InfinityLimited

This is supposed to easy, and I guess it is with v8, but it doesn’t seem to work for me. In fact, this kind of thing typifies my entire Lotus Notes experience. ICS files are common file format for calender entries, and have been around since forever, and Notes can’t import them, which is doubly weird since Lotus was involved in defining the standard.

When you use the “Import…” option, you get this dialogue:

Import Document Dialog

Not a good start really. Nothing in the “Files of type” selection that make sense, so stick with the default “Structured Text”.

Then, you get this dialogue, with a selection list in the middle with about 200 entries in it.

Import Dialog - Select Form

Most of these entries have helpful names like:

• R5 Compatibility Form
• Setup MiniView
• Switcher Form for Calender
• Switcher Form for Folders
• Switcher Form for To Do
• To Do

(Ahh! That looks familiar, we must be getting close to real options, oh wait, what’s this….)

• $$View Template for Calender
• $$View Template for Threads
• $$View Template for TodoByCategory

Anyway, you get the idea.  After about 80 mouse clicks, I found an option “Calender Entry” which seems the obvious choice.

Hit OK, and a the screen flickers, and …. nothing.  Ok, check the date that the calender entry was for, and …. nothing.

Oh well, write off the last 5 minutes as a total waste of time, try to not curse this confounded software, and add the entry manually, which deep down, you knew you should have done in the first place, because lets face it, nothing works like it should with Notes.

(Someone pointed out this link (via this one), but it only talks about sending calendering information via email.  It doesn’t help my import an ICS file.)