Memml Calendar

Memml Calendar is a WordPress plugin that displays a nonprofit's public events and volunteer opportunities from Memml. It uses Memml's unauthenticated public feeds, stores no credentials, and renders dates in the organization's configured timezone.

Requirements

• WordPress 6.6 or newer
• PHP 7.4 or newer
• A Memml organization with public feeds enabled

Install from a release ZIP

1. Open the repository's Releases page and download the attached memml-calendar-VERSION.zip file. Do not download GitHub's automatically generated Source code archive.

2. In WordPress Admin, open Plugins → Add New Plugin.

3. Select Upload Plugin, choose the downloaded ZIP, and select Install Now.

4. When installation finishes, select Activate Plugin.

5. Open Settings → Memml Calendar.

6. Enter the Memml organization key and select Test connection. For example, the organization key in the URL below is river-city-neighbors:

   https://memml.com/api/public/v1/river-city-neighbors/events.json

7. Confirm that the connection test displays the organization's name, then save the settings.

8. Add the Memml Calendar, Memml Events, or Memml Volunteers block to a page.

The organization key and display defaults are configured once for the WordPress site. Blocks and shortcodes inherit those defaults unless a placement needs an intentional exception.

Cached feed data

Successful Memml responses are cached for about ten minutes and revalidated with ETags. After a failed request the plugin waits a short backoff period before trying again, serving the last known-good response in the meantime, so an unreachable Memml service cannot slow down every page view.

Settings → Memml Calendar → Cached feed data lists the feed URLs this site reads and provides a Clear cached data button for publishing a Memml change immediately. Saving a new organization key or base URL clears the cache automatically.

Three filters adjust the timings: memml_feed_cache_ttl, memml_feed_stale_ttl, and memml_feed_failure_ttl.

Theming

The front-end stylesheet is written with :where() so theme rules win by default. Colors, spacing, and radii are exposed as custom properties that a theme can redefine on .memml-calendar or any ancestor:

.memml-calendar {
    --memml-accent: #b91c1c;
    --memml-card-background: #1c1f26;
    --memml-text: #f4f6fa;
    --memml-border: #333a45;
    --memml-muted: #aab2bf;
}

See assets/calendar.css for the full list.

Shortcodes

[memml_calendar]
[memml_events]
[memml_volunteers]

By default, visitors can change the calendar, List/Month layout, Upcoming/Past list filter, and displayed month. Enabled controls use instance-scoped query parameters, so the resulting URL can be shared.

Most calendars need no shortcode properties because they inherit Settings → Memml Calendar. Advanced placements can explicitly set calendar (events or volunteers), view (list or month), period (upcoming or past), list_style (grid or rows), limit, subscribe, calendar_switcher, layout_switcher, and period_switcher. Boolean overrides accept yes or no:

[memml_calendar calendar="volunteers" view="list" period="upcoming" list_style="rows" limit="3" subscribe="no" calendar_switcher="no" layout_switcher="no" period_switcher="no" url_key="main"]

limit caps how many items each list shows, which suits a sidebar or a "next few events" section. A value of 0 shows every item. Month view always shows every item, because a month grid with items missing would misrepresent the calendar.

list_style chooses how lists render: grid arranges cards in columns; rows stacks compact full-width items — date chip, then short when/where/cost lines, the description, and the add-to-calendar links, with the status badge, calls to action, and event page link in a fixed-width right-hand column so they line up from row to row — which suits a narrow column or a text-heavy feed. subscribe controls the Google Calendar / Apple / Outlook / RSS subscription links shown above the calendar (yes or no).

Site-wide defaults cover the initially selected calendar, initial view, initial list filter, list style, maximum list items, the three visitor switchers, and the subscription row. Every matching block control offers Use site setting. Hiding a switcher fixes the calendar to its configured calendar, view, or list filter, omits the unused alternate content, and ignores conflicting visitor query parameters. Existing explicit block attributes and shortcode properties continue to take precedence, including limit="0" for an unlimited list.

The Content and actions settings control images, descriptions, list item counts, details dialogs, venue/location and cost, volunteer availability, cancelled events, RSVP, registration, Join online, volunteer signup, add-to-calendar actions, and View event page links. All are enabled by default, preserving existing calendars. Each block groups the relevant overrides under Content and Actions, with Use site setting, Show, and Hide choices.

Advanced shortcode placements can use show_images, show_descriptions, show_item_count, show_details, show_venue_cost, show_volunteer_availability, show_cancelled_events, show_rsvp, show_registration, show_online, show_volunteer_signup, show_add_to_calendar, and show_event_page. For example:

[memml_events show_images="no" show_descriptions="no" show_cancelled_events="no" show_registration="yes"]

Hiding cancelled events removes them from both List and Month views. Content preferences apply wherever that content is available; for example, row and month layouts do not introduce images when images are enabled.

Every item opens a pop-up with its full details — including the complete description, which list cards clamp after a few lines — and events offer per-event Apple / Outlook and Google add-to-calendar links. When the feed supplies an online meeting URL, current and upcoming events also show a Join online action. RSVP, registration, volunteer, online meeting, and add-to-calendar actions are omitted after the event date in the organization's timezone.

When an organizer advertises RSVP in Memml, the feed's rsvp object drives an RSVP action that links to the Memml RSVP page. While RSVPs are open the action is a primary button, with the organizer's chosen capacity wording beside it, such as "Spots available" or "3 spots remaining". Once RSVPs are closed or the event is full, the calendar shows a Full or RSVP closed status instead of a link. RSVP can appear alongside a registration link, Join online, and volunteer signup when an event offers all of them. The details pop-up also names an explicit RSVP deadline, such as "RSVP by September 10, 2026 at 11:59 pm", when the organizer set one that differs from the event start.

Cancelled events keep their add-to-calendar and event page links but omit RSVP, registration, Join online, and volunteer actions, since there is nothing left to sign up for.

Every event also carries a View event page link to its Memml event page, where visitors can read the full record or manage an existing RSVP. Unlike the other actions, this link is kept for past events, so there is always a path to the Memml event page from cards, rows, month entries, and the details pop-up.

Events with structured venue data show the venue name and formatted address as a richer location variant. Complete street addresses link to Google Maps, and the details pop-up also includes any venue description, website, phone number, parking information, and arrival instructions supplied by the feed. Older events that only provide a location string continue to display that text.

Every enabled control is a real link. The calendar therefore keeps working with JavaScript disabled, and visitors can middle-click or right-click a view to open it in a new tab. When JavaScript is available the same click is handled in place, without a page load.

Block previews

The blocks preview themselves in the editor with the same server-side renderer visitors get, so the layout, filters, and item limit can be checked without leaving the post. Previews are non-interactive, and a block shows an actionable placeholder instead when no organization key has been saved yet.

Updating a manual installation

Download the new release ZIP and upload it through Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin. WordPress will offer to replace the installed version. GitHub-hosted releases do not provide automatic WordPress updates.

Build an installable ZIP

Install the development dependencies once:

npm ci

Then build the production block assets and create the release archive:

npm run package

The command creates dist/memml-calendar-VERSION.zip. Its top-level directory is memml/, so the archive can be uploaded directly through WordPress Admin.

The archive includes only runtime plugin files. Development dependencies, tests, source files, and repository tooling are excluded.

Development checks

composer lint
composer test
npm run lint:js
npm run lint:css
npm run build
npm run test:e2e

The complete WordPress smoke test can be run with:

npm run wp-env:start
npm run test:wp-env
npm run wp-env:stop

Product roadmap

Planned work is tracked in ROADMAP.md. It is ordered around the needs of small nonprofit organizations and identifies one explicit next item so future development tasks can resume without relying on conversation history.

License

Memml Calendar is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later. See LICENSE.