August 22, 2024 | We've made significant updates to the event creation forms. Please take a moment to review the new structure outlined below.


Event creation and Events Calendar are self-serve and user-friendly for event organizers. In this article, we walk through the Drupal event content type and explain how to create, edit, and delete events.

Additionally, within the event content type in Drupal, we include '?' icons at the end of most fields. When you click on those icons, additional help text is provided.



Working with Groups

If you are a member of a Group site, you can add, edit, and moderate your Group events through your Group. They will still show on the School Calendar. 

If you need help finding where to add an event to your Group, please review the Working with Groups section of the Content Creation Help Desk article. You can then skip to Step 2 below.



How to Create an Event

You first must be Logged into Drupal. Once logged in:

Step 1: From the top bar, in the top left corner, select: Manage > Content > Add Content > Event. 

This will open a blank event content type for you to fill in with your event information.


Step 2: Fill in the event content type with your event details. The * symbol designates a required field.:



General Section

  • Title*: The title displayed on the event webpage. Recommended length: 72 characters.

  • Meta Description: The meta description is a brief description of your event used by search engines and social media displays. The recommended length is 140 characters.


Additional Settings and Metadata Section

These fields are not used frequently, so you can likely skip over this section. If you do need to use them, they are explained below. Many of these fields were found elsewhere and have been consolidated here.

  • Alternate Titles: SEO Title*: While this field is required, it's dynamically generated by what you put in the Title field. You don't have to modify it unless you need to (an uncommon need). This field information creates part of the URL path.

    August 22, 2024: If you were using the SEO Title field previously to include the event date to differentiate your recurring events, you no longer need to do that. The date will be included dynamically into the event URL path based on the Event Date tab details.


  • Alternate Titles: Short Title: If your event title in the Title field is longer than recommended, you can add a short title to display in the events calendar and in other references to your event on our website where space is limited. Recommended length: 24 characters

  • Social Image: If you'd like to add an image that you want social media platforms to use, please include it here. We have additional guidance on formatting of social images. 
    If you schedule your social media content before your event is published, the image may not show as expected on the social media platforms and in some instances we can't resolve that for you. If at all possible, please wait to schedule your event post on social media until after the event is published.


  • Visibility Settings:
    • Hide "Add to Calendar" button checkbox: By default, all events will provide users the option to add events to their calendar by downloading an ICS file or selecting an online platform, e.g., Google, Yahoo, Outlook 365. If you would like to disable this option, e.g., in order to manage your own RSVP; select this box and the button will no longer be displayed.

    • Display in past event views checkbox: Occasionally, Centers, Departments, and Offices may have set up dynamic event listings to display past events in addition to upcoming events. If you'd like your event to display in those past event listings where applicable, check this box. Your event will still display in the Events Calendar past months whether you check this box or not.



Event Information Section

Event Date Tab

  • Start Date / End Date*
    • Single Day Events: One-time events can be added by filling in the following two fields - Start Date and End Date. The time portion of the Start Date and End Date fields requires seconds and AM/PM to be included such as 09:00:00 AM - 09:30:00 AM. In some browsers, you may also see a clock icon on the right side of the fields, that when clicked, opens up a selector where you can pick the hours, minutes, seconds and AM/PM.

    • Recurring or Multi-Day Events: Recurring events or Multi-Day events need to be added as multiple single date events at the moment. We hope to have an update to this in the coming months.

  • Event Frequency: If your event is recurring, you can display its frequency, e.g., Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Every Tuesday.


Event Details Tab 

  • Event Format*: Select the appropriate option from the dropdown for your event.

  • NEW Aug 22, 2024
    Calendar Category*: Select the most appropriate option from the dropdown for your event. This is how your event will be grouped in the SPHeed Read.

  • Location: Select the appropriate online and/or onsite location(s) of your event from the dropdown. If you don't see the location for your event in the dropdown, put in a Help Desk ticket.

  • Topics: If your event topic falls into one of our site's Topics, you can have your event show up on that respective Topic. To do this, select the appropriate topic from the dropdown list. Please only select a topic that truly matches your event topic.

  • Offices / Departments: If your event is being hosted by a Department or Office, select the desired Office(s) or Department(s) from the dropdown list. This will dynamically populate the appropriate event listing on related Departments’ and Offices’ News & Events pages. If the event is hosted by multiple Departments or Offices, you can select more than one from the dropdown. Please don’t create multiple events (for example, one for each Department or Office) for the same event. 


Event Contact Tab 

  • Contact information can be provided through the three fields - Contact Name, Contact E-Mail, and Contact Phone - and will display at the bottom of your event webpage. For phone numbers, please follow our standard format of 000-000-0000. If necessary, use the Add another item button to provide multiple phone numbers.



Header

  • Subhead: Include a short subhead or buttons below the page title if necessary. This is NOT the main content area.
    NEW As of August 22, 2024, it is not necessary to include the event category.

  • Featured Image: This image will be displayed below the header area. Please see this Help Desk article on Featured Images sizing and how to use them. Also, if you didn't upload an image to the Social Image field described above, social networks will use this image. Please see Social Image Note above.



Main Content Area 

  • Page Components: The content you input in this section is what is displayed in the body of the event's webpage and can help your event stand out and attract interest.

    By default, a Text Component is added for you to add your content. For a guide on how to best structure and style your event, refer to our How to Create an Engaging Event article and our Text Component article in the Knowledge Base Help Desk.
    Do not upload ePosters. They are not web-accessible. Instead, use the information from your poster to create rich webpage content. Our events platform has sufficient tools to present your event in a stylish fashion while making your event information searchable and accessible to all audiences.

    Additional components can be added by clicking the Add Component button. The Events Content Type has a limited number of component options to select from. Learn more about Components through our Help Desk articles. 

    Given the Events Calendar is public, webinars should be set up to require registration, password protected links, and other recommended Zoom security safeguards. Zoom’s support site has helpful guides and best practices.


Step 3: If you’re not ready yet to submit your event for publishing, you can save it as a Draft by selecting Draft from the dropdown and clicking the Save As button.


You can use the Preview button, at the bottom of the form, to see what your event page looks like to review it. IMPORTANT: To go back to editing your event page after you've previewed it, be sure to click the blue button that reads “Back to Content Editing”. Do not use the back button on your browser as this will not save or keep your unsaved changes and your work will be lost. 



Step 4: Once completed and ready for publishing, change its status to In Review in the dropdown and click the Save As button.


Once our team has been able to review the event, they will proceed to publish it. This usually takes 1-2 business days. If there’s any necessary updates or questions, the moderator will reach out to you to clarify and resolve before they publish. For Group sites, your Group Moderator(s) will manage the review and approval process.

How to Edit an Event

If you’ve already created an event and just need to make edits to it, please follow the steps outlined below to find and edit your event. Please don't create a new event. 

  1. Log into Drupal using your JHED credentials as shown in this guide.

  2. Go to your event by:

    Locating it in the Events Calendar and clicking on the Edit tab. This will only be available if your event has already been published. 

    OR by going to the Content section in the navigation bar (or within your Group Content tab if you manage a Group site), typing the title, or part of it, in the Title field and hitting Filter to perform a search.


  1. Once your event appears in the results, click the Edit button at the end of that respective event's row (or the Edit node from the Operations Dropdown if in a Group site).

    IMPORTANT: Make sure you're editing the correct event, as events may have similar titles. Depending on your role and permissions, you may have access to other editors' events. You can click on the event title hyperlink under the Title column (or Group Content Title if in a Group site) to see the webpage to ensure it's the correct event. 

  2. Perform the necessary changes.

  3. You will have the same options and process available as when creating the event: Preview, save as Draft, save as In Review.

  4. Once submitted for In Review, and our team has been able to review the event for any questions or necessary updates, they will proceed to publish it. If you are part of a Group site, a Moderator from your Group will review your event submission. 



How to Remove an Event


Deleting an event, which removes it completely from Drupal, is currently available only to site editors and administrators. Please submit a request via our help desk so we can help you handle the deletion of the event accordingly.