Understanding Schedule Modes

Every schedule in AccuArk's slideshow system uses one of six modes that determine when the schedule is active. This article explains each mode and how the system evaluates whether a schedule should be playing at any given moment.

Always

The Always mode is the simplest: the schedule is active at all times as long as it is enabled. There are no date, time, or day restrictions.

Use Always for:

• Default playlists that should play whenever no other schedule takes priority.
• Brand-consistent content that runs around the clock.
• The "fallback" playlist at the lowest priority level.

Date Range

The Date Range mode restricts the schedule to a specific date window. You set a start date, an end date, or both:

• If only a start date is set, the schedule activates from that date onward with no end.
• If only an end date is set, the schedule is active from the beginning until that date.
• If both are set, the schedule is active only between the two dates (inclusive).

Use Date Range for:

• Seasonal promotions (e.g., "Summer Sale" from June 1 to August 31).
• Holiday campaigns with specific start and end dates.
• Temporary content that should automatically stop on a specific date.

Time of Day

The Time of Day mode restricts the schedule to a specific time window each day. You set a start time and an end time.

The system supports overnight time ranges. For example, setting the start time to 22:00 and the end time to 06:00 creates an overnight schedule that is active from 10 PM to 6 AM. The system correctly evaluates this by checking whether the current time is after the start time OR before the end time.

Use Time of Day for:

• Lunch specials playlist (11:00 to 14:00).
• Happy hour content (16:00 to 19:00).
• Overnight ambient displays (22:00 to 06:00).

Day of Week

The Day of Week mode restricts the schedule to specific days. You select one or more days of the week (Sunday through Saturday). The schedule is active on the selected days and inactive on all others.

Days are stored internally as numbers (0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, ..., 6 = Saturday).

Use Day of Week for:

• Weekend-only promotions (Saturday and Sunday).
• Weekday lunch specials (Monday through Friday).
• Specific event days (e.g., "Taco Tuesday" on Tuesdays only).

Combined

The Combined mode lets you set date range, time of day, and day of week restrictions together. All conditions must be true for the schedule to be active:

• The current date must fall within the date range (if set).
• The current time must fall within the time window (if set).
• The current day must be one of the selected days (if set).

If a condition is not configured (e.g., no days selected), that condition is ignored and treated as always true.

Use Combined for:

• A promotion that runs weekdays from 11:00-14:00 during July only.
• A holiday weekend special that runs Saturday and Sunday within a specific date range.
• Any scenario requiring multiple time-based constraints.

One-Time

The One-Time mode runs the schedule starting at a specific date and time. The schedule is active for 24 hours from the specified datetime. After the 24-hour window expires, the schedule is no longer active.

You can enable the Auto-Disable option on One-Time schedules, which automatically disables the schedule after its window passes. This keeps your schedule list clean by deactivating schedules that have completed their one-time run.

Use One-Time for:

• Grand opening events.
• One-day sales.
• Temporary announcements that should run once and stop.

Mode Comparison Table

What to Read Next

• Creating and Editing Schedules for a walkthrough of the Schedule Editor.
• Schedule Priority and Conflict Resolution for understanding how priorities work.