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iCal Support in Zap Calendar

iCal is a calendar standard used by many computer programs, including Zap Calendar. With iCal support, calendar events can easily be transferred between computer applications.  The iCal format is supported by many popular programs, including Outlook 2007, Thunderbird, Sunbird and Google Calendar.  Zap Calendar's design supports iCal for both website visitors and administrators in several ways.

iCal for Website Visitors

Website visitors can download an individual event or an entire calendar from the front end.  The iCal download icon for the view is enabled in the view's settings.  The date range in the view determines which events are included in the download, and can also keep the size of the iCal file from getting too large.  Visitors also have the option of downloading the calendar or subscribing to it for use with their own calendar program.

Zap Calendar provides for both public and private subscription URL's.  Use the public URL for subscriptions that are available to the public.  Use the private subscription URL for private distribution of the calendar. The private URL will need to be sent to the users requiring access to the calendar and can be reset if needed.

 

iCal for Administrators

Zap Calendar provides several ways for administrators to add iCal events.  The import function is one way of adding iCal events.  An iCal file or URL can be used for importing events. Events can be imported into a single category or into their own categories, if the data provides for it.

The import method provides a one-time import of events into Zap Calendar. Another method available to Zap Calendar Pro users is the iCal Subscribe plugin.  With the iCal Subscribe plugin, iCal events are not only imported into Zap Calendar but they are also synchronized with another site's calendar.  Events from subscribed calendars can be automatically added, modified, or even deleted, depending on activity of the remote calendar.  The remote calendar can be any iCal supported calendar, which can include another Zap Calendar site or a Google calendar.

By combining Zap Calendar's frontend and backend iCal features, one can create an aggregate iCal subscription feed. For example, several external calendars can be synchronized using the iCal Subscribe plugin. These events, along with events originating at the local Zap Calendar application can then be combined into a single iCal subscription feed that frontend users can then either download or subscribe to.