GCALDaemon - Sync Google Calendar With Rainlendar

26/06/12 GCALDaemon - Sync Google Calendar with Rainlendar

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Sync Google Calendar with Sunbird (HTTP-based synchronization) Sync Google Calendar with Apple iCal (file-based synchronization) Sync Google Calendar with Evolution (file-based synchronization) Sync Google Calendar with Rainlendar (file-based synchronization)

Access Gmail contacts from Mozilla Thunderbird (LDAP server) Access Gmail contacts from Lotus Notes (LDAP server) Access Gmail contacts from Outlook Express (LDAP server)

Setup Gmail notifier Sending text and HTML files via Gmail (sendmail) Remote control your computer using Gmail (mailterm) Read RSS and ATOM feeds with your calendar application (feed converter) Caching RSS and ATOM news (feed cache)

Sync Google Calendar and Rainlendar

Desktop PC configuration - Permanent Internet connection (always online) Notebook configuration - Dial-up Internet connection (offline-enabled mode) Multiple file listeners Using Rainlendar as a feed reader Fine adjustment Compatibility notes Using Config Editor

The file-based synchronization mode keeps one or more local iCalendar file(s) in sync with yourGoogle Calendar and vice versa. After installing this program, every file-based calendaring program(e.g. Rainlendar) should be able to subscribe and modify a remote Google Calendar.

Permanent Internet connection

1) Install GCALDaemon (Java 1.5 required).

2) Start password encoder ('password-encoder.bat' or 'password-encoder.sh'). Input your Gmailpassword and press ENTER. Copy the encoded password.



3) Copy the iCal URL for your calendar's Private Address on the Calendar Settings page.

4) Edit the 'gcal-daemon.cfg' file with your text editor.

A) Set the 'file.enabled' property to 'true'B) Set the 'file.google.username' property to your Gmail addressC) Set the 'file.google.password' property to your encoded passwordD) Set the 'file.private.ical.url' property to iCal URL, without protocol and hostname (see below)

5) Start GCALDaemon ('standalone-start.bat' or 'standalone-start.sh').

6) Launch Rainlendar. Click 'Options' menu in the Rainlendar's setup menu.



7) Select 'Calendars' page, and set the 'Filename' property to 'C:/Progra~1/GCALDaemon/google.ics'.Click the 'OK' button. Items added (or modified/deleted) to your Rainlendar will now automaticallyappear in your Google Calendar.

Dial-up Internet connection

The 'file.offline.enabled' option is the only one difference between the offline (dial-up) and online(permanently connected) Google Calendar synchronization. To enable GCALDaemon's offline



(permanently connected) Google Calendar synchronization. To enable GCALDaemon's offlinesynchronization algorithm, follow the step-by-step instructions about the Desktop configuration(Permanent Internet connection), then set the 'file.offline.enabled' property to 'true'.

Permanently connected (always online) mode: GCALDaemon downloads your Google Calendar'siCalendar file every 10 minutes (see the 'file.polling.google' property). In the meantimeGCALDaemon's file scanner listens the changes in the local iCalendar files, and updates the remoteGoogle Calendar events almost immediately, using small portion of XML messages (see the'file.polling.file' property). This mode is much more faster than the offline algorithm, but does notsupport offline working.

Dial-up (offline-enabled) mode: GCALDaemon compares your Google Calendar (if available) and localiCalendar file every 10 minutes, and does all modifications together. If it is unable to do so becausethe network is unavailable, it tries again when it detects network presence. The average networkusage of these (online / offline) modes are equal. This mode is particularly useful for notebook usersand for third-party phone/PDA synchronizers.

Sync-on-demand: This feature is a variant of the offline/dial-up mode. When you launch the'GCALDaemon/bin/sync-now.bat' (or 'sync-now.sh') script file, GCALDaemon synchronize your calendarfiles, then stop. You can create a shortcut icon on your desktop for the 'sync-now' script, or you cancombine it with Windows Task Scheduler. This mode is optimal for systems with less than 256 MB ofRAM.



Multiple file listeners and Google Accounts

To set up multiple file listeners, you need to configure a path-username-password-url set for each ofthe Google Calendars you want to synchronize (see picture below; the first listener definition isunindexed, the others are indexed from '2'). Note: don't include backslash characters in the'file.ical.path' properties.

Feed converter

File-based synchronizer can convert RSS/ATOM XML files to iCalendar format, therefore you can readnews, blogs and tweets with Rainlendar. This feature makes copying feed entries to Google Calendara simple copy/paste operation. Once the entry copied to the Google Calendar, you can edit it as anaverage calendar event. Another advantage is that you can add directly To Do (Task) items to theconverted calendar. Note: feed converter must be enabled (feed.enabled=true).

# Google Calendarfile.ical.path=C:/Progra~1/GCALDaemon/google1.ics

[email protected]=31260V7mc34jV22c

file.private.ical.url=/calendar/ical/example%40gmail.com/private-495c0f1bfg/basic.ics

# BBC Technology RSS News (without username/password)

file.ical.path2=C:/Progra~1/GCALDaemon/google2.icsfile.private.ical.url2=http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/newsonline_uk_edition/technology/rss.xml

# Twitter ATOM feed (with username/password)

file.ical.path3=C:/Progra~1/GCALDaemon/google3.icsfile.google.username3=twitterusername

file.google.password3=9f2cb4j5c0f1V2g

file.private.ical.url3=http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/feednumber.atom



ATOM feed in Rainlendar

Fine adjustment

1) If there is no need for HTTP-based synchronization, set the 'http.enabled' property to 'false' (in'gcal-daemon.cfg'). We recommend to set this for the lower memory usage and for the highersecurity. The authentication and the ATOM-based communication between Google and GCALDaemonis secure (SSL) and cannot be intercepted by a third party.

2) Optionally start the 'service-install.bat' to install GCALDaemon as Windows service (on UNIX-compatible systems put GCALDaemon into 'init', 'launchd' or 'rc' script). Before uninstall GCALDaemon,you must stop and uninstall this service (with 'service-stop.bat' and 'service-uninstall.bat'). Pleasenote, this is the last step in the setup/configuration process, do not install the service whileGCALDaemon is not running properly. On Vista, it's not enough to be in the Administrators group, youneed to either be actually logged on as the Administrator.

A) In START menu click on the 'Command Prompt'

B) Right click on it and select 'Properties'

C) In 'Shortcut' tab, click on 'Advanced...'

D) Tick the 'Run as Administrator'E) Run 'Command Prompt' and in click 'Continue' in 'User Account Control' box

F) Now you are in administrator mode

G) Type 'cd [gcaldaemon installation directory]\bin'

H) Execute 'service-install.bat'

I) Execute 'service-start.bat'



3) Making synchronization visible: set the 'progress.enabled' property to 'true' (in 'gcal-daemon.cfg')to enable GCALDaemon's progress bar. This spinning progress is visible while the GCALDaemoncommunicating with the Google Calendar.

4) Put a 'work.dir' property into 'conf/gcal-daemon.cfg' to specify the work directory of GCALDaemon.This directory is the 'GCALDaemon/work' folder by default. For people that use multiple operatingsystems it is handy that the work directory is another directory. Also, it's more secure if the work fileswouldn't reside in the program directory but on eg. an encrypted partition. Note: After you set up anew directory, you may copy the old work folder's content into the new one.

# GCALDaemon's work directory

work.dir=d:/secure/work

Compatibility notes

1) Rainlendar alarm property synchronized unidirectionally (move property from Rainlendar to GoogleCalendar). Google Calendar supports discrete alarm values only (5-10-15-20-25-30-45 mins, 1-2-3hours, 1-2 days, or one week). GCALDaemon converts different values into such an values (e.g. 17min to 15 min, 6 day to one week, etc). Rainlendar does not support the recurrence-id property,category, priority and URL properties are unsupported by the Google Calendar API.

iCalendar event propertyGoogle Calendar eventproperty

Synchronization

summary title bidirectionally

location where bidirectionally

description content bidirectionally

created date published date bidirectionally

start date start date bidirectionally

end date end date bidirectionally

all day event (true / false) all day event (true / false) bidirectionally

status (tentative / confirmed /canceled)

status (tentative / confirmed /canceled)

bidirectionally

classification (public / private) visibility (public / private) bidirectionally



classification (public / private) visibility (public / private) bidirectionally

transparency (transparent /opaque)

transparency (transparent /opaque)

bidirectionally

list of attendees list of participants bidirectionally

recurrence rule (includingexceptions)

recurrence rule (includingexceptions)

bidirectionally

recurrence-id original event unsupported

alarm reminderone-way only (Rainlendar toGoogle)

2) Extended synchronization: GCALDaemon is able to synchronize on these four iCalendar property in'extended mode': alarm (two-way), category, priority and URL. This is useful if you'd like to syncGoogle Calendar with your PDA (in dial-up or sync-on-demand mode). To enable this feature set the'extended.sync.enabled' property to 'true'. Note: Needless use of the extended mode (especially withlarge calendars) can significantly reduce the performance.

# Enable to sync alarms, categories, urls and priorities

extended.sync.enabled=true

iCalendar event property Google Calendar event property Synchronization

alarm reminder bidirectionally

category (Business, Birthday, etc) hidden bidirectionally

priority (low, medium, high) hidden bidirectionally

URL hidden bidirectionally



URL hidden bidirectionally

3) Google Calendar - unlike Rainlendar or iCal - does not support To Do (Task) items. ThereforeGCALDaemon stores To Do items in a local file storage. This storage is the 'GCALDaemon/work'folder. Before uninstall an older GCALDaemon version, you should archive this directory. If the newGCALDaemon installation finishes, you can restore the previous 'work' folder, including the old To Doitems. About the 'online' synchronization: GCALDaemon is designed to run as a background service,ideally it started with your OS each system boot (or user login). To avoid data loss, do not modifyyour local calendar files when GCALDaemon is not running properly (or stopped) and the'file.offline.enabled' property is 'false'. Note: GCALDaemon automatically creates daily backups of eachand every local and remote calendar into the 'work/backup' subdirectory, so your files are always safeand secure.

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GCALDaemon - Sync Google Calendar With Rainlendar