Flowpad Help
Administration F.A.Q.
General
Why do changes not always appear immediately on the registrations, payments, students, judges, and timers pages?
These pages are cached for five minutes to improve performance, so even though your changes have been saved to the database, they may not appear on the main pages listing all registrations. However, the page for an individual registration (which appears when you click on its first or last name) is not cached, and will always be up to date. You can use this feature to review your changes without waiting for the main page to refresh.
When does Flowpad send out automatic emails to students?
There are four types of automated emails that Flowpad will send to students. The list below explains what they are, and when they are sent:
- Registration completed
Sent when a registration fulfills its judging requirement and has a zero balance. - Payment required
Sent when a registration was previously completed, but due to changes in events, new students, etc. it now has a positive balance and additional payment is required. - Judges required
Sent when a registration was previously completed, but due to changes its judging requirement has increased, and the student needs to add more recruited judges. - Check confirmation
Sent out when a student clicks the "Done" button on the pay by check page, signifying that they have mailed in their check. This email tells the registrant that their registration will not be completed until their check is received.
Please note that the payment required and judges required messages are ONLY sent out if a registration was previously completed, i.e. that before the change that triggered the email was made, the registration had fulfilled its judging requirement and had paid in full. A registration that was not completed prior to a change increasing either its judging requirement or fees will not be emailed.
When does Flowpad send out automatic emails to judges and timers?
Judges and timers are both sent a confirmation email containing all the details of their registration when they click on the "Finish" button on the last step of registration.
If I make changes to a student that increases its registrations fees or judging requirement, should I email them to tell them?
You don't need to unless their registration was not completed before the change. If their registration was marked as completed before the change was made, they will automatically be emailed notifying them of the need for additional payment and/or judges. If it was not completed beforehand, they will not be automatically emailed and it is up to you to notify them.
If I add events to a student or make any other changes that would increase their fees, do I need to manually update their fees?
No, all fees are calculated automatically and dynamically, it is never necessary for you to manually update them when you make changes.
Linked Judge Recruitment System
What is the linked judge recruitment system?
The linked judge recruitment system is the default for new tournaments. It requires the judges students claim to have recruited to actually be registered and signed up for sufficient rounds to fulfill their judging requirements. These judges are then linked to the student's registration and their rounds cannot be claimed by another student.
A judge may actually be claimed by multiple students, but only if they have rounds left over beyond the needs of the first student to claim them.
PayPal Payments and Checks
What is PayPal?
PayPal is a simple and secure provider of online payment solutions. Flowpad integrates with PayPal to allow students to pay with a credit card online. These payments are tracked automatically by Flowpad so that no manual entry is necessary.
What kind of PayPal account do I need to accept credit cards?
In order to accept payments online using PayPal, you must have a fully confirmed business account, a personal or premier account is not sufficient.
Signing up for a new PayPal account and getting it fully confirmed usually takes about a week, so be sure to plan ahead if you wish to use it for your tournament. Sign up for a PayPal account.
What happens when a person pays for their registration with PayPal?
The payment will appear in your account on PayPal's website, and under the Payment section of the admin area. The payment will automatically be deducted from a registration's balance, and if it brings their balance to zero, they will automatically be sent a confirmation email and their registration will be marked as completed.
How do I refund all or part of a person's PayPal payment?
To issue a refund, you must first login to your account on PayPal's website. Then click on "Payments Received" and locate the original payment. Click the "Details" link, and then click the "Issue Refund" link near the bottom of the page. You may then enter the amount to refund, and click "Continue". Once you have completed issuing the refund, it will automatically appear in Flowpad and be added back to the registration's balance.
How do I accept checks using Flowpad?
First you must enable the pay by check option under Setup→Payment Options. Then you should edit the instructions on where to mail checks under Setup→Student Registration→Instructions→Mail in a Check. These instructions should include information on who to make the check out to, and where to mail it.
What do I do once I receive a check?
Flowpad allows you to enter received checks into the system so that they count towards a registration's balance. If the check brings the registration's balance to zero, they will automatically be sent a confirmation email and their registration will be marked as completed.
To enter a check into Flowpad, go to Payments→New Payment. Select the proper registration and enter the amount. Optionally you may enter the check number in as the Transaction ID. Click "Save", and the check will be deducted from the registration's balance.