Linking to the Legacy Booking Engine - Introduction

 Please note the below references an outdated Booking Engine which is no longer supported. Instructions for the NEW Online Booking Engine can be found in this article.

This article will walk you through the various ways in which you can make linkages from your existing website to your branded version of the Zaui Legacy Booking Engine. 

This article will cover the following topics:

• Definitions and Terminology
• Integration between Customer Website and Zaui Online Booking Engine
• How to Create an Embedded Link
• How to Preview the Legacy Booking Engine 

Definitions and Terminology

Your Website - by this we mean your main website through which your customers find you Example: www.myadventurecompany.com

Zaui Booking Engine - this is the main booking engine (also called the default engine) that Zaui comes with. This engine is a wire-frame engine. By wire-frame, we mean that it has its own modules and functionality, but is completely re-brandable by you or your designers (see our article on re-branding of the engine). 

Landing Page - the page that your customers are 'deposited' onto within the Zaui Booking Engine. When a customer comes from your website, they will land on this page. The landing page can be a number of different pages depending on where you wish to have your customers deposited.

API - application programmer interface (sound too techie? That's because it is).

A Call to Action - this is a web design language for a 'book now' or 'make a booking' button.

What types of linkages/integration can I have between my website and the booking engine?

There are two types:

1. Linkage via embedded links to specific URLs;
2. Linkage via the ZAUI API

This article only describes the first option here.  This is because it is the simplest and therefore what we recommend.  It's also the quickest. However, if you're a developer, or you have developers on your staff, or perhaps you just require a more sophisticated level of integration, the API method may be an option for you.  Ask us how.

However, keep in mind that by using option 1 here, you're making use of the built-in modules and functions that the default booking engine already has for you.  

What does that mean?  

It means that there is limited control and customization within the engine because you're leaving that up to how the engine has been built.  If you want or require different workflows or different logic, or simply have an entire new concept on how customers should be purchasing your product online, then perhaps consider using the API to achieve this.

So, onto the "how"...

How to Create an Embedded Link

How do I link from my website to the booking engine?

First things first:

1. Decide what page on your website you wish to have a link from.
2. Decide what landing page you wish to have that link send your customer to.

Generating the link

This snippet of code can be inserted into your website wherever your call to action buttons are.

The URL at the start should direct to the particular page you want that call to action to land on (options outlined here). Note that you must also add your domain to the URL at the end of the snippet of code (bolded below) 

<a href="https://[your domain name here].zaui.net/modules/webBooking/index.php" onclick="return Zaui.open(event)" class="zaui-embed-button override">Book Now</a><script>(function(d,t,i,u,z,s) {if (!d.getElementById(i)) {z = d.createElement(t); z.id=i; z.async=1; z.src = u;s = d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(z, s);}})(document, 'script', 'zaui-embed-src', 'https://[your domain name here].zaui.net/themes/default/modules/webBooking/js/embed.js');</script>

What are the different types of landing pages in Zaui?

There are more than a couple of options here, depending on the desired effect you wish to achieve. These are outlined in the next chapter.

How to Preview the Legacy Booking Engine

Zaui currently only supports the New Online Booking Engine, but for any of our long-standing customers still using the Legacy Booking Engine, these are the steps to preview it:

1. From the navigation bar, select Settings > Manage Internet Bookings > Embed and Widgets.
2. From here, select the preview configuration you would like and select Direct Link as the Embedding Method. 
   
   
3. You will then find the Legacy Booking Engine by clicking  next to Advanced Options. 
4. Within the Advanced Options, flag Use Legacy Engine. The (not recommended) note is a reminder that the preferred Booking Engine is the New Online Booking ENgine for new Zaui customers. 
   
   
   
   
5. You can now Copy to Clipboardunder Implement and Embed.
   
   
6. When copied, you can paste the link into your browser's address bar and the activity will appear (in the legacy booking engine).