Outlook categories - include or exclude from sync

[workjoeea]

Is there a way to include or exclude certain categories from an Outlook calendar from syncing?

[jonas0b1011001]

Until we have a more sophisticated filtering option implemented you can manually add filters in Helpers.gs L184

result = result.filter(function(event){
    try{
      return (event.getFirstPropertyValue('categories').toString() != "Category to exclude");
    }catch(e){
      return true;
    }
  });

[workjoeea]

thank you @jonas0b1011001 ...this is excellent. I'm not against doing things manually, but I'm a little confused as to execution. I would have to add this string for every category that I'd like to exclude? That's okay, I just need to know the process. Thank you.

[jonas0b1011001]

If you need to exclude multiple categories:
return !(["exclude 1","exclude 2","exclude 3"].includes(event.getFirstPropertyValue('categories').toString()));

or to only sync specific caategories:
return (["include 1","include 2","include 3"].includes(event.getFirstPropertyValue('categories').toString()));

[workjoeea]

@jonas0b1011001 thank you for that clarification.

[workjoeea]

Ok, I gave it a try, tells me syntax error. So I clearly misunderstand something. Here's my line 184-190:

result = result.filter(function(event){
    try{
      return !(["Blue category","Yellow category","Green category","Orange category","Purple category","Red category"].includes(event.getFirstPropertyValue('categories').toString() != "Category to exclude");
    }catch(e){
      return true;
    }
  });

Thank you for your help so far.

[jonas0b1011001]

Should be

result = result.filter(function(event){
    try{
      return !(["Blue category","Yellow category","Green category","Orange category","Purple category","Red category"].includes(event.getFirstPropertyValue('categories').toString()));
    }catch(e){
      return true;
    }
  });

[workjoeea]

Ok, so I copied and pasted exactly this code to line 184 in helper.gs, and yet the excluded categories still sync. Thoughts?

[jonas0b1011001]

Download your *.ics, open it in a texteditor and check if outlook is actually using the categories parameter, might be some nonstandard outlook parameter. If so, change the getFirstPropertyValue('categories') accordingly.

[workjoeea]

Thanks for that tip. I don't see "Categories" anywhere, nevermind a parameter that shows any of the colors (I just searched the text). Is there a way for me to make Outlook generate that in the ICS file? Or is there another solution?

[jonas0b1011001]

I don't know much about outlook, maybe @derekantrican has an idea.

[cephas20012]

Hi, I'm trying to follow along too. My work calendar is too detailed to share with my family, I want to just share the Personal and Info Share categories. I've saved my Outlook ics and verify it is using categories, for example one of my events with this line:
BEGIN:VEVENT
CATEGORIES:Info Share

I tried both ways, listing the include filters with the return ( line or the exclude filters with the return !( line but still all of my calendar is showing up.

There is a block of code for cancelled events from L176-183 already with a result = result.filter(function(event){

I tried just adding my block below at L184, or do I need to edit the cancelled events result.filter?

  result = result.filter(function(event){
    try{
      return (["Personal","Info Share"].includes(event.getFirstPropertyValue('CATEGORIES').toString()));
    }catch(e){
      return true;
    }
  });

[cephas20012]

Ah! Actually when I saved my ics from Outlook desktop the categories show. But the office365 web link for the ics that I am using in this script does not have categories, even though I have selected to share full details! Hmmm...