View Other Units' Calendars

I am attempting to assist the stake presidency in fully utilizing the new calendar. They are all very pleased with everything it provides except for one missing feature: There is no ability to see other units' calendars.

I have tried to find a work-around, but to no avail. How can we view the calendars from the other units in the stake? This is a feature that would be just as important to us as having the capacity to view other units' directories has been.

You may want to look at View Events by Location. That's as close as it gets.

Viewing another unit's calendar by using the View Events by Location feature is not very handy unless you are just trying to avoid scheduling conflicts for a building. Imagine the directory being restricted in this way when trying to view another unit's directory; you would not be able to discern who was in what unit (only who was in what building), individuals listed in the directory wouldn't necessarily need to be assigned to a unit in the building you're viewing (they would just need to have visited it), you would only be able to see people in leadership positions, and you would only be able to view the list sorted by organization.

Obviously, I'm being facetious about the comparison. However, the directory really has the answer to this problem, and no significant design changes would be needed in the programming. Just place a drop-down box at the top somewhere that allows you to select a unit within the stake (just like in the Directory).

As I am new to this whole process on LDSTECH, I know I may be suggesting this in the wrong place. If I am, where should I be directing my efforts to encourage this upgrade?

Viewing another unit's calendar by using the View Events by Location feature is not very handy unless you are just trying to avoid scheduling conflicts for a building. Imagine the directory being restricted in this way when trying to view another unit's directory; you would not be able to discern who was in what unit (only who was in what building), individuals listed in the directory wouldn't necessarily need to be assigned to a unit in the building you're viewing (they would just need to have visited it), you would only be able to see people in leadership positions, and you would only be able to view the list sorted by organization.

Obviously, I'm being facetious about the comparison. However, the directory really has the answer to this problem, and no significant design changes would be needed in the programming. Just place a drop-down box at the top somewhere that allows you to select a unit within the stake (just like in the Directory).

As I am new to this whole process on LDSTECH, I know I may be suggesting this in the wrong place. If I am, where should I be directing my efforts to encourage this upgrade?

I believe the developers are aware of it as it was brought up when 2.0 was in beta. The problem is likely to be a policy question of who should be allowed to see it and the priority that the church leadership assigns to it.

This is a feature that has been requested about a hundred times. It will probably be implemented at some point. But just curious, but why do you want to see other units' calendars? You can see events that have a location scheduled. If other groups don't have a location scheduled, why would their event matter? Usually stakes don't plan their calendars around ward events.

jacobcbell wrote:However, the directory really has the answer to this problem, and no significant design changes would be needed in the programming. Just place a drop-down box at the top somewhere that allows you to select a unit within the stake (just like in the Directory).

I wouldn't say there are no significant design changes needed in the programming. It well could be significant.

I like the idea of selecting a unit from within your stake from a drop-down list.

There is calendar functionality that you did not consider. Even in your personalized view of your own ward calendars you must subscribe to calendars you want displayed. If a member of Ward A wished to view Ward B's calendars there would have to be some consideration as to what calendars to display.

Looking at it simplistically, the display for the Ward A member viewing Ward B calendars would be that all of Ward B's calendars are displayed. With all of Ward B's calendars displayed there is potential for heavy clutter.

Implementing a view of Ward B's calendars that was selective could use the same functionality that is currently used to limit your current view of subscribed calendars for your own ward. There just would not be the ability to subscribe to Ward B's calendars. Effectively you are "subscribed" to all Ward B calendars for the purpose of viewing them. The Ward A member deselects the calendars in the "Subscribed Calendars" box he does not want to view for Ward B.

jacobcbell wrote:There is no ability to see other units' calendars.
...This is a feature that would be just as important to us as having the capacity to view other units' directories has been.

Welcome to the forum! This is the place to suggest changes and ideas, and see what the community thinks. Many of us are not developers or church employees, but members like yourself.

I suspect there are many considerations when "opening up" more data to others, and this seems slow to happen.

One example of this is the directories extensive "privacy" options. You can show all your information to the stake, or implement successive steps to control release of your information for yourself and your family, all the way to "don't show me at all in the directory, as if I don't even exist in the ward." Obviously, leaders will still see you, but you can see my point.

I doubt the fix would be "easy" to open up ward calendars to the stake, either from a programming or policy position.

For example: The Calendar editors have the current understanding that their calendars have at least a "ward level" privacy, and are for their own ward members. They may not be comfortable expanding these to a whole stake's membership, and if that were to happen, certainly they should have the option to say "no" to such a feature on a per-calendar basis. Huge jump in the programming needed to make this happen!

Youth, primary, and cub scouts calendars are examples of calendars that some may want viewed only on a ward level for obvious reasons, as they may state the times and places that children or youth are traveling to and from specific meetings. In some cases, these calendars are even made private from the ward, and invite only parents and local leaders to be viewers (by calling and name.)

Just some thoughts...

Added later: As your original post speaks of stake leaders viewing them, I could see the option for a stake default admin to Sign in and view other wards calendars...

johnsonth wrote:But just curious, but why do you want to see other units' calendars?

The first that comes to mind are cross unit coordination. For example you are the YM president looking to see what events other units are having for their YM. Being able to see the other ward YM calendars makes this a relatively easy process.

johnsonth wrote:You can see events that have a location scheduled.

The implementation for this is not intuitive and involves multiple steps. When it is not intuitive and there are multiple steps the less technically versed are challenged and less willing to use, or attempt to use, the feature. Unless the the event is scheduled at the location the event is not visible.

johnsonth wrote:If other groups don't have a location scheduled, why would their event matter?

Lets go back to the YM president example I gave above. By being able to view another unit's YM schedule he can coordinate possible collaborative involvement. If he notices another unit has a Scout outing that he knows his troop would be interested in joining, he can contact the other unit YM president (or Scoutmaster to Scoutmaster). There is more information as to what is going on within the stake. This information makes collaboration in doing the work of the Church more productive. If you don't know what others are doing you may miss opportunities. I look at the calendar as another communication tool. The broader the communication within the stake the more opportunities there are for more effective and efficient use of resources.

johnsonth wrote:Usually stakes don't plan their calendars around ward events.

This may be so. But some stakes do ask for ward scheduling information in stake planning. This avoids stakes overriding long ago planned events in wards. In wone stake I was in the stake YM and YW presidencies wisely asked for ward inputs about a planned stake youth activity date and found that two units had expended resources and funds planning an event two years earlier - long before the stake annual planning. The stake moved the stake youth activity one week to avoid the conflict.

kisaac wrote:One example of this is the directories extensive "privacy" options.

I also thought this would be a consideration for jacobcbell's proposal. He used a loose comparative between the calendar and directory when proposing his idea. I could not find any privacy issues that are evident in the current implementation of the calendar - not withstanding private calendars. More specifically I was looking to verify if members of one ward were prevented from viewing any youth calendar events in another ward. Using the ability to view events scheduled at a location I verified I could view any youth event at any stake location. This may be an oversight in the current implementation, but there is no restriction to viewing any youth event scheduled at any location in the stake.

kisaac wrote:The Calendar editors have the current understanding that their calendars have at least a "ward level" privacy, and are for their own ward members.

If they understand how it is possible to view any event scheduled at a location, then their understanding of a ward level of privacy is erroneous.

johnsonth wrote:why do you want to see other units' calendars? You can see events that have a location scheduled. If other groups don't have a location scheduled, why would their event matter? Usually stakes don't plan their calendars around ward events.

There are several reasons why we would want to see other calendars, and our stake definitely DOES plan events around its units' events. I think you are thinking of large stake events, like stake conference and the like. However, the stake Relief Society, young men, young women, etc. organizations all have much smaller things happening all the time. Giving them the opportunity to view a unit's calendar would be a GREAT help. Also, stake high councilors are most often assigned to ward other than their own; they would also benefit from this ability.

jdlessley wrote: This may be an oversight in the current implementation, but there is no restriction to viewing any youth event scheduled at any location in the stake.

Indeed. Some items are not included on our calendars for this reason, and it probably is an oversight.

jdlessley wrote:There is calendar functionality that you did not consider. Even in your personalized view of your own ward calendars you must subscribe to calendars you want displayed. If a member of Ward A wished to view Ward B's calendars there would have to be some consideration as to what calendars to display.

Looking at it simplistically, the display for the Ward A member viewing Ward B calendars would be that all of Ward B's calendars are displayed. With all of Ward B's calendars displayed there is potential for heavy clutter.

Implementing a view of Ward B's calendars that was selective could use the same functionality that is currently used to limit your current view of subscribed calendars for your own ward. There just would not be the ability to subscribe to Ward B's calendars. Effectively you are "subscribed" to all Ward B calendars for the purpose of viewing them. The Ward A member deselects the calendars in the "Subscribed Calendars" box he does not want to view for Ward B.

I don't think that needs to be a very complicated adjustment at all. I see no reason not to display everything that is marked as "public." It was done before in the old calendar (not that I prefer the old calendar to the new) and I'd never heard any complaints (except when that feature went bye-bye).

When you mentioned that there may be "heavy clutter" I am assuming you are implying that viewing another unit's calendar would show IN ADDITION to yours. This is not what I envision. I picture 2 main changes to the "layout" of the calendar:

1.) The Unit's calendars and the Stake's calendars would be separated (similar to the Churchwide Events calendar), and there would be a separate "Show/Hide all calendars" button for the unit, stake, and churchwide calendar(s).
2.) Viewing another unit's calendar would replace all of your units' calendars with theirs; giving you ability to show/hide calendars just like on your own unit's calendar. This would ensure that your calendar wouldn't be any more cluttered the the most cluttered unit (when that unit is being viewed).

I see no reason for the need to "subscribe" to another unit's calendars. But, hey! You never know

kisaac wrote:One example of this is the directories extensive "privacy" options. You can show all your information to the stake, or implement successive steps to control release of your information for yourself and your family, all the way to "don't show me at all in the directory, as if I don't even exist in the ward." Obviously, leaders will still see you, but you can see my point.

I doubt the fix would be "easy" to open up ward calendars to the stake, either from a programming or policy position.

I would say that the fix could definitely be an easy one. Restrictions are already in place and would only needed to be slightly expanded to resolve your concerns.

In the Create Calendar framework, just add "Entire Stake" to the Who can see this calendar drop down (already populated with Entire Ward and Private).

One feature, however, that I would love to see that doesn't currently exist is the option to edit viewing privileges by event. In the Create New Event framework, I would add a Who can see this event drop down that contains "Entire Stake" "Entire Ward" and "Private" (selecting "Private" would then allow you to specify members/callings that can view). The field would auto populate to the calendar's setting as the default.