Welcome to Roster Calendars 🗓️

This site is used to host calendar ( .ics ) files that have been automatically generated from the Roster Data that is used to produce the links.

Navigate to the relevant file (see below) and download the correct .ics file for you. You should then be able to import it into whatever calendar software you use.

ℹ️ If you’re given the option it is recommended to create a new calendar for the import rather than importing it into an existing calendar in case you want to delete / replace the entries. These calendar files can easily contain hundreds of events (one for each day of the link period), you wouldn’t want to have to delete them one-by-one, it is much easier to trash the whole calendar and start fresh when the link period changes or you need to.

🚨 If you browse the site from an iPhone / iPad then your device will add the events to the default calendar on your device and you won’t be given the option to create a new calendar. If you are able to … use a computer to download the file instead!

What do I do? 🙃

• Navigate to the FILES

  ⚠️ You will need a username and password to access the files
  Get these from the driver who created this tool

• Find the file you want to import (double check it’s the correct file for you)

  You should be choose the file for the line you started on when this link period started
  🛟 You most likely want the first file with your name in it (has Link Roster in the file name)

• Click on it to download
  • Depending on your device you may need to open it to import the contents into your calendar app / software

There’s more information below about what the files contain and how to find the right file for you. If you have any questions / suggestions / feedback please speak to the driver who created this tool.

What’s in each file? 🔍

The calendar file contains one event for each day.

• If it’s a Rest Day then it will be an all day event
• If it’s a booked turn / spare turn / route refresh it will have the start and end times for that job
• There is a description or note field for each entry which includes;
  • The length of the shift
  • The current line no in the link (useful if you want to double check against a hard copy of the link)
  • A warning if this is a projected shift beyond the end of the period

    See the description in Navigating the Files section below for more information about projected shifts

• The address for staff parking at MAN is included so if your device supports it then you can get updates about likely traffic on the way to work

🌈 Each file has a randomly generated colour associated with it this can be customised on your device after / during importing the calendar.

💾 .ics files are plain text files. You can open the downloaded file with a text editor if you’re curious about what’s inside.

Navigating the Files 📂

You will find all the files separated into directories;

• The top level is the From - To Dates for that period (written as year, month, day so they stay in order). The latest dates should always be at the bottom of the list.

  📂 YYYY-MM-DD_to_YYYY-MM-DD
  e.g. 2024-09-08_to_2024-10-20 (8th September 2024 through to 20th October 2024)

• The next level is the link name or grouping

  e.g. 📂 Link 1

• Inside each link folder there will be files for ALL the drivers in that link
  (They will be grouped into blocks of 3 files per driver) …

  • The file names all contain the link name , starting line number and driver name (if it was available) e.g.

    📄 Link 1 _ line 03 _ D River _ Link Roster -> Jun-01_2024

    • The start of each file (link / line / driver) is the same
    • The second last bit tells you what is in that file (see below)
    • The end of the file tells you what date the file goes to

    🛟 So in this example the file contains just the booked shifts for this period for the driver (D River) who started on line 3 in the link.

  1. File ONE = Link Roster in the file name

  ✅ If you’re not sure then use this file
  The first file will have all booked turns and rest days for this link period ONLY

  2. FILE TWO = Projected Roster in the file name

  The second file contains everything in FILE ONE …
  PLUS projected shifts through to mid December
  ⚠️ Projected shifts are for information only of what you would be doing if the currently link period continued unaltered.

  3. File THREE = Rest Days in the file name

  The last file contains REST DAYS ONLY from the day after this period ends (21st October 2024 in the example above) until mid December. This file is useful if you just want to know what your rest day pattern is in advance.

DISCLAIMER 🚨

• These files are intended to be useful supplementary aids
• They DO NOT replace the agreed method of work
• It is recommended to check a sample of imported events manually against the published link
  • The easiest way to do this is pick a handful of random dates from the calendar and check them against an officially printed copy of the link
  • The line number in the calendar event information can help you do this