Booking

The Booking app enables users to book resources in Eliona. It also provides an interface for other apps to synchronize bookings with external services.

Installation

Install the app in the Eliona Store.

Configuration [optional]

After installation, you can change the configuration in the generic frontend: There is a standard configuration that can be retrieved via GET /config. You can change this configuration and send it via POST to the /config endpoint. Here is an example of a configuration:

{
    "dayStartHours": 8,
    "dayStartMinutes": 0,
    "middayStartHours": 12,
    "middayStartMinutes": 0,
    "middayEndHours": 13,
    "middayEndMinutes": 0,
    "dayEndHours": 17,
    "dayEndMinutes": 0,
    "noShowMins": 15,
    "adHocBookAfterMins": 15,
    "adHocBookForMins": 30,
    "presenceAttributeName": "presence"
}

This configuration is used to set the quick booking boundaries—for example, booking a resource for the morning will result in a booking from 8:00 to 12:00.

noShowMins sets the time after which the booking is automatically canceled. A negative number deactivates this function. (further details in the "No Show" section)

Note that when retrieving the configuration, fields with null values are omitted.

Setting up bookable resources

If you are using a synchronization app for external services with CAC (e.g., EWS app), skip this step. The resource types and resources are created automatically.

For a resource to be bookable, it must be defined in both the resource type and the specific resource.

The resource type must have the "bookable" attribute of the "property" subtype, and the resource must set this property to "1".

In addition, the resource type should have the "occupancy" input attribute, into which information about the current booking status is written.

These resources must then be placed on a floor either as a polygon (z.B. Räume) or as a point of interest. Set "Occupied" as the attribute, set value-based color (0 for free, 1 for occupied) and set the "Resource can be booked" property.

In Dashboard -> Widgets, you create a new widget type and add a "Booking" block.

After you have created the widget type, you create a new dashboard and use this widget type. Configure the desired floor and the resources to be included.

In this dashboard, users can book the resources.

Booking

Click on the resource you want to book and follow the form to book the resource for the desired time.

The form allows booking in two ways: quick booking and advanced booking. The quick booking allows the user to quickly book the resource for a predefined part of the day (specified in the configuration), while the advanced booking allows the user to specify the exact time for the booking.

The resources are booked for a specific user, and users can manage their bookings in the same place where they can book the resources.

If an external service is connected and the resource is linked to it, this booking is forwarded to the external service. Conversely, bookings created in this external service are also synchronized with Eliona.

No Show

The app can automatically cancel bookings, if no person appears in the room. This function is set by the noShowMins parameter in the configuration.

The room or its subordinate locations must have exactly one attribute that is named as configured in presenceAttributeName. This means that the room could have a virtual attribute that refers to information from other sensors, or a person or presence sensor could be installed that provides the presence information.

As soon as the app has information about the presence and noShowMins >= 0, it monitors the recently started bookings for presence. If no presence is detected within the first noShowMins of the booking, the booking is canceled.

If the room does not have a presence sensor, no action is taken.

Ad-hoc booking

The app can automatically book rooms that are occupied for a specific time. The requirements are the same as for No Show.

Ad-hoc bookings are automatically activated for rooms that have ever been booked. It can be deactivated completely by setting adHocBookAfterMins < 0.

If someone is continuously present in the room for adHocBookAfterMins and the room has no booking during this time (or in adHocBookForMins since the beginning), the room is booked for adHocBookForMins since the beginning.

External services

The Booking app can be connected to external booking services. We currently offer a connection with Microsoft Exchange / Outlook Calendar via the Exchange app. Please contact us for information on further integrations.