Lightning - email calendar reminders

For discussing the Mozilla Calendar, Sunbird and Lightning projects.
k1mgy
Posts: 21
Joined: May 26th, 2003, 8:31 am

Lightning - email calendar reminders

Post by k1mgy »

I cannot seem to find the current status for the (alleged) feature: email calendar reminders.

My configuration is Thunderbird 2b2 (20020716) with Lightning 0.3.1

When creating a new calendar event the options presented are:

alarm custom (with notification time) and an "attendees" list where email addresses may be placed.

I assumed "attendees" might mean that these would be notified when a calendar alarm is triggered. Nothing happens.

Is this broken, or am I imagining a needed feature that isn't there?
Old ssiter
Posts: 0
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 5:00 pm

Post by Old ssiter »

Mailing meeting invitations is not yet working but planed for next release.
k1mgy
Posts: 21
Joined: May 26th, 2003, 8:31 am

Post by k1mgy »

ssitter:

Sorry, I was not clear.

I'd like the calendar to trigger creation of an email to me (or more than one address in a list) at the same time the on-screen notification is displayed. The email would contain a simple text reminder with the information that has been entered for the event.

Is this possible now, or planned for future?

If not, perhaps it would make a desirable add-on (if I had time to build it!!).
mottchen
Posts: 14
Joined: March 16th, 2007, 10:19 am

e-mail reminders

Post by mottchen »

Yes, I also got the impression that I was supposed to be able to send e-mail reminders from lightning. It even says in the help file for the calendar (which is linked from the lightening page) that there is supposed to be a checkbox for e-mailing alarms, yet it is not there...
Lightening advertises its great integration with Thunderbird, yet I don't see any integration at all. You can't drag and drop e-mails, you can't send e-mail reminders...
Who can explain what's going on?
phatrabt
Posts: 31
Joined: March 21st, 2007, 11:18 am

Post by phatrabt »

I'm wondering the same things.
Klint
Posts: 260
Joined: September 13th, 2004, 1:24 pm

Post by Klint »

Hey, Lightning is only in version 0.3.1. It is a very YOUNG software, aimed at growing.
One thing may make you feel more comfortable with the future of Lightning : Sun has elected TB+Lightning to implement the Mail+Calendar brick in OpenOffice. Hence you can be sure that there will be the expected integration between them, to be able to compete with Outlook somehow.
Just be patient :) !
Last edited by Klint on March 26th, 2007, 12:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Klint
Posts: 260
Joined: September 13th, 2004, 1:24 pm

Post by Klint »

One more thing about attendees.
See my post here to get the lastest preversions of the tools : http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... 97#2815397

With these versions, you'll be able to send invitations to the attendees, that they can accept to log the event in they calendar. Note that this feature is evolving at the very moment, so there may still be bugs, but that are being taken care of.
finnmeister
Posts: 10
Joined: June 2nd, 2006, 11:40 am

Post by finnmeister »

I am running Thunderbird 1.5.0.10 - using Mozilla Calendar 0.2.0.2006011612-cal). So far, my calendar is working fine. I use multiple different coloured calendars and I have the capability to send myself reminders either with pop-ups or by sending an email to myself. Others I work with want the same functionality, however it seems when I go to the Mozilla link I previously used to download this calendar extension - It's no longer there. All I'm seeing is the newer Sunbird / Lightning calendars. Another person in my office downloaded the calendar and is experiencing the same issues as the others posted above. They have no option when creating an event/task to be able to email themselves or get a reminder pop-up. I know that Lightning is a "new" software and to be patient. Does sunbird have this ability? Can the older calendar I use still be downloaded or accessed? Others here want this ability, but I don't know where they would get it - if they even can. It's also a concern for me. If something happens to my existing calendar software and I can no longer install the calendar I have - I won't have this ability any longer. It's a big concern. Also, if I were to upgrade to the newer Lightning and import my calendars....likely I would have problems. So my question is...."is there a newer calendar that has this capability"? If not can we still download the older Mozilla calendar that I am currently using? When "might" the newer Lightning/Sunbird calendars have this functionality? Help from anyone would be greatly appreciated. I just don't see the point of having a calendar software without the ability for reminders. Cheers!

Finn
Old ssiter
Posts: 0
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 5:00 pm

Post by Old ssiter »

Hi Finn,

you might be able to find a .xpi file for your version of the old Mozilla Calendar extension at http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/calendar/xpi/. Please note that the Mozilla Calendar extension is no longer developed and maintained.
finnmeister
Posts: 10
Joined: June 2nd, 2006, 11:40 am

Post by finnmeister »

ssitter,

Thanks for the suggestion. I had my doubts that the Mozilla Calendar was no longer developed/maintained. Do you happen to know if/when the newer sunbird/lightning calendars may be up to speed with the reminder/email function? I hope it's not long. It's my primary use for this calendar and I imagine I'm not alone on that one. Thx.

Finn
finnmeister
Posts: 10
Joined: June 2nd, 2006, 11:40 am

Post by finnmeister »

Forgot to mention, I'm afraid to upgrade or use the newer versions of the calendar until this issue is fixed/updated. The current calendar version that I have also has a list above my calendar month that shows all the items I have in my calendar, but in text format. I find this very helpful too. I heard others say that they no longer have this list view (but I'm not sure if they just are not using the new calendar properly, or if it really is not there - I have not seen the lightning interface myself. I was hoping someone can still answer me with regards to how long it may be before the newer calendar has the reminder feature. Cheers!

Finn
finnmeister
Posts: 10
Joined: June 2nd, 2006, 11:40 am

Post by finnmeister »

ssitter,

I tried clicking that link you suggested above for possible .xpi file for older Mozilla Calendar. Nothing happens. Do I need access to this or something?
Once I go to this xpi - what exactly do I do. Is there a special way to install/use this? If it's not there....then I guess I'm out of luck. Thx.

Finn
Pete2005
Posts: 53
Joined: January 9th, 2005, 10:53 pm
Location: U.S.

Post by Pete2005 »

Finn, neither Lightning nor Sunbird can send an email when an alarm fires (unless there is some secret way to do this that's not in the GUI). However, both of them will display a reminder message and play a sound X minutes before the time of the event, but you have to click on the "More" button and explicitly set an alarm, and you have to do this for each event for which you want a reminder alarm.

I recommend that you use Lightning or Sunbird even if they can't send an alarm email. The developers are *dramatically* improving things month after month. At this point in time, Lightning/Sunbird are probably already far superior to the old Calendar extension. You can add an enhancement request in Bugzilla for the email thing if it's not already there (search first).


if I were to upgrade to the newer Lightning and import my calendars....likely I would have problems.

The sooner you try to upgrade, the sooner you can see if there will be any problems, and the sooner the developers can fix those problems. Just make a backup of your profile folder first (where your calendar data is stored).

There have been *many* improvements between the old extension that you're using and the new ones. However, you might want to wait to download it until they officially release 0.5 (in a month or so).


The current calendar version that I have also has a list above my calendar month that shows all the items I have in my calendar, but in text format.

Sunbird has this but, as far as I know, Lightning does not.
Old ssiter
Posts: 0
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 5:00 pm

Post by Old ssiter »

Pete2005 wrote:but you have to click on the "More" button and explicitly set an alarm, and you have to do this for each event for which you want a reminder alarm.
You can configure Sunbird/Lightning to always add a default alarm to new events/tasks.
rif
Posts: 1
Joined: May 14th, 2004, 12:37 am

Post by rif »

The developers are *dramatically* improving things month after month.

I would so like to use a calendar feature inside or outside Thunderbird and have wanted it to be so for 3 years! The current solo user calendar is only of limited use, it is sending invitations and sharing calendars that make the calendar really useful. I would have thought this would have been considered high-priority already 3 years ago.

I find that this project is moving forward extreme slowly. One reason for this is that this is a non-paid volunter job. I am sure that the people on the project is putting in the best effort they can do, however it is mistake that the Thunderbird project has not put much more focus on getting this Sunbird project ready to fly.

For office usage where people are used to their MS Outlook client has a calendar built in, it makes the idea of using Thunderbird a no-starter for most companies.

I do hope that by the end of 2007, there will be a version of Sunbird/Lightning which can resonable compare to the basic features of what MS offer in Outlook. However I thought the same would have happend already by the end of 2004.

Please do not answer back with some open source blah-blah that I should fix the source myself, I got no time for that. Further - I have actually donated money to Mozilla.

Doei RIF
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