Blackouts
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ServeThe Blackouts page lets volunteers and team leaders manage unavailability periods. When a volunteer is on vacation, has a family commitment, or is otherwise unavailable, a blackout period prevents them from being scheduled and warns schedulers if there are conflicts with existing assignments. The page also supports “Available” and “Preferred” entries for volunteers who want to proactively indicate their best dates.
Getting Here
Navigation: Serve → Blackouts
Overview
The page is divided into two sections: a form at the top for creating new entries, and a list below showing all existing blackout/availability periods. The list separates upcoming entries from past entries (with a toggle to show or hide past items). Each entry can be edited inline or deleted.
Fields & Controls
Create New Entry
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Type* | Segmented control | Choose the type of entry: Unavailable (blackout, red), Available (green), or Preferred (purple). Default is Unavailable. |
| Start Date* | Date picker | The first date of the period. |
| End Date* | Date picker | The last date of the period. Must be on or after the start date. |
| Reason | Text input | Optional reason for the entry (e.g., "Family vacation", "Conference", "Available all month"). |
Entry List
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Type Filter | Chip bar | Filter by entry type: All, Unavailable, Available, or Preferred. |
| Show Past | Toggle | When enabled, shows past blackout entries below the upcoming ones. |
| Type Icon | Badge | Visual indicator: red circle-slash for Unavailable, green check for Available, purple star for Preferred. |
| Date Range | Display | Start and end dates formatted as "Mon DD, YYYY". |
| Reason | Display | The reason text (if provided). |
| Created | Date | When the entry was created. |
Actions
Add a Blackout Period
- Select the entry type (Unavailable, Available, or Preferred)
- Set the start date and end date
- Optionally enter a reason
- Click Add
- If the blackout conflicts with existing assigned service slots, a warning toast appears showing the number of conflicting services
Edit a Blackout
- Click the Edit button on an existing entry
- The row becomes editable with date inputs and a reason field
- Modify the dates or reason
- Click Save to persist the changes
Delete a Blackout
- Click the Remove button on the entry
- Confirm the removal in the dialog
- The entry is permanently deleted