Stout Google Calendar

FAQ

Why the Stout Google Calendar plugin?

Basically, we really dislike the default colors of embedded Google Calendars – at least how they look on 99.9% of the sites we develop. We went in search of a workaround and found the great gcalendar-wrapper.php script by Chris Dornfeld. After giving it a test run we thought it would be really cool to have a WordPress plugin that allowed us to easily manage calendars with customized color schemes from within WordPress. We modified the gcalendar-wrapper script, whipped up some code, added a dash of AJAXy goodness to the admin page and, voila!, the Stout Google Calendar plugin was created.

How do I know what is changed by each color choice?

Instead of writing a book trying to explain what each color choice changes in each calendar view (Month/Week/Agenda) we decided it would be easier to give you instant feedback when you change a color or option. The best way to do this is add your embed code in the textarea and the click on the “Preview Calendar” link (you may have to tab out of the textarea or click on something else on the page for the link to appear.) Once you see your calendar preview, move it out of the way of the color pickers/options – Don’t close the preview. While the preview is open, start modifying your calendar colors/options. You’ll see the calendar change before your eyes. If the calendar is too big and you can’t see the colors/options then you should temporarily change the width & height to about 300, relaunch the preview and continue on. When you are happy with your calendar – Be sure to click on the ‘Add Calendar’ or ‘Update Calendar’ button.

My calendar looks fine in the admin but asks my site visitors to login, why?

Your calendar must be shared with everyone for any site visitor to see. Learn how to share your Google Calendar.

Can multiple Google calendars be displayed at once?

Yes. Please look at this forum post which describes how to display multiple calendars at once.

Can multiple calendars be created?

Yes, you can save multiple calendars each with its own colors, size and options.

Is there a widget?

Yes, there is a widget which allows you to easily embed a calendar within a widget. You simply select the calendar from your saved calendar list and choose whether or not to display the calendar name above it. You may have to tweak the size of your calendar for it to look good within the widget area.

Can I add the calendar to a Post/Page?

Yes, use the shortcode [stout_gc id=YOUR_CALENDAR_ID] in a Post/Page or you can use <?php echo stout_gc(YOUR_CALENDAR_ID); ?> in your templates. After you save your calendar, the exact shortcode and template tag will be displayed under the calendar name.

How do I change the color of calendar events as they appear within my calendar?

You can’t, well, at least not through the Stout Google Calendar plugin. Google has a set of colors available for its calendars. You will need to go to your Google Calendar and make the change

It doesn’t work for me. What’s up?

Well, there may be a few things going on. There are some server requirements which must be met. You can check your phpinfo screen to see if your server meets the requirements below:

• PHP 4.3.0 or later
• Support for one of the following JSON libraries:
  • PECL JSON extension (built in to PHP 5.2.0 and higher) or
  • PEAR::Services_JSON package
• Support for one of the following http methods:
  • cURL extension or
  • allow_url_fopen configuration option plus OpenSSL support
• If you have met the above server requirements and you continue to have problems, you can find more documentation here.

Who is responsible for this plugin?

In short, Matt McKenny at Stout Design for the Stout Google Calendar WordPress plugin (admin interface, widget, shortcode, etc), Chris Dornfeld for the gcalendar-wrapper.php script that modifies the Google Calendar CSS, and Stefan Petre for the jQuery Color Picker used in the admin.