OWFR Events Calendar
Communications Team Guide

The OWFR Events Calendar is a custom WordPress plugin that displays a fully interactive calendar of events on the website. Visitors can browse upcoming events, switch between a monthly grid view and a list view, filter by category, and click any event to see its full details.

Administrators and Editors can manage events directly from the WordPress dashboard, or use inline front-end editing to make quick changes without ever leaving the public website.

What can it show?

• Events with start and end dates (single-day or multi-day)
• Times (or "All Day" if no specific time applies)
• Location and organizer information
• A description, poster image, and host logo
• A registration or "more info" link
• A downloadable attachment (e.g. a PDF agenda)
• A coloured accent bar for visual grouping by type

The calendar displays as an interactive widget on the Events page. There are two main views visitors can switch between:

Month view

A standard grid calendar showing the current month. Days with events display a coloured dot or event title. Clicking an event opens a detail panel (modal) with full information.

Upcoming (list) view

A chronological list of upcoming events, showing title, date, time, and location at a glance. Clicking an event opens the same detail modal.

Event detail modal

When a visitor clicks an event, a pop-up panel appears containing:

• Event title and coloured accent bar
• Date and time
• Location and organizer
• Full description
• Poster image and host logo (if uploaded)
• Register / More Info button and downloadable attachment link (if set)
• Share bar with Copy Link, Google Calendar, Outlook, and Download .ics buttons

There are two ways to manage events: via the WordPress dashboard, or directly on the front-end of the website while logged in.

WordPress dashboard (recommended for full editing)

1. Log in to WordPress at ottawawestfourrivers.com/wp-admin.
2. In the left sidebar, click Events.
3. You will see a list of all existing events. From here you can add, edit, or delete events.

Front-end editing (quick changes)

1. Log in to WordPress, then navigate to the Events page on the public website.
2. While logged in, an Add Event button appears in the calendar toolbar.
3. Click any event to open its detail modal, then use the Edit Event button to make changes.

From the WordPress dashboard

1. Go to Events → Add New in the WordPress sidebar.
2. Enter the event title in the large title field at the top of the page.
3. Fill in the Event Details meta box below the title (dates, times, location, etc.).
4. Select an Event Category using the panel on the right sidebar. The calendar will automatically use that category’s colour for the event.
5. Add a full description in the main content editor area (supports rich text and formatting).
6. Optionally set a Featured Image using the panel on the right sidebar.
7. Click the blue Publish button when ready. The event appears on the public calendar immediately.

From the front-end (Add Event button)

1. While logged in, visit the Events page on the website.
2. Click the green + Add Event button in the top-right corner of the calendar.
3. A form modal appears. Fill in the title, dates, and other details.
4. Use the Category dropdown to select an event type. A colour swatch appears next to the dropdown showing the colour that will be used on the calendar.
5. Click Save Changes. The event appears on the calendar immediately with the correct colour.

The Event Details meta box on the edit screen contains all custom fields for an event. Here is what each field does:

From the WordPress dashboard

1. Go to Events in the WordPress sidebar. A list of all events appears.
2. Hover over the event you want to change and click Edit.
3. Make your changes in the title field, Event Details meta box, or content editor.
4. Click Update to save. Changes appear on the website immediately.

From the front-end

1. While logged in, visit the Events page and click the event you want to edit.
2. The event detail modal opens. Scroll to the bottom and click Edit Event.
3. An edit form replaces the read-only view inside the modal. Make your changes.
4. Click Save. The calendar refreshes with the updated event.

From the WordPress dashboard

1. Go to Events in the WordPress sidebar.
2. Hover over the event and click Trash.
3. The event is moved to the Trash. To permanently delete it, click Trash at the top of the list, then Delete Permanently.

From the front-end

1. Click the event on the calendar to open its detail modal.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click the red Delete Event button.
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted. The event is removed from the calendar immediately.

Categories let you group events by type and automatically colour-code them on the calendar. Every event category has its own Calendar Colour — when an event belongs to a category, that colour is used for the event chip in the monthly grid, the accent bar in the list view, and the stripe in the detail modal. A colour legend is displayed automatically below the calendar toolbar whenever at least one category has a colour set.

Built-in colour defaults

The following four category slugs have pre-assigned default colours. Create categories with these exact slugs and the colours are applied automatically — no manual configuration needed:

Managing categories

1. In the WordPress sidebar, go to Events → Event Categories.
2. Enter a name and slug (use the slugs above for automatic colour defaults), then click Add New Category.
3. A Calendar Colour field with a colour picker is shown on the form. The suggested default for that slug is pre-filled — adjust it if needed.
4. The new category is now available when editing any event and its colour will be used automatically on the calendar.

Changing a category's colour

1. Go to Events → Event Categories.
2. Click Edit on the category you want to change.
3. Use the Calendar Colour colour picker to choose a new colour.
4. Click Update. All events in that category immediately reflect the new colour.

Assigning a category to an event

1. Open the event edit screen.
2. In the right sidebar, find the Event Categories panel.
3. Check one or more categories, then click Update.

When an Administrator or Editor is logged in and views the Events page, the calendar switches into an enhanced mode with extra controls:

• A green + Add Event button in the toolbar
• An Edit Event button inside every event detail modal
• A red Delete Event button inside every event detail modal

These controls are invisible to regular website visitors, ensuring the public sees a clean calendar without any editing interface.

The Events Calendar supports two display views, switchable via the buttons in the top-right corner of the toolbar:

Visitors can switch between views at any time. The calendar remembers the selected view for the duration of their session.

Navigating months

Use the ‹ (previous) and › (next) arrows in the toolbar to move between months. Click Today to jump back to the current month.

The Events Calendar has a small settings panel accessible in the WordPress dashboard. Go to Events → Settings to find the following options:

Every event detail modal includes a Share bar at the bottom, visible to all visitors. It provides four ways to share or save an event:

A Submit an Event button is displayed in the calendar toolbar for all visitors (not just logged-in users). It opens a form where anyone can propose an event for consideration. Submissions are emailed to info@owfr.ca for staff review — they are not published automatically.

What the form collects

What happens after submission

1. The visitor fills in the form and clicks Submit Event.
2. A notification email is sent to info@owfr.ca containing all submitted details. The email Reply-To is set to the submitter’s email address, so you can reply directly from your inbox.
3. The event is not published automatically. A staff member reviews the submission and manually creates the event in WordPress if appropriate.
4. The submitter sees a success message and the form closes.

I added an event but it doesn't appear on the calendar. What happened?

Make sure the event is set to Published status in WordPress (not Draft or Pending). Also confirm the Start Date is set correctly and falls within the month you are viewing.

Can I add recurring events?

Not currently. Each event must be added individually. For a recurring event (e.g. a monthly meeting), you can duplicate an existing event post by copying it and adjusting the date.

Can I import events from Google Calendar or another source?

The current version does not include a built-in import tool. Events must be entered manually through the WordPress dashboard or front-end form.

I accidentally deleted an event. Can I recover it?

If you deleted it using the WordPress dashboard, check Events → Trash. Events remain in the Trash for 30 days before being permanently deleted. If you used the front-end Delete button, the event is permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

The "Add Event" button is not visible on the Events page.

You need to be logged in to WordPress in the same browser. Log in via ottawawestfourrivers.com/wp-admin, then return to the Events page. Also check that front-end editing is enabled in Events → Settings.

Can I change the colour for a single event?

If the event belongs to a category, the category colour is used automatically. To use a different colour for just one event, set its category to — No Category — in the event form, then use the Fallback Colour picker to choose any colour. Alternatively, edit the category’s colour in Events → Event Categories if you want all events of that type to change.

Can I add a new category beyond the four built-in ones?

Yes. Go to Events → Event Categories in the WordPress dashboard and click Add New Category. Give it a name and choose a colour using the Calendar Colour picker. It will appear in the Category dropdown on all Add/Edit Event forms immediately.

How does the Copy Link share button work?

It copies a URL to the clipboard that includes the event ID as a query parameter (e.g. ?owfr_event=42). When someone opens that link, the Events page loads and the correct event detail modal opens automatically. The link works for any visitor, no login required.

A visitor submitted an event. Where does that go?

Submissions are emailed directly to info@owfr.ca. They are not published to the calendar automatically. A staff member must review the email and manually add the event through the WordPress dashboard or front-end Add Event form.

Can I turn off the Submit an Event button?

Not through the settings panel — the button is always visible to all visitors. If you need to disable it temporarily, contact the development team.