Calendar: email notification after data event update, not only dates [$40]

[paco-salvador]

Steps to reproduce

1.Create an event

1. add attendants
2. modify title, matter ...

Expected behaviour

Attendants receive an email with the event update

Actual behaviour

only receive email if change date or time

Server configuration

Operating system: Debian

Web server:

Database: Mariadb 10.1.29

PHP version: 7.0.27

Server version: 13.0.4

Calendar version: 1.6.1

*Updated from an older installed version *

Signing status (ownCloud/Nextcloud 9.0 and above):

Login as admin user into your cloud and access
http://example.com/index.php/settings/integrity/failed
paste the results here.

No errors have been found.

List of activated apps:

If you have access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ app:list
from within your instance's installation folder

Nextcloud configuration:

If you have access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ config:list system
from within your instance's installation folder

or

Insert your config.php content here
Make sure to remove all sensitive content such as passwords. (e.g. database password, passwordsalt, secret, smtp password, …)

Are you using external storage, if yes which one: local/smb/sftp/...

Are you using encryption: yes/no

Are you using an external user-backend, if yes which one: LDAP/ActiveDirectory/Webdav/...

LDAP configuration (delete this part if not used)

With access to your command line run e.g.:
sudo -u www-data php occ ldap:show-config
from within your instance's installation folder

Without access to your command line download the data/owncloud.db to your local
computer or access your SQL server remotely and run the select query:
SELECT * FROM `oc_appconfig` WHERE `appid` = 'user_ldap';


Be sure to replace sensitive data as the name/IP-address of your LDAP server or groups.

Client configuration

Browser:

Operating system:

CalDAV-clients:

Logs

Web server error log

Insert your webserver log here

Log file (data/nextcloud.log)

Insert your nextcloud.log file here

Browser log

Insert your browser log here, this could for example include:

a) The javascript console log
b) The network log
c) ...

---

Did you fix this issue? Go claim the $40 bounty on Bountysource.

[georgehrke]

The event summary is generally not considered a significant change: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5546#section-2.1.4

In what way would you change the title so it jeopardize the attendance of others?

[paco-salvador]

By now I was using outlook with caldav sync to connect to my nextcloud calendar, the meeting is not really a meeting, I use it like a task, and the attenders review if the work is done or not, and to inform about it I used to change the title event.

Now I 'm using thunderbird, and if the calendar is in the net and the functionality is different or if I use the web interface, althougth I change the title, no notification is sent.

I have to say I am using full day event.

Thanks

[gohrner]

I was just about to report the same bug/issue and stumbled across this earlier report.

From my point of view, updates to quite a bit of an event's metadata can be significant for attendees.

Concerning the location, it's even mentioned in the RFC section you referenced:

In addition, changes made by the "Organizer" to other properties MAY
also require the sequence number to be incremented. The "Organizer"
CUA MUST increment the sequence number whenever it makes changes to
properties in the calendar component that the "Organizer" deems will
jeopardize the validity of the participation status of the
"Attendees". For example, changing the location of a meeting from
one location to another distant location could effectively impact the
participation status of the "Attendees".

The same probably holds if no location was specified at all and is added later. Even though, NextCloud does not send an update even in this case.

Generally, the quoted section does not forbid to send updates for other meta data changes at all. It just requires to send them in cases which may invalidate the attendees' participation status - it does not say anything about not increasing the sequence number (which seems to be equivalent to sending out updates?) for other meta data changes.

In my experience, the description, location and also meeting title can contain information which is important for the (potential or also confirmed) attendees' to know / to be informed about.

It was a big surprise to me that NextCloud Calendar does not actually send updates in this case.

[gohrner]

BTW, I quote another paragraph from this section:

Whilst a change in sequence number is indicative of a significant
change to a previously scheduled item, "Attendee" CUAs SHOULD NOT
rely solely on a change in sequence number as a means of detecting a
significant change. Instead, CUAs SHOULD compare the old and new
versions of the calendar components, determine the exact nature of
the changes, and make decisions -- possibly based on "Calendar User"
preferences -- as to whether the user needs to be explicitly informed
of the change.

So a Sequence Number change is not even required for a notification to be sent out.

[georgehrke]

So a Sequence Number change is not even required for a notification to be sent out.

This is already the case. The server sends out notifications as soon as any of the listed properties change:
https://github.com/nextcloud/3rdparty/blob/214c4155f587f5178d792fe4a839044bdc9982f1/sabre/vobject/lib/ITip/Broker.php#L69

[georgehrke]

to summarise:

Properties that should be considered a significant change as well:

• SUMMARY
• LOCATION
• DESCRIPTION

[gohrner]

So a Sequence Number change is not even required for a notification to be sent out.
This is already the case. The server sends out notifications as soon as any of the listed properties change:

Ah, cool.

to summarise: Properties that should be considered a significant change as well:

• SUMMARY
• LOCATION
• DESCRIPTION

From my point of view: Yes.

I'd even vote for reminder changes to be significant, but here we're probably getting into the "matter of taste" twilight zone which lead the RfC's authors include the "possibly based on 'Calendar User' preferences" sub-sentence...

So it'd be cool if also reminder changes would trigger a notification, but in case of SUMMARY, LOCATION and DESCRIPTION I'd consider this to be essential.

[gohrner]

Why is the "needs info" tag still attached, what information are you currently waiting for?

[tbabej]

I think we can agree that if a location of the event changes, the attendees should be informed :) otherwise the utility of that feature decreases drastically.

At our company, this has been identified as one of the pain points of using Nextcloud's calendar internally. Adding a bounty of 50 CAD$ here [1].

[1] https://www.bountysource.com/issues/59814812-email-notification-after-data-event-update-not-only-dates

[georgehrke]

@tbabej They are, just not for all changes. :)

Would you agree that adding the three properties mentioned above cover all use-cases?

[tbabej]

@georgehrke In general, yes, basically anything that is exposed within NextCloud Calendar UI on the "Details" tab - summary, time, location and description should inform the attendees upon change.

[yekibud]

So I guess this issue should be re-opened since I don't think it was ever fixed in #926 and since you changed the title and placed a bounty @jospoortvliet ?

Although should this go in calendar or server since the part to be changed is in 3rdparty/sabre, IIUC https://github.com/nextcloud/3rdparty/blob/master/sabre/vobject/lib/ITip/Broker.php#L69

I'm fine with adding the suggested extra significant properties here, or having them be user configurable, if that's the general preference.