Schedules Overview

Growth Plan Feature

Schedules let you control content by date, giving you precise control over what plays and when. Perfect for campaigns, events, and seasonal content.

What Are Schedules?

Schedules define when content is active based on:

Date ranges - Start and end dates
Days of week - Weekdays, weekends, specific days
Time windows - Specific hours of the day
Recurring patterns - Weekly, monthly, yearly

Schedule States

Schedule states are computed at runtime based on the current time and schedule configuration. There is no stored "state" field - the system evaluates each schedule dynamically.

State	Condition
Active	`is_active = true` AND current time matches schedule parameters
Inactive	`is_active = false` (manually disabled)
Upcoming	`is_active = true` BUT start date/time hasn't arrived yet
Expired	End date has passed

The is_active boolean controls whether a schedule is enabled. When disabled, the schedule will not run regardless of time conditions.

Target Types

Schedules can target screens in four different ways:

Target Type	Description	Use Case
Single Screen	Applies to one specific screen	Individual display customization
Screen Group	Applies to all screens in a group	Lobby screens, storefront displays
All Screens	Applies to every screen in the organization	Company-wide announcements
Multiple Screens	Applies to a custom selection of screens	Cross-department campaigns

Target Type Examples

Single Screen:       "Lobby TV" only
Screen Group:        All screens in "Retail Locations" group
All Screens:         Every screen in your organization
Multiple Screens:    "Lobby TV" + "Break Room" + "Conference A"

Schedules vs Sequences

Feature	Sequences	Schedules
Controls	Time of day	Date/day of week
Scope	Daily rotation	Campaign periods
Use case	Day-parting	Seasonal content

Use both together for maximum control:

Schedule activates a sequence
Sequence rotates playlists throughout the day

Priority System

When multiple schedules overlap, priority determines which plays:

Priority	Schedule	Result
100	Flash Sale	Plays
50	Weekly Promo	Blocked
0	Default	Blocked

Higher numbers win. Priority is a numeric value from 0-100. A schedule with priority 100 will override a schedule with priority 50 when both are active at the same time.

Common Use Cases

Marketing Campaigns

Black Friday sale (Nov 24-27)
Summer promotion (Jun 1 - Aug 31)
Product launch week

Events

Conference content (specific dates)
Holiday messaging
Special occasions

Regular Patterns

Weekend-only content
Weekday specials
Monthly features

Seasonal

Holiday decorations
Seasonal menus
Weather-appropriate content

Schedule Types

Date Range

Content plays between specific dates:

Start: December 1, 2024
End: December 31, 2024
Content: Holiday Promotions

Days of Week

Content plays on selected days:

Days: Saturday, Sunday
Content: Weekend Specials

Recurring

Content plays on a pattern:

Pattern: First Monday of month
Content: Monthly Announcements

Advanced Features

Overnight Schedules

Schedules can span midnight, allowing you to create overnight time windows.

Start Time: 22:00
End Time: 02:00
Days: Friday, Saturday

This schedule runs from 10 PM to 2 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.

Overnight schedules are perfect for late-night entertainment venues, 24-hour operations, or shift-based content.

Blackout Dates

Exclude specific dates when a schedule should not run, even if it would normally be active.

Use cases:

Skip holidays during a recurring schedule
Exclude maintenance days
Pause for special events

Schedule: Weekday Menu (Mon-Fri, 9 AM - 5 PM)
Blackout Dates:
  - December 25, 2024 (Christmas)
  - January 1, 2025 (New Year)
  - Company event dates

Blackout dates support:

Individual date exclusions
Optional reason/notes for each date
Bulk date additions

Conflict Detection

The system automatically detects and warns about overlapping schedules with the same priority.

Conflict occurs when:

Same target (screen/group)
Overlapping days of week
Overlapping time ranges
Same priority level

Schedules with different priorities do not conflict - the higher priority wins. Conflicts only occur at the same priority level where the system cannot determine which should play.

Schedule Templates

Save and reuse common schedule configurations as templates.

Template includes:

Days of week
Start and end times
Priority level
Color coding

Does not include:

Target screens (selected when applying)
Content (playlist/sequence selected when applying)
Date ranges (selected when applying)

Template: "Business Hours"
  Days: Monday - Friday
  Time: 09:00 - 17:00
  Priority: 0

Apply to: Any screen with any playlist

Schedule Override

Temporarily bypass all schedules on a screen. Useful for emergency announcements or quick changes.

Duration	Description
1 Hour	Short-term override
4 Hours	Half-day override
End of Day	Until midnight
Indefinite	Until manually cleared

When an override is active, the screen displays its default content instead of any scheduled content. Only admins and owners can set or clear overrides.

Duplicate Schedules

Clone existing schedules to quickly create variations:

Same settings, different target - Copy a schedule to another screen
Same target, different times - Create morning/evening variants
Modify on copy - Change any parameters during duplication

Creating Schedules

Basic workflow:

Go to Schedules
Click New Schedule
Set date/day parameters
Select content (playlist or sequence)
Set priority
Choose target (screen, group, or multiple)
Review and save

Best Practices

Plan Ahead

Create schedules in advance
Set reminders for updates
Review monthly

Use Clear Names

Good: "Black Friday 2024 - All Screens" Bad: "Schedule 1"

Set End Dates

Always set end dates to prevent stale content from playing indefinitely.

Use Templates

Create templates for common patterns:

Business hours
Weekend specials
Holiday schedule

Test First

Activate schedules on test screens before rolling out to all displays.

Monitor Conflicts

Review the conflict warnings and resolve same-priority overlaps.

Example: Retail Year

Period	Schedule	Content	Priority
Jan 1-15	New Year Sale	Clearance	50
Feb 1-14	Valentine's	Gift ideas	50
Mar-May	Spring	New arrivals	0
Jun-Aug	Summer	Seasonal	0
Sep-Oct	Back to School	Supplies	50
Nov 20-30	Black Friday	Deals	100
Dec 1-25	Holiday	Gift guide	50

Next Steps

Create Sequences for time-of-day control
Combine schedules with Screen Groups