Adminonly areaNot accessible to public visitors or general members |
Instructions to Calendar Authors
The Cascadians' online event Calendar is provided by a third-party calendar service called Teamup. Calendar Authors can only be added or removed by administrators of our Teamup account, which allows us twelve total authors. Anyone interested in becoming an author should send an email request to calendar@cascadians.org.
A read only version of the Calendar can be accessed by the general membership directly through a web browser at calendar.cascadians.org, or a smartphone app, or indirectly through the Calendar menu item on The Cascadians website. Calendar Authors, on the other hand, must go directly to the Teamup website or the Teamup Calendar app and log in to edit calendars. Instructions for doing this are sent in an email invitation sent by Teamup when a new author is added.
Teamup is intuitive and straightforward. Help is available under the hamburger button (three stacked horizontal bars) at the upper right in the desktop browser version, which is recommended over the app version.
The specific format we use for club event entries is documented below. To enter an event, click upon the day for which you want to enter an event, and a dialog box pops up. Fill it out according to the format below, then click 'Save'. If you do not follow the format, we will edit your entries to make them conform. Consistency is key.
Format for Calendar Entries
Event Title
Enter a very short name for the event. Do not use the words "Hike", "Climb", "Ride”, etc., since the sub-calendar type and color convey that information (see ‘Calendar’ below). If the event involves a destination, make that the title, since the calendar cuts off all but the first few letters of the title in the month view and users tend to look for the destination. Use title case (first letter of each word capitalized).
From/To
The 'From' and 'To' boxes should contain the date on which you clicked. If it is a one day event, leave it alone. If it is a multi-day event, click in the 'To' box and select the end date.
All day
Leave it checked unless the event is an indoor meeting. Outdoor events are assumed to be all day. Departure time for outdoor events is entered below under 'Description'. If it is an indoor meeting, uncheck 'All day', and two more boxes will appear after the 'From/To' boxes. Click in them and fill in the start and end times of the meeting.
Calendar
Click in Calendar box and select the matching sub-calendar(s) for the event type(s). For events that are more than one type, select all sub-calendars that apply. If the event is a meeting or something else, select ‘Other Cascadian’ in addition to the associated sub-calendar(s), if any. If the event is not a Cascadians event, select ‘Non-Cascadian.’
Where
Enter the location coordinates in latitude and longitude in decimal degree format. For example:
46.59091463604637, -120.63618249310719
The location coordinates are easily obtained by right-clicking on the location in Google Maps in a browser and selecting the coordinates at the top of the menu that pops up to copy them. Then paste them into the Where box. It is then trivial for participants to see where they are going by clicking on the ‘Show on map’ link directly above the ‘Where’ box, which opens Google Maps in a new browser tab and drops a pin at those coordinates.
Description
The ‘Description’ box is a free-form text box, but specific required and optional elements are entered in the following way in the following order:
Leader:
Enter the word "Leader" followed by a colon and a space, then the name(s) of the leader(s), followed, in parentheses, by the leader's phone number, email address, or both. Then double click on the word "Leader" to select it, then click on the 'B' in the edit toolbar, to make it bold. For example:
Leaders: John Buck (john.buck@gmail.com) and Jane Doe (509-555-1212)
Leave:
Enter the word "Leave" in bold followed by a colon and a space, then the time the party will be departing, followed by a.m. or p.m. (lower case with periods), followed by a space and the "@" symbol, followed by a space and a description or address of the departure point. Do not list a gathering or start time, only the departure time. For example:
Leave: 8:00 a.m. @ Chesterley park parking lot
If the leader(s) want to force contact with potential participants prior to the event for screening purposes, then enter "Contact the leader(s) for details" in lieu of the departure time and place. For example:
Leave: Contact the leader(s) for details
NOTE: Another way to screen potential participants is to enable the Signup option (see below), which allows them to sign up online through the Calendar. The Signup process requests the participant's name and email address, which can be used to contact him or her if desired. This is a particularly useful feature since the leader(s) usually know most, if not all, of the people who sign up, and will therefore only need to contact the few who are not known, if any.
Round Trip Distance:
Enter the words "Round Trip Distance" in bold followed by a colon and space, then the round trip distance and elevation gain information, if known. If not, omit this line entirely. It is preferable to use the standard symbol for feet, ft, rather than the prime symbol. Also please use a comma to separate thousands. For example:
Round Trip Distance: 8.4 miles, 2,400 ft elevation gain
Difficulty (Optional):
If the leader(s) feels that difficulty information above and beyond the distance and elevation gain are needed, a 'Difficulty' header may be added. If desired, enter the word 'Difficulty' in bold followed by a colon and a space, then whatever descriptors are recommended by the leader(s). For example:
Difficulty: Strenuous, Class 4 technical climb
Dogs (Optional):
If the leader(s) wish to allow dogs on a hike, a 'Dogs' header may be added. If so, enter the word 'Dogs' in bold followed by a colon and a space, then whatever description is recommended by the leader(s). For example:
Dogs: Allowed with leash at all times, no water available on trail
Passes (Optional):
If parking passes are needed at the trailhead, enter the word ‘Passes’ in bold followed by a colon and a space, then a description of the required pass(es). If you could also take the time to find a link to the web page where the pass(es) are described or can be purchased, and turn the pass description into a link, it would help members who are unfamiliar with them. To do that, select the text to be turned into a link and select the chain links symbol in the edit bar, which pops up a dialog box where you can paste in the URL (address) of the link. For example:
Passes: Sno-Park Pass required
Description of event:
Following the above headers, start a new line with no bold header and type a description of the event, including all relevant information, links, and comments. For example:
This will be an easy day hike with a view of Mt Rainier and a lunch stop at the top. Wildflowers will be in full bloom at lower altitudes, and there is still some snow to cross above 6,500 ft. Bring the 13 essentials.
Signup (Optional):
If the leader(s) want to require participants to sign up for the event through the Teamup Calendar, follow these instructions to enable the Signup option:
Following the 'Description of event', enter two blank lines to separate from the description, and enter the following, noting that 'Signup Required:' is bold:
Signup Required: Click on the 'Signup' button above to sign up for this event. Enter a name and optionally an email address. If the signup limit has been reached, contact the leader to be added to a waitlist. Also contact the leader if you signed up and need to cancel.
How to Cancel an Event
If an event that is already in the calendar is cancelled, please do not delete the event, as it causes confusion among members who have seen the event prior to the cancellation and are looking for it again later. Instead, type the word CANCELLED in caps at the beginning of the title, followed by a colon and a space, then select the entire Description section and click on the strikethrough font button to strikethrough the text so that it remains readable as before, albeit obviously cancelled. For example:
CANCELLED: Lost Lake
Leader: Jane Doe (509-555-1212)
Leave: 9:00 a.m. @ Chesterley Park parking lot
A walk in the woods. Bring a lunch.
How to Change an Event Destination
If the destination of an event already in the calendar is changed, remove the old title and replace it with the word CHANGED in caps, followed by a colon and a space, followed by the new destination. Again, this is to avoid confusion among members who remember seeing a different destination prior to the change. For example:
CHANGED: New Lake
It is very important to eliminate the prior destination since strikethrough is not available in the title. Do NOT try to include the old destination in the title. If the details haven’t changed, it isn’t important what the old destination was.
How to Change Details of an Event
If the details of an event already in the calendar need to be changed, add the work CHANGED in caps, followed by a colon and a space, at the beginning of the title. Then in the ‘Description’ box, select the old information, click on the strikethrough button in the edit bar, and type in the new information. This calls attention to the change so that participants won’t have to guess what is different and possibly miss it. For example:
CHANGED: Lost Lake
Leave:
8:00 a.m.9:00 a.m. @ Chesterley park parking lot