Connect dynamic content into Messages from Calendars

It's possible to sync dynamic content into a message using the Dynamic Content feature in Messages. This means that each message will populate with the most current and updated content from each of the following modules: Athletics Manager, Calendars (New Calendars module or Calendar Manager), and Posts.

This article will focus specifically on connecting dynamic content from the calendar software that is set up on your specific platform. 

In this Article

• Step 1: Open the Dynamic Content > Create Content
• Step 2: Configure the Content Filters settings
• Step 3: Configure the Content Details settings
• Step 4: Configure the Formatting settings
• Step 5: Configure the Domain Settings

Here's how to connect dynamic Calendar content into your Messages:

Step 1: Open the Dynamic Content > Create Content

Open Dynamic Content from the Messages main menu, choose Calendar from the left nav, and click the Create Content button in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Configure the Content Filters settings

• Enter a title for the configuration, and expand out the Content Filters settings.
• Select the Include events from Athletics checkbox if you want to display games, practices, and other Athletics event data.
  • This will reveal a dropdown menu you can use to select one or more Teams.
  • Highlight the team(s) and collapse the dropdown menu to select them.
  • You can also use the Athletics dynamic content configuration to create a separate configuration for athletic events.
    
              

Step 3: Configure the Content Details settings

Under Content Details, choose which elements of the displayed events you would like to display. Each of these fields can be given custom formatting once you select them. Choose a different font family, font size, alignment, font weight, and color for each detail to give a thoroughly unique look to your dynamic content. "Inherit Element Font" will use the font set in the Formatting menu below. These can be:

• Month Header 

• Icon/Color

• Date

• Time

• Title

• Location 

• Read More

• Notes (not recommended)

• Description (not recommended)

Step 4: Configure the Formatting settings

Formatting allows you to designate how many events will appear, what order they’ll appear in, the date format, the spacing between events, and whether to link the event title back to the default calendar page. You can also customize the default font that calendar content will use in the message.

Here are some details on your options:

• Display: Select how many items you'd like to display in your message.
• Current Month: Select the events during a set range of time that will display in your message: 
  • Current Month: Events during the current month will display.
  • Current Week: Selecting Current Week means will define the day the message gets sent as the first day of the week and includes events from that day and the 6 consecutive days.
    • For example, if message is sent on a Thursday, the message will include events from Thursday until the following 6 days (Thursday - Thursday).  
  • Within a Date range: Here you can select a Start Date and End Date for the events that will populate in your message.
  • Within a Day range: This selection allows you to enter a number into the fields.
    • For example, you can select 10 Days before today and 10 Days after today to show events from this range.
• Link titles to default calendar page: Visitors can click on an event and be redirected to your default calendar page set in Domain Settings. 
• Date Format: What is the format in which you'd prefer your dates to appear?
• Date Separator: Choose between: /, -, ., space, and bullet as punctuation to separate your dates.
• Time Format: Choose your time format.
• Order by date: What order will your events appear in: descending or ascending?
• Vertical spacing between items: Add a number to designate how many pixels (px) populate as space between your event items.
• Element Font: Here you can set the font that your events will appear in.

Once you have configured the settings, click Save at the lower right to finalize the configuration. Your configuration will then be available to use in the Message and Template editor.

Step 5: Configure the Domain Settings

Your recipients may click on events in your message. This final step is necessary so that when this happens, the event will open up onto another page, allowing the recipient to view other details about the event.

• Before you can configure your Domain Settings, confirm that you have an Event page containing a Calendar Element in Event format.

• Remember where the page is so that you can select it in your Domain Settings. Navigate to your Domain Settings. 
  

  

• In the Landing Pages tab, click Select Page next to the Domain Default Pages > Calendar Event Page.
  

  

• Select your page in the Page Picker that contains a Calendar element in Event format. 
• Click Apply to save your changes.