upskill-event-manager/docs/TEC-V5-FIELD-MAPPING.md

The Events Calendar v5.0.8 Field Mapping

Overview

This document provides the definitive field mapping for The Events Calendar (TEC) v5.0.8 and Community Events 5.0.8, documenting the correct selectors and meta keys for all event-related fields.

Plugin Versions

• The Events Calendar: 6.14.2
• The Events Calendar Community Events: 5.0.8
• Events Calendar Pro: 7.6.3

Field Mapping Structure

1. Core Event Fields

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Event Title	post_title	#title	text input	Standard WordPress title field
Event Description	post_content	#content	wysiwyg/textarea	WordPress content editor
Event Excerpt	post_excerpt	#excerpt	textarea	WordPress excerpt field
Event Status	post_status	#post_status	select	WordPress status dropdown

2. Date & Time Fields

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Start Date	_EventStartDate	#EventStartDate	date input	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
End Date	_EventEndDate	#EventEndDate	date input	Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Start Time	-	#EventStartTime	time input	Format: HH:MM am/pm
End Time	-	#EventEndTime	time input	Format: HH:MM am/pm
All Day Event	_EventAllDay	#EventAllDay	checkbox	Boolean (0/1)
Start Date UTC	_EventStartDateUTC	-	hidden/auto	Calculated from local time
End Date UTC	_EventEndDateUTC	-	hidden/auto	Calculated from local time
Event Duration	_EventDuration	-	hidden/auto	Calculated in seconds
Timezone	_EventTimezone	select[name="EventTimezone"]	select	Timezone dropdown
Timezone Abbr	_EventTimezoneAbbr	-	hidden/auto	Auto-generated (e.g., CST)

3. Cost & Currency Fields

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Event Cost	_EventCost	#EventCost	text input	Numeric value
Currency Symbol	_EventCurrencySymbol	#EventCurrencySymbol	text input	Default: $
Currency Code	_EventCurrencyCode	#EventCurrencyCode	text input	e.g., USD
Currency Position	-	select[name="EventCurrencyPosition"]	select	prefix/suffix

4. Event Details

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Event URL	_EventURL	#EventURL	url input	External event website
Show Map	_EventShowMap	#EventShowMap	checkbox	Boolean (0/1)
Show Map Link	_EventShowMapLink	#EventShowMapLink	checkbox	Boolean (0/1)
Event Origin	_EventOrigin	-	hidden	Set to 'events-calendar'

5. Venue Fields

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Venue ID	_EventVenueID	select[name="venue[VenueID]"]	select	Links to venue post
Venue Name	_VenueVenue	input[name="venue[Venue]"]	text input	For new venues
Venue Address	_VenueAddress	input[name="venue[Address]"]	text input	Street address
Venue City	_VenueCity	input[name="venue[City]"]	text input	City name
Venue State/Province	_VenueStateProvince	input[name="venue[State]"]	text input	State code
Venue Zip/Postal	_VenueZip	input[name="venue[Zip]"]	text input	Postal code
Venue Country	_VenueCountry	select[name="venue[Country]"]	select	Country dropdown
Venue Phone	_VenuePhone	input[name="venue[Phone]"]	tel input	Phone number
Venue Website	_VenueURL	input[name="venue[URL]"]	url input	Venue website
Show Venue Map	_VenueShowMap	input[name="venue[ShowMap]"]	checkbox	Boolean
Show Venue Map Link	_VenueShowMapLink	input[name="venue[ShowMapLink]"]	checkbox	Boolean

6. Organizer Fields

Field Name	Meta Key	Input Selector	Field Type	Notes
Organizer ID	_EventOrganizerID	select[name="organizer[OrganizerID]"]	select	Links to organizer post
Organizer Name	_OrganizerOrganizer	input[name="organizer[Organizer]"]	text input	For new organizers
Organizer Email	_OrganizerEmail	input[name="organizer[Email]"]	email input	Contact email
Organizer Phone	_OrganizerPhone	input[name="organizer[Phone]"]	tel input	Contact phone
Organizer Website	_OrganizerWebsite	input[name="organizer[Website]"]	url input	Organizer website

JavaScript Best Practices for TEC v5.0.8

1. Field Access Pattern

// Best practice: Check multiple possible selectors
async function getTECField(page, fieldName, selectors) {
    for (const selector of selectors) {
        const element = await page.$(selector);
        if (element && await element.isVisible()) {
            return element;
        }
    }
    return null;
}

// Example usage
const startDateField = await getTECField(page, 'Start Date', [
    '#EventStartDate',
    'input[name="EventStartDate"]',
    '.tribe-datetime-block input[name*="StartDate"]'
]);

2. Setting Field Values

// Date fields
await page.fill('#EventStartDate', '2025-12-25');

// Time fields (may need special handling)
await page.fill('#EventStartTime', '09:00 AM');

// Checkbox fields
const showMapCheckbox = await page.$('#EventShowMap');
if (showMapCheckbox) {
    await showMapCheckbox.check();
}

// Dropdown fields
await page.selectOption('select[name="venue[VenueID]"]', { value: '123' });

3. Reading Field Values

// Text inputs
const eventCost = await page.$eval('#EventCost', el => el.value);

// Checkboxes
const showMap = await page.$eval('#EventShowMap', el => el.checked);

// Dropdowns
const venueId = await page.$eval('select[name="venue[VenueID]"]', el => el.value);

Meta Data Storage

Direct Meta Update via WP-CLI

# Update event cost
wp post meta update EVENT_ID _EventCost "299"

# Update venue ID
wp post meta update EVENT_ID _EventVenueID VENUE_ID

# Update date/time
wp post meta update EVENT_ID _EventStartDate "2025-12-25 09:00:00"
wp post meta update EVENT_ID _EventEndDate "2025-12-25 17:00:00"

PHP Meta Update

// Update event meta
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventCost', '299');
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventCurrencySymbol', '$');
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventURL', 'https://example.com/event');
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventVenueID', $venue_id);
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventOrganizerID', $organizer_id);

// Date/time with UTC conversion
$start_date = '2025-12-25 09:00:00';
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventStartDate', $start_date);
update_post_meta($event_id, '_EventStartDateUTC', get_gmt_from_date($start_date));

Testing Checklist

Essential Fields to Verify

• Event Title (#title)
• Event Content (#content)
• Start Date (#EventStartDate)
• End Date (#EventEndDate)
• Start Time (#EventStartTime)
• End Time (#EventEndTime)
• Event Cost (#EventCost)
• Event URL (#EventURL)
• Venue Selection/Creation
• Organizer Selection/Creation
• Map Display Options

Field Persistence Test

1. Create/edit event with all fields
2. Save event
3. Reload edit page
4. Verify all fields retained values
5. Check database meta values

Known Issues & Workarounds

Issue 1: Cost Field May Be Hidden

Some TEC configurations hide the cost field if Events Tickets is active. Workaround: Check for field visibility before attempting to fill.

Issue 2: Venue/Organizer Dropdowns

These may be AJAX-loaded or use Select2/Chosen libraries. Workaround: Wait for elements to be fully loaded before interaction.

Issue 3: Date Format Variations

Different sites may use different date formats based on WordPress settings. Workaround: Check site date format setting and adjust accordingly.

Version History

• v1.0 (2025-08-18): Initial mapping for TEC v5.0.8
• Based on staging environment testing
• Verified with Events Calendar Community Events 5.0.8

References

• TEC Developer Docs
• TEC GitHub Repository
• WordPress Meta API Documentation