the Port field, type 6785

o In the Account Settings section, type your DU ID in the User name field.

o Type your webCentral password in the Password field.

o If you want the synchronization software to remember your username and password in subsequent synchs, check the Remember password box. CAUTION: This may pose a security vulnerability. Use at your own risk.

o Click OK.

Connect your PDA and begin synchronization.

o Make sure HotSync Manager is installed and running on your computer. HotSync Manager is provided with your Palm OS mobile device.

o Connect your PDA to your computer using the cradle or infrared.

o If not still running, launch the synchronization software:

o Click the Start button.

o Select Sun ONE Synchronization.

o Then select Synchronize.

o Click the Synchronize button in the main screen.

o Press the HotSync button on the cradle.

Please refer to the Sun ONE Synchronization User's Guide (a link can be found in Calendar Help) if you need more information. The user's guide is in PDF format, so you may need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this document.

TASKS:

A task is a single item that you need to complete, often with a due date. For example, completing a report might be a task that you need to do. Tasks have many of the same properties as events and are created in nearly the same way.

Note: If you have given other users "read" permissions to your calendar, they will be able to view all your tasks as well. This may be beneficial if you are working together as a team with a master task list and are sharing calendars.

Add a task:

To add a task, do the following:

Select the Calendar icon from the main webCentral window.

Select the View tab.

Click the New Task icon . The "New Task" dialog box will open allowing you to add basic information about your task, such as the name, due date, location and so forth.

Enter a name for the task in the Task Title text field. This will appear as the title of the task on your calendar.

If necessary, enter the due date and time for the task in the Date and Time fields. If the task does not have a due date associated with it, click the Not Due checkbox. If the task does not have a due time associated with it, click the No Time checkbox. You can use the Jump To icon at the end of the date range to move to a specific date.

Enter a location for the task, if necessary.

Enter a description about the task, if needed. You can add specific details or information about the task here.

If you want the task to repeat, click the Repeat button. For further instruction on creating and repeating tasks, see the section on Working with Events listed earlier in the handout.

Click the Reminders tab to set an e-mail reminder for the task.

If necessary, click the Calendars tab to add the task to a different calendar.

If necessary, click the Preview tab to preview your task before adding it.

Click OK. When complete, the task will be listed within your Action Items list to the right of your calendar. If a specific time was assigned to the task it will also be displayed directly in the calendar.

Edit a task:

To edit a task:

Select the Task you want to change.

In the "Compose Task" view, make the changes and click OK.

Delete a task:

To delete a task:

Select the Task you want to delete.

In the Compose Task view, click the Delete button. The task is removed from your calendar.

Mark a task completed:

To mark a task completed, do the following:

Select the task you want to mark complete from the Action Items list.

Click the Done checkbox below the "Done" column.

Click Save and Close.

Or, select the task directly from your calendar and click the checkbox for complete.

The task appears with a line through it to indicate that it has been completed.

Search for a task:

To search for a task, do the following:

Within the calendar, click the View tab.

Click the Search icon .

Enter the exact name of the task.

Click the Search button. If the task exists, it will be displayed. Select the title link to open the task.

WORKING WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS

Community groups can be used to form communication between certain work groups, committees, organizations, etc. The Community Groups feature allows you to join an existing group or request the creation of a new group. After joining a group you have easy access to a main group home page containing news, articles, photo links, a chat room, etc. In addition, you can also share a calendar.

Groups can be either public or restricted. Anyone can join a public group. To join a restricted group, users must request to join and group leaders must then accept or deny the membership requests.

To join an existing group:

Select the Community Groups button from the main webCentral page.

Select the link to Groups Index.

Select a category to display a listing of all groups related to that particular category.

o Restricted groups will be displayed with an orange icon beside the group name. To join a restricted group, click the Join Group button . Read through the group policies. In the appropriate box, type in why you wish to join the group. Your request will be reviewed by the owner of the group. If deemed appropriate, you will be allowed to join the group and your membership activated. Upon approval, you will receive an email message and the group you joined will be displayed within the main Community Groups window.

o Public groups will be displayed with a green icon beside the group name. To join a public group, select the link to the group you wish to join and click the Join Group button. Read through the group policies. In the appropriate box, type in why you wish to join the group. Once your membership is activated, you will receive an email message and the group will be displayed within the main Community Groups window.

To create a new community group:

Within the Community Groups home page, select the Request Group tab at the top of the dialog box.

In the "Request Group" window, complete all required fields.

Click the Submit Request button.

You will be notified within 24 hours whether your request has been accepted or not.

Working in the group homepage

After joining a group, select the community group that you wish to participate in from the Community Group Home Page. (The groups that you have joined will be listed in the top portion of the window.)

A variety of Group Tools are available for use. They include the following:

HomePage Click the tool for HomePage to view a summary of information related to your group. You will see Group news, message board topics and featured links.

News - Click on News to view any News items. If you wish to post an item, click the Submit an Article link. You must then enter a title as well as the content for the article and click the Submit button.

Links - Click on Links to view any Web links posted within your group. To post a link, click the Submit a Link button. You must know the Web address of the page you wish to post.

Photos - Click on Photos to view any photos posted by the group members. Click the Submit a Photo button to post a photo. Use only jpg, jpeg, or gif files.

E-mail - Click on E-mail to send a message to only specific members of the group or the entire group. Select the checkbox beside the members that you wish to e-mail and click the Send E-mail button . The "Compose E-mail" window will be displayed. This message will be sent to the members you just selected even though their names are not displayed. In the "To" line enter any additional e-mail addresses for those individuals that you wish to send the message to. Enter the subject and text for the message as well as attach any files which should be sent. Click Send when complete.

Chat - Click on Chat to begin an on-line chat session with another user in the Group.

Message Board - Click on Message Board to see a list of all message topics. Click on a link to view the message in detail. When viewing a message, click the Post a Message link to contribute to that particular topic. To start a new topic, return to the main Message Board window and click the Post a Topic button. Enter the Message title and detailed description.

Calendar - Click on Calendar to open up the Calendar Homepage. This will display the events scheduled for the group. The group manager controls what is placed on this calendar.

o NOTE: The major disadvantage to using this type of calendar as compared to the shared calendars method described above is that you cannot compare one another's default calendars to determine busy and free time.

Members - Click on Members to view a list of all the members in the Group. You can click on a name to view more detailed information about that particular member.

ADDITIONAL HELP

For further assistance with webCentral:

Click the Help button located in the top right corner of the screen.

Select the desired category.

LOGGING OUT

After completing a webCentral session, remember to click the Logout button to close the session. This will ensure that your privacy is protected.

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University of Denver
University Technology Services - Training
Telephone: 303.871.3690 FAX: 303.871.4999 E-mail: kfriesen@du.edu

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Copyright 2003 · University of Denver · Page last revised September 24, 2003.