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Layout Options

Calendar Layout

Calendar layout is available on date-oriented Pages (for example, Events and Donations). You can toggle between day, week, month, and agenda calendar scales. View a different month in the thumbnail to help plan for things to come. Don't want to see the thumbnail? Click the icon in the calendar header to hide it. Want to make it even better? Add a legend to your calendar!

  • If you choose to add a legend to your events so that they're color-coded by selected criteria (see below), Users can deselect the box to the left of the field filter (under the calendar thumbnail) to remove those events from their calendar. Select the box to display those events.
    Note: Global filters override this feature, so if a User applies a Global Filter, Events from other Congregations do not display.
  • The Events Page Record determine the dates the Calendar uses, no matter which scale you use.
  • Users can Select All or Unselect All of the field filters to customize their Calendar to fit their needs.
  • All-day and multi-day events are styled the same, with color-coded bars that fill the day.
  • Single-day events are represented by a color-coded dot.
    Note: You can't customize the color associated with your filter criteria.

The Calendar layout looks great on mobile, too. However, if you're looking at a month, you can see the dates where the previous and next months overlap, but you can't select days in those months. Need to see what's happening in the next month? Click the arrow to the right of the month's name to see the next month.

Note: Need to add a one-day event? Set the start time at 12 AM on the day of the event and then the end time to 12 AM on the next day. Your all-day event appears on every calendar scale in all of its all-day glory!

Calendar Scales

Calendar Layout offers four scales so each User can see events in the way that works best for them.

When you select your scale, consider the following.

Global Filter
If your calendar feels full, apply a Global Filter to limit events to a single Congregation. This is a great option for Campus Pastors who are laser-focused on their Congregational flock. Want to further narrow the events happening for a Congregation? Add a legend to help ministry leaders focus on their ministry's events in their Congregation.
Legends
If your SPoC added a legend, Users can select and deselect which events they want to see. So even if you don't apply a Global Filter, Congregational leaders could select to see only their Congregation from a Congregational legend. Or ministry leaders could select to see only events related to their ministry from a ministry legend. See Add a Legend to set up the legend that works best for your church.
Views
Select or create a view that displays exactly what the User wants to see. For example, if your Worship Ministry leaders need to quickly see all of their rehearsals, they can use a view that shows only events in the Worship Ministry with a Rehearsal Event Type.
Thumbnail Calendar
Above the legend is the handy-dandy thumbnail calendar which puts everything into perspective. You can toggle through the thumbnail independently of your scale, to see what's happening on a specific day, what day of the month it is, and what day the 14th falls on next month. Even better? You tap the hamburger menu on the right to collapse the thumbnail to see even more on your chosen scale.
Today
No matter which scale you use, tap "Today" to bring the scale to the current day. So look as far into the future (or past!) as you want, and know that you can quickly return to what is happening right now.

So, which scale is the right scale for you? Well, as we like to say, you get to do YOUR church YOUR way, so consider the benefits of each scale and dive right in! And don't be afraid to change the scale you use based on what you want to see and the work you need to get done.

Agenda

We probably shouldn't have a favorite, but if we did, it would be the agenda scale. It looks and feels familiar (think the calendar app on your phone) and displays the Events name, the start and end time for each event, and the day of the week of the event. Pair the agenda scale with the month thumbnail for a winning combination.

  • Best For: Everyone! But especially good for casual Users who want to see a quick overview of your church's upcoming events. So Pastor Paul can take a quick glance at the agenda to see what's happening in his Congregation this week with all the necessary details in an accessible format he's already familiar with.
  • Best When: Anytime!

Month

The month scale is a classic for a reason; it gives you that bird's eye view of what is happening this month. The scale shows you the entire month at a glance. But it's just that - an at-a-glance option. You may have a lot of events happening on a given day and we'll show you as many as space allows. If there are more events than display on a specific day, tap more to see other events occurring that day. Want to avoid displaying too many events on the month scale? Use a Global Filter, legend, and/or custom view to limit the number of visible events to those relevant to the User.

Tip: The Calendar layout size is dynamic. So if you increase the window size, the calendar size increases and displays more events.
  • Best For: Event Manager Evelyn, who needs to see what events are already on the calendar before she schedules the next business meeting. Or Children's Ministry Chad, who needs to make sure that the VBS dates don't conflict with Summer Camp.
  • Best When: Users need to see an overview of what's happening during a given month to select the best date for an event. It may be obvious that there are lots of events on Sunday, but it's also good to know that Thursdays are particularly busy.

Day

The day scale shows you what is happening on a given day. With its color coding and time bands, it provides a great way to see how all of the day's events fit together. So, if you use the month scale to find a day with capacity for another event, toggle over to the day scale to find the best time.

  • Best For: Opportunity Coordinator Olivia, who needs to find the best time. Receptionist Rhonda, who tracks what is happening in the building every day so she can answer questions and direct visitors.
  • Best When: You need to see what's happening on a specific day.

Week

The other scales are great, but don't overlook the week scale! It may be simple, but seeing relevant events occurring on a week is helpful for project management and planning workflow.

  • Best For: Secretary Sally, who needs to know where the Pastor she supports is scheduled to be on a given week. Or Media Mike, who needs to schedule audiovisual support whenever the sanctuary is in use.
  • Best When: You plan your upcoming week. Or you planned a weeklong event and need to see other events happening at the same time.

Add a Legend

Like all things MinistryPlatform, you can customize the Calendar layout. Add a color-coded legend to the calendar based on the field that works for you!
  1. In the navigation menu, click System Setup > Pages.
  2. Open the page you want to color code. You can color-code each Page by its own criteria.
  3. Add your chosen field to the Calendar Type field.
  4. Click Save.

Color Coding

You can base your legend on any field, but here are a few ideas to get you started. When you add your legend, we'll color-code it for you.

Color Coding by Congregation on Events Page: Events.[Congregation_ID]

Color Coding by Event Type on the Events Page: Events.[Event_Type_ID]

Color Coding by Ministry on the Events Page: Program_ID_Table.[Ministry_ID]

Color Coding by Time Off Type on Time Off: Time_Off.[Time_Off_Type_ID]

Note: If you don't know the table lookup convention for the Calendar Type Field you want, use the Advanced Search window. Select the field in the Form Layout tab, then click the SQL Layout tab to see the code for that field.
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Last updated: July 12, 2024