Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

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ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Howdy,

I run TBird 45.7.0, and use Provider for Google Calendar 3.1 with Lightning 4.7.4, under Windows 10.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get things set up so that I can accept emailed appointment invitations. Despite all that effort, I have never had predictably positive results. I have tried a very long list of tweaks, all to no avail.

And so, this simple question:

Is it actually possible to get this process working in a stable way? If so, can you point me to a description of a method that I can expect will really work?

Very sincere thanks,

A.C.
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DanRaisch
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Joined: September 23rd, 2004, 8:57 pm
Location: Somewhere on the right coast

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by DanRaisch »

Moving to Calendar forum where those most likely to be able to offer guidance will be more likely to see it.
ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Hi again,

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks to all,

A.C.
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WaltS48
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Joined: May 7th, 2010, 9:38 am
Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by WaltS48 »

Update to Thunderbird 45.7.1, which should pull in the latest Lightning 4.7.7.1, might help.

Not sure if you should continue using Provider for Google Calendar, or use the gdata-provider-2.6 from Directory Listing: /pub/calendar/lightning/candidates/4.7.7.1-candidates/build1/win32/

I don't use Google.

EDIT: My Linux distro automatically installs gdata-provider
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ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Howdy,

I thank you for your suggestions.

I just updated TBird (and Lightning), left Provider in place, and with those changes, I get the error "Processing message failed. Status: 804a000a." When I attempt to accept an invitation.

Next, I will try the gdata-Provider.

All the best,

A.C.
ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Hi again,

I am now running TBird 45.7.1, Lightning 4.7.7.1, using the gdata-provider you suggested.

When I try to accept an invitation, I get the error that I have described above.

I have searched for solutions to this problem until my fingers bleed, but have had no success.

Of course, I would welcome any further suggestions you, or others, might have.

All the best,

A.C.
ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Hi again,

I neglected to ask:

Which of the Lightning calendar options should I be using with the gdata-provider? (Icalendar, CalDav, or Google?)

Thanks, as before,

A.C.
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WaltS48
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Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by WaltS48 »

If my memory is right from other support posts, I believe it is CalDav.
Linux Desktop - AMD Athlon(tm) II X3 455 3.3GHz | 8.0GB RAM | GeForce GT 630
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ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Howdy,

Well, I just tried to set it up (yet again) as CalDAV, and (yet again) it failed.

Here are my steps:

01 Went to calendar.google.com
02 Went to the calendar I wish to use for invitations
03 Clicked on calendar settings
04 Clicked on iCal
05 Copied the address of the calendar
06 Launched TBird
07 Clicked New Calendar
08 Checked On Network
09 Chose CalDAV option
10 Pasted in calendar address
11 Entered name of calendar
12 Entered my email address (which is NOT my google email address)
13 Saw that calendar was created
14 Clicked Finish
15 Calendar appeared in Gray on list of calendars displayed by Lightning
16 Clicked on its properties
17 Calendar was not "turned ON"
18 Checked the box to turn it ON
19 It went Gray again, turning itself OFF
20 Went to calendar.google.com
21 Went to the calendar's settings, and set it to "Share with specific person" by entering my (non google) email address
22 Launched TBird and though the calendar appeared in the Lightning list, it was OFF. So, I checked the box to turn it ON.
23 It immediately turned itself OFF, as before.

Might anyone spot the error of my ways (other than my abandoning this effort altogether...)

Sincere thanks,

A.C.
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WaltS48
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Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by WaltS48 »

I'm out of ideas.
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mgagnonlv
Posts: 848
Joined: February 12th, 2005, 8:33 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by mgagnonlv »

I use Thunderbird 52 (beta 1) with the integrated Lightning, as well as Provider for Google Calendar 3.1. I also use (obviously) a few Google calendars as well as my office calendar on a Webcal server and a few read-only calendars.

I receive quite a few invitations and have no problems accepting or rejecting them. However, almost all of them happen on my office calendar which is NOT a Google calendar. So based on my experience, I would say that accepting invitation works... if the server where is hosted the calendar is able to process them adequately. I also remember receiving one invitation on my personal calendar (Google) 1 or 2 years ago, and I *think* it went OK.

Likewise, free/busy indications only work if the host server supports them. For instance, it is quite possible to set up 2 appointments at the same time on the local calendar because it doesn't make you "busy" (or it didn't a year ago). But setting an appointment on a Google calendar or the office calendar (Webcal) makes me appear as busy.

Anyway, here are a few points that might help you.

1. Apart from the local calendar, each calendar is tied to one (maybe two) email address. Replies will go out using the related email address.

2. More specifically, confirmations, notices, etc. linked to your Google calendar will go out using the associated Gmail address.
So make sure that you have set Thunderbird to read your Gmail mail.

If you prefer to read your Gmail via the web interface, configure Thunderbird to read your Gmail. Receive mail and send out at least one message so that Thunderbird goes through its routine of asking for the password.

Finally, open your Gmail account in its web interface and configure the application to allow "less secure applications".
– Click on your account logo or photo (top right), then click on "My account", then on "Connection and Security"
Somewhere in there you'll have the option of allowing "less secure applications" (not sure exactly where it is located as my interface is in French).
Likewise, make sure the 2-step validation is NOT selected, because Thunderbird and Lightning can't deal with them.

Allowing "less secure applications" may or may not be needed anymore (my account is set for that and, basically, it is not less secure), but 2-step validation is still a no-no because if selected Thunderbird/Lightning will be able to send messages only when Google decides it doesn't need a phone check-in.
Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada)
ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Hello Michel,

I very much appreciate your assistance...

I modified the Google apps security setting and then tried, yet again, to set up the calendar I want to use for invitations in TBird.

I chose to set it up as Ical. But, as before, when I tried to accept an invitation, I got the now familiar error telling me that the Modification Failed. The error dialog then adds "Processing message failed. Status: 804a000a." With that, the calendar settings changed to "Read Only.

Of course, there are scores of settings that relate to all of this, and together, they generate, an overwhelming number of combinations any of which could be firing this error.

Might you have any further thoughts?

Very sincere thanks,

A.C.
mgagnonlv
Posts: 848
Joined: February 12th, 2005, 8:33 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by mgagnonlv »

Hello,

I decided to bite the bullet and used my office calendar via its web interface to book a Google calendar. It works, but there are a few pitfalls along the way. If everything is set up correctly, then it works. Here are a few points to check.

1. My Google calendars are accessed via "Provider for Google Calendar 3.1". I don't think it is currently possible to use Google calendars otherwise (it used to be possible a few years ago). If you have set up a calendar as Ical, the calendar is set, but it will fail as soon as you want to modify it in Thunderbird/lightning.

2. With Provider for Google Calendar, connect to your Google account and then to the calendars you want to use.

3. For each of your calendars (Google or otherwise), right-click on the calendar name and select "Properties".
In the properties, check your "email address" (second to last line – see note at the end).
I think that you can only accept events in calendars for which you have set an email address, as well as local calendars.

4. When someone invites you to an event, the blue line "Accept" appears. If you click to accept an event, then all calendars for which you have set an email address will be listed.

5. Once you have selected a calendar, the event will be added to that calendar. An email confirmation may also be sent to the meeting organizer, depending on settings in about:config.


NOTES

a. Some Google calendars don't have any "email address" settings. I have also read in the WIKI that only the primary calendar of an account can be configured to accept invites.

b. To enable automatic receipts when you accept and event or modify its details, visit the Provider's wiki page, and also read the accompanying warning.
Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada)
ACFairbanks
Posts: 300
Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 5:51 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by ACFairbanks »

Hello Michel,

I very much appreciate your kind efforts, but before I experiment further, I have a question:

You wrote, in part - "I have also read in the WIKI that only the primary calendar of an account can be configured to accept invites."

But how would one determine, or designate, that a particular calendar is "primary?" I certainly have a calendar that I think of as primary, but that simply means that in my own thinking "it is the calendar in which I keep most of my calendar stuff."

Thanks for any further thoughts on this piece of the puzzle,

A.C.
mgagnonlv
Posts: 848
Joined: February 12th, 2005, 8:33 pm

Re: Calendar Management is now my Full Time Job...

Post by mgagnonlv »

Hello,

Not 100% certain, but if you log in to the web interface at https://calendar.google.com/calendar , the main calendar is the first one that appears in the left side bar, under "my calendars".
Michel Gagnon
Montréal (Québec, Canada)
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