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Text: Patrick Mackaaij

PATriCk MACkAAij
is a consultant and team leader at TOPDesk. He specializes in technical issues and optimizing processes.

SENdING cAlENdAR INvITATIONS fROM TOPdESK

In my last article, I explained how you could create your own card report using the Events module. You can open this card report in Microsoft Word to supplement or print it. In this article, I will discuss how you can create a calendar file in TOPdesk in more or less the same way. A recipient can use a calendar file to copy an appointment with detailed information to their calendar, such as a meeting including the room that has been reserved.

he standard for calendar files is iCalendar (.ics), the successor of vCalendar (.vcs). Both formats are

save it as an iCalendar file. Enter all data in the appointment that you would like to include later via the corresponding card in TOPdesk such as location, start and end time, reminder and other information (figure 1). You can use the file Example subject.ics as a template for the text file that you can generate using the Events module. It looks like this:

11.0 MIMEDIR//EN VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20111003T070000Z DTEND:20111003T083000Z LOCATION:Example location TRANSP:OPAQUE SEQUENCE:0 UID:040000008200E00074C5B7101A82E00 800000000609243833971CC01000000000 00000001000000051C368D673084C439D BE9FE4B56C1A0E DTSTAMP:20110912T084832Z

simple flat text files that can be read in to most calendar software, including Microsoft Outlook. TOPdesk can create calendar files using the Events module. You can then include a link to the calendar file on the server in an email.

Saving an Outlook appointment

To generate a calendar file, create an appointment in your Outlook agenda and

Example 1 iCalendar text

BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook

Photography: robin kuijs

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Fig. 1 Saving the appointment as an iCalendar file

SUMMARY: Example subject PRIORITY:5 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-IMPORTANCE:1 CLASS:PUBLIC BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT15M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Reminder END:VALARM END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR

on the server. TOPdesk will then run the file MoveFile.cmd, a batch script that will move the temporary file (variable %1) to a location from which the TOPdesk Operator can access it through the TOPdesk server. This location is configured in the batch script. You can create the batch script in the TOPdesk installation master folder, using the following content: move %1 web\open\TOPdesk-ics\%2.ics Before you do this, ensure that you have

changed. The start date will appear as follows: [Planned_Start_Date;13] Next, link the action that you have created to the corresponding events. For a reservation, this would be the moment that the card is created or changed.

Setting up a mime type on the TOPdesk application server

You can find the generated calendar file on the TOPdesk server via a URL, for example: http://[TOPdesk-server]/[-UNiD-].ics The TOPdesk server will present the .ics file as text by default. A pop-up containing the iCalendar text from Example 1 will then appear on the recipients screen. Your TOPdesk application manager can ensure that files with the .ics extention are presented as mime type text/calendar, in other words as a calendar file. To do this, the application manager must adjust the TOPdesk file etc/webdefault.xml as follows: >>

Please note: The implemented iCalendar rfc5545-functionalities depend on the software that you are using. Microsoft Outlook 2003 for instance does not process additional attendees.

created the folder TOPdesk-ics on the TOPdesk server in the folder /web/open. Replace the fields in bold in Example 1 with fields to be inserted. For the appointment, copy the unique ID from the card in TOPdesk [-UNID-] to UID (unique ID). The

Setting up Events and Actions in TOPdesk

Just as in my previous article, Creating your own card report, you copy the iCalendar text in the File content field from a File to be executed Action in the Action explorer (see figure 2). The TOPdesk server creates the calendar file as a temporary text file with the Action settings. The calendar file will be placed in the temporary files folder

date format in TOPdesk is different from that of the iCalendar default. To adjust this, select the inserted date field. Right-click on the field with your mouse and select XML Date/Time (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss). Tip: You can also adjust the date format manually by adding ;13 to it. For example, for a reservation insert the start and end date and the time that the card was

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Editorial
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The TOPdesk Magazine covers subjects that are topical in the world of professional service desks in IT, facilities and other service providing organizations. TOPdesk Magazine is intended for managers, service desk employees, facilities organizations and electronic city councils anyone who is involved with supporting clients on a daily basis. This concerns both the processes and the technology behind these services. TOPdesk Magazine is a TOPdesk publication Tel: +31 (0)15 270 09 00 Fig. 2 Generating a calendar file in the Action Explorer Email: editorial@topdesk.com Chief Editor: Nienke Deuss Editors: Nienke Deuss, Timme Hos, Milou Snaterse, Niek

1. Stop the TOPdesk server (service) 2. Open etc/webdefault.xml in notepad 3. Search for the command </servlet-mapping> and insert the following text directly below it: <mime-mapping> <extension>ics</extension> <mime-type>text/calendar</mimetype> </mime-mapping> 4. Start the TOPdesk server (service) Ask your TOPdesk application manager to check this setting each time TOPdesk is updated. When an event (defined by you) occurs, your agenda software will open an appointment that you can save in your agenda. You can check this by opening the generated .ics file in your browser. If you wish to include the link to the .ics file in an email, you can give it an even neater appearance by using HTML. If you also use a file icon for an agenda item in the link, the recipient will probably not even spot the difference between an attachment and a link.

Steenhuis, Nicola van de Velde Translators: Leah Clarke, Hazel Hollis, Nicola van de Velde Contributors: Rob Haaring, Jolanda Harper-Simonis, Renske van der Heide, Patrick Mackaaij, Jordi Recasens, Lydje Snieders Layout: Cathy van den Berg, Elise Kerner, Design Agency DDC Photography: Ted Erkkila, Aad Hoogendoorn, Robin Kuijs, Jonas Mertens, Kees Muizelaar Copy editor: Nicola van de Velde A print run of 5,000 Quarterly magazine Languages: Dutch, English