Help centre | Article
Calendar sync and iCal export
Keep your personal calendar up to date with a live feed of your confirmed bookings.
What the calendar sync does
Sessional exports confirmed bookings as a live iCal feed, the standard calendar format used by Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, and most other calendar apps. Once you subscribe, your locum bookings sit alongside your personal appointments.
The feed is read-only. You manage events in Sessional, and your calendar app displays them. When a booking is confirmed, rescheduled, or cancelled in Sessional, the change appears the next time the app refreshes.
Note
Setting up the feed
The URL contains a secure token that identifies your account. Anyone with it can view your booking schedule, so treat it like a password and do not share it publicly.
Adding the feed to your calendar
- Open Google Calendar in your browser.
- Click the + icon next to Other calendars.
- Select From URL, paste the feed URL, and add the calendar.
Google usually refreshes external feeds every 12 to 24 hours.
- Open Outlook and go to Calendar.
- Choose Add calendar, then Subscribe from web.
- Paste your Sessional feed URL and save it.
Outlook refreshes subscribed calendars every 3 to 24 hours, depending on the client.
- On macOS, use File > New Calendar Subscription.
- On iOS, use Settings > Calendar > Accounts.
- Paste the URL and set a refresh interval.
Every hour is a sensible balance between timeliness and efficiency.
Tip
How the feed updates
The feed URL itself does not change unless you replace it. Your calendar app fetches the latest version each time it refreshes.
What the feed includes
Event title
Your profession's word for a booking, Session or Shift, followed by the organisation name, for example Session | Riverside Surgery.
Date and time
The actual start and end time, whether billed hourly or by session.
Description
The organisation, its town if one is recorded, the rate, and any notes you have added.
Location
The organisation name, with its town if one is recorded, rather than a full street address.
Only confirmed and delivered bookings are included. Once a booking is invoiced or paid it drops out of the feed, and offered and cancelled bookings never appear in it.
Replacing the feed link
If you believe your feed URL has been compromised or you shared it by mistake, press Replace feed link on the Calendar tab. You do not need to contact support. The old URL stops working immediately, and you add the new URL shown there to each calendar app.
Confirming an email change or resetting a forgotten password also revokes your feed link. Sign in again, open the Calendar tab for the new link and reconnect your calendar. A routine password change keeps the feed active; if you think the link was exposed, use Replace feed link.
Important
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit bookings from my calendar app?
No. The iCal feed is read-only. To change a booking's date, time, or details, edit it in Sessional. The change will appear in your calendar at the next refresh.
Why is there a delay before new bookings appear?
Calendar apps refresh subscribed feeds on their own schedule. Sessional updates the feed immediately, but your calendar app may not fetch the latest version straight away.
Does the feed include bookings from before I enabled calendar sync?
Yes. The feed includes every confirmed and delivered booking on your account, regardless of when it was created. Once a booking is invoiced or paid it drops out of the feed.
Can I share the feed URL with my agency or organisation manager?
You can, but the feed shows confirmed bookings across every organisation, not just one workplace. If you only want to share your availability, use the availability calendar feature instead.
What happens to the calendar feed if I downgrade from Plus to Basic?
The feed URL stops returning data when your subscription changes to Basic. If you upgrade again, the same feed URL starts returning your bookings again.