Few aspects of Mac OS X Lion have sparked more outrage than the changes made to iCal ( ) , Apple ’s bundled calendar program . Not only is the programme ’s interface strongly influenced by the iPhone and iPad , but the behavior of the program has been altered in ways that can irk even the most episodic iCal user , as well as those who construct their life history around it . We asked a phone number ofMacworldeditors what their griping were , and set out to come up solutions . Here are the top iCal annoyances with Lion . Have more ? divvy up them in the forums .
Q: Why do events default to all-day events, and how can I change this?
A : The default for upshot depends on which calendar view you use . In previous versions of iCal , bivalent - clicking make a new , one - 60 minutes case , no matter which view you used . In Lion , double - clicking in Month eyeshot — flick on one of the button at the top of the window to switch between Day , Week , Month and Year — create a new all - daytime event , whereas doing this in Day or Week view make a one - minute effect . To change this event , edit it . take the upshot , press Command - I , and then make change in the Info windowpane . ( Alternatively , you could also weightlift Command - E for the Edit Event windowpane . )
If you doubly - click to produce an event in Month view , and thentype a timealong with the name of the issue ( study Walden 8 phase modulation ) , iCal will create a one - hour event at the time you particularise .
Add a new outcome chop-chop with this popup . Enter a time and the effect will default to one hour long . If you ’re in month view — as well as in other views — you’re able to also press Command - N ( or click the + clitoris ) to expose the Create Quick Event box at the top - leftfield of the iCal window . Then typewrite some text in the subject to make an event . For exercise , typeBeans for dinner 9/29and an all - day event come along on that day of the month . If you add a fourth dimension when you do this ( Beans for dinner 9/29 6 pm ) , the outcome will default on to a one - minute event . you may change the details , of course , in the Info popup that exhibit after you compact Return . ( Note : if you do n’t specify a date in this popup , the event will be added to the current day ; you could delimit a specific engagement by entering a day or date in the popup . )
Add a new event quickly with this popup. Enter a time and the event will default to one hour long.
Q: The default duration for new events is one hour. Can I change this?
A : Not using iCal ’s interface or preferences , but , as often , there ’s a way to do this using Terminal . Open Terminal ( in /Applications / Utilities ) , and enter ( or just copy and glue ) the following text edition if you desire to mark your events to default to 30 minute :
Press Return . If iCal is running , quit the app and relaunch it for the change to take effect .
If you want a dissimilar duration , replace “ 30 ” with something else . If you want to change this back to the one - hour default , go the same bid with 60 as the duration .
Add a new event quickly with this popup. Enter a time and the event will default to one hour long.
Q: I hate the pastels iCal uses as default event colors. How can I change this?
A : In iCal ’s Month aspect , upshot are concentrated to differentiate . In the past , the entire space taken up by an event was colored with the hue of its calendar ; now , there ’s only a dark battery-acid . In Day or Week aspect , these colors are more spectacular , but you may require to exchange them to colors that stick out out better , peculiarly for your most important calendar .
you could exchange the gloss of the select calendar with this dialogue boxwood . While you ca n’t shift the coloring for different event within a calendar , you may change the color of a calendar and all its event . To do this , tick on the Calendars push at the top left field of the iCal windowpane ; right - dawn on a calendar , and choose Get Info . To the rightfulness of the calendar ’s name is a popup menu that lets you choose colors . penetrate on this menu , then choose Other to display a coloring material wheel . Choose the color you want , then chatter OK . The colors will still be pastel - ish in Day or Week opinion , but you could make them a bit more prominent by experimenting with robust , darker people of colour .
Q: I want to show the Calendars sidebar all the time as I could in previous versions of iCal. Can I?
A : Nope . Cupertino thinks you do n’t need to see this . dingy .
You could prefer an alternate calendar program , such as BusyMac ’s $ 50 BusyCal ( ) , which not only search like iCal did before , but tender some additional features that you may find useful . ( I like the ability to see the conditions in my BusyCal calendar . Multi - user editing is also skillful . )
Q: How can I get rid of that wretched desk calendar theme?
A : A late Mac Gem plectrum , Lion Tweaks 1.3(donation requested ;) allow you replace the leather desk calendar theme with a more subtle atomic number 13 smell . You habituate this kind of fine-tune public-service corporation at your own risk of exposure , though , as it does supercede some file within the iCal program .
Q: I’ve just upgraded to Lion, and my events don’t display in iCal, but if I go to the MobileMe website, they do. How do I get them to display in iCal?
A : This pass off to me a couple of workweek after Lion was released . Apparently , Apple turned off MobileMe syncing for calendars at some item . You ’ll notice that Calendars no longer displays in the Syncing department of the MobileMe preferences . To turn on calendar syncing , go to iCal ’s preferences ( iCal - > Preferences ) , select Accounts , then select your me.com or mac.com account , and , in the Account Information section , check Enable this account .
Senior contributor Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just Macs on his blogKirkville . Twitter:@mcelhearnKirk is the generator ofTake Control of Scrivener 2 .
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You can change the color of the selected calendar with this dialog box.
