Manual - Chapter 3

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STAGE 1:             

CREATE NEW TIMETABLE
SET THE GENERAL TIMETABLE STRUCTURE
ADDING LECTURE ROOMS

STAGE 2:             

CONSTRUCT TREE STRUCTURE
ADDING COURSE
GENERATING TIMETABLE

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There are 7 steps of creating timetable, which are divided into 3 stages:
Stage 1:

Step 1: Create new timetable.

Step 2: Set the general timetable structure.

Step 3: Adding lecture rooms

Stage 2:

Step 4: Creating folder

Step 5: Adding course

Step 6: Generating timetable: Auto-Generate or Manual Process

Stage 3:

Step 7: Setting Constraint (Chapter 4)

Stage 1

Step 1: Create new timetable

1. Click File and select New timetable. Alternatively, you can just click . Blank timetable is shown below. The timetable consists of 3 components, which are Timetable, Data and Reports.

Figure 3.1

Step 2: Set the general timetable structure.

1. Click Data tab -> General. The General Dialog is shown below.

Figure 3.2

2. In the Time Slot box, set the Start Time and End Time.

3. Set the Duration Per Slot.

4. Then set the Interval Between Slots if there is a gap between slot. If not, just leave it blank.

Figure 3.3

5. In the Day to Include box, checked Fix Day and select the day to be included into the timetable.

Figure 3.4

Tips: You can use Custom Date to set the timetable for examination. It allows you to select Start Date and End Date of the examination.

7.In the Break box, add the break time (if required). Select the day that have the break time in Apply To. Enter the Break Description. Click Add. Figure 3.5 shows the Lunch Break is applied to all days from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

Figure 3.5

Tips: The break time slot will be not appeared in the Timetable tab. You can add as many as break you want for any time slot that you do want it to be shown in the Timetable tab. However, the break time will only appeared in the output (excel).

8. Remember: Click

Step 3: Adding lecture rooms

Figure3.6

Figure 3.7

2.To add rooms into timetable, click on

3. Select the room and clickAdd (or press Enter).

Figure 3.8

4. Repeat number 3 to add another room. Once you have done, clickClose. Figure 3.9 show the rooms have been added into the Lecture Rooms.

Figure 3.9

5. Again, click .Figure 3.10 show the blank timetable with the rooms on the left and time on the top. Number 0 - 23 indicates the timeslot. After we generated timetable with subject, the subject will be slot into any one of the timeslot.

Figure 3.10

Tips:
If you have not added the room, your timetable will not have any slot because a timetable is an aggregation of Timeslot, Days and Rooms.

Stage 2:

Step 4: Construct the tree structure (by grouping system)

Group in Timetabler Plus uses "parent" and "child" terminology. A group is a "parent" of another group ("child") if it is one step higher in the hierarchy and closer to the root group. Child will inherit the character of its parent.

Before you add the course, you have to add Group so that easy for you to manage all the courses. By adding the Group, we can set the specific constraint for each group. We will learn more about the constraint on Chapter 4.

Sample 2: Constructing Parent and Child folder (Group) for a college.

1. Information Technology

• Bachelor (3 years program: 2 semester in a year)
• Diploma (2 years program: 2 semester in a year)

2. Business

• Bachelor (3 years program: 2 semester in a year)
• Diploma (2 years program: 2 semester in a year)

In the Data tab, click on Set Constraints.

Figure 3.11

To add the group, click . Start creating the group from the top level. Example as shown in Figure 3.12, the top level is the program name, Information Technology, follow by Bachelor and Diploma under that group. Add another program parallel with the 1st group.

Figure 3.12

Under Bachelor of Information Technology, add new group as Year 1. After Year 1, add Sem 1 group. Then follow by the group of course code. Figure 3.13 show how the groups were arranged.

Figure 3.13

Step 5: Adding courses

1. From previous step (Refer to figure 3.13), highlight group 21634P and click on the icon. Course management dialog shall appear as figure below. Select the course from Course List.

Figure 3.14

Tips: To make locating a course or a lecturer easier, you can use the find function. Just type in any text into the search text box and click Find. The search is not case sensitive and it will locate any portion of text that is similar to the search text.
Tips: Remember that you must give a different name for each section of a course. If the section is already added, you will be given a warning.

2. Change the Section Name to an identifiable name. It could be the name of student batch. Example BIT1, for Semester 1 student from Bachelor of Information Technology.

3. Then change the Class Size, select the suitable Room Type and change the Class Duration if required.

4. Select the Lecturer that teaches the course.

5. Click Add (or press Enter). Figure 3.15 show the selected courses have been added.

Figure 3.15

6. Continue to add all the courses that are required in the timetable. Once you have done, click Close.

Step 6: Generating timetable: Auto-Generate or Manual Process
To auto-generate:

1. Click . Figure 3.16 shown the courses are slotted into the timeslot.

Figure 3.16

2. To save the timetable you have created, click  icon. Save the file as Timetable1. The file will be saved into Root folder. You will learn how to save the file in another location in Chapter 4.

Tips: We will learn how to set the constraints in Chapter 4.

To process timetable manually:

1. You can add the course into the time slot manually instead of make it auto-generated. To add manually, right-click on any time slot.

Figure 3.17

2. Select Add Course. Then Add Course to Slot will appear. Select the course from Unassign Course(s)and move it into Assign to this Slot by clicking . Then click Add.

Figure 3.18

3. Figure 3.19 and Figure 3.20 show the course has been added into slot number 2.

Figure 3.19 and 3.20

4. To remove the course from the slot, right-click the course and select Remove Course.

Figure 3.21

5. Figure 3.21 show the course has been removed from the timeslot

Figure 3.22

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