Once you've connected an external calendar account to Dubsado, you can control which calendars import events into Dubsado and which ones export your Dubsado events back to your external calendar.
What importing and exporting mean
Importing and exporting are two independent sync directions you can enable for each calendar connected to your account.
Importing pulls events from your external calendar into Dubsado. Imported events appear on your Dubsado calendar in a distinct yellow color so you can tell them apart from events created in Dubsado.
Exporting pushes events created in Dubsado — such as appointments, projects, and tasks — out to your external calendar, so you can see them alongside your other commitments.
When to import a calendar
Import a calendar when its events represent times you're genuinely unavailable to meet with clients. Dubsado uses imported events to check for scheduling conflicts, so when an imported event shows you're busy, your scheduler automatically blocks off those time slots and clients cannot book during that window.
For example, if you add a dentist appointment to a synced personal calendar, clients won't be able to book with you during that time on any of your schedulers.
When not to import: avoid importing calendars whose events don't affect your availability. For example, if you maintain a calendar for planned blog posts or a content schedule, importing it could cause those entries to block appointment availability unnecessarily.
When to export a calendar
Export a calendar when you want your Dubsado events to appear in your external calendar app. This lets you see appointments, project dates, and tasks from within whichever calendar app you use day to day.
If you export to more than one synced calendar, you'll see duplicate copies of your Dubsado events in your external calendar app. Export to only one calendar to avoid this.
Change import and export settings for a synced calendar
The Calendar & Time zone settings page shows a table of all calendars from your connected account. Each row includes the calendar name and indicators showing whether importing, exporting, or both are currently active. A green checkmark appears in a column when that sync direction is enabled for that calendar.
To navigate to the settings page, go to Events ➔ Settings or Settings ➔ Calendar and time zone.
To open the sync settings for a synced calendar, you have two options:
Click anywhere on the calendar's row in the table
Click the three-dot menu (...) at the end of the row and select Edit sync settings
Either action opens the Sync settings modal for that calendar.
In the Sync settings modal, check or uncheck Importing into Dubsado and Exporting to synced calendar as needed.
Click Save.
If you uncheck both options for a calendar that's already synced and click Save, a removal confirmation appears instead of saving. Confirm only if you intend to remove the calendar sync entirely.
Sync a new calendar
Calendars from your connected account that haven't been synced yet appear in the table with a Sync calendar button in the actions column.
Click Sync calendar next to the calendar you want to sync.
In the Sync settings modal, check Importing into Dubsado, Exporting to synced calendar, or both.
Click Save.
At least one option must be selected. If you click Save with neither box checked, a "Please select at least one option" message appears and the modal stays open.
Remove a synced calendar
Removing a synced calendar stops all syncing for that calendar and removes any events it imported into Dubsado. This affects only that individual calendar — your account connection remains in place and other synced calendars are not affected.
To connect or disconnect your entire calendar account, see the article on connecting an external calendar.
Click the three-dot menu (...) at the end of the synced calendar's row.
Select Remove.
A Remove calendar? confirmation appears with the message "Any synced calendar events will be removed." Click Remove calendar to confirm, or Cancel to go back.
Deleting imported events from the Dubsado calendar
Imported external calendar events are read-only in Dubsado. You cannot edit or delete them from within Dubsado. To remove an imported event, delete it from its source external calendar. The event will disappear from your Dubsado calendar after the next sync.
FAQ
Can I import from one calendar and export to a different one?
Yes. Import and export are configured independently for each calendar. You can import from multiple calendars to capture all your availability constraints, while exporting to just one calendar to avoid duplicate Dubsado events.
Why can't I edit or delete an imported event?
Imported events are read-only in Dubsado because they originate in your external calendar. To make changes, go to your external calendar and edit or delete the event there. The update will sync back to Dubsado.
What happens if I remove a synced calendar?
Any events that were imported from that calendar are removed from your Dubsado calendar. Dubsado events that were being exported to that calendar will no longer sync, but any events already written to the external calendar will remain there.