Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base
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How does the IRM work?
Note: Also see Linking options from your Marketing Website to the IRM
Use IRMtools.htm to troubleshoot where the IRM is breaking down. Open
the Internet Browser | Choose File, Open, Browse to inetpub/wwwroot/irm/irmtools.htm.
Enter the IRM Internal IP address or local host. Run all tests in
sequence.
Permissions error may indicate the anonymous login does not have access
to the files required to run the IRM. By temporarily setting the IRM
to use the administrator account you can identify if the problem is truly a
security issue. Change the passwords in the following areas.
Corrupt IIS - Stopping and starting the service. Disable Front Page
extensions. There are known security and memory complications with Internet
Information Services (IIS) and Front Page Server Extensions. If they are not
disabled, the IRM can slow down or hang. To disable Front Page Server
Extensions:
Consumer Friendly Websites
There are generally two approaches to the planning and building of websites:
The bottom line is that both approaches are concerned with the overall flow of
information and creating a "consumer friendly" site. Some consumers are still
hesitant about doing business online, they are worried about their personal
information being misused, or about not knowing for certain who it is they are
dealing with. For these reasons, it pays to develop 'consumer-friendly' site
which displays certain information which will reassure consumers about trading
with you via your website.
Such information includes:
Simplicity
The cardinal rule for creating a consumer website is to always try to keep it
simple. This not only helps the people who visit your site but will also
minimizes the work you're going to have to do to maintain the site. Focus on the
following 3 areas to keep your site consumer friendly:
Color Selection
Select colors that compliment or match your marketing website.
Font Consistency
Keep font sizes consistent throughout your website.
Consistency in Image Sizes
Images can help to make a website look great, but keeping file sizes to a
minimum while preserving good picture and color quality is tough. Use thumbnails
as previews and links to larger images if possible.
Lovers Key Beach Club, located in Fort Myers, FL installed the IRM in September
of 2002 and went live within a week of installation. Ken Marwick, the property manager,
has extensive experience in the marketing arena, for many years he managed a marketing
website that distributed Property Management software. Ken followed the golden rule
and has kept his IRM website " clean, simple and consumer friendly."
Since the installation of the IRM the property has updated all of their
marketing materials to direct customers to the on-line booking system. Brochures at
the property, pens in the guests rooms and their on-line news letter directs
customers back to the IRM.
Prior to the installation of the IRM, the property had an e-mail inquiry link to
make reservations, Ken decided to keep this page for the Internet shy customers and
added a direct link to the IRM to make an online booking. Click on the link above
for Lovers Key Beach Club and choose reservations to see this page.
Lovers Key Beach Club site has successfully incorporated the following marketing
techniques into the IRM.
Color Consistency - To maintain a smooth transition from the marketing website to the
IRM site, Ken used the same banner for both pages. He obtained the .gif file
(toppattern.gif) from his webmaster and saved it on the IRM bridge in
C:\inetpub\wwwroot\irm\bg folder. He then configured his monitor page, in the
appearance section, under background image for banner and added bg\toppattern.gif.
Note: All background images for the IRM must be in a .gif format.
Consistently sized thumbnail pictures for available room types.
Exercise 1: Match your IRM to the Marketing Website using Paint Shop Pro.
Open Paint Shop Pro. Click Capture | Setup. Capture should be set to "window" and activate capture settings to "right mouse click". Click OK.
Exercise 2: Capture an image and resize it in Paint Shop Pro
The IRM includes several HTML and text files that can be customized to suit individual property needs.
Most HTML and text files display at the top and/or bottom of each page.
Open the IRM monitor (http:\\irmbridgeIPAddressl\irm\monitor.asp) to identify the user-defined tables.
Select See File Names.
Files that can be customized are stored in the \Inetpub\wwwroot\IRM\UserText
folder. The See File Name option displays the exact folder location and
the file names that can be modified.
When configuring or editing the IRM Usertext html
files it is helpful to see where exactly these files are displayed on the IRM
screens. The above example indicates where and when the RetGuest.htm is
displayed. Use Microsoft Front Page to create and/or edit IRM HTML files.
Any text editor, including "Notepad" can be used for changing IRM text
pages such as the top and bottom of the e-mail confirmation.
Front Page Tips
Basic Editing. An Html document has 2
elements: document content and tags. Document content are those parts of the
document that you want the user to see, such as text and grahics.and tags are
the HTML codes that control the appearance of the document content.
Example: <p><font face=
"Arial"size="2"
><b>The IRM includes several HTML
and text files that can be customized to suit individual property needs.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"
></span>Most HTML and text files
display at the top and/or bottom of each page.
</b></font></p>
<p> = the start of a paragraph </p> = the end of a paragraph <b> = the text should be bold
<ol> = an ordered or numbered list <ul>
= an unordered list or bulleted list <hr> = horizontal
line
FrontPage uses continuous word wrapping. A deliberate Enter key stroke in html
code is represented as <p> </p>.
To avoid FrontPage double-spacing lines, choose the Shift, Enter keys. In html code
this is represented by <br>.
Strange spacing may occur when editing or
when reviewing the html pages on the IRM. Open FrontPage and edit the
problem document, highlight the problem area choose the HTML tab on the bottom
left corner. Locate the problem spacing issues and delete the extra spacing
code.
Exercise 1: Identify HTML Code
Edit the Html page that displays after the prompt
" Continue to Reserve this Room " and before the guest enters
their details on the IRM. Copy and Paste the following detailed cancellation
policy from our website:
Cancellation and Deposit Policies
Your reservation is guaranteed for late arrival. If your plans change we are
able to make a refund provided we receive notice at least 3 days prior to
arrival arrival.
Holiday and Special Event Policy
Spring Break Period, Indian Market and Christmas reservations are subject to
full payment 30 to 60 days prior to arrival and require 30 days notice of
cancellation for refund to be issued. Ask the reservations agent for specific
details or call 1-800-745-9910
Include the following:
View the HTML code and identify the above items.
Using the Html viewer and delete one deliberate line break.
Hyperlinking to a New Browser Window
Many times, a hyperlink within an IRM page is an effective way to display additional
information and images. Hyperlinks can be used to increase IRM speed. For
example, a property may display maps to specific condominium units on their
respective detail pages. In this example, displaying the map image on the detail
page may cause the detail page to display slowly if an Internet guest uses a
slow dial-up connection. In order to remedy this situation, a hyperlink
can be added to the page that spawns a new browser window that displays the map.
A sample detail page follows.
In this example, the link “Directions to
Property” spawns a new browser window containing a map to the unit.
The HTML command for opening a new browser window is displayed below.
<a href="http://204.144.217.247/irm/map15.asp
target="_blank"
>
The “target=”_blank” command opens the new browser window.
Exercise 2: Edit ResRules2.htm, add a
hyperlink to the "Holiday and Special Events Policies heading."
Make sure it opens in a new browser.
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Adding Graphics |
The IRM takes advantage of graphics on several pages, including:
In order to successfully integrate images into the IRM, there are certain steps that should be followed. These steps help IRM pages display in an acceptable time frame, regardless of the Internet guest’s connection speed. These steps include:
There are two methods for creating original images, using a digital camera or scanning a standard picture. Both methods produce desirable results. This section focuses on taking digital pictures. A middle-of-the-road digital camera costs approximately $600. Digital cameras are useful tools because the image can be viewed immediately and can also be easily formatted using graphics software.
RDP uses Paint Shop Pro, a graphics software package from JASC software. Paint Shop Pro can be used to:
Paint Shop Pro is available on the JASC
website for $99. For properties not interested in purchasing a graphics
package, Microsoft Image Composer is included free with Microsoft Front Page.
Microsoft Image Composer is a standard graphics package that allows customers
to resize and format images, however it does not contain the functionality of
Paint Shop Pro.
Normally, pictures taken on a digital camera
are stored in the camera’s RAM memory or on a disk. Downloading the images
to a graphics package is normally an easy process documented by the camera
manufacturer. For this example, we will assume the image is stored on a
removable disk. After inserting the disk into a PC, use graphics software to
open the image.
After taking a digital picture, the image’s size can be viewed in Paint Shop Pro using the View | Image Information command (most graphics programs have similar options). This useful command provides the following information:
A sample is displayed below.
Image Resolution
An image is composed of small squares known as pixels. An image with smaller pixels means it contains more of them, and it therefore has a higher resolution, displays more detail, and is a larger file size than an image with bigger pixels. Image resolution is the number of pixels per unit of length of an image, and it is usually measured in pixels per inch
(ppi). The image’s dimensions can be measured in both pixels and inches. A
popular size for IRM thumbnail images is 140 x 100 pixels, which translates
into 1.45 x 1.04 inches.
Images created for the web usually have a
resolution of 96 pixels per inch. Images created with a color depth of
24-bits (16 million colors) look the best because they contain the most
colors. However, please note that not all media can display 16 million colors.
For example, .GIF images, a popular format for the Web, can only contain up to
256 colors (8-bit depth).
The image’s size is perhaps the most
important of the images attributes. The image size determines how fast it will
display over the Internet. Assume website visitors are connecting via a 28.8
dial-up connection and size images accordingly. Use the following guidelines
when sizing images.
Exercise 1: Resize an Image
Open the Internet and Browse to the Four
Seasons in New York - http://www.fourseasons.com/pierre/
Copy the Living Room Image.
Open Paint Shop Pro, Right Click and Choose Paste.
Select Image and Resize. Verify "Maintain Aspect Ratio of ..." is
checked and Smart Size is checked under Resize Type.
Under Pixel Size, change the width to 100, notice the height is automatically
set to 125 in order to maintain the ratio.
Exercise 2: Resize the Image to 100 x 75 Pixels and Add a Drop Shadow.
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