> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://knowledge.maica.com.au/maica-knowledge-base/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://knowledge.maica.com.au/maica-knowledge-base/the-planner/planner-actions/manage-unavailability.md). # Manage Unavailability Learn about how Resources can manage their Unavailability within Maica ## What does the Manage Unavailability Tool do? Maica supports the management of Unavailability records which essentially mark any given Resource as not available for inclusion into an Appointment or Shift. The Manage Unavailability Tool essentially allows you to manage and create these records directly from the Planner, as demonstrated below. {% embed url="" %} Managing Unavailability {% endembed %} Maica offers the ability to either create a single Unavailability for any given Resource or multiple at the same time by simply adding multiple Resources into the `Resources(s)` input. {% hint style="info" %} It is important to note that if multiple Resources are selected, Maica will create an individual Unavailability record for each Resource to ensure that each Resource can manage their own Unavailability. {% endhint %} ## Creating a new Unavailability Record To create a new Unavailability record, simply click on the `Unavailability` icon in Maica's Planner, select the `+ New` button and complete the fields as per the below screenshot. {% hint style="info" %} Where multiple Resources are selected, any future Recurring Unavailability records will be created via Maica's batch feature so you might not see these in the Planner straight away. {% endhint %}

Field	Description
Start and End Date/Time	The Start and End date and time of the Unavailability. This will default to the current time with a duration of 60 minutes. Note, when you adjust the Start Time, the End Time auto-updates to remain 60 minutes later (unless the end time has already been manually changed).
`All Day` Toggle	When enabled, Unavailability spans from 12:00 AM on the Start Date to 12:00 AM the following day. Duration is automatically set to 24 hours, with times hidden from the modal.
Resource(s)	The Resource(s) for whom the Unavailability record will be created.
Type	The type of Unavailability being created. This list is configurable via Maica Settings.
Status	The status of Unavailability being created. This list is configurable via Maica Settings.
Unavailability Enforcement	Unavailability Enforcement determines the severity of the Unavailability: Hard Unavailability prevents adding a Resource to an Appointment/Shift Soft Unavailability prompts a user confirmation but allows addition to an Appointment/Shift. Please note, drag and drop is prevented on Hard Unavailability, but allowed onto Soft Unavailability with a confirmation required.
Notes	Additional notes that can be taken during the creation of the Unavailability.
Create a corresponding Timesheet	This indicates that a corresponding timesheet activity will be generated for each Unavailability.
This is a Recurring Unavailability	If a Recurring Unavailability is required, this enables the capturing of the required details as documented further here.

{% hint style="info" %} The Recurring Unavailability follows the same execution logic as Appointments and Shifts which is further described [here](/maica-knowledge-base/maica-administration-guide/system-processes/recurring-schedules.md). {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} Please note, when an Unavailability Record is created, Maica will automatically remove the associated Resource from any assigned Appointments or Shifts during the Unavailability period. {% endhint %} ## Cancelling a Single Occurrence of a Recurring Unavailability Previously, deleting a single occurrence of a Recurring Unavailability had no lasting effect: the nightly recurring-Unavailability batch could not tell a deliberately removed occurrence from one that simply had not been generated yet, and recreated it the following morning. A single occurrence of a Recurring Unavailability can now be **Cancelled** instead of deleted, without affecting the rest of the series. {% hint style="info" %} A Cancelled occurrence is retained as a record (rather than deleted), is skipped by the nightly recurring-Unavailability batch, and no longer blocks the Resource from being assigned to Appointments or Shifts in that time slot. The rest of the recurrence series continues to generate and behave as normal. {% endhint %} {% hint style="warning" %} The `Delete` quick action has been removed from the Unavailability Lightning page in favour of `Cancel`. To free up a single occurrence of a Recurring Unavailability, use `Cancel` rather than `Delete`. {% endhint %} ## Example Scenarios | Example | Outcome | | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | You create a new unavailability record at 2:15 PM | ✅ Defaults to 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | | You select `All Day` for 11 July | ✅ Maica blocks anyone from scheduling the selected Resource from 12:00 AM 11 July to 12:00 AM 12 July. | | A multi-day All Day unavailability (11–13 July) | ✅ Maica treats the End Date as exclusive, covering 11–12 July only. | | Editing an existing unavailability that was marked All Day | ✅ Checkbox automatically selected if both Start and End times are 12:00 AM. | | You cancel a single occurrence of a Recurring Unavailability | ✅ That occurrence is marked Cancelled and is not recreated by the nightly batch; the rest of the series continues as normal. |