iCal and subscribed calendars

[dumb mum]

I have subscribed to some calendars from my kids' school, but if there's a day where there is an event on the school calendar, then I'm not able to add my own events. It comes up with a message 'Read only calendar - You cannot change events or To Do items on calendars to which you’ve subscribed'.

I finally discovered on this forum how to delete a subscribed calendar (which is not mentioned anywhere in the Apple help, which helps a bit, but I'd still like to be able to subscribe and add my own items.

Any ideas?

P.S. does anyone else have trouble with the 'verification words' on this site - I can never read them - grrrr

 

[TomTomTuning]

Check which calendar you have highlighted (top left). Most likely your "school" calendar is highlighted.

 

[chas_m]

I have subscribed to some calendars from my kids' school, but if there's a day where there is an event on the school calendar, then I'm not able to add my own events. It comes up with a message 'Read only calendar - You cannot change events or To Do items on calendars to which you’ve subscribed'.

That's correct, and as normal.

but I'd still like to be able to subscribe and add my own items.

Nope. A published calendar is read-only; the school would have to create a way to "share" the calendar (make it writable) to EVERYONE, which I doubt you'd want, in order to make it writable to you.

My solution to this problem has been to create a local calendar called something similar ("school plus," for example) and using the SAME HIGHLIGHT COLOUR as the subscribed calendar. That way it looks the same to me in various views.

 

[dumb mum]

Check which calendar you have highlighted (top left). Most likely your "school" calendar is highlighted.

Even if I 'unhighlight' the school calendar - so I can only see my own stuff, then I try to add a new item, it still comes up with the same 'Read only' message.

 

[dumb mum]

That's correct, and as normal.



Nope. A published calendar is read-only; the school would have to create a way to "share" the calendar (make it writable) to EVERYONE, which I doubt you'd want, in order to make it writable to you.

My solution to this problem has been to create a local calendar called something similar ("school plus," for example) and using the SAME HIGHLIGHT COLOUR as the subscribed calendar. That way it looks the same to me in various views.

Thanks for your suggestion, however I have already created my own calendar, by local, I presume you mean on my iMac. Then subsequently I subscribed to the school calendar. So 'my' calendar appears under the CALENDAR heading at the top LHS, and the 'school' calendar appears under the 'SUBSCRIPTIONS' heading below, in a different colour. I can understand that this is a read-only calendar, so people like me cannot update the original calendar on the school server. But surely it shouldn't stop me from updating my own calendar?? I'm on Version 10.5.8 of Mac OS X if that makes any difference.

 

[Pomeroy]

Thanks for your suggestion, however I have already created my own calendar, by local, I presume you mean on my iMac. Then subsequently I subscribed to the school calendar. So 'my' calendar appears under the CALENDAR heading at the top LHS, and the 'school' calendar appears under the 'SUBSCRIPTIONS' heading below, in a different colour. I can understand that this is a read-only calendar, so people like me cannot update the original calendar on the school server. But surely it shouldn't stop me from updating my own calendar?? I'm on Version 10.5.8 of Mac OS X if that makes any difference.

To make changes to a Subscribed calendar locally just drag (or Export it ) it to the desk top and then import it back into iCal. You can make all the changes you want, but they will just be local.

 

[EndlessMac]

Thanks for your suggestion, however I have already created my own calendar, by local, I presume you mean on my iMac. Then subsequently I subscribed to the school calendar. So 'my' calendar appears under the CALENDAR heading at the top LHS, and the 'school' calendar appears under the 'SUBSCRIPTIONS' heading below, in a different colour. I can understand that this is a read-only calendar, so people like me cannot update the original calendar on the school server. But surely it shouldn't stop me from updating my own calendar?? I'm on Version 10.5.8 of Mac OS X if that makes any difference.

All your own calendars appear under the CALENDARS heading. All the subscribed calendars appear under the SUBSCRIPTIONS heading. You seem to have that concept correct but what it seems you are confusing is that you have to click on one of your calendars in the CALENDARS sections in order to change them. You will know when you have selected it when it is highlighted in blue. Only then can you update events to the calendar you have selected.

As mentioned by others the subscribed calendars are basically read only. I have 8 calendars on my iCal. 3 are my own and 5 are subscriptions. iCal shows you all the calendars events all at once unless you uncheck them. If you can't edit your calendar then you probably are not selecting it. What is your calendar called?

Just remember that iCal may seem like one calendar but if you have a subscription and your own calendar or if you have a lot of calendars like me then you really have several calendars that is conveniently displayed on one screen. You have to select each one in order to update that specific calendar. Pay attention to which calendar is highlighted in blue on the left side. That's the one that is currently active and it's the only one you can update until you select another calendar. To make your calendar the active one then just left click it.

 

[dumb mum]

Thanks EndlessMac

All your own calendars appear under the CALENDARS heading. All the subscribed calendars appear under the SUBSCRIPTIONS heading. You seem to have that concept correct but what it seems you are confusing is that you have to click on one of your calendars in the CALENDARS sections in order to change them. You will know when you have selected it when it is highlighted in blue. Only then can you update events to the calendar you have selected.

As mentioned by others the subscribed calendars are basically read only. I have 8 calendars on my iCal. 3 are my own and 5 are subscriptions. iCal shows you all the calendars events all at once unless you uncheck them. If you can't edit your calendar then you probably are not selecting it. What is your calendar called?

Just remember that iCal may seem like one calendar but if you have a subscription and your own calendar or if you have a lot of calendars like me then you really have several calendars that is conveniently displayed on one screen. You have to select each one in order to update that specific calendar. Pay attention to which calendar is highlighted in blue on the left side. That's the one that is currently active and it's the only one you can update until you select another calendar. To make your calendar the active one then just left click it.

Thanks this finally explains it!! Being just a 'dumb mum' I hadn't realised that it is the calendar highlighted on the left which is the active one. In fact I don't think I had even noticed this at all. I thought it was controlled by which calendar was checked (and therefore displayed on my screen). Even if I unchecked the school calendar, so it was not displayed (but in so doing, inadvertently left that calendar as active) then tried to update 'my' displayed calendar, it wouldn't allow me to do so.