Export different period numbers to your MIS

Export different period numbers / 'map' periods in your MIS

Sometimes your MIS may expect different period numbers from the ones you have used in TimeTabler.

For example, if Registration or Lunch are a period in your MIS, but not in TimeTabler.   Or if 2 timetables in TimeTabler import into a single timetable in your MIS, etc.

If this happens, then you can export your periods from TimeTabler as different periods to your MIS, as follows:
- at Step 3 of the export, click on "Prepare your Basic Data" then on "Shape" and tick "Use period labels instead".
- then click on the blue (?) next to "Use period labels instead" and it will explain where you need to enter the period numbers, but basically you follow these steps:
    i) quit the export for now, and go to 'Customize -> Day & Period labels'
    ii) choose 'MIS Cycle-format' from the drop-down list at the top of the screen
    iii) make the "days" and "periods" at top-right match those of the schedule you are about to export (eg: "10 days of 5 periods")
    iv) make sure you have the "Period Labels" tab selected
    v) now enter the "period number in your MIS" into the "First Line" of each period.  If this is the first time you have come to this screen, then to get a good start, you may want to first choose "Default labels -> 1,2,3,4,5 through whole cycle".
    vi) ... so for example, if your MIS thinks of "Friday:period 3" as period "78", then click on "Friday:period 3", enter "78" in the "First Line" box and click "Apply".
    vii) continue for all periods, then "Close" and perform your "Export to MIS", this time continuing through all the steps to the end.

Example:
In TimeTabler, you haven't entered break or lunch.  In iSAMS, break is a period after the 2^nd period of the day, and lunch is a period after the 4^th period of the day.  So TimeTabler has 5 periods in the day, and iSAMS has 7 periods in the day.
No problem; just say (in TimeTabler) that the iSAMS periods they will export to, are:

Notes :

Note-1:  You can also enter a number in "Line 2", but "Line 1 " is known as the "ordinal period number" and is the important one for most MIS.  It just increments through the cycle in your MIS; 1,2,3 .... 59, 60.
For example, if your MIS has 6 periods a day for a 10-day (fortnightly) timetable (making 60 periods in the cycle, in total) ... then you will need to set your period labels in TimeTabler to each be a number in the range 1 - 60.  [Note: you can omit periods entirely, but don't use the same period number twice].   The export will then map a period that you have labelled "20" in TimeTabler, onto the 20th period of the cycle in your MIS.

Note-2:  This method is often useful if you are using the "Interleave" method to represent a 2-week timetable.

Note-3:  if the periods in your MIS are the same as in TimeTabler then you should not use this method - instead, just leave "Use period labels instead" un-ticked.

Note-4:  for some schools, with differing numbers of periods in the day, the period-numbers may become quite complicated - for eg, here is one from a school with a 29-period week (long Weds and short Friday):
Note that some MIS only require the above "ordinal period numbers", while others may also need the "day period number" on the second row, like this:
And finally, note that some MIS (eg: iSAMS/Ed:gen) import lessons into 'period numbers', while other MIS (eg; Arbor) import lessons into 'start & end times'.

Any questions; let us know.