PlayAutomation is a scheduling application designed to help groups organize recurring activities like sports games, meetups, or any regular events. The app handles:
Creating one-time and recurring schedules
Automatically generating events from schedules
Tracking member availability
Managing court/venue bookings
Sending email notifications and reminders
Creating an Account
Step 1: Visit the application homepage and click "Sign Up"
Step 2: Enter your name, email address, and password
Step 3: Check your email for a 6-digit verification code
Step 4: Enter the verification code on the verification page to activate your account
Step 5: You are automatically signed in and taken to your Dashboard
Note: If you received a group invitation, visit the Accept Invitation page and enter your invitation code. If you don't have an account yet, you can create one directly on that page.
Signing In
Sign in with your email and password on the sign-in page. Always go directly to the application URL in your browser to sign in.
Managing Groups
Creating a Group
Step 1: After signing in, you'll see your Dashboard. Click "Create Group"
Step 2: Enter a name for your group (e.g., "Tuesday Tennis Club")
Step 3: Click "Create Group" to confirm
You will automatically become the owner of any groups you create. As owner, you have full control over group settings, schedules, and memberships.
Tip: Your timezone is automatically detected from your browser when you create a group. You can change it later in Group Settings.
Joining a Group
There are two ways to join a group:
Option 1: By Invitation
The group owner sends you an invitation email containing a 6-digit code
Visit the Accept Invitation page and enter the code
If you already have an account, you are automatically signed in and added to the group
If you don't have an account, enter your name and password on the same page to create one and join the group
Option 2: By Search and Request
From your Dashboard, click "Join Group"
Search for the group by name
Click "Request to Join"
The group owner will receive your request and can approve or reject it
Tip: Group owners can also invite members directly by email from the group page.
Group Roles
Owner
Full control over the group. Can create schedules, manage locations, invite/remove members, and change settings.
Member
Can view schedules, respond to events, record court bookings, and update personal preferences. Cannot modify group settings.
Group Settings
As a group owner, you can access group settings by clicking the "Settings" link on the group page. Settings include:
Group Name: Edit the group name
Locations: Manage venues and courts
Timezone: Set the group's timezone for accurate scheduling
Notifications: Enable/disable Do Not Disturb mode for the entire group
Danger Zone: Permanently delete the group and all its data
Leaving or Removing Members
To leave a group: As a member, click "Leave Group" in the My Settings section
To remove a member: As an owner, click the "Remove" button next to the member's name
Transferring Ownership
Group owners can transfer ownership to any current member of the group. After the transfer, the original owner becomes a regular member.
Step 1: Navigate to your group page and find the Members list
Step 2: Click the star icon next to the member you want to make the new owner
Step 3: A confirmation dialog will appear warning that you will become a regular member. Confirm to complete the transfer.
Important: Ownership transfer is immediate and cannot be undone by yourself. Be sure to confirm with the intended new owner before transferring, as you will lose all owner privileges and become a regular member.
Sending Group Notices
Group owners can send a notice to all members by clicking the "Group Notice" button. This opens your email client with all members pre-filled as recipients.
Creating Schedules
Understanding Schedules vs. Events
Schedules are templates that define when events should occur. Events are the actual occurrences generated from schedules. For example, a "Weekly Tennis" schedule would generate individual tennis events for each week.
Note: When a schedule is created, an event is generated automatically only if the next occurrence falls within the schedule's look-ahead window. Future events are generated by an automated job.
Creating a New Schedule
Step 1: Navigate to your group page
Step 2: In the Schedules section, click "+ Add Schedule"
Step 3: Fill in the schedule details:
Title: A descriptive name (e.g., "Evening Pickleball")
Date: The first event date (or the only date for one-time events)
Time: The event start time
Location: Select from configured locations or choose "No location." If no locations are configured for the group, the location field is not shown.
Step 4: Optionally check "Recurring schedule" for repeating events
Step 5: Configure generation and reminder settings
Step 6: Click "Create Schedule"
Recurring Schedules
When you check "Recurring schedule," additional options appear:
Repeat every: Choose an interval (1-12) and frequency (weeks or months)
Set end date: Optionally choose when the recurrence should stop
Examples:
"Repeat every 1 week" - Events occur every week on the same day
"Repeat every 2 weeks" - Events occur every other week
"Repeat every 1 month" - Events occur monthly on the same day number
Generation Settings
Each schedule has two important settings:
Send Reminder X day(s) X hour(s) ahead: How far in advance to create events and send initial reminder emails. You can specify days and hours for precise control (e.g., 3 days 0 hours, or 1 day 12 hours). Default is 3 days 0 hours.
Confirm and Lock X hours before: When to send confirmation reminder emails (0-72 hours). Set to 0 to disable confirmation emails.
Note: A scheduled job automatically generates events and sends confirmation reminders based on these settings.
Viewing and Managing Schedules
On the group page, all active schedules are listed showing:
Schedule title and recurrence pattern
Start date and time
Location
Generation and reminder settings
As an owner, you can delete a schedule by clicking the trash icon. Warning: Deleting a schedule will remove all future events generated from it.
Events & Availability
Viewing Events
Your upcoming events are displayed on your Dashboard, showing events from all your groups sorted by date and time.
Responding to Events
For each event, members can indicate their availability:
Available
Click the "Available" button to show you can attend. Click again to mark yourself unavailable.
Select Court
If courts are configured, indicate which court you have booked.
Auto Available
If you almost always attend events in a group, you can enable Auto Available to save time. When enabled, you will be automatically marked as "available" whenever a new event is created in that group.
Toggle "Auto Available" in the My Settings section on the group page
This is a per-group setting — you can enable it for one group and leave it off for another
You can still change your availability manually after an event is created
If you also have Do Not Disturb enabled, you will still be marked as available but won't receive notification emails
Tip: Auto Available is especially useful for regular players who attend most sessions. You only need to opt out of events you can't make, rather than opting in every time.
Court Selection
Court selection is used to record which court you have booked, not to request a court. When a location has configured courts:
Click "Select Court" on the event
A modal shows all courts, with already-booked ones indicated
Select the court you have booked
Click "Confirm"
Tip: You can see which courts are already booked and by whom by clicking "Show courts booked."
Viewing Event Details
Each event card shows:
Event title, group name, and date/time
Location name
Number of available members
Courts booked count (if applicable)
Lock status (see below)
Expand the event to see:
List of who's available
Which courts each person has booked
Event Locking
When a confirmation reminder email is sent (based on the schedule's "confirmation hours before" setting), the event becomes locked:
Locked events show an orange "Locked" badge
Members cannot change their availability or court selection
This ensures the final lineup is preserved
Cancelling Events
Only group owners can cancel events. Events cannot be modified once created — they can only be cancelled.
Click the X icon on the event
Optionally select a cancel reason from the dropdown (e.g., Weather conditions, Not enough players, Court/venue unavailable) or choose "Other" to type a custom reason
Click "Cancel Event" to confirm
All members will be notified by email, with the cancel reason included if one was provided
Locations & Courts
Overview
Locations are venues where your events take place (e.g., "Tennis Center," "City Park"). Courts are specific playing areas within a location (e.g., "Court 1," "Court 2"). Locations are fully optional — a group does not need any locations configured.
Managing Locations
Group owners can manage locations from the Group Settings page:
Adding a Location
Go to Group Settings
Click "+ Add Location"
Enter the location name
Click "Add"
Editing a Location
Click the pencil icon next to a location
Edit the location name
Click "Save Name"
Setting a Default Location
The default location is automatically selected when creating new schedules. Click "Set default" next to any location to make it the default.
Deleting a Location
Click "Delete" next to any location to remove it. If you delete the default location and other locations remain, the next one is automatically promoted to default. You can delete all locations if they are no longer needed.
Managing Courts
Courts are specific areas within a location that can be individually booked:
Adding Courts
Click the pencil icon to edit a location
In the Courts section, enter a court name
You can use a range like "1-10" to create multiple courts at once
Or use comma-separated names like "Court A, Court B"
Click "Add"
Removing Courts
Click the pencil icon to edit the location
Click "Remove" next to the court name
Note: When courts are configured for a location, members can record which court they have booked when responding to events at that location.
Email Notifications
Types of Emails
PlayAutomation sends several types of automated emails:
Account Emails
Verification Email: Sent when you create an account (contains a 6-digit verification code)
Group Membership Emails
Group Invitation: Sent when someone invites you to join a group
Join Request: Sent to group owners when someone requests to join
Event Emails
New Event: Sent to all group members when a new event is generated from a schedule
Confirmation Reminder: Sent to available members X hours before an event (configured per schedule), includes the list of available players and booked courts
Event Cancelled: Sent to all group members when an owner cancels an event
Email Security
PlayAutomation never sends emails containing clickable links. All emails include a reminder to always go directly to the application URL in your browser. This protects you from phishing attempts.
Account verification uses a 6-digit code
Group invitations use a 6-digit code
Notification emails display the app URL as plain text (not a clickable link)
Tip: If you receive an email claiming to be from PlayAutomation that contains clickable links, do not click them. Always navigate directly to the app in your browser.
Do Not Disturb Mode
If you don't want to receive notification emails for a group:
As owner: Toggle "Do Not Disturb" in Group Settings > Notifications. This disables notifications for all group members.
As member: Toggle "Do Not Disturb" in My Settings on the group page. This only affects your own notifications.
Important: Do Not Disturb only suppresses event notification emails. Account verification and invitation emails will still be sent. If you have Auto Available enabled, you will still be automatically marked as available even with Do Not Disturb on.
Auto Available
Enable Auto Available to be automatically marked as "available" whenever a new event is created in the group. This setting is found in the My Settings section on each group page, alongside Do Not Disturb.
Account Settings
Access your account settings by clicking "Settings" on your Dashboard.
Profile
Change your display name. Your email address is shown for reference but cannot be changed.
Change Password
Update your password by entering your current password and choosing a new one.
Delete Account
Warning: Deleting your account is permanent and cannot be undone. All your data will be removed. You should leave any groups you're a member of first.
To delete your account, go to Settings and use the "Delete Account" option in the Danger Zone section.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance are events created?
Events are created based on each schedule's "Send Reminder" setting, which can be configured in days and hours for precise control. The default is 3 days (72 hours). For example, you could set it to 1 day 12 hours to generate events exactly 36 hours ahead.
Why can't I change my availability for an event?
The event is likely locked. Events lock when confirmation is attempted (based on the "Confirm and Lock X hours before" setting). This preserves the final lineup for the event.
What happens when a schedule ends?
If a schedule has an end date set, no new events will be generated after that date. Existing events before the end date remain active. The schedule will no longer appear in the active schedules list.
Can I have multiple schedules in one group?
Yes! You can create unlimited schedules with different times, locations, and recurrence patterns. For example, you could have a weekly Tuesday evening schedule and a monthly Saturday morning schedule.
How do I change the group timezone?
Your timezone is automatically detected from your browser when you create a group. Group owners can change it later from Group Settings > Timezone. This affects when events are scheduled and when confirmation emails are sent.
What if someone records the same court as another member?
The system shows which courts are already booked and by whom when you select a court, helping you avoid recording a court that someone else has already booked.
Can I modify an event after it's created?
No, events cannot be modified once created. If an event needs to change, the owner should cancel it and create a new one.
What does Auto Available do?
When you enable Auto Available for a group, you are automatically marked as "available" every time a new event is created. This saves you from having to manually respond to every event. You can still change your availability afterward if needed. This setting is per-group, so you can enable it in groups you attend regularly and leave it off in others.
Can I transfer ownership of a group?
Yes. On the group page, click the star icon next to any member's name to transfer ownership to them. You will be asked to confirm, as the transfer is immediate and you will become a regular member. See the Transferring Ownership section above for full details.
Why didn't I receive a notification email?
Several possible reasons:
You or the group owner may have Do Not Disturb enabled
The email may have gone to spam
There may be an email delivery issue
Check your spam folder, verify your DND settings, and ensure your email address is correct in account settings.
How do I delete my account?
Go to your Dashboard, click "Settings", then use the "Delete Account" option in the Danger Zone section. This is permanent and cannot be undone.
How do I delete a group?
As a group owner, go to the group page, click "Settings", then use the "Delete Group" option in the Danger Zone section. This permanently removes the group, all its schedules, and all event data.
Troubleshooting
Email Verification Issues
Problem: Didn't receive verification email
Solution:
Check your spam/junk folder
Verify you entered the correct email address
Try signing up again with the same email
Sign-In Issues
Problem: Can't sign in
Solution:
Verify your email is correct
Check that your account is verified
Change your password from Settings if you can sign in
Group Join Issues
Problem: Can't join a group
Solution:
For invitations: Ensure the code hasn't expired (7 days)
For requests: Wait for the owner to approve
Check that you're not already a member
Missing Events
Problem: Expected events aren't showing up
Solution:
Check the schedule's "Send Reminder" days and hours setting
Verify the schedule hasn't ended
Check that the schedule is still active
Ensure the group timezone is correct
Notification Issues
Problem: Not receiving notifications
Solution:
Check your personal Do Not Disturb setting on the group page
Ask the group owner to check group-level Do Not Disturb
Verify email in spam folder
Ensure your email address is correct in account settings
Need More Help?
If you have questions or issues not covered in this guide, please contact your group administrator or application support.
Happy scheduling! We hope PlayAutomation makes organizing your group activities easier and more enjoyable.