Calendar

About Oracle Calendar

For anyone who has used XTracs, you will have a basic understanding of what the calendar is used for. There are many more uses for the Oracle Calendar and it is set-up differently for than XTracs. You can use Oracle to schedule meetings, classes, work, birthdays, etc. You can have Oracle remind you of upcoming assignments, and you can update your completion percentage on the assignments. You can also add others to your meetings as well through groups.

Installation

Oracle Calendar installation is very easy. Check our Installation page for the very easy step by step process.

The In-Tray

The In-Tray is a very useful organizational tool. It will show all your new entries, any entries you've sent out or accepted, and entries you have refused. Check our In-Tray page for more information.

Changing Your Password

1. Open the Tools menu
2. Choose Change Password...
3. Enter your old password in the top box
4. Enter the password you want it to be in the bottom box
5. Re-enter the new password in the box of the pop-up window

Access Rights

Access right are very important. It allows different people to see different things of your calendar. Access rights for individuals must be set manually. Until a person's access rights are set, they will be under the default rights, which means, they can see times you're busy.

The Levels

There are four different levels of access to set your entries to.

Public

Any person can view a public entry (after all its public). Only those who have the right to modify the entry can change it.

Personal, Confidential, and Normal

These entries can be viewed or modified only with the proper access rights.

Designate

Designating rights allows a person to access your calendar as a designate and change things on your calendar. Personal, Confidential, and Normal entries can be viewed by another person, viewed and replied by another person, or modified completely.

View Times

This means that another person can view these rights in a designate window. They can do nothing else.

View Times and Reply

This allows someone to view your entries of an access level and reply for you. For example, if a department head adds a professor to a meeting, his secretary, using this right granted to her by the professor, can view the entry on his calendar and RSVP to the department head for the professor.

Modify

This allows someone else to change the entry you put on your calendar. This should not be given too many people, as they could possibly mess up your schedule if you're not careful.

Modify Tasks

This allows someone else to change the task you put on your calendar. This should not be given too many people, as they could possibly mess up your schedule if you're not careful.

Viewing

Viewing determines which entries a person can view if they simply open up your agenda.

View Entries

This allows a person to see the complete details of the entry. They can not modify it, or do anything else but look at it.

View Times

This allows a person to just see the times you are busy.

View Tasks

View Tasks determines whether a person can view the different tasks you put on your calendar.

Scheduling

Checking the box under this tab allows someone to add entries to your calendar for you to confirm. If this box is unchecked, a person will not be allowed to add you to meetings or events.

Setting Access Rights

• Before changing anyone's access rights, make completely sure that you understand every detail of our Access Rights section. If you have any questions about them, PLEASE email us at ecehelp@ncsu.edu. The last thing we want is for you to misunderstand the access rights and have someone erase everything on it.

1. Know what access rights you want a person to have before you begin
   • Note: To give anyone designate rights other than modify, they must be able to modify at least one type of access level
2. Open the Tools menu
3. Click Access Rights...
4. In the text box, type in the name of the person who's access rights you will modify and press the green checkmark
5. Under the Designate tab, check the appropriate boxes that correspond with the access rights you plan to give them
   • Note: Full designate means they have as much control over your calendar entries as you do
   • Note: No designate means they cannot modify your calendar in any way
   • Note: Access rights are heirarchal. For example, if you check modify, they can also view/reply and view times.
6. Under the Viewing tab, check the appropriate boxes that correspond with the access rights you plan to give them
7. Under the View Task tab, check the appropriate boxes that correspond with the access rights you plan to give them
8. Under the Scheduling tab, check the box if you would like them to be able to schedule you for meetings or events
   • The default access rights give a person the ability to view the times your busy under a normal agenda and allow you to schedule them for meetings and events. You cannot modify anything or view tasks.

Creating Groups

You can create groups for a number of reasons, but their biggest advantage is scheduling. You can schedule a bunch of people for meetings with just a few clicks. This is especially useful if you meet with the same group often. Its also a good way to get RSVPs.

Admin Groups

• NOTE: You must be an administrator to create an admin group.

Public Groups

• NOTE: You must have the needed permissions to create a public group.

Private Groups

• Note: Private groups can only be seen, edited, and used by the creator of the group.

1. Open the Tools menu
2. Select Manage Groups...
3. Click the New... button
4. In the Group Name box, enter the name
5. Select Private from the drop-down menu
6. If you know the name of a person:
   1. Enter it in the Add member: box
   2. Press the green checkmark button
   3. If the person is on the system, there name will show up in the box below
7. If you need to search for someone
   1. Press the magnifying glass button next to the checkmark button
   2. Enter any known information in the appropriate box (even if its just the first initial, enter it)
   3. Anyone on the system who fits that information will show up in the box in the lower left corner
   4. Select the name you were looking for and press the Add>> button
   5. This name will now be in the box on the right side
      • If you'd like to add everyone under that search, press Add All>>
      • If you decide you don't want someone in the group after adding them, highlight there name on the right side and select <<Remove
   6. When you have all the names you were looking for in the box on the right side, press OK
   7. All names on the right side will now be in the member's box on the New Group window
8. When you have everyone you'd like in the group, click OK

Members-Only Groups

• Note: Members-Only Groups can be seen and used by all members, but only the creator can edit the group.

1. Open the Tools menu
2. Select Manage Groups...
3. Click the New... button
4. In the Group Name box, enter the name
5. Select Members-Only from the drop-down menu
6. If you know the name of a person:
   1. Enter it in the Add member: box
   2. Press the green checkmark button
   3. If the person is on the system, there name will show up in the box below
7. If you need to search for someone
   1. Press the magnifying glass button next to the checkmark button
   2. Enter any known information in the appropriate box (even if its just the first initial, enter it)
   3. Anyone on the system who fits that information will show up in the box in the lower left corner
   4. Select the name you were looking for and press the Add>> button
   5. This name will now be in the box on the right side
      • If you'd like to add everyone under that search, press Add All>>
      • If you decide you don't want someone in the group after adding them, highlight there name on the right side and select <<Remove
   6. When you have all the names you were looking for in the box on the right side, press OK
   7. All names on the right side will now be in the member's box on the New Group window
8. When you have everyone you'd like in the group, click OK

Editing Groups

1. Open the Tools menu
2. Select Manage Groups...
3. Highlight the name of the group you wish to edit
4. Select Edit...

Changing the Name

1. Highlight the name in the Group name: box
2. Enter in the new name

Changing the Type

1. Open the drop down menu next to Group type:
2. Select that new group type

Adding Members

1. If you know the name of a person:
   1. Enter it in the Add member: box
   2. Press the green checkmark button
   3. If the person is on the system, there name will show up in the box below
2. If you need to search for someone
   1. Press the magnifying glass button next to the checkmark button
   2. Enter any known information in the appropriate box (even if its just the first initial, enter it)
   3. Anyone on the system who fits that information will show up in the box in the lower left corner
   4. Select the name you were looking for and press the Add>> button
   5. This name will now be in the box on the right side
      • If you'd like to add everyone under that search, press Add All>>
      • If you decide you don't want someone in the group after adding them, highlight there name on the right side and select <<Remove
   6. When you have all the names you were looking for in the box on the right side, press OK
   7. All names on the right side will now be in the member's box on the New Group window

Deleting Members

1. Highlight the name of the member you'd like to delete
2. Click on the Delete button

When all appropriate changes have been made click OK at the bottom.

Meetings, Daily Notes, and Day Events

The steps to set up a meeting, a daily note, and a day event are very similar. Any extra steps for one of these will be indented and will describe which event the step is for. Meetings are useful for scheduling class times, clubs, sports events, and breaks. Daily Notes are useful for such things as school holidays, tests, and reminders for that day.Day Events are useful for holidays, birthdays, events, etc.

• NOTE: All these steps can be followed when creating the event or editing it at a later time. If you want to edit something:
  1. Click on the event you would like to edit
  2. Open the Edit menu
  3. Click Open...

Adding A Meeting, Daily Note, or Day Event

1. Open the Edit menu
2. Open the New menu
   • For meeting: Click Meeting...
   • For daily note: Click Daily Note...
   • For day event: Click Day Event...
3. In the Name box, type in the name of the event
   • Meeting Only: In the Location box, type in the location of the meeting

Start Time (Meeting Only)

1. Next to start time, select the box next to the date
2. Go to the month of the meeting
3. Choose the day of the meeting
4. Click the box next to the time
5. Click and hold on the arrow
6. Drag the arrow to whatever time the meeting is (the time will change when you move the arrow)
   • Note: The clock only increments by 15 minute intervals this way
   1. Another way to change the time is to click the minutes on the time box
   2. Use the arrows to the right of the box to move the minutes up and down
      • This will allow you to have times ending in :04 or :20
   3. To move the hours up and down, just click on the hours in the time box
   4. Use the arrows to move the hours up and down
7. To keep the times they are but change AM to PM or PM to AM, click on the am/pm area of the time box
8. Use the up arrow to change it from AM to PM or PM to AM

End Time (Meeting Only)

1. Follow the same steps as Start time using the End Time box
   • If attempt to drop the End Time earlier than the Start Time, the Start Time will adjust

Setting the Date (Daily Note and Day Event)

1. If the date needs to be changed:
   • Click on the month section of the date
   • Use the up and down arrows to change the month
   • Repeat the same procedure on the day and year

Adding a Date

If the event occurs regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, twice a week, etc.), DO NOT USE THIS! Instead proceed to our Repeating Dates section. Only use this function if the dates are totally at random or you have only one or two extra occurences of the event.

1. Click Add a Date at the bottom of the window
2. Use the < and > on either side of the month to get to the month you need (if you need to change months)
3. Click on the day of the next occurence of the event
4. Continue following steps 1-3 to add all the days of the events

Repeating Dates

This tool is very useful if the event repeats itself on a regular pattern. Weekly meetings, monthly and yearly events, and classes are all examples of what this tool is useful for.

Frequency

1. Click Repeating at the bottom of the window
2. Under the Frequency section, use the down arrow to open the drop-down menu, and choose the frequency
3. If Daily:
   • In the box to the right of the drop-down menu, enter the amount of days the meeting occurs on a daily basis (Example: 1 would mean it happens every day, 2 every other day, 3 every third day)
4. If Weekly:
   • In the box to the right of the drop-down menu, enter the amount of weeks the meeting occurs on a weekly basis (Example: 1 would mean it happens every week, 2 every other week, 3 every third week)
   • Check the days of the week the event occurs
5. If Monthly on date (e.g. the 2nd of every month):
   • Choose the date the event occurs on each month by scrolling up and down the menu to the day
   • In the text box to the right, enter the amount of months the meeting occurs on a monthly basis (Example: 1 would mean it happens every month, 2 every other month, 3 every third month)
6. If Monthly on day (e.g. the third Tuesday of every month):
   • Choose the day of the month the event occurs on by scrolling up and down the menu
   • In the text box to the right, enter the amount of months the meeting occurs on a monthly basis (Example: 1 would mean it happens every month, 2 every other month, 3 every third month)
7. If Yearly:
   • In the box to the right of the drop-down menu, enter the amount of years the meeting occurs on a yearly basis (Example: 1 would mean it happens every year, 2 every other year, 3 every third year)

Start and End Date

1. If the date needs to be changed:
   • Click on the month section of the date
   • Use the up and down arrows to change the month
   • Repeat the same procedure on the day and year
   • Do this for the end date as well

Result

Under the result section, it will show every date that qualifies under the specifications you give above.

1. If you'd like to include Holidays in the determination of dates, check Include Holidays
2. If you'd like to include Saturdays in the determination of dates, check Include Saturdays
   • Note: This option is not available if you've chosen the frequency as Weekly
3. If you'd like to include Sundays in the determination of dates, check Include Sundays
   • Note: This option is not available if you've chosen the frequency as Weekly

Tentative (Meeting Only)

If there is a possibility this meeting could change or get cancelled, check Tentative

Reminders

Go to the Reminders section

Adding the event to Others' Calendars

If this is a event that others need to know about, or you know they will attend, you can add this to their calendar, and the user can confirm their attendance.

• WARNING: Some people see their calendars as very personal and may be a little upset if you add them without asking before hand. Always make sure the person or persons you're adding won't be upset with you for doing so. Also, if you don't have the proper access rights to add something to their calendar, it will be impossible to do so. More information is in our Scheduling subsection of our Access Rights section.

1. Click on the People/Resources tab
   • If you know the name of a person
     1. Enter it in the Add box
     2. Press the green checkmark button
     3. If the person is on the system, there name will show up under your name with a question mark to the left of their name
     4. If the person confirms the meeting, the question mark will change to a checkmark
   • If you'd like to add a group or people from a group
     1. Click on the button with two people on it (the one next to the checkmark)
     2. On the new window that popped up, check the box All in the top left corner
     3. From the list in the large box on the left, select the group you're looking for
     4. From the list on the right, highlight one name and click OK
     5. Every group member will now have an invitation sent to them

• When you have everything as you would like it, click OK at the bottom. The meeting will now show up on your calendar.

Replying to a Meeting

If someone adds a meeting to your calendar, you have the option to accept or refuse it, or you can put it off until later.

1. Find the entry that was added to your calendar
   • If you can't find it, check the In-Tray section for quick access
2. Right-click on the entry
3. Choose open
4. Click on the reply tab (if it doesn't automatically open to this)
   • If you have the necessary access rights to reply for someone, you can change the name if applicable by clicking the drop-down arrow next to the Reply for: box
5. Click the drop-down arrow for the Response: box and set it to the appropriate response
6. Click the drop-down arrow for the Show time as: box and set it to the appropriate response (if it needs to be changed)
   • If you choose I Will Attend, you will be shown busy as default, and if you choose I Will Not Attend, you will be shown free by default. Both of these can be changed. If you choose Will Confirm Later, your time will not show as either.
7. Click OK at the bottom to save it
   • Note: You can always change this later. It is not a one-and-done deal.

Check Conflicts (Meeting Only)

This is a useful tool to make sure that anyone who will have the meeting added to their calendar doesn't have a prior scheduled meeting conflicting with it.

1. Choose the People/Resources tab
2. Click Check Conflicts
   • The tool automatically checks every name the meeting will be added too. It will then list any person who has a conflict with it.

Attachments

Check our Attachments section

Setting Access Level

1. Look under the location box for meetings and the name box for daily notes and day events
2. Click on the blue arrow to the right of the Access: box
3. Change the access level to your desired level
   • To see what the Access Rights mean and how to set them, check the Access Rights section

Importance (Meetings Only)

It is possible to set an importance level for meetings so you can know which you have to go to and what you can afford to miss.

1. Look next to the Access drop-down menu
2. Click the blue arrow to the right of the Importance: box
3. Choose your desired level of importance
   • Note: The levels are Highest, High, Normal, Low, and Lowest

Adding a description

1. Click on the Details tab
2. In the description box, type in what you want yourself or others to know about the event when it is viewed.

Tasks

Tasks are useful for projects, assignments, and tests. You give a start date and a due date, and have the ability to update the completion percentage. Its useful for tracking multiple projects, assignments, or tests to study for at the same time.

Creating a Task

1. Open the Edit menu
2. Highlight New
3. Click Task...
4. Under the description box, enter the name/description of the task

Start and Due Dates

1. Under Due Date:
   1. Go to the month of the meeting
   2. Choose the day of the meeting
2. Under Due Time:
   1. Click the box next to the time
   2. Click and hold on the arrow
   3. Drag the arrow to whatever time the meeting is (the time will change when you move the arrow)
      • Note: The clock only increments by 15 minute intervals this way
      1. Another way to change the time is to click the minutes on the time box
      2. Use the arrows to the right of the box to move the minutes up and down
         • This will allow you to have times ending in :04 or :20
      3. To move the hours up and down, just click on the hours in the time box
      4. Use the arrows to move the hours up and down
   4. To keep the times they are but change AM to PM or PM to AM, click on the am/pm area of the time box
   5. Use the up arrow to change it from AM to PM or PM to AM
3. Repeat the above steps for Start Date and Start Time (if applicable)

Priority

You can prioritize different tasks using a system of numbers or letters, depending on the amount of tasks and the standard that is used in the office, university, etc.

1. Click on the General tab
2. On the drop-down menu under Priority:, set the priority level of the task

Access Level

1. Click on the General tab
2. Under the drop-down menu, change the access level to your desired level
   • To see what the Access Rights mean and how to set them, check the Access Rights section

Comments

To add comments for the task for you or others to view at a later time:

1. Click on the Details tab
2. Under the Comments text box, type in anything you'd like

Attachments

Check our Attachments section

Reminders (Tasks Only)

These are reminders for Tasks only. If you're looking for information on reminders for any other event, check our Reminders section.

Display Upcoming For (Tasks only)

1. Choose whether you'd like to be reminded days or weeks before the event
   • If you choose days for the second box:
     1. Choose the amount of days before the event you'd like to know the event is coming
     2. At the bottom of each daily page, or of each day of a weekly page, there will be a note that the event is approaching
   • If you choose weeks for the second box:
     1. Chose between 1 and 3 weeks
     2. At the bottom of each daily page, or on each day of a weekly page, there will be a note that the event is approaching
2. If you have finished everything, click OK to save the item, otherwise, continue on to the next area

Pop-Up Reminder (Tasks Only)

1. Choose whether you'd like to be reminded minutes, hours, days, or weeks before the event
2. If you choose minutes for the second box:
   • Enter the amount of minutes you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
3. If you choose hours for the second box:
   • Enter the amount of hours you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
4. If you choose days for the second box:
   • Enter the amount of days you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
5. If you choose weeks for the second box:
   • Enter the amount of weeks you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
6. If you have finished everything, click OK to save the item, otherwise, continue on to the next area

Opening as Designate

Depending on the access rights assigned to you, you can open their agenda as a designate (this means you can edit something on their calendar). If you don't have designate rights assigned by another user, this will not be possible to do.

1. Open the File menu
2. Choose Open as Designate
3. Click on Agenda...
4. To edit someone else's agenda, follow the steps you would to edit your own agenda

Open Another User's Agenda

You can look at another person's agenda and see when they are busy. If they have set further access rights for you, it is possible to fully view the events that they have listed. Again, this depends on

1. Open the File menu
2. Choose Open
3. Click on Agenda...

Open Group Agenda

If you have created a group, or are a member of a non-private group, you can view your agenda alongside other member's of the group. To the left will be a combined column which will show when one or more members is busy at the same time, whether or not you can see all the entries. It is a useful tool for scheduling a group meeting.

• Note: Know the group name and type before you do this.

1. Open the File menu
2. Choose Open
3. Click on Group Agenda...
4. Click the Groups tab
5. Check the group's type and uncheck all the others
6. In the window below, find the group name and click on it
7. Click OK
8. Click OK

Attachments

Attachments are useful for making sure employees have a copy of a meeting's agenda, having a necessary file for a class, or for transfering a file from one place to another. This tool is only useful is you plan to add this to others' calendars who would need the file, or if you plan to access this from a different computer at a later time.

Attaching a File

• Note: Know the location of the file before doing this. The assumption is that you have a create/edit event window open.

1. Choose the Attachments tab
2. Click Attach
3. Navigate to the location of the file
4. Click on the file
5. Press Open at the bottom

Removing an Attachment

• Note: The assumption is that you have a create/edit event window open. This option is not available if you did not add the attachment.

1. Choose the Attachments tab
2. Click Remove
   • Note: Once you click on remove, the attachment will disappear for good. Be completely sure you want to remove the attachment before you do it.

Saving an Attachment

• Note: This option is not available if you added the attachment. The assumption is that you have a create/edit event window open.

1. Choose the Attachments tab
2. Click Save As...
3. Save the file in its appropriate location

Reminders (excludes Tasks)

You can get a pop-up window reminder or an email for each Meeting, Daily Note, or Day Event you put on the calendar.

1. After you've completed all the prior steps for a New Meeting, Daily Note, or Day Event, keep the window open
2. At the top, to the right of the title box, check the box Remind Me
3. Click on the Reminders tab at the bottom
4. Choose to either have a pop-up and/or email reminder or have the calendar display the event is up coming on the daily and weekly pages

Display Upcoming For (exludes Tasks)

1. Choose whether you'd like to be reminded days or weeks before the event
   • If you choose days for the second box:
     1. Choose the amount of days before the event you'd like to know the event is coming
     2. At the bottom of each daily page, or of each day of a weekly page, there will be a note that the event is approaching
   • If you choose weeks for the second box:
     1. Chose between 1 and 3 weeks
     2. At the bottom of each daily page, or on each day of a weekly page, there will be a note that the event is approaching
2. If you have finished everything, click OK to save the item, otherwise, continue on to the next area

Remind Me (excludes Tasks)

1. Choose whether you'd like to be reminded minutes, hours, days, or weeks before the event
   • If you choose minutes for the second box:
     1. Enter the amount of minutes you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
     2. Choose whether you'd like a pop-up reminder, an email reminder, or both, and check the appropriate boxes
   • If you choose hours for the second box:
     1. Enter the amount of hours you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
     2. Choose whether you'd like a pop-up reminder, an email reminder, or both, and check the appropriate boxes
   • If you choose days for the second box:
     1. Enter the amount of days you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
     2. Choose whether you'd like a pop-up reminder, an email reminder, or both, and check the appropriate boxes
   • If you choose weeks for the second box:
     1. Enter the amount of weeks you'd like to be reminded prior to the event
     2. Choose whether you'd like a pop-up reminder, an email reminder, or both, and check the appropriate boxes
2. If you have finished everything, click OK to save the item, otherwise, continue on to the next area

View

You can view the oracle calendar for a particular day, week, or month. Viewing in day will give you a time breakdown of events for the day. Viewing in week will allow you to see the same thing over the whole week. View in month will allow you to see start times of each event for the month, but there is nothing about duration or end time.

Change View to Day

1. Open the View menu
2. Click Day
   • Alternate options include pressing F8 or pressing the Day button on the middle section of the toolbar below the "File Edit..." toolbar

Change View to Week

1. Open the View menu
2. Click Week
   • Alternate options include pressing F9 or pressing the Week button on the middle section of the toolbar below the "File Edit..." toolbar

Change View to Month

1. Open the View menu
2. Click Month
   • Alternate options include pressing F10 or pressing the Month button on the middle section of the toolbar below the "File Edit..." toolbar
   • Note: Viewing in Month mode will no longer allow you to see the end times of each event for a day.

Printing

1. Open the File menu
2. Click Print...
3. Choose the dates you would like to choose from
4. Check the boxes for the formats you wish to print in
5. Click Print

Oracle Help

If you have any questions that aren't answered by this Calendar, or you need clarity or extra help, please email us at ecehelp@ncsu.edu