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Setting up Google Sync

  NOTE: This feature is available in the Essential, Professional, and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop.

If you use a mobile device to keep track of appointments and clients, you can synchronize your mobile device with Spectra/Stratus though Google®. 

HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU!


Previous versions of the software synced with Palm® handheld devices and Microsoft® Outlook™ for use with a PocketPC™ or other Outlook-compatible devices. To make the software compatible with a wider range of mobile devices and to provide online access to your Spectra/Stratus calendar, we now use Google as a bridge to other applications. Most likely, any device that supported Outlook can access Google. Google has several apps that can sync your Google items to Outlook. Look for articles on the Google website for more information.

Requirements #

  • Free Gmail account (not a Google App account)

  • Mobile device with application that is compatible with Google calendar and Gmail contacts

ATTENTION! 


Before you enable the syncing feature in your software, you should already be successfully syncing your mobile device with your Google online calendar and contacts. Consult your mobile device documentation for how to set up your device for use with Google.

Time Zone Settings #

  • It is important to make sure the calendar time zone settings in Google match the settings your software is using. Your Google time zone settings can be selected when setting up the account or under Settings after the account has been established. Note: Spectra uses the time zone settings for the computer that runs the Control Center Google Sync Processor job. Those settings can be changed in Windows. Step 3 below walks you through setting up the Google Sync Processor in the Control Center.

  • When traveling, DO NOT change your Google calendar time zone. Doing so will shift your appointments back in your software.

Sync Setup #

We suggest you start by watching the Syncing with Google video!

  1. Create a new client group by going into Client Groups Maintenance. Name it “Google Sync” or something you will remember as the group you sync to your mobile. See also: Client Groups

    1. Go to Maintenance > Client > Client Groups.

    2. Click Add and the type in the name you would like to use for your Google sync group.

    3. Leave the Inactive box unchecked and click OK to save the new group.

  2. Set up the Google Sync options for each user that wants to sync their calendar/contacts with their Google calendar/contacts.

    1. Log into Spectra/Stratus as the appropriate user.

    2. Go to Maintenance > Preferences > User Preferences and open the Google tab.

HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU! 


With the proper security clearance, you can easily set up the Google syncing options for several users – without logging out and logging back in for each one. Log into Spectra/Stratus as an administrator and open Maintenance > General (Studio) > Users. Double-click to open each user and then enter their sync settings on the Google tab.

    1. Enable Google Sync – Check the box to enable your Google sync click and then click the Authenticate My Google Account button.  Sign into your Google account. The Request for Permission panel screen will appear for you to read and select the Accept button (see below). Select which Google Calendar you wish to include.

    2. Populate Settings – If this is the first time you’ll be syncing Spectra/Stratus with Google, check one or both of the Populate checkboxes. If you want to have everything on your Spectra/Stratus calendar sent to Google, choose the first checkbox to Populate Google. If you would like everything on your Google calendar copied into Spectra/Stratus, choose the second option to Populate Spectra/Stratus. The populate process will sync all of your future calendar items and several months back. Note: If you have calendar items going back years and years, those will not be synced during the populate process.

ATTENTION! 


Only use the Populate choices for a first time sync! The boxes will automatically uncheck after a successful sync. Using these choices at other times may result in duplication of synced items.

    1. Syncing Back to Spectra/Stratus – Choose which types of items you’d like to regularly sync back from Google into Spectra/Stratus. By enabling the Google sync (step c in this section), you’ve already set up the software to send items one way out to Google. By selecting one or both of the Send checkboxes, the sync process will also send changes made in Google back to the software. Note: There is an additional checkbox option to include tentative, non-confirmed Google appointments. These are not included by default.

    2. Clients to Sync – If you checked the option to send your Google contacts to Spectra/Stratus, choose the client group you created for this purpose (step 1 above). Any contacts added in Google will be created in that group back in Spectra/Stratus. Note: You will need to add clients to the group in Spectra/Stratus in order for them to sync out to Google. For more information about syncing your clients, read the Gmail Contacts topic.

    3. Email Sync Messages – Finally, you can have the software email warning messages about sync problems. You can also choose to get a more detailed syncing report emailed to you for help in debugging an issue. Fill in the email address where you want these messages sent.

    4. Click OK to save your user settings.

  1. Spectra users must also enable the Google Sync Processor job in the Control Center. This job controls the syncing process for all users that have set up the Google Sync option in their User Preferences, even when they are not logged into the software. For more information about the Control Center, read the Control Center topic. Note: Stratus users can skip this step. StudioPlus manages the syncing for you.

    1. Go to Utilities > Control Center.

    2. Click Modify General Settings to enter the user credentials that should be used to run the Control Center jobs. Enter the User Name and Password you use to log into the software. If you have not enabled security in the software, you can leave the password blank.

    3. Select the Google Sync Processor job and click Modify Job Settings.

    4. Enable the job by checking Job Enabled.

    5. Choose the sync Schedule for your studio as well as the Computer that should run the job.

    6. Choose which Computer should process this job. This can be any computer on the network. Note: The computer must be on AND have an Internet connection in order for the job to sync information with Google.

    7. Choose your Notification options and enter the email address. We recommend emailing “failures” so you will know if the job is not running for some reason (i.e., the computer loses Internet connection).

    8. Click OK to save your job settings.

ATTENTION!

Repeating Appointments – The sync process does NOT support repeating appointments that are created in Google. These appointments will not be successfully synced to Spectra/Stratus. You CAN add the repeat in Spectra/Stratus and sync that information to Google.

HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU! 


Because the handheld calendar does not having the same scheduling capabilities as Spectra/Stratus, all calendar entries created in Google will sync back to the software as unlinked appointments. Those appointments can be linked to a client and converted to a session. See Managing Appointments for more information. Sessions can be modified and the changes will sync back to the Spectra/Stratus session.

Conflict Resolution #

Because a remote mobile device does not have any direct connection to Spectra/Stratus, appointments entered on the Google calendar may end up being at the same time as an appointment or session scheduled in the software since the last sync. At the end of a successful sync, you may be prompted to Resolve Schedule Conflicts. See also: Resolve Scheduling Conflicts

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