Time limits define when a reservation can be booked for and until when an end user may change it. The system offers three rules that can be combined, plus an extension at role level.
Minimum lead time
How far in advance a reservation must be created. A time that is too close cannot be booked.
Maximum lead time
How far ahead reservations can be made. A time that is too far in the future cannot be booked.
Editing cut-off
Until when an end user may change an existing reservation.
Minimum lead time extension (role)
A longer minimum lead time for members of a selected role.
The system-wide rules are found in System settings, tab Workflow, in two boxes:
- Creating a reservation – minimum and maximum lead time. Limits are measured from the current time.
- Editing a reservation – editing cut-off. The limit is measured from the reservation's planned start.
The lead time extension is set in the role form, and branch-specific values in the branch office form. Below each rule, an impact line immediately shows the result of the current setting - for example "It is 14:00 now → the earliest bookable time is 20:00." The line updates while you edit, before you save.
Together, the minimum and maximum lead time form a single window in which reservations can be made. Both rules evaluate the planned start of the reservation against the current time - the minimum lead time sets where the window begins, the maximum lead time where it ends. The window moves forward continuously as time passes.
Now
too soon
(minimum lead time)
Bookable
bookable window
too far ahead
(maximum lead time)
→ future
Example (minimum lead time 6 hours, maximum lead time 2 days):
- It is 24 Sep 14:00 → times from 24 Sep 20:00 to 26 Sep 14:00 can be booked
- At 20:00 the window moves to 25 Sep 02:00 – 26 Sep 20:00
The minimum lead time must be shorter than the maximum lead time - otherwise the window would be empty and the settings cannot be saved. If only one of the rules is enabled, the window is open on the other side.
How far in advance a reservation must be created. A reservation cannot be created if its planned start is too close to the current time. The rule is enabled with a checkbox, then one of two modes is selected:
Fixed lead time (1–48 hours)
A floating limit measured from the current time. A reservation cannot be created if it starts sooner than the set number of hours. The limit shifts continuously as time passes. The role-based lead time extension (see below) applies only in this mode.
Example (set to 6 hours):
- It is 14:00 now → the earliest bookable time is 20:00
- It is 15:00 now → the earliest bookable time is 21:00
From tomorrow
Today is closed all day - no reservation can be created for today's date, regardless of the time. The day is determined by local time.
Example:
- It is 24 Sep 08:00 → the earliest bookable day is tomorrow, i.e. from 25 Sep 00:00
- A reservation for 24 Sep 18:00 cannot be created, even though it is 10 hours away
How far ahead reservations can be made. A reservation cannot be created if its planned start lies further in the future than the set limit. The rule is enabled with a checkbox and set in the At most row: a value and a unit - hours (1–48) or days (1–30).
Example (set to at most 7 days):
- It is 24 Sep 10:00 now → the latest bookable time is 1 Oct 10:00
- A reservation for 2 Oct 08:00 cannot be created today
- Tomorrow (25 Sep) at 10:00 the horizon moves to 2 Oct 10:00 and the same reservation can then be created
Difference from the minimum lead time: Both rules compare the reservation's planned start with the current time - they differ only in direction. The minimum lead time is the lower bound - it blocks times that are too soon. The maximum lead time is the upper bound - it blocks times that are too far ahead. The maximum lead time therefore is not a cut-off after which booking stops: reservations can be made at any time, just not further ahead than the horizon allows.
Until when an end user may change an existing reservation. The limit is measured from the reservation's planned start. The rule is enabled with a checkbox, then a direction and a shared offset of 1–48 hours are selected:
Before the planned start
The reservation can only be changed up to the set number of hours before its start. Prevents last-minute changes just before a vehicle arrives.
Example (set to 2 hours):
- A reservation at 16:00 → it can be changed until 14:00
After the planned start
The reservation can still be changed for the set number of hours after its start, then it closes. Allows correcting a mistake shortly after a vehicle arrives while preventing retrospective changes after a longer period.
Example (set to 2 hours):
- A reservation at 10:00 → it can be changed until 12:00
Applies to end users only. The editing cut-off only affects users in a role with the End user flag (typically external carriers). Internal operators - dispatchers and administrators - are not affected and can still edit the reservation after the cut-off.
In the role form you can set a longer minimum lead time for members of that role - for example for external carriers who should book further in advance than internal users. The value is entered in three fields Days / Hours / Minutes, so it can be finer than the system-wide setting, which is entered in whole hours.
The longest value applies
If a user has several roles assigned, the longest value across all their roles is used. It is compared with the system-wide minimum lead time and the longer of the two applies - the role value is not added to the system value.
Never shortens
A role can only extend the lead time. If the role value is shorter than the system-wide setting, the system-wide setting applies.
Fixed lead time mode only
The extension only takes effect when the minimum lead time is enabled in Fixed lead time mode. In From tomorrow mode, or when the minimum lead time is disabled, it has no effect.
Example (system-wide minimum lead time 4 hours):
- A user has roles with extensions of 6 hours and 1 day → their lead time is 1 day
- A user has a single role with an extension of 2 hours → the system-wide 4 hours apply
- A user has a role with an extension of 4 hours 30 minutes → their lead time is 4 hours 30 minutes
Below the fields, the role form shows the resulting lead time, for example "Members of this role get a minimum lead time of 1 day; the system-wide setting is 4 hours."
In the branch office form, all three rules can be set differently for a specific branch. Each rule has the option From system settings, which is the default, with the value the branch inherits from the system shown next to it in grey.
From system settings
The branch inherits the system-wide setting - if the rule is enabled in the system, it applies to the branch too; if it is disabled, it does not. This option does not mean "off".
Own value
The same options as in the system (Fixed lead time / From tomorrow for the minimum lead time, Before / After the planned start for the editing cut-off). The branch's own value replaces the system value - it can be stricter or more lenient, and a branch can even enable a rule for itself when it is not enabled system-wide.
A branch cannot cancel a rule. The branch office form has no "off" option. A rule enabled system-wide applies to every branch - either with the system value or with the branch's own value.
When a user attempts an action that the time limits do not allow, the system alerts them as follows:
In the reservation overview
Times outside the bookable window are displayed in grey as unavailable. The user can see which slots cannot be booked before even attempting to create a reservation.
In the reservation form - time too soon
When saving, the message "Resource {ramp} can be booked from {date and time}." is displayed. The form cannot be saved until the user selects a permitted time or cancels the action.
In the reservation form - time too far ahead
When saving, the message "Resource {ramp} can be booked no later than {date and time}." is displayed.
When editing an existing reservation
If an end user opens an approved reservation whose time already lies outside the bookable window, the message "The reservation's time now falls outside the bookable window — its time and duration can no longer be changed." is displayed. Other reservation details can still be edited. After the editing cut-off, the end user cannot save any changes to the reservation.
A user whose role has the permission Override reservation conflict sees a checkbox in the reservation form:
Save the reservation despite availability restrictions
Ticking it skips the entire availability check, not just the time limits. The reservation is saved even if it overlaps another reservation on the ramp, exceeds the capacity limit or falls outside the ramp's working hours. Use it only when handling an urgent situation or correcting an error, and make sure saving does not create a conflict.
Exception: The company's daily reservation limit is always checked - the checkbox does not bypass it.