Google Calendar (GCal)

The Google Calendar on the website is created by a SeniorNet Nelson Google account so it can be used by whoever is the Course Coordinator.

• At the moment E'beth McKendry, Sue Sturrock, Hilary Carpenter and Lindsay Hunter  have permission to view and change the SeniorNet calendar
• When published on the website anybody can view it there.
• 24hr view was chosen so event names would line up. It also takes less space in the cell.
  • To see a personal GCal in 24hr view change the option in personal settings (Toolbar icon top right corner / Settings / Time Format, 13:00 / Save.
  • (Be aware that this will change the format for all calendars for that account)
• The Course Coordinator (CC) is the only person who can change the calendar, so the best way to book a time is to have the website calendar open, choose a suitable free time for an event, ring the CC to check. If it is still free the CC will then put it on the calendar and notify a website coordinator so it can be added to the Timetable.

Creating and managing a Google Calendar

Google Calendar -- www.google.com/calendar -- is a free tool that lets you build (and, in our case, share) your own calendars. If you already have a Google account (if you use GMail for instance) you can sign in to Google Calendar directly from there. If you don't have a Google account click the Sign up button.

The video link below (from Anson Alexander) will give you plenty of information on how to create an manage your calendar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NombARlSmC8&list=PLs7zxED4oCeoxh0W3G2NJNautcC-qrqAv&index=2

Adding a Google calendar to your website:

You can add an interactive version of your calendar to your website, and add buttons for your website visitors to directly save your calendar event.

Embedding a calendar on your website:

• On a computer, open Google Calendar. (Note - You can only get the code to embed in your website from a computer, not the mobile app.)
• In the top right, click the Settings (gear icon) button > Settings.
• Open the Calendars tab.
• Click the name of the calendar you want to embed.
• In the Embed This Calendar section, copy the iframe code displayed.
• Open your website editor, then paste this code where you want the calendar to display.
• Your embedded calendar will only be visible to people you've shared it with. To allow all visitors to see your calendar, you'll need to make it public.

Customising your embedded calendar:

• On a computer, open Google Calendar. (Note - You can only customize your embedded calendar from a computer, not the mobile app.)
• In the top right, click the Settings (gear icon) button > Settings.
• Open the Calendars tab.
• Click the name of the calendar you want to embed.
• In the Embed This Calendar section, click Customize the color, size, and other options.
• Choose your options, then copy the HTML code displayed.
• Open your website editor, then paste this code where you want the calendar to display.
• The Weather Calendar won't show when embedded on your website because this calendar changes for different locations.

Note: You can go back to Google Calendar and change its dimensions, colours, etc. then grab their code again.

Current Protocol for SeniorNet Google Calendar

For each day in the calendar:

• At the beginning of the year CC adds:
  • Public holidays as an All Day Event
  • A -(dash) to each time slot available per day. e.g. 10:00 and 14:00
  • Public holidays, recurring regular events and meetings to the calendar
    (NOTE - it is better to add each event as a single event, not a repeat event, to avoid problems when making alterations later) 
  • Makes all Event Colours Red (NOTE - not Bold Red)
• As requested CC adds new events:
  • e.g. IntroWin10/1.4-JD/ID
    Name of Course/Session 1 of 4-Initials of Tutor/Contact (if different)
  • Changes the Event Colour to Bold Red to indicate to the Website coordinator that it is a new listing.
• Monthly, Website Admin:
  • Adds the next month's events to the TimeTable
• Regularly or as requested Website Admin:
  • Adds each new event to the TimeTable
  • Changes the Event Colour to show it has been added. 
  • Colours change to:
    Bold Blue for morning session
    Bold Green for midday session (not used often now)
    Purple for afternoon session
    Turquoise for evening