About BusyCal Processes: Main App and "BusyCal Menu & Alarms"

BusyCal operates through two key processes:

1. The Main BusyCal App: The primary calendar application itself.
2. BusyCal Menu & Alarms: An extension process that serves two primary functions:
   • Provides a menu-bar mini calendar app that can function independently.
   • Manages and displays the Alarm window for alerts related to tasks and events.

Why Two Processes?

Historically, macOS apps could not provide alerts or alarms when the main app wasn’t running. Unlike iOS, where the Notification Center operates independently, macOS apps required the app itself to be active. Although recent macOS versions now allow apps to show alerts while not running, Notification Center alerts remain limited in functionality.

To address this limitation, BusyCal offers a custom solution:

• BusyCal Menu & Alarms runs as a background process.
  
• This allows BusyCal to deliver powerful, customizable alarms and notifications, even when the main app isn’t running.
• It also supports older macOS versions by back-deploying this feature.

Customization Options

You can manage the behavior of these processes from BusyCal Settings:

• Alarms Settings:
  • Switch to macOS Notification Center alarms.
  • Disable all alarms if preferred.
• Menu Settings:
  • Turn off the menu-bar mini calendar app.

Even if you opt for Notification Center alarms, these alerts are still managed by the BusyCal Menu & Alarms process for seamless functionality.

Important Note

Both processes appear in System Settings > Notifications:

1. BusyCal
   
2. BusyCal Menu & Alarms

Each has similar options, including toggles for notifications and alert styles (None, Banners, or Alerts). However, to enable the full BusyCal experience:

• Enable alerts for both processes:
  • Background push notifications (e.g., triggering background sync for Google Calendar or Outlook changes) rely on the BusyCal process.
  • Additional alerts from within the main app also depend on the main calendar process.

Why Are There Two Entries in Notifications?

System Settings > Notifications lists both processes for BusyCal. Here's why:

• The BusyCal Menu process primarily manages overall alerts, including alarms and notifications, even when the main app isn’t running.
• For background push notifications (e.g., triggering background sync when changes are detected in Google Calendar or Outlook) and additional in-app alerts, both the BusyCal and BusyCal Menu & Alarms processes must be allowed to display alerts.

Recommendation: For the best experience, configure both entries to allow notifications and set similar preferences for alerts.