Calendar Parser

Parse iCal File
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Overview

This node, named "Calendar Parser," is designed to parse iCal (iCalendar) files from binary input data. It extracts calendar events (VEVENT entries) from the provided iCal content and outputs them as individual JSON objects. This node is useful in scenarios where you need to process calendar data, such as importing events from calendar files, integrating calendar information into workflows, or transforming calendar data for further automation.

For example, if you receive an iCal file as binary data from a previous node (e.g., an HTTP request or file read), this node can parse that file and output each event separately, enabling downstream nodes to handle or manipulate these events individually.

Properties

Name Meaning
Source Key The name of the binary key to get data from. This specifies which binary property contains the iCal file data to be parsed. Default is "data".

Output

The node outputs an array of items, each containing a json field with one calendar event object extracted from the iCal file. Each event corresponds to a VEVENT entry in the iCal data and includes all its properties as parsed by the underlying iCal parser library.

No binary output is produced; the output consists solely of JSON objects representing calendar events.

Dependencies

  • The node depends on the ical library to parse iCal formatted text.
  • It uses iconv-lite to decode the binary data buffer into UTF-8 text before parsing.
  • The node expects the input data to be available as binary data under the specified source key.
  • No external API keys or services are required.

Troubleshooting

  • Missing Binary Data: If the specified source key does not exist in the binary data of an input item, that item will be skipped silently. Ensure the binary data is correctly passed and the source key matches the binary property name.
  • Invalid iCal Format: If the binary data is not a valid iCal file or is corrupted, the parser may fail to extract events or produce empty output. Verify the input file integrity.
  • Encoding Issues: The node decodes the binary data as UTF-8. If the iCal file uses a different encoding, parsing might fail or produce incorrect results.
  • Empty Output: If no VEVENT entries are found, the output will be empty. Confirm that the iCal file contains events.

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