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User Types

The User Types feature allows administrators to categorize system users (such as Student, Staff, or Public) and control various aspects of their interaction with the system. Its primary purpose is to tailor the user experience by defining access to specific lots, available payment options, and the visibility of specific fields on their profile based on their assigned group. This article is intended for OPS-COM administrators responsible for managing user accounts and system permissions.

Setup and Configuration

This feature requires administrative access to manage user groups and system master categories.

Admin Side: Administrators must have the appropriate system role permissions to access the user configuration tools and create new user types.

User Side: Depending on your configuration, end-users can select their user type during the initial portal registration process.

Creating a New User Type

  1. Hover over System Configuration, click Users, then Types to open the User Type Administration page.

  2. Click the Create New User Type button.

  3. Enter the desired name into the Type Name field (e.g., Public Parker).

  4. Select the appropriate internal master category from the Grouping drop-down menu. New user types must be assigned to one of four hardcoded categories: Staff, Student, Public, or Athletics.

  5. Enable the Visible to Users toggle if you want to make this user type selectable by end-users during registration.

  6. Enter a numerical value into the Extra Active Vehicles field. By default, users can have one active vehicle; this specifies how many additional active vehicles are allowed. Detailed instructions can be found on the Limiting Active Vehicles page.

  7. Enable the checkbox next to each allowed payment method under the Allowed Payment Types section.

  8. Click the Create User Type button to finalize the addition.

You can also create specific user types to categorize your archived users. This grouping is crucial as it links to internal master categories, which heavily govern access to other system items and the appearance of profile forms.

Using this Feature

Administrators can use the following instructions to apply user types to profiles, manage lot access, and execute specific searches.

Applying a User Type to a User

A user type can be assigned to a user when their account is first created or changed at any time later.

  1. Hover over User Management and click User Search.

  2. Search for the specific user you want to edit.

  3. Edit the user profile and click the User Type drop-down menu.

  4. Choose the desired user type.

  5. Click the Submit Profile Information button.

  6. Review the submission and click the Information Correct button to save the changes.

Configuring Access to Lots with User Types

User types play a critical role in controlling backend and user-side access to parking lots.

  1. Hover over Parking Management, click Lot Administration, then Pricing & Lot Admin.

  2. Click on the Lot Name of the lot you wish to configure.

  3. Ensure User Type Lot is selected on the General Tab under the Lot Access section.

  4. Select the specific user types you wish to allow access to this lot from the Lot Types drop-down menu. You can press Ctrl + Click to select multiple types simultaneously.

When a user logs into the system and attempts to purchase a permit, the portal will only display lots that are explicitly configured for that user's specific user type. For example, a user assigned a student user type will not see staff-only lots during the checkout process

Available Actions and Buttons

  • # of Users: Click this button located beside a user type in the main list to automatically perform a system search for all users assigned to this group.

  • # of Payment Types: Click this button to immediately view a list of all payment types associated with each user type.

  • Show/Hide Lot User Types: Click this link when viewing the list of lots in the Lot Administration module to quickly see exactly which user types a lot is configured to accept.

  • Delete User Type: Click this button on an existing user type to permanently remove it. A user type can only be deleted or archived if no active or inactive users are currently assigned to it.

Best Practices and Considerations

  • Align with your organizational structure: Create user types that directly reflect the categories of individuals interacting with your system. Using clear names like Faculty, Undergraduate, Graduate, or Visitor makes management intuitive.

  • Enforce granular access control: Leverage user types in Lot Administration to precisely control who can access and purchase permits for specific parking areas. This enhances security and ensures proper resource allocation (e.g., restricting student access to a faculty lot).

  • Understand the impact on profile fields: Remember that the internal Grouping (Staff, Student, Public, Athletics) you assign to a user type dictates the visibility of fields in the registration form. For instance, student users might see specific student ID fields that staff users will not.

  • Control vehicle limits securely: Use the Extra Active Vehicles setting to carefully manage the number of vehicles associated with specific user groups. This directly impacts parking availability and overall system load.

  • Apply payment type restrictions: Utilize the Allowed Payment Types setting to ensure only relevant payment methods are available to specific user groups. For example, you can safely restrict internal payroll deduction options to staff user types only.

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