What the Google launchpad widgets keep from Classroom, Calendar and Gmail, and how up to date they are
The Google launchpad widgets only ever read Google (Cover access aside, which adds and removes co-teachers). This page sets out what they read and keep, and how often each one refreshes.
How up to date the widgets are
There's no Google call when someone opens their launchpad: the widgets read what Realsmart already holds and show how old it is.
- Classroom widgets: when a pupil or teacher opens the launchpad and a class's data is more than 20 minutes old during school hours (7:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, in the school's timezone) — or more than 6 hours old outside them — Realsmart refreshes that class in the background, once however many people are looking. Every class is also refreshed each night.
- My calendar and Unread mail: refreshed in the background when someone opens their launchpad and theirs is more than 15 minutes old (calendar) or 5 minutes old (mail), between 6:00 and 22:00, and for staff early each weekday morning, so it's ready when they arrive.
- School calendar: refreshed when it's more than an hour old, and early each weekday morning.
If Google can't be reached, people see the last data with its time ("Updated 10:42").
What Realsmart keeps
Classroom. The widgets don't make a new copy of Classroom. They keep the Classroom data Realsmart already holds for Classroom reporting up to date, class by class: each class's name, section and teachers; each piece of classwork's title, due date and link; and each pupil's hand-in state, whether it was late and the mark Classroom reporting already uses. The widgets themselves only show titles, dates, states and links — never marks or descriptions, and a pupil only ever sees their own work. Nothing a pupil writes or attaches is copied, and no comments. For My classes, Realsmart also keeps the latest announcement's date, link and a short excerpt.
Turning the widgets on also keeps the school's daily Classroom import (16:00) running, even if Classroom reporting isn't switched on. It doesn't switch Classroom reporting on.
Calendar and Gmail. These are never stored in Realsmart's database. Each person's next events (today and the next seven days: title, time, place and video-call link, at most 40) and their unread count are held briefly in a short-lived cache, kept for about a day, and replaced at each refresh. School calendar events (the next 14 days, at most 30) are held the same way. No email is ever read or kept — only the inbox's unread count. Private events keep their title for the person whose calendar it is.
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