Table Planner

theworkingtools.co.uk/tablePlanner

The Table Planner helps you create professional seating arrangements for your Lodge's Festive Board and other dining events. Design your floor plan with customisable tables, assign members to seats, and generate printable seating plans and place cards.

Table Plans List

The main Table Planner page displays all your table plans with their titles and linked events. Click any row to open that table plan, or use New Table Plan to create a new one.

Duplicating a Table Plan
If you have a standard table layout you use regularly, you can duplicate an existing table plan using the Duplicate button in the Actions column. This creates a copy of the floor plan and all tables, but without any event link or seat assignments, so you can reuse your layout for different events.

Creating Tables

From a table plan's main page, you can create and manage the tables that make up your seating arrangement.

Add a Table
Click Add Table and enter a name (e.g. "Top Table", "Table 1"), along with the width and height in seats. The table's total seat count is calculated automatically based on these dimensions.

Edit a Table
Click a table's row to open its settings. You can rename the table, adjust its dimensions, or remove individual seat positions by clicking on them. This is useful for creating L-shaped or custom table layouts.

Remove a Table
Use the Remove button to delete a table from the plan. Any seat assignments on that table will also be removed.

Floor Plan Designer

The Floor Plan tab provides a visual canvas (A4 landscape ratio) where you can arrange your tables and add decorative elements. The layout you create here is what will appear on your printed floor plan.

Adding Tables to the Floor Plan
Each table you've created appears in the Actions panel. Click Add to Floor Plan to place it on the canvas. Once added, you can drag it to position and rotate it as needed.

Canvas Tools
The toolbar above the canvas provides several tools:

Draw - Toggle freehand drawing mode to add custom lines or annotations
Delete - Remove the currently selected object
Rotate - Rotate the selected object 45 degrees clockwise or anti-clockwise
Layer - Bring objects forward or send them backwards in the stacking order

Extras Menu
The Extras panel lets you add additional elements to your floor plan:

Add Logo - Places your Lodge logo on the canvas
Add Title - Adds the table plan or event title
Add Event Date - Adds the linked event's date (if linked to an event)
Custom Text - Add any text you like (e.g. "Bar", "Exit", "Stage")
Add Seat Names - Adds individual name labels for each assigned member, which you can drag near their seats
Add Seating List - Adds a formatted list of all seat assignments organised by table

Saving
Click Save Floor Plan to save your layout. Your arrangement will be preserved exactly as you left it.

Assigning Seats

The Assign Seats tab is where you allocate members and guests to specific seats. This works best when your table plan is linked to an event, as it will show all dining attendees.

Linking to an Event
From the table plan's main page, use the Link to Event option to connect your table plan to a Lodge event. This pulls in the list of members and guests who have confirmed attendance with dining.

Drag and Drop
The assignment page shows your tables with numbered seats, and a list of unassigned attendees. Simply drag a name from the attendees list and drop it onto a seat number to assign them. You can also drag people between seats to rearrange.

Attendance Status
Attendees are colour-coded by their attendance status, helping you quickly identify confirmed versus tentative guests.

Standalone Mode

Table plans can be used without linking to an event. This is useful when you want to create a seating arrangement for a function where attendees aren't tracked in The Working Tools, or when planning ahead before event details are finalised.

Typing Names Directly
When a table plan is not linked to an event, the Assign Seats tab shows input fields for each seat. Simply type a name into any seat to assign it. The seat number appears in a badge to the left of each input field.

Editing and Clearing
To change a name, simply edit the text in the input field. To remove someone from a seat, clear the input field and click away (or press Tab). The seat will become empty again.

Unlinking from an Event
If you unlink a table plan that already has seat assignments from an event, those assignments are automatically converted to text entries. This means you won't lose your seating arrangement - the names become editable text fields that you can modify as needed.

Full Functionality
Standalone table plans support all the same features as event-linked plans: floor plan design, seat name labels, seating lists, printed outputs, and place cards.

Publishing & Printing

The Publish tab provides options for generating printable outputs from your table plan.

Floor Plan
Generate a printable version of your visual floor plan layout, perfect for displaying at the venue entrance.

Seating Plan
Create a text-based seating list organised by table, showing who is seated where. Options include:

Show or hide seat numbers
Show or hide empty seats
Choose name format (regular, masonic, abbreviated, etc.)

Place Cards
Generate printable place cards for each seated guest. Options include:

Show seat and/or table numbers
Flat or tent-fold card style
Various name formats to suit your Lodge's preference

Tips

Create a "template" table plan with your venue's standard layout, then duplicate it for each event
Use the Custom Text feature to label room features like exits, the bar, or a stage
Add seat names to the floor plan after finalising assignments to create a visual seating chart
For Top Tables, consider using a wide, short table (e.g. 10 x 1) to create a single row of seats