Free/Busy Lookup

Check when your colleagues are available before scheduling a meeting — directly from the event creation dialog.

Prerequisites

• A SOGo 5 account with valid credentials
• You are logged into SOGo 5
• The colleague has a SOGo 5 account and has shared their free/busy info

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Start Creating an Event

1. Open the Calendar module
2. Click + to create a new event, or click an existing event to edit

Step 2: Open Free/Busy View

1. In the event dialog, click the Attendees section
2. Click Free/Busy or Availability button
3. A time grid opens showing your calendar

Step 3: Add a Colleague

1. In the free/busy grid, click Add Person or Check Availability

2. Start typing a colleague's name
3. Select them from the auto-complete list
4. Repeat for each person you want to check

Step 4: Read the Grid

The grid shows time slots for each person:

Color	Meaning: Availability status
✅ Green	Available
❌ Red	Busy (has an event)
🟡 Yellow	Tentative / maybe attending
⬜ White	No data (not shared, or outside working hours)

Step 5: Find a Common Slot

Look for a time when all attendees are green. SOGo 5 may suggest the next available slot automatically.

Step 6: Confirm the Time

Click on the desired time slot in the grid. The event's start/end time updates to match.

What Others See

By default, SOGo 5 is configured so that other users can see:

Permission	What's Visible: What others can see
Free/Busy	Only whether you're available or busy (no details)
View (read-only)	Event titles and times
Confidential events	Marked as "Busy" only, even to viewers

Your administrator can change default permission levels via the SOGoCalendarDefaultRoles setting.

Troubleshooting

Colleague not showing up

• Check they have a SOGo 5 account
• They may not have free/busy sharing enabled
• They might be in a different address book — try typing their full email

All times show "No data"

• The colleague hasn't shared their calendar with you
• Contact them or your administrator to grant free/busy access
• Default roles may be restricted (PublicDAndTViewer must be set)

Conclusion

Free/busy lookup helps you find meeting times without the back-and-forth of "Are you free at...?" emails. It works for anyone in your organization who shares calendar availability.

Accessibility

Keyboard Navigation

SOGo 5 supports full keyboard navigation for free/busy lookup features.

Action	Keyboard Shortcut: What key to press	Notes: Additional information
	Open Calendar module	Alt+C
	Create new event	Ctrl+N or Tab then Enter on + button
	Open Attendees section	Tab to Attendees field
	Open Free/Busy view	Tab to Free/Busy button, then Enter
	Add Person to grid	Tab to Add Person, then Enter
	Navigate time grid	Tab and arrow keys
	Select available time slot	Enter on a green slot
	Confirm event	Tab to Save, then Enter

Screen Reader Workflow

Free/Busy Lookup: Checking Colleague Availability for a Meeting

Step 1: Open Calendar Module

• Press Alt+C to navigate to the Calendar module
• Screen reader announces: "Calendar, module heading"

Step 2: Create a New Event

• Press Ctrl+N to create a new event, or tab to the + button and press Enter
• Screen reader announces: "New event dialog"
• The event dialog opens with fields for title, date, time, and attendees

Step 3: Open Attendees Section

• Press Tab repeatedly to navigate through event fields (title, date, time)
• Stop when you reach the Attendees section
• Screen reader announces: "Attendees, section"

Step 4: Open Free/Busy View

• Press Tab to reach the Free/Busy or Availability button
• Press Enter to open the availability grid
• Screen reader announces: "Free busy grid, your calendar shown"

Step 5: Add a Colleague

• Press Tab to reach the Add Person field
• Type the colleague's name or email
• Screen reader announces: "Edit, autocomplete, suggestions available"
• Use Down arrow to navigate through suggested names
• Press Enter to select the correct colleague
• Screen reader announces: "Person added to grid"

Step 6: Navigate and Read the Grid

• Use Tab to move between colleague rows in the grid
• Use Left/Right arrow keys to move across time slots
• Screen reader announces each slot: "10:00 AM, available" or "11:00 AM, busy"
• Color meanings are conveyed as text: "Available (green)", "Busy (red)", "Tentative (yellow)", "No data (white)"
• Repeat for each colleague added

Step 7: Select a Common Available Slot

• Navigate to a time slot where all colleagues show as available
• Press Enter to select the time
• Screen reader announces: "Time selected: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM"
• The event's start and end time update automatically

Step 8: Save the Event

• Press Tab to reach the Save button
• Press Enter to confirm and create the event
• Screen reader announces: "Event saved" or similar confirmation
• The event appears in your calendar with the selected time

Common Screen Reader Announcements:

Announcement: What screen reader says	Meaning: What it means	Action: What to do
"New event dialog"	Event creation form is open	Begin filling in event details
"Free busy grid, your calendar shown"	Availability view is active	Proceed to add colleagues
"Edit, autocomplete, suggestions available"	Person search field is active	Type colleague's name and select from list
"Person added to grid"	Colleague's schedule is loaded	Continue adding more or find a slot
"10:00 AM, available"	Time slot is free	Select this slot for the meeting
"2:00 PM, busy"	Time slot is occupied	Move to a different time slot
"No data, white"	Free/busy not shared	Ask colleague to enable sharing or contact admin
"Event saved"	Meeting is created	Event is on your calendar

Visual Content Descriptions

[freebusy.png]: Animated demonstration of checking colleague availability via the free/busy grid in SOGo 5.

• Frame 1 (0–1.0s): User opens the Calendar module and clicks + to create a new event. The event creation dialog appears
• Frame 2 (1.0–2.5s): User clicks the Attendees section and then clicks Free/Busy button. The free/busy time grid opens showing the user's own calendar with colored time slots
• Frame 3 (2.5–4.5s): User clicks Add Person, types a colleague's name, and selects them from the autocomplete list. The colleague's schedule appears in the grid below
• Frame 4 (4.5–6.0s): User scrolls horizontally through the grid. Green available slots and red busy slots are visible for both the user and the colleague
• Frame 5 (6.0–8.0s): User finds an overlapping green slot at 2:00 PM and clicks it. The event time updates. User clicks Save to confirm the meeting

High Contrast Mode

SOGo 5's dark mode and high contrast mode work with all sections described above. Toggle via: Settings button (gear icon) → General → Theme → Dark/High Contrast.