Adding Calendar to Your site

After successfully installing and activating EventON, adding a calendar to your site is simple and flexible. A calendar brings your events to life, allowing visitors to browse, filter, and interact seamlessly. This guide covers the easiest methods for beginners, with advanced options for developers. We’ll start with prerequisites and walk through step-by-step.

Prerequisites:

• EventON installed and activated (see our Installation Guide).
• At least one event created (events are the content of your calendar—without them, nothing shows!).
• WordPress with Gutenberg editor enabled (default in WP 5.0+).

For a full walkthrough from scratch, check our Quick Starter Guide, which bundles installation, setup, event creation, and calendar addition.

Step 1: Create Events for Your Calendar

A calendar without events is empty—start by adding content!

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Events > Add New.
2. Enter the Event Title and Description using the Gutenberg editor (add images, links, or PDFs for rich details).
3. In the Main Event Details section:
   • Set Start Date/Time and End Date/Time (always include an end date to avoid display issues).
   • Optional: Add location, organizer, color, featured image, or event types for filtering.
4. Click Publish.

See: Getting Started – How to Add and Publish Events.

If events aren’t showing later, check filters or dates in Troubleshooting: All Events Not Showing.

Method 1: Using Shortcodes (Recommended for Beginners)

Shortcodes are the simplest way to embed calendars—no coding needed. Use the built-in Shortcode Generator for a visual interface.

Accessing the Shortcode Generator

• In Gutenberg Editor (default):
  1. Go to Pages > Add New (or edit an existing page).
  2. Type /eventon in the editor to search for the EventON block.
  3. Select the EventON Shortcode block and click the generator icon (or it opens automatically).
• In Classic Editor: Click the Add EventON Shortcode button next to Add Media.
• From Settings: Navigate to EventON > Settings > Shortcodes (EventON 2.2.20+).

For full details, see our What is the Shortcode Generator?.

Generating and Inserting the Shortcode

• In the popup:
  1. Choose a Calendar Type (e.g., Main Calendar for classic views or Event Lists).
  2. Customize options: Toggle featured images (show_et_ft_img=”yes”), hide past events (hide_past=”yes”), or limit events (event_count=”12″).
  3. For filtering, add event types (e.g., event_type=”23″ for a specific category—see Using Event Types Guide).
• The shortcode updates in real-time at the bottom (e.g., [add_eventon calendar_type=”grid” show_et_ft_img=”yes”]).
• Click </> to show shortcode and then copy shortcode. Or click bottom right button to apply shortcode to block.
• Click Publish or Update the page.

Example Basic Shortcode: Displays a default monthly calendar.

[add_eventon]

Advanced Example (with filters): Shows only events from category ID 23, hides past ones, and limits to 5 per month.

[add_eventon event_type="23" hide_past="yes" event_count="5"]

“Pro Tip: Explore all parameters like language support (lang=”L2”) in our General Shortcode Guide. Test on a draft page first.”

Method 2: PHP Template Tag (For Advanced Users)

For theme integration or custom templates, use PHP to embed calendars directly. This requires editing your theme files—back up first!

1. Open your theme’s template file (e.g., page.php) in a code editor (via Appearance > Theme File Editor or FTP).
2. Add the code where you want the calendar (e.g., after the content loop).

Basic Example:

<?php
if (function_exists('add_eventon')) {
    $args = array(
        'number_of_months' => 3,  // Show 3 months
        'show_et_ft_img' => 'yes' // Display featured images
    );
    add_eventon($args);
}
?>

Alternative with do_shortcode():

<?php
echo do_shortcode('[add_eventon event_type="23" hide_past="yes"]');
?>

Renders the same as a shortcode but in PHP.

For more parameters (e.g., custom colors or sorting), see Shortcode Guide. Use this in widgets via the EventON Shortcode Executor Widget.

“Warning: Child themes prevent updates from overwriting changes. Avoid direct edits to core files.”

Method 3: Widgets (Bonus for Sidebars)

For sidebars or footers:

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets.
2. Add the EventON Shortcode Executor widget.
3. Paste a generated shortcode (e.g., [add_eventon event_count=”3″] for a mini calendar).
4. Save and check your site.

Details in Shortcode Executor Widget Guide.

Verifying and Troubleshooting

• Visit the page—your calendar should load with events.
• Test interactions: Click events for details, filter if enabled.
• Common Issues:
  • No Calendar/Events? Check shortcode syntax (no commas between params), publish status, or cache. See Events Not Showing.
  • Layout Broken? Ensure EventON fields are added to the event card in Event Card Designer Guide.

Next Steps

• Customize views: Shortcode Guide for advanced layouts.
• Add features: Enable FAQs in FAQs Setup Guide or repeating events in Repeating Events Guide.
• Explore Addons: Extend EventON with powerful extensions like Tickets for paid registrations, RSVP for attendee management, Polls for interactive voting, and more. Start with the Tickets Addon User Guide, RSVP Addon User Guide, or Polls Addon User Guide. Browse all addons in our Addons Documentation.

Need more? Browse our User Guide Documentations or submit a support ticket. Happy calendaring!