[kronolith] Free/busy URLs

[Chuck Hagenbuch]

Kevin - thanks. This is great. Can you post it in the wiki? :)

Quoting "Kevin M. Myer" <kevin_myer at iu13.org>:

> What is a Free/Busy URL?
>
> A Free/Busy URL does just what it says:  it provides Free/Busy
> information about something, via a URL.  Generally, this will be in
> iCalendar format, with a VFREEBUSY component.  Applications generate
> these in different ways and publish them in different ways, but since
> this is Kronolith, that's what I'll try to explain.  And, depending on
> what version of Kronolith you have, you have more granularity over the
> number and which calendars are used to generate the data.
>
> In Kronolith 2.0.X, you can only do a per calendar URL.  So if you want
> to have two calendars, say one with public events, and one with
> private, and you want the combination of events on both of them to
> constitute your Free/Busy info, you can't, because the URLs are
> calendar based only (of the form
> http://www.example.com/horde/kronolith/fb.php?c=kronolith_share).  As
> Jan noted, you access this on the My Calendars screen - pick the
> calendar and your Free/Busy URL is generated in the field below that.
>
>
> In what will be Kronolith 2.1.X or higher (currently unreleased), there
> is a new preference available that lets you specify one or more
> calendars, whose entries are to be merged to generate your Free/Busy
> information.  The above format still works, for a per calendar share
> basis, but a new format is added of the form
> http://www.example.com/horde/kronolith/fb.php?u=username.  If this URL
> is referenced, Kronolith generates the results based on the calendars
> you've selected, or if you've selected none, defaults to your default
> share.
>
> Now how is this information useful?  Well, if you're using applications
> that know how to use these URLs to check if you're free or busy, it can
> facilitate scheduling of meetings or events.  So the idea is you
> publish a static URL (in much the same way that you give out an email
> address, a phone number, mailing address, etc.) and then people can use
> that to check if you're available.  Important to note is that no
> information about *what* you have scheduled is available.  It's just
> whether or not you are free or not.
>
> To fully use this in Kronolith you need:
>
> 1) An identity setup, configured with a from_addr (this ensures that
> your FB info is returned when Kronolith is queried)
> 2) An Address Book that contains FB URLs for entries (this allows you
> to store or utilize existing entries when creating events)
> 3) Kronolith configured to use the above Address Book
>
> Now, when you create an event, check out the "Edit Invitees" area.
> Type in one or more email addresses, and if they are in your Address
> Book, and if they have a FB URL, their availability will show up.
>
> For others to use your URL, if they are on your system, they need to
> have you in their address book, or there needs to be a shared address
> book that contains these entries (we maintain and publish these as part
> of our organizational directory, for instance).  If the users aren't on
> your system, just give them your URL and they can plug it into whatever
> they are using that takes advantage of it.
>
> Kevin
>
> --
> Kevin M. Myer
> Senior Systems Administrator
> Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13  http://www.iu13.org
>
>
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-chuck

-- 
"But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy." - John 
Quincy Adams