E-Ticket layouts are used to create a template for tickets you are sending to customer’s email addresses which they would then present at an event/activity.
By default, there are some pre-set templates in the system to ensure that you do not have to create the templates from scratch. These layouts are completely customisable so you can create templates for specific events and venues and be particular about design elements. For example, a comedy event may need a specific design and specific advertising on the e-ticket showcasing upcoming targeted comedy shows. It may also require special instructions that need to be populated onto the template. When creating an event/activity/product etc., you’ll be able to select the right template.
You can search your layouts at the top of the page and you can also filter by active, inactive or all. You are also able to change the ‘active’ status of any of the layouts simply by clicking on the switch to change.
Moreover, you have the ability to drag and drop any of the layouts into your desired order for easier viewing and access. You can also order the layouts by name in ascending or descending order by selecting on the arrow in that column.
The following pre-set templates are available. If you do not have seating plans, only the GeneralAdmission template will appear by default:
a. GeneralAdmission: This template is used when there is no seating plan. Adopted In circumstances where you have a capacity instead.
b. ReservedSeatingMixed: (Row/Table)- Designed for events where there are both rows and tables being purchased and only one ticket layout is being employed. This allows for both rows and tables to be integrated into the ticketing so there is no confusion between what is a ‘row’ and a ‘table’.
c. ReservedSeating (Tables): For seating plans that have tables only.
d. ReservedSeating (Rows): For seating plans that have rows only e.g. Row A1, A2, A3.
Only events/activities have multiple types. Memberships, merchandise and gift vouchers will have one template type default (access to these areas is limited by your plan type i.e. Basic, Standard, Enterprise).
Layout Search Options
Search: Simply enter the term you want to search for, select from Active, Inactive or All, and click SEARCH. Please remember to click CLEAR FILTERS to see your full list after a search.
Table
Status: You can change the ‘active’ status of individual layouts by simply flicking the switch from orange to grey. You can also drag and drop the layouts into your desired order such as those layouts you are more likely to use.
Name: This is the name of your E-Ticket layout. You can also click the arrow to show the layouts by ascending or descending order alphabetically.
Description: This will be your identifying description for other users to get more of an understanding of why the layout was created e.g. “only for cheap Tuesdays”.
Date Created: This is the date when the layout was originally created.
Edit: This allows you to edit the specific layout.
Copy: This allows you to copy a layout. This is useful in situations where you want to create a new layout with only a few differences from the one you are copying.
View: This button allows to quickly preview the layout.
Bin: This bin icon allows you to delete the layout from this area. Once deleted, the layout will not be able to be recovered.
Adding a Layout
When adding a layout, you simply need to click ‘+New Layout’ and you are presented with the following options:
Name: This is the name of your E-layout. Make sure the name is easy to search at a later date.
Description: This will be your identifying description for other system users to get more of an understanding of why the E-layout was created e.g. “only for cheap Tuesdays”.
Ticket Layout Group (for Enterprise clients only): You have the option of grouping ticket layouts together. This is ideal if you have layouts that you want to group together by department or venue or any other identifying group or feature. Select a group from the drop-down list or choose to ‘Add layout group’.
Add Layout Group: Allows you to add a new layout group. Simply click or tap on ‘Add layout group’, enter a group name and click the save icon on the right-hand side.
Layout Type: Choose an appropriate layout type for your E-Ticket:
GeneralAdmission: This template is used when there is no seating plan. Adopted In circumstances where you have a capacity instead.
ReservedSeating (Rows): For seating plans that have rows only e.g. Row A1, A2, A3.
ReservedSeating (Tables): For seating plans that have tables only.
ReservedSeatingMixed: (Row/Table)- Designed for events where there are both rows and tables being purchased and only one ticket layout is being employed. This allows for both rows and tables to be integrated into the ticketing so there is no confusion between what is a ‘row’ and a ‘table’.
Click ‘Save & Next’ to go to the next page or ‘Cancel’ to cancel out of the layout.
Editing a Layout
Below are samples of a General Admission (Event) Layout and a Product layout. However, the same rules apply for Gift Vouchers and Memberships.
Tip: Tags such as ‘{Ticket Price}’ when allocated to an event/activity/product etc. will print the correct information once a sale has occurred. For example, If the price of the ticket is 10, this will then replace the tag and print the price on the ticket. Using tags simply prevents you from having to create a new layout for everything you build (e.g. you can use the same layout for The Lion King and The Wiggles).
You can also add free text on the page that will always print, e.g. THIS IS YOUR TICKET.
Explanation of the editor page
Shown in the above image is the main area where you can customise your layouts. At the top of the layout screen, you have your basic information about the ticket layout. A reminder that as this is a layout pre-filled with tags, this will not populate any actual information until you assign this to an event/product/voucher etc. and sell a ticket. Flick the ‘Preview Mode’ switch to see what the layout will look like with actual information populated on it.
Layout Name: The given name of your layout.
Layout Type: This will show the layout type you have pre-selected.
Dimensions: The dimensions of the ticket layout you have set.
**Restore to default: This will restore your layout to the defaults we have in TicketSearch for your ticket layout. ***
***Restore to Previous Version: This will restore your ticket layout to the previous version that has been saved. If you saved your layout at 9am, then at 9.10am, if at 9.15am you decide to do a restore to previous version, the system would restore to 9.10am. ***
Only once you have saved a version, you will then see the restore to previous version option.
Print Test Ticket: This is ideal if you want to do a test preview of what your layout will look like either by the preview on the popup window or when you print a hard copy. It’s important you complete your printing setup to ensure that your layouts, whether previewed or printed, appear as presented on the page. Adjusting margins, paper size and other functions may be required.
Manage Images: All images that you want to load into the layout must be added via the ‘Manage Images’ area. the CK editor program does not allow you to simply copy and paste into the layout.
When adding an image, click ‘upload image’ which will allow you to choose from images on your computer (keep in mind that the max size is 2 MB). Once you have chosen the image you wish to upload, simply click ‘Open’ and this will upload to your image templates. Once you are happy with the image, click ‘Save’ to upload.
You also have the option of adding a description to your image. This is helpful if you have multiple users using TicketSearch and they need to understand why a layout was created. All images that that have been uploaded will appear at the bottom of the ‘Manage Images’ popup menu.
Above: All of your previously loaded images can be made inactive by flicking the active switch, edited by clicking the pencil icon or deleted by clicking the bin icon.
Important Tip: If you are wanting to upload an image to cover your layout area underneath the ticket and have multiple images, which can include terms and conditions, parking information, trading times and any other information , we suggest that you combine these images outside of this editor and upload this as one image. Please note that the height and width of the image must not exceed 800X800 pixels.
Clear Ticket: This will remove the ticket entirely.
Cancel: This will cancel any changes you have made to the layout.
Submit: This will submit any changes you have made to the layout.
HTML Editor (CK Editor)
A HTML editor is a program for editing HTML and works with a wide range of browsers. You can paste anything from Word and Excel, spell check, you can select fonts, add tags, insert images and change the style and size of your Barcode/QR Code (depending on your scanner’s requirements) all housed in one screen. The CK editor we use is a typical editor used globally by many websites.
Insert Tags: You are able to insert dynamic tags of information that you are wanting to make visible for the purchaser. Tags avoid having to create separate ticket layouts for the events/activities/products etc. that you are selling.
Inserting images: When inserting an image into the template, you will need to move your curser into the desired location by using the enter key, then by selecting the ‘Insert Images’ drop-down box you can upload and insert as many images as you like. A reminder as explained above that you can also create one image externally that may hold all of your information (such as T’s & C’s), then add that into your template via loading the image first into ‘Manage Images’.
Insert Barcode: By default, we have added QR codes to your layouts for scanning. If you prefer to use a standard barcode due to the use of older scanning devices that don’t accept QR codes, please delete the QR code and replace it with a barcode. Just a reminder that Android and Apple phones are accepted for scanning.
Free text fields: ‘Free text line 1’ etc. are available when building an event/activity, for example. It then allows you to simply enter text into the event build that then populates onto the ticket. This avoids you having to create a different layout for specific text requirements. Examples are ‘Presented by’, ‘adults only’, ‘coarse language’, ‘no drinks allowed into the venue’ etc.
CK editor: The CK editor has many features including allowing you to bold, underline, change colour and change font to customise your layout.
Preview Mode: This can be switched from off to on. Please note, there is pre-defaulted visible text that is only a sample. To see how your layout will print, add the layout against a module i.e. events/activities and do a test sale.