WebCheckout Oddities

(under construction...)

Overview

A few of WebCheckout's features do not work as they would appear to work, or are more useful if you know a trick. This article documents some of those oddities, as of version 4.3.0.

On all Find screens: "Add search term..."

Can't find what you need using the fields displayed in the left column on any Find screen? In the left Find column, use the "Add search term..." dropdown below all the search fields to add almost any field that applies to this type of record.

The exception to this is that you will not be offered bibliographic (bib) fields when searching for media resources. You have to start from the Media→"Find Biblio records" or Media→"Find Holdings" commands to search on bib fields like title, author, or publication year. Those commands link bib and resource data in ways that the Resources→Find commands do not.

Note: when you logout of this session and login again, each Find screen will revert to its defaults and you'll have to add search fields again if you want them.

On all Find screens: drop date/time fields

Can't find the allocations (checkouts or reservations) you know are there? If the search fields in the left Find column include any date/time fields, use the X to the right of each date/time field to delete it, then choose the Find button again. The date/time fields in the Find column almost always default to an interval too narrow to be useful.

Note: when you logout of this session and login again, each Find screen will revert to its defaults and you'll have to drop search fields again if you don't want them.

On all Find screens: add Results Columns

Not finding enough information when you do a Find? (For example, try Resources→"Find Types"; what do the resource-type name and organization really tell you?) On any Find screen, toward the bottom of the left column above the "Reset Search" button, you'll see "Results Columns" with a downward triangle. Selecting this adds Excluded and Included list boxes just below, with left and right arrows between them. Select any missing field from the alphabetized Excluded list, and it is added to the bottom of the Included list. Now choose the Find button again and the results display on the right adds the field you chose as a new column on the right. To continue the example using "Find Types": add the Path field to the results display, then click on the Path heading to sort on this field.

Note: when you logout of this session and login again, each Find screen will revert to its defaults and you'll have to add Results Columns again if you want them.

Find Media: search only your Checkout Center

By default, the Media→Find commands look for media across all Checkout Centers (CCs). If you only want to search your CC, use "Add search term..." to add Checkout Center to the search fields, then set it to your CC and choose the Find button again.

Note: Bibliographic records with no holdings in your CC will not appear, even if you created those bib records in your CC. To make such a bib appear, add a holding to it.

Note: when you logout of this session and login again, each Find screen will revert to its defaults and you'll have to add the Checkout Center search field again if you want it.

Search for media while in the middle of a Checkout or Reservation

So you're in the middle of a checkout or reservation, having identified the patron (step 1) and entered the date/time fields (step 2). Now you need to identify the media (step 3), but the patron does not have the item in hand, so you cannot scan its barcode into the "Add Resource" textbox. It won't do any good to choose the MEDIA then Book resource types, because the list will include all your book "resources" without the necessary bib information. What to do?

From the top menu, choose Media→"Find Biblio Records" (or "Find Holdings") and search for the media the way you usually would. When you find the bib you want, select it and move to its Holdings tab to see the specific holdings. To the left on any available holding will be a blue "Add to allocation" link. Select that, then choose the checkmark (or reservation card) from left end of the top menu bar to return to where you were in the timeline scheduler. See? Your patron and date/times are still there, and the holding you selected has been added to the "Selected Resources" list, just as though you had scanned its barcode in. When you have added all the holdings you want, use the Commit button as usual.

WebCheckout is persistent in remembering the allocation you started but have not yet committed and confirmed. What if you want it to abandon that transaction?  Use the Reset button at the right end of the gold or blue bar toward the top of the timeline scheduler screen.

Create Holding

To create a new holding (resource) linked to a bib record, from the Holdings tab of the bib record, choose the blue "Create holding" link. This starts the New Holding Wizard, which is tricky to work with.

First, choose the Find button next to the Resource Type field, and use the Find Types screen with your Checkout Center to select the type of this resource. When you do, you will see the text to the right of the Resource Type field change to something like "Current resource type is " and the type you selected. (Remember, root types in uppercase must not directly apply to resources.)

Second, put the cursor in the text box labeled "Resource ID" and type in your CC prefix/suffix then continue to type in the barcode number, You cannot use the barcode scanner here; you have to type in the number yourself. Then select the Finish button and the wizard will display a blue link of the resource ID for your new holding (resource).

Third, select that blue resource ID link, choose the Specifications tab, and put the cursor in the Barcode field. Now you can use the barcode scanner to enter the number again, this time successfully.

Because this wizard is tricky, you will find it faster to duplicate an existing holding (of the same bib record) than to create a new one. You'll find the blue "Duplicate this resource" link on the Admin tab next to the Actions label.

Remember, if you typed the resource ID incorrectly while in the wizard, you can change it from the Admin tab by choosing the blue "Change ID" link at the top.

Records that cannot be deleted: rename and reuse

You cannot delete resource-type or bib records, even if you just created them and they are not linked to anything yet. However, you can rename them and reuse them. (Think of it as recycling.) First open the record, and use the Admin tab to change its ID appropriately. Then, delete all the data from all the fields on the first tab, and enter whatever new information applies. When you Save this, you can use this re-newed record just as you would a new one.

Operator PINs

PINS on your CC admin operator accounts to approve overrides "over the shoulder"

Also, enable "Bypass PIN" capability for every operator