This chapter contains basic information to help you get started using WebCheckout, including what browser will work best with your operating system, how to login, and how to use some of the interface features.
The basic requirement for running WebCheckout is a web browser that includes support for JavaScript and Java. Due to the vagaries of the quality of browser and especially Java implementations, however, there are a few caveats, which are described in the compatibility table below.
WebCheckout has been tested on Macintosh, Windows (32-bit flavors), and Linux. At least one browser on each of those operating systems is known to work properly.
At least 32 megabytes is required for the browser alone, and more memory is often desirable.
The minimum support screen resolution is 800 by 600 pixels. We recommend a larger screen resolution if possible, so that you can see more data without having to scroll. Color depth, if possible, should be set to 15 bits or higher. It is possible to work with 8-bit color (256 colors) but the display of the icons will be suboptimal.
Table 2.1. Operating System and Browser Compatibility Table
| OS | browser and version | comments |
|---|---|---|
| Win32 | MSIE™ 5 or 6 | Fully supported, Sun JVM plugin is required. |
| Netscape™ 4.7 | Fully supported | |
| Netscape™ 6 | Fully supported, as of WebCheckout 2.0 | |
| MacOS X | MSIE™ 5.1 | Fully supported, as of WebCheckout 2.0 |
| Netscape™ 6 | Fully supported, as of WebCheckout 2.0 | |
| Linux | Netscape™ 4.7x | Fully supported |
| Netscape™ 6 | Fully supported, as of WebCheckout 2.0 | |
| Mozilla™ 6 | Fully supported, as of WebCheckout 2.0 |
WebCheckout is supported on all 32-bit Windows platforms, including Windows 95™, Windows 98™, Windows NT™ version 4, Windows 2000™, and Windows ME™.
Be aware that Microsoft Internet Explorer™ no longer ships with Java by default. Be sure that Sun Java plugin is installed. We suggest that you also turn on the Java console in MSIE™ (also disabled by default) — the Java console is needed for debugging purposes in case you have any problems.
To turn on the console, under the menu, select . Next, select the Advanced tab, find the Microsoft VM heading, and be sure Java console is enabled.
You can use the console to check the version of Java that you are running. The first line that prints in the console includes the version number. It should be something like 5.0 release 5.0.0.3805. The number may vary slightly, but if it is saying it is version 4.0.0.x, then you have an old Java virtual machine which will not work with WebCheckout.
To upgrade your Java virtual machine, go to http://www.microsoft.com/java/download.htm.
There is one other MSIE-related problem, which only seems to affect certain combinations of operating system, browser version, and JVM versions. If, when going to the checkout or reservation confirmation screens, you see the confirmation page for your previous checkout, then you have hit this problem. To solve it, you'll have to configure your browser to always reload documents from the server. Here's how:
Under the menu, select .
Pick the General tab if it is not already selected.
On that tab, there will be a section called ; click on the button within that section.
You will see a list of radio buttons controlling when the browser retrieves documents from the network. These are set to Automatically by default. Click on the Always or Every Visit to This Page radio button instead.
Click the button to close the settings dialog.
Click button to close the Internet Options window.
Supported Macintosh operating system versions are 8.6 and 9.x. Mac OS X should work but is not widely tested nor yet officially supported.
On the Macintosh, Netscape Navigator™ version 4.7x is not supported, due to problems with the Java implementation for that browser. The only tested browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer™ (MSIE™) version 5 or better.
You'll need to replace the MSIE™ Java virtual machine with MRJ™ version 2.2 or better. You can download that from http://developer.apple.com/java/.
Be sure that you set MSIE™'s memory to at least 32 megabytes. If you get Out of Memory errors, you should set the memory higher. To set the allocated memory for an application, click on the application's icon in the Finder™ and select from the menu.
There is one other MSIE-related problem, which only seems to affect certain combinations of operating system, browser version, and JVM versions. If, when going to the checkout or reservation confirmation screens, you see the confirmation page for your previous checkout, then you have hit this problem. To solve it, you'll have to configure your browser to always reload documents from the server. Here's how:
Under the menu, select .
Click the settings in the left pane.
Under that, find the list item.
You will see an area in the right pane labelled Update pages:, under the Cache section of the screen, with a list of radio buttons controlling when the browser retrieves documents from the network. Make sure the Always radio button is selected.
Click the button to close the settings dialog.
Click button to close the Internet Options window.
Start WebCheckout from your browser. You'll need the URL for your local installation, for instance, http://webcheckout.squishy.edu/.
The User log-in screen opens.
Enter your login ID (i.e., your person ID) and password and click to enter WebCheckout. The Choose Checkout Center screen opens.
If your current station is not yet registered (see Section 10.8, “Adding a new station”), and your login is valid at more than one checkout center, a list of available checkout centers[1] is displayed.
Select the appropriate checkout center by clicking its Log In link.
The New Checkout screen opens, and you're ready to start using WebCheckout.
The size of the circulation applet depends on the size of your browser window when you log in. The applet will use all available screen real estate, but if you want to resize the screen after logging in, you must resize your browser window and log in again.
If you want to take a shortcut and have WebCheckout open directly into a particular screen, do the following:
Before you select your checkout center and click Log In, click on the icon for the screen you want to open, and then select your checkout center. The screen you selected will open first, rather than the default New Checkout screen.
Only authorized operators are allowed to use WebCheckout. Passwords and PINs provide security to WebCheckout by ensuring the identity of users and providing authorization to perform actions in the system. There is an important distinction between the two.
Passwords provide secure verification of identity for WebCheckout users who are trying to login, which prevents unauthorized people from entering the system. When you start a WebCheckout session, you must enter your unique user ID and password (assigned by the administrator) into the Login screen before you are allowed to enter. The ID and password also control which checkout centers you can use.
PINs control the ability of operators to perform certain types of actions in WebCheckout; most changes cannot be made without entering a PIN.[2] Operators have different levels of authorization depending on their roles; managers and administrators can perform actions that window-workers cannot. Also, despite the security of user IDs and passwords, stations are generally considered to be insecure. Operators do not have assigned stations. They share stations and instances frequently, and often leave their stations to answer the phone or get a resource off the shelf. Stations may also be within reach of patrons. PINs provide security in this environment by requiring proper authorization before allowing any changes to be made.
The important distinction here is that the user login ID/password combination allows you to enter WebCheckout, while the PIN stores the authorization for performing specific actions once you're logged in.