Overview
Locations are the foundation of Mobaro: Schedules, Assignments, Results, access, readiness and reporting all hang off them. A clean setup makes it easy for staff to find the right Checklist and for managers to trust the reports. A messy one causes duplicate work and split history that is hard to fix later.
This article is the planning guide: how to decide what becomes a Location, how to name and group Locations, and how to keep the list healthy over time. For what Locations are, see Overview of Locations in Mobaro; for the editor, see How to create Locations.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Planning: anyone. Creating: Super Users, or a Role with Locations › Create. Editing: Locations › Modify. Deleting: Locations › Delete |
Where | Locations, Location Groups and Configuration › Locations |
Works on | Backend (web). Locations are used in the Mobile app, RideOps and the Public API |
Availability | All organizations |
💡 Why this matters: Mobaro has no archive or merge for Locations, and deleting one can't be undone. Getting the structure right before Schedules and dashboards are built on top saves rework you can't easily reverse.
Decide what is a Location
Make something a Location when work is done, checked or reported there on its own: a ride, a pool, a shop, a kitchen, a back-of-house area. Use the other building blocks for the rest:
If it is… | Use |
A place where Checklists are completed or Downtime is logged | A Location |
A collection of places, such as a zone, park or department | A Location Group. See How to create Location Groups. |
Equipment at a place, such as a train, pump or car | An Asset under the Location. See Linking Assets to Locations. |
A characteristic, such as ride type or equipment present | A Location Property. See Creating and assigning Location Properties. |
Don't create a Location per Checklist. One Location can have as many Checklists scheduled on it as you need, and one Checklist can be scheduled on many Locations.
Name Locations clearly
Use names staff recognize. Lazy River, Main Entrance, Kitchen — Café 1. Avoid Pool 1 when you have several pools. If a new starter can't place it from the name, rename it.
Agree a pattern. For example Attraction — Section or Building — Floor — Room, and for multi-site operators Resort A — Wave Pool. This matters most when several admins create Locations.
Keep codes out of the name. Put codes from other systems in External ID, which only Super Users can set and which Location search also matches.
Renaming is safe: Schedules, Assignments and Results point to the Location itself, so they stay linked and history is kept.
Structure for access and reporting
One place, one Location. A place that exists twice splits its history, doubles reports and confuses staff about which to use.
Split shared areas. Use North Arcade and South Arcade rather than one Arcade, so issues and compliance are tracked where they happen.
Mirror your real zones with Location Groups. Groups can be nested, and a Location can belong to several groups, such as Water Park and Food & Beverage. Three or four levels is usually enough.
Grant access through groups. Add User Groups to Location Groups rather than people to each Location. Members of a group see every Location in it and its child groups, including ones added later. See How access works in Mobaro.
Think about reporting early. Dashboards filter by Location and Location Group, so group Locations the way you'll want to compare them.
Also decide per Location whether to turn on Enable Operational Logging (opening, closing and Downtime), add Opening Hours for uptime, and set Geographic Location if Checklists must be answered on site. See How to create Locations.
Keep the list current
Review your Location list regularly, for example before each season. For a Location you no longer use, pick the lightest action that works:
Situation | What to do |
The place still exists but has a new name or role | Rename it. History stays linked. |
It's closed for a season | Keep it and take it off its Schedules, so nothing is due there. |
It's gone for good | Move its Assets and Schedules elsewhere, then delete it. |
Two Locations are duplicates | There's no merge. Move Schedules and Assets to the one you keep, then delete the other. |
🛑 Critical: Deleting a Location can't be undone, and there's no archive option. It is removed from Schedules and Location Groups; its Assets aren't moved or deleted, and markers on location maps aren't cleaned up. Only delete Locations that are gone for good.
To change settings on many Locations at once, select them on the Locations page (use Toggle Multiselect) and click Edit: Edit multiple locations covers Operational Logging, Language and Radius only. To create many Locations, use the Mobaro API or ask Mobaro to import a spreadsheet. See Importing Locations via the Mobaro API (and Excel).
Best practices
Sketch your Location and Location Group structure before creating anything, and check it against how you want dashboards to read.
Use Location Properties rather than extra Locations or Checklists when one Checklist should vary between places.
Give Locations to people through User Groups on Location Groups, not one by one.
Rename or reschedule before you consider deleting.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to have one location for multiple checklists or a new location for every checklist?
One Location per real place. Schedule as many Checklists on it as you need. Use Location Properties when one Checklist should vary between Locations.
How do I archive a location?
You can't. Mobaro has no archive for Locations. Rename it or take it off its Schedules to stop using it. Deleting is permanent, so delete only Locations that are gone for good.
Is it possible to merge two locations?
No. Move the Schedules and Assets to the Location you keep, then delete the other. Results already recorded at the other Location aren't moved.
Is it better to have multiple location groups?
Usually, yes. Groups can be nested to mirror your zones, and a Location can be in several groups, for example one by area and one by department. Each group can drive access, Schedules and dashboard filters.
What's the difference between a location and a location group?
A Location is one place where work happens, such as a ride. A Location Group is a folder of Locations used for access, scheduling and reporting. See Overview of Locations in Mobaro.