Welcome to the official documentation for the Live Event Seating Pro plugin. Consequently, this guide will walk you through everything from initial setup to advanced feature configuration. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to master a specific feature, you’ll find the answers you need right here.
Table of Contents
- Installation & Activation
- Prerequisites
- Installing the Plugin
- Initial Setup (Required Steps)
- Step 1: Create a WooCommerce “Ticket” Product
- Step 2: Create Your First Event
- Step 3: Display the Seating Plan with a Shortcode
- The Seating Plan Builder: A Detailed Guide
- The Canvas & Navigation (Zoom, Pan, Resize)
- Adding & Deleting Elements (Tables, Seat Blocks, etc.)
- The Inspector Panel: Editing Element Properties
- Importing & Exporting Layout Templates
- Advanced Features & Configuration
- Setting Up Tiered Pricing (Variable Products)
- Enabling “Book as Whole Table Only”
- Setting a Booking Window
- Event Day Management: The QR Code System
- How Tickets are Generated
- Using the Ticket Scanner
- Manual Ticket Check-in
- Global Settings
- Finding the Settings Page
- Configuring Booking Logic & Colors
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Need Woocommerce for this plugin
1. Installation & Activation
Prerequisites
Before you begin, please ensure you have the following installed and activated on your WordPress site:
- WordPress 5.8 or higher
- WooCommerce 6.0 or higher
- PHP GD Graphics Library: This is a standard PHP extension required for QR code generation. If you encounter issues with QR codes, please contact your web host and ask them to enable the gd extension.
Installing the Plugin
- Download the plugin .zip file from your purchase confirmation email or your account page.
- In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Click the “Upload Plugin” button at the top of the page.
- Click “Choose File” and select the .zip file you downloaded.
- Click “Install Now” and then “Activate Plugin”.
2. Initial Setup (Required Steps)
Follow these three steps to get your first seating plan live.
Step 1: Create a WooCommerce “Ticket” Product
Every seat sold is managed by a WooCommerce product.
- For a Single Price:
- Go to Products > Add New.
- Give it a name, like “Gala Dinner Ticket”.
- In the “Product data” section, keep it as a “Simple product”.
- Set a “Regular price”. This will be the price for one seat.
- Publish the product.
- For Tiered Pricing (e.g., VIP, Standard):
- Please see the “Setting Up Tiered Pricing” section in the advanced guide below. You must use a “Variable product”.
Step 2: Create Your First Event
- Navigate to the Events menu in your WordPress dashboard and click Add New.
- Give your event a title (e.g., “Annual Charity Gala 2024”).
- Scroll down to the “Event Seating Settings” box.
- From the “Link to WooCommerce Product” dropdown, select the product you created in the previous step.
- Now, use the “Seating Plan Builder” to design your layout. (See the detailed guide below).
- Click “Publish” or “Update” to save your event and its layout.
Step 3: Display the Seating Plan with a Shortcode
- While editing your event, find the “Event Seating Settings” box.
- Copy the automatically generated Shortcode (it will look like [event_seating_plan id=”123″]).
- Paste this shortcode into the main content area of your event post, or onto any other page or post where you want the seating map to appear.
That’s it! Your interactive seating plan is now live on your website.
3. The Seating Plan Builder: A Detailed Guide
The builder is where you bring your venue to life.
The Canvas & Navigation
- Canvas: The main grid area where you will place your elements.
- Resize: To make the canvas larger, click and drag the handle in the bottom-right corner.
- Pan (Move the View): Hold Shift + Left-Click and drag, or use your Middle Mouse Button to move the canvas around.
- Zoom: Use the + and – buttons in the bottom-right corner to zoom in and out. The middle button resets the view.
Adding & Deleting Elements
Use the buttons at the top of the builder to add elements to your canvas:
- Add Circle/Rect Table: Adds a table for guests.
- Add Seat Block: Adds a block of seats in rows, perfect for theaters.
- Add Stage / Add Image: Adds decorative, non-bookable elements to your map.
To delete an element, simply click on it and then click the “Delete” button in the Inspector Panel on the right.
The Inspector Panel: Editing Element Properties
When you click on any element on the canvas, the Inspector Panel will appear on the right, showing only the relevant options for that element.
- Label: The public name of the element (e.g., “VIP Table 1,” “Orchestra Section”).
- Element Color: Sets a custom background color for the table, stage, or seat block.
- Price Tier: (Requires a Variable Product) Assigns a specific price tier to this element. All seats within it will be sold at this price.
- Dimensions (Width/Height/Radius): Precisely control the size of your elements.
- Seats/Rows: Define the capacity of a table or the structure of a seat block.
- Book as Whole Table Only: (For tables only) If checked, this table must be booked as a single unit. Individual seats cannot be selected.
- Actions (Duplicate, Rotate): Quickly copy an element or rotate rectangular elements by 90 degrees.
Importing & Exporting Layout Templates
- Export: Once you have a layout you want to reuse, click the “Export Layout” button. This will save a .json file of your design (without any booking data) to your computer.
- Import: On a new event, click “Import Layout”, select the .json file you previously saved, and your entire seating chart will be instantly recreated.
4. Advanced Features & Configuration
Setting Up Tiered Pricing (Variable Products)
- Go to Products > Add New.
- Change the “Product data” dropdown to “Variable product”.
- Go to the “Attributes” tab and click “Add”.
- Name: Price Tier (or similar).
- Values: Enter your tiers separated by a pipe |. Example: VIP | Standard | Balcony.
- Check the “Used for variations” box and click “Save attributes.”
- Go to the “Variations” tab. From the dropdown, select “Create variations from all attributes” and click “Go.”
- For each variation that appears, expand it and set a price.
- Save the product. Now you can link this Variable Product to your event and assign these tiers in the builder.
Enabling “Book as Whole Table Only”
- In the seating plan builder, click on a table.
- In the Inspector Panel, check the box labeled “Book as Whole Table Only”.
- Save the event. On the frontend, this table will now be a single clickable item.
Setting a Booking Window
- While editing your event, find the “Event Seating Settings” box.
- Use the date pickers for “Booking Open Date” and “Booking Close Date”.
- If left blank, booking is open indefinitely. If dates are set, the seating plan will only be visible to customers within that date range.
5. Event Day Management: The QR Code System
How Tickets are Generated
After a customer successfully completes a purchase, a single “Master Ticket” with a unique QR code is generated for their entire order. This is:
- Displayed on the on-screen Order Confirmation (“Thank You”) page.
- Sent to the customer in their Order Confirmation email.
- Visible to you in the Admin Order Details page.
Customers can show the QR code on their phone or a printout. The ticket also includes a list of all seats in their order and key payment details.
Using the Ticket Scanner
- Navigate to Events > Ticket Scanner in your WordPress admin. (For The Events Calendar, it will be under their “Events” menu).
- The page will request permission to use your device’s camera. Allow it.
- Point the camera at the customer’s QR code.
- The system will provide an instant on-screen result:
- Success: Confirms the check-in and shows guest details.
- Already Used: Shows an error with the time of the first scan to prevent fraud.
- Invalid: Shows an error if the QR code is not from your system.
Manual Ticket Check-in
If a scan fails (e.g., cracked phone screen), you can use the “Manual Ticket Entry” field on the scanner page. Simply type in the Master Ticket Code (e.g., LESO-123-45678) and click “Verify Code.”
6. Global Settings
To configure global options for the plugin, navigate to Seating Plan > Settings in your WordPress admin menu.
Here you can control:
- Booking Logic: Enable/disable the “Orphan Seat” rule, set the maximum number of seats per order, and define the seat lock time.
- Seat Colors: Use color pickers to customize the colors for Available, Selected, and Booked seats to match your brand.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: Can I reuse a layout for multiple events?
- A: Yes! Use the “Export Layout” and “Import Layout” buttons in the builder to create reusable templates.
- Q: Why isn’t the QR code working?
- A: Your server most likely needs the PHP GD Graphics Library enabled. Please contact your web host and ask them to enable the gd extension for PHP.
- Q: How do I offer VIP and Standard pricing?
- A: You must use a WooCommerce “Variable Product”. Please see the detailed guide in section 4 above.