Booking pool - Introduction

You can use the booking pool to manage the use of resources such as:

  • Reserve seminar or meeting rooms for specific times
  • Book equipment and supplies for classes or workshops
  • Manage special workstations or lab times
  • Assign papers or seminar work efficiently

Different types of booking pools allow you to implement different scenarios.

You can view the occupancy status at any time and always know who is using what or which bookings have been canceled.

You can offer resources for reservation individually (e.g., a room) or make several resources of one type available for booking (several lab stations).

You can create booking pools at any point in the repository. You can create one central booking pool or several different ones.

You can define whether all users who can see and read the booking pool can book and cancel themselves.

Scenarios with booking pools

Booking pools can be used for different purposes: Types of booking pools allow you to configure scenarios with just one click.

Booking for appointments
Resources such as rooms, equipment, or instructor time can only be scheduled sequentially. The booking is made on specific dates, according to a schedule:

  • Type 'Booking to dates': Equipment, catering, rooms, and similar resources can be booked by users on specific dates.
  • Booking rooms from courses or sessions: From a tab in the course, a tutor can select and book appropriate rooms directly in the booking pool at the right time.

Distribute

Resources such as lecture topics or seminar places are distributed, whereby dates do not play a role:

  • Participants book resources independently: In booking pools of the type 'Without a schedule, direct booking', participants book e.g., lecture topics or seminar places from a list. The principle is 'first come, first served' - those who book early still have a choice.
  • Distribute resources automatically according to preferences: In booking pools of the type 'Without a schedule, with preferences', participants first specify the number of preferences. The participants are automatically distributed to the seats or topics on a certain date.

Please note that the type can only be changed if no booking objects have been created.
If booking objects already exist, they have to be deleted first.

Rename booking pool

You want to give your booking pool a different title.

  1. Open the Settings tab in the booking pool.
  2. In the Title input field, change the name of the booking pool.
  3. If necessary, adjust the text in the Description input field. The description text
  4. Click on the Save button.
  5. ILIAS changes the title of the course.

Note: You can also use the Description input field to add an explanatory subtitle, which will be displayed in a smaller font under the title.

Define settings

You want to edit the settings in a booking pool.

  1. Open the Settings tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS opens the following options for editing:
    - Newly created booking pools are initially offline and thus not visible to other users. Activate the Online checkbox so that the booking pool is visible to all users.
    Note: It is recommended to enter content first before putting the booking pool online.
    - Select a time-dependent or time-independent booking pool. To do this, activate the radio button under Type in front of Bookings on dates or Without a schedule, direct booking or Without a schedule, with preferences. The selection can only be changed here if no booking objects have been created. If booking objects already exist, they must be deleted first.
    - Activate the Public bookings checkbox if other users should also make bookings later. If you do not want public bookings, only users with editing rights to your booking pool can make and view bookings.
    Note: Users can only cancel their bookings if they can also view the submitted booking.
    - In the Additional Functions section, select the Custom Metadata checkbox to categorize your booking objects individually.
  3. Click Save
  4. ILIAS will apply the changes.

What should be lent or distributed?

Create booking objects

You want to release resources of the booking pool for reservations.

  1. Open the tab Booking objects in the booking pool.
  2. Click on Add object.
  3. ILIAS displays a form.
  4. Under Title, specify what kind of resource it is:
    - Name the equipment to be rented.
    - Name the subject of the unit that is to be assigned.
    - Include the room number if you manage rooms.
  5. If applicable, add information about the loan period or requirements under the Description.
  6. Optionally, upload a file under Additional Description. Users can download this file before booking. For example, distribute the rules of lending or the detailed room plan this way.
  7. Under Quantity, specify the number of resources that should be bookable. It saves effort to create several similar devices under one generic term: "Moderation case" Quantity:
  8. If necessary, select the schedule that should be applied to this resource under Schedule.
  9. Under Information after a booking, you can store information automatically displayed to the booker after the booking. For example, distribute operating instructions or support contact information. You can formulate a text for this purpose and include placeholders in it. You can also upload a file (Word (docx.), PDF, or image (jpeg.)).
  10. Click on Save.
  11. ILIAS shows the list of your booking objects. Users will make bookings in this view later.

Edit booking objects

You want to edit an already created resource.

  1. Open the tab Booking objects in the booking pool.
  2. Click Edit in the Actions drop-down menu to the right of the booking object.
  3. ILIAS opens the selected resource.
  4. Make the desired changes. Note: If you change the schedule for booking pools with a time-based component, the bookings made up to that point in the previous schedule remain in place. To change these bookings, you need to cancel the corresponding bookings.
  5. Click on the Save button.
  6. ILIAS will report that the booking object has been changed.

Delete booking objects

You want to remove existing booking objects from your booking pool.

  1. Open the tab Booking objects in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS shows the list of booking objects.
  3. Click Delete in the Actions drop-down menu to the right of the booking object.  Note: If bookings have already been made, this link will not be displayed for time-independent booking pools.
  4. ILIAS asks if you want to delete the objects.
  5. Confirm with Delete.

Enable filters for booking objects.

With the help of metadata, it is possible to categorize all booking objects freely according to your wishes. Create a metadata record for categorization.

This categorization allows users to maintain an overview even in a large booking pool. All metadata records can be offered as filters in the presentation view of the pool.

To use this feature, open the Metadata tab and follow the instructions for creating and using custom metadata for the booking pool.

Note: For the Metadata tab to be displayed, the Custom Metadata checkbox must be selected in the Settings tab. For instructions on how to do this, see Define settings.

Filter booking pool

You want to sort the booking pool by specific characteristics.

Teachers and tutors can tag all booking objects in the booking pool with so-called metadata. This allows you to filter and sort the pool according to specific criteria. The specific filtering options always depend on the settings your teacher has chosen.

You want to filter the list of booking objects:

  1. Open the tab Booking objects and click on the link Show filter.
  2. ILIAS will display the filter. There it is now also possible to filter by your metadata records. You can filter by the following types:
    - Selection list (dropdown)
    - Selection list (checkboxes)
    - Text
    - Date / Date and time
  3. Make the desired selection and click the Apply Filter button.
  4. ILIAS filters the list of booking objects according to your selection.

You want to customize the appearance of the Booking Objects table:

  1. Open the Booking objects tab.
  2. Above the table, open the Columns drop-down menu.
  3. ILIAS displays all possible columns. Activate or deactivate the checkboxes in front of the desired table columns.
  4. Click on the Update button.
  5. ILIAS updates the table according to your selection. The metadata is displayed in its columns.

Insert placeholders

You want to include placeholders in your booking pool settings.

Placeholders are used to automatically insert content into the text displayed to the booker after the booking. This way, you can include the individual booking information in your text in the post-booking information and communicate it to the booker.
Placeholders are used with square brackets. At the appropriate place in the text, replace your booking information with one of the two placeholders to insert the desired information.

  • [OBECT] will be replaced by the respective booking object.
  • [PERIOD] will be replaced by the selected booking period.

Note: This placeholder can only be used in time-dependent booking pools.

Booking rooms directly from courses

In the case of direct allocation of seminar places or presentation topics, only the allocation of the booking objects must be regulated, not the sequence in time.
The allocation runs according to the motto "first come, first served". If sought-after booking objects are fully booked, the stragglers are left behind and have to make do with unpopular options.
You can limit the maximum number of bookings each participant can make.

You want to allow participants to book resources independently and directly.

Prerequisite: Please note that the type can only be changed if no booking objects have been created.
If booking objects already exist, they have to be deleted first.

  1. Suppose you select the options Without a schedule, direct booking in the Settings tab under Type. In that case, participants can choose seminar places or presentation topics from the list of booking objects and book them directly.
  2. Optionally, enter the maximum number of booking options in the Limit number of booking options input field to limit the effects of direct booking.
  3. Select the Users to see all reservations checkbox if users should also see other users' bookings.
  4. Click Save.

    Note: For resources that are only to be booked on fixed dates, select the type Bookings on dates.
    All other setting options are independent of the time component.

Distribute resources independent of time

Participants book resources independently.

When allocating seminar places or presentation topics, only the allocation of booking objects and not the sequence in time needs to be regulated.

Suppose you select the options Without a schedule, direct booking in the tab Settings under Type. In that case, participants can choose seminar places or presentation topics from the list of booking objects and book them directly.

The allocation runs according to the motto "first come, first served". If some sought-after booking objects are fully booked, the stragglers are left behind and have to make do with unpopular options.

You can set the maximum number of bookings to limit how many bookings a user can make. Enter the maximum number of booking options in the Limit number of the bookings input field to limit the effects of the "first come, first served" rule.

For resources with a deadline, select the Fixed schedule type.
All other setting options are independent of the time component.

Please note that the type can be changed only if no booking objects have been created.
If booking objects already exist, they must be deleted first.

Distribute resources automatically according to preferences.

Participants specify their preferences regarding seminar places or presentation topics, and then the booking objects are distributed with maximum consideration of the preferences. Subsequent manual adjustment of the allocation is possible.

Suppose you select the options Without a schedule, with preferences in the Settings tab under Type. Participants can declare their preference for a certain number of seminar places or presentation topics until a deadline.

On the deadline, the period expires, and ILIAS calculates an optimal distribution of booking objects considering the preferences entered.

Attention: The calculation of the optimal distribution of booking objects is computationally intensive, and the platform's performance suffers for the calculation period. ILIAS will respond slowly for several minutes. Please take this into account when selecting this option.

Settings for assignment to appointments

For resources with a deadline, select the Fixed schedule type.
All other setting options are independent of the time component.

Set up distribution according to preferences
You would like to have your booking objects distributed automatically, taking into account the participants' preferences.

Prerequisite: The booking pool type is set to Without schedule, with preferences. Please note that the type can only be changed if no booking objects have been created.

  1. In the tab Participants, add single users, enter members of specific roles or directly enter all members from your course or group.
  2. ILIAS now shows a new tab, Overview, to the participants.
  3. Participants select their preferences here.
  4. After the deadline has passed, the Overview tab will display the distribution results: Users are shown their specified preferences again, and then their reservations actually assigned by ILIAS are listed.
  5. Click Save.

Create a schedule

Settings for the allocation to appointments

You can use the booking pool to offer resources for reservations on specific dates. This selection is helpful for resources such as rooms, employee time, workstations, or equipment used consecutively.

  1. Open the Settings tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays the Edit Occupancy Schedule form.
  3. Under Type, select the option Bookings for appointments. The selection can only be changed here if no booking objects have been created. If booking objects already exist, these must first be deleted.
  4. Select the Users to see all reservations checkbox if users should also see other users' bookings.
  5. Click Save.

Create schedule

You want the resources to be booked on dates in a time grid.
To do this, you must first create a schedule. You can then use the schedule for each booking object.

Prerequisite: The settings of the booking pool are set to type Assignments to appointments, otherwise, the Schedules tab will not be displayed.

  1. In the booking pool, open the Schedules tab.
  2. Click Add Time Grid.
  3. ILIAS shows a form.
  4. Under Title, give a name that describes the schedule well: "Weekday, 2-hour cycle" or "7-day week, 45-minute cycle".
  5. Enter the first period in the From: and To times fields. The format is HH: MM. Select the checkboxes in front of all the days of the week when this time period should be offered.
  6. Add more time segments with the plus icon. You can reduce the periods with the minus icon if there are several periods.
  7. ATTENTION: These periods must not overlap. The start time must not be the same as the end time of the previous period. Otherwise, the bookings will block each other. For example, use 10:00-11:59 (period 1) and 12:00-13:59 (period 2).
  8. Under Latest booking time, you can decide whether there must be a time gap between the booking and the usage. To require a booking the day before use, select Up to n hours before the start of the time window and enter 24 hours under Time span. This setting is helpful if the provision of the bookable resource requires a certain organizational or administrative lead time (travel, procurement, approval).
  9. In the Availability area, limit the period in which bookings can be made according to the selected schedule. To do this, set the date and time in each case using the selection menus. If you select neither start nor end time, booking objects with this schedule is available indefinitely.
  10. Click Save.
  11. ILIAS returns to the list of schedules and displays the added schedule.

Edit Schedule

You already have a schedule in your booking pool and want to change it.

  1. In the booking pool, open the Schedules tab.
  2. In the list of schedules, click Edit in the Actions drop-down menu to the right of the desired schedule.
  3. ILIAS opens the form of the schedule.
  4. Make the desired changes.
  5. Click the Save button.
  6. ILIAS reports that the schedule has been changed.

If you change the schedule for booking pools with a time-based component, the bookings made up to that point in the previous schedule will remain. To change these bookings, you have to cancel the corresponding bookings.

Delete schedule

You want to remove a schedule. You can delete only those schedules that are not currently used for booking.

  1. Open the Schedules tab in the booking pool.
  2. In the list of schedules to the right of the desired schedule, click Delete in the Actions drop-down menu.
  3. ILIAS will ask you if you really want to delete the desired schedule.
  4. Click on the Delete button.
  5. ILIAS displays the list of schedules and reports that the schedule has been deleted.

Note: In the list of schedules, you can see under In use if a schedule is already in use. As soon as a schedule is in use, a "Yes" appears here. Since you can no longer delete the schedule in this case, the Delete action is also not displayed.

Booking resources

Booking resources

You want to reserve a lecture topic, a room, a lab place, or similar. In ILIAS, all these things are called 'resources' and can be booked.
Some resources are assigned, and some are booked on specific dates.

  1. Open the tab Booking objects in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS shows all bookable resources.
  3. Open the Actions menu of the desired resource. Select the entry Book to make a reservation. You can get more information about lending conditions, operation, or contact persons via the entry Download additional description.
  4. If ILIAS shows a calendar, follow the steps below. If ILIAS asks if you want to book the item, skip the following steps:
    - ILIAS shows dates when the resource can be booked. Scroll above the table with < and > to the desired date.
    - Activate the checkbox of the date on which you want to book. You can book several or all appointments in one day.
    - Click below the calendar on Make a booking.
    - ILIAS will show you a booking confirmation. Your desired resource is mentioned as a heading.
    - Enter the desired number of your resource in the text field next to the date and time.
    - You can repeat bookings automatically: For example, you can book a room directly for four Tuesdays and do not have to select these bookings individually. In the Repeats selection menu, select the repeat period of your bookings, e.g., weekly.
    - ILIAS opens the selection menu Repeat until. There, select the date on which the repetition of your booking should end.
  5. Click on Confirm.
  6. ILIAS reports the successful booking. You will be shown information that has been stored for your booking.
  7. Click on OK.
  8. ILIAS shows the list of booking objects.

View reservations

You want to see which resources have been booked or canceled.

  1. Click on the Reservations tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS shows you a table with bookings. There is a filter above the table.
  3. The table shows you depending on the booking pool settings:
  • In the Title column, your booked resource.
  • In the column Status, whether the object is canceled or not.
  • In the columns Date, Weekday, Weekday, and Period when the object was booked.
  • How many objects were booked under the Number of objects?
  • By whom the object was booked in the User column.
  • In the Actions column, whether you can cancel the object or not. If you can cancel the object, the Cancel button is displayed.

Note: You can filter this list by selected criteria.
You may also be shown additional criteria.

Alternatively, you can reach this page from the Booking Objects tab by selecting the Reservations link in the Actions column.

Search for reservations

You want to search a booking pool for a specific reservation.

  1. Click on the Reservations tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS will show you a filter to search for specific reservations.
  3. You can use a filter to narrow the selection of reservations displayed:
    - In the Object drop-down menu, you can select a specific booking object.
    - You can enter keywords from Title or Description under Object Title/ Description.
    - Under Date range, you can limit the booking period in the format DD.MM.YYYY or by using the calendar symbol.
    - If necessary, you can select a weekly period under Period.
    - The Status drop-down menu allows you to distinguish between canceled and non-canceled bookings.
    - Under User, you can specify a particular user. Note: This criterion will only be displayed if you have the appropriate rights.
  4. After selecting your criteria, click the Apply Filter button.
  5. ILIAS will show you the filtered reservations.
  6. Click on Reset Filter to display the list unfiltered again-.
  7. ILIAS will show the complete list of your reservations.

Note: Additional filter criteria can also be displayed to you.

Cancel reservations

You want to cancel a reservation.

  1. Click on the Reservations tab in the booking pool.
  2. Select the desired reservation. You can search specifically for reservations.
  3. Click the Cancel action of the reservation you want to cancel. To delete several reservations at once. activate the checkboxes in the list of reservations and click Delete above the table.
  4. ILIAS opens a new page and asks if you want to cancel the reservation.
  5. Click on Cancel.

Alternatively, depending on the booking pool settings, you can click the Cancel link in the Actions column of the Booking Objects tab.

Add participants

Introduction Participants in booking pools

You can use the Participants tab if certain groups of people are to be provided with the booking pool. The Participants tab helps you to check if booking objects are assigned to each person.

  • The booking pool can be used for course participants to select "their lunch" from the catering offer. You can check directly who has not yet ordered and ask specifically.
  • For participants of a course, presentation topics can be assigned to those who failed to choose a topic in time and independently. Individuals who have not been taken care of by the deadline will be assigned a topic.

Add known participants

You want to add a person known by name to the booking pool.

  1. Open the Participants tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays a participant table.
  3. Enter the user name in the User input field. It is also possible to enter the user's first name, last name, or registered email address.
  4. ILIAS searches in the background and creates a selection of possible users.
  5. Click on the desired user.
  6. Click on the Add button.
  7. ILIAS confirms the addition of the user. The user now appears in the table

Add participant from current course/group

You want to add your course or group participants to the booking pool.

Prerequisite: The booking pool is within a course or group.

  1. Open the tab Participants in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays a participant table.
  3. Below the tab navigation, click Add user from the current course or Add user from the current group.
  4. ILIAS lists all users found.
  5. Use checkboxes to select individual users or Select all to select all people and click Add.
  6. Click on the Add button.
  7. ILIAS confirms the addition of the user. The user now appears in the table

Search and add unknown users

You want to add people to the booking pool: Members of a specific role, for example.

  1. Open the Participants tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays a table of participants.
  3. Click on Search users.
  4. ILIAS opens a new page. Depending on what you know about the user, you can:
    Search for Users: Enter the last name or user name.
    Search for roles: Enter a role description of the user.
    Search for courses: Enter a name of a course the user is in.
    Search by groups: Enter a name of a group the user is in.
  5. Click Search.
  6. ILIAS creates a list of results for the appropriate search type:
    Search for users: You will be directly presented with a list of eligible users. Follow the instructions starting with step 7.
    Search by roles, courses, or groups: You will be shown a list of eligible roles, courses, or groups. Select the checkbox in front of the desired role, course, or group and click List Users.
  7. ILIAS presents a list of users.
  8. Select the checkbox in front of the user or users you want to include in the posting pool. You can also use the Select All checkbox at the end of the list.
  9. Click on Execute.
  10. ILIAS confirms the addition of the user.

Assigning booking objects to participants

Assigning resources to participants

Participants can not only book independently, they can also have resources assigned to them.
You want to assign a booking object to a participant.

Prerequisite: You have already entered participants in your booking pool. You can assign resources regardless of the scenario selected in the booking pool.

  1. Open the Participants tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays a table of participants.
  3. Click the Assign booking object actions link for the desired user.
  4. ILIAS displays the available booking objects.
  5. Click the Assign actions link at the desired booking object.
  6. If ILIAS shows a calendar, perform the following steps. If ILIAS asks if you want to book the object, skip the following steps:
    - ILIAS shows dates when the resource can be booked. Scroll above the table with < and > to the desired date.
    - Activate the checkbox of the date on which you want to book. You can book several or all appointments on one day.
    - Click below the calendar on Make booking.
    - ILIAS will show you a booking confirmation . Your desired resource is mentioned as a heading.
    - Enter the desired number of your resource in the text field next to the date and time.
    - You can repeat bookings automatically: For example, you can book a room directly for four Tuesdays and do not have to select these bookings all individually. In the Repeats selection menu, select the repeat period of your bookings, e.g. weekly.
  7. ILIAS opens the selection menu Repeat until. There, select the date on which the repetition of your booking should end.
  8. Click Confirm.
  9. ILIAS reports the successful booking. You will be shown information that has been stored for your booking.
  10. Click OK.
  11. ILIAS shows the list of booking objects.

Withdrawing resources from participants

If participants have booked something by mistake or you have assigned something to them and want to undo this, you can revoke the booking objects.

You want to remove the assignment from a resource.
Prerequisite: You have already entered participants in your booking pool.

  1. Open the Participants tab in the booking pool.
  2. ILIAS displays a table of participants.
  3. Click the Unassign action link for the desired user.
  4. ILIAS will ask if you are sure.
  5. Click Cancel.
  6. ILIAS shows the table in the Reservations tab, and the booking is removed. The filter was automatically set to the selected person, "not canceled," and today's date.