DESK TOP CALENDAR


If you use this FREE calendar, as I am doing, you will not only  L O V E it but will find it very helpful:

http://www.desktopcalendar.tk/



- Opening Desktop Calendar -

Having installed the program to the desired directory, double click the 'Desktop Calendar' icon to start the program. The name of the current month and the calendar grid will appear on your desktop. From here, you can right-click on one of the entry boxes to bring down a menu of options. Choose 'settings' and you'll be presented with DC's control center, from which you can edit numerous aspects of the program.

In the settings tab of the control center, you should see a tick next to the caption 'Run at Startup'. Keeping this box checked, will insure that the program opens every time you start your computer, so you don't have to open it from an icon.


- Changing the appearance of the calendar and background -

Although every image set comes with a specified layout and appearance, it is possible to change it to suit your needs. If you do so, just remember to uncheck the boxes captioned 'Use Pack Position' and 'Use Pack Style' in the Wallpaper tab of the control center. Play around in the Settings and Wallpaper tabs to get your calendar looking just right ... no changes you make in these tabs will be too hard to put back.

[Note: If you're still not satisfied with the positioning of the calendar on your desktop, you can move it more precisely by left clicking the menu bar above the calendar boxes and dragging it around the screen. This position will then be used next time DC is loaded up if 'Use Manual Positioning' is selected and your not using the theme's position.]

To change the wallpaper make sure the 'Use Desktop Calendar Wallpaper Packs' box is checked, and select a wallpaper from the menu below. You only start out with the default calendar pack, but if you want more you can either make them using the 'DC Creator' wizard or download them, both of which can be found on the Tinnes Software homepage.

From the Colours tab in the Control Center, you can define the colour scheme your calendar will use. For instance, by clicking on 'Today Colour', then choosing a different colour from the 'Select Colour' box at the bottom right hand side of the window, you can change the colour of the highlight used in the calendar to indicate what day it is today.

The 'Top Menu' section of the same tab, allows you to specify the colour of the small menu above the calendar. This is defaulted to the colour you have selected for your desktop [changeable in Display Properties, when you right click on the desktop].


- Using Desktop Calendars other functionalities -

In the 'Events' tab of the control center, you will find the current statistics of your calendar, including [but not limited to] the amount of calendar entries this year, the total amount of calendar entries in the whole calendar [yes, you can enter them in to the following years] and how many entries there are in each month of this year [see 'Year Overview' at the bottom of the window]. If you then click on the 'Events Overview' radio button you will be shown a list of all the events held in the database. You'll notice that if you have any events using the 'every year' function then this will be displayed next to the date of the current year e.g.. "06/05/2002 (every year)". If you click on one of these events you will see the number of days to go. This can be useful to see how long you've got to go before someone birthday for example. If you double click on one of the items in the list, you will be asked if you want to delete it. This method of deletion is good for removing past dates quickly and easily without having to go back years and removing it manually.

Tool tips are used to see the whole event without having to open up the edit box. There are two types, Standard and Balloon. STANDARD, this means that you can hover your mouse over a day and read the whole contents of the box. The calendar has to be selected for this to work which just means you have to click somewhere on it first. This is style is selected by default. BALLOON, if these are selected then when you hold down the left mouse button on a day the full contents of the box pops up in a balloon shaped bubble. These can hold more text then a Standard Tool tip so are better for long events. If you prefer not to have the Tool tips then you can disable them by selecting 'Don't use Tool tips'.

Finally there is Importing and Exporting. This can be quite complicated and is explain on the web site with the use of guides.

But enough about the control center ... once you've set everything up there, you can forget about it for now and get down to the basic every day use of the desktop calendar. There are two ways you can put entries in to the calendar ... one, by right clicking on an entry box and choosing 'Edit' from the menu which rolls down, but the quicker way is just to double left click on an entry box to bring up the same edit screen. From there, add any entries you wish, and click apply. You can also delete entries by either right clicking and selecting 'Clear' or by opening the edit window and deleting the text manually. Should a complete entry not fit in the entry box, a dotted line [...] will appear after the cut-short text and you should double click to read the rest of the entry.

To scroll through the months, use the small arrows either side of the top menu or the Hotkeys....

(The program has to be selected for these to work. This just means you have to click somewhere on the calendar first)

F1 - Show Today's Events
F2 - Previous Month
F3 - Current Month
F4 - Next Month

F5 - Refresh
F8 - Settings

F9 - Switch Box Style
F12 - Compact\Expand
*================================================*
* Desktop Calendar - How To! *
* *
* A breif introduction, *
* explaining some of the ins *
* and outs of *
* Desktop Calendar, *
* by Tinnes Software and Joseph Salter *
* *
* www.desktopcalendar.tk *
*================================================*
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Thank you for using Tinnes Software and please remember to visit the Tinnes Software homepage on a regular basis for updates and Wallpaper Packs, by clicking on the link under the 'About' tab in the control center.

There is more detailed help on the web site.. http://www.desktopcalendar.tk/