Have you ever wanted to add a filtered list of conferences, events, meetings, or webinars, to a homepage widget? Or share such a filtered list of events occurring in a certain city, with a group of people in that city, using a link?
Now you can!
MatrixMaxx has implemented a new feature that allows you to pass calendar filters through a web site URL. Previously, you had to share the full Calendar of Events URL (which shows the full listing of all of your meetings, webinars, board meeting, conferences, and any other type of events you might have), and then ask users to sort for Webinars. Now, you can now sort the full Calendar of Events for them, and share a URL that will show only Webinars!
Here’s how to get started —
First, locate your calendar of events on your website. For this to work properly, you must be using the MatrixMaxx-generated calendar. (If you have a custom calendar, this method of filtering your list will not work.)
To determine whether or not your calendar is the MatrixMaxx calendar, be sure it has this URL:
http(OR https)://www.YourDomain.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/Next, choose how you would like to filter the list. You can filter it by whatever values you currently allow users to select from the drop-down options, location, or by meeting type.
To filter by meeting type
For example, if you would like to feature a widget on your homepage that shows only webinars, you would form the link like this:
https://www.YourDomain.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/index?meetingType=Webinar
Let’s break down how to create the URL in the example above.
To filter by meeting type, you are going to need to add this code to your MeetingCalendar URL, where Webinar is the meeting type you’re filtering on:
index?meetingType=Webinar
Or you might add the following, where Board%20Meeting is Board Meeting, the type of meeting you’re filtering on:
index?meetingType=Board%20Meeting
The above example shows a very important point. Anywhere you have a blank space in your meeting type, you will need to substitute it with “%20” (without quotes) which is the HTML code for a blank space.
Lastly, you would then put it all together, so that your FINAL URL would look like this:
https://www.YourDomain.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/index?meetingType=Webinar
To filter by location
To share all the meetings that are occurring in Baltimore, Maryland, you can form the link like this:
https://www.YourDomain.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/index?location=Baltimore,%20MD
To filter by location, you are going to need to add this type of code to your MeetingCalendar URL, where Baltimore,%20 is Baltimore, Maryland, the meeting location:
index?location=Baltimore,%20MD
The above example shows an important point. Anywhere you have a blank space in your event location, you will need to substitute it with “%20” (without quotes) which is the HTML code for a blank space.
Or to filter by events occuring in Washington, DC, you’d add this code to your MeetingCalendar URL:
index?location=Washington,%20DC
You would then put it all together, so that your FINAL URL would look like this:
https://www.YourDomain.org/forms/MeetingCalendar/index?location=Washington,%20DC
Here are a few important notes:
- Filtering the calendar by Location or Meeting Type works on MatrixMaxx calendars (be sure your calendar URL ends in /forms/MeetingCalendar).
- You can filter by one option only. (You can share Webinars, or events occurring in Los Angeles, but not Webinars in Los Angeles.)
- Use the code “%20” (without quotes) instead of a space. If your location is “Baltimore, Maryland” you would use “Baltimore,%20Maryland” as the location parameter.
- Always be sure you double and triple check! Once you generate your URL, open a brand-new Internet browser, and copy and paste your new URL into the browser. Hit enter. Be sure that your calendar sorts as you expect! You will then know that the link you are going to use works and is correct.