🗓️Events
Displays a list of events. You see the name of the event, a description and the date that the event takes place.
On iOS devices, the list is automatically divided into two groups; one that displays upcoming events and one that displays past events. Android devices show the a list containing both Upcoming and Past events in the same screen.
NOTE: AppMachine will load events in the span of one year. This means that events scheduled six months before the current date and six months after the current date will be shown in this block.
You can use sources from the internet, like Google Calendar, to pull the data to create your events list. External data sources like these generally provide the user with the place name, event name, date, and location of the event. If applicable, users can even buy their tickets directly from the event item when you provide a valid URL. The event information is always up to date as the app pulls the data from the server every time users open the events block in the app.
Whether you're organising a workshop, a book-reading, theme nights at your restaurant, you can place these directly in the Events building block.
Adding the Events building block
Click on + Block (the red add block button).
Select the Events block and click Add this block.
Choose the data source for your events:
AppMachine CMS: maintain your own list of events. After building the block, add the events in the List Settings of the block. See below for more information on the List Settings.
Google Calendar: enter the Calendar ID for the calendar you wish to connect (see how below).
Click Continue.
Fill in the name of the block and click on Add this Block.
Click on the icon if you want to change the image used in the menu.
Replace allows you to choose from a wide range of AppMachine icons or upload your own.
When you’re done, click Add this block.
NOTE: When linking a Google Calendar make sure all events must have a time and description included in order for them to be displayed in the correct chronological order in the app.
The Events building block settings
The Events building block editor is composed of three editing screens: Data, Settings and Design. Please note that the Data editing screen is only available if you chose the AppMachine CMS as your data source.
The settings in the Settings editing screen determine how your block will function, Data allows you maintain the content of the block, and the settings in the Design screen determine its aesthetics.
Settings
There are several aspects of your Events block that can be changed in this screen:
The name of the block
The icon (or image) that will be used in the app menu
The top image for the Events screen
Allow sharing events via twitter, Facebook, or email
In the case of using Google Calendar as a data source, you can edit the calendar ID here
Should the need arise to keep the users of your published app from using this portion of the app, then you can always make use of the "ON/OFF" selector.
Change the selector to "OFF" to keep users from seeing the Events block. Now you can continue developing your app without worrying about users coming upon areas that you haven't finished developing as of yet. Once you are satisfied with your progress, change the selector back to "ON" to publish this portion of your app.
Data Settings
This is where the link between the external data source is maintained. If you've chosen to create your own events list using the AppMachine CMS, then this is where you add the events to your list.
Design Settings
The Design screen allows your to make highly detailed changes to your building block. Design gives the developer a remarkable amount of freedom to adjust everything exactly as he or she would like it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I edit the external data source?
External data sources can only be entered once per "Events" block. This prevents you from losing all your events if you accidentally edit the data source linked to the building block. New data sources must be created in new building blocks. You can then delete the redundant building block in its "General" settings.
- How do I find my Google Calendar ID?
Go to http://calendar.google.com/ and login to your Google Calendar account.
Click the dropdown next to the calendar name, please note that we only support Google Calendars which are publicly accessible.
Copy the “Calendar ID” and paste it into the Calendar ID field of the Google Calendar block.
- Why aren't my Google Calendar events showing in chronological order? All events must have a time and description included in order for them to be displayed in the correct order.
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