Setting up Virtual Shelters
- Stephanie Weggeman
October 26, 2023 at 5:36 AM
Firstly, obtain a drawing from the customer to match. These need to be reproduced in AI format. Currently, we are having this work done via Upwork.
Once the drawing comes back, check:
Are all the shelter locations the customer wants mapped represented on both the customer's SB site and on the VS?
Do the kennel lists/numbers match?
Check for typos, repeated kennel numbers, or variations from the original drawing (e.g. if the numbers don't follow the direction they want)
If there are any questions, go back to the customer or Upwork as appropriate
It's good practice to have the customer confirm the drawing is correct before you begin mapping if you can.
When the drawing is correct, make sure you get a copy in PNG format then do the following:
Log into the site in question
from the Main Search page, click System Options in the left menu
from the menu list, click Regions
Locate the region that matches the VS you want to do and click "Set Virtual Shelter Kennels"
Click Manage Image
Load the PNG image to the photo/document modal (leave previous versions just in case)
When the image has loaded, find it in the list on the right and click to select
Set "Default" in the tags drop down
Click Ok
The background image will change and the new version will upload. If it goes past the black line on the right hand side (it will cut through the drawing if that's the case) then the image needs to be resized until it fits inside that black line.
(The line marks the edge of how far the VS can display)Once your background image is set, Click "Clear Shelters/Kennels" from the top menu
Click the arrows to open the "Select options" bars for each and use the "Check all" option at the top
When all items are selected, click Clear Selected Shelters/Kennels* (if you make a mistake when mapping, you can use this feature to clear the incorrectly mapped kennel(s) and try again)
Important!: Once you have cleared the kennels/shelters, you MUST complete the rest of the Virtual Shelter (unless they've not had one before). You can't leave it half-done, so make sure you do this when you don't have much on for the day as it may take several hours to complete.
Click "Add Kennel" (link top left)
Select the area you want to map from the drop-down to activate the kennel drop-down
select a kennel from the kennel drop-down
click "Done, let me draw the kennel!"
Using your mouse cursor, click on one of the corners of the selected kennel on the drawing
Hold the right mouse button and drag to create a square or rectangle over the drawn kennel.
Release the mouse button and a pop-up will appear, showing the dimensions and offering option to adjust if necessary.
when you are happy with the positioning, Click Save
You'll get a sucess message, click ok or hit enter to clear
Repeat until all kennels are mapped (as you map them, they will disappear from the drop-down so you can keep track of what areas have been done)
Repeat with the "Add Shelter Location List" - if the area is clear and has no kennels, then map the location over the entire area. If the area has kennels, then just do a small square somewhere unobtrusive next to the heading.
Continue until all location are done.
If you'd like to clear the page of the orange squares at any point for any reason (e.g. clearer view or to update the shelter location list which doesn't remove the mapped items automatically) then just refresh the page. The orange squares will disappear but the work you've done remains.
To keep an eye on the progress and make sure everything is working out okay, I would recommend using another tab and opening the Virtual Shelter for the location you're mapping (from the main page, click Virtual Shelter in the left menu). As you map areas, they will appear here if they have animals assigned to them.
When you're done, just close the tab or navigate away!
Once completed, notify the customer and close out the ticket.