TOPIC: Pre-sale questions

I have some questions before buying your product:

- is it possible to disable some predefined fields and/or initialize them with some default values?
- can an event to have a price but the user to register without paying during this process?
- can the template (colors, layout, etc) be changed? Even in a hacky way but with your help?
- can the users be restricted in creating the events? Only the user with special rights to be able to create public events?
- how the connection between your product and JEvents works:
- once an event is created, is it going to be displayed as an in JEvents calendar?
- once an user signs up for an event, a new event is added into his JEvent calendar? In other words, I want the user to see in JEvents calendar a DT Register event he didn't sign up for as a public event and once to sign up, to see the event as a private one. I want the user to make the distinction between what's there as public/non-registered events versus his own events plus the DT Register events he signed up for.
- how would be possible for the admin to add an event in DT Register table from a php script? I would like to write a php script which will parse an html page frmo 3rd party, extract the info needed and pass that info to a DT Register object to add it in the db. Is that possible? Even in a hacky way.

Thanks

Hello. Please see answers below...

- is it possible to disable some predefined fields and/or initialize them with some default values?

You can set which fields are used for your events. You can't auto-populate them with default values... except on selection custom fields (radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdowns) can be set to auto select given values.

- can an event to have a price but the user to register without paying during this process?

You can give a pay option of "Pay Later" which calculates the price, then allows for offline payment. Or you can also create discount codes up to 100% discount that you could provide to certain people so they could register for free. Different ways this type of thing can be handled.

- can the template (colors, layout, etc) be changed? Even in a hacky way but with your help?

All of the buttons used come in 8 color variations so you can choose which matches your site best. You can of course replace any of the images with your own custom versions. Coloring is changeable through one main CSS file. There are certain items / columns / etc that can be set to be shown or hidden in the parameters so layout changes can be made for some things that way... others would be made in code.

- can the users be restricted in creating the events? Only the user with special rights to be able to create public events?

Currently, only admin users can administrate the events in the backend. However, we'll be releasing version 2.7 within the week that will include frontend event management along with a full permissions structure for you to say who is able to do what actions.

- how the connection between your product and JEvents works:
- once an event is created, is it going to be displayed as an in JEvents calendar?

First, be aware that the requirement for JEvents will be gone in the new 2.7, but will still be an OPTION if you want it. In the present package, you create events in JEvents, then in DT Register you grab one of the events and add registration functionality to it. Only the title, date and time are used from JEvents. They will be visible in the JEvents calendar, but you do not have to use any frontend display of the calendar. DT Register provides an event listing, but the calendar from JE is available too. The new 2.7 version includes our own calendar so you'll have both view options with just our component.

- once an user signs up for an event, a new event is added into his JEvent calendar?

All events are visible to the public, but you can set certain events to be available for registration for only registered users. There is no connection of "My Events" presently. In the new 2.7, events WILL be assigned to users. You'll also be able to set permission levels by category where events of category X only display to public, registered, or special users.

- how would be possible for the admin to add an event in DT Register table from a php script?

This of course could be possible, but I'd wait for version 2.7 to do something like this as the database structure is different than the present package. For higher level customization like this, you'd be on your own, or we could setup a paid project with you to help or do this type of script work.

If you have other questions, let us know. Thanks!

Thanks for the answers. lets talk only about 2.7 since you are going to release it soon.

I am not sure how the connection with JEvents works. This is what I would like to see: an user with specific rights will add a DT Register event. This event will be seen by the rest of the users in a list of DT Register event. Once a user register to it, that event will be added (created) as its own event in the JEvent calendar. Eventually, the users can see the DT Registered events in an JEvents calendar, maybe different from the default calendar. How far I am from what your product does?
Regarding the custom part. I am going to do it by myself, the question I have is if that's possible. All I need to know is if you collect the data entered by the user event creator in an object and then save that object so I can populate your object with my data from my php script.

Thinking only in 2.7...

When an event is created, you can either create the event solely in DT Register, or select an existing JEvents event to sync with. If you create events directly in DT Register there is NO connection with JEvents at all. This will be the ideal way to go... and just use our calendar without JEvents. Unless there is some specific feature of JEvents you need, I'd suggest pulling it out of the equation. Either way, if the event is created, it will show in the calendar.

I'm a little confused by your question and what your actual goal is. You say after a user registers for an event, you want it to show in their own calendar. That won't happen, BUT the user CAN access a LIST of events that they have registered for. This can happen in various ways:
- our frontend user panel shows a list of all events registered for, including payment amounts, amount due, options to cancel, edit, etc.
- profile sync with Community Builder or JomSocial. We have plugins for both that allow you to show the user's registration history inside of their profile.

For the custom script... all of the registration details are saved to be used to save the record, send out emails, etc. You could grab that data and do something with it. We do have a separate plugin called MyScript which allows you to add your script into the plugin which will be processed automatically after any successful registration.

I really don't understand your confusion about my goal. It's very simple, it's one and only rule which wasn't invented by me: enter the information only once. And the second rule should be: have a connection between information.
Let me explain it again, and this should be a very generic and practical case: A user can have his own events, like "Shopping", "Going to movie" which he can add in his JEvents calendar as private events. If he signs up for a DT event, I would expect that this will show up as his private event, otherwise what is the idea to have a calendar which doesn't show you the events you need to know about? To go to a different list to see the events you sign up is wrong for me. The idea of using your calendar is out of the questions, because you offer a very complex event form, and to display all those fields when I just want to say "Shopping tomorrow from 5 to 7pm" is wrong. I want DT Register to be used for complex events created by some/few users, events like "Opera concert" and the user to be able to sign up for that event, and in that moment to see it in his JEvents calendar at a "Going to opera" event, as his own event. It is the most practical and useful scenario.
Regarding the custom part. I want to be able to create DT events from a php script, not using the DT register form. Is that possible?

Sorry... I think we've confused some terminology. Anyway, I see now that you want to show your registration history in a calendar view. This is not presently available in any component that I'm aware of. No one has asked us for this before either. We can certainly consider adding an option like this very soon. We add more features and more often than any other alternative.

However, the existing registration history that can be shown in a list form is not complicated... it's very simple. Not sure what you're saying about having a bunch of fields. When seeing the list in your profile (CB or JomSocial) would show the name of the event, the date and the date you registered. Simple. Our user panel that I mentioned that gives other info like amount due and such is separate and optional.

Also our registration forms CAN be complex, but they can also be very simple. You can customize what fields are shown for each event. You could ask for a name and email address for registration. It can be that simple. You can use the same tool to accomplish the simple and the complex registration.