End-User Capabilities

One of our main goals when developing controls is to provide an unforgettable end-user experience and the ExpressScheduler is perhaps one of the most user-oriented controls. With this control you will have to do nothing and your end-users will get everything they need! The list below is just a rough and quick overview of what we've done to make them smile from ear to ear.

Arranging Events

We provide an extremely easy-to-use event arrangement mechanism which offers an alternative way of handling events - through mouse or clipboard operations. Available operations include:

• Resizing events when browsing them in the day view. End-users can resize events by dragging both the top and bottom edges.
• Dragging events between dates.
• Dragging an event to a particular date within the date navigator.
• Moving events between resources.
• Cloning events by dragging them while holding the CTRL key pressed.
• Cloning and moving events between different resources and dates by using the scheduler clipboard. This way, end-users can use the standard clipboard keyboard shortcuts.

Built-in Popup Menus

The ExpressScheduler implements a number of built-in context menus similar to those found in the Microsoft Outlook. All these menus are controlled by the scheduler's properties that allow you to disable particular items or substitute a menu with your own. The built-in menus are available for the following elements:

• Content popup menu. This menu can be invoked by right-clicking on the scheduler's area not occupied by an event or time ruler. It enables you to switch the current view, enable or disable resources, add new events, etc. (Screenshot)
• Popup menu for events. This menu enables you to modify events via the event editing dialog, delete events or change their visual representation. (Screenshot)
• Popup menu for time rulers (available in the day view). This menu enables you to customize the time ruler's scale and add new events. (Screenshot)

Built-in Dialogs

Our scheduler control brings a complete UI into your app since we've integrated all the dialogs needed by end-users to navigate and edit their plans. You will not have to spend any extra time providing the facilities for switching the view, editing resource layouts or modifying event contents. The built-in dialogs are:

• The Go to Date dialog that enables navigation between dates and switching the view type. (Screenshot)
• The event editor dialog that lets end-users customize an event's content, representation and layout. This dialog is invoked when end-users open an event for editing or add a new event via popup menus. (Screenshot)
• The Event Recurrence dialog that allows end-users to provide recurrence patterns for events. (Screenshot)
• The Resources Layout Editor dialog enabling end-users to show and hide resources and change their visual order. (Screenshot)

Keyboard Support

Date browsing and event management are not only allowed via the mouse - the scheduler also implements keyboard processing so your end-users can choose the manipulation method they like the most. Below is a brief overview for keyboard shortcuts allowed by the ExpressScheduler:

• Navigation keys allow end-users to browse the current view.
• Navigation keys used with the SHIFT key pressed enable end-users to select time ranges. After a time frame has been selected they can add an event just by starting to type its caption.
• The TAB key can be used to navigate between events in the current view. This event focusing facility enables you to implement any keyboard shortcuts to perform custom actions on events. And we have a built-in DELETE key processing to delete the currently focused event.