Screenshot of Outlook 03 in calendar view mode, on view by week setting
Figure 1. Outlook 2003 in calendar view mode, on view by week setting

You can use Outlook 2003 not only to access email, but also to use an online calendar. This has several benefits: you can access the calendar from any Exchange client, including Outlook Web Access; other Nexus users can use your free/busy information to schedule meetings with you; and you can give other people access to your calendar so they can add or update events, or just view your schedule.

This guide will explain how you can import events from your existing Outlook 2003 calendar on your local computer into the online calendar, how to share your calendar with your colleagues and view their shared calendars, and how to use Free/Busy information to help schedule a meeting with other Nexus users. It assumes you have already successfully configured Outlook 2003 to access Oxford Nexus.

1. Transferring events from your local calendar to the Exchange server

If you already use the calendar function in Outlook 2003, you may want to transfer your existing calendar entries into your new Nexus calendar, so that you can access your calendar from anywhere using Outlook Web Access, or so that you can share your calendar with other Nexus users.

The way to do this depends on the way that you have set up Outlook: If your existing calendar items are stored within the same Outlook Profile that you are using to access Nexus, follow the instructions below to move your existing calendar entries. If you are using a new Outlook Profile to connect to Nexus (for example, because you already connect to another Exchange Server), you will need to export your calendar to a file.

1.1. Move events between calendars

A simple way to move calendar entries from one calendar to another is to drag and drop them.
  1. In Outlook 2003, go the the calendar view. You should see (at least) two calendars listed in the Navigation Pane. You can view them side-by side by checking the boxes next to each:
    Shows two calendars side-by-side, in Week view. The left-hand calendar contains some events, whilst the right-hand calendar, the one stored on Nexus, is empty
    Figure 2. View two calendars
  2. View your existing calendar by Category, by clicking [View/Arrange by/Current View/By Category] on the Outlook menu:
    Shows the menu sequence needed to view by category
    Figure 3. Navigating the View Menu
    You will now see your calendar items in a list:
    A list of calendar events
    Figure 4. Calendar in List view
    If your list is empty, you have the wrong calendar selected. Choose the correct calendar from the list of calendars at the top left, and change the view again.
  3. Click on the icon next to the first event in your list, to select the event. Press <Ctrl-A> on your keyboard to select all the events:
    All the events are highlighted to show they are selected
    Figure 5. Select all events
  4. Now drag and drop your events onto your Nexus calendar. Left-click on any calendar item, hold down the mouse button and drag across to the name of your Nexus calendar in the Navigation Pane on the left (Calendar in Mailbox - Your Name). Your current calendar will now be empty:
    Having moved all your items, the current calendar is now empty
    Figure 6. Empty calendar
    Click on the name of your Nexus calendar to see your events, transferred to the Nexus system. You may need to click [View/Arrange By/Current View/"Day/Week/Month"] to get back to the normal calendar view:
    The Nexus calendar now shows your events, and your old calendar is empty
    Figure 7. Transferred Calendar

1.2. Export existing calendar and import to Nexus

If your existing calendar entries are not stored within the Outlook profile that you are using to connect to Nexus, you will need to export your calendar from your old profile, and import it to your new one.
  1. Start up Outlook 2003 and choose the profile where your existing calendar is stored:
    Choose Profile screen with "Outlook" (normally the name of the first profile created for Outlook) selected
    Figure 8. Choose old Outlook profile
    [If Outlook automatically logs in with the wrong Profile you will need to close Outlook, go to Windows Control Panel, double click Mail, click Show Profiles, and select Prompt for a profile to be used.]
  2. Click [File/Import and Export...] from the Outlook menu.
  3. Choose Export to a file and click Next:
    List of import/export options with "Export to a file" selected
    Figure 9. Import and Export Wizard
  4. Choose Personal Folder File (.pst) and click Next:
    A list of file types that Outlook can export to, with Personal Folder File selected
    Figure 10. Export Wizard
  5. Choose the calendar that you want to export. This may be within your Personal Folders, or on another server. If your calendar has subfolders then select Include subfolders, then click Next:
    Mail folder tree with the calendar selected
    Figure 11. Select Calendar
  6. Click Browse... to choose a place for the exported file, where you will be able to find it easily, perhaps on your desktop. Give the file a suitable name and click OK to return to the Export Wizard. Click Finish to confirm:
    The location for the exported file, and duplication options
    Figure 12. Choose file name
    [Note that since you are creating a new file, there will be no duplicate items so you can ignore the options relating to these].
  7. You will now see a screen with encryption settings. You can just leave the defaults selected here, but remember to go and delete the export file once you have successfully imported it to your Nexus account:
    Allows you to change encryption settings and set a password for the export file
    Figure 13. Encryption Settings
    Click OK to complete the export process.
  8. Now close down Outlook, and start it again, this time connecting to your Nexus account.
  9. Click [File/Import and Export...] from the Outlook menu. Select Import from another program or file and click Next:
    Import and Export options with Import from another program or file selected
    Figure 14. Import and Export Wizard
  10. Choose Personal Folder File (.pst) and click Next:
    List of file types that can be imported, with Personal Folder File selected
    Figure 15. Import File type
  11. Click Browse and navigate to the file you just exported. Select the file and then click Open to return to the import Wizard:
    Import Wizard screen filled in with the file name and duplicates options
    Figure 16. Choose import file
    You can now choose what to do if any items in the exported file already exist in your Nexus calendar: replace them with the entries in the exported file, allow duplicates to be imported into your Nexus calendar, or do not import duplicates, just keeping the Nexus version of duplicated items. Then click Next to continue.
  12. Now select Calendar and select your Nexus mailbox to import into, then click Finish to complete the import:
    A list of folders available within the imported file, and option to choose the destination mailbox
    Figure 17. Select folder

2. Sharing calendars

Using Outlook 2003 with your Nexus Exchange account enables you to share your online calendar with colleagues within the University, and view calendars that others share with you.

  1. Click on the Calendar button found in the Navigation bar on the left (or press <Ctrl-2>). This will open your calendar as shown below:
    Calendar view by week with some events
    Figure 18. Calendar view
  2. To share your calendar with others, right click on the name of your Nexus calendar under My Calendars. This will be in the format Calendar in Mailbox - Your Name. Choose [Sharing] from the resulting menu
    Calendar Properties screen with Permissions tab selected
    Figure 19. Calendar Permissions screen
  3. Click Add to open the Add Users screen, and type in the beginning of the name of the person you want to share with, to find them in the list:
    A list of names from the global address list
    Figure 20. Add Users screen
    Click on the name of the person you want to share with, and then click Add. You can add more than one person at once if you wish. Then click OK.
  4. You will now return to the permissions screen, but the person or people you just selected are now included in the list of users:
    Calendar Properties screen with new user added
    Figure 21. Users list
    However, they do not have permission to access your calendar at this stage.
  5. Edit the permissions for the new user by choosing an option from the drop-down list marked Permission Level, or create a custom access level by selecting from the options below. To allow someone to view but not change your calendar, choose the Permission level Reviewer:
    In this example the user has been given Reviewer permission which allows them to see the calendar folder, and read the items within it, but not to add, edit or delete items
    Figure 22. Reviewer Permissions
    Click OK to confirm your changes.

Private calendar events: Some clients do not fully support private items and your private items may be revealed to those you share your calendar with. Please see the "How private are my private calendar entries?" entry in the Nexus FAQ for more details.

3. Viewing a shared calendar

  1. Go to the Calendar view in Outlook 2003. Click on the link in the Navigation Pane: Open a Shared Calendar...
    Calendar view showing the location of the "Open a Shared Calendar" link
    Figure 23. Calendar view
  2. Now click Name... to choose the Nexus user whose calendar you want to open:
    Dialog box to enter the name of the user
    Figure 24. Open Calendar
  3. Select the person from the list of Nexus users. (Type in the beginning of their name to scroll to the right place in the list.)
    List of Nexus users to choose from
    Figure 25. Choose user
    Click OK and then OK again.
  4. Assuming that the chosen person has given you permission to view their calendar, you will now see their calendar listed under Other Calendars in the Navigation Pane. Click on it to view it alongside your own:
    Viewing two calendars side-by-side
    Figure 26. View shared calendar

4. Scheduling meetings using Outlook 2003

One of the great features of Nexus which can be accessed through Outlook is the ability to schedule meetings with colleagues. You can easily see when someone is free and plan your meetings accordingly. To schedule a meeting follow the instructions below:

  1. Click on the Calendar option in the Navigation Pane (or press <Ctrl-2>).
  2. To create a new meeting, appointment, or event, you can either click New (at the top of the screen), or double-click in your calendar. This will open up the Appointment screen. Here you can specify
    Subject
    The name of the event as it will appear in your calendar
    Location
    The place where the event will take place
    Label
    One of a set of coloured flags to help you organise your calendar
    Start time and End time
    The beginning and end times, but see below for instructions on how to check the availability of the other participants, if any
    Reminder
    Should Outlook remind you when the event is due, and if so, how far in advance?
    Show time as
    Specify whether you will be Free, Tentative, Busy, or Out of Office for the duration of the event. For example, if you are entering the date of your holiday, you might want to choose Out of Office; for someone's birthday you might choose Free; for an uncofirmed meeting Tentative; or for an appointment, Busy. These labels will help others to schedule meetings with you at mutually convenient times.
    Body text
    This is a space for you to add any notes etc. which relate to the event.
    An example appointment
  3. If you want to invite other people to the event, click the Invite Attendees button in the toolbar at the top. Now an extra field appears above the subject line, labelled To.... Add attendees in the same way as you would for an email message, either by typing in their address or by clicking on the To button and choosing people from the address book:
    Now the appointment has two recipients in the To field. Otherwise it looks the same
  4. You can now use the calendar free/busy information of the other participants to help you choose a suitable time for the meeting. Click on the Scheduling tab. Each participant is listed, including yourself. Items in their calendars are marked as either Busy (full blue bar), Tentative (striped blue bar), or Out of Office (purple bar). If there is no information for a participant (e.g. not a Nexus user), their bar appears white with diagonal black stripes. You can scroll and click in the calendar to choose a date/time, or use the boxes below the calendar. Alternatively Outlook will pick the next available time if you click the Autopick Next button.
    Calendar availability for the event organiser plus two attendees
  5. Once you have chosen the start and finish times, click Send to send an email inviting your participants to the event. It will be added to your own calendar as well.
  6. If you need to change the event later, you can double-click on it in your calendar to open it. Make your changes and then click Send Update to inform the other participants.