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SharePoint calendars II: Connect a SharePoint calendar to Outlook

Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology

presents:

Course contentsCourse contents•Overview: SharePoint and Outlook together

•Lesson: Connect to Outlook and view or edit the calendar from there

The lesson concludes with a short set of questions to test your understanding of the material.

Overview: SharePoint and Outlook Overview: SharePoint and Outlook togethertogether

Do you track shared schedules or events in a calendar on a

SharePoint site?

If so, and you’re also an Outlook 2007 user, this course will show

you how to connect your SharePoint calendar to Outlook.

Course goalsCourse goals

•Connect the SharePoint calendar to Outlook and view it along with your main Outlook calendar.

•Use Outlook to enter or edit calendar items in the SharePoint calendar directly, even when you’re offline.

•Copy items between the two calendars to ease scheduling.

•Disconnect a SharePoint calendar when you no longer want to access it from Outlook.

LessonLesson

Connect to and view or edit the calendar from

Outlook

Connect to and view or edit from Connect to and view or edit from OutlookOutlook

You may already understand the

benefits of using a calendar on a

SharePoint site, and how to use one.

But what if you keep track of your own schedule in Outlook? Do you have to keep switching between the Web browser and Outlook?

Luckily, the answer is no. If you’re an Outlook user, you can connect the shared calendar to Outlook.

Calendar visible in OutlookCalendar visible in OutlookConnecting the

SharePoint calendar to Outlook is

straightforward.

Starting from the calendar on the SharePoint site, click Connect to Outlook on the Actions menu.

Once the calendar is connected to Outlook, you’ll be able to view it in the main Outlook window.

Calendar visible in OutlookCalendar visible in OutlookConnecting the

SharePoint calendar to Outlook is

straightforward.

Starting from the calendar on the SharePoint site, click Connect to Outlook on the Actions menu.

Once the calendar is connected to Outlook, you’ll be able to view it in the main Outlook window.

Calendar item from Outlook Calendar item from Outlook Once you make the connection, you’ll be

able to create, modify, or even

delete events and appointments in the SharePoint calendar

just as you do in your own main

calendar.

As you saw earlier, once you connect the SharePoint calendar to Outlook and view it from there, it looks very similar to your main Outlook calendar.

To create a new calendar entry, start by clicking in the shared calendar in Outlook.

Calendar item from OutlookCalendar item from OutlookOnce you make the connection, you’ll be

able to create, modify, or even

delete events and appointments in the SharePoint calendar

just as you do in your own main

calendar.

As you saw earlier, once you connect the SharePoint calendar to Outlook and view it from there, it looks very similar to your main Outlook calendar.

To create a new calendar entry, start by clicking in the shared calendar in Outlook, and then edit the entry from there.

Calendar item from OutlookCalendar item from OutlookThe entries you

make in the shared calendar through

Outlook are visible in the calendar on

the SharePoint site, too.

You’ve probably already thought of this, but it’s worth mentioning anyway:

Because the calendar is shared, many things you do in the shared calendar — such as making new appointments, changing them, or deleting them — have the potential to impact others.

A word on Outlook remindersA word on Outlook remindersWhen you connect a SharePoint calendar to Outlook, you’ll be

able to set reminders for

yourself by using the same process

you would follow for any Outlook

appointment.

Keep in mind, though, that reminders will work only for you, and they’ll remind you only from Outlook.

That is, reminders aren’t shared and they aren’t available from the Web site version of the calendar.

You’ve seen that in Outlook you can

view two calendars at once: your personal work

calendar, which isn’t visible on the

SharePoint site, and the public calendar,

which is.

So what if you have an appointment or event that you want to appear in both calendars? Do you have to create that appointment twice?

Happily, the answer is not really — because it’s easy to create a copy.

Copy entries - private to publicCopy entries - private to public

Copy entries - private to publicCopy entries - private to publicHere’s the best

method for copying copy an item from your own calendar to the SharePoint

calendar.

Select the item, click Copy to Folder on the Edit menu, and select the shared calendar in the SharePoint Lists folder as the destination.

Here’s the best method for copying copy an item from your own calendar to the SharePoint

calendar.

Select the item, click Copy to Folder on the Edit menu, and select the shared calendar in the SharePoint Lists folder as the destination.

Copy entries private to publicCopy entries private to public

If you want to copy an item from the

SharePoint calendar into your own

personal calendar, you can do that, too.

First, in Outlook, select the item in the SharePoint calendar that you want to appear in your own private calendar.

Then click Copy to Folder and copy the item to the Calendar folder in your own mailbox.

The other way: public - privateThe other way: public - private

If you want to copy an item from the

SharePoint calendar into your own

personal calendar, you can do that, too.

First, in Outlook, select the item in the SharePoint calendar that you want to appear in your own private calendar.

Then click Copy to Folder and copy the item to the Calendar folder in your own mailbox.

The other way: public to privateThe other way: public to private

Work offlineWork offlineIf you travel for work

and you take your computer with you, will you be able to use the SharePoint

calendar even when you’re not

connected to my company’s network?

Yes. When you connect the SharePoint calendar to Outlook, a copy of that calendar is created on your own computer.

When you disconnect from your company’s network, that copy of the calendar is still available to you, and you can continue to use it even though you’re offline.

Synchronize your entriesSynchronize your entriesSuppose you’ve

entered an item into the SharePoint

calendar by starting from Outlook.

How quickly will others see that new

item?

The standard synchronization rate is 30 minutes.

That is, if you do nothing, the calendar will be synchronized between the SharePoint site and your computer approximately every 30 minutes.

Synchronize your entriesSynchronize your entriesIf 30 minutes seems like too long to wait,

you can always force the SharePoint calendar entries to

be updated sooner if you want.

In Outlook, click to select the SharePoint calendar folder under Other Calendars.

Click Send/Receive on the Tools menu, and then click This Folder.

Here’s what to do.

Disconnect the calendarDisconnect the calendarHere’s what to do if

you want to disconnect the

SharePoint calendar from Outlook.

Right-click the entry for the calendar under Other Calendars.

On the shortcut menu, click Delete “SharePoint Calendar Name” (where SharePoint Calendar Name is the name of the shared calendar).

Disconnect the calendarDisconnect the calendarThis will remove the copy of the calendar

from Outlook and from your own

computer. It will not affect the calendar on the SharePoint

site.

If you change your mind and want to reconnect, you can always do that by starting from the SharePoint site again.

Test question 1Test question 1• To connect a SharePoint calendar to Outlook, you

start from which of the following? (Pick one answer.)1. Outlook.

2. The Calendar on the SharePoint site.

3. It doesn’t matter. You can start either from Outlook or from the site.

Test question 1: Test question 1: AnswerAnswer• The Calendar on the SharePoint site.

From there, you click the Connect to Outlook command on the Actions menu.

Test question 2Test question 2• You can enter appointments in a SharePoint

calendar right from Outlook. (Pick one answer.)

1. True.

2. False.

Test question 2: Test question 2: AnswerAnswer

• True.

Test question 3Test question 3• Suppose that your goal is to copy an

appointment from the SharePoint calendar to your main Outlook calendar. What’s the best method? (Pick one answer.)

1. Cut and paste from the browser to Outlook.

2. Display both calendars in Outlook and use the Copy to Folder command.

3. Display both calendars in Outlook and drag from one to the other.

Test question 3: Test question 3: AnswerAnswer• Display both calendars in Outlook and use the Copy to

Folder command.Clean and simple, and you won’t accidentally drop the item in the wrong place.