The Calendar folder has received some new interface changes and added features in Outlook 2007. For example, the calendar’s appearance has been improved with additional color and visual elements. On the functional side, the calendar includes a Daily Task List pane at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 1-5. The Daily Task List shows the tasks that are due on the current date, such as tasks with that day as a due date or e-mail messages with a follow-up date of that day.

Figure 1-5. Use the Daily Task List in the Calendar folder to view your current tasks.

You can use the Daily Task List to open tasks and the other items it displays (such as messages), add new tasks, mark tasks as complete, assign tasks, print tasks, and perform other actions on the items. Tasks that you do not complete roll over to the next day, so they are not forgotten.

Scheduling also sees improvement in Outlook 2007. When Outlook 2007 is used in concert with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 for scheduling meetings, attendee schedules are automatically reviewed and a time is then proposed for the meeting. Naturally, you can select a different time if needed. Figure 1-6 shows the Scheduling Assistant, which helps you choose a meeting time that works for the majority of attendees.

Figure 1-6. Use the Scheduling Assistant to easily schedule meetings.

In addition, when you make a change to a meeting time, location, or agenda, the attendees receive an informational update rather than a request to accept the meeting changes.

Another useful improvement for scheduling is calendar overlay. In earlier versions of Microsoft Outlook, you could open another Calendar folder in a new window to view the appointments in that calendar. As in Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007 also lets you view calendars side by side. Even better, Outlook 2007 lets you overlay calendars, as shown in Figure 1-7. For example, if you keep personal appointments separate from business appointments, you can overlay the two calendars for a complete, overall, view.

Figure 1-7. Use calendar overlay to view multiple calendars in a combined view.

Calendar overlay extends to Microsoft Office SharePoint^® sites. You can view calendars stored on a SharePoint site and even overlay them with your own calendar, all right within Outlook 2007. For example, you could overlay your team calendar over your personal calendar to identify scheduling conflicts.

There are many additional changes and improvements in the Outlook 2007 calendar and scheduling features. See Part 4, to learn more about scheduling and using the calendar.