Every event needs a start: it is what puts the event in your calendars and lists. This page covers the start and end fields, the time zone they use, and all-day events.
Set the start and end
Open the event in the block editor. The When panel in the sidebar has three settings:
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| All day event | Hides the time: the event takes the whole day. | Off |
| Starts | The day and time the event begins. Required to publish. | Empty |
| Ends | The day and time it finishes. Filled in when you pick the start, using the default event length. | Start plus 60 minutes |
- Click Starts. A calendar opens.
- Pick the day, then set the hour and minutes.
- Check Ends and change it if the event lasts longer or shorter.
The default length comes from Default event duration (minutes) in HappenBoard → Settings → General. A Clear button next to a filled field empties it.
If you change the start later, the end does not move with it. An end before the start is refused when you save, with the message “The event cannot end before it starts.”
Why the start is required
Without a start, an event has no date, so it appears in no calendar or list. HappenBoard therefore refuses to publish it. In the editor, a warning shows under Starts while it is empty, and Publish fails with a message asking you to set the start. A draft can be saved without one.
An event published without a start in an older version shows “This event has no date yet, so it is not taking RSVPs.” in place of its sign-up form. Add a start and update the event to fix it.
Times use your site’s time zone
Under the date fields, a line names the time zone, for example “Times are in your site timezone (Europe/Paris).” It is the time zone set in Settings → General, not your computer’s. A start you pick as 19:30 shows as 19:30 on your site, wherever you are when you type it.
Visitors also see times in your site’s time zone, in the date and time formats chosen in Settings → General.
Set the time zone before you create events. Changing it later keeps a one-time event at the same moment, so its time shows differently: 19:00 in Paris becomes 18:00 if you switch the site to London. A recurring series is rebuilt in the new time zone: its first date keeps its moment, and every later date takes the same clock time as the first.
All-day and multi-day events
Switch on All day event for anything where the clock does not matter: a festival, a holiday, a deadline. The editor and the event page then show the date without a time, and calendar files list it as a whole day.
For a one-day event, leave Ends empty. For an event over several days, set Ends on the last day. A timed event can also run over several days, such as a weekend workshop from Saturday 10:00 to Sunday 17:00.
An event that lasts several days shows on each of its days in the Calendar block and in the admin Calendar.
Change dates from the admin screens
The quick form opened from HappenBoard → Events or HappenBoard → Calendar has the same fields, named All-day event, Start and End. Picking a Start there also fills an empty End. On the admin Calendar screen:
- Click a day to create an event starting at 09:00 that day, or click an hour in the week and day views to start it at that hour. The end is set using the default event length.
- Drag an event to another day or hour to move it.
- In the week and day views, drag the bottom edge of an event to change its end.
Moving one date of a repeating event on its own needs HappenBoard Pro: see editing a single date in a series.
To move several events at once, select them in HappenBoard → Events, choose Edit fields…, then Shift dates. Start and end move together by the hours, days or weeks you choose.
When you change the date or time of a published event, people who signed up get an email with the new date and an updated calendar file.
If something goes wrong
- Publish fails: fill in Starts in the When panel, then publish again.
- The event is missing from the calendar: check that it has a start and is published.
- Times are one or two hours off: check the time zone in Settings → General.
Next steps
- Recurring events: building a repeat rule: repeat an event daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.
- General settings: change the default event length and the Calendar’s first view.
- Create your first event: the full walkthrough, from a new event to a calendar page.