Please note that the reasons are also available inside the template in the Events sheet at the top. Just select YES to the ‘Do you need Help?’ question.
Event Calendar Maker – Excel Template – Help Section
The following is the list of potential reasons. We will see them in detail further down this post.
- Validation Field shows ‘Error’
- Event Start Date is blank (or empty)
- Event End Date is before the Event Start Date
- Frequency Type is blank
- Validation Field shows ‘Not displayed’
- Event End Date is before the Calendar Start Date
- Event Start Date is after the Calendar End Date
- Data has more than 300 active events and 1200 active instances
- Event Type is blank or not one of the Event Types listed in the Home sheet.
- Event is not entered inside the ‘Events Table’
1. Validation Field shows ‘Error’
The last column (column U) in the table is ‘Validation’. If it displays ‘Error’ for any row, then that event will not be displayed on the calendars.
Event Calendar Maker – Excel Template – Error
The potential reasons for the error are
- Event Start Date is blank (or empty)
- Event End Date is before the Event Start Date
- Frequency Type is blank
Event Start Date, Event End Date (except for One-time events) and Frequency Type are required fields and without them the event cannot be displayed.
2. Validation Field shows ‘Not Displayed’
The same validation field may show ‘Not Displayed’.
Event Calendar Maker Excel Template – Not Displayed
This can happen if a) Event End Date is before the Calendar Start Date or b) Event Start Date is after the Calendar End Date.
Calendar Start Date is what you enter in the Home sheet.
Event Calendar Maker Excel Template – Calendar Start Date In the below image, Event Event Date is Dec 1, 2015. Calendar Start Date is Jan 1, 2016. Hence this event will not be displayed on the calendars.
Event Calendar Maker Excel Template – Event End is before the Calendar Start
In the below image, Event Start Date is Feb 1, 2017. Assuming the same Calendar Start Date of Jan 1, 2016 and it will end on Jan 31, 2016 as the template is a 12-month calendar template. Hence this event will not be displayed on the calendars.
Event Calendar Maker Excel Template – Event Start Date is after Calendar End Date
3. Data has more than 300 active events and 1200 active instances
The template is designed to handle 300 active events and 1200 active instances. You can deactivate an event by entering No in the ACTIVE? column.
The number of events and instances are displayed on the Events sheet at the top. If the number of events is greater than 300 or if the number of instances is greater than 1200, those additional event instances will not displayed. Please limit the number of instances if possible.
Event Calendar Maker – Excel Template – More than 1200 instances
4. Event Type is blank or not one of the Event Types listed in the Home sheet
The template uses the Event Types to be able to color the events on the calendar. As we map each Event Type to a color in the Home sheet, this drives all the colors on the calendars.
Event Calendar Maker – Excel Template – Event Types
So, if you do not enter an Event Type in the event row in the Events sheet, then the template does not know how to color the event on the calendars. Please note that the event will still be listed but not colored.
There are 7 calendar designs in the template and 5 of them list events along with coloring. 2 of the designs do not list the events, but show the colors on the calendars.
Similarly, if you mistype an Event Type and that is not one of the Event Types you have set in the Home sheet, it will have the same result. So, please make sure that the correct Event type is selected for each event.
5. Event is not entered inside the ‘Events Table’
Data entry in the Events sheet should be done inside the table.
For more on Excel Tables – please see these videos from Useful Excel for Beginners course
The data in the table should begin from row 11. So, to begin entering your events, please enter your first event in row 11. Then, enter in row 12 and so on. If any of the events is not displayed on the calendars, to check whether the data is inside the table, follow this simple step. Let’s say your event entered in row 12 is not getting displayed on calendar.
Event Calendar Maker – Excel Template – Events Data
Click on cell A12. Check at the top menu section to see if a new ‘Table Tools’ ribbon appears. If it appears, your data is inside the table, if not, it is not. ? In the image below, when I had clicked on cell A11, the Table Tools ribbon appears, but it does not when I clicked on cell A12.
This issue will not happen if you enter first in row 11 and then in row 12 and move on one row at a time