Setting Up Locations and Creating Events with Express Scheduling

What is Express Scheduling? 

Express Scheduling is an easy, direct way to schedule simple events at your institution. This quick form is best used with common spaces that are immediately available for scheduling without the need for additional approval, such as library study rooms, music practice rooms, and spaces students and basic users are allowed to reserve/request. A great option for hotelling-style scheduling. If you wish to schedule a single-day, single-occurrence event that doesn't require resources, Express Scheduling is the fastest way to create that event. 

In 25Live, the Express Scheduling widget appears on your home Dashboard in place of the "Create an Event" widget if you have locations configured to use the feature. 

Setting up Locations for Express Scheduling

The location details view provides an inline editable capability to configure a location to be used with Express Scheduling.

Image: The Express block without any configuration options set.

• Scroll down to find the Express block in the location details view.
• Select a Default Event Type to be applied to this location for new express events.
• Use the edit icon to set the Maximum Event Duration allowed for express events in this location.

Image: An example Express block with the options set. 

Express Scheduling does not bypass Object Security or Assignment Policy.  Users reserving a location using Express Scheduling must have object security permission to see and assign the location, and the Assignment Policy for the location must be set to Assign/Unassign or higher. You may want to adjust location security settings.

Date Buffers with Express Scheduling

While Earliest/Latest Date Buffers are not enforced for Express Scheduling, Assignment Policy settings are enforced.

A latest date for Express Scheduling can be achieved through the following combination of Assignment Policy and Assignment Window settings:

• In Group Administration, select the groups who need a latest date for Express Scheduling
• Go to Configure > Location Security
• First, set the baseline Assignment Policy from "Assign" to "Not Requestable"
  • (if the locations can be requested through the events form beyond the latest date, then set to "Request" or "Request, Unassign")
• Next, set the Assignment Window to the latest number of days the location can be scheduled via Express Scheduling, setting the Permission to "Assign"

Scheduling an Event with Express Scheduling

1. Locate the Express Scheduling Widget on Your Dashboard

The Express Scheduling form is conveniently located on the home Dashboard of 25Live as a widget you can move via drag-and-drop functionality.

Image: Your Express Scheduling widget can be moved around your home dashboard.

Image: The Express Scheduling form is very user-friendly on mobile devices. 

2. Complete the Express Scheduling Form

Image: The Express Scheduling event form is quick and easy to complete.

• Choose the Date: The date field defaults to the current date. Use the date picker if you would like to choose a different date.

  • Note About Multi-day Events: Express Scheduling can only be used for events that begin and end on the same day, so the end date will not be visible. Use the Event Form if you need to schedule a multi-day event.

  • Complete the Time: This duration of the event must be within the confines of the duration setup for the location, otherwise an error message will display. If you would like to create a longer event, use the Event Form or contact your 25Live Administrator.

  • Search spaces: Start typing a location name then choose a match from the resulting list. Unavailable locations do not display.

  • Complete Event Name: As with any event, the name of the event is required.

3. Save Your Event

If no error messages are displayed, use the Save button to save your event. 

If you have any error messages, review the Express Scheduling form fields. If after saving you are still having trouble, review the Troubleshooting section below or contact your 25Live Administrator.

Troubleshooting Express Scheduling

User Can't See Their Desired Location

The location may have an assignment window configured for it in the Series25 Group Administration tool that enforces a specific period of time before which you must request a location ahead.

If an assignment window isn't the issue, review the setup: 

• Verify that the location is configured for Express Scheduling.
• Verify that the user has Assign rights to the location. (Request rights will not be enough.)
• Verify that the user has View rights (or higher) for the location.

User is Receiving an "Event Duration" Error

This error (“The selected location only allows events up to _ long. Your current event duration is _ minutes.”) requires users to choose a shorter total event time. 

If the duration seems incorrect, it can be adjusted in the Maximum Event Duration field in the Location Details.

Alternatively, users can also bypass the Express Scheduling maximum duration by creating the event in the standard Event Form.

User is Seeing a Location Conflict Error, but There is No Conflicting Reservation

Although it is rare, it is possible for two users to try and create events simultaneously, resulting in conflicts.

User Can't See The Edit Event Button in the Event Details for an Event Created With Express Scheduling

For events created with Express Scheduling, this is expected behavior. The recommended way to make a change is to simply cancel the existing event and recreate it.

User Does Not Have Rights to Perform an Action but Was Able to With Express Scheduling

Express Scheduling has different restrictions than the Event Form. Users are able to save events as Confirmed, Cancel events, and bypass Event Form date buffers, even if they don't usually have those rights. 

For more information about which configurations Express Scheduling ignores, please see the Important Notes About Express Scheduling section below.

If you are still having trouble, please contact support@collegenet.com.

Important Notes About Express Scheduling

• Express Scheduling cannot be used to create multi-day events or events that span midnight.
• Express Scheduling cannot bypass object security or assignment policy.
• Some Event Form configuration options for security groups are ignoredfor events created with the Express Scheduling form, including:
  • Event Type
    • Will use the Event Type defined in Express Scheduling configuration
  • Date Buffers set up in the Event Form Configurations
  • Event State limitations
    • New events will always save as Confirmed
    • Users who do not have Cancel rights will be able to cancel Express Scheduling events
  • Any required Custom Attributes
  • Location Default Scheduler (defaults to current user)
  • Event Owner (defaults to the system-defined owner in the configurations for the location)

  • If an event was created using Express Scheduling, the requesting user can cancel the event if it has not already occurred.