Double-booking Hazard if "Blocked" was used on "Resource Assignment" Screen

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jbb89777
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#11

Post by jbb89777 »

Here are the steps:
1. Go to "Options" and "Manage Resource Assignments"
2. Make an assignment for something like a wedding by clicking "Create New Assignment".
3. Assign it to blocked and check the box to use the entire location.
4. Go back to the main calendar.
5. Click "Create Event"
6. Create an event on a regular auxiliary calendar like a Primary Activity on the Stake Primary calendar.
7. Select just the cultural hall and kitchen for this event and make sure the same date and time are chosen as the wedding you just entered.

A conflicting message should appear when you click "Check for conflicts". You should not be able to save the event.
As of Sunday, this is no longer the result I get. My testing results in a double booking of the resource.
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aebrown
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#12

Post by aebrown »

jbb89777 wrote:I just tried again to schedule an event on a regular auxiliary calendar that I know conflicts with a resource that is assigned to "blocked" on the "Resource Assignments" screen and it is letting me double-book the resource.

Now that is clear what you are doing, you can rest assured that the system is working properly, and there is no double booking occurring. The only problem is that your testing is based on an incorrect assumption. I can't explain why you may have seen different results in the past, but the system is working correctly right now.

When a building scheduler uses Resource Assignments to "block" a resource for a particular time, that means that no one except a building scheduler may schedule an event that uses that resource at that time. Setting a "block" on a particular time is not an event and thus is not a "booking" as you call it. It simply denies anyone other than a building scheduler the ability to make an event for that resource.

The problem with your testing is that you are a building scheduler. Thus you are the one person (aside from another building scheduler -- there can be more than one) who can schedule an event using that resource during that time. If you have anyone else try to schedule the resource at that time, they will indeed get a conflict message and be unable to save their event.

You need to keep the two concepts distinct in your mind: using the Resource Assignments page, whether to give a resource for a chunk of time to a ward or the stake, or to "block" a chunk of time, is simply a means of denying regular calendar editors the ability to schedule an event using that resource. In the case of a unit assignment, it denies scheduling privileges to anyone outside the ward, and in the case of "blocking" it denies scheduling privileges to everyone. But in both cases, a building scheduler can always schedule an event for that chunk of time, because he has great powers.

A building scheduler will get a conflict message and be unable to schedule the resource only if someone has actually scheduled an event for that resource for that time. Only scheduling an event for the resource truly books the resource.
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jdlessley
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#13

Post by jdlessley »

The situation has been properly explained by aebrown. To give training on how the system works you cannot use your credentials because you have the super powers of a building scheduler. Have someone else with editor privileges logon to the calendar. Then you will be able to demonstration what happens when a location or resource is blocked. Someone with editor privileges from a unit to which a location or resource has not been assigned will have to logon to the calendar to demonstrate what happens when resources are assigned.

When I was training a building scheduler I first had them logon to the calendar and make assignments and block a resource for a specified period for one of the other wards in the meetinghouse. The building scheduler logged off and I as an approver logged on and I demonstrated the approver privileges. I was also able to demonstrate what happens for an assignment and a block since I was not a member of the ward with the assigned resources. The block worked as advertised also. I then logged off and the building scheduler logged on to see that the blocked resources could be scheduled, but only using their credentials.
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jcevans
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#14

Post by jcevans »

I have a location that we want only the stake to be able to reserve, 365 days per year. I read the help, and it talked about setting up a recurring event. Do I need to make a year long, all day event in order to block it all the time?
jdlessley
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#15

Post by jdlessley »

jcevans wrote:I have a location that we want only the stake to be able to reserve, 365 days per year. I read the help, and it talked about setting up a recurring event. Do I need to make a year long, all day event in order to block it all the time?
You could select the dates from 1 January to 31 December and check All Day and Repeats. Then select Daily, All Days, Recurs every 1 days, and No End.

If the location is assigned to the stake following the procedures in Reserve a Location for a Ward or Stakeany stake leader with calendar editor rights will be able to schedule an event with resources at the location. However if the location is blocked then only the building scheduler, or schedulers since there can be more than one, will be able to schedule events with resources. A building scheduler can be assigned to any stake resource or location whether it is a ball field, building, or anything else.
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aebrown
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#16

Post by aebrown »

jdlessley wrote:You could select the dates from 1 January to 31 December and check All Day and Repeats. Then select Daily, All Days, Recurs every 1 days, and No End.

That's not how recurring assignments work in the Manage Resource Assignments page. There is no Daily option -- only weekly or monthly. The easiest way to block all days is to choose All Day (there is no Repeats check box here), and in the Start date field you should select the date you want to start the reservation. The End date field won't matter here, but it's simplest to leave it matching the Start date. The default Weekly recurrence is good, and leave it at Recurs every 1 week. Check each day of the week. The default of "No End" is good.
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jcevans
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#17

Post by jcevans »

Thanks for the feedback. Remember, my objective is NOT to have an event that last a year, but to limit access to who can schedule events. Both of these suggestions sound like they center on creating a long running recurring event. Am i missing something? Can i just set it up so this location (recreational Facility) can only be scheduled by the stake? It would be good if only the stake building schedulers could access it, we would NOT need all stake officers to do it. Also, everytime i have tried this, i get an error message about a DB error, no assignment made. I will walk through it and try it again (for the umteenth time!) Thanks much!
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#18

Post by jdlessley »

jcevans wrote:Thanks for the feedback. Remember, my objective is NOT to have an event that last a year, but to limit access to who can schedule events. Both of these suggestions sound like they center on creating a long running recurring event. Am i missing something?
The procedure to assign a resource or location as well as to block a resource or location involves creating an "event" or "events". These "events" are not actually events since they will not appear on any displayed calendar but rather it allows a building scheduler to make the resource/location assignment or to block a resource/location.
jcevans wrote:Can i just set it up so this location (recreational Facility) can only be scheduled by the stake? It would be good if only the stake building schedulers could access it, we would NOT need all stake officers to do it.
The location can have one or multiple building schedulers assigned. Since you only want building schedulers to be able to schedule events for this recreational facility then the block procedure should be used.

Once the location is blocked for the entire year using a recurring blocking event the building schedulers can then create "real events" to be displayed on a calendar. These real events can be created only by the location's assigned building schedulers. These real events will not be affected by the blocking event. That blocking event is only there to prevent everyone other than the location's assigned building schedulers from scheduling an event with resources at that location. Note that events can be scheduled by calendar editors as long as no resources are used.
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russellhltn
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#19

Post by russellhltn »

jcevans wrote:Remember, my objective is NOT to have an event that last a year, but to limit access to who can schedule events.

We understand. You may wish to review Reserve a Location for a Ward or Stake and the follow-up Block the Ability to Schedule Events. I think that's exactly what you're looking for.

"When you reserve a location or resource for a ward at a specific calendar time slot, only the designated unit can schedule that resource."
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aebrown
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#20

Post by aebrown »

jcevans wrote:Remember, my objective is NOT to have an event that last a year, but to limit access to who can schedule events. Both of these suggestions sound like they center on creating a long running recurring event. Am i missing something?
I think the confusion is between the term "event" and "assignment". It's that same confusion that the original poster on this thread had. On the Manager Resource Assignments page you only create "assignments" -- not "events." I've edited my post to make that distinction clear. Read the help pages that others have linked to, but the crux of the matter is that an assignment denies others the ability to schedule an event for a particular resource; it does not schedule an event.
jcevans wrote:Can i just set it up so this location (recreational Facility) can only be scheduled by the stake?
Yes, if you make the assignment for the stake unit, then you are denying everyone but a stake calendar editor or administrator from scheduling an event that uses that resource.
jcevans wrote:It would be good if only the stake building schedulers could access it, we would NOT need all stake officers to do it.
This is the even more restrictive assignment called "Blocked", which denies everyone the ability to schedule an event, except for building schedulers assigned to that location. Depending on who you may have assigned as building schedulers for the location in question, that may be subtly different from what you said. There is really no such thing as a "stake building scheduler"; there are only building schedulers assigned to a location. You may assign only a stake officer of some sort to schedule the stake center, in which case that distinction disappears, but many stakes choose to have the agent ward be in charge of scheduling each building, including the stake center. That's a choice the stake president needs to make.
jcevans wrote:Also, everytime i have tried this, i get an error message about a DB error, no assignment made.

If you are actually getting a DB error, then you may be having troubles that are causing confusion beyond the way the system is supposed to work. Until you get the DB error corrected, you are likely to be frustrated. You should probably start with Local Unit Support to try to get that problem corrected.
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