Graphical Calendars provide a method of booking that allows users online to choose their reservation via an image or map. They are often used for booking things like cabanas.

For these examples, we will describe the process of creating cabanas at a fictional water park with the layout below, but Graphical Calendars are useful for booking cabins, campground plots, or any other items where the location of each is relevant.

Requirements

• Advantage Web
• A Request to CenterEdge for the feature

A CenterEdge Team member will work with you to do the initial configuration of Graphical calendars after which time you can follow the instructions on this page to set up custom calendars.

Setup

When setting up items such as a cabanas, cabins, or camp sites for use with graphical calendars, there are three main components to configure:

• The Event Type, which represents the category of item to be reserved such as a cabana or cabin and doesn't necessarily have to include an actual event with activities.
• The Calendar, which is the visual representation or map of your location that users will see.
• The Area, which represents the capacity and availability of each individual item (cabana, cabin etc.) to be booked.

More information about each of these components and how they work together is below.

Create the Areas

Areas are a means in Advantage to represent your site's spaces and/or attractions and manage their schedules, participant capacity, and other details. In the case of Graphical Calendars, you will need to create an area to represent each item you want available for booking from your map or image.  In this example, we will be creating cabanas for a fictional water park.

1. Create an Area like you normally would using these instructions.
2. Give the Area a description, such as Cabana 1.
   
3. Verify Groups is selected in the Area Usage area to make the cabana available in the Groups application.
4. Enter the Capacity information.
   • There must be a Maximum Capacity and a Web Capacity of at least 1.  If you intend to charge per person during a booking, you should enter the actual total capacity of the area.
5. Configure any other optional settings as desired.
   During initial setup, CenterEdge will have created a master area with a schedule that will apply universally to all the related areas.  If your items have individual schedules that differ from that, you can configure those in the Schedule tab for the area as usual.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Copy with the area you just created still selected to make the next cabana.
   
8. Change the description to Cabana 2, or whatever is relevant for your purposes.
9. Repeat this process until you have created an area for each item you want to be able to book.

Create the Calendar

Add a New Graphical Calendar

1. From Groups, click Setup.
   You can also access Calendars from Manager Console.
2. Double-click Calendars.
   
3. Click Add.
4. Enter a Description such as Cabana Map.
5. Select Graphical Calendar.
   

Add the Map Image

1. Click Open Map.
2. Click the image icon.
   
3. Locate and open a .jpg or .gif representation of the area from which guests will book.

Create Clickable Areas

Graphical Calendars use shapes known as polygons to determine what part of an image is clickable. These are drawn on the image with the included drawing tools and associated with the appropriate area created in the previous step.

1. Click the New Polygon tool.
   
2. Trace your first clickable area using a series of clicks to add each corner of the polygon, closing the shape when you are done by clicking the first vertex again.
   • Once you close the polygon, a window will automatically appear for you to select the area to associate with the shape.
3. Select the area you created above to represent the cabana or bookable item.
4. Repeat this process for all items.
5. Click Close.
6. Click OK to save.

Create the Event Type

You may already be familiar with Event Types as templates for party and event packages that allow you to configure pricing, included items, and activities among other settings for these offerings. When used with graphical calendars, guests can choose where to book their event based on a map or image online. But, even if there is no actual party, you will still use an Event Type to configure the basic settings for whatever item you're allowing users to book visually.

1. Create a new event as you normally would.
2. Enter a Description, such as Premium Cabana Rental.
3. Select Web Enabled so users will be able to book online.
4. Configure the other details as you normally would, keeping in mind that you will need an inventory item to act as the Package Items for pricing.
5. Open the Areas tab.
6. Click the house icon.
   
7. Select the master Graphical Calendar area CenterEdge created upon initial setup.
   • You can look at any other properly configured graphical calendar Event Type to see the name of this area.
     
8. Click OK.
9. Click the newly added area in the setup box.
10. Click the folder icon.
    
11. Enter a Description in the Choice Set box that appears, such as Cabana Map.
12. Select the Graphical Calendar you created in the last step from the Graphical Calendars drop-down.
    
13. Click OK.
14. Click the newly added Choice Set folder in the setup box.
15. Click the large plus icon.
    
16. Select one of the placeholder areas CenterEdge created on initial setup.
    • Again, you can look at any other properly configured graphical calendar Event Type to see the name of this area.
17. Click OK.
18. With the folder still selected in the setup box, click the blue plus icon again and repeat the process, adding the second placeholder area.
19. When your event looks something like the image below, click OK to save the Event Type.
    

After completing these steps, guests will be able to use your webstore to visually book a specific location.