What is phpScheduleIt?

phpScheduleIt is a web application that attempts to solve the problem of scheduling and managing resource utilization. It provides a permissions-based calendar that allows users to self-register and reserve resources and the tools to manage those reservations.

Some typical applications are conference room, equipment, or work shift scheduling.

What doesn't phpScheduleIt do?

phpScheduleIt is not designed for personal calendaring or event calendaring, although it may suit those needs. Try the online demo to see if phpScheduleIt fits your needs. If not, there are plenty of competitors whose aim is personal/event calendaring.

How much does it cost?

phpScheduleIt is Open Source, so it costs you nothing for the software. The code is licensed under the GNU GPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt). You can donate, if you wish, but it is not required nor expected.

I see ads on the website and the demo, will they be in the software I download?

No. Advertisements are shown on the website and demo to help fund development, but they are not included in the application.

Is phpScheduleIt available in any other languages?

Yes! Please see the homepage on SourceForge for the current included languages. You can help translate here.

What are the system requirements?

phpScheduleIt is a web application, so you must be running web server software such as Apache or IIS. In addition you must have at least:
- PHP 4.2 (4.3 or higher is recommended)
- PEAR Framework (included with most versions of PHP)
- A PEAR::DB compatible database. MySQL is recommended, but any of the following databases should be supported: MySQL, MySQLi, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle8, ODBC, Sybase, Informix, MSQL, SQLite, FastBase, IBase
- Any operating system that the above software supports

End user requirements:
- Internet Explorer 5+ or Netscape 6+ (Please note that Netscape 4.7x and earlier are not supported)
- An email client (if they choose to accept reservation emails)

How did the project start?

phpScheduleIt started as a project for the Immunology Applications Core Facility and the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research while working at the University of Chicago.

After several revisions, the project was moved to SourceForge where I currently develop it.

What other schedulers exist?

Although I try to make phpScheduleIt the most valuable resource scheduler available, there are other calendar alternatives that exist. Also, almost every groupware suite has calendar support.

Web Calendar http://www.k5n.us/webcalendar.php
PHP iCalendar http://phpicalendar.sourceforge.net
Plans http://www.planscalendar.com
PHP-Calendar http://php-calendar.sourceforge.net
myPHPCalendar http://myphpcalendar.sourceforge.net

Many commercial solutions also exist.

Why do I need root database access?

Technically, you do not need root access. You only need to specify a user who has permission to create and drop databases.

Why can't I log in as the admin?

The administrator email that you set in the config file does not automatically register upon installation, so you need to register a new user with that email address.

Can I use phpScheduleIt on a remote host?

Absolutely, please see the instructions.

Why can't I log in?

You must first register before you can log in. This is required so the administrator can manage your account.

Why can't I place a reservation?

There are two likely reasons for this.
1) You have not been given permission to use the resource. You can see if you have permission by going to My Control Panel and looking at the My Permissions table. If you have permission, then the other likely reason is 2) The resource has been "turned off" or restricted by the administrator.

I get a message that says "Cannot find file 'DB.php".

Your environment either does not have PEAR installed or is not properly set up to find the PEAR files. Please see the PEAR documentation http://www.pear.php.net for instructions on installing PEAR. PEAR should be included and installed with PHP version 4.2 or greater.

I get a message that says "Error connecting to database: DB Error: no such database".

Most likely the variables are not set correctly in your config file. This is a simple fix, please see the readme for how to take care of it.

If that is not the issue, then it is possible the database was not set up. Please verify that the phpscheduleit database exists.

I get a message that says "Warning: unable to create file /var/log/phpscheduleitlog.txt".

Your server is not set up to allow PHP to create or write to files. This is commonly a permissions issue and changing permissions for PHP or for the directory that it is trying to write to usually works.

How do I get help?

If you happen to run into problems with phpScheduleIt, first make use of the forums on SourceForge.

Can you make custom modifications for me?

I am always happy to help where I can, but it mainly depends on how relevant the modification is to phpScheduleIt's purpose and how much effort is required. Many requests end up being integrated into a future release.

How can I help?

There are many ways to help, as it is a large effort on my part to constantly develop this application.

Developers:

If you have a firm understanding of PHP or are willing to learn, you can help develop and enhance phpScheduleIt. Database developers are also welcome to help. Please take a look at the documentation to help understand how phpScheduleIt is written and works.

Documenters:

Good documentation is important to the success of any application. Although phpScheduleIt is well-documented, it can always be improved.

Translators:

You can translate into any language you want by using the online tool or by downloading the latest release and following the translation instructions. Translating phpScheduleIt is very easy but we need all the help we can get to make this project available in as many languages as possible.

Translations of the help file and documentation are also needed. To translate these files, just download the latest version and translate the text.

I've already made some changes, can you put them in?

Again, it depends on how relevant the modifications are. If you believe they would be useful to a wide range of people, by all means they will be included.