Date presets allow you to configure re-usable periods of time that can be shared and used across views.

For example, if you consistently need to look at the next three weeks across multiple views, you can create a date preset for the next three weeks and re-use that date preset across all views.

Individuals can choose their order for the re-usable date presets and whether they want to make them more or less accessible.

Date presets can be available to use for a user in three different ways: via the action menu (Change Preset), across the top of the scheduler via Tabs, and via the context menu (right-click on the mouse in the scheduling area).

Configure date presets

The default date presets are based on the most popular presets from most installs that have been used in SaaS systems over the past year.

Upgrading from earlier versions of Graphical Scheduler : If you are upgrading from earlier versions of Graphical Scheduler then in addition to the default date presets date presets will also automatically be created based on the date configurations that you had configured in your views.

Configure available date presets by completing the following:

1. Navigate to the Graphical Scheduler Setup page in Business Central.
2. Select Actions / Date Preset Configuration.
3. Modify the fields as needed:
   • Default Display Order: Influences the default display as it will occur for users. Each user can have their own preferred order of date presets.
   • Code: the short code used for presets.
   • Name: The name of your preset and how it is shown in the tabs and the context menu.
   • Default Shortcut Visibility: The default visibility copied to your “My Date Presets.”
     • Tabs and Context Menu: Makes the preset available on the Tabs area above the scheduler and the context menu (right click in the scheduling area).
     • Tabs only: Makes the preset available only on the Tabs area above the scheduler.
     • Context Menu: Makes the preset available only on the context menu (right click in the scheduling area).
     • Do not show: Makes the preset only accessible via the Change Preset action and does not show in the tab or context menu (right click in the scheduling area).
   • Default Availability: Affects the default availability of the preset.
   • Date Mode:
     • Relative
       • “Start Date Formula” and “End Date Formula” are used; the formulas calculate relative to the current date.
       • Date formulas are standard Business Central format (find more information on the DateFormula data type page).
       • Relative date formulas are used when you want rolling time frames based on when you are looking at the scheduler (e.g., if you are planning and looking at the next month, or next 3 weeks, use a relative date pattern).
     • Specific
       • “Specific Starting DateTime” and “Specific Ending DateTime” are used.
       • Useful for planning around specific interesting periods of time such as plant shutdowns, significant marketing events, or planning around typical holidays. Also useful when doing demonstrations or training when there is preconfigured data that exists within a specific time frame.
   • Start Date Formula:
     • Used when “Date Mode” is set to “Relative”.
     • Affects the starting date shown when calculated from the current date.
     • A standard Business Central date formula that calculates a starting (see the DateFormula data type page).
     • Acceptable time units are as follow: D, WD, W, M, Q, Y. Examples of valid formulas:
       • -1D = today minus 1 day
       • -3D = today minus 3 days
       • 1D = today plus 1 day
       • -1W = today minus 1 week
   • End Date Formula:
     • Only used when “Date Mode” is set to “Relative”.
     • Similar to “Start Date Formula” except this formula affects the ending date.
   • Time Scale:
     • The time scale is the default preferred time scale to show when using the preset.
     • Built-in automatic changes occur when zooming in/out of the dates to a more effective time scale for the supplied date range:
       • Month and Year: This is a timeline/Gantt style of scale. The top scale will show years. The detailed scale will show months.
       • Week and Month: This is a timeline/Gantt style of scale. The top scale will show months. The detailed scale will show groups of weeks.
       • Day and Week: This is a timeline/Gantt style of scale. The top scale will show grouping of weeks. The detailed scale will show days.
       • Hour and Day: This is a timeline/Gantt style of scale. The top scale will show grouping of days. The detailed scale will show hours.  Working hours can be configured on this scale.
       • 15 Minute and Hour: This is a timeline/Gantt style of scale. The top scale will show grouping of hours. The detailed scale will show 15 minutes. Working hours can be configured on this scale.
       • Calendar Day: This is an agenda/outlook style of view that shows a single day at a time.
       • Calendar Week: This is an agenda/outlook style of view that shows a single week at a time.
       • Calendar Month: This is an agenda/outlook style of view that shows a single month at a time.
   • Example Start and Example End:
     • Information-only fields that automatically adjust when the date formulas or specific times are adjusted.
     • Help give an idea of what the scheduler dates would be when calculated from the current date.

Access date presets

Complete the following to access the date presets.

1. Navigate to Graphical Scheduler in Business Central.
2. Select Change Preset (My Date Presets page opens).
3. Select a date preset and select OK (Graphical Scheduler switches to the selected preset).

The My Date Presets page displays a curated list of all the available date presets configured in the system.
If you have not manually configured any date presets, your date presets are configured based on the “Default Availability” setting configured on the main date presets screen.

You can have your display order and visibility setting in your “My Date Presets’ that differ from all of the available date presets in the system.