--- title: How to Use Roster Patterns description: Roster patterns let you save a repeating schedule and re-apply it to any future period in a single click. Instead of rebuilding the same roster week after week, capture it once and import it whenever you need it. --- [Skip to content](https://help.jointimecloud.com/how-to-use-roster-patterns#main-content) [Contact us](https://help.jointimecloud.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [![Timecloud-Logo-600-2](https://help.jointimecloud.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Timecloud-Logo-600-2.png?width=200&height=40&name=Timecloud-Logo-600-2.png)](https://help.jointimecloud.com/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://help.jointimecloud.com/kb-tickets/new) - [Go to app.jointimecloud.com](https://app.jointimecloud.com/) [Go to app.jointimecloud.com](https://app.jointimecloud.com/) Got questions? Ask away - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Service Portal](https://help.jointimecloud.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Roster](https://help.jointimecloud.com/roster?hsLang=en) # How to Use Roster Patterns ## Roster patterns let you save a repeating schedule and re-apply it to any future period in a single click. Instead of rebuilding the same roster week after week, capture it once and import it whenever you need it. **What Is a Roster Pattern?** A roster pattern is a saved snapshot of a roster period - including shifts, employee assignments, roles, and job items. You define how many days the pattern covers (e.g. 7 for a weekly rotation, 14 for a fortnightly cycle), choose which departments, shifts, and employees it applies to, and Timecloud stores it as a reusable template. --- **Permissions** Access to roster patterns is controlled by the **Manage Roster Templates** permission in **Settings \> Feature Access**. Company Admins always have full access. Sub-admins need each action granted individually:     | Permission | What You Can Do | | --- | --- | | **View** | See the Roster Patterns section on the Shifts page and use **Import Template** from the Autofill menu. | | **Add** | Create new roster patterns from the Shifts page or save a roster as a template via the Autofill menu. | | **Edit** | Modify existing patterns - rename, change base filters, adjust the display start day, and save changes in the template editor. | | **Delete** | Archive and unarchive roster patterns. |       If your company has Feature Access disabled, all admins retain full access by default. --- **Where to Find Roster Patterns** Roster patterns live on the **Shifts** page alongside your shift templates and shift patterns. 1. Click **Shifts** in the left sidebar. 2. Scroll down to the **Roster Patterns** section. 3. Here you can see all your saved patterns, create new ones, and toggle between **Active** and **Archived** patterns. --- **Creating a Roster Pattern** There are three ways to create a roster pattern: ### **Option A - Save from the Roster (Quick)** 1. Open the **Roster** page and build your schedule for the period you want to save. 2. Click the **Autofill** button in the toolbar. 3. Select the **Save Template** tab. 4. Enter a **Pattern Name**. 5. Click **Save Pattern**. 6. Timecloud captures all shifts, assignments, and roles for the current period and saves them as a pattern. ### **Option B - Create from the Shifts Page (From Scratch)** 1. Go to **Shifts** in the left sidebar. 2. In the **Roster Patterns** section, click **New Roster Pattern**. 3. Fill in the pattern details: - **Pattern Name** - give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g. "Week A - Morning Team"). - **Number of Days** - how many days the pattern covers (1 to 365). - **Display start day as** - optionally pick which weekday the pattern starts on (e.g. Monday). If set, the template editor shows day-of-week labels (Mon, Tue, Wed...) instead of generic Day 1, Day 2 labels. Choose **None** to keep the generic labels. - **Base Filters** - choose which **User Groups**, **Shifts**, and **Employees** this pattern applies to. Only data matching these filters will be updated when the pattern is imported. 4. Click **Save** - this opens the roster in **Template Edit Mode**. 5. Build your pattern by adding shifts, assigning employees, and setting roles just like a normal roster. 6. When finished, navigate back to the **Shifts** page. ### **Option C - Upload from CSV** Upload a CSV file to create a roster pattern in bulk. This is ideal when you have a large schedule in a spreadsheet or want to reuse an exported roster. 1. Go to **Shifts** in the left sidebar. 2. In the **Roster Patterns** section, click **Upload Roster Pattern**. 3. Fill in the pattern details: - **Pattern Name** - give it a clear, descriptive name. - **Number of Days** - how many days the pattern covers. - **Base Filters** - choose which **User Groups**, **Shifts**, and **Employees** this pattern applies to (optional). 4. Choose a **Start date** - this is the date the pattern period begins and determines the weekday labels. 5. Click **Download template** to get a pre-filled CSV based on the current roster for the selected period. This gives you the right format with your employees already listed. 6. Open the downloaded CSV, edit the shift assignments, then save it. 7. Click **Choose CSV** and select your edited file. 8. Click **Upload**. 9. If there are any issues, Timecloud shows a list of errors with row numbers and day labels so you can fix them in the file and try again. 10. On success, click **Open pattern** to view it in the template editor or **Done** to return to the Shifts page. --- **CSV File Format** The uploaded CSV follows the Employee Roster export layout. Here is what Timecloud expects: - **Header rows** - a weekday label row, a date row, then a `Name, Department` header row. These are included automatically in the downloaded template. - **Employee rows** - one or more rows per employee. The first row starts with the employee's name and department. Additional rows for the same employee leave the Name and Department columns blank. - **Day columns** - one column per day, starting after the Name and Department columns. The number of day columns must match the **Number of Days** you set. ### **Cell Format** Each cell contains pipe-separated values: `Shift | HH:MM-HH:MM | Role | Job` - **Shift** (required) - the name of a shift template. - **Time override** (optional) - `HH:MM-HH:MM` to use different start and finish times from the shift template defaults. - **Role** (optional) - the name of a company role to assign. - **Job item** (optional) - the name of a job item to assign. Only the shift name is required. Leave a cell empty for days with no assignment. ### **Example**     | Name | Department | Mon | Tue | Wed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jane Smith | Warehouse | Morning | Morning | | | | | | | Afternoon \| Supervisor | | Tom Brown | Office | Afternoon \| 14:00-22:00 | | Morning \| Reception |       **In this example:** - Jane works the Morning shift on Monday and Tuesday, and has a second row for Wednesday with an Afternoon shift and Supervisor role. - Tom works the Afternoon shift on Monday with a custom time override (14:00 to 22:00), and the Morning shift on Wednesday with the Reception role. ### **Good to Know** - The template download excludes leave and blockouts so only shifts appear in the file. - Each employee is matched by name (and department if there are multiple employees with the same name). - Only active employees within the pattern's base filters can be matched. - Shift, role, and job item names must exactly match the names configured in Timecloud. - The file must be a **.csv** file and no larger than **5 MB**. - If any cell cannot be resolved, the entire upload is rejected and nothing is created. Fix the listed errors and upload again. --- **Display Start Day** The **Display start day as** setting controls how day columns appear in the template editor. - **None** (default) - columns are labelled Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc. - **A weekday** (e.g. Monday) - columns are labelled with actual day names (Mon, Tue, Wed...) starting from your chosen day. This is purely visual and does not change the pattern itself. It helps you visualise which days of the week your shifts land on while editing. When you import a pattern that has a display start day set, Timecloud checks whether the target roster period starts on the same weekday. If it does not match, a confirmation dialog appears: *"This roster starts on \[Day\]. This pattern is set to start on \[Day\]. Apply it anyway?"* Click **Apply** to proceed or close the dialog to cancel. When creating a pattern via **CSV upload**, the display start day is set automatically from the start date you choose. --- **Base Filters** Base filters determine which departments, shifts, and employees the pattern includes. When you import a pattern, only the data within these filters gets applied. - **User Groups** - limits the pattern to specific departments. The shift and employee dropdowns automatically narrow to match the selected user groups. - **Shifts** - limits the pattern to specific shift templates. - **Employees** - limits the pattern to specific employees. If no filters are set, the pattern applies to all user groups, shifts, and employees. While editing a pattern in **Template Edit Mode**, the roster grid filter dropdowns are scoped to the base filters you configured. For example, if your pattern only includes the "Warehouse" department, the department filter dropdown in the grid will only show "Warehouse." --- **Editing a Roster Pattern** 1. On the **Shifts** page, find the pattern in the **Roster Patterns** section and click it. 2. The **Edit Roster Pattern** dialog opens, showing: - **Pattern Name** - click the name at the top to rename it. - **Base Period** - the number of days this pattern covers, with an **open icon** to enter Template Edit Mode. - **Display start day as** - change which weekday the pattern starts on. - **Base Filters** - update the User Groups, Shifts, and Employees included in the pattern. 3. Click the **open icon** next to the base period to enter **Template Edit Mode** and adjust shifts and assignments on the grid. 4. Click **Save** to apply your changes. Only fields you changed are saved. --- **Compliance Warnings in the Pattern Editor** If your company has **Roster Compliance Rules** enabled, the pattern editor shows compliance warnings in real time - the same warnings you see on the live roster. - As you add or change shifts in **Template Edit Mode**, Timecloud checks your compliance rules (e.g. minimum rest between shifts, maximum consecutive days, required shift counts) against the pattern. - **Warning icons** appear on employee rows (Employee View) and shift tiles (Shift View) when a rule is broken. - This lets you fix scheduling issues **before** you import the pattern to a live roster period. **Note:** The pattern editor evaluates the base period as a single cycle. Some cross-period rules (e.g. consecutive-days violations that span two imports) are only fully checked on the live roster after the pattern is applied. --- **Unsaved Changes Warning** If you navigate away from the pattern editor while you have unsaved changes, Timecloud shows a confirmation dialog asking whether you want to leave. Click **Leave** to discard changes or close the dialog to stay and continue editing. --- **Importing a Roster Pattern** Once saved, you can apply a pattern to any future roster period: 1. Open the **Roster** page and navigate to the period you want to fill. 2. Click the **Autofill** button in the toolbar. 3. Select the **Import Template** tab. 4. Choose a roster pattern from the dropdown. 5. Optionally expand **Advanced Options** to control how existing shifts are handled: - **Skip published shifts** - keeps already-published shifts untouched. - **Add new employees** - includes recently added employees. - **Reset all** - clears the roster before importing. 6. Click **Build My Roster**. 7. Confirm the action in the dialog that appears. If the pattern has a display start day and it does not match the current roster period, a separate confirmation warns you about the mismatch before applying. Timecloud maps the pattern onto the selected date range, creating shifts and assignments automatically. --- **Archiving and Unarchiving Patterns** - To archive a pattern you no longer need, open it from the **Shifts** page and click **Archive**. - Archived patterns show a read-only summary of their name, base period, display start day, and base filters. - To bring it back, toggle the **Active** switch off to view archived patterns, open the pattern, and click **Unarchive**. --- **Tips** - **Name patterns clearly** - use names like "Week A - Morning Team" or "Fortnightly Rotation" so they are easy to find later. - **Set the display start day** - if your pattern follows a regular weekly cycle, setting the start day makes the template editor much easier to read at a glance. - **Use base filters** - narrow your pattern to specific departments, shifts, or employees so importing only updates the data you intend. - **Start with the template download** - when using CSV upload, always download the template first. It gives you the correct format with your employees pre-filled. - **Check shift names match** - the CSV upload matches shift names exactly as they appear in Timecloud. If a shift is not found, the error message tells you which row and cell to fix. - **One shift per cell** - each cell should contain only one shift. If an employee works two shifts on the same day, put the second shift on a continuation row (leave the Name and Department columns blank). - **Combine with Copy to Next Period** - use roster patterns for your base schedule, then fine-tune with one-off changes each period. - **Check compliance early** - review any warning icons in the pattern editor so you can resolve scheduling issues before they reach the live roster. - If a sub-admin cannot see roster patterns, check that both the **Roster Editor** screen permission and **Manage Roster Templates \> View** are enabled in **Settings \> Feature Access**. - [Account & Security](https://help.jointimecloud.com/account-security?hsLang=en) - [Attendance & Timesheets](https://help.jointimecloud.com/attendance-timesheets?hsLang=en) - [Award Interpretation](https://help.jointimecloud.com/award-interpretation?hsLang=en) - [Biometric Scanners](https://help.jointimecloud.com/biometric-scanners?hsLang=en) - [Employees](https://help.jointimecloud.com/employees?hsLang=en) - [Forms & Checklists](https://help.jointimecloud.com/forms-checklists?hsLang=en) - [Geofencing](https://help.jointimecloud.com/geofencing?hsLang=en) - [Human Resources](https://help.jointimecloud.com/human-resources?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Organisation View](https://help.jointimecloud.com/human-resources?hsLang=en#organisation-view) - [Integrations](https://help.jointimecloud.com/integrations?hsLang=en) - [Job Tracking](https://help.jointimecloud.com/job-tracking?hsLang=en) - [Leave Management](https://help.jointimecloud.com/leave-management?hsLang=en) - [Mobile App](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Kiosk](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#kiosk) - [Mobile App](https://help.jointimecloud.com/mobile-app?hsLang=en#mobile-app) - [Payroll](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Xero](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#xero) - [iPayroll](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#ipayroll) - [MYOB](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#myob) - [Smartly](https://help.jointimecloud.com/payroll?hsLang=en#smartly) - [Reporting](https://help.jointimecloud.com/reporting?hsLang=en) - [Roster](https://help.jointimecloud.com/roster?hsLang=en) - [Settings](https://help.jointimecloud.com/settings?hsLang=en) - [Shifts](https://help.jointimecloud.com/shifts?hsLang=en) - [Time Clock](https://help.jointimecloud.com/time-clock?hsLang=en) - [Dashboard](https://help.jointimecloud.com/dashboard?hsLang=en) Service Desk Copyright © 2025, Timecloud Ltd