Understanding Time Conflicts

When you make an appointment, Diarybook checks that the time doesn’t clash with anything else on the account. If it does, a Conflict Detected window lists each conflict. If every conflict is one you’re allowed to override, select Override to save the appointment anyway; otherwise the window explains that the conflicts can’t be overridden and the only option is Cancel.

Why this matters

Double bookings, appointments outside working hours and rooms booked twice are caught at the moment of booking rather than on the day. Where an override is allowed it is a deliberate choice by a named user, not an accident.

Types of conflicts

What an appointment can conflict with depends on which service provider (Diarybook user) it is for, who is making it, and which clients and resources it uses.

An appointment can conflict with:

• Other appointments for the same service provider
• Other appointments for the same client
• Other appointments using the same resources
• A blocked time
• A schedule busy time
• A resource’s permission level
• A resource’s available hours
• The service provider’s work hours
• Waiting room occupancy

Only appointments that are confirmed, tentative or awaiting confirmation cause conflicts. An appointment that has been cancelled, or where the client is unable to attend, frees up its time.

If an appointment has more than one service provider, each one is checked. For a repeating appointment, each conflict is shown with the date of the occurrence it affects.

Summary

If any single conflict can’t be overridden, none of them can — the appointment can’t be saved at that time.

Accepting conflicts

For clarity the following terms are used below:

Other appointments - same service provider

The appointment being made for a service provider conflicts with other appointments for the same service provider.

The user can accept the conflict(s)…

• When the user also created the blocking appointment
• When the service provider is the user creating the appointment
• When the user has been granted the Can double-book others permission
• When the user is an administrator

Other appointments - same client

A client on the appointment already has another appointment at that time. The conflict reads Client (name) has another appointment at (time).

Other appointments - same resource(s)

The appointment uses specific resources (rooms or equipment) that are already booked by one or more existing appointments. Waiting rooms are handled separately — see Waiting room occupancy.

The user can accept the conflict(s)…

• When the user also created the blocking appointment
• When the service provider is the user creating the appointment
• When the user has permission to double-book resources. This permission isn’t set from the Users screen — contact Diarybook support to have it enabled for a user.

Blocked times

The appointment conflicts with one or more blocked times.

The user can accept the conflict(s)…

• When the blocked time is specifically for the service provider and the service provider is the user creating the appointment

Schedules

The appointment falls inside a busy time on a schedule. The conflict reads Time is blocked by “(Schedule Name)”.

A schedule causes a conflict when all of the following are true:

• The schedule’s Users Affected covers the service provider — All Users, or Me / Selected Users including the service provider
• The appointment’s date, time and day of the week fall inside one of the schedule’s Busy Time entries
• The schedule has no location, or its location matches the appointment’s location
• No Free Time entry in the same schedule record covers the appointment

A Free Time entry only removes the conflict if it covers the whole appointment, from start to end. An appointment that starts inside the free time but runs past the end of it still conflicts.

The user can accept the conflict(s)…

• When the schedule’s Users Affected is Me and the user creating the appointment is that person — that is, the schedule is the user’s own

A schedule set to All Users or Selected Users can’t be overridden by anyone, including administrators and users with Can double-book others.

Resource Permission

The appointment is trying to book a resource that has been restricted to specific users, and the user making the appointment isn’t one of them.

Resource Available Hours

The appointment is trying to book a resource outside the days and hours it is available. This only applies to resources that have available hours set — a resource with none can be booked at any time.

Service provider’s Work Hours

The appointment is for a time outside the service provider’s normal work hours. The whole appointment, start to end, must fit inside the work hours for that day of the week.

The user can accept the conflict(s)…

• When the service provider is the user creating the appointment
• When the user has been granted the Can double-book others permission

Being an administrator isn’t enough on its own for this conflict.

Waiting room occupancy

The appointment uses a waiting room that has reached its occupancy limit. The conflict reads Occupancy limit of (number) people reached.

Moving or resizing on the calendar

The same rules apply when you drag an appointment to a new time or drag its edge to change its length on the calendar. If the new time conflicts with something you’re allowed to override, a Move Conflicts or Resize Conflicts window lists the conflicts and asks whether to ignore them. Select Move Anyway or Resize Anyway to keep the change. If the conflict can’t be overridden, Diarybook shows the reason and leaves the appointment where it was.

Location conflicts

As well as time conflicts, Diarybook checks that the locations on the appointment agree. A location can come from three places: the appointment type, the reminder setting and the appointment itself. If they point at different locations a location conflict occurs.

Related

• Schedules
• Work Hours
• Resources
• Users and permissions