I am trying to import a timetable from TimeTabler into Options (in order to print individual student timetables from within Options, rather than within my MIS / Admin System) - but I have a problem.
Possible Problem #1:
Q1. When I import into Options (from TimeTabler) the program seems to be able to read the teacher and lessons, but it doesn't seem to recognise any sets.
In the student printouts it won't even print the word set eg. when I ask to print "E" or "e" on a line.
When I look in the csv file there are some set values, but I can't for the life of me get Options to recognise them.
A1. To look at your problem, I focused on a particular subject which is setted in TimeTabler : MATS. This has 2 sets in TimeTabler (1,2) and so after importing from TimeTabler into Options you would expect to see MATS as an imported setted subject, when you go to "Lesson Times -> Core Subjects - setted". You should then be able to click on "Assign students to sets" and say which students are in which set.
However, MATS isn't there ... and the reason is that you already have a subject called MATS in your list of Options subjects. Therefore, lessons imported from TimeTabler for subject MATS are counted as optional subjects, not as core setted subjects. That is why MATS does not appear at "Lesson Times -> Core Subjects - setted".
So, as it is an optional subject, you need to go to "Lesson Times -> Lesson times and teachers", choose a Block that contains MATHS (eg: Block D) and add the lesson times and teachers from there.
Alternatively, if you want the import from TimeTabler to automatically assign the lesson times and teachers from its timetable, then you need to use the same Block labels in TimeTabler as you have in Options . So, in the example of MATS, it is in Blocks D & E in Options, so in TimeTabler it should also be in Blocks with a label of D or E. Options will then be able to automatically match the correct MATS lessons in TimeTabler to the correct MATS groups in Options.
One way to think of it is that when Options imports the lessons from TimeTabler , it puts each subject in one of 3 categories:
-- 1) an optional subject - in which case, it tries to match on the Block label used in TimeTabler and Options (A, B, etc)
-- 2) a core setted subject (non-optional subjects that are setted)
-- 3) a core class-taught subject (non-optional subjects that are not setted).
These can all be viewed at "Lesson Times -> Lesson times and teachers" ...or at "Lesson Times -> Core Subjects - setted" ...or at "Lesson Times -> Core Subjects - Class-taught".
One other thought ... this feature of importing the timetable from TimeTabler into Options to print student timetables is only typically used by the very few schools who are without their own MIS / Admin System ... because if you have an MIS / Admin System, it is quicker in the long-run to export from TimeTabler directly to your MIS, and then assign students in your MIS.
Possible Problem #2:
Q2. I am trying to export data from TimeTabler into Options.
Is there some documentation on the file structure of TT-OPT.csv so that I can figure out exactly what Options requires when setting up the teachers and times automatically?
The problem is that our TimeTabler and our Options have different structures eg. 8 periods in TimeTabler and 11 in Options (even though in reality we have the same periods); even the subject codes are a little different. If I knew the data structure that Options was expecting maybe I could "hack" the TT-OPT file to achieve my aim.
A2. I have to say that it's not an easy thing to edit (it's not intended to be edited).
But here's an outline of the CSV file structure:
A line like this in the file:
1,2,1,C,5AB,1,E.Smith,Maths, ,U12,1,5, ,Mathematics,11
...means that:
- on day 1 of the cycle
- in period 2 of the day
- a lesson of length 1 period (a single)
- is taught to a 'C'lass (rather than a Special 'L'ocation)
- the class is 5AB
- if you numbered all the periods in the whole cycle as 0,1,2,3,etc ... then this would be period 1
- teacher E.Smith
- Subject Maths
- Set " " (none)
- in room U12
- teacher was number 1 in the team
- class is in year 5 (or L if a Special Location)
- with no Block Label (" ")
- Subject full name is Mathematics
- the teacher is in faculty 11 (this one is not really important).
By the TimeTabler Team