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42.1. WordPress plugin

Setting up ResNova on your WordPress web site

Get setup!

ResNova is a customisable booking plugin that connects availability and bookings from ResRequest to your website.

ResNova can be embedded anywhere on your site and it integrates seamlessly with your other content. This guide covers the steps to add ResNova to your WordPress pages so you can show availability like this...

Photo courtesy of Tongabezi Lodge, Zambia

Setting up ResNova for WordPress

Download and install the plugin

Contact our call centre to arrange your connection credentials. This process involves our call centre mapping a user in ResRequest to our bridge and sending you bridge connection credentials.
From our ResNova page download the WordPress plugin.
Upload the zip file as a WordPress plugin.
Activate the plugin.

Once ResNova is setup on WordPress it is added to your WordPress sidebar.

Set up ResNova interfaces

Video tutorial

Take a look at how to setup ResNova in Wordpress once you've downloaded the plugin and how to embed your calendar matrix / search option onto a webpage.

Setting up ResNova in WordPress

Guidelines

Before you can embed interfaces on your page you need to add and customise them.

Go to ResNova settings by clicking on ResNova from the WordPress sidebar.
Add your bridge credentials by clicking the 'Bridge Account' button. You should have already recieved your Username and Password from our support centre. Under server, type 'resnova.resrequest.com'.
We recommend that you enter SMTP details to enable email notifications for users e.g. if you set your availability display to enable bookings and payments, the users will receive confirmation emails. Once set, save the details and you should receive an email to show this functionality is working correctly.
Click 'Add New' to create an interface.

FAQ: Why would I create multiple interfaces?
Each interface embeds a collection of properties on your page displayed in a customised format. You may want to group certain properties together or you may want to show availability for only one property. For each property or plugin variation an interface must be created and inserted on your WordPress page. The interface controls what properties are displayed, what an interface looks like and what the user can do on the interface.

FAQ: Can I create interfaces that mix properties from different ResRequest customers?
Yes, multiple ResRequest customer availability can be displayed on one interface however create bookings and payments is not supported across multiple customers.

FAQ: Can bookings be created across multiple matrixes on one page?
No, multiple itinerary bookings are supported provided the itinerary is booked from one matrix on the page. We're working on this though so check our updates regularly.

Edit options

Once an interface is created you can customise it by clicking 'Edit' on the interface tab.

General tab

Use the 'General' tab to enable bookings and record payments for the interface. These two features need correlating user access permissions setup in ResRequest in order to work.

Enable bookings: If bookings are not enabled on the plugin all 'Book' buttons can be replaced with 'Contact us' buttons which direct users to a URL. To create bookings in ResRequest the plugin user must be granted create booking access in the ResRequest system's User Access module.
Enable credit card payments: Payments are currently only available with PayGate. Once you have signed up with PayGate, they will issue test and live IDs. To record the payment on the booking in ResRequest the plugin user must be granted record payment access in the ResRequest system's User Access module.

FAQ: Should I make my book now page HTTPS?
Yes, it's standard practise to make transactional pages HTTPS. The payment function is embedded on your web page and it is your responsibility to setup this security on your web page. Take a look at WordPress' HTTPS guides to help you set this up.

FAQ: Can I make bookings and payments across ResRequest customers?
No, we currently only support create booking and make payment functionality if your interface is comprised of properties from the same ResRequest principle / customer.

FAQ: Once I've setup my Card Payments do I need to do anything else?
Yes, there's more to be done. Enabling credit card payments on the interface activates money being paid into your merchant bank account via PayGate but that part doesn't automatically update the payment on the ResRequest booking. To show payments on your ResRequest booking, the ResRequest Payment Gateway Interface must also be setup to enable 'External' payments and the plugin user must be granted record payment access. Ask your internal ResRequest Administrator to set this up and test that this works before you go live. When you test - check that the rates from ResRequest are in the same currency as your PayGate account.

Locations tab

Select the properties that will be included in the interface on the 'Locations' tab. The property and accommodation types displayed are determined by the plugin user's access permissions setup in ResRequest's User Access module.

Display tab

The 'Display' tab determines the type of interface to be applied.

There are two display options: a matrix which is a calendar display and a quick search.

Sample of the matrix:

Sample of the search:
Once a display is selected, the interface display can be customised by clicking the option to the right of the 'Display' tab.

Sample of the matrix:

Sample of the search:

Embed the matrix / quick search interface into your page

On your page click the 'ResRequest Interface' button to insert an interface. This inserts the interface code directly on your page.

Update your page and - voila! You have successfully embedded your availability ResNova platform into your website.

Optimise loading time

Would you like to optimise the loading time of your ResNova widget? All you have to do is:

Contact our support centre so they can get the back office set up for you.
Navigate to the Plugins section and update the ResNova plugin.
Once the back office is set up, select the relevant interface in ResNova and navigate to the General tab. Under the 'Select how ResNova connects to ResRequest' section, select the 'Availability is cached every 5 minutes...' option.

What does this mean?

The ResRequest availability data that is displayed through ResNova is now cached/stored so the calendar doesn't have to pull the information from the ResRequest system every time it is loaded. This greatly increases the loading time of ResNova widgets and is highly recommended. The cached information is updated every 5 minutes.

Will this increase the chance of an overbooking?

No. If the ResNova plugin is set up to enable Bookings, ResNova will pull live availability from the relevant ResRequest system (bypassing the cached information) before the booking is confirmed.

Updating the plugin

To update the ResNova plugin navigate to your Plugins section, find the ResNova plugin amongst the other listed plugins and select the 'Update' option.

Plugin hints & tips

Property and room type descriptions are called from ResRequest's property and accommodation notes set up on ResRequest's business structure. Google maps and photo galleries are called from data setup in ResRequest's Business Structure - this is available to customers running ResRequest version 6.3.1 or later.

* Watch our video tutorial on how to set up these images and camp descriptions in your ResRequest business structure.

How to set up camp blurbs & images in your ResRequest system

2. If bookings are enabled an SMTP account can be setup on ResNova to automatically send customers an email confirming booking details. Setup can be managed on our ResNova bridge and will soon be added to your WordPress > ResNova back end.

3. As we release updates you can opt to upgrade your plugin from the WordPress plugins area.

ResNova is still in development so keep checking our releases for awesome new features!

Contact our support centre for more assistance.

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