Calendar Management

Overview

The Calendar Management system allows administrators to configure which Google Calendars are visible to all BPVA app users. This feature provides complete control over calendar access, allowing admins to select public calendars and add external calendars by email.

Features

Public Calendar Selection

External Calendar Integration

Calendar Sharing Status

How to Use

Setting Up Public Calendar (First Time)

  1. Access Calendar Management
    • Open the BPVA Calendar app as an admin
    • Navigate to Admin Dashboard (hamburger menu in top-left)
    • Tap Configuration expansion tile
    • Tap “Manage Calendars” option
  2. Authenticate with Google
    • On first access, you’ll be prompted to sign in with Google
    • Grant the app permission to access Google Calendar
    • This is a one-time setup per device
  3. Select Public Calendar
    • View the list of public calendars from your Google account
    • Find the calendar you want to make public (e.g., “BPVA Practice Schedule”)
    • Tap the “Public” icon (globe icon) next to that calendar
    • Confirm the selection by tapping “Save” at the bottom
  4. Verify Configuration
    • The selected calendar will show as “Public Calendar (Available to everyone)” in green text
    • All app users can now view events from this calendar
    • Events sync in real-time

Adding External Calendars

External calendars allow you to display events from calendars owned by other Google accounts (e.g., a coach’s personal calendar with meet schedules).

  1. Get Calendar Email
    • Have the external calendar owner share their calendar’s email address
    • Format: [email protected] or personal email
    • Calendar must be set to “Public” or shared with your admin Google account
  2. Add External Calendar
    • In Manage Calendars screen, scroll to “External Calendars” card
    • Tap “Add External Public Calendar” button
    • Enter the calendar email address in the text field
    • Tap “Add Calendar” button
    • The calendar will be validated and added if accessible
  3. Verify Sharing
    • Tap “Check Public Calendar Sharing” button at the top of the screen
    • If properly shared, you’ll see sharing status details
    • If not shared, you’ll receive instructions to fix permissions
  4. Troubleshooting External Calendars
    • If “Error accessing calendar” message appears, verify the calendar is actually shared
    • Check that the email address is exactly correct (including @group.calendar.google.com suffix)
    • Ensure the external calendar owner has set proper sharing permissions
    • Remove and re-add the calendar if issues persist

Changing the Public Calendar

  1. Navigate to Manage Calendars (Admin Dashboard → Configuration → Manage Calendars)
  2. Find the new calendar you want to make public
  3. Tap the globe icon (public icon) on the new calendar
  4. Tap “Save” button at the bottom
  5. The previous public calendar automatically becomes private
  6. All users see events from the new public calendar immediately

Removing External Calendars

  1. In Manage Calendars, scroll to the “External Calendars” card
  2. Find the external calendar you want to remove in the list
  3. Tap the delete/remove icon next to the calendar
  4. Confirm deletion
  5. The calendar no longer appears for any users

Calendar Data Flow

Public Calendar

Admin Selects Calendar → Stored in Firestore (app_settings/public_calendar) → 
All Users Query Firestore → App Fetches Events → Display in Calendar View

External Calendars

Admin Adds Calendar Email → Stored in Firestore (admin_settings/{email}/external_calendars) →
All Users Query External Calendars → App Fetches Events → Merge with Public Events → Display

Technical Details

Firestore Structure

Admin Settings (admin_settings/{adminEmail})

{
  "selectedCalendarId": "primary",
  "selectedCalendarName": "BPVA Practice Schedule",
  "lastUpdated": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "external_calendars": {
    "calendarId": {
      "calendarEmail": "[email protected]",
      "calendarName": "Regional Meets",
      "addedAt": "2024-01-15T11:00:00Z",
      "isShared": true
    }
  }
}

Public Calendar Configuration (app_settings/public_calendar)

{
  "publicCalendarId": "primary",
  "publicCalendarName": "BPVA Practice Schedule",
  "lastUpdated": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Google Calendar API

Required Scopes:

Key Services:

Event Synchronization

Best Practices

Calendar Organization

  1. Use Descriptive Names: Name calendars clearly (e.g., “BPVA Practice Schedule” not “Calendar 1”)
  2. One Source of Truth: Keep the main practice schedule in one calendar
  3. External for Extras: Use external calendars for meet schedules, special events
  4. Color Coding: Use Google Calendar colors to differentiate event types

Access Control

  1. Admin Only: Only admins should have access to Calendar Settings
  2. Verify Sharing: Always check calendar sharing before adding external calendars
  3. Public vs Private: Only make calendars public that all athletes should see
  4. Regular Audits: Periodically review external calendar list and remove unused ones

Troubleshooting

Events Not Appearing:

External Calendar Issues:

Performance Issues:

User Experience

For Users (Athletes/Parents)

For Admins

Security & Privacy

Common Use Cases

Scenario 1: Weekly Practice Schedule

  1. Admin creates “BPVA Practice” calendar in Google Calendar
  2. Adds weekly recurring practice events (Mon/Wed/Fri 4-6pm)
  3. Makes this calendar public in BPVA app
  4. All athletes see practice schedule automatically

Scenario 2: Adding Meet Schedule

  1. Head coach shares their “Pole Vault Meets 2024” calendar
  2. Admin adds coach’s calendar email as external calendar
  3. Verifies sharing is working
  4. Athletes see both practices and meets in one view

Scenario 3: Multiple Locations

  1. Facility has indoor and outdoor calendars
  2. Admin makes outdoor calendar public during summer
  3. Adds indoor calendar as external during winter
  4. Switches public calendar when season changes

Future Enhancements

Potential features under consideration: