Discover & Event Visibility¶

Overview¶

Discover (/events/discover/) is the public event catalog. Only events with visibility=public and valid categories appear. Private events are link-only and hidden from catalog queries.

Purpose¶

Drive organic registration for conferences and community events while keeping invite-only gatherings off public listings.

Who should use it¶

Marketing teams listing public conferences
Community organizers building audience
Attendees browsing nearby and popular events

Benefits¶

Nearby and popular curated lists
Geolocation via event lat/long
Category filtering
Mobile API parity for discover feed

Action	Path
Discover home	`/events/discover/`
Nearby list	`/events/discover/nearby/`
Popular list	`/events/discover/popular/`
Event detail (public)	`/events/<pk>/<event_tag>/`
Edit visibility	`/events/<pk>/<tag>/edit/`

Prerequisites¶

Public visibility selected on event
At least one event category assigned (required for public)
Future or current events (past events typically excluded)
Registration type registration defaults to public; RSVP defaults private

Step-by-step — Publish to Discover¶

Edit event → set Visibility to Public.
Select or enter Event category (preset tags or custom).
Add cover images (card, banner, mobile) for listing quality.
Set latitude/longitude for nearby discovery (geocode on location).
Save → verify on /events/discover/.

[SCREENSHOT: Discover listing card]

Step-by-step — Keep event private¶

Set Visibility to Private.
Category optional.
Share direct link only: /events/<pk>/<tag>/.

Field descriptions¶

Field	Values	Effect
`visibility`	`public`, `private`	Catalog inclusion
`event_category`	Text (tags)	Required for public; filter facet
`latitude` / `longitude`	Decimal	Nearby sort
`cover_image*`	Images	Card/banner display
`registration_type`	rsvp / registration	Default visibility helper

Business rules¶

Rule	Detail
Public requires category	Save validation fails without category
Private events	Never on Discover
`is_public` property	`visibility == public`
Default visibility	Registration → public; RSVP → private
Past events	Excluded from discover queries
Mobile API	`GET /api/mobile/v1/events/discover/`

Validation rules¶

Public + empty category → error on save
Invalid category alone does not force public

User permissions¶

Action	Anonymous	User	Host
View Discover	✅	✅	✅
View private event	❌	❌*	✅
Change visibility	❌	❌	✅

*Unless shared link and access rules allow.

Workflow¶

flowchart LR Edit[Edit event] --> Vis{visibility} Vis -->|public| Cat[Require category] Cat --> Discover[Appears on Discover] Vis -->|private| Link[Link-only access]

Examples¶

Tech conference: Public, categories "Technology" + "Conference", banner image, geocoded downtown venue.

Executive dinner: Private RSVP, no category, email invitations only.

Best practices¶

Use high-quality banner for landscape covers
Geocode location for nearby discovery
Align public listing with registration open date
Test Discover card on mobile viewport

Tips¶

Popular/nearby subpages for curated browsing
Event lookup: /events/lookup/ for direct search
Categories API: /api/mobile/v1/events/categories/

Common mistakes¶

Mistake	Result	Fix
Public without category	Cannot save	Add category
Wrong coordinates	Bad nearby results	Re-geocode location
Private event shared on Discover	Confusion	Only public listed

FAQs¶

Do private events appear in search engines?
Treat as unlisted; no Discover listing. SEO depends on deployment.

Can RSVP events be public?
Yes — set visibility public + category.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Not on Discover	Private / past / no category	Check visibility fields
Bad image crop	Cover crop data	Re-upload cover images

Screenshot placeholders¶

[SCREENSHOT: Discover grid with filters]
[SCREENSHOT: Nearby events map/list]
[SCREENSHOT: Visibility toggle on edit form]

Administrator notes¶

Moderation queues not implemented — hosts responsible for public content
Staff can hide events via admin if policy violation

Developer/API notes¶

Endpoint	Description
`GET /api/mobile/v1/events/discover/`	Paginated public events
`GET /api/mobile/v1/events/search/`	Search query param
`GET /api/mobile/v1/events/categories/`	Category list