# Preparation time per product - Slotline 1.x documentation

> Products that take days to make or source push back the first date customers can choose, and can block dates of their own.

> [!NOTE]
> This is part of **Slotline Pro**.

A made-to-order cake, a piece of furniture from the workshop, flowers you order in: some products can't go out tomorrow. Give them a preparation time, and the checkout only offers dates they can be ready by.

## Setting it

Edit the product and open the **Shipping** tab of the Product data box. Below the shipping class there are two fields:

- **Preparation time (days)**: the first delivery or pickup date customers can choose is this many days after they order. Leave it empty (or 0) for none.
- **Unavailable dates**: dates this product can't be delivered or picked up, one per line as YYYY-MM-DD. For example the day your supplier is closed.

Click **Update**. For a variable product, the settings apply to all its variations.

## How a cart is worked out

- A cart takes the **longest** preparation time of its products. A loaf (no preparation) and a wedding cake (3 days) in one cart can't come before the cake's ready.
- Every product's unavailable dates are left out.
- The minimum notice and closed dates of the schedule still apply on top.

It works for every schedule: delivery, pickup and More schedules.

## Changing the time from My Account

When customers change their time (see **Customers change their time**), the products in their order count the same way, measured from the day they make the change.

## With other plugins

Preparation time works together with Preorderline's release dates: whichever is later decides the first date.

Source: https://extendiment.com/plugins/slotline/docs/1.x/preparation-time