Calendar: I've read the tutorial and still can't make it work!

by K.E. Jones Fri 1 Dec - 4:53

I've just created a forum and though in some ways it's proceeding just fine, in other ways, I'm completely at sea! I'll start with what should be a fairly simple question: How to I post something on my forum calendar?

I've read the tutorial and thought what would work best for what I want to do, and the kind of event it is, would be to pick the calendar date. The tutorial says:

In addition, you can also create events directly from your calendar by clicking the small icon in each calendar-day. This requires that you define a forum that is associated to your calendar - events that you create directly within the calendar will then be posted in this forum.

But I don't see any such "small icon" on the calendar days! There's the standard calendar grid, appearing by month, with the full date in each day's box...but no icon within the box. The drop-downs on the top of the calendar page let you select month and year and what I suppose are the topics I've created for the group, but playing around with those doesn't change anything regarding icons in the date boxes.

Along with that, I'm kind of confused about that topic dropdown in the calendar, though maybe it will make more sense once I've figured out how to enter an event. I created the forum for a small, closed community: an online book club so friends can discuss books in an ordered way. We're talking about, this point, maybe ten people, and we've already discussed amongst ourselves limiting the group size to maybe 20 so that discussion doesn't get too chaotic. So I don't think I need an array of calendars for different subgroups or topics that appeal to some members but not other. I'd like one, overall calendar for the entire forum. But I don't see that as an option in the dropdown--it looks like I have to link any event to a topic. Is that the case? If so, is there a workaround for that?

Thank! I'm sure I'll have more questions later.

by **Ape** Fri 1 Dec - 10:26

Hello please take a look to see if your icones are set up on the following page.

ACP >> Display >>  Pictures and Colors >> Pics management >> Advanced Mode >> Mini-icons scroll down to Calendar : and you should have a icon there if you don't use the system to add one

by K.E. Jones Sat 2 Dec - 2:22

There is an icon there.

Screenshot:

Calendar: I've read the tutorial and still can't make it work! Calend10

It is not showing up on my calendar.

Screenshot:
Calendar: I've read the tutorial and still can't make it work! Calend11

I can't help but think I'm just not seeing something that I should see, that's obviously there to everybody else. But, regardless, I'd still like to add an event, and I don't see how.

by **SLGray** Sat 2 Dec - 2:52

In addition, you can also create events directly from your calendar by clicking the small icon in each calendar-day. This requires that you define a forum that is associated to your calendar - events that you create directly within the calendar will then be posted in this forum.

by K.E. Jones Sun 3 Dec - 4:14

Gotcha. So I went to what appears to be the place to define said forum: in the Admin panel, that means Modules > Calendar and then to the "Select the forum" drop-down. (In fact, I think I've been there before and left it blank, because my only alternative was to direct the calendar to specific discussions. The problem I see is that it doesn't let me make the calendar for the whole board, or group, or whatever you want to call the site that holds the discussions and has the url. Is that correct? And if it is, is there anything that I can do about that? I my mind, for this particular board, I need one calendar for the whole thing, because it's too small, in several different ways, to warrant a bunch of different calendars for a bunch of different threads.

by **SLGray** Sun 3 Dec - 4:19

Most forums will not have the whole forum about events. They were had one certain section (forum) for events.

by K.E. Jones Sun 3 Dec - 4:52

So maybe the calendar won't meet my needs, then, and I should just forget about it. This is a board for a small book group. I'm using the forum format because, in my experience, it's the best way to channel discussions...to allow them to flow freely but at the same time bring some order to things. We're just getting started, but the theory (at least) is that we'll read a book a month, with a set date for us to finish reading and start discussing. Each book will get it's own thread--or forum, I suppose. I pictured having one calendar where we could put an "event" for that reading deadline date, and maybe birthdays, and maybe other events as they come up--a calendar for the group, then, more than for the forum. There's not a feature like that, is there?

by **SLGray** Sun 3 Dec - 4:59

Maybe you can locate a calendar you can add to your forum that achieves what you want.

by **Ape** Mon 4 Dec - 3:27

Have you made a forum and linked it to your Calender ?

What I mean is when you make a forum board there is a setting that makes that forum your calender work so when you click on the date you want it will open a New thread on that forum and then you will see your date of that event and the icon will show up on that date.

But saying that you can use our new system that is way way better and more faster.
https://help.forumotion.com/t153199-new-functionality-the-events
It's a great new tool and can be used by all your members.

by K.E. Jones Mon 4 Dec - 3:31

Maybe you can locate a calendar you can add to your forum that achieves what you want.

I think I'll try that, now that I know more about widgets. Maybe I can put a calendar widget so that that's what opens when a user clicks on the "calendar" tab in the navigation bar? That sounds possible, but a fight for another day.

Thank you for your help!

by K.E. Jones Mon 4 Dec - 3:33

APE wrote:Have you made a forum and linked it to your Calender ?

What I mean is when you make a forum board there is a setting that makes that forum your calender work so when you click on the date you want it will open a New thread on that forum and then you will see your date of that event and the icon will show up on that date.

But saying that you can use our new system that is way way better and more faster.
https://help.forumotion.com/t153199-new-functionality-the-events
It's a great new tool and can be used by all your members.

That looks like a possibility, but I'd rather have a traditional-looking calendar where people can look at, say, a monthly page and see what's coming up. Like I said, though, that is a possibility. Thank you!