Booking system

Introduction

This page describes how to use the Theatron Reservation System. The reservation system allows users to rez their choice of theatre on demand for use during lectures, presentations, and other events.

There are two ways to access the reservation system:

1. Via an in-world control panel object in Second Life.

This method allows you to rez a theatre without a reservation, so long as no one else has made a reservation at that time.

2. Via the web site.

This method allows you to reserve a time slot in advance, and to restrict access to the main theatre area to keep out unwanted visitors.

Choose the method which best suits your needs.

1. The In-World Control Panel

The control panel is located in the landing zone (Viewing platform) at Theatron (8,8) in Second Life. When there is an ongoing reservation, the control panel can only be used by:

• the user who made the reservation,
• avatars who are marked on the web site as being administrators for the group the reservation is under, and/or
• system administrators for the reservation system.

During unreserved times, anyone can use the control panel to rez a theatre and/or P-Package. (The sim is open access to everyone when there is no ongoing reservation, so the guest list features are not active during those times.)

Rezzing a Theatre

When a reservation is made online, the user selects a theatre to be rezzed (loaded) in the world. You can change theatres at any time via the control panel, or rez a theatre when there is no ongoing reservation.

To rez or change theatres, first select the theatre you wish to use by clicking the left and right arrows on the control panel. The selected theatre is displayed in the screen in the center of the control panel.

When you have selected the theatre you wish to use, press the "Rez Theatre" button on the control panel. The control panel will display a blue dialog in the upper right corner of the screen asking you to confirm the action; select "Yes" to begin the process.

Note: The process of changing theatres takes approximately 6 minutes to complete.

Rezzing a P-Package

P-Packages (short for Pedagogical Packages) are supplementary objects which add signs, kiosks, or other educational materials to the theatre and surrounding environment. When a reservation is made online, the user can choose an optional P-Package to be rezzed (loaded) in the world. You can change the P-Package at any time via the control panel, or rez a p-package when there is no ongoing reservation.

To rez or change P-Package, use the left and right arrow buttons on the control panel select the theatre you wish to rez a P-Package for, then press the "Rez P-Package" button. The control panel will display a blue dialog in the upper right corner of the screen asking you to confirm the action; select "Yes". The control panel will then display a second blue dialog listing the P-Packages that are available for the selected theatre. To begin rezzing, click on the button for the P-Package you wish to rez.

Note: The "Rez P-Package" button is inactive (faded out and non-responsive) if there are no P-Packages available for the currently selected theatre.

Adding and Removing Guests

When a reservation is made online, the user can provide a "guest list", a list of avatars who are allowed to enter the main portion of the sim. The guest list can be adjusted during the reservation by using the "Add Guest" and "Remove Guest" buttons on the control panel.

To add a guest, click the "Add Guest" button, then type the avatar name of the guest to add, using chat channel 1.

For example, to add Joe Avatar to the guest list, you would type this into chat:

/1 Joe Avatar

You can type as many names as you like. When you're done entering names, press the "Done" button in the blue dialog in the upper right corner of the screen.

To remove a guest, click the "Remove Guest" button, then type either the avatar name or the list number, again using chat channel 1. The list number is displayed in the blue dialog in the upper right corner of the screen. For example, it might display:

1: Jane Avatar
2: Joe Avatar

In this case, you could remove Joe Avatar from the guest list by typing either of these lines into chat; they both have the same effect:

/1 2
/1 Joe Avatar

If there are very many avatars on the guest list, the dialog in the upper right corner of the screen will show a ">>" button. You can use button this to page through the full avatar list.

When you are done removing names from the guest list, press the "Done" button in the blue dialog in the upper right corner of the screen.

The Web Site

The reservation system can be accessed online. Only users who have registered an account and had it approved by an administrator can use the reservation system from the web. From the login screen, follow the "Register an Account" link to begin registering. You will need to provide the first and last names of your Second Life avatar, and a password for logging in to the reservation system. You will be able to change your avatar name, password, and/or email address later, if you wish.

Note: The password should be different from the one you use to log in to Second Life.
Note: Although you're not required to provide your email address, it is a good idea to do so.

Once you have registered, the system administrator will be notified so that he or she can activate your account. After your account has been activated, you will be able to log in to the system.

Logging In

To log in, enter your avatar name and your reservation system password at the prompt, and press the "Login" button.

Note: If your web browser has cookies enabled, you will be able to return to the site later without needing to log in.

Viewing Upcoming Reservations

The list of upcoming reservations can be viewed on the "Listing" page of the web site. This page is opened by default when accessing the web site; you can change to it from another page by clicking the "Listing" link on the navigation bar along the top of the page.

The Listing page displays all the upcoming reservations that have been made on behalf of any group you belong to. Each reservation displays the times and dates when it begins and ends, the theatre that was selected, the P-Package that was selected (if any), and the group the reservation was made under. On the left side of the reservation is an "X" link, used to cancel the reservation. On the far right is an "Access" link, used to adjust the access list (guest list) for the reservation at any time.

Note: Be aware that there may be reservations that are not displayed, if they were made by a group of which you are not a member.

Making a Reservation

In the top right part of the Listing page is an "Add Reservation" link. Click this link to start making a reservation. This process has two steps, each on its own page:

1) Setting various details of the reservation
2) Setting the access list

On the first page, you can set:

*The time and date of the start of the reservation
*The duration of the reservation, in hours
*The theatre you would like prepared (rezzed) for you
*The P-Package you would like prepared for you
*The group to which the reservation belongs

Please note that if there is another reservation immediately after yours, the last 15 minutes of your reservation time may be used to clean up and prepare for the next session. You should keep this in mind, and increase the duration of your reservation by an hour if you will need the extra time.

On the second page, you can:

*Select any number of Second Life groups whose members should be granted access to the parcel
*Select any number of the pre-made lists of avatars to add to the guest list
*Type in the names of any other avatars to add to the guest list

Note: You can select multiple groups or pre-made name lists by holding the Ctrl key and clicking each item to select it (or deselect it, if it is already selected).

Cancelling a Reservation

On the Listing page, you can cancel a reservation by clicking the "X" link on the left side of the reservation. A small dialog window will appear asking you to confirm this action. Please be aware that you cannot undo the cancellation after you have confirmed it. However, you can make a new reservation in its place.

Changing Reservation Details

Unfortunately, it's not currently possible to changing the details (time and date, theatre selection, etc.) of your reservation after it is made. However, you can cancel the existing reservation and make a new one in its place.

Changing your Password and Other Account Details

To change your password, email address, or avatar name, click on the "User Admin" link in the navigation bar at the top of the page. Then, click on the "U" (for Update) link to the left of your avatar name. You can then enter the new details into the text boxes. Press "Save Changes" when you are done.


Queries directly associated with the THEATRON Reservation System can be sent to Melancholy Graves. For general THEATRON or sim specific information or queries please email theatron(at)kcl.ac.uk