Autofill questions

Discussions about the Lesson Schedules Tool
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NanSedai
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Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:11 am

Autofill questions

#1

Post by NanSedai »

In our Primary, our first Sunday in January is used as a getting to know you kind of lesson rather than one in the manual. The first lesson is taught on the second Sunday. For this year, when I put January 8 as the start date it leaves off January 1. If I try to put Jan. 1 then it puts the first lesson on that date. It would be handy to be able to insert changes that wouldn't effect the continued autofill. Also, in Primary each manual has an Easter and a Christmas lesson at the end of the manual. It would be necessary to insert the Easter lesson on Easter but not mess up the continued flow of the autofill. Right now, unless I've missed something, I'm having to manually schedule each lesson for each week for each class in order to be able to keep the schedule we use.

Am I missing something? Is there a better way to do this?
NanSedai
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Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:11 am

#2

Post by NanSedai »

What if you added to the individual date modification page an option to shift autofill back a week or replace previously scheduled lesson?
kisaac
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:04 am
Location: Utah, united states

#3

Post by kisaac »

I think you are not missing anything, but noticing some difficulty with the limited autofill options.

While I haven't done this to test it, and I'm just a user like yourself and not a developer...

Why couldn't you treat those special lessons (Easter, Christmas) as "events," entered by an administrator, and make sure they effect only your primary lesson schedules? Call the event something like "primary Easter lesson." They wouldn't be on the actual holidays, if no actual primary lesson is held on the actual holiday, as the real holiday events should be created in those cases that effect ALL organizations-your "special lesson" events would fall the week before. (And that is why you name them something all can understand, like "primary Easter lesson.")

Read and follow the help page on adding events to decide if you want the lessons to replace your current lesson, or remove your primary calendar, add the events then autofull it again to have the lessons skip that week. You actually could do the same with your Jan. 1 lesson...have an admin make an event first, before you make your lesson schedule, that effects the primary only, called something like "Primary Getting to know you day," then add your primary lesson schedule beginning Jan 1 and the autofill should start lesson one the following week- skipping your special first week "event."
joelbeevers
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Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:18 pm

#4

Post by joelbeevers »

The problem I have had is that all events that are not specified as affecting "All" classes (i.e. those other than General and Stake Conferences) will not automatically include themselves in class schedules. The problem is that the autofill feature only takes place when you first create a class, and only if you select the manual at the same time as creating the class.

Events only apply to classes that you check the boxes for, but new classes obviously don't appear on this list before you create them, and so you cannot state that you want a class-specific event that will allow autofill to work around it.

I tried to create a class without specifying the manual. This allowed me to then go to events and check the boxes for that class to say that it would be affected by that event. However, when I then added the manual it said that it would not autopopulate the lessons! So basically there is no way that I have found to have any events other than General and Stake Conferences cause the lessons to be postponed around that event. Most of the time this isn't necessary as most other events ought to cause the lesson to be skipped rather than postponed, but occasionally postponing needs to happen, and the case of the Easter lesson is a great case in point.

Problems that need fixing relating to the above:
1) It's pretty clear that a refresh for autofill needs to be available to work around new events that you may add.
2) When new classes are created, in the same screen there needs to be a way of selecting the events that will apply for that class, given that the class cannot have already been selected within the event screen. This ought also to give the option of the events postponing or simply overtaking the lesson.
jdlessley
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Location: USA, TX

#5

Post by jdlessley »

Thank you joelbeevers for your input. These issues have been noted in other threads and have been noted by the developers for future upgrades. Lesson Schedules is continuing to be developed and they are scrambling to get the next release out for 2013. The biggest issue to be overcome is the ability to schedule classes for 2013. The current Lesson Schedules only displays the 2012 schedules. We are all hoping with the release of the next Lesson Schedules all the issues you have identified will be incorporated.
JD Lessley
Have you tried finding your answer on the ChurchofJesusChrist.org Help Center or Tech Wiki?
pdworkman
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Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:54 pm

Re: Autofill questions

#6

Post by pdworkman »

Okay, I just spent a couple of hours working through this for next year's calendar. The issue is that you can only make events apply to "All" or to *existing* schedules, and if they apply to *existing* schedules, then they will not apply when you delete the *existing* schedules and create new ones as instructed. Here is how to get it to work:

1. Create Easter and Christmas (and any other special events that you need to bump the schedule for, like Sharing Time practice if you take up class time to do this) as Events that apply to "All" (yes, this will, for a few minutes, apply to all auxilliaries, so it is best if the RS President is not also trying to set up her schedule at the same time!) Make sure that ward and stake conference have been entered as "All" as well.
2. Delete any existing Primary schedules
3. Create the Sunbeam schedule. Double-check that it flowed around Easter and Christmas. Create your CTR schedules.
4. Go into events and delete Easter and Christmas completely. Now when you go back into Easter and Christmas on the Sunbeam and CTR schedules, then it will say "New lesson" instead of Easter and Christmas. You can now assign them to the proper lessons in the manual.
5. If you are having the Priesthood Prep lesson earlier in the year, then enter a PP Event, and make it apply to "All".
6. Create your Valiant lesson schedule.
7. Delete your extraneous Events, such as sharing time practice and PP.
8. Go into the Valiant lesson schedule and assign the PP lesson to the date you set aside for it. Either leave your Sharing Time practice as "New Event" in all calendars, or change it to a "topic" or "no lesson". If there is still space on your schedule for Valiants to have a Christmas lesson, or you want to make other end of the year adjustments, go ahead and do so now.
mstauff
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Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:25 am
Location: Lehi, UT USA

Re: Autofill questions

#7

Post by mstauff »

With the latest release this should all be much easier. You may still need to do something similar to what pdworkman suggested, but you don't have to delete classes, or enter events to do it anymore. You can use the new "Insert Missing Lessons" feature to have the system reassign chapters from the manual to every week that is set to be a lesson from the manual.

In the case of the OP you can click "Insert Missing Lessons" (it's a link at the top of the year view for any course admins). You can use the "Insert Specific Lessons" option, choose the second week in January as the start date, leave the start lesson as chapter/lesson 1 and click insert.

If you want to make room for Easter and Christmas lessons you can just set those weeks to be a different lesson type (anything other than a manual lesson) before you do the insert missing lessons. After you do the insert then go back to those lessons, change them back to manual and assign the appropriate lesson.
howellpayne
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Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:46 am

Re: Autofill questions

#8

Post by howellpayne »

WOW, this was great! I wish it were at the top. It solved my problem pronto. Thanks!!!
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