Reputation: 675
How to create a .ICS file with multiple VEVENTs to be imported into an existing Outlook Calendar
I have a need to allow for a user to download an event that has multiple meeting dates. To do this I have created a memorystream to be downloaded which produces a .ics file. For example:
BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Company//Product//EN VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Subject of Event LOCATION:Location of Event UID:[email protected] DESCRIPTION:Some description DTEND:20081101T200000Z DTSTART:20081101T200000Z PRIORITY:3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT ... END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR
If I only include one VEVENT in this file it will save it to my existing Outlook calendar. However, when I have multiple VEVENTs it wants to open it as a new calendar and files it under "Other Calendars".
Is there a way (without using File - Import from within Outlook) to specify that the calendar should be imported automatically into the existing calendar when opened?
UPDATE: To clarify, each VEVENT is related to a single "Appointment". However there may or may not be a recurring pattern.
-Mike
Upvotes: 19
Views: 50390
Answers (7)
Reputation: 301
This works: Take the ICS file, drag & drop on the calendar button in Outlook (bottom left corner on mine). That adds multiple entries to the default calendar, without any prompting when an ICS file contains multiple vevents. Updates & deletes of multiples are my next challenge.
Double clicking the same file has very different results: Creates a new calendar, and the busy indicator is ignored. The drag & drop that I described keeps the busy indicator intact like it is in the ICS file
X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE opened the 1st entry so it could be approved & added. Subsequent vevents are ignored.
X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:FALSE or removing the line entirely had the same results on Outlook 365 for me.
Also, when double clicking an ICS file with multiple vevents, this is what I saw: Outlook is not entirely compatible because a new calendar gets created named "untitled". The mail app that comes with Windows 10 is compatible & all entries are added to the calendar properly (might be because the Win 10 mail app only has 1 calendar? I don't know- I'm writing for Outlook only)
Upvotes: 0
Reputation: 21
Make sure you have "X-MS-OLK-FORCEINSPECTOROPEN:TRUE" in the VCALENDAR part of your file. This allows an ICS file with multiple VEVENTs to import into your default calendar in Outlook. No new calendar created.
Upvotes: 1
Reputation: 1140
This is possible, using an Internet Calendar (like from Google). Outlook 2007 has the capabilities to subscribe to an Internet Calendar (under Account Settings) and Outlook 2003 has an open-source plug-in available. You could create an accessible feed that is "read-only". The format is like
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//XYZ Corp//My Product//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:My Calendar
X-WR-TIMEZONE:(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20061021T100000Z
DTEND:20061021T130000Z
DTSTAMP:20090211T175526Z
UID:5f98dfd5-ac72-4ae1-b3c2-799a4e7c91f9
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20071104T183833Z
DESCRIPTION: My description text.
LAST-MODIFIED:20071104T183833Z
LOCATION: 123 Anywhere Street\; Anyplace, NJ 12345\; US
SEQUENCE:0
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY: My summary text.
TRANSP:OPAQUE
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20061101T170000Z
DTEND:20061101T180000Z
DTSTAMP:20090211T175526Z
UID:6eaef015-eb90-4e94-8e6c-0003b928969a
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20071104T183833Z
DESCRIPTION: My description for number 2.
LAST-MODIFIED:20071104T183833Z
LOCATION: 123 Anywhere Street\; Anyplace, NJ 12345\; US
SEQUENCE:0
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY: My summary for #2.
TRANSP:OPAQUE
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR
Upvotes: 4
Reputation: 19
this is an example of three FIFA 2010 matches on outlook, I'm guessing that this is what you are looking for...
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook 12.0 MIMEDIR//EN
VERSION:2.0
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-CALSTART:20100611T140000Z
X-CALEND:20100711T201500Z
X-WR-RELCALID:{0000002E-5A22-AA75-713B-5C3715764495}
X-WR-CALNAME: World Cup Football Complete Match Schedule 2010 South Africa
BEGIN:VEVENT
CATEGORIES:World Cup Football Complete Match Schedule 2010 South Africa
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20100608T231102Z
DESCRIPTION:Group A\nFollow MarkThisDate on Twitter
markthisdate
DTEND:20100611T154500Z
DTSTAMP:20100513T100200Z
DTSTART:20100611T140000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20100608T231102Z
LOCATION:Johannesburg
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:0
SUMMARY:South Africa - Mexico
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
UID:[email protected]
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-BUSYSTATUS:FREE
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-IMPORTANCE:1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
CATEGORIES:World Cup Football Complete Match Schedule 2010 South Africa
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20100608T231102Z
DESCRIPTION:Group A\nFollow MarkThisDate on Twitter
markthisdate
DTEND:20100611T201500Z
DTSTAMP:20100513T100200Z
DTSTART:20100611T183000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20100608T231102Z
LOCATION:Cape Town
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:0
SUMMARY:Uruguay - France
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
UID:[email protected]
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-BUSYSTATUS:FREE
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-IMPORTANCE:1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
CATEGORIES:World Cup Football Complete Match Schedule 2010 South Africa
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20100608T231102Z
DESCRIPTION:Group B\nFollow MarkThisDate on Twitter
markthisdate
DTEND:20100612T131500Z
DTSTAMP:20100513T100200Z
DTSTART:20100612T113000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20100608T231102Z
LOCATION:Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth
PRIORITY:5
SEQUENCE:0
SUMMARY:Korea Republic - Greece
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
UID:[email protected]
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-BUSYSTATUS:FREE
X-MICROSOFT-CDO-IMPORTANCE:1
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR
Upvotes: 1
Reputation: 9370
This should be possible :/ the following works with google, and loads fine into entourage. Outlook seems to have some issues though, will keep looking.
NOTE - this does import correctly into outlook when you use file>import etc, it's only double clicking that causes it to only load the first event.
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//Google Inc//Google Calendar 70.9054//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Insert something
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Insert something
X-WR-CALDESC:
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20110909T180000Z
DTEND:20110909T200000Z
DTSTAMP:20110722T004312Z
UID:[email protected]
CREATED:20110721T105553Z
DESCRIPTION:
LAST-MODIFIED:20110721T105554Z
LOCATION:Insert something
SEQUENCE:0
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:Insert something
TRANSP:OPAQUE
BEGIN:VALARM
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:This is an event reminder
TRIGGER:-P0DT0H10M0S
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20110909T083000Z
DTEND:20110909T103000Z
DTSTAMP:20110722T004312Z
UID:[email protected]
CREATED:20110721T105410Z
DESCRIPTION:
LAST-MODIFIED:20110721T111008Z
LOCATION:Auckland
SEQUENCE:1
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SUMMARY:Insert something
TRANSP:OPAQUE
BEGIN:VALARM
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Insert something
TRIGGER:-P0DT0H10M0S
END:VALARM
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR
Upvotes: 1
Reputation: 21
Make sure you are using a unique UID for every VEVENT. If you use the same UID for every VEVENT you would see exactly the behavior you are describing since only unique UID's are processed and added to the calendar.
HTH.
Upvotes: 2
Reputation: 2604
I don't think this will work. Outlook is limited in importing those "open" specs. I had a similar problem trying to import a vCard file with multiple contacts. I ended up splitting the file and writing a script in Outlook to import all the files in a directory.
Upvotes: 4
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