Device Checkout
Device checkout is an optional feature that can help track devices which are not permanently assigned to a person or location. A good use case for this feature are things like a projector, shared laptop, or other device which is used infrequently and it's usage is controlled by request. For devices that need to be scheduled very frequently or are left in a common area to be taken as needed a different system is more appropriate.
The checkout feature is not enabled by default but can be turned on in the settings. This enables the Checkout Request form as well as the various menu items and pages within the Admin site.
Additionally a location should be created where devices will be moved to when in the Checked Out state. Devices will be moved back to their normal location when checked in.
Before requests can be made there must be devices available for checkout. This must be set on a per device bases. When editing a device change the Available For Checkout attribute to true. Once set a green box with a shopping cart icon will identify that this device is allowed to be checked out.
The Checkout request page can be accessed without a login by visiting the /inventory/checkout URL. This URL can be given out to anyone that needs to checkout devices. When making a request the user will need to set the following:
- Email - for approval and deny notifications
- Check Out Date - start date when they need the device
- Check In Date - when they will return the device
- Devices Types - which types of devices they want to check out
Rather than list individual devices the system will list only the types of devices available for checkout. When approving devices (below) the availability of all devices within this type is checked for availability based on other checkout requests.
When a request is submitted an email is sent to all Admins to review the request. These can be accessed through the Device Checkout/Checkout Requests page from the left hand menu. A list of all requests is shown, with new requests at the top.
Clicking the thumbs up icon will approve the request. This will attempt to look at all devices of the desired type and see if any are available within the time period given. If all allowed devices for the requested type are already mapped to checkout requests the approval will fail. If the approval succeeds the following things will happen:
- The status will change to Approved
- The user will receive an email regarding their request approval
- A specific device will be mapped directly to the request
Denying a request will generate an email to the user telling them the request was denied. If no devices are available for the time period given this may be the only option available. Denying an already approved request will still generate an email as well as remove a mapped device from the request.
When a device is ready to be checked out click the blue Check Out Device button on the request. This will flag the device as checked out and change it's location as specified in the settings. All other requests mapped to this same device can no longer be fulfilled and will now have their check out actions removed. The checked out device will also show that it is checked out on the device info page.
To check in a device click the Check In Device button on the active request. This reverts the checkout action and makes the device available again for other requests.
Setting up the Purge Checkout Requests Scheduled Task will get rid of expired requests as well as notify of checked out equipment past check-in. It is recommended to set this up to run once a week at minimum. If you have a lot of tightly scheduled equipment where a missed check in creates disruption then once a day is better. When run the following criteria are used to decide if a request should be removed.
- Have the check out and check in dates already happened?
- Is the request inactive? This means equipment has been returned or the request was denied.
If these criteria have been met the request will be purged from the database. If a request is active but past the check in date an email will be sent to notify admins of the missed check in.