TLDR: Add compatibility for meeting invitations with Microsoft-specific applications and improve existing compatibility for applications that support ICS files to provide as much information as possible.
As shown below in the screenshots, each application handles ICS files differently; however, providing as much information as possible may allow some applications to handle RSVPs, reminders, updates, and conflict management of invitees’ meetings entirely natively within the recipient’s applications.
This will benefit SuiteCRM 7 and trickle forward to benefit SuiteCRM 8 until the calendar is modernised entirely.
More information;
SuiteCRM Meeting invites currently offer decent functionality in almost all applications in which they are received (via email). For example, we always see a plain text message in the email body;
and due to the attached ics file, will see, in most cases, an application-specific preview;
Gmail;
Fastmail;
This is grand, as it allows users to not only use native CRM functions, like accepting invitations but also view the preview offered by the receiving application and track meetings within the recipient’s own calendars. However, we started to find issues in Microsoft applications, with Outlook and Teams being the focus of my discussion.
In these applications, we are offered the plain text information; however no preview for the attachment; instead just being displayed like an attached document (However, with a dropdown option to add to cal)
From my understanding, this is due to Microsoft-specific requirements for displaying data here. This can be seen when comparing information from an ics file provided by SuiteCRM with one provided by Teams or Outlook. And is visually different when viewing an Outlook or Teams meeting invite in the same applications as before;
Gmail;
Fastmail;
and finally showing in Outlook;
