Time Slots & Weekly Patterns

Understanding Time Slots

Time slots are named periods of the day that simplify scheduling. Instead of entering exact times for every day, you select which named slots you're available during.

Default Time Slots

EventMoot provides four default time slots:

Customizing Time Slots

You can adjust the times for each slot to match your schedule:

1. Go to Settings > Availability > Schedule tab
2. Click on the slot you want to edit
3. Adjust the Start Time and End Time
4. Click Save

Time Slot Rules

• Start time must be before end time (except for overnight slots)
• Use the time picker to select any valid time
• Slots can overlap if that fits your schedule
• Overnight slots (like Night) can span midnight

Slot Colors

Each time slot has a color for easy identification:

• Morning - Yellow/Gold
• Afternoon - Blue
• Evening - Purple
• Night - Indigo

These colors appear in:

• Your availability calendar
• Group heat maps
• Poll response visualizations

Weekly Patterns

Your weekly pattern defines your recurring availability. This is your "default schedule" that repeats every week.

Setting Your Weekly Pattern

The weekly pattern interface shows a grid:

• Rows represent days of the week (Monday-Sunday)
• Columns represent your time slots

To set your pattern:

1. Go to Settings > Availability > Schedule tab
2. Click on a cell to toggle availability
3. A filled cell means you're available during that slot on that day
4. An empty cell means you're not available

Quick Selection Tools

Use these buttons to quickly set common patterns:

Weekdays

Selects Monday through Friday for the current time slot. Great for:

• Players who game after classes or day commitments
• Groups that only meet on weeknights
• Evening campaign sessions

Weekends

Selects Saturday and Sunday for the current time slot. Great for:

• All-day gaming sessions
• In-person game days
• Groups that need longer session blocks

All Days

Selects every day for the current time slot. Use when:

• You're flexible during certain hours
• You want to maximize scheduling options

Clear

Removes all selections for the current time slot. Use to:

• Start fresh
• Block out a time slot entirely

Pattern Examples

The Weeknight Player

Available evenings on weekdays, all day on weekends. Classic schedule for players with daytime commitments.

The Forever DM

Running multiple campaigns means being available most evenings, but protecting prep time (Wednesday) and recovery time (Sunday).

The Night Owl

Only available late nights during the week, but more flexible on weekends. Perfect for players in far-flung timezones or those who prefer late sessions.

The Weekend Warrior

Only plays Friday through Sunday. Great for in-person groups or marathon sessions.

Advanced Patterns

Overlapping Slots

If your time slots overlap, the system handles this gracefully:

• You're marked available during the overlapping period
• No duplicate availability is shown
• Heat maps merge overlapping times

Contiguous Availability

When you select adjacent time slots for the same day, they're merged:

• Selecting "Afternoon" (12-5 PM) and "Evening" (5-9 PM)
• Results in continuous availability: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• No gaps appear in scheduling views

This is perfect for game days where you want one long session instead of multiple shorter ones.

Midnight Crossover

The "Night" slot (9 PM - 2 AM) crosses midnight:

• If selected for Friday, it covers Friday 9 PM to Saturday 2 AM
• The Saturday portion doesn't affect your Saturday morning availability
• Perfect for those epic sessions that run past midnight

How Patterns Are Used

Smart Scheduling

When a Moot creates an event, EventMoot:

1. Collects all members' weekly patterns
2. Finds overlapping availability
3. Suggests optimal times based on maximum attendance

The more accurate your pattern, the better the suggestions.

Conflict Detection

Your pattern is checked when:

• You're invited to a session
• Someone proposes a time
• Calculating group availability

Heat Maps

Group heat maps visualize combined availability:

• Darker colors = more party members available
• Lighter colors = fewer members available
• Your pattern contributes to the group visualization

This makes it easy to spot the best times at a glance.

Best Practices

Start Conservative

It's better to:

• Mark fewer times as available initially
• Expand as you learn your actual capacity
• Use exceptions for occasional extra availability

Match Your Energy, Not Just Your Calendar

Your pattern should reflect:

• Times you can actually focus on a game
• When you have energy (not just free time)
• Buffer for setup and travel

Review When Life Changes

Your availability may shift with:

• Seasonal activities (summer schedules, holiday breaks)
• New campaigns starting or ending
• Changes to other commitments

Set a reminder to review your pattern when things change.

Use Exceptions for Anomalies

If you're normally available Tuesday evenings but have a regular monthly event:

• Keep Tuesday evenings in your pattern
• Add a recurring exception for that specific Tuesday
• This keeps your availability accurate the rest of the month