HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Organizing People and Resources
If you have HP DeskManagerPLUS installed on your system, you can use HP
Schedule to organize people and resources. You can:
* Find out a convenient time for everyone to attend the meeting.
* Find out what rooms, chairs, projectors and other resources are
available.
* Book the resources and notify everyone when the meeting is
finalized.
* Cancel inconvenient meetings and reschedule new ones.
Finding out when People are Free
When you decide to hold a meeting, one of your first jobs is to find out
when everyone can attend. You can discover the periods when everyone is
free using the REQUEST command.
To request users' free time:
1. Type REQUEST Return in any of HP Desk's areas.
2. A Subject: prompt appears. This is the same as a normal HP Desk
Subject: prompt. Type in some text labeling the meeting. For
example:
Subject: Sales review meeting Return
3. A WITH: prompt appears. Enter the names of those people who are
to attend the meeting. You can type in names individually or give
a Distribution List. For example:
WITH: "Sales distribution" Return
Don't forget to put the name of the Distribution List in double
quotes. Don't forget either, to include yourself in the
Distribution List so that HP Schedule takes your own free time
into account. Finish by typing // on a new line.
4. You are next asked if you wish to book some resources. If you do,
type YES and go on to the next section, "Looking at Resources"
.
5. Mail the request when you have finished.
Further Information
* You can treat the request just like any normal HP Desk message.
For example, you can edit the Distribution List or subject before
you mail the request.
* If you want to see a directory of users when compiling the
Distribution List, type ? Return
Looking at Resources
Resources are shared by the people in your office. Resources are grouped
into classes. For example, cars, rooms, chairs, tables, lecterns,
projectors and screens could be some of the classes of resources in your
organization.
Resources can also have properties which describe them further. For
example, a room could have a certain number of seats, be painted a given
color, be smoking or non-smoking, and so on. HP Schedule refers to these
properties as attributes. If you specify some attributes for a resource,
HP Schedule narrows its search and then lets you select the resource
which suits your needs best.
The first stage in booking is to find out when the resources are free,
just as you did for users. There are two ways you can do this:
* You can check the resources at the same time as you request users'
free time. You do not need to type in a new command, HP Schedule
will ask if you want to book any resources.
* You can make a free time request for all the available resources.
The free time request command for resources is RESOURCE. You can
use this command from any of HP Desk's areas.
Using Attributes
You can use the attributes of a resource to help you make a selection.
If you do not specify attributes, HP Schedule checks the availability of
all resources. There are three types of attribute prompt:
* A one-word description, for example:
Color:
* A number range attribute. For these attributes you see a Minimum
number prompt followed by a Maximum number prompt. For example,
Seats Min. number : 10 Return
Seats Max. number : 35 Return
In this example HP Schedule will look for a room with no less than
10 seats and no more than 35 seats. Specifying a range of values
for Minimum and Maximum gives you a greater range of available
resources.
Only make your values for Minimum and Maximum equal if you want HP
Schedule to search for an exact fit. For example,
Seats Min. number : 10 Return
Seats Max. number : 10 Return
HP Schedule will search for a room with exactly 10 seats. It will
ignore any available rooms with more or less than 10 seats which
are available.
* Those where the attribute is either present or absent, such as a
room where smoking is or is not allowed, a car which does or does
not have air conditioning. Just type Y if you want the attribute
or N if you don't.
To check which resources are free:
1. You can check resources in two ways:
a. Issue the RESOURCE command.
b. Check people's free time using the REQUEST command. Type
YES to book resources.
2. At the Subject: prompt, type in one or two words to specify the
purpose of the resources.
3. HP Schedule tells you the classes of resources which are available
and asks you to select one. Type the number corresponding to the
class you want. For example:
The following classes of resources are known:
1 ROOMS
2 PROJECTORS
3 CARS
Select a resource class >> 1 Return
4. If you wish, you can now select specific attributes. The
attributes belonging to the class are presented to you in the form
of prompts.
If HP Schedule can't match any of your attribute specifications to
a resource, it tells you that there are no resources available,
and asks if you want to select all the resources in the class. If
you type YES, HP Schedule checks the free time of all the
resources in the class and ignores any attributes. Type NO to
abandon the search.
5. When you have finished all the attributes for one resource, HP
Schedule asks if you want to book any more resources. If you
answer YES, the list of resources is redisplayed.
If you answer NO, then you have to give a range of dates within
which you want the resource. For example:
From Date : TOMORROW Return
To Date : 7/3 Return
6. Mail the resource request.
Further Information
* You can find out when individual resources are free using the LIST
FREE command. For example:
3.7.91 > LIST FREE OF BOARD ROOM
Any available time is displayed.
Finalizing the Meeting and Booking Resources
HP Schedule automatically notes the free time of those people on the
Distribution List who use their Calendars. When enough replies have been
returned, you can finalize the meeting and make firm resource bookings.
To finalize the meeting or book resources, use the SCHEDULE command. You
can issue this command from two areas of HP Desk:
* From the In Tray. When all free time request replies are back, HP
Schedule transfers your original request from the Pending Tray to
your In Tray. If you are only booking some resources, wait until
the transfer occurs before using the SCHEDULE command.
* From the Pending Tray. If you use the Pending Tray, your
confirmation is sent to everyone on the Distribution List,
including the people who haven't replied to the free time request.
However, the time slots of those users who haven't replied won't
be considered when you come to select the best time for a meeting.
To schedule a meeting or resources:
1. At the Intray > or Pendingtray > prompt, type SCHEDULE followed by
the message subject or item number. The subject must be enclosed
in double quotes. For example:
Intray > SCHEDULE "SALES REVIEW" Return
2. Keep pressing Return until you find a suitable time slot.
A free time map will display availability. Time slots that have
been booked are filled in.
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3. HP Schedule gives you a Text: prompt. When you have finished
entering the text type // Return on a new line.
4. Set a read or reply acknowledgement for your schedule message,
even if you are only booking resources. This is so that if a
double booking arises, HP Schedule will automatically tell you
about it.
5. Mail the schedule
Further Information
* When you reach the end of the date range, you automatically loop
back to the beginning.
* If there are several possibilities for a particular resource, HP
Schedule lets you pick the most suitable. For example, there may
be two rooms available, both of which met your original
specifications.
* File a copy of the schedule message in your Filing Cabinet or
Calendar so that you have a reference in case you need to cancel
the meeting or resources. For example:
Intray > COPY 3 TO "MEETINGS"
* If you issue a free time request and include a user in another
time-zone, then the free time map reflects the user's availability
in their location, not yours. So, suppose you sent out a free
time request for a person two zones to the East, and you receive
the free time map. For example, you couldn't meet at 4 PM in your
own time zone because it would be 6 PM for them, and they are
already busy.
* After you have mailed the Schedule, a copy of the message
containing the users' and resources free time map remains in your
In Tray. Leave this free time map where it is, or file it in your
Filing Cabinet until the meeting is over, or until you have
finished with the resources. This is so that if you need to
cancel the meeting and reschedule another, you can use the free
time map to issue another Schedule.
Cancelling Meetings or Resources
To cancel a meeting or resource:
1. Move to the area or folder where you filed the original schedule
message. Type CANCEL followed by the subject reference in quotes,
or item number. For example:
Schedules> CANCEL "SALES REVIEW" Return
Don't forget to put the subject in quotes.
2. HP Schedule gives you a Text: prompt. You can type in a few
words explaining why the meeting is cancelled. When you have
finished, type // on a new line and press Return
3. Finally, type MAIL Return and the message is sent to the original
Distribution List
Further Information
* Apart from meetings which simply become inconvenient, you might
have to cancel a meeting if you discover that a room or key person
is double booked. System delays can result in clashes because HP
Schedule sometimes finds a time slot which looks empty, but in
fact has been booked by someone else, and their schedule command
confirming the booking is still on its way.
* If you set a Read or Reply Acknowledgement on your schedule
message then HP Schedule can help you deal with clashes. Provided
that the user's or resource's AutoInsert is set to ON, HP Schedule
will look for time slots which have been double scheduled and will
tell you about them. However, this facility doesn't work for
people or resources who don't use AutoInsert.
* To cancel a meeting or resource you must have a copy of the
original schedule. If you arranged an appointment and booked
resources on the same schedule, then the resources are cancelled
at the same time.
* If you want to re-book, use the free time map you received when
you first used the REQUEST or RESOURCE command and issue another
SCHEDULE command.
Checking Resource Availability
Every resource has an HP Desk address and Calendar just like any HP Desk
user. If you want to check whether a resource is available on a certain
date, or to see who has made a booking, use the LIST FREE or REQUEST
command.
To check resource availability using LIST FREE:
Go to the Calendar/Diary and use the LIST FREE command as you would for
any HP Desk user, but instead of entering a username, enter a resource
name.
To check resource availability using REQUEST:
1. Type REQUEST at any HP Desk prompt and press Return
2. Enter a subject name at the Subject: prompt and press Return
3. At the WITH: prompt enter the names of the relevant people or
Distribution List.
4. Type NO when you are prompted to book some resources and press
Return
5. Enter a range of dates for a free time search. For example:
From Date : Tomorrow Return
To Date : 7/3 Return
6. Type MAIL and press Return
Replying Manually
If you do not use your Calendar regularly you will receive a free time
request from HP Schedule. You have to reply manually to this request.
To reply manually to a free time request:
1. Type REPLY followed by the item number of the message and press
Return
2. HP Schedule tells you the date range of the request. For each day
within the range you are asked to give your appointment times and
the lengths of the meetings.
Press Return if you are free all day or if you have given all the
appointments for a particular day. For example:
01.03.91> 9AM Return
Length: 2 hours Return
01.03.91> Return
02.03.91> Return
Type // Return if you are free for the rest of the date range.
3. When you have finished, type YES Return at the OK to Mail?>>
prompt.