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Appointment Types and Categories
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Your calendar’s structure depends on two things: appointment types and appointment categories. Types control what shows up on an appointment card (the service name, its color, its default duration). Categories control the columns in your Day/Category calendar view. Both are fully customizable to match how your clinic operates.
You’ll find both configuration pages under Settings > Configurations.
Understanding the difference
These two concepts work together but serve different purposes:
Types | Categories | |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Identify WHAT the appointment is | Define WHERE it lands visually on the calendar |
Controls | Service name, default duration, color | Column name in Category (Day) view |
Examples | Consultation (15 min), Surgery (60 min), Emergency (60 min) | Consult 01, Consult 02, Surgery, Online Booking |
Visual effect | Colors the appointment block on the calendar | Determines which column the appointment sits in |
Think of it this way: a “Consultation” type appointment can land in the “Consult 01” category column, or the “Consult 02” column, depending on which room or workflow step you assign it to.
Editing an appointment type
Click the pencil icon in the Actions column for any type. The same modal opens with existing values pre-filled. Change the name, duration, or color and click Submit.
Activating and deactivating types
Each type has a State column showing either Active (green) or Inactive (red/orange). Click the state badge to toggle between them. Inactive types won’t appear in the Type dropdown when creating new appointments, but existing appointments using that type are not affected.
Deleting a type
Click the trash icon in the Actions column. A confirmation appears. Deleted types cannot be recovered.
Appointment categories
Where to find them
Go to Settings > Configurations > Appointment Categories. The “Appointment Category List” page loads.
The category list
The list shows all configured categories:
Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
ID | System-generated identifier |
Sort rank | Controls the column order on the calendar |
Name | The category name (e.g., “Consult 01”, “Surgery”, “Online Booking”) |
Created at | When the category was added |
State | Active (green) or Inactive (red) |
Actions | Edit (pencil icon) and Delete (trash icon) |
Adding a new category
- Click Add Appointment Category (dark button, top-right corner).
- The “Add Appointment Category” modal opens with one field: Name (marked with an asterisk as required): The category name
- Click Submit.
The new category appears in the list and becomes a new column on the calendar’s Category (Day) view.
Editing a category
Click the pencil icon in the Actions column. The modal opens with the current name. Change it and click Submit. The calendar column header updates to the new name.
Activating and deactivating categories
Click the state badge to toggle between Active and Inactive. Inactive categories won’t appear as columns on the calendar and won’t be available in the Category dropdown when creating appointments.
Deleting a category
Click the trash icon. A confirmation appears. Deleted categories are removed from the calendar permanently.
How types and categories affect the calendar
When you create an appointment:
- The Type you select determines the color of the appointment block and sets the default end time (based on its configured duration in minutes).
- The Category you select determines which column the appointment appears in when the calendar is in Category (Day) view.
Both values display in the appointment popup card when you click a block on the calendar.
Planning your setup
Here are common ways clinics organize their categories:
Approach | Category examples | Best for |
|---|---|---|
By room | Consult 01, Consult 02, Surgery, Recovery | Clinics with multiple exam rooms |
By workflow setup | New Arrivals, In Progress, Ready for Pickup, Callbacks | Clinics tracking patient flow |
By service area | Emergency, Routine, Surgery, Online Booking | Clinics with separated service lines |
Mixed | Consult 01, Consult 02, Surgery, Online Booking, Cancelled | Most common setup |
Types are typically organized by service: Consultation, Surgery, Emergency, Vaccine, Dental, Follow-up. Each with its own duration and color.
Note: The Sort Rank column controls the left-to-right order of category columns on the calendar and the top-to-bottom order of types in the dropdown. Lower numbers appear first.
What to do if something goes wrong
New type doesn’t appear in the appointment form dropdown: Check that the type’s State is set to Active (green). Inactive types are hidden from the dropdown.
Category column missing from the calendar: The category may be set to Inactive. Go to Settings > Configurations > Appointment Categories and check its State. Toggle it to Active if needed.
Appointment color is wrong: The color comes from the appointment Type, not the Category. Edit the type’s color in Settings > Configurations > Appointment Types.
Duration auto-fill is incorrect: Edit the type and update the Duration In Minutes field. This only changes future appointments. To fix an existing appointment, edit it directly and adjust the end time.
Categories appear in the wrong order on the calendar: Update the Sort Rank value for each category. Lower numbers appear further to the left on the calendar.
Note: Contact the viggoVet help if any of these problems persist after following the instructions.