event XML 1.1 (fix recurrances)

Thu Dec 7 19:35:51 CET 2006

Hi Martin,

> I want to announce my work on an enhanced XML format for Kolab events.

thank you for working on this. The recurrence problem is a roadblocker for 
our web calendar work.

>   <body>(string, default empty)</body>

this has nothing to do with recurrences but if you are thinking about 
matching the features of ms outlook you'll need more than plain text in the 
body. Outlook can put rich text and attachments into the body. I don't want 
the pure ms rich text stuff in the xml but we could handle it like regular 
mail: store the body like a mail as multipart mime, the rich text stuff 
converted to html mail. this would make it easy for the clients because they 
could just use the mail display functions.

>   <!-- Multiple subevents are allowed. If a <subevent> changes an event of
>        a series this element must be excluded in the primary event using
>        the <exclusion> tag! Tags which are by default "not present" inherit
>        their values from the primary event if they are not explicitly set.
>        Basically this means that mainly the difference towards the primary
>        event is stored in subevents! -->

why don't you code this requirement into the syntax? how about
<recurrence>
	...
	<exclusion>2006-12-13
		<subevent>
		...
		</subevent
	</exclusion>
</recurrence>

every compliant client understanding the old format will not show the single 
moved event because the exclusion is still valid. I think this is as good as 
we can get it regarding backwards compatibility.

> - The concluding list of allowed tags below <subevent> is:
>
> <summary>(string, optional)</summary>
> <location>(string, optional)</location>
> <start-date>(date or datetime, mandatory)</start-date>
> <end-date>(date or datetime, mandatory</end-date>
> <alarm>(number, optional)</alarm>
> <color-label>(string, optional)</color-label>
> <show-time-as>(string, optional)</show-time-as>
> {<attendee>} <!-- default not present - if present the
>                   list of attendees must be complete! -->
>           <display-name>(string, optional)</display-name>
>           <smtp-address>(string, optional)</smtp-address>
>           <status>(string, optional)</status>
>           <request-response>(bool, default true)</request-response>
>           <role>(string, default "required", optional)</role>
> </attendee>}
> <inline-attachment>(string, optional)</inline-attachment>
> <link-attachment>(string, optional)</link-attachment>

why can't you change the body in a subevent? 

how about priority? i can't find priority in the event specification, just in 
the task specification. but ol definitivly has a priority option for each 
calendar entry and it can be changed individually for each recurring event.

Kind regards,

Gerd
-- 
Gerd v. Egidy
Leiter Entwicklung

Intra2net AG
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72072 Tübingen
Germany
Tel: +49-7071-56510-18
Fax: +49-7071-56510-50
gerd.von.egidy at intra2net.com
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