Refresh Blog

With the Eventbrite API integration, SEO improvements and sitemaps support getting most of the attention in 1.5 I thought it would be helpful to highlight a few other new features which may, at first, get overlooked. Here are a few of the unsung heroes of Helios Calendar 1.5 in a bit more detail.

Improved Twitter Support

Yes, the Tawc feature has really been removed. No, it wasn't an easy decision to make, but I think it was the right one. Unfortunately, the Tawc feature fell victim to idealized goals in an imperfect world. For everyone ever annoyed by an automated tweet, or upset that we made the decision to remove the Tawc feature, I hope the new Twitter support will make up for it. How will it accomplish this? In several ways:

1) It's not automated. So no one can call your tweets the "S" word, or call your Helios Calendar the "B" word.*
2) Posted tweets are about the event you're publishing/editing/approving at that moment, not "canned".
3) Tweets contain useful information, with relevant links, that your Twitter followers can use to learn more about the event.
4) Administrators can edit the Tweet anyway they like before submitting it, allowing full customization.
5) Tweeting is integrated with event publishing, just check a checkbox to use it, so there isn't a ton of work or a steep learning curve.

*Please note: the S word is "spam", and the B word is "bot".

Admin Account Notices

Starting with Helios Calendar 1.5, each administrator can customize email notice settings for their individual account. By enabling each accounts custom notice settings administrators can tailor notice types to their preferences & responsibilities. In addition, multiple administrators can now receive notices from Helios Calendar, something previous versions didn't support. This allows reduced response time and better distribution of the management workload.

Browse by Week/Month Navigation Controls

As you know, Helios Calendar has long supported both Week & Month browse types. This setting is still available to administrators and can be configured to your preferred type in the admin console. The administrator selected browse type will now be the default and users can select their preferred option while browsing the public calendar, for even greater flexibility.

OpenID Login Links

We all love OpenID. The introduction of OpenID support in Helios has, and will continue, to allow the addition of great new public user features. The best way to encourage OpenID adoption is to make it even easier to use. Helios Calendar 1.5 takes a step in that direction by introducing labeled links, following the OpenID foundation guidelines, for one click login to Google, Yahoo & MySpace accounts. In addition, because the links are part of Helios' language pack they can easily be localized for use anywhere in the world.

Speaking of localization...

Localization Improvements

Helios Calendar is continually making new friends around the world. With 1.5 we've taken a fresh look at better supporting, and documenting, Helios' localization capabilities. New language pack settings for address format & region input increase Helios' global flexibility and an overhaul of the Localization documentation (highlighting easily overlooked settings), helps make using Helios Calendar even easier, no matter where you, or your events, call home.

New (and Updated) Documentation Pages:
Translation
Localization_Settings
Weather/Map_Links

So there you have it. Five new features in Helios Calendar 1.5 that you might have missed. I hope you enjoy using Helios Calendar 1.5 and visit the Community Forum (or send us a tweet) and let us know what you think about all the new features.

Related Links
Helios Calendar 1.5 Changelog
Helios Calendar Demo (Updated to version 1.5)
Screenshots below are also available in the 1.5 album.