The Event and Event Series content types, as you probably guessed, provide information about Grinnell events. The goal is to eventually connect the site with the campus calendar, but until that happens, you can use these content types to provide event information throughout your site.

Use the Event content type for a single event (such as a guest lecture), or an event that occurs multiple times but has a single description and location (e.g., a theater production with multiple showings in Roberts Theatre or Yoga in Faulconer Gallery).

Event Series can be used for any group of events. Event Series can be used for a certain time period's events (e.g. "Spring 2010 Events), but are best used for thematic groupings (e.g. a Rosenfield Symposium).

Adding Events to an Event Series

To use an Event Series to combine multiple events, you need to do three things:

  1. Create an Event Series node.
  2. Create an Event node for each event in the series or add multiple dates to a single event (see "Using Multiple Dates for One Event" below).
  3. Assign each Event to the series using the "Event Series" field on the Event nodes.

Note: If you know you want to use an event series, create it first, so it will be available when you are creating your events. If you've created your events already, you can still add them to a series. Simply edit them to assign them to the event series.

Using Multiple Dates for One Event

In many cases, the same event (with the same location, contact person, and description) occurs at multiple times.  Instead of creating a unique Event node for every instance of this event, just give the single event node multiple times (using the "From Date" and "To Date" fields).  Doing this will make each instance of the event show up correctly interspersed with any other events in the same series.

To add a second, third, or nth date to one event, click the "Add another item" button below the Date field on the Event node.

The Event Series & Its Variants

To display a list of events, create an event series and assign events to it. 

Default Event Series Example: Faulconer Gallery Spring 2010 Events

Events assigned to an Event Series will automatically appear at the bottom of the Event Series' page from the first to the last (top to bottom).

There are currently three variants available.  Only one variant can be used at a time and they cannot be combined.

How to Use a Variant

  1. Edit the Event Series node that you want to change.
  2. Enter the variant tag (see below for tags) in the "General Tags" field inside the "Vocabularies" field set.
  3. Save the node.
  4. You should now see the change.
  5. To undo the change, simply remove the tag.  Because the tag doesn't change the data that is being displayed, you can change between the default and variants at any time.  You cannot combine variants.

The Variants

To use, take the "tag" and use it in Step 2 of the above instructions.

Reverse Chronological Order

What it does: Displays the last event at the top and the first event at the bottom.

Tag: Reverse Chronological Order

Example: Chinese/Japanese Events

Full Illustrated List

What it does: Displays the entire body field and a thumbnail of the image in the "Small Image" field on the event node.

Tag: Full Illustrated Event Listing

Example: Conference Operations Public Events Series

Upcoming Events

What it does: Only displays events that are occurring or have not occured yet.  Events that have finished will disappear at 12am of the following day.

Tag: Upcoming Events Only

Example: CS Table