Subscribe
Providers can subscribe to an iCalendar feed of their active jobs to integrate their schedule on Octoo with their calendar application of choice (computers or mobile phones).
Providers can utilize an iCalendar feed to display their active jobs from Octoo on their computer or mobile phone using a calendar application of choice. This feature allows providers to easily integrate their jobs alongside their personal or other calendar events, making it easier to manage their time and commitments.
About the iCalendar Feed
To start, generate a secure token for the iCal feed from within Octoo: https://app.octoo.com/profile/calendar.
The calendar URL is protected by a secure and unique token; the secure token will be included in the URL for the iCal feed, which will look like this:
https://api.octoo.com/v2/calendar/YOUR_SECURE_TOKEN/jobs.icsIf a device is lost or compromised, the provider can generate a new token to invalidate the old one, ensuring that their job schedule remains secure.
WARNING: The token is sensitive information and should be treated like a password. If someone gains access to a provider's token, they can view the provider's job schedule. Always keep the token secure and do not share it with anyone.
Token expiration
Secure tokens have an expiration date (six months from the date of creation). After this date has passed, the token will no longer be valid, and a new token will need to be generated to continue accessing the iCal feed.
An alert and warnings will appear within the calendar feed itself as a reminder to generate a new token before the expiration date. A new token can be generated at any time, and the old token will be invalidated immediately. This allows providers to maintain control over their calendar feed and ensure that it remains secure.
Jobs included in the feed
The calendar/jobs.ics feed includes all active jobs for the provider. It includes jobs looking back the past six months and includes all jobs in the future. The calendar feed is updated any time the provider's job status changes in the API (however, actual fetching/refresh is managed by the calendar client). It will include:
All active jobs (assigned, contingent, pending, and seeking replacement)
Title and topic and location of the job
Remote connection information (if applicable)
Team member information (if applicable)
Note that cancelled jobs are currently not included in the feed
Creating multiple feeds with different filters
Power users who want greater control over how their feeds work and look on their device can generate multiple URLs with different subsets of job information. For example, a provider may want one calendar that is green for awarded jobs and a blue calendar for the pending or contingent ones. Or perhaps they want to separate onsite from remote jobs.
How to subscribe to the feed
To subscribe to the iCalendar feed, use the secure token URL provided by Octoo. Each calendar application has its own method of subscribing to an iCalendar feed. The secure URL can be copied or one of the quick action buttons can be used.
NOTE: The calendar feed is read-only and only updated approximately once per hour. A timestamp from the last update is included in the body of the event. See FAQs for additional information.
iOS Calendar App
See the iOS help document for detailed information.
Method One: Open the Calendar app, tap on "Calendars" at the bottom, then tap "Add Calendar" and select "Add Subscribed Calendar". Paste the secure token URL provided by Octoo.
Method Two: Navigate to
Settings > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account > Other > Add Subscribed Calendar, then paste the secure token URL provided by Octoo.
MacOS Calendar App
See the MacOS help document for detailed information.
Open the Calendar app, go to
File > New Calendar Subscription.Paste the secure token URL provided by Octoo into the
Calendar URLfield.For the
Location, selectiCloudto sync with iCloud and all devices orOn My Macto keep it local.Update
Auto-refreshtoEvery houror at a higher interval if desired (less than an hour is not recommended).
Google Calendar
Google typically updates subscribed calendar feeds every 8-9 hours (occasionally longer) and does not provide any mechanism for increasing the refresh rate. If more frequent updates are needed, consider using a different calendar application.
See the Google Calendar help document for detailed information.
Open Google Calendar
Click on the
+icon next to Other calendarsSelect From URL, and paste the secure token URL provided by Octoo.
Do not check the box marked make this calendar public
Google Calendar will report that the feed is 🔓 PUBLIC when viewing the event. This just means that anyone who has the feed URL can see the event details. Do not share this URL with anyone else.
Microsoft Outlook
See the Microsoft Outlook help document for detailed information.
Open Outlook, go to
File > Account Settings > Internet Calendarsand click "New".Paste the secure token URL provided by Octoo.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below are some common questions and answers about the iCal feed subscription feature:
Why aren't all past jobs included in the feed?
The feed is limited to the past six months of jobs to keep the feed size manageable. A subscription feed is not paginated (that is, it loads all jobs at once), so including every past job can result in a very large feed that will continue to grow over time. For older jobs (going back to the beginning of time or before that), providers can always log into Octoo and view their job history there.
Why aren't job changes reflected immediately on the calendar?
When a change is made in Octoo, the cache for the iCal feed is immediately updated in the API. However, each calendar application will refresh the feed at its own interval. This means that changes made in Octoo may not immediately appear in the calendar application. The iCal protocol is designed for periodic updates, not real-time updates, and doesn't allow for a "push" mechanism to notify calendar applications of changes.
Why aren't consumer names shown?
Out of an abundance of caution, consumer names are not included in the iCal feed. This is to protect consumer privacy and ensure that sensitive information is not inadvertently shared through the calendar subscription. The feed will include job titles, topics, and locations, but not personal information about consumers. The link in the event description leads to the job brief where the consumer name and additional details can be found.
If I subscribe to this feed, will it overwrite my current calendar events?
No, subscribing to the iCal feed will not overwrite existing calendar events. The iCal feed is read-only and will only add an entirely new event calendar to the app. It can usually be assigned a color and toggled on and off as needed. It will not interfere with existing calendar events or appointments and can be hidden at any time. Because it is read-only, the events cannot be edited or changed.
Can I copy the event to my own calendar?
Yes, events can be copied to a personal calendar. Most calendar applications allow duplicating or copying events from a subscribed calendar to a personal calendar. This way, changes can be made to the event without affecting the original iCal feed. However, keep in mind that any changes made to the copied event will not be reflected in the original iCal feed.
Will I get a notification when an update occurs?
No, notifications are not sent when an update occurs in the iCal feed. The iCal protocol does not support push notifications for updates. Providers will continue to receive updates via email or in-app notifications for job changes, but the iCal feed itself will not trigger any notifications.
Do I have to manually refresh the feed?
No, manual refreshing is not required but is possible. Most calendar applications will automatically refresh the iCal feed at regular intervals (usually every hour). However, to see the latest updates immediately, the calendar can be manually refreshed in the application. The exact method for doing this will depend on the calendar application being used.
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