Configuring a service
Set availability hours, booking rules, resources, and limits for a service offering.
Once an offering exists, its detail page is where every per-service rule is set. The tabs across the top group the configuration.
The tabs
| Tab | What you control |
|---|---|
| General | Name, description, duration, price, visibility, status |
| Availability | Custom hours that override trading hours |
| Bookings | Notice period, advance booking window, group bookings, buffers |
| Resources | Which resources can deliver this service |
| Variants | Child offerings that inherit or override from this one |
| Limits | Capacity caps per day, week, month, year, or overall |
Availability
By default, a service is available whenever its resources are available within trading hours. Use the Availability tab to restrict further — for example, flu clinics that only run Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Availability constraints are additive: a service can't be more available than its resources or your trading hours. It can only be less available.
For virtual services (no linked resource), the availability constraint is required — Light can't compute availability from a resource that doesn't exist.
One-off changes with exception dates
To vary a single date without changing the standing hours or creating a custom availability period, use the Exception Dates card on the Availability tab. Each exception either prevents this service from being booked, or applies specific hours, on one date.
- Add an exception date
On the Availability tab, in Exception Dates, tap Add. The Add exception date sheet opens.
- Pick the date and how it changes
Choose the Date, then set Availability:
- Unavailable — the service can't be booked that day.
- Available during specific hours — set Available from and Available until for that day only.
- Add a reason (optional)
Optionally record a Reason (for example, staff training) and any Notes, then save.
Filter the list by All or Upcoming. Exception dates apply to this offering only – to change hours for the whole pharmacy on a date, use Special Trading Hours instead (see Holiday and exception dates).
Booking rules
On the Bookings tab:
- Minimum notice period — how soon before an appointment customers can book (e.g. 30 minutes, 24 hours)
- Maximum advance booking — how far ahead customers can book (e.g. 90 days)
- Before / after event buffers — staff time between bookings for setup or cleanup
- Group Bookings — allow more than one customer on a single appointment. When on, set the maximum group size. Staff can add multiple customers to a booking regardless of this setting; Group Bookings is the cap Light enforces
- Transparent bookings — if on, bookings made through this offering show as available (not blocking) to other bookings on the same resource. Used for services that can overlap.
Resources
The Resources tab shows which resources this offering is linked to and the availability mode. Change mode here if the service moves from a fixed room to any consultation space, or vice versa.
For offerings that any qualifying resource can deliver, see Configuring dynamic availability — the dynamic mode matches by resource kind or tag instead of linking specific resources.
Limits
Cap the number of bookings per day, week, month, year, or overall for capacity management. Useful for clinics with fixed stock (limited flu vaccines per day) or when staff need to balance clinical work against retail. See Setting capacity limits for the full flow.
Variants
For services that have multiple fare classes — different price points, different claim programs, different eligibility — use variants rather than separate offerings. See Adding a variant.