Importing and exporting calendars from iCalendar

You can import and export iCalendar-based calendars to and from Notes®. iCalendar is an Internet standard that allows calendars created in different calendar products to be imported into, and then viewed and managed in other calendar products that use the iCalendar standard. The iCalendar standard also allows for the sending and receiving of meeting requests and other tasks over email.

About this task

Notes® users can import calendars by dragging and dropping a URL or a file into their Notes® Inbox or calendar, or they can import a file by using the menu item File > Import. Users can preview the calendar before importing it.

When a calendar is imported, the imported calendar entries are placed in the user's calendar and Notes® creates an Imported Calendar document from which Notes® users can manage the imported calendar. The Imported Calendar document contains the calendar name, a Source field containing the path that specifies the location of the calendar file, and the date on which the calendar was imported into Notes®. Imported calendar entries display in the user's Notes® calendar as Appointments, All Day events, Anniversaries, or Reminders.

From the Calendar Information document, users can manage their imported calendar with these options:

  • Delete a calendar by clicking the Delete button
  • Rename a calendar using the editable field provided

The Imported Calendar documents can be accessed through the Imported Calendars view. From this view, Notes® users can view imported calendars, delete imported calendars and import new calendars. Access the Imported Calendars view by clicking Tools > Manage Imported Calendars. Notes® users must upgrade their template to use any of the new iCalendar import and export features.

If a user attempts to import a calendar that they have already imported, an information box displays a message indicating that the calendar already exists and asking the user whether they want to continue to import the calendar or cancel the import. Users can preview the calendar they are importing prior to specifying whether to continue the import or cancel the import. If they choose to continue importing the calendar, the new calendar being imported overwrites the existing calendar.

Users can import iCalendar files with a maximum of 500 documents. Use multiple imports for more than 500 documents.

Notes® also allows users to export their calendars. Using File > Export from the menu to export selected calendar entries or all calendar entries.

Importing iCalendar calendars using the File menu

Procedure

  1. Open your Notes® calendar.
  2. Choose File > Import.
  3. On the Import dialog box, specify a file type of .ICS, and then select the .ICS file you are importing.
  4. Click Import.
  5. Specify the name of the calendar being imported, and optionally, click Preview Entries, and then click OK.

Importing iCalendar calendars using drag and drop

About this task

You can import a calendar by dragging and dropping the URL of the .ICS file to your Notes® calendar if your Notes® mail file Inbox or calendar is open on your desktop.

Procedure

  1. Open your Inbox or your Notes® calendar.
  2. Locate the URL or file for the calendar you want to import, and then drag and drop it to your Inbox or calendar.
    Note: The .ICS filename should be part of the URL or filename.
  3. Specify a name for the calendar being imported, and optionally, click Preview Entries, and then click OK. When you click Preview Entries you can preview the subject and date of each entry in the calendar.

    The imported calendar is added to your Notes® calendar.

Managing imported calendars from the Calendar Information document

About this task

Manage your imported calendars using the Calendar Information documents.

Procedure

  1. From your Notes® calendar, open the Imported Calendars view by clicking Tools > Manage Imported Calendars.
  2. View the list of imported calendars that displays.
  3. To view the Calendar Information document for a particular calendar, double click the calendar name in the list. The Calendar Information document opens.
  4. Perform one or more of these calendar management actions.
    • To delete the calendar, click Delete. A message box displays asking if you are sure you want to delete the selected calendar. Click Yes or No accordingly.
    • To Edit the calendar name, click Edit. Enter the new calendar name, and click OK.
  5. To close the document, click Close.

Managing imported calendars from the Imported Calendars view

About this task

From your Notes® calendar, open the Imported Calendars view by clicking Tools > Manage Imported Calendars.

Procedure

  1. View the list of imported calendars that displays. Perform one or more of these management activities.
    • To delete one or more calendars, select the calendars you want to delete, and then click Delete. A message box displays asking if you are sure you want to delete the selected calendar. Click Yes or No accordingly.
    • To import a new calendar, click Import New Calendar. Import the calendar as you would import any calendar using the File > Import menu option.
    • To open the Calendar Information document for a calendar, select the calendar and double click.
  2. Close the view.

Exporting calendars from Notes®

About this task

To export a calendar from Notes®, users complete these steps:

Procedure

  1. Open your calendar and select the calendar entry to export by highlighting the entry, and then clicking the Space Bar.
  2. Choose File > Export.
  3. Select the Calendar File type (.ICS) and then specify the path to the location to which you are exporting the calendar entry.
  4. Click Export.
  5. Specify whether to export only selected documents from the calendar, or all documents from that calendar. Click OK.