---
title: "When an annotation conflicts with an existing one"
slug: "annotation-conflicts"
updated: 2026-09-24T03:14:36Z
published: 2026-09-24T03:14:36Z
canonical: "docs.quantivly.com/annotation-conflicts"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.quantivly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# When an annotation conflicts with an existing one

Annotations that would overlap are caught **before** they are saved. Instead of a generic error after the fact, you get a dialog showing what you are about to save alongside the annotation it collides with, so you can see the clash and decide what to change.

This check runs on every tab of the annotation editor, and the dialog names which kind of conflict it found:

| Tab | Dialog title |
| --- | --- |
| Regular hours | **Regular hours conflict** |
| Exceptions | **Exceptions conflict** |
| Reserved blocks | **Reserved block conflict** |
| Events | **Event group conflict** |

Each kind of annotation is only checked against its own kind: regular hours against regular hours, exceptions against exceptions, reserved blocks against reserved blocks, and events only against events in the same event group.

## Reading the dialog

The dialog opens with a sentence saying how many existing annotations you have hit. For regular hours and reserved blocks it names the scanner and why the overlap is not allowed — for regular hours, *"Only one operating-hours rule can apply to a scanner on a given day."* For events it names the event group instead (*"Labels in the same event group can't overlap."*), and for exceptions it gives the count only. It always ends with **Nothing has been saved.**

Below that is your edit, then one card for each existing annotation it collides with, stacked one above the other.

![The Regular hours conflict dialog: a Your rule card above a Conflicts with 1 existing rule card, each listing validity, times and repeat days, with a highlighted Same day line and a Back to editing button.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d2a031b3-e484-4983-9d46-1633ed0c8eef/Images/Documentation/07-annotation-conflict-dialog.jpg)

| Card | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Your rule** — the edit you just tried to save. Named for the tab you are on, so it reads *Your exception*, *Your event* or *Your block* elsewhere | The scanner, then **Valid**, **When** and **Repeats** for regular hours and other recurring annotations, or **Date** and **When** for a one-off exception, block or event. Exceptions also show their **Type**, events their **Event group** and **Event label**, and reserved blocks their **Block** |
| **Conflicts with …** — headed with the number of existing annotations you have hit, named for the tab (rules, exceptions, events or blocks) | The same details for the rule already in place, except the scanner, which is not repeated because it is the same one |

A highlighted line at the foot of each existing card states the overlap itself. For regular hours it names the shared days — for example **Same day: Mon, Tue, Wed** — so you can see which days the two share without comparing the two lists yourself. On the other tabs it names the shared time window, for example **Overlaps 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM**.

### Notes on the existing annotation

Where the annotation you are colliding with carries notes, they are shown on its card. This is often the fastest way to understand a conflict: the note may say why the existing rule is there, which tells you whether to change yours or go and change theirs.

## What to do next

The dialog offers one action, **Back to editing**, which returns you to your edit with your input intact. Nothing has been saved, so adjust the days, the times or the scanner and try again.