[kwlug-disc] Android / Google calendar - events as tasks.

Tue Oct 23 15:52:12 EDT 2012

I use roundcube and I'm pretty sure it supports caldav using the calendar plugin  from myroundcube.com

Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com> wrote:

>I've often thought that a Project Management application could use
>CalSch standards to store tasks and sub-tasks (nested without limit),
>and vCards for resources.  The output could be entirely iCal and vCard
>feeds, compatible with any calendaring software. Add some basic mail
>functionality (Zawinski's Law for servers), and you'd have a dandy
>Project Management/Calendar/Mail system. Haven't found any such
>software
>yet..
>
>I am still looking for a Free/Libre calendar/mail server. I just
>uninstalled Zimbra Open Source; partly due to admin interface
>shortcomings (lack of granularity in managing the non-standard,
>out-of-date Postfix server), partly lack of full calendar integration
>(no CalDAV; no iCal feeds for input), and partly because of a
>dependency
>on Adobe Flash for admin reports.
>
>About two years ago I installed Kolab, but at that time the version in
>the Ubuntu repositories wasn't supported by kolab.org, and the version
>distributed by kolab.org used a proprietary package manager (which I
>think is no longer supported either).
>
>I've been making a list at
>http://bob.jonkman.ca/blogs/2012/10/12/calendaring-server-software/  If
>anyone can help fill in the blanks, or has additional recommendations
>please let me know.
>
>--Bob.
>
>Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com>         http://sobac.com/sobac/
>SOBAC Microcomputer Services              Phone: +1-519-669-0388
>6 James Street, Elmira ON Canada  N3B 1L5  Cell: +1-519-635-9413
>Software   ---   Office & Business Automation   ---   Consulting
>
>
>
>On 12-10-22 07:24 PM, unsolicited wrote:
>> To your point(s) ...
>> 
>> I came across yesterday somewhere that Google only just announced 
>> CardDAV support in the last few weeks.
>> 
>> On 12-10-04 06:35 PM, Bob Jonkman wrote:
>>> I've been using Google Calendar for events for years, even when I
>>> was still using a paper-based appointment book (long since
>>> abandoned). Google is one of the few calendar providers that comes
>>> close to following the IETF CalSch standards (RFC5545 et al).
>>> 
>>> I don't use tasks much, but the calendar Web interface for tasks
>>> does have a "completed" status and indicator (either a check mark
>>> for complete items, or an empty checkbox for incomplete items).
>>> I'm using 
>>> https://google.com/calendar/render?gsessionid=<SomeHexNumber> with 
>>> Chromium or Firefox.
>> 
>> Yep. Ugly. (Web interface.) Wish there were a standalone java / Linux
>> / Windows app. (Preferably all 3.) But I don't know of any.
>> 
>>> The Google task list shows up as another calendar instance in the
>>> Web calendar interface, but the tasks do not seem to appear in any
>>> of the calendars; the tasks seem to be in some other calendar
>>> store.  I've added my Google calendars to the Thunderbird Lightning
>>> plugin.  I cannot see the tasks in those calendars, and it does not
>>> seem that I can export the task list, or link to it.
>> 
>> Lightning doesn't understand tasks / anything that isn't a calendar. 
>> [Not to say there aren't addons out there fudging it (somewhat?).
>> e.g. Toodledo. And not to say it doesn't have (internal) tasks.] They
>> just haven't gotten that far / sync wise. I doubt that they will any
>> time soon. Calendars are a big enough ongoing problem, development is
>> being scaled back on TB, ...
>> 
>>> I've also added a bunch of external calendars to my Google
>>> calendar list, including the .ics link from Meetup, and the iCal
>>> link from http://sobac.com/~stopthestink/events-calendar/   That
>>> all seems to work fine.
>>> 
>>> I'm not using the Google calendar app for Android, but the mobile
>>> web interface for tasks:
>>> http://mail.google.com/tasks?source=mog&gly=ca (which will redirect
>>> to the mobile Task interface on an Android phone).
>> 
>> Yeah, there's that, or the similar widget for calendars. Right-side 
>> loading that will also expand out, screen wise. Just like gmail
>> version does.)
>> 
>>> So, if you want to use Google Tasks, stick to their Web interface, 
>>> either desktop or mobile.
>> 
>> I don't actually know of any (standalone) desktop apps that will
>> deal with gtasks.  See TaskUnifier on sourceforge for the sort of
>> thing I mean, vs. inclusion in an awkward user interface within
>> korganizer, evolution, etc.
>> 
>>> If you want tasks  integrated with events (with import/export) try 
>>> Thunderbird's Lightning plugin.  Not sure how conformant Lightning
>>> tasks are to the CalSch standards.
>>> 
>>> I've used Evolution for event scheduling as well, but I don't
>>> remember how well it handles tasks or how conformant it is to
>>> standards.
>>> 
>>> From RFC5545, a task (called a "To-Do") is an event with rollover
>>> and completion - if a task has no completed date then it appears
>>> the next day.  If there is a due date then it can appear as
>>> "overdue" when it rolls past the due date.  If there is a start
>>> date then it does not appear in the task list until that date.
>> 
>> It's subtasks that are the real showstopper. Very few facilities
>> have them (except for google) - which means there's little point to
>> google having them / using them - they can't sync anywhere / lack of 
>> standalone/desktop) interface. e.g. Toodledo claims subtasks, but
>> it's only 1 level. Beats me how they get away with such
>> marketing-speak.
>> 
>>> RFC5545: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5545
>>> 
>>> On 12-10-01 06:01 PM, unsolicited wrote:
>>>> One of the annoying things about (Google) calendar is that it has
>>>> no sense of tasks as events (or vice versa). [Never mind google
>>>> tasks for the purpose of this message.]
>>>> 
>>>> It just occurred to me I could create two calendars, 'mycal'
>>>> (shown) and 'mycal-done' (not shown). When a meeting has
>>>> happened, for example, moving the event from 'mycal' to
>>>> 'mycal-done' would be the equivalent to marking the meeting as
>>>> completed. (Or cancelled.) Turning the display of 'mycal-done'
>>>> on/off would be the equivalent to ticking (or not) 'Show 
>>>> Completed'.
>>>> 
>>>> It also occurs to me that if one has a regular 'project' [never
>>>> mind that by definition a project is unique], one could export
>>>> the (calendar) project as a .csv, edit the dates for the next
>>>> round, and import the modified .csv.
>>>> 
>>>> [<tongue in cheek> Should I be looking to apply for a software
>>>> patent for these ideas?]
>>>> 
>>>> Any reasons why approaching these these ways doesn't make sense /
>>>> are there better ways?
>>>> 
>>>> Anyone know of any good web places where such tips and 'tricks'
>>>> are bandied about?
>>>> 
>>>> [It appears to be pointless to hold one's breath that google will
>>>> ever add the concept of 'complete' to calendar events / integrate
>>>> tasks into calendar - a la Palm Desktop / Agendus / DateBk.]
>> 
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