Automating Your Availability
Schedules are the engine of your booking system, automating the creation of time slots for games and managing resource availability (like staff and rooms). Think of a schedule as a smart template that automatically generates, maintains, and updates your booking calendar.
Why Use Schedules?
Schedules are essential for moving away from manual calendar management, offering significant benefits in efficiency and control.
| Benefit | Description | Why It Matters |
| Efficiency | Automatically generates time slots based on repeating patterns (e.g., "Every Friday from 4 PM - 10 PM"). | Saves hours of manual setup, reduces errors, and allows for instant, system-wide updates. |
| Flexibility | Allows you to create temporary changes (like summer hours or holiday closures) that automatically start and stop. | You can easily override standard rules without having to delete the base schedule. |
| Control | Defines capacity limits, enforces booking rules, and links availability to required staff or equipment. | Prevents overbooking and ensures a game slot is only bookable if all necessary resources are available. |
Types and Duration
Schedules are classified by what they control and how long they run.
1. Types of Schedules
- Booking Schedules: These define when customers can book. They generate the time slots for your events and games (e.g., Slots available Mon-Fri 10am-8pm).
- Resource Schedules: These manage the availability of resources (staff, equipment, rooms). They prevent overbooking by tracking concurrent assignments (e.g., John Smith works Mon/Wed/Fri 5pm-10pm and can run a maximum of 2 games at once).
2. Schedule Duration Types
| Duration Type | How it Works | Priority (When Overlapping) | Best Used For |
| Closed Periods | Blocks off time and prevents all bookings. Must include specific start and end dates. | Highest Priority (Overrides everything else) | Holidays, maintenance, or temporary facility closures. |
| Finite Schedules | Runs for a defined start and end date (e.g., June 1 - August 31). | Medium Priority (Overrides recurring schedules) | Seasonal hours (extended summer schedule) or one-time special events. |
| Recurring Schedules | Runs indefinitely with no end date. | Lowest Priority (The base availability) | Standard, year-round business hours and default staffing patterns. |
Schedule Priority and Handling Overlaps
When you have multiple schedules active, the system uses a strict priority order to resolve conflicts, ensuring only the most relevant rule applies.
- Closed Periods (Highest) > Always blocks the time.
- Finite Schedules (Medium) > Overrides the base Recurring Schedule during its date range.
- Recurring Schedules (Lowest) > The default fallback.
Priority Example: Summer Hours
| Schedule | Type | Configuration | Final Result |
| Base | Recurring | Mon-Fri 10am-6pm (Standard hours) | The default availability for most of the year. |
| Override | Finite | June 1 - Aug 31: Mon-Fri 10am-9pm (Extended) | During the summer dates, the extended hours override the 6pm end time, providing later slots. |
| Closure | Closed | July 4th | All slots are blocked on July 4th, overriding both the Recurring and Finite schedules. |
Best Practices: Getting Started
- Start Simple: Begin by creating one Recurring Schedule for your standard hours. Test it thoroughly before adding any Finite or Closed periods.
- Use Clear Names: Name your schedules descriptively (e.g., "Standard Weekday Hours," "Summer Extended 2024") so your team can easily identify their purpose and duration.
- Test Before Activating: Create a schedule as Inactive first. Review the configuration, verify the generated slots against your expectations, and only activate when you are certain it's correct.