New events
To create a new event, either Click the Add Event button at the far right, or click one of the linked hours. You will be taken to the Add Event page, shown in Figure B. Although it comes across as confusing at first, the elements here reflect the same options found in Date Book. Clicking any of the OK buttons (located in the event name section, plus the optional Repeat and Reminder sections) submits the entire form and returns you to the previous calendar view. If you fill out the form but don't click OK (instead clicking on a new date or view in the calendar at left), the event won't be submitted.

FIGURE B


Don't let the number of popup menus overwhelm you -- they ensure that most options aren't mistyped or entered incorrectly. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Your event will appear on the calendar with its start and end times noted in the left-hand column. At right, you'll see two icons: the pencil takes you to the Edit Event screen (which is the same as the Create Event screen above, but with a new title); the scissors icon deletes the event. To view the details of any event, click its title.

Importing and exporting calendar data
Entering and editing events is a fine pastime, but not something I'd want to make a career out of. Unfortunately, if you want to enter all of your information via the Web interface, it would take the same amount of time as most careers. That's where being a PalmPilot user comes in handy: if you've already set up your schedule in Palm Desktop, you're only a few mouse clicks away from transporting your data to your new Web calendar.

First you need to export your existing events into the Date Book Archive (.DBA) format. In Palm Desktop, select Export from the File menu, name your file, then click the Export button.

Next, you need to import that data from your computer into Yahoo! Calendar's database. Back in your Web browser, click the Options link, then scroll down to the Import and Export section. Under Import from Palm Desktop (step number one), click the Browse button to locate your Date Book Archive file (or write the path name in the field provided). When you click the Import Now button (step number two), the file is read and sent to the Yahoo! Calendar servers. A message at the top of the screen will indicate whether or not the import was successful. Click the Back link or the OK button to return to the calendar view, which will now display your events as shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C


Your calendar data is now accessible from the Web. Roll over picture for a larger image.

If you make changes to the Web calendar and want to update your Palm Desktop information, return to the Options screen and export the Yahoo! Calendar data using the Export Now button under Export to Palm Desktop. The archive file will be downloaded to your hard drive, where you can then import it from within Palm Desktop.

Security concerns
Transferring all of your private data to the Web naturally raises a few security concerns. Yahoo! has posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file at http://www.yahoo.com/info/privacy/, which details the company's methods of keeping your information secure.