How to Create a Frontend Event Moderator in JCal Pro

JCal Pro allows you to delegate frontend review and approval of previously created events to a designated Joomla user. JCal Pro calls this process "moderation".

The events moderation works only for the JCal Pro events that have been previously already created and submitted via your Joomla site frontend.

Once logged in to your site frontend, your JCal Pro event moderator will be able only to:

  1. ​View previously created events
  2. Approve, or give his moderator's thumb up of approval to those events.

Reviewing and publishing the events pre-approved by ​your JCal Pro moderator still remains up to your Joomla administrator.

Note: JCal Pro events created via JCal Pro backend administrator panel by a Joomla administrator don't need approval. They get the approved and published status by default.

Setting your front-end JCal Pro events moderator is a five-step process:

  1. Create a Joomla user group for your JCal Pro event moderator(s)
  2. Create a Joomla access level for your JCal Pro event moderator(s)
  3. Assign your JCal Pro events moderators user group the Allowed permission for the Moderate action
  4. Assign the required Joomla user(s) as your JCal Pro events moderator(s)
  5. Create a front end menu item for your JCal Pro event moderators.

Let's take a look at this process in more detail.


Step #1. Create a user group for moderators

The first step is to create a new Joomla user group specifically dedicated to your JCal Pro moderators. 

  • In your Joomla control panel, click Users > Groups > Add New Group:

Users > Group > Add New Group

You will see Users: New Group administrative page. Create a new user group:

  1. Group Title: Enter JCal Pro Events Moderators.
  2. Group Parent: Select the Registered user group.
  3. Click Save & Close.

Create new Joomla user group for JCal Pro events moderators

Good job. You now have a special Joomla user group for your JCal Pro events moderators. 


Step #2. Create an access level for moderators

In this step, you will ensure that on your Joomla site your JCal Pro events moderators have access only to JCal Pro events moderation and nothing else.

  • In your Joomla control panel, go to Users > Access Levels > Add New Access Level:

add new access level

  • Create a new access level:
    • Level Title: JCal Pro Events Moderators
    • User Groups Having Viewing Access: click "Registered" and click "JCal Pro Events Moderators".
    • Click Save & Close.

Excellent. You now have the new Joomla user group and new Joomla access level for your JCal Pro events moderators. You are now ready to assign a required Joomla user(s) as a JCal Pro events moderator.


Step #3. Assign your events moderators required permissions

  • Go to Components > JCal Pro to open JCal Pro control panel.
  • You will see the JCal Pro: Events default page. In the top-right corner, click the Options button:

Click Options

  • You will see the JCal Pro Configuration page.
  • Click the Permissions tab:

Click JCal Pro Permissions tab

  • Click the JCal Pro Events Moderators tab:

click jcal pro events moderators tab

  • Locate the Moderate action in the Action column and select Allowed.
  • Click Save & Close.

click allowed for the moderate action

Well done! You are now ready to delegate front end JCal Pro event creation to your required Joomla user(s).


Step #4. Assign the users as moderators

  • Go to Users > Manage:

Users > Manage

  • You will see the Users administrative page, listing your Joomla users. Click on the name of the user you wish to assign as a JCal Pro events moderator:

06 click on the user name

  • You will be taken to the Users: Edit screen with your selected Joomla user account details. Click the Assigned User Groups tab:

click on the assigned user groups

  • You should see the checkmark in the Registered checkbox. Click on the JCal Pro Event Moderators checkbox:

click on the jcalpro event moderators checkbox

  • Click Save & Close.

Good job! You now have your dedicated JCal Pro events moderator. 


Step #5. Create a front end menu item for moderators

For the front end events moderation, you need to create a front end menu item by the Admin View type.

  • Go to Menus > [your-menu] > Add New Menu Item. For my demonstration, I selected the User Menu:

click add new menu item

  • You will see the Menus: New Item screen. Create a menu item by the JCal Pro > Admin View type. Enter Events Moderation into the Menu Title field and click Select:

enter the menu title and click select

  • You will see the Menu Item Type modal box. Click JCal Pro > Admin View:

select the admin view menu type

  • In the right group of settings, change the Access parameter from the default Public to JCal Pre Events Moderators:

set the access to jcalpro events moderators

  • Log into your site front end as the user to whom you assigned the JCal Pro events moderation permission. Click on the newly created Events Moderation menu item:

click events moderation


How to Test Your Event Moderation

Now is a good time to test our event moderation at work.

  • Create a JCal Pro event from your Joomla site's frontend. See this tutorial on step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
  • Check this new event in your JCal Pro back-end control panel. You will see that this event is not yet approved nor is it published:

new event as seen at the backend

  • Visit the front-end of your site and click on the "Event Moderation" menu item you created in Step #5:

for testing click events moderation

  • You will see a front end page listing existing JCal Pro events. Events waiting for a moderator's approval will be marked with the icon in the Actions column, as you can see on the image below. Click on this icon:

click here to approve event

  • You will see "1 Event Approved" message:

you will see 1 event approved message

  • Now, in your Joomla back end, open up your JCal Pro control panel. You should see the newly created event with the Approved status:

new event with the approved status

  • Now is your time as the site's administrator to deal with this newly approved calendar event. You have options to edit it, export it to an iCal formatted file, and publish it.