Event Calendar Tutorial
Learn how to get the most out of the Event Calendar, advertise events for FREE!

The Event Calendar is a powerful feature of the website, we encourage you to use it, but we also encourage you to read this tutorial so you can get the most from the Event Calendar.

On browsing to the Event Calendar you will be presented with this view,

Month calendar view

This shows the month view and as default is always the current month. The darker blue square highlights the current day. You can switch calendar views very easily and at any time by using the tab buttons in the top left of the calendar display.

Calendar tabs

The other views are weekly…

Week calendar view

…and daily…

Day calendar view

As you can see each view show different levels of calendar detail. For the most part you will probably only use the month and week views. The month view gives a quick overview of a months events, however if there a lots of events going on it can become a little cluttered then its best to switch to week view. The week view is useful especially to see 'All-Day' events at a glance.

Viewing an event

Viewing events can be done within any of the calendar views. Events are highlighted areas on the calendar. Events can either be private or public. Private events are highlighted green and public events are highlighted blue. An example of a public event would be like what is shown below.

An example of a Public event on the calendar

The highlighted area shows the event title and the start time (24hr clock) the icon tells you that there is an event description/note. By clicking the icon the event description will be shown.

An example of an event note

The event note will stay on the screen until you click the mouse again.

Adding an event

To add an event, just click the button.

Remember before you can add an event you must be logged in.

You will then be presented with the Edit Event screen. At first glance it may appear similar to what is used in the forum but on closer inspection you will notice it has slightly different functionality.

Edit Event Screen

Edit Event screen elements:-

Title (Required): Type in the title of your event.
Start: Select the start date/time of your event from the drop down boxes.
End: Select the end date/time of your event.
Recurrence: Check this box if your event is recurring; another set of options will appear allowing you to select the event's frequency.
Type: Public events can be viewed by anyone (even non-members). Private events can only be seen by you. The default is always private.
Note: Here you can type in the description/details for your event. You should keep this a brief as possible; people will be browsing the Event Calendar like adverts in a newspaper - so be concise. The toolbar functionality will help you format your 'note' with features such as choosing a different font or colour. You can also put in web links in your note, useful if you want to send people to another website, for example if you want to link to more information. Information placed in the 'note' section be be shown when a user clicks on the icon from within the calendar view.

Please think of fellow users. The event calendar serves a useful purpose but it has limitations. One of which is not being able to display large event notes in a scrolling window. This is especially important for users with lower monitor resolutions where information may go off the screen. Therefore try to keep event notes consise and just give the essential information (e.g. dates, times, admission costs etc.). If you need to explain more about the event pop in a external link to a website where further information is available.

Emoticons: Same as the forum and gallery - images to liven up your event description.

You may notice on the Edit Event screen the month calendar view is displayed (not shown above). Use this for reference only whilst putting in your event information.

Beware! Do not browse the calendar (e.g. change display view) on the edit event screen as you will browse away from the Edit Event screen and may lose event information. Use the the calendar for reference only.

Once you have filled out all of the information required you can click the button.

Editing/deleting an event

You can go back and edit your events at anytime, again you must be logged in to edit your event. Editable events have a blue (link) title; click on the title of your event you want to edit, this will take you to the posting screen where you can then edit event information. If you want to completely delete an event just press the 'Delete Event' link which is the blue link at the bottom of the Edit Event screen.