Using Windchill PDMLink and Windchill ProjectLink iCalendar Feature

As of Windchill 8.0 maintenance release, Windchill PDMLink and Windchill ProjectLink both support a standard for scheduling meetings using iCal or iCalendar. iCalendar allows you to send meeting requests and tasks to others on your team through emails. Recipients of the iCalendar email (with supported software) can respond to the sender easily or counter propose another meeting date/time.

Here’s how you can take advantage of this feature:

In either Windchill PDMLink or Windchill ProjectLink select “Home” tab and then select the “Meetings” URL

Click the “Create Meeting” icon. Figure 1 shows a Windchill PDMLink screen

Windchill ProjectLink works from any running project meeting URL

Fill in the Meeting Name, Type, Date, Time and Duration in minutes

Now click the Next button (Figure 2)

Fill out the Agenda field and click the Next button (Figure 3)

Select the users or groups of users for this meeting

Click the Next button (Figure 4)

Search and select items from Windchill PDMLink or Windchill ProjectLink that will be reviewed at this meeting

Click the Next button (Figure 5)

Fill in the Connection information fields

Click OK button (Figure 6)

Windchill services will now format the email request in an iCal format that when the users received the invite it will act like any other Calendar invite where you can Accept, Tentative, Decline, or Propose New Time

In your personal email there will be an invite to this meeting. Open this email and accept the meeting

Now open your personal calendar to see what it looks like there (Figure 7)

The meeting will show up on your calendar for the date and time specified in the meeting wizard (Figure 8)

In conclusion here are some basic rules to remember when using the iCal feature:

The iCal feature only works from your personal meeting page on Windchill PDMLink. If you schedule a meeting from a Product or Library Meeting URL, you cannot use iCal email formatting

Windchill ProjectLink works with any Meeting URL as long as the project is running

When you create, update, or cancel a meeting within Windchill all meeting participants will be sent email notification

To receive an e-mail notification for a meeting you created, you must include yourself as a participant

When you receive the e-mail notification, you may be able to automatically update your calendar by accepting the meeting, depending upon the type of calendar system you are using

If you use your calendar system to make a change to a meeting that was created in Windchill, participants may be notified by the calendar system, but the Windchill meeting will not be updated. You must update the meeting in Windchill