What's the best way to test "Add to Calendar" tokens when you don't use that email cli

[Jeff_Smith3]

If you're setting up "Add to Calendar" links in an email for both Gmail and Outlook, what is the best way to test the Outlook link when all you have access to is Gmail, or vice versa?

I know the Marketo token is only valid for Outlook, but we use Gmail internally. I had an error on the "add to calendar" token that I feel like I would've caught had I been able to add it to my own calendar as part of the testing.

Also, as a side question, the event starts at 11:00am MT, but when my colleagues (two Outlook users) added it to their calendar, it saves at noon MT. Is this because the event happens after daylight savings (March 8)? My Marketo account settings use Mountain Time. I feel like it should say 11:00, regardless of whether the event happens before or after the time change. (Another thing I would've liked to have seen in a test.)

Thanks!

Jeff

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

If you don't know how to hand-validate an ICS file (which very few people do) you have to import it into the mail client. I can't recommend strongly enough that you have a test box that represents your real-world audience.

Also, you'll be much happier IMO if you use Agical (search past Community posts) rather than the calendar token - it offers much more including some URL-escaping mechanisms that are otherwise impossible.

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Also, as a side question, the event starts at 11:00am MT, but when my colleagues (two Outlook users) added it to their calendar, it saves at noon MT. Is this because the event happens after daylight savings (March 8)? My Marketo account settings use Mountain Time. I feel like it should say 11:00, regardless of whether the event happens before or after the time change. (Another thing I would've liked to have seen in a test.)

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The ICS token should save the time in UTC. Only looking at it will tell for sure.

[Jeff_Smith3]

Thanks for the feedback, and I've bookmarked Agical on your blog to give it a try. For my gmail links, I have been using kalinka, but I'll give this a try for that, as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by "have a test box that represents your real-world audience". What are the steps to getting that set up? It sounds like an IT ticket, but I wouldn't know where to begin.

[SanfordWhiteman]

Right, I mean you need to have access to a desktop/VM running Outlook if that represents a core part of your audience.  Not enough to just test static emails - as you know, the interactive experience of opening an ICS (or any link) is also important. 

P.S. There are people who don't check that their tracked links work on IE 11 and in some cases they don't b/c they're malformed - blog post coming up about that!

[Jeff_Smith3]

Got it. Thank you!