Handling Birthdays?

[jarodorrell]

I just purchased a new Blackberry 8703e from Verizon and overall have been very pleased with it. That is, until today, when I realized that the contacts do not carry a date field and have no way of syncing a user defined data field with a birthday field in Outlook.

This is disappointing - one of the best things about having my Palm was that I never missed another birthday. Anyone know of a work-around here? I want something that will keep a birthday associated with a contact and put it in my calendar. Thanks for the help!

[Pizzle]

I've just always created birthdays as "all day events." And I do the same thing...I'd never remember a birthday if I didn't have it!

[jarodorrell]

I've just always created birthdays as "all day events." And I do the same thing...I'd never remember a birthday if I didn't have it!

Yes, I could create separate calendar entries for every person's birthday but I already had every person's birthday entered in the contact field for birthdays in my palm and it created the calendar entry for me... guess I'm looking for something that can do that on Blackberry. From all the research I'm doing though it sounds like I will have to do the double-work. :-/

It's more frustrating since Outlook has a birthday field but you can not get it to sync with the user defined Blackberry field!

[lhuff]

I don't understand your problem. I was able to map the Birthday field from "Address Book" to any handheld field I wanted to using Intellisync.

[Pizzle]

Jarod...have you downloaded the latest version of Desktop Manager? It's 4.2 SP1. In it, there's a "Palm Import" feature, and an option to map folders within the Sync function.

[jarodorrell]

I don't understand your problem. I was able to map the Birthday field from "Address Book" to any handheld field I wanted to using Intellisync.

That is exactly what I would like to do but it's not letting me do that - it states that the user defined fields of the Blackberry cannot be sync'd with date fields in Outlook. I confirmed this on Blackberry's website. May I ask what BB and contact manager you're using? I'm on a Blackberry 8703e and Outlook 2007.

[jarodorrell]

Jarod...have you downloaded the latest version of Desktop Manager? It's 4.2 SP1. In it, there's a "Palm Import" feature, and an option to map folders within the Sync function.

Hmm - I have 4.2, but I don't think I'm running SP1. I'll give that a try and see if it lets me sync those fields.

[lhuff]

I'm running Desktop Manager 4.1 and a 7100i. I must admit that I didn't actually do a sync. I just dragged the Outlook Birthday field up next to the Handheld User Defined field and it didn't fuss. When are you getting the error? If it's when you try to sync, I'll realign the fields and give syncing a try.

[jarodorrell]

I'm running Desktop Manager 4.1 and a 7100i. I must admit that I didn't actually do a sync. I just dragged the Outlook Birthday field up next to the Handheld User Defined field and it didn't fuss. When are you getting the error? If it's when you try to sync, I'll realign the fields and give syncing a try.

When I drag the birthday field to the user defined field, I get an error message saying that these two fields cannot be synced. In the Blackberry user manual it specifically states User Defined Fields cannot be synced with date fields (it even uses the Birthday field as its example).

Sadly, it looks like I'm going to have to set up separate entries for everything...

[montevideo]

I maintain birthdays in Outlook contacts which creates 'all day events' in my Outlook Calendar. My Outlook calendar is set to wireless sync with blackberry - so I get the birthday reminders in both Outlook and Blackberry.

Blackberry on the matter of synch with Outlook is years behind Palm and not even in the playing field of Mobile Windows.

/m

[Svenster]

I maintain birthdays in Outlook contacts which creates 'all day events' in my Outlook Calendar. My Outlook calendar is set to wireless sync with blackberry - so I get the birthday reminders in both Outlook and Blackberry.

Blackberry on the matter of synch with Outlook is years behind Palm and not even in the playing field of Mobile Windows.

/m
Montevideo, how are you able to do this. I'm running DM 4.2, 8700c OS 4.1, and Outlook 2003, BES and wireless sync activated. All of my birthdays are in Outlook using the birthday field in the details tab, but this info is not synching to the 8700c so that I can see the birthdays in the calendar view? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[LarryH]

I posted in another section and got no replies. Maybe this is a better place. I, too, use Outlook and enter birthdays as all-day-events. I set my reminders to start 1 week before the birthday. (Need time to remember to get that gift!) I'm using BES.

My 8300 is new (as am I to BB) and my first b'day event comes up on 6/28. The reminders are popping up on my desktop but not on the BB. (Normal appt's do seem to show reminders having deleted the CICAL entries.) I'm wondering why the BB isn't showing the b'day reminders. The event shows on the BB's calendar, including the alarm icon next to the event. Just haven't seen a reminder.

Any thoughts? Is 1 week out of the BB's range for reminders? I've noticed that none of the today screen themes show all-day events. Does the BB have a "problem" with all-day events? I'd love to get to the bottom of this.

Thanks.

[JSanders]

Larry, I have my BDays set just the same way--but on 8700 and 8800. I get reminders. I am not sure what your glitch is, or if it might be related to the cical entries in Service Books. Sorry guy.

[LarryH]

Are your reminders set to a week earlier?

[JSanders]

Close family (like the ones you say need a reminder for the gift are!), but many are just two days. Try setting one with 5 days or the such and see what happens. Mine are also set to All Day Events as well.

[Pizzle]

Are you running both BES and BIS?

There's a known issue with calendar reminders on the Curve and 8830. No fix yet.

[LarryH]

Pizzle -- I thought the "known workaround" was to delete the email CICAL entries. Having done that, I am getting my standard appointment reminders. Right now, I'm just having this "issue" with my all-day event birthdays with one-week reminders. And JSanders seems to be "issue free"... at least in this area. :)

[LarryH]

Just replying here in case any one else is having this issue. I just got off the phone with RIM support and they say that although I'm now getting my timed appointment alerts (having deleted the CICAL entries) that the all-day event problem is still connected to this known issue about calendar alerts.

The guy seemed very knowledgeable and said that the workaround doesn't work for everyone and doesn't necessarily work across the board for all alert problems.

As expected, they're more than well-aware of the issue and he claims that they're working to get this resolved ASAP.

So, for now, I can live with it as opposed to changing all my all-day events into "timed events." Again, just FYI.

[ShaneToronto]

if you set the birthday in outlook, it automatically sets a recurring appointment in the calendar. When you sync the calendar, it appears.

[LarryH]

if you set the birthday in outlook, it automatically sets a recurring appointment in the calendar. When you sync the calendar, it appears.
We know this.

[ShaneToronto]

We know this.


good for you.

[jeffmik]

I also create birthdays as an all day event in Outlook - make sure you set a yearly occurrence. I've also created a category called Birthdays which makes it a little easier to view them all at once.

The only thing thats unfortunate about this is that all day events don't show up on the main screen of the Blackberry when using the Dimension Today theme. Wish they did.

[Ideasmiths]

I just purchased a new Blackberry 8703e from Verizon and overall have been very pleased with it. That is, until today, when I realized that the contacts do not carry a date field and have no way of syncing a user defined data field with a birthday field in Outlook.

This is disappointing - one of the best things about having my Palm was that I never missed another birthday. Anyone know of a work-around here? I want something that will keep a birthday associated with a contact and put it in my calendar. Thanks for the help!


Sorry folks, been away for a while from this forum...seem like there is still an issue with the Birthday thing. Okie, I updated my solution to this issue and it is recorded this thread here (http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-blackberry-discussion/86134-solution-synchronizing-birthdates-outlook-2007-contacts-blackberry.html)

The solution will
a) Create a new type of contact form, I call it "BlackberryContact Form"
b) The form has program codes to automatically update the birthdays in outlook contacts to a User2 field
c) You need to map the User2 field to the Blackberry User2 field and display it
d) You also can select existing outlook contacts and convert them to use this new "BlackberryContact Form"

All the links to solve a) to d) is in the thread.

Let me know if there is any errors or comments.