Scheduling in PencilCase

PencilCase uses pencils, confirmed bookings and DND to describe availability. Ownership determines what information is visible, while dummy blocks allow freelancers to block out time without assigning a studio.

✏️ Pencil Types

  • 1st Pencil: primary tentative booking.
  • 2nd Pencil: secondary hold below an existing 1st pencil.
  • Confirmed: locked booking that cannot be challenged.
  • Unavailable: a block the viewer cannot interact with.
  • DND: private downtime that hides availability entirely.
  • Available: empty space with no bookings.

🔐 Ownership

  • The freelancer and the owning studio see project names and notes.
  • Other studios only see status labels such as Challengeable or Unavailable.
  • Cancelled pencils are removed immediately.
  • DND blocks cannot be interacted with by studios.

🟪 Dummy Blocks (Unassigned Bookings)

Freelancers can create pencils or confirmed bookings without assigning a studio. These are called dummy blocks.

They behave like normal blocks, except they have no studio owner.

Dummy 1st Pencil

  • Visible to all studios as challengeable.
  • Can be challenged.
  • No project or studio name is shown.

Dummy 2nd Pencil

  • Appears as a 2nd-pencil block.
  • Blocks the 1st pencil above it from being challenged by other studios.

Dummy Confirmed

  • Appears to all studios as Unavailable.
  • Cannot be challenged.
  • The freelancer sees full details.

Dummy blocks allow freelancers to privately protect time while preserving correct pencil logic.

➕ Creating Bookings

👤 Freelancer

  • Click an empty period on your timeline.
  • Choose: 1st Pencil, 2nd Pencil, Confirmed or DND.
  • Optional: assign a studio to create an owned booking.
  • Leaving the studio blank creates a dummy block.
  • Add project name, dates and notes.
  • Save.

🏢 Studio

  • Click an empty slot on a connected freelancer’s row.
  • The freelancer is preselected.
  • Choose: 1st Pencil, 2nd Pencil or Confirmed.
  • Add project name, dates and notes.