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iCalendar conversion problem

Convert Recurring ICS Events to CSV Correctly

Export one CSV row per ICS event record, preserving recurrence rules and timezone definitions without expanding occurrences.

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ICS to CSV

Open ICS to CSV

What the error actually means

A recurring calendar event may be stored as one VEVENT with an RRULE plus exception records. CSV can represent the rule as text or expand occurrences over a chosen date range. These outputs answer different questions and have different row counts.

Likely causes

  • The RRULE was treated as one ordinary event.
  • Exceptions and cancellations were ignored.
  • No expansion date range was chosen.
  • Time-zone transitions shift occurrences.

Recurrence policy

Problem

Assume one VEVENT equals one real-world occurrence

Correct pattern

Export the RRULE or expand instances over a documented date window

A safe repair workflow

  1. 1One row per event record, without expanding recurrences. Original event text and timezone definitions are included; dates keep their source representation.
  2. 2Identify recurring masters and exceptions.
  3. 3Choose rule-preserving or instance-expanded output.
  4. 4Set a finite expansion range.
  5. 5Compare several occurrences in a calendar app.

How to verify the result

A file that downloads successfully is not automatically a correct file. Check the result at both the structural and business-data levels:

  • Exceptions are respected.
  • Time zones remain correct.
  • The expansion range is documented.
  • Duplicate instances are absent.

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