How do you set the color of a Google calendar event using the API

Question

This question has been asked a while ago but has not been answered. I think things have moved on since.

I can create an event using the API but I am unable to set the colour to anything other than the default. This is :colorId is not working? Any ideas?

    event = Google::Apis::CalendarV3::Event.new({
                                                    :summary => @measure.value,

                                                    :description => 'created by ' + current_user.username,
                                                    :start => {
                                                        :date_time => event_starttime
                                                    },
                                                    :end => {
                                                        :date_time => event_endtime
                                                    },
                                                    :colorId => "6"
                                                })

Answer 1

As mentioned in @CChandler81 answer, an event's color is set using a colorId; an integer value from 1 to 11.

This image shows 11 events using the 11 colors.

The events were created using the following Python code:

colorId = 1
for day in range(4):
    event_date = datetime.date.today() + datetime.timedelta(days=day)
    event_date_str = event_date.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
    for start_hour in range(0,12,4):
        start_time = datetime.time(hour=start_hour)
        end_time = datetime.time(hour=start_hour + 4)
        # Create calendar event specifying colorId
        event = {
            'summary': f'colorId {colorId}',
            'colorId': colorId,
            'start': {
                'dateTime': f"{event_date_str}{start_time.strftime('T%H:%M:%S')}",
                'timeZone': 'Europe/London',
            },
            'end': {
                'dateTime': f"{event_date_str}{end_time.strftime('T%H:%M:%S')}",
                'timeZone': 'Europe/London',
            }
        }
        service.events().insert(calendarId='primary', body=event).execute()
        # Prepare for next event or finish if all colors used
        colorId += 1
        if colorId > 11:
            break

The above was added into the quickstart example from the Google Calendar API Python Quick Start Guide. A useful example of getting color information, in various languages, is available at Colors: get.

Updating the Python example:

service = build('calendar', 'v3', credentials=creds)
colors = service.colors().get().execute()
for key, value in colors.items():
    print(f'color key \'{key}\': {value}')

for item in ['calendar', 'event']:
    print(f'Colors {item}:')
    for colorId, color in colors[item].items():
        back = color['background']
        fore = color['foreground']
        print(f'colorId \'{colorId}\': Background={back}, foreground={fore}')

Slotting above into the same quickstart example outputs:

color key 'kind': calendar#colors
color key 'updated': 2012-02-14T00:00:00.000Z
color key 'calendar': {'1': {'background': '#ac725e', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '2': {'background': '#d06b64', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '3': {'background': '#f83a22', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '4': {'background': '#fa573c', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '5': {'background': '#ff7537', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '6': {'background': '#ffad46', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '7': {'background': '#42d692', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '8': {'background': '#16a765', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '9': {'background': '#7bd148', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '10': {'background': '#b3dc6c', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '11': {'background': '#fbe983', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '12': {'background': '#fad165', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '13': {'background': '#92e1c0', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '14': {'background': '#9fe1e7', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '15': {'background': '#9fc6e7', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '16': {'background': '#4986e7', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '17': {'background': '#9a9cff', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '18': {'background': '#b99aff', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '19': {'background': '#c2c2c2', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '20': {'background': '#cabdbf', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '21': {'background': '#cca6ac', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '22': {'background': '#f691b2', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '23': {'background': '#cd74e6', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '24': {'background': '#a47ae2', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}}
color key 'event': {'1': {'background': '#a4bdfc', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '2': {'background': '#7ae7bf', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '3': {'background': '#dbadff', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '4': {'background': '#ff887c', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '5': {'background': '#fbd75b', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '6': {'background': '#ffb878', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '7': {'background': '#46d6db', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '8': {'background': '#e1e1e1', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '9': {'background': '#5484ed', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '10': {'background': '#51b749', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}, '11': {'background': '#dc2127', 'foreground': '#1d1d1d'}}
Colors calendar:
colorId '1': Background=#ac725e, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '2': Background=#d06b64, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '3': Background=#f83a22, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '4': Background=#fa573c, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '5': Background=#ff7537, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '6': Background=#ffad46, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '7': Background=#42d692, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '8': Background=#16a765, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '9': Background=#7bd148, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '10': Background=#b3dc6c, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '11': Background=#fbe983, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '12': Background=#fad165, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '13': Background=#92e1c0, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '14': Background=#9fe1e7, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '15': Background=#9fc6e7, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '16': Background=#4986e7, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '17': Background=#9a9cff, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '18': Background=#b99aff, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '19': Background=#c2c2c2, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '20': Background=#cabdbf, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '21': Background=#cca6ac, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '22': Background=#f691b2, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '23': Background=#cd74e6, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '24': Background=#a47ae2, foreground=#1d1d1d
Colors event:
colorId '1': Background=#a4bdfc, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '2': Background=#7ae7bf, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '3': Background=#dbadff, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '4': Background=#ff887c, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '5': Background=#fbd75b, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '6': Background=#ffb878, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '7': Background=#46d6db, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '8': Background=#e1e1e1, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '9': Background=#5484ed, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '10': Background=#51b749, foreground=#1d1d1d
colorId '11': Background=#dc2127, foreground=#1d1d1d

Answer 2

I just came across this because I was having the same problem. I'm using the ruby api client and I dug into its code to find this:

# The color of the event. This is an ID referring to an entry in the event
# section of the colors definition (see the  colors endpoint). Optional.
# Corresponds to the JSON property `colorId`
# @return [String]
attr_accessor :color_id

Updating my event insert call to use color_id: 'a number from 1 to 11' worked for me.

Answer 3

In creating calendar events using Events.insert, there's an optional property called colorId

colorId string The color of the event. This is an ID referring to an entry in the event section of the colors definition (see the colors endpoint). Optional. writable

Check the Colors property resource on format for setting background and foreground colors.