Overview
Element451’s Appointments module ensures seamless scheduling by checking your linked calendar for availability. This connection is read-only, meaning Element451 can detect when you’re free or busy, but won’t add new appointments to your calendar directly.
There are three ways to add appointments to your calendar:
Manually Add Them: Use the .ics attachment in the confirmation email sent when someone books an appointment.
Live Calendar Feed: Add the live calendar feed URL to your email client for a two-way sync.
Export File (.ICS): Export appointments from the Appointments module and import them into your calendar.
Considerations
Depending on your email client, the live calendar feed may create a separate calendar for appointments. If you prefer appointments on your primary calendar, you may want to opt for the manual method.
Some email providers might automatically detect .ics attachments. For example, if Google detects a calendar attachment, it will display a widget, prompting you to add the event to your calendar. Not all email providers will provide this same type of user experience; however, unfortunately, this is a result of the email provider, not E451. We recommend checking with your email and calendar client help centers.
The export file method provides a one-time import, so new or changed appointments won’t be updated automatically.
What happens if I don't connect my calendar?
Even without linking your calendar to the Appointments module, you can still manage appointments through Engagement > Appointments. Although the system won't be able to verify availability against your calendar, it will ensure you're not double-booked by confirming availability with existing appointments.
Connecting Your Calendar
Here are the how-to guides on connecting the Appointments module to either a Google or Outlook calendar:
How-To: Connect Your Google Calendar
How-To: Connect Your Google Calendar
Open your Google Calendar in a web browser.
Click the gear icon (settings) at the top right.
On the left menu, under Settings for my calendars, select the calendar you want Element451 to check for availability.
Ensure the settings under Access Permissions for Events are as follows:
Make available to public is enabled
See only free/busy (hide details) from the dropdown menu is selected
Click Integrate Calendar.
Copy the Public Address in iCal Format URL.
Navigate back to Element451.
Navigate to Appointment Settings > My Settings > Import Calendar.
Paste the copied URL into the Calendar URL box.
Click Save.
How-To: Connect Your Outlook Calendar
How-To: Connect Your Outlook Calendar
Open your Outlook calendar in a web browser.
At the top right, click the gear icon (settings).
On the left side menu, select Calendar.
From the expanded menu, select Shared calendars.
Under Publish a calendar, select the calendar name from the drop down that you want to Element451 to check for availability.
For the Select permissions drop down, choose Can view when I'm busy.
Click Publish.
Copy the ICS url.
Navigate to Element451 > Appointment settings > My Settings > Import Calendar
Paste the ICS url that you copied from your Outlook settings into the Calendar url box.
Click Save.
Video Guides
Connecting Your Google Calendar
Connecting Your Google Calendar
Connecting Your Outlook Calendar
Connecting Your Outlook Calendar
Exporting Appointments
In the Appointments module, you can export your Appointments so you can import them to your calendar.
There are two export options: "as file" and "as link." We'll explain both below:
As File
Selecting “As File” downloads a .ics file containing all upcoming appointments where you are the assignee. You can then use the import feature within your calendar client (Google, Outlook).
These are one-time imports. The file downloaded will only contain the current and upcoming appointments at the time of download. Any appointments added or changed after you download and import the file into your calendar will not be reflected on your imported calendar.
As Link
Selecting “As Link” copies a live calendar feed URL to your clipboard. You can then add this URL to your calendar client (Google, Outlook), creating a two-way sync between your appointments in Element451 and your calendar client. 
Sync times vary by client. For example, it may take Google up to 12 hours to sync your appointments.
Different calendar clients handle URL feeds differently. Google and Outlook import these as new calendars rather than into your primary calendar. This prevents a bad calendar URL from affecting your main calendar.
For example, in the screenshot below, you will see Google Calendar Settings, where you can add the copied URL.
If an error is returned when adding the URL to your calendar, ensure that an HTTPS protocol is added to the beginning of the URL.