KDE Kontact instead of GNOME Evolution - no connector needed :)

[fcash]

Kontact can be configured to connect to the Zimbra server via IMAP to access all your e-mail.

Kontact can be configured to connect to the Zimbra server via LDAP to access the global addressbook. Haven't yet found a way to access the personal addressbook, though.

Kontact can also be configured to access the Zimbra server via HTTP to retrieve the .ics file for a personal calendar. The method to do so is:

To have read-write access to a Zimbra calendar, you need to login to the
web client, create a new calendar, give it a name (without spaces to make
the URL look nice), and share it as a public calendar (view only). Once
that is done:
- open the calendar section of Kontact
- click the Add button under Calendar resources on the left
- select "Calendar in Remote File" option
- give is a name like "Zimbra Calendar"
- enter the Download URL:
http://zimbra.sd73.bc.ca/home/<username>/<calendar name>/
- enter the Upload URL:
http://zimbra.sd73.bc.ca/home/<username>/<calendar name>/
- set the "Automatic Reload" options
- click OK

You now have the ability to create entries in the web client and view them
in Kontact, and to create entries in Kontact and view them in the web
client.

Be sure to set your timezone correctly (use Settings -> Configure Calendar and not Settings -> Configure Kontact).

Access to the briefcase and other files is via the webdav:/ KIO-Slave.

No connectors needed, and (just about) all your data is accessible.

Cheers,
Freddie

[mmorse]

Welcome to the forums & thanks for the writeup,
-I changed the title of the thread a bit (from "kontact no connector") to make it understandable why you put it in this section.
His other thread where I imagine more convo will be: Calendar folder through IMAP? (KDE Kontact)

[fcash]

UPDATE:
After further testing, it appears one can access/sync to the personal calendar. There is no need to create a new shared calendar. It's all in the options used for sharing the calendar.

If you use Zimbra 5.0, you can use Kontact to access your mail via standard IMAP; the global address list via standard LDAP, and your personal and/or shared calendars via standard iCal.

To have read-write access to a Zimbra calendar (this applies to any calendar, whether it be your personal calendar, or a shared calendar), you need to:

• login to the web client (AJAX interface)
• go to the Calendar tab
• right-click on the calendar you want to access and select Share
• select the second option, for external users (view only)

Then, in Kontact:

• open the calendar section of Kontact
• click the Add button under Calendar resources on the left
• select "Calendar in Remote File" option
• give is a name like "Zimbra Calendar"
• enter the Download URL:
  http://zimbra.sd73.bc.ca/home/<username>/<calendar name>/
• enter the Upload URL:
  http://zimbra.sd73.bc.ca/home/<username>/<calendar name>/
• set the "Automatic Reload" options
• click OK

You now have the ability to create entries in the web client and view them
in Kontact, and to create entries in Kontact and view them in the web
client.

Be sure that your timezone settings in Kontact (use Settings -> Configure Calendar, not Settings -> Configure Kontact) are correct, or the entries will not appear in the right timeslots.

To sum it up, with Kontact, you have access to the following areas of the Zimbra server:

• your mailbox hierarchy (haven't tested how/if tags show up via IMAP)
• the GAL
• if you subscribe to the Contacts and Emailed Contacts folders via IMAP, you can browse through the vCards for your contacts, although Kontact will not auto-complete based on these entries
• any and all calendars that you can access via the web client, by adding a separate calendar resource into Kontact for each calendar
• the documents and briefcase areas are accessible via the webdav kio-slave and any file manager that support kio-slaves

If you enable the "Groupware Resources in IMAP Folders" feature of Kontact, you can also gain proper access to your Tasks, Notebook (Journal), and Contacts. However, Kontact complains about not being able to find a folder called Calendar and will complain about this everytime it checks for messages. So very, very close.

Cheers,
Freddie

[mrvanes]

Just experimented with KDE webdav kioslave and Zimbra and first impression is great, but closer inspection learns that Zimbra's dav implemention is not compatible with KDE's kioslave for writing (kde 3.5.8).
Creating fodlers and reading files works flawless. When copying a file to the dav share the copy process either stalls or Konqueror complains about not being able to find server.domain.tld file or folder. The stall/complain are exactly intermittant.

[carnold]

Originally Posted by fcash

If you enable the "Groupware Resources in IMAP Folders" feature of Kontact, you can also gain proper access to your Tasks, Notebook (Journal), and Contacts. However, Kontact complains about not being able to find a folder called Calendar and will complain about this everytime it checks for messages. So very, very close.

Using Kontact 1.2.4 with Suse 10.3. Where is this "Groupware Resources in IMAP Folders" feature you speak of?

[fcash]

Settings -> Configure Kontact -> Mail -> Misc -> Groupware -> Enable IMAP resource functionality.

Set the Format to iCal/vCard.

Set Resource folders as subfolders of the root of your Zimbra account.

Check the Hide Groupware Folders option.

Then go to the calendar section of Kontact. Click the Add button under Calendar in the bottom left of the screen. Select the Calendar on IMAP server via KMail option.

This will connect to the Zimbra server, open the Tasks, Contacts, and Journal folders, and give you access to your personal addressbook, and your personal tasks. However, Kontact will complain everytime it checks the IMAP server that Calendar is a reserved name and that it can't create or access that folder.

Enabling this isn't really usable, but it's certainly interesting how many different ways you can access your data on the Zimbra server.

[carnold]

Originally Posted by fcash

Settings -> Configure Kontact -> Mail -> Misc -> Groupware -> Enable IMAP resource functionality.

Set the Format to iCal/vCard.

Set Resource folders as subfolders of the root of your Zimbra account.

Check the Hide Groupware Folders option.

Then go to the calendar section of Kontact. Click the Add button under Calendar in the bottom left of the screen. Select the Calendar on IMAP server via KMail option.

When i follow these steps. kontact crashes. Using 1.2.4 on opensuse 10.3. Not sure if this is a bug or not. What version do you use (of kontact)?

[fcash]

Kontact 1.2.5 as part of KDE 3.5.8 on Debian Linux 4.0 (Etch).

[gracedman]

I think the problem with Calendar may be a malformed URI. I'm not sure what the IMAP request is supposed to look like but I see Kontact asking for myserver.mycompany.com:993Calendar where I think it should be myserver.mycompany.com:993/Calendar. I have not yet found where in the enormous KMail code this is to test changing it.

[gracedman]

The final solution for us was Zimbra 6.0.7 plus a pile of patches for Evolution and a major rewrite of Kontact. However, it is mostly working now. The details are is several other forum threads:

WebDAV Contacts - Gnome Evolution

Calendar folder through IMAP? (KDE Kontact)

[SOLVED] Kontact integration problem