ICS import workflow with sending response to organizer
This ticket is about the ICS import workflow with sending response to organizer. I am sorry for the wall of text. I had to unwrap it in my head for easier reading and understanding. Maybe all of this is known and expected behavior or it is a niche corner case, i.e. close it. Maybe it helps to uncover a bug. Maybe it will become a feature request. Maybe it must be split. I am fine with either. Thank you for your input and help in advance. :)
Attached is on obfuscated, shortened version of the ICS file: Webex_Meeting.edited.ics
my suggestions / questions
For section 2: After importing the ICS file and attached step reply to the meeting request would be nice, without having to rely on section 4. Options at end of section 4 are a perfect fit.
For section 3:
- The Organizer and Description difference seem to be bugs to me.
- I can create a meeting in the computer-local calendar and it supports name resolution with Exchange address book. I do not know why it did not do it for the ICS import. Maybe because I am not set as organizer?
Searching Evolution's manual at: https://help.gnome.org/users/evolution/stable/ for ICS did not returned any result. I could not find any hint at the workaround. Shall I add section 4?
software versions
I am using:
- mailbox hosted on Microsoft Exchange Server 2016
- Evolution with EWS to access the mailbox
- Fedora Workstation
- Evolution on Fedora 34:
$ rpm -qa | grep -i evolution | sort -u
evolution-3.40.4-3.fc34.x86_64
evolution-data-server-3.40.4-2.fc34.x86_64
evolution-data-server-langpacks-3.40.4-2.fc34.noarch
evolution-ews-3.40.4-1.fc34.x86_64
evolution-ews-langpacks-3.40.4-1.fc34.noarch
evolution-langpacks-3.40.4-3.fc34.noarch
- Evolution on Fedora 36 Beta:
$ rpm -qa | grep -i evolution | sort -u
evolution-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
evolution-data-server-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
evolution-data-server-langpacks-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
evolution-ews-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
evolution-ews-langpacks-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
evolution-langpacks-3.44.0-1.fc36.x86_64
section 0 - introduction
The other day I received an e-mail. The e-mail was about scheduling an appointment. The e-mail did not contain the meeting request itself, but a link to a website, which provided an ICS file. This seems to be normal workflow for Cisco support sessions.
I have never used ICS files on their own before, at least I am not aware of it. Because I could not figure out how to accept the meeting request, I asked a colleague for help. He helped me with his Microsoft Windows computer. So I understood the workflow and could get it to work with Evolution.
section 1 - workflow with Microsoft Outlook 2019
- download ICS file
- open ICS file with double left click in file browser
- in the calendar the meeting is created
- Outlook opens a "Meetings" window for that meeting; the window can be used to reply to message (in "Meeting" tab in "Respond" group: [Accept], [Tentative], [Decline], [Propose New Time], [Respond])
- you do not have to reply at import time; you can just save and later open the calendar item (it is displayed half-transparent) and reply to the meeting request
note: opening that imported meeting request with Evolution these settings are shown:
- Organizer: EXTERNAL
- Attendees: EXTERNAL, ME # ME is the item from Exchange address book
- Description: has plain text # need to scroll
section 2 - workflow with Evolution (identical on Fedora 34 and 36)
- download ICS file
- open ICS file with double left click in file browser
- an Evolution window opens: "Import Data - iCalendar files (.ics)"
- in that preview window (replacing :
- the "Organizer" item is correctly shown as
First Last <name@isp.com>
# text below refers to this as EXTERNAL - the "Attendees" item shows me
First%20Last <first.name@sub.domain.de>
# verbatim value from the ICS file
- the "Organizer" item is correctly shown as
- continue to import
There is no item to answer to the meeting request.
section 3 - in Evolution comparing objects after import
If imported into EWS-based calendar:
- Organizer: ME
- Attendees...: ME # note: it seems like automatic name resolution with Exchange address book happened, because:
- displayed as "First Last", i.e. the "%20" is gone
- the item's e-mail address changed capitalization to the one used in Exchange address book (visible if you edit the name)
- "First" received the required apostrophe
- the Description input box is in plain text mode; it contains text
If imported into computer-local calendar:
- Organizer: EXTERNAL
- Attendees...: ME # but in "First%20Last" notation ; I cannot check more, because I am not the organizer
- the Description input box is in "HTML mode"; it is empty; if you click on "Edit as text" it contains text (need to scroll)
For both there is no item to reply to the meeting request.
section 4 - How to reply to meeting request with Evolution? (identical on Fedora 34 and 36)
- download ICS file
- append ICS file to e-mail draft
- save draft, f.i. in menubar click on [Save as draft] button
- close draft window
- move draft from Drafts folder to Inbox folder; if you skip it, i.e. draft remains in Draft folder, you will see only the [Open Calendar] button when clicking the [->] button
- switch to Inbox folder
- open "e-mail draft"
- at ICS file click on the [->] button (has "Toggle View Inline" tooltip) in order to see expected options: [Open Calendar], [Decline], [Tentative], [Accept]
- clicking on [Accept] the response is sent to the correct organizer, i.e. EXTERNAL
section 5 - e-mail with meeting invitation
For comparison to section 1: If I receive an email with a meeting request included (independent from the case at the start) and I use Evolution to accept it, Evolution shows the correct meeting settings:
- Organizer: EXTERNAL
- Attendees: EXTERNAL, ME