Chapter 9. Using Calendar and People

In this section:

• Displaying calendar views

• Adding a calendar event

• Using reminders

• Inviting people to an event

• Editing an existing event

• Adding additional calendars

• Working with additional calendars

• Exploring the People app

• Incorporating online accounts

• Adding a new contact

• Communicating with a contact

• Culling and sorting contacts

• Viewing What’s New

The Calendar and People apps can help you organize your life and keep in touch with others. The Calendar app lets you easily create events, invite people to those events, and incorporate multiple online calendars. The People app enables you to view social networking updates for the people you maintain communications with, access and edit contact information, mark specific contacts as favorites, and even update your own social networking status, among other things.

Both the Calendar app and the People app use the Internet and other apps to provide, sync, and maintain the information available there. For example, when you access a contact’s information page in the People app, you have the option to map their address (which opens the Maps app) or send them an email (using the Mail app). When you create an event in the Calendar app and opt to invite people to it, the Calendar app works with your list of contacts to provide email addresses without having to copy and paste them manually. In this section, you’ll learn about all of these things and more.

Displaying calendar views

The Calendar app lets you create events to help you manage your schedule. You can display the Calendar by Day, Work Week, Week, or Month view. From any view, you can quickly return to the Calendar’s landing page, which includes today’s date. For example, if you have scrolled six months forward to enter dates for your summer vacation, you can quickly return to today’s date by right-clicking the screen, clicking What’s Next, and then clicking Today.

Choose a calendar view

1. From the Start screen, click the Calendar app.

   

2. Right-click inside the Calendar app.

3. Click Day.

   

4. Right-click again.

5. Click Month. (If you don’t see Month, position your cursor to the right of Week and click the arrow that appears.)

   

Try This

Using Month view, use the scroll wheel on your mouse to scroll through the months in the year. If you have a touch screen, use your finger to flick through them. Look for back and forward buttons too; click to use them. The Back button appears to the left of the name of the month at the top of the page when you move the mouse.

Adding a calendar event

Using the Calendar app, you can create events such as appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, concert dates or anything else that you want to be reminded of. You can also block off a period of time, such as when you’re on vacation or when you have houseguests. You can enter many details about any event you create, such as where and when it will take place, how long it will run, and if it’s a recurring event. In this task, you’ll create an event and configure custom start and end times.

Create an event

1. In the Calendar app, navigate to the desired day and/or time.

2. In Week or Day view, right-click a time slot. (In Month view, click a date.) Click New.

   

3. Enter a title, and add a message about the event.

4. Confirm that the date is correct under the When heading. (Use the down arrows to make changes.)

   

   Tip

   Create a title for the event that is short but still details the event. You’ll be able to view it better from Calendar after it’s created.

5. Use the selection boxes to configure the desired start time.

   

6. Click the selection box for the How Long field.

7. Click Custom.

   

8. Input the appropriate end dates and times.

   

9. Click the Save This Event button.

Tip

You can add a basic event by simply clicking a time slot or day entry.

Try This

Create a new event for your birthday. Fill in the desired information, and then click Show More. One of the options there is How Often. Change the default setting, Once, to Every Year.

Tip

You don’t have to configure custom start and end times every time you create an event. You can choose from one of the defaults: 0 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes, 2 hours, and All Day.

Using reminders

One reason to enter events in the Calendar app is so that you can be reminded of those events ahead of time. When you create an event, you can also apply a setting so that you are alerted prior to the event—for example, 15 or 30 minutes ahead, a day ahead, and so on. When the specified reminder time arrives, the Calendar app will send you an email about the event.

Set up a reminder

1. Click an existing event in the Calendar app.

   

2. Click the Show More link.

   

3. Click the Reminder field.

   

4. Click the setting for how far ahead of the event start time you’d like to receive a reminder.

5. Click the Save This Event button.

   

Tip

Sometimes it’s useful to be reminded of an event a week ahead and then again a day ahead. If you want a couple of reminders about an event, you will have to set this up manually. Set the reminder that’s furthest out—for example, one week. When that reminder appears in your email inbox, take a moment to go back and edit the event to add another reminder, such as one hour or one day ahead.

Tip

When creating a new event, you don’t have to navigate to the date you’d like to create the event for first if you don’t want to. You can simply click on any calendar day or time and change the When setting from the event page.

Inviting people to an event

When you set up an event such as a party or conference call, you can invite people to the event by entering their email addresses in Who field. When you do, the Calendar app will call on the Mail app to send invitations to those you’ve included.

Send an invite

1. In the Calendar app, click an existing event (or create a new one).

   

2. Fill in information if applicable.

3. Click in the Who field.

   

4. Start typing an email address. If you see what you want in a drop-down list, click it: otherwise, complete the email address.

5. Click Send Invitation.

   
   

Tip

If you select an email address from a list of past email contacts when inputting them in the Who field, the entry will have a blue square around it and will be accepted. If you enter an email address that Windows doesn’t recognize, you’ll need to click the semicolon on the keyboard to have that email address accepted into the field.

Editing an existing event

You can click an existing event to open an event’s Details page and add or change information you’ve included there. For example, if the time of the event has changed or if you didn’t know the location but now you do and want to add it, you can update these details. After you make the changes, simply save them and your event is up to date.

Edit event details

1. In the Calendar app, click an existing event.

   

2. Click in a field, and modify the information as needed.

3. Click the Save icon.

   

Tip

To delete an event click the Trash icon in the top right corner. Cancellations will be sent automatically.

Tip

You can copy information you’ve typed in the body of the event if you want to use the information elsewhere (such as posting the event to a social networking site).

Deleting an event

Change is a constant. Luckily, the Calendar app helps you keep up with changes in your schedule. If an event such as a luncheon or business meeting gets canceled, you can delete it from your Calendar, especially if you’ve set it up to send you a reminder. You can delete an event from its Details page.

Delete an event

1. From the Start screen, click the Calendar app.

   

2. Click an event.

   

3. Click the Delete Event button.

4. Click OK.

   

5. Complete the email and click Send.

   

Tip

If someone has sent an event to you, you won’t have any option to delete the event. You will have a button that lets you respond.

Adding additional calendars

The Calendar app is configured with one calendar, the calendar that is associated with your Microsoft account. You might have other calendars from other sources such as Exchange, Office 365, or Outlook.com. You can add these calendars from the Settings charm by adding the related account.

Add additional calendars

1. From the Start screen, click the Calendar app.

   

2. Use Windows Logo key + C to open the charms, and click Settings.

   

3. Click Accounts.

   

4. Click Add An Account.

   

5. Click the type of account to add.

   

6. Input the required information.

7. Click Connect.

   

Tip

After you add an account, new entries will appear in the Calendar app in a different color. Each calendar has its own color.

Working with additional calendars

When you have more than one calendar available, you can choose which calendar to save new events to. You might want to save personal events to the calendar associated with your Microsoft account and save business events to the calendar associated with your Exchange or Outlook account. Here you’ll create an event in a new way, by first selecting the calendar to use and then by adding event details.

Work with additional calendars

1. In the Calendar app, click any date or time slot.

   

2. Click the arrow to select a calendar for the new event.

3. Click the desired calendar.

4. Click the arrow again.

5. Click Add Details.

   

6. Input details as desired.

   

Tip

You can change the color associated with a specific calendar from the Settings charm, from Options.

Tip

You can hide a specific calendar from the Settings charm, from Options.

Exploring the People app

The People app helps you stay in touch with others by offering access to your contacts, their social updates, and the personal information they’ve opted to share with you. The People app has three main sections: Me, What’s New, and All Contacts.

Explore the People app

1. From the Start screen, click the People app.

   

2. Note what’s available as applicable; you might not see much if this is the first time you’ve used the People app.

3. Right-click the screen.

4. Click Me.

   

5. Click the Back arrow to return to the Home screen.

   

Tip

If you are ever lost in the People app, right-click the screen and click Home to return to the landing page.

Incorporating online accounts

The contacts available with your Microsoft account are associated with the People app the first time you sign in with it. You might also have contacts you communicate with through various social networks, like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If you tell the People app about these other accounts, it can pull your contacts in so that you can communicate with them from your Windows 8.1–based device. Adding social account information is the best way to import contact information for the people you know.

Set up accounts

1. From the Start screen, click People.

   

2. Use Windows Logo key + C to display the charms, and click Settings.

   

3. Click Accounts.

   

4. Click Add An Account.

   

5. Click an account type to add.

   

6. Provide user information.

7. Click the button to connect to the account—in this case, Connect.

   

Tip

If desired, repeat these steps to add all of the social accounts you belong to (that can be connected). If you decide later that you don’t want to incorporate contacts from those accounts, you can hide them from the Settings charm, through Options.

Try This

After adding your accounts, click What’s New on the People app’s landing page. From there you will likely be able to access your contacts’ updates on the various social networking sites.

Adding a new contact

The contacts associated with your Microsoft account are added automatically when you log in with it. More contacts can be added by adding information about the social networks you belong to, such as Facebook and Twitter, among others. You can also add contacts manually.

When you add a contact manually, you can add a name, company, email, phone, address, job title, significant other, and more. There is also a Notes field to add information such as birthday, favorite movie, or whatever you want to remember about that person. After you add a contact, you can use the People app to send various types of messages, post to that person’s Facebook account, or send email. You can also map the person’s location by using the Maps app.

Add a contact

1. Right-click while inside the Home page of the People app.

2. Click New Contact.

   

3. Enter contact information in the available fields, such as First Name and Email.

4. Under the section to add other info, click the + sign.

   

5. Click a new type of detail to add.

   

6. Input the information in the new field that appears.

7. Click Save.

   

Try This

When entering contact information, make sure to click the + sign by Address and input a full address for Home, Work, or Other. Then, after you’ve saved the contact, open the Contact card and click that address. Maps will open and pinpoint the address on a map.

Communicating with a contact

The number of ways you can communicate with a contact depends entirely on how much information you have about him or her, and, what types of compatible social communications both of you have and use. For example, if you both have and use a Skype account, you communicate through typed messages, phone calls, and video calls. You can send various types of communications through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and so on too, using the outlets provided by those networks. You can email, and, in some instances, even get a map and directions to their home (provided you know their address).

Communicate with a contact

1. Right-click while inside the People app, and click Home to verify that you are at the landing page.

   

2. Click All Contacts (you’ll probably have to scroll to the right).

   

3. Click any contact name.

   

4. Click a communication option.

   

Try This

Open Skype. You can search for it from the Start screen if you don’t see it there. If you’ve signed in to your Windows 8-based computer with a Microsoft account, you’ll see Skype contacts there already. Click Video Call if you have a webcam. Try it out!

Try This

At the People app’s landing page, type a contact’s name and press Enter on the keyboard. The contact card will open.

Culling and sorting contacts

If you add information for all of your social networks, say Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Outlook, Skype, and Twitter, you might have a lot of contacts in the People app. You can opt to hide contacts from some of those networks, and you can opt to sort what’s left by last name or first name.

Cull and sort contacts

1. Go to the People app’s home page.

2. Use Windows key + C to show the charms, and click Settings.

   

3. Click Options.

   

4. Opt to sort contacts by last name, if desired.

5. Remove the tick from the social networks for which you’d like to hide contacts.

6. Click outside the Options page to hide it.

   

Try This

If you have multiple entries for a contact, you can link them so that there is only one entry in the People app instead of multiple entries. To do this, click the contact to open the contact info page and click Link Contacts. You can then select the contact that you want to link it with. Click the Save icon when you’re done.

Viewing What’s New

The People app enables you to access contact updates that originate from the social networks you’ve configured to work with it. You can access updates from Facebook and Twitter, for example.

View What’s New

1. In the People app, right-click the screen and click Home if you are not on the landing page.

   

2. Right-click again and click What’s New.

   

3. Explore as desired, and then click the Back arrow to return to the landing page.

   

Try This

Click any notification to see it full screen. From there you can often see others’ posts, likes, and so on.