Season Start Date - The season start date (set on the Seasons setup screen) is the default date when shows and performances built under that given season will then appear on the Main Ticketing public page. Prior to this date they appear on the Pre-Season public page. NOTE that if this date is prior to performance dates in the former season, those shows/performances will disappear from view as of this date, in favor of the new season shows.
Publish Date (optional) - This field appears on the Shows setup screen for each individual show, and simply controls when the show will appear on the main ticketing public page for sale, provided you are within the current season. This does not prevent box office sales, and will prevent access via the standard show-specific public page link. However, it does not prevent you linking directly to the show or one of its performances using show_special or perf_special public page links. So you can input a future on sale date, so that patrons viewing the main ticketing public page do not see the show yet, but then publish or send out one of the special links to give certain patrons access to purchase tickets ahead of the general public. See Linking to Public Pages for details.
Online Sale Ends (date and time) - This field appears on each performance row on the Performances setup screen and controls when online sales end; as of the date/time entered (or at curtain time if this field is left blank). This will stop online sales of this performance. Box office still has the ability to work within that performance, even for a few days after the performance in the case of any late entry.
Not Avail Online - This checkbox appears on each performance row on the Shows and Performances setup screen and, when checked, means that performance will not appear on the list of performances for that show on the public pages. The performance will still appear for box officers to select, and you can link directly to the performance using a perf_special public page link. Therefore you could have the performance not appear to the general public, but could send out a link to specific patrons so they could purchase online. See Linking to Public Pages for details.
If you need to manually end sales, you can do so by editing the field above on the Shows and Performances setup screen. It is not recommended to alter the Season start date once a season is underway without very careful consideration. Let us know if you have questions.