Add event to Outlook/iCal/Google Calendar?

James Servino

Does anybody know of a way to provide 'add to calendar' functionality to Event Modules for constituents who RSVP or buy tickets so they can easily add events they RSVP for to their personal calendars?

 

Thanks!

Kent Gilliam

James,

 

This functionality isn't available in the Events tool. It's actually one that is starting to really be demanded. However this doesn't mean you can't use this function. All you have to do is create the calendar files and save them to your computer and then upload them to a location where it can be downloaded by your event participants. The .ics file is really easy to create. I create these each month for our webinars. To create one you just create the event in your Outlook and then use the "save as" function to save the .ics file to your computer. People then just download this and open it and save it on their computer. I've never created a Google Calendar file to download so I'm not sure about that one but I'm sure you can find out how if you search for it online.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kent

James Servino

Kent Gilliam:

James,

 

This functionality isn't available in the Events tool. It's actually one that is starting to really be demanded. However this doesn't mean you can't use this function. All you have to do is create the calendar files and save them to your computer and then upload them to a location where it can be downloaded by your event participants. The .ics file is really easy to create. I create these each month for our webinars. To create one you just create the event in your Outlook and then use the "save as" function to save the .ics file to your computer. People then just download this and open it and save it on their computer. I've never created a Google Calendar file to download so I'm not sure about that one but I'm sure you can find out how if you search for it online.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kent

Thanks Kent! I've done this ad-hoc solution too for our major events-we have over 60 a month so it's not an across the board solution for our bandwidth, but def. glad we're on track and have an option.

Jordan Flemming

This is a feature that my team are very interested in as well. It would make it a lot easier for our event managers to add this in if this was a built in feature to the luminate event manager and email system rather than cretaing an ICS file for each event we host.

James Servino

Jordan Flemming:

This is a feature that my team are very interested in as well. It would make it a lot easier for our event managers to add this in if this was a built in feature to the luminate event manager and email system rather than cretaing an ICS file for each event we host.

Agreed! We should get a lobby going on Luminate Ideas!

Greg Sims

Kent Gilliam:

James,

 

This functionality isn't available in the Events tool. It's actually one that is starting to really be demanded. However this doesn't mean you can't use this function. All you have to do is create the calendar files and save them to your computer and then upload them to a location where it can be downloaded by your event participants. The .ics file is really easy to create. I create these each month for our webinars. To create one you just create the event in your Outlook and then use the "save as" function to save the .ics file to your computer. People then just download this and open it and save it on their computer. I've never created a Google Calendar file to download so I'm not sure about that one but I'm sure you can find out how if you search for it online.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kent

Kent, glad to find this thread as I've been wondering how to insert an .ics file into TeamRaiser autoresponders so that event participants can easily import event details into their calendars. 

 

As far as I know, Google Calendar will import an .ics file successfully. Just have to open Google Calendar and select "import".

 

Please check me to make sure I'm understanding your suggestion correctly, though. So if I create an Outlook calendar event and then "save as" an .ics file, would I then upload that file into the Luminate Library somehow? I don't see .ics as a supported file format in the Document Library. How would I embed or attach the calendar file to an email message (in email campaign, TR autoresponder, or TR coaching tool) so that a constituent could download?

 

Thanks,

Greg

Kent Gilliam

Greg Sims:

Kent, glad to find this thread as I've been wondering how to insert an .ics file into TeamRaiser autoresponders so that event participants can easily import event details into their calendars. 

 

As far as I know, Google Calendar will import an .ics file successfully. Just have to open Google Calendar and select "import".

 

Please check me to make sure I'm understanding your suggestion correctly, though. So if I create an Outlook calendar event and then "save as" an .ics file, would I then upload that file into the Luminate Library somehow? I don't see .ics as a supported file format in the Document Library. How would I embed or attach the calendar file to an email message (in email campaign, TR autoresponder, or TR coaching tool) so that a constituent could download?

 

Thanks,

Greg

You're right that .ics is not a supported file format in your file library. You'd have to upload it to your ftp or some other site where people could download it from. Then you'd simply link to the .ics file with a text link or button. The participant would click the link and then save the .ics file, open it, and then save it to Google Calendar. If they have Outlook and Google Calendar it may cause some conflict so they will need to be specific about which calendar they want to save this event to.

 

Hope this helps.

Kent

 

Oh... by the way... if you don't have access to your ftp, you need to contact Support and ask for login information.

Greg Sims

Kent Gilliam:

You're right that .ics is not a supported file format in your file library. You'd have to upload it to your ftp or some other site where people could download it from. Then you'd simply link to the .ics file with a text link or button. The participant would click the link and then save the .ics file, open it, and then save it to Google Calendar. If they have Outlook and Google Calendar it may cause some conflict so they will need to be specific about which calendar they want to save this event to.

 

Hope this helps.

Kent

 

Oh... by the way... if you don't have access to your ftp, you need to contact Support and ask for login information.

Thanks, Kent. Will give it a go.

Alex Kwak

Kent Gilliam:

You're right that .ics is not a supported file format in your file library. You'd have to upload it to your ftp or some other site where people could download it from. Then you'd simply link to the .ics file with a text link or button. The participant would click the link and then save the .ics file, open it, and then save it to Google Calendar. If they have Outlook and Google Calendar it may cause some conflict so they will need to be specific about which calendar they want to save this event to.

 

Hope this helps.

Kent

 

Oh... by the way... if you don't have access to your ftp, you need to contact Support and ask for login information.

Any update on whether this functionality will be added to the Events module?

Kent Gilliam

Alex Kwak:

Any update on whether this functionality will be added to the Events module?

No word yet. You can easily create these and add them to your event though.

Darcy Hofmann

Kent Gilliam:
No word yet. You can easily create these and add them to your event though.

Hi,

 

The method does not work for a mobile device.  On mobile, you only see the code of the link and the ICS calendar doesn't download.

Caitlin Carlson

Kent Gilliam:

You're right that .ics is not a supported file format in your file library. You'd have to upload it to your ftp or some other site where people could download it from. Then you'd simply link to the .ics file with a text link or button. The participant would click the link and then save the .ics file, open it, and then save it to Google Calendar. If they have Outlook and Google Calendar it may cause some conflict so they will need to be specific about which calendar they want to save this event to.

 

Hope this helps.

Kent

 

Oh... by the way... if you don't have access to your ftp, you need to contact Support and ask for login information.

Kent, I added an iCal to our convio FTP but how do I know the link to grab to put in my email? I'm using Filezila and I tried right clicking and using the Copy URL(s) to Clipboard function but when I tried that link it requested a password.

 

*Moving my question to a new thread since I've not recieved an answer after a number of days...it's here if anyone is curious to see the new thread: http://community.convio.com/t5/Luminate-Online/Adding-iCal-to-email-but-how-to-I-get-the-link-after-I-add-the/m-p/74633

Alex Kwak

Kent Gilliam:

You're right that .ics is not a supported file format in your file library. You'd have to upload it to your ftp or some other site where people could download it from. Then you'd simply link to the .ics file with a text link or button. The participant would click the link and then save the .ics file, open it, and then save it to Google Calendar. If they have Outlook and Google Calendar it may cause some conflict so they will need to be specific about which calendar they want to save this event to.

 

Hope this helps.

Kent

 

Oh... by the way... if you don't have access to your ftp, you need to contact Support and ask for login information.

Can the ics file format become supported in the file library? Seems like this would be a much more straightforward solution for everyone.

Kent Gilliam

Alex Kwak:

Can the ics file format become supported in the file library? Seems like this would be a much more straightforward solution for everyone.

It's still not an accepted file type but I'll share this request again with product managers. The ftp or any other file system like Google docs or dropbox.com could work. But the ftp method would still be the best right now. I'll be sure to share any info if I hear back from product managers on this topic. 

 

Kent

Matt Lindsay

For those that come across this thread and want to upvote the idea of a simpler "add to calendar" functionality.

https://luminateonline.ideas.aha.io/ideas/LO-I-80

 

Add Event to Calendar

It'd be really awesome to have a feature that allows people to add the event that they signed up for to their calendar. One way this could be accomplished is by allowing Admins to upload .ics files in the document library. A step beyond that even is for this file to automatically be generated if the Admin selects for that. I understand there may be limits to the number of files we can save so allowing Admins to choose only the most important to have the .ics file. Another option would be for files to automatically terminate after the event start time. (Or even RSVP deadline)