This screen allows you to:
Access the User Designed Reports menu.
Before you begin:
Choose the User Designed Reports option from the Utilities Menu.
Item Descriptions…
This menu allows you to enter and maintain your custom letters and reports. Refer to the User Designed Letters Utilities section in Utilities of the Concepts chapter for other assistance with these letters.
To access a letter click the desired item from the list.
Prompt descriptions...
User Designed Letters
Source: This text box will display information telling you where the letter is stored.
Letter Type: This type is put out by RMS should match the letter option you chose from the list.
Description: This should be a short description to help you define your letter.
Email Subject: Enter the subject you would like displayed on the email. If this is left blank, the description will be the email subject.
AMS does not design or maintain custom html documents.
RMS comes with sample letters or default letters that you may modify to reflect the standards and spirit of your resort. RMS will embed each confirmation and guest license agreement with reservation specific information automatically when you insert merge fields.
RMS also has an html editor available, Kompozer, which allows users to edit the html letter without having to know how to write html. This WYSIWYG editor also allows easy insertion of images, links, text formatting and tables. If you do not have Kompozer installed in your RMS you may request installation. There is no fee for this plug-in.
[Show Merge Fields]: Click the Show Merge Fields button to show all the merge fields available. The Merge fields allow you to insert additional information into your letter. Some default merge fields are built into the default confirmation and guest license agreement. The merge fields can be used to insert information from the reservation such as the: guest mailing list entry, unit file information, owner information and company information. Double click on the merge field you want to add to the document and right click and paste the merge field into the document where you want it to be.
If you are using the plain text documents you will NOT be able to make the text bold or change the font. Making these documents as plain as possible guarantees that no matter what operating system or email client the guest is using, they will easily be able to read it.
[Report Body]: Click the Report Body button. Open the text/html document to full screen to get an idea of where you need the sentences to end. Long sentences can cause the document to run off the page.
Save the document after modifying it by choosing "Save" under the Files menu.
Tip: Aligning merge fields can be tricky. Use tables in Kompozer or your html editor (such as Kompozer) to align items or data. In a text document, what is aligned in the text document may very well NOT be aligned in the email or the print out. The reason for this is that each merge field needs a certain amount of space to display the value. For example the merge tag **R:BEGINNING.AMT.DUE** will reserve several spaces, so that the proper amount due is displayed. Try printing or emailing out a GLA/Confirmation from any reservation to see the alignment. Move merge fields to the left or right to align them. If you are creating your letter in Word and saving it as a filtered web page, you can insert a table using Word, and space your merge tags evenly within the invisible table.
Tip 2: Inserting a web link. Use the link icon on the KOMPOZER tool bar to insert links. First copy the link from your browser. Then go to the letter you want to insert the link into and choose where you want the link. Next choose the Link button from the tool bar. Enter the text you want to display for the link. In the Link location field paste your link. Check the Link to be opened in new window in the Target check box.
Tip 3: Inserting an Image: First upload your image such as your logo to your Online Content folder using RMS File Manager. Make sure the logo is small enough for the letter. Once uploaded, you will have a link for the image to insert into your letter. An example of a link for an image would be: “http://content1.resortplanet.com/yourcompany/yourcompanylogo.jpg”
When you use Kompozer all the code is handled for you by the editor.
If you use TEXT letters and do not have KOMPOZER:
To modify your letters such as the confirmation or guest license agreement. You have some options when modifying these type documents. You can edit within RMS and tag your letter with <pre> tags or you can build an html document on your pc and upload it to your hosted RMS using the Upload Letters and Unit Photos Utility.
For Text fomat only
<Pre> : The <pre> tag should be at the top and bottom of every plain text document.
Turn word wrap off by going to the Format Option of your Notepad toolbar and uncheck word wrap.
Inserting links in Text letters only:
If you are using a link stored in RMS: First store the web link in an unused field of the Unit file or the Unit Inventory File. Each field has a merge tag associated with it. Custom letters in RMS may be written in html and RMS merge tags insert the information from the system into the letter. Most data stored in RMS has a merge tag. If you want to insert a web link that you have stored in a unit field or in the Unit Inventory file some extra html is needed to make the link active. If the link is in the merge field **UIS:USER.DEF.2** which is for the Unit inventory user defined field 2 the html code in the text would look like this: <a href="http://**UIS:USER.DEF.2**">**UIS:USER.DEF.2**</a>
If the link was stored in the Internal comment text box of the Unit File, the merge tag for that field is **U:INTERNAL.COMMENT** so you would insert <a href="http://**U:INTERNAL.COMMENT** ">**U:INTERNAL.COMMENT**</a>
Printer Defaults:
Optimum/System Functions/Printer Default Font and Spacing.
Base font size should be set to 10.
Base Font Name should read: Courier New
Vertical Pitch should be set to: Fixed line spacing, 6 LPI.