Facility Mangaement using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

[htd01]

I don't know how or when a conflicts count is adjusted for an appointment\meeting item. If you use a resource scheduler function, the conflicts properties are a great way to check for errors in booking, but there's no documentation on when this property is actually instantiated.

You can update the standard form to listen for ACTIONS. Unfortunately, not knowing when the Conflicts list is checked. The Autoresolved winner is one that, obviously, must be sent first and checked afterward. But the Conflicts list has 2 functions. In offline mode, it always returns conflicts for all items. In online mode it returns true for those that aren't updated, or for those that show a Conflict in the Date\time fields.

Any clues here?

 

[htd01]

Re: Facility Management using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

I've found that most properties like this one are actually passed after a .save\send operation. This property has two purposes, so it cannot be use properly anyway. However, by running a test on the free\busy info you parse, you can check the rooms with relative quickness. The caveat or pitfall is that you will get a "Busy" signal if the Booking is the current appointment you're working with.

I've been trying to find a property that can be used to identify the appointment as unique, one that cannot be masked or replaced, and is the same across all of them. I've been looking and I believe I've found a way to get that property. Most information points to the ENTRYID and\or STOREID. However, what they don't address is the fact that the entry id for the item in the room mailbox will be different. One possible solution is using the meetingItem as a front door, and and walking the hallway all the way back to the associated appointmentItem. The function will have to be created for both of them, and will have to work for both of them, but that is not as difficult as it may seem. Even if only an appointmentItem (if the meetingItem has been corrupted for whatever reason), a new meetingitem can be built to represent the current item that's open, and the tunnel back to the appointment item can still be built. Here's the Caveat, and it's a big one: If the room builds it's own appointmentItem in it's calendar, and doesn't link back to the original calendar that built the booking, it's not possible to check if the two items are actually the same. However, the payoff in the opposite is big. Not only can you tell that two items are actually the same, but you can grant permissions to make changes so long as the person\user has the ability to make changes to the calendar that built the appointment. This means that you can offer a Group Access Level to the rooms that allow them to make the changes by recreating an event instead of updating it, but that alters the functionality of sending it to people. So, if you want to keep all that intact, you might try setting the organizer to a distribution group rather than a single person, or as an equipment mailbox (a virtual cork board for the department) that you grant access to by group. Then you build on the form and have it allow them to make updates.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Re: Facility Management using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

Your information is correct on the EntryID - that is the unique GUID that identifies the item, and yes, it will be different in each mailbox. (Copies get their own id too.)

 

[htd01]

Re: Facility Management using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

What I need to know now is whether the GetAssociatedAppointmentItem will return an appointmentItem in the current folder (when it's a meeting that was requested by somebody else) or if it will actually grab the original appointmentItem in the folder where it was initially created. If the Former, then I'm up a creek. If the latter, Then there's a way to compare entries of different folders after all (other than the StoreID or entryID). If it will grab an appointmentItem where it was originally created with an entryID that's unique, then I can compare that with the item that's currently open to tell if they are the same or not. If they are the same, I can skip a few lengthy tests, and the logic of testing subject or other items (that may end up being similar for one reason or another) all becomes moot. The actual uniqe id will be the only necessary test. If the GUID were the same for the meeting item that somebody accepts that gets placed, I wouldn't have to attempt to grab the initial item. If this action throws back an error, I can surmise that the access level is different (meaning it's on a different calendar the user has no access to), and I can continue with the execution I'm interested in. All that means is that using an if test, I can:

> ...some code here....

Dim myItemCheck As Outlook.AppointmentItem

Dim item As Object

On Error Resume Next

myItemCheck = item.GetAssociatedAppointmentItem

If Not myItemCheck.entryID = CurrentItem.EntryID Then
Do Stuff

Elseif
Do other stuff

> ..

I've been working on parsing Free\Busy info (mainly the design) in a custom version of the default form. Unfortunately, my VBScript is worse than my VBA (which is akin in many ways to an english speaking 7 year old trying to order some chef boyardee in ancient greece).

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Re: Facility Management using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

GetAssociatedAppointment gets the associated appt in the calendar of the mailbox running the code. It's possible to check other calendars using code, but they need to be in the profile and the appointment won't be "associated".

 

[htd01]

Re: Facility Management using Exchange Resource Mailbox, Conflicts properties

When I send a meeting to a moderated resource calendar, and it is accepted, and I've got reviewer access to the room calendar, is it possible to then grab the meeting on the room calendar and track it back to the original on my calendar so I can compare the original with something else? That's what I'm trying to find out.

Logic:

Say I'm parsing some free\busy info in my code, and I've already sent this meeting to the room, and it has been accepted. If I grab the free\busy time again, it will show busy for that time. If I haven't saved or sent yet, and the room is busy from another meeting I scheduled for a different set of people in the same group (say I'm setting up multiple start times across multiple venues for different sets of people or different exhibits are opening\closing and people will be free to move about), and I've used the same subject etc for most of the work because it's faster to read and to book. What I need from my custom form is a way to follow the free\busy info all the way back to the original and compare it's entry id (if saved) with the one that's currently open. The form will then create a list of any conflicts that are not the currently open item. Maybe I'm deciding how many exhibits to open, and I'm only putting in a shell item currently. If I've made any changes to the item, it won't match any longer, accept for the entry id of the original appointment item. The GUID or entry id... ...It is different for every store\folder\calendar, because there is an entry made as soon as you send\save anything or accept\decline. But is there a way to trace the meeting currently on that secondary calendar (I have reviewer access), to the item it came from on the original calendar? Or do I have to append something to every meetingitem that in some way identifies it's original? I could use the actual numbers for the entryID, StoreID and store it in a string appended to every body statement, but that get's a little messy and provides the same to outsiders who receive the request.