ICAL colors

I'm assuming you have set up various calendars in the left-hand column to create your event categories (work, family, personal, etc.). If not, you need to do that first. Click on the plus sign at the bottom of the Calendars column and a new untitled calendar is created. Give it a name to indicate which category that calendar is for. Then, while that calendar is highlighted, click on the Information button in the lower right corner (small blue circle with "i" in the center) to open the Information drawer. From there, you can modify the color from the pop-up menu that will correspond to that calendar.

If you already have existing calendars, you can use the same procedure to change their color. Remember to select the appropriate calendar before you try to enter a new event or create a new "To-Do" so it appears in the correct color on your main calendar.

I, too am trying to do the exact same thing. And as well, no information button is there. This has only occurred since the new update a few days ago. What happened to the calendar? All the colors are different now and all my information from months previous (May 08 and earlier) are missing.

You can still change the colors of the categories. Click on a category in the left column. Click on File > Get Info. Click on the little color block in the upper right corner and choose whatever color you want. Do this for every category you want to change.

I have the same problem. It has been in discussion since last year.

Note that this event window is the "inline event inspector window" that pops up when one double clicks on an event. This is where one enters the details of the event. For all of my events, for all calendars of any color, the background of this window is always black.

I have deleted plists and restored and reinstalled iCal to no avail. I reinstalled 10.5.4 update and it fixed a transparent dock icon problem, but not the black event window.

Any ideas

This issue has been addressed in at least nine topics without a solution: Blacked out dock icon & more (4 Aug 08), iCal Misfunctions (19 Jul 08), Get Info Background Color Problem (19 Jul 08), ICAL colors (19 Jun 08); iCal looking messed up (17 May 08), iCal Events window (22 Mar 08), Event Info Box Reversed (17 Feb 08 - archived), ical inspector screen is black... (29 Jan 08 - archived), iCal info windows are black (8 Nov 07 - archived).

The “iCal events window” thread has the most posts.

My symptoms:
- The event info window (double click on an event and the details pop up) has a black background making the entries unreadable until I click on the fields.
- iCal opens with Home calendar checked (my only calendar), but the calendar is empty until I uncheck it and recheck it and then the events show up.
- New calendars do not show until the application is relaunched. (Same with calendar deletions.)
- Icons are missing...for example, the Thumb Tack icon on the button to open and close the To Do drawer.
- Transparent, nearly in visible, iCal icon in the Dock.

I trashed all the iCal related .plists, caches, and even the program; replaced the calendar - exported and reimported it; reinstalled the iCal program using the original Leopard disk; reinstalled update 10.5.4 - both combo and single versions several times; did all the above in various sequences.

One of the 10.5.4 re-installations fixed the transparent Dock icon.

The Console log captures between 150 and 300 entries when I launch iCal - indicating that a lot of images aren't loading right - which would seem to correlate with the symptoms. (Excerpt below).

I would appreciate any ideas for a fix.

cheers,
emil

============

Console log for iCal launch:
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Could not find image named 'plus'.
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Could not find image named 'Notification None_Off'.
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Could not find image named 'Thumb Tack'.
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicorepeat
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicorepeat
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicorepeat
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoalarm
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoalarm
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoalarm
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoattachment
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoattachment
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoattachment
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_locallymodified
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_locallymodified
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_locallymodified
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventiconotes
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventiconotes
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventiconotes
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicobirthday
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicobirthday
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicobirthday
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guesttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guesttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guesttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestdeclined
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestdeclined
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestdeclined
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestmixed
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestmixed
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestmixed
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoguest
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoguest
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventicoguest
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestupdated
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestupdated
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestupdated
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestinviteSent
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestinviteSent
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestinviteSent
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestundeliverable
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestundeliverable
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guestundeliverable
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attnewInvite
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attnewInvite
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attnewInvite
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attaccepted
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_atttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_atttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_atttentative
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attcancelled
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attcancelled
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attcancelled
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attupdate
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attupdate
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr eventico_guest_attupdate
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr event_monthbullet
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named wr event_monthbullet
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo PriorityPn
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo PriorityP1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo PriorityP2
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo PriorityP3
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxShadow
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxShape
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxNormal1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxNormal1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxNormal2
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxCheck
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxMixed
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Chbx_hlNormal1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Chbx_hlNormal2
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxCheck
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo ChbxMixed
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Alertshadow
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertShape
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertOverlay
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertNormal1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertNormal2
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertNormal3
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Alert_hlNormal1
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Alert_hlNormal2
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo Alert_hlNormal3
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] Can't get image named ToDo AlertNormal3
6/8/08 15:57:04 iCal[2962] nil mapper in [_pixmapMappers setObject:mapper forKey:stateItem]
...this last line repeated 100 to 250 times
==========

Took my Mac to the Apple Store Genius Bar. They did an archive and install to retrograde to OS 10.5.1. (iCal 3.0.1 was now properly linked with its resource files.) Then I applied all of the intervening software updates and iCal 3.0.4 is working as advertised!

cheers,
emil