More iCal 1.5 and iSync 1.2 Details

[MacRumors]

From the most recent Panther builds, Apple's Help files offer these features for the upcoming revisions of iSync and iCal.

With iSync 1.2, you can synchronize calendar information on your Symbian mobile phones with the calendar information on your computers and other devices.

With iCal 1.5, you can do the following:

- More easily edit your calendars, events, and To Do items in the Info drawer.
- Customize your calendar colors. Choose from a list of colors or create your own unique tint.
Publish or subscribe to calendars on servers that are located behind a firewall (or that require you to use a proxy server).
- Use the new keyboard shortcuts to do more tasks more easily. For example, you can use your keyboard to select and edit multiple events at the same time, change the main calendar view, move events to another time or day, and more.
- "Snooze" your event alarms, so if you're in the middle of something you need to finish you can get a second reminder.
- Add alarms to your To Do items.
- Have an alarm that opens an application, document, or other item on your hard disk. For example, you can have iCal open an AppleScript that plays the songs in your iTunes library..
- Use shortcut menus to more easily create and change events.
- Choose a time zone for each event, or choose to see all your events in a different time zone. By default, events you create appear on your calendar based on your computer's time zone. When time zone support is turned on, you can change the time zone for a specific event and see it appear on your calendar adjusted for the selected time zone. You can also choose to see all events in the main calendar view appear in a different time zone; any new events you create appear in the main calendar view's time zone.

[VegetaPunk]

Does the alarm work now if you shut down or put your computer to sleep??? This should be fixed before they add any more bells and whisles to it... imo

[J@ffa]

Come on Apple... hurry up with the releases of these 2 already!

[Freg3000]

Tuesday anyone? Maybe. I need something to tie me over until Panther ships.

[xjohn]

does anyone know if it's possible to have notes attached to to-do items in the new iCal?

the lack of this keeps me from using iCal for to-dos.

(or am i missing something?)

[boobers]

after you've created something on the calander then double click on the item and you get a whole bunch extra stuff.

[MarksEvilTwin]

Removed

[xjohn]

it's got notes for events, but not for to-do's, which seems strange.

i often want to keep notes for a task i'm working on, but rarely for an event.

but i suppose (and hope) I'm probably still missing something...

[akac]

My Panther iCal 1.5 has a note field for the tasks.

[xjohn]

Great! Looking forward to Panther!

Mark, I like your idea, and I think I'd use it too, but I imagine that Apple would consider it too advanced for iCal.

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that 1.5 will allow duplication of event, and that, in combination with repeated events, would provide at least an approximation of what you're looking for.

[cnladd]

Originally posted by VegetaPunk
Does the alarm work now if you shut down or put your computer to sleep??? This should be fixed before they add any more bells and whisles to it... imo

I doubt many programs will work after you shut down your computer.

I agree, though, that it would be nice if it woke from sleep. I know that Panther incororporates this feature, but I can't remember if it was available for use from other apps. I'm sure iCal would take advantage of it, though. (I'd test, but I wiped my Panther install some time ago due to app incompatibility.)

[mnkeybsness]

here's a preview from 7B68, running iCal v1.5.1

[mnkeybsness]

and another with the version number

[VegetaPunk]

I doubt many programs will work after you shut down your computer.

I agree, though, that it would be nice if it woke from sleep. I know that Panther incororporates this feature, but I can't remember if it was available for use from other apps. I'm sure iCal would take advantage of it, though. (I'd test, but I wiped my Panther install some time ago due to app incompatibility.)

entourage worked when shut down, what I mean is that after you start up it warns you of any events that were to go off when you were shut down (this also applies to being asleep).... otherwise theres no point to the iCal alarms because I never let my computer run all day long its shuts down or goes to sleep.

[elo]

Hopefully, this has my favorite feature from Palm Desktop (which, sadly, doesn't work on the current iCal or any version of Palm Desktop for Windows): It should be possible to create different categories (or calendars in iCal) and have those sync to different categories on the Palm. This is especially useful if you are running DateBk5 on the Palm, which lets me keep category colors consistent between my Palm and my Mac.

If iCal 1.5 has this, I'll switch.

elo

[cnladd]

Originally posted by VegetaPunk
entourage worked when shut down, what I mean is that after you start up it warns you of any events that were to go off when you were shut down (this also applies to being asleep).... otherwise theres no point to the iCal alarms because I never let my computer run all day long its shuts down or goes to sleep.

Not the same as "working when [the computer] is shut down", but I see what you mean. ("the computer" added for context, as the original post talked about having the application work while the computer was shut down or asleep.)

That's a feature of Outlook and other personal "productivity" applications that I've always hated. I don't need to waste my time closing alert windows that are warning me that a meeting happened four hours ago. I care more about learning what's coming up, and want an application that will help me focus on and plan for that.

There's one feature that I wish iCal would provide: a nice textual summary or agenda. It should include options for an entire day, week, or all future events (with a variable range.) iCal's calendar printouts are gorgeous but the textual list of upcoming events would be better suited for my needs.

(This also touches on the need for more printing options. One particular annoyance is having to go into the preferences and switch to the five-day-per-week view before printing my calendar for work, then switch back to the seven-day-per-week view. I prefer to view the entire week on screen, but use a work-week view on the printout. I leave the print out on my desk, in the open, and "advertising" my weekend schedule isn't wholly appropriate.)

[zach]

Hunh, this sounds pretty cool. I don't really have a use for iSync other than what is already implemented, but the iCal update sounds real nice.

I am wondering, like elo, whether or not it can sync calendars to different Palm categories. Anyone with Panther iCal 1.5 wanna check?

::gets down on knees and begs::

[GregGomer]

I hope they improve printing. So that it prints out the calendar full page, wihtout all the extras they add that take up margins.

As well, it would be way way way cool if it added some printing options. I.e. print as a Wall Calendar, changing font size to make wall calendar prints readable, or format to fit as a Franklin Planner insert etc etc. Probably won't happen, but would be cool if it did!

[appleguru1]

I just checked iCal 1.5.1 out....

I am wondering, like elo, whether or not it can sync calendars to different Palm categories. Anyone with Panther iCal 1.5 wanna check?

It doesn't appear so. At least from iCal. The new iSync may have this abilty, but I've yet to check it out.

Currently, my biggest gripe with iCal is the inabilty to make stuff repeat, say, every 7 days EXCLUDING WEEKENDS. This makes using my school calendar nearly impossible, as it is designed in such a way that we never have the same classes on the same days of the week (7 day schedule, 5 day week).

[inkswamp]

All I want from iCal is the ability to publish my to do list or calendar locally instead of using .Mac. If it still lacks that, then it's still pretty much useless to me. I'd love to use iCal for more than I use it now, but where I work, I use multiple machines throughout my night, and I'd love to be able to have my primary machine automatically publish my to do list to my machine's web site so I can view it from other machines. I understand that iCal is one of the apps that Apple is using to drive people to .Mac subscriptions, but it would be good if they offered some alternative.

[JW Pepper]

I think that it is a shame that I still can't book an appointment for say 9-10am Monday to Friday. I have to make five separate appointments.

[leenoble]

I requested a 'System' calendar which you could use to schedule tasks when the first version came out.
Now with Applescript you can effectively set cron jobs with iCal.

I know Backup actually sets a cron task for scheduled backups as I can see it when I open Cronnix but iCal doesn't seem to do it like that at present. Has this changed?

Seeing as Panther supports automatic startup, and user scripts can be run by multiple users without logging in, then presumably if you could set startup times using AppleScript it SHOULD be possible to schedule just about anything you like whether the computer is on or not, just using iCal.

[mvc]

Originally posted by leenoble
Seeing as Panther supports automatic startup, and user scripts can be run by multiple users without logging in, then presumably if you could set startup times using AppleScript it SHOULD be possible to schedule just about anything you like whether the computer is on or not, just using iCal.

Seems like a strange juxtaposition, using a candy coloured Aqua app to schedule deeply geeky command line operations. I like it!

[coolfactor]

Originally posted by inkswamp
All I want from iCal is the ability to publish my to do list or calendar locally instead of using .Mac.

Take another look at the Publish options. You can publish to *any* WebDAV server, so there you go.

Smile and be happy.

[coolfactor]

Originally posted by JW Pepper
I think that it is a shame that I still can't book an appointment for say 9-10am Monday to Friday. I have to make five separate appointments.

If I'm reading this correctly, you're missing something. iCal offers an easy way to setup repeat events in dozens of different combinations. Take a closer look, and you'll see you can do exactly what you want.

Repeat Weekly, then turn on the days to repeat. Works great.