Event Info

Event Info Page

The "Event Info" page presents the minimum requirements necessary to create an event within Sundial, such as event title, contact person, location, and description.

Note: in the full description field on this page there is a media palette which allows you to insert images, PDFs, and Word documents into the description field.  See "Adding Media to Your Event" for more information.

With the exception of the event description field, refrain from visually formatting the information as it may not translate well when some calendars source your event. Also, because calendars that source your event can strip formatting information, any formatting done here can be seen more of a suggestion than a rule when your event is finally published.

The fields prompting you for necessary data elements are presented and discussed below in the order that they appear within the "Event Info" area of the Event Editor.

When you have completed filling in the "Event Info" page, be sure to click the Save button at the bottom before moving to the next page.

Event Name and Date

Event Name

This field is for the title of the event.

Sundial's keyword search scans this field.

Start & End Dates

Please specify both the start and end date and time. Dates should be entered as MM/DD/YYYY or by using the calendar icon to the right of the date fields.

Times should be entered as as HH:MM. Use the drop down field to specify AM or PM.

If your event is an all day event, click the "All Day Event" box, and Sundial will complete the end date and time fields.  You can change the end date to a later date if the event spans multiple days.

Because Sundial's event information is published to users across the globe, it is important to determine the time zone/locale of the event's location. Sundial can then properly calculate the time of an event according to a given user's location.

The default timezone for Sundial is US/Eastern.

Enable Send Event

This feature allows an end user to send an event listing to a friend or colleague.  "Send event" needs to be programmed into a customized template and then enabled for the particular event listing.  For more information, please see the Developer Documentation.

Branding

Branding determines the look and feel of your event.  If you have customized branding, select it here.  Otherwise, the default branding will apply.  To create new branding, please contact Sundial Help.

Note: various web calendars specify brands that may alter your choice.  Please contact the local administrator of your calendar if you have questions about calendar branding.

Event Status

This field is used to indicate an event's status, for instance "active," "cancelled," or "postponed." The default status of an event is "active." Calendar users can view an event listing under any status. Calendar users can also search for events according to status.

It is considered a best practice to alter the status of an event when it has been postponed or cancelled rather than deleting or disabling the event.  All public listings of your event will indicate this status.

Contact Information

Event Contact

The event contact fields specify a person or group who is responsible for the event and can respond to inquiries. This person or entity is often referred to as the event manager. A name and email address are required. A telephone number, including area code, is optional, but recommended.  Note: a telephone number is required if you are enabling event registration.

NOTE:  Events imported from Harris do not come with contact information.  Sundial will automatically populate the contact information of the first Sundial user who edits the event information in Sundial.  Please note that you may need to change this information if the first Sundial editor is not the contact person.

Location

Event Location

This is a description of an event's location. For on-campus events, this should include campus, building, and room name or number.  For external events, this should include location name, street address, city, and state.

Note: users cannot perform searches based on this information. Searches are performed on "sites," which are pre-named Columbia University and external locations and are described in greater detail below.

Sites

Sites must be selected in order for your event to be searchable by location on the University Events Calendar and many other University calendars.  Select the general site (usually Morningside Campus or Medical Center) from the top list of "CU Search Locations" as well as the specific building (i.e. CU Morningside Campus Buildings—Alfred Lerner Hall).  If your event will be held off-campus, select “Off-Campus: NYC.”  Click “add” after each selection.

Descriptions and Detail

Short Description

This field provides a brief synopsis or summary of the event for calendar viewers. It is viewed on the short form of the event listing.  If you are suggesting your event to the University Events Calendar, please follow the formatting guidelines for this calendar.

Note: if any text is entered into the "full description" box, the short description will not be visible in the complete event listing (when a viewer clicks on "more info"). Therefore, please include relevant information in the full description box as well.

Sundial's keyword search scans this field.

Full Description

This field allows you to include detailed or formatted information in the event listing, including media and/or links to documents or PDFs.  For more information on adding media to your event, see "Adding Media to Your Event." This step is taken after you have saved your initial version of your event information.

Sundial's keyword search scans this field.

Event Website

Including a URL for an event or sponsoring group is highly recommended. This URL becomes an active link in the event listing. Please include "http" or "https" in the URL and test your address to make sure it is viable before entering it in this field.  This URL will appear as a hyperlink that reads "Click here to visit website."

 

Publishing

Select the calendars to which you’d like to suggest your event.  Be sure to click “add” after selecting each calendar/audience.  If you do not select an audience, your event will exist in Sundial but will not be suggested to any calendars.  You can suggest or publish an event to a calendar later using the "Publish Event" tab of an existing event.  For more information, see "Publishing an Event."

Types

Types are important for calendars that are searchable by category (academic, cultural, alumni, etc.). You may select any types that are relevant to your event.  Click “add” after selecting each type. 

Note: If you would like your event to appear on the University Events Calendar, please be sure that you select one of the types that appears on the left-navigation of the UEC.  For a list of these types, see "Suggesting Your Event to the UEC."

Sponsors

If you have a default sponsor, it will automatically appear in this field.  If you have access to multiple sponsors in Sundial, you can select additional sponsors here.  Radio buttons allow you to indicate the primary sponsor of the event.

Note: many calendars do not pull event sponsor information, so you may want to include sponsor information it the full description of the event.

Registration

The “Event Info” page contains an express registration option.  However, it is recommended that you enable and customize registration using the yellow “registration” tab.  For instructions on this, see "Enabling Registration."

Permissions

This section allows users to grant permission to other users to edit the new event.  In order for your event listing to be viewable to the general public or for your URL to work, you must give “view event” permissions to “Public/Everyone."  For more information on permissions, see "Permissions."

Event Feeds

An event feed requires advanced customization.  Please contact Sundial Help for event feed development.