Building Scheduling and Calendars

[arpitman]

I am the stake PFR. I have some building schedulers who are having trouble getting events to show up correctly on the LDS Tools Mobile App.

They have access to the special building calendars and use those to put items on the calendar for the building. When they do these events seem to show up fine on the web site calendar, but not always on the mobile app.

One of the wards she schedules the building for can't see calendar events in the LDS Tools on their phones. I compared what they are seeing with what I am seeing and I also cannot see certain events on the LDS Tools mobile app on my phone.

For example there is a Christmas party on Dec 11. There are 2 events because the scheduler was trying to figure this out. They are both on the Pleasant View 13th Ward calendar. (not sure who created that). On one of the events the event location is the proper building. On the other one there is not location.

The scheduler said there is also a building calendar that she originally put this event on, but it didn't make a difference.

I see both of those events on my web calendar on the church web site when I log in and go to my calendar.

When I go to LDS Tools on my phone I don't see either event.

When I go into edit the calendar and subscriptions, I can see that the Pleasant View 13th Ward calendar is selected.

The other thing is on the web site I can see the building calendars as ones I can turn on and off by clicking on the eye icon.

On the mobile app I don't see anywhere that I can subscribe to building calendars.

Please help me understand so I can train my building schedulers.

[lajackson]

Please help me understand so I can train my building schedulers.

Others will jump in and clarify, but there are a few principles here as I understand them.

The only way to reserve a building is to add an event to a calendar with a location. First come, first served.

Anyone else can place an event on a calendar, but if they have not specified a location, they have not reserved the building, although they may not realize that.

A building scheduler cannot schedule an event and reserve a building location on a building calendar. (He can if he is a calendar editor on a calendar, such as for a ward or stake calendar.)

I believe a building scheduler can place a reservation restriction on a building, meaning only certain calendar editors can then add events with locations. Even when he or she does this, however, anyone else can schedule an event without a location and mistakenly believe they are good to use the building for their event. But the rule is, no location associated with the calendar event, no building reservation.

Finally, only ward and stake calendared events show up in Member Tools. The building schedule calendar does not. This is because nothing on the building calendar actually reserves a location for an event.

Under the current calendar scheme, organization representatives schedule their events on ward and stake calendars. The building scheduler no longer functions as a single point scheduler. The building scheduler is a referee. He or she can resolve scheduling conflicts. He or she can actually change or move existing events. But the building scheduler cannot add a new event with location to a calendar and make it stick, unless he is also an assigned editor for the specific calendar involved.

Alright, calendar experts. How did I do?

[arpitman]

This is great clarification. The main point being that the building calendar doesn't show up in tools.

One thing, however, why doesn't the event show up in tools for me even though I have subscribed to that calendar? Is it letting me subscribe to the calendar even though I will only ever see events from my own ward? If that is the case it seems like it shouldn't allow me to select those calendars.

Also, even people in the 13th ward are not seeing these events.

One last question. If someone selects the building location when they create their event does that make it so that when a second person tries to select that same location for the same date / time or any overlap does it give them an error or does it allow the event to be saved?

[russellhltn]

First, the ONLY place you can see location calendars is on the website. It doesn't sync/display anywhere else.

By default, Building Schedulers can't place events on ward and stake calendars. They'll have to be granted access to the stake calendar, but they can only be granted access to their own ward calendar.

Really,the system is set up with the intent that all units do their own scheduling. The old paper-based method on one person doing all the scheduling (especially a a multi-unit building) doesn't work. The Building Scheduler is more of a "supervisor" that takes care of problems as they come up. With appropriate permissions, they can also schedule family events.

And yes, if Ward A schedules an event with the location on their calendar, no one else can schedule that same building/room combination. The system prevents double-booking.

[arpitman]

Thank you for the information.

Can you tell me why the LDS Tools app shows calendars in the subscription list that I can check and uncheck that then don't show up on the calendar in LDS Tools?

[russellhltn]

I believe you're talking about the "eyeball". That's just for display on the website. It's the "choose calendars" list that controls the default sync. Location calendars is not listed on that page.

Member Tools also has a selection within the app to filter what you've subscribed to.

And right now, Member Tools is having some serious problems in syncing.

[arpitman]

I know what you mean about they eyeball on the web site.

I am talking about in the app when looking at the calendar you tap the Edit button. Then you tap the Subscriptions button. In this list I have the Pleasant View 13th Ward calendar selected, but when I look at the calendar page none of the event show up for it.

Is that the syncing problem? It has been this way for over 6 months. I looked into this back then and then it wasn't a priority and now I am getting back to it.

[russellhltn]

In this list I have the Pleasant View 13th Ward calendar selected, but when I look at the calendar page none of the event show up for it.

I'd go back to the web page and turn off all the eyeballs except for that one calendar and see what shows up. It's possible what you think is on that calendar is really showing up from somewhere else (such as the location calendar).

[arpitman]

Ok, just verified that. I turned off all eyeballs on the web site except Pleasant View 13th Ward. The event in question is still showing on the web site.

I have that same thing in the LDS Tools and the same even is not showing up.

In fact I unselected all calendars in the mobile app except that same one and now nothing shows in my calendar at all (as expected except for those events I am looking for).

[russellhltn]

I'm not sure what's going on there. I'd send feedback though the app to have them look at it. Just be aware there's problems for the past week or so with syncing for Tools. I don't know if that affects the calendar or not.