As Mark mentioned, my organization created admin-only "Templates" for each event type but it is primarily for registration information. We keep them on top by changing the dates to Dec. 31, of 2099.

It sounds like you all want, essentially Word Fields, where it prompts you for each thing and you just fill it out as you go. Custom Macros would work but you'd have to have somewhere to input the information on the event page, plus be able to edit the event page to show this information and the event page is a system page. The custom macro would only work in the event email announcements as you could set up the email the way you want.

Creating an event from a template would be awesome. I'd like to be able to set up a template so that my partner, who is not as well-versed in WildApricot as I am, can start an event from a template, make a few tweaks, and be done. Currently, by trying to duplicate an existing event, inevitably there are things forgotten to change: email content, email dates, extra details, etc. I suppose I could make my own "fake" events for her to duplicate, but that takes up a lot of space in my event list.

We have many people who create events (mainly by copying old ones and editing the description) and it would help a lot to have additional details in separate fields instead of just filling in the "event description" with all the data.

All of the fields listed already would be great, but especially:

* Speaker info
* Deadline to register
* Cost information (members/nonmembers/late fees)
* Sponsor Logo

And Schedule (start/dinner/presentation times)

I found another old post that is also asking for additional fields for event data entry. Maybe these can be merged? https://forums.wildapricot.com/forums/308932-wishlist/suggestions/8827369-additional-fields-for-posting-events

Thanks.

Another twist to the need for duplicating events -- when duplicating an event you may wish to optionally change the start/end date and time so that when an event is duplicated you can on the fly duplicate the event but bump to a future date.

Event duplication should also have an option to duplicate published events and copy their settings for audiences. So if it is restricted and already taking registrations, a duplication should KEEP the settings as is. Currently a duplicate event is automatically disabled and set for admin only. I can see why this may be a desired behaviour but if you are using the duplicate event as an event template, you'd want ALL the settings to be exactly duplicated and just push the date to a future (or in theory past) date and time.

I agree with having event templates.

We have weekly luncheon programs that are structured identically (program title, speaker photo, program description, meal selection, email schedule, etc.) Currently we duplicate the last event and change the information for the upcoming event. Kind of a pain.

It would be more efficient for us if there were a template for our weekly luncheons with placeholders for the information that changes and static text (directions, policies, etc.) for things that don't change so our events would look consistent.

I tried creating a "template" event as a admin only viewable event but it always gets pushed down as the date moves forward. I may try creating one in the far future so it stays on top, but that is still a kludge.

Note that the comment immediately below is much simpler than the original proposal; it simply says that it should be possible to duplicate an event in the same way, regardless of whether the event is past or not. This would allow an event to be copied to serve as the basis of another event. It was moved into this proposal by an admin, presumably because its practical use had some aspects in common with the original proposal.

Currently when a future event is duplicated, the event email settings are duplicated, specifically the email texts, the email distribution lists, and the schedule for releasing email x days in advance of the event. However, when the event has already happened and it is duplicated then the email schedules and distribution lists are not duplicated. At the very least this is inconsistent behavior and it is also undocumented.

The proposal is to treat copying past events the same as copying future events. For each email announcement or reminder in the source event, its distribution list and schedule of x days in advance would be copied into the duplicate event. In the case of the schedule x days in advance the new email schedules would be from x days in advance of the duplicated event's newly scheduled date-time.

By preserving consistent treatment of copying between past and future events it will also be possible to create 'template' events to help administrators standardize data inputs between different events.

Having a 'template' ability also leads to this corollary suggestion:

Add to the Events API a call for duplicating a specific event. This will enable calling such 'template' events to standardize data entry across events even if the API does not allow access to the specific email controls for an event. Duplicating the event from the API would duplicate the email settings.

I also sympathize with the proposal elsewhere to allow duplicating event registrants as well but believe that this should be an option only.

There's a number of complexities in this about how event templates could work that our group doesn't actually need. What we need is the ability to have the (large number of) people that enter events, not be able to edit the template but instead only be able to edit an event created from the template, so they can't edit/trash the template accidentally. And also to have some sections (like the tags) be an area that they can't edit.

Currently an event in Wild Apricot consists of a set of data fields (event title, a set of dates and times, location, description, tag field, registration form with standard and customizable fields, registration types, and customizable emails. This proposal would be to allow an administrator enter some or all of the details for an event and then to save these details as a template for the creation of complete events.
1. Any partially or fully completed event can be designated to be an event template. The template will store all properties at the time that it is created. The template will have a name and can be found on an administrator’s system list of event templates.

2. When an administrator creates an event or, under a pending proposal (not by this author), adopts a member’s event submission, the administrator may select a pre-existing event template to complete or override the event’s details. The chosen template remains associated with the event.

3. Similarly when an event template is edited but not saved as a new event template type, events using that template will be updated to match the details in the edited template.

a. When source event data would be changed by changing a template, or by standardizing to a template, the system would inform the administrator what data is about to be overriden and provide a check for the administrator to proceed or not. If the administrator elects to not accept a change to an event that would have the event conform to an event template, the event would no longer be associated with the template.

i. Because of the numbers of affected events this check have a simpler option to only allowing or disallowing the change on all events using that template.

4. When event data overrides the event template, the system would inform the administrator that the event will no longer conform to the template and indicate where it no longer conforms. If the administrator signs off on the changes anyway the event is no longer associated with its template.

5. Any event using a template can be saved as an ordinary event without a template, thereby ending its assocation with its original event template.

Events are usually some of the most important content that an organization has on its website. This proposal enhances events as containers of information by providing easier, and faster means to enter and validate that content.

We have many re-occuring events with the date and talent changing. An event template would be extremely useful. It would make it much easier to have similar formats across events and not have the people entering events end up overwriting old events

It would be great if you had custom fields/macros in the events area. You can just add a few blank macros/fields (mind you I understand this may not be so simple) with generic name e.g. "Event_Macro_A" and then it can be used anyway for any field that is needed.

It would also be great if you put either a separate macro for the weekday or let people toggle on/off the weekday in the macro with a check-box.

I had a template design with the weekday on a separate line cause it always broke after the month.

Thanks,

M

Macros would be great for me too. I find the Event Details very limiting for posting our events - see http://forums.wildapricot.com/forums/308932-wishlist/suggestions/8827369-additional-fields-for-posting-events .

Sorry - I meant "not an easy change".

Macros would work for me! I have a similar query/request floating about on the forums somewhere in that I would like to be able to make it easy to include events in a newsletter (I send one out every week and its is very time consuming to compile manually)

I would live to be able to send an email that is similar to (but not the same as) the List view of the events page.....anything that helps achieve this would save me huge amounts of time!

Not sure what you mean by "not a change"... it would be a significant change. Confused.

LOVE the idea of custom macros! Would solve a huge list of issues and needs.

Thanks for details. What you suggest is not an change so we want to collect more details on this before going into planning and design.

I have an idea in my mind: what if there is a place in the system where you can define custom macros. Each custom macro is similar to a web page - it allows you to define some content, and the macros can be used then anywhere in the system (not just event details, but regular content pages and also in email). It's like a library of small text pieces that you can share in your system everywhere.

Sorry for the delay in responding - I wasn't getting updates on the feed for some reason.

I would love to put sections of the event (as I listed in my original post above) into other emails, like a quarterly newsletter or post-event follow up email. It would be great if you could add the sections of the event into other emails the way you do macros. Even on event announcement emails, sometimes it would be nice to highlight the menu for the event, other times the speaker.

Also, we add our list of sponsors to a lot of emails we send but the problem is for some events that list is constantly changing as we get new event sponsors. If I could just add, for example, macro for event sponsor section to my pre or post event emial I wouldn't have to cut and past the sponsor box in every time.

If the event calendar template was broken out into these sections, you could add any section (as a macro) to any email or even to another webpage to highlight an event speaker and draw people to the event calendar.

Does that make sense? If not I'd be happy to mock something up visually to send you. I think this could be a really important change to the way the event calendar works.

Can you elaborate on "...Copying previous event is ok, but because of the formatting and table issues in WA they never quite look the same..."?

I agree with this - think it is very, very important....