Fortress GB configuration - description of v2 integration
API Summary Documentation:
This document described the integration with Fortress, where Fortress is handled as an access control interface AND as external printer interface.
This integration has been delivered.
- 1 General Principle:
- 1.1 Prerequisites:
- 2 Smart barcode
- 3 Access Control Interface:
- 3.1 Set up
- 3.1.1 Mappings.
- 3.1.2 Schedule
- 3.1.2.1 Configuration
- 3.1 Set up
- 4 External Printing System
- 4.1 Set up
- 4.2 Schedules
- 4.2.1 Import Card Number
- 4.2.2 Tickets external printing
- 5 Access control interface - frequent error message
- 6 Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ)
- 6.1 Why are Tickets compared between Secutix and Fortress?
- 6.2 How does work the parameter to synchronize tickets for a specific match?
- 6.3 Why is a ticket not present in Fortress when I print it during the purchase order, as it was the case with V1?
- 6.4 How Can I validate that Access control Interface is working properly?
- 6.5 How can I validate that External Printing Interface is working properly?
- 6.6 Is it possible to purchase by unnumbered seats?
General Principle:
Fortress GB is an access control system deployed by many UK football clubs.
It provides SecuTix clients with two basic sets of functionalities.
An access control system
Fortress GB is handling access control at the gates with a strong limitation:
Fortress GB does not handle retrieval of controlled tickets. The controlled status of the tickets cannot be retrieved in SecuTix.
An external printing system
Fortress is printing the RFID cards for season tickets for SecuTix clients, with two main cases:
Direct printing at the box-office on "real" printers
Mass printing on "virtual" printers (ticket data are only sent to Fortress)
Fortress being two systems in once in SecuTix point of view, we need to set up two external interfaces: an access control interface and an external printer interface.
It also provides smart barcode functionality that you must activate.
Prerequisites:
Check with Platform team that the steps defined in Fortress GB Switch from V1 to V2 are done.
Smart barcode
To activate the smart barcode (encrypted barcode understood by Fortress scanners), go in the organization screen and select "Access control type: For
It will generate a Fortress barcode for all the tickets linked to a seat linked to an area mapped to Fortress through an access control mapping (see below). Else it will generate a Date SecuTix barcode.
Concession barcode
Fortress tickets may have two barcodes, one being the concession barcode, displayed in template using key exr_fortress_concession_barcode
To have this concession barcode please follow the following setup: set the parameter Concession tariff id in the interface with the integer id provided by Fortress support.
It is also possible to override this id for a given tariff by modifying its mapping, setting an external id with a WW_DD_DD structure (code + id1 + id2), id2 being the id of the concession tariff, to be provided by Fortress Team.
Important: if neither of these two methods is used, the concession Barcode will not be generated, but the ticket purchase will still work. This new barcode will be stored in an external reference related to the movement. It can be seen in the ticket details screen.
Restrictions related to smart barcode
Fortress barcode can only be used for seated sales. It is not possible to sell passes with Fortress, nor to do sales in "without seating" mode.
Access Control Interface:
Set up
Create an access control interface of type "Fortress GB"
New Interface → Control Interface → Fortress GB Control Plugin
Fill the values on the previous image, which should all be provided by the client or by his Fortress provider.
For the URL → remember to have the URL authorized through Secutix proxy.
A new parameter has been added to identify club through member ID´s in Season cards. That will modify the Ticket number format, as it will contain, first what is on the new parameter field followed by "-" and then ticket ID. See Image below:
Mappings.
Fill area and block mappings, for every area and block of the stadium/venue that will be controlled by Fortress.
Check that the physical configuration code is the same as the stadium code defined in Fortress.
Check that the entrances' codes are the same as the gate codes defined in Fortress.
Mappings are defined only in the access control interface. The printing interface must be linked to the access control interface.
Important: Mapping of Concepts
Complex mappings: use both codes and ids
When creating a new mapping for performance, tariff, entrance and season, please use the following format in the external ID to avoid errors:
Codes and ids are provided by Fortress team.
Advanced: useful Webservices to know Fortress IDs
For people expert in using postman, it is possible to get codes, ids or even create some entities using Fortress Webservices.
Tariffs: Get Price Band List (POST)
Name: PriceBandList
Description: get a list of all available price bands code on the Fortress Database
Request URL: http://{endpoint}/api/Products/PriceBandList/
Performances: Getproductlist (POST)
Name: ProductList
Description: Return a list of products available on the fortress server
Request URL: http://{endpoint}/api/Products/ProductList/
Entrances: Get Service List (POST)
Name: ServiceList
Description: Return a list of Services available on the fortress server
Request URL: http://{endpoint}/api/Products/ServiceList/
Schedule
There are two functions in the schedules in the Access control interface developed for v2: Synchronize Tickets and retrieve controlled tickets. For this fortress set up, add just synchronize tickets.
Configuration
Launch: Manual or Automatic
Batch size: 100 default
Event and performance: follow the formatà eventCode;DD/MM/YY hh:mm (24hours format)
Extract Fortress actual active data for comparison (do not use systematically): If it is active, Secutix system call Fortress webservice for a specific match(indicated on the previous parameter) which will compare all the tickets from Secutix and fortress (valid or invalid)