How to Import iCal to WordPress

Integrate your online iCal calendar with WordPress using a plugin.

Most of the major calendar programs make use of the iCalendar .ics file format, including Apple iCal, the calendar system that comes with all Apple Macintosh systems. The .ics file allows people to easily share schedules, meeting requests and other tasks, even when they do not use the same calendar program. Using a plugin such as ICS Calendar, you can import iCal calendar events to a public or private WordPress blog, then show those calendar events graphically on the main blog theme.

Instructions

1. Log in to your WordPress admin area. Click "Plugins," then click "Add New." Type "ICS Calendar" into the text field in the middle of the screen, then click the "Search Plugins" button.

2. Locate "ICS Calendar" in the search results, then click the "Install Now" link, just below the title of the plugin. The plugin takes a few seconds to install; when done, click the "Activate Plugin" link.

3. Click "Settings" from the left-hand menu bar, then click "ICS Calendar." Type a title in the "Calendar Title" text field, then enter the URL of your iCal calendar in the next text field.

4. Click either "Events" or "Days," then type the number of days or evens you want the calendar to display in the "Show next" text box.

5. Choose how you want the calendar items to be displayed using the options under the "Formatting" header. Here you can choose the date format, the time format, the event format and the privacy mode of the calendar.

6. Choose the display options you want under the "Calendar" header. From here you can choose when to show event popups, the start day of the calendar, the number of evens to display in each cell, whether to allow people to download events to their own calendar and whether to display permalinks to individual calendar events. Click "Save Changes" when you are done.

7. Decide if you want the calendar in your sidebar or on a new page. If you want it on a page, click "Pages" and "Add New," then type "[show-ics-events]" -- without quotations -- at the point you want the calendar to go. If you want it on the sidebar, click "Appearance" and "Widgets," then drag a "Text" widget to the point on the sidebar you want the calendar to be displayed. Give the section a title, then type "[show-ics-events]" -- again, without the quotes -- into the text box and click "Save."

References

• WordPress Plugin Directory: ICS Calendar