Schemata for "Event Recurring" portal type:

• BooleanField - recurEvent: Default is true, non-selectable - used as a trigger in catalog queries
• BooleanField - recurException: Checkbox if single date is an exception to overall recurrance
• StringField (tuple?) - recurExceptionDates: Hidden tuple/list of dates that have exceptions
• StringField (selectionWidget) - recurFreq: Frequency of event (Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Annually)
• BooleanField - recurLast: Checkbox for last week of the month occurrance
• DateTimeField - recurEndDate: DateTime box for end date (not required)
• BooleanField - recurIndefinite: Checkbox for infinitely recurring events (default=true)

This proposal exists as the current implementation of recurring events does not support global object creation, infinite date ranges, or installation without modification of core Plone system files. This add-on product could easily be integrated into existing Plone 2.1+ sites and could easily support new releases of Plone as well.

User is willing to allow changes to logical code in default Plone calendar.

1. Utilize the same logic as from Recurring Events 1.0
   • Subclass event.py
   • Add support for Yearly frequency
2. Make recurring events implementation globally possible
3. One Object within the Plone site
   • Custom method available to return array (dictionary) of dates and event objects in same form as Calendar Portlet utilizes
   • Support iCal standards
   • Allow for single event exceptions within a recurring event
4. Calendar Support:
   • Plone Portlet calendar
   • CalendarX

This product will assume that the user wants to do as little as possible to add recurring events to their default Plone installation. It will provide an easily installable product that extends the existing event schemata and creates a new content type "event recurring".

The most difficult part of a single-object implementation will be to allow for exceptions to the recurring events and to implement the logic of recurring events being displayed into the portlet calendar (and possibly other calendars such as CalendarX).

The exceptions can be handled in a fairly simple manner by providing a boolean checkbox trigger that will add the passed "start-date" to a tuple (recurExceptionDates). This field is just a list of dates that should NOT be displayed with the recurring event logic as a traditional event object will be created for any exceptions.

The process of displaying recurring-events within the default portlet calendar and other calendars is the most difficult part. The way we are doing this is to implement the same methods used in the default Plone calendar and replicate a customized method that can be invoked for a certain date range and will retrieve a list of days as well as which recurring events occur on each specific date. From here the calendar can take an already familiar list format (since it is just appended to CalendarTool.py from CMFCalendar) and format the data however they see fit.

Modifications to default portlet calendar may be lost if user upgrades Plone and does not reinstall the product.

To-Do list:

• Installation:
  1. Install script needs to backup a copy of CMFCalendar and implement new version with integration for recurring events function and appending for currently returned list.
  2. Install script needs to add EventTypes to portal_metadata -> subjects -> elements -> Recurring Events type automatically
  3. Install script needs to add metadata fields to catalog for the following: getRecurDay, ....
• Features:
  1. Support recurring event exceptions
  2. Create a single event object with customized information when an exception is triggered
  3. Support iCal exporting with RRules and exception information (as much as possible)

Steven Haddox (Shaddo-X)
Larry Lay

OTHERS WELCOME!