Send SMS Text Notifications for Google Calendar Events

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to miss important meetings or events on your calendar. That's why we've created a handy snippet for Xano that will send you SMS notifications for upcoming events on your Google Calendar. Stay organized and never miss another meeting with this simple yet powerful integration.

Setting Up the Snippet

Before we dive into the details, let's make sure you have everything you need to get started.

Prerequisites

1. Xano Account: If you haven't already, sign up for a free Xano account at https://xano.io.
2. Twilio Account: You'll need a Twilio account to send SMS notifications. Sign up for a free trial account at https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio.
3. Google Account: You'll need a Google account to access your Google Calendar.

Step 1: Install the Snippet

1. Log in to your Xano account and navigate to the Marketplace.
2. Search for the "SMS Notifications for Google Calendar" snippet and click "Add to Account."
3. Once added, navigate to the workspace where you want to install the snippet.
4. Go to the Marketplace > Purchased tab, find the snippet, and click "Install."

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

The snippet requires you to configure a few environment variables to connect to Twilio and Google services.

1. In your Xano workspace, go to the "Settings" tab and click on "Environment Variables."
2. Set the following Twilio environment variables:

• `TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID`: Your Twilio account SID (found in the Twilio console).
• `TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN`: Your Twilio auth token (found in the Twilio console).
• `TWILIO_FROM_NUMBER`: The Twilio phone number you'll be sending notifications from.

1. Next, set up the Google environment variables:

• `GOOGLE_KEY_JSON`: A JSON key from a Google service account (follow the steps below to create one).
• `GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID`: The ID of your Google Calendar (find it in your Google Calendar settings).
• `NOTIFICATION_NUMBER`: The phone number you want to receive notifications on.

#### Creating a Google Service Account

To get the `GOOGLE_KEY_JSON` value, you'll need to create a Google service account:

1. Go to the Google Cloud Platform Console and create a new project.
2. Navigate to the "APIs & Services" > "Credentials" section and create a new service account.
3. Grant the service account the "Owner" role (or a more restrictive role if preferred).
4. Create a new key for the service account and select the JSON option to download the key file.
5. Copy the entire JSON key and paste it into the `GOOGLE_KEY_JSON` environment variable in Xano.
6. In your Google Calendar settings, share your calendar with the service account email address and grant it "See all event details" permissions.
7. Finally, enable the Google Calendar API for your project in the Google Cloud Console.

Step 3: Set Up Background Tasks (Optional)

While you can manually trigger the SMS notification function, it's more convenient to set it up as a background task to run automatically.

1. In your Xano workspace, go to the "Background Tasks" tab and create a new task.
2. Select the "Google calendar SMS notifications" function from the custom functions list.
3. Set the task to repeat every 10 minutes (or your desired interval).
4. Enable the task and publish your changes.

Additionally, you can set up another background task to populate a database table with your upcoming calendar events. This is an optional step, but it allows you to run queries on your calendar data.

1. Create a new background task and select the "add upcoming events" function.
2. Set the task to repeat every few hours (e.g., every 6 or 12 hours).
3. Enable the task and publish your changes.

Customizing the Snippet

The beauty of Xano snippets is that you can easily customize them to fit your specific needs. Here are a few ways you can tweak the "SMS Notifications for Google Calendar" snippet:

• Adjust the notification window: Currently, the snippet looks for events starting in the next 10 minutes. You can modify this time frame by changing the `MINUTES_AHEAD` variable in the `Google calendar upcoming events` function.
• Customize the notification message: The SMS notification message is generated in the `send_sms_notification` function. You can modify the message format or include additional event details as needed.
• Enable event links: If you verify your Twilio number and enable certain messaging capabilities, you can include links to Google Meet or Zoom meetings in the SMS notification.
• Modify notification conditions: Currently, the snippet sends a notification for every upcoming event. You can add additional conditions or filters to control when notifications are sent (e.g., only for specific calendars or event types).

By following these steps, you'll have a powerful SMS notification system for your Google Calendar events, ensuring you never miss an important meeting or appointment again. Embrace the power of no-code with Xano and streamline your workflow today!