Track Planned Absences Through The Agenda

Created OnJanuary 7, 2020

byDavid F. Carr

The Planned Absences block provides an easy way for members to signal that they will miss a specific meeting. Here is how that is displayed to a logged in member.

You can specify whether you will miss one meeting or several. It’s also possible to record this information on behalf of another member.

How to Add a Toastmasters Absences Block

Do one of the following:

Use the block inserter (+ button) to select and insert the Toastmasters Absences block
Begin typing /absences on a blank line, and Toastmasters Absences will appear as one of the blocks you can select to insert.

There is only one option to set: whether the absences block should appear only on the signup form (the default) or also on the agenda.

How the Absences Block Works

If you place this widget at the bottom of your signup page, members can let the club know they plan to miss the meeting in question by clicking the Planned Absence button. Planned Absences that have been recorded are listed right above the button, along with any “Away Messages.” This information is only displayed to logged in members.

Away Messages allow you to signal that you will be missing meetings for some extended period of time (weeks or months) — it’s a message with an expiration date.

Clicking the Planned Absence button works better if I know I’m going to miss, not the next meeting, but the one after that. It’s more precise.

The absence / away message information also shows up in a few other contexts, such as the drop down list you use to assign members to roles.