Setup Guide

Organization setup must be completed by owner/admin before planner access is enabled. Setup scope is profile-specific: University uses Timetable + Programme + Study Plan + Class Types. Scheduling Rules are configured in Planner Settings.

Programme

Programme portfolio, award type, and stream definitions. Cohorts are generated automatically for feasibility checks.

Settings > Setup > Programme

Study Plan

Per-programme study-plan tables (major/stream/elective/common/faculty) for student-feasibility rules.

Settings > Setup > Study Plan

Courses Offered This Year

K-12 setup section. University profile executes course offerings in Planner via Add Classes from Study Plan.

Settings > Setup > Courses Offered This Year

Curriculum Tags & Rules

K-12-oriented section. University profile uses Programme + Study Plan instead of a separate curriculum step.

Settings > Setup > Curriculum Tags & Rules

Class Types & Teaching Ownership

Class type setup, room requirement, and who actually teaches each class type.

Settings > Setup > Class Types & Teaching Ownership

Timetable Model

Terms available, slots, gaps, day range, operating hours, and breaks.

Settings > Setup > Timetable Model

Scheduling Rules

Hard constraints, room-share labels, behavior rules, and soft-constraint templates. Managed in Planner Settings.

Planner > Settings > Scheduling Rules

Warning Rules

Warning thresholds for risk visibility (University profile manages these in Planner Settings).

Settings > Setup > Warning Rules

Import/Export Defaults

Validation rules and export defaults (University export defaults are configured in Planner Settings).

Settings > Setup > Import/Export Defaults

Inline UI Preview by Setup Subtab

Each card below shows a quick mock of what users fill in the real setup form.

Programme

Programme NameBSc Computer Science

Award TypeUndergraduate

Cohort GenerationAutomatic from programme + year

Used mostly by university departments to define programme tracks. Student cohorts are generated automatically.

Study Plan

Programme TableBSc Computer Science

Major Core RowCSCI1000, Intro to Computing, Year 1, Fall

University Common CoreInherit global template + local edits

Each programme has subsection tables (major/stream/elective/common/faculty) for feasibility modeling.

Courses Offered This Year

Subject InputManual or HK/SG/US/UK template

Course CodeCSCI1000

Offering TypeDepartment-offered

Courses offered setup subtab screenshot.

Defines planning scope for the academic year, including service teaching and external dependencies.

Curriculum Tags & Rules

Curriculum GroupUniversity Common Core

Course AttributeMajor + Core

Code RuleLetters(4) + Numbers(4)

Curriculum tags and rules setup subtab screenshot.

System generates regex and internal identifiers automatically from form rows.

Class Types & Teaching Ownership

Type CodeLEC

Type NameLecture

Taught ByInstructor of record

Supports collision handling where some class types are taught by assistants or staff pools.

Timetable Model

Terms AvailableFall Semester, Spring Semester

Slot Model45 min + 15 min gap

Break BlockLunch 12:30-13:30

Timetable model setup subtab screenshot.

Drives the generated scheduling grid and blocked non-teaching windows.

Warning Rules

Warning TypeLarge free-period gap

SeverityWarning

Threshold3

Warnings highlight risk patterns but do not block scheduling or import by default. University teams manage these in Planner Settings.

Import/Export Defaults

Validation ModeUse my setup rules

Default LayoutA3 two columns per day

Custom FilenameEnabled

Import export defaults setup subtab screenshot.

Sets default behavior while still allowing per-export overrides where enabled. University export defaults are managed in Planner Settings.

Quick vs Advanced Mode + Example Merge

Setup now supports progressive disclosure. Start in Quick mode for unlock-required fields, then switch to Advanced mode for full policy controls.

Control	Default	How It Works
Setup Mode	Quick	Shows only unlock-required fields by profile. Switch to Advanced anytime without losing unsaved edits.
Preset Region	Hong Kong	Quick defaults are region-aware (HK/SG/US/UK) and profile-aware (K-12/University).
Apply Quick Defaults	Available in Setup toolbar	Prefills required sections using starter values. You can edit everything later.
Load Example Mode	Keep Existing Rows	Choose per section: keep current rows and append example rows, or fully replace the section.

In-Place Helper Chips

Every major setup section includes helper chips for acceptable values, sample row, and common mistakes. Click Sample row to insert a starter row directly in-place.

Setup Completion Does Not Lock Your Configuration

Completing setup only unlocks planner access. You can still edit any setup section later in Settings > Setup without recreating the organization.

How to Fill Setup (No JSON Required)

The setup UI is form-driven. You only use tables, checkboxes, and dropdowns. The system stores settings.setup.setupDraft and generates technical values like regex for you.

Owner/admin can edit setup. Members can view setup read-only.
You can save draft at any time and continue later.
For Room Exceptions, enter only the Room Share label. Internal keys are auto-generated by the system.
Setup completion is reversible from a configuration perspective. Defaults can be updated at any time.

Field Mapping: Programme, Study Plan, and Course Offerings

Form Section	Input Type	Example Values	Notes
Programmes: Name, Award Type, Study Mode, Duration	Table rows + dropdowns	BSc Computer Science, Undergraduate, Full-time, 4	Defines the programme portfolio planned by this department/faculty.
Cohort Generation	Automatic (no manual input)	BSc CS - Year 1; BSc CS - Year 1 - AI	Cohorts are generated from programme duration + stream names.
Study Plan (per programme tables)	Subsection tables + dropdowns + multiselect	Major Core: CSCI1000, Intro to Computing, Year 1, Fall	Used to validate whether students can follow recommended programme paths.
K-12 Subject Template Mode	Radio + dropdown + table checkboxes	Choose HK/SG/US/UK pack, select subjects, click Add Selected Subjects	Template selection speeds up K-12 input. Selected subjects must be added to course rows before save.
Courses Offered This Year	Table rows + dropdowns + checkbox	CSCI1000, dept-offered, taught by department staff	K-12 setup section. University uses Planner Add Classes from Study Plan.
University Planner Flow: Add Classes from Study Plan	Prefilled planner table + row controls	Remove non-offered rows, set openings/class type/duration/taught-by/teacher	University course offering execution is performed in Planner, not setup.

Field Mapping: Curriculum Tags & Rules (K-12)

This section is primarily for K-12. University profile does not require this setup step.

Curriculum Groups

Create high-level requirement buckets for your curriculum.

Form Field	Example	Notes
Group Name	University Common Core	Users type readable names only.

Course Attributes

Define attributes under each group for planner tags and validation.

Form Field	Example	Notes
Group	Major	Select one existing curriculum group.
Attribute Name	Required	User-facing tag label shown in planner.

Course Code Format

Define code rules with dropdowns and numeric lengths. No manual regex required.

Rule Inputs	Example	Notes
Character Set	English letters	Choose letters, numbers, or alphanumeric.
Letter Case	Uppercase	Disabled automatically for numbers-only rules.
Length Rule + Values	Exactly 4	Supports exact, min, max, and range.
Generated Regex (preview)	^[A-Z]{4}\d{4}$	Generated automatically from rules.

Course Relations

Optional: define relation names only if your institution uses linked-course logic.

Form Field	Example	Notes
Relation Name	Engineering stream pair	User-facing relation label.
Notes	Used by honours stream only	Optional context for admin users.

If your institution does not use linked-course logic, leave this section empty.

Field Mapping: Class Types + Timetable

Form Section	Input Type	Example Values	Notes
Class Types: Type Code, Name, Requires Room, Taught By	Table rows + checkboxes	LEC, Lecture, true, Instructor of record	Teaching ownership supports accurate teacher-resource conflict logic.
Terms Available	Table rows	Fall Semester, Spring Semester	Each term is a separate timetable set.
Timeslot Length / Gap / Start / End	Number + time fields	45 min, 15 min, 08:30 to 18:15	Slot model controls grid generation and validation (24-hour HH:mm).
Teaching Days	Checkbox list	Monday to Friday	Select only active teaching days.
Break / Lunch Blocks: Name, Start, End	Table rows	Lunch, 12:30, 13:30	Supports K-12 recess/lunch and institution-specific breaks.

Field Mapping: Scheduling Rules and Planner Settings

Scheduling rules are configured in Planner Settings. Solver Rules controls hard constraints, room-share labels, and behaviors; Soft Constraints controls template-based preferences.

Form Section	Input Type	Example Values	Notes
Hard Constraints (Planner Settings)	Checkboxes	No room collision, No teaching resource collision	Hard constraints cannot be violated.
Room Exceptions: Room Share Label	Text input (system key auto-generated)	Cross-listed lecture (used in Room Share dropdown)	Use only for true shared events (combined/cross-listed sessions). Users never type system keys.
Scheduling Behaviors: Rule, Class Type/Taught By/Cohort, Penalty	Dropdown + number	Allow overlap for TUT taught by Teaching Assistant, penalty 1	Behavior rules guide optimization and policy handling.
Soft Constraints (Planner Settings)	Template dropdown + typed parameters + weight	Level-1000 -> Morning (medium)	Template-based preferences used by the solver.
Teacher-specific Soft Constraints (Planner Settings only)	Template dropdown + teacher selector + typed parameters + weight	Teacher A prefers morning classes (medium)	Not available in setup. Enabled in Planner Settings after teacher resources are configured.
Warning Rules (Planner Settings, Recommended)	Dropdown + optional number	Large free-period gap, warning, threshold 3	Warnings flag risk but do not block generation. University manages this in Planner Settings.
Import Validation Mode	System schema + setup-aware validation	Organization configured validation	Import payload format stays fixed while validation follows institution configuration.
Export Layout Defaults (Planner Settings, University)	Dropdowns + checkbox	Single page, vertical, A3, 2 columns/day	University export defaults live in Planner Settings and remain editable after setup.

Concrete Starter Example (Editable Later)

Use this as a first-pass setup for one department academic-year run. After initial setup, values can still be refined.

Setup Section	Starter Example	Why It Helps
Programme	BSc CS (UG), MSc CS (PGT), Year 1 to Year 4 progression	Defines who needs which courses and in which stage.
Study Plan	BSc CS table with Major Core + University Common Core rows for Year 1 Fall	Enables student-feasibility checks using programme-specific paths.
Courses Offered This Year	Department-offered + service-teaching + external dependency rows	Covers full planning scope for one academic year.
Class Types & Ownership	LEC (Instructor), TUT (TA), LAB (Staff pool)	Supports realistic teacher-resource conflict handling.
Timetable Model	Fall/Spring, 45-minute slots, Monday-Friday, lunch block 12:30-13:30	Generates usable scheduling grid and blocked windows.
Scheduling Rules (Planner Settings)	No room collision, no teaching-resource collision, Level-1000 morning preference	Balances hard constraints and soft-template scoring behavior.
Planner Settings (Warnings + Export Defaults)	Warning rules recommended, export layout default (single page, vertical, A3, 2 columns/day)	Keeps setup minimal while allowing iterative policy tuning during planning.

Example Starter Presets

Use Load Example inside each setup step for a quick starter, then adjust fields for your institution. Nothing is locked after setup completion.

Need suite-specific details? Visit K-12 Guide or Tertiary Guide.