Scheduling
Set it and forget it
Auto-start sessions on matchday, auto-end when the event finishes, send fans their photos, and get a weekly performance digest, all without touching a button.
Open Schedule Settings
Go to Dashboard > Fan Cams > Settings > Schedule tab.
Enable Scheduling
Toggle "Enable automatic scheduling" on.
Pick Your Days
Click the day buttons (Sun–Sat) to select active days. For Saturday matchdays, just click "Sat". Select multiple days for tournaments or festivals.
Set Times
Enter start time (e.g. 14:00) and end time (e.g. 17:00). The fan cam auto-activates at start time and deactivates at end time.
Choose Timezone
Select your venue's timezone. The schedule respects local time including daylight saving changes.
Enable Recurring
Toggle "Recurring weekly" to repeat every week. Without it, the schedule runs once. Perfect for league seasons.
Save
Click "Save Schedule". The system handles the rest, sessions start and end automatically.
Pro Tips
- You can still manually start/stop sessions at any time, the schedule is a safety net, not a lock.
- When a scheduled session ends, post-event emails are sent automatically to fans who provided their email.
- Every Monday, you receive a weekly digest email summarising: photos captured, sessions run, and sponsor impressions.
- Test your schedule by setting it to a few minutes from now and watching the session auto-start.
FAQ
What happens if I manually start a session during a scheduled window?
The manual session takes priority. The scheduler won't create a duplicate. When the scheduled end time arrives, it will end the active session.
Can I schedule different times on different days?
Currently, one schedule applies to all selected days. For different times on different days, create multiple fan cam links with different schedules.
What are the automated emails?
Two types: (1) Post-event emails to fans with a link to their photos, sent when a session ends. (2) Weekly digest to you summarising the past 7 days of activity.
Do I need to set up a cron job?
The scheduled events API (/api/cron/scheduled-events) needs to be called every minute. On Vercel, use Vercel Cron. On other hosts, use an external scheduler like cron-job.org.