This dialog is a powerful control center for your data. You can organize them in layers, make those layers available to other people on a local area network or connect to layers shared by others.

All data layers you create or connect to are listed in this dialog, but only those that are enabled (checked in the list) are considered active. Enabled layers are displayed on the desktop and in the Notes/Tasks View, their alarms will go off on schedule and they will be printed all together if print option is used. On the other hand, disabled layers are completely inactive, meaning their data are not displayed anywhere, alarms will not sound and they are not included when printing data. Please note that when you re-enable a layer all alarms that were skipped during the time it was disabled will then go off.

It is important to understand that all connected layers are read-only. That means you will not be able to make any changes to other people's data, you can only see them on your desktop. Likewise you will be the only one who can modify your data in layers you decided to share with others. All connected (network) layers are marked with suffix [LAN] in the list. If the program loses the connection with a layer for any reason it will mark it in the list with red letters. If you keep mouse pointer over a layer name for a couple of seconds you will see last successful update date and time information in a tooltip. Network layers are automatically checked in 60 seconds intervals.

Order of layers in the list is sorted alphabetically with layers grouped so all local layers come in front of network layers and of course with primary layer that is always on top of the list.

Layer management

Add new layer

Use this command to add new data layers. You just have to type in new layer's name and it will appear enabled in the list together with other layers. From that moment new layer name will also become available in Note/Alarm dialog and in Tasks view.

Rename layer

Select a layer you want to rename, click on this command, type in new layer name and click Ok. Please note that if you rename a layer that you already shared with other people they will lose connection to it. So, if you have to rename shared layers do not forget to notify everybody to remove the old layer name from their lists and connect to the new one.

Remove layer

This command will physically remove the layer file. If you were the owner of the removed layer you will not be able to get back its data unless you have exported it before as backup. If you remove layers owned by other people they will disappear from your list but you will be able to connect to those layers again later if necessary.

Clear layer data

Use this command if you want to start from scratch and clear all data from an existing layer.

Import data from a file

When importing select a data file that you want to import, click Open, adjust importing options if necessary and click Finish. By default the program will import all types of data from a file to a new layer. If you want to import data to an existing layer then switch to "Import to existing layer" option, choose the target layer and tell the program what to do in case of duplicates. Importing option currently recognizes the program's own data formats, .ADC that you get by exporting and .ADX that is the internal data layer file format, plus the comma separated values .CSV (Windows) format.

Note: If you want to import data from a CSV file please note that it has to be formatted in the same way as a CSV file exported from the program. That means it has to have the leading row with data field names in the same order. Export a CSV file to check how exactly it should look like and here is a single note example:
   "Subject", "Start Date", "Start Time", "Description", "End Date", "End Time", "All day event"
   "Meeting in Detroit","26-07-04","00:00:01","Meeting in Detroit","26-07-04","23:59:59","true"
One more thing is very important to note. Dates in CSV file to import have to be written in the same format as in an exported file on the same computer because date format depends on the regional settings. That means if you export to CSV on a computer that has US regional settings and try to import it on a computer that has German regional settings the import will not succeed.

Export layer(s) data

Allows you to export your Notes, Tasks, Alarms and calendar icons within a time frame you specify. When exporting data first select layers that you want to export, click this command, choose items to export, date interval and exported file format, click Create Export File, choose the destination folder, type in some file name and click Save. To make multiple layer selection in the list keep Ctrl key pressed and make the selection. With multiple layer selection you will get all their data combined and exported to a single file.

Note: You can choose between two file formats here. One is Active Desktop Calendar's proprietary .ADC format and the other one is well-known comma separated values .CSV (Windows) format supported by many programs.

Connect new layer

Use this command to connect to other people's data layers. You have to know the location of the data layer file (extension is .ADX) on your local network. Then just click on this command, go to that folder, select the layer file you want to connect to and click Open. It will appear in your list as a new layer. Layer name will be the same as file name with suffix [LAN] added. Please note that you also have to have enough privileges to read the data layer in the shared folder. If you have some problem with file access consult your network administrator.

Notification

When the connection to a network layer is lost for any reason the program will notify you by blinking in the system tray. Then you can double click on that icon to see which layer is lost. Those layers are also marked with red letters in the list and if you keep mouse pointer over a layer name for a couple of seconds you will see last successful update date and time information in a tooltip. You can also check the errors log (that option is available in the Help menu). If you want to disable system tray notifications then just click on this command, switch the option to "do not show notification" and click Ok. You can re-enable notifications the same way.

Relocate (to share)

When you want to share a data layer with other people you have to tell them where they can find it so they can use connect new layer command. Data layer file has extension .ADX and by default it is located in the following folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\XemiComputers\Active Desktop Calendar
You can either share the default folder or you can use this command to relocate the file to some other folder that you are already sharing on your local network. Please note that depending on the operating system you also have to make sure that users that you want to have access to your data layer have to have enough privileges to access and read the file. If you have some problem with file access consult your network administrator.