The OwnerRez field codes system is extremely powerful and offers a great deal of flexibility - but, it can be complicated, with unexpected results. Here's a list of issues and questions we have encountered that may be helpful as you use our field codes to set up intelligent, dynamic automatic messaging.
- I used a field code inside another field, and it didn't work.
- I used field codes that sometimes are replaced with data, and other times aren't
- My field code is getting ignored and isn't being filled in
- The booking Previous Arrival and Previous Departure fields ({BPREVARR} and {BPREVDEP}) aren't filling in and are sometimes empty
- Why is the {BCANPOLDAT} field code not displaying all the dates of my cancellation policy?
I used a field code inside another field, and it didn't work
Right - it doesn't, and for a good reason: what if you put the code for Field A inside Field B, and then put the code for Field B inside Field A? Since both field codes reference each other, neither would work.
It's hard for a computer to detect what you want in situations like this. The meaning tends to get lost, so we simply don't allow this. At present, field codes should only be used in messages, not other fields.
I used field codes that sometimes are filled in, and other times aren't
There are some field codes that are available only sometimes. For instance, consider {BPREVARR} which is "The previous date (before being changed) that the guest was supposed to arrive." If you use this in any message other than the message that is sent when you just changed a date for a booking, there won't be any relevant data to replace the field code with.
My field code is getting ignored and isn't being filled in
The message template editor can be a bit wonky at times, especially if you are trying to do complicated formatting (bold, italic, font colors, etc.) These are applied by inserting hidden codes where you can't see them. But, if it inserts these codes in the middle of a field code, the field code will not be recognized, even though it looks fine to you.
A first step in fixing this, is to select the entire field code and any adjacent spaces in the editor, and then click the "Clear formatting" button:
Save changes, and try the message again - if that was the problem, you've likely fixed it.
The booking Previous Arrival and Previous Departure fields ({BPREVARR} and {BPREVDEP}) aren't filling in and are sometimes empty
The "previous" fields are only populated with dates values if there was an actual change in arrival or departure date on the booking. If a booking has never changed stay dates, the "previous" fields won't be filled in when the email is sent.
If you are sending a "booking changed" email, and you want it to cover all scenarios (eg. when the departure changed but not the arrival, or vice versa) you should use it with strike-through tags, like this:
Arriving: <del style=""text-decoration:line-through"">{BPREVARR}</del> <strong>{BARR}</strong>
The above piece of code is HTML and needs to be entered using the "View Source Code" button on the editor.
Using this method, the recipient will always see the current arrival date and the strike-through part is only rendered if the date actually changed.
Why is the {BCANPOLDAT} field code not displaying all the dates of my cancellation policy?
Because the {BCANPOLDAT} field code is a dynamic field, the {BCANPOLDAT} field code may or may not display all of the dates of your cancellation policy as the {BCANPOLDAT} field code display will change depending on how close the booking arrival date is.
For example, an arrival that is still eligible for a full refund or before a 30-day full cancellation period would be displayed as "Guest receives 100.00% if cancellation occurs by 10 Aug 2024; Guest receives 50.00% if cancellation occurs by 25 Aug 2024; No refunds after 25 Aug 2024." while an arrival that is after the 30-day full cancellation period would be displayed as "Guest receives 50.00% if cancellation occurs by 2 Aug 2024; No refunds after 2 Aug 2024."