Subject: Synchronization issues

From: "Steve Miller" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 06:29:19 -0700

We are using vCalendar to store our web appointments locally in our MS
Outlook appointment books.  This works well, but our clients now want to be
able to synchronize all our web appointments with their MS Outlook
appointment book.

My first thought was to allow them to click a hyperlink on our web site, it
would read all their appoinments, put all of them into one vCalendar file
and send that to them in email.  Then they would simply double click the
vCalendar file and it would add the appointments.  I found 2 problems with
this:
  1.. When they click the vCalendar file that contains more than one
vCalendar event, it only adds the first one.  I could not find a way to
process them all.
  2.. If a duplicate vCalendar entry is in the file, we want to ignore it.
It creates a duplicate record in MS Outlook.
Any ideas about our approach?  My thought at this point is to have the
client do an EXPORT of their calendar information in CSV format and allow us
to import it into our web application, replacing duplicates and finding
items that are on the web site but not locally.  Then we could send the
missing ones back to the client in via email with a vCalendar attachment.
Then they could import that vCalendar file.

Is there a better way?

Steve Miller, Pragmatic Software Co., Inc., 303.471.8355
www.pragmaticsw.com   www.defecttracker.com   www.pragmaticoffice.com

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From: Benjamin Sonntag <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 13:56:08 +0100

Le Samedi 10 Novembre 2001 14:29, vous avez écrit :

Hello,

> Outlook appointment books.  This works well, but our clients now want to
> be able to synchronize all our web appointments with their MS Outlook
> appointment book.

> client do an EXPORT of their calendar information in CSV format and allow
> us to import it into our web application, replacing duplicates and
> finding items that are on the web site but not locally.  Then we could
> send the missing ones back to the client in via email with a vCalendar
> attachment. Then they could import that vCalendar file.
>
> Is there a better way?

There is, in fact, a better way, but it requires some software 
development. Your can create a small Visual Basic script that will be 
associated to a special extension (e.g. .vce for VCalendar Export)
This script will use the Component Object Model, Outlook classes and 
Folders to add them to your Calendar. As a result you only need :   

1. An adequate Visual Basic Script (.vbs) 
2. A .reg file to associate this script to your extension.

I already developped this type of script, and it worked pretty well. It  
was part of a MsAccess 2000 Project that authomatically updated the user's 
Outlook appointment books. You should create one that fit your needs.

Regards
Benjamin Sonntag
<[email-masked]>