iCloud Calendar integration with Marketingplex Calendar

About

Before you begin reading this article on the connection here are a few things which we think are worthy of noting:

1. The iCloud Calendar integration only works for the Class Booking, Round Robin, Collective and Service Calendar

2. What this means is you cannot integrate the Simple calendar with iCloud calendar

3. With the iCloud integration, only "One way" sync is possible, which means any event created in the Marketingplex app would be pushed in the iCloud calendar and if you make any changes in Marketingplex calendar for those appointments the same would be updated in your iCloud calendar

However, the changes made in an event/appointment created on your iCloud calendar would not be reflected in the Marketingplex calendar. The events created would still be shown on the Marketingplex Calendar view, and would always be considered when checking for available slots, however updating those events in iCloud would not be reflected in the Marketingplex Calendar.

Example: You have an appointment "Hair Cut" which was booked on Marketingplex application this would be pushed to the iCloud calendar. Even when this appointment is updated/deleted the same would be reflected in the iCloud calendar. 

Now let's take an example of another appointment which was created in iCloud let's say "Pick John from school" this event would be factored in when the Marketingplex calendar application is looking for available slot. This appointment would also be shown in the Marketingplex calendar however if you make any changes in the appointment on the iCloud calendar that won't be reflected on the Marketingplex application. 

Now let's look at how to integrate iCloud Calendar with Marketingplex application:

With iCloud it is a one way sync only. It means the changes you are making, it will synced to iCloud calendar, but the changes you are making in iCloud will not come in application calendar.

2 way Sync Capability

With the two-way sync capability, events created in Marketingplex are automatically synced to iCloud, and modifications made in iCloud are seamlessly updated in Marketingplex. The same applies for events created in iCloud and synced to Marketingplex. This ensures accurate availability without the need for manual updates, providing users with a smooth and efficient calendar sync experience.

Connecting your iCloud Calendar with Marketingplex

Step1: Obtain your unique app-specific password from Apple.

Before integrating your iCloud calendar with Marketingplex Calendar, you'll need to obtain your app-specific password from Apple. This unique password is distinct from your regular Apple account password.

Apple mandates the use of an app-specific password, in addition to enabling two-factor authentication, when connecting to third-party applications like Marketingplex Calendar.

To obtain your app-specific password, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to https://appleid.apple.com/.

2. Enable two-factor authentication under the Security section if you haven't already done so.

3. In the App-Specific Passwords section, choose 'Generate Password.'

4. Enter a label for the password (for instance, "Marketingplex Calendar") and click 'Create.'

5. Copy the generated app-specific password for use in connecting your iCloud calendar with Marketingplex Calendar.

Step 2: Integrating iCloud with Marketingplex Calendar

1. Click on the Settings button from the left navigation panel

2. Select My Profile and go to Integrations

3. You should see the option with iCloud Calendar click on Connect

4. You then will be asked to enter your iCloud Email Address and your app-specific password which you created in Step 1

5. Your iCloud is Connected

Step 3: Configure Primary and Check for Conflict Calendars

What is Primary Calendar and how is it different from Check for conflicts?

A Primary Calendar is where your appointments booked in the Marketingplex application are displayed. Additionally, it also syncs all the events from your iCloud calendar into the Marketingplex calendar.

If you have other calendars that you want to compare against to avoid double bookings, you can add multiple calendars in the Check for conflicts feature. The events from these calendars will also appear in the Marketingplex calendar. When checking for availability, the Marketingplex calendar will also take into account events from these calendars.

To setup Primary Calendar where you want the Marketingplex appointments to also be pushed, 

1. Go to My Profile

2. Click on Calendar Configuration

3. Click on Edit under Primary Calendar

4. Select the account from the list of accounts. Please remember the list would only show those accounts which are integrated with Marketingplex application

5. Save and you are all set with your Primary Calendar

For adding for calendars to Check for Conflicts

1. Go to My Profile

2. Click on Calendar Configuration

3. Click on Edit under Check for Conflicts

4. Sele

Navigate to Settings >> Profile and you will find Calendar Configuration and in Calendar configuration you have 2 segments.

1. Primary Calendar : It reads all the calendar events from iCloud and it writes all the appointments to iCloud. 

2. Check for conflicts : It only reads calendar events from iCloud.

Notes

• This will not create contacts.

• You can not edit the events coming from the iCloud.

• All events from iCloud will be considered as busy for the user.

• Blocked off slot won't sync to iCloud calendar.