Overview

What is Availability?

In the context of Sched, "Availability" refers to the time periods during which a resource (such as a person, room, or equipment) is available for booking. Managing availability is crucial to ensure that resources are not double-booked and that clients or users can only schedule appointments during times when the resource is actually free.

Key Components of Availability

Availability typically involves several key attributes:

1. Resource: The specific resource whose availability is being managed. This could be a meeting room, service provider, or any other bookable entity.

2. Time Slots: Specific periods during which the resource is available. These are defined by start and end times and may be recurring (e.g., available every Monday from 9 AM to 5 PM).

3. Timezone: The timezone in which the resource operates. This ensures that availability is correctly interpreted and displayed regardless of the user's location.

4. Exceptions: Special cases where the resource is not available during its usual time slots, such as holidays, maintenance periods, or personal time off.

5. Recurring Availability: Settings that define recurring patterns for availability, such as "every weekday from 9 AM to 5 PM." This reduces the need to manually input availability for each day.

Availability Management

Managing availability in Sched involves several steps:

1. Defining Availability: The initial setup of availability for a resource, where time slots are defined based on when the resource can be booked.

2. Recurring Availability: For resources that have consistent availability, recurring time slots can be set up to automatically apply the same availability pattern over multiple days, weeks, or months.

3. Handling Exceptions: Adjustments to availability for specific dates or periods, such as closing a resource for a holiday or marking it as unavailable for maintenance.

4. Real-Time Updates: Availability can be updated in real-time, ensuring that any changes (like a last-minute cancellation) are immediately reflected in the system.

5. Conflict Management: The system automatically checks for conflicts when new bookings are made, ensuring that resources are not double-booked.

API Operations Related to Availability

The Sched API provides several operations related to managing availability:

1. Set Availability (POST /availability):

   • This endpoint allows users to define the availability for a specific resource by specifying the time slots and any recurring patterns.
   • Example Payload:
     JSON

     {
         "resource_id": "uuid-resource1",
         "time_slots": [
             {
                 "start_time": "2024-05-18T09:00:00Z",
                 "end_time": "2024-05-18T17:00:00Z",
                 "recurring": {
                     "frequency": "weekly",
                     "days_of_week": ["Monday", "Wednesday", "Friday"]
                 }
             }
         ],
         "timezone": "Europe/London"
     }
     

2. Get Availability (GET /availability/{resource_id}):

   • Retrieve the availability details of a specific resource, including all time slots and any exceptions.
   • Response Example:
     JSON

     {
         "resource_id": "uuid-resource1",
         "timezone": "Europe/London",
         "time_slots": [
             {
                 "start_time": "2024-05-18T09:00:00Z",
                 "end_time": "2024-05-18T17:00:00Z",
                 "recurring": {
                     "frequency": "weekly",
                     "days_of_week": ["Monday", "Wednesday", "Friday"]
                 }
             }
         ],
         "exceptions": [
             {
                 "date": "2024-05-19",
                 "reason": "Holiday"
             }
         ]
     }
     

3. Update Availability (PUT /availability/{resource_id}):

   • Modify the availability of a specific resource, such as changing time slots, adding exceptions, or updating recurring patterns.
   • Example Payload:
     JSON

     {
         "time_slots": [
             {
                 "start_time": "2024-05-18T10:00:00Z",
                 "end_time": "2024-05-18T16:00:00Z",
                 "recurring": {
                     "frequency": "weekly",
                     "days_of_week": ["Monday", "Wednesday", "Friday"]
                 }
             }
         ]
     }
     

4. Delete Availability (DELETE /availability/{resource_id}):

   • This operation deletes the availability settings for a specific resource, effectively making it unavailable for booking until new availability is set.

Use Cases for Availability

Availability management is essential in various scenarios, including but not limited to:

• Corporate: Setting availability for meeting rooms, ensuring they can only be booked during office hours.
• Healthcare: Managing doctors’ or therapists’ availability, including handling exceptions for holidays or vacations.
• Education: Scheduling classroom availability, making sure rooms are only bookable when classes are not in session.
• Services: Setting availability for service providers like consultants or trainers, ensuring they can manage their work schedules efficiently.

Conclusion

Availability is a critical component of the Sched system, ensuring that resources are booked only when they are available. By offering detailed and flexible availability management, Sched allows you to optimize resource usage and avoid conflicts, making scheduling a seamless process.

Next Steps

• Explore the API Endpoints: Check out the API documentation to learn more about how to manage availability for your resources.
• Set Up Availability: Use the API to define the availability for your resources, ensuring they are ready for booking.