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When creating a new SP2010 calendar event, the following options are offered as default:

  • Meeting
  • Work hours
  • Business
  • Holiday
  • Get-together
  • Gifts
  • Birthday
  • Anniversary

Most are not relevant for us and we tend to remove them and add a couple per more, on a site-by-site basis.

Rather than do this ad hoc, can I change this somewhere in the default setup so that all new events take this form?

Thanks

Neil

  • Do you have to make new calenders often? If so I will post the answer to create your standard basic Calender site, then go to site settings > save site as site template, and then use that to create your new calender sites. If not, what do you mean? – Hugh Wood Nov 26 '12 at 12:06

2 Answers2

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You can update the Categories by going to List Settings as shown below: enter image description here

then click Category column, and you should see all the options in English enter image description here
[I have Arabic installed so options are in Arabic], change this list and click Save

Now that you have customized the Calendar List, you can:

1- In List Settings: click "Save List as Template"
2- Fill the form that it brings up
3- You will see all the Custom List templates on URL like http://servername/_catalogs/lt/Forms/AllItems.aspx
4- Make new List and you should see your Custom Calendar Template there!
5- If you want to use this Customized template in other web applications, just upload the .stp file created to Site Settings -> Under Galleries -> List Templates

I hope this helps

UPDATE: Clarification about Content Type

Go to Site Settings -> Click site content types [Under Galleries] -> Click Event
[This is the Event Content Type used for Calendar]

-> Click Category
[At the top where Column Name appears, you will see a link to Edit Site Column - Category is a Site Column and may be used with other Lists or Content Types as well]

-> Click edit Site column link
[Notice that the categories in Calendar are not listed here]

DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING DURING THIS, I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU!

Arsalan Adam Khatri
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  • Hi, thanks. So this custom template would be used as the new default Event content type in a calendar? –  Nov 26 '12 at 14:01
  • @NeilFegen You are not modifying content type, instead you are modifying/customizing Calendar List and using the customized list as template.. – Arsalan Adam Khatri Nov 26 '12 at 14:22
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Presuming you are making multiple sites not just list instances given the type you are adding:

Create your calender site as you want it, or the site that includes the calender, with all options configured.

Create a new site off your site definition, then open up that site in Designer.

Go to: Navigation > Lists and Libraries > Double click category, and edit the choices as desired.

Then you re-save out your site template as a new site template with the following:

Navigate to your new base site, go to:

Site Actions > Site Settings > Save as Site Template

Input your Title, File and Group.

Then when you go to create a new site use your newly created Site Template instead.

All your configured options will be there and you can enjoy the benefits of simple replication.

The reason for a site, would be that when you create something like a calender then you usually are creating other lists and libraries for the same instance. Just changing the list definition will only help for creating new lists, this is why I didn't go down this route in the first place.

[Note]

If your site definition sites locally, the same edits can be made to the Schema.xml of the Events list for the Calender.

[Edits]

  • [updated on how to modify the list and create a new template)

  • +1 Arslan for SharePoint UI way of editing the list.

Hugh Wood
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  • @Neil Fegen I don't think your comment entered properly. – Hugh Wood Nov 26 '12 at 12:24
  • Why save the whole site as a template? You can customize the Calendar List and then Save the List as template from List Settings! – Arsalan Adam Khatri Nov 26 '12 at 12:35
  • Don't know what happened - tried to say that I got into SP Designer and tried to edit the Category column in an Event content type but you can only change whether it is required/optional, not the actual options. –  Nov 26 '12 at 12:40
  • @NeilFegen I have updated my answer, this will lead you how to customize list columns - No need of SP Designer for this! – Arsalan Adam Khatri Nov 26 '12 at 12:48
  • @Arsalan Adam Khatri I read it as thought he was creating new sites, in which it would be far easier overall to create new sites. Neil you customise the site actually in SharePoint then export, but as I said just some clarification if it is new sites you are adding or just new list instances. To me just list instances doesn't make sense for the kind of list it is. I would go down this route, because it allows you to set up everything not just the list instance for replication. – Hugh Wood Nov 26 '12 at 12:58
  • Well in that case you need a hybrid solution between mine and Arsalan's. You need to create a list definition for the list based upon the base definition. In Designer to edit the list its Navigation > Lists > The Event list you are using > Double click category to do what Arsalan is doing. But this would be preference over his method for altering the list. I will update my post on how to remake a new site template including your change. – Hugh Wood Nov 26 '12 at 14:10
  • @HughWood Thanks, think the two of you have it between you. I just want all new sites (build on our existing Page Layout) to use my modified Calendar Event type, rather than the 'out of the box' one. –  Nov 26 '12 at 14:11
  • Hi I have updated my answer to show a complete way of making a new site definition that includes the edit you require. If your site definition sites locally, the same edits can be made to the Schema.xml of the Events list for the Calender. – Hugh Wood Nov 26 '12 at 14:16