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OutSmart Guide

Calendar Settings

Calendar Months Ahead

This setting controls how many months appear in the calendar dropdown when patients use the “View More Dates” feature.

SettingDefaultRange
Months Ahead18 monthsConfigurable

What This Affects

Extended Calendar View

When patients click “View More Dates”:

  • A full calendar opens in a modal
  • Month/year dropdown shows available months
  • This setting controls how many months appear

Example

With 18 months ahead:

  • If today is January 2025
  • Dropdown shows January 2025 through June 2026
  • Patients can navigate to any month in that range

Configuring Calendar Months

The calendar months setting is part of your office or practitioner preferences. To adjust:

  1. Contact your OutSmart administrator

  2. Request a change to the calendar_months_ahead preference

  3. Default is 18 months, which works for most practices

    This is typically configured once during setup and rarely needs changing.

Calendar Behavior

Initial Availability View

When a patient first views a service:

  • Quick availability panel shows next ~20 available dates
  • No month limit applies to this view
  • Shows dates as they’re available

Extended Calendar

When patient clicks “View More Dates”:

  • Full monthly calendar opens
  • Shows all dates from now until X months ahead
  • Available dates highlighted in primary color
  • Unavailable dates greyed out

Month Navigation

  • Arrow buttons navigate between months
  • Month/year dropdown jumps to specific month
  • New months load availability as needed

Availability vs. Calendar Range

What Determines Availability

The calendar range setting only controls display range. Actual availability depends on:

  • Practitioner’s calendar schedule
  • Existing appointments (blocked times)
  • Working hours configuration
  • Any booking prevention buffers

Showing vs. Available

A month may appear in the dropdown but have no availability:

  • Practitioner hasn’t set hours that far out
  • All slots are already booked
  • Office is closed certain periods

Performance Considerations

Why Limit the Range

Limiting calendar range:

  • Faster loading (less data to check)
  • Keeps the picker focused on near-term dates

On-Demand Loading

The calendar uses smart loading:

  • Initial data reused from quick view
  • New months loaded as patient navigates
  • Already-loaded months don’t reload
Practice TypeRecommended Setting
General practice6-12 months
Specialists12-18 months
Surgical consults12-24 months
Quick services3-6 months

Booking Prevention Buffer

Separate from calendar range, you can set a minimum notice period:

  • Prevents same-day booking
  • Configured in OutSmart scheduling settings
  • E.g., “Must book at least 24 hours in advance”

Date-Specific Availability

Calendar shows actual availability per date:

  • Green/highlighted = times available
  • Greyed out = no availability
  • Real-time as slots are booked

Troubleshooting

Calendar Not Showing Enough Months

  • Check the months ahead setting
  • Verify with your OutSmart administrator
  • Default is 18 months

No Availability Showing

Even with calendar range set:

  • Practitioner calendar may not have hours configured
  • All slots may be booked
  • Check practitioner’s schedule in OutSmart

Calendar Loading Slowly

  • Normal for initial load
  • Subsequent months load faster
  • Check internet connection

Next Steps

  • Contact Display - Phone/email display settings
  • Payments Overview - Payment settings