It is done! With PR #303 we have completely rewritten the backend of // foss.events and now have an underlying database.
Although not visible, this brings several features for users: You can now easily add an event using a web form at https:/ /foss.events/new-event. The web form makes submitting new events much easier than before, when people had to fill out an email template. Submitting events is also much less error-prone, as several fields have a pre-defined set of values you can choose from, ensuring standardised data.
As well as revising the event submission form, we are also pleased to announce the introduction of ‚edit this event‘ options. Each event page now has an „Edit this event“ button at the bottom of the page. Whenever you see data missing or incorrect, you can click to edit this event and improve the accuracy of an event’s data.
This new feature also makes it much easier to submit an event if it is a recurring event, especially if it is held in the same location every year. In this case, you can open the previous edition, click „Edit this event“, change the date and probably a few things here and there, and that’s it – submit your new event.
The new database also makes it much easier to accept submissions in the backend. And faster! Once approved, each event will appear on the front page instantly.
And we have even more ideas about what we can do with the new database. Stay tuned!
Unfortunately, the data we used to create our new database has seen a lot of chaos and wild growth, so the web form still has some hiccups. The order of the data is not yet user friendly and there are some unnecessary fields that we will be getting rid of to make it easier for you to contribute. The same goes for some of the defaults you can select that are unnecessary. This will be done over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, you are very welcome to submit your event](https:/ /foss.events/new-event) and test our new form and give us feedback at contact@foss.events. You are also welcome to help us get things done in the backend and have a look at our issue tracker and see where you would like to contribute.