Frequently Asked Questions About VueMinder Calendar

Everyday Use

How do I create new calendars? Why would I want more than one?

Calendars allow your events to be categorized and filtered from being displayed. Each calendar can have its own unique appearance settings, so any events belonging to that calendar can be easily distinguished. For example, you could have a calendar for your personal schedule as well as one for your work schedule. You can filter the display of all events belonging to a calendar by unchecking the calendar in the list.

There are a number of ways to create a new calendar. You can click the "New Calendar" toolbar button:

The main toolbar.

Alternatively, you can right click within the Calendar List and select the "New Calendar" command:

Select the New Calendar context menu option to create a new calendar.

In both cases, a new calendar will be created and added to the list. As soon as the calendar is created, a properties window will be displayed where you can name the calendar, modify its appearance, and define default event settings to be used when creating new events belonging to the calendar.

What's the difference between an "event" and a "task" in VueMinder Calendar?

There are several differences between the way VueMinder Calendar treats events and tasks...

Tasks are treated as "to do" items with an optional due date and time, and will display as red when overdue. Events have a starting date and time, but do not change their appearance when the starting time has passed.
Events can be assigned to different calendars and shared with other users. They can also be imported and exported to ICS files, Excel, and Outlook. Tasks can not be assigned to calendars, and there is currently no mechnism to share or import/export tasks.
When a repeating task is completed, the next due date is automatically calculated based on the completion date and the task frequency. For example, if a task repeats every 90 days, the next due date will be 90 days from date the task was most recently completed. Event recurrence is based on the first event date, not when an event is completed.
Events can be set to run an external program (executable) when the event starting time has reached. Tasks do not have this capability.
Events can be copied and pasted. They can also be sent via email. Tasks do not provide these features.
Events can be entered in both the Pro and Lite versions, but Tasks are exclusive to the Pro version only.

Both events and tasks can be marked as completed by right clicking and selecting the "Completed" option, or by checking the event or task's checkbox in the Event or Task list. This allows events to be treated in much the same way as tasks.

To summarize, events provide a more flexible and full featured approach to keeping track of your schedule, while tasks are more streamlined and intended more for keeping track of your personal "to do" items. VueMinder Calendar Pro provides both of these approaches, so you can choose the type most appropriate for your needs.

How do I create new events and tasks?

There are a number of ways to create a new event. In all cases, the new event default to belonging to the active calendar selected in the Calendar List, indicated by a green arrow. It will also be initialized with the event defaults specified in the active calendar's properties, which can be accessed or modified by right-clicking the calendar name in the list and selecting the "Calendar Properties" option.

Here are the ways a new event can be created:

From the File menu, select the "New Event" command.
From the Main Toolbar, click the "New Event" button.
Double-click an empty day or time slot in the Calendar view.
Right-click in the Calendar view or Event List and select the "New Event" popup menu option.
Use the shortcut key Ctrl+N.

Here are the ways a new task can be created:

From the File menu, select the "New Task" command.
From the Main Toolbar, click the "New Task" button.
Right-click in the Task List or Event List and select the "New Task" popup menu option.
Use the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+T.

I see VueMinder Calendar offers a lot of reminder options. Can you give an overview of what these are for?

No other calendar program provides as many reminder options as VueMinder Calendar. Here's a quick summary to help get you started:

Popup Reminders

These display in a popup reminder window at a specified time before an event or task's start.
The popup reminder window can be optionally displayed above other windows so you're sure to see it.
The popup reminder window can be made semi-transparent, if you don't want it to obscure other windows on your screen.
The popup reminder window can list multiple reminders at one time, if more than one reminder is due.
When defining the event or task, you can choose to include music, pictures, video, a web page, event description, or task details with the popup reminder. This content will display within the popup reminder window.
Use this reminder type when you expect to be at your computer when a reminder is due, or when you'd like to see multimedia or web content in the reminder window, which the desktop alert reminder type can't display.

Desktop Alerts

These display in a small notification window, which fades into view in the lower left corner of the screen, similar to the notification that is displayed by some email programs when a new message arrives.
Only one reminder can be displayed per desktop alert, although these will stack if you have multiple reminders due.
A small picture thumbnail can be displayed in the desktop alert. The alert can also be setup to play a sound when displayed.
The desktop alert can be set to automatically snooze after a certain amount of time. It will continue to snooze and then redisplay until dismissed.
Use this reminder type when you're within hearing distance of your computer, since it can snooze and redisplay with a sound each time. You may also prefer a smaller, less obtrusive reminder than the popup reminder window.

Email Reminders

You can set events and tasks to send email reminders to yourself as well as any number of other people.
Use this reminder type when you expect you may be away from the computer where VueMinder Calendar is running, but still have access to email, or when you'd like to remind other people of events or tasks regardless of whether they are using VueMinder Calendar.

Text Message Reminders

You can set events and tasks to send SMS text messages to yourself as well as any number of other people.
Use this reminder when you expect you may be away from the computer where VueMinder Calendar is running, but have a cell phone with you, or when you'd like to reminder other people of events or tasks regardless of whether they are using VueMinder Calendar.
Note that depending on your mobile carrier and service plan, additional charges may apply. This is also true for any other recipients you select.

You can set events and tasks to use any combination of the above reminder types. For example, if you're not sure if you'll be near your computer when a reminder comes due, you can set it to both send a text message as well as display a popup reminder.

You can combine reminder types.

These reminder types can be set to be processed at different times, so the popup reminder could display an hour in advance, while the text message could be sent 10 minutes in advance, depending on your needs.

Each reminder type can be processed at a set time before the event's start.

Also, if you'd like to see a reminder again, or re-send it via email or text message, you can select it from the Recent Reminders window, accessible from the View menu. This is yet another useful feature you won't find in other calendar programs!

Recent reminders can be viewed again or resent by using the Recent Reminders window.

How do I setup VueMinder Calendar Pro to be able to send email or SMS text message reminders?

The first time you run VueMinder Calendar Pro, a configuration wizard will guide you through the steps of setting up VueMinder Calendar Pro for initial use. This includes steps to specify your email and test messaging settings. The settings VueMinder Calendar Pro requires are listed below:

Your name and email address.
Your email server for outgoing mail (SMTP).
Your email account name and password. The password is saved securely using 256-bit encryption.
Your mobile carrier and phone number (for text message reminders only).

If you closed the wizard without specifying these settings, VueMinder Calendar Pro will be unable to send email and text message reminders until the settings are specified. You can access these settings from the Options menu, or by clicking the Settings button in the Event Editor window for the email and text message reminder types.

Be assured, your information is NOT transmitted to VueSoft or used by VueMinder Calendar for any purpose besides sending reminders. You can read our privacy policy here.

Is there a quick way of rescheduling an event I previously created?

Absolutely! Simply click the event on the calendar view, hold the mouse button down, and drag the event to the day or time slot where you want it to be.

Step 1: Click the event and hold the mouse button:

Step 2: Drag the event to the desired date and/or time. Release the mouse button when finished:

I'd like to duplicate the same event one or more times. What's the fastest way to do this?

Like many Windows programs, VueMinder Calendar supports clipboard operations. This means you can copy and paste events. When pasting, a duplicate of the copied event will be created at the selected date or time. This will also work for an entire series of recurring events.

To copy an event, right click the event and select Copy from the menu (or press Ctrl+C on the keyboard).

Then, right-click the desired day or time in the calendar view select Paste from the menu (or use Ctrl+V). A duplicate of the copied event will be created, including all reminder settings. You can repeat pasting the event as many times as you'd like, if you need more than one duplicate.

Right-click an event and select Copy to copy the event to the clipboard. Right-click the location where you would like the copied event to be duplicated, and the select Paste from the menu.

Are there differences between creating events from the Month View versus the Day and Week Views?

Yes, there are a few subtle but important differences. When creating events on the Month View, the event durations will always match the default specified in the Calendar Properties. When creating events on the Day and Week Views, their durations will depend on the time slot range that is selected when creating an event.

In the example below, the default calendar property for event durations is set to "All day". However, since time slots are selected, these will be used when the "Create Event" toolbar button is clicked.
Select the time slots where you want to event to be created. The created event defaults to the selected time slots, rather than using the calendar setting.

Also note that if the all-day header area at the top of the Day or Week View is selected when an event is created, the event will default to being all-day.

How do I reassign an event to a different calendar?

The easiest way is by selecting the desired calendar for the event in the Event List. Click the drop-down arrow in the Calendar column for the event you want to reassign:
You can reassign an event to a different calendar by selecting the desired calendar on the Event List.

Then, select a different calendar from the list. The event will be reassigned to the selected calendar and updated in the list.
After selecting a different calendar for an event, the list will update.

You can also right-click and event and select a new calendar from the Assign to Calendar submenu.

Events can be reassigned to different calendars via the context menu.

You can assign an event to a completely new calendar by double-clicking the event to open it in the Event Editor and typing in a new calendar name:
An existing event can be assigned to a new calendar by typing in a new calendar name in the Event Editor.

I have a recurring event but need to modify a single occurrence. Can I do this?

Yes, VueMinder Calendar allows occurrences of recurring events to be modified. You can change anything and everything about the event occurrence, including its date, time, reminder settings, and the calendar it belongs to.

When opening a recurring event, you'll be asked whether you want to edit the entire series or the selected occurrence.

When changes are made to a recurring event, the recurrence icon will be crossed out, indicating the event belongs to a recurring series but has been modified.
An icon indicates this recurring event occurrence has been modified.

I accidentally dismissed a reminder. How do I get it to come back?

This is one of those things that is so easy to accidentally do, and yet no other calendar program provides a simple way to redisplay a reminder that was inadvertently dismissed. In VueMinder Calendar, a Recent Reminders window lists all recently snoozed, processed, or dismissed reminders. To redisplay a dismissed reminder, select it from the list and then click the Redisplay button. This window can be accessed from the View menu.

The Recenrt Reminders window can be used to redisplay reminders that were accidentally dismissed.

You can also redisplay reminders that were snoozed, and re-send email or text message reminders that were previously sent.

How does VueMinder Calendar handle time zones?

All times are displayed based on your local time zone. When publishing, exporting, or emailing events, the times are saved or sent based on GMT, so the events will be shown at the correct times for people in other time zones.

VueMinder Calendar also allows two time zones to be displayed in the Day and Week views. This feature can be enabled from the Calendar Options window. A short label can also be (optionally) specified.
An additional time zone can be selected for display in the Day and Week views.

After enabling the additional time zone, the Day and Week views will appear as shown below, where times for both the local and additional time zone are shown side-by-side:
Times for the additional time zone are displayed alongside the local time zone.

Still have questions?

If your question isn't covered by the FAQ, please submit your question using the form below. We'll provide a response within 24 hours, and if your question could benefit others, we'll add it to the FAQ.

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System Requirements

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
Microsoft .NET 2.0

Current page is 7.3: Everyday Use