BookSlot - Appointment Booking

A lot of booking scripts either need a calendar sync service or just trust whatever the browser last loaded. BookSlot computes availability from your actual schedule every time, server-side: a public booking page lets customers pick a service, pick a date, and pick from real available times, calculated live from your weekly hours and existing bookings.

Double-booking is impossible, enforced at the database level with a unique constraint backing up the live availability check, not just trusted from a stale page load. Weekly recurring availability supports gaps like a lunch break, and a configurable buffer keeps a few minutes free between appointments automatically. Every booking triggers an email confirmation to the customer and a notification copy to you, plus an "Add to calendar" (.ics) link on the confirmation screen.

It doesn't look like generic scheduling software either - a warm terracotta-and-cream theme with serif headings gives it an editorial, boutique feel out of the box. An admin bookings list with upcoming, past, and cancelled views (with search and pagination) makes managing a growing booking history easy, and cancelling a booking instantly frees the slot for someone else.

Storage is a self-contained SQLite database, so there's no separate database server to configure - upload the files and a short setup form creates everything, with no Composer, Node, or build step required. Good fit for a solo practitioner, consultant, or small studio that wants online booking without a monthly SaaS subscription.

demo@andarkconsulting.co.za / DemoAdmin2026!

Features

- Public booking page: pick a service, date, and time from live-computed real availability - Double-booking prevented at the database level with a unique constraint, not just client-side trust - Weekly recurring availability with support for gaps (e.g. a lunch break) - Email confirmation to the customer plus a notification copy to you, on every booking - "Add to calendar" (.ics) link on the confirmation screen - Configurable buffer to keep minutes free between appointments automatically - Admin bookings list with upcoming/past/cancelled views, search, and pagination - Currency set once in Settings, updates everywhere it's shown - SQLite storage - no MySQL database to create, a short setup form creates everything - No Composer, no Node, no build step for the buyer

Requirements

HP 8.1 or later with the `pdo_sqlite` extension, and a working `mail()` function on your host for confirmation emails.

Instructions

1. Upload the contents of `src/` to your web host, or run locally with `php -S localhost:8000 -t src`. 2. Make sure `src/data/` is writable by PHP. The bundled `.htaccess` blocks direct access to the database; on Nginx, which ignores `.htaccess`, add an equivalent rule yourself. Confirm your host's `mail()` function works so booking confirmations send (check with your host if emails don't arrive). 3. Visit the site - you're taken to a one-time setup screen to enter your business name, business email, and admin login. 4. Add at least one service (name, duration, optional price - only active services appear publicly) under Services, and set your weekly recurring hours under Availability (add a second time range on a day to leave a gap, like a lunch break), before sharing your booking link. 5. Set the interval between bookable start times and a buffer (minutes kept free before/after each booking) in Settings. 6. Share `book.php` with customers, or link to it from your site - no login required for them. 7. Manage the bookings list from the admin area (upcoming, past, cancelled, with search/pagination); cancelling a booking immediately frees that slot back up. 8. Every booking automatically sends a confirmation email (with the .ics calendar link) to the customer, and a copy to your business email.