Tips for Creating & Splitting Repeating Events (e.g. Regatta Series)

[admin]

The Time.ly All in One Event Calendar (AI1EC) has a feature that allows entering a repeating event. This is handy if you have a multi-day regatta or a series such as a weekly spring or weekly summer series. It allows the basics to be entered (title, date & time, place, featured image, special fields and text). A recurring event is created by checking the Repeat box in the Event Date & Time section and the Exceptions box if there is a lay day or skipping a day in a series.

The Time.ly AI1EC support section has this Create A New Event article and includes repeating events.

Once a repeating event is created, you will want to split into seperate events if any of the following apply.

• The Crew is different on any of the days
• The start time (time to be at the boat) or location is different on any of the days
• The text included is different for any day (e.g. you may include text about post race activities that are different each day
• You want to specify a different Uniform for each day (e.g. white shirts one day, blue shirts the next)

Splitting a repeating event into separate events is described in this Time.ly AI1EC support article How to Edit One Instance of a Recurring Event. Here are some pointers on how to easily do this in Crew Manager.

1. The Skipper should be logged in
2. Click Calendar on the menu
3. Click the dropdown in the upper right of the event list labeled Agenda and select Month
4. Use the date chooser at the top of the calendar and navigate to the desired month the event starts
5. You will now open and edit each of the repeating events starting with the first one. It is easier to right click on each event to open that event in a new window. Otherwise you'll need to repeat steps 2 - 4 after editing an event.
6. For each event instance opened to the right of the Date/Time is a Repeats and an Edit this occurrence icon . Click on the Edit this occurrence icon.
7. Make any changes desired to this occurrence, the click the blue Update button. If the only change is the Crew for that day, just click the blue Update button and the event will be split from the repeating series allowing different Crew for that day.
8. Close that editing window once it has saved and repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have edited all the desired events.

[admin]

Since 1 November 2020 recurring events now show in the upcoming event widget on the right with a light pink background. When the events are opened on the calendar, the dates for the recurrence are displayed. This is to prevent user confusion so they know that setting availability for a single event changes all the linked events. Similarly the Skipper's Cancel Event Immediately button is annotated to display all linked events.

A recurring event setup strategy and a guide are provided to determine if a recurring event should stay as a single entry, or split into multiple events. Setting up a recurring event is as before - create the event with the title, description, boat location, image and any additional fields such as NOR, SI, etc. along with the date and time to meet at the boat. Then the recurrence may be set (e.g. weekly for 6 weeks). The event is now active appearing as a set of recurring events tied to a single crew availability entry - meaning that Crew setting availability and the Skipper assigning a position will be the same for all linked recurrences.

Once the event is set up and saved, you may then decide whether to keep all the events linked, or split into separate events. The following is a guide to determine whether to leave as a recurring event, or split into separate events.

Determining When to Split Recurring Events: Generally a weekly event should be split since it is likely that crew may change. A weekend regatta covering adjacent days may be a situation where everything including the crew remains the same, so no event splitting is necessary. Once a repeating event is created, you will want to split into separate events if any of the following apply.

• The Crew is different on any of the days
• The time to be at the boat or location is different on any of the days so the associated email reminder is sent at different times.
• The event description text is different for any day (e.g. you may include text about post race activities that are different each day
• You want to modify any of the special fields for an event such as specify a different Uniform for each day (e.g. white shirts one day, blue shirts the next)

Splitting a Recurring Event: Crew Manager has been updated for a Skipper logged in to display Edit Master and Split & Edit in the title for each recurring event. Splitting a repeating event into separate events may be done as follows.

1. The Skipper should be logged in
2. Click Regatta Registration Status on the menu
3. Check the box labeled <== Check to Expand Recurring Events with event edit links
4. You will now click Split & Edit for each of the repeating events starting with the first one to open them in a new window.
5. Make any changes desired to this occurrence, then click the blue Update button. If the only change is the Crew for that day, just click the blue Update button and the event will be split from the repeating series allowing different Crew for that day. You may also change the title (e.g. 2020 CYC Fall Series #3, 2020 CYC Fall Series #4, etc.)
6. Close that editing window once it has saved and repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have edited all the desired events.
7. Refresh the calendar and the separate events will display. Each event has its own crew list.