Frequently asked questions

A browser extension for Firefox and Chrome that makes the Subbook shift board easier to use. It sorts and filters the list of open shifts, adds themes and dark mode, reads your calendar so it knows which shifts you are free for, and fills in the Add Request form for you.

No. It is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Subbook, Campus Recreation or the University of Illinois. Please do not contact them about Bettersubbook problems.

No. Autofill fills in the form and shows you a confirmation of what it filled. You always press the site's own Submit button yourself, so nothing is requested on your behalf without you looking at it.

Only the Subbook site (apps2.campusrec.illinois.edu). It does nothing on any other website. Aquatics and Learn to Swim are supported.

It works in Firefox and Chrome on desktop. Safari and mobile browsers may come later.

• Import a file (an .ics file, a Google Calendar .zip, or a .csv from Notion) is a one-time snapshot. No sign-in, and it works for any calendar app. Re-import when your schedule changes.
• A calendar link (a published .ics address) is read again every hour, so it stays current without re-importing. No sign-in either, which is handy if your school blocks apps from reading calendars.
• Linking an account (Outlook / Microsoft 365, and Google Calendar once it is available) signs in once and scans your calendar whenever you press Scan again.

New to this? Import a file or use a calendar link; both are the simplest.

The in-extension setup guide has step-by-step pictures for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. The Notion guide is still to come; for now, export your database as a CSV and import that.

Google requires every app that reads Google Calendar to pass a review first. Until that is approved, Google linking is switched off. You can still bring a Google calendar in: export it from Google Calendar and import the file, or paste its “secret address in iCal format” as a calendar link.

The browser only lets an extension read a website you have approved. When you paste a link to a site the extension doesn't already know, your browser asks once, for that site only. Bettersubbook never reads any other site. You can take the permission back in your browser's extension settings.

About five months. Repeating shifts and classes are expanded out that far, and the window moves forward every day.

It looks for shift-like words in the event: a role such as LG, HLG, lifeguard or swim lessons, or a known location such as the ARC, CRCE or Freer (a location alone is ignored when the title looks like a class). Classes and meetings are kept as busy time so the list of shifts can show what you are free for. Anything it finds goes to the Review tab first. Nothing becomes a shift until you approve it.

Import the calendar again and check Review. For a missed shift, add it by hand with the + button at the top of the popup. For a wrong one, press Skip. Detection is a best guess and works on English titles, dates and times, so please tell us about misses through Send feedback.

Shifts in the past are skipped. If a linked calendar later drops an approved shift, it is flagged as removed rather than silently deleted, so you decide what to do with it.

• Open the popup's Shifts tab and press Autofill on the shift.
• Make sure the Subbook tab is open and you are signed in to Subbook.
• Reload the Subbook page and try again.
• If Subbook changed its page layout, autofill may stop until Bettersubbook is updated. Please report it.

Open Settings → Appearance → Themes & scenes and turn the scene off, or switch on Improve visibility for a plain table. Dark mode and text size are separate switches in the same place.

Only you. Everything is stored in your own browser. There is no Bettersubbook account, server or analytics, and nothing is sent to the developer. The details are on the Privacy & data page.

Only what you ask for: a calendar link is fetched from the address you pasted, a signed-in calendar is read directly from Microsoft (or Google), and, only if you turn on Live weather, the city you pick is sent to Open-Meteo to get the weather.

No. Data stays in the browser where you added it. On another computer, import or link your calendar again.

Settings → Data & reset has buttons to clear saved shifts, clear availability, reset settings, or clear everything. Unlinking a calendar signs Bettersubbook out of it. Removing the extension deletes all of its data from your browser.

Use Send feedback (also in the popup under Settings → Miscellaneous). Tell us what you expected, what happened, and which calendar app you use. Please do not include passwords or private links.