How to auto-refresh iCal delegate calendars in background?

Question

Level 1

0 points

How to auto-refresh iCal delegate calendars in background?

Obviously, iCal is not able to automatically refresh delegated calendars. This is bad enough. However, I can not find a solution that would solve this. The best I have is an AppleScript to 'simulate' Cmd-R every now-and-then:

tell application "iCal" to activate

tell application "System Events"

tell process "iCal"

keystroke "r" using {command down, shift down}

end tell

This of course brings iCal to the foreground whenever the script is run. As I want to run this script about every mintues, this would completely destroy my workflow!

- Is there a better option to get iCal to refresh delegated calendars than this script?

- If not, does anyone know how to execute this script such as iCal is NOT brought to foreground (and I can keep writing text in Pages for example withouth explicitly noticing the udpate?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Aug 9, 2011 11:16 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Pierre L.

Level 5

4,635 points

Aug 9, 2011 1:00 PM in response to phibo

Have you tried this:

tell application "iCal" to reload calendars

Reply

Answer 2

phibo Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 9, 2011 1:17 PM in response to Pierre L.

Thanks for the idea. Yes I did test:

tell application "iCal" to reload calendars

This only tells iCal to reload the 'normal' calendars. It does however not 'Refresh' the calendars and thus the delegates. So it does not solve the problem...

Reply

Answer 3

twtwtw

Level 5

4,936 points

Aug 9, 2011 1:35 PM in response to phibo

First, I sincerely doubt that refreshing your calendars every minute is necessary (or even a good idea). A calendar that changes frequently enough to require refreshing every minute is not useful as a calendar, and if it doesn't change that frequently you're wasting a heck of a lot of bandwidth for no good reason, and giving yourself headaches like this to boot. Far be it from me to get between someone and their obsessive-compulsive behavior, but I do hope the reality check is useful.

The only thing I have to add beyond that is that a quick google check shows numerous posts about restructuring your calendars so they are not delegates. assuming that non-delegate calendars can be refreshed at will (whereas delegates would be refreshed at need, I suppose, from the other end of the connection), that may be the way to go.

Reply

Answer 4

phibo Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 9, 2011 2:28 PM in response to twtwtw

When updating the calendars every minute, it is about instancy, not update update frequency! If there is a change, even if it is every other day, I want to be sure to know about it.

In our case, it has to be delegates! Again due to a limitation in iCal. We have a CalDav server on which every user has a personal caldendar. In addition, there are mutliple shared calendars. As iCal does not allow to create multiple accounts to the same server with the same ID, the shared calendars can only be integrated as delegates of the personal calendar.

Thus, probelm still unsovled...

Reply

Answer 5

twtwtw

Level 5

4,936 points

Aug 9, 2011 2:32 PM in response to phibo

phibo wrote:

When updating the calendars every minute, it is about instancy, not update update frequency! If there is a change, even if it is every other day, I want to be sure to know about it.

Again, I cannot imagine that this kind of 'instancy' is useful or necessary. But that's your issue.

How are your delegate calendars normally refreshed, and at what rate?

Reply