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Appointments Site + Settings

Learn how to configure your Appointments site settings and methods to sharing access to your site and booking pages.

Michael Stephenson avatar
Written by Michael Stephenson
Updated yesterday

Overview

The Appointments Site provides a branded, centralized landing page where visitors can easily find and book one-on-one meetings with your institution’s staff.

This page reflects your institution’s branding—whether you’re using the default appointment site domain or a custom domain—and serves as a seamless entry point for scheduling. Visitors can browse available appointment types, apply filters to narrow their options, and book directly with the person they need, all from one convenient location.

Configuring Appointment Site Settings

If you're an administrator, you have the task of configuring your Appointments Site settings. Here's how:

  1. Navigate to Engagement > Appointments.

  2. Click the More icon in the top-right corner.

  3. Select Page Settings.

Here, you'll find the settings organized into five different cards. We dive into the specifics of each setting below.

Domains

  • Primary Domain: Element451 assigns a default domain, such as elementu.appointment451.sites.451.io. This cannot be edited.

  • External Domain (Optional): While the primary domain URL is functional, it doesn't share the same institutional brand identity and trust as a URL ending in .edu. To that end, you can configure an external domain to mask or hide the primary domain and use a URL ending in your school name or abbreviation (e.g., appointments.elementu.edu). You'll likely need to work with your IT or website team for this process. Read more on configuring external domains here.

Branding

In this section, you have the ability to customize the appearance of your Appointments Site.

Header Logo (1)

  • 200px x 60px

  • To replace an image, hover over the existing image in the settings panel and click the remove icon that appears.

Banner Background (2)

  • 1400px (or wider) x 120px

  • To replace an image, hover over the existing image in the settings panel and click the remove icon that appears.

Footer Logo (3)

  • 200px x 60px

  • To replace an image, hover over the existing image in the settings panel and click the remove icon that appears.

Use Default School Color for Banner (4)

  • This setting controls the color that is applied to your Appointments Site header.

  • Toggled 'on' by default and uses your school's primary color defined in General Settings > Branding.

  • When toggled off, a color picker is enabled, allowing you to select any color for your site header.

  • If a banner background image is uploaded, the color of the header will be applied as an 85% transparent overlay to ensure consistency and style.

Element Messenger

  • If you use Element’s live chat and/or Bolt Agents, you can toggle Messenger on to display it on your Appointments Site.

  • You can also select either your primary or secondary color for the launcher icon.

Footer

  • The footer is designed to contain your institution's contact and social media information.

  • You will find settings for:

    • Text: Add your mailing address, phone number, and any other text-based information you wish to include.

    • Social Media: Add links to your Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn accounts.

Thank You Message

  • The thank you message is a banner that appears on the confirmation page after someone successfully books an appointment.

  • The message is global and applies to all appointment types and availabilities.

  • To customize the message, adjust the title and description. See example below:

Accessing Your Appointment Site for Booking

Visitors can access your Appointments Site in two primary ways, depending on how your institution is set up:

  • Appointments Site URL — The direct web address for your Appointments Site (using either the primary or a custom domain). The URL can be customized to guide visitors more intentionally and streamline the booking experience.

  • StudentHub — If your institution uses StudentHub, students can browse and book appointments directly within the mobile app. Learn more about how the Appointments module is integrated with StudentHub here.

Customizing the Appointments Site URL

You can customize the Appointments Site experience by adjusting the URL.

This helps guide visitors more intentionally, based on what you want them to see, and restricts where they can navigate. Customization options include:

  • Applying filters using parameters to pre-select a specific category, appointment type, date range, or duration.

    • Helpful for streamlining the booking experience.

  • Hiding filters using parameters to remove specific filtering options from the left-hand menu, or even collapse the menu entirely.

    • Helpful for restricting visitors to only the appointment options you want them to view.

  • Grouping appointments using a query string parameter to organize the index view by appointment type or category visually.

    • Helpful for making the appointment list easier to navigate and understand at a glance.

Use the collapsible sections below to learn more about each customization:

Applying Filters Using URL

The easiest way to create a filtered link is to visit your appointment site, apply the desired filters, and copy the URL. As you apply filters, the corresponding parameters are automatically added to the address bar—no manual editing needed!

Still, if you prefer to build a link manually, you can. You can apply the following filters by adding query string parameters:

  • category — Filter by category

    • Example: ?category=Admissions

  • appointment_type — Filter by appointment type

    • Example: ?appointment_type=Walk%20In%20Appointments

  • start — Filter by start date (or date and time)

    • Example: ?start=2025-04-29T04:00:00.000Z

    • Format: Use ISO format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSZ)

  • end — Filter by end date (or date and time)

    • Example: ?end=2025-04-30T03:59:59.999Z

    • Format: Same as start date formatting.

  • duration — Filter by appointment length (in minutes)

    • Example: ?duration=45

    • Format: Just the number of minutes (no symbols or text).

Combining Multiple Filters

You can combine multiple filters in the same URL by connecting them with an ampersand (&).

  • Example: https://appointments.elementu.edu?category=Admissions&appointment_type=Walk%20In%20Appointments

Necessary Notes

  • Add the first filter with a ?

  • Add each additional filter with &

  • Replace any spaces in values with %20

  • If a visitor clicks into an individual user’s appointment page after landing on a filtered index page, the filters you applied will automatically carry over—no additional setup needed.

Hiding Filters Using URL

You can hide filters from the left-hand menu to keep users from changing selections after they land on the page.

Use the same filter names (category, appointment_type, start, end, duration) when hiding options.

Add &hide_filters= to your URL, followed by the filter name(s) you want to hide:

  • Hide one filter:

    • Example: &hide_filters=category

  • Hide multiple filters:

    • Separate filters with commas.

    • Example: &hide_filters=category,appointment_type

  • Hide all filters:

    • Use all to collapse the entire filter menu.

    • Example: &hide_filters=all

Grouping by Type or Category

You can organize the appointment index page by grouping appointments under labeled sections, based on either their Type or Category.

The easiest way to apply grouping is to use the 'group by' dropdown from the left-hand menu. The grouping parameter is automatically added to the address bar—no manual editing needed!

If you prefer to build a link manually, you can add either ?group_by=type or ?group_by=category to your URL.

When applied, the appointment grid on the index page will be split into sections. Each section includes a heading for the Type or Category, followed by the corresponding appointments.

This grouping structure makes it easier for students to browse and identify the right appointment, especially when many options are available.

Individual Booking Links

Internal users can also set up a personal booking link by adding a custom slug in Appointment Settings > My Settings.

This feature allows individuals to generate a custom appointment link specific to them and their availabilities. Once set, they can:

  • Copy and share their link

  • Add it to their email signature

  • Create a QR code for business cards, flyers, or office signage

  • Share it with students, parents, or external guests

Example of a personal booking link: appointments.elementu.edu/jordan-smith

Note: This is a self-service feature. Each internal user is responsible for setting their own slug and managing their individual link. Click here to learn how to set your custom slug.

Related Articles
Initial Setup for Appointments (Admins)
Events Site + Settings
Application Sites
Configuring External Domains
StudentHub Settings + Configuration
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