barcode recognition vb.net Scheduling Meetings and Resources in Visual C#

Generation PDF417 in Visual C# Scheduling Meetings and Resources

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Sending a Meeting Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Sending a Meeting Request with Scheduling Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538

Responding to a Meeting Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 Scheduling Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546 Managing Meetings Effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

efore the introduction of workgroup software such as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Of ce Outlook 2007, scheduling a meeting could be a dif cult task. Now all it takes is a few simple steps to avoid those endless e-mail exchanges trying to nd a suitable meeting time for all invitees. Of ce Outlook 2007 provides you with a single place to schedule both people and resources for meetings. You can take advantage of these features whether or not you use Exchange Server. 20, Scheduling Appointments, tells you all about scheduling appointments. Meetings and appointments are similar, of course: both types of items appear on your calendar, and you can create, view, and store them in your Outlook 2007 Calendar folder. An appointment, however, involves only your schedule and time, whereas a meeting involves inviting others and coordinating their schedules. Another difference is that a meeting often requires you to schedule resources, such as a conference room or an overhead projector. You can schedule meetings with other Outlook 2007 users as well as those who use any e-mail or collaboration application that supports the vCalendar or iCalendar standard. (For more information, see iCalendar, vCalendar, and vCard in 2.) This chapter takes you through the process of scheduling meetings and lining up resources.

To schedule a meeting, you begin by selecting your calendar in Outlook 2007 and sending a meeting request. Choose File, New, Meeting Request or click the arrow next to New on the toolbar and choose Meeting Request. The meeting form opens, as shown in Figure 21-1.

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A meeting request is like an appointment item but with a few additional details and you can work with it in much the same way you work with an appointment. This chapter describes only the parts of a meeting request that differ from an appointment.

For details about creating and working with appointments in the Outlook 2007 Calendar folder, see 20, Scheduling Appointments.

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To invite people to your meeting, start by selecting their names on either the Appointment page or the Scheduling page of the Meeting tab. To select them on the Appointment page, you can type each name in the To box, separating the names with a semicolon. When you enter the names manually, Outlook 2007 considers each person a required attendee. Alternatively, you can click To to open the Select Attendees And Resources dialog box, shown in Figure 21-2. In this dialog box, select a name in the Name list, and then click Required or Optional to designate whether that person s attendance is critical. (This choice will be re ected in the meeting request you send to these individuals.) After you have nished adding names, click OK to close the dialog box.

Clicking Scheduling on the Meeting tab displays the Scheduling page, shown in Figure 21-3. You can click in the designated box in the All Attendees column and type a name or an e-mail address. Alternatively, you can click Add Others and select the location from which you want to add the names. For example, if you want to add individuals from the Global Address List (GAL), click Add Others, and then select Add From Address Book to open the Select Attendees And Resources dialog box. As before, select a name, click Required or Optional, and then click OK.