Hello, I just shipped a huge update to PlaceCal. Full details below.

Doubtless this will cause a few issues - do let me know via email or open a github ticket and we can get the bugs fixed soon!

This resolves some major tech debt hurdles so we can really get on with it now. We're also getting some help from a tech training agency called Techfleet in a couple of months - you are all welcome to come to the kickoff meet. https://manchester.placecal.org/events/418409

Thanks,

Kim

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Full release info: https://github.com/geeksforsocialchange/PlaceCal/releases/tag/v0.24.0

This release represents a major milestone with a completely redesigned admin interface, significant performance improvements, and powerful new calendar import capabilities.

Admin Interface

Complete Admin UI Redesign

The admin interface has been completely rebuilt with a modern, accessible design:

Modern Design System — Migrated from Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS with daisyUI components for a cleaner, more consistent look
Improved Forms — Multi-step wizards with tabbed interfaces for complex forms (Partners, Calendars, Tags)
Better Search & Selection — Tom Select replaces legacy dropdowns with searchable, taggable inputs
Responsive Layout — New sidebar navigation and mobile-friendly design
Accessibility Improvements — Better colour contrast, proper ARIA labels, and keyboard navigation

Calendar Setup Wizard

Adding new calendars is now much easier:

Smart URL Detection — Automatically detects calendar type from URLs (Google Calendar, Outlook, Eventbrite, TicketSource, Wix, Squarespace, and more)
Visual Feedback — Real-time validation shows detected calendar type with provider icons
Manual Fallback — When auto-detection isn't possible, admins can manually select the calendar format

New Calendar Importers

Wix Events

PlaceCal can now import events from Wix websites, including those using custom domains. The importer handles both events.wix.com URLs and custom domain setups.

TicketSource

Full support for importing events from TicketSource venue pages, with built-in handling for Cloudflare protection.

Public Site

Rewritten Partner & Event Filters — Filters for partners and events have been completely rebuilt using Turbo Frames for instant, seamless updates without full page reloads
Updated Maps — Migrated from Mapbox to OpenFreeMap with MapLibre GL for open-source, cost-free mapping
Importmap-rails — Public site JavaScript now uses native ES modules (no build step required)

Performance & Infrastructure

Rails 8.1.2 — Upgraded from Rails 7.2.3 with all the latest improvements
Database Indexes — Added performance indexes for common query patterns
Database Consistency — Improved data integrity checks
Improved Test Suite — Complete migration to RSpec + Cucumber with better reliability

Dr Kim Foale (she/they)

Working hours: Mon-Wed 10-5pm.

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