Schedule groups define the times at which print jobs are collected into batches for dispatch. 

You can manage schedule groups via Control Panel > Schedule Groups. Schedule groups are configured here and then assigned to printers. The settings you choose will depend on how your organisation works, and on the requirements of your delivery service.

Schedule Groups is only available to Administrators. Refer to Docbox Help Centre for information on the common layout of this page.

How schedule groups work and why they matter

When Docbox receives a print job, it doesn't send it immediately. Jobs are held and then collected together into a batch at a defined point in time. Schedule groups give you control over when that batching happens.

The right schedule for your organisation depends on several factors: how frequently your systems submit documents to Docbox, whether your delivery service has a daily cutoff time by which batches must be sent, and whether jobs are subject to a submission delay that holds them back before they become eligible for batching. Each of these can vary between customers, and schedule groups are designed to be flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of needs.

A schedule group contains one or more entries, each defining a repeating pattern:

• Hourly -- runs at a set number of minutes past the hour, within a defined time window
• Daily -- runs once at a specific time each day
• Periodic -- runs at a regular interval within a defined time window (for example, every 30 minutes between 08:00 and 18:00)

Combining entries in a single group lets you build more complex schedules to suit your workflow.

Once configured, a schedule group is assigned to a printer via the Batching Schedule setting in the printer definition. If no schedule group is assigned, jobs are batched as soon as they are eligible. Bear in mind that changes to a printer's Submission Delay setting affect when jobs become eligible for batching, so adjustments to either setting can have a knock-on effect on the other. See Printers for more detail.

Schedule Group Settings

Schedule Entries

Each schedule group contains one or more entries displayed as cards within the Schedule Entries section. Each entry defines a repeating schedule pattern. Click + Add entry to add a new entry. Entries can be reordered by dragging the handle on the left of each card. Click Remove on a card to delete that entry.
The card header shows the entry label (or Entry 1, Entry 2 etc. if no label is set), the schedule type, and an Active or Inactive badge.

Previewing a Schedule

Before saving, you can verify exactly when a schedule group will run using the Preview feature. Click Preview at the top of the page to open the Run Time Preview dialogue.
Enter a From and To date range and click Generate. Docbox will display a list of every scheduled run time within that range, showing the Date/Time, Entry, and Type for each. Up to 200 run times are shown — if your date range produces more than 200 results, narrow the range for a complete view.
This is particularly useful when setting up a schedule for the first time, as it allows you to confirm the batching times are correct before any jobs are affected.
Click Close to return to the schedule group.

Creating a Schedule Group

1. Click Add New Schedule Group.
2. Enter a Name.
3. Click + Add entry and configure each entry. Check the summary text beneath each entry to confirm it will run as expected.
4. Click Preview to verify the schedule run times if required.
5. Click Save.