Can I schedule a date in MS Outlook from a hyperlink?

May 22, 2005 4:23 AM

Is there a way to add a schedule to an Outlook user's calendar by having him click a link on a website?

I googled around a bit and found bits'n'pieces of info about an "Outlook://" protocol, but links using that just seem to be able to open specific folders, not add anything.

posted by slater to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

All kinds of Outlook stuff can be done programatically from VBScript. Your simplest answer is probably to have the server execute a VBScript when the link is clicked on.
posted by Leon at 5:10 AM on May 22, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks Leon, but I wouldn't wanna touch VBScript with a 10-foot barge pole...
posted by slater at 5:14 AM on May 22, 2005

I think outlook can open vcalendar, right? vcalendar is a pretty simple plain text format, googling should give you plenty of examples. Just link them and I assume they automatically get opened with outlook.
posted by fvw at 5:16 AM on May 22, 2005

Best answer: This link will teach you everything you need.
posted by Merdryn at 5:22 AM on May 22, 2005

Response by poster: Thank you fvw and Merdryn! :)
posted by slater at 5:27 AM on May 22, 2005

The article Merdyn linked to uses the older vCalendar format; the newer iCalendar format (spec) is more flexible.vCalendar is more compatible with older versions of Outlook, and iCalendar is compatible with more up-to-date applications (including Apple's iCal, which is named after the iCalendar format).

PHP Builder has an article on Using PHP to Make Basic vCalendar/iCalendar Events, and the author did a subsequent addendum. Also, there's also Microsoft Outlook Interoperability with RFC2445.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:36 AM on May 22, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks Kirkaracha!
posted by slater at 11:38 AM on May 22, 2005

Trumba will work if it doesn't have to be on your website.
posted by terrortubby at 4:25 AM on May 23, 2005