What's new on Bromcom

A new feature Manual Pattern, in the Settings cog, allows users to create a timetable pattern manually. Step 1 and 2 in the Generation - Settings popup is required to be set up as it does for an Automatic Pattern. Users will then click New at the end of Step 2 to build the Manual Pattern.

After clicking OK, a blank View Timetable Patterns page will appear. Then, clicking on View Details, for each pattern, takes you to the Block Pattern Design popup where you can start to build the pattern. Clicking the Subject Information button first - users will assign Subject Classes to Block as they desire. Blocks can be assigned by double clicking in the Block cell and then selecting a Block from the dropdown. Clicking Apply will prompt the user to confirm that Subject Classes that have been assigned to Blocks will be incorporated into the Block design, and in the next step users will complete the Pattern.

Note: The Class Name column updates as Blocks are assigned.

Still in the Block Pattern Design, clicking on Pupils Unassigned, for each Block one at a time, users can assign Students to Subject Classes from the Unassigned Subjects column which will lock them into the class and protect them. Click Back to repeat for the next Block.

Students can be removed from a Subject in a Block by clicking on the Student count in red, ticking the check box against the Student's name and clicking Remove. Those Students will be added back to the Pupils Unassigned list for that Block.

Each pattern can be designed independently, clicking the new Generate button will generate just for the current pattern. Any Subjects unassigned to a Block will be added and populated automatically during this process. Generation is complete and the user is returned to Block Pattern Design popup, Generate is greyed out, click View Others to generate the remaining patterns.

Note: Once the patten has been generated, Subject Classes can be moved to different Blocks manually which will check for conflicting Student assignments and maintain the moved Subject Class association. Where Students have been removed from a Subject Class they will appear in the Unassigned Pupils list and the Shuffle option is available to redistribute their choices as required.

Note: All Students can be removed from a Subject Class in a Block, and the Subject Class it self can be removed from the Block once where it has no Students allocated.