WP-CLI is the command-line tool for WordPress. If your host gives you SSH access with WP-CLI, HappenBoard adds commands to create events and run imports. They help when you script a setup, fill a staging site, or import a file too large for your browser.
Run the commands from your WordPress folder. To see every HappenBoard command on your site:
wp help happenboardCreate an event
wp happenboard event create --title="Launch party" --start="2026-06-15 18:00"A weekly series of ten dates, 30 minutes each:
wp happenboard event create --title="Standup" --start="2026-06-15 09:00" --end="2026-06-15 09:30" --rrule="FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,WE,FR;COUNT=10"| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
--title=<title> | The event title. Required. | None |
--start=<datetime> | The start, such as "2026-06-15 18:00". Required. | None |
--end=<datetime> | The end. | One hour after the start |
--all-day | Makes it an all-day event. | Off |
--rrule=<rule> | A repeat rule, such as "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO;COUNT=8". | None |
--venue=<id> | Links an existing venue by its ID. | None |
--organizer=<id> | Links an existing organizer by its ID. | None |
--capacity=<n> | The number of places. 0 means unlimited. | Unlimited |
--format=<format> | in_person, virtual or hybrid. | in_person |
--status=<status> | publish, draft, future (scheduled), pending or private. | publish |
--description=<text> | The event description. | Empty |
--timezone=<zone> | The time zone your start and end are written in, such as Europe/Paris. | Your site’s time zone |
--porcelain | Prints only the new event’s ID, for scripts. | Off |
The event’s dates are built straight away, so it shows in the calendar and list blocks without another save.
The command stops with an error, and creates nothing, when the end is before the start or the repeat rule cannot be used. The same goes for a format or a status that is not in the list above. A venue or organizer ID that does not exist is ignored with a warning. So is an unknown time zone: the site’s time zone is used instead.
Migrate from another plugin
Three of the supported plugins have a command. Add --dry-run to see what would happen without writing anything.
wp happenboard migrate tec --dry-run
wp happenboard migrate tec
wp happenboard migrate em
wp happenboard migrate sugartec is The Events Calendar, em is Events Manager and sugar is Sugar Calendar. Each command checks that the source data is there, says how many events it found, and works through them 100 at a time. It ends with the number created, skipped and failed for each type of content. Problems are listed as warnings.
EventKoi and Amelia have no command. Migrate them from HappenBoard → Settings → Migration.
Import an .ics file
wp happenboard migrate ics --file=/path/to/calendar.ics --dry-run
wp happenboard migrate ics --file=/path/to/calendar.ics--file=<path>: the file on the server. Required.--limit=<n>: stop after this many events. Useful to test a large file.--dry-run: report without writing.
It prints each notice as a warning, then the number of events created, updated, skipped and in error. A missing file, or a file with no event in it, stops the command with an error. The import works exactly as in the browser, described in importing an .ics file.
Rebuild the attendee timeline
This command needs HappenBoard Pro. See what Pro adds.
This command fills the attendee activity timeline from the sign-ups and check-ins you already have. Use it on a site that took sign-ups before the timeline existed. Attendees that already have a timeline are skipped.
wp happenboard pro attendee-events rebuild --dry-run
wp happenboard pro attendee-events rebuild --per-event=123--dry-run: report what would be written.--per-event=<id>: only the attendees of this event. Anything other than the ID of an existing event is refused.--force: delete each attendee’s timeline entries and rebuild them.
Send reminders on time
This one is a WordPress command. Reminder emails rely on WordPress’s scheduled tasks, which only run when someone visits your site. On a quiet site, ask your host to run this every minute:
wp cron event run --due-nowHappenBoard → Settings → Health tells you when scheduled tasks run late. See health and maintenance.
Next steps
- Migrating from another plugin: what each plugin brings over.
- Importing an .ics file: what each calendar entry becomes.
- Health and maintenance: check scheduled tasks and run upkeep actions.