WebMail: Tasks

Tasks Mailboxes ("folders") can be created in your Account using the WebUser Interface or a MAPI client application (such as Microsoft Outlook). These Mailboxes appear on the Mailboxes page. Click on a Tasks-type Mailbox name to open the Tasks list.

Main Tasks Mailbox

You can have several Tasks-type Mailboxes in your Account, but only one of those Mailboxes is assigned the role of the Main Tasks Mailbox. When you accept a task assignment request or create a new Task, the task data is stored in the Main Tasks Mailbox.

Creating Tasks Mailboxes

To create a Tasks-type Mailbox, open the Mailboxes page and select the Tasks value in the Create pop-up menu. Type the name of the Tasks Mailbox you want to create, and click the Create button:

You can browse a Tasks Mailbox by clicking its name (link) on the Mailboxes page.

The Tasks browser page displays the Tasks folder data as a scheduling table:

Tasks Hide Completed 2006 Sat, 02-Dec Sun, 03-Dec Mon, 04-Dec Tue, 05-Dec Wed, 06-Dec Thu, 07-Dec Fri, 08-Dec Sat, 09-Dec Sun, 10-Dec 1   Urgent: Prepare slides for AC.. (10%)   2   Create the conference report (0%)   3   Read the ACME product docs (100%)   Folder Management View As Folder

The table uses different colors for high-priority, regular, and completed Tasks. Click a Task to open it.

Click the arrows in the table corner to move the "visible window" to earlier or later days, and to page the task list. Click the (+) and (-) links to display more or fewer elements.

Click the View as Folder link to see the folder data as a regular Mailbox.

Click the New Task link to create a new Task item. The page used to compose a Task is a modification of the E-mail composing page.

The Task Composing page contains the controls used to specify the start and Due dates of the Task, the Task completion status and its priority:

You can specify the time when the Task starts, and when it is due.

The Options panel allows you to specify the Task options:

The Task Priority can be High, Normal, or Low.

You can specify the completion status of the Task. If you set the Complete setting to 100%, the Task is marked as completed.

If you select the Private Item option, this Task will be invisible for other users who have access to your Tasks Mailbox.

You can specify the Task Subject (Summary). The Subject text is used to display the Task on the Task list page.

To assign a task to someone else, add an Email address to the To field:

When you save or update a Task, a Task Assignment request is sent to the specified address. If you want to compose or update a Task without sending a Task Assignment request, disable the Send Requests option.

The Task composing page displays a list of those to whom the Task is assigned, along with their confirmation status data. When your receive replies to your Task Assignment request (see below), the confirmation status data is updated. You can also set the status manually if the person has replied with a non-calendaring E-mail that cannot be processed automatically, or if a reply has come by other means, such as a phone call.

Click the Save button to store the Task and, optionally, to send a Task Assignment request. If you have opened the Task composing page using a link on a Tasks view page, the newly created Task is stored in that Tasks folder (Mailbox). Otherwise the newly created Task is stored in your Main Tasks folder.

You can open an existing Task item in your Tasks folder, and click the Edit Task link to update the Task data. When you save the updated Task, a Task Assignment request is sent again (unless you disable the Send Requests option).

When you open a Task Assignment request letter, the Assignment Reply buttons are displayed:

If you click the Accept or Tentative button, a positive reply is sent back to the Task organizer, and the Task is copied into your Main Tasks folder (Mailbox).

If you click the Decline button, a negative reply is sent back to the Tasks organizer, and the Task is not stored in your Main Tasks folder.

You may want to enter a comment into the panel text field.

If you click any of the Accept/Tentative/Decline buttons, the original request letter is deleted.

When an assigned Task is stored in your Tasks folder, you may want to re-send a confirmation to the Task organizer. Open the Tasks folder and open the Task. The Assignment Reply buttons are displayed.

Click the Accept or Tentative button to send a positive response to the Task organizer.

To update the Task completion status, set the new Complete value and click the Update Status button. Your copy of the Assigned Task is updated and an "in-process" or "completed" response is sent to the Task organizer.

You may choose not to perform an Assigned Task that you have already acknowledged. Open the Task in your Tasks folder, and click the Decline button. A negative response is sent to the Task organizer and the Task is removed from your Tasks folder.

If you are the Assigned Task organizer, you can cancel the Task by opening it and clicking the Cancel Task button:

A Cancellation message is sent to those whom you have assigned the Task to, the Task is removed from your Tasks folder.

You can open an existing Task and remove some assignees. When you store the Task, a Cancellation message is sent to all removed assignees.

When you receive a Reply to your Task Assignment request, the Update Assignee Status button appears:

Click this button to change the Attendee status in the Task stored in your Main Tasks folder and to delete this Reply message.

When you receive a Cancellation message for a Task you have accepted, the Cancel Task button appears:

Click this button to remove the Task from your Main Tasks folder.

The Settings pages allow you to specify the Tasks Options.

You can specify the name of your Main Tasks Mailbox:

The Tasks View panel allows you to customize the Tasks browser:

To import Tasks data into a Tasks-type Mailbox, open its Folder Management page. The page contains the Import Tasks Data control:

Use the Browse button to select a text file with vCalendar or iCalendar data, and click the Import Tasks Data button.

If there is an error in text file format, the error message is displayed indicating the text line that caused the problem, and no data is imported (even if some iCalendar data elements were parsed without errors).

To export Tasks data in the iCalendar format, click the Export Tasks Data link.