In a nutshell, we are going to use a freeware scripting language called AutoIt to run the gMigrate program for us, and then we are going to use the Windows Scheduled Tasks utility to automatically run the script.

AutoIt

AutoIt is a freeware scripting language, which can be used to automate the Windows graphical user interface. It will work on Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows Server 2008. One of AutoIt’s cool features is a Windows Info monitor, which you use to determine the ID numbers of command buttons. Once you know those IDs you can write an AutoIt script that will execute a program and interact with it by clicking specific command buttons. In addition, you can also complile the script into an executable file.

The download page for AutoIt is here: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/downloads.shtml.

Assuming that you have already configured your gMigrate with your GroupWise and GMail account information, here is a simple script that will run gMigrate and click the appropriate command buttons:

; gMigrate Automation by Roman Olynyk, 8/4/2009
Run ( “C:\Program Files\gMigrate\CompanionLink.exe”)
WinWaitActive(”gMigrate”, “”, 10)
ControlClick (”gMigrate”, “”, “[ID: 1881]“)
WinWaitActive ( “gMigrate”, “Completed Synchronization”, 20)
ControlClick (”gMigrate”, “”, “[ID: 2]“)
ControlClick (”gMigrate”, “”, “[ID: 1]“)

I saved my script with the name “automigrate.AU3.” Here’s what this script does:

1. Comments begin with semi-colons
2. The Run command needs the exact path. In this script I am using the default installation path for gMigrate. If your path is different, change it here.
3. The WinWaitActive command will wait for up to 10 seconds for the dialog box titled “gMigrate” to appear.
4. Once the dialog box appears, simulate a mouse click to the ” Migrate” command button (ID 1881).
5. After clicking, wait for up to 20 seconds for the message “Completed Synchronization” to appear.
6. When “Completed Synchronization” dialog appears, click the OK button (ID 2).
7. Finally, clicking the OK button (ID 1) on the gMigrate dialog causes that program to close.

That’s it. This is a bare-bones script. A more careful programmer can add proper error handling routines to allow for instances where the gMigrate program might fail. Also, this script will run as a foreground task, as I have not added any commands to hide its operation from the user.

You can test out the script by right-clicking over the AU3 file and selecting “Run Script” from the top of the menu. Once you are satisfied with the operation, you can go to the Tools menu of the SciTE4AutoIt3 program editor and run the complile command, which will convert your script into an executable file.

In a separate posting, we’ll talk about how you can configure Scheduled Tasks in Windows to periodically run your migration script.

1. In the Windows XP Control Panel, select the Scheduled Tasks command.
2. With Scheduled Tasks open, double-click on the “Add Scheduled Task” icon, which should be at the top of the list of tasks.
   
3. A Scheduled Task Wizard will appear; click Next> to continue.
4. The Scheduled Task Wizard will display a list of programs from which you can select. Your automigrate program will not be in this list, so you must use the Browse command button to locate and select it.
5. Once you have selected the program, the wizard will ask you to type in a name for the task, followed by a group of radio buttons for when you would like this task performed. I chose “Daily.”
   
6. After clicking Next> again, the Scheduled Task Wizard asks you to select the time and day when you would like the task to start. I’m configuring my task to run while I’m usually at work, so I chose a time in the morning after I’ve had a chance to settle in and possibly work with my calendar — say 9:30 a.m. Also, since I don’t normally work weekends, I can opt to run this task only on Weekdays.
   
7. The next dialog asks you to provide your username and password for you computer. When you have typed in that information, click the Next> button.
8. The wizard will display a dialog box, which confirms when Windows will run this task. Notice that there’s a checkbox where you can “Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish.” Select this checkbox, because it will allow you to set how often you want this task to run. As an added precaution, note that you can choose to stop the task if it is still running at the time you’ve selected.
   
9. The Advanced Schedule Options let you set how many times a day you want the program to run.
   
10. Once you click the Apply button, your scheduled task will run under the conditions that you have set for it.

I depend upon my WVU GroupWise account to keep track of my appointments and tasks, but I’m not always at my PC.  Until recently, however, my only recourse for a portable calendar was to use PDA Connect to synchronize my PalmPilot with GroupWise.

My latest device, an iPod Touch, appeared to support many PDA-like functions.  However, I quickly discovered that getting my GroupWise calendar onto the Touch was going to be expensive, vis-à-vis Apple’s MobileMe or CompanionLink.  What’s a penny-pincher to do?

CompanionLink Software used to have a free product called gMigrate, which allowed me to port my GroupWise calendar data over to Google Calendar.  This is not a dynamic process:  I have to run gMigrate every time that I want to pass my GroupWise calendar over to Google calendar.

The “Eureka!” moment came when Google announced Google Sync (Beta) for the iPhone.  This tool lets you synchronize the built-in calendar and contacts on an iPhone (and iPod Touch) with your Google account.  So, you can go from GroupWise to Google with gMigrate, and you can then go from Google to an iPod Touch with Google Sync.  Although this sounds rather complex, you can manage the entire process in just a few clicks – after the initial configuration, of course.

Ingredients:

• iPhone or iPod Touch
• GroupWise account
• Google account
• Google Sync
• gMigrate
• WiFi access

Getting gMigrate

Although gMigrate is no longer available directly from CompanionLink Software, you can still download it from a number of software repositories, such as Cnet’s download.com or Softpedia.

Install gMigrate by running the executable setup launcher.  When you run gMigrate, configure it as follows:

1. In the Email field, type in your Gmail username.
2. In the Password field, type in your Gmail password.
3. In the From field, click the selection arrow and select GroupWise 6.5.
4. Click on the Advanced button, which should display a GroupWise Login dialog:
   
   1. Type in your GroupWise UserID and password
   2. Click OK.
5. Click on the Migrate button.  A CompanionLink Process dialog will indicate your progress.

Successful completion is indicated by a dialog that looks like this:

Google calendar should now be populated with calendar items from your GroupWise account.  Remember that you will have to run gMigrate each time that you want any changes in your GroupWise calendar to appear in Google Calendar (i.e., start gMigrate and click on the Migrate button).

Getting Google Sync for iPhone

Google Sync for iPhone uses the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol to synchronize the data on your iPod Touch with your Google Calendar.  It will support synchronization with up to five calendars and the contacts in your My Contacts group.

Setting up Google Sync is a fairly straightforward process, but you should be aware that Sync is a beta product.  In addition, the Sync setup will delete the existing contacts and calendar information on your iPhone or Touch.  Backup your data first!

It is not necessary for me to reproduce Google’s instructions here.  Just point your browser to Sync: Set Up Your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Once you’ve set up Google Sync, the synchronization should begin automatically if you have Push enabled on your device.