Merged Tables

The Schedule object simplifies programming by providing an additional table that contains the merged contents of the single and recurring tables of a given object. For example, the merged contents of the SingleAppointments and RecurringAppointments tables are available in the Appointments table.

These three tables can be accessed separately by program code. All three tables are linked, so changing an item in the RecurringAppointments table automatically updates the Appointments table. The only way to add a recurring appointment is by adding it to the RecurringAppointments table. You can add a single appointment by adding an item to either the SingleAppointments table or the Appointments table.

In most cases, you will access existing appointments through the Appointments table. Because the Appointments table includes recurring items, it is possible that your program will encounter an infinite number of items. For example, if a recurring meeting is set for every Monday at 10 A.M. and your program is designed to read the entire Appointments table, an infinite loop will result because a new item will be generated every Monday at 10 A.M.

Important  When looping through tables that include recurring items, you should use the SetRange method to set boundary conditions that restrict the number of items retrieved; for example, only the appointments set for a particular day, month, or year. Failure to use the SetRange method will cause data members, such as Rows and Position, to return an error.