Help Center

What are Templates?

A template is a reusable schedule pattern — a blank week (or any number of days) that you design once and can then stamp onto any date range on the Rosters page. Templates aren't tied to dates and are never visible to employees; only rosters created from them are published.

Two Template Views

Templates can be created in two different views depending on your scheduling needs.

Position View

Position View works best for businesses with set positions that need to be filled, where coverage is more important than who specifically fills the role. For example, a hospital that needs a nurse on duty 24/7 would use this view because what matters is having someone qualified in the role at all times. In this view, you create rows for positions like "Nurse" or "Doctor" and then assign employees to fill those positions on specific days.

Employee View

Employee View is designed for businesses where you schedule based on who's available rather than specific roles. A clinic with 5 doctors who can each cover shifts interchangeably would benefit from this approach. Here, you create rows for individual employees and assign positions to them on the days they work.

The Header Bar

The Templates page has a fixed header with hold-to-scroll navigation arrows for moving through the grid, a zoom slider for scaling the template, and three buttons: the AI assistant sphere, Forms (for attaching forms to the template), and Save.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl + S: Save your changes
• Ctrl + C / Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V: Copy, cut, and paste selected cells or shifts (Employee view)
• Delete / Backspace: Clear the selected shifts or cells (Employee view)
• Escape: Cancel current action, clear selections, disable active tools
• Shift + Scroll: Scroll the table horizontally

The Template Assistant

The AI sphere button at the left of the header opens the Template Assistant, a chat panel that builds the template grid for you from plain English. Describe how your week runs — for example "Mon-Fri café: two baristas 7am-3pm, one manager 8am-4pm, weekend brunch crew of three" — and the assistant adds the areas, positions, rows, times, and blocked days on screen.

Reviewing and Saving

Everything the assistant does appears in the grid as unsaved changes, so you can inspect and adjust before pressing Save — nothing is stored until you save (the exceptions are brand-new areas and positions, which are created immediately so rows can reference them). You can undo the assistant's changes turn by turn if it goes in a direction you don't want.

Position View Only

The assistant currently works in Position View. In Employee View the chat input is disabled with a notice to switch views.

Step-by-Step Creation

To create a new template, click the + icon in the templates tab header at the top of the page. A "Create New Template" modal will appear where you can enter a template name (such as "Weekly Schedule" or "Weekend Roster") and set the number of days for the template. You can always change the number of days later. Click "Create" to save your new template.

First Time Setup

When you first create a template and click the + button in the table area, you'll be asked to choose between Position View (for scheduling by role/position) or Employee View (for scheduling by person). This choice determines the layout and workflow for that template, though you can switch it later if needed.

Template Name Best Practices

Use descriptive names that clearly identify the template's purpose. Instead of generic names like "Template 1", opt for something like "Mon-Fri Standard" that tells you exactly what the schedule covers. Including the pattern length helps too, such as "14-Day Rotation".

Choosing the Right Number of Days

A 7-day template works well for standard weekly patterns, while 14 days suits two-week rotations. For monthly patterns, consider 21-28 days, and you can use any custom number needed for your specific rotation. You can add or remove days later using the +/- buttons in the day header.

Template Context Menu

Right-click on any template name in the header tabs to access management options.

Duplicate Template

Duplicating creates an exact copy of the template including all shifts, areas, settings, attached forms, and meetings. Right-click the template name and select "Duplicate". The copy appears as a new tab with "(Copy)" added to the name. This is particularly useful for creating variations like "Summer Schedule" and "Winter Schedule" from the same base.

Rename Template

Right-click the template name and select "Rename". Enter the new name in the modal and click "Rename" to save.

Delete Template

Right-click the template name and select "Delete", then confirm. Deleted templates cannot be recovered, so make sure you don't need it before deleting. Deleting a template also removes its attached forms and meetings (rosters already created from it are unaffected).

Switch View (Position ↔ Employee)

This option only appears when right-clicking the currently active template tab. Select "Switch to Employee View" or "Switch to Position View" and a warning appears explaining that layout-specific data may not transfer perfectly — multiple employees in one cell split into separate rows when going to Employee View, and multiple positions per day may not convert cleanly the other way. Confirm with "Switch View Anyway", or Cancel. Consider duplicating the template first if you want to preserve the original.

Understanding Areas

Areas help organize your template by grouping related positions or employees together, appearing as separate sections in the table. For a medical facility, you might have separate areas for "Nurses", "Doctors", and "Admin Staff". A restaurant could use "Front of House", "Kitchen", and "Management".

Creating a New Area

Click the + button outside the table (below all existing areas). A new blank area section appears; click on "Area" to select which area this represents (or type a new name and press Add). Then add rows to the area using the + button inside that area.

Creating a New Row

Use the + button found inside each area, directly below the last row, to add a blank row. Or duplicate an existing row: right-click on an employee name or position in the sidebar and select "Duplicate Row" — an exact copy appears below the original.

Managing Days (Columns)

To add days, use the + button at the right end of the day header — each click adds one day. To remove days, use the - button. Removing a day also removes all shifts scheduled for that day.

Selecting Items

Click on a position name or employee name in the sidebar to open a picker modal showing all available options; select one, or type a new name to create it. If the modal is empty, create positions, employees, and areas first in the Management section. Clicking an area label lets you reassign all of that area's rows to a different area.

Reordering Rows

Click and hold a row in the sidebar, then drag up or down. Release when the row is in the desired position. Save (Ctrl+S) to preserve the new order.

Understanding Shift Cells

Each cell in the template represents one shift. A complete shift needs a position or employee assignment, an area designation, and both start and end times.

Method 1: Individual Cell Editing

Click on the time section of a cell to open a time picker modal. Select your start and end times, then click "Set Time" to save.

Method 2: Time Tool (Batch Editing)

Click the clock icon in the sidebar tools and set your desired start and end times. After clicking "Set Template Time", your cursor carries the time — click any cells to apply it. Press Escape when done. This is much faster than setting times individually when many shifts share the same hours.

Method 3: Set Row Time (Entire Row)

Right-click on the employee name or position in the sidebar and select "Set Row Time". Choose start and end times, and every cell in that row updates at once.

Time Format

Times are displayed in 12-hour format (such as 9:00 am or 5:30 pm) and stored in your location's timezone. Overnight shifts that end after midnight are fully supported.

What are Open Shifts?

Open shifts are shifts that qualified employees can claim through the mobile app once the template has been published as a live roster. There are two types: shift requests (magnifying glass icon), where the first qualified employee to accept gets the shift, and bidding shifts (gavel icon), where employees apply and a manager awards the shift.

Position View: Creating Open Shifts

Click the magnifying glass tool (or the gavel tool for bidding) in the sidebar tools, then click on any cell that has an area, a position, and a time set. The cell displays the matching icon. Press Escape to exit the tool. The cell must have all three elements (area, position, and time) first.

Employee View: Creating Open Shifts

In Employee View, rows represent specific employees, so open shifts are managed from the Day headers instead. Click the open-shift button in the sidebar, then click a Day header. A modal appears where you select an area and position and set the times. The day's header shows an icon for its open shifts; click it to review, edit, or remove them.

When Open Shifts Become Visible

Open shifts don't appear in the employee app until you save the template, apply it to the Rosters page, and publish the roster. Only then can employees see and claim them.

How Template Forms Work

Click the "Forms" button in the header to open the forms tray, then drag a form template onto an area, a position (in the sidebar), or a specific shift cell. The attachment is saved with the template as a blueprint. Every time the template is published onto the Rosters page as a live roster, the blueprint becomes a real shift task for whoever is rostered in that area, position, or shift that week — perfect for recurring checklists like opening procedures or safety checks.

Managing Attachments

Attached forms show as badges on the covered area, position, or cell. Click a badge to review or remove the attachment. Attaching to a specific shift cell requires the template to be saved first.

Meeting Blueprints

Each day header has a small calendar button that opens the "Schedule Meeting" modal for that day. Enter a title, optional description, start and end times, and pick the employees to invite. Because a template has day numbers rather than dates, the meeting is anchored to the day ("Day 3") — when the template is published into a roster, it becomes a real meeting on the matching calendar date, visible to invited employees in their app.

Using the Eraser Tool

Click the eraser icon in the sidebar tools to activate it. Clicking on the time section of a cell removes the start and end times while keeping the assignment. Clicking on the main cell area removes the employee or position and any open-shift icons, keeping the row structure intact. To deactivate, click the eraser again, press Escape, or click another tool.

Deleting Entire Rows

Right-click on the employee name or position in the sidebar and select "Delete Row". Confirm, and the row along with all its shifts is removed.

Deleting Areas

Right-click on the area name and select "Delete Area". This removes all rows in that area, so use it carefully.

Undo Limitations

There is no undo in the manual template editor (the AI assistant has its own per-turn undo), so save before making major deletions and consider duplicating the template first when experimenting.

What is Blocking?

Blocking marks specific cells where no shift should be scheduled — a position's day off, a closed day for part of the team, or maintenance periods.

Using the Block Tool

Click the block icon in the sidebar tools, then click any cell to block it. In Position View the cell shows a blocked, crossed-out appearance; in Employee View the day is marked as a day off. Press Escape to exit block mode. Click a blocked cell with the tool active to unblock it. When the template is applied to a live roster, no shift is created for blocked cells.

Blocked vs. Empty

A blocked cell is intentionally marked as non-working; an empty cell simply hasn't been filled in yet. Block anything you never want scheduled rather than just leaving it empty — the Auto-Generate bot also skips blocked cells when filling rosters.

How Position View Works

In Position View, rows represent positions such as Nurse, Doctor, or Receptionist. The sidebar shows a list of employees you can assign, and cells show which employee fills each position on each day.

Adding Employees to Shifts

Click an employee's name in the sidebar and they "attach" to your cursor — click any cell to place them, and keep clicking to assign them to multiple shifts. Or right-click on any cell for a context menu listing all employees qualified for that position/area combination.

Swapping Employees

Click and hold on an employee's name in a cell, then drag to another cell and release to swap them. By default the shift times stay with the cell — hold Shift while dragging and the times travel with the employees, so each person keeps their own shift.

Highlighting Employee Shifts

With no tools active, click an employee's name in the sidebar to highlight every cell containing them. While highlighted, you can right-click in the table and pick a different employee to reassign all highlighted shifts at once — useful when someone goes on leave.

Employee Sidebar Information

Under each employee's name you'll see their scheduled hours. Colors match the employee's assigned color, and totals help prevent over-scheduling.

Employee Colors

Toggle the "Employee Colors" switch in the sidebar to colour cells by employee in Position View, making patterns easy to scan.

Multiple Employees in One Cell

You can assign multiple employees to the same position/time slot — click an employee, place them, then click another employee and click the same cell. Both stack vertically in the cell.

How Employee View Works

In Employee View, rows represent employees while the sidebar shows a list of positions. Each cell shows the position or positions that employee works that day as shift chips with their times.

Adding Positions to Employees

Click a position in the sidebar and it attaches to your cursor — click a cell to add that position to the employee's day. Click the same cell again to add a second position for split shifts. Or right-click a cell and choose "Add Position".

Selecting, Copying, and Pasting

Employee View supports the same advanced selection as the Rosters page: click to select a cell, Ctrl+click to add or remove cells, Shift+click to select a rectangular range, and click a shift chip to select just that shift (Ctrl+click adds more chips). Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V (or the right-click menu) copy, cut, and paste. Multi-cell selections copy as a block that keeps its shape when pasted, anchored at the cell you paste into; a single copied cell can be pasted into many selected cells at once. Pasting adds to a cell's existing shifts rather than replacing them, and Delete/Backspace clears whatever is selected.

Fill Down and Apply to Days

Right-click a cell and choose "Fill Down" to copy it to every cell below in the column (an employee who always works Mondays the same), or "Apply to Days" to copy it across the employee's whole row (the same schedule every day).

Days Off

Cells marked with the block tool become days off, shown with blocked stripes. A day-off marker only pastes onto shift-free days, and pasting shifts onto a day off lifts the block.

Removing Positions

Use the eraser tool on a chip to remove one position, or on the cell to clear it; the right-click menu offers the same.

Horizontal Scrolling

Use the hold-to-scroll arrows in the header, drag the day header left or right, hold Shift and scroll your mouse wheel, or swipe with two fingers on a trackpad.

Zoom

Use the zoom slider in the header to fit more days on screen, or zoom in for detail.

Vertical and Sidebar Scrolling

Standard scrolling moves through rows; the sidebar scrolls independently when you hover over it.

Search Box

Type in the search box at the top of the sidebar to filter the list in real time. In Position View it searches employee names; in Employee View it searches position names.

Sort Dropdown

Sort the sidebar alphabetically, by most or least scheduled hours, or by recently added. Your preference is saved automatically.

Area/Position Filter

In Position View, filter to employees qualified for a specific position. In Employee View, filter to positions in a specific area. Filters combine with search and sort.

When to Save

Save after any change: adding or removing rows, areas, or days; assigning employees or positions; setting times; creating open shifts; attaching forms or meetings; reordering rows; or blocking cells.

How to Save

Press Ctrl+S or click the Save button in the header. A success notification appears when saved. There is no auto-save — unsaved work is lost if the browser closes, and the page warns you if you try to leave with unsaved changes ("Save & Continue" / "Continue Without Saving").

What Gets Saved

Everything: the template name and day count, all areas and rows and their order, all assignments and times, open shifts, blocked cells, attached forms, meetings, and the view mode.

Using Templates in Rosters

After saving, go to the Rosters page and drag your template from the sidebar onto the date you want it to start. The template's shifts are copied into a real roster which you can adjust and publish. You can also mark a template as Active on the Rosters page so it auto-generates rosters on a schedule — see the Rosters documentation.

Templates vs. Rosters

Templates are reusable patterns that aren't tied to specific dates and can't be seen by employees. Rosters are actual schedules for specific weeks that are published to employees. Think of templates as stencils and rosters as the final painting.

Can't Find Employees/Positions in Dropdowns

Go to Management and make sure employees exist, then use the Assignments tab to create positions and areas and assign employees to the ones they're qualified for. Refresh the Templates page to reload the data.

Can't Make an Open Shift (Position View)

The cell is missing required information — ensure it has an area, a position, and both start and end times.

Context Menu Shows No Employees

No employees are qualified for that position/area combination. Check the assignments in Management (or right-click the employee in the Rosters sidebar to quick-edit their qualifications), then refresh.

Changes Not Saving

Always press Ctrl+S and wait for the success notification before leaving the page. Check your internet connection and try again if you didn't see a confirmation.

Wrong View Showing

Each template has its own view mode saved. Check which template tab is active. To change the view, right-click the active tab and use Switch View — noting the data-conversion warning.

Template Disappeared

It may have been deleted, you might have the wrong location selected (templates are location-specific), or a stale cache — try a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R).

Eraser Tool Stuck Active

Click the eraser button again, press Escape, click another tool, or refresh the page.

General Tips

Save frequently. Duplicate templates before experimenting. Name templates clearly. Use areas to organize related positions or employees. Start simple — build one week perfectly before creating complex rotation patterns. Let the Template Assistant draft the skeleton, then fine-tune by hand.

Efficiency Shortcuts

The Time Tool is best when many shifts share hours. Set Row Time suits consistent schedules. Fill Down, Apply to Days, and block copy/paste replicate patterns fast. Right-click context menus are often faster than the sidebar.

Choosing the Right View

Use Position View when you have fixed roles that must be filled and coverage matters most — hospitals, 24/7 operations, retail. Use Employee View when you schedule specific people who may work multiple positions — small offices, professional services, clinics.

Template Organization Strategies

Keep separate templates for different scenarios: "Normal Week", "Busy Season", "Holiday Week". Or use building blocks — a "Weekday Pattern" and a "Weekend Pattern" applied to the same week. For complex rotations, create a template for the full cycle (14, 21, or 28 days) and apply it as one block.

Quality Checks Before Applying to a Roster

Verify all shifts have times, positions, and areas; open shifts have all required fields; there are no accidental duplicates; employees aren't over-scheduled (check sidebar hours); and the template is saved.

Attach the Recurring Paperwork

If a checklist or form should go out with every week's roster — opening checks, vehicle inspections, food safety logs — attach it to the template once, and every published roster from it will carry the task automatically.