Sending a meeting request (iCalender) using ASP.NET

Question

hello,

sorry if this is in the wrong forum, i couldn't find a specific asp.net forum ..?

i have been asked to integrate 'meeting request' functionality into our existing web site, which is written in ASP.NET (VB.NET code). I currently have the functionality finished, but there are limitations with it and would like some advice on how to make it better. I should state at this point that i am a winforms programmer normally and web development is relatively new to me so if my approach is a bit wrong....that's why.

the meeting request must take place between an engineer and a customer. Our engineers do not sit behind the same email server, and of course our customers can have any sort of email server - hotmail, gmail, outlook etc.

so, my web page has (amongst other things), a button, and when you click this, the following happens.

- an iCalender file is scripted (i dont need any help with this)

- a new MailMessage is created, and i fill out the relevant info here.

- an Attachment is created, and i create a MemoryStream to fill the attachment with the iCalender file, give the attahment a name with a .ics extention. i attach this to the MailMessage.

- an SmtpClient is created, and i send the MailMessage to the customer, and also the engineer.

 

how this works for the user is - both the engineer and the customer receive the email, with the attachment in it. they have to double-click the attachment, and this prompts a message box to add the .ics file to the calender, and when they click yes, the attachment goes in their calender. its as simple as that.

however, the problem is that if the email gets ignored by the customer, they will never end up acknowleging the meeting request. so now the requirement is to send the email so that the meeting request slots into the customer's calender automatically. in other words, not as an attachment that they have to double-click. the same goes for the engineer - the meeting request must be slotted into their outlook automatically (as stated above not all engineers are behind the same email server).

so my question is, is this possible using ASP.NET ? if not, what other options are available to me in C#/VB.NET to be able to do the above (doesn't necessarily have to be via email) ?

any help appeciated, if you need more info i will gladly give it.

Answer 1

Were you able to accomplish what you described above? If so what did you do and how did you do? I am trying to accomplish the same thing. Thanks

Answer 2

Were you able to accomplish what you described above? If so what did you do and how did you do? I am trying to accomplish the same thing. Thanks

hi...sorry this was 2 years ago and i have since left my job as a programmer at the company i was working for, and i now own and run The Coffee Shop of Notingham here in England - funny how things work out :)

i did end up doing it though - god knows how !

good luck :)