The event is being sent to Exchange Web Services without a time zone


Badge +6

I have a calendar list app and the Nintex workflow action creates a calendar apt.

The event is being sent to Exchange Web Services without a time zone at all, so Exchange sends it back without a time zone. That is then handled by the regional settings on the calendar list, so it displays correctly on the outlook calendar in CT time. However, when you open it...the time and time zone are Monrovia, Reykjavik, I guess the calendar list item has no time zone information, so it defaults to the generic UTC time zone.

How can I get the time and time zone to display properly in outlook when they open the calendar appointment?



  
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19 replies

Badge +17

Emily,

I would look at the settings on the SharePoint and Exchange servers and how they are handling that request. Since Outlook is also doing some settings, the configuration would be on that side and not on SharePoint since its creating the events with no timezone option.

Try that and let me know if that helps.

Userlevel 5
Badge +9

Just to be sure: do you create a calendar appointment in Exchange using "Create appointment" action in Nintex Workflow?

Badge +6

Yes, our exchange guy seems to think it was caused by the last exchange update. It was working properly back in March when I look at calendar appointments created by a Nintex "create apt" action.

Badge +7

So who are we blaming? Microsoft or Nintex wink.png

Badge +3

Emily,

Have you gotten anywhere this issue as I have the same issue where I have a Training site where I use Nintex to Create calendar appointments. When I look at my calendar after signing up for a training class the workflow adds the calendar item and it looks ok on first glance but if you double click on the calendar appointment and open it up it's 4 hours later for the start time and shows Monrovia, Reykjavik. here's what my calendar looks like which is incorrect.

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Is it possible to modify the Nintex workflow to send additional parameters to an  Exchange On-Premise system with the correct Time Zone?

Badge +3

I was able to resolve this issue by editing the Nintex Workflow Create Calendar Appointment Action and changing to 'Advanced' which shows the XML code and added the following XML entry:

<MeetingTimeZone TimeZoneName="Eastern Standard Time"/>

Now when double clicking to Open up the Calendar Item I do not see the invalid Monrovia, Reykjavik Timezone.

Hopefully it'll help someone else.

Frank

Badge +3

Also make sure that if you are storing the date/time in a list, that the list column is set to date and time.

Mine was set to date only. After correcting this, the Monrovia time zone disappeared and it now uses the correct time zone.

Badge +3

Bill,

In my case the List column was set to date and time so that was not my issue.

I suspect that my solution is possibly specific to the Exchange 2010 level it is patched to as I believe at some point the XML entry I made for 'MeetingTimeZone' is deprecated possibly later on. I suspect if we upgrade Exchange to 2013/2016 that this Monrovia issue could potentially come back up requiring me to re-tweak my XML EWS code in the Nintex Workflow.

Thanks for your solution as it may help someone else down the road.

Frank

Badge +3

Frank,

I just noticed you are using Exchange 2010.

I am using Exchange 2013 so you're probably correct.

Bill

Userlevel 5
Badge +9

I also think that it's due to an exchange update because I have the exactly same behaviour now whereas a few weeks ago I didn't have it.

Userlevel 5
Badge +9

I managed to find a workaround (for exchange 2013) : you can create an appointment using the web request action with the same URL and username / password as the Create Appointment action. The web request is configured like the following :

  • Web Method : POST
  • Content Type : text/xml; charset=utf-8
  • Content :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<soap:Envelope
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
xmlns:t="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types">

<soap:Body>

  <CreateItem xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages" SendMeetingInvitations="SendToNone">
  <SavedItemFolderId>

    <t:DistinguishedFolderId Id="calendar">

     <t:Mailbox>
      <t:EmailAddress>email@domain.com</t:EmailAddress>

     </t:Mailbox>
    </t:DistinguishedFolderId>

   </SavedItemFolderId>

   <Items>

    <t:CalendarItem xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types">
     <Subject>Appointment Subject</Subject>

     <ReminderIsSet>false</ReminderIsSet>

     <Start>2016-08-08T18:00:00</Start>

     <End>2016-08-08T19:00:00</End>

     <LegacyFreeBusyStatus>Busy</LegacyFreeBusyStatus>

    </t:CalendarItem>

   </Items>

  </CreateItem>

</soap:Body>

</soap:Envelope>

This will create an appointment in email@domain.comemail@domain.com's calendar with a Busy status and without any reminder.

Finally, I don't know if the bug is due to an Exchange or a Nintex update...

Hope this helps

Badge +6

@Frank

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Badge +1

Hey Emily,

Looks like you added the MeetingTimeZone node outside of the CreateItemType node which causes the top level element conflict. If you encapsulate the MeetingTimeZone right under the <End> node, it should work for you!

UpdatedXML

Badge +3

Yes - setting the <MeetingTimeZone TimeZoneName="XXX Standard Time"/> creates the appointment in A time zone removing the default "Monrovia" time zone, however the item is created in the time zone based on the regional settings in the site; it DOES NOT create the item in the indicated time zone.

ISSUE: This only controls the "Display" of the time zone in the calendar entry, not the entry itself.

EXAMPLE:

  • Site Regional Settings: Central Standard Time
  • Workflow Create Appointment XML time zone configuration: <MeetingTimeZone TimeZoneName="Eastern Standard Time"/>
  • SharePoint calendar entry - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

  • Outlook calendar entry (created by workflow from above) - 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (I'm in Mountain Standard Time)

  • Outlook calendar entry detail - shows Eastern Time Zone

I'm trying to use this as a UDA, so it needs to be "regional setting agnostic", so it can be applied to any site with the correct time zone displayed from the event, not a hard-coded time zone from the workflow.

Badge +11

You can use the following to display UK TimeZone.

<MeetingTimeZone TimeZoneName="GMT Standard Time"/>

It seems to be working happy.png

Badge +6

Thank you! that worked!

Badge +6

 

Do you know how to eliminate this email that goes to the end user?

 

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Badge +11

@espradli 

 

I had same issue as I was the WF creator, it used my name to say "bla bla bla was created on your behalf by [My Name]. I think it is an automated email and the SharePoint Farm Admin, created a seperate account for SP to use in the workflow and I think that solved it?

 

Worth giving it a try :)

Badge +1

Hi, 

hopefully someone can help me. I have the same problem, the appointment created in the Outlook calendar has the default "Monrovia" time zone. The list column is set up as Date/Time and the line code <MeetingTimeZone TimeZoneName="Central European Time"/> is not working, the result being: "Failed to invoke Microsoft Exchange web service. Task item failed with response code ErrorInvalidPropertySet".  The wf is set up in SPS 2013 but the exchange is outlook.office365.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx. 

Can someone tell me what code should I use? I tried already:

<MeetingTimeZone>
<TimeZoneName="Central European Standard Time"/>
</MeetingTimeZone>

 

Thanks a lot!

Alina

 
 

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