HCalendar
Encyclopedia
hCalendar is a microformat
standard for displaying a semantic (X)HTML
representation of iCalendar
-format calendar
information about an event, on web pages
, using HTML classes and rel attributes
.
It allows parsing tools (for example other websites, or browser add-ons like Firefox's Operator extension
) to extract the details of the event, and display them using some other website, index or search them, or to load them into a calendar or diary program, for instance. Multiple instances can be displayed as timelines.
The HTML mark-up might be:
hCalendar mark-up may be added using
s and the classes
Note the use of the
is a part of the hCalendar specification, and is often used to include the coordinates of the event's location within an hCalendar.
Microformats
A microformat is a web-based approach to semantic markup which seeks to re-use existing HTML/XHTML tags to convey metadata and other attributes in web pages and other contexts that support HTML, such as RSS...
standard for displaying a semantic (X)HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
representation of iCalendar
ICalendar
iCalendar is a computer file format which allows Internet users to send meeting requests and tasks to other Internet users, via email, or sharing files with an extension of .ics...
-format calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
information about an event, on web pages
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, using HTML classes and rel attributes
Rel attribute
A link relation is a descriptive attribute attached to a hyperlink in order to define the type of the link, or the relationship between the source and destination resources. The attribute can be used by automated systems, or can be presented to a user in a different way.In HTML these are designated...
.
It allows parsing tools (for example other websites, or browser add-ons like Firefox's Operator extension
Operator (extension)
Operator is an extension for the Mozilla Firefox web browser. It parses and acts upon a number of microformats, as well as validating them.Operator lets the user access microformats through a number of methods, all of which are optional: a toolbar, a toolbar button, a status bar icon, a location...
) to extract the details of the event, and display them using some other website, index or search them, or to load them into a calendar or diary program, for instance. Multiple instances can be displayed as timelines.
Example
Consider this semi-fictional example:
The English Wikipedia was launched
on 15 January 2001 with a party from
2-4pm at
Jimmy Wales' house
(more information).
The HTML mark-up might be:
The English Wikipedia was launched
on 15 January 2001 with a party from
2-4pm at
Jimmy Wales' house
(more information)
hCalendar mark-up may be added using
span HTML elementHTML element
An HTML element is an individual component of an HTML document. HTML documents are composed of a tree of HTML elements and other nodes, such as text nodes. Each element can have attributes specified. Elements can also have content, including other elements and text. HTML elements represent...
s and the classes
vevent, summary, dtstart (start date), dtend (end date), location and url:
The English Wikipedia was launched
on 15 January 2001 with a party from
2-
4pm at
Jimmy Wales' house
(more information)
Note the use of the
abbr element to contain the machine readable, ISO8601, date-time format for the start and end times.Exclusive end-dates
For whole-day dates, where no time is specified, the end-date must be recorded as exclusive (i.e. the day after the event ends). For example:
31 January 2001
Accessibility concerns
Concerns have been expressed that, where it occurs, the use of theabbr element (using the so-called abbr-design-pattern) in the above manner causes accessibility problems, not least for users of screen readers and aural browsers. Work is underway to find an alternative method of presenting ISO8601 date-time information. This is particularly problematic for exclusive end-dates (see above example).Geo
The Geo microformatGeo (microformat)
Geo is a microformat used for marking up WGS84 geographical coordinates in HTML. Although termed a "draft" specification, this is a formality, and the format is stable and in widespread use; not least as a sub-set of the published hCalendar and hCard microformat specifications, neither of which is...
is a part of the hCalendar specification, and is often used to include the coordinates of the event's location within an hCalendar.
Attributes
For a full list of attributes, see the hCalendar cheat-sheet.Users
Notable organisations and other websites using hCalendar include:- Birmingham Town HallBirmingham Town HallBirmingham Town Hall is a Grade I listed concert and meeting venue in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. It was created as a home for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival established in 1784, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the General Hospital, after St Philip's Church became...
and Symphony HallSymphony Hall, BirminghamSymphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events... - FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
(in Google maps) - The OperaOpera (web browser)Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
web browser website - The Radio TimesRadio TimesRadio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
- The University of BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
- The University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
- Upcoming.orgUpcoming.orgUpcoming is a social event calendar website that launched in 2003, founded by Andy Baio. On October 4, 2005, Upcoming.org was acquired by Yahoo!.- Features :...
- WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
- Yahoo!, on Yahoo! LocalYahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...