Configurable settings for automatic updates of calendar items

A computing device configured to be interconnected to one or more client devices by a computer network, the computing device comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory containing an email folder and a calendar folder for a user, and data representing a set of pre-configured criteria according to which any meeting update is to be processed, the set of pre-configured criteria each identifying a data field of a calendar item modification which indicates that an input from the user is needed to process a corresponding meeting update in which a value of the data field is modified, and wherein the memory contains additional instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to:
• receive an electronic message in the email folder of the user, the electronic message containing a digital data packet having data representing an update to one or more details of a meeting that the user is invited to attend and represented by a calendar item stored in the calendar folder, the calendar item having multiple data fields individually containing a value corresponding to a detail of the meeting;
• and
• upon receiving the electronic message:
• identify one or more of the data fields of the calendar item that contain values corresponding to the one or more details to be updated as indicated in the update of the electronic message;
• determine whether the update is actionable by the user according to the set of pre-configured criteria by determining whether any of the identified one or more data fields of the calendar item are indicated in the set of pre- configured criteria as being actionable by the user upon change;
• and
• in response to determining that the update is not actionable according to the set of pre-configured criteria, automatically modify the values of the identified one or more data fields of the calendar item corresponding to the meeting in the calendar folder of the user according to the update to the one or more details contained in the received electronic message without input from the user.

A method for selective update of calendar items in an electronic calendar system having a server interconnected to client devices by a computer network, the server providing an email folder and a calendar folder for a user, wherein the method comprising:

• receiving, at the server, an electronic update in the email folder of the user, the electronic update containing a change to a parameter of a meeting that the user is invited to attend and represented by a calendar item stored in the calendar folder, the calendar item having multiple data fields individually containing a value representing a start date, a start time, an end date, an end time, a location, or a description of the meeting;
• and
• in response to receiving the electronic update, at the server, identifying one of the data fields of the calendar item that contains a value corresponding to the parameter of the meeting having the change in the received electronic update;
• determining whether the identified one of the data fields containing the value represents one of a start date, a start time, an end date, an end time, or a location of the meeting represented by a data object stored in the calendar folder;
• and
• in response to determining that the identified one of the data fields containing the value does not represent one of the start date, the start time, the end date, the end time, or the location of the meeting, modifying, without input from the user, the calendar item corresponding to the meeting in the calendar folder of the user to update the value of the identified one of the data fields with the change to the parameter of the meeting according to the received electronic update.