Compile and Save Calendar Entries

To keep a record of the calendar entries and/or edit a downloaded version for reloading in future courses.
a. Click on the Calendar tool.
b. Switch to Designer Options mode.
c. Click the Compile entries button.
d. Specify the start and end date of the range of entries you wish to download and whether public, private, or both public and private entries should be saved.
e. Click Download, specify that the file should be saved and the storage location and name of the file.
Note: What I found in practice is that the dates need to be changed before uploading the calendar into another course. The links to other documents (quizzes, lectures, for example) must be exact, or WebCT squawks.
 
The online help has more details:

Calendar--Downloading and Importing

Compiling and downloading calendar entries

This option allows you to compile and download Calendar entries to a text file. Entries are compiled based on a date range; to refine your search, you may also apply a filter and search value.

  1. From the Course Menu, click Calendar. The Calendar screen appears.
  2. Click the Designer Options tab if it is not already selected.
  3. Click Compile entries. The Compile or Download Calendar Entries screen appears.
  4. From the Month, Day, and Year drop-down lists, select the date range for the entries you want to compile.
  5. To apply a filter to your search:
    1. From the Criteria drop-down list, select the calendar entry field you want to search.
    2. From the Comparison drop-down list, select the comparison term to apply to your search.

       

      Comparison Term
             		 Description
      Contains Text or numbers in the specified field must match any part of the text or numbers entered in the Value text box.
      After Searches fields with alphabetical information. Text in the specified field must start with words/letters that occur alphabetically after the words/letters entered in the Value text box.
      Before Searches fields containing alphabetical information. Words in the specified field must start with words/letters that occur alphabetically before the word/letter entered in the Value text box.
      Equals Content of the specified field must match exactly with the text or numbers entered in the Value text box.
      Starts with Text in the specified field must start with the letter entered in the Value text box.
      Ends with Text in the specified field must end with the letter entered in the Value text box.

       

    3. In the Value text box, enter the search value.
  6. Select the access level for the entries you want to compile. You can compile Public entries only, Private entries only, or Both.
  7. Compile and download the entries:
    • To view the list of compiled entries before you download, click Compile. The Compiled Calendar Entries screen appears.
      • To print your compiled entries, use your browser's Print command.
      • To download the list, click Download. Your browser's file download screen appears.
    • To download your compiled entries without viewing the list first, click Download. Your browser's file download screen appears.
  8. Follow the on-screen instructions. When the download is complete, the Compiled Calendar Entries screen appears.
  9. To return to the Calendar screen, click Done.

Edit the dates as needed, and then upload the Calendar file.

Uploading the text file

Upload the calendar file to the My-Files folder using Manage Files. 

  1. Open your course shell, and click the Control Panel button.
  2. Click Manage Files.
  3. Upload the text file you just edited.
    4.

Importing the text file

  1. From the Course Menu, click Calendar. The Calendar screen appears.
  2. Click the Designer Options tab if it is not already selected.
  3. Under Actions, click Import entries. The Import From File screen appears.
  4. In the Filename text box, enter the path and filename of the file you want to import, or to select the file from the My-Files folder, click Browse. The WebCT Browser appears.
  5. Click Import. The Import Confirmation screen appears. It shows how the imported entries will be displayed on the calendar.
  6. To complete the action and return to the Calendar screen, click Continue.
    7.

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If you are creating a new calendar from scratch, the following instructions explain how to do so.

Creating the text file

  1. Using a text editor, create a text file following the guidelines described below.
  2. Save the file with a .txt extension.
    3.

Creating a comma-delimited text file

First, you need to create a text file containing the calendar entry information entered in the following format:

:date,summary,URL, ,start time(hh:mm),end time(hh:mm),detail

Note: Begin each entry on its own line, starting with a colon. In the example above, the extra space between "URL" and "start time" denotes an important field required for internal links (such as page ID). It is recommended that only advanced users complete this field.

Sample text file

For example, you have a workshop scheduled to run for two consecutive weekends, starting January 25, 2003. The workshop starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. each day. You want to post this information on the calendar to remind prospective participants.

To create a comma-delimited text file containing this information, you would enter it as follows:

:25/01/2003,Workshop,,,08:30,17:00,

:03/02/2003,Workshop,,,08:30,17:00,

Note: Commas are used between fields and to denote missing fields. In the above example, these commas are used to denote that the URL, internal links, and details fields are skipped.

Understanding internal links

Calendar entries can be linked to specific Content Module pages. Such a link is called an internal link. It is an option available only to designers.

The required format for these links is Content Module page ID plus the associated filename. An example could be as follows:

92834781+test.html

For every Content Module page you create, there is a page ID associated with it. If the link contains only the page ID (92834781), it hyperlinks to the table of contents for the Content Module. If the link contains the filename (test.html) as well, then it hyperlinks directly to the page itself.

Troubleshooting tips