Configuring allocation and visibility for items using the Item Builder (Classic Items)

Allocation and visibility settings control how Customers or Staff can book your items and who can see them.

Learn how to configure allocation and visibility settings for your item, including how to associate documents/waivers.

New to the Item Builder? You can read the first article in this series for an introduction to the Item Builder.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

• Inventory > Items > Add New/Edit Item > Attributes
   

What more do I need to use this feature?

• Admin or restricted permissions to View items, products, and assets and Manage items, products, and assets.
   

Which Checkfront version supports this feature - Classic Items, Classic Products, or both?

• Your account must have access to classic items (Inventory > Items), a key feature of our Classic Items version of Checkfront. 

Allocation determines how your item is booked, priced, and scheduled.

• Per Day - by calendar day(s).
• Per Night - by overnight stay(s) or activity(s).
• Per Time - by hourly or interval-based blocks.
• Timeslots - by scheduled sessions.
   

Learn more This feature overrides the system's default Configuration (Manage > Setup > Configuration > Allocation). Learn more here: Setting up your account configuration Also, are you searching for how to configure visibility for Products instead? Learn more here: Determining how your product is booked

Used for both single-instance bookings (a one-day sightseeing tour) and multiple, full-day bookings (such as a multi-day kayak adventure).

Per day example For example, a per day booking from Aug 1 to Aug 3, where the booking ends on Aug 3.

Fixed Length (days)

This setting forces the Item end date/time to a fixed length represented in days.

Leave this field blank to allow the Customer to choose their beginning and end date.

Set the value to 1 to hide the end date/time option.

Operators most commonly use this setting for accommodations. It enables you to charge a per-night rate. This option differs slightly from the day rate in that the checkout date would be the day after the last booking date.

Per night example For example, with a per night booking from Aug 1 - Aug 3, the checkout date would be Aug 4. This setup does not reduce your available Aug 4 inventory.

Fixed Length (nights)

This setting forces the item's end date/time to a fixed length. In this case, the value represents the number of nights.

Leave this field blank to allow the Customer to choose their beginning and end date.

Set the value to 1 to hide the end date/time option.

This setting determines the length of your bookings, measured by the amount of time allocated. By default, this is per hour, but you also have the option to offer bookings 10 mins, 15 mins, 20 mins, or 30 mins in length.

Time allocation example Examples range from a 20-minute fitness consult to a 2-hour kayak rental.

When you choose this option, a table of standard time units displays. You can select from this table and refine the Allocation value using the following settings.

Fixed Start Time

This setting allows you to fix a specific start time for your booking. 

Fixed start time example For example, if you offer a tour starting at 8:00 AM, you would enter that time in the Fixed Start Time box.

Default Length (interval, e.g., hours)

This setting allows you to suggest a booking length while allowing your Customer to adjust their end time.

If the particular amount of time you are looking for is not specified, you can then specify multiples of this time within the Default Length setting.

Default length example For example, to configure a booking length of 50 minutes, choose a default length of 5. That's 10 minutes multiplied by 5 to equal 50 minutes. When booking, the Customer sees a default booking length of 50 minutes. However, they can adjust this if they wish, up or down, in multiples of 10 minutes.

Fixed Length (interval, e.g., hours)

This setting forces the item's end date/time to a fixed length. In this case, the value represents intervals of time.

You can leave this field blank to allow your Customer to choose their beginning and end date/time.

Set the value to 1 to hide the end date/time option.

Fixed length example For example, if you wish to limit a booking to 50 minutes, put a 5 in the Fixed Length box. This setting removes the end time from the booking process, so the Customer cannot alter it. They can only select a start time.

Timeslots are an option if you offer scheduled products, tours, or appointments.

You can start building your timeslots using the following settings.

Features		Description
Start Time		Use this setting to specify the start time of the timeslot, for example, 9:00 AM.
End Time		Use this setting to specify the end time of the timeslot, for example, 10:00 AM.
Days of Week		This setting allows you to specify the days of the week on which the offering is available (checked) or unavailable (not checked).
Add a Timeslot		Once you specify the start time, end time, and days of the week, click Add a Timeslot to create the matching timeslot on your Customer Booking Page, e.g., 0:900 AM - 10:00 AM. Click the Add a Timeslot button again to add another timeslot with the same timeslot settings and in sequence, for example, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Repeat this process for every timeslot needed.
Remove		Click this icon to remove the timeslot.

Removing timeslots You can add and remove timeslots as needed, but ideally, you should do this before you have accepted bookings.  Booking Invoices retain their original timeslot values as a snapshot of what the Customer booked, unless you edit the Booking Invoice itself. If you remove a timeslot, you can still report on previously associated bookings, but the timeslot is no longer visible or accessible in the Inventory Calendar. Please reach out to Technical Support with your intentions before doing so mid-season to get some advice and avoid issues.

Gaps between timeslots The Maintenance Time setting (Attributes > Additional Options) does not apply to timeslots. Instead, you can leave a time gap between timeslots for turnaround or maintenance time. Use the Add a Timeslot button to add all the timeslots you need, including those that cover the gaps between bookings, and then remove every other timeslot on the list. This solution creates breaks between your timeslots, such as tours going out at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM.

Overlapping times If timeslots overlap, they share the item's quantity among those times and are not independent.

Timeslot Settings enable you to customize how the timeslots appear to your Customers within the Customer Booking Page. You can open the Timeslot Settings section to access these additional settings.

Features
Booking Display		Choose whether booking options should display as buttons or dropdown menus. Check out the timeslot settings preview to help you decide which is best for your needs.
Show End Times		Show (or hide) end times by adjusting the slider button to ON or OFF. Check out the timeslot settings preview to see how this setting controls the booking option display.
Show Unavailable Slots		Show (or hide) unavailable slots by adjusting the slider button to ON or OFF. Unavailable timeslots display in grey with strikethrough text.
Timeslot Settings Preview		Preview how your timeslots would display on your Customer Booking Page as you test timeslot settings.

Not every item should be visible to everyone. You can choose whether an item is visible to:

• Everyone - visible to both Staff and Customers.
• Staff Only - only visible and bookable internally.
• In Packages Only - only visible when part of a package.

These options allow you to test items, run internal options, or offer exclusive experiences through packages.

If your plan includes waivers and documents, you can attach them directly to items. This feature is useful for tours, rentals, or anything requiring signed agreements.

Click the +Add Document button to associate an existing Document/Waiver Template with your item. 

Clicking the +Add Document button opens the Add Document/Waiver modal. From there, you can choose which template to add, the due date for the document/waiver, and any reminder schedule to apply. 

Learn more For a detailed look at configuring Waivers & Documents, check out the following article: Introduction to waivers & documents

Setting up account configurations This setting overrides the system default Configuration (Manage > Setup > Configuration > Allocation). Learn more here: Setting up your account configuration

Deleting waivers from items Clicking the delete button does not remove the document/waiver entirely; it only removes the association between it and the item. Retain the links to the document/waiver on any existing booking invoices and ensure that the information provided is intact and accessible. The document/waiver is not attached to any further item bookings.

Waivers with products Are you searching for how to configure waivers for Products instead? Learn more here: Activating waivers and documents for your product

Next Steps

Once you’ve configured allocation and visibility, you can proceed to the next stage of this series and its corresponding article.

< Configuring inventory and parameters for items    |    Configuring additional options for items >