(Approx. 540 words)

Windows Calendar
by Lynn Page, Editor, Crystal River Users Group, Florida
www.crug.com
newsletter(at)crug.com

Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups.

Windows Calendar, built into Windows Vista, helps you plan your activities and coordinate your plans with those of others. With Windows calendar you can set up multiple calendars and view a single or multiple calendars at a time. This makes it easy to compare the calendars and look for conflicts in scheduling.

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I personally use the calendar in Outlook for my scheduling but if you don’t have Office the Windows Calendar is a great planning tool. It is especially useful if you need to handle a variety of different schedules. Set up a calendar for everyone in the family or group. Then use Windows Calendar to integrate them to compare daily activities. I quickly set up the three calendars for display i this combined view.

Appointments

With Windows Calendar, you can create appointments and set up an alert to remind you when the appointment is approaching. Set Windows Calendar to alert you minutes, hours, or days ahead of time. I set my reminders in Outlook for 2 days notice.

If you attend regular meetings, like the CRUG membership meeting, set up recurring appointments. In Windows Calendar create one appointment and then have the calendar set up a series of similar appointments at the selected intervals.

Tasks

Windows Calendar includes a personal task list. For each task, describe what is required, set a completion deadline, choose a priority ranking, and then track of your progress right in the calendar. You can set reminders like those for appointments. As a task is completed, simply check it off the list.

Sharing Calendars

With Windows Calendar, you can set up individual calendars for multiple people. This makes it easy for people using the same computer to coordinate their personal schedules. They can quickly compare information from any or all of the calendars, side-by-side in a single view. Each person can manage their own schedule and view the others' calendars, selectively or all at once.

Set Up a Calendar

To set up a calendar in Windows Vista click Start and type Calendar in the Start Search box. In the results, click Windows Calendar under Programs to select it. A calendar opens with the name assigned to the computer. You can generate this calendar or in the File drop down menu select New Calendar and start fresh.

In the new calendar type in a name in the Calendars task pane and click Enter. This calendar and any others appear in the Calendars task pane. Clicking to add checks in the boxes next to the calendar lets you see those selected together. In the Details pane, select a color to help identify each calendar.

Add Appointments and Tasks

Once the calendars are set up you can add appointments and tasks. Click New Appointment or New Task on the toolbar and add the information.

You can even publish your calendar to your web site and send invitations and appointments by email.

This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).