(Assuming I'm not completely misunderstanding this...) Mitch has brought up the importance of allowing users to view their event data as both data (in a list view) and as a schedule (in a calendar view). This is especially true in Chandler's orthogonal sidebar where calendars are simply a kind-based slice of the users primary mechanism for grouping items (aka collections). As a result, many of the "calendars" users end up with will be MORE "topic-based" groupings of event data and LESS "coherent schedules" that the user checks regularly.

For example, at OSAF, some of us may might maintain a topic-based "widgets issues" collection which in turn might contain event items that are meetings about or related to widgets. In this scenario, the user treats the widgets meeting items more as data or content [ie. meeting notes, meeting agendas, etc] and less as a widgets meeting schedule. The widgets calendar that emerges as a result of the user aggregating "all items relating to widgets" is certainly important, but is perhaps not the primary motivation for creating the widgets collection. (Some people might maintain separate work and home calendars, but very few will maintain as many separate calendars as they do email folders. Even fewer would check these various topic-based calendars with the frequency that they would check their personal calendars.)

As a result, we should look at how hard it would be to add a secondary toolbar to the summary pane (aligned with the mark-up bar in the detail view) where the user can either:

1. Choose whether they want to view their data as a list OR in a calendar view OR
2. Choose to open and close list and calendar views of their data

The second option would allow users to view their data in 3 forms:

1. Just list
2. Just calendar
3. Calendar and list

Another added bonus of reintroducing the view selector is that coupled with persistence it would make it easy for users who are sharing just the calendar portion of a collection with someone else to access that person's event data in a calendar view without forcing them to switch to the Calendar app area. Meaning, the sharee can remain in the All mode and select a shared calendar and view the data as a calendar.

Another way of looking at it is that providing users with a "per collecton" view selector decouples the view from the Appbar selection.

• view_selector.png: