When you build a performance timeline in BookLive, events are automatically assigned to the correct day based on their start times. For most gigs this works perfectly — but some performances span midnight: a New Year’s Eve ball drop, an overnight reception, or a next-day load-out. The Day override on each timeline event lets you pin the correct day whenever the automatic detection gets it wrong.
How Automatic Day Detection Works #
By default, BookLive infers which day each event falls on by watching for a “time going backward” pattern. If an event’s start time is earlier than the previous event’s start time, BookLive treats it as happening on the next calendar day. For example, a ceremony at 18:00 followed by a midnight countdown at 00:00 will automatically show the countdown as Next day.
Events with no start time set (TBD) are placed on whichever day is currently active and do not affect the automatic calculation for events below them.
When to Use a Manual Day Override #
Use the Day override when automatic detection produces the wrong result. Common situations include:
- A load-in the evening before the main event (you want it on Previous day)
- An overnight reception where a late-night toast at 01:00 should remain on the same calendar day as the rest of the event
- A multi-day festival spanning three or more calendar days
- Any event where reordering timeline items would otherwise change the inferred day
Setting the Day for a Timeline Event #
- Open the performance and click the Timeline tab.
- Click the event row you want to adjust, or click Add Event to create a new one.
- In the event edit form, locate the Day field.
- Choose one of the following options:
- Auto (from times) — BookLive infers the day automatically (default)
- Previous day — pins the event one day before the performance date
- Same day — forces the event onto the main performance date
- Next day — pins the event one day after the performance date
- +2 days or +3 days — for multi-day events spanning several calendar days
- Click Save. A day pill (e.g., Next day) appears next to the event time in the timeline view.
How Manual Overrides Affect the Rest of the Timeline #
When you set an explicit Day value on an event, it re-anchors the automatic detection for all events that follow it in the timeline. This means you only need to set the override on the first event that “shifts” to a new day — subsequent events with no override will continue to be inferred relative to the new anchor.
For example, if you pin a midnight cocktail hour to Next day, all events below it with Auto (from times) will be calculated starting from that new day.
Viewing Day Labels in the Timeline #
Once a day offset is applied — either manually or automatically — a small pill label appears next to the event’s start time in the read-only timeline view. The label is blank for same-day events (day 0) and shows Next day, Previous day, +2 days, etc. for everything else. This gives you and your musicians a clear at-a-glance view of which calendar day each part of the performance falls on.
Tips & Notes #
- Day offsets apply per-event. You can mix automatic and manual settings freely within the same timeline.
- The day label is visible to musicians on their production sheet, helping avoid confusion for overnight gigs.
- Reordering events by drag-and-drop recalculates automatic offsets in real time, but explicit overrides you have set are always preserved.
- TBD events are not factored into the midnight-crossing logic, so adding a placeholder event won’t accidentally shift later events to the next day.
