Question

I am having to build a web app that has an event calendar section. Like in Outlook, the requirement is that users can set up recurrent events, and can move individual events around within a series of events.

1. What methods could one use to store (in a database) the various ways you can describe the recurrence pattern of a series?
2. How would one record the exceptions?
3. What strategies do you use to manage redefining the series and its effects on the exceptions?

I’ve done this a couple of times, differently, but I’d like to see how others have tackled this issue.

Answer 1

Have a look at how the iCal format deals with recurrence patterns and recurrence exceptions. If you want to publish the events at some point, you will have a hard time avoiding iCal anyway, so you could just as well do it in a compatible way from the start.