How does scheduling work in Teamlead? Shift template and continuous schedule

Each location in Teamlead schedules in one of two ways. That method determines where you create the schedule and how you publish.

You create a fixed pattern of one or more weeks, for example a week 1 and a week 2 for odd and even weeks. That pattern keeps repeating.
You create and publish it under Shift templates. Each shift template applies from its own start date.
You handle one-off exceptions, such as illness, leave or a meeting, on the Schedule page. These take precedence over the shift template.
Suitable if your team works roughly the same hours every week.

You schedule each date separately, directly on the Schedule page. The Shift templates menu item is then not there.
You decide up to which date the schedule is published (Published until). Later days are a draft that employees cannot see yet.
You fill the schedule by hand or with Automatically fill.
Suitable if the schedule is different every week.

Is Shift templates in the menu? Then you work with shift templates.
Is Shift templates not in the menu, and do you see Published until: with a date above the schedule? Then you schedule continuously.

Teamlead sets per location which method you use. Want to switch? Email support@teamlead.io.
In Shift template mode you can also choose Continuous: a shift template in which you plan per date. The articles here assume Repeating template.
With both methods, the staffing template is the starting point: how many people you need per skill and per quarter hour. Automatically fill uses that staffing template.
Employees only see published days.
Changes on published days appear under Schedule changes. You can email employees about them (see Notifying employees about schedule changes).

Teamlead schedules per location with a repeating shift template or continuously on the schedule page; here is how to tell which method your location uses.