How to Use Roster Patterns

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) and Timecloud stores it as a reusable template.

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. Find the Roster Patterns section on the right-hand side.
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 two 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. Enter the Number of Days this pattern covers (e.g. 7, 14, or up to 365).
   
   
4. Click Create — 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.

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 dialogue opens, showing:
   • Pattern Name — rename the pattern here.
   • Base Period — the date range this pattern was originally based on.
   • Base Filters — which departments, shifts, and employees are included.
     
     
3. Click the open icon next to the base period to enter Template Edit Mode and adjust shifts and assignments.
4. Click Save to apply your changes.

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 dialogue that appears.
   
   

Timecloud maps the pattern onto the selected date range, creating shifts and assignments automatically.

Archiving and Restoring Patterns

• To archive a pattern you no longer need, open it from the Shifts page and click Archive.
  
  
• To bring it back, toggle the Active switch off to view archived patterns, open the pattern, and click Restore.
  
  

Tips

• Name patterns clearly — use names like "Week A — Morning Team" or "Fortnightly Rotation" so they are easy to find later.
• Filters matter — the departments, shifts, and employees captured in the pattern determine what gets imported. If your team changes, consider updating or re-saving the pattern.
• Combine with Copy to Next Period — use roster patterns for your base schedule, then fine-tune with one-off changes each period.