Configuring Turnstile - Linking Users to Events and Configuring Check-In Actions

Linking a Turnstile "Kiosk" User Login to a Turnstile Event

"Configuring Turnstile" here means to link a Turnstile Kiosk user login you previously created (Configure Turnstile "Kiosk" User Logons) with a Turnstile Event, also previously created (Configuring Turnstile Events).

This is where you choose various options and settings for the behavior of Turnstile when students or staff members check-in and out.

Procedure to Configure a Turnstile Event and Link to a User

1. Login as the "Turnstile Administration User" – i.e. any user who has permission to access the Turnstile>Setup screens and setup Events and link them to "Kiosk users".
2. Go to the Turnstile>Setup>Turnstile Templates screen and edit the one needed (*new in Turnstile 2.0*):
   There are four separate areas of Setup:
   1. Template Event Setup - Linking a user to the Event and specifying certain limits.
   2. Display Settings - Configuring how the Check-In screen itself (Turnstile>Scanning) will look at work.
   3. Search Settings - Which population of students, alumni, or staff members will be searched and how will the search work.
   4. Message and Post Scan settings - What will happen after check-in: what will the Event do.
3. Configure the "Template Event Setup" Information, in the top box on the screen:
   
4.  
   1. Select the Turnstile Event to link to this user from the Event drop down: Click the "View events" button to go to the Turnstile>Setup>Turnstile Events screen and view the list of Events and how they are defined.
   2. Optionally specify the maximum number of attendees for this Event:     The maximum is a "soft maximum".  If an individual check-in exceeds the limit, it is displayed on the post-check-in screen, but the person is allowed to check-In.  The limit is displayed but not enforced.
   3. Optionally specify the "Check-Out Time" that will be applied to all individuals checking in to the Event:    This pre-sets the check-out time for all students who check-in to the Event.
5. Configure Display Options:
   
   1. Indicate whether or not to display the "Keyboard" on the screen during check-in. If your check-in is to be via scanner only, you may not need to display the on-screen keyboard.  (See discussion below).
   2. Indicate whether or not to hide the on-screen keyboard when the search results are shown:  . If you answer 'yes' the keyboard is suppressed while the search results are displayed.
   3. Indicate whether or not to display student or staff photos on the Student Scanning screen:  . If you answer "Yes", you can now configure the size of the student photo which is displayed when the student scans in or checks-in.
   4. Hide Picture or Message after a certain number of seconds:
       Specifies the number of seconds to display the student's picture or a scan message. After the specified number of seconds has elapsed, the photo and/or the message is removed from the screen. This defaults to 3 seconds.
   5. Select the Width and Height of the Photo in pixels (72 to the inch):
       The size of the sample photo is adjusted as you alter the settings.
   6. Specify the information to show in the search results list (list of students to potentially check-in):
      
   7. Allow the Event being checked into or out of to be selected directly from the Scanning screen.  If this is set to yes, the Event - but no other settings - can be adjusted directly on the Scanning screen:
      
   8. Enter the "Event Screen Text", the information the student will see when checking in. The default text is: "Please Enter your Student ID or Last Name". This is a large text field and can include HTML commands to enliven the display:
       
6. Configure Search Options:
   
   1. Select which ID to use when searching for students.  The options are "Student ID" or "Lunch Pin":
      
   2. Select which Staff ID to use when for staff events.  The options are "Genesis Staff ID", "SMID", "Other ID".  "Other ID" is typically the staff member's ID in the district's HR system. For Staff event check-in, allow staff members to use their HR/Payroll IDs, or their state SMID, instead of their Genesis Teacher/Staff IDs. Often staff members are more familiar with their HR/Payroll ID numbers or state SMID than with a Genesis ID. When these numbers are stored within Genesis as the staff members' "alternate ID" numbers, Turnstile Check-In can be configured to allow staff members to use them – instead of their less well-known (or completely unknown) Genesis Teacher/Staff IDs.
      
   3. Determine whether or not to search all the districts' students – or only the school's students – when a student id is entered. Also, you can choose to use only the last X digits of students' ids be used for the search:
      
   4. Active Students only or include alumni?  If "No" is selected, alumni are included.  If "alumni" are going to be allowed to check-in to an Event, use the "Search for active students only" option – set to No – to search for inactive students as well as active, current students. Setting this option to "No" searches for prior students as well as current students. Leaving this option set to "Yes" searches only for students who are currently enrolled in the school or district. The default is "Yes" – active students only:
      
   5. Limit searches to IDs - do not allow searches on names:
      
   6. If only a single student or staff member is returned by search - for example when students or staff members are 'swiping' in using bar-coded ID cards - immediately check the person in or out, without requiring a confirmation click:
      
   7. Events with reservations or exclusions.  Either restrict check-ins to students or staff members on selected lists, or exclude students on a selected list.  
      If this is an "Event with Reservations", you can restrict the students or staff members who can check into this event to the those on a particular list attached to the account of the user linked to the Turnstile Event. Only students or staff on the selected list will be permitted to check-in.  Similarly, a list of students can be explicitly excluded from checking in to an Event:
      
7. Configure the Post-Check-In Options:
   
   1. Show Student's Attendance for today and/or current scheduled location on the post-check-in screen:
      
   2. Select up to three User Text fields to display on the post-check-in screen (for student check-ins):
      
   3. Optionally display a set of reasons (e.g. like the Nurse visit reasons) for any event:  Select a Generic Codes table from which to pull the "reason" options for the student checking in to the Event. For a description of this function, go to the next section, VI. Configuring Options for Turnstile Check-In. If a Generic Codes table is selected here, the student or staff member will view the set of options after hitting the "Check-In" button for their name. By default there is no Generic Codes table selected and no options are displayed upon check-in:
      
   4. Optionally display a printable pass after checking out.   To display the pass, select "Yes" for the "Display pass on student check out" option.  You must then also select a location from the "Use this Location" drop down and a Reason code from the "Use this Reason" drop down.  Passes are required to show both a Location and a Reason.   Locations are configured in the APPOINTMENT_LOCATIONS codes table (edit via the Setup->Codes screen) and Reasons are configured in the APPOINTMENT_REASONS table:
      
   5. Instead of a normal check-in, convert the "Check-In" to "Quick Generate a Conduct Incident" for the student being checked in.  If the Infraction Code field is filled in, Check-In will generate a conduct incident for the student - no actual 'Turnstile Event Check-in' will be created:
      To make this work, the "Event" selected (back up at the top of the Setup screen) must NOT be a "Detention" or "ISS" or "Nurse" Event.  Either the Event Type checkboxes can be left completely blank, or a simple "Entrance" event can be specified.

5. Click the SAVE TEMPLATE button to store the Event configuration for this Event and user.
6. You can now login as the actual "Turnstile User" and allow students to check-in and out.

Alternate Screen Displays

The check-in screen (Turnstile>Scanning) can be displayed with or without the keyboard.

The keyboard should be displayed when using a touch screen device that allows students to actually click the keys on the screen.

The picture below shows the check-in screen with the on-screen keyboard. 

The Turnstile Check-In/Out Screen (Turnstile>Scanning) with keyboard display

The picture below illustrates the screen without the on-screen keyboard.

The Check-In Screen  (Turnstile>Scanning) without keyboard

In either case, if an actual keyboard is attached to the computer, the user can type on the keys to enter either their name or id.

Printing Passes upon Turnstile Checkout

A pass can be optionally configured to be displayed - and potentially printed - when a student checks out of an Event.  

The "Display pass on student checkout" option, when set to Yes, causes a pass to be displayed immediately following checkout:

The pass is displayed in Adobe PDF and can be printed on any available printer.  The Reason and Location printed on the pass are hardwired during the setup of the Turnstile Event (see above).