TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Add a Google Account to Access your Google Calendars:
- Add a Google Calendar with "Secret Address in iCal Format":
- Using G Suite (Google Apps) With DAKboard:
- Google Family Calendars:
- Add Events From Your Touchscreen:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Helpful Articles:
With DAKboard adding your Calendars is easy. This article is to help you with setting up your Google Calendar with your account. See our article How to Add a Calendar Block to your DAKboard Screen for more details on navigating the new Calendar Block Editor.
Add a Google Account to Access your Google Calendars:
In a Custom Screen, add a calendar block, then edit the calendar block. In a Predefined screen, click the calendar tab. Next, click the Link a New Account dropdown, and select Connect to Google Calendar to link your Google Account:
Follow the prompts on Google to allow DAKboard access to your calendars. When complete, edit your screen again on DAKboard and select the desired calendar(s) to show:
Save your changes, and preview your screen to see your Google calendars.
Add a Google Calendar with "Secret Address in iCal Format":
NOTE: This is an older/manual method. We recommend using the above steps to link and authorize Google Calendar to get the full benefits we offer.
Start by Logging into your Google Calendar.
NOTE: This must be done using a web browser on a phone, tablet, or computer. The necessary information is not available within the Google Calendar App.
Click the menu icon next to the calendar you want to add to DAKboard (below, circled in orange). In our example, a calendar named "DAKboard" is being used. The name of the first calendar listed under My Calendars will vary depending on how it was named in your Google account. Then click "Settings and sharing" (also circled in orange):
Next, scroll down and find the Secret address in iCal format URL under the Integrate Calendar section. Click on the Copy button as seen below:
In the DAKboard settings, for Predefined screens click on Screens > My Predefined Screen > Calendars. For Custom Screens, add a calendar block, click on the block to select it, and click the Edit button. Paste the link in the iCal URL field and click Save Changes.
Using G Suite (Google Apps) With DAKboard:
For those using Google Apps, your Google Apps administrator will need to make sure all users are enabled to share all details from their calendars. This can be changed in the admin center for your domain by following these steps:
- Login to Google admin at https://admin.google.com
- Click on Apps
- Click on G Suite
- Click on Calendar
- Then under Sharing settings, make sure External sharing options for primary calendars is set to Share all information, but outsiders cannot change
- Under General Settings, make sure External sharing options for secondary calendars are set to Share all information, but outsiders cannot change
- Click Save
Once enabled the Secret address in iCal format will become visible to copy/paste into DAKboard.
Add a G Suite Resource (meeting or conference room) Calendar to DAKboard:
Make sure the previous section has been completed so G Suite users are enabled to share calendars. Once completed,
Sign in with your G Suite account and open Google Calendar. On the left, above My Calendars, click the 3 dots then Add a calendar and choose Browse resources as seen below:
On the right, next to the resource you want to add, check the box. The resource now appears in your My Calendars list and you can follow the steps above to find the Secret Address in iCal format.
Google Family Calendars:
Unfortunately, Google does not provide an iCal link for the family calendars. The only way to add this calendar is to link the Google Account the Family Calendar is associated with and add it that way.
Add Events From Your Touchscreen:
Now with DAKboard Custom Screens and your Google Calendars, you can enter events from your Touchscreen displays to your Calendars. This works with either a Touchscreen or a connected USB mouse. Here is how to add this feature to your account and use it.
Add the Ability to Edit Your Calendar:
To use this feature you must have a Google Authenticated Account and a Calendar from said account linked to your Screen and Display. To add the Edit functionality, open your calendar Block Editor, then in the My Calendar Section click the pencil icon next to the calendar you want to edit. See below:
This will redirect you to Google to modify your permissions to allow editing. Select your account, click Continue, and select Allow to grant this permission to DAKboard. See below:
Once you grant permissions close the authentication Tab and return to your Calendar Block Editor. Click the Pencil Icon on each calendar from that account to Enable the Add Event feature to them. All Google Calendars on that same account will now be able to be edited when you enable them this way.
NOTE: This ability only works with Google Calendars created in the Google Account and does not extend to linked Calendars.
Using the Event Editor:
To add a New Event to your Calendar click the Plus sign in the lower right corner of your Calendar block, seen below:
This will expand when you mouse over it to show Add Event as seen below:
Or, to modify an event that is already on the calendar, simply click the event itself. Once you have clicked the Add Event button or the Event you wish to modify, the Add Event tool will open. See below:
This tool replicates the Google Event tool. Below are all the Event Entry options:
- Calendar: Select the Calendar in your Google Account you want to enter the event on. This will only allow you access to those calendars that have been Enabled on this account.
- Title: This is where you add the Name for your event.
- Start/End Date: In this section, you can set the start and end dates for your event.
- All Day: This toggle allows you to set the event to be all day or opens the Time option to set your Start and End times. By default, this is toggled to All Day.
- Repeat: This toggle allows you to open the Repeating Event tool to add a New Repeating Event. See below:
Note: Due to the complexity of some repeating Google-created calendar events, changing existing repeating events is not supported. The repeating event may be deleted and recreated on the screen as a workaround if necessary.
- Location: This allows you to enter the Location of the event.
- Description: This allows you to enter the event Description.
Once your Event is updated or added make sure to Save your changes. This will then enter the event into your Google calendar and to your Display.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Below are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about Google Calendars and DAKboard.
Why is my externally linked calendar not showing on DAKboard?
Not all externally linked calendars can be shared by Google with us. This is dependent on a few things. First, the external calendar must be set to be a public calendar. If it is not, your permission to view it cannot be extended to us. Next, when you add the link to your Google Account you must also set it to be publicly viewable. If not, the permissions again, can not be extended to us. Finally, some calendars just cannot be shared with Third-Party companies like DAKboard. In these cases, you can try adding the ICS file Directly to your Screen.
Why won't my Google Tasks Show on my Calendar Block?
Google Calendar API will not share the Tasks created in your calendar with us. Instead, they include it in the Google Tasks API. If you wish to view your Tasks, you will need to add a Google Tasks block to view them. See our articles How to Add a To-Do Block to Your DAKboard Screen and Google Tasks on DAKboard to see how to do this.
Why Can't I Add Events to my ICS Calendars in Google?
The ICS files do not allow for data transfer. So any ICS calendars you have added to your Google Account or if you are using the ICS method above to link your Google Account to DAKboard, you cannot add Events from your DAKboard Touchscreen displays.
Why Can't I Edit the Holidays or Moon Phases Calendar in my Google Account?
Calendars that were not created by you, i.e. the Holiday, Moon Phase, or Shared Calendars, are excluded by Google from the ability to add events. All other Calendars Created by you in your Google Authenticated account should be accessible for adding events. If you can click the pencil Icon on the Calendar, it will be editable.
Helpful Articles:
Having trouble? See if these articles help.
How to Add a Calendar Block to your DAKboard Screen
How to Use the Predefined Screen Editor
How to Use the Custom Screen Live Editor
Assign a Unique Calendar Color to Each Calendar
How to Add an ICS/iCal Calendar to DAKboard