Calendar Invite Download
The Pro and Business versions of the RSVP plugin have the ability for a calendar invite file to be downloaded. The two different ways to accomplish this will be addressed in this article. First, let’s walkthrough what information needs to be specified to make the calendar invites work.
Setup
Under the general setting tab for your event there is a “general event information” section that allows you to fill out the following fields:
- Event start date – The date and time that is the start of the event. We try and be liberal with the format but it should include the date and the time (i.e. 10/10/2016 10:00:00AM). You can also add the timezone at the end.
- Event end date – The end of event date and time.
- Event location – Free form text for the location of the event.
- Event description – The description of the event.
The start and end dates are the only two fields that are required for the calendar invite to work, the other two fields are optional.
The feature can be used after the information is entered and saved.
Accessing the Calendar Invite
One way to access the calendar invite is with a custom URL. The URL will have the following format:
[domain]/?rsvp_calendar_download=[event_id]
To find the id of your event, go to the List of Events page and you will see an “Event ID”. Look at the following screen shot for an example:
So, for example if our event id is “1” and our domain is called rsvpproplugin.com the calendar invite would look like: https://rsvpproplugin.com/?rsvp_calendar_download=1. Clicking on the URL would download a calendar event that is compatible with most calendar systems.
The other way you can use the calendar invite is by enabling it to show on the confirmation page when an attendee says “yes.” To do this, go to the event’s settings page and click on the “Front-end” tab. Look for the option with a label of “Show calendar invite link on confirmation page” and click the checkbox next to it.
With this option enabled, by default the text for the download link will be “Add to your calendar.” You can change the verbiage by clicking on the “Front-end Text” settings tab and scrolling down to find the option “Calendar download link text.” Just set the text to whatever you want and you are set!
Including the Calendar Invite in Attendee Email
It is also possible to include the calendar invite in the email that is sent to invitees when they RSVP. To enable this go to the event’s settings and the “Notifications” tab and find the option “Include an ICS file as an attachment” then check it and save the settings. Once that is done the calendar invite will be included in the email sent to invitees.
