September 11, 2002

iCal and Entourage


[UPDATE 2005-08] The Text below is rather old. This method doesn't work anymore with recent versions of iCal!!! It may give you a startign point however.

Apple released iCal on Sept. 10. A great little piece of software. The only lack for me was, that iCal always wanted to use Mail.app to send out Calendar invitations and such.
Since this happens through AppleScript, it was easy for me to fix. Here's what you need to do in order to have iCal use Entourage instead of AppleScript:

Download these AppleScripts
DON'T use Stuffit to expand the archive because Stuffit can't handle long filenames. You have to expand the archive with some easy commands in a Terminal-Window. If you downloaded iCaltourage.tar to your desktop, simply open Terminal.app and type:

     cd Desktop
     tar -xf iCaltourage.tar
This will unpack 3 AppleScripts into a Folder named iCaltourage.

In the Finder, locate the iCal Application. Control-Click on the Application Icon and select "Show Package Contents" from the Context-Menu.
Navigate to: Contents->Resources AND just drop the 3 AppleScripts you downloaded into thie Resources Folder to replace similary named items.

Done. Thanks to AppleScript!

Posted in: by seiz | Comments (15)

Comments

1

Jason,
let me get this straight. You want me to develop an apple script for you and you also want me to email it to you straight away as you aren't even willing to check the comments here for a reply?

Sorry, but i can't do that. You'd need to find a contract programmer or such.

To answer your question however, AppleScript is fairly easy, but to have a scheduled one which does what you want, involves a little more than just AppleScript, so i'd say it is not too easy.

2

I would like an applescript that will create a new message in Entourage, send from a specified account, to a specified group in my address book and sends the same message at a specified time on a specified day each week.

Is this easy? I am NOT a developed or programmer, so sorry for my ignorance.

I don't check these sites often, so if you could email me directly with an answer or script file, I'd appreciate it.

3

To Chris:
Sorry, i haven't got the time to help you. The scripts long ago stopped working after an update of iCal anyway.

Stefan

4

i've installed Microsoft Office 2004 ... and it doesn't work anymore... Can you please help me ?

Installed applications:

Microsoft Entourage 11.0.0
iCal 1.5.2

5

Hi,

These scripts don't work anymore with the latest iCal.

Any chance to see the updated scripts anytime soon?

6

UPDATE:
I had restructured my site and missed the scripts. They are now available for download again. Sorry.

NOTE: i don't think they'll work with the newly released iCal since Apple Changed iCal in a way that these scripts won't get used anymore.

I'll post updated scripts and instructions as soon as i find some time.

7

it seems that the scripts are no longer available?
Could you update you site please
Thx
Olivier

8

Hi, I have downloaded the modified scripts and now iCal "activates" Entourage and generates an 'alarm' email, but the email just sits there, waiting to be sent out (to my own email account anyway) Is this normal? That I have to manually send the email out to remind myself?

Is there any additional modifications, if this is the case, to really have an email send into my account and I'll receive an 'alarm' email, just like any email?? Thanks.

9

Stefan - you're the best! - Leo

10

Response to Mike Miller:

This is not so easy because:
The AppleScripts are the Same for whatever user Logs into your machine and with OSX, there may be various users all with different Mail-Accounts. To achieve what you want *properly*, i'd have to add real *user based* preferences which is not something done in 5 Minutes.

I guess it is much easier to just use Entourage's DEFAULT Account - because this'll work with any user.

NOTE: i just discovered, that there is an additional location where you should put the AppleScript too. Inside the iCal.app/Resources Package, there's an additional package called "iCal Helper". Simply also put my AppleScripts into the Resources Folder of "iCal Helper" so TIMED events will also be emailed using Entourage in case iCal doesn't run!

11

this really is terrific - thanks. i'd like to add that it would be handy to perhaps have the script first ask which account and then ask whether to send messages unattended. why not let individual users choose?

wicked cool

12

>mailScriptWithAttachment#105E20
>is added...while
>mailScriptWithAttachment.applescript

OOps, seems we hit a Bug or lack of Stuffit which seems not able to handle files with Long Filenames.

Just rename my:
mailScriptWithAttachment#105E20
to
mailScriptWithAttachment.applescript

13

Replaced the first two scripts with identical names, the third one was different, so

mailScriptWithAttachment#105E20
is added...while
mailScriptWithAttachment.applescript

is still there - is that what was intended?

14

I did his on purpose, so you can choose the Account you wish before sending the mail.
Also I believe sending mail without the user to review it is a bad idea.

Do you send so much messages using iCal that clicking the SEND button is too much?

15

the Entourage applescript opens a New Message window with the message in the task, but then doesn't send the email, and i have to click on "Send" to actually send it.

cud this be because i have multiple email accounts set up, and if so, how can the applescript be modified so that i may specify the account i want used?