Events in your calendar

This recipe turns your events into a calendar feed. People subscribe to it once. When a leader adds or moves an event in Scoutworks, the change reaches their calendar on its own. You can make one feed for the whole group, or one for each section. It uses a free Google Apps Script web app. It takes about ten minutes.

1. Add the script

Create a project

Go to script.google.com and choose New project. Call it Scoutworks calendar.

Paste the script

Delete what is there and paste the script below. Choose Save.

Code.gs

// Scoutworks → calendar feed. https://developers.scoutworks.app/recipes/calendar-feed

const BASE = 'https://api-demo.scoutworks.app/api/v1';
const DAY = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;

// Calendar apps call this address. Add ?section=cubs for one section only.
function doGet(e) {
  const section = ((e && e.parameter && e.parameter.section) || '').toLowerCase().slice(0, 50);

  // Serve a copy made in the last hour. Repeated requests then cost no API calls.
  const cache = CacheService.getScriptCache();
  const cached = cache.get('feed:' + section);
  if (cached) return ContentService.createTextOutput(cached).setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.ICAL);

  const now = new Date();
  const from = new Date(now.getTime() - 30 * DAY).toISOString();
  const to = new Date(now.getTime() + 365 * DAY).toISOString();

  const group = fetchScoutworks(BASE + '/me').data.group.name;
  const events = readAll(
    '/events?from=' + encodeURIComponent(from) + '&to=' + encodeURIComponent(to)
  ).filter(function (ev) {
    if (!section || ev.sections.length === 0) return true; // Empty means the whole group.
    return ev.sections.some(function (s) {
      return s.name.toLowerCase().indexOf(section) !== -1;
    });
  });

  const lines = [
    'BEGIN:VCALENDAR',
    'VERSION:2.0',
    'PRODID:-//Scoutworks calendar recipe//EN',
    'CALSCALE:GREGORIAN',
    'METHOD:PUBLISH',
    'X-WR-CALNAME:' + text(section ? group + ' (' + section + ')' : group),
  ];
  events.forEach(function (ev) {
    const start = new Date(ev.startsAt);
    const end = ev.endsAt ? new Date(ev.endsAt) : new Date(start.getTime() + DAY / 24);
    const who = ev.sections.length
      ? ev.sections.map(function (s) { return s.name; }).join(', ')
      : 'the whole group';
    lines.push(
      'BEGIN:VEVENT',
      'UID:' + ev.id + '@scoutworks.app',
      'DTSTAMP:' + stamp(now),
      'DTSTART:' + stamp(start),
      'DTEND:' + stamp(end),
      'SUMMARY:' + text(ev.title),
      'DESCRIPTION:' + text(TYPES[ev.type] + ' for ' + who)
    );
    if (ev.location) lines.push('LOCATION:' + text(ev.location));
    lines.push('END:VEVENT');
  });
  lines.push('END:VCALENDAR');

  const ics = lines.map(fold).join('\r\n') + '\r\n';
  try {
    cache.put('feed:' + section, ics, 60 * 60);
  } catch (err) {
    // A feed over 100 KB is too big to keep. Serve it without the copy.
  }
  return ContentService.createTextOutput(ics).setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.ICAL);
}

const TYPES = {
  programme_meeting: 'Meeting',
  activity_trip: 'Trip',
  camp_residential: 'Camp',
};

// 2026-09-24T18:30:00.000Z → 20260924T183000Z
function stamp(date) {
  return date.toISOString().replace(/[-:]/g, '').replace(/\.\d{3}/, '');
}

// Escapes the characters that have a meaning in a calendar file.
function text(value) {
  return String(value)
    .replace(/\\/g, '\\\\')
    .replace(/;/g, '\\;')
    .replace(/,/g, '\\,')
    .replace(/\r?\n/g, '\\n');
}

// Calendar files keep each line short. A long line continues after a space.
function fold(line) {
  const parts = [];
  while (line.length > 73) {
    parts.push(line.slice(0, 73));
    line = ' ' + line.slice(73);
  }
  parts.push(line);
  return parts.join('\r\n');
}

// Every item in a list, following nextCursor to the last page.
function readAll(path) {
  const items = [];
  let cursor = null;
  do {
    let url = BASE + path + (path.indexOf('?') === -1 ? '?' : '&') + 'limit=200';
    if (cursor) url += '&cursor=' + encodeURIComponent(cursor);
    const body = fetchScoutworks(url);
    items.push.apply(items, body.data);
    cursor = body.nextCursor;
  } while (cursor);
  return items;
}

// Calls the API. Waits and tries again if the rate limit is reached.
function fetchScoutworks(url) {
  const apiKey = PropertiesService.getScriptProperties().getProperty('SCOUTWORKS_API_KEY');
  if (!apiKey) throw new Error('Add SCOUTWORKS_API_KEY in Project Settings → Script Properties.');
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 3; attempt++) {
    const res = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, {
      headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer ' + apiKey },
      muteHttpExceptions: true,
    });
    const body = JSON.parse(res.getContentText());
    if (res.getResponseCode() === 200) return body;
    if (res.getResponseCode() === 429) {
      Utilities.sleep((body.retryAfter || 30) * 1000);
      continue;
    }
    throw new Error(body.error.code + ': ' + body.error.message);
  }
  throw new Error('Scoutworks is still busy. Try again in a minute.');
}

2. Add your key

In the script editor, choose Project Settings (the cog), then Script Properties → Add script property. Property: SCOUTWORKS_API_KEY. Value: the sandbox key to try it, or your own key. Choose Save script properties.

3. Publish it as a web app

Start a deployment

Choose Deploy → New deployment. Next to Select type, choose the cog, then Web app.

Set who can use it

Execute as: Me
Who has access: Anyone

Choose Deploy. Google asks for permission the first time: the script needs to reach an external service.

Copy the address

Copy the Web app URL. It ends in /exec. Open it in your browser to check it: you get a short text file that starts with BEGIN:VCALENDAR.

For one section, add ?section= and a word from the section’s name to the end of the address. For example, …/exec?section=cubs gives only the Cubs’ events, plus the events for the whole group. Choose a word that only one section’s name has: scout also finds “Explorer Scouts”.

Calendar	How
Google Calendar	On a computer, next to Other calendars, choose + → From URL. Paste the address.
Outlook	Choose Add calendar → Subscribe from web. Paste the address.
Apple Calendar	On a Mac, choose File → New Calendar Subscription. On an iPhone, choose Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add Subscribed Calendar.

Calendar apps check a subscribed feed on their own timetable, often every few hours. Google Calendar can take up to a day. You cannot make it faster.

Anyone with the address can see your events: titles, times and places. The feed never holds the names of young people. Share the address only with your parents and leaders. If it gets out, choose Deploy → Manage deployments, archive the deployment, and create a new one. The new one has a new address.

5. Switch to your group

In the script, change api-demo.scoutworks.app to api.scoutworks.app. In Script Properties, replace the sandbox key with your own. Your key needs the events:read scope. Give it no other scope. After you change the script, choose Deploy → Manage deployments → Edit (the pencil). Set Version to New version and choose Deploy. The address stays the same. If you create a new deployment instead, you get a new address, and your subscribers do not see the change.

Notes

The feed holds events from 30 days ago to one year ahead. Change the 30 and 365 in doGet to change this.
The script keeps each feed for one hour, so a change in Scoutworks reaches the feed within an hour. This also stops repeated requests from using up your API limit.
Only published events are in the feed. Drafts and leaders-only events never are.
Each event keeps its Scoutworks ID in the calendar, so a moved event moves in the calendar. It does not appear twice.

Start here

Recipes for leaders

Recipes by tool

How the API works

Tools

1. Add the script

2. Add your key

3. Publish it as a web app

5. Switch to your group

Notes

​1. Add the script

​2. Add your key

​3. Publish it as a web app

​4. Subscribe to it

​5. Switch to your group

​Notes

1. Add the script

2. Add your key

3. Publish it as a web app

4. Subscribe to it

5. Switch to your group

Notes