Document the self check interface

This comes up from time to time on the mailing lists and on the feedback
email, and pulling together all of the pieces takes some time and
digging (thanks Bill Erickson and Ben Shum!), so let's document it once
and for all...

Signed-off-by: Dan Scott <dscott@laurentian.ca>

diff --git a/docs/circulation/self_check.txt b/docs/circulation/self_check.txt
new file mode 100644 (file)
index 0000000..e09e823
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/circulation/self_check.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+Self checkout
+=============
+
+Evergreen includes a self check interface designed for libraries that simply
+want to record item circulation without worrying about security mechanisms like
+magnetic strips or RFID tags.
+
+Initializing the self check
+---------------------------
+The self check interface runs in a web browser. Before patrons can use the self
+check station, a staff member must initialize the interface by logging in.
+
+. Open your self check interface page in a web browser. By default, the URL is
+  https://[hostname]http://localhost/eg/circ/selfcheck/main, where _[hostname]_
+  represents the host name of your Evergreen web server.
+. Log in with a staff account with circulation permissions.
+
+Setting library hours of operation
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+When the self check prints a receipt, the default template includes the
+library's hours of operation in the receipt. If the library has no configured
+hours of operation, the attempt to print a receipt fails and the browser hangs.
+
+Configuring self check behavior
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Several library settings control the behavior of the self check:
+
+* *Audio Alerts*: Plays sounds when events occur in the self check. These
+  events are defined in the `templates/circ/selfcheck/audio_config.tt2`
+  template. To use the default sounds, you could run the following command
+  from your Evergreen server as the *root* user (assuming that
+  `/openils/` is your install prefix):
++
+[source, bash]
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+cp -r /openils/var/web/xul/server/skin/media/audio /openils/var/web/.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
++
+* *Block copy checkout status*: Prevent the staff user's permission override
+  from enabling patrons to check out items that they would not normally be able
+  to check out, such as the "On reservation shelf" status. The status IDs are
+  found in the `config.copy_status` database table.
+* *Patron Login Timeout*: Automatically logs the patron out of the self check
+  after a certain period of inactivity. *NOT CURRENTLY SUPPORTED*
+* *Pop-up alert for errors*: In addition to displaying an alert message on the
+  screen, this setting raises patron awareness of possible problems by raising
+  an alert box that the patron must dismiss before they can check out another
+  item.
+* *Require Patron Password*: By default, users can enter either their user name
+  or barcode, without having to enter their password, to access their account.
+  This setting requires patrons to enter their password for additional
+  security.
+* *Workstation Required*: If set, the URL must either include a
+  `?ws=[workstation]` parameter, where _[workstation]_ is the name of a
+  registered Evergreen workstation, or the staff member is prompted to register
+  a new workstation. The workstation parameter ensures that check outs are
+  recorded as occurring at the correct library.
+
+Checking out or renewing items in the self check
+------------------------------------------------
+After a staff user has logged into the self check interface, the interface
+is ready for patrons to log in and check out or renew items.
+
+. The patron logs in by entering either their patron barcode or their user name.
+. The patron enters the barcode for each item. If the patron types the barcode,
+  they need to press the `<Enter>` key to check out the item. The item details,
+  including due date, appear below the barcode field.
+. When the patron is finished, they can click *Logout* if they want a receipt
+  for their items, or *Logout (no receipt)* if they prefer no receipt.

diff --git a/docs/root.txt b/docs/root.txt
index c562b3c..f65552f 100644 (file)
--- a/docs/root.txt
+++ b/docs/root.txt
@@ -309,6 +309,8 @@ include::circulation/triggered_events.txt[]
 
 include::circulation/offline_mode.txt[]
 
+include::circulation/self_check.txt[]
+
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