Recurring Events & Alarms

This tutorial covers creating events that repeat on a schedule and configuring reminders so you never miss them.

Prerequisites

• A SOGo 5 account with valid credentials
• You are logged into SOGo 5

Part 1: Creating a Recurring Event

Step 1: Start a New Event

1. Open the Calendar module
2. Click the + (plus) button or double-click a time slot

3. The new event dialog appears

Step 2: Set Basic Details

Fill in:

• Title: e.g., "Weekly Team Standup"
• Start / End: First occurrence date and time
• Calendar: Choose which calendar to save to

Step 3: Configure Recurrence

Click the Repeat or Recurrence section to expand it:

Option	Description: What this option does	Example Use
Daily	Repeats every N days	Morning check-in
Weekly	Repeats on selected weekdays	Standup every Mon/Wed/Fri
Bi-weekly	Repeats every 2 weeks	Sprint planning
Monthly	Repeats on a day of the month	Department meeting on 1st
Yearly	Repeats on a date each year	Birthday, anniversary

tip

For weekly recurrence, you can select multiple days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) by checking the boxes.

Step 4: Set an End Date (Recommended)

Always set an end date for recurring events to prevent infinite repetition:

• End by date: Choose a specific date (e.g., end of semester)
• End after N occurrences: Limit the number of repetitions
• No end date: Use sparingly — only for permanent events

Step 5: Save the Recurring Event

Click Save. The event is created with a recurrence icon 🔄 indicating it repeats.

Part 2: Adding Alarms (Reminders)

Step 1: Open the Alarm Settings

In the event dialog, click the Alarm or Reminder section.

Step 2: Choose Reminder Type

Display (Popup)

A popup notification appears in your browser when the reminder fires.

1. Select Display as the alarm type
2. Choose when: 15 minutes before (default), 1 hour before, 1 day before, or Custom
3. The reminder will appear as a browser notification

Email

An email is sent to your SOGo 5 email address.

1. Select Email as the alarm type
2. Choose the timing
3. Check your email when the reminder fires

info

Server-side requirement: Email alarms require the sogo-ealarms-notify daemon to be running on the server. Contact your administrator if email reminders don't arrive.

Step 3: Add Multiple Alarms

You can add more than one alarm per event:

• 15 minutes before — popup reminder
• 1 day before — email reminder with preparation notes
• At time of event — final notification

Click Add Alarm to add additional reminders.

Part 3: Editing or Stopping Recurrence

Edit a Single Occurrence

1. Click on the specific event instance in the calendar
2. Choose Edit this occurrence only
3. Make changes — they apply only to that date

Edit the Entire Series

1. Click on any occurrence
2. Choose Edit the series
3. Changes apply to all events in the recurrence

Stop Recurrence

1. Open the event dialog
2. Set Repeat to None
3. Save — SOGo 5 asks if you want to keep existing future events
4. Choose Delete all future events or Keep them as individual events

Troubleshooting

Recurrence options not showing

• Make sure you're editing a new or existing event in the Calendar module, not an invitation received via email
• Some SOGo 5 themes hide the Repeat section behind a "More options" button

Alarm not firing

• Display alarms require the browser tab to be open
• Email alarms require server-side configuration (sogo-ealarms-notify)
• Check your browser's notification permissions

Conclusion

You have learned to create recurring events and set up alarms in SOGo 5. These features are essential for regular meetings, deadlines, and important dates.

Accessibility

Keyboard Navigation

SOGo 5 supports full keyboard navigation for recurring events.

Action	Keyboard Shortcut: What key to press	Notes: Additional information
	Navigate to Calendar	Alt+M, Tab to Calendar
	Create new event	N or +
	Open recurrence settings	Ctrl+Shift+R or Tab to recurrence
	Set frequency	Arrow keys (Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly)
	Set recurrence end	Tab to end fields
	Set interval	Arrow key + Tab
	Save recurring event	Ctrl+S or Enter

Screen Reader Workflow

Creating Recurring Event

Step 1: Create New Event

1. Alt+M to focus sidebar
2. Arrow keys to "Calendar"
3. Press N or + for new event

Step 2: Open Recurrence Settings

1. Event dialog opens
2. Tab to "Recurrence" label or press Ctrl+Shift+R
3. Press Space to expand recurrence section

Step 3: Set Recurrence Frequency

1. Focus on frequency dropdown
2. Arrow key to select (Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly)
3. Press Enter

Step 4: Set Recurrence Details

1. Tab to interval field (e.g., "Every 2 days")
2. Type interval number, arrow to select unit
3. Tab to end date/occurrence count
4. Specify when recurrence should end

Step 5: Save Recurring Event

1. Tab to "Save" button
2. Press Enter
3. Screen reader announces series created

Common Screen Reader Announcements:

Announcement: What screen reader says	Meaning: What it means	Action: What to do
"Recurrence, check box"	Recurrence available	Press Space to enable
"Frequency, radio button"	How often to repeat	Arrow to select type
"Every, edit"	Recurrence interval	Type number, select unit
"Until, date picker"	When to end recurrence	Tab, select end date
"Occurrences, edit"	How many times to repeat	Type number or leave blank
"Recurring event created"	Success	Event series saved

Visual Content Descriptions

calendar-recurring.png: This 3.2-second animated GIF shows creating a recurring event.

• Frame 1 (0-0.8s): Create event dialog open with title, date, time fields filled
• Frame 2 (0.8-2.2s): Recurrence section expanded, frequency dropdown showing "Weekly" selected, interval set to "Every 1 week", specific weekdays checked (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
• Frame 3 (2.2-3.2s): Event details saved, confirmation showing recurring icon in calendar, series indicator visible

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.