set category color via php-ews in Outlook

Question

Hi I'm currently stucked in how to set a category color via php-ews when creating or updating an calendar event.

I'm using an exchange 2013 server.

See the basic example below:

<?php
$ews = new ExchangeWebServices($host, $username, $password, $version);

// Start building the request.
$request = new EWSType_CreateItemType();
$request->Items = new EWSType_NonEmptyArrayOfAllItemsType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem = new EWSType_CalendarItemType();

// Set the subject.
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Subject = 'Basic Calendar Item Insertion';

// Set the start and end times.
$date = new DateTime('8:00 AM');
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Start = $date->format('c');
$date->modify('+1 hour');
$request->Items->CalendarItem->End = $date->format('c');

// Set no reminders
$request->Items->CalendarItem->ReminderIsSet = false;

// Or use this to specify when reminder is displayed (if this is not set, the default is 15 minutes)
$request->Items->CalendarItem->ReminderMinutesBeforeStart = 15;

// Build the body.
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Body = new EWSType_BodyType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Body->BodyType = EWSType_BodyTypeType::HTML;
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Body->_ = 'This is <b>the</b> body';

// Set the item class type (not required).
$request->Items->CalendarItem->ItemClass = new EWSType_ItemClassType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem->ItemClass->_ = EWSType_ItemClassType::APPOINTMENT;

// Set the sensativity of the event (defaults to normal).
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Sensitivity = new EWSType_SensitivityChoicesType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Sensitivity->_ = EWSType_SensitivityChoicesType::NORMAL;

// Add some categories to the event.
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Categories = new EWSType_ArrayOfStringsType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Categories->String = array('Testing', 'php-ews');

// Set the importance of the event.
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Importance = new EWSType_ImportanceChoicesType();
$request->Items->CalendarItem->Importance->_ = EWSType_ImportanceChoicesType::NORMAL;

// Don't send meeting invitations.
$request->SendMeetingInvitations = EWSType_CalendarItemCreateOrDeleteOperationType::SEND_TO_NONE;

$response = $ews->CreateItem($request);

As you can see I can add multiple categories.

Does anyone know if it is possible to include category colors?

Do I have to adjust the php-ews library to include a code like the C# example here?

Answer 1

A category's colour depends on the Master Category list which is a per Mailbox Configuration Item .You access/set them with EWS see http://www.infinitec.de/post/2011/07/28/Working-with-the-Master-Category-List%E2%80%93EWS-edition.aspx but this is done on a per mailbox basis.

Cheers Glen