What is an ics file and how can I create them?

A vendor just sent me an email with some text that said "click here to add
this event to your Outlook calendar." The link was to a web site and the
string ended with a_ics?mid=1q0c71kqpp5rg&pw=466973&i=i.ics

When I clicked it, a dialog opened up with Save or Open options. I clicked
open and it added the event to my calendar. WOW! what is this and how can I
learn how to create them?

An .ics file is a text file that conforms to the iCalendar standard for
exchanging calendar information. You can create them (or the earlier vCal
file) from any Outlook appointment by choosing File | Save As and changing
the file type.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx


"Selene" wrote in message
...
A vendor just sent me an email with some text that said "click here to add
this event to your Outlook calendar." The link was to a web site and the
string ended with a_ics?mid=1q0c71kqpp5rg&pw=466973&i=i.ics

When I clicked it, a dialog opened up with Save or Open options. I clicked
open and it added the event to my calendar. WOW! what is this and how can
I
learn how to create them?