Document Actions
Adding Events to the Library Calendar
Plinkit has several built-in features that allow your patrons to view information about upcoming library events:
• The Library Calendar is a large calendar that displays basic event information in a calendar view. Clicking an event on the calendar displays details about the event.
• The calendar portlet is a small calendar that appears in the right column of most Plinkit pages. Dates for which library event announcements exist are highlighted with a differently colored background and bold numbers. Resting the mouse pointer over a highlighted date displays basic event information, while clicking a date displays summary information about all scheduled events for that date.
• The upcoming events portlet appears on most Plinkit pages and displays a summary list of upcoming library events. Clicking an event in the list displays detailed information about the event.
The information displayed in the Library Calendar, the calendar portlet, and the upcoming events portlet is based on special Plinkit items called events. To create an event:
1. Log in to Plinkit.
2. In the navigation portlet, select News & Events and then Library Calendar to open the calendar.
The Library Calendar is displayed.
|
|
Note: By default, the Library Calendar initially displays all published events for the current month. You can select other time periods to view. You can also use the Categories check boxes at the top of the calendar to view only events in certain categories. See The Library Calendar for more information. |
3. Near the top of the calendar, click the Add New Event link.
The Edit Event page opens.
4. In the Title box, enter a title for your event.
|
|
Note: The red square next to the word Title indicates that this field is required. You must enter a title for your event item. |
5. If desired, enter a short description in the Description box.
|
|
Note: Entering a description is optional, but encouraged. The description appears in search results and in the pop-up text that appears when a user rests the mouse pointer over the event date in the calendar portlet or the event title in the Library Calendar. |
6. In the Event Starts and Event Ends fields, select the appropriate start and end date(s) and times for the event.
7. In the Event Location box, enter the location of the event.
|
|
Note: This field is not required, but we strongly recommend that you include the event location. |
8. In the Event Announcement box, enter any other information you want to include about the event.
|
|
Tip: You can use the buttons and tools that appear on the green bar to add basic formatting to your text. These tools, which behave much like the tools and buttons in most word processing programs, are described in Formatting and Editing Content with the Kupu WYSIWYG Editor (version 1.3.9). |
9. If desired, enter in the Attendees box the names of any special attendees or guests you want to publicize. In this example, we have chosen not to list attendees.
10. In the Event Type(s) box, select at least one event type. If your event fits into more than one of the event categories listed, hold the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Macintosh) down on your keyboard and then click each applicable event type.
|
|
Tip: The event type is used to filter events in the calendar. A user might choose options to view only activities for adults, for instance. You must specify at least one event type. |
11. If there is a Web site associated with the event, enter the URL for the site in the Event URL box.
12. If desired, enter a contact name, e-mail, and phone number.
|
|
Note: Contact information is optional. If you do enter contact information here, it will be posted on the Internet, so it is a good idea to check with the contact person before entering this information. |
13. Click save.
The main content area automatically switches to the view tab so that you can review your new event item.
Notice that the new event item is in the public draft state, which means that it has not yet been published. This is why the event does not yet appear in the upcoming events portlet in the bottom right corner of the page.
14. If you are satisfied with the event item, click the public draft status indicator on the green menu bar and then select publish from the drop-down menu.
A message at the top of the page confirms that the publishing state of the event has been changed, and the publishing state indicator changes to published. The new event now appears in the upcoming events portlet.
|
|
Tip: From this view, you can use copy and paste to quickly create event notices for other events that share some of the same details as the event you just created. Simply click the actions menu and select copy. Then click the actions menu again and select paste. Then, from the edit tab, edit the event details as needed and click save. Lastly, change the state of the newly created event to published. This can be a good way to add recurring events such as weekly story times to your Library Calendar. |
|
|
Note: The upcoming events portlet lists events by their start dates, beginning with the earliest start date. Events are removed from the upcoming events portlet (but not the calendars) when their start times pass. |
15. To verify that the event is now also being displayed in the public Library Calendar, log out of Plinkit, select New & Events from the navigation portlet, and then select Library Calendar. If the event does not fall in the current month, use the next month link to navigate to the correct month.
