Tech Forum

I would like to Sync my stake calendar with Microsoft Outlook on my desktop so that I can transfer it to my BlackBerry. The instructions on lds.org to do so are as follows:

"To one-way sync your Church calendar to your Microsoft Outlook calendar:
1. Copy the following URL:
webcals://www.lds.org/church-calendar/s ... bscribe/...
(This URL is provided for your own personal use. It should not be shared with anyone else.)
2. Paste the URL into a browser address field.
3. When the dialog appears, choose to open the file with Microsoft Outlook"

The problem is, when I paste the URL into any of my browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer 11, Mozilla Firefox 34, Google Chrome 39, Comodo Dragon 36) no dialog appears.

Can someone let me know how to make a dialog appear, or do I need to use a different browser from the four aforementioned ones?

Please advise.

Thank you

As quoted, the URL is for your own use, but this is a public forum. So I redacted the "key" in the URL.

One thing that seems odd about the instruction - it's using "webcal" but asks you to paste it into your browser which would probably work better with "http". Also, it seems that instruction is likely to trigger only a one-time sync. I'd think you'd go into Outlook itself to set up a regular sync (and in that case "webcal" is probably more appropriate).

But there's something else that may be at play here: The 9 minute throttle. Once you use the URL you have to wait 9 minutes before you can use it again. Otherwise it comes up blank. This was due to some users updating too frequently and placing undue demands on the servers.

The instructions on the Microsoft Outlook Sync page of the Calendar on LDS.org are definitely wrong if you want to have an Outlook calendar that regularly updates. Those instructions could only give you a static calendar -- a snapshot of what your calendar is like at the moment you create the Outlook calendar. And those instructions don't even work properly for that scenario.

You can find instructions from Microsoft for setting up a dynamic calendar at See your Google Calendar in Outlook. Skip the steps (1-4) that refer to copying the URL for your Google Calendar and instead copy the URL from the LDS.org Calendar's Sync page for Microsoft Outlook. Start with step #5.

Thanks for the responses.

russellhltn wrote:One thing that seems odd about the instruction - it's using "webcal" but asks you to paste it into your browser which would probably work better with "http". Also, it seems that instruction is likely to trigger only a one-time sync. I'd think you'd go into Outlook itself to set up a regular sync (and in that case "webcal" is probably more appropriate).

Even a one-time sync would be fine. I wouldn't even mind doing it for every month. It's better than manually entering or copying and pasting every calendar event. I couldn't find anywhere in Outlook to paste the link, either.

aebrown wrote:The instructions on the Microsoft Outlook Sync page of the Calendar on LDS.org are definitely wrong if you want to have an Outlook calendar that regularly updates. Those instructions could only give you a static calendar -- a snapshot of what your calendar is like at the moment you create the Outlook calendar. And those instructions don't even work properly for that scenario.

Good to know. I wish they'd delete these instructions if they're incorrect.

aebrown wrote:You can find instructions from Microsoft for setting up a dynamic calendar at See your Google Calendar in Outlook. Skip the steps (1-4) that refer to copying the URL for your Google Calendar and instead copy the URL from the LDS.org Calendar's Sync page for Microsoft Outlook. Start with step #5.

I'll do that if I absolutely necessary. I'd rather not have to create a Google calendar also just to make this work. It's kind of counterproductive in my case to have a half-dozen different calendars to keep myself organized. In this case I'll probably just skip entering my stake's calendar events into my phone altogether and just manually enter the ones that directly concern me or that I'll be attending on a case-by-case basis.

Family circumstances may force me into getting an Android phone in the next few weeks anyway, in which case I won't have to worry about not having a smartphone for which LDS apps are no longer being created. Then all of this won't be an issue. I'm trying desperately to avoid that, however!

TerrySackett wrote:

aebrown wrote:You can find instructions from Microsoft for setting up a dynamic calendar at See your Google Calendar in Outlook. Skip the steps (1-4) that refer to copying the URL for your Google Calendar and instead copy the URL from the LDS.org Calendar's Sync page for Microsoft Outlook. Start with step #5.

I'll do that if I absolutely necessary. I'd rather not have to create a Google calendar also just to make this work.

You don't have to create a Google Calendar to follow those steps. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. The steps on the page I linked to use the specific example of adding a Google Calendar to Outlook. But from step 5 on, these are simply instructions that apply to adding any iCal calendar to Outlook. So you can use your LDS.org calendar's Sync URL and start with step 5. Anywhere it refers to the URL for your Google Calendar, instead use the Sync URL from your LDS.org calendar.

How to sync only one auxiliary to your Outlook (or other) calendar:

I was going to ask this question, but found my answer, I think...

While in Calendar, you need to go to to settings gear, and right under Sync is Subscriptions; click on that.
Then it opens a different side bar on the left and has sliders for Subscribe to turn on or off.
Turn off all of them except for the one(s) you want. (Also expand Churchwide Calendars to turn that on or off.)
Then follow the instructions already posted.

Hope this helps someone else, if they can even figure out that the forum is the best place to get answers - certainly not the Frequently Asked Questions or Help links.