Program timing and reserved duration

Event duration and program duration

Event duration defines the reserved interval used to check overlapping dates. Program duration is the sum of its item durations. An event may reserve two hours while its program lasts an hour and thirty minutes. These values do not automatically update each other.

The difference is often intentional: the reservation may include setup, a break and closing activities. If the program total exceeds the reservation, adjust the program or extend the event, checking for a conflict with the next date.

Where an item's duration comes from

A song or arrangement may have a source duration. In that case, the program item uses the saved value and manual editing is blocked. If there is no source duration, you can enter a custom item duration. An empty field means no duration has been established, rather than zero seconds.

Enter manual durations as minutes and seconds, for example 03:45. Use them for items whose length you want to estimate in this particular program. If you are correcting an arrangement's standard length, do it in the library and deliberately decide whether to update future events.

Fill in missing durations

1. Open Program and find items without an established duration.
2. Decide whether the missing duration belongs to the source arrangement or only to this event.
3. For an item without a source duration, open editing and enter a duration in minutes:seconds format.
4. Save the change and check the section and overall program totals.
5. Repeat for notes and other items that take time during the event.

Read the totals

A section totals items from its heading to the next heading. The heading itself adds no time. The entire program totals all items with durations, regardless of section structure. Moving an item recalculates totals according to the new order.

If items have no duration, the total is incomplete and the app indicates this. Do not treat the displayed value as the final concert length until you check the missing items. Introductions, transitions and the presenter's texts are particularly easy to overlook.

Check before rehearsal

First fill in planned lengths, then walk through the program with the presenter. A song's duration can depend on its arrangement and number of repeats. Do not replace every value with one rough estimate if the program is intended to guide a real event.

After changing an arrangement, check the source duration and reservation again. If only one item is wrong, correct that specific variant instead of shortening the whole event's description. The intended result is a deliberate time reservation and a program with either clearly marked gaps or a complete total.