# 📐 How to use advanced service settings (Booking Rules)?

> Configure advanced booking rules including notice periods, booking windows, and cutoff times.

> **⚠️ Warning**
>
> This feature requires a bit of thinking and planning before settings up. You will want to be clear on how you want service limits to affect each other and possible "edge cases".

### Why would i want apply specific "Booking rules" in Cowlendar?

You might be offering two services which use the same room in your building. This means that if Service 1 is booked then Service 2 should automatically close out because now the room will be used for Service 1. 

You almost might still want to accept more booking on Service 1 while still keeping Service 2 closed. Which means a global limit of 1 per time slot will not work.

Thankfully due to Cowlendar latest advanced settings which allows the incorporation of "special rules" this can be accomplished!

![](https://orka-chat.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/prod/help/671a5e245d077ea954b2cd4c/import/1791976409240-ScreenShot_Tool_-20250305141723.webp)

How would a service rule between Service A and Service B in Cowlendar work?

Lets assume that from the screenshot above Plants for all is Service A and Business Coaching With Me is Service B.

#### In the rule we state:

If there is 1 booking made in a timeslot of Service 1 then close that timeslot in Service 2 while still keeping the timeslot open in Service 1 until it's own limit is reached.

![](https://orka-chat.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/prod/help/671a5e245d077ea954b2cd4c/import/1791976409625-image_73_.webp)

If you want this rule to be enabled both ways then toggle on "Share the same rule in both directions".
This means if Service 1 has a limit of 20 then 19 people can still book but Service 2 is closed because of this rule.

### Steps to create booking rules in Cowlendar:

In your Shopify admin dashboard look for at the left hand panel and click on the **Apps** tab.
Click on **Cowlendar.**
Click on **Settings**, then **Booking rules.**

![](https://orka-chat.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/prod/help/671a5e245d077ea954b2cd4c/import/1791976408591-Untitled_design_-_2025-03-05T145741.966.webp)

### Booking rules explained:

**Booking rule type:**
**Service Rule:** Select this if you want to impact the availiability of a service based on the bookings of another service.
So if Service 1 is booked then impact the availability of Service 2 based on rule.
**Team member rule:** Select this if you want to impact the availability of a teammate based on the bookings of another teammate.
So if Teammate A is booked impact the availability of Teammate B based on rule.
**Service 1 / Service 2 or Teammate 1 / Teammate 2:**
These are the two services or teammates you want to have a rule between.
Select this if you want the rule to be applied from A -> B and also B -> A
Rule
**Number of Bookings:**
Determines how many books will trigger the rule
**Count bookings by:**
Timeslot or Calendar dates

> **⚠️ Warning**
>
> Understand the overall rule is to close based on X limit. You can play around with this to make this as dynamic as possible.