A convenient script to generate iCalendar (.ics) files on the fly in PHP.

_PHPtoICS.md

PHP to ICS

This gist contains a convenient script to generate iCalendar (.ics) files on the fly in PHP.

Basic usage

include 'ICS.php'

$properties = array(
  'dtstart' => 'now',
  'dtend' => 'now + 30 minutes'
);

$ics = new ICS($properties);
$ics_file_contents = $ics->to_string();

Available properties

• description - string description of the event.
• dtend - date/time stamp designating the end of the event. You can use either a DateTime object or a PHP datetime format string (e.g. "now + 1 hour").
• dtstart - date/time stamp designating the start of the event. You can use either a DateTime object or a PHP datetime format string (e.g. "now + 1 hour").
• location - string address or description of the location of the event.
• summary - string short summary of the event - usually used as the title.
• url - string url to attach to the the event. Make sure to add the protocol (http:// or https://).

Detailed examples

Button that downloads an ICS file when clicked

This example contains a form on the front-end that submits to a PHP script that initiates a download of an ICS file. This example uses hidden form fields to set the properties dynamically.

index.html

<form method="post" action="/download-ics.php">
  <input type="hidden" name="date_start" value="2017-1-16 9:00AM">
  <input type="hidden" name="date_end" value="2017-1-16 10:00AM">
  <input type="hidden" name="location" value="123 Fake St, New York, NY">
  <input type="hidden" name="description" value="This is my description">
  <input type="hidden" name="summary" value="This is my summary">
  <input type="hidden" name="url" value="http://example.com">
  <input type="submit" value="Add to Calendar">
</form>

download-ics.php

<?php

include 'ICS.php';

header('Content-Type: text/calendar; charset=utf-8');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=invite.ics');

$ics = new ICS(array(
  'location' => $_POST['location'],
  'description' => $_POST['description'],
  'dtstart' => $_POST['date_start'],
  'dtend' => $_POST['date_end'],
  'summary' => $_POST['summary'],
  'url' => $_POST['url']
));

echo $ics->to_string();

ICS.php

<?php

/**
 * This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.
 * 
 * Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or
 * distribute this software, either in source code form or as a compiled
 * binary, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and by any
 * means.
 * 
 * In jurisdictions that recognize copyright laws, the author or authors
 * of this software dedicate any and all copyright interest in the
 * software to the public domain. We make this dedication for the benefit
 * of the public at large and to the detriment of our heirs and
 * successors. We intend this dedication to be an overt act of
 * relinquishment in perpetuity of all present and future rights to this
 * software under copyright law.
 * 
 * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
 * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
 * MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
 * IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR
 * OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,
 * ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
 * OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 * 
 * For more information, please refer to <http://unlicense.org>
 * 
 * ICS.php
 * =============================================================================
 * Use this class to create an .ics file.
 * 
 *
 * Usage
 * -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 * Basic usage - generate ics file contents (see below for available properties):
 *   $ics = new ICS($props);
 *   $ics_file_contents = $ics->to_string();
 *
 * Setting properties after instantiation
 *   $ics = new ICS();
 *   $ics->set('summary', 'My awesome event');
 *
 * You can also set multiple properties at the same time by using an array:
 *   $ics->set(array(
 *     'dtstart' => 'now + 30 minutes',
 *     'dtend' => 'now + 1 hour'
 *   ));
 *
 * Available properties
 * -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 * description
 *   String description of the event.
 * dtend
 *   A date/time stamp designating the end of the event. You can use either a
 *   DateTime object or a PHP datetime format string (e.g. "now + 1 hour").
 * dtstart
 *   A date/time stamp designating the start of the event. You can use either a
 *   DateTime object or a PHP datetime format string (e.g. "now + 1 hour").
 * location
 *   String address or description of the location of the event.
 * summary
 *   String short summary of the event - usually used as the title.
 * url
 *   A url to attach to the the event. Make sure to add the protocol (http://
 *   or https://).
 */

class ICS {
  const DT_FORMAT = 'Ymd\THis\Z';

  protected $properties = array();
  private $available_properties = array(
    'description',
    'dtend',
    'dtstart',
    'location',
    'summary',
    'url'
  );

  public function __construct($props) {
    $this->set($props);
  }

  public function set($key, $val = false) {
    if (is_array($key)) {
      foreach ($key as $k => $v) {
        $this->set($k, $v);
      }
    } else {
      if (in_array($key, $this->available_properties)) {
        $this->properties[$key] = $this->sanitize_val($val, $key);
      }
    }
  }

  public function to_string() {
    $rows = $this->build_props();
    return implode("\r\n", $rows);
  }

  private function build_props() {
    // Build ICS properties - add header
    $ics_props = array(
      'BEGIN:VCALENDAR',
      'VERSION:2.0',
      'PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN',
      'CALSCALE:GREGORIAN',
      'BEGIN:VEVENT'
    );

    // Build ICS properties - add header
    $props = array();
    foreach($this->properties as $k => $v) {
      $props[strtoupper($k . ($k === 'url' ? ';VALUE=URI' : ''))] = $v;
    }

    // Set some default values
    $props['DTSTAMP'] = $this->format_timestamp('now');
    $props['UID'] = uniqid();

    // Append properties
    foreach ($props as $k => $v) {
      $ics_props[] = "$k:$v";
    }

    // Build ICS properties - add footer
    $ics_props[] = 'END:VEVENT';
    $ics_props[] = 'END:VCALENDAR';

    return $ics_props;
  }

  private function sanitize_val($val, $key = false) {
    switch($key) {
      case 'dtend':
      case 'dtstamp':
      case 'dtstart':
        $val = $this->format_timestamp($val);
        break;
      default:
        $val = $this->escape_string($val);
    }

    return $val;
  }

  private function format_timestamp($timestamp) {
    $dt = new DateTime($timestamp);
    return $dt->format(self::DT_FORMAT);
  }

  private function escape_string($str) {
    return preg_replace('/([\,;])/','\\\$1', $str);
  }
}

Hi @jakebellacera thank you so much! What you've created is amazing.
Just a quick question, I've been searching for other ways to output the data without using echo or print. Is it possible? and if yes, how can I do it?

Hi guys, any one been able to generate the ics file with organizer?
I have been trying, it comes as part of file but while importing there is no organizer.

Just been using this and I had to add on the dateToCal function, strtotime.

The code should look something like this:
function dateToCal($time) { return date('Ymd\This', strtotime($time)) . 'Z'; }

I have tried it without this and every time, the year is displaying at 1970.

To fix the timezone issue just make this simple change to the ics.php file: (I bolded the changes)

public function to_string($timezone) {
$rows = $this->build_props($timezone);
return implode("\r\n", $rows);
}

private function build_props($timezone) {
// Build ICS properties - add header
$ics_props = array(
'BEGIN:VCALENDAR',
'VERSION:2.0',
'PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN',
'CALSCALE:GREGORIAN',
'X-WR-TIMEZONE:$timezone',
'BEGIN:VEVENT'
);

Then when you call to_string() in your ics download file, just pass in the timezone string (for example 'America/Denver').

Like this:

echo $ics->to_string('America/Denver');

Hi
You code is great. However, when I try to use it on my professional website to generate a ICS file, it appears coded as ANSI and not UTF-8 although I did copy the header Content-Type. Would you know why it is so ? When I copy the content of the file to a notepad file newly open, it is recognized as UTF-8 coded and I can import the file under Thunderbird... For a reason I don't undertsand the download-ics.php file does do the job correctly. Would you know why it is so ?
Thanks

Hi,
can anyone plz help me.
what should be the content of ICS file for UTC TimeZone

i have a db with multiple events how can i add all in one file .ics?

instead of creating a file, can we buffer the file and send as an attachment in the email?

i have a db with multiple events how can i add all in one file .ics?

Hi,
I was creating a software with the same requirements, I had to create an ics file which includes multiple events. You need to add all the events to your code, what I did was to create a foreach loop which includes this:

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART: --COMES FROM THE DB, CONVERT IT--
DTEND:  --COMES FROM THE DB, CONVERT IT--
LOCATION: COMES FROM THE DB
TRANSP: OPAQUE
SEQUENCE:0
UID:
DTSTAMP:   --COMES FROM THE DB, CONVERT IT--
SUMMARY: COMES FROM THE DB
DESCRIPTION: COMES FROM THE DB
PRIORITY:1
CLASS:PUBLIC
BEGIN:VALARM
TRIGGER:-PT10080M
ACTION:DISPLAY
DESCRIPTION:Reminder
End:VALARM
End:VEVENT
End:VCALENDAR

Those parts I commented as "comes from the db" fill them with the info you wish to show in the ics file and make sure that the code in the file has the same structure as above. If there is not a line break, the ics file will not be opened. I hope this helps.

Update the following function format_timestamp in ICS.php, to include a timestamp change to UTC on line 2:

  private function format_timestamp($timestamp) {
    $dt = new DateTime($timestamp);
    $dt->setTimezone(new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
    return $dt->format(self::DT_FORMAT);
  }

I get "Forms are disabled in Gmail"

EDIT: as @MacTEC has pointed out, H is the correct representation for 24-hour time. I have updated the gist with that.

Hrmm, I'm not seeing the update.

https://github.com/spatie/icalendar-generator

If you have issues with timezone please modify line 150 in ICS.php by adding the correct TimeZone to constructor, for example for Rome:

$dt = new DateTime($timestamp, new DateTimeZone('Europe/Rome'));

To enter your dates and times with local timezone and export in UTC
replace line 150
$dt = new DateTime($timestamp);
by
$dt = new DateTime($timestamp, new DateTimeZone(date_default_timezone_get()));
$dt->setTimeZone(new DateTimeZone('UTC'));

When importing these ics files in calendars the correct local time is recognized.

Curious if anyone knows how to save ics file to a different directory vs 'downloads' ?
Much appreciated.

Everything works except the ics file is polluted with a bunch of html code from the framework.

@mlevesque1975 I had this problem as well and exiting the script after it's done solved it for me.

Simply: echo $ics->to_string(); exit();

I am also having this issue. Adding the exit(); didn't fix it for me.

Good day, @jakebellacera !
This gist seems to be the almost the same as this repo. But some new stuff like licensing is missing there. As repo seems to be a better way to maintain code in the long run, could you please update it too?

How to add RRULE support to this library?

Is there a way to add multiple event times ? E.G. today, tomorrow, ... Thanks

@Flaschenzug yes it is possible. you may want to follow these rules.