Attendance Tracking/Ticket Scanning

Theatre Manager handles tracking of tickets that were used at an event which can be accomplished in one of three ways:

Via Events & Dates - scanning stubs using a "wired" or "tethered" scanner or typing in the ticket number
Via a web site interface - scanning stubs or typing in the ticket number
Via remote using "wireless" hand held scanners that communicate with a web listener

Each option was built for a different purpose and have some pro's and con's associated with them. These are outlined in the table below. All methods:

Allow you to enter ticket numbers for a specific event to record attendance. It can be done by scanning the bar codes on a printed or web ticket -or- if the bar code fails, typing it in manually.
Have a range of messages that tell you if the ticket was used already to gain admittance, if it is for the wrong night, etc.
Can be used in conjunction with each other - meaning, you can use all 3 methods simultaneously if you wish.

Events & Dates

This method of verifying attendance requires you to open the Events and Dates window (or access it from the Accounting->Confirm Attendance Menu).

Pros

Can also track attendance by patron number. If you enter the patron #, then all tickets purchased by that patron for that night will be considered used.
The simplest method of attendance tracking and probably the cheapest, especially if used after stubs have been collected.

Cons

Requires a full copy of Theater Manager (and licence) for each of the workstations that you are using for attendance tracking. This means that attendance tracking 'at the door' requires a computer and scanner attached.
Does not facilitate the process of a patron entering and leaving a venue multiple times by multiple exits.

Web Site Interface

This method uses computers equipped with a web browser to communicate to the web listener to track attendance.

Pros

Can use inexpensive 'older' computers and a connected bar code scanner to perform attendance tracking at the door. Discarded laptops with a USB interface might be ideal.
Bar code scanners connected to machines are cheaper than stand-alone wireless solutions - so this is probably a mid-range price solution.
It does not require a user licence to be in use to scan tickets. All tickets are scanned and sent to the web listener via a special interface to the listener.
It can be used to check patrons into the venue -and- allow them to leave for later re-entry.
It could be used for attendance tracking of stubs after the fact.
Can have one or more separate web listener(s) assigned to the attendance function, if desired.

Cons

This approach requires a computer at each of the venue's access/egress points capable of being networked and running a browser.
The bar code scanner must be tethered ("wired") to the computer at each door.
You must have the web listener module to use this option (however, multiple devices can communicate to the same web listener).

Wireless Scanners

This option uses special Palm-OS based wireless scanners and a custom AMS application to scan tickets and send the information to a web listener that checks the person in and out of a venue based on ticket number for that performance.

Pros

This uses a battery operated stand alone wireless device specially designed for this purpose. Staff can wander un-tethered to scan tickets which makes it very flexible and the scanner can be deployed to any venue access/egress point depending on demand.
It does not require a user licence to be in use to scan tickets. All tickets are scanned and sent to the web listener via a special interface to the listener.
It is designed for the leanest communication with a web listener and is quite fast.
It has great visual and audio feedback to help determine the permissions of the user to check in and/or out.
Can have a one or more separate web listener(s) assigned to the attendance function, if desired, to speed processing.

Cons

It requires the web listener module to operate (however, multiple wireless devices can communicate to the same web listener).
It is the most expensive technology.
It requires a wireless LAN connection to be operating continuously otherwise you cannot scan people into the venue.

Scanning Tickets using Wireless Scanners

Wireless scanners offer a very convenient way of checking people into a venue (or out) and tracking exactly who is on the premises. They are battery operated, portable and can be deployed from one entrance to another, depending on traffic or load.

They are quite easy to operate and require a few steps to get them working the first time. The general setup steps are:

Install the ticket scanning software and mate with the network (one time task, usually)
Set up the preferences to scan a particular event for Windows Mobile MC50, MC55 or MC55A.
Scan the tickets as people enter and exit the venue.

Steps 1 and 2 are covered on the setup instructions for the wireless scanner. Each time you scan a new event, you will need to do step 2. Similar to the Web Scan method, this means you will need to get the event number from play & dates and the IP address of the web listener put it into the preferences for MC50, MC55, or MC55A .

Step 3 is simply using the scanner to check patrons in or check them out of the venue (assuming that all set up has occurred).

Make sure that you fully charge the devices before a performance so that it has a full battery level. Nothing worse than the battery running out in the middle of admitting patrons. We have tested the device while it is in the charger cradle and it will still scan - if you need to do that.

Wireless Scanner Operation

They are quite easy to operate and require a few steps to get them working the first time. The general setup steps are:

Install the ticket scanning software and mate with the network (one time task, usually)
Set up the preferences to scan a particlar event for Windows Mobile MC50, MC55 or MC55A.
Scan the tickets as people enter and exit the venue.

Step 3 is simply using the scanner to check people in and out of the venue. This is described in this section (assuming that all set up has occurred).

YMake sure that you fully charge the devices before a performance so that it has a full battery level. Nothing worse than the battery running out in the middle of admitting patrons. We have tested the device while it is in the charger cradle and it will still scan - if you need to do that.

For installation instructions, click on the picture of the scanner.

Windows Mobile Based

Wireless Scanner Setup

Follow the steps in this section for setup. If you encounter any issues, you may want to check the frequently asked questions on troubleshooting ticket scanners

Windows Mobile - Installation

This page describes the key functions of the scanner and how to set it up. On this page are the following:

Description of the Motorola/Symbol MC50 and the buttons on it.
Downloading and Installing the AMS Ticket scanning program on the scanner.
Setup and mating of the scanner with your router and network.
Setup of the login information and communication parameters before scanning can occur

Description of the Motorola/Symbol MC50/MC55/MC55A/MC5590 Buttons

Theatre Manager supports the MC50, MC55, MC55A or similar wireless scanner for optimum tracking of people entering and leaving a venue. The device looks like the picture above.

It has some important buttons that you will need to know to operate the scanner:

The most important is the yellow 'scan' buttons. They are at both sides of the device at the top. You can use whichever one you want to achieve the scan as they are interchangeable.
When using the Theatre Manager 'AMS Ticket' program, all functions are accessed by clicking on the touch sensitive screen using the stylus or your finger.
There is an orange button at the bottom left of the keyboard. This is the numlock button. Pressing it once allows entry of a number. Pressing it twice turns on num-lock. Pressing it again, turns the keyboard back to alpha. It will be very handy when entering information to set up the device.

Active Sync for Windows

If the 'AMS ticket' program is not in the scanner, you will need to install it. You can determine if it is in the scanner by clicking on the 'start' menu at the top of the scanner and looking down the list for the 'Programs' menu item. When you pick that, you will see a list of applications in the device. Look for something that says 'AMS Tickets'.

In the screen at the right, you can see the 'AMS' logo with the name 'AMS Tickets' in the first row on the 3rd Column

If you cannot find this icon in the scanner, you will need to install it.

Notes:

Installation must be done on a PC because the connection cables that come with the device are USB and serial. If you have a credit card server, this is an ideal machine for this purpose.

Installation only needs to be done once because the program is placed into nonvolatile ram, so even if you run out of battery power, it will still be there.

Requisites:

You will need

the Windows Mobile software and the AMS Ticket program. You can download all you need from our web site. If you have Win 2000 or XP, they you must install active sync 4.5. If you have Vista or Windows 7, then active sync will likely be on your computer.
A PC computer with a USB connection.

Installation the Scan Ticket Application

	If you have not already done so, download the installers for the AMS ticket program. Expand the zip file to a convenient location and have a look at the folder. You should see some folders and files that look like the image to the right. If you plugged in the scanner to your USB port, please unplug it. Double click on the ActiveSync 4.5 installer. This is the first step in getting the program installed. This will only need to occur once, regardless of the number of scanners that you need to install the program on.
	You will see an installer window similar to the one to the left. Please follow the instructions to Install Active Sync 4.5. Click the 'Next Button
	After reading the terms, click to accept the licence terms and then click the 'Next' button.
	Enter your user name and customer information and click 'Next'. It will probably default this information for you.
	Click 'Next' again.
	Click the 'Install' Button and wait till the installer is finished doing its work. This may take a couple of minutes, depending on the speed of your machine.
	Once you have installed Active Sync, you should see an icon at the bottom left of your computer in the icon tray. It looks like a couple of 'arrows' in a circle. If it is grayed out like this picture, it means the device is not in and not connected.
	If the scanner is its cradle and is connected, you should see the the icon is 'green' which indicates the connection.
	In either case, you can 'Double click' on the icon and open the active sync program and you will see a window like the one on the left.
	If you have no connection, you may need to go to 'File->Connection Settings' after plugging in the device and USB cradle. This window has some settings that can be changed and should look like the image on the left. The default setting is to allow USB connections, but if you are having issues, please check the settings are similar. The important thing, is to get the 'Device Connected' message.
	Once connected to active sync (the window does not have to be open), go back to the folder where the active sync 4.5 installer is. You can now click on the install.bat file. This will move a copy of the hand held ticket scanner program onto the actual scanner. You will see a window as below that gives you a chance to continue with the install program or to quit. Click any key to install.
	As the install progresses, you will see the result of some dos commands and a file copy. This step can take a while (perhaps 10 minutes) as it moves the data onto the hand held device. Do not unplug the hand held device while you are doing this.
	While the sync is occurring, the scanner device will show that items are being transferred with a set of left/right arrows on the screen near the time. There is no animation of the arrows while the transfer is happening.
	at the end of the install, the DOS screen will disappear from your computer and the screen on your mobile device will ask you if you want to reset the computer with a dialog as displayed. While it says that 'all data and files will be removed', it really only means data that support the sage of TM or other programs. Click 'Yes'
	After the restart of the device, you will need to follow through with the device initialization. This includes: tapping the screen to start the setup process clicking on some X in the screen to align the stylus Then, the TM application should start up with a screen as displayed.

Mating the Scanner to Your Network

Setting up a scanner requires a couple of important things to be done.

The first is mating the scanner to your network and making it acceptable to your routers (all routers if you have multiple and if necessary).
The second is getting the communication and parameters set up.

Mating the scanner with your network

Normally, we expect people to be running a closed network - where you cannot log on unless your router has the mac address of the scanner entered into it and your scanner is set up to connect to that network using the SSID and WEP password for the wireless router.

You will need to involve your network support people to complete some of this part of the setup. Once done, it should not have to change again.

These instructions focus on the part of the setup relating to the scanner.

Turn the scanner on.

Look for an icon in the bottom right corner of the scanner that is dark blue and has a red ! in it. In this picture it is the one to the extreme right. Click on it.

If you do not see this icon, start the 'AMS Ticket' program and go to 'Setup'. On the setup screen is a button called 'Wireless' that also shows the same options in the next steps.

A menu will pop up. Pick the 'WLAN Profiles' option. This will be used to set up you connection to your wireless router.

You will see a screen that looks like below. This indicates that the device can have a number of profiles (or settings) that allow it to connect to your wireless hub. Before continuing, you will need to know your wireless SSID, encryption method and password (in hex, perhaps). When you see this window, click on the 'Edit' button to edit the default setting.

It should open up at the 'mode' tab as per this image. Leave the profile name as 'default'. Change the 802.11 ESSID to be the SSID name of your router. If you are not sure what this is, ask your network support person.

Click the encryption tab. Pick the type of encryption that your router is using. If it is none, then you are fine. If it is WEP, then you will need to type in the 'key' given to you for your router as well as indicating the key length.

When done, click on the IP config tab. Most wireless routers allow you to set this as DHCP and will give you an IP address automatically. If not, ask your network support person what manual IP address settings you need to type in here in order to get connected to the network. Click OK when done.

If you get things right, then when you get back to the main window, the icon should have changed to have a green bar in it. Click on it and pick the status menu item.

If all went well, then we should be connected to the network and able to begin the scanning process. Your screen should show you the signal strength and should be mostly green as per the diagram. If you see lots of red, then go back and check your IP settings, password and SSID to make sure that they are correct. Check these with your network support person and make sure that this device is allowed to talk to the wireless hub before calling Artsman Support. (i.e. you may need to put the MAC address into the router, depending on how the security is set up in the router or you may need to be closer to the router depending on signal strength). If you see green, close the window and you are done. if you see red, there are parameters that need fixed.

MC55A addendum for Settings

The MC55A has windows mobile 6.5 installed and has a few quirks to deal with because Microsoft has made the interface far less intuitive. Please adjust communication settings from within the Ticket Scanning program using the following general steps starting from the 'Theatre Manager Setup' window.

Notes:

Make sure you have the latest software installed for your scanner model. For MC55A, this is 2.0.0.06 as of July 2011
Press and hold the red power key for 5 seconds if you need warm boot the device
Press the power button, W and C simultaneously to cold boot the device - you probabyl never have to do this

Creating and Managing a Profile

Using the wireless button, select Manage Profiles

Press on the screen until the popup window to 'Add' a profile appears. You should see a window titled 'Wireless LAN Profile Entry'
Enter a Profile Name (like ticket scanning) or you could put your network name in there. It is less secure to use the network name (ESSID) because it is supposed to be invisible.
Enter the ESSID of your network. It is the network name
Click Next
For operating mode, select 'Infrastructure'
For country, pick 'USA' or whatever your router will allow
Click Next
We Recommend 'WPA2 - Personal' for Security Mode, but this must match your router
Click Next
Encryption Type and Pass Phrase are dependant on what your router settings are
Click Next
for ipv4 address type, you should be able to check all the boxes, especially obtain IP Address Automatically. However, if that doesn't work, give each scanner a unique IP address suitable for your network.
Click Next to get to Transmit Power
For Transmit Power, change the settings to 'Power Plus'
Click Next
Change Battery usage mode to 'CAM'
Click Save

Now that you have a profile, time to select it and use it. Press and hold on the profile until the popup appears and click 'Connect'. The icon changes if you have active connection. You may need to 'x' out of this window to continue. Before you do, please refer to for last minute settings that you might need to check.

Testing the signal

Assuming that you are connected, then click the 'Wireless' button again in the ticket scanning program.

Scroll down and select 'Wireless Status'
Pick Signal Strength - it should be a green bar and we'd prefer if it said excellent as the signal strength. The higher the signal, the better/faster scanning will be
If you have no signal strength, then go back to the top of this page and adjust your network parameters, IP settings, etc so that you can connect to the network
If you have signal strength, then click the 'blue' arrow at the top right of the screen to go back to the previous window
Select Option 3: IPv4 status. On this screen you should see that you have an ip address from your router. If not, start at the top of the help page, verify the profile and make sure you are connected to your network
Click the blue arrow to go back
Click the quit option to get back to the ticket scanning program

Testing the Network

Click the 'Wireless' button on the ticket scanning setup window again
Scroll down and select 'Wireless Diagnostics'
Select 'ICMP Ping'
It may have an ip address in there, so try ping it and see if that works
Better still, enter the ip address of the apache machine and then click 'start test' to se if you can communicate with that
If you cannot ping the Theatre Manager Apache Server, then you need to adjust your router to allow communication from the scanner to the apache server. It may also mean that you need to adjust your 'Profile', so back to the top of this help page if need be.
Once you are able to ping the Theatre Manager Apache machine successfully, you are almost there. Stop the test
Click the Back button at the top (or OK button at the bottom) until you get into the Theatre Manager Setup Window

Testing a Scan

Once the network settings are done, then the next step is to try and end to end test. You will need to start at least one Theatre Manager Web Listener. For the purposes of the test, it is better that only one be started.

On the Web listener window, there is a pop-up at the bottom middle of the screen beside the 'Show Detail' button. This is the log Level selection which is normally set to 'Error'. Change the setting to say 'Ticket Scanning'. This will cause the Web Listener to report more messages, including those sent by a scanner. It will be helpful in the diagnostic process.

Set the Web listener to 'Ticket Scanning' error log level
Take the scanner near the screen so you can watch the listeners responses
On the Wireless device, make sure you have entered the 'Theatre Manager Address' correctly - it will typically look like 192.168.0.xx/TheatreManager/1 as per these instructions
Set up the port, user initials and password as required. We recommend leaving the Performance as zero (0) as it means scan any event for the current day.
Click the 'Save' button on the Theatre Manager Setup Window. This will take you back to the main window.
Click the scan button to take yo to the normal scanning interface
Type in 12345678 as the ticket number. Then click the green arrow to test the scanner. It is very likely that you'll see a stop icon.
You should also see an error message on the scanner indicating any problems (eg, invalid password, wrong ticket number or what have you. Please look at the Theatre Manager web listener and see if the message on the log line is similar to the message on the scanner. You should also see lines in the Web Listener Log that are 'Checkin/Out' messages and may display things like 'Scanner Synchronized Time' etc.
If you see no messages and you got this far, then you probably need to go back and look at network and firewall settings -- assuming that the scanner is mated with the network properly

Real Life Testing

The final step in the test process is to take the scanners to locations where you will use them (if you see messages that the scanner is communicating in the previous section).

Print off several dozen real tickets for any event - enough that each ticket scanner has a few tickets to practice with. The tickets may be for the same seat or different seats - you just need some to get a continuous string of acceptances.
Set the performance parameter on the scanner to this event
Stand where you will be scanning
Check the signal strength as per the instructions above and make sure it is sufficient
Try scanning people into the venue and out of the venue
Test all scanners individually
Test all scanners working at the same time to make sure there is no interference or reduction in performance if all are working at the same time. If there is a reduction in speed, you might need to boost the wireless access point's antenna, or you may want another listener or two temporarily. This depends on number of scanners and wireless signal

Training

The scanners work as there are hundreds in use. However, we recommend that you have a training practice session a few days before using it on your first real event. Have the ushers come in and try it. Help them scan in and scan out people so that they are familiar with the basic operation.

Then try the scanners on a small event first - it is almost a certainty that there will be minor problems when real patrons are involved. Patrons bring tickets to the wrong event and your ushers need time to adapt to the controls that a scanner brings.

Once you have a few smaller events under your belt and feel comfortable, then you are ready for all events.

Wireless Scanner Tips/Troubleshooting

The scanners are capable of a lot of functionality and the scanning program really only needs few of the features. However, since windows mobile is evolving and Microsoft has a tendency to make software more complex, you may run into some quirks here and there.

The following list are some things that we've encountered that may help you.

Other good things to set

Set power performance to maximum
(Jul 2011 O/S) Windows Start -> System Tab -> Power -> Advanced -> Set to "Max Performance"
(Nov 2011 O/S) Windows -> Settings -> System Power -> CPU Power [tab] -> Set to "Max Performance"
Increase time for auto-shutdown/sleep mode
(Jul 2011 O/S) Windows Start -> System Tab -> ??? -> Advanced -> Either remove sleep mode or set to 10 to 15 minutes
(Nov 2011 O/S) Windows -> Settings -> System Power -> Advanced [tab] -> Turn OFF "Turn off device if not used for" or set to the highest minutes.
This will stop the scanner from going to sleep and upon waking up, possibly receiving a different IP address. This will also allow for faster scanning at the door as the usher does not need to wait for the scanner to wake up and re-connect to the wireless router.
Set the Scanner to have a fixed IP address
Theatre Manager counts the number of scanners in use by the IP address of the scanner that it is connecting from. If it is a DHCP and if each time the scanner connects to the network, it is given a new IP address, then you may run out of ticket scanner licenses.
Talk with the IT department personnel responsible for issuing IP addresses to determine a range of suitable numbers to assign to the scanners and set the scanner to a fixed IP. This will make connections to the wireless hub faster and allow Theatre Manager to keep track of the various scanners more effectively.

Finally, if you can connect via internet explorer (located in the applications folder on the scanner) on the wireless device to your web site, you should have all the network infrastructure in place to do ticket scanning. That means only the Theatre Manager scanning program needs set up.

Changing the System password

On the wireless scanners, Theatre Manager's application is preset with the System Entry Password and System Exit Password of "123" (without the quotes). You may change this password if you wish and if desired, the scanners can be set with a different System Entry and System Exit Password.

After changing the password(s), ensure to provide the updated password(s) to the required people within your organization to allow them access to Theatre Manager's scanner application setup utilities.

To change the password(s):

Gain access to the scanner via ActiveSync
Start browsing the files on the scanner. To learn more about ActiveSync, click here.
The files you are looking for are in the Applications -> AMS folder
- SystemPassword.txt (it contains 123)
- ExitPassword.txt (it contains 123)
Edit the contents of either file to become the new password.

In the latest version of the Windows Mobile Operating System (as of November 2011), you are able to edit the password files directly on the wireless scanner itself.

To change the password(s):

Windows -> File Explorer -> Applications -> AMS
The files you are looking for are:
- SystemPassword.txt (it contains 123)
- ExitPassword.txt (it contains 123)
Edit the contents of either file to become the new password.

Quick tips on scanner connections

Make sure Wireless is on (it is off by default)
Windows Start -> Settings -> Connections tab
Change network from "work" to "internet"
Windows Start -> Settings -> Connections -> WIFI -> change "work" to "internet"
Turn Wireless mode "on"
Windows Start -> Settings -> Connections -> Wireless Manager -> On
In the TM application
Setup -> Wireless -> Options -> Regulatory -> Remove checkmark on 802.11d infrastructure
In the TM application
Setup -> Wireless -> Enable radio (if it says Disable radio, then leave it as is)

Scan displays numbers slowly

Some recent MC55/MC55A scanners take a second +/- to scan a ticket when the yellow scan button is pressed. This is longer than normally expected.

Symptoms

The symptoms seem to be that the first number from the ticket will appear on the scanner, then a small delay, then the second number will appear, then a small delay, then the rest of the numbers. In total, it might take the scanner just over a second to register all the numbers, rather than a fluid slow of digits to the screen.

Solution #1

If this occurs, the MC55 needs version 2.0.0.4A or later of scan wedge software installed. Please download and reinstall as per instructions to put the new software in place. Also, please record any settings you have made to set up the scanner as the re-install process clears all data and settings from the scanner.

Solution #2

Recent versions of Windows Mobile also has spell checking turned on. This has a rather detrimental effect on ticket scanning - as it the scanner tries to spell check and predict each ticket number as it is scanned. Please turn this off.

Communications Parameters

If the previous step was set up right and the scanner is mated to the network, you can click the start menu, programs and the click on the AMS Tickets application It may take a couple of seconds or so to start as the scan program is synchronizing time with a time server and making sure the clock on the program is set properly. When it does start, you will see the screen at the side. Now we can set up scanning for an event / play. This must be done in advance of each performance that you are scanning tickets for.

All that needs to be done is set up some parameters.

Click the 'Setup' button on the screen.

You will be asked for a system password to change the settings for the performance. Type '123' (this can be changed) and once the password is right, the next window will automatically appear.

SAMPLE SETUP

When you open the preferences window using either of the two methods above, you have some fields that must be filled in. These are below (Press the orange button on the keyboard twice to turn the num-lock on mode):

IP address: this is the IP address of the web listener that will be responding to checkin and checkout requests.

Enter the address of the apache server/firewall such as tickets.yourdomain.com/TheatreManager/1. the tickets.yourdomain.com is the same value you place in company preferences under the web settings. The '1' is the company preference number. In multi-outlet venues, this number will be different for each outlet.

Port: this is the port number that the web listener 'listens on'

leave blank for port 80, type 443 if you have set up SSL and allow access via secure sockets. It generally is not needed.

User Initials: this is the upper case initials for the user doing the scanning. This person does not need to be able to log on to TM for any other reason. You might wish to create one or more generic ID's for this purpose (because the password in this screen is clear text)

Password: the password used for these User Initials to log on to Theatre Manager.

Passwords are case sensitive. Unless you allow lower case passwords, you most often enter this as upper case.

Performance #: enter the performance number that you are scanning for.

If you enter a ticket number, then tickets for any other performance will be rejected. Use this method if you want absolute certainty that patrons are entering the correct venue

If you enter zero, then any ticket for any event / play that day can be scanned. Use this only if you have a festival situation occurring and patrons could have purchased tickets to any one of a number of events / plays to obtain entry to the area you are scanning for.

Other Buttons:

Key Clicks: check this to that you receive audible feedback from typing numbers.

Set Time: forces the time on the Windows Mobile device to match the time on the Web Listener. Effectively this will be the same as the time on the database server. If you do not set this, it will occur automatically each time you start the ticket scanning program.

Wireless: opens the wireless setup information as per the top of this page.

Cancel: does not save the changes to the memory of the device

Save: saves the changes.

There is one other preference that can be set before we begin scanning. This indicates whether we are scanning the person into the venue, or scanning them as they leave to indicate that the ticket was not used

You can access this option directly from the main screen where the scan & setup buttons are. Click the 'Scan' button and you will see a screen like the one on the left.

At the bottom is a 'checkout' button with a red arrow. This means the mode is currently 'check in' and you click this button to change the mode to 'checkout'. It will also change the arrow at the top from green (checkin mode) to red (checkout mode)

If there is a green arrow with 'check in' at the bottom, then the current mode is 'checkout' mode. Click the 'Checkin' button to change the mode to checkin.

If you are scanning patrons into the venue, the top of the screen looks like the picture to the right. Notice that the text says 'Check In' and the arrow is green.

If you are checking patrons out of the venue, the text at the top of the screen says 'Check Out' and the arrow is red.

Checking a Patron INTO the venue

this page describes how to scan a ticket and check a patron INTO the venue.

Checking a Patron OUT of the venue

This page describes how to check a patron out of the venue so that they can come back in another entrance. A checkout assumes that the patron has been checked in to the venue in the first place. If you receive an error checking the patron out, it would be an odd situation.

Scanning Tickets using Tethered Scanner

Scanning Tickets using Web Interface

The web scanning interface is really quite easy to set up. You will need:

A computer
A USB bar code scanner (CCD is best)
A bar code on your hard tickets and your web tickets printed at the time of sale, and
A permanent net connection to the web listener

To start, you need to know the following:

Performance Number

You need to know the performance number of the event that is occurring. You can find this by opening up the Events & Dates window, and clicking on the Performance tab. The first column of the performance list is the performance number.

In the example below, you can see the performance number as #323 for the Apr 2, 2011 performance.

Performance Number

Web IP Address

You need to know the listener IP address (internal). You find this by looking at the web listener on the title bar. In the example below, it is https://192.168.3.50:5111 (note - 192.168.3.50 is the IP address and 5111 is the port number to use if you are using the wireless scanners)

Listener IP

Once you have the setup information, then you can begin the process of tracking attendance.

On any computer, start the web browser of your choice (Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.)
Enter the IP address of the listener (along with the attendance page) in the following manner. This is the IP address you found above, along with the actual attendance page called 'TMattendance.html'.

Attendance

If you want to track attendance at a remote venue using this method, you can use the web listener and the path name will resemble https://tickets.yourvenue.com/TheatreManager/1/TMattendance.html

Once the browser page is started, you should see something like the following page. On it, you must fill in:

The performance number from above (in this example -- 323)
Your user initials (in this example -- RDE), and
Your password (Password are case sensitive. For most sites, you will enter it in all upper case).

Put the performance number into both the upper area and the lower area. The upper area checks people into the venue who have not entered the venue. The lower area tracks people leaving the venue so that they may re-enter later.

checkin

Entering the Venue

Once the web page is on the screen

Place the cursor in the Ticket Number cell.
Aim the scanner at the bar code on the ticket
Pull the scanner's trigger
Click the "Check Patron In" button on the web page (see NOTE below)
Scan tickets until all patrons are in the venue.

When you click the "Check Patron In" button, a message is sent to the web listener and it responds with a message. For possible messages, see below.

If your scanner is programmed to automatically enter a "carriage return" after the click (see the scanner's User Manual to program), then you do not need to click the "Check Patron In" button. Alternatively, after scanning, you can click the ENTER key on your keyboard.

The next steps are repeated as required.

Action	Possible messages
Ticket Not Used Yet	For a ticket that is valid for admission, the message will display "OK to Enter." In this case, the ticket number is '8569' and the user is informed to allow access.
Ticket Already Used	If the ticket has already been marked as used then you will see a message similar to the one below.
Not Sold	If you try to scan a ticket Theatre Manager thinks has not been sold, you will get a message similar to that below. This may happen if the ticket was sold and then exchanged but the original ticket was never destroyed (as part of the box office procedures).
Wrong Performance	If the ticket that is entered is sold, but it is for the wrong performance, then you will receive a message like the one below.

Leaving the Venue

Sometimes people need to leave the venue. If you have scanned them in, then they cannot enter again because the ticket was already used. The only way to allow them to leave, and then return is to check them out of the venue. That will mark their ticket as un-used. They can then enter again at any access point that supports ticket scanning (or manual entry of tickets).

You are not required to use this approach for re-entry. You can ignore this process and use the traditional 'hand stamp' method (or similar protocol).

Action	Possible messages
Patron is Leaving the Venue	In the lower area, scan the bar code (or type the ticket number) to indicate that the patron is leaving the venue. The input screen will look like the following. if the patron was properly scanned into the venue, you will get a message like the following in the standard message area.
Ticket Not Used	If the ticket was used and the patron has been scanned out of the venue -or- if the patron was never in the venue in the first place, you will get a message similar to the one below. This is useful to let you know when "Elvis has left the building."
Not Sold	If you attempt to scan a ticket that Theatre Manager thinks is currently not sold, then you will get a message to that effect (similar to the "Check In" message)
Wrong Performance	If the ticket that is entered is sold, yet it is for the wrong performance, then you will receive a message to that effect (similar to the "Check In" message).