Re: Status google calendar sync

[Ian Barton <lists@manor-farm.org>]

>
> I know some people managed to get a kind of sync running between
> org-mode and google calendar. I would really like to know how this works
> out for them and maybe create a stimulus to write something (I would
> play the beta-tester) on worg.
>
> Ideally, I want to have a no-brainer. I create a new appointment in
> org-mode and a keypress away it should be synced with the google
> calendar. Alternatively, an automatic sync every hour or so would be nice.
>
> On the other side, I wish I could add an appointment on my mobile phone
> and it ends up automatically with the next sync as an appointment in a
> special heading in the org-file (like org-remember, does). From this
> point, I could move it to other locations if I feel so.
>
> I would love to hear how far people got with an approach like describe
> above.
>
Hi Torsten,

I have been playing around with this for a while. I use a Nokia phone, 
but the principle is the same. I have experimented with both syncing 
from my org files to Google and syncing from Google to org.

I don't attempt bi-directional sync, so one side of the sync operation 
is always considered the "master". Initially I tried creating an org 
file from Google calendar by using the python bindings that Google 
provides. This worked pretty well - basically the org file is re-created 
each time I synced with Google.

However, almost without exception, I will be at my computer when I want 
to create an appointment. So, for me it makes sense to create my 
appointments in org and export them to Google. At the moment I have a 
cron job that exports my appointments as an ics file on my server and 
Google reads this. Luckily, I don't have complicated appointments. They 
tend to be single events, or weekly recurrences which org handles OK.

The one useful thing I am missing at the moment is the ability to set 
reminders in Google Calendar. I find these very useful as Google will 
send me an SMS message. In fact I often create appointments, which are 
really just reminders! I am planning to implement this  by creating 
reminders as org Properties and then using them to create the Google 
reminder.

Since I am still on page one of the "Complete Idiots Guide to elisp", I 
plan to do this in Python, which has some nice libraries for creating 
ics files.

Ian.