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| Learn More About Series25 Pricing |
| Pricing Introduction |
| Basic Components |
| Brainstorming Your Pricing Needs |
| Configuration |
| Rate Groups |
| Tax Schedules |
| Rate Schedules |
| Formulas |
| Formula Variables |
| Formula Examples |
| Accounting |
| 25Live Accounting Introduction |
| Preparing Your Environment |
| Exporting Invoices |
Pricing formulas can be as simple as a flat rate or as complicated as a web of nested logic. This page shows you all the tools you can use to create formulas in your Rate Schedules. To see more examples, read Series25 Pricing Formula Examples.
How Formulas Are Calculated
For each line item in an invoice, 25Live chooses a rate schedule and a price sheet based on the organization's rate group and the rate schedule's billable items. If a rate schedule has multiple price sheets, the one with the latest effective date is used (as long as it is not after the event's pricing date).
If a price sheet has multiple formulas, all of them are calculated and added together, then their total is reflected on the line item in 25Live's pricing page (and on an invoice). Some formulas may be calculated as 0, especially when using breakpoints or conditional statements.
Pricing Formulas and Repeating Events
When an event has multiple occurrences, pricing formulas are calculated separately for each occurrence and summed together to give a line item total. This behaves slightly differently for each type of rate schedule:
- For locations and resources, the calculations are only made on occurrences where the object is assigned. (Example: if a location is only assigned to a single day on an event that meets five times, then pricing is only calculated for that day.)
- For event types, calculations are made for every occurrence. (Example: if an event has five occurrences, its event type formula will be performed five times.)
- For requirements, calculations are only made once regardless of the number of occurrences. This makes requirements ideal for adding a flat fee to an event.
Flat Fees and Multi-Occurrence Events
If you want a rate schedule to charge a flat fee regardless of the number of occurrences, there are two variables that can help you out:
Variable | Description | Example Usage | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NumberOfOccurrences | Returns the total number of occurrences in the event | 50/NumberOfOccurrences | Charges a flat $50 because each occurrence contributes a fraction of that fee |
| FirstOccurrence | Returns 1 when calculating the first occurrence, returns 0 otherwise | 50 * FirstOccurrence | Charges a flat $50 because every occurrence but the first contributes $0 |
Pricing Formula Variables
The tables below list all the variables that can be used in price sheet formulas. Some variables are restricted and can only be used with certain types of rate schedules. (For example, the Capacity variable only applies to locations.)
Requirement Rate Schedules
The most common use case for event requirements in pricing is to apply a flat fee, so most formulas for these rate schedules are very simple. The only variable which applies to requirements is Quantity.
Basic Information Variables
These variables are used to return data about the event or current occurrence being calculated.
When calculating price for a segment, the time calculation only looks at that segment. Each segment adds up pricing independently. For example, a surcharge for events that are more than 8 hours long might not be triggered if it's split up into multiple segments, each less than 8 hours.
Note that variables referencing event times or reservation times are not affected by the Pricing Times setting.
Variable Name | Description |
|---|---|
NumberOfOccurrences | Returns the total number of occurrences in the event |
ExpHeadCount | Expected headcount for the event |
RegHeadCount | Registered headcount for the event |
ActHeadCount | Actual headcount for each occurrence (Location rate schedules only) |
Quantity | Quantity assigned (Resource and requirement rate schedules only) |
Capacity | Either capacity of layout or max capacity (Location rate schedules only) |
OccurrenceNumber | The position of the occurrence in a repeating list Example: First occurrence = 1, second occurrence = 2 |
FirstOccurrence | Returns 1 when calculating the first occurrence, returns 0 otherwise |
Event and Reservation Duration Variables
These variables give absolute values for an occurrence's duration, unaffected by the Pricing Times setting.
Note that the "event time" of an occurrence refers to just the start and end times that appear on a calendar, while "reservation time" refers to the full setup/takedown/pre/post-event time.
Variable Name | Description |
|---|---|
EventDuration | Event duration, expressed as a numeral: (EV_END_DT - EV_START_DT) Note: The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. |
ReservationDuration | Total reserved duration, expressed as a numeral: (RSRV_START_DT - RSRV_END_DT) Note: Includes setup/takedown/pre/post times. The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. One and a half days is 1.5 and six hours is 0.25. |
SetupDuration | Setup duration, expressed as a numeral Note: The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. |
PreEventTime | Pre-event duration, expressed as a numeral Note: The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. |
PostEventTime | Post-event duration, expressed as a numeral Note: The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. |
TakedownDuration | Takedown duration, expressed as a numeral Note: The value is expressed in terms of the number of days. |
Occurrence-Based Variables
These variables all return information based on the length of the occurrence, which can either be equivalent to event time (the start and end times that appear on a calendar) or reservation time (the full duration including setup/takedown/pre/post time). This is controlled by the Pricing Times setting.
Note that several variables include "Part" in the name, such as "OccurrencePartHours". These variables are intended for use with price sheet breakpoints. They only return values for parts of the occurrence which fall within the current breakpoint.
Variable Name | Description |
|---|---|
OccurrenceDuration | Length of the occurrence in days Equal to either ReservationDuration or EventDuration, depending on Pricing Time settings Note: Used to break occurrences into blocks of less than 24 hours For example: |
OccurrenceDays | Number of days, or part of, this occurrence Note: Equivalent to OccurrenceDuration rounded up to the next whole number For example: |
OccurrenceHours | Number of hours, or part of, in this occurrence Note: Equivalent to (OccurrenceDuration * 24) rounded up to the next whole number |
OccurrenceMinutes | Number of minutes in this occurrence Note: Equivalent to (OccurrenceDuration * 1440) |
OccurrenceNights | Number of midnights spanned by the occurrence, or 1 if the occurrence doesn't span midnight Note: Fri 6 p.m. - Sun 10 a.m. = 2 |
OccurrencePartDays | Number of days, or part of, that fall within the current breakpoint |
OccurrencePartHours | Number of hours, or part of, that fall within the current breakpoint For example: |
OccurrencePartMinutes | Number of minutes, or part of, that fall within the current breakpoint |
OccurrencePartDuration | Duration (in days) of the portion of the occurrence that falls within the current breakpoint |
OccPartSunDuration OccPartMonDuration OccPartTueDuration OccPartWedDuration OccPartThuDuration OccPartFriDuration OccPartSatDuration | Durations of those portions of the occurrence that occur on the indicated days within this breakpoint Note: These variables reflect just the portion of an occurrence that falls in the breakpoint period. |
OccPartSunDays OccPartMonDays OccPartTueDays OccPartWedDays OccPartThuDays OccPartFriDays OccPartSatDays | The total number of each day within the current breakpoint Note: These variables reflect just the portion of an occurrence that falls in the breakpoint period. |
OccPartSunHours OccPartMonHours OccPartTueHours OccPartWedHours OccPartThuHours OccPartFriHours OccPartSatHours | The total number of hours in each day within the current breakpoint |
OccPartSunMinutes OccPartMonMinutes OccPartTueMinutes OccPartWedMinutes OccPartThuMinutes OccPartFriMinutes OccPartSatMinutes | The total number of minutes in each day within the current breakpoint |
OnSun OnMon OnTue OnWed OnThu OnFri OnSat | The number of times the occurrence occurs on that day Note: Several days could be set to 1 if the occurrence spans multiple days. If the occurrence spans several weeks, each day is counted. For example: These variables reflect just the portion of an occurrence that falls in the breakpoint period. |
In00Hour, In01Hour, .. In12Hour, In13Hour, .. In23Hour Note military time | The number of times the occurrence occurs in that hour Note: Several hours could be set to 1 if the occurrence spans multiple hours. If the occurrence spans multiple days, each hour is counted. For example: Mon 10:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. These variables reflect just the portion of an occurrence that falls in the breakpoint period. |
In01stHour,In02ndHour,In03rdHour... In21stHour, In22ndHour,In23rdHour Note military time | An indicator of whether the occurrence occurs in a part of that hour, relative to the occurrence start Note: If the occurrence spans multiple days, the second day rolls over from 1 to 2, and so on. For example: Monday 10:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. In01stHour = 1 These variables reflect just a portion of an occurrence that falls in the breakpoint period. |
Date/Time Variables
These variables return a date, time, or both. The most common usage of these variables is to use extraction codes to isolate specific values such as the day of the week. You can also compare these variables to a specific date or time values using conversion functions.
Note that like other variables, all date and time variables refer to an individual occurrence rather than the event as a whole. "Event time" of an occurrence refers to just the start and end times that appear on a calendar, while "reservation time" refers to the full setup/takedown/pre/post-event time. "Occurrence time" is equivalent to either event time or reservation time based on the Pricing Times setting.
Variable Name | Description |
|---|---|
RsrvStartDateTime RsrvStartDate RsrvStartTime | Reservation start date, start time, or both |
RsrvEndDateTime RsrvEndDate RsrvEndTime | Reservation end date, end time, or both |
EventStartDateTime EventStartDate EventStartTime | Event start date, start time, or both |
EventEndDateTime EventEndDate EventEndTime | Event end date, end time, or both |
PreEventStartDateTime PreEventStartDate PreEventStartTime | Pre-event start date, start time, or both |
PostEventEndDateTime PostEventEndDate PostEventEndTime | Post-event start date, start time, or both |
OccStartDateTime OccStartDate OccStartTime | Occurrence start date, start time, or both Note: An occurrence is defined as either an occurrence or an event, depending on how your system definition is set. |
OccEndDateTime OccEndDate OccEndTime | Occurrence end date, end time, or both Note: An occurrence is defined as either an occurrence or an event, depending on how your system definition is set. |
Extraction Codes
Date/time variables are used with brackets and extraction codes to produce numbers that can be used in formulas. The most common use case is to compare them
Code | Description |
|---|---|
H | Hour (24-hour clock) |
N | Minutes |
A | Day of the week (1 - 7, Monday=1) |
D | Day of the month |
M | Month number (1 - 12) |
Y | Year (4 digits) |
X | Fiscal year (4 digits) |
W | Week number (1 - 53) Note: January 1 is in week 1 if it falls on Mon-Thurs and week 53 of the previous year if it falls on Fri-Sun. |
Using Extraction Codes
Put a code in brackets after a date/time variable to extract a numeric value:
- RsrvStartDate[A] is 1 if the occurrence starts on Monday
- EventStartDate[M] is 7 and EventStartDate[D] is 4 if the occurrence is on Independence Day
Use multiple codes together in conditional statements (see below) to represent date ranges:
- EventStartDate[M] >= 6 & EventStartDate[M] <= 8 ? 75 * OccurrenceHours will charge $75 per hour during the months of June, July, and August
Conversion Functions
Extraction codes allow you to work with date/time variables in terms of regular numbers. Conversion functions do the opposite: converting numbers into date or time values that can be compared directly to date/time variables.
Function | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
$datim | converts a date and time (24-hour format) | 4/27/2020 16:00 |
$date | converts a date | 4/27/2020 |
$clock | converts a time (24-hour format) | 16:00 |
Using Conversion Functions
Conversion functions are most often used to compare date/time variables in conditional statements.
For example, to set a condition that $50 per hour should be charged if the reservation ends after 9:00 p.m., you’d enter:
RsrvEndTime > $clock("21:00") ? 50 * ReservationDuration
There is some overlap here with using "specific times" breakpoints for a price sheet. The difference is that a formula using breakpoints only applies to the portion of the occurrence that falls within the specified times, while the example above applies to the whole occurrence (no matter how long it is) as long as its end time meets the condition.
Other Formula Functions
Basic Math
When writing formulas, you can use any of these standard operators:
* | multiplied by |
/ | divided by |
+ | plus |
- | minus |
% | percentage of |
( ) | a discrete calculation within the parentheses |
| int(x) | return the integer part of x |
| frac(x) | return the fractional part of x |
For example, if you have items costing $10 each, you would write the formula for them as:
quantity * 10
If the cost of chairs is $5 per 25 (1-25 chairs is $5, 26-50 is $10, and so on), your formula would be:
5*(int((Quantity-1)/25)+1)
Conditions ("If" Statements)
You can create more complex formulas by specifying conditions. When a condition is specified in a formula, the rest of the formula is calculated only if the condition is true.
To specify a condition, add a question mark at the beginning of the formula and then put a comparison statement before it. Comparison statements include one of the following operators:
> | greater than |
>= | greater than or equal to |
< | less than |
<= | less than or equal to |
= | equal to |
!= | not equal to |
You can use any of the pricing formula variables described above in your comparisons.
For example:
ExpHeadCount > 100 ? 10 * OccurrenceDuration
This formula will only apply the price (10 * OccurrenceDuration) if the expected headcount is more than 100.
You can also include multiple comparison statements in a single condition if you use logical relationships between them:
& | and |
| | or |
For example
ExpHeadCount > 50 & ExpHeadCount < 100 ? 10 * OccurrenceDuration
This formula will only apply the price (10 * OccurrenceDuration) if the expected headcount is between 50 and 100.
Referencing Other Rate Groups
To make it easier to create a new formula, you may want to reference an existing Rate Group pricing formula and then make the needed adjustments. To do so, you enclose the existing Rate Group formula name in curly brackets. For example, if the Corporate rate is twice the Student Organizations rate, your formula for the Corporate rate would be:
2 * {Student Organizations}
This formula would use the formula for Student Organizations to calculate the rate (such as overtime, staff fees, and so on) and then double it.
If you reference a Rate Group that doesn’t exist (or doesn’t have a pricing formula associated with it), the part of your formula that references that group resolves to 0 (zero).
Referencing Custom Attributes
You can also reference custom attributes in your pricing formula. To do so, you enclose the custom attribute name in "at" symbols.
For example, if you have created a custom location attribute named SquareFootage, and you want to create a pricing formula where the price is determined by the square footage of the room, say $10 per square foot, your formula can refer to the attribute as follows:
10 * @SquareFootage@
If you have the same custom attribute name in multiple places, the pricing formula gives them precedence as follows:
- First precedence: event custom attribute
- Second precedence: organization custom attribute
- Third precedence: location/resource custom attribute (only applicable when pricing a location or resource)
If your custom attribute has a space in the name (for example, “Square Footage”), you must include the space in your formula:
10 * @Square Footage@