---
type: source
title: Groupware Calendar: Releasing Availability
tags: [groupware, calendar, privacy, permissions]
related: [groupware-calendar-availability]
created: 2026-07-01
updated: 2026-07-01
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_webdienste_groupware_module_kalender_verfuegbarkeit.md"]
---

# Groupware Calendar: Releasing Availability

This source provides technical instructions on how to manage "Availability" (Verfügbarkeit / Terminliche Verfügbarkeit) within the Universität Greifswald Groupware calendar module.

## Key Technical Details

### Availability vs. Calendar Sharing
The documentation emphasizes a critical distinction between two separate permission types:
- **Calendar Sharing**: Grants access to the actual contents of the calendar.
- **Availability Release**: Allows other users to see if a person is busy or free without granting access to the specific details of the appointments.

Releasing availability is a separate permission type from sharing a calendar. Sharing a calendar does not automatically grant others the ability to see a user's availability, and vice versa.

### Privacy and Configuration
Due to data protection requirements, availability is **not shared by default**. Users must explicitly enable it via the following configuration workflow:

1. Click the **Account Icon** (top right) $\rightarrow$ **Mein Konto**.
2. Select the **Kalender** category.
3. In the **Berechtigungen für Verfügbarkeit** section, add specific individual users or entire groups.

### Invitation Logic and Preliminary Appointments
When a user with availability access sends a meeting invitation, the system automatically creates a **Preliminary Appointment** (provisional appointment) in the recipient's calendar.

- **Visual Indicator**: These entries are displayed with a **dashed border**.
- **Interaction**: Double-clicking the entry allows the user to confirm or decline the invitation/appointment and notify the organizer via email.
- **Automatic Cleanup/Lifecycle**: If the organizer deletes the appointment or removes the participant, the preliminary/provisional entry is automatically removed from the recipient's calendar.