Scheduling

Cadence uses timetables and blockout schedules to determine when classes run. Rather than setting times on each class individually, you can define schedules once and apply them across a whole category of activities - or fine-tune them on a single class.

Timetables

A timetable is a named schedule that defines when classes run. Each timetable contains one or more rules - either a repeating weekly pattern (for example, “Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm”) or a one-off session with a specific date and time.

Once created, a timetable can be assigned to a category or to an individual activity.

Assigning to categories

When you assign a timetable to a category, it applies to every activity in that category - including activities in any sub-categories. This makes it easy to manage schedules for large groups of classes that share the same schedule.

Assigning to individual activities

You can also assign a timetable directly to an activity. This adds to whatever the activity already inherits from its category - it doesn’t replace it.

Timetables can be setup to be used for a single activity. If your organisation as a lot of activities which run on differing schedules, it’s recommended not to click “Reuse elsewhere” when creating the timetable. This will prevent the created timetable from showing up in the timetables dropdown when creating a new activity.

Blockout schedules

A blockout schedule tells Cadence which days classes should not run - for example, public holidays, school holiday breaks, or venue closures. Blocking out a day also affects billing, such as ensuring members aren’t charged for sessions that didn’t run (if pro-ration is enabled).

Blockouts work in two parts:

• Blockout date ranges are reusable named periods, such as “Winter school holidays.” You create these once and can reuse them across multiple schedules.
• Blockout schedules group one or more date ranges together. You then assign the schedule to a category or activity, the same way you assign timetables.

When Cadence works out the calendar for an activity, it combines all blockouts that apply - from the category chain and the activity itself - and skips any sessions that fall on a blocked day.

Tip

If your organisation follows a consistent holiday calendar, set up blockout date ranges once for the year and reuse them across all your blockout schedules.

How schedules flow down from categories

Both timetables and blockout schedules follow the same inheritance pattern. Cadence starts from the top-level category and works down toward the activity, collecting all assigned timetables and blockouts along the way. The activity’s own assignments are added last.

This means a class inherits the schedule of every category it sits under, with its own settings applied on top.

Caution

Changes to a category’s timetable or blockout schedule affect every activity in that category, including sub-categories. Check the scope of a change before saving.

Recurring vs one-off sessions

Timetable rules come in two types:

• Recurring rules define a repeating weekly pattern - a day of the week, a start and end time, and a time zone. You set a start date for when the rule kicks in, and optionally an end date if the pattern only runs for a set period.
• One-off rules define a single session with a specific start and end time. Use these for things like parties or private lessons.

Time zones

Recurring rules use your local time zone (for example, Australia/Perth) so that class times stay correct when daylight saving changes occur - the wall-clock time stays the same, and Cadence handles the adjustment automatically.

Note

If no time zone is set on a rule, Cadence falls back to the time zone of the activity’s location, or your organisation’s default time zone.