How to use the Calendar Screen?

Step-by-Step Guide: Calendar Screen#

This guide provides detailed, sequential instructions for configuring a Calendar Screen in ARPIA. Follow these steps to transform your date-based data into an interactive calendar.

Before You Begin#

What You'll Need:#

• Repository name containing your events table
• Table name with your event data
• Knowledge Node (Main Kube) name that connects to your table
• Column names for: start date, end date, and event title

Step 1: Access the Screen Settings#

The Calendar Screen has two control buttons in the top-right corner:

• Screen Settings (gear icon): Opens the configuration panel.
• Preview: Shows your calendar with current settings.

Click Screen Settings to open the configuration panel:

Understanding the Configuration Panel#

The settings panel contains 5 tabs:

Step 2: Select Repository, Table and Knowledge Node#

First, configure the data source for your calendar events.

Configure Data Source#

1. Select your Repository from the dropdown
2. Click SAVE in the top-right corner
3. Refresh your browser page

Select Main Kube (Knowledge Node)#

What is Main Kube?\ The Main Kube (Knowledge Node) is a required data access layer that connects your calendar to the table. The calendar cannot access table data directly—it must go through a Knowledge Node.

Before proceeding: Ensure you have already created a Knowledge Node for your events table. If not, create one now:

1. Go to Knowledge Nodes section in ARPIA
2. Create a new node pointing to your events table
3. Configure the node with necessary columns
4. Save the node

Configure Main Kube:

1. In the Select Main Kube dropdown, select your Knowledge Node
2. Click SAVE
3. Refresh your browser page
4. Return to Screen Settings

🚧 Important: Without a Main Kube selected, your calendar will not be able to display any events.

Select Your Table#

1. In the Select table to edit dropdown, select your events table
2. Click SAVE
3. Refresh your browser page again
4. Return to Screen Settings

Optional: Configure Relational Key#

What is Relation Key? Links your events table to a related detail table through the Knowledge Node. For example, linking an "Events" table to an "Event_Details" table.

When to use it:

• You have supplementary information in another table
• You need to display or edit related records
• You're building a complex event management system

When to skip it:

• All your event information is in one table
• You're building a simple calendar
• You're just getting started

If using Relational Key:#

1. Select the Relational Key dropdown
2. Choose the column that links to your detail table
3. In Select relationship column, choose the primary field
4. Click SAVE

Step 3: Configure Calendar Settings#

Click the Calendar Settings tab to configure how your calendar displays event data.

Configure Requiered Fields

These four fields are required for your calendar to work:

Click the Preview button (top-right corner).

You should now see your events on the calendar! If not, see Troubleshooting below.

Configure Optional Display Settings#

Display Options:

Interaction Options

Event Details Display

Color Configuration

Example configuration:

Step 4: Configure Header Options#

Customize the calendar header and add action buttons that navigate to other screens or external URLs.

Enable Header#

1. Find Show Header Options
2. Select Yes
3. The header section will appear above your calendar

Add Action Buttons#

Click + ADD BUTTON to create a new button.

For Screen Link Buttons

• Label of Button : Enter button text (e.g., "View All Events")
• Button Type: Select "Screen Link"
• Select Screen: Choose destination screen from dropdown
• Click APPLY

For URL Link Buttons

• Label of Button: Enter button text (e.g., "Export Calendar")
• Button Type: Select "URL Link"
• URL to link: Enter full URL (e.g., https://yourcompany.com/export)

Manage Existing Buttons#

All created buttons appear in the Action Header Buttons list.\ For each button, you can:

• Edit: Click the gear icon → Modify settings → APPLY
• Delete: Click the X icon → Confirm deletion

Button Recommendations#

Useful button combinations:

For Event Management

• "View All Events" (List Screen)
• "Reports" (Dashboard Screen)
• "Settings" (Configuration Screen)

For External Integration

• "Export to CSV" (URL to export function)
• "Help Guide" (URL to documentation)

Step 5: Design the Add Event Form#

This is where you design the form that appears when users add or edit calendar events. The form builder uses fields from your Knowledge Node.

When you add a field, you'll configure these properties:

Managing Fields#

• Reorder: Drag fields up/down to change order
• Edit: Click gear icon on any field
• Delete: Click X icon to remove field

Essential Fields to Include#

Minimum Required Fields:

1. Event Title Field

• Node field: event_name
• Field type: Text Field
• Field Label: "Event Name"
• Required Field: ✓ Checked

2. Start Date/Time Field

• Node field: start_datetime
• Field type: Date Time
• Field Label: "Start Date & Time"
• Required Field: ✓ Checked

3. End Date/Time Field

• Node field: end_datetime
• Field type: Date Time
• Field Label: "End Date & Time"
• Required Field: ✓ Checked

Recommended Additional Fields:

• Event Type (dropdown or text)
• Venue/Location (text field)
• Description/Notes (text area)
• Status (dropdown or text)
• Coordinator (text field or dropdown)

Form Organization Best Practices#

• Group Related Fields
• Use Clear Labels
• Add Helpful Empty Explanations

Step 6: Configure Event Click Behavior#

Define what happens when a user clicks on a calendar event. Four options are available:

Option 1: Event Edit Form#

Opens the edit form you designed in the "Add Event Form" settings tab. Users can modify event details directly.

When to use:

• Users frequently need to edit events
• Quick updates are the primary use case
• You don't have a separate detail screen

How to configure:

1. Select Event Edit Form
2. Click SAVE

Option 2: Forward to Screen#

Navigates the user to a specified screen within the application.

When to use:

• You have a detail screen with comprehensive event information
• Users need to see related data (attendees, documents, history)
• You want to provide multiple actions (edit, delete, duplicate)

How to configure:

1. Select Forward to Screen
2. Primary Key Handling: Choose one: * As a relationship: Establishes relational link * Not sent: Just navigates without passing ID
3. Select Screen: Choose destination screen from dropdown
4. Click Save

Option 3: Open Screen in right sidebar#

Shows the target screen in a sidebar panel while keeping the calendar visible

When to use:

• Users need to reference the calendar while viewing details
• You want to avoid full navigation away from calendar
• Quick reference is the primary need

How to configure:

1. Select Open Screen in right sidebar
2. Primary Key Handling: Choose one: * As a relationship: Establishes relational link * Not sent: Just navigates without passing ID
3. Select Screen: Choose destination screen from dropdown

Option 4: Forward to URL#

Redirects the user to an external URL.

When to use:

• You're integrating with an external system
• Event details live outside ARPIA
• You need to trigger external processes

How to configure:

1. Select Forward to URL
2. URL: Enter the full URL
3. Click SAVE

Example: https://example.com/event-details?

Troubleshooting#

Events Not Appearing#

Problem: Calendar loads but no events show.

Solutions:

• Check date format: Must be YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format
• Verify column mapping: Screen Settings → Calendar Settings → Verify start/end date columns
• Verify date range: Navigate to the date range where your events should appear
• Check permissions: Verify user has read access to the table

Calendar Not Loading After Configuration#

Problem: Blank screen or error message.

Solutions:

• Verify save and refresh: After selecting repository/table, did you save AND refresh browser?
• Verify table exists: Ensure the selected table hasn't been deleted or renamed
• Clear browser cache:
• Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows)
• Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
• Clear cache and reload
• Check browser console for any error messages

Unable to Add or Edit Events#

Problem: Buttons don't appear or don't work.

Solutions:

• Confirm that Enable Event Addition and Enable Event Edition are enabled
• Verify that you have appropriate permissions to modify the linked table
• Check form configuration:
• All required fields included in Add Event Form?
• All required fields marked as required?
• Form field validations not too restrictive?

Event Click Does Nothing#

Problem: Clicking events has no effect.

Solutions:

• Check Event Link: Screen Settings → Event Link tab → Verify option selected
• Check destination:
• If "Forward to Screen": Does the screen exist and is it published?
• If "Forward to URL": Is the URL correct?
• Check primary key: Does your table have a primary key defined?
• Test alternative: Temporarily change Event Link to "Event Edit Form" to test basic functionality

Wrong Events Showing#

Problem: Events appear on wrong dates or times.\ Solutions:

• Check timezone: Dates might be storing in different timezone\ Verify data:

sql   SELECT event_name, start_datetime, end_datetime  
   FROM your_table  
   WHERE start_datetime BETWEEN '2024-12-01' AND '2024-12-31';\`

• Check column mapping: Ensure start/end columns aren't swapped

Best Practices#

✓ Start with required fields only - Add optional features after basic calendar works

✓ Use descriptive names for your Event Title Column to make events easily identifiable

✓ Use consistent date format - Always YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

✓ Keep primary key stable - Don't change event IDs after creation

✓ Enable Shade Business Hours for calendars used in business contexts\ ✓ Test event drag-and-drop functionality after enabling Enable Event Edition\ ✓ Keep the Add Event Form simple with only necessary fields to improve user experience

✓ Add helpful labels - "Event Budget (USD)" not just "Budget"

Related Documentation#

• Calendar Screen Overview
• Table Configuration
• User Permissions and Access Control
• Form Layout Guide