What you are seeing
This fix makes the calendar code create the correct event. You will decode the payload, compare the date, time, and time zone with the intended event, and rebuild it with the calendar generator. Verify the fix by scanning and reading the created event on two phones before you print.
Likely causes
1.
Date or time in the wrong format — Quick test: decode the payload and read the date and time fields.
2.
Time zone missing or wrong — Quick test: compare the time zone in the payload with the intended one.
3.
Hand-typed payload with a format error — Quick test: compare the payload with the standard event format.
4.
Missing end time — Quick test: check whether the payload carries an end time.
5.
Special characters in the title or location — Quick test: try a simple title with plain characters and compare.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Decode the payload and write down the title, start, end, location, and time zone it carries.
Step 2: Compare every value with the intended event details, including the time zone.
Step 3: Rebuild the event with the calendar generator, using the verified details and an explicit end time.
Step 4: Scan the rebuilt code on two phones and read the created event field by field.
Step 5: If a field differs, correct it in the generator and rebuild the code.
Step 6: Simplify any title or location with special characters that breaks the event, and retest.
Step 7: Retest the final code on two phones and confirm the event matches the intended details exactly.
Putting this into practice
In practice, keep the event details in one record: title, start, end, location, and time zone. Build the code from that record, and check the proof against the same record, so a typo in either place gets caught. Record the before-and-after behaviour with the job file, so the fix is provable rather than anecdotal. When the same failure appears again, that record tells you whether the old fix held or a new cause appeared.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Hand-typing a calendar payload and shifting the event by hours because the time zone was missing.
- Reprinting the full run before a single proof passes, which turns one failure into many.
- Testing on one phone in ideal conditions instead of two phones in the real conditions where a code that scans but the calendar event is wrong will be used.
- Changing the artwork and the placement at the same time, so you cannot tell which change fixed a code that scans but the calendar event is wrong.- Skipping the proof test because the change looked small, when small changes cause most repeat failures.
Quick checklist
- The decoded date, time, and time zone match the intended event
- The event carries an explicit end time
- Scanning creates the correct event on two phones
- The corrected proof passes on two phones in the real conditions
- The fix is recorded in the job file so the next reprint starts from a proven setup
- Every printed copy is checked against the approved proof
- The proof is retested after any later change to the link, design, or placement
Related tools and guides
- [calendar event QR code generator](/calendar-event-qr-code-generator)
- [QR payload inspector](/qr-payload-inspector)
- [QR offline verifier](/qr-offline-verifier)
- [QR scan log](/qr-scan-log)
- [QR safety checker](/qr-safety-checker)
- [blog](/blog)
