Frequently Asked Questions

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 or press Ctrl+Shift+C.

You can also right-click within the Calendar List and select the "New Calendar" command at the top of the the popup menu.

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 (Pro/Ultimate only).

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

• Tasks are treated as "to do" items with an optional due date and time, and will be displayed in red when overdue. Events have a starting date and time, but do not change their appearance when the starting time has passed.
• Tasks provide an option to automatically "float" to the current date until completed. Events have a fixed date and do not move unless commanded by the user.
• The current status and percent completion can be recorded for tasks. Events are either completed or not.
• Tasks can conditionally start based on the completion of other related tasks.
• Tasks can have any number of sub-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.

There are a number of ways to create a new event. In all cases, the new event will default to belonging to the active calendar selected in the Calendar List, indicated by an arrow to the left of the calendar's name. When using the Pro or Ultimate version, the new event will also be initialized with the default reminder specified in the active calendar's properties, which can be accessed 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 (in the Pro or Ultimate version) and select the "New Event" popup menu option.
• Use the shortcut key Ctrl+N.

The Pro and Ultimate versions also support the ability to define tasks. This can't be done in the Lite version. 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 and select the "New Task" popup menu option.
• Use the shortcut key Ctrl+Shift+T.

No other calendar program provides as many reminder options as VueMinder. 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 a text-to-speech summary of the reminder, music, pictures, video, a web page, event description, or task details with the popup reminder. This content will display within the popup reminder window.
• Popup reminders can be shared with other people using VueMinder.
• 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 or text-to-speech summary 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.
• Desktop alerts can be moved on the screen and treated like sticky notes. The desktop alerts will retain their previous screen position if snoozed.
• Desktop alerts can be shared with other people using VueMinder.
• 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 (Pro/Ultimate)

• You can set events and tasks to send email reminders to yourself as well as any number of other people.
• Email reminders can be sent to distribution lists.
• Multiple email reminders can be sent for the same event or task. For example, you could schedule an email reminder 1 week, 3 days, and 1 hour in advance of the start time.
• Email reminders can also be scheduled to be sent after an event or task is due, if not marked as completed.
• Files attached to the event/task can be included as attachments in the email reminder.
• Use this reminder type when you expect you may be away from the computer where VueMinder 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.

SMS Reminders (Pro/Ultimate)

• You can set events and tasks to send SMS reminders to yourself as well as any number of other people.
• Multiple SMS reminders can be sent for the same event or task. For example, you could schedule an SMS reminder 1 week, 3 days, and 1 hour in advance of the start time.
• SMS reminders can also be scheduled to be sent after an event or task is due, if not marked as completed.
• Use this reminder type when you expect you may be away from the computer where VueMinder is running, or when you'd like to remind other people of events or tasks regardless of whether they are using VueMinder.

Voice Phone Reminders (Pro/Ultimate)

• You can set events and tasks to call you or other people with a voice message.
• Multiple phone calls can be scheduled for the same event or task. For example, you could schedule phone calls 1 week, 3 days, and 1 hour in advance of the start time.
• Phone reminders can also be scheduled to be called after an event or task is due, if not marked as completed.
• If the phone isn't answered, the reminder will continue to be called every hour for up to 24 hours.
• Use this reminder type when you want to notify yourself or other people of event or tasks by voice instead of SMS.

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 an SMS reminder as well as display a popup reminder.

Also, if you'd like to see or send a reminder again, 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.

Email reminders can be sent via an SMTP server, web-based email provider, or Exchange Server (Ultimate only). See the documentation for more details.

SMS reminders can be sent through your own mobile carrier. In order to send SMS reminders through your mobile carrier, the email settings (accessed via the Options menu) will need to be configured first. VueMinder will send the reminder as an email to your mobile carrier's email-to-SMS gateway, where it will be converted into an SMS reminder. Some mobile carriers, especially outside North America, do not support this feature.

If your mobile carrier doesn't provide an email-to-SMS gateway, you can use a web-based SMS service. Using this service will also enable voice phone reminders to be sent. See the documentation for more details.

In the Day, Week, or Month View, drag the event to the desired date or time slot. If any reminders were previously sent or displayed, a message will appear asking if you'd like to send an updated reminder.

You can define a recurring event using the Recurrence tab of the Event Editor. A large number recurrence patterns are supported.

If the event doesn't recur at a pre-defined interval, the event can be copied (Ctrl+C) and then pasted (Ctrl+V) into the desired dates.

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. 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.

To re-assign an event to a different calendar, right-click the event and select a new calendar from the Assign to Calendar submenu. 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.

When opening a recurring event, you'll be asked whether you want to edit the entire series, the selected occurrence and all that follow, or the selected occurrence only. You can change almost anything about the selected event occurrence, including its date, time, and reminder settings.

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

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. If you haven't made any other changes since dismissing the event, click the "Undo" command on the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Z.

Also, 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 Tools menu. You can also redisplay reminders that were snoozed, and re-send email or SMS reminders that were previously sent.

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

VueMinder 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.

VueMinder can sync with Google Calendar. When using the Lite version, syncing only happens in 1 direction, from Google Calendar to VueMinder. The Pro and Ultimate versions can sync 2-way with Google Calendar. You can use this feature to keep the calendar on your mobile devices in sync with VueMinder on your PC. Google Calendar effectively works as a pass-through for changes. In other words, events you create or modify in VueMinder will appear on your mobile device, and vice versa.

If you already have Google Calendars you'd like to add to VueMinder, click the Add Google Calendar command on the File menu.

If you have an existing calendar in VueMinder you'd like to add to your Google Account, open the Calendar Properties and enable Google Calendar syncing on the "Sync" tab.

Have you ever wanted to tell, with a simple glance, which upcoming events and tasks have a high priority, when a birthday is getting close, or which events are in Room A as opposed to Room B? All these possibilities, and many more, are available in VueMinder.

Here's how it works: In the main window, there's a Calendar Items area, containing tabs named "Calendars", "Categories", "Priorities", and "Locations". Items on each of those tabs can be assigned a color. The "Color Events Using" command on the View menu can be used to select how events, tasks, and notes are to be color-coded. The Alt+1 through Alt+5 keyboard shortcuts can also be used to quickly switch between display modes.

Not only do these tabs allow you to better visualize your schedule, but the checkboxes in each of the tabs within the Calendar Items area allow you to dynamically filter the displayed events and tasks. So, for example, if you don't want low priority events and tasks displayed, simply uncheck the "Low" priority item on the "Priorities" tab.

You filter any combination of items, from all 4 tabs. Tab names with an active filter will be bold and a description of the current filter will be shown at the bottom of the Calendar Items area. To clear the filter and restore display of all your events and tasks, just click the X button next to the filter description.

By default, VueMinder will base the first day of the week on your Windows regional settings. To override this behavior and force either Sunday or Monday to be the first day of the week, open the Calendar Options (via the Options menu) and pick the desired day from the "First day of the week" drop-down list. This change will be saved and the next time you open VueMinder, the selected day will continue to be shown as the first day of the week.

If you're using the Pro or Ultimate version, the default event duration can be configured on the Event Defaults tab of the Calendar Properties window. For example, to make new events 1 hour by default, select "1 hour" from the "Default event duration" drop-down list.

Note, the default event duration only applies when creating events from the Month view. When creating events from the Day or Week views, the duration will match whichever time slot is selected/highlighted. Before creating new events from those views, select a range of time slots equal to the desired direction.

Yes, your computer needs to be running in order for VueMinder to display popup reminders and desktop alerts. When your computer is turned off, there’s no power going to the CPU so VueMinder can’t perform any processing.

However, depending on your computer, VueMinder (Pro/Ultimate only) might be able to wake your computer from sleep mode to send an email or SMS reminder, and then return the computer to sleep mode after the reminder is sent.

Rather than completely powering down your computer, try putting it into sleep mode. If you don’t get reminders while your computer is in sleep mode, open the Reminder Options and ensure the box labeled "Temporarily wake computer from sleep mode to send reminders" is checked.

If you still don’t get reminders, you might need to change your power settings to get it to work. See the "Email, SMS, and Voice Reminders – Wake From Sleep" section in the documentation for more details.

There are actually several ways to do this...

• Click the "Zoom In" button located in the upper-right corner of the Month view.
• If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, click somewhere in the Month view to give it mouse focus. Hold the Ctrl key and then scroll the mouse wheel up.
• Click the settings button (looks like a gear) in the upper-right corner of the Month view and select a smaller number of weeks to be displayed.