Targeted Event Control: Restricting Event Visibility in Your Choir

Why not everyone needs to see everything

In a choir or ensemble, there are events that only concern certain members. The board meeting is intended for the board, the sectional rehearsal for the sopranos is aimed at just one voice group, and the section leaders' meeting doesn't concern everyone. Yet such events often end up in the shared calendar and cause confusion. Members wonder whether they should attend, and the calendar becomes cluttered.

This is exactly the problem that the new event visibility control in Chorilo solves. When creating or editing an event, you can now specify who is allowed to see it at all. Members who don't belong to the target group won't see the event in the calendar or the event list. Everything stays tidy and clear.

Three dimensions of visibility

Event visibility in Chorilo can be restricted using three different criteria that can be flexibly combined. This makes the feature particularly powerful because it adapts to the individual structure of each ensemble.

The first dimension is permission groups. Every ensemble in Chorilo can define its own permission groups, such as "Board", "Active Members", or "Supporting Members". If you want to create an event only for the board, simply select the corresponding permission group. Only members assigned to this group will see the event.

The second dimension is ensemble functions. Many choirs assign special functions like "Section Leader", "Librarian", or "Treasurer". A section leaders' meeting can thus be made visible specifically to this group of people without other members finding out about it or feeling addressed.

The third dimension is voice parts. This is particularly practical for sectional rehearsals. When the conductor schedules an extra rehearsal just for the tenors, they can restrict the event so that only tenors see it. The sopranos, altos, and basses won't be burdened with an event that doesn't concern them.

What makes this solution special is that the three criteria are linked with OR logic. A member sees the event if they meet at least one of the selected criteria. This way, you can create an event that is visible to both the board and all sopranos, even if the sopranos aren't on the board.

How it works in practice

The setup is remarkably simple. When creating a new event, you'll find a new checkbox below the familiar fields labelled "Restrict visibility". Once you activate it, a section opens listing all available permission groups, functions, and voice parts of your ensemble. Simply tick the desired groups and save the event as usual.

If you don't set any checkmarks and leave the checkbox deactivated, the event remains visible to all members as before. The new feature is entirely optional and doesn't change existing behaviour. Existing events are not affected.

You can also adjust the visibility at any time when editing an event. Perhaps you realise that a sectional rehearsal should be opened to all voice parts after all, or that a board meeting is also relevant for the section leaders. A few clicks are all it takes, and the visibility is updated.

Transparency for all involved

Members who can see a restricted event will immediately notice on the detail page that this event is not visible to everyone. Below the event details, a subtle hint appears in amber colour with an eye icon and a list of who can see the event. This way, every participant knows that it's a targeted event and not all members are invited.

This transparency is important so that nobody is caught off guard. When a section leader sees that an event is only visible to section leaders and the board, they immediately understand the context and can prepare accordingly.

Available on all platforms

Visibility control works everywhere you use Chorilo. In the web application, you can set the visibility when creating and editing events and view the restrictions on the detail page. The same functionality is available in the mobile app for iOS and Android. Whether you're creating an event on your computer or on the go with your smartphone, the visibility settings are always just a tap away.

The display of restrictions is also consistent across all platforms. Whether in the browser or in the app, the amber-coloured hint with the visibility details looks the same everywhere and provides the same information.

Typical use cases

In practice, there are numerous situations where visibility control makes everyday choir life easier. Board meetings are the most obvious case. Instead of creating an event and then explaining via message that only the board is meant, you simply restrict the visibility to the "Board" permission group. Done.

Sectional rehearsals are another common use case. When the conductor schedules an additional rehearsal just for the basses, only the basses see this event. The other voice parts aren't burdened with irrelevant events and the calendar stays clear.

The feature is also excellent for organisational meetings. When the librarians meet to sort the archive, or when the section leaders have a meeting, the event can be made visible specifically to the people concerned.

It becomes particularly interesting for ensembles with subgroups. A chamber choir within a larger choir can have its own events that are only visible to members of the corresponding permission group. This way, multiple groups can use the same calendar without disturbing each other.

No compromises on security

Visibility control is not just a cosmetic feature. Events restricted to certain groups are filtered server-side. This means that a member without access cannot retrieve the event even through the API. It's therefore a genuine access control, not just hiding things in the interface.

At the same time, the feature remains flexible. When no restrictions are set, everything behaves as before. Every member sees every event. Visibility control only takes effect when it's deliberately activated.

In the mobile app, visibility control is available from version 1.8.1 onwards. Make sure you have updated the app to the latest version to use this feature.

Try it now

Event visibility control is available in Chorilo starting today. Create your next board meeting or your next sectional rehearsal and restrict the visibility. You'll quickly notice how much clearer the calendar becomes when each member only sees the events that truly concern them.