Event syncing

Event creators have the ability to sync their events and details with their own Google Calendar.

As of the upcoming 24.07 release, this means that whenever the event author/organizer makes an update to an event in their intranet, the details will be reflected in invitees Google Calendars. Users can view all the relevant information about the event directly in their Google Calendars, and even interact by confirming an RSVP, for example. 

Background

When an event is created through Simpplr, users have always had the ability to add it to their integrated calendar(s). However, until this enhancement, any updates made to these events in Simpplr did not flow down to the integrated calendar(s). 

This feature introduces a two-way event sync from Simpplr to integrated calendar(s) so that any event updates from Simpplr can be synced to the user’s calendars in real time. In addition, users can now RSVP to a Simpplr event through their external calendars.

How does it work?

When creating a Simpplr event and syncing the event to the connected external Google Calendar:

1. Events created in Simpplr are pushed to a connected external calendar for site members and followers, or non-members/followers when sync is on. Upon event creation, there is a new option that allows you to turn on or off event syncing. Any updates made to the event in Simpplr will sync to the end user’s connected external Google Calendar.
2. Two-way RSVP updates are sent from Simpplr to the connected external Google Calendar and vice versa.

Event details

When the event sync functionality is not enabled, there will be no change in the existing event’s detail screen.

The event creator will be required to sign in to a Google account in order to create and sync the event with Google Calendar, even when the events sync is on but the user has not linked their profile to Google Calendar. After the Google Calendar connection flow is initiated by clicking Connect account, the user is sent back to the event's detail screen.

When the sync is on and the logged-in user is connected to Google, Simpplr will display a confirmation message, “This event is synced with your Google calendar ([e-mail])”. When the user adds an RSVP to the event and that RSVP is synced, Simpplr will display the message, “Synced from Google Calendar on [Date & time]”.

The message will be slightly different for the event author.

Note:

When event syncing is on, the RSVP note and Capacity fields will be disabled in the event creation page.
If the event creator disconnects the Google Calendar integration from their user profile, any events they own will stop syncing to other users' Google Calendars. They will be prompted with a warning message before disconnecting.

FAQ and Scenarios

What happens when the site the event is hosted on is de/reactivated?

When the site is deactivated, the published events are no longer available in Simpplr and are deleted from the synced calendar for both site members and followers.

When the site is reactivated, the published events are restored in Simpplr, and for the events that originally had event sync enabled, the calendar sync will be turned on.

What happens when the event is deleted/unpublished/republished?

Only the event organizer or user with the necessary permissions can delete or unpublish an event from Simpplr. For any users linked to the external calendar who are site members, followers, or selected users, the event is automatically deleted from the external calendar if it is deleted/unpublished from Simpplr.

To keep the event in sync with Simpplr, which is the source of truth from Simpplr events, the event organizer will have to do it from Simpplr itself (there will be a hyperlink to the right URL in the event description).

The republished event is treated as a new event (from an event sync perspective) and the syncing is carried out accordingly if the required setup and criteria for event sync are met.

What happens for new members/followers added to the site?

In the case of a public site, when a new member(s) or a new follower(s) is added to a site, the upcoming events are automatically pushed to the external calendar for the site member(s) WHO ARE CONNECTED to the external calendar and have the sync turned on. When a user becomes a member of a site, they should be automatically added as invitees to all future events that were created. If the user connects at a later stage, the event is pushed to their connected calendar at that time.

In the case of a private/unlisted site, when a new member(s) is added to a site, the upcoming events are automatically pushed to the external calendar for the site member(s) WHO ARE CONNECTED to the external calendar and have the sync turned on. When a user becomes a member of a site, they should be automatically added as invitees to all future events that were created. If the user connects at a later stage, the event is pushed to their connected calendar at that time.

In the case of a public site, even a non-member and non-follower can view the event in Simpplr. There can be two possible scenarios: 

Scenario #1: End user’s Google Calendar is connected

• If the non-member has an external calendar connected and the other prerequisites are met, they will see this display:

• When the user clicks the RSVP response, the event sync feature can be applied.

Scenario #2: End user’s Google Calendar is NOT connected

• When the user clicks the RSVP response:
  • The user is prompted to connect the Google Calendar modal.
    • The user can close the modal by clicking on x.
      • The event sync feature is NOT applied.
    • The user can RSVP to the event.
• Clicking on Sign in with Google will trigger the Google Calendar connection workflow.
• When successfully connected, the user is navigated back to the event’s detail screen.
  • The user’s RSVP response is captured and displayed.
  • The event sync feature can be applied.
• The non-member and non-follower can manually add the event to the external calendar.
• If the event is manually added to the calendar, For now, we should support existing functionality without two-way sync.
  • In this case, we would not create events in the external calendar because the push was NO.