Permit Management - ParkAdmin OperationsCommander works hard to maintain an up to date product wiki! If you have any questions or if you feel something is missing, post about it in the community. Permit Search This article describes the Permit Search tool, a central hub for finding, managing, and reporting on all parking permits. Its primary purpose is to provide administrators with detailed search capabilities and a suite of actions for managing permit visibility, user assignments, and communications. This guide is intended for OPSCOM administrators. Using this Feature This tool is a standard administrative feature and does not require any specific configuration. It utilizes the existing permit and user data within the system. The Permit Search page allows you to find specific groups of permits and then perform a variety of bulk and individual management actions. Performing a Permit Search Go to Permit Management and click Permit Search . Enter your desired criteria in the search fields. Optionally, enable the Archived Permit Data or Include Only Active Permits checkboxes to refine your search. Click the Toggle More Options button to reveal additional search filters that can be pinned to your default view. Click the Retrieve button to generate the results. Understanding the Permit Counts Legend At the top of the search results, a legend provides a quick overview of the permits found: Total : Total number of permits found by your search criteria. Requested : A user is associated with the permit, but no payment has been initiated. Rented/Reserved : A payment is associated with the permit, but it may not be fully processed yet. Visible To User : The permit is available for purchase and has no user associated with it. Visible to Admins : The permit is hidden from users and has no user associated with it. Unavailable : The permit's state is not set to Good, Valid, or Usable. Performing Bulk Actions and Reports From the drop-down menu at the top of the results, select a report or action to apply to all permits in the list. Click the Perform Selected Action button to proceed. Available actions include:  Generate Mailing List , Generate User Usage Report , Send Email to Permit Users , Generate Status Report , and Generate Permits for Printing . Managing Individual Permits in the Results List Permit Number : Click the link in this column to open the Parking Permit Information screen, where you can manage the Permit State and view associated user and payment details. Clock Icon (History) : Click this icon to view the permit's complete transaction and user rental history. Reserved/Rented : Click the user's name in this column to view their details, with links to their profile or to send an email. Toggle Availability : Use the checkbox in this column to control if a permit is visible to users for purchase. Use the Mark all Available or Mark all Not Available buttons for bulk changes, then click Update Records to save. Release : Click this link to disassociate the permit from its current user, making it available for resale. Switch : Click this link to change the permit number assoc iated with the current user. Best Practices & Considerations Releasing a permit does not automatically refund the user. This action only disassociates the permit from the user. If a refund is required, you must also perform a separate financial adjustment . Understand the difference between permit statuses: Requested means a user has selected an item but has not yet chosen a payment method. Reserved means there is an associated unprocessed payment (promise to pay, e.g., cheque). Rented means the payment is processed. Use the Toggle More Options button to pin frequently used search filters to your default view. This saves time and customizes the search page to your workflow. Permit Switch This article describes the administrative tool for performing permit switches and moves. This feature provides two distinct functions: swapping permit assignments between two permits, and moving a permit from one user to another. This tool is essential for managing changes in user parking assignments or handling permit transfers. This guide is intended for OPSCOM administrators. Using this Feature The tool offers two primary functions which are detailed below. This feature is a standard administrative tool and does not require any specific configuration to use. Its functionality relies on existing user and permit data. Swapping Permits This process is used to exchange permit assignments. This can be between two users, or for moving one user to a different, vacant permit. Select the lot and permit number for the first permit in the Current Permit fields. Select the lot and permit number for the second permit in the New Permit Lot fields. Permits already assigned to other users will be highlighted and display the owner's name. Click the Switch two permits button. On the confirmation screen, review the price difference and select either the Full Price or Prorated Price radio button. Enter a mandatory Reason for Action . Click the Switch User Permit button to finalize the swap. Moving a Permit from One User to Another This process transfers ownership of a specific permit from one user to another. In the first user search field, find and Select the user who currently holds the permit. A list of their assigned permits will be displayed. Select the permit you wish to move. A second user search field will appear. In the second search field, find the user who will be receiving the permit. Click the Move Permit button. Click Ok in the confirmation dialog to finalize the t ransfer. Best Practices & Considerations Moving a permit from one user to another does not transfer any associated invoices. The original user remains responsible for any outstanding payments on their account. When swapping permits with different values, the system automatically calculates the price difference , both at full and prorated rates. This difference will be applied as a charge or credit to the user's account upon confirmation. Always enter a clear and concise Reason for Action when performing a switch. This creates an important audit trail that can be reviewed in the permit's history, explaining why the administrative change was made. Awaiting Payment - Permits This article describes the Permits Awaiting Payment report, a tool used to manage and communicate with users who have pending permit payments. Its primary purpose is to provide administrators with a centralized view of unpaid permit reservations and offer tools for sending payment reminders and processing payments. This guide is intended for OPSCOM administrators. Using this Feature The report allows administrators to filter for users with outstanding permit payments and provides several tools for communication and management. This report is a standard feature of the permit management module and does not require any specific configuration. It automatically displays data based on user permit reservations and their payment status. Generating the Report Hover over Permit Management and click Awaiting Payment . The Permits Awaiting Payment screen will load, displaying all users with pending payments. Optionally, select a specific lot from the drop-down menu at the top of the page to filter the list. Available Actions and Buttons Email Listed : Click this button to send a single, bulk email to all users displayed in the list. A pop-up will allow you to compose a message and add attachments. Export and Print : Use the Excel , CSV , PDF , Copy , and Print buttons to export or print the current report data. Envelope Icon : Click this icon in a user's row to send an email to that individual user. Profile Icon : Click this icon to navigate directly to the user's profile page. Permit Number : Click the link in this column to view or edit the permit's details and process any associated payments. Best Practices & Considerations Use the Email Listed button to send bulk payment reminders to all users on the report. This is an efficient way to prompt users to complete their purchases. This report specifically targets users who have a 'promise to pay' on file (such as a pending cheque or payroll deduction) but whose payment has not yet been processed. It is a key tool for managing non-credit card transactions. You are encouraged to run this report weekly and send an email reminder for users to remit payment. Using the Basic Waitlist Report The Basic Waitlist Report provides OPSCOM administrators with a centralized view of all users currently on waitlists, organized by parking lot. This report is a crucial tool for managing demand, enabling easy access to user profiles, facilitating communication, and streamlining the process of offering permits to waitlisted individuals. Setup & Configuration Before users can join a waitlist or their data appears in this report, waitlist functionality must be properly configured within your OPSCOM system. Admin Side Enabling Waitlists for Lots : Instructions for enabling waitlists for specific lots can be found on the Pricing & Lot Admin page, under the  Standard Permits section. Waitlists can be set up for individual lots or configured as grouped waitlists that cover multiple locations. "Only Allow Waitlist after lot is Full" Setting : This setting determines whether users will see the option to join a waitlist even before all permits for a designated lot are sold out, or only once the lot reaches full capacity.  User Portal You can configure the option to allow users to see their rank on the waitlist or not. To do this, follow the steps below: Hover over System Configuration and click  System Settings . On the Permits tab, find and enable the Show Waitlist Rank checkbox. Refer to  this page to see the User Experience . Using the Basic Waitlist Report Hover over Permits, then Waitlists, and click Waitlist Report . On the Waitlist Report screen, Administrators can view/edit details about a user waiting to purchase a permit in a specific lot. This screen allows the admin to quickly see: The user's Rank on the waitlist The date they were added to the waitlist The user's name Their user type Their city Phone Number Comments The lot they are waiting for a permit in If the record is highlighted in blue , the user does not currently have a permit assigned to them.  If the record is highlighted in yellow , the user does currently have a permit assigned but has not yet purchased it.  Available Actions & Buttons The User Profile icon allows administrators to view and edit the user's profile. This is also the primary link administrators would use if they wanted to  sell a permit to the user who is on the waitlist (click the User Profile icon and then the Parking Tab within their profile). The Add button allows administrators to add comments specific to the waitlist record. If a comment already exists, an edit link will appear, allowing administrators to update the comments on file. The Toggle Selections button allows administrators to select all records displayed in the report simultaneously. You can also make individual record selections by enabling the checkbox to the left of each record. The Export to Excel button exports the entire table as an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis or record-keeping. Best Practices & Considerations Develop Business Rules : Organizations should establish clear business rules for when to remove a user from the waitlist, such as after a user has been emailed an offer, or after a permit has been successfully purchased and processed. Proactive Management : Regularly review the Waitlist Report to identify users who are next in line and to manage available permits efficiently. Communication : Use the report to facilitate communication with waitlisted users, either individually or in bulk (using the export function for email lists, for example). User Experience : If Show Waitlist Rank is enabled, ensure users understand what their rank means and how it might change. Managed Waitlist The OPSCOM Managed Waitlist system automates the process of assigning available permits to waitlisted users. When a permit becomes available, the system reserves it, notifies designated administrators, and allows them to assign it to a user, who then has a specific timeframe to complete the purchase before the permit is released back to the waitlist. Setup & Configuration Hover over System Configuration and click System Settings . Click the Permits tab. Find and enable the  Enable Managed Waitlist checkbox. Enter admin emails into the Waitlist Email Managers field. Multiple email addresses can be separated by commas. These email addresses will be notified when a permit becomes available for waitlisted users. Enter the amount of time that is being given to users to purchase permits in the Waitlist Reservation Duration box. This value is measured in days. Enabling the Managed Waitlist setting makes the core waitlist system active, but you must still enable waitlists on individual lots for them to be used. Enabling Waitlists on Individual Lots Enabling Waitlists for Lots : Instructions for enabling waitlists for specific lots can be found on the   Pricing & Lot Admin  page, under the  Standard Permits  section. Waitlists can be set up for individual lots or configured as grouped waitlists that cover multiple locations. "Only Allow Waitlist after lot is Full" Setting : This setting determines whether users will see the option to join a waitlist even before all permits for a designated lot are sold out, or only once the lot reaches full capacity.  User Side Setup and Experience You can configure the option to allow users to see their rank on the waitlist or not. To do this, follow the steps below: Hover over  System Configuration and click  System Settings . On the  Permits  tab, find and enable the  Show Waitlist Rank checkbox. Refer to  this page to see the User Experience . The Managed Waitlist emails sent to users now include both the purchase deadline date and time to prevent users from losing their spot. Waitlist Email Templates There is a standard email template you can configure for communicating with your users. To learn more about working with email templates,  refer to this wiki article . Working with the Managed Waitlist Assigning a User a Permit from the Waitlist When a permit becomes available in a lot with a waitlist the admin will be notified via the email address that was setup for Waitlist Email Managers . The permit will be reserved for assignment to users on the waitlist. To assign the permit to a specific person on the waitlist, follow the instructions below. Go to Parking Management,  then Waitlists, and click Waitlist .  On the Waitlist screen, select Assign  to associate the selected user to the permit you wish them to have. Releasing or Extending an Assigned Permit If the amount of time you set in the Waitlist Reservation Duration passes and the user hasn't purchased a permit, the admin will be sent an email. The admin has the option to Release the permit, so that it can be assigned again or to Extend the users time to pay for the permit. To do this: Return to the Waitlist page, and select the Permit icon beside the username. From the Parking Permit Information page, select Release Permit or click Extend to add 10 more days. Additional Waitlist Management Actions The Remove Selected From Waitlist button allows administrators to remove individual or multiple records from the waitlist. The Email All Listed Users button allows administrators to send a single email message to all users currently displayed in the table. The Email Selected Users button allows administrators to send an email only to those users they have individually selected. The Export to Excel button exports the entire waitlist table as an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis or external use. Best Practices & Considerations Clear Communication : Customize the Waitlist Selected email template to clearly inform users about the permit offer, the purchase deadline, and next steps. Defined Process : Establish internal procedures for managing permit offers, extensions, and removals from the waitlist to ensure consistency and fairness. Monitor Email Managers : Ensure the email addresses in Waitlist Email Managers are actively monitored by the appropriate staff to facilitate prompt assignment and follow-up. Waitlist Reservation Duration : Set a realistic and fair reservation duration, balancing user convenience with the need to quickly reassign permits if offers are not taken up. Leverage Reporting : Use the Waitlist Report and export features to analyze demand, identify trends, and refine your permit allocation strategies. Setting Permit State for a Lost or Stolen Permit This article describes the process for managing a lost or stolen permit. This involves switching the user to a new permit and then setting the state of the original permit to Lost or Stolen to remove it from circulation. Understanding the Lost or Stolen State Setting a permit's state to Lost or Stolen will immediately remove it from active circulation. The permit will no longer be available for: Purchase or assignment from the Admin Portal Purchase from the User Portal Selection within the Permit Switching tool Using this Feature You must switch the user to a new permit before setting the old permit's state to Lost or Stolen . Failing to do so will make the old permit unavailable for the switch process. No specific system configuration is required for this process. It utilizes the standard Quick Search and permit management tools. This process is divided into two distinct parts : first switching the user to a ne w permit, and then deactivating the old one. Section 1: Switching the User to a New Permit Use the Quick Search bar to find the permit number that has been reported lost (e.g. PW21). From the search results, click the Switch button. On the permit switch screen, the user's current permit will appear on the left. On the right, use the drop-down menu to select a new, available permit for the user (e.g., PW19). Click the Switch Permits button to complete the change. A pop-up notice will confirm the switch is complete. Setting the Old Permit State to Lost Use the Quick Search bar again to find the original permit number (PW21). From the search results, click the permit number link to open the permit details page. Click the Permit States drop-down menu and select Lost or Stolen . The system will confirm the update. The old permit is now officially out of circulation and will no longer appear in available permit lists. Best Practices & Considerations During busy sales periods, consider temporarily hiding the new permit you plan to switch the user into. This prevents another user from purchasing it during the brief moment it is being processed. The Lost or Stolen state is reversible. If a permit is found, you can navigate back to its details page and change its state back to an active one. Altering the Price of Unpaid Standard Permits This article describes the process for editing the cost of an unpaid standard permit for a specific user. This feature allows administrators with the proper permissions to make one-time price adjustments for a single transaction without affecting the permit's default price for other users.  Setup & Configuration For an administrator to use this feature, their user role must have the Edit Unpaid Permit Cost permission enabled. Go to System Configuration , then Admin Management , and click  Manage Roles . Select the administrator role you wish to modify. Go to the permissions list for that role. Locate and enable the Edit Unpaid Permit Cost checkbox. Save the changes to the role. Using this Feature Once the permission is enabled, the price of an unpaid permit can be changed from two different locations in the Admin Portal. Editing During Permit Reservation While booking a permit for a user, click the edit cost button that appears next to the permit price. In the fields that appear, enter the new price and a comment explaining the reason for the change. Proceed with booking the permit as normal. The adjusted price will be reflected in the user's cart. Editing from the Permit Information Page For a permit that is already in a user's cart but remains unpaid, navigate to the cart and click the permit name link to open the Permit Info Page . Click the edit cost button. Enter the new price and a comment. Click the Update Permit button to save the change. Viewing Price Change History All changes made to a permit's price are logged for auditing purposes. You can view these changes in the user's profile under the Recent History and Standard Permit History sections. Any comments entered during the price change will also be visible in the notes on the Permit In fo Page . Best Practices & Considerations This feature only affects unpaid permits. Once a payment has been processed, the price cannot be changed using this tool. Any adjustments for paid permits must be handled through a separate financial adjustment . Always enter a clear and specific comment when changing a permit price. This provides an essential audit trail for other administrators and for resolving any future billing questions. Selling Permits Using Tablet Kiosks with OPSCOM This article provides instructions on how to configure a tablet to act as a dedicated self-service kiosk for selling temporary guest permits. By locking the tablet to a specific guest permit booking page, organizations can offer a streamlined way for visitors to purchase parking without staff assistance or the need for a personal user account. Setup and Configuration Setting up a kiosk involves three main parts: obtaining the unique booking link for the desired parking lot, enabling Kiosk Compatible Mode within OPSCOM, and configuring the physical tablet device to lock it to the booking page. Part One - Obtain the Guest Permit Link Each lot configured for temporary permits has a unique URL for guest bookings. You will need this link to set up the kiosk. Go to Parking Management , then Lot Administration , and click Pricing & Lot Admin . Click the name of the lot you want to feature on the kiosk. Select the Temporary Permits tab. Locate the QR code section. The guest permit booking link is displayed directly below the code. Copy this URL to use in the tablet configuration step. The lot must be properly configured to sell temporary permits. Detailed instructions can be found on the  Pricing & Lot Admin page . You must set prices in the temporary permit section of the lot editor. If left blank, they will be disabled, and users will not be able to pick it as an option. In the above  example , permits will be available for  free   for   2 hours ,  $5   for  3 hours ,  $8  for  12 hours , and  $10  for  24 hours/1 day . Part Two - Enable Kiosk Compatible Mode in OPSCOM This system-wide setting optimizes the guest permit workflow for a kiosk environment. Go to  System Configuration , and click System Settings . Select the General System Settings tab. Enable the Enable Kiosk Compatible Mode toggle. Click Save Settings . Enabling this mode makes the following changes only to guest booking pages : After a successful transaction, the user is returned to the initial booking page instead of a receipt page, making it ready for the next user. The main navigation menu, header, and footer are hidden to prevent users from navigating away or attempting to log in on a public device. Warning: Enabling Kiosk Compatible Mode affects  all guest permit transactions, not just those from a kiosk. Users purchasing a guest permit via a QR code on their personal device will also be redirected to the start page after payment. We recommend enabling this setting only if you intend to use physical kiosks.  Part Three - Configure the Tablet Device (Android) To function as a kiosk, the tablet must be locked to the guest permit URL using third-party apps and built-in operating system features. The following steps provide one example of how to achieve this on an Android device. Step A: Install and Configure a Kiosk Browser App On your Android tablet, open the Google Play Store and install a kiosk browser application (e.g., Fully Kiosk Browser & Lockdown ). Open the app to configure its initial settings. Paste the guest permit link from Part One into the Start URL field. Enable Fullscreen Mode . Disable Show Action Bar and Show Address Bar . Explore the app's advanced settings, such as  Web Auto Reload -> Auto Reload on Idle . Setting this to 30 or 60 seconds will automatically reset the page for the next user after a period of inactivity.  Step B: Pin the Kiosk App Pinning the app prevents users from closing it and accessing other tablet functions. You can do this in device settings, a separate app. Ensure the tablet has a security PIN or password enabled. This can be set in the device's Settings app, typically under Lock screen . Navigate to Settings -> Security and privacy -> More security settings . Enable the Pin app option. Open the kiosk browser app you just configured. Tap the recent apps button (on most devices, this is an icon with three vertical bars at the bottom of the screen). Tap the icon appearing above the kiosk app's window and select Pin this app . The device is now locked into the kiosk browser, and the device's PIN will be required to exit the app. Using this Feature Once fully configured, the tablet functions as a locked-down, single-purpose device. End-User Workflow A user approaches the tablet, which already displays the permit booking page for the designated lot. The user cannot navigate to other apps, web pages, or system settings. After entering their plate information and completing payment, a confirmation message appears. The page then automatically resets to the start of the booking process for the next user. Best Practices and Considerations Physically secure the device. Use a commercial-grade tablet enclosure or stand to protect the device from theft and damage in a public environment. The tablet setup process may vary. The specific menu names and steps for configuring a tablet can differ based on the device manufacturer, OS version, or the specific kiosk app used. The instructions provided should be treated as a general guide. Test the entire user flow. Before deploying the kiosk publicly, perform several test transactions to ensure the process is smooth, payment is successful, and the page resets correctly for the next user. QR Code User Experience The  QR Code User Experience allows parkers to quickly purchase a permit for a specific lot by scanning a physical QR code. This feature provides a streamlined checkout process for OPS-COM administrators to offer both guest parkers and registered users, facilitating rapid payments via mobile devices. Using this Feature The workflow varies slightly depending on whether the parker is a guest or a logged-in user. Guest Checkout Tap the QR code link or scan the physical code using a mobile device camera. Tap the Accept button when prompted by the Guest Disclaimer . Enter the vehicle information in the Vehicle Plate field. Tap the Duration drop-down menu and select the length of stay. Tap the Payment Method drop-down menu and choose the supported provider. Tap Make Payment after entering credit card details on the secure payment page. Registered User Checkout (Accelerated) Tap the QR code link or scan the code while logged into the User Portal . (could be in a closed tab, as long as your session is still active.) Review the pre-populated vehicle and payment information retrieved from your stored account details. Tap the Duration drop-down menu to choose your stay length. Tap the Make Payment button to complete the transaction instantly using stored tokens from the payment processor. Logged-in users experience a significantly faster checkout as the system automatically pulls stored Vehicle Plates and Payment Profiles , removing the need for manual data entry. Key Information Displayed Lot Selection : Since the QR code is lot-specific, the lot is pre-selected and displayed at the top of the page. Transaction Record : An on-screen confirmation appears immediately following a successful payment. User Receipt : A receipt is automatically generated and sent to the user's registered email address (or the one they are required to enter on checkout, as a guest user. Best Practices and Considerations Encourage user registration to allow parkers to take advantage of the accelerated checkout, which reduces friction and improves compliance. Verify physical signage regularly to ensure QR codes are legible and linked to the correct, active lot in the system. Business Rules : Organizations should establish a policy for managing guest refunds, as these transactions are not tied to a permanent user profile in the same way as registered accounts. Real-Time Parking Map This article describes the setup and use of the Real-Time Parking Map. This feature provides a publicly accessible, interactive map displaying real-time lot availability, allowing users to find parking and purchase temporary permits directly.  Setup & Configuration Setting up the map requires creating a public-facing page and then configuring each lot that you want to display on that map. First, to have this enabled, you will need to contact an OPSCOM support staff member, and have them enable it on your production system. Step 1: Adding the Map to any page in OPSCOM A Map page is now provided by default, at this link: [CLIENT NAME].ops-com.com/u/#/realtimemodal If you would like to display the map on any other system messaging pages, such as the user login screen, or anywhere else, follow the instructions below;  Navigate to System Configuration,  then  Content & Designs and click Pages and Content Blocks. Create a new page (or edit an existing one) that will host the map. In the content area of this page, add the following two shortcodes, each on its own line: [real-time-map] [real-time-legend] Step 2: Configure Individual Lots For each lot you want to display on the map, you must configure the following settings. First, go to Pricing and Lot Admin . In the Zones and Location tab: Select the lot and set a map marker. Enter a public-facing description in the Location field.   Now that you have set a map marker and location; Go to the Temporary Parking tab. Set the Maximum number of Temp Permits , a 30-day usage setting, and the Daily Cost and Hourly costs . Enable the Allow this lot to appear on the Real-Time Parking Map checkbox. Step 3: Optional - Configure Special Spots Go to Lot Administration and select Manage Special Space Types . Click Add New to create informational categories such as 'Electric Vehicle Charging' or 'Handicapped Accessible'. Navigate back to Lot Administration and select the lot you wish to update. Go to the General tab and enter the number of spaces available for each Special Space Type . Using this Feature Once configured, the map is accessible to both the public for finding and purchasing parking, and to administrators for viewing lot statistics. Public User View The map is accessible to the public at the URL: https://yourdomain.parkadmin.com/real-time Users can hover over a map marker to see the lot name and description. Clicking a marker displays detailed availability, information about special spots, and a Book Now button. Clicking this button directs them to the temporary permit purchase screen. Administrator View Administrators can view the map internally by hovering over Parking Management and clicking Real-Time Map . The admin view is similar to the public map, but clicking on the map markers will di splay more detailed lot statistics. The Admin view has been updated to show Pay by Plate machine capacity in each lot if applicable, all other spaces availability , including special spaces such as handicap and pregnancy spaces. Best Practices & Considerations The Real-Time Map is designed for temporary parking. A lot will not appear on the map unless all the required fields on the Temporary Parking tab in Lot Administration are correctly filled out and the feature is enabled with the checkbox. Write clear and helpful descriptions in the Location field under Zones and Locations . This text is visible to the public when they hover over a map marker and can be used to provide useful information, like 'Visitor Parking - North Campus'. QR Code Guest Temporary Permitting This article describes how to configure and use the QR code feature to allow guests to self-register for temporary parking permits. This functionality streamlines the guest parking process for both free and paid scenarios, enabling visitors to quickly obtain a valid permit by scanning a code with their mobile device. Setup & Configuration Proper setup is required at both the system and lot level to enable QR code permitting. QR codes also work for users who are logged into an account already. They must have an active session on the same browser in order to use their stored account information to checkout. (They must also be the correct user type for that lot) For instance, if you are logged in as user1, and scan the QR code, you will be taken to your account to checkout in that specific lot. If you do not have an active session, you will be checking out as a guest user. System-Wide Configuration These initial steps enable the QR code functionality for your entire OPSCOM system. Go to  System Configuration > Users > Types . Confirm that a user type named Guest User exists. If it does not, you must add it. Navigate to System Settings > Temp Permits . Enable the Enable QR Codes checkbox. WARNING: The Guest User type is essential for this feature to function. Without it, you will not be able to assign QR code capabilities to your lots. Users who wish to pay for a temporary permit with saved cards must first log in to their account, and go to permits, then click on  Parking map in order to use the same quick checkout process. Lot-Specific Configuration Follow these steps for each individual lot where you want to offer guest temporary permitting via QR code. Go to Parking Management > Lot Administration > Pricing and Lot Admin . Select the desired lot to configure. On the General tab, select Guest User as the User Type for the lot. Removing this user type will disable the QR code feature for this specific lot. Click the Temporary Parking tab. In the pricing section, set the hourly and/or daily costs. For free parking , enter $0.00 for the applicable timeframes. For paid parking , enter the correct amounts for the durations you wish to offer. Click the Update Lot button to save all changes. Optional: If you wish to use the lot for QR code functionality alone excluding standard and temp permitting through the user portal, you can set the Visibility to User  as  Hidden but Accessible in the General tab. If you wish to use this lot for Temp permits exclusively, enable the  This lot is for temporary parking only checkbox. Note: Daily Cost permits expire at midnight on the day of purchase. To offer a true 24-hour permit, use the Hourly Cost setting and define a 24-hour duration instead. Using this Feature You can brand the QR code with your organization's logo. First, upload the logo to the media bin. Then, in the  QR code configuration section on the Temporary Parking tab, select your uploaded image from the Logo field. Once configured, the QR code can be deployed for public use. The necessary tools are available within the lot's administration page. Accessing & Deploying the QR Code Go to  Parking Management > Lot Administration > Pricing and Lot Admin . Select the configured lot and go to the Temporary Parking tab. The QR code and its associated links will be displayed in the QR code configuration section. Available Actions Print QR Code: Click this button to generate a printable page containing the QR code. This is ideal for quick deployment on physical signage. Download QR Code: Click this button to download the QR code as an SVG file. This high-quality vector format is best for incorporating into professionally designed signs or digital materials. Direct Link: Click this icon to copy the unique URL for the guest permit page. This link can be emailed, posted on a website, or sent via text message to provide direct access without scanning a code. Best Practices & Considerations Always test the QR code with a mobile device after configuration to ensure it directs users to the correct permitting page. For optimal visibility, place QR code signage at lot entrances and other strategic locations where drivers will easily see it upon arrival. If you are offering paid temporary permits, ensure a payment processor is correctly configured and linked within your OPSCOM system. The end-user experience is a simple, mobile-friendly process where the guest scans the code, selects a parking duration from the options you configured, enters their license plate number, and completes the payment if required. Parking Logix - Parking Sensor Integration Enable Parking Logix Integration Before you can use the Parking Logix integration on your system you will need to navigate to your  Third Party  settings under  System Settings . From there you should see the option to enable  Parking Logix Integration .  Adding the Lot Group Next, add a new lot group to your system making sure you include the API code. It is possible but unlikely that there will be multiple API keys if lot access is split over several keys.  Create a specific group for each lot you will be collecting data from. Once the Lot Group has been configured you would need to assign it to the lot on the  LPR Settings Tab of the Lot Administration tool. Enable the System Task A system task must be enabled for the Parking Logix sensors to communicate with our system. This must be enabled by OPSCOM integration staff and you can contact us through support to set this up. Please email  support@ops-com.comcom  for assistance. Once the system task has been run you should see updated on the lot counts under  Manage Parking Lot Groups Displaying the Map on the User Side Finally, enter the short code on the user side to any of your pages using  System Messaging . The short code is   [parking_logix]  and you can pass addition parameters such as:  only, show, filter,  or  name.   This will restrict the list to show only specific lots. By design, it will only show lots that have a group assigned to it that have an API key stored in it. Pay Station Status This article describes the Pay Station Status lookup tool, used for searching and verifying temporary permits issued by pay stations. Its primary purpose is to allow administrators and enforcement personnel to look up a vehicle's pay station status based on various criteria, such as plate number and time. This guide is intended for OPSCOM administrators and enforcement staff. Using this Feature This page allows administrators to filter for pay station transactions and view vehicle details. This tool is a standard administrative feature and does not require any specific configuration. It relies on a successful integration with your organization's pay station hardware to populate its data. Performing a Status Lookup Go to Parking Management , then hover over Temporary Permits , and click Pay Station Status . Enter your criteria into one or more of the following search filters: Plate : Search for a specific license plate. Valid Date/Time : Find permits that were valid on or after the selected date and time. Zones : Filter the results for specific pay station zones. Validity Filter : Use the drop-down menu to show only Valid , Non-Valid , or All records. Select an option from the Sort Order drop-down menu to organize the results by a specific column. Click the Search button. Available Actions The Plate number in each row of the results list is a clickable link. Click on the plate number to view or edit that vehicle's details. Best Practices & Considerations Use the Plate and Valid Date/Time filters together for quick enforcement checks. This allows you to instantly verify if a specific vehicle had a valid pay station permit at the time of an infraction. The data on this page is pulled directly from your integrated pay station system. Any discrepancies in the data should first be investigated at the pay station terminal or its management software. Zebra Sticker Printers This article provides a comprehensive guide for configuring Zebra sticker printers for use with the OPSCOM Admin Portal. This process involves setting up a custom layout and system message in OPSCOM, as well as configuring local printer and browser settings, to enable the printing of physical permit stickers.  Setup & Configuration This is a one-time, multi-phase setup process. It is recommended to complete all phases in the specified order before attempting to print. Phase 1: Create the OPSCOM Layout Template Hover over System Config and click Templates & Design . On the Layouts List page, click the Create Layout button. Enter a descriptive Name for the layout (e.g., "Zebra Printing") and click Save Changes . On the next screen, click Toggle Templates and create a Styles section and a Scripts section. Copy the provided styling and script code into the corresponding sections for each language you wish to support. Phase 2: Create the System Message Navigate to Manage System Messaging and click the Create Page/Message button. Fill in the required fields, ensuring you select the new layout you created in Phase 1 from the Layout drop-down menu. In the content editor box, hover over Tools and click Source Code . Paste the required shortcode HTML into the source code view and click Save . Phase 3: Configure Windows Printer Drivers Open Windows Settings and navigate to Devices , then Printers & Scanners . Select your Zebra printer and click the Manage button. Click Printer Properties and go to the Stocks tab. Click the New... button to define a new stock that matches your sticker label dimensions. After creating the stock, navigate to Printing Preferences and select the new stock as the default. Phase 4: Configure Browser Print Settings Before proceeding, you must temporarily disable the auto-print script. Navigate back to your layout template in OPSCOM ( System Config -> Templates & Design ) and comment out the code in the Scripts section. This will prevent the sticker from automatically printing and allow you to adjust the browser settings. For Chrome : Adjust the print settings to match the required configuration, paying close attention to margins and ensuring headers and footers are disabled. For Firefox : Open the print menu and adjust the page properties to match the required configuration, focusing on orientation, scale, and margins. Using this Feature Once all configuration steps are complete, administrators can print permit stickers from the Admin Portal. Go to Parking Permit Information page for the desired permit. Click the green print button located next to the Update Permit button. The browser's print dialog will appear, allowing you to print the sticker. After confirming the print settings are correct, you can uncomment the code in the Scripts section of your la yout template to re-enable automatic printing. Best Practices & Considerations Incorrect Windows driver or browser print settings are the most common cause of printing issues. Double-check that margins, headers/footers, and paper/stock size are configured exactly as required for your specific sticker labels. The  Layout Template controls the styling and printing action, while the System Message controls the content and data that appears on the sticker. Ensure both are configured correctly for the integration to work. Printing Permit from Home Setup This article provides OPSCOM administrators with the necessary instructions to configure the Permit Printing from Home feature. This functionality allows end-users to print a physical copy of their parking permit directly from the user portal. The setup involves creating a printable permit template using system messaging and then enabling a system-wide setting. Setup & Configuration Configuring this feature is a two-part process. First, the feature must be enabled in the system settings. Second, the templates for permitPdf and permitTempPdf must be customized, if desired. Go the  System Configuration  and click System Settings . Select the Permits tab. Click the  Enable User Permit Printing checkbox. Click Save Settings . Locate the Permit Print Template The printable permits are generated from a system message.  Go to  System Configuration , then Content and Design , and click  Pages and Content Blocks . Select the Messages tab. Edit the messages where the System Location column is labled permitPdf , and permitTempPdf  These two pages above, permitPdf and permitTempPdf are used to customize the content of either a regular printed permit, or a temporary printed permit, respectively. Define the Template Content Use the content editor to design the layout of your printable permit. You can use a combination of text, images (like your organization's logo), and specific shortcodes to dynamically pull in permit and user information. Available Shortcodes The following shortcodes can be used within the message body to display dynamic permit information: [permitpdf user=fullname] - Displays the full name of the user. [permitpdf vehicle=all] - Displays a comma-separated list of up to three associated vehicles. [permitpdf vehicle=1] - Displays the first vehicle on the permit. You can also use vehicle=2 or vehicle=3 . [permitpdf permit=expiry] - Displays the permit's expiry date. [permitpdf permit=permitno] - Displays the unique permit number. [permitpdf permit=lotshortname] - Displays the short name of the associated lot. [permitpdf permit=lotname] - Displays the full name of the associated lot. [permitpdf permit=location] - Displays the location associated with the permit. Default Template Content Below is a sample of what should be the default message content; To use our recommended template, you can leave the content as the default text, but be sure to change any logos or company names to your own. User Portal Guide Once enabled, users will see an option to print their permit from the user portal. For a detailed guide on the user-facing process, please refer to the Printing Your Parking Permits Made Easy!  article. Best Practices & Considerations Always test your template before deploying. After creating your message, print it out to ensure the layout, shortcodes, and any images appear correctly on a physical page. Include clear instructions for the user. It is recommended to add text to the template that instructs the user on how to display the permit (e.g., "Please display this permit face-up on the driver's side of your dashboard"). Validator Admin Groups User Level Capabilities within the Validator Tool Here is a description of what each user level can do with the  Validator Tool . The  Super Admin  can set up new  Groups  with a  Group Name , as well as assign  Managers  and  Group Members . Only the Super Admin can add Managers and Admins.  Definition: The Super Admin will also be any Primary Admin with permissions in OPSCOM to manage the Validator; they can create groups and have the ability to add users to the group. The permissions that the Super Admin assigns to the individual group members will determine their access level on the system. All permissions must be added or removed by the Super Admin and cannot be done by any other user.  The Super Admin will be able to see all current, pending, past and archived (deleted) validations. These are the permissions required to use the  Super User Manager  role.  Group Managers and Admins will be able to see all of their Groups, current/pending validations and delete future/current validations up to the 15-minute mark of the Start Date. Group Managers can only manage one group at a time. Please note that deletions would only be available from the Manage Validations page. These are the permissions required to be the  Validator Admin  role: The Super User will be able to delete any future, current, and past validations. Please note that archived is considered deleted. Archived information is not purged from the system. This is due to the need to keep system data integrity. These are the permissions required to be the  Validator Entry  role: User Level Display within the Validator Tool Here is the description of what each user level can see in the Validator Report and Manage Validations tools. The  Super Admin  will be able to see all  Validator Groups  via the drop-down menu of  All/ Individual   Validators  within each group. The Super Admin should be able to delete any entry at any time, pre or post validation.  Group Managers will only be able to see their own Validator Groups within a drop-down of  All/Individual Validators  within their group. They will also be able to delete any entry pre-validation. Admins  will only be able to see and delete their own entries pre-validation or within a 15-minute leeway (as described below).  Please set-up a 15-minute grace period on deletions. This will allow a current validation to be deleted up to 15-minutes past the start date, in the case of an input error. (Setting) Users  will be able to search for a partial or full plate, by entering the time period. No admin name or lot should be required. If the entry was made within the appropriate time period, it should show accordingly. If an Admin name is required then an  All  Admins option, and individual admins within their group are required. Creating a Validator Group Navigate to System Configuration , then Admin Management , and click on Manage Groups . This brings you to the Manage Administrator Groups page. To create a Validator group click on the  Parking Validator  module and then click Add New in the top right corner under.   The  Adding New Group window will appear with the following options: Options Info 1. Group Name The Group Name is how you set the name of a group. 2. Module  The Module is where you can set the purpose of the group. 3. Validator Comment  The Validator Comment is a spot where you can add any comments that you need to. 4. Admin Members The Admin is the area in which you can add admin members to the group 5. Default Validation Hours The Default Validation Hours is where you can set a default permit duration. Note: There is currently no way to enforce a strict limit or prevent admins from overriding the default duration. The value serves only as an automatically populated preset and can be manually adjusted. When you are finished click the  Save Group button. You will see your group added to the bottom of the Administrator Groups. Adding Members to a Group Navigate to System Configuration , then Admin Management , and click on Manage Groups . Click the Edit button next to the Administrator Group you wish to edit.  Click on the Admin Members bar to add more members to the group. When finished, click the Save Group  button found at the bottom of the Editing Group. Zones and How They are Assigned Navigate to System Configuration , then Admin Management , and click on Edit Admin Users . Select an  Admin User  which you want to edit and apply the  Parking Validation Lot Zones  they will manage. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the  Parking Validation Lot Zones  window. Select the  Zone(s)  in which this admin will be managing validations. Click any  Zones  that apply to this Admin and click  Update User at the bottom of the page to finish. Public-Facing Lot Pages Overview Within the system, there is the option to create a custom lots page, which will display a list of lots that users can book from. The page consists of two subpages: Lots List - Contains the list of lots on the system for the user to choose from Lot Detail - Contains detailed information pertaining to the lot selected by the user Setting up these pages requires the use of shortcodes within the system. Page Setup The custom pages can be setup from the Pages and Content Blocks page. It can be found under System Configuration → Content & Designs → Pages and Content Blocks Pages and Content Blocks The pages and content blocks section, or system messaging, allows the setup of custom user pages. Shortcodes A shortcode is a bit of text that has been coded to return a specific value when placed within the body of the page layout. The value it returns can be anything from single variable, to a module laid out within a template, like a table or a form.  A shortcode looks like this: [lots_list] In this case, the shortcode returns a list of the lots in the system. By placing the shortcode in the body of the message, it will show up on the corresponding page in that location. Shortcodes will be used to create the layout of the lot subpages. Lot List Page The first subpage that must be created is the page where the list of lots will appear. It does not need to have a dedicated page, and the lot list can be placed on any custom page that is wanted. In this example, the lots list will be placed on a custom page. The path that is chosen here is what the path will be in the url. This would make the lots_list module show up when the address has /lots at the end of the base URL . The lots list is a module, meaning its appearance is fixed and cannot be modified further. Only its location on the site can be customized. Lot List Shortcode The shortcodes must be typed exactly as they appear, or they will not work. There is only one short code relevant to the lot lists page: Shortcode Description Additional Options Shortcode Description Additional Options [lots_list]  Displays a list of the currently available lots. Can be placed on any page. [lots_list include_hidden=1] By default, lots set as not visible will not appear in the list. This option will include those lots in the list. [lots_list only_text2parkme=1] This will restrict the list to only show lots that have Text2ParkMe enabled. Additional options are modifiers that can be added to the base shortcode to influence the output. Multiple can be chained together at once. For instance, both additional options can be included in the lot list shortcode by writing it like this: [lots_list include_hidden=1 only_text2parkme=1] Lot Detail Page The specific lot detail page is set up a bit differently from the lot list page, in that it is coded to only work if the path is set as --lots-detail . This will make the details for the individual lot that is selected appear for the path /lots/{id}, with the id supplied being passed to the page to fetch the correct lot information. The information that goes on this page can be customized to include anything from the relevant shortcodes, but should at least include the permit cost and buy now button. Lot Details Shortcodes Here is a list of the shortcodes that are related to the lot details page. The shortcodes must be typed exactly as they appear, or they will not work. Shortcode Description Shortcode Description [values show=lotname] Displays the name of the lot. [values show=lottype] Displays the initial of the lot's type. [values show=lotnameid] Displays the lot's id. [values show=defaultcost format=currency] Displays how much renting a permit for the lot costs. [values show=location] Displays the location set for the lot. It is an address or a short description. [values show=textcode] The Text2ParkMe code for the lot. [values show=ratePer10Min format=currency] The Text2ParkMe rate for the lot. [lot show=buy_now] Displays a button that will take the user to the page to purchase a permit for the lot. Will take the user to the login screen if they are not logged in or do not have an account. [lot show=map] Displays a small map with the lot's location according to the latitude and longitude values that are stored for it. [lot show=photo] Displays the photo that has been selected for the lot. A photo can be assigned from the Lot Administration page /admin/config/permits/lot/{id}/edit. User-Side Results The Lot List Page The lot list from the example appears on the website like this: The Lot Detail Page The lot detail page from the example would appear on the website like this: Validate Parking Report To access the report, the admin responsible for parker validation would need " View Validator Report " set as a permission.  To run the report, go into the  Parking Management  menu and select  Parking Validation Report. The  Validate Parking Report  search tool opens. Here, you enter the date range you wish to report on. In this case we are looking at  March 1st through to March 14, 2018. Click on  search  to bring up the record listing that can be viewed onscreen or exported as an Excel file. Managing Validator Records In this example, we will add a validation for a vehicle with the plate number  BIRCH  in the  GARAGE L1  Lot  starting  June 4th  and expiring on  June 4th . Enter the  plate number Choose Garage L1 as the  Lot Zone Enter your time frame and click on  Validate Once we have created the record, it will appear in the  Validate Parking Report . If the entry was done in error, it can be removed through the  Manage Validation  tool. To do so, hover over  Parking Validation  under the  Parking Management Menu  and select  Manage Validations  from the drop down menu. In the management tool, enter the  Plate Number  in question along with the  Lot Zone  you wish to view. To delete the record click on the  Delete  button associated with the record to highlight it with the check mark. You will be prompted to confirm the archiving of the record. Click  Archive  to continue. A pop-up message will confirm the deletion of the record. Once the record is deleted, you will notice it will be removed from the  Validator Parking Report . Branding the Validator Tool Accessing the Validator Pages to Edit the Look and Feel From the  System Config  Menu click on  System Messaging . A page with two tabs will appear. Click on the  Messages tab to access the list of editable messages. There are three messages to edit for the Validator Tool. They are: The Validator Entry message The Validator Manage message The Validator Report message Each of these pages represent the three Validator Tool Pages. Here's what they look like in the  Message System Editor . To edit the message click on the  Edit  button The edit page will display. On this screen you will enter a title for your page as well as an identifier. This identifier must be unique. You may also select a language setting for your page. The page can be edited in the WYSIWYG editor where you can visually design the page. NOTE:  The main graphic image used in our example measures  1448 pixels in width and 227 pixels in height . Best practice  would be to  maintain the same width  but the  height can be your preference . Upload the preferred image to your  Files Folder  using the  Manage Files  functionality. It is also possible to edit the page in straight  HTML . To do so go to the  Tools  menu and click on  <>Source Code. A popup will appear with the code presented. Sample Code Validator Entry   Expand source The Resulting Page The Validator - a Parking Validation Utility You must create a new role to apply the permissions correctly. For more information refer to this article on Roles and Permissions In our example, we created a Role entitled  Parking Validator .  The new role will appear in the list of roles. You must add the " Create Temp Permit Entries " permission to the role you just created. Create or edit an Admin user who will manage the parking validation.  Select the  lot zone(s)  this Admin will manage and save the user. These will be the lots that you intend to use with the  Parking Validator utility. Note: These zones have to be set in the lots you wish to validate. In Lot Administration go to the Zone & Location tab to select the zone associated with the lot. Accessing the Validator Tool Log in as this user. Only one menu item entitled ' Create Validations ' will be available. Note: The following screen represents the view of the validation tool that would be used by admins who have restricted access to the OPSCOM system and would have access to the Validation Tool Only. The Validate Parking screen will appear. Click ' Create  Validations '. From this page you can: Enter plate number(s) Enter a comment  Select the lot zone in which you want to validate the vehicle Select the date range you wish the validation to be in effect. Set the Valid Time Frame (These blocks represent a full hour. In our example below we are setting the Valid times between 7am and 7pm). Select the Valid Days you wish to have the validation in effect. Click Validate to apply the validation. In this example we are validating the plate ABC123 on March 21st, between 7am and 7pm, if the day happens to fall on a weekday. If the Valid Between Dates was set from March 21st, to March 26th, it would be valid from Monday to Friday, during that week, 7am to 7pm. The list of validated vehicles appears below the submit form. Advanced Features With full access to the tool within OPSCOM there are several additional features to take into account. Not only do you have the validator tool, you also have the ability to run reports and Manage validations. How Do Temporary Validated Parkers Appear on the Handheld Devices Parkers who are validated through this tool will appear as a " Temp Parker " on the Android version of  OPS- COM .  By tapping on the plate number you will get an expanded view with further detailed information. In our example, we see the parker has a  Validator  created permission to park in the  Day Care Lot Zone . To see even finer detail on this permission, tap the green rectangle labelled  Validator - Day Care . A pop up will appear showing a  reference number  and the  Expiry date of the permission. A closer look: Apply Temp Permit to User Vehicles To begin, you must set the ability to apply the permit to multiple vehicles in  Lot Administration  under the  Temporary Parking  Tab. You must enable the following items:  - Allow temp permits to be used over 30 days.  - Allow All Vehicles on profile to receive permit. Once this is set, you are ready to issue a temporary permit to multiple vehicles.  To begin, go to the user's profile and click on the  Parking Tab . Select  Temporary Parking Permit . The  Temporary Parking Permit Registration  window opens.  In our example, we will select the  Green Staff Lot East  where we had configured the ability to apply the permit to all vehicles (Step 1 above) Set the  start date  and  end date . The date range must be for a period longer than 30 days in order to activate the  Apply to all Vehicles  button. Click the button to apply the permit to all vehicles. Click  Confirm This Permit  to proceed to the Confirmation window.  You can verify the information before proceeding to purchase the permit.  Note:  the two vehicles are listed in the Vehicle list. Click  Purchase this Permit  to continue. The payment screen displays. Start the purchase process. Select your method of payment and click the  Submit Payment Information  button. Select  Confirm Payment Information  to proceed.  Click  Process Manually  to complete the purchase. You will be taken to the  Transaction Details  screen, where you can see a final record of your purchase. LPR Audit Log Viewing the LPR Audit Log To access the LPR Audit Log, go to the  Violations menu and hover over LPR and Chalking . Select View Audit Log from the resulting drop down menu. The initial screen will display with the option to Toggle More Options Filtering Results Search results can be filtered to display specific information. The two filter fields are Camera selection and Event type when clicking Toggle More Options . Event type refers to one of five selections: Any Event Entry Events Exit Events Patrol Events (These are LPR chalking records from a Patrol Officer's hand held unit. Tracking (These could be cameras that track movement such as moving from one floor of a multilevel garage to another floor. Viewing and Editing LPR Events Go to Violations , then  LPR and Chalking , and click  View Events . A list of Events will appear. The following information is displayed: Plate Image Plate Number  Province Score (relates to how accurate the system analyzes the capture to be) Km/h (Speed, as well as direction - approaching or going away from the camera) Recorded (Date and Time of capture) Events (How many times this plate has been captured) Status (Valid or Invalid) Lot Group Violations If the admin wants to refine their search more, they can enter the date and time range that is being reported on, by entering values in the recorded on and Up to and including field. To search for partial plates, turn on the Perform fuzzy search option then enter the partial plate into the license plate text box. The admin has the ability to correct plate reads that are wrong or partial. To correct the plate number, click on the  pencil icon to edit the entry. Enter the Correct Plate Number. Select the appropriate province. Click the  Blue Icon to save the changes. Other Information that can be viewed from this interface. Hover over the  thumbnail in the record  and the full image capture can be displayed. Improve LPR Read Rates What is the optical range for the reader? The sweet spot for plate reads is 1.5 to 2.5 meters between camera and plate. Also check to make sure the lens is clean.  Another issue may be camera angle.  The o ptimum angle for the camera is straight on (parallel) to the plate Fuzzy Searching The PL8-RDR system supports fuzzy searching based on user supplied values. In the case of the LPR system "seeing"  ABC123 , it will also validate against  A8C123  and  ABC128  or  A8C12B . Manual Corrections You can improve plate reads by making corrections and verifying correct plates on the system.  OPSCOM has an algorithm that includes the human updates as part of the read score.  Therefore, if a plate is misread and corrected, it is very probable that the system will return the (human) updated version. Further, the system does fuzzy searching... this means it will look for a plate in the system that matches a pattern.  For example, a plate of ABC123 may be read as A8C128.  With fuzzy searching and based on time of day etc. the system will return ABC123 if that plate has a permit (but will also note that it was a "fuzzy" read of the plate). If you see a score of 100% in the LPR report that means that the system determined a human updated version was the best match since a score of 100% is theoretically impossible with LPR cameras. As an Example here's a tweak you can do for Ontario users once the camera is setup... Go into the Web Interface Page Plate Reader Camera OCR and set the following Characters dimensions: CHAR SIZE Min W: 10 Max W: 50 Min H:30 Max H: 100 Improving Exposure For dark plate reads: Set Max Shutter to 500 Set Max Gain to 256 (If images are too dark this setting can be increased.  However it is not recommended to go over 1000.) Set Iris Level to 15 Adjusting the Bounding Box The LPR camera has the ability to customize the area that is being analyzed during the plate read. This article explains how to adjust the read area (Bounding Box). The bounding box refers to the area that can be adjusted to narrow the view or area that is analyzed by the LPR camera.  The settings involved are located in the Plate Reader Settings. The default settings for full frame are as follows. Measurements for height are always considered the distance from the top of the screen. Measurements for width are based on distance from the left of the screen Win MinX Pixel - 0   (From the left) Win MinY Pixel - 0   (from the top) Win MaxX Pixel - 1279   (From the left) Win MaxY Pixel - 1023  (from the top) To view the location of the bounding box go into the Camera OCR tab. Here is the full frame view of the bounding box. See the red outlined box in the image below. Adjusting Height To adjust the box edit the number in the settings. In this case we will narrow the bounding box in height to restrict the read area. Here are the settings: Win MinX Pixel - 0  (from the left) Win MinY Pixel -  100  (from the top) Win MaxX Pixel - 1279  (from the left) Win MaxY Pixel -  700  (from the top) IMPORTANT Once the settings are changed and you click on Apply, the camera will reboot. This process will take a couple of minutes to complete before you can navigate away from the page. The resulting Bounding Box will look like this: Let's now say we want to lower the box in the view. I would have to increase the values in both Y axis settings. Here are the settings Win MinX Pixel - 0  (from the left) Win MinY Pixel -  200  (From the top) Win MaxX Pixel - 1279  (from the left) Win MaxY Pixel -  800  (From the top) Here is the resulting bounding box: Adjusting Width Additionally you can narrow the width of the bounding box if need be. In this case we will narrow the bounding box by 100 pixels on both sides. Here are the settings Win MinX Pixel -  100  (from the left) Win MinY Pixel - 200  (From the top) Win MaxX Pixel -  1179  (from the left) Win MaxY Pixel - 800  (From the top) Here is the resulting bounding box. By selective use of these settings you can customize the area that is processed by the LPR read. As a result LPR reads could be faster and more accurate since the camera is reading a smaller more focused area and ignores anything outside of the bounding box. On the Handheld For NOREADs you can check the setting in  System Settings  to see if that can be reduced.   It may mean more noise, but it may also help with determining what is going on (ie. reading but not seeing it as a  READ  result) To adjust this setting go into system settings and tap on Include NOREAD (ie. vanity) Results Set the percentage to 50% to start. We can tweak it once we see how the system reacts. Text2ParkMe - Active Permits 1. In  Parking Management , hover over the  Permit Management  icon and select  Text2ParkMe - Active Permits. 2. This will take you to the  Text2ParkMe - Active Permits  page that automatically displays all Text2ParkMe permits that are currently active and not yet expired. 3. You can filter this listing by entering the data that you want to filter by in the search criteria above. This report can be filtered by  User, Plate, or Lot Name . Select the  Filter Report  button to bring up the new report using the filters entered. The  Username link will take you to the user's profile. Text2ParkMe - Usage In  Parking Management , hover over  Permit Management,  Temporary  Permits,  and click ' Text2ParkMe ' then ' Current Usage' . This will take you to the  Text2ParkMe - Usage  page where you can enter information to get the usage report that you want to view. Enter in the information that you want to search -  User, Plate, Lot, and/or start/end date . Select the  Search  button to create the report. The report will appear below where the search criteria were entered.  The  Username link will take you to the user's profile. Refundable Parking Deposits Setup Deposit Options Setup and manage your Deposit options.  Apply Deposit Types Now that your deposit types are in place, they can be applied to specific lots. To do so, go to the  Parking Management Menu  and hover over  Lot Administration , then click on  Pricing and Lot Admin . Once in  Pricing and Administration , select the lot you wish to apply the deposit to by clicking on the lot name. Once in  Lot Administration , select the Standard Permits  tab to view the available deposit  types. From the list of  Deposits , click the deposit you wish to apply. You can select more than one deposit type by holding the  Ctrl  or  Shift  key and selecting the deposits you wish to apply. Once the deposit type is associated to a lot, it will then be included in the purchase of a permit in that lot for admins only. Let's have a look at a permit purchase with deposits in place. Go to a user's profile and select the  Parking  tab. Click on Standard Parking Permit  to begin the permit purchasing process.  Select the lot you wish to register the client to. In this case we select the  Green Staff Lot East .  Once the lot is selected, click on Register Permit .  The Confirm Parking Permit Registration  window will appear. Note the two deposits are included and listed in the  Total Owing  costs. Click on Purchase this Permit  to begin the payment process. Editing Assignable Text In this step, the admin can record the access card and hang tag numbers. To do so, click on the  Deposit Item  name. In this case click on  Access Card Deposit: Enter access card number here . In the  Deposit Information  pop-up window, enter the access card number in the  Assigned Text  field and click  Update Deposit .  Once entered, the number will now appear on the  Payments  screen under  D eposits . You may now proceed with the purchase in the usual manner. Access Cards - Search 1. In  Parking Management,  hover over the  'Permit Management ' icon and click  'Access Cards ' then ' Search '. 2. The ' Access Card Search ' screen is displayed.  Select the  Lot name  that you want to search. Note, only lots that have access cards associated with it will be listed in the Lot Name drop-down menu. Enter the  Access Card Range  and click the ' Retrieve'  button. Any access cards that match your search will appear below the search criteria. Hang Tag Printing In Parking Management , hover over the  Permit Management icon, and click  Hang Tag Printing. The  Vehicle Hang Tag Printing screen will display. Select the Semester from the drop-down menu. Select the files that you want to retrieve for printing. Enable the checkbox  if you only to print tags for which the payment has been fully processed . Select the  Permit Lot Name from the drop-down menu or enable the checkbox to disregard the lot type. Select the distribution method and the permitted range. Click the  Retrieve button to submit the search criteria. The results will display below the search criteria. Note,  permits paid by Payroll Deduction will be highlighted. Click the  Username  link to see an overview of the user. You can select the User Profile icon to open the user profile. Click the  Permit Number  link to see parking permit information. Enable the Email checkbox(es) to chose users to send the hang tag by email to. Click the  Email Selected  button, then fill in the details of your email.  To  print hang tags , enable the  P rint checkbox(es) . If you wish to print hang tags for all users,  click the  Select All  button. Click the  Deselect All  button to clear all selections. If you do not want to include an expiry date on the permits being printed, ensure that the 'Do not print date' checkbox is enabled. Otherwise, select the expiry date to be printed on the hangtag and click the  Print Selected Hang Tags  button. This will open up a new window displaying the username and address (positioned to fit in a windowed envelope) in the top left, the lot long name and permit number in the top right as well as the actual permit at the bottom. Note, some organizations use perforated paper to make it easier to remove the permits to be laminated. The empty space on both sides of the paper can be pre-printed to provide parking information, rules and regulations to your users. Some organizations will also purchase holograms to go on the permit as well. Expected Results Important In order for the correct address to display on the hangtag, you will need to have the  Mail Permit to  selected on the user's profile, and the appropriate address filled out. For example, if you select  Local Mailing Address  and the user only has their  Personal Mailing Address  completed, the user's address will not be printed to the hangtag.  (See  Edit User Profile - Profile Tab ) After printing the hangtag and placing it in its cover, the completed print job could look something like this:  Select the print option from your browser (Ctrl+P is the print shortcut). A sample printed parking permit front and back would look similar to this: Printer Settings   Below are sample margin settings. Margins Inches Millimeters Left 0.88 22.35 Right 0.254 6.45 Top 0.96 24.38 Bottom 0.169 4.29 Do not select "Shrink to Fit" and instead always use "100%". Temporary Permit Printing 1. In  Parking Management , hover over the  Permits  icon and click ' Temp Permit Printing '. 2. In the  Retrieve  drop-down menu, select the permits that you want. Select the  Permit Lot  that you want. Enter the Start Date and the Up to and Including date and select the  Retrieve  button. The results will appear below the search criteria. 3. Select the checkbox for the permits you wish to print and press “ print selected hang tags ” button. Below is a sample Temp Permit. Note, temp permits can also be printed by going to a user's history. Under the Temp Permit section, under the Permit #, select the printer icon to print just that one permit. Releasing a Permit If you know the permit number perform a permit search. If you do not know the permit number, go to the user profile for whom you wish to release a permit. Click on the  permit number  on the user dashboard. From the permit detail click on the  permit number. You will be taken to permit search where you can release the permit It is advisable to leave a comment in order to track the reason the permit was released. Click  Release This Permit. A pop up window will appear. Click  OK  to confirm the release of the permit. A confirmation message will appear. Now when you search the permit it will appear as available. Clearing Items Awaiting Payment - Midnight List If enabled, there is a System task that will clear all permits that are sitting in user's carts without any payments or promises to pay on them. Permits that have been  rolled over (renewed) or permits assigned through managed waitlist are excluded from this process. Additionally,  Zero dollar items will not be able to be cleared this way. Instead, use the Mark Items as Paid functionality to clear these payments.  Viewing Permits without Payments Click  Parking Management , hover over Reports, and click Midnight List . On the report you can see all users with permits in their cart that do not have a payment associated. You can do the following from this report: See items to be cleared Email the affected users Clear their flag to take them off the list and update the list Viewing Lockers without Payments Click  Locker Management , and click Midnight List . On the report you can see all users with permits in their cart that do not have a payment associated. You can do the following from this report: See items to be cleared Email the affected users Clear their flag to take them off the list and update the list Setting Up to Automatically Clear Permits without Payments If you do not see the settings mentioned below, please contact support@ops-com.com to have them enabled for you. You will need the permission of your Primary Admin. Click System Configuration , hover over System Setting, and click Permits . Click to toggle Clear Unpaid Permits on. Click Payments . Change the Clear Payments After X Hours value to the number of hours you want to allow items to remain in the user's cart. Use numbers only Follow the instructions in this wiki article to toggle on the Clear - No Payment scheduled task. Setting Up to Automatically Clear Lockers without Payments If you do not see the settings mentioned below, please contact support@ops-com.com to have them enabled for you. You will need the permission of your Primary Admin. Click System Configuration , and hover over System Settings. Click Lockers . Click to toggle Clear Unpaid Lockers at Midnight on. Change the Clear Payments After X Hours value to the number of hours you want to allow items to remain in the user's cart. Use numbers only Follow the instructions in this wiki article to toggle on the Clear - No Payment scheduled task. Permit Waitlist Feature Overview Welcome to the OPSCOM Waitlist Feature! This feature allows administrators to manage users waiting to purchase a permit in a specific lot or in a lot category. If enabled, this feature can save your team significant administrative time and ensure a fair allocation process. How Does the OPSCOM Waitlist Work? There are two different ways you can leverage the Waitlist. You can use the waitlist report or you can enable the Managed Waitlist functionality.  Basic Waitlist Report When a user joins a waitlist, Admins can access a report to see the waitlists by lot, link to the user's profile or email users individually or in bulk.  Managed Waitlist Functionality If Managed Waitlist is enabled, the Admin will be notified when a permit becomes available to be assigned to users on a waitlist. It will automatically be reserved to be assigned to the users on the waitlist. The admin will be able to choose who to assign this permit to add it to the user's cart. The Admin will email the user and give them a specific amount of time to pay for the permit before it expires and can be given to someone else.  Go to the linked pages to explore how to setup and work with either the Basic or Managed Waitlist functionality. Rollover: Auto Selection and Automatically Processing Payments Using Credit Cards on File to Purchase Recurring Permits There are two prerequisites to this function working correctly for credit card purchases on rollover. The user  must have a valid credit card registered in the system,  and the card must be  designated as the Prime Credit Card . If you are accepting Credit cards that you wish to charge on rollover, you must have a Gateway that allows you to charge client cards directly. This cannot work for a system that is set for Hosted Payments only. Performing Permit Rollovers Hover over  Permits , then select  Process Payments for Rollovers . The  Rollover Payment Processing page will be displayed as seen in the image below. To select which payments will be done click the check box with the payment type. If the invoice or permit says "None Set" then the user must process the payment to get the permit in the next sales window. Select the ' Process Payments for Rollovers ' button Visual Cues & Status Indicators Lock Pad Icon : Displayed on the right side of the Process Payments for Rollover screen. This indicates that a previous payment attempt was initiated but did not reach a finalized "Paid" or "Cancelled" state, often due to a Declined - Retry later response from the processor. Resolving a Locked Permit If a permit is locked and cannot be processed through the standard rollover screen, follow these steps to clear the lock and complete the transaction: Navigate to the User Profile of the individual associated with the locked permit. Access the user's Cart or Pending Items . Select the permit item that is currently locked in the rollover report. Proceed to Checkout and manually process the payment using the user's preferred method (e.g., Credit Card, Cash, or Account Credit). Verify the transaction is successful. Once the item is marked as paid in the user's account, it will automatically be removed from the locked status in the Process Payments for Rollover screen. Best Practices & Considerations A locked permit indicates an incomplete transaction. Do not attempt to re-process the payment through the rollover screen until the lock has been cleared via the user's account, as this may result in errors. Monitor rollover reports monthly to identify any lock pad icons, ensuring that all recurring permit payments have been successfully captured. Investigate "Declined" messages immediately by contacting the user to verify their credit card information or suggesting they contact their bank. Redirect payment to the User Profile when a lock occurs; manual intervention through the user's cart is the primary method for clearing a processing lock. Allow for processing time if a generic error occurs, as some records may take a short period to clear the payment gateway's communication buffer before they can be re-attempted. Confirm successful payment in the user's transaction history before attempting any further administrative actions on the permit to ensure data integrity. Preventing Permit Rollover after Cancellation Purchase a permit as an Administrator for any user.  Locate the permit on the  Profile  page and click the permit button to reveal the  Parking Permit Information  window.  Change the  Rollover State  to  Prevent Rollover . Enter a comment to explain why you are changing the state. This is mandatory. Click Update Permit. A message will display to let you know you have changed the flag.  You should also add notes to indicate why the flag was changed.  The process is almost the same for the user portal. An end user can set their permit to not renewing. Simply find the permit on the User Dashboard and click on the permit button. Select  Not Renewing  from the dropdown list in Permit Information. When you process the rollovers, this permit will not show up in the list. Instead, it will show up in a separate list called  "Permits that will not be rolled over." Enabling Permit Rollovers without Previous Payment Hover over the  System Config  menu and click  System Settings . The ' Manage System Settings ' window is displayed. Click  Permits  and disable the checkbox next to ' Require Payment for Rollovers '. This setting will be on by default. Click the  'Save Settings ' button. Proceed with Rollovers to the next allocation period. Feature Overview - Rollover/Renew Permits Permit rollovers , also referred to as renewals , describe the process of transitioning an existing permit from its current, expiring validity period to a subsequent, new sales window. This procedure effectively establishes a new duration for which the permit remains valid and involves the requisite charge for this extended period.    This is crucial for maintaining continuous parking access for patrons, especially those on payroll deduction or with credit cards on file that can be automatically charged. It's designed to manage active permits from a current sales window into a future sales window, establishing a new duration for which the permit remains valid and involving the requisite charge for this extended period. For instance, consider a monthly permit holder. Their permit is initially configured within a January sales window, granting validity from January 1st to January 31st, at a cost of $100 for the month. In late January, this permit can be rolled over into a February sales window. This action sets the permit's new valid period from February 1st to February 28th, with an additional charge of $100 applied to the permit holder for the month of February. The rollover process in OPSCOM involves several key steps and configurations: Sales Window Setup : Before any rollover can be performed, ensure your new sales window has a start date equal to or greater than the end date of the previous sales window. Permit Renewal Initiation : Administrators use the Permit Renewals utility to select which sales windows and user types will be included in the rollover. Permit Selection & Exclusions : Administrators can review and select specific lots and even individual permits to include or exclude from the rollover process. Payment Processing : For users with payment subscriptions (payroll deduction, EFT, credit card) set up, payments can be processed automatically as part of the rollover. User Notifications (Implicit) : While not explicitly detailed as a setup, users with payment subscriptions can have their payments processed automatically, implying a streamlined experience. Users who need to make manual payments will be required to do so to secure their permit. Prevention : Both administrators and users have options to prevent specific permits from rolling over. To ensure a smooth permit rollover, you'll need: A new sales window set up correctly. Refer to the Sales Window wiki article to learn more. Permits marked as renewable in the previous sales window. Before attempting rollovers, please follow the steps in these wiki articles to ensure you have activated the correct Sales Window and that you have your information correctly set up for automatic payments. For parkers with subscriptions, automatic payments can be processed as part of the rollover. This applies to patrons who pay by payroll deduction or credit card. For Credit Card Payments: For automatic credit card processing on rollover, the user must have a valid credit card registered in the system, and it must be set as their Prime Credit Card . Note that your payment gateway must allow direct charging of client cards; this won't work with hosted payments only. Automatic Permit Payments on Rollover/Renewal Parkers with subscriptions setup in their account Patrons who pay by payroll deduction or through credit card purchases can also have their payments processed automatically as part of the rollover process. Performing Permit Rollovers To begin a rollover: Hover over Permits (Clock icon) and click  Sales Window . Click the Rollover button to open the Permit Renewal page . Before a rollover can be performed you must make sure that the new sales window you are rolling into has a start date that is equal to or greater than the end date of your previous sales window. Select Rollover Options From the permit Renewal window select the current sales window you are rolling over  from  (From Sales Window) on the left side of the form. Then select the Sales Window you wish to roll the permits into. In our example we are rolling permits from the October Sales Window to the November Sales Window. Select what user types we wish to roll over, or simply leave it as the default of All User Types. Click on  Show Lots to list all lots that can be rolled over in the selected Sales Window. The list of lots will appear below the search form.  Managing Individual Permits for Rollover You can choose to include or exclude specific permits from the rollover. To see the list of permits you can toggle for renewability, click either the Holders or Renewing button. A list of permits in that lot will appear, allowing you to toggle whether they should be renewable or not. For example, if permits STAFF1000 and STAFF1001 are not renewing, they shouldn't roll over. Click Update Permits to save your changes. 6. Click Update Permits to save your changes. Here's the logic for permit rollover states: State Current Permit Renewing (prevent rollover = 0) User exists in target Sale Window Permit exists in target Sale Window Notes Renewing True False False Neither the user, nor the permit exists, but the current permit is set to be renewed. Blocked True False True The permit exists in the target sale window, but the user doesn't. This means anywhere for any permit in the lot. If the user has multiple permits and some of them renewed, then they technically are not blocked. If the user has been given a different permit, they also are not blocked. Renewed True True N/A The user is considered renewed when they exist in the target sale window. Just like the note for blocked, it's not intended to be good for users with multiple permits. Not Renewing False False N/A The user was not found in the target sale window and their permit is also not renewing. This is the expected scenario. Not Renewing, but Exists False True N/A The user WAS found and their permit is not renewing. This could use some investigation to make sure that the user is supposed to have that permit or not. Once you've completed this process for all lots you want to include in the rollover, click Renew Permits to continue. The screen will refresh and update the permit counts. Permits you toggled for rollover will appear as rolled over, while those marked as not renewing will remain in the "Not Renewed" column and will be available for new users. Permit Processing The system automatically rolls over permits paid through gateway payment types like Mastercard, Visa, or Payroll Deduction. Users whose permits are rolled over but don't have an active payment subscription will need to make a payment to secure their permit.  These Parkers will see the permit show up in their cart on the User Portal as unpaid. However, if a user has a payment subscription set up , their permit will be rolled over, and the payment will be processed automatically. The Process Payment option will be automatically toggled on, and the Credit Card Type will appear for users whose payments can be processed automatically. If someone isn't continuing to park in a lot, simply uncheck the corresponding checkbox under Rollover to exclude them. Click Rollover Permits to complete the process. Remember, you'll need subscriptions set up for payroll deductions, EFT, or credit card payments. You can prevent permits from rolling over by setting their renewable flag. Exporting Users to Rollover After clicking the  Rollover Permits  we can also choose to export an excel spreadsheet of all the users that are associated with the lot we have selected. To do this we click  Export Users  on the  Permit Rollover  page.  This will open a new window that generates the excel document for us to open depending on the browser you are using. You may be warned that the file is corrupt in some way however you should still be able to view the output in Excel's protective view. Automated User Notifications To streamline the renewal experience and reduce manual support inquiries, OPSCOM now includes automated email triggers that fire upon the completion of the rollover task. User-Facing Notifications When the system task processes the rollover, users are automatically notified based on the outcome of their transaction. These templates can be customized via the Email Templates page: Payment Success: If the payment (Credit Card, Payroll, etc.) is successful, the user receives a confirmation email along with their digital receipt. Payment Failure: If a payment is declined (e.g., expired card, insufficient funds), the user receives a failure notification advising them of the error so they can take manual action to secure their permit. Audit Trail: A record of these emails is associated directly with the user’s account profile, allowing administrators to verify communication history if a patron claims they were not notified. Administrative Alerts for Email Failures In the event that a user’s permit is processed but they have an invalid or missing email address , the system ensures the administrator is kept in the loop. The administrator who initiated the rollover will receive a summary email containing a list of all users who did not receive their receipts or alerts. This administrative digest includes: Direct Links: Clickable links to the affected user accounts. Transaction Details: Links to the specific payments via confirmation codes for quick reconciliation. Important Technical Notes Task Processing Delay: Please note that the rollover action is executed by a background system task. Emails are not sent the instant you click the button; there will be a short delay between clicking Rollover Permits and the dispatch of the success/failure notifications. Tips for a Smooth Rollout Configure Templates: Before performing your next rollover, visit the Email Templates page to update the wording for the two new permit renewal templates. Verify Admin Email: Ensure your administrator account has a valid email address, as this is where the "Failure to Deliver" summary will be sent. Check Payment Gateways: Remember that automatic credit card receipts only trigger if your payment gateway supports direct charging (as opposed to hosted-only payments). Related Video Single Allocate This allows you to add individual permits to lots instead of adding an entire range as in the previous section. Quick Steps: Hover over Parking Management then Lot Administration and Select Allocate . Find the lot to add the permit to. Click Add Permits To Lot . Enter the permit number. Click Add Permits . Step-by-Step Instructions: Navigate to Permit Number Allocation page : Hover over the Parking Management icon in the system and then hover over  Lot Administration , then click on Allocate . Locate the Desired Lot : On the Permit Number Allocation  page, find the lot you want to add a permit to. Add Permit to Lot : Click the Add Permits To Lot button. Enter Permit Information : In the Add Permits screen, type in the permit number. For example, you could add permit 0023 to the 123 Main Street Lot . Confirm Addition : A pop-up message will confirm that your changes were successfully made. Check the Permit List : Once the permits are added, your lot will display them in the  Permit Search utility. Setting Up A Lot To Be Visible and Available To The End User This article outlines the six critical factors that determine a lot's visibility and availability to end-users when they are purchasing permits in OPSCOM. Understanding and configuring these settings correctly is essential for OPSCOM administrators to ensure that parking lots are accessible to the intended user groups. Setup & Configuration System-Wide Visibility Setting Hover over System Configuration and click System Settings . Click on the Permits tab. Locate the Show Only Visible lots setting.   Enable this checkbox to only view lots marked as "Visible" across the system. Disable  this checkbox to view both visible and non-visible lots in administrative views. Lot Visibility and User Type Settings Hover over Parking Management , Lot Administration and click  Pricing & Lot Admin .  Click  Add New Lot (or click an existing Lot Name to edit). On the  General tab: Enable the Visible radio button in the Visibility to User setting. In the Lot Access section, select the appropriate User Types that are allowed to see and purchase permits for this lot. Hold the Ctrl key to select multiple user types. Click  Update Lot . On the Temporary Permits tab: Disable the T his lot is for temporary parking only checkbox. Allocate Permits to the Lot Follow the steps in this wiki article to add and verify your permits. Set Up a Permit Sales Window Follow the steps in this wiki article to setup your Sales Window. Test with a User Hover over User Management and click on User Registration (to create a new test user) or User Search (to find an existing one). Ensure that the test user's  User Type (e.g., Full Time Staff) matches one of the user types you allowed to access the lot you setup. Click  Login as User for your test user. On the User-Side Dashboard, navigate to  Permits . Check if the lot you created is available to be reserved. If the user type you are testing does not match the lot's allowed user types, the lot will not be visible on the user side. Best Practices & Considerations Test Thoroughly : Always perform a Login as User test with various user types after configuring a new lot or modifying its settings. This ensures that visibility and availability match your intentions. User Type Alignment : The most common reason a lot isn't visible is a mismatch between the lot's User Types setting and the logged-in user's actual user type. Double-check this setting carefully. Sales Window Dates : Ensure your permit sales windows are always current. An expired sales window will make the lot unavailable, even if all other settings are correct. Permit Allocation : A lot without allocated permits, even if visible, will not allow users to purchase permits, as there's nothing to sell. Always allocate permits after lot creation. Clear Naming Conventions : Use descriptive Lot Names and Lot Short Names that clearly indicate the lot's purpose or location to users. Permit Sales Window Management Permit Sales Windows in OPSCOM define the specific timeframes during which parking permits can be purchased and when they are valid. This article guides OPSCOM administrators through the process of creating and activating new permit sales windows, ensuring that permits are available for sale and valid for use according to your organization's academic terms or operational periods. The Manage Permit Sales Window page allows you to create, configure, and activate sales windows. Creating a New Sales Window Hover over Parking Management , and click  Sales Windows . Click the +Add Sale Window button.  Enter a Name for your sales window. Choose your allocation type: Will it be Monthly, Yearly, Semester or Other? Enter your Sale Start Date, Permit Start Date and End Date (see the Defining your Key Dates section below). Choose a color for your sales window. Click  Save Changes to save your information. The newly created sales window will now appear in the list on the Manage Permit Sales Window page. Defining your Key Dates When creating a new sales window, you will need to define the following key dates: Sale Start Date : Purpose : This is the first day that permits associated with this sales window will be available for purchase by users. Example : December 29, 2025. Permit Start Date : Purpose : This is the first day the purchased permit becomes officially valid and usable (e.g., scannable, recognized by LPR). This allows for pre-selling permits before their validity period begins. Example : January 1, 2026. End Date : Purpose : This is the official last day permits can be sold within this sales window, and also the date on which the permits become invalid. Example : December 31, 2026. Example Scenario : If a sales window is configured with a Sale Start Date of December 29, 2025, a Permit Start Date of January 1, 2026, and an End Date of December 31, 2026:      • Permits can be purchased anytime between December 29, 2025, and December 31, 2026.      • These permits would be valid from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. Activating the Sales Window Once a sales window has been configured, it needs to be made Active for permits to be sold. Locate the sales window you wish to activate on the Manage Permit Sales Window screen. In the Active column, click the dropdown menu for that sales window. Choose Active . Note: If you activate a yearly sales window, other existing yearly sales windows will automatically switch to Inactive to prevent conflicts. Best Practices & Considerations Overlap Prevention : Carefully manage sales window dates to avoid unintended overlaps that could confuse users or create accounting issues. Future Planning : Create sales windows well in advance of the sale start date to allow ample time for configuration, testing, and marketing of permits. Expiration Management : Regularly review the End Date of your sales windows. Past sales windows will be located under Past Permit Sales Window and cannot be reactivated; a new sales window must be created if similar dates are needed. Clarity in Naming : Use clear and descriptive names for your sales windows (e.g., "Fall 2025-2026 Annual Permit Sales," "Spring Semester 2026"). Adding Permits to a Lot (Allocation) This article outlines the process for OPSCOM administrators to add permits to specific parking lots. Permits can be added individually, as a sequential range, or with custom prefixes/postfixes, enabling efficient management of your permit inventory and ensuring lots have available permits for sale. Using this Feature Hover over Parking Management , Lot Administration and click  Allocate . The  Permit Number Allocation page lists all configured parking lots.  Locate the specific lot to which you want to add permits and click the  Add Permits to Lot b utton. Within the next window, you have several options for entering permit numbers: Individual Permit Numbers : Enter specific, non-sequential permit numbers, separated by commas (e.g., Staff01, Staff02, Visitor123 ). Range of Permit Numbers : Enter a numerical range using "to" (e.g., 1 to 20 or 50 to 200 ). The system will generate all numbers within that range. Prefix or Postfix (Optional) : Prefix : Enter text in the Prefix field (e.g., "Staff"). This text will be added before each generated permit number (e.g., Staff01, Staff02). Postfix : Enter text in the Postfix field. This text will be added after each generated permit number (e.g., 01-East, 02-East). Add Permits Enter the desired permit numbers, ranges, or prefixes/postfixes into the provided fields within the Add Permits to Lot utility. Click the Add Permits button. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click Add Permits again to confirm and finalize the process. A success message will confirm that your changes were successfully made. Viewing Added Permits After permits are added, you can verify their details by navigating to the  Permit Search utility. Hover over  Permits, and click Permit Search . Filter by the relevant lot to view the newly added permits. Best Practices & Considerations Planning Permit Ranges : Before adding large batches of permits, plan your numbering scheme to ensure consistency and avoid conflicts. Unique Identifiers : While OPSCOM handles uniqueness, consider using prefixes or postfixes for different types of permits or lots for easier identification. Verify Allocation : Always perform a quick check in the Permit Search utility after adding permits to confirm they have been correctly allocated to the desired lot. Bulk vs. Individual : For small, specific additions, individual entry is efficient. For larger inventories, using ranges and prefixes/postfixes will save significant time. Setup Lots to Use Text2ParkMe Text2ParkMe (T2P)  allows users to pay for temporary parking via SMS (text) messaging. Text2ParkMe will also send out reminders when their parking time is about to expire and allow users the option to extend their parking time. Text messaging fees  do  apply based on individual phone plans. If you have purchased Text2ParkMe, you must have a gateway provider setup to accept T2P payments. You must work with our project manager to ensure this gateway is configured and tested to work with your system.  You will also  require  a T2P phone number that your users will text to obtain temporary parking. The  Operations Commander Support team will ensure this number is setup and tested for you. Quick Steps: Hover over  Parking Management , then Lot Administration and click  Pricing & Lot Admin . Click a Lot Name to open its settings. Select the  Temporary Permits tab. Fill out all fields in the red box (especially the Text Code ). Click  Update this Lot  to save. Step-by-Step Instructions: Navigate to the Lot Administration page: Hover over Parking Management in the main menu. Click Lot Administration and then select Pricing & Lot Admin . Locate your lots settings: In the window, click on a Lot Name to open the specific lot's settings. Click on Temporary Permits: Select the  Temporary Permits tab. You will see several fields. Be sure to fill out all the items in the red box , as these are required. The  Text Code is the display name that users will see when choosing this lot to park in. Save Changes:  Once all required fields are filled out, click the Update Lot  button to save your changes. Permit Allocations Adding Permits to a Lot Single Allocate Archiving and Restoring Permits Planning Lot Groups and Lot Zones Lot Groups allows you to group similar lots together to be seen as a single entity in OPSCOM. A lot may only belong to one group. A lot group is not required ,  it exists to allow similar lots. A Lot Zone  is a grouping mechanism  allowing validation parameters to be applied to a lot. Quick Steps: Hover over the Parking Management, then Lot Administration,  and select  Pricing & Lot Admin . Click on the  Lot Name . In the  Edit Lot  page click on the General tab . In the General tab select the lot group you wish to apply to your lot. Hover over  System Configuration, then Parking, and click  Mange Lot Zones. Click on Add Lot Zone and enter a long and short name. Return to the Edit Lot  page and click on Zone & Location. Choose a Zone to add to the lot. Set the valid days/times for the zone under Days or Range with Sales Window  and Start Time and End Time . The lot is now linked to the zone. You can assign the same zone to multiple lots (e.g., “RED Zone” to both the  Red Lot and Green Lot ). Patrols can select either a  Lot Group or Lot Zone during enforcement. Zones allow enforcement based on time/dates, and Groups allow enforcement across multiple lots. Step-by-Step Instructions: Locate Pricing & Lot Admin:  Hover over the Parking Management, then  Lot Administration,  and select  Pricing & Lot Admin . Locate the General Tab: Click on the  Lot Name . In the  Edit Lot  page, click on the General tab . Adding a Lot Group: In the General tab select the lot group you wish to apply to your lot. How to Create a Zone:  Hover over  System Configuration , then Parking , and click  Manage Lot Zones. Create Zone: Click on add Lot Zone  and enter a long and short name. Return to the Edit Lot page: Return to the Edit Lot  page by going to  Pricing & Lot Admin , then click on the Lot Name.   Navigate to the Zone & Location tab:  Click on Zone & Location. Select a zone:  Use the dropdown on the left to select the zone you wish to apply to the lot. Select Days or Range within Sales Window: Specify when the zone is valid using Days or Range within Sales Window and the Start Time and End Time . Confirm: Ensure any permits tied to the lot reflect the same zone settings. Setting Up for Event Parking OperationsCommander has a feature that will allow you to setup for Event Parking in a unique way. Using Lot Visibility and Passwords, an event lot can only be booked by users who have been given the direct link to the lot. A direct link may be provided by email or from scanning the lot QR code. To setup your Lot Visibility settings refer to this page . To setup your Lot Passwords, refer to this page . Pricing and Lot Admin The Pricing and Lot Admin page is a central management tool for OPSCOM administrators to create new parking lots, define their characteristics, and configure pricing and permit settings. This page allows for comprehensive control over lot visibility, access, permit types (standard, temporary, flex), and advanced features like waitlists and LPR settings, helping administrators efficiently manage their parking inventory. Pricing & Lot Admin Main Page To access the Pricing & Lot Admin page: Hover over Parking Management, then Lot Administration, and click P ricing & Lot Admin . The Permit Pricing & Lot Administration screen opens so you can manage all lot details. Tip: Before setting up new lots, consider your organization's permit types, pricing structures, and any specific access restrictions (e.g., faculty-only lots, temporary parking areas). Key Information Displayed Lot Name : The full name of the lot and its associated permit sales window (e.g., Monthly, Semester, Yearly, Other). User Types : The specific user types permitted to book permits for the lot. Visibility : Indicates the lot's visibility to users (e.g., Not visible , Visible , Not visible but available ). Price : The standard base price for permits in the lot. Permit types : Icons representing the types of permits enabled for the lot (e.g., standard, temporary, flex). Visible to User : The number of permits in the lot currently available for user purchase. Usage : The number of permits currently booked or in use within the lot. Available Actions & Buttons Show Archived : Click this button to view or edit lots that have been archived. Add Lot : Click this button to create a new parking lot configuration. Lot Name (link) : Click on the Lot Name of any listed lot to open its detailed edit page, where you can modify various settings across different tabs. Export : Click the Export button at the far right of each lot line to export the lot's information to an Excel file. Search : Click the Search button on each lot line to navigate to the permit search page and view all permits associated with that specific lot. Lot Edit Page Tabs When you click on a Lot Name , the Lot Edit Page opens, divided into several tabs for detailed configuration: General Tab Archive the Lot : Enable the This lot is archived checkbox to archive the lot, making it unavailable for new sales but retaining historical data. Visibility to Users : Select one of the following options: Visible , Not Visible , or Hidden but Accessible . Lot Name : Enter the full, descriptive name for the lot. Lot Short Name : Enter an abbreviated name for the lot. Lot Group : A llows you to group similar lots together to be seen as a single entity in OPSCOM.   Lot Access : Choose between: Common Lot : Any user type can park here. User Type Lot : Restrict access by specific user types. Hold Ctrl to select multiple user types from the dropdown. Lot Password : Setting a password on a lot prevents users from booking a permit in that lot unless they enter the password. This is useful for event parking. Special Parking Spaces: Fill this out if your lot has special spaces like EV charging or ADA spaces. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Zone & Location Tab Location Description : Enter a description of the lot's physical location, which will appear on the user interface. Image : Upload an image that will be displayed next to the lot name; users can click it to enlarge. Zone : Configure a zone for this lot by selecting a zone and specifying days or a range within the sales window, along with a start and end time. Map Detail : Move or Create a Map Marker to pinpoint the lot's location on a map. Once the marker is set, the GPS coordinates will automatically populate. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Standard Permits Section Default Cost : Enter the base cost for standard permits in this lot. Prorated Sales : Choose Enabled , Use Default Setting , or Disabled as required for prorated permit sales. Multiple Permits : Enable the This lot can be used for a second permit checkbox to allow users to purchase multiple permits for this lot. WaitList Options : Enable the  Allow the use of Waitlist with this lot checkbox if you want the waitlist to be available to be joined.  Enable the Only Allow Waitlist after lot is full checkbox if you want a waitlist to become active when permits for this lot are sold out. Waitlist Lot Category : Group multiple lots together onto the same waitlist by selecting a category. This is a text field only, so use care when creating this. If a user joins a waitlist that is part of a Lot Category ,   they will be automatically added to  ALL  individual lot waitlists that are associated with that specific group. Crucially, they will be assigned the  same ranking  across all these grouped waitlists. This ensures that if a permit becomes available in  any one of the lots within that category, the user is eligible to purchase that permit. Lot Sales Window : Choose the sales window type for term permits that will be sold here (e.g., Yearly, Monthly). Hang Tag Settings : Enable settings for printing physical hang tags if required for this lot. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Temporary Parking Tab Temporary Parking Only : Enable the This lot is for temporary parking only checkbox if the lot is exclusively for temporary parking. Max Permits per Day : Set the maximum number of temporary parking permits available per day for this lot. Permit Duration : Enable Allow temp permits up to 30 days to limit temporary permits to 30 days. Enable Allow temp permits to be used over 30 days to permit temporary parking for periods exceeding 30 days. Permit Application to All Vehicles : Enable Allow all vehicles on profile to receive the permit to automatically apply the temporary permit to all vehicles on a user’s profile. Daily Cost : Enter the maximum fee for parking beyond 6 hours (if applicable). Note: If you do not wish to have a daily fee, disable any Permit Duration settings. You can still configure hourly cost as described below. Hourly Costs : Enter the hourly fee for parking. If the lot has a flat rate, leave these fields blank. Over 30 Days Monthly Cost : Enter the monthly cost for parking permits that extend beyond 30 days. Real-Time Map : Enable Allow this lot to appear on the Real-Time Parking Map to display this lot on the Real-Time Parking Map feature. QR Code : View the QR Code for this lot. Access the Link to the QR Code. Download or Print the QR Code directly from this page. Add a Logo Image to be displayed in the center of the QR Code. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Here is an example of how you may want to configure your temporary pricing: In the above example , permits will be available for free for   2 hours , $5 for 3 hours , $8 for 12 hours , and $10 for 24 hours/1 day . Flex Permits Tab This tab allows for flexible pricing based on specific times and days. Using Flex Permits : Click the checkbox to Enable Flex Permits . Add New : Click Add New to create a new Time Slot with a specified Price and a choice for Colour coding. Click Save Changes when complete. View & Edit : You can Edit existing Time Slots , Pricing , or Colours individually by clicking the appropriate Edit button. Alternatively, use the Time Slot Chart and the Select button to click and drag time slot information to apply to multiple times and dates simultaneously. Clear : Click the Clear button to remove all pricing configurations from the chart. Fill : Click the Fill button to populate the chart with all the same pricing. Reload : Click Reload to revert the information to your previously saved settings. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Lot LPR Settings Tab Free Parking Time : Set a grace period during which patrons can register their license plate with a pay-by-plate meter without incurring a charge. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Additional Settings Tab Banner Detail Code : This field is for use strictly with the Banner system for specific integrations. Click Update Lot after making changes in this tab. Best Practices & Considerations Consistent Naming : Establish a consistent naming convention for your lots (e.g., "Lot A - Faculty," "Visitor Parking Garage") to improve clarity for both administrators and users. Visibility Control : Carefully consider the Visibility to Users setting for each lot. A lot marked Not visible but available is useful for administrative purposes or specific user groups, while still being accessible if the direct link is provided. Waitlist Management : If using waitlists, organizations should develop a clear business rule for when to remove a user from the waitlist, such as after a permit has been offered or after a user has been emailed. QR Code Usage : If utilizing QR codes for temporary parking, ensure they are prominently displayed and easily scannable at the lot location. Regular Review : Periodically review lot configurations, especially pricing and sales windows, to ensure they remain current and aligned with organizational policies. Lot Visibility Options OPSCOM provides enhanced control over parking lot visibility and accessibility, allowing administrators to define how and when users can view and book permits for specific lots. This article explains the three lot visibility options and their implications for both administrators and end-users, ensuring that lots can be precisely tailored for various scenarios, including event parking and restricted access. Setup & Configuration Lot visibility is configured within the Lot Edit Page or the View All Lots Page by selecting one of three distinct options. Configuring Visibility on the Pricing & Lot Admin Page Hover over Parking Management , Lot Administration and click  Pricing & Lot Admin . Click on the Lot Name you wish to configure. On the General tab, under Visibility to Users , you will find three radio buttons. Select the desired option (details below). Click Update Lot to save your changes. Configuring Visibility on the View All Lots Page (Bulk Action) Hover over Parking Management , Lot Administration and click  Pricing & Lot Admin . On this page, locate the Visibility column for each lot. Click the current visibility icon next to the desired lot(s) to change the status using the radio buttons that appear. This allows you to change the visibility status of multiple lots at once. Legend - lot is not visible. - lot is visible. - lot is hidden but accessible. Using this Feature The three lot visibility options provide granular control over user access: Not Visible : The lot is not visible to end-users on the permit booking page or the real-time map. Users cannot book permits from this lot, even with a direct link. This option is typically used for lots under construction, maintenance, or no longer in use. Visible : The lot is visible to end-users on the permit booking page and may appear on the real-time map (if configured). Users can book permits from this lot, provided they meet any other access criteria (e.g., user type, sales window). This is the standard setting for publicly available lots. Hidden But Accessible : The lot is not visible to end-users on the general permits page or the real-time map. Users can book permits from this lot if they access it through a direct link. This link can be provided via email, a webpage, or by scanning the lot's QR code. Best Practices & Considerations Event Parking : The Hidden But Accessible option is ideal for event parking. You can provide a direct link to event attendees, allowing them to book permits without the lot being generally visible to all users. Combined with Passwords : For enhanced security, combine Hidden But Accessible with lot passwords. This ensures that only users with both the direct link and the correct password can book permits for the lot. User Communication : If using Hidden But Accessible lots, clearly communicate how users can access the lot (e.g., "Scan this QR code," "Click the link in your email"). Audit Regularly : Periodically review the visibility settings of your lots to ensure they align with current operational needs and access policies. Using Permit Proration Proration  is a permission that can be given to an admin user. It allows them to sell a permit to a user that is valid for a shorter portion of the active sales window and have the system adjust the cost of the permit accordingly. A good example is a student parker starting to park a vehicle halfway through a year or semester.  Quick Steps: Hover over the Parking Management  then  Lot Administration  and select  Pricing & Lot Admin . Click on the  Lot Name .  In the  Edit Lot page click on  Standard Permits and enable Proration for the desired lot. Click Update Lot to save. Hover over User Management and click User Search. find the user’s profile and click on their  username then click on the Parking tab. Select the  Standard Parking Permit for the desired lot. Choose the  permit number and start date . The cost will be prorated and display as  prorated . Click  Purchase this Permit to finalize the purchase. The adjusted cost will appear in both the Admin and User's portals. Step-by-Step Instructions: Locate Pricing & Lot Admin page: Hover over the Parking Management  then  Lot Administration  and select  Pricing & Lot Admin . Configuration/Setup:  In Lot Admin & Pricing , select the lot you want to set up for proration. On the  Standard Permit tab, check Proration Enabled . The lot is now set for proration. Hover over User Management and click User Search. Using Proration for Permits: Search for the user and open their profile by clicking on their username . Locate the Parking Tab: Click on the  Parking tab to begin purchasing a permit. The  Parking Permit Registration screen will appear. Selecting Standard Parking: Select the  Standard Parking Permit for the lot where the user will park. The full price of the permit will be displayed. Configuring the   Confirm Parking Permit Registration page:  Choose the  permit number for the user and select the start date for the permit. Confirm the Prorated Cost: After selecting the permit number and start date, the cost will be prorated, and the  prorated label will appear. Confirm that the cost has been prorated. Click  Purchase this Permit to complete the process. The adjusted permit cost will now show in both the Admin Portal and the User's Portal. Archiving and Restoring Permits Lot Allocation allows you to remove and restore permits in any given lot. Permits are removed through archiving. Archived permits are not permanently deleted and can be restored from their archived state . Quick Steps: Hover over  Parking Management then  Lot Administration and click Allocate . Locate the lot you wish to archive/restore permits for. Click  Archive Permits and Choose either Selected Permits to archive a portion of the permits or  All Permits to archive them all. Select the permits you wish to archive. Click  Remove and confirm with  Remove again. To restore permits click  Add Permits To Lot . Choose individual permits or a range (TL2-01 to TL2-05). Click Add Permits  then confirm by clicking Add Permits again. Wait for the completion popup. Step-by-Step Instructions: Navigate to the Lot Administration : Hover over Parking Management in the menu then Lot Administration and then click Allocate . Select the Lot : Locate the lot you wish to remove/restore permits for. Choose Permits to Archive : Click on the  Archive Permits dropdown menu. Select Selected Permits to archive only specific permits or click  All Permits to remove them all. Select Permits to Archive : Choose the permits you want to archive. Click  Remove to start the archiving process. Confirm the Archive : A confirmation screen will appear. Click  Remove again to complete the process. Completion Message : A popup message will confirm that the archiving process is complete. Check the Lot : Refresh the list of permits. You’ll see that TL2-01 through TL2-05 have been removed from the lot. Add Permits Back to the Lot : To restore permits, click on  Add Permits To Lot . Choose a Method to Add Permits : You can add permits back either individually or as a range: To individually add permits type the permit number in the Permits text box. To add by range add the prefix and postfix (if any) then add the starting and ending numbers for example 01-10 would add permits 1 to 10. Start the Process : Click  Add Permits  to begin the restoration process. Confirmation Message : A confirmation popup will appear. Note that the message will indicate the permits are "restored," not "created," as they were previously archived. Completion Message : A popup message will confirm that the restoration process is complete. Check the Lot : Refresh the list of permits. You’ll see that TL2-01 through TL2-05 have been restored. Flex Permits This feature is currently under development and has not yet been released. The wiki article serves as a placeholder outlining the intended future functionality. Introduction Flex permits allow clients to specify variable prices for a lot, with the possibility of a different price for every hour. This allows more options for the customization of permit prices, useful for situations like making permits more expensive during peak hours. Flex permits are counted as type of temp permit, as an addition to the existing daily and hourly permits. They function most similarly to hourly permits and their uses have some overlap.  It is intended for a site to choose between hourly permits and flex permits and not use both, although clients are not restricted from using both at the same time if they choose to. Flex Permits Tab Flex permits and related sections can be accessed on the lot edit page, from the new flex permits tab. The page consists of three sections: An options section A time slot section, used for defining prices An hourly grid, used to assign prices to hours in the week Options A list of options related to flex permits. There is only one option for flex permits. Enable flex permits - this will enable the use of flex permits for this lot. If not enabled, users will not have the option to selected flex permits for this lot, even if the hourly grid is filled out. Time Slots Flex permits are controlled by a grid of customizable timeslots, which are configured for each lot from the lot edit page. The time slot section is located below the options section. Time slots created by the admin are located here. Name - a user-friendly name to identify what the slot should be used for Price - the price of booking a permit for the selected hour Colour - the colour that the time cells in the week grid will be marked with when they are assigned this price Time-slot Creation Click the add new button to bring up the add time slot modal. Fill in the required fields and press save changes to save the new time slot. The time slot selection menu will reload and the saved item will appear. The modal will also be brought up when editing the details of an existing time slot. Once a time slot has been created, there is no way to delete it . Hourly Cell Grid Below the time slot section, the hourly cell grid can be found. This is a representation of each hour within the week. Here, each hour time slot within a week can be assigned a specific cost. When a user books a permit for a number of hours, the final price will be calculated using the prices associated to each hour selected within the booking. Above the cell grid, several buttons can be found. Clear - will clear the grid of all filled cells Fill - will fill in the grid with the selected colour Reload - will reload the grid data stored within the database, erasing any changes that were made Hourly Price Assignment To fill in the cell grid, first select one of the prices to assign to cells on the grid. This can be done by clicking on the one of the selectable colours. This will change the active colour to the colour selected, as indicated by the blue outline. Cells on the grid can now be filled in by clicking and dragging the mouse across the cells. The grid can be filled in using any number of time slots. Note that any sections left blank (using the default option) will be set to free. Cell price layouts will only be saved upon clicking the update lot button. User-Side Permits Once the flex permits have been filled in, they will begin to appear for sale on the user side. On lots where flex permits are enabled, the permits page will show a preview of flex permits as a price range. Flex permit options will now be available as a separate option to the page. Selecting the flex option will show the input requirements to book a permit. Flex permit inputs: Date - the day the permit is being booked for. Start Time - The time the booking will start at. Flex permits are limited to booking on the hour. They do not currently support proration, meaning if a user arrives during the middle of an hour, they must pay for the entire price of the hour. Duration - the number of hours to book the permit for. A permit can be booked for a limit of 12 hours. If the booking would go beyond the bounds of the day, the user will be required to pick a shorter duration. Vehicle - like normal for temp permits, the user can either select a vehicle on their account or enter a new plate as a guest vehicle. Selecting an option in the date input will cause the prices for that day of the week to appear in a box to the left side of the page.  If the user selects one of the other options after selecting flex, the flex prices box should disappear again. Selecting flex again should make it reappear. Selecting a different day will cause the flex prices box to reload with the new day's prices. The cost of the permit will be calculated using the prices of each hour in the selected range added together. Pressing to reserve the permit, the permit will be added to the user's cart. Real-Time Map On the real-time map, the flex permits range of cost will be listed under rental costs. Clicking here to book a permit will take the user to the guest checkout page, the same place as if they had scanned a QR code to access the lot. If enabled, the user does not need to be logged in to access this page. In the case where a lot group is used as an icon in place of a single lot, it will also show the range on the lot groups page. QR Code / Guest Checkout Similar to the standard temp permit checkout, the flex permit prices for the day will be displayed to the left side of the page. As guest checkout permits are intended for immediate bookings, the day and time will be limited to the current date. Upon filling in the information, the permit cost will be calculated and the user will be able to checkout immediately. Clicking on make payment, the user will be redirected to their selected payment gateway to make a payment. Lot Passwords Introduction The ability to lock lots with a password has been added. Setting a password on a lot prevents users from booking a permit in that lot unless they enter the password. In support of event parking, this can be used to make a lot intended for an event that can only be booked from by users who have been given the password for the lot. This can be used in combination with lot visibility settings to make a lot that can only be booked from by users given a direct link and password to the lot.   Lot Edit Page Passwords can be managed from the lot edit page. There are two settings related to lot passwords: Password - the password that must be entered to access permit booking for the lot. Use Lot Password - enables or disables the application of the password on the lot. Even if a lot has a password set, the password input will not be enforced unless the lot has password use enabled. Passwords cannot be enabled for a lot if there is no password set for it. View all Lots Page Password usage will be indicated by a lock icon beside the lot on the lot admin page. Usage When a lot is password-locked, users trying to access it will be forced to a password input. They will need to enter the password in order to be able to get to the permit reservation page. Once the password had been input, the user will not need to enter the password again for that single lot until their session data is cleared. This will only apply to the single lot the password was entered for. Other lots with passwords will still prompt the user for the password. When a lot has a password on it, a lock icon will appear next to the lot name in places where it appears, including the real-time map. Admins are not restricted by lot passwords on the admin-side, and will not need to enter the password to book a permit for a user.