Calendar Widget Layouts: One Column or Two (Today and Next)?
Published · Updated · 6 min read
Use one column if your event titles are long or your widget is narrow. Use two columns, one for today and one for what comes next, if you have a wide widget and want to see today apart from the days after it.
The choice changes how much text fits and how fast you can read the widget. This guide gives you a way to decide, and the settings to pair with each layout.
The two layouts
One column is a single agenda list. Events run from top to bottom, with optional day headers such as "Today", "Tomorrow" and dates. You can add an optional timeline.
Two columns split the widget in two: today in one column and the next events in the other. Super Agenda supports both layouts, and you can change between them in the widget settings.
Both layouts use the same events. Only the shape of the list changes.
What each layout is good at
| Question | One column | Two columns |
|---|---|---|
| Room for long event titles | More. Each title gets the full width. | Less. Each column has half the width. |
| Today kept apart from later days | With day headers only | Built in |
| Widget size on the home screen | Works in narrow and wide sizes | Works best in a wide widget |
| Number of events seen at once | Grows with the height | Spread across two columns |
| Reading speed | One path, top to bottom | Two paths, a glance at each |
Four questions to decide
Answer these in order. The first "yes" settles it.
- Is the widget narrow? Choose one column. Two columns would cut titles short.
- Are your titles long? Course names, project names and job site names are often long. Choose one column.
- Do you want today to stand out from everything else? Choose two columns.
- Is the widget wide, and are your titles short? Choose two columns.
If none of these settles it, start with one column. It is the easier layout to read.
Examples
A freelancer with two or three calls a day. Titles are short. Today is what matters. Two columns work well: today on one side, the next days on the other. The widget is a full-width block at the top of the screen.
A student with long course names. "Introduction to Organic Chemistry, Lab B" does not fit in half a width. One column with day headers keeps the full name visible.
A parent with school, work and family calendars. The day is busy and the days ahead matter for planning. Two columns show today's schedule next to what comes tomorrow. Color markers (bar, circle or small dot) help you see whose event is whose.
A shift worker with one event a day. A narrow one-column widget with a two- or three-day range is enough.
Settings to pair with each layout
The layout is only one part. These settings decide how full the widget feels.
| Setting | With one column | With two columns |
|---|---|---|
| Days ahead | 2 to 3 | 2 to 4, since the second column has room |
| Maximum events | 6 to 8 | 8 to 10 across both columns |
| Day headers | On, to separate days | Optional, because the split already marks today |
| Timeline | Optional | Skip it if the columns feel tight |
| Hide declined events | On | On |
| Hide all-day events | Your choice | Your choice |
Hiding declined events and all-day events is one way to keep a two-column widget readable. The guide to hiding declined and all-day events shows how. The time settings and the calendar choice are free. The layouts and other style options need Super Agenda Pro, a one-time in-app purchase.
Your calendar, on your home screen. Super Agenda is a free, very customizable agenda widget for Android. No account, no ads.
Use both with several widgets
You do not have to pick only one. Each widget can have its own calendars and its own style. You could place a two-column widget with your work calendar at the top of one page and a one-column widget with your family calendar on another. This also keeps each widget short.
What a list layout cannot do
Both layouts are agenda lists. They do not show a month grid. If you want to see a whole month at once, a month widget fits better. Read agenda widget vs month widget to compare. The widget also has a toolbar with buttons to add an event, refresh and open the settings. Read how to add a calendar event from the home screen for that part.
What this means for you
Use this checklist:
- [ ] Check your widget width. If it is narrow, choose one column.
- [ ] Look at your longest event title. If it is long, choose one column.
- [ ] If you want today apart from the rest, and the widget is wide, choose two columns.
- [ ] Set days ahead and a maximum number of events to match the layout.
- [ ] Hide declined events.
- [ ] Check the live preview. It matches the widget on your home screen.
- [ ] Change the layout later if the first choice feels wrong. The events stay the same.
Your calendar, on your home screen. Super Agenda is a free, very customizable agenda widget for Android. No account, no ads.