Archive and start a semester

Semesters separate operating and reporting periods. Archiving closes the current semester and starts a named new one; it is not a way to temporarily hide data.

Before archiving:

1. Confirm the active school and Current semester.
2. Review open sessions and incomplete attendance or recitations.
3. Produce any required reports or exports.
4. Confirm which active halqas and students should continue.
5. Agree on the new semester name and start date.
6. Inform teaching staff of the transition time.

Do not archive simply because a list or report looks wrong. Correct the source record first.

1. Open Semesters.
2. Under Start a new semester, enter the new semester name and start date.
3. Select Carry halqas if Waqar should create active copies with the same responsible sheikhs.
4. Select Carry active students if Waqar should create active records in the new semester while preserving each student’s current progress.
5. Review the confirmation carefully.
6. Choose Archive and start new semester once.

Carrying creates the new semester’s working records. It does not erase or merge the archived records.

The form is bound to the exact active semester and version that you reviewed, and to a one-time operation key. Repeated, concurrent, or stale submissions do not create another successor. If another administrator completed a transition, reload the page and review the resulting state instead of retrying the old form. The former semester’s end date is always reset to the civil day directly before the new start date, including when it previously contained a later end.

Opening Semesters never creates a missing active semester in the background. If the page reports that none exists, first review the complete history and investigate why. Then use the displayed Create active semester form to name and date the recovered semester explicitly. The recovery is serialized, replay-safe, and recorded in the audit history; only one competing recovery can win.

• The former semester appears in Semester history with an end date and archived status.
• The new semester appears as current with the intended start date.
• Carried halqas have the expected sheikhs.
• Carried students appear in the intended halqas with progress preserved.
• New sessions are created in the new semester.
• Exactly one successful lifecycle audit identifies the administrator and the resulting semester; rejected replay/stale operations use distinct actions.

Archived semester reports remain historical evidence. Use the supported semester report rather than recreating old work in the current semester.