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TMO Quick Tip - iCal: Auto Open Files

by , 7:30 AM EDT, June 27th, 2008

iCal's event alarms can do more than remind you not to be late to important meetings. It can also perform other tasks, like opening documents at specific times.

To automatically open a document at a specific time, do this:

  • First create a new event in iCal.
  • Now choose Open file from the alarm pop-up menu.

    • Use iCal to automatically open files.
  • Select other from the iCal pop-up menu and select the file you want to open.
  • Don't forget to set how far before your event the file should open.

Since iCal supports multiple alarms for an event, I typically set an audible reminder alarm to go off 15 minutes before meetings, and then set a second alarm to open my meeting notes file five minutes before the start time. That usually gives me enough time to wrap up what I was working on and review my notes before the meeting starts.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

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