Granting calendar access to missionaries

[russellhltn]

How would this work with missionaries who are assigned to multiple wards?

Probably much the same way out-of-unit leaders are handled. (They'd have a list to pick which unit to look at.) But that makes the data that much more complicated and longer to develop.

[mevans]

Seems to me the logical way to do it is to have the mission office assign missionaries to a ward and then they'd have access like regular members.

How would this work with missionaries who are assigned to multiple wards?

That's interesting...the whole church membership is accessible via LDAP. It makes me want to investigate LDAP more to see how it might be useful in solving some problems.

The church currently supports out-of-unit callings. I figured missionaries might be handled with the same mechanism. I don't know if you can have more than one out-of-unit calling. If the directory schema is set up right, it should be able to support multiple units. We've used AD to associate users and groups with a variety of servers and permissions, so I'd think units might function like 'servers'...you can have access to more than one. (The fact that you can do it doesn't mean the apps are currently programmed to allow it, but there are interesting possibilities...like a visiting general authority to reorganize a stake could log in and review the stake membership in advance...see pictures, callings, family members, etc.)

[jonesrk]

The church currently supports out-of-unit callings. I figured missionaries might be handled with the same mechanism.

They could, but for the way most of the apps are written right now that would mean giving them an actual out-of-unit calling.

The information is there for missionaries, but each app would have to be updated to read that info and add the units they serve to the list of units they can see.

I don't know if you can have more than one out-of-unit calling. If the directory schema is set up right, it should be able to support multiple units.

CDOL and the LDAP portion can definitely support multiple out-of-unit callings and multiple units. The problem is each app has to check for the users home unit and then decide if they want to look at callings as well and then handle someway of switching/viewing all units. Some of the apps do this better than others.

[sbradshaw]

According to recent activity in the LDS Tools Project JIRAs – calendar access for missionaries is coming with version 2.7 of the LDS.org Calendar. Version 2.6 was just released today, so it may be a little while yet, but it's coming!

[jeffevannelson]

I just wanted to inform everyone who is in this thread that We are working on our multi-stake functionality for Calendar. We built in for missionaries to see calendars but then we realized they could see 20 wards that it caused calendar to not work for missionaries. So we are changing some of the interface for calendar to work a bit better for everyone. I think our next release 2.7 is aimed at Providing the data service to LDS Tools. Hopefully they will integrate for missionaries. At that point our 2.8 is this new interface for the online version. So here is hoping soon we will have both a mobile and Web Version that works better for both missionaries and out of unit leaders.
I can not give you dates on these plans but Just something to think about. Note that when we do release these missionaries will be able to subscribe to any ward/stake calendar in the area in which they are serving.

[btphelps]

According to this, 2.7 will be out in the fourth quarter.
#14Postby btphelps » 09 Aug 2014 09:03
Here's the reply from my feedback form:

LDS Response Team responded on August 8, 2014 at 6:28 PM as follows:
Brian,
This is what I learned fro the calendar folks.
When they first created the calendar the direction was that members, regardless of their calling would be able to see the calendars of their ward and stake. My guess is that this was more of a technology issue than anything else.
There is a new release of calendar scheduled for 4th quarter 2014. What can be viewed will be much improved. It will allow missionaries to see both their home ward and stake as well as the ward and stake where they are serving. Out of unit callings will have the same ability. Stake leaders will have the ability to see all of the wards in their stake. However what stake leaders will have this ability is still under discussion. Right now is it Stake Presidency, Stake clerks, Executive Secretaries, and High councilors. A final decision has not been made.
Details about the new release currently schedule to be talked about at the LDS Tech Conference to be held on October 16 and 17.
Even though there is no feedback for the Calendar folks they do receive feedbacks based on key words or phrases so your feedback will be reviewed and considered by these specialists.