save event to user's calendar?

Need a script to save event details to user's personal calendar

[traypup]

My client is looking for functionality that will allow their members to click a "save to calendar" button on an event page. This action will save the event to the user's calendar.

I have done some searching, but can only find things specific to certain web-based calendars. I want something similar to what they do on Eventful, where there's a page with the event and the button "save to calendar" brings up what looks like an AJAX screen where the user can save the event to his/her yahoo, google, or one of a few other calendars.

I'm sorry about the website reference, but showing is the best way to explain what I"m looking for.

thanks!

[phranque]

look into ICAL which is a standard calendar exchange format.

[traypup]

Thanks, phranque, but they already have a calendar on their site, driven by a database of events. iCal doesn't have the capabilities I'm looking for.

[phranque]

sorry i misunderstood.
is your question about how to do the popup or is it how to send an event to a calendar?

[traypup]

No problem. I was tired when I posted so I probably wasn't really clear.

I'll have a regular old html page with event details on it. There needs to be a button and/or link that says "save this event to your calendar" so the user can click it and it will prompt the user to choose their calendar and add the event. I don't know if what they have on their site is custom (probably) or if there's a solution out there that I can adapt. I hate reinventing the wheel, but I just can't find anything similar to what I'm looking for.

thanks!

[edited by: engine at 5:15 pm (utc) on Jan. 24, 2008]
[edit reason] See TOS [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[phranque]

those options in the popup are either sending the calendar parameters to a web service using http: (GET) protocol, or creating an ical script (.ics) in either file: or webcal: protocol.
most all web services will support .ics so if you could still standardize on that for all solutions.

unless it's the popup you are still wondering about, in which case never mind...

[traypup]

So, you're saying I should should write something from acratch, rather than using something that's already possibly available because it's easy enough to do? I don't know how to do that, but I'll find someone who can. Thanks for your input!

[phranque]

i'm saying you have to reduce the problem to parts that you can find easily and freely available.

a script that will generate a .ics file if you pass it some parameters - no problem
learning the correct url string to access various web-based calendar services - no prob
a javascript to pop up a window - no problem.
a menu of options in a popup window (actually a list of links here) - no problem.

nothing from scratch - some assembly required.