I have to create an availability calendar to manage about 30 resources, from phones, to cars or laptop computers. I really like the functionality of MERCI in that it will time check the availability of items as well as allow for multiple items to be checked out at the same time... the car with the parking permit etc...

The problem is, I can't have all 30 resources on the same calendar and have the calendar be functional. I need a way to filter on what item is being reserved. I would also love to be able to color coordinate the items using similar functionality to taxonomy. The last need I have is, when the add+ is clicked on the calendar, I would like the resource who is being filtered on to automatically populate the reservation.

I have tried setting this up with MERCI with limited success. I have also tried to just set it up with calendars, date api, views and taxonomy. The second set up is overall better for filter ability and coloring, however, there is no time check.

Does anyone have a way to do this? I have written some code to do this and attached it to a node, but it is clunky and relies on an access database. I would love to have this maintainable by a non-programmer so that as items are removed and added, anyone can do the maintenance.

Huckle Rahr

Comments

kreynen’s picture

kreynen commented

I really don't understand the request. Are you saying you are having a hard time with a UI that shows the availability of 30 items, but you want MERCI to do that?

I've already committed to rolling some custom code that shows the Reservations for a Resource. Right now that is just a list of events, but there's no reason that can't be presented as a calendar. This approach won't work for Buckets because you aren't reserving an actual item, but creating a placeholder for one of several items on that content type.

MERCI already provides a calendar filtered by both Resources and Buckets. To get to the calendar, enter the items you would like to filter/reserve and the dates you'd like to see the calendar for. If there is a conflict, you'll see the calendar of availability for all the items you filtered by/tried to reserve. The availability grid is only displayed when there is a conflict, but that is easy enough to change.

If there is enough interest I can add a setting to show the grid even when there isn't a conflict, but I don't really understand why someone would want that.

rahr’s picture

rahr commented

Lets say I have three resources: a car, a laptop and a parking permit. I would like to be able to filter the calendar to just show the availability of the car. If I set the filter to resource, there is no way to specify which resource that I want to see.

salvis’s picture

salvis
he/his
commented

If there is enough interest I can add a setting to show the grid even when there isn't a conflict, but I don't really understand why someone would want that.

If you're using MERCI to reserve a room for an hour or two it would be nice to see whether there's already an adjacent reservation, at the time of reservation as well as later on (like on the day of the booking). So, yes, it would be nice to have the option to display the day(s) within the Reservation node.

mautumn’s picture

mautumn commented

I second the previous comment. I think there is much more use of this module than the designers originally envisaged...

I think a common usecase is to see where there is resource availability and to pick from the remaining available options/slots. Imaging trying to book a seat in a cinema - by exception (which is what the current design offers):

Customer: "May I have seat A1 please?"
Ticket person: "Let me see... No, sorry that's booked."
Customer: "Okay. May I have seat A2 please?"
Ticket person: "Let me see... No, sorry that's booked also."

... need I go on? Much better to show the customer the available seats (resources) and let them choose from what is available.

kreynen’s picture

kreynen commented
Status: Active » Closed (works as designed)

I think there is much more use of this module than the designers originally envisaged

Translation: The module's designers didn't build something that works for every possible configuration.

True. Thus the "E" in MERCI. We looked at several attempts at general checkout systems before deciding to roll our own from scratch because the general solutions couldn't be customized enough to work for equipment checkouts. MERCI was designed to work really well for equipment checkouts. If it works well for other configurations that's a bonus, but not something we are going to put time into supporting.

MERCI can already deal with the seat A1, A2, A3, scenario in two different ways.

1) If all the good seats are grouped into a content type call Good Seats and designated as a Bucket, users could say I want a good seat and would be able to reserve one. When they showed up, they'd be given one of the good seats based on first come first serve basis.

2) If seats are added as Resources, clicking the Check Availability button removes any items from the select list that aren't available at that date and time.

I really suggest anyone looking for a general reservation solution support with code, time, and/or $$ tirsales's work on Bookings API. It was really the closest to a usable solution when c.lam started it and tirsales has taken it in a positive direction.

I will consider patches for MERCI that enable other uses without negatively impacting the core use, but feature requests to turn MERCI into a general solution will be marked as "by design".

rahr’s picture

rahr commented

Thanks for the information. I switched over to Resource Conflict, which meets my needs. With this module I can create more items for checking out. There is a conflict check. I can also create a calendar to view all or selected resources. I can list all of the resource nodes on the CCK so that multiple resources can be checked out at the same time. Overall it is working perfectly.

Once again, thanks for the help!
Huckle