Calendar and Site Configuration
WebEvent is an interactive calendar that allows you to share event information via the Web. You can manage personal, departmental, and company-wide schedules from any computer (anywhere on the planet) that runs a Web browser. Maintaining and supporting WebEvent is a snap because no other software needs to be installed on individual computers.
WebEvent has many powerful features including:
Multiple Calendar Views and Formats
Tailoring each calendar to your changing needs couldn't be easier. Choose to view each calendar yearly, monthly, biweekly, weekly, daily, or by event, even change from traditional calendar grid to a list format. Change your mind? Click a single icon to change the view or format.
Event Types
Avoid confusion. Designate each new entry a "Special event," "Meeting," or "To-do". (Special events are not time-specific; Meetings display specific start and/or end times; and To-dos are actionable events with changing "done" or "not done" status.)
Repeating Events
Save time by entering a recurring event only once. WebEvent will repeat it as needed (every month, every Monday, or even every third Tuesday.)
Event Reminders
No more excuses. Let WebEvent remind you (and your colleagues) of important upcoming events like birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, and project deadlines.
Searchable Calendars
Search one or more calendars for events matching specific keywords.
Meta-Calendars
Combine two or more calendars into one view to create the ultimate scheduling tool&endash;a meta-calendar. For example, combine the schedules of different athletic teams or simultaneously view the production schedules of different groups within a department. Use the "Select Calendars" link on any calendar page to create a meta-calendar on the fly. To automatically open two or more calendars, use the Embedded calendars option on the calendar configuration page, or create links to a meta-calendar view from HTML pages.
User Authentication
User authentication is built into WebEvent. Control access (both read and write) from the administrative section. Or grant calendar and site administrative access so that a single person does not have to manage all the calendars
Conflict Resolution
Make scheduling rooms, equipment, and other resources hassle-free; WebEvent can double-check that your selected date and time does not interfere with any previously scheduled events.
Submitted Events
Allow users with read access (members of the public, employees, students) to submit events to the calendar, pending approval by a user with the appropriate privileges.
Style and Color Options
Be the architect, engineer, and interior designer of your calendar&endash;all without learning HTML. Insert header or footer text. Change background images and colors. Modify text type attributes.
Source Code
You're in charge with WebEvent. Written in Perl (with the source code clearly defined), it's the ultimate flexible scheduling tool. If we have not anticipated all of your needs, you'll be able to modify the program to do exactly as you desire.
Introduction to Viewing Calendars and Events
WebEvent allows you to view the schedule of events in whatever way best suits your needs. Specify the view and format, whether or not to show event descriptions, and many other preferences.
Introduction to WebEvent Navigation Tools
The standard calendar has both an access bar and an icon bar at the top of the page to provide quick access to the most frequently used functions.
Access bar: The gray access bar defines your current user status and provides links to other areas of WebEvent appropriate to your level of access.
Select Calendar(s): Quickly change calendars by selecting the calendar from the pull-down menu and clicking the "View Calendar" button. If you want to view more than one calendar at a time, highlight the calendars you want to view and click the "View Calendars" button. (Macintosh users should hold down the "Apple" key to select and deselect calendars; PC users should use the "Control" key.) To view all the calendars to which you have access, click the "View All Calendars" button.
Jump to Today: One-click access to today's date. (This is also the recommended way to refresh your screen and see the most recent changes other users have made to the calendar. Do not use the browser's "Reload" button.)
Select Date: Manually select the desired date from pull-down menus.
Submit an Event: Submit an event for inclusion in the calendar (if the calendar is configured to allow event submissions). The submitted event will not appear in the calendar until someone with appropriate access approves it.
Icon bar: The icon bar allows you to quickly access various options and functions available within WebEvent. Here's a quick description of the buttons in the icon bar:
Calendar Views and Formats
You can view events in any one of the following ways:
Current Session Options
You can change various viewing options for your current session:
The Rest of the Icon Bar
Show/Hide description
Choose between showing the descriptions on the current page or clicking on an event to read the description.
Searching the calendar
Enter a keyword to search one or more calendars. Specify start and end dates to narrow your search.
Online help
Peruse the user's guide for help using and configuring WebEvent.
Login/Logout
Depending on your account configuration, entering your WebEvent username and password may allow you to access additional calendars and configuration screens. If you are already logged in, clicking on the Logout button will log you out and return you to the startup page.
Introduction to Adding and Modifying Events
You will need to log in to modify most calendars. Click the "Login" button and enter your WebEvent username and password. Then, check the gray access bar to determine whether the calendar is currently in Modify or View mode.
If the access bar reads: "Modify Mode", click on that link to switch to Modify mode so that you can add, change, and delete events. If "View Mode" appears in the access bar, you are already in Modify mode.
Adding New Events
First, always verify that the calendar is currently in Modify mode, by checking to see that "View Mode" appears in the gray access bar.
There are two ways to add an event:
Either action will take you to the add new event screen which contains the following fields:
Basic OptionsEvent Title: Type in the title of the event (e.g. "X-Files Convention".)
Date: The date you selected will appear, but you may choose another from the pull-down menu.
Event Type: Choose "Special event" (all day event), "Meeting" (which has a start and/or end time), or "To-do".
Start Time: For meetings, choose a start time.
End Time: For meetings, choose an end time.
Description: Enter a description of the event. If available, designate the type of description (Text or HTML). If you choose to use HTML, be careful to enter valid HTML.
Advanced Options
Calendar: Select the calendar or calendars into which this event should be added. (Macintosh users should hold down the "Apple" key to select and deselect calendars; PC users should use the "Control" key.)
Event Privacy: Designate if the event information should be readable by users who only have "read" access. "Private" events appear as an untitled placeholders in the calendar.
Mark As Busy All-Day: Designate a special event or to-do as an 'all day' event. In calendars with 'prevent double-booking' enabled, this will prevent other events from being added to that day.
Contact Person: Enter the name of the person associated with and/or responsible for the event.
Contact Email: Enter the email address for the person associated with and/or responsible for the event.
Repeat: If this is a repeating event, enter the type of repeating period and the number of times you want the event to repeat (e.g. every Tuesday and Thursday for 3 weeks.)
Remind: If you want to receive an email reminder (or remind others via email), choose when you want to be reminded and enter the appropriate e-mail address (or addresses, separated by commas.)
Priority: Set the priority (low, medium, or high) for the event.
Auto-forward: For "To-dos", designate if the event should be auto-forwarded. If auto-forward is selected, the "To-do" will reappear each day until it is marked "done."
To-do Done: Mark this checkbox after you have completed the "To-do".
Title Style: Choose from normal, bold, and italic.
Title Size: Choose to enlarge or shrink the default title text size.
Title Color: Choose from several Web-safe colors.
Title Image: Add an image associated with this event by typing in the URL of the image. For example:
http://www.WebEvent.com/webevent.gifTitle URL: Enter the URL associated with this event. (When someone clicks on the event title, it will send them to this URL instead of the usual event description screen.) For example:
http://www.WebEvent.com/Approval Status: Mark the "Approved" circle if this event should appear on the calendar. Events marked "Unapproved" will not be visible to guest users and will appear with a conspicuous "UNAPPROVED" marking to users with greater access.
Event Change Notification: Enter in the email addresses (separated by commas or carriage returns) of users to be notified when the event is first added and whenever the event is changed.
Modifying and Deleting Events
First, always verify that the calendar is currently in Modify mode, by checking to see that "View Mode" appears in the gray access bar.
To modify or delete an existing event, click on the event title. The modify event screen will display the event's current information. Modify the appropriate fields (described in Adding New Events), choose "Edit Event" or "Delete Event" from the pull-down menu, and click the "Change" button.
Introduction to Calendar and Site Configuration
From within WebEvent, you can create new calendars, modify existing ones, and change the configurations for either specific calendars or the entire installation. To access these features, login and click the appropriate link in the gray access bar above the icon bar.
Setting Calendar Options
To set the default behavior of a specific calendar, click "Cal Config" in the gray access bar.
The calendar configuration screen includes the following fields:
Select Calendar: The current calendar will be highlighted. If you want to view another calendar's configuration, select that calendar and click "View configuration".User Access: Modify user access to this (and other) calendars. See Account Administration for more information.
Calendar Name: Specify the calendar name.
Short Calendar Name: Specify the abbreviation to be used in certain meta-calendar views.
Admin Email Address: Enter the address (or addresses separated by commas) to which email messages regarding changes to the calendar should be sent.
Email Changes to Admin: If selected, all event changes will be sent to the admin email address.
Approval Email Address: Enter the address (or addresses separated by commas) to which notice of events submitted by the public should be sent.
Email Public Submissions to Approval Address: If selected, notice of all events submitted by the public will be sent to the approval email address.
Calendar Header: Designate Text or HTML and enter any header information you want shown above each calendar.
Calendar Footer: Designate Text or HTML and enter any footer information you want shown beneath each calendar.
Show Calendar Name with Embedded Cals: Designate whether each event title should be followed by a label identifying its calendar of origin. (For example, "Girls Softball Picnic Raindate (athletics)".) Each event will be labeled by either a "short calendar name" or a number, depending how the site options have been configured.
Embedded Calendars: Select one or more other calendars which should always be included in the current calendar view. (Macintosh users should hold down the "Apple" key to select and deselect calendars; PC users should use the "Control" key.)
Default Body Text for New Events: Enter any text that should be automatically inserted into the description field of each new event. (This is an excellent way to prompt users for specific information, such as "job #".)
Background Image URL: Enter the URL of a background image if you want to use one.
Background Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the calendar background.
Text Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of normal text.
Link Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of hyperlinked text.
Visited Link Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of visited hyperlink text.
Prevent Double-booking Events: Select this if you want to prevent multiple meetings from being scheduled during the same time period. (This function helps prevent confusion with conference room scheduling, group calendars, and equipment reservations.)
Allow Event Submission: Select this if you want the public to be able to submit events for inclusion in this calendar. The submitted event will not appear in the calendar until someone with the appropriate access approves it.
Direct Edit Mode: Select this so that the calendar will open in Modify mode for users with appropriate privileges. Otherwise, the calendar will open in View mode and users will need to click "Modify Mode" in the gray access bar to add or modify events.
Write Access Mode: Define the type of access that users with write access should have in this calendar. "All": users with write access can add, modify, or delete any event in the calendar. "Author": users with write access can add new events, but modify or delete only the events they have created. "Add Only": users with write access can only add new events.
Default Calendar View: Select the view users will see when they first visit the calendar (year, month, 2-week, week, or day.)
Default Calendar Format: Select the default format users will see when they first visit the calendar (calendar or list.)
Enhanced List View: Designate if the list view should include an interactive three-month calendar in the left-hand column.
Default Event Type: Select the default event type for creating new events ("Special event", "Meeting", "To-do".)
Default Priority: Select the default priority for new events (low, medium, or high.)
Default Title Size: Select the default title size for new events (normal, smaller, or larger.)
Default Title Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color for the default title color for new events.
Default Title Style: Select the default title style for new events (normal, bold, or italic.)
Default Auto-forward To-dos: Determine if unresolved "To-dos" should automatically move forward each day.
Calendar Start Year: Select the year when the calendar should begin.
Calendar End Year: Select the year when the calendar should end.
Use 24-hour Clock: Designate your preferred time format (12- or 24-hour.)
Show Weekends: Show or hide Saturday and Sunday. (This has no effect on list views.)
Show Event Type Icons: Turn the "to-do" icons (an exclamation point for uncompleted tasks and a checkmark for completed tasks) on or off.
Show Descriptions: Turn the event descriptions on or off.
Show Icon Bar: Turn the icon bar section on or off.
Note: If you turn the icon bar off, a "View Options" link will appear at the bottom of the screen to allow access again.Show Event Author: Turn the event author credit on or off.
Force Show Event Author: Designate whether events with neither contact name or contact email should display author credit. (In the case of missing contact information, the user who last modified the event will receive author credit.)
Show Next/Previous at Bottom: Duplicate the Next > and < Previous links that appear directly above the calendar beneath the calendar.
Start Week On: Specify the first day of the week for calendar views.
Event Sorting: Specify the order of the events to be displayed.
Click the "Change calendar configuration" button to execute your selections or click the "Revert to saved configuration" button to cancel any changes you have made to this screen.
Modifying Site Configuration
To control options including the license key, user access levels, the startup screen contents, and default settings for all new calendars, access the site configuration screen. Log in as an administrator and click "Jump to site options" on the startup page or click "Site Config" in the gray access bar. (Site administrators have complete access to all events, accounts, and calendars.)
The site configuration screen includes the following fields:
License Key: Select "Modify Key" to change the license key string or to review your current status.User Access: Select the account name or "Add New User" then click "Modify Access" to change the account permissions. See Account Administration for more information.
Edit Calendars: Select the calendar you want to modify (or "Add New Calendar") and click the "Modify" button. See Adding a New Calendar or Configuring an Existing Calendar for more information.
Administrator's Email: Enter the email address to which warnings and notices about the WebEvent installation should be sent.
Replace WebEvent HTML Headers: Check this box to over-write WebEvent headers and replace them with your own. (WARNING: Selecting this option will make WebEvent ignore almost all color and background settings from the site configuration and calendar configuration screens.)
WebEvent HTML Header: Enter the HTML that should be placed at the top of every WebEvent screen. (This is an ideal way to make WebEvent fit within the look and feel of the rest of your Web site.)
WebEvent HTML Footer: Enter the HTML that should be placed at the bottom of every WebEvent screen. (This is an ideal way to make WebEvent fit within the look and feel of the rest of your Web site.)
List Calendars on Startup Screen: Decide if the list of available calendars should appear on the startup screen.
Sort Calendars: Specify whether calendars should be listed in alphabetical or numerical order.
Startup Screen Header: Specify Text or HTML and then enter the header for the startup screen.
Startup Screen Footer: Specify Text or HTML and then enter the footer for the startup screen.
Show Meta-Calendar Abbreviations: Designate whether each event in a meta-calendar view should be labeled to indicate its calendar of origin.
Use Calendar Short Name: Designate if "short calendar names" or numbers should be used to label events in meta-calendar views.
Meta-Calendar Header Text: Specify Text or HTML and then enter the header to be displayed above each meta-calendar created.
Meta-Calendar Footer Text: Specify Text or HTML and then enter the footer to be displayed beneath each meta-calendar created.
The following site configuration options affect all calendars:
Site Font: The font used for all text throughout WebEvent.Form Background Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of the background color on all forms (such as the site configuration form.)
Special Text Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the color of important text (such as "Select Calendar(s)," "Jump to Today," "Previous," "Next," and the current view and day.)
Calendar Cell Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default cell background color in the calendar grid.
Today Cell Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for today's cell background color in the calendar grid.
Selected Day Cell Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the background color of the selected day in the calendar grid.
Look-through Month Cell Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the cell background color of days not in the current month that are visible in the calendar grid.
Heading Cell Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the cell background color of the day-of-the-week headings in the calendar grid.
Heading Cell Text Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the text color of the day-of-the-week headings in the calendar grid.
HTML Prefix: Enter the URL prefix that points to the directory where the WebEvent images and user's guide are stored.
Logout URL: Enter the URL for the location users should be sent to after they log out.
Send Email Using: Specify either "Sendmail" or "SMTP" as your email transport system. ("Sendmail" is only available on UNIX and MacOS systems; do not select "Sendmail" if WebEvent is installed on a Windows NT Server).
SMTP Server: Enter the name of the server to which WebEvent should connect to send SMTP email.
SMTP 'From' Email Address: Enter the email address you want mail to be "from" when WebEvent needs to send email.
Disable HTML (in title and body): Designated if HTML in the event title and description fields should be disabled. (WARNING: Allowing HTML might constitute a potential security hole if you cannot trust your users to enter correct and valid HTML.)
Verify Email Addresses: Specify if WebEvent should verify the authenticity of addresses entered into reminder and notification fields. Choose "Complete" if WebEvent should check that all email addresses are entered as "[email protected]". Choose "Short" to accept any text in email address fields.
Enable "Cookie" Authentication: Designate if users should be allowed to save a cookie on the computer so that they do not need to log in each time they access WebEvent.
Cookie ID: Enter the unique identifier WebEvent should use to store cookies on users' computers. Modifying this entry will force every user to login the next time they access WebEvent.
Cookie Expiration (in days): Enter the number of days WebEvent cookies should last.
Open New Window for Event Info: Designate if WebEvent should use JavaScript to open a new window to display the event description.
Open New Window for URLs: Designate if WebEvent should open URLs in a new window.
IP-Based Guest Calendar Security: Enter security information (as described below) to use incoming IP addresses to limit guest user access to specified calendars.
The format of the security information is as follows:calNUM IPNUMswhere "calNUM" is the calendar number (such as "cal1") and where IPNUMs is one or more full IP numbers (separated by spaces) that use one of the following three formats:
Full IP address: 128.197.20.30Wildcard which matches any entry in that position: 128.197.20.*
Range entry: 128.197.20.10-50
If any IP address information has been specified in the IP-Based Guest Calendar Security field for a given calendar, then only guest users with matching IPs will be granted access to that calendar.
The following site configuration options serve as the default values for new calendars and are used in meta-calendar views:
Background Image URL: Enter the URL of a background image if you want to use one.Background Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default background color for all calendars.
Text Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of normal text.
Link Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of hyperlinked text.
Visited Link Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default color of visited hyperlink text.
Prevent Double-booking Events: Select this if you want to prevent multiple meetings from being scheduled during the same time period. (This function helps prevent confusion in conference room scheduling, group calendars, and equipment reservations.)
Allow Event Submission: Select this if you want the public to be able to submit events for inclusion in this calendar. The submitted event will not appear in the calendar until it is approved by a user with appropriate access.
Direct Edit Mode: Select this so that the calendar will open in Modify mode for users with appropriate privileges. Otherwise, the calendar will open in View mode and users will need to click "Modify Mode" in the gray access bar to add or modify events.
Write Access Mode: Define the type of access that users with write access should have in this calendar. "All": users with write access can add, modify, or delete any event in the calendar. "Author": users with write access can add new events, but modify or delete only the events they have created. "Add Only": users with write access can only add new events.
Default Calendar View: Select the view users will see when they first visit the calendar (year, month, 2-week, week, or day.)
Default Calendar Format: Select the calendar format users will see when they first visit the calendar (calendar or list.)
Enhanced List View: Designate if the list view should include an interactive three-month calendar in the left-hand column.
Default Event Type: Select the default event type for creating new events ("Special event", "Meeting", "To-do".)
Default Priority: Select the default priority for new events (low, medium, or high.)
Default Title Size: Select the default title size for new events (normal, smaller, or larger.)
Default Title Color: Enter the appropriate RGB color code for the default title color for new events.
Default Title Style: Select the default title style for new events (normal, bold, or italic.)
Default Auto-forward To-dos: Determine if unresolved "To-dos" should automatically move forward each day.
Calendar Start Year: Select the year when the calendar should begin.
Calendar End Year: Select the year when the calendar should end.
Use 24-hour Clock: Designate your preferred time format (12- or 24-hour.)
Show Weekends: Show or hide Saturday and Sunday. (This has no effect on list views.)
Show Event Type Icons: Turn the "to-do" (an exclamation point for uncompleted tasks and a checkmark for completed tasks) icons on or off.
Show Descriptions: Turn the event descriptions on or off.
Show Icon Bar: Turn the icon bar on or off.
Note: If you turn the icon bar off, a "View Options" link will appear at the bottom of the screen to allow access again.Show Event Author: Turn the event author credit on or off.
Force Show Event Author: Designate whether events with neither contact name or contact email should display author credit. (In the case of missing contact information, the user who last modified the event will receive author credit.)
Show Next/Previous at Bottom: Duplicate the Next > and < Previous links that appear directly above the calendar beneath the calendar.
Start Week on: Specify the first day of the week for calendar views.
Event Sorting: Specify the order of the events to be displayed.
Click the "Change site configuration" button to execute your selections or click the "Revert to saved configuration" button to cancel any changes you have made to this screen (and ignore the unsaved settings).
Adding a New Calendar
From the site configuration screen, select "Add New Calendar" and click the "Modify" button.
The calendar administration screen contains the following fields:
Modify Existing Calendar: Select an existing calendar to edit. See Configuring or Deleting an Existing Calendar for more information.Calendar Name: Enter the name of the new calendar you want to create.
Short Name: Enter the calendar abbreviation to be used in meta-calendar views.
Calendar Administrator: Select the account or accounts that will be responsible for the calendar.
Go to Calendar Configuration: Select this to be forwarded to the calendar configuration screen as soon as the calendar is created.
Click the "Add Calendar" button to create the calendar or click the "Cancel" button to cancel any changes you have made to this screen.
Configuring or Deleting an Existing Calendar
From the site configuration screen, choose a calendar to modify or delete and click the "Modify" button.
The calendar administration screen contains the following fields:
Add New Calendar: Select "Add Calendar" to create a new calendar. See Adding a New Calendar for more information.Calendar Name: Modify the name of the calendar if necessary.
Short Name: Modify the calendar abbreviation used in meta-calendar views if necessary.
Calendar Administrator: Edit the selected administrator(s) for this calendar if necessary.
Go to Calendar Configuration: Select this to be forwarded to the calendar configuration screen as soon as the calendar is modified.
Select "Modify Calendar", "Revert to saved configuration", or "Delete Calendar" from the pull-down menu and click the "Make Changes" button.
Introduction to Account Administration
From within WebEvent, you can create, modify, and delete WebEvent accounts, set read and/or write access to specific calendars, and grant calendar and site administrative access. To access these features, you need to log in and go to either the calendar configuration screen or the site configuration screen.
The "admin" and "guest" accounts are special accounts. The "admin" account is the default site administrator account and controls all functions and settings within WebEvent. The site administrator should configure the "guest" account to allow appropriate access for all users without WebEvent accounts (i.e., the general public.) The "admin" and "guest" accounts cannot be renamed or deleted.
Adding a New Account
Select "Add New User" from either the calendar configuration or site configuration screen, and click the "Modify Access" button.
The account administration screen contains the following fields:
Modify Existing Account: Select an account from the pull-down menu and click the "Edit Access" button to modify that account. See Modifying or Deleting an Account for more information.Account Name: Enter a lowercase alpha-numeric name (no spaces, punctuation, or other special characters) for the new account.
Account Password: Enter a password for the new account.
Name (first and last): Enter the user's name.
E-mail Address: Enter the user's e-mail address of the new account.
Calendar Access Levels: Designate the level of access this user should have to each calendar.
Site Administrator: Designate whether this account should have site administrator privileges. Caveat: choose wisely!
Click the "Add Account" button to create the new user or click the "Cancel" button to cancel any changes you have made to this screen.
Modifying or Deleting an Account
You can modify or delete existing accounts by selecting the account from the "User Access" pull-down menu on either the calendar configuration or site configuration screen and clicking the "Modify Access" button.
The account administration screen contains the following fields:
Add New Account: Click the "Add Account" button to add a new account. See Adding a New Account for more information.Account Name: Change the account name if necessary. (Make sure it is lowercase and alpha-numeric; no spaces, punctuation, or other special characters are allowed.)
Account Password: Enter a new password if necessary.
Name (first and last): Correct the user's name if necessary.
E-mail Address: Enter a new e-mail address for this account if necessary.
Calendar Access Levels: Designate the level of access this user should have to each calendar.
Site Administrator: Designate whether this account should have site administrator privileges. Caveat: choose wisely!
Choose "Change Account", "Revert to Saved Configuration", or "Delete Account" from the pull-down menu and click the "Make Changes" button.
Lead Developer: James Cameron
Lead Programmers: Ted Buswell, James Cameron, David King
Original Development: Ted Buswell, James Cameron
Documentation: Elizabeth Cameron
Quality Assurance: Elizabeth Cameron, Gustavo Durand, Julie Flaherty, Doug Grinbergs, Peter Jones
Acknowledgments
WebEvent began as a project at Boston University in 1994. Responding to public demand, its creator, James Cameron, and student programmer, Ted Buswell, released a freeware version later that year. The commercial version of WebEvent debuted in 1997. Many thanks to those at Boston University and around the world whose contributions and comments have influenced WebEvent's final form.