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b52hbuff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2008
28
4
I'm a potential iphone user, coming over from the Microsoft Windows Mobile / Exchange environment. I have an ipod touch, so that I can get some visibility into the way the applie UI works. But I don't/haven't tried syncing it yet with my outlook.

Anyway, my question is how does the iphone deal with complex repeating appointments? I can see that it handles simple repeats (e.g. every day, every week, every 2 weeks, every month, every year). How does it deal with more complicated repeating appointments? (e.g Second Saturday of the month?)

Windows Mobile handles these appointment configurations natively. And if the ipod Touch doesn't handle it, I'm guessing current version of iphone doesn't handle it either.

Is it possible to make such an appointment in iCal? If so, or if you sync down from Outlook, how does it sync down into the iphone/touch? Does it sync down as multiple one day appointments?

Any idea if this is something Apple may fix in the upcoming 2.0 release?

Thanks!
 

Niiro13

macrumors 68000
Feb 12, 2008
1,719
0
Illinois
You can't create complex repeating events from the iPhone itself.

But you can definitely create complex events on the computer, then sync it over (as I have a few that are like that on my iPhone).
 

Nykwil

macrumors 65816
Nov 5, 2002
1,040
65
Cyberspace
in ical you can create a custom event to repeat on a specific day or week of the month ie 2nd Saturday of the month.

That would then sync on over to your iphone.
 

b52hbuff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2008
28
4
in ical you can create a custom event to repeat on a specific day or week of the month ie 2nd Saturday of the month.

That would then sync on over to your iphone.

So you must be able to set how far into the future your repeating appointment is copied out. Is this a setting somewhere?
 

Niiro13

macrumors 68000
Feb 12, 2008
1,719
0
Illinois
So you must be able to set how far into the future your repeating appointment is copied out. Is this a setting somewhere?

Of course :). Right under where you set the "every second Tuesday," you can set the end date.
 

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question fear

macrumors 68020
Apr 10, 2003
2,277
84
The "Garden" state
You might want to play with the iPhone's calendar before buying one, or wait for one of the 3rd party calendaring apps to appear (Pocket Informant said they plan on making one.)

If you are used to windows mobile you will be very disappointed with the iPhone calendar unless you only want basic calendar needs. I try to use the iPhone's calendar but often use my work pda instead simply because windows mobile offers so many more options.
 

b52hbuff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2008
28
4
Of course :). Right under where you set the "every second Tuesday," you can set the end date.

Thanks for taking the time to post the picture.

I think you are missing my point. I know that within a 'competent' calendaring application, you typically set the end date of the repeating appointment. I'm not interested in when the appointment will end, I'm interested in when it 'ends' on the iphone.

Take as an example, you set up a repeating appointment that is the 2nd saturday of the month. You say that it goes on for the next ten years. Since the iphone doesn't handle complex repeats, each instance of this appointment will be implemented as a single appointment. 20yrs * 12 months = 240 entries.

If you did that with Windows Mobile, it'd only be one entry

...but I digress... So what I want to know is when you sync the iphone with ical, or outlook, does it copy out 240 entries for the single appointment? Or is there some setting in the sync options to limit how far out to copy out appointments?
 

Nykwil

macrumors 65816
Nov 5, 2002
1,040
65
Cyberspace
Thanks for taking the time to post the picture.

I think you are missing my point. I know that within a 'competent' calendaring application, you typically set the end date of the repeating appointment. I'm not interested in when the appointment will end, I'm interested in when it 'ends' on the iphone.

Take as an example, you set up a repeating appointment that is the 2nd saturday of the month. You say that it goes on for the next ten years. Since the iphone doesn't handle complex repeats, each instance of this appointment will be implemented as a single appointment. 20yrs * 12 months = 240 entries.

If you did that with Windows Mobile, it'd only be one entry

...but I digress... So what I want to know is when you sync the iphone with ical, or outlook, does it copy out 240 entries for the single appointment? Or is there some setting in the sync options to limit how far out to copy out appointments?


Wouldnt you want a non ending appointment to always show up as repeating?

I don't get your question. on my iphone my repeating appointments with no ending date always kept on repeating.

Are you afraid of a performance issue that you dont want to see a repeating entry being entered everytime you go to that date?

I don't get where you're coming from, isn't this how a calendar program should behave?

I think you're confusing the calender app on the iphone. It's not just a sync only app. It's a pretty much a full calender app albeit minus some advanced appointment input methods.

If you were never to have a calendar app to sync it with the app on the iphone itself is pretty capable.
 

question fear

macrumors 68020
Apr 10, 2003
2,277
84
The "Garden" state
I think you're confusing the calender app on the iphone. It's not just a sync only app. It's a pretty much a full calender app albeit minus some advanced appointment input methods.

If you were never to have a calendar app to sync it with the app on the iphone itself is pretty capable.

Except the OP may be in for a rude shock if he's used to the options on a windows mobile phone. There's no categories, events that span more than one day only show up properly if added to the desktop then sent to the iPhone, and there's no ability to "snooze" a calendar event.

None of these are dealbreakers, but if you're used to a very robust calendar, it's going to be a shock. And I have used an iPhone since the day they came out, and compared to windows mobile it's very underpowered. Hopefully software 2.0 or a 3rd party will add all the bells and whistles.
 

Niiro13

macrumors 68000
Feb 12, 2008
1,719
0
Illinois
Thanks for taking the time to post the picture.

On a Mac, it takes like 3 seconds :p.


I think you are missing my point. I know that within a 'competent' calendaring application, you typically set the end date of the repeating appointment. I'm not interested in when the appointment will end, I'm interested in when it 'ends' on the iphone.

Take as an example, you set up a repeating appointment that is the 2nd saturday of the month. You say that it goes on for the next ten years. Since the iphone doesn't handle complex repeats, each instance of this appointment will be implemented as a single appointment. 20yrs * 12 months = 240 entries.

If you did that with Windows Mobile, it'd only be one entry

...but I digress... So what I want to know is when you sync the iphone with ical, or outlook, does it copy out 240 entries for the single appointment? Or is there some setting in the sync options to limit how far out to copy out appointments?

If I am not mistaken, I believe the iPhone and iCal handles repeating events as instances/links of a single entry. When I synced over 20 years of an event that happened twice a week, it took nearly the same amount of time as one event on one day.

And when you modify a specific date in a repeating event, it asks you if you want to apply to all events or just that one event. In that case, I believe it creates a new event when you change it for just that event.

Therefore, if you had it going on for 50 years, I'm sure it will show up on the calendar (if you're willing to tap the next month button 600 times...) while technically it's one event with fifty years of instances/links.
 

b52hbuff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2008
28
4
Except the OP may be in for a rude shock if he's used to the options on a windows mobile phone. There's no categories, events that span more than one day only show up properly if added to the desktop then sent to the iPhone, and there's no ability to "snooze" a calendar event.

None of these are dealbreakers, but if you're used to a very robust calendar, it's going to be a shock. And I have used an iPhone since the day they came out, and compared to windows mobile it's very underpowered. Hopefully software 2.0 or a 3rd party will add all the bells and whistles.

You hit the nail on the head. I realize that the calendar on the iphone can be used to enter and display events entered on a desktop/laptop application. You are correct that I am used to Windows Mobile, and I am just trying to understand the limitations of iphone *before* I put my money down.

I also agree with you that the lack of complex repeat patterns is a deal breaker. But at least there is some minimal support in the 'copy out/sync' model.

I understand that the current version of iphone/touch calendar software doesn't handle categories or multiple calendars. But looking at one of the screen shot threads on 2.0 software, it appears as if this is an added feature.

Lack of multiple calendars *would* be a dealbreaker, since I don't want to be forced to flatten everything out to one calendar.
 

typ356

macrumors newbie
Aug 5, 2007
22
0
Shared calendars

With Mobile Me will my wife and I be able to share our home calendar between our iPhones like we do with iCal?
 

citron230

macrumors 6502a
Dec 17, 2007
867
1
San Diego, CA
All of my complex appointments I schedule in iCal and sync them over, it is much easier. From the screen shots of the Calender in 2.0 from the Keynote, it looks like the 2.0 Calender should be a more like iCal.
 

typ356

macrumors newbie
Aug 5, 2007
22
0
But if my wife updates her calendar on her iphone will my shared calendar also be updated?
 

librarianmarie

macrumors newbie
Jan 15, 2010
1
0
is there any way to (easily) copy information?

I have one meeting that I attend where the next meeting day/time is determined at each meeting. What I've been doing is going into the record for that day's meeting, changing the date and time to the appropriate information for the next meeting, and saving the changes. Unfortunately, then I lose the record on my phone of the current meeting. Is there any way to save an appt. as a copy of an original record? (similar to the "save as" option)
 

davidcolborn

macrumors newbie
May 15, 2010
1
0
Complex repeating appts. needed on the phone itself

I've been using a Palm Treo for the past two years and set many "2nd Tues of each month" type appointments. I'm usually with someone when we decide to meet monthly, and naturally the phone is there but not the Mac.
So this is a vote for Apple or a third-party developer to provide what people really need: the ability to set complex repeating appointments on the iPhone itself. Then I'd be an iPhone customer.
 

CocoaPuffs

macrumors 68020
Aug 23, 2008
2,005
3
Wow, you have dug up such an old thread that the topic is no longer relevant.

There are several methods to utilize a repeat function of specific date, and in combination of cloud and push notification, this has been a non-issue.

For example, Google Calendar which can be sync as Exchange (push email), you can create calendar events online using several repeat filters. There are also several third party apps that would allow you to do similar function.
 

doubleatheman

macrumors 6502a
May 27, 2009
628
0
Wow, you have dug up such an old thread that the topic is no longer relevant.

There are several methods to utilize a repeat function of specific date, and in combination of cloud and push notification, this has been a non-issue.

For example, Google Calendar which can be sync as Exchange (push email), you can create calendar events online using several repeat filters. There are also several third party apps that would allow you to do similar function.

I use the google sync for my complex calender entrys, works perfect.
 

twon

macrumors member
Jul 3, 2009
80
0
California
WOW, this is a really old thread...

For anyone who puts heavy weight into their smartphone calendar, I would encourage you to look into Pocket Informant, it is superior to the built in calendar in every way! And continually getting better.
 

b52hbuff

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2008
28
4
I use the google sync for my complex calender entrys, works perfect.

Well, since I started this... ;) I still haven't gotten an iPhone and I probably won't. But I certainly respect those of you who do, and it does many things very well...

I just wanted to respond to this particular sentiment. In a complex and busy schedule, the last thing I (and probably others) want to do, is to have to spread out out calendaring usage across several devices, interfaces, machines.


Hopefully Apple will update the builtin applications to make them more powerful and flexible...
 

kend0g187

macrumors newbie
May 9, 2011
5
0
I finally found a solution to the limitations of the iPhone's Calendar app. (not being able to schedule an event in terms of 'second Tuesday of every month', limited options for alert duration, etc.)

There's an app called Calendar Event Pro that adds all the advanced functionality to the existing Calendar app. It costs $0.99 and so far it has saved me a ton of headaches.

iPhone/iPad Touch: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calendar-event-pro/id425820450?mt=8

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calendar-event-pro-2/id443037531?mt=8
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,522
10,810
Colorado
None of these are dealbreakers, but if you're used to a very robust calendar, it's going to be a shock. And I have used an iPhone since the day they came out, and compared to windows mobile it's very underpowered. Hopefully software 2.0 or a 3rd party will add all the bells and whistles.

Agreed. For some reason Apple doesn't seem to place a high priority on PIM. I loved my Palm T|5. The PIM apps were outstanding.
 

anjoliezew

macrumors newbie
Feb 15, 2012
1
0
Appointment setting services let you to obtain new clients and to increases the business consistently. They always provide highly qualified services to the people and constantly increase the income opportunities for the business.
 

tigress666

macrumors 68040
Apr 14, 2010
3,288
17
Washington State
Except the OP may be in for a rude shock if he's used to the options on a windows mobile phone. There's no categories, events that span more than one day only show up properly if added to the desktop then sent to the iPhone, and there's no ability to "snooze" a calendar event.

None of these are dealbreakers, but if you're used to a very robust calendar, it's going to be a shock. And I have used an iPhone since the day they came out, and compared to windows mobile it's very underpowered. Hopefully software 2.0 or a 3rd party will add all the bells and whistles.

Yeah, Apple makes sucky software for their products :(.

You can buy different calendars that synch with the native calendar app that offer more functionality. I have one that does allow me to choose a catagory, shows the actual name of the even in the month view. Had a week view way before Apple finally added that as a feature :rolleyes:. Wish it had a snooze function though.
 

kend0g187

macrumors newbie
May 9, 2011
5
0
I finally found a solution to the limitations of the iPhone's Calendar app. (not being able to schedule an event in terms of 'second Tuesday of every month', limited options for alert duration, etc.)

There's an app called Calendar Event Pro that adds all the advanced functionality to the existing Calendar app. It costs $0.99 and so far it has saved me a ton of headaches.

iPhone/iPad Touch: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calendar-event-pro/id425820450?mt=8

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calendar-event-pro-2/id443037531?mt=8

Just an update to this. It's now 2015 and Apple still hasn't fixed this problem! Calendar Event Pro (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calendar-event-pro/id425820450?mt=8) has been updated and is now compatible with all versions of iOS.
 
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