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RSS and iCal Integration

The RSS and iCal integration will allow you to sync your FSDirect events to any calendar that accepts RSS or iCal feeds to keep everyone on the same page and have more flexibility with your calendaring options. *Note: The RSS and iCal integration feature is only available to clients that subscribe to EventEssentials Pro.

Enabling the RSS/iCal Integration

How to Enable the RSS/iCal Integration in FSDirect

  • Click on the Account Setup tab.
  • Click on the Account Settings link and scroll halfway down the page.

 

 

  • Determine whether or not you want to enable an RSS Feed, an iCal link, or both.
  • Show Required Services will show any Setup Requirements on the schedule in the details of the event when synced using the RSS feed or iCal link. *Note: It will not show the Setup Requirement description, just the general category (Custodial, Event Setup, etc).
  • Type of Event to be published allows you to determine if you want only Public events to sync with either the RSS Feed or iCal link, or if you would like for both Public and Private events to sync.
  • Return __ days of events to RSS or iCal subscriber allows you to set the number of future event dates that you want to export in either option. This field holds a maximum of 99 days in the future and retains 31 days of events in the past.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Update Information to save your changes.

How to Enable the RSS/iCal Integration in CommunityUse

An RSS feed or iCal link can also be enabled to display on your CommunityUse calendar. This gives your external requesters the ability to download a copy of the CommunityUse calendar onto a calendar of their choice that can read either an RSS feed or an iCal link. To enable this:

  • Click on the Account Setup tab.
  • Hover over the Shortcuts menu and click on Setup CommunityUse.
  • The settings for CommunityUse work exactly the same way as they do for the settings on the Account Settings page.
  • Click Save once your changes are complete.

Using the RSS Feed/iCal Link

Using either the RSS feed or iCal link allows you to export the FSDirect calendar into anything that can accept those feeds. Both the RSS feed and iCal link can be filtered to specific Locations, Buildings, Rooms, and even Organizations.

 

To generate the RSS feed or iCal link, follow these steps:

  • Click on the Calendar tab.
  • Use the filtering options on the right hand side of the page to filter events by Location, Building, Room, or Organization. *Note: The Start Time filter will have no effect on either the RSS feed or iCal link.
  • Click Refresh Calendar.
  • Click either the RSS feed or iCal link button.

 

 

  • Copy the link from the pop-up window and paste it into an application that accepts the feed link. Some common examples would be an Outlook Calendar, a Google Calendar, and a Yahoo Calendar, but anything that can accept these links will be able to pull in the event information from FSDirect.

 

 

  • When a user is on the CommunityUse calendar, the same RSS feed and iCal link icons will appear in the top right hand corner of the screen.

 

 

  • Much like the FSDirect calendar, you can use the filtering options on this page to select the Location or Organization you'd like to see, then click the Filter button.
  • Click the RSS feed or iCal link icons to generate a similar pop-up to the one shown above.

 

One of the most common ways this feature is used is to use the iCal link to have FSDirect events show on either an Outlook or a Google calendar. If you have any questions about how to use the RSS or iCal link in another way, reach out to your IT department.

 

  • After copying the iCal link, open your Outlook Calendar.
  • Click on the Home tab.
  • Click on the Open Calendar option, then select From Internet.

 

 

  • Paste the link into the text box, then click OK.
  • In the pop up window, Outlook will ask you, "Add this Internet Calendar to Outlook and subscribe to updates?"
    • Click on Advanced if you would like to configure advanced calendar options first.
    • Click Yes to add this to your list of calendars in Outlook.
  • Once added, you can right click on the calendar to rename it or edit any calendar properties you need.

 

 

  • After copying the iCal link, open your Google calendar.
  • On the left side menu, click on the plus sign next to "Add a friend's calendar".
  • Select From  URL.

 

 

  • Paste the URL of the calendar in the text box.
  • If desired, check the box next to Make the calendar publicly accessible. Click here for Google's help page on creating and managing a public Google calendar.
  • Click Add Calendar. The calendar will now show in your Other Calendars list.
  • Hover over the calendar in the list and click on the three dots icon to access the calendar's settings.

 

RSS Feed/iCal Link in Use

  • Once a user has subscribed to the RSS feed or iCal link, they don't need to do anything else.
  • Any time a change is made to an event in FSDirect, any calendar using the RSS feed or iCal link will update to reflect the change. *Note: You will only be able to make changes to the events in FSDirect. You will not be able to make changes to events in the calendar using the RSS feed or iCal link.
  • Refresh times can vary for each calendaring program.

 

Here are some examples of how this will look in some commonly used Internet browsers and calendaring programs:

RSS Feed in Firefox

RSS Feed in Internet Explorer

 

RSS Feed in Google Chrome

iCal Link in Microsoft Outlook