I went to http://www.coffeecup.com/help/articles/how-to-add-a-web-calendar-to-visual-site-designer-version-50-and-higher and tried the steps repeatedly. Despite meticulously following each step, it just does load in preview. There is no reason why this is so. I create the folder structure, add the files, and embed the html code in header and body at the appropriate times in this procedure. Still nothing. Then I tried to put in live chat and it just gives the live chat window (no livechat button for logging in). Pity, VSD looks good, but it's not worth my giving up the calendar and livechat. Any help would be appreciated, but I've already spent 5 hours on this and could have done so much in the CC editor by now :-/

It will not show in preview but will once you publish.

Well, I'll give myself in the ass if that turns out to be true Any advice about live chat? Is there a guide for that?

Would it work to put the "Live chat" button on the page and have that link to another webpage that has the .xml file? If that could work and the calendar issue seems resolved, I'd happily use VSD alongside CC html editor.

Joshua, If your reluctant to use VSD, you might want to take a look at my site. It's nothing fancy as far as design but I have lots of technical examples for users to implement in their sites with instructions. I even have a live chat example with a little twist.
http://progrower.coffeecup.com/livechat.html

Very nice site, Eric! I've bookmarked it and think the livechat could be very useful. Probably won't fix what isn't broken with my course websites during the current stress period, but inbetween semesters I very well may make the transition. I love CC html editor so much I wish changes that it makes could go into the VSD files :-/ Thanks for your input. Coffeecup is my favorite company.

I use the HTML editor as much as I use VSD. I usually test my code in the html editor then bring it into VSD.