RESERVATIONS for JOOMLA!

Reservations for Joomla! is a component for Joomla 1.0 (and Joomla 1.5 legacy mode), created for all those activities that can be booked online.
Its high parameters allow it to be used in very different industries. For example, a beauty center where is possible to make an appointment for a hair cut with specific beautician or book a tennis or squash court or soccer field in a sports club. In the following examples, it is simulated how a beautician can make use of the component. But there still will be described other examples for different services.

HOW IT WORKS?

Form the tables, labels, calendar’s structure, e-mail messages until the graphic lay-out, they can be totally parameterized, avoiding as much as possible, configuration phases; making even possible to convert Joomla Reservations in a personal agenda.

To request a reservation, it basically needs 2 tables. The “Service” and the “Operator” tables (it’s possible to disable one or both of them, if necessary). When the component is installed, both tables will be activated automatically or some example information downloaded)

SELECT A SERVICE

Clicking on the options menu connected to the component, automatically it will be requested to select one of the services enable for reservation. The options menu will make reference to the services’ table, which download must be made in Back-End. (Please refer to the corresponding chapter of this manual)

SELECT AN OPERATOR

Once the service has been selected, it will appear a list of the operators marked as “able to provide the service”. The option menus will make reference to the operators’ table, which downloading must be done in Back-End. Please refer to the corresponding chapter of this manual (P.S. If the services’ table becomes disable during the configuration phase, the application will be directly selected by the operator).

Example: In the previous table the service selected is “Solarium” and it shows all the available operators able to provide the service

THE CALENDAR

Once the operator has been selected, it will appear the operator’s weekly calendar (P.S. If the operator’s table becomes disable during the configuration phase, the application will be directly seen from the calendar).

In the high part of the table, the selected service and operator are specified (only if the tables “services” and/or “operators” are not disabled) and immediately below there, it will appear a legend where the user can see the vacant dates and times, those already booked or those not available (for example for vacation or lunch break)

The calendar’s structure is completely parameterized; it’s possible to define the number and duration of the periods of time (Please see the table “time units” in the corresponding chapter of this manual), and which ones and how many of them are active for each week day. In the example shown, the periods of time are hourly based, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with a lunch break from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm and closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

INSERT A RESERVATION

In order to insert a reservation, it’s only necessary to click in one of the boxes “available” in the calendar.

As shown in the previous illustration, in the top, the service and the operator are repeated (only if the “services” and/or “operators” tables are not disabled) as well as the appointment date and time. Immediately after, is required to compile client’s personal information. Based on the date and time selected by the client, the system will verify if the service length is compatible with the time available for that service in the calendar (Please refer to the corresponding chapter of this manual).

Once the reservation is confirmed, the system generates and sends and e-mail to the business (but only if this option was activated during the configuration as if an e-mail address has been specified). At the same time, the client receives a message, through an e-mail, but only if the “send reservation confirmation” option has been activated during configuration and if the client has provided an e-mail address.

FRONT-END ADMINISTRATION

In the component configuration mask (please refer to the corresponding chapter of this manual) it’s possible to specify a Joomla’s user assigning he/she ample capabilities as front-end administrator.

RESERVATION’S INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

When the front- end administrator has logged-in is capable to access simultaneously several operator’s calendars and, selecting each of the reservations, can see the client’s data and modify or cancel the reservations.

MODIFY OR CANCEL A RESERVATION

The administrator, besides to be able to see the reservation’s data merely passing the mouse over the reservation box, just clicking in there, can make modifications in the reservation such as change date, time, operator and/or services and even have access to client’s information. In case the “notify client via e-mail” option is active and the client has given an e-mail address, the system will send automatically an electronic message notifying about the changes in the reservation.

THE “BACK-END”

Once the component has been installed (Please refer to the corresponding chapter in this manual), inside the Joomla 1.0 components’ menu will appear a new drop-down menu

THE SERVICES

From Joomla Reservation menu – Manage Services, it’s possible to access the services configuration table (the installation is automatic when some example data is installed).

As seen in the example illustration, for each service it’s possible specify the description, time units number, or in order to be more precise, the service length in time units (please refer to the “time units” chapter of this manual); or service order presentation in the “selection list” in “front-end”.

THE OPERATORS

When the procedure to insert a new operator is in process, it will be requested only the name and a number that will be used by the system as operator’s presentation order in the selection list in “front-end”.

Once the operator’s name has been inserted, going back to “modify” is possible to assign the services that specific operator can provide.

Nell’esempio riportato nell’immagine precedente, l’operatore è abilitato a svolgere solamente i primi 3 servizi e non i successivi 2, verrà quindi proposto solo quando un cliente sceglie un servizio al cui svolgimento l’operatore è abilitato.

In the previous illustration, the operator is able to perform only the 3 first services but no the following 2, therefore they will be available to the client only when an operator is enable to perform that service.

Using the “operators” and “services” tables “improperly” is possible to manage the services. For example, let’s assume that a sports club rents tennis court per hour (having only 3 available) and fast soccer fields (having 2 vacant). To include them in the service list, it is only necessary to create 2 services (“tennis court rent” and “soccer field rent”) and 5 operators (“tennis court 1”, “tennis court 2”, “tennis court 3”, “soccer field 1”, “soccer field 2”) assigning each operator the precise service. In the configuration mask will be possible to place the service request label and operator and in this way the client will be able to see “Select a service for booking” and then to be asked to choose from “tennis court” and “fast soccer field”, and right after, will be asked to select “court/field number”, having the possibility to choose one of 3 courts or one of 2 fields (please refer to “Configuration” chapter of this manual)

TIME UNITS

From menu Joomla Reservation – Manage Time Units it’s possible to get access to Calendar Structure Configuration table. In this table is possible to specify the number of “boxes able to be booked”, subdivide the business day and establish if there are boxes not available for booking (for example, lunch breaks). The component installation automatically sets up some mock-up information).

In the previous example shown, the business day has been “ideally” subdivided.

DAYS

From the menu Joomla Reservation - Manage Days it is possible to get access to the calendar structure configuration table day by day. In this table the time units are active for 7 days a week, but it is also possible to arrange the days marked as “closed” or “open half-day only”. (The component installation automatically sets up some examples information).

In the following illustration, Saturday is labeled as “able for booking” from 09:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the same time as the afternoon and evening boxes are disabled and therefore not able for reservation.

RESERVATIONS

In the “front-end, the administratior has the capability to modify/delete the reservations; but also there is a program that allows to convert it into back-end. This option is very helpful because it is possible; for example, delete several reservations in blocks making multiple selections before hit the delete key.

CONFIGURATION

Dal menù Joomla Reservation -> Configurations si accede alla tabella di configurazione sia grafica che operativa del componente. (L’istallazione del componente provvede automaticamente ad istallare alcuni dati di esempio).

From menu Joomla Reservation - Configurations it is possible to access the configuration table through a graphic or component operative system. (The component installation automatically sets up some example information)
As it has been mentioned before, from this panel is possible to disable “operator table” and/or “service table” (please do not forget that is very important to leave active at least one option menu in the table that will be put out of action in each case). It is also possible specify front-end labels’ description, business’ name and e-mail, enable e-mail notification option and set up the colors for each calendar box (in this case, the example shows the color and beside it there’s the specified code. P.S. The # is mandatory).