[calsify] Asking for feedback on an idea for an RFC5545 extension

["Tim Hare" <[e-mail]>]

Before I go through trying to write up an RFC document, I thought I'd float
the idea here first and ask for feedback.

 

I would like to propose a new component,  INCLUDE, at the BEGIN:VCALENDAR
level (the same level as PRODID: )

INCLUDE would have a value that was a URI  referencing iCalendar object.
Implementations would read in that object, discard the "envelope"
(BEGIN:VCALENDAR / END:VCALENDAR, VERSION, PRODID) and add the other items
to the current object.

One use case:  when an organization maintains calendars for several
different parts, but would also like to include all of it at once.   For
example -  a senior center maintains one calendar for language classes, one
calendar for meals, one calendar for special events.   The sub-organizations
maintaining these calendars only need to see their calendars, but to publish
to the public all of it needs to be seen.  With VINCLUDE this "overall"
calendar object would be

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0

PRODID:SeniorCalendar1.5
INCLUDE: https://seniorcenter.org/calendars/language.ics

INCLUDE: https://seniorcenter.org/calendars/meals.ics

INCLUDE: https://seniorcenter.org/calendars/events.ics

BEGIN:VEVENT

. other VEVENTS in this calendar
END:VEVENT

END:VCALENDAR

 

 

Obviously this idea needs to be "fleshed" out, and some issues looked at -
such as how to handle an INCLUDE of an object that also has INCLUDE(s) - but
I see utility in this idea and other places it could be used.  If there are
others who think it's worth the effort I will try to work on an extension
RFC for it.

 

Thanks for any and all feedback
Tim Hare
Interested Bystander, Non-Inc.