# Session timeline

The timeline is the clock your session runs on. It breaks the competition into named sections -- warmup, competition rounds, breaks, awards -- and gives each one a start and end time. This is what everyone looks at to know what is happening when.

## Prerequisites

* [Create a session](/scheduling/create-a-session.md)

## Accessing the timeline

1. Go to your meet dashboard and click **Sessions** in the sidebar.
2. Open a session by clicking its dashboard button.
3. Click the **Timeline** tab.

## Editing session details

At the top of the timeline page, you can update the session name, description, and the day it takes place. These changes are reflected everywhere the session appears.

## How the timeline is structured

The timeline is made up of **sections**. Each section represents a distinct period within the session. A section has three parts:

* **Name** -- what this period is (like "Warmup" or "Competition Round 2")
* **Start time** -- when it begins
* **End time** -- when it ends

Every session needs at least one section. Start time must come before end time.

## Shifting the whole timeline

There is a start time slider that moves the entire timeline forward or backward. If your first section starts at 8:00 AM and you shift the start time to 9:00 AM, every section moves forward by one hour. This is the fastest way to adjust when a session runs without touching individual sections.

## Adding and editing sections

Click **Add Section** to create a new time block. For each section, set the name and the start and end times using the time picker.

**You can also:**

* **Duplicate a section** -- creates a copy with the same timing, useful for repeating blocks like back-to-back competition rounds
* **Delete a section** -- removes it from the timeline (you cannot delete the last remaining section)

Sections stay in chronological order automatically.

## Things to keep in mind

The session's overall start and end times are determined by the first and last sections. There is no separate "session time" field.

Start time must always be before end time. The interface will not let you save a section that violates this.

Sections are for organization and communication. They help everyone stay on track, but they do not lock out scoring or enforce rigid timing during the competition.

## What's next

* [Configure rotations](/scheduling/configure-rotations.md) -- set up apparatus order and rotation groups
* [Squad generation](/scheduling/squad-generation.md) -- auto-assign gymnasts across rotations

## Related

* [Sessions overview](/scheduling/session-management.md)
* [Set session timeline](/scheduling/set-session-timeline.md) (step-by-step guide)
* [Scheduling overview](/scheduling/index.md)


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