Shift Templates are a collection of shifts that are saved and can be used by the organization to quickly generate a schedule. This increases consistency and more importantly reduces the amount of time it takes to create a schedule. This section can be used to create a new template or modify, clone or delete an existing template.

Once created, templates can be applied directly from the scheduling grid (Schedule Tools menu).  

Create Template

There are two ways that a template can be created.

• Settings -> Shift Templates

  1. Click on Create Template and enter in the name and description that is to be used. Remember to use a descriptive name if there are multiple templates which will make it easier to find the correct template. From the template screen users can update the name, description and also set the template as the default template when inserting into a schedule. Once the template has been created, shifts can be added.

• Schedule Xpress main grid -> Schedule Tools -> Create Shift Template

  1. If there are shifts in the schedule grid, a template can be created directly from the main scheduling screen by selecting the shifts that will be added to a template. By clicking on Create Shift Template, the selected shifts will be added to the new template. Enter in the name and description to be used. Click on Create or Create and Edit and the template will be saved. This is a quicker way to create a template as the shifts are automatically added.

Clone Template

This allows the user to quickly copy an existing template and save it with a new name and description before modifying it.

Delete Template

Delete any template that is no longer needed.

Modify Template

Modify Template can be used to add, update or delete a shift, from the existing template.

• Add Shift

  • Once selected, fill out the details for the shift to add and click Add. The fields are the same as when adding a shift directly from the grid except for Date Offset.

  • Date Offset – this field allows the system to know where the shift will be inserted relative to the date that is specified when applying the template. For example, if the date to apply the template from is September 14 and the date offset is zero, the shift will be added to September 14. To adjust the days relative to this application date, indicate a positive number of days for the offset.

• Update Shift

  • Used to change the details of the shift. Only one shift can be updated at a time.

• Delete Shift

  • Used to delete one or multiple shifts from the template.

Applying a Shift Template

From the main schedule grid, click on Schedule Tools and select Apply Shift Template.

Enter in the date that the template will be applied from. This first date is considered day 0 in the date offset field and any shifts with 0 will be pasted as of that day. The date offset field can be changed from Settings -> Shift Templates.