Configuration
Every booking page is configured through the 5-step builder (Booking Manager → Builder). Settings below map 1:1 to the wizard steps.
1. Service setup
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Shown as the page heading to bookers |
| Slug | URL-safe identifier used in the shortcode ([booking_manager slug="..."]) |
| Description | Optional paragraph above the form. Supports markdown links: [link text](https://example.com/file.pdf) renders as a safe target=_blank link. URLs must start with https:// or mailto: |
| Resource type | Label for the resource kind shown to the booker (e.g. “Lab”, “Room”, “Vehicle”) |
| Resources | The actual bookable items — one row per resource. The booker picks from this list. Optional per-resource category for grouped display |
2. Form builder
Three fields are fixed — they always appear, in this order:
- Full name — text
- Email — validated (
@required; optional domain restriction, see below) - Resource — dropdown populated from your resource list (Step 1)
You can add any number of custom fields. Each field has a Required toggle and (since v1.4.3) an optional Resource scope, so a field can apply to one specific resource or to all of them.
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
text | Short answers (e.g. project code, phone) |
email | Secondary email validated the same way as the booker email |
textarea | Long notes (setup requirements, dietary restrictions, etc.) |
select | Dropdown — you define the options |
checkbox | Agreements (“I’ll clean up after myself”). Supports the same [link text](url) markdown as the description, useful for I agree to the [terms](https://...) style fields |
3. Calendar & slots
| Setting | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slot start / end | 09:00 / 17:00 | Clock time in the page’s timezone |
| Slot duration | 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 180 / 240 min, or Custom | Preset list plus a Custom field for any minute count (20, 75, etc.) |
| Available weekdays | Mon–Fri | Weekdays the page accepts bookings |
| Holidays | 2026-12-25 | Specific dates to block entirely |
| Timezone | America/New_York | All booking times are displayed in this zone; lead-time + availability gating both run in this zone, not in the host’s |
| Lead time | 2 hours | Minimum notice before a slot can be booked |
| Allow multi-slot | off / on | When on, a booker can pick a contiguous range of slots (e.g. 09:00–11:00) up to a per-page cap. The booker sees the range summary above the slot list |
| Max slots per booking | 4 | Only used when multi-slot is on. Range 1–99 |
A slot is unavailable if any of these match: outside weekdays, outside slot window, on a holiday, within lead time, OR an existing pending/approved booking / active OTP hold covers it.
4. Access & approval
Access
- Open — anyone with the shortcode URL can book.
- Organization-restricted — booker email must end in one of the allowed domains (e.g.
@youruniversity.edu,@partner.org).
Approval
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Auto-approve | OTP-verified bookings are approved immediately and receive an .ics attachment |
| Manual approval | Bookings land as “pending” until a maintainer approves or rejects |
If manual approval is on, set the threshold: 1 maintainer to approve (default) or multi-approver thresholds for high-value resources.
Per-service approval (v1.3.0+)
Turn on the Per-service approval toggle in Step 4 and the rules switch to a per-resource tab strip. Each resource can have its own auto-approve vs manual, its own required-approvals threshold, and its own assigned maintainer list. Example: a motor pool can auto-confirm electric cars but require a manager’s OK on trucks, all on the same page.
5. Review
The review step renders the public widget on your live page config. When you publish, the shortcode becomes embed-ready.
Global settings
Distinct from per-page config, these live under Booking Manager → Settings, organised into three inner tabs (v1.5.2+):
- General — Form appearance (theme picker: 6 preset palettes plus a custom hex color), defaults that apply when a page doesn’t override them.
- Notifications — Email signature appended to every email body. Per-template toggles (which notifications fire at all). The full email template editor: 25 ready-made HTML designs across 5 template kinds (OTP, booking received, approval request, approved, rejected), inline Preview / Code toggle, per-template subject + body.
- Email delivery — From email / From name overrides that apply only to booknslot’s emails. “Send test email” button. Email branding: logo URL, header colour bar, footer HTML.
License key activation lives separately under Booking Manager → License.