Hey All:
On behalf of a client (resort rental properties) I would like to know if I can implement a checking feature for potential vacationers? For example: they signup/login to check availability for specific properties.
I know it can be done with some work, but I want to know some suggestions on how to attack this project?

Thanks in advance.
TCM

I seem to recall someone else doing something similar, so it probably can be done.

I would need a whole lot more information before I would be able to tell you how to start.

JPD

Hi JP:
Okay, here is the information and you let me know if it is enough to determine a route of attack.

What I want to do is this:
a.) Add rental properties to database.
b.) Allow visitors to check availability of properties and
book online.
c.) Figure out a way to maintain rental schedule and the weeks that these properties are not available.

The best I can come up with, is that the Admin will have to manually append and make changes to each property as they are rented out and become available again.

Any help is much appreciated.
TCM

Lemme ponder it a bit. I'll be back.


JPD

I think this thread would be a good start to read.

Looks like the mod written was not tested and so the results are unknown, but it would be a great base to work with.

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/perl/forum/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=DBCust&Number=3529&page=&view=&sb=&vc=1

Hope this helps

HEH...okay.
I trust you. Always have. :-)

Thanks JP

Hi LoisC:
Been checking and I'm still not sure (100%) on how to attack this.

Any new ideas all?
The only thing I'm having a problem with (I do not know databases very well) is how to integrate a calendar/scheduling system to allow visitors to check for availability.
Grrrrrrrr.
Thanks all

I think you are looking at the wrong program for this. I would check out NetCalendar. We use this on our site for an online events calendar. It's web-based and easy to use for your client. It's also inexpensive ($59.95) and customizable for your client site.

http://www.grafix-net.com/netcalendar/

Richard Bilger, Publisher
MERGInet Medical Resources
http://www.MERGInet.com

Thanks Prozit, but that is not exactly what I'm looking at.
This is a reservation system I'm building and it's the availability (dates) that I'm trying to figure out how the possible renters can query it. I can generate a 3rd party calendar script, but that makes double work for the individual maintaining the bookings, which is something an illiterate person can't do.
Example:
You find a property online you want to rent?
You query it to see what dates are/aren't available.
If you try to book online (via small shopping cart) I want the database to tell you whether or not it is available for those dates. This is realtime, I'm trying to accomplish.

I would like to expand once I grasp this idea, and figure out how to write to the database and actually delete the dates as they are booked.

JP? Still pondering?

Consider this:

1) DBMan costs $100 or $150 (can't remember) for a commercial license.

2) There are real-time reservation systems that are very effective (I've done a client report on the cost benefits of various systems)

3) Some of these systems can actually book via the web and update all offline (well, PC based) databases.

3.5) (I forgot this point) They are relatively inexpensive - an IDEAL solution cost about $495 but they do go for cheaper.

4) I will make this report available upon request (granted I can recover it from a project partner)

5) I have a very short (very) Powerpoint presentation regarding the clients current situation, available software, and recommended solutions and implementation procedure *note* it is not a report format presentation - it is strictly headings with no elaboration

Private message me if you would be interested in such materials. *Note* the name of my client (a bed and breakfast operation) will be ommitted.

Yep, still pondering.

My first thought is that you would have a relational database -- that is, one .db file with the property information and one with the availability information. As I see it right now, it seems that you would have to have a record in the availability database for each day and for each property. (You could possibly have a separate .db file for each property, which would cut down on the size of the individual files.) When a property is booked, you could either delete the record or (probably preferable) modify a field in the record to indicate it is no longer available.

To go into more detail -- the property database would be exactly what you would expect -- all the stuff anybody needs to know about it, including a key field -- PropertyID. The availability database would have the following fields:

AvailabilityID
PropertyID
Date
Available [yes/no]

If you went with separate .db files for each property, you would only need two fields --

Date
Available [yes/no]

with the Date field being your key field. The name of the availability .db files would be the same as the PropertyID from the property .db file.

Does this make any sense? Does it sound like a way to go?

JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

Yeah actually I do somewhat understand, and maybe that's why I'm shying away from this.
I'm not a huge knowledge base when it comes to dbases, so what you just said sounded like ages of work to be done. Which I dont mind.
With dbman, can you implement a system similar to the one you just mentioned?

TCM

Thanks in advance JP

Yep. DBMan can do it. I'll have to get back to you later, though. I really only responded now so this would go to the top of the list. I didn't want to forget it when I came back.

JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

Take a look at my page on relational databases at http://www.jpdeni.com/.../Mods/relational.txt. It will give you a little understanding of where we're going with this. Don't worry if you don't understand the whole thing. I'll work with you on it.

The first thing you need to do is to set up the database for the properties. Nothing else will work without that. One thing you should add to the property database is a field for any blackout periods when the property is not available. Maybe they close it down for renovations for two weeks out of the year or there's a week when King Kong comes out of the jungle and they don't think it would be good for tourists to be there then. This would only be for regularly scheduled blackout periods. If there are none, then you don't need to add the field.

While you're doing it, start thinking about how you want the other database(s) to work -- whether you want one database with all the reservation info or different ones for each property. The decision should be based on how many properties you expect to have and how far in advance people can reserve the property. If you have 3 zillion properties and you have to account for 5 years of possible reservations, you're going to end up with 5481 zillion entries in your reservation database. If you only have 5 properties and people can only reserve them up to a year in advance, you'll only need 1830 entries in your reservation database. (Both of these would be if all the reservation info for all properties was in one database.)



JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

Hi JP:
Okie Dokie:
I will start working on the inital database and get the fields setup the way the client wants them.
...reading the text file now too....

Right now I think there will be no more than 50 properties and they can book a year in advance.

Okay, I have read the relation.txt file and the explaination makes perfect sense. The coding; routines make me feel like I'm in left field.

I guess I'm in for a rough ride with this huh?

Thanks again.

Nah. You'll get it. We'll work it through one step at a time. You'll be fine.

With 50 properties and one year booking in advance, you should be able to have just one .db file for all of the booking information.


JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

I have to assume then that one .db will be property information as stated and the 2nd .db file will contain the dates available or calendar for each property.
Then we'll allow a query to be run on each property, and the relational part comes in to play for each property and then each available date?
Am I close?

Right. And I'm pretty sure that users will be able to search for both property type and available dates at the same time. It'll take a little extra coding, but it should be possible.

JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

Sounds exactly what I'm looking for. Just let me know when/and/if/what I need to be doing/preparing for.

Danke in advance.
ME

The first thing is the property database. Create the .cfg file as you want it. Fix up the html.pl file (you'll be adding to it, but you might as well get the basics done now). Add some records so we have something to work with.

Meanwhile, I'll get all this straight in my head.


JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

I can do that. I've been juggling this / the nursery /NT stuff lately, so give me a couple of days to refresh my memory on the script.
Thanks again....
Do you like Islands?

Islands? I suppose. Not to fond of tropical islands, though. I don't like hot weather.

Take your time. Let me know when you get the first database together. Be sure to respond to this thread, though, so it will refresh my memory about what we were talking about.

JPD
http://www.jpdeni.com/dbman/

Thanks JP.
I shall contact you soon.