Subject: Re: Questions from RFC2445 - Member, Range, "group schedule" and periods

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 20:23:29 -0400

Shannon asked:
>1. Why is there a "Member" parameter? The examples that are shown do not
>seem to clearly identify a useful role for this parameter.

So that a user can easily convey what group or groups they are a member 
of.  That way a CUA can use the information for either presentation or 
possibly for data/response organization.  Imagine you invite 
ATTENDEE;TYPE=UNKNOWN:mailto:[email-masked] and you later want to 
see what the attendee responses are.  Your CUA may use that info to match 
my reply up (ATTENDEE;MEMBER="mailto:[email-masked]";CN="Bruce Kahn":mailto:[email-masked]) 
to possible groups in your invite.  It also allows a CUA to possibly 
detect that an ATTENDEE is not a "person" but rather a "group".  The other 
uses are left to the CUA implementors imagination (or the product 
marketing types to dream up).

>2. Why is there a RANGE parameter ? it also does not seem to clearly have 
a
>useful role? Certainly the examples do not show why this is there or how 
it
>will be used in "real" world applications.

Some simple "real" world uses:

1: You want to reschedule all instances of an existing repeating meeting 
to be at a new location, day or time.  You may only want to reschedule 
"our weekly team meetings" to be in a new LOCATION if you changed 
buildings, etc.
2: You need to add an ATTENDEE (or other details) to an existing repeating 
entry set but only for a particular period of time (ie: "Dont forget to 
add the new guy to the team mailing list").
3: Propagating any other kinds of changes to a range of entries in a 
repeating set.  This functionality already exists in some shipping 
products.

>3. p26. uses a reference to a "group schedule calendar component" which 
is
>not, I think, ever defined anywhere else in the standards document.

Thats the same as the "group scheduled event or to-do " mentioned on pp21 (twice) & 30, the "group scheduled "VEVENT", "VTODO" or "VJOURNAL"" on p26, the "group scheduled calendar entity" on p102 and the "group scheduled meeting" on p137.  You'll also find that exact phrase on p88.  I think there is a typo and 
it should be "group scheduled calendar component"...

>4. p36 ? Says only that for periods the start time must be before the end
>time.

Hmm, I think you mean p39.  The snippet of ABNF that I think you are referring 
to is:

     period-explicit = date-time "/" date-time
     ; [ISO 8601] complete representation basic format for a period of
     ; time consisting of a start and end. The start MUST be before the
     ; end.

This is a correct restriction.  The period cannot end before it begins...

>i.e. the time values MUST be in the same format (you can?t have a
>floating time and a UTC or TZID formatted time and get a sensible 
result.)
>This probably should be clarified and specified.

Actually you may (although not 100% of the time) but I think that this is 
a good suggestion in order to avoid some pain later on. 

Bruce
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Bruce Kahn                                INet: [email-masked]
Iris Associates                          Phone: 978.392.5335
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