Attach a File to a Google Calendar Event
Edit 11/18/09: Since this post was written, Google changed this feature to a Calendar Lab. To enable attaching Google Docs to Calendar events, go to Settings > Labs in Google Calendar and enable the “Attach Google Docs” Lab. Click Save at the top or bottom of list.
Original Post:
Google quietly snuck a new feature into Google Calendar last week. You can now add a Google Doc item to a Calendar appointment. You can also add multiple documents to a single appointment if you wish.
This is great for attaching a meeting agenda to an appointment, and/or perhaps a Google spreadsheet for use to discuss budget items.
Be sure to share any Google Doc with the intended recipients before attaching to the Calendar event; otherwise, the recipients won’t be able to open the attachment.
To attach a Google Doc to a Calendar event, create a new appointment (or open an existing appointment) and click “Add a Google document” under the event description field.
A window will pop up letting you choose from your Google Docs items:
Click the checkbox next to one or more attachments to add to your event, then click the “Select” button at bottom.
Your file attachments will now be added to the event.
If a file you wish to attach isn’t in your Google Docs account, upload it to Google Docs first. Google Docs will upload any Microsoft Word file in .doc format, or Excel spreadsheets in .xls format, or PowerPoint presentation. You can even upload .pdf files. To upload a file to Google Docs, open Google Docs and click “Upload.” Browse to the file location and click the “Upload File.”
Hi,
I can’t see “Add a Google document” button under the event description field. Do I need to do anything to activate this feature?
Hello. This feature currently only works for Google Apps for Education and Business edition (that we’re aware of).
All Google Apps posts on this blog reference features available specifically within Google Apps for Education.
I don’t have a special Google account, that I am aware of, and I can use it, so I assume you can too. Here’s how.
It will work for you, but you must enable it. Look from the tiny green beaker icon at the top right of your screen while in Google Calendar. This will take you to the Calendar Labs page. Enable the Google Documents Link Feature on this page. After you enable it, you should see an “attach Google Document” link when you edit an Event in Google Calendar.
When this post was originally created, Google Calendar Labs didn’t exist. David is correct that you now have to enable this feature, as it’s been recently been “turned into” a Lab.
Great feature – but lacks some vital functionality.
1) If you attach a document to an event calendar – you should automatically create read rights for the person invited to the event
2) The attachment doesnt show in the notification email – which would have been very nice – otherwise the attached document well most likely be missed – at least a very visible link to the attachment – but even better that it would be attached as pdf or something
Hope these things will be easy to add.
Kind regards
Johan
You are correct that Google Docs attached to Calendar items need to first be shared with one or more intended recipients before being attached; the more we use Google Apps the more we’re getting used to the fact that any Google Doc must be shared if anyone else is going to see it.
While I’ll agree a calendar attachment available via email notification would be “nice” for some people, I think Google’s perspective is if you want a file attachment added to an email notification about a calendar event, the tool to use is the “Add event invitation” feature along with one or more file attachments in a Gmail message.
As other calendar event information is contained with the event itself (e.g., the attendees, the location), attaching a Google Doc to the event and making that attachment only available via the event helps separate the purpose of the Calendar from that of Gmail.
I was able to attach a document but that document doesn’t appear when I share out the calendar using the embedded code. When I click on the more details, it brings me to a page that shows the description but no embedded document.
I was able to share it with a google apps user on a different domain and they were able to see the attachment.
Do you know how to attach in such a way that it is publicly available (I even published the document).
Only Google Apps users are able to view Google Docs (even if attached to Calendar items). An alternative for public viewing by non-Google Apps users may be to create the event using “Add event invitation” in a Gmail message, then attaching one or more files to the Gmail message.
I do not understand what you mean by “Only Google Apps users are able to view Google Docs…” I have embedded Google presentations, written documents, spreadsheets etc. My students have been able to view these Google docs. Why not the attachments in a Google calendar? When you say Google Aps users does that refer to a purchased service?
Google Apps for Education is a contracted service used by Boise State University. This article refers to attaching a Google Doc to a Google Calendar event within the Boise State University Google Apps domain.
Embedding/publishing/sharing Google Docs is completely different, and, as you mention, quite easy to do with other accounts existing outside our domain.
Is there any way to attach excel files as is? I imported my excel file into google docs and the basic data is there, but none of the formatting or fancy stuff.
The best way to do that is to use the “Add event invitation” feature when composing a Gmail message.
so there is no way of attaching it directly to the calendar and letting other users of that calendar access the file? that is without sending an invitation through gmail?
If you have a single Google Doc, you can attach it directly to a calendar invite in Google Calendar. If your document is not a Google Doc (or if you have multiple documents to attach), you need to use “Add event invitation” in Gmail.
It is possible to add a link to a Google document even if you do not have a “Add a Google document” button. You can:
Step 1: Upload your document to google documents and make it public and copy the link.
Step 2: Insert the following html line with the link from step 1 between the “” in the calender description:
<a href="" rel="nofollow">See attachment</a>
“See attachment” will now be visible and when clicked on the document will open in a new window.
Best regards,
Michael, Denmark
Michael,
This is an interesting suggestion, though in our Google Apps environment it would also require the sender to change the Google Doc sharing setting to not require sign-in when viewing the doc, and you must send an email notification with your invite to Google Apps users (and those recipients must have their invite email notification setting configured correctly within their Google Calendar). Thus, your suggestion really works best when sending an external invite to people not using Google Calendar or Gmail.
I work for a night club that uses the Google calendar to keep track of specific information pertaining to each show. We have created a calendar that we share and those of us that are within the domain are able to attach documents to each calendar event. One of our managers, however, is on Gmail but outside of the company domain and he is not able to attach documents to the calendar, even though we have given him editing permissions. Is there anyway that he can upload documents to the calendar WITHOUT him having to have another email address on our domain?
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Kellie
Kellie,
Try changing the Google Docs security for documents he has access to to not require sign-in. In the “Share with others” window for each document, click the “People with access” tab. There should be a link down at the bottom for “Sign-in is required to view this item.” Click the Change link and change to either allow viewing or editing without sign-in. Then click the Save & Close button. See if that makes any difference.