The University Calendar is a system independent from WordPress designed for for publicizing events. You can then pull the events onto a WordPress page using the calendarfeed shortcode.
Getting Access to the Calendar
Contact Digital Communications to request access to the calendar. There are multiple calendars in the University Calendar system, so know which one you’re looking to edit. We will check with the calendar’s owner to verify the request before granting access.
Logging In
To log in to the University Calendar, go to montclair.edu/calendar, then click on the “Log In” button in the left column.
Adding and Editing Events
Once logged in you can either add an event to the calendars for which you have permission, or you can edit events from those calendars. To add an event, click on the “Add Event” button. To edit an event, first find it on the calendar, click on its title, then click the “Edit Event” button.
If you don’t see the “Edit Event” button on an event, that means it’s on a calendar you don’t have rights to edit.
The Editing Interface
Adding and editing events use the same interface. Below is a description of each field, in order, and what those fields are for.
Selecting an Image
To set a thumbnail image, either drag a photo from your computer onto the image box, or click on the Browse button to select a file from your computer.
Your 5 most recently used photos will also be shown on the page. You can also click on one of the recent images to select an image for the event. This is handy when you put up multiple events in a series.
Once you’ve selected a photo, be sure to set the photo’s ALT text in the next field. The ALT text is read aloud to visitors who use screen-reader software, so be sure to use a short description of the content of the image. Imagine this text being read in-line with the text on the page and try to make sure that it all flows together nicely.
Setting the Title, Summary and Description
The first three items you can set for your calendar require little explanation. The title is the title of your event that appears on the calendar. The description is a description of your event that visitors will see when they click on the title. The summary is a short (one sentence) description of your event that will appear in calendar feeds and in the “Next 5 Days” view.
The summary and description are never visible at the same time, so it’s okay if the summary contains text from the description.
Important: Please include a description and summary for visitors who use screen readers. Do not rely on your photo as the only means of conveying information about your event.
Metadata
Metadata can be used to add arbitrary information to your event. This information can be used by the WordPress shortcode to select specific events from your calendar feed.
To add metadata, click the Add link under the Metadata heading. Next, input a name, and a value to link to that name. You can add additional pieces of metadata by clicking the Add link again, and you can remove data by clicking the Remove link next to it.
You can use the metakey attribute to show all events where that metadata exists. You can use metakey and metavalue together to show only events where the metadata exists and matches a certain value.
For example, you can use the metakey attribute to look for a field named “register” which will show you all the events on your feed that have a registration URL. Or you can use the metakey “department” and metavalue “biology” to show only events from the Biology department.
If you use the names “register” or “tickets,” the calendar will display a “Register” button on your event. You can use this feature to link to a form on Surveys or Eventbrite.
Adding a Video
You can provide a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video to have that display at the top of your event. Note: you will still want to provide an image that displays in the feed.
Sponsor, Cost and More Information
Next, you can provide information about who sponsors the event, how much it costs to attend, and where visitors can go for more information. All of these fields are optional.
Calendar Selection
Next, select the calendar you want the event to appear on. You should only be able to select calendars to which you’ve been given access. If your event is open to the public, be sure to check that box.
Hiding an event from aggregate view prevents your event from appearing in the main University Calendar listing. If you’re co-sponsoring an event with another department, be sure to coordinate with the other department to decide which event shows on the aggregate calendar and which gets hidden – otherwise you’ll have duplicate events on the main calendar.
Date and Time Selection
Next you’ll need to select the date and time of the event. By default, the system will pick whatever date and time you were looking at when you clicked “Add Event.” This way you can check to see if an event’s on the calendar already, and if it’s not, add it.
If your event has no start or end time (i.e. Thanksgiving), select “All Day Event.”
If your event isn’t an all-day event, you need to enter a start time. The end time is optional. Here, just type in a time and the system will try to validate it.
Repeating Events
The calendar system has support for events that repeat. If you check off the box for repeating events, you’ll be asked to select on which days of the week it repeats, and until what date it repeats.
The system is unable to handle monthly recurring events (i.e. every 3rd Thursday of the month) or events with no end date. Bear in mind that this system is intended to promote events happening on campus, not to schedule meetings or appointments.
Setting Location
If you select “On Campus” from the Location pull-down, you’ll be presented with options for a Building and Room. You may type anything for Room, including unusual names like “Ballroom” or “Lounge” – you are not required to provide a valid room number.
If you select “Off Campus” from the Location pull-down, you’ll be presented with options for Name, Address, and City, State, Zip. This information will allow us to generate a link to Google Maps that will show visitors the location of your event.
If you select “Other” from the Location pull-down, you’ll be able to enter free-form text. Use this for on-campus locations that aren’t buildings (e.g. Student Center Quad, President’s Circle).
Selecting Categories for Your Event
At the very bottom of the page you can select one or more categories into which your event should be classified.
You are not required to select a category, and you may select more than one if your event overlaps. This is for a feature that will be added to the calendar in the near future, but it doesn’t hurt to have your events categorized in preparation.
Since this feature is not yet live, the categories listed in the screenshot above may change.
Be sure only to place your event into appropriate categories. It may be tempting to put your event into dozens of categories trying to increase its exposure, but doing so will only serve to confuse and frustrate our site visitors. If our visitors get frustrated they’ll stop using the calendar, and if they stop using the calendar then nobody’s events will get exposure.
Saving Your Work
Last, click the Add Event or Edit Event button to update the calendar.