Displays a list of events. You see the name of the event, a description and the date that the event takes place. On iOS devices, the list is automatically divided into two groups; one that displays upcoming events and one that displays past events. Android devices show the a list containing both Upcoming and Past events in the same screen.


NOTE: AppMachine will load events in the span of one year. This means that events scheduled six months before the current date and six months after the current date will be shown in this block. 


Content


  1. Adding the Events building block
  2. The Events building block settings
  3. Frequently Asked Questions



You can use several sources from the internet to pull the data to create your events list. These sources include Google Calendar, Facebook Events, Bands in Town, and Last.fm. External data sources like these generally provide the user with the place name, event name, date, and location of the event. Users can even buy their tickets directly from the event item when you provide a valid URL. The event information is always up to date as the app pulls the data from the server every time users open the events block in the app. 


Whether you're organising a workshop, a book-reading, theme nights at your restaurant, you can place these directly in the Events building block. 


Adding the Events building block


  1. Click on Add block.
  2. Select the Events block and click Next.
  3. Choose the data source for your events:
    • AppMachine CMS: maintain your own list of events. After building the block, add the events in the List Settings of the block. See below for more information on the List Settings.
    • Last.FM: enter the name of the artist exactly as it appears on the Last.FM site.
    • Google Calendar: enter the Gmail address associated with the Google calendar.
    • Bands in Town: enter the name of the artist exactly as it appears on the Bands in Town site.
    • Facebook: enter the Facebook url or username whose events you want to show.
    • Eventful
    • Meetup.com

  4. Click Next.

  5. Fill in the name of the block. 

  6. Click on the icon if you want to change the image used in the menu.

    • Edit provides a wide range of image editing options for you to manipulate your icon image.
    • Replace allows you to choose from a wide range of AppMachine icons or upload your own.
    • Remove removes the icon so that only text is used (in this case "Gigs") is presented in your app's menu.

  7. When you’re done, click Finish.



The Events building block settings


The Events building block editor is composed of three editing screens: List, Settings and Design. Please note that the List editing screen is only available if you chose the AppMachine CMS as your data source.



The settings in the Settings editing screen determine how your block will function, List allows you maintain the content of the block, and the settings in the Design screen determine its aesthetics. 


Settings


There are several aspects of your Events block that can be changed in this screen:


  • The name of the block
  • The icon (or image) that will be used in the app menu
  • The top image for the Events screen
  • Allow sharing events via twitter, Facebook, or email



Should the need arise to keep the users of your published app from using this portion of the app, then you can always make use of the "ON/OFF" sliding selector.


Slide the selector to "OFF" to keep users from seeing the Events block. Now you can continue developing your app without worrying about users coming upon areas that you haven't finished developing as of yet. Once you are satisfied with your progress, slide the selector back to "ON" to publish this portion of your app.


List Settings


This is where the link between the external data source is maintained. If you've chosen to create your own events list using the AppMachine CMS, then this is where you add the events to your list. Click here to read more about working with "List" settings. 


Design Settings


The Design screen allows your to make highly detailed changes to your building block. Design gives the developer a remarkable amount of freedom to adjust everything exactly as he or she would like it. If you'd like to know more about how Design works, click here. 


Frequently Asked Questions


- How do I edit the external data source?


External data sources can only be entered once per "Events" block. This prevents you from losing  all your events if you accidentally edit the data source linked to the building block. New data sources must be created in new building blocks. You can then delete the redundant building block in its "General" settings. 


- Facebook also displays the events from my Bands in Town data source. Should I continue using Facebook or just pull this data from Bands in Town? 


Facebook is a bit of middleman in this case. Add an "Events" block and pull the data straight from Bands in Town.


- How do I find my Google Calendar ID?

  1. Go to http://calendar.google.com/ and login to your Google Calendar account.
  2. Click the dropdown next to the calendar name, please note that we only support Google Calendars which are publicly accessible.
  3. Copy the “Calendar ID” and paste it into the Calendar ID field of the Google Calendar block.