Outlook Scheduler POC

This project is a proof of concept for scheduling appointments in an Outlook calendar using a Vue.js frontend and a Node.js/Express backend. The app integrates with Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for authentication and uses the Microsoft Graph API to create calendar events.

Project Setup

To get started, follow these steps:

Install Dependencies

npm install

Compiles and Hot-Reloads for Development

npm run serve

Compiles and Minifies for Production

npm run build

Lints and Fixes Files

npm run lint

JSDoc Documentation

The project uses JSDoc for code documentation. To view the generated docs locally, open the docs/index.html file in your browser.

To regenerate the documentation:

npm run docs

The documentation is also hosted online at Project Documentation.

Customize Configuration

See Configuration Reference.

Features

Azure Active Directory Integration

The app integrates with Microsoft Azure Active Directory for authentication:

• Users are redirected to the Microsoft login page to authenticate using their Microsoft account (supports both organizational and personal accounts).
• The app uses OAuth 2.0 with the PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) flow for secure authentication.
• Access tokens are retrieved and stored in the browser for making authenticated requests to the Microsoft Graph API.

Logging in to Microsoft

• Clicking the "Login with Microsoft" button redirects the user to the authentication endpoint (/auth/login).
• After successful login, the app stores the access token and user's name in the browser's local storage.
• The user's authenticated status is maintained across sessions as long as the token is valid.

Creating Calendar Appointments

• Authenticated users can create appointments in their Outlook calendar.
• The user can fill out a form with the appointment details, including the title, start time, end time, and description.
• When the form is submitted, a request is sent to the backend, which uses the Microsoft Graph API to create the event in the user's calendar.

Backend Connection

The backend is a Node.js/Express server that handles:

1. Authentication Flow: It manages the OAuth 2.0 authorization process, including generating a PKCE code verifier and exchanging authorization codes for access tokens.
2. Creating Calendar Events: It accepts requests from the frontend to create calendar events using the Microsoft Graph API.

The backend uses the following endpoints:

• GET /auth/login: Redirects users to the Microsoft login page.
• GET /auth/callback: Handles the redirect from Microsoft after login and exchanges the authorization code for an access token.
• POST /appointments: Creates a new calendar event using the Microsoft Graph API.

Documentation

For more details on the project's structure and code documentation, please see the Project Documentation.

Next Steps and Future Improvements

Possible Features to Add

1. Improved Error Handling and User Feedback:

   • Display more informative messages to the user when authentication fails or calendar event creation encounters an issue.

2. Token Refresh Mechanism:

   • Implement a token refresh flow to automatically renew the access token when it expires.

3. Recurring Events Support:

   • Add the ability to schedule recurring events (e.g., daily, weekly).

4. Multiple Calendar Support:

   • Allow users to choose which calendar to add the event to (e.g., work calendar, personal calendar).

5. Notification System:

   • Send email or in-app notifications when an appointment is approaching.

6. Offline Support and Data Synchronization:

   • Enable offline access and synchronize appointments when the user comes back online.

Contributing

Feel free to open issues and submit pull requests to help improve this project. Follow the existing coding style and add JSDoc comments for any new functions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.