This guide is for course providers who want their Cademy course dates to appear in Google Calendar or Outlook, or who want customers to book a course that runs on request at times when their calendar is free. It explains how to connect a calendar, what Cademy sends to it and when, and what to do if the connection stops working.
The video above and the pictures in this guide were made in 2024. The menu and some pages have changed since then, so follow the names in the text.
A course date is one scheduled session of a course. A course runs on set dates when you add its dates yourself and customers book one of them. This covers the On set dates and Blended course formats. A course runs on request when it has no dates until a customer asks for one. This is the On-request format.
What Calendar Sync does
Calendar Sync connects a Google or Microsoft Outlook calendar account to Cademy. It does two things.
It adds an event to your calendar for each date of a course that you link to that calendar, and updates the event when the date changes in Cademy.
For a course that runs on request, it checks when your calendar shows you as busy, so customers are offered only the times when you are free.
Events are sent one way, from Cademy to your calendar. Cademy does not copy events from your calendar into Cademy, and a change you make to an event in Google Calendar or Outlook does not change anything in Cademy. Cademy uses the events already in your calendar only to work out when you are busy.
Calendar Sync is available on every Cademy plan. It does not apply to on-demand courses, which have no course dates.
To connect a calendar you need a Cademy login with the System Admin role, because the Apps menu is shown only to System Admins. If you are a System Admin and cannot see Apps, it has been hidden from your menu: look under More. To choose a connected calendar in a course you need the Course Owner or System Admin role.
Connect a Google or Outlook calendar
You need a Google account, or a Microsoft account with an Outlook calendar. While you connect it, Google or Microsoft asks you to allow Cademy to read your calendars and to add and change events in them.
Sign in to the Cademy admin dashboard and select Apps.
Select Google Calendar Sync or Outlook Calendar Sync. Both open the same Calendar Sync page.
Select Add Account. In the Add Calendar Account window, select Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook.
Google or Microsoft opens. Sign in if you are asked to, then allow the access Cademy requests.
You return to Cademy. Cademy shows Successfully connected Google! or Successfully connected Microsoft! and opens an edit window for the new account.
Enter a name in Display Name, for example “Training team”. This name appears in front of each calendar’s name when you choose a calendar in a course.
Under Synced Calendars, switch on each calendar you want to use in Cademy. A calendar that is not switched on cannot be chosen in a course. Cademy lists the account’s calendars without checking whether the account can add events to them, so for course events choose a calendar that it can add events to.
Select Save. Cademy shows Account updated.
The account appears on the Calendar Sync page with the status READY.
If this is the first calendar account you have connected, a Default Calendar window opens next. Choose a calendar under Select a default calendar and select Save, or close the window to skip this. Cademy selects the default calendar automatically on each new course that runs on set dates. It does not change existing courses, and it is not used for courses that run on request. To choose or change the default later, select Set Default on the Calendar Sync page.
If Cademy shows Failed to connect Google or Failed to connect Microsoft followed by a reason, or Bad response from calendar provider. Please try again., start again from step 3. If it fails again, contact Cademy Support and include the message shown.
To connect another account, select Add Account again. You can connect more than one account and switch on more than one calendar in each.
Two ways to use Calendar Sync
How you use a connected calendar depends on the type of course. Each course has its own calendar setting.
Courses that run on set dates - Cademy adds each course date to the calendar you choose, so your calendar shows what you are running and how many spaces are booked.
Courses that run on request - you can have Cademy offer customers only the times when your calendar is free, and Cademy adds an event to your calendar when a customer books or you accept a request.
Courses that run on set dates
Choose which calendar receives the dates of a course. Each course sends its dates to one calendar.
Connect a calendar account first. Connected accounts are listed on the Calendar Sync page, as in the picture below.
Select Courses and open the course. Select Edit Course, then the Settings tab.
Select Calendar Sync.
Under Sync course dates to this calendar:, choose a calendar. Each calendar is listed as the account name followed by the calendar name.
Optional: under Always send invite to:, choose the people who are invited to every calendar event for this course. You can choose users of your Cademy account, user groups, or type an email address.
Select Save at the top of the course editor. Cademy shows Course saved.
The two pictures below show steps 1 and 2. In the first, the editor is opened another way: the three-dot menu on the course, then Edit.
The second shows Calendar Sync on the Settings tab.
The label uses the word the course is described by, so for a course described as an event it reads Sync event dates to this calendar:. If you set a default calendar, it is already selected on courses created afterwards and is marked Account Default in the list.
If the calendar list is empty and reads “You don’t have any Calendars linked to your account yet, visit the Apps page to set one up”, connect a calendar first and switch it on under Synced Calendars.
After you save, Cademy keeps the calendar up to date as follows.
When you choose a calendar for a course that had none, Cademy adds an event for every date of the course that has not ended yet. Dates that have already ended are not added.
When you add a date, Cademy adds an event. When you change a date, Cademy updates its event. When you delete a date, Cademy removes its event.
When you rename the course, Cademy updates the events of its dates that have not ended yet. The same happens when you change the course’s location or online joining link, for dates that do not have their own.
When the number of booked spaces on a date changes, Cademy updates the count on its event.
For a block, which groups several sessions into one booking, Cademy adds a separate event for each session. The block itself has no event.
When you archive the course, Cademy removes the events of its dates. When you restore the course, Cademy sends its dates to the calendar again. Check that the events have returned.
Cademy sends a course’s dates whether or not the course is published.
If you later choose a different calendar for the course, events already in the previous calendar stay there. Cademy no longer updates or removes them, so delete them in Google Calendar or Outlook yourself if you do not want them. Cademy adds events to the new calendar for dates that are added or updated after the change. If you clear the calendar instead, existing events stay in your calendar and Cademy stops updating them.
The example below shows course dates in a Google Calendar week.
What the calendar event contains
The picture below shows an event in Google Calendar. It uses older labels: “Number of attendees” is the count of booked spaces, “Zoom link” is the joining link, and “Default Attendees” is the guest added through Always send invite to:.
Each event has the start and end time of the course date and the following details.
Title - the course name. If the date has its own name, the title is the course name followed by the date name.
Booked spaces - when the date or the course has a number of spaces set, the title ends with the booked spaces and the total, for example “Time Management Essentials (3 / 10)”, and the description reads “3 spaces out of 10 booked.” A session inside a block has no count.
Location - for an in-person or hybrid date, the date’s address, or the course’s address if the date has none.
Joining link - for an online or hybrid date, the date’s online joining link, or the course’s link if the date has none. In Google Calendar it appears as a video link named Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Online Meeting, depending on the link. In Outlook it appears as a Join Online link in the event’s description.
Invitees - the people chosen in Always send invite to:. Learners who book a course that runs on set dates are not added to the event. Cademy does not send the invitations itself: Google Calendar or Outlook adds the invitees to the event and sends any invitation emails.
A change to Always send invite to: applies to events Cademy adds or updates afterwards. Saving the change does not update existing events by itself.
Courses that run on request
For a course that runs on request, you choose how customers ask for a date and which calendar receives the event. These settings are in the course’s Booking Flow.
To use a calendar here, connect a calendar account first. Connected accounts are listed on the Calendar Sync page.
Select Courses and open the course. Select Edit Course, then the Pricing & Delivery tab.
Go to Booking Flow, the last section on the page.
Under Allow Bookings, choose On Any Date or Based On My Calendar Availability. With On Any Date, customers suggest dates and you decide. With Based On My Calendar Availability, customers choose from the times when you are free.
If you chose Based On My Calendar Availability, select one or more calendars under Check availability based on these calendars:.
Also for Based On My Calendar Availability, check the days listed under Available times:. To change the days and hours, select Customise Availability. In the Weekly Hours window, tick each day you are available. A newly ticked day reads Available all day. To limit it, select the plus button on that row and set From and Until. Then select Confirm. The starting setting is Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00.
Under When someone books, create an event in this calendar:, choose the calendar that receives the event. If you leave it empty, Cademy creates no calendar event for bookings on this course.
Select Save at the top of the course editor. Cademy shows Course saved.
The four pictures below show steps 1 to 6. In the first, the editor is opened from the three-dot menu on the course, then Edit.
The second shows Booking Flow on the Pricing & Delivery tab.
The third shows Booking Flow with On Any Date selected.
The fourth shows Booking Flow with Based On My Calendar Availability selected. The field it labels “Available days and hours:” is now Available times:.
When someone books, create an event in this calendar: is the same setting as Settings > Calendar Sync for the course, so changing it in one place changes it in the other. If you select one calendar for availability while no event calendar is chosen, Cademy fills in the same calendar for events.
How Cademy works out the free times
With Based On My Calendar Availability, Cademy offers a time only when all of the following are true.
The whole session fits inside your weekly hours. The hours use the course’s time zone. A ticked day with no hours set counts as available all day.
The time does not overlap anything that the selected calendars show as busy. In Outlook, only events shown as Busy block a time. Events shown as Free, Tentative, Working elsewhere or Out of office do not.
The time does not overlap another date of the same course.
Times start every 15 minutes, and each one is as long as the duration the customer chose. Dates of your other Cademy courses block a time only if they are in one of the selected calendars, for example because those courses send their dates to it. If you select no calendar under Check availability based on these calendars:, only your weekly hours and the course’s own dates limit the times.
If the customer chooses a duration longer than one day, Cademy does not check your calendar. The customer enters preferred dates instead, as with On Any Date.
What happens when someone books on request
What the customer sees depends on the option chosen under Allow Bookings.
On Any Date - the customer sees Preferred Dates and can suggest up to three dates. This sends you a request.
Based On My Calendar Availability - the customer sees Select a Date & Time: a month in which days with no free time cannot be selected, and the free times for the selected day. Customers see only the free times, not the events in your calendar.
The picture below shows Preferred Dates with three suggested dates.
The picture below shows Select a Date & Time with the free times for one day.
If Cademy cannot check your calendar, the customer sees a message saying so and can send preferred dates instead.
When the calendar event is created
Cademy adds the event when it creates the course date for the booking. A calendar must be chosen under When someone books, create an event in this calendar:.
The customer books straight away, without sending a request, when all of these are true: the course’s pricing is Free or Set pricing, the booking flow is Based On My Calendar Availability, the chosen duration is one day or less, and the customer picked a time. In that case Cademy adds the event at one of these points.
Nothing to pay - when the customer submits their contact details.
Paying by card, Klarna or PayPal - when the customer selects the payment method, before the payment is completed.
Another payment method, such as an invoice - when the customer confirms that payment step.
In every other case the customer sends a request: when the pricing is Price on enquiry or Show the customer a price range, when the booking flow is On Any Date, when the duration is longer than one day, or when the customer sent preferred dates. No event exists while the request is waiting. Cademy adds the event when you accept the request, whether or not the booking has been paid for. If there is something to pay, Cademy then emails the customer a request to pay.
Important: An event in your calendar does not show that a booking has been paid for. Check the booking’s payment status in Cademy. If a customer chooses card, Klarna or PayPal and then leaves without paying, Cademy does not remove the event, and the course date created for the booking keeps that time unavailable to other customers of the same course.
The event for a course that runs on request has the course name as its title, with no count of booked spaces. It has a location or joining link only if the date created for the booking has one. Each time Cademy sends the event, its invitees are the people chosen in Always send invite to: together with the customer and any guests on the booking.
Fixing a connection or removing an account
The STATUS column on the Calendar Sync page shows whether Cademy can use each account. READY means the connection works. AUTHENTICATION FAILING means Google or Microsoft refused Cademy’s access the last time Cademy used the account. Reconnect the account to repair it.
Reconnect an account
Select Apps, then Google Calendar Sync or Outlook Calendar Sync.
Select the cog icon beside the account and choose Edit....
Under Authentication Failing, select Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook. Sign in with the same Google or Microsoft account as before and allow the access.
Cademy shows Successfully reconnected Google! or Successfully reconnected Microsoft! and sets the account back to READY. The account’s edit window opens again, and you can close it. Cademy then adds the events for dates that were added while the account was failing.
Cademy does not correct dates that you changed or deleted in Cademy while the account was failing. A changed date keeps its old details in your calendar until the date changes again in Cademy, and the event of a deleted date stays in your calendar until you delete it there. Cademy has no page that lists events that failed, so compare your upcoming course dates with your calendar after you reconnect.
If Cademy shows Failed to reconnect Google or Failed to reconnect Microsoft followed by a reason, repeat the steps. If it fails again, contact Cademy Support and include the message shown.
Remove an account
On the Calendar Sync page, select the cog icon beside the account and choose Delete.
Select Remove to confirm. Cademy shows Account deleted.
Cademy does not delete an account while a course uses one of its calendars, either for events or for checking availability. It shows Account Calendars Currently Used By Course (or Courses) with the number of courses, but not their names. The number can include archived courses.
To find the courses, open each course that runs on set dates or on request and look at the calendar under Settings > Calendar Sync and, for a course that runs on request, the calendars in Booking Flow. Clear the calendar, save the course, then delete the account again. If the message still appears after you have cleared every course you can find, contact Cademy Support and quote the message.
Switching off a single calendar under Synced Calendars is blocked in the same way. The message then reads Calendar Currently Used By Course (or Courses).
Deleting an account does not remove events that are already in Google Calendar or Outlook, and it does not withdraw the access you gave Cademy at Google or Microsoft. To withdraw that access, remove Cademy from the apps that have access to your account in your Google or Microsoft account settings.
Frequently asked questions
Will changes I make in Google Calendar or Outlook update my courses in Cademy?
No. Events are sent one way, from Cademy to your calendar. Change course dates in Cademy. The next time Cademy updates an event, it sends its own details again.
If I delete an event from my calendar, is the booking cancelled in Cademy?
No. Deleting an event in Google Calendar or Outlook does not change the course date or its bookings in Cademy. Cancel or change bookings in Cademy.
What should I check if my course dates do not appear in my calendar?
Check three things. First, open the course’s Settings > Calendar Sync and confirm that a calendar is chosen and the course was saved. Second, on the Calendar Sync page, confirm that the account’s status is READY. If it is AUTHENTICATION FAILING, reconnect the account. Third, dates that had already ended when you chose the calendar are not added. If dates are still missing, contact Cademy Support with the course name and the date.
Can customers see my whole calendar?
No. Customers see only the times they can book. Cademy uses your calendar to work out when you are busy and shows customers nothing about your events.
Does Calendar Sync cost extra?
No. The Google Calendar Sync and Outlook Calendar Sync apps are marked FREE and are available on every Cademy plan.