Google Calendar Integration

Set up and use the Google Calendar integration feature for bidirectional sync between Event Schedule and Google Calendar.

Prerequisites

  1. A Google Cloud Console project
  2. Google Calendar API enabled
  3. OAuth 2.0 credentials configured

Setup Instructions

1. Google Cloud Console Setup

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select an existing one
  3. Enable the Google Calendar API:
    • Go to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
    • Search for "Google Calendar API"
    • Click on it and press "Enable"

2. OAuth 2.0 Credentials

  1. Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
  2. Click "Create Credentials" > "OAuth 2.0 Client IDs"
  3. Choose "Web application" as the application type
  4. Add authorized redirect URIs:
    • For development: http://localhost:8000/google-calendar/callback
    • For production: https://yourdomain.com/google-calendar/callback
  5. Save the credentials and note down the Client ID and Client Secret

3. Environment Configuration

Add the following environment variables to your .env file:

.env 
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=https://yourdomain.com/google-calendar/callback

Features

User Features

  1. Connect Google Calendar: Users can connect their Google Calendar account from their profile page
  2. Sync All Events: Users can sync all their events to Google Calendar at once
  3. Individual Event Sync: Users can sync individual events from the event edit page
  4. Automatic Sync: Events are automatically synced when created, updated, or deleted (if user has Google Calendar connected)
  5. Bidirectional Sync: Events added in either Google Calendar or Event Schedule will appear in both places
  6. Calendar Selection: Choose which Google Calendar to sync with for each role/schedule
  7. Real-time Updates: Changes in Google Calendar are automatically synced to Event Schedule via webhooks

Event Information Synced

  • Event name
  • Event description (with venue and URL information)
  • Start and end times
  • Location (venue address)
  • Event URL

Sync Status

Events can have three sync statuses:

Status Description
Not Connected User hasn't connected their Google Calendar
Not Synced User has connected Google Calendar but this event isn't synced
Synced Event is synced to Google Calendar

Bidirectional Sync

When bidirectional sync is enabled:

  • Events created in Event Schedule are automatically added to Google Calendar
  • Events created in Google Calendar are automatically added to Event Schedule
  • Changes in either system are reflected in the other
  • Real-time updates via Google Calendar webhooks

Usage

For Users

1. Connect Google Calendar

  1. Go to your settings page (/settings)
  2. Scroll to the "Google Calendar Integration" section
  3. Click "Connect Google Calendar"
  4. Authorize the application in the Google OAuth flow

2. Sync All Events

  1. After connecting, click "Sync All Events" in your profile
  2. This will sync all your events to your primary Google Calendar

3. Sync Individual Events

  1. Go to any event edit page
  2. Scroll to the "Google Calendar Sync" section
  3. Click "Sync to Google Calendar" or "Remove from Google Calendar"

4. Enable Bidirectional Sync

  1. Go to your role/schedule edit page
  2. Scroll to the "Google Calendar Integration" section
  3. Select which Google Calendar to sync with
  4. Click "Enable" for bidirectional sync
  5. Events will now sync both ways automatically

5. Manual Sync Options

  • Sync to Google Calendar: Push all events from Event Schedule to Google Calendar
  • Sync from Google Calendar: Pull all events from Google Calendar to Event Schedule

For Developers

Automatic Sync

Events are automatically synced when:

  • Created (if user has Google Calendar connected)
  • Updated (if user has Google Calendar connected)
  • Deleted (if event was previously synced)

Manual Sync

You can manually sync events using the Event model:

PHP 
// Sync an event for all connected users
$event->syncToGoogleCalendar('create'); // or 'update', 'delete'

// Check sync status
$event->isSyncedToGoogleCalendar();

// Get sync status for a specific user
$event->getGoogleCalendarSyncStatus($user);
Background Jobs

Sync operations are handled by background jobs (SyncEventToGoogleCalendar) to avoid blocking the user interface.

API Endpoints

Endpoint Description
GET /google-calendar/redirect Start OAuth flow
GET /google-calendar/callback OAuth callback
GET /google-calendar/disconnect Disconnect Google Calendar
GET /google-calendar/calendars Get user's calendars
POST /google-calendar/sync-events Sync all events
POST /google-calendar/sync-event/{eventId} Sync specific event
DELETE /google-calendar/unsync-event/{eventId} Remove event from Google Calendar
POST /google-calendar/role/{subdomain} Update role's Google Calendar selection
POST /google-calendar/bidirectional/{subdomain}/enable Enable bidirectional sync
POST /google-calendar/bidirectional/{subdomain}/disable Disable bidirectional sync
POST /google-calendar/sync-from-google/{subdomain} Sync from Google Calendar to Event Schedule
GET /google-calendar/webhook Webhook verification (Google Calendar)
POST /google-calendar/webhook Webhook handler (Google Calendar)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Google Calendar not connected" error

  • User needs to connect their Google Calendar account first
  • Check if OAuth credentials are correctly configured

"Failed to sync event" error

  • Check if Google Calendar API is enabled
  • Verify OAuth credentials are correct
  • Check application logs for detailed error messages

Events not syncing automatically

  • Ensure queue workers are running for background jobs
  • Check if user has valid Google Calendar tokens

Logs

Sync operations are logged in the application logs. Check storage/logs/laravel.log for detailed information about sync operations.

Security Considerations

  1. Token Storage: Google OAuth tokens are stored encrypted in the database
  2. Scope Limitation: The integration only requests necessary Google Calendar permissions
  3. User Authorization: Users can only sync events they have access to
  4. Token Refresh: Access tokens are automatically refreshed when needed
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