• IT Services
• Sundial
• Quick Start Guide

Quick Start Guide

This quick guide to the main features of Sundial will come in handy as you learn to use this calendaring system. The how-to's are arranged in the order in which we think you'll need to learn them, but they in no way cover all the features of Sundial. Optional activities are added to show some of the product's versatility and available options.

Italics text in parenthesis throughout this document represents the Mac equivalent steps.  Icons represent the Mac presentation. On the PC, "tool tips" will appear telling you what the button is used for when you hover over it with your mouse arrow.

Getting Started

1. If you have not already done so, go to the Sundial Calendar web site (http://calendar.stanford.edu/) and download the Sundial installer for your platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, Palm Sync).  The installation instructions will take you through account registration, software installation, and logging into your new account.
2. Upon initial log-in to Sundial, two windows should be open: one labeled In-Tray and a second window behind the In-Tray showing a Day View of your Sundial calendar.
3. To switch to another calendar view, click on the three available options - View Day  (currently displaying), View Week , and View Month  
4. An on-line Help menu is available to assist you as you work in your Agenda by selecting Contents from the Help menu. (click on Help  icon)

Access Rights

Scheduling - Allow Others to Invite You to Meetings

By default, any Sundial user can invite you to meetings.
To change Scheduling rights:

1. From the Tools menu, choose Access Rights.
2. Choose the Scheduling tab (icon).
3. Select Default: Any unlisted person from the list box, and click on the Can invite you to Entries box.
4. Click OK.
   

Set Viewing (only) Rights to Your Agenda for Another User

By default, any Sundial user can view only the times of your meetings (normal, confidential, and personal), no other information can be seen.
To change Viewing rights:

1. Select Access Rights under the Tools menu.
2. Select the Viewing tab (icon).
3. Select Default: Any unlisted person from the list box, and click on the No viewing rights check box.
4. Click OK.
   

::top of page

Designates

Create a Designate (a person allowed to create or modify your agenda entries in your name)

1. Select Access Rights under the Tools menu.
2. Enter the name of the individual that you wish to grant Designate rights to and click on the "check" search box. 
3. Click on the person's name to highlight and select it in the user name list box.
4. Click on the "No designate rights" (Defaults) box to uncheck this option.  This will allow you to choose other options.
5. Click on the Modify box (button) next to Normal Entries (Normal).
6. Click OK.

This individual now has access rights to open your agenda as a Designate and to create or modify all Meetings, Day Events and Notes that are not marked as Personal or Confidential.

Create a Meeting as a Designate

1. From the File menu, select Open as Designate and Agenda (select Agenda and Open as Designate).
2. From the list of Users and Resources that have assigned you Designate rights, select the agenda that you would like to work on behalf of and click OK.
3. Create Meeting as outlined in the following exercises.

Meetings that you create while working as a Designate will appear with the following notation: "Proposed by (Designate) for (Designee)."

Respond to a Meeting as a Designate

Responding to a meeting while acting as a Designate in another person's Agenda is the same as responding to a meeting proposal in your own Agenda.  Please refer to the Responding to a Meeting Proposal section in this document.

::top of page

Meetings

Create a Meeting for Yourself

1. Click on the New Meeting  icon or double-click on a free time area in your Agenda.
2. In the New Meeting pop-up screen, give your meeting a Title and Location.
3. Edit the Start and End Times, as well as the Date and Duration as needed.
4. Option: you can make the meeting Confidential - Change the access to Confidential using the Access drop down menu. However, the meeting time will still be viewable. This allows other users to accurately determine your availability.
5. Click OK.

Any user to whom you have not given access rights to see Confidential Entries will only see the time of the Meeting and a padlock when they view your Agenda.

Create a Meeting With Another User

1. Click on the New Meeting  icon or double-click on a free time area in your Agenda.
2. In the New Meeting pop-up screen, give your meeting a Title and Location.
3. Edit the Start and End Times, as well as the Date and Duration as needed.
4. To invite another user:
   • type all or part of the person's last name in the Add: box and click on the "Check" icon; or
   • click on the Magnifying Glass search tool icon, enter all or part of the invitee's last name in the Surname box and/or the organization in the Organization box, and click the Search button. Select the invitee's name in list box and click Add. Then click OK.

   

The person's name should now appear in the Attendees box along with your own.

1. Option: you can set a reminder for yourself - Select the Reminders tab (icon) and set a reminder for 10 minutes Before Start, by Pop-up window and by Email.
2. Click OK.

A meeting will now appear on your Agenda and you will receive an email message and/or a Reminder Pop-up box will appear on your computer 10 minutes before the meeting is about to start. 

Notes for Meeting Maker users:

c.c. equivalent: Create a new meeting as discussed above and click OK. In the dialog box that asks "All attendees agendas have been updated. Do you also wish to send them an email?" click Yes. Then, in the Mail Message screen, enter the name of the person you want to c.c. in the Other: text box and click the Checkmark button. Then click Send. This will send an email about the meeting to the user but will not add the meeting to their agenda.

b.c.c. equivalent: 1. Create a new meeting as a designate in another user's agenda or, 2. Create a new meeting in your own agenda (as discussed above), then select your name in the Attendees list box in the People/Resources tab and click Delete. You will be the proposer of the meeting but the meeting will not be added to your Agenda.

Create a Repeating Meeting

1. Click on the New Meeting  icon or double-click on a free time area in your Agenda.
2. In the New Meeting pop-up screen, give your meeting a Title and Location.
3. Edit the Start and End Times, as well as the Date and Duration as needed.
4. Invite another Sundial user to the meeting.
5. Make the meeting Repeating by clicking on the Repeating button.
6. Set the meeting frequency by choosing appropriate options in the Frequency drop down menu. Note that your options change based on the Frequency chosen (i.e. weekly, monthly on date(s), monthly on day(s), yearly).
7. Set Start and End Dates or Duration (using Until and For buttons).
8. A list of dates will be generated and shown in the Result box.  Check to see that the Result box shows your intended meeting dates, then click OK (and then OK again on the New Meeting screen for PC).
   

Note: If you choose to schedule a recurring monthly meeting by date and that date falls on a non-work day in any particular month, Sundial will NOT automatically move the date to the next work day.  However, any missing dates can be noted from the Results box entries and any additional dates can then be entered separately using the Add Date button (Additional date section).

Create a Meeting Including a Resource (e.g. a Conference Room)

1. Click on the New Meeting  icon or double-click on a free time area in your Agenda.
2. In the New Meeting pop-up screen, give your meeting a Title, edit the Start and End Times, as well as the Date and Duration as needed.
3. On the People/Resources tab, select the Magnifying Glass search tool icon, select the Resource tab (icon), and enter search criteria for the Conference Room or other resource you are looking for and click the Search button.
4. Highlight the appropriate Resource from the Found list, click Add and then click OK.  (You may also click on the Information button at the bottom of the Resources screen to view more information about the highlighted Resource.)
5. Click OK to send the Meeting proposal.  You will receive the following message if the Resource is not available: "A conflict exists for one or more resources.  Please check conflicts."  (Clicking on the Check Conflicts button will give you more information regarding the conflict.)
   

Resources are invited to Meetings in the same way that people are invited.  Resources can only be created by the systems administrator or a person granted those rights by the systems administrator.

Create a Meeting Using the Suggest Date/Time Function

1. Click on the New Meeting  icon.
2. In the New Meeting pop-up screen, give your meeting a Title and Location.
3. Add one or more invitees to your meeting.
4. From the Tools menu at the top of the New Meeting pop-up screen, select Suggest Date/Time (from the View menu. select the Suggest Date/Time).
5. Alter the Date and Duration and Search for Time sections accordingly, and click the List Suggestions button.
6. Highlight a suggested Date/Time, make any necessary alterations in the Selected Date section, and click OK.
7. Option, you can mark this new meeting as Tentative - On the New Meeting screen, check the "Tentative" box at the top of the screen.
8. Click OK to send your proposal.
   

Tentative meetings are appended with the word Tentative in all agenda views, and also appear in a lighter (darker) green color than confirmed meetings.

Respond to a Meeting Proposal

1. Meetings that other individuals have proposed to you that you have yet to accept, will appear in your agenda in Blue.
2. From the Agenda screen, you can double-click on the meeting, where the Reply tab will already be selected, to indicate whether you will accept/decline the Meeting.
3. From the In-Tray, you can drag and drop the Meeting to the appropriate folder (either the Entries You've Accepted or the Entries You've Refused folders) or double-click the meeting entry to decide how you will accept/decline the Proposal.
4. You can send an email to either the person proposing the meeting or all meeting invitees, by clicking on the Envelope icon (the Envelope icon appears in the response area of the People/Resources tab (icon)).

Once you have responded to a Meeting Proposal, meetings to which you have confirmed your attendance will now appear in Green and meetings you have declined will appear in Red.  (If you would rather have Refused or Unconfirmed meetings not appear in your calendar at all, you can make these changes in the Tools (Oracle Calendar), Options (Preferences), Agenda screen.  NOTE that if you choose not to have Unconfirmed Meetings displayed in your agenda, the only place that new meeting proposals will appear is in your In-Tray.)

::top of page

Groups

Create a Group

1. From the Tools menu bar choose Manage Groups
2. Click New and give your group a name
3. Search for and add members to your group
4. Select a Group Type from the drop-down menu (Private or Members Only - Private groups are for your own personal use only, and Members Only groups can be seen and used by all members of the group.)
5. Click OK
   

Note: Individual users can only create Personal or Members Only groups. Public groups can be created only by the systems administrator.

Use This Group to Create a Group Meeting

1. Select the Open Group Agenda  icon.
2. Click the Magnifying Glass  icon in the pop-up box.
3. In the Directory Search pop-up box, select the Groups tab (icon).
4. Enter a group name or partial name and/or check one or more group types. Then, click the Search button to search for groups that meet your criteria.
5. Highlight the group you just created and click OK.
6. Select individual members of the group that you wish to invite to a meeting and click Add. Or, click Add All to add the entire group. Then, click OK.
   
   
   
7. Click OK again to open the Group Agenda view.
8. Use the arrows located on the Date bar to move through the days until you find an appropriate time for your meeting when all attendees are available.Look down the Combined column to find an appropriate time slot that is not colored in red.
   
   
   
9. Click on the row adjacent to the time you have chosen for your meeting to highlight it (or click, hold and scroll down to include multiple time slots), and then click on the New Meeting icon.  (Your chosen date, time and attendees will already be entered.)
10. Give your meeting a Title and Location.
11. Option: Click the Attachment tab to add an attachment - Select the Attach button.  Locate and double-click on the file you wish to attach to this meeting.
12. Option: Click the Details tab to add comments - In the Description box, type your comments to meeting attendees regarding the attachment (e.g. please review the attached document prior to this meeting).
13. Click OK.

A meeting will now appear on all invitees' calendars, which they can open to view the attachment and your comments.  The meeting will include a Paper Clip icon indicating that an attachment has been included for the meeting.

::top of page

Print Your Agenda

1. From the File menu, choose Print (Print Preview).
2. (Mac only -- click the Options button to display the Oracle Calendar Preferences pop-up box.)
3. Select a layout, such as Franklin Day Planner Executive, from the Layout drop-down menu.
4. Click OK (then click the Print button).

You can choose your layout from numerous pre-set options in the drop-down Layout list, or click the Options button (various icons) to select from a wide variety of layout and content possibilities.  If you choose to create your own agenda layout, you can save the layout you have created by clicking on the Save As (New) button to store it for future use.

Create Calendar Entries

Create a Daily Note

1. Select the New Daily Note  icon.
2. Enter a Title and a Date for the Note.
3. Click OK.
   

A Daily Note is a memo a user can enter into his/her Agenda.  It has a date, but no start or end time.  Daily Notes appear at the bottom of your Agenda views, can have details or attachments included, and can be for only you or other people, resources or groups can be invited.

MeetingMaker users: Daily Note is similar to Banners, but a Daily Note appears on each day.

Create a Day Event

1. Select the New Day Event  icon.
2. Enter a Title and Date (Start).
3. Option: you can set a reminder for yourself - Select the Reminders tab and select the Display upcoming for 5 days button (click the Reminder box, and select Display Upcoming and 5 Days option).
4. Click OK.
   

A Day Event is an entry that runs an entire day but does not block out time in the user's agenda.  Day Events appear at the bottom of your Agenda views, can have details or attachments included, and can be for only you or other people, resources or groups can be invited.

Create a Task

1. Select the New Task  icon
2. Enter a Title
3. Option: add a Due Date - Click the Due Date button and enter a Date one week from today.
4. Select the Details tab and enter a description of your task in the Comments section
5. Click OK
   

A Task is a specific project that needs to be completed and tracked.  A user can enter a Task directly into their Agenda or it can be linked to a Meeting.  A Task appears on the right-hand side of the Day View, can have a start/due date, can include an attachment, as well as Priority and Access Levels.

Task Differences between Web and Desktop Client

The following tasks cannot be accomplished using the web client -

• Act as a Designate in other persons' Agenda (you can view others' agendas if they have given you rights to do so)
• Access your In-tray or Address Book
• Set some default options

The following tasks can only be accomplished using the web client -

• Global Access Viewing (similar to Publishing in Meeting Maker)
• Create a Favorites list to allow quick and easy access to other agendas for which you have been granted access rights.

::top of page

Searching

Search in Your Agenda

1. Select the binocular Search Agenda  icon.
2. Enter all or part of a text string or person's name (search criteria is case sensitive on Mac) and alter the search period dates in the search boxes on the Search Criteria tab (by clicking on the arrow next to the Period notation in the box in the center of the screen).
3. Further refine the scope of your search by checking or un-checking criteria boxes under the Options tab (search criteria can be altered by clicking on the arrows next to the various options in the box in the center of the screen).
4. Click the Search button and your result will appear in the Search Results (Found) section at the bottom of the screen.
5. You can then double-click on any of the result items to see where they appear in your agenda.
   

Directory Search - find another Sundial user, Resource, or Group

1. Select Search Directory under the Tools menu.
2. Enter appropriate search criteria on either the People, Resources, or Groups tab (select either the People, Resources or Groups icon and enter the appropriate search criteria)
3. Click the Search button for People or Resources, or scroll down the list of available Groups.
4. You can click on the Information button at the bottom of the screen to see if any additional information is available for the Person, Resource or Group you have located.

Accessing Sundial on the Web

Your Sundial Agenda is also available on the web at:

http://sundial.stanford.edu

For additional questions or inquiries, please refer to the On-line Help within the product.