To open and close submissions automatically, use Availability in Project Settings → General. Choose Anytime (always open), Closed (always closed), or Between Dates (open within a date range you set). The selected window appears on the public submission form so creators can see exactly when the opportunity is open.
What does Availability control?
Availability is about timing — it controls when the form accepts new submissions, independent of who can see it. Visibility controls who can see the project; Availability controls when they can submit. Use them together: a Public project set to Between Dates is discoverable but only accepts entries within the window.
How to set Availability
Open Project Settings → General.
Scroll to the Availability section.
Choose one of: Anytime, Closed, or Between Dates.
If you chose Between Dates, use the date picker to set a start and end date (with time).
Time zone is based off your country set in the organisation settings.
Save.
What the three options do
Option | Behaviour |
Anytime | The form accepts submissions whenever the project is Public (or whenever someone visits a Private link). |
Closed | The form is immediately closed. Anyone who follows the link sees a 'submissions are closed' message. |
Between Dates | The form opens automatically on your start date/time and closes automatically on your end date/time. |
What do creators see?
When you set a date range, the deadline displays prominently at the top of the submission form. Before the start date, creators see a 'submissions open on…' message. After the end date, they see a 'submissions are closed' message. This is the same UI as a manually Closed project — Dapple just toggles it for you.
Best practice for scheduling
Set end-of-day deadlines (e.g. 23:59 in your time zone) rather than midnight — it removes ambiguity for creators.
Confirm your Organisation time zone in Settings → Organisation before scheduling — it's what the date picker uses.
Don't combine Between Dates with manually flipping to Closed — pick one approach. Combining the two is the most common source of 'why is my project closed' tickets.