Newsletter 28/3/2011

Second last feature release for this season – after that, a feature freeze, until the thaw.

• On screen reports now have an improved print style which makes it easy to print them out for posting on your notice board.  This includes the room occupancy report – ideal for showing parties to their rooms on arrival.

• When members cancel a booking, an automatic credit can be applied.  You set the rules in the site config -> booking details.  You have up to 2 stages, e.g.  for a 100% credit and a 50% credit, depending on days before booking commences.  As administrator, you can of course issue further credits by entering a transaction via the booking edit page, which you do by altering the “admin price” field, e.g.  set it to 0 for a 100% credit -> the credit transaction is automatically generated when you save.  For non-member bookings you must issue any credit manually in this way.  For members who cancel a booking in order to make changes, this will allow the credit to be applied before they make payment for the new booking.
• There is now an optional facility that helps you operate a waiting list.  If you switch this on, cancelled bookings are given a new status -> CANCELREQ, which prevents the beds/rooms from becoming available for new bookings until the administrator changes the status to “CANCELLED”.  If automatic credits are issued (as above) these are issued immediately the member cancels.
• When you set the date from which members and guests can make bookings for a season, you now have the option to also set a time.  No more staying up until midnight to make your bookings!
• Invoices and receipts can now be printed, via a button on “member and transaction” -> “manage transaction”.  Click the button, then print the page.  The format of this page is taken from the email format for invoices and receipts, so you can edit the format.  The print version differs slightly in that unnecessary elements are hidden.
• Minor change to the sequence of information in the last two booking steps (steps 4 and 5).  Because the booking is not stored in the database until a payment choice is made on step 4, we have moved the “how to pay” instructions to step 5, and these are only seen if on-line payment is not selected.  The text on pages 4 and 5 is customisable for each lodge, so let us know if you need changes.
• When admin views the member list, the member name is now a link to a read-only page of members details.  Use this instead of the edit button for looking up information.