How to share event calendars

Once a calendar exists, sharing it comes down to two addresses and one access setting: the portal link people open in a browser, the subscribe address their own calendar app syncs from, and the **Status** that decides who can use either one.

### Overview

- **What it is:** The sharing controls on a calendar under **Events** > **Calendars**. **Status**, **Portal** and **URL** in the **Edit** card set the address and the access level, **Open Portal Link** opens the published page, the **Subscribe URL** card publishes an iCalendar feed, and the **Import URL** card pulls an outside calendar in.
- **Why it matters:** One address that stays current on its own saves your agency from mailing out a fresh schedule every time an event moves.
- **Who uses it:** Staff who maintain the calendar, and anyone your agency sends the link or the subscribe address to.
- **Expected outcomes:** A calendar page on your portal that visitors can browse, a feed that Office, Google and Apple calendars refresh on their own, and an access level that matches how sensitive the events are.

### Prerequisites

- A calendar already created in your agency (see [How to create calendars](/how-to-create-calendars))
- A **Portal** selected on the calendar. The portal supplies the web address for both the link and the feed (see [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals))
- A **Status** other than draft, since draft calendars are accessible only inside eCourtDate
- Events that match the calendar's **Event Types** and **Event Statuses** selections (see [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events))

### How-To Steps

#### Set who can open the calendar

1. Click **Events** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Calendars** tab.
3. Click the edit button in the row of the calendar you want to share.
4. Select a **Status** in the **Edit** card. A description of that access level appears under the menu.
5. Click **Generate** for a passcode calendar to fill the **Passcode** field, then click **Copy** to put the code on your clipboard.
6. Click **Save**.

#### Share the portal link

1. Confirm a **Portal** is selected in the **Edit** card.
2. Review the **URL** field, which is the last part of the calendar's address on that portal.
3. Click **Open Portal Link** at the top of the page. The published calendar opens in a new tab.
4. Copy the address from your browser address bar and send it to the people who need the calendar.

#### Publish the subscribe feed

1. Find the **Subscribe URL** card to the right of **Calendar Options**.
2. Click **Office**, **Google**, **Apple** or **Other** to read the steps for that app.
3. Click **Copy** to copy the subscribe address.
4. Paste the address into your calendar app, following the steps listed on the tab you selected.

#### Import an outside calendar

1. Enter the address of the outside calendar in **External Calendar URL** in the **Import URL** card.
2. Click **Save** at the top of the page.

#### Send a single event to a calendar app

1. Open an event from the **Events** tab.
2. Click **Add to Calendar**.
3. Click **iCalendar** to download the event as an ics file, or click **Google**, **Office 365**, **Outlook** or **Yahoo** to add it straight to that app.

### What to Expect

Saving confirms with a "Calendar updated" message. **Open Portal Link** appears once the calendar has a portal and a status other than draft, and it opens the calendar on the portal address rather than inside eCourtDate.

Visitors who open that address see the calendar name, its description, and the events that match your selections. They can switch between **List**, which stacks events with their dates, times, types and statuses, and **Calendar**, which lays the same events out in a month grid. Every event links to its own page on the portal. When nothing matches, the page reads "No upcoming events".

The subscribe address returns a calendar.ics feed carrying the same events, each with a start and end time, a title built from your **Calendar Title Fields**, and a link back to the event page on your portal. The feed starts at **Max Past** days before today (14 days when the field is empty) and runs one year ahead. Calendar apps refresh subscriptions on their own schedule, so an edit in eCourtDate reaches a subscriber at their next refresh rather than instantly.

Draft and private calendars do not serve a feed to an outside calendar app. The **Subscribe URL** card shows a message above the instructions saying calendars in that status cannot be subscribed to, and the address itself returns a not found page. On a passcode calendar, the passcode rides on the end of both the portal link and the subscribe address, so anyone holding the full address can open the calendar without signing in.

### Best Practices

- Settle the **Status** before you hand out any address, because public publishes to anyone who has the link and passcode gates it with a code that travels inside the link.
- Send passcode addresses only to the people who need them, and treat a forwarded address as a forwarded passcode.
- Point standing audiences at the **Subscribe URL** instead of the portal link, so their own app keeps the schedule current without them returning to the page.
- Open a public calendar's portal link in a private browser window before sharing it widely, so you see exactly what an outside visitor sees.
- Give every calendar a plain **Name** and a description, since both appear on the portal page and inside the subscribed feed.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I embed the calendar in a page on my agency website?**

A: No. The calendar produces a portal link and a subscribe address, and neither one is embed code. Link to the portal address from your website instead.

**Q: Why does the Subscribe URL card say the calendar cannot be subscribed to?**

A: Draft and private calendars do not publish a feed. Select passcode or public in **Status**, then click **Save**.

**Q: Where does the passcode go when I share a passcode calendar?**

A: eCourtDate adds it to the end of the portal link and the subscribe address, so send the full address exactly as it appears rather than trimming it.

**Q: How soon do event changes reach someone who subscribed?**

A: The feed is built fresh each time an app asks for it, so the wait is your subscriber's own refresh interval. A manual refresh in their app shows the change right away.

**Q: Can clients book a time from a shared calendar?**

A: No. A shared calendar only displays events. Self-scheduling is set up separately with **Availability Templates** under **Admin** > **Automations**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** **Open Portal Link** does not appear on the calendar.

**Symptoms:** The top of the page shows only **PDF**, **Tools**, **Save** and **Close**.

**Solution:** Select a **Portal** in the **Edit** card, change **Status** to anything other than draft, and click **Save**. The selected portal also needs its link configured, which you can check through **Edit Portal**.

**Issue:** The portal link fails for the person you sent it to.

**Symptoms:** The recipient reports a not found page at the calendar address.

**Solution:** A visitor who is not signed in to the portal can open public calendars only, and a passcode calendar opens only while the code stays on the end of the address. Check the **Status**, resend the complete address, or have the recipient sign in to the portal for a private calendar.

**Issue:** The shared calendar shows no events.

**Symptoms:** The portal page reads "No upcoming events" and the subscribed feed adds nothing.

**Solution:** Review the **Event Types** and **Event Statuses** badges in **Calendar Options**, since only the selected values reach the portal and the feed. Raise **Max Past** to pull in older dates, and remember the feed stops one year ahead of today.

### Related Articles

- [How to create calendars](/how-to-create-calendars)
- [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to Allow Clients to Login to a Portal](/how-to-allow-clients-to-login-to-a-portal)
- [How to define custom statuses](/how-to-define-custom-statuses)