Getting Started
How do I create my first classroom?
Tap New Class on the home screen, enter your class name, room, and year, then tap Create. You’ll be taken straight to the canvas editor where you can start adding desks.
How do I add desks and arrange the room?
Select a desk shape from the toolbar on the left, then tap anywhere on the canvas to place it. Switch to Select mode to drag desks around, rotate them using the handles that appear when selected, or resize by dragging the corner handle.
How do I add students?
Tap Students in the top bar to open the student manager. Add students one at a time with first and last name, or tap a student to set compatibility rules and learning needs.
How do I assign a student to a desk?
In the canvas editor, tap a desk once to select it, then tap it again to open the assignment panel on the right. Tap any student from the unassigned list to seat them at that desk.
Smart Sort
What does Smart Sort do?
Smart Sort automatically places your students across the room while respecting compatibility rules you’ve set. Students who work well together are placed in the same colour zone; students who clash are kept apart.
How do I lock specific students in place?
Assign a student to a desk, open the assignment panel, then tap Lock seat. Locked students won’t be moved by Smart Sort, so you can protect specific placements while letting the algorithm sort the rest of the class.
Smart Sort shows conflicts — what does that mean?
A conflict means the algorithm couldn’t satisfy every compatibility rule. This usually happens when there are more constraints than available desk positions allow. Try unlocking some seats or adjusting your compatibility settings, then run Smart Sort again.
Saving & History
How do I save my layout?
Tap Save in the top bar at any time. The app also auto-saves rotation changes immediately. If you navigate away with unsaved changes, you’ll be prompted to save or discard.
What are Versions?
Versions let you save named snapshots of a full layout — desks, positions, and student assignments — so you can restore them later. Useful for managing different term arrangements. Tap History in the top bar, then the Saved Versions tab.
What is Seating History?
SeatingPlan automatically records a snapshot each time you run Smart Sort, and you can take a manual snapshot at any time. History lets you look back at where students were sitting on any given date.
How do I undo a change?
Tap the undo arrow in the top bar, or press ⌘Z on a connected keyboard. Redo is available with ⌘⇧Z.
Printing & Export
How do I print my seating plan?
Tap Print in the top bar to open the iOS AirPrint dialog. Any AirPrint-compatible printer on your Wi-Fi network will appear. The printed layout includes desk positions, student names, and the current date.
How do I export a PDF to share?
Tap Export PDF in the top bar. The PDF is generated locally and the iOS share sheet opens so you can send it via email, save to Files, or share to any other app.
How do I use Display Mode?
Tap Display in the top bar to open a full-screen view of the seating plan suitable for projecting to the class. The screen stays on automatically while Display Mode is open.
Privacy
Your data never leaves your iPad
SeatingPlan stores everything — student names, seating arrangements, compatibility rules — locally on your device using encrypted iOS storage. No account is required, no data is transmitted to any server, and no internet connection is needed to use the app.
Contact & Support
Something not working?
If you’ve found a bug or something isn’t behaving as expected, please get in touch and include:
- A description of what you were doing when the issue occurred
- Your iPad model and iPadOS version (Settings › General › About)
- The SeatingPlan version (visible in the App Store under your purchases)