quickly adding events to Google calendar using your search bar

I am always humbled by how many people offer free stuff to make using our computers easier, faster, etc.…

If you’re like me, you usually have your browser open.  Then in order to add an event to Google Calendar, you do something like go to the calendar, choose a date, create an event, and if you have to add information to the calendar, you have click “Edit event details” which opens in a new window.  But what if you could just type the event directly in your Chrome address/search bar and it would automatically open the edit calendar page? 

Well you can, here’s a way to quickly add events to your Google calendar: http://labs.kortina.net/2010/04/06/quick-add-event-to-google-calendar-with-google-chrome-address-bar-shortcut/#comment-form

From the website above, here are the directions:

Step 1: right click on the Chrome address bar and choose Edit search engines…

Step 2: Click the + and add a new search engine with these details or scroll to the bottom and just add the following:

Name: gcal quickadd (venmo)
Keyword: ca
URL: http://www.google.com/calendar/event?ctext=+%s+&action=TEMPLATE&pprop=HowCreated%3AQUICKADD
(Google Apps URL use:)http://www.google.com/calendar/hosted/yourAppsDomain.com/event?ctext=+%s+&action=TEMPLATE&pprop=HowCreated%3AQUICKADD

Step 3: Add this as one of your default search engines (but make sure that Google stays your default search engine otherwise any search you do will create a calendar event) 

That keyword “ca” means if you preface any search with that (this works for any other search engine you choose), it will use that search engine.  Now, just add events using your search bar; type in something like the following:

• ca meeting tomorrow with Sammy at 2pm
• ca 2pm meeting with sampleperson@gmail.com

As soon as you type ca and hit the space bar, the new search engine shows up and immediately brings you to the Edit event page of your calendar.