Start Time & End Time: Allow empty cells

[styroll]

Thank you for your great tool. It finally worked. I was looking for an alternative way creating an ICS-File without using MS Outlook (only Outlook Classic allows exporting ICS files) or online calendars (like Google Calendar) or online converters. The workflow to date was:

1. Creating the database with events in MS Access and exporting to XLS for distribution of a printed version (all done by an external person). That's why start time and end time cells are often empty and start date and end date are identical, cf. the following screenshot below.
2. Conversion form XLSX to CSV using Excel and importing the CSV file into MS, then export to ICS (all done by myself). MS Outlook is creating an all-day event if Start Time and End Time are missing and is creating an 1-hour event, when only Start Time is given.

.
Unfortunately your CLI tool expects Start Time & End Time in each cell:

    raise ValueError("time data %r does not match format %r" %
                     (data_string, format))
ValueError: time data '2025-08-14 ' does not match format '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M'

I was indeed able to to add this data using some IF formulas in Excel. However, it would be great, if your tool would complete this time data by itself and correct the End Date in case of all-day events, e.g. in this way:

1. If Start Date = End Date and Start Time is empty, then set Start Time to 00:00 and End Time to 00:00 and End Date to "End date + 1 day"
2. If Start Time ist not empty and End Time is empty, set End Time to "Start Time + 1 hour"

The ReadMe may be optimized too:

1. The order and the number (7) of columns is given (that's why you can rename the column header name, but cannot omit the name, e.g. for the last two columns, even if they are empty).
2. The quotation marks are only needed in the case you use commas in text strings.
3. The CSV file has to use UTF-8 as text encoding (there were some corresponding errors in my terminal output).

[rlan]

@styroll

I'm glad you are using this tool in your workflow. Thank you for sharing your feedback.

I can see why you are "working-around" this tool. It would have helped if this was in the Read Me:

The goal of this tool is a rigid (has sharp edges) format converter.

In meeting that goal, I have made the following choices:

A. No business logic.
B. An opininated CSV format.

Reasons:
A. Modularization. Business logic should be somewhere else, e.g., by bulding on top of this tool.
B. In actual use, the CSV format has different variants. I am using a CSV reader library, so that determines the baseline variant. I may have added my opininated flavors on top of that.

Replies to your points:

1. Unlike a JSON file or a database, in a CSV file, the order of the columns is fixed. This tool currently requires a header row, but ignores the content. Consequently, the order of the data type is fixed. It is possible to add a mode where the header cell content sets the data type of the column. This will allow one to export a CSV in any column order.

2. Due to goal B. I will check and update the docs.

3. Same as point 2.

4. Has date but empty time. Due to goal B. I will investigate whether empty time cell will be supported.

Edit: rigid format converter

[styroll]

Thank you for your quick answer and your detailed explanations.

@rlan said: will investigate whether empty time cell will be supported.

Thanks, that's my key concern/request.

BTW, concerning the ReadMe: The name ist just "Apple Calendar" (not "Apple macOS Calendar"), independant of the different OS developed by Apple (macOS, iOS, iPadOS).

[rlan]

@styroll

Thanks, that's my key concern/request.

Thank you for sharing your main concern. I will try to prioritize around that.