Skip to main content

JSON Feeds

PlanIt Purple's feed builder offers more flexibility than the legacy querystring-based XML feeds. It also offers more output formats, including JSON, iCal, and "simple HTML" (for iframe use). Feeds are cached for 60 seconds server-side after being requested.

JSON Field Guide

Unlike the XML feeds, the JSON output more closely resembles events' underlying data structure. As such, some business logic may need to be applied by consumers.

JSON data fields
Field Type Description
id String String representation of the integer used to identify a specific occurrence of an event. Used in constructing the event detail page URL.
event_id String String representation of the integer used to identify the parent record tying together all instances of a recurring event. Used in constructing the edit event series page URL.
cal_id String String representation of the integer used to identify the calendar (aka group) which created the event.
title String Event title.
eventdate String ISO 8601 event date. Each occurrence of an event is limited to one day. Example: "2017-02-03"
start_time String ISO 8601 event start time in Central Standard Time. Example: "19:00:00"
start_time_display_format String Event start time in hour and minutes with meridian. Example: "7:00 PM"
end_time String ISO 8601 event end time in Central Standard Time. Example: "21:00:00"
end_time_display_format String Event end time in hour and minutes with meridian. Example: "9:00 PM"
eventdate_ical_format String Event start date and time in iCal-compatible display format. Example: "2/3/2017 7:00 PM"
eventend_ical_format String Event start date and time in iCal-compatible display format. Example: "2/3/2017 9:00 PM"
time_zone String Time zone abbreviation. Allowed values are "CT," "PT," and "AST."
is_allday String String representation of boolean ("1" or "0") indicating if event is all-day. All day events also have midnight start and end times.
is_cancelled String String representation of boolean ("1" or "0") indicating if event has been cancelled.
web_address String URL of event "More Info Link." May be empty.
description String Event description with HTML stripped and no entity escaping. Linebreaks indicated by \n.
description_html String Event description with HTML markup and special characters entity escaped. Includes \n linebreaks.
create_user String NetID of user who created event.
create_date String ISO 8601 event creation date. Example: "2016-12-09"
modify_date String Nullable ISO 8601 event creation date and time. Example: "2017-01-23 13:56:17"
contact_name String Event contact name.
contact_email String Event contact email.
contact_phone String Event contact phone number without formatting. May be empty. Example: "15555555555"
category_id String

String representation of the integer used to identify the event category. Current options:

  1. Academic
  2. Fine Arts
  3. Athletics
  4. Social
  5. Lectures & Meetings
  6. Religious
  7. Other
  8. Training
  9. Fitness & Recreation
  10. Multicultural & Diversity
  11. Global & Civic Engagement
  12. Grand Rounds
  13. Women 150 [temporary]
  14. Environment & Sustainability
category_name String Name of event category.
location_type_id String

String representation of the integer used to identify the location type. Current options:

  1. Evanston [campus]
  2. Chicago [campus]
  3. Off-Campus
  4. No Location
  5. Online
  6. Qatar
location_name String Name of event location type.
building_name String Building name, either cached from campus maps at time building was selected, or entered by user in case of "Off-Campus" or campus building not found. May be empty.
address_1 String Street address of event, either cached from campus maps at time building was selected, or entered by user in case of "Off-Campus" or campus building not found. May be empty.
address_2 String Location room/comments. May be empty.
city String City of event, either cached from campus maps at time building was selected, or entered by user in case of "Off-Campus" or campus building not found. May be empty.
state String Two-letter state abbreviation of event, either cached from campus maps at time building was selected, or entered by user in case of "Off-Campus" or campus building not found. May be empty.
zip String Zip code of event, either cached from campus maps at time building was selected, or entered by user in case of "Off-Campus" or campus building not found. Max length 14 characters. May be empty.
facility_id String String representation of the integer used to identify selected building on campus maps. "0" indicates off-campus, no location, or online selection. "-1" indicates user indicated Evanston or Chicago campus but manually entered address (building not found).
facility_building_name String Nullable Building name from campus maps. For buildings without a formal name, may be same as facility_address_1.
facility_address_1 String Nullable Building address from campus maps.
facility_city String Nullable Building city from campus maps.
facility_state String Nullable Building state from campus maps.
facility_zip String Nullable Building zip code from campus maps.
calendar_name String Calendar (aka group) name.
is_private String String representation of boolean ("1" or "0") indicating if event is private, meaning not displayed to users without group access token.
advancedproperties String String representation of boolean ("1" or "0") indicating if event has advanced properties, meaning custom name/value pairs specified by a calendar manager.
vanity_url String User-specified URI segment used to construct calendar URL or a String representation of the integer used to identify the calendar.
event_time_id String String representation of the integer used to identify a recurring time row. "0" if event is non-recurring.
is_hidden String String representation of boolean ("1" or "0") indicating if event is set to be hidden from PlanIt Purple's homepage. Superceded by is_private.
cost String Event cost. Linebreaks indicated by \n. May be empty.
image_sm String URL for 250 x 250 pixel thumbnail image (.gif, .jpg, or .png). May be empty.
image_sm_alt String Alt text for image_sm. May be empty.
image_med String URL for 530 x 398 pixel medium image (.gif, .jpg, or .png) for calendars with Arts Circle properties. May be empty.
image_med_alt String Alt text for image_med. May be empty.
image_hero String URL for 1440 x 400 pixel hero image (.gif, .jpg, or .png) for calendars with Arts Circle properties. May be empty.
image_hero_alt String Alt text for image_hero. May be empty.
registration_label String

String representation of the integer used to identify event registration link type. Defaults to "1." Current options:

  1. Register
  2. Buy Tickets
registration_link String URL of registration link. May be empty.
webcast_link String URL of online event. May be empty
categories Collection of Objects

Optional Each of the event's secondary categories is represented by an id, name, and sort_order. Example:

[
     {
         "event_id":"161294",
         "category_id":"8",
         "id":"8",
         "name":"Training",
         "sort_order":"11"
     }
]

audience_types Collection of Objects

Each of the event's audiences is represented by an id, name, and sort_order. Due to the nature of the join, event_id and audience_type_id duplicate values elsewhere in the feed. Example:

[
    {
        "event_id": "140470",
        "audience_type_id": "1",
        "id": "1",
        "name": "Faculty/Staff",
        "sort_order": "2"
    }
]
cosponsors Collection of Objects

Optional If present, each of the event's cosponsors is represented by name, vanity_url, and is_private. Due to the nature of the join, sched_event_id and event_id duplicate values elsewhere in the feed. Example:

[
    {
        "sched_event_id": "506520",
        "event_id": "139430",
        "name": "Buffett Institute for Global Studies",
        "vanity_url": "3008",
        "is_private": "0"
    }
]

calendar_url String URL of calendar for event. Incorporates vanity segment in place of cal_id, if applicable.
url String URL of event detail page.
address Array of Strings

Array of five address fields displayed on detail page after processing facility selection business logic. Strings may be empty for some fields. Example:

[
    "640 Lincoln Street",
    "The GYM",
    "640 Lincoln St",
    "Evanston",
    "IL 60208"
]
advanced_properties Object

Optional If present, contains a hash for each name/value (String) property defined by a calendar manager. Example:

{
    "Arts_Genre": {
        "name": "Arts_Genre",
        "value": "Visual Arts"
    },
    "event_type": {
        "name": "event_type",
        "value": "Guest Artist"
    },
    "Include_in_Arts_Circle": {
        "name": "Include_in_Arts_Circle",
        "value": "Yes"
    }
}
shared_event_cals String A comma-separated list of IDs specifying calendars in the current feed which have shared the event. May be empty.

Last modified: August 3, 2023