JEM Calendar Module

Module name: JEM - Calendar Module
Extension: mod_jem_cal
Applies to: JEM 5.0 beta 3 for Joomla 5/6 and JEM 4.5 beta 5 for Joomla 4/5, when the module functionality is available in the installed package.

Overview

The JEM Calendar Module displays events in a compact monthly calendar inside a Joomla module position. It is designed for sidebars, dashboard-like pages, event landing pages, and compact navigation areas where visitors need to see which days contain events.

Days with events can link either to the JEM day view or directly to the event details page when only one event exists on that day. The module can show event information in tooltips, supports category and venue filtering, can include current and archived events, and can use AJAX navigation so visitors can move between months without reloading the full page.

Requirements

  • JEM component installed and enabled.
  • At least one published event if the module is expected to show active event days.
  • A Joomla template position where the compact calendar fits visually.
  • Bootstrap tooltip support available through Joomla, used by the module for event tooltips.

Where To Find It

  1. Go to System → Manage → Site Modules.
  2. Create or edit a module of type JEM - Calendar Module.
  3. Assign it to the desired template position.
  4. Set the menu assignment according to the pages where the calendar should appear.

Module Options

Tooltip Options

OptionDefaultDescriptionWhen To Use
Show Tooltips Yes Shows a tooltip when the visitor hovers over a calendar day that contains events. Recommended for most sites because it gives quick event context without leaving the page.
Show Tooltips Title Yes Displays a title above the tooltip content. Useful when several events can appear on one day.
Tooltips Title Singular Event Text used as the tooltip heading when the day contains one event. Change it if the site uses a different term, such as “Session”, “Concert”, or “Meeting”.
Tooltips Title Plural Events Text used as the tooltip heading when the day contains multiple events. Keep consistent with the singular title.
Maximum Events in Tooltip Empty Limits how many events are listed in the tooltip. Empty means no limit. Use a small number on busy calendars to avoid very tall tooltips.
Event Title Length 25 Limits the length of event titles shown inside tooltips. Increase it for wide module positions; reduce it for narrow sidebars.
Display Link No Makes event titles inside the tooltip clickable. Enable when users should open events directly from the tooltip.
Display Time No Adds event time to the tooltip content. Recommended for agenda-style sites where the same day may contain several events.
Display Category No Adds category information to the tooltip. Useful when the same calendar mixes different event types.
Display Venue No Adds venue information to the tooltip. Useful for organizations with several venues or locations.

Calendar Display

OptionDefaultDescription
Day Name Length 2 Controls weekday labels. Values can hide names, show one letter, two letters, three letters, or full weekday names.
First Day of Week Monday Defines which weekday starts the calendar row. This is important for regional calendar conventions.
Year Length Four digits Controls whether the year is displayed as two or four digits.
Month Length Full month name Controls whether the calendar heading uses full or short month names.
Month Offset 0 Changes the initially displayed month relative to the current month. For example, 1 starts on next month.
Time Offset 0 Applies an hour offset when calculating the current day. This can help sites whose audience is in a different timezone from the Joomla server configuration.

Navigation and Event Selection

OptionDefaultDescriptionRecommendation
Remember Month/Year Yes Remembers the month and year selected by the visitor while navigating the site. Keep enabled when the calendar appears on several pages.
Use AJAX Yes Loads the previous or next month inside the module without reloading the full page. If JavaScript is disabled, the module falls back to normal links. Recommended for modern templates and sidebars.
Current Events Yes Includes published current events. Keep enabled for normal public calendars.
Archived Events No Includes archived events. Enable only for historical calendars or archive pages.
Categories Empty Limits the calendar to selected JEM categories. Empty means no category restriction. Use for section-specific calendars such as music, courses, meetings, or exhibitions.
Venues Empty Limits the calendar to selected JEM venues. Empty means no venue restriction. Use for venue pages or location-specific sidebars.
Straight To Details Yes If a day contains exactly one event, the day link opens the event details page directly. If several events exist, the day view is used. Recommended because it reduces one click on simple calendars.
Default Menu ItemID Empty Overrides the Joomla menu item used for generated links. Set this when event links open with the wrong template, module assignment, breadcrumb, or SEF route.
Important: Do not set both Current Events and Archived Events to No. If both are disabled, the module has no event state to display and the calendar will not show event days.

Advanced Options

OptionDefaultDescription
Layout default Selects the module layout override. The module includes default, dark blue, and grid-style layouts.
Module Class Empty Adds a custom CSS class to the module container. Use this when the site template has custom styling for module positions.
Caching Use Global Controls Joomla module caching.
Cache Time 900 Cache lifetime in seconds. The default is 15 minutes.

Available Layouts

LayoutPurpose
default Standard compact table calendar. Suitable for most sidebar and module positions.
darkblue Alternative visual style with a darker calendar appearance.
grid Grid-oriented layout with modern navigation behavior and Bootstrap tooltip initialization after AJAX updates.

Frontend Behaviour

  • The module displays one month at a time.
  • Navigation links allow visitors to move to previous and next months, and in the default layout also previous and next years.
  • Days with events become active links.
  • If Straight To Details is enabled and only one event exists on a day, the day link opens that event directly.
  • If several events exist on the same day, the day link opens the JEM day view.
  • If AJAX is enabled, month navigation updates only the module content.
  • If AJAX is unavailable, the module still works with normal page reload navigation.
  • Tooltips can show event title, time, category, venue, and optional event links depending on configuration.

Recommended Configurations

Standard Public Event Calendar

  • Show Tooltips: Yes
  • Use AJAX: Yes
  • Current Events: Yes
  • Archived Events: No
  • Straight To Details: Yes

Best for the main public website where visitors need quick access to upcoming events.

Category-Specific Calendar

  • Categories: Select one or more categories
  • Display Category: No, if only one category is used
  • Display Time: Yes
  • Display Venue: Optional

Best for pages dedicated to one event type, such as concerts, workshops, training sessions, or community meetings.

Venue Calendar

  • Venues: Select the target venue
  • Display Venue: No, if the module is already placed on a venue page
  • Display Time: Yes
  • Default Menu ItemID: Set if routing must stay inside a venue section

Best for a venue details page or a dedicated location landing page.

Archive Calendar

  • Current Events: No
  • Archived Events: Yes
  • Remember Month/Year: Yes
  • Month Offset: Use a negative value if the archive should open in a past month

Best for historical event pages, past programmes, and documentation archives.

Troubleshooting

ProblemPossible CauseSuggested Fix
No event days are highlighted. No matching events, both current and archived events disabled, or filters are too restrictive. Check event publication state, date range, category filter, venue filter, and the Current/Archived event settings.
Links open with the wrong template or modules. Joomla selected a different menu item for the generated route. Set Default Menu ItemID to the correct JEM menu item.
Tooltips are too large. Many events exist on the same day or titles are long. Set Maximum Events in Tooltip and reduce Event Title Length.
AJAX navigation does not work. JavaScript error, template conflict, or AJAX disabled. Disable AJAX temporarily to confirm normal navigation works, then check browser console errors and template overrides.
The wrong month appears first. Month Offset or Remember Month/Year is affecting the displayed month. Set Month Offset to 0 and clear remembered navigation by testing in a new browser session.

Related Development Notes

The following GitHub references are the most useful development links for the JEM Calendar Module. They were selected by prioritising direct relation with mod_jem_cal, JEM 4.5.0 / 5.0.0 relevance, recent activity, number of comments, and practical documentation value.

RankReferenceWhy It Matters
1 #1967 - Allow layouts and overrides for mod_jem_cal & individual links for events Directly related to the Calendar Module. Useful for explaining layout overrides and event link behaviour.
2 #1989 - New options for mod_jem_cal and responsive grid calendar layout Documents the newer Calendar Module options and the responsive grid calendar layout.
3 #1922 - JEM-Modules: Show events corresponding ACL Milestone JEM 4.5.0. Important for understanding how module output respects event, category, venue, and user access rules.
4 #2126 - Only public and registered can see public events in frontend Milestone JEM 5.0.0. Relevant to frontend event visibility and ACL behaviour in Joomla 5/6 contexts.
5 #2069 - calendar_from / calendar_to are ignored unless filter_month is set Related to calendar range filtering. Useful background for understanding calendar date-window logic.
6 #1759 - Tooltip - HTML-Code Relevant to tooltip rendering, which is one of the key interaction features of the Calendar Module.