Check-ins are done during an event and therefore check-in configuration is done on the event itself. It is recommended to create a recurring event for each of your worship services.

While adding or editing an event, go to the Events button in the left-hand menu > Calendar > select the desired event > Actions > Edit event. Select the "Options" tab and make sure the "Enable check-in system?" option is set to "Yes." If the event already exists, edit the event so that the option is correctly set.

At a minimum, this is all you need to be able to perform check-ins for an event (anyone can check in and no labels will print). However, we recommend doing the following additional set up as well.

This step is optional, but highly recommended. A session defines restrictions on who can check into the event. It is also responsible for defining the permissions for the station for that particular event. 

You must be a member of the selected groups to check-in (unless you allow adding to the roster). We recommend creating a session for your kids' groups and one for your volunteers (if applicable). For example, you could have a kids' sessions which is responsible for checking in kids into grades 1 - 12.

To define a new session, click on the "Attendance" tab within the event and select the "Settings" sub tab. Then click on "Add Session."

A pop up will appear with the following fields:

The following options only apply to manned check-in stations. Self-check-in stations cannot manage profiles or rosters. 

Pro tip: If the following options are all set to "No," the station will behave just like a self-check-in station except users will be able to search using the search box instead of just the keypad.

Selecting Groups

Next, you choose which group rosters are allowed to check-in. You will need to add the groups beforehand. Add a group for each children's group you have (e.g. Preschool, Grade 1, Grade 2).

Using the drop down at the bottom, select a group category containing groups you want to add to the session. Once selected, all active groups within that category will appear. Then just check the groups to include in the session. Hovering over the category header will show "check all" and "uncheck all" buttons to help with selection. To remove a category, simply uncheck all. It will be removed from the session upon save.

Once you're finished, click on "Save" to add the session. You can check "Keep open and add another" if you're adding multiple sessions.

The check-in system is only accessible during specific times when an event is happening. This section explains how to set these times. See this article if you are interested in adding check-ins after the event occurs.

Times are set from the "Meeting" tab when adding or editing an event. 

If an event is marked as happening all day, you can access that event in the check-in system at any time during the day.

To add times, deselect the "All day" check box under the "General" tab when editing an event. Then click on the "manage event times" button.

A pop up will appear where you can enter one or more event times. For example, if the event is a worship service, you can enter each service time here. You can click on the plus or minus buttons at the end of a row to add or delete that row respectively. The following fields are available:

If start check-in time is specified, then the end check-in time is required (and vice versa). Otherwise, they are not required.

The system uses the following rules to determine if an event is currently active. In the list below, it is assumed today's date is the same as the event date.

The first event time entry that matches the above checks is the one that is active when a station opens the event in the check-in system. If none match, the check-in system is closed for that event.

If labels are needed see: How do I assign labels to print?
​
The next steps are to authorize your check-in stations and start checking in. See this article for an in-depth tutorial on using the check-in system.