Calendars and Events

To access the events of a portal, simply click on the Events folder in the navigation pane.  Events can be added to any folder on a portal, but the Events folder displays all of the events, regardless of where they were added. An Events portlet also appears on the right side of every page highlighting up to five upcoming events.

Displays for Events

1. List of events - This display lists the future events in chronological order, from earliest to latest.  To view past events, click on Past on the top right corner of the Events page.
   
2. Full-page monthly calendar – Select the View Calendar link at the top right corner of the Events page.  This view can display the events by month, week, or day.  The default setting is the current month, but a different month, week or day can be selected, forward or backward, by using the left or right arrows found at the top left corner of the calendar.  Event types are color-coded and are listed in a legend below the calendar view.
   
   

Add/Edit Events

Each event has its own record that stores information such as location, attendees, event type, URL, start/end dates and times, contact information, and notes.  To add a new event, select Event from the Add new menu on the toolbar to open the Add Event form.

The following fields are available on the Add Event form:

• Title – The title is required and is displayed as the heading of the event page, in the URL, and in the list of search results.
• Summary – A short description of the event, and although not required, it is useful because it appears in the events list and search results.
• Event Type – Select the applicable event type(s).  Only the Site Administrator can edit the Event Type list.
• Event Starts, Event Ends – Enter the start and end dates, and the times for the event (the fields are automatically populated with the current date and time). 
• For whole day events or events without a definite ending time, check the box Whole Day or Open End to skip the time selection.  When events are added to the portal, they are added in Eastern Standard Time (EST) due to the IMS web server location.
• One time zone is set for the portal.  All times entered will use that time zone.
• Recurrence – For recurrent events, click the Add button, and provide the appropriate information on the Repeat form.  Be sure the Start Date applies to the recurrence.  For example, if the recurrence is the first Friday of the month, the start date should be the first Friday of the month. Click Save when finished to get back to the Add Event form.  If the Add button was inadvertently clicked, simply exit the Repeat form by clicking X at the top left corner of the form.  To modify a recurrence, click the Edit button.  The Repeat On field will need to be selected again when editing a recurring event.  Additional dates can be removed and added under the Selected Dates section.

• Location – The event location field is optional.

• Attendees – The event attendees field is optional.
• Contact Name, Email, and Phone – Enter the name, email and phone number of the contact person for the event if there is one.
• Event URL – Enter the URL of a website that is associated with the event.
• Text – Use this event body text field to enter additional information such as meeting agenda, registration instructions, etc.  The text in this field can be formatted using the content editor in the toolbar at the top of the section.  See Add a Page for more information about formatting text within this field.

Additional Settings

• Related Items – Click the Categorization tab at the top of the Add Event form to access this feature to link related contents within the portal to the event.  The linked contents could be presentation materials, agendas, minutes from previous events, or any other content on the site.
• Allow discussion – Click the Settings tab at the top of the Add Event form to access this item.  Select "Yes" to allow users to post threaded messages.

Once the necessary fields are completed, click Save.  Review how the event looks in the calendar and the list formats, and then publish the event.

Save an Event to a Personal Calendar

Use the iCal links on the main Events folder listing and on the individual event details page to add an event to a personal calendar.  This is useful for downloading the event details to a calendar program such as MS Outlook and setting personal reminders. 

Event Type Settings

Site Administrators have permission to edit the list of possible event types for a portal.  Most portals start with a standard list of event types such as Conference Call, Meeting, Webinar, Workshop, etc.  To tailor this list to a specific project or study:

1. Go to Setup.
2. Click on Event Settings in the Add-on Configuration section.
3. Modify the list of Event Types, allowing one type per line.
   
4. Refer to the Color Coding section to preview how the events will be color coded in the full-page calendar display.  The colors are automatically assigned by the system, and there are 8 unique colors defined; all event types beyond 8 are coded grey.
5. Save all changes.