If you are currently using the Events Calendar plugin and need to migrate your content over to the new UW Events plugin, these simple steps may help you with getting started.
Step 1: Determine if you are using Events Calendar
Less than 200 sites are using Events Calendar. You may not be impacted by this change as WiscWeb hosts around 1,800 websites in total. To know for sure, you can check our KnowledgeBase documentation for a list of websites currently using Events Calendar (login required).
If your site(s) are not on the list, you can safely ignore future messages about this change.
If your site(s) are on the list, please consider moving forward with the steps outlined below.
Step 2: Activate UW Events plugin so you have it ready
UW Events is a custom WiscWeb plugin that is replacing Events Calendar. Activating the UW Events plugin on your site will not impact your existing events. However, it does allow you to get started on migrating your content over.
To activate, follow the steps for Self-Service Plugin Activation and choose the plugin titled “UW Events.”
Step 3: Review existing Events Calendar events
Please consider conducting a thorough review of your Events Calendar events. Does everything truly need to move over or can some of it go away? If you have events that you don’t want to lose, could they simply be archived? Make a plan for what actually needs to be moved versus what can be deleted or archived.
Step 4: Start recreating any future events in the UW Events plugin
Most folks can start by recreating future events. The reason for this is because many of your past events could be either archived or deleted. Getting started on your future events means you’re one step closer to switching to the UW Events plugin for all of your event marketing.
Instructions for using the UW Events plugin
Tips:
- If you have a significant number of events to be recreated, reach out to the WiscWeb team for help.
- If you are concerned about having duplicate events that are publicly visible on your site (EC events and UW Events events), consider saving these as Draft for now.
Step 5: Review past events
For past events, determine what needs to be moved, what can be archived, and what can be permanently deleted. Here’s a good way to understand the difference:
Archiving
If you’re finding that you want to keep the older events so that you have the info for next year’s event, those are fine to archive. We have a few options for archiving events outlined in our KnowledgeBase documentation.
Moving
If you’re finding that you want users to be able to navigate to past events, then you may want to consider moving the content to the UW Events plugin. Use the instructions for creating these events.
Deleting
If you are finding that past events are no longer relevant and you do not require any archive of the info, you can either:
- Delete them directly from the Events Calendar events list
- Archive/move everything else and these will go away naturally when the Events Calendar plugin is deactivated in your site
If you’re struggling to determine a plan for your past events, please do not hesitate to reach out for help.
Step 6: Deactivate Events Calendar
When you’ve completed the process (i.e., you’ve rebuilt everything in the UW Events plugin and have archived anything you wish to keep a record of), follow the steps for deactivating the Events Calendar plugin. Deactivating the plugin lets the WiscWeb team know that you’ve completed your migration.