The new version runs faster, performs reliably offline, and is easier to use. Improvements include:

• Offline Scan Tracking: If your internet network happens to go down while you’re scanning, the app will continue to scan tickets, storing them on the device until you get back online. New in version 1.2 is the ability to view offline scans.
• Scan Log: Every ticket scanned is now listed by scan time. This makes it easier to see the status of your last scan and gives you a scan-history at a glance.
• Better Network Stats: Not only will the app tell you if you are online or not, it now displays the network name as well.
• Latest iOS Support: SWARM 1.2 is compatible with the latest iOS operating systems, so feel free to keep your device updated with the most recent iOS version.

For more info check out SWARM’s website

Check it out in the App Store

The search filter is also faster than ever and filters the WillCall List as you type, so you can find your patron on the List in a flash.

To access the WillCall List in Spark, click on the event, then Will Call List from the Event Overview. In Swarm, select View Attendees from the Options menu.

The music player will automatically appear on the bottom of your event page, featuring the most popular songs for the artist selected. It can be expanded to show even more songs and options.

If you are setting up a PayPal online payment gateway to sell tickets with HoldMyTicket, it only takes a few simple steps. Here’s a quick guide to provide you with a roadmap for the process.

1. The correct PayPal account for connecting with HoldMyTicket is the Paypal Payflow Pro Gateway Account.
2. To sign up for a Payflow Pro account, visit the sign-up page here (https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/payflow-compare-pricing) and select the option on the right.
   
3. You will be led through a series of steps to fill out by Paypal. Enter the correct information for your business. Any extra options are up to you and not necessary for getting the account to work with HoldMyTicket.
4. Once you have your account setup, log in to your account here.
5. HoldMyTicket needs the following pieces of information to connect to your account:
   • API Partner
   • API Vendor ID
   • API Username
   • API Password
6. Send us this information in an e-mail once you’ve found it all, and we’ll get you set up right away!

So you’ve just received your scanner from HoldMyTicket, and you’re wondering what you need to know in order to keep the device running. Well, you’re in luck, because the answer is: not much!.

Our Linea Pro 4 1D Barcode scanners for iPod Touch are set up for you, so you don’t need to go over a whole lot in order to get the device humming and ready to scan or sell tickets.

Even so, it’s good to get familiar with the device to ensure the best performance possible. Here we’ve collected the most important and common points to pay attention to. It’s worth reading as a primer, but it can also serve as a troubleshooting guide.

If you need help on the SWARM Mobile app itself, check out our Get Started page for a number of tutorials.

1. Charging



The scanners are charged using a USB to Mini B charging cable, which can be plugged into any USB port available for charging. HoldMyTicket will include this with every scanner we send out. If you need extra, let us know.

There are two batteries to keep track of: the iPod battery, whose charging you can monitor on the iPod screen, and the separate scanner battery. To check the level of charge on the scanner battery, look to the bottom of the scanner: right above the USB plug, you’ll see a plastic display somewhat wider than the plug, and a small, pen-tip-sized clear plastic button next to it. Press the small button, and the display will light up with zero, one, two, or three lights, depending on the charge level.

An uncharged scanner battery is the number one cause for laser failure (see below), so always make sure to check the battery before a big show!

2. Wi-Fi



The most major cause for problems in general is your WiFi connection.

WiFi connections are managed in the Wi-Fi section of the Settings app of your iPod. Simply select the proper network and type in the password (if necessary).

If you need to use Wi-Fi and are still having trouble, read Apple’s more detailed guide on troubleshooting iOS connectivity errors.

Remember, though, that you can always switch to Batch mode rather than Cloud mode in SWARM Mobile, meaning that you can keep scanning without a connection – the scans will simply wait in the scanner’s memory until the next time it’s connected and able to sync.

3. Logging in to Swarm

If we have sent you a scanner, you should be logged in automatically. So if you find the scanner has logged out, contact us immediately.

4. The Laser



You operate the laser by pressing the button that is on the right side of the device when looking at the screen. The laser scans barcodes best when it is farther away from them, so avoid the temptation to put the device right up to the barcode. About 6 – 8 inches is ideal.

If the laser isn’t functioning, it is usually because of two common issues:

1. The scanner isn’t fully charged (See the instructions in #1 above).
2. The program needs to reset. Often switching between modes in SWARM, such as between Scan and Swipe, will reset the laser. Otherwise, try “killing” the app by double-clicking the iPod’s Home (square) button from the iPod’s Home screen and holding down the SWARM icon until it shakes, then clicking the x that appears – just be careful you are not deleting the app itself!

You can read more about managing iOS apps on Apple’s website.

5. Unexpected Crashing

As with problems with the laser, following Apple’s basic instructions on how to manage Apps will resolve most problems.

6. Upgrades

If the App Store indicates that there is an upgrade for SWARM – go ahead and download it!

However, if your System Preferences indicates that there is an upgrade for iOS – do not upgrade without talking to HoldMyTicket first! Not all iOS upgrades will be immediately compatible with SWARM Mobile so please check with us before clicking that “Install Now” button. We will of course keep you updated on all upgrades as soon as we can.

7. Other Issues

Please go through this document before contacting us, but if you didn’t find what you needed, don’t hesitate to contact us. Maybe the tip you point out to us will find its way to this blog someday!

HoldMyTicket boasts some of the best event reporting in the industry. Access event specific customer exports, sales breakdowns, validation timelines and much more using the Event Report.

Viewing the Event Report is very simple. Here’s how to do it:
Click on any event in your account, you will see the Event Overview. From the event overview click on ‘Reports’.

Below is an example of an event report. Hover over any section of the report for info on that section:

Check out our journey on our Instagram page

We’ve done a quick renovation of the shipping rates on our printed tickets. We made the changes in response to new rates issued by the U.S. Postal Service, but we’ve also adjusted the breakdown of how ticket orders get shipped out – and this will result in serious savings for a great deal of orders.

Here are the new rates:

100 tickets or less: $3.75
from 100 to 200 tickets: $4.50
from 200 to 500 tickets: $6.55
from 500 to 3000 tickets: $13.10

Express rates (guaranteed overnight for most locations):

500 tickets or less: $18.95
from 500 to 3000 tickets: $39.95

For orders larger than 3000 tickets, just contact your customer support representative.

photo credit: mikecogh via photopin cc

This guide will describe how to print tickets, eTickets and receipts using our browser-based, online box office application. For more detailed instructions on printer setup or maintenance, check out the articles relating to your type of printer in the Get Started page.

Following a Ticket Purchase

Once you have clicked the Submit button for a paid order, a window will appear, giving you several options for printing:

Your print options after submitting a ticket purchase

1. Print Tickets - Creates a command to print all the tickets that have been purchased. These will be in standard event ticket format and require a ticket printer in order to look right. Print them in whatever way your computer and printer have been set up to print tickets.
2. Print Tickets with Receipt - Creates a command to print all the tickets that have been purchased, as above, with the addition of a receipt that is also printed on your ticket stock. Make sure your ticket-holders know the difference between the tickets and the receipt, because they will look very similar.
3. Print Receipt - Prints a single receipt using your ticket printer.
4. Print eTickets - Prints eTickets instead of standard event tickets. This action requires a normal ink/laserjet printer, rather than a thermal ticket printer. A pdf file will open on your screen and automatically present you with printing options. Make sure that you select the correct printer.

Receipts

How is a receipt different from a ticket? A receipt does not have a barcode and so will not grant the ticket-holder access to the event. A receipt will display:

1. The date and time of purchase.
2. The transaction number on the purchase.
3. The total amount paid.
4. A small number informing the ticket-holder that this is not a ticket.
5. The last four digits of the credit card used for the purchase (if a card was used).

Finishing Up

Click the gray CLOSE button at the bottom of the print options to return to the main Box Office screen.

Printing Tickets Later On

Has some time elapsed since the purchase was made, or did you close the window before you could print the tickets? There are a few more places where you can print tickets: the fastest are using Ticket Lookup and the Will Call List (click the links to read more about how to use these features).

Using both Ticket Lookup and the Will Call List, you will find a small printer icon (see the images below for the exact location).

Printing from ticket lookup

Printing from the general Will Call list

Printing from Will Call transaction details

Click the icon, and you will find the same printer option window we discussed above, and from there you can print your tickets, receipts or eTickets. You can print tickets either from the Will Call general list, or from the details page for any specific transaction.

If you have reports enabled, you will find the same printer icon listed with the transaction in question in the Recent Sales report.

We’ve created this guide as a simple, step-by-step troubleshooting manual for the most common problems when running BOCA Lemur-S thermal ticket printers.

This guide applies mainly to computers running Joli OS, but it could apply to other Linux machines. There will be slight differences in how to navigate the OS; otherwise, the guide should work for all versions.

For best results, follow all the steps in order.

Each item in big text is a problem to check for. The instructions underneath will help direct you to the most common solutions.

There might be other ways to fix things, so If the instructions don’t help you, use each item in big text as the general problem to solve and take a moment to consider if there is another way of reaching that goal.

If all else fails, or if you notice a problem that isn’t listed here, feel free to contact us at support@holdmyticket.com or 505-886-1251.

BOCA’s own documentation can be found on their site.

List of Common Problems

1. The printer is not receiving power.

1. What to Check: The power switch in the back. The power cord.
2. How to Fix It:

1. Make sure the power cord is plugged in and receiving power.
2. Flip the switch to the on position. The printer will display text in the green display window when power is on.

2. All wires and cables are not properly connected. (Ethernet Only) Routers are not on or functioning.

3. What to Check: USB cables if using them; ethernet cables if using the BOCA over a network.

1. If you are using ethernet, check the integrity of your network and the functioning of any routers the BOCA might be connected to.

4. How to Fix It:

1. Ensure that all USB or ethernet cables are plugged in at both ends.
2. If using ethernet, ensure that the router is switched on.

3. Tickets are not loaded properly.

5. What to Check: The tickets are firmly loaded into the printer (cannot be moved). The cam lock lever  ("Lift to Open Print Head") is locked.
6. How to Fix It:

1. If tickets are partially loaded, pull up the cam lock lever to free them for removal from the printer and then lock it again.
2. The printer must be on when loading tickets.
3. Insert the tickets so that the tickets are face-up and the stub goes through first.
4. Insert the tickets as far to the left as you can under the toboggan-shaped sliders (do not move the sliders).
5. The printer should automatically take the ticket and move it into place.

4. The HMT Printer script is not installed.

7. What to Check: Open up a terminal (Alt + F1) and make sure you are in your user directory (/home/[your_user_name]). Type ls Scripts and hit enter. You should see hmt_php_print.php - that is the installed printing script. If it is not there, you will need to install it.
8. How to Fix It:

1. To install the script, open a terminal and make sure you are in the home directory (type ~/).
2. Type wget http://[domain name]/joli_installer.sh, where [domain name] is a domain name you'll need to get from HMT staff.
3. Make the installer runable: sudo chmod 777 ~/joli_installer.sh
4. Enter the password for your computer when prompted.
5. Run the installer: ~/joli_installer.sh

1. Hit y when prompted

6. Clean up the installer: rm ~/joli_installer.sh
7. Restart the computer.
8. There is no need to open the terminal or run the script at this point – it should be automatic.

5. You are not clicking the correct print button.

9. What to Check: You should be clicking buttons for printing tickets and/or receipts in the HMT Boxoffice app only; normal print commands will not work. Make sure you are not clicking any Print eTickets buttons.

6. Your browser does not download a .fgltxt file when you click the print button.

1. What to Check: All browsers have a way of monitoring downloads. Look up your browser's documentation to figure out how, if you don't know.
2. How to Fix It: This is usually a matter of being connected to the internet and having your browser window active. Try clicking multiple times.

7. The correct printer information is not stored in your Boxoffice User Account.

1. What to Check/Fix:

1. Find the list of printers by clicking on the control panel icon in the top bar of HMT Boxoffice.
2. Click Printers to find the list of printers.
3. If you are using only one BOCA printer, and that BOCA is hooked up through USB, there should be nothing listed here. Remove all entries.

1. In this case, you must set your BOCA printer as the default printer in your Local Settings.

4. Otherwise, you will see a list of printers. Click Edit on the one that represents the BOCA you are using.
5. You will see the printer information there.
6. Printer Name and Device Name should be the same and reflect the name of the printer as you find it in Local Settings. Printer IP should contain the BOCA's correct IP address, if you are using it over a network. Leave it blank if you are using USB.

8. The .fgltxt files are not being downloaded to the folder that the HMT Printer script is monitoring.

2. What to Check: This should be your computer's default Downloads folder. You can check by opening your browser's download preferences and seeing what your default downloads directory is. You can also check by opening the Downloads folder and seeing if a file appears when you try to print a ticket.
3. How to Fix It: Change the default downloads directory in your browser to the system's default Downloads folder.

9. The HMT Printer script is not processing .fgltxt files correctly

1. What to Check: Open up your computer’s Downloads folder. Any file that enters this folder when the script is running should be immediately deleted by the script. If these files are not being deleted, the script is not processing them.
2. How to Fix It:

1. Make sure that the files being downloaded do, in fact, end with .fgltxt. A common problem is when the same file is downloaded multiple times and the browser tacks on numbers in parentheses ((2), (3), etc.) to distinguish multiple files.
2. Clean out the downloads folder and try again.

10. The printer is not receiving the print job from the script, i.e., a print job does not appear in the BOCA printer's print queue.

3. What to Check:

1. A print job (line of text and other info) should appear in your printer's print queue when you try to print a ticket.
2. To access the print queue, find your computer's Local Settings and find the Printers control panel (it might be under Advanced or All Settings). Either double-click or right click on the icon of your BOCA printer to access the print queue.

4. How to Fix This:

1. Make sure you are looking at the correct printer's print queue.
2. Troubleshoot the printer as it appears in Local Settings. Make sure it is connected and the operating system recognizes it. This might involve figuring out the correct IP address, if you are using a network (ethernet).
3. You might have to uninstall and then reinstall the printer, saving it with the correct name and IP address (if necessary).
4. Ethernet Only: If your computer is still not finding the correct printer, you can try resetting the router. This is usually accomplished by unplugging it and plugging it back in. Please make sure you will not be upsetting any important connections by resetting – if you’re not sure about that, check with IT staff.

11. The print queue control panel indicates errors, paused jobs, connection problems or other issues.

5. What to Check: Look in the printer queue for error messages and long lists of print jobs.
6. How to Fix This:

1. If the printer is paused, unpause it.
2. Try deleting all the current print jobs in the queue and trying again.
3. You might need to further troubleshoot the printer using any error messages you are receiving. Contact HMT if you need assistance.

12. There are error messages in the BOCA's green display panel.

7. What to Check: You should be seeing "FGL" followed by some numbers and/or other characters (it may differ from printer to printer). Seeing anything else indicates an error.
8. How to Fix: It depends on the message. Either look it up in the BOCA Lemur-S manual or contact HMT staff for assistance.

13. The BOCA's memory is full or corrupted.

1. If you get to this point and the printer is still not working, and you have not cleared the printer's memory before, contact HMT for assistance.
2. If HMT has already worked with you on clearing BOCA memory, you can try feeding the HMT Printer script the memory clearing file. You will then have to reinstall the printer's font driver using the Printer Fonts option in HMT Boxoffice.