Request Unavailable Date Information

The Update My Information page has a button that enables users to access an Edit Unavailable Dates page where they can enter beginning and end dates for times that they will not be able to handle assignments. Unavailable date information is displayed in the system in several places: when an editor wants to invite an Author, when a user wants to assign a task to a user with an Editor or Publisher role, and when an Editor wants to invite or assign another Editor.

An Unavailable Dates link may be configured to display on the Author Main Menu to provide direct access to the Edit Unavailable Dates page.

Publications may ask users via system emails to indicate dates for which they are unavailable.

The mail merge field %UPDATE_UNAVAILABLE_DATES% is available for publications to use in all letters. When this merge field is included in a letter, it is converted to a URL that the user can click, or copy and paste into a browser, to go directly to the Edit Unavailable Dates page.

The merge field link can be set to expire after a set number of clicks and/or a default number of days. As a security measure, users can be required to enter their password before updating account information (including unavailable dates) when accessing their account via a deep link.

To Configure:

Setup requires several steps.

To display the link on Author Main Menu, go to RoleManager > Author Role. Grant permission:

Display "Unavailable Dates" Link on Main Menu

To set parameters and instructions, go to PolicyManager > General Policies > Configure Unavailability Check and Instructions.

Number of days to check: Enter the number of days in the future the system checks for unavailability information. (This corresponds to the number displayed in the column header on the Editor pages).
Enter any customized instructions to display to users on the Add Unavailable Date page.
When finished, click Submit.

To set the deep link expiration policy, go to PolicyManager > General Policies > Set Update Information Deep Link Expiration.

Check the box next to the option(s) to use for determining expiration. One or both options may be selected. To keep the link active indefinitely, do not check either box. If both boxes are checked (and numbers entered), the link expires when the first criterion is met.
- Expires after X clicks
- Expires after X days
For each option selected above, enter the allowed number of clicks and/or days.
For deep link security protection: In the bottom section of the page, check the box next to the setting, Require user to enter password to update account information.
When all fields are complete, click Submit.

The merge field %UPDATE_UNAVAILABLE_DATES% may be used in all Letter Families. For details on letter configurations, see Create Letters .