User guide

v.01/2024

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Personal calendar

  1. Add an event
    In the New menu, select Event or click in the corresponding time slot.

    Events have a default duration. You can change it in the Settings.

  2. Add an "all day" event
    In the New menu, select Event or click in the corresponding time slot. Then, tick the (day) checkbox. The all-day event appears at the top of the page.
  3. View event details
    You have 3 options:
    • Click on the event and then on Edit in the info bubble that appears.
    • Double click on the event, with the left mouse button.
    • Click the right mouse button to display the Actions and select Open
  4. Duplicate an event
    If you need to create an event similar to an existing event, select Duplicate in the Actions of the existing event, make the necessary changes and click on Save to create the new event.

    If you need to create many similar events, maybe you should use Periodicity.

  5. Repeat an event
    Some events occur repeatedly, such as birthdays, some meetings, sport activities, etc. Instead of creating an event each time, you can create a single event and define the periodicity pattern.

    Display the event details and go to Periodicity. Tick the Enable checkbox to choose the options.

    This operation will create an event series. According to the circumstances, you will be able to act on a given event or on the whole series. For instance, if you have a weekly meeting, there will be weeks when the meeting will not occur at all (holidays, etc.). You will be able to create such exceptions without impacting the series. In this case, just delete the corresponding events. Before each action (edit, delete), you will be asked whether the action will impact the selected event or the whole series.

    Note: when you choose Never under Range (an event that will repeat forever), only 20 instances will be created so that your calendar does not get full.

    If you end up with only exceptions, we advise to use the duplicate feature instead.

    If you disable the periodicity later, all events (including the first one) will be deleted.

  6. Set an event colour
    Different event background colours are available. When creating or editing an event, select a colour next to Colour.

    Colours are only displayed to yourself: you can set a colour for a meeting, but it will only be displayed in your calendar.

  7. Availability
    These options are standards. You will find them in third-party software, such as Microsoft Outlook.
    • Busy: This is the default status for normal events, meaning that you are actually busy because of this event.
    • Free: This means you are still available, despite the event. For instance, you have created an event to remind you that an item will be delivered between 2 and 4 but you are not actually busy waiting for it and unable to do something else. "Free" is the default status for "all day" events because you are at work although it is John's birthday (or even yours).
    • Tentative: This status is for unconfirmed reservations in your calendar. Meetings invitations that you haven't accepted (or refused) yet appear with a tentative status; when you accept them, they switch to the busy status. Use the Tentative status when you create an event which is not sure yet.
    • Out of office: This status means you can't accept events because you are not at the office, for professional or personal reasons. If you want a day off because it's your birthday, create an all-day event and apply this status, instead of the default status (which is "Free", as explained before).
  8. Visibility
    By default, your events are visible as busy timeslots to members of the groups you belong to. This eases schedule sharing and simplifies the creation of meetings and polls. By default, the confidentiality is set to Visible.

    It is possible to completely hide an event to some or all members of your groups:
    • If you choose Visible to some members, the event will appear as a busy timeslot and only to members you have granted the read right in your calendar. With this setting, you can for instance let your assistant know that you are busy without revealing the details.
    • If you choose Invisible, the event becomes invisible to all without exception.
  9. Maximal number by time slot
    Up to 5 calendar events can be displayed in the same time slot.

Personal calendar sharing

  1. Display your Calendar access rights
    In the My calendar Actions, select Access rights.
  2. Default rights
    • View events: all group members may always view the busy time slots in your calendar. If you wish to hide the busy time slot itself, create a private event.
    • View event details: yourself.
    • Edit your calendar (add, edit and delete events): yourself.
  3. Edit access rights in your calendar
    If you wish to allow a member to view your event details, grant him the Read right.

    If you wish to allow a member to edit your calendar (i.e., add, delete and edit any event), grant him the Read and Write right. Do not give this right to just anybody.

  4. Grant access rights to a member
    1. Click on Add.
    2. Select a group this member belongs to.
    3. You can also search for this member by entering their name (or part of it) in the search field.
    4. Select the right you wish to grant in the Access rights pull-down menu.
    5. Click on Add.
    6. The member now appears in the rights summary.
    You may select several members.

    You can remove the access rights you have granted at any time.

  5. Grant access rights to all group members
    1. Click on Add.
    2. Select a group.
    3. Select the access right you wish to grant in the Access rights pull-down menu.
    4. Click on Add.
    5. The group now appears in the rights summary.
    Note: If someone joins the group later, he will automatically be granted the same access rights. If you wish to avoid that, grant rights to the individual members that are now in the group.

    Likewise, if a current member leaves the group later, he will lose the granted access rights.

    You can remove the access rights you have granted at any time.

Other calendars

  1. Features
    You have only one calendar but you can access other calendars:
    • Group member calendar
    • Group calendar
    • External calendar
    Besides, you can layer calendars (and include yours in the layering or not). These calendars cannot be accessed on a mobile device, except for the group members calendars that you can access with CalDAV (provided you have the necessary access rights).
  2. Manage calendars
    Choose Other calendars in My calendar Actions. Start by adding at least one calendar.

    Note: Your subscription sets the maximum number of calendars you may add.

  3. Add a group member calendar
    In Other calendars, click on Add an internal calendar. Select one or more members and click on OK.

    By default, you will only see busy time slots. If you have been granted the Read right, you will view event details. If you have been granted the Read & Write right, you will also be able to add, edit and delete events in this other calendar.

  4. Add a group calendar
    If you want to access a group calendar only from time to time, you don't have to add it here. Just select the group name in the environment pull-down menu. Add it here if you have to access it frequently and/or if you need to layer it with other calendars.

    In Other calendars, click on Add a calendar. Select a group calendar by ticking the box in the header, next to the group name and click on OK.

    You always have the Read right in a group calendar: event titles and details will always be displayed. If you have been granted the Read and Write right, you will also be allowed to add, edit and delete events.

  5. Add an external calendar
    An external calendar contains public events (bank holidays, school holidays, sports events, etc.) and is available on the Web (see for instance iCalShare).

    In Other calendars, click on Add an external calendar. Enter an explicit name for this calendar, its address (it must begin with "http://" or "https://"; make sure it does not start with "webcal://"). You can also choose a colour for all events of this calendar. Click on URL check and, if the URL is accepted, click on Save. Click on Create. If the address is accepted, the calendar appears in the list.

    Depending on the external calendar provider, events displayed might be limited up to certain number of days in the future (Outlook and iCloud: 200 days, Google: a year).

    These calendars are always read-only: you cannot therefore edit them.

  6. Layering
    When you add a calendar in Other calendars, it is automatically layered:
    • To exclude it from the layering, untick the box next to its name in the left part of the screen.
    • To include it in the layering, tick this same box
    • To hide other calendars, select View only this calendar in its Actions.
    • To edit a calendar, first click on its name in the left part of the screen to select it.
    .When layering is on, each event is displayed with the initials of its owner. External calendars initials come from the name you have given them.

    Note: Your subscription sets the maximum number of calendars you may layer at the same time.

  7. Delete a calendar
    To hide a calendar temporarily, you don't have to delete it. Just untick the box next to its name in the left part of the screen. To delete it from the list, go to Other calendars, bring the mouse on this calendar and click on the Remove icon.

Group calendar

  1. Access to a group calendar
    Select the group name in the second pull-down menu (the default value is "Private").
  2. Group calendar usage
    The group calendar will contain events of interest for all group members.

    According to the access rights you have received from the group administrator, you will be able to add, edit or delete events.

  3. Display a group calendar access rights
    Select Access rights in the group Calendar Actions.
  4. Default rights
    • All group members may always view events and their details. This Read right cannot be removed.
    • Group administrator and co-administrators may always edit the group calendar (add, edit and delete): they are granted the Read and Write right.
  5. Edit access rights in a group calendar
    To allow a member to edit the group calendar (i. e. add, delete and edit any event), grant him the Read and Write right. Don't give this right to just anybody.
  6. Grant access rights to a member
    1. Click on Add.
    2. Select a group this member belongs to.
    3. You can also search for this member by entering their name (or part of it) in the search field.
    4. Select the right you wish to grant in the Access rights pull-down menu.
    5. Click on Add.
    6. The member now appears in the rights summary.
    You may select several members.

    You can remove the access rights you have granted at any time.

  7. Grant access rights to all group members
    1. Click on Add.
    2. Select a group.
    3. Select the access right you wish to grant in the Access rights pull-down menu.
    4. Click on Add.
    5. The group now appears in the rights summary.
    Note: If someone joins the group later, he will automatically be granted the same access rights. If you wish to avoid that, grant rights to the individual members that are now in the group.

    Likewise, if a current member leaves the group later, he will lose the granted access rights.

    You can remove the access rights you have granted at any time.

  8. Add a group event
    Go to the group calendar and check that you have the right to add events. If this is the case, add an event as you would do it in your private calendar.
  9. Invite all members to a group event
    Tick the Invite all members checkbox so that the event appears in all group members personal calendars. A meeting will be created in all personal calendars.

    Note: this option is available only when creating an event in a group calendar; it is not available for personal events or when editing a group calendar event.

  10. Add a group meeting
    You can create a meeting in the group calendar, so that it is displayed there. You are not compelled to invite all group members.

    If you wish this meeting to appear also in your private calendar, invite yourself. You will find your own name in the group members list, which is not the case when you create a meeting from your private calendar.

  11. Reminders in group calendar
    There are no reminders for group calendar events.

Public access

  1. Definition
    The standard access rights allow data sharing in groups of authenticated users.

    Public access allows you to publish data on the Web: anybody will be able to view them without a ContactOffice account and without any authentication.

    You just have to activate the public access and communicate the URL of a specific data by email, on your Web site, etc.

  2. What is public access for?
    Private calendar
    You can publish (on your website, for instance) your busy time slots so that people who wish an appointment with you can suggest a moment that is convenient. The purpose of this feature is to allow someone who does not use ContactOffice (or who does not belong to one of your groups) to view your calendar. Publishing the busy time slots should be enough.

    Group calendar
    You can publish the events organized by your department, service, association, etc. You will probably want to publish the details for a group calendar.

    A public calendar can be viewed in a light version of ContactOffice or in third-party software.

  3. Availability
    By default, public access is not available. If it is available, Public access is displayed in My calendar actions.
  4. Publish your calendar
    Choose Public access in your calendar Actions. Choose then a publishing mode:
    • View busy/free: only the busy time slots are displayed, without any indication. Events that you have set as private are not displayed.
    • View details: events subjects and descriptions are published as well. Use this mode with caution.
    At any time, you can stop publishing your calendar by choosing Disabled.
  5. Access a public calendar
    In the public access window, you will find 3 types of addresses, allowing to:
    • View your calendar in a light version of ContactOffice
    • Publish your calendar on a website
    • View your calendar in third-party software
  6. Public access and group calendar
    A group calendar can be published as well. The group administrator, as well as the group co-administrators, may access the settings by choosing Public access in the group calendar Actions.

Delete events

  1. Delete a single event
    Move the mouse to the event to display the info bubble or right click on the event to display its Actions. Then, select Delete.
  2. Delete old events
    Select Delete between 2 dates in a calendar Actions. Choose the 2 dates and click on Delete.

    Be sure to choose the right dates because the deletion cannot be undone.

Meetings

  1. What is a meeting?
    An event is turned into a meeting when you invite participants. These participants are selected among group members and contacts (only contacts with an email address can be selected).
  2. Pending meetings
    If you have pending meeting invitations, a red dot appears on the Calendar tool icon. Bring the mouse on the icon to display how much pending invitations you currently have. Go to the Calendar and click on Invitations, below My calendar to display the pending meeting invitations list.

    Note: invitations to past meetings are not counted nor displayed.

  3. Accept or decline a meeting
    The invitation to a meeting is indicated by a pictogram with a question mark. Click on its subject to display the details and choose for an answer:
    • Accept: click on Accept. You can still refuse the meeting later, by displaying the details and clicking on Refuse?.
    • Refuse and delete the meeting: click on Refuse. You can enter the reason why you decline. An email notification is sent to the meeting creator. Once the invitation is declined, the meeting disappears automatically from your calendar.
    • Refuse but keep it in your calendar: click on Refuse, enter a reason (optional) and untick the Delete checkbox. The meeting creator receives a notification stating you refuse the meeting. This feature is useful if your schedule is changed in the meantime or if you wish to keep track of a meeting without actually participating. Later, you will be able to accept the meeting by displaying the meeting details and clicking on Accept?. The meeting creator will be notified as well. A refused meeting is indicated by a crossed out pictogram.
  4. Create a meeting
    Create an event and enter all necessary data. At last, invite the participants in the Participants section. The persons you last invited are displayed as suggestions. Click on a person name to invite him/her. If necessary, click on Add to access your contacts (private and groups). Tick the boxes to invite participants. You can easily invite all group members by ticking the first box (All members).
    • Participants with a ContactOffice account: the meeting proposal appears directly in their calendar with a flickering question mark. By clicking on the meeting subject, they accept or decline the meeting with a single click. In case they decline, you get an email notification (with a reason for declining if provided) and the meeting disappears from their calendar.
    • Participants without a ContactOffice account: an email will be sent to them with the details of the meeting. They can accept or decline it with a single click. In case they decline, you get an email notification.
    Please note that a meeting that was first accepted can be declined later and conversely.
  5. Disable the email notification at creation time
    When you create a meeting, you can disable the email notification to participants having a ContactOffice account. This is useful, for instance, when you create several meetings in a row at the beginning of the year. To disable the email notifications, untick the box Notify internal participants located under the participants list.

    Note: participants who don't have a ContactOffice account always receive an email notification because it is the only way to inform them of the meeting creation.
  6. Group members in your private contacts
    If a group member is also in your private contacts and you invite him/her from your private contacts, ContactOffice will try to handle him/her like a ContactOffice user, so that the invitation appears in their account. This requires that one email address matches between the 2 contacts. In other words, the email address you have entered for your private contact must match one of the addresses in the group member Personal data.
  7. Invitations follow-up
    The meeting creator can at any time view the answer of each participant from the participants list. The possible status is: Invited (but no answer), Accepted or Refused. Please note that a participant who has first accepted a meeting may decline it later and conversely.

    The pictogram which signals a meeting in the calendar can change:

    • Figure with a question mark: at least one participant hasn't answered.
    • Crossed out figure: at least one participant has refused the meeting
    • Normal figure: all participants have accepted the meeting
    The participants Actions are displayed when you bring the mouse upon them. The meeting creator can:
    • Send a reminder
    • Delete a participant
  8. Edit a meeting
    Only the creator of a meeting may edit it.

    Details (schedule, subject, description and/or location) or participants can be edited. To make the changes, first click on the meeting subject.

    When the details are edited, the status of the invitations is reset: the participants must accept or refuse the edited meeting. An email notification is sent. You can disable this notification for each meeting.

  9. Cancel a meeting
    The meeting creator may at any time cancel the meeting by deleting it in their own calendar. Delete the meeting as you would delete a regular event. The meeting disappears from the calendar of the participants and an email notification is sent. You can disable this notification for each meeting.
  10. Remove a participant
    You can remove a participant, even if he has already accepted the meeting. Please note that the removed participant will not receive a notification.

    In the Participants tab, display the participant Actions and select Delete.

  11. Repeated meetings
    You can create repeated meetings in a single operation. A repeated meeting is a meeting with the same participants occurring each week, or the first day of the month for instance. Create an event, set the periodicity and then choose the participants.

    Note: participants will get a single email notification for the whole series, instead of an email for each meeting. Participants with a ContactOffice account will view all meetings in their pending meeting invitations (by clicking on Invitations in their calendar).

    Participants will be able to accept or refuse each meeting.

    A repeated meeting behaves just like a repeated event: you will be able to edit (change the schedule, add or remove a participant, etc.) a single meeting or the whole series. You can also remove one or more meetings from the series (because of holidays, etc.).

    If the periodicity is too complex and you end up with a series made only of exceptions, it is advised to create meetings using the Duplicate feature instead.

Polls

  1. Features
    Not easy to find a date when more than two people are involved! The meeting poll feature allows you to get participants votes on a selection of dates and times. It is much easier to find a schedule that is convenient for all or most participants.

    Note: Participants don't have to own a ContactOffice account. However, they must be in a private or group address book.

    There are no group polls. A poll is always created from the private environment and never appears in the group environment.

  2. Access to polls
    Click on Polls in the left part of the screen, under calendars, tags and invitations.
  3. Create a poll
    Select New and follow the wizard instructions.

    After the last step, participants get an email inviting them to participate to the poll by clicking on a hyperlink.

  4. Group members in your private contacts
    If a group member is also in your private contacts and you invite him/her from your private contacts, ContactOffice will try to handle him/her like a ContactOffice user, so that the invitation appears in their account. This requires that one email address matches between the 2 contacts. In other words, the email address you have entered for your private contact must match one of the addresses in the group member Personal data.
  5. View votes
    You can view the participants votes anytime by displaying the poll details.

    Please note that participants can change their vote anytime as well, because their agendas can change.

  6. Reminders
    To send a reminder to participants who haven't answered yet, display the poll details and click on Reminders. All participants who haven't answered yet are selected, but you can exclude some of them before you send the reminder.
  7. Choose the final date
    Anytime, you can choose the final date amongst the dates and times proposed to the participants votes. To do this, click on Select in the column of the chosen proposition. Please note that this operation cannot be undone: you won't be able to change the final date.

    Participants get a notification email. Besides, a meeting is created in the ContactOffice Calendar. It appears in your own calendar, as well as in the calendars of the participants who have an account. Participants without an account can accept or refuse the meeting by clicking on a hyperlink in the notification email.

    What to do if no date is convenient for all participants?

    If this is acceptable, choose the date that is convenient for most participants or for the most important ones. You can also edit the poll and add dates.

    What to do if several dates are convenient for all participants?

    As poll creator, you choose the final date alone.

    What to do if all the dates are not convenient for everyone

    Edit the poll and add other dates. But, sometimes, there is simply no solution.

  8. Edit a poll
    You can change the poll settings anytime. To do this, display the poll details and click on Edit. You can add or delete days and times, add a participant, etc.

    Participants get an email notification if you change dates, times or the participants list. No email is sent if you change the subject or the description.

  9. Close a poll
    If the meeting project is cancelled, or if you can't find a final date, you can close the poll. It is kept in its current state and can still be viewed by yourself and participants. However, votes are not allowed anymore. Besides, you can't edit the poll or choose a final date if a poll is closed.

    Note: A closed poll cannot be opened again. Think twice before closing one.

    Note: Once the final date has been chosen, the poll is automatically closed.

    To close a poll, display its details and click on Close.

  10. Delete a poll
    If you don't need a poll anymore, you can delete it. A poll is deleted for ever.

    To delete a poll, display its details and click on Delete.

Reminders

  1. Create an email reminder
    Display the event details and select the right reminder type next to Reminder. The reminder is sent to your default email address.
  2. Create an SMS reminder
    Display the event details and select the right reminder type next to Reminder. The reminder is sent to the phone number in your Personal data.
  3. Create a pop-up reminder
    A pop-up reminder will appear in the instant messaging. Display the event details and select this reminder type next to Reminder.
  4. Edit a reminder
    In the event details, next to Reminder, edit the schedule and/or the channel.
  5. Cancel a reminder
    In the event details, next to Reminder, select None.
  6. Agenda by SMS
    In the Calendar Settings, click on SMS. Choose the days as well as the content (the same day or the next day).

    Note: If your agenda is empty for one day, you will receive no SMS.

    You can also make a copy of your calendar on your cell phone by clicking on Send now: the content will be identical to the setting for the automatic mode (the same day or the next day).

    You can edit the settings at any time or cancel the calendar by SMS feature by selecting off all days.

  1. Search in tools and environments
    The search field is located in the upper right part of the screen. Enter a word or its first letters to launch a search.

    Search and tools:

    • If you are using a tool (Messages, for instance) and launch a search from there, it will search in this tool.
    • If no tool is selected when you launch a search (in the homepage, just after you have logged in, for instance), it will search in all tools. The results list will display the data type for each result. To get back to the homepage, click on the logo in the upper left corner.
    Search and environments:
    • If your private environment is selected when you launch a search (your private documents, for instance), it will search in this environment.
    • If a group is selected when you launch a search, it will search only in this group.
    • You can broaden or narrow the search by clicking on the triangle to display the advanced search options. In the Search in section, select Private or Private + Groups. If you select the latter, search will be done in all groups at the same time.
  2. Advanced search
    Most tools have an advanced search, the search criteria being specific to each tool.
  3. Results
    Results are limited to 200 items and are sorted by relevance.
  4. Last search
    You can display the results of the last search by clicking on Search results in the left part of the screen.
  5. Search field syntax
    • If you enter several words, you will get data that contain all these words. If you enter "OR" between words, you will get data that contain one of the words.
    • The search does make a difference between uppercase and lowercase.
    • You can add a star (*) after at least 4 characters to search on all words starting with these characters.
    Examples:
    • holiday Hawaii (equal to holiday AND Hawaii) will return data containing holiday and Hawaii.
    • Maui OR Hawaii will return data containing Maui or Hawaii.
    • "great holiday" (with the quotation marks) will return data containing the "great holiday" expression.
    • "info*" will return data containing words starting with info (information, informative, informed, etc.)
    • virus -computer will return data containing the word "virus" but not the word "computer".

Print

  1. Print a calendar
    Choose a view (day, week, etc.) and select Print in the ... (More) menu.
  2. Print an event
    Display the Actions and select Print.

Tags

  1. What are tags for?
    Tags allow for organizing your data with labels such as Urgent, Important, etc. and/or by project, client, etc. The first step is to create your own tags.
  2. Access to the tags
    Select any data, display its Actions and select Tags.
  3. Create a tag
    Display the tags of any data and click on Add. Enter the new tag name and choose a colour (optional).
  4. Edit a tag
    Tag names cannot be edited. However, you can change their colours.
  5. Delete a tag
    In the left part of the screen, display the tag Actions and select Delete.
  6. Tag an item
    Select Tags in the item Actions. In the tag window, tick one or more checkboxes, depending on the tags you wish to set. Later, you will be able to select other tags or unselect the current ones.

    Another method: select a Tag on the left without releasing the mouse button and move it to the item (drag & drop). You can also start from the item and drop it on the Tag.

  7. Display data with a given tag
    There are two ways to do this:
    • Click on a tag in the left part of the screen. If the tag list is not displayed, open it by clicking on the triangle. To get back to the normal display, click on the current folder (My calendar, My contacts, etc.)
    • Open the advanced search and select a tag.
  8. Tags and groups
    Tags belong to a person and not to a group: there are no group tags. It is not advised to use tags in a group data.

Mobile synchronization

  1. Features
    Synchronize your smartphone (iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.) apps with the ContactOffice Messages, Calendars and Contacts. Access ContactOffice data directly in your phone apps (example: the iPhone Calendar app) and synchronize with them.

    You can synchronize several devices, ContactOffice being the synchronization server. Your subscription sets the number of devices you may synchronize.

    Should a problem occur during the synchronize process (lost connection, power failure, etc.), the next synchronization will assume that up-to-date data are on ContactOffice.

    This synchronization keeps the data already present in your smartphone.

  2. Local data and server data
    Data already present on your mobile device always remain. Data present on ContactOffice will be added in a different "layer": if you disable the mobile sync, this layer will disappear.

    Your device needs to know where the data you create has to be stored: in the device or on ContactOffice. For calendar and contacts, please make sure to select your ContactOffice account in the respective apps.
  3. iPhone/iPad
    1. Make sure you are connected to a reliable and fast network.
    2. Go to your device 'Settings'.
    3. Tap 'Passwords & Accounts'.
    4. Under 'Accounts', tap 'Add Account'.
    5. Tap 'Exchange'.
    6. Enter your ContactOffice email address and a description such as 'ContactOffice'
    7. Tap 'Next'
    8. An alert appears: "Sign in to your ContactOffice Exchange account using Microsoft?". Tap 'Configure Manually', as your ContactOffice account is not hosted on Microsoft servers.
    9. Enter your ContactOffice password.
    10. Tap 'Next'
    11. Enter the server: office.contactoffice.com. Enter the Username: USERNAME (your ContactOffice username)
    12. Tap 'Next' and your device will check the settings. By default, it will synchronize 5 data types (Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders and Notes). Turn off Reminders and Notes because ContactOffice doesn't handle them. Turn off other tools if necessary.
      Tap 'Save'.
      At this point, data starts being synchronized. The time needed for the first synchronization to complete depends on the amount of data.
    13. By default, your device synchronizes Mail for 1 month. You can set a different setting in 'Passwords & Accounts' > 'ContactOffice' > 'Mail Days to Sync'.
    Note: help for iOS 12.
  4. Android (Samsung, etc.)
    As many versions of the Android platform coexist, it is impossible to give a step-by-step guide for each of them.

    As a general rule:

    1. Make sure you are connected to a reliable and fast network.
    2. Go to your device 'Settings'.
    3. Go to the 'Accounts' tab and tap on 'Accounts' under 'My accounts'.
    4. Tap on 'Add account'.
    5. Tap on 'Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync'.
    6. Enter connection settings for ContactOffice, probably in 'Manual settings':
      • email address: your ContactOffice email address
      • Login: USERNAME
      • Password: your ContactOffice password
      • Server: office.contactoffice.com
      • TLS/SSL: yes
    7. Your device now tries to communicate with the server.
      Note: It can take a few minutes for data to show up.
    8. Change the settings to your liking.
    9. Give a name to this connection and tap on 'Done'.
    10. The data sync starts.
      Otherwise, you can start it manually: go back to step 2 and 3 and then tap on 'Sync all'.
      The time needed for the first synchronization to complete is related to the amount of data.
  5. Other
    All devices and software that can synchronize with an Exchange server (ActiveSync protocol) can synchronize with ContactOffice:
    • Windows Mail (Windows 8 & Windows 10)
    • eM Client
    • etc.
    Use as settings your username (USERNAME) and ContactOffice password, your email address and as server name: office.contactoffice.com. Use a secure connection if it's available.

Synchronization with Outlook

  1. Features
    Outlook (>= 2013) can synchronize directly with ContactOffice.

    You can synchronize your mail, contacts and calendar between ContactOffice and Outlook. Data in ContactOffice will appear in Outlook, but in a separate account. Data already present in Outlook will not appear in ContactOffice, unless you import them in ContactOffice.

    Note: Outlook will disconnect from the server if something goes wrong with the sync. To reconnect to the server, select the "Send/Receive" tab, then click twice on the "Work Offline" button.

  2. Settings
    1. Select the "File" tab
    2. Select "Info" in the left column (if not already selected), then click on the "Add Account" button
    3. Select "Manual setup or additional server types". Click on "Next".
    4. Select "Outlook.com or Exchange ActiveSync compatible service". Click on "Next".
    5. Fill in your name, your email address, the server (office.contactoffice.com), your username (USERNAME) and ContactOffice password. Click on "Next"
    6. Click on "Finish"


    "The server cannot be found" (Outlook 2016)
    If you have entered the correct server value above and get the error "The server cannot be found" in Outlook 2016 (version 16.0.8431.2079 or later), it is because a Microsoft upgrade set your Outlook to connect to Office 365 using Simplified account creation". You can disable this behaviour by following the steps explained here.

Read and write access from third-party software (CalDAV)

  1. Better to use synchronization
    If both your subscription and your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) can handle synchronization, we advise to use the latter. Set-up is easier, there is only one set-up for all tools and synchronization is more robust. However, unlike the protocol explained in this help section, it does not handle group members and group data.
  2. Features
    Calendars can be accessed with read and write rights from CalDAV compliant third-party-software.

    Please read the limitations though.

  3. Meetings
    In CalDAV software:
    • You can accept or decline meeting invitations.
    • It is not possible to create meetings: the participants management appears only if the meeting was created in ContactOffice.
    • However, you can add participants to an existing meeting. These participants must be group members or have their email address in your private contacts, or in a group address book.
    • If you delete a participant, he won't be deleted in ContactOffice: therefore, we advise to delete participants directly in ContactOffice.
    • If you edit a meeting, no email notifications will be sent.
    If it does not work as expected, check that you don't have a participant email address in your ContactOffice account. CalDAV software assumes that email addresses are not used by more than one person.
  4. Limitations
    Synchronizing between different software implies limitations:
    • Reminders are not synchronized because they are software specific.
    • For now, tags deleted in the third-party software are not deleted in ContactOffice.
    • If you use the calendar at the same time in ContactOffice and in one or more third-party software: make sure to update the calendar in the third-party software before you make any change from it, otherwise changes made in ContactOffice will be lost.
  5. Compatible software
    Note: Microsoft Outlook has no standard CalDAV capabilities.
  6. Software settings
    The settings depend on the software.

    Lightning Calendar (Thunderbird)

    1. In the "File" menu, select "Subscribe to Remote Calendar".
    2. In the following screen, select "On the network".
    3. In the following screen, select "CalDAV" and enter the following address in the "Location" field: https://office.contactoffice.com/dav/USERNAME/private/events
    4. In the following screen, choose a name and a colour (optional). Untick the "Show Alarms" checkbox.
    5. Enter your ContactOffice login (USERNAME) and password.
    Apple Calendar (macOS)
    1. In the "Calendar" menu, select "Preferences".
    2. Select the "Accounts" tab.
    3. Click on the "+" in the lower left corner. In the window that appears, enter a name for this calendar in the "Description" field.
    4. Enter your ContactOffice login (USERNAME) and password in the 2 remaining fields.
    5. Click on the triangle next to "Server options" to unfold and enter the following address in the "Account URL" field: https://office.contactoffice.com/dav/principals/accounts/USERNAME/.
      Note: Do not forget the final "/", otherwise the connection will fail!
    iPhone/iPad
    1. In the "Settings", select "Calendar", then "Add an account"; select "Other", then "Add a CALDAV account".
    2. Enter office.contactoffice.com in the "Server" field.
    3. Enter your ContactOffice username (USERNAME) and password in the remaining fields.
  7. Group member's calendar
    You may access group members calendars provided they have given you the necessary access rights:
    • Any CalDAV software
      In the CalDAV settings, replace your username with the group member's login. Regarding authentication, you still use your own username and password.
    • Apple Calendar (macOS)
      You can also use the delegation feature available in Apple Calendar (it is not available on iPad/iPhone). This feature allows you to access several calendars with a single configuration.

      Go to "Preferences", select the "Accounts" tab and select your existing account. If you have no account yet, create it using the CalDAV settings in this help section. Click on the "Delegation" tab. The members who have given you the right to view their event details appear in the list. Tick the boxes to display the appropriate calendars.

      If you wish to give access to others using Delegation, update your calendar access rights accordingly. Access rights must be changed in ContactOffice. It is not possible to change them in Apple Calendar.

  8. Group calendar
    To access a group calendar, use the following URL:
    • Thunderbird Calendar and others:
      Enter in the "Location" field:
      https://office.contactoffice.com/dav/groups/GROUP_NAME/events
    • Apple Calendar (macOS, iPhone/iPad), iOS 13 or above
      Enter in the "Server" field:
      https://office.contactoffice.com/dav/principals/groups/GROUP_NAME
    Beware, the group name is case-sensitive: capital letters must be entered as capital letters.

Read-only access with iCal compliant software

  1. Better to use synchronization
    If both your subscription and your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) can handle synchronization, we advise to use the latter. Set-up is easier, there is only one set-up for all tools and synchronization is more robust. However, unlike the protocol explained in this help section, it does not handle group members and group data.
  2. Features
    Third-party software can connect to ContactOffice, which is a calendar server.

    You cannot add or edit events using such software. The calendars are protected by your usual username and password.

    In your virtual drive, you will notice in the main folders (private + one folder per group) some "calendar.ics" files used for this feature: their size is 0 Kb. These files cannot be deleted.

  3. Compatible software
    Lightning Calendar (Thunderbird), Apple Calendar, etc.
  4. Software settings
    For your private calendar, use the address:
    https://office.contactoffice.com/docs/USERNAME/private/calendar.ics.

    For a group calendar, use the address:
    https://office.contactoffice.com/docs/USERNAME/GROUP_NAME/calendar.ics

RSS access

  1. What's RSS?
    RSS will notify you of new items on a Website, RSS is used in a RSS reader. You subscribe to RSS feeds and the RSS reader will refresh them periodically.

    ContactOffice offers several feeds, all protected by your usual username and password.

  2. Available feeds
    Each (private or group) calendar has 4 RSS feeds:
    • Today
    • This week
    • This month
    • 30 days (from today)
  3. Compatible software
    All RSS readers that manage authentication (feeds with username and password): Feedreader (Windows), for instance.

    Note: If you wish to use an RSS reader that can access secured feeds but does not hide the password (Firefox for instance), use the following syntax for the feed URL: "https://login:password@feed_url".

  4. Where to find feeds?
    In a Calendar Actions, select RSS.
  5. Software settings
    1. Click with the right mouse button on the RSS icon and select Copy this link location.
    2. Go to the RSS reader, create a new feed and paste the address.
    3. Enter the ContactOffice username and password in the RSS reader, and give the feed a name.
    4. Set up the automatic refresh rate in the RSS reader.

Import - Export

  1. Import
    Before importing, select a private or group calendar. Select Import in the Actions of the current calendar. 2 import modes are available:
    • Import from a file: the file must be in the vCal/iCal format and contain one or more events
    • Import from Google Calendar: this will import all events
    In both cases, make sure that your ContactOffice calendar can accept the number of events to import.
  2. Export
    Before exporting, select a private or group calendar.

    You can export one, several or all the events from a calendar in vCal/iCal format to reimport them in a software compatible with this format:

    • Export only one event: select Export in the event Actions.
    • Export several events: select a view (day, week or month) and select Export in calendar Actions. Select Events on this page.
    • Export the entire calendar: click on Export in the menu bar and then on All events of this calendar.
    Export in PDF exports all events from the current view.

Settings

  1. Access to Settings
    There are several ways to access the Settings:
    • From any tool, click on the "..." button in the Actions and then choose Settings.
    • Click on your name in the right upper part of the screen to display the menu and choose Settings.
    • In the horizontal toolbar, choose the Settings icon. Note: this icon has been removed in the latest versions.
  2. Time zone
    Make sure your calendar is using your time zone. This will allow for smooth collaboration with users on other time zones.

    When you go abroad, you can set your calendar to the local time zone. All your events will then display in the selected time zone.

    Note: the selected time zone is also used in the email dates, in the creation and last modification dates, etc.

  3. Default event duration
    Events have a default duration of one hour. You can set a shorter or longer duration that will apply only to new events.
  4. Calendar resolution
    The resolution sets how much content will be displayed on the page. If you have a large screen, you will probably choose a lower resolution.
  5. Agenda by SMS
    In the Calendar Settings, click on SMS. Choose the days as well as the content (the same day or the next day).

    Note: If your agenda is empty for one day, you will receive no SMS.

    You can also make a copy of your calendar on your cell phone by clicking on Send now: the content will be identical to the setting for the automatic mode (the same day or the next day).

    You can edit the settings at any time or cancel the calendar by SMS feature by selecting off all days.

 

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