Start a new Timetable, while keeping the old one:
Q. I have been tasked to setup a New timetable, with entirely new lengths of day/ periods etc.
I'm not sure of the best way to create a new timetable from scratch, whilst ensuring that data from our current year is not lost and easily accessible.
A. There are several ways that you can keep previous years' timetables, whilst starting a new one for this year. Here is what we would recommend:
1 Start by taking a Backup (click 'Backup' on the opening screen).
- a) This lets you take a copy of all your current TimeTabler data, and store it in a single file (called "TT4Data.Bak") which you should then keep safe on a USB memory stick or on another PC, etc.
- b) Also make a Backup in your Auto-Backup Library.
These Backups mean that whatever changes you make for this year, if you need to go back and look at last year's timetable again, you can (a) Backup this year (to a different USB memory-stick or folder), then (b) Restore last year.
2 Then to investigate other timetable cycles, go to "Basic Data -> School Structure" and change the structure to be the new one. What this means is that when you next create a New schedule, it will take the New structure.
But (importantly) it does not affect any earlier schedules - each schedule remembers its own structure.
[Note: if you have different schedules with different school structures, then whenever you go into the 'School Structure' screen, you are shown the structure of the Current Schedule (last schedule you viewed)].
What you could also do, if you expect to regularly want to look back at last year, is this:
-- You could make a copy of the entire folder where TimeTabler is installed (which is "C:\TT4Win" if you kept the default destination folder when you installed) ... copy it to, say, "C:\TT4Wincopy".
Then add a shortcut on your desktop to "C:\TT4Wincopy\TT4W.exe".
This shortcut then acts as a way of going back to last year's data.
One further thought -- you would not normally want to have a completely "fresh start" this year, because most schools make use of their data from last year, as a starting point for this year (eg: your staff list will be similar to last year, and you could promote last year's Year 10 activities into Year 11, etc).
This is explained clearly in the HelpMovie titled "Tidying-up last year's data, ready for a New Schedule".
However, if for some unusual reason, you really do want a completely "fresh start", you can do this by going to "File -> Blank data". If you do this, please take a few Backups of your existing data first, in case you remember later that you needed something from last year.
Above all -- please take a Backup (or two) now, and store it safely.
Then remember to keep taking Backups regularly as you work on this year's timetable.
That way, whatever happens, you always have the security of knowing you can quickly go back.
By the TimeTabler Team