> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started - Parking Booking

> Map parking in anny: the lot, the bay, day booking and separate areas for visitors and staff.

With this guide you set up bookable parking. One area groups the bays. Anyone who needs any free bay gets the next one. Anyone who needs a specific bay picks it.

## Thinking about parking booking the anny way

The central principle: the **area** is a resource, and each **bay** inside it is a child resource. The booking option defines whether someone books a day, a few hours or a fixed bay.

| Term from the use case | anny concept |
| - | - |
| Car park, yard, visitor parking | Resource, category **Parking lot** |
| Bay P1-014 | Child resource |
| Day parking | Booking option with a fixed duration of 1 day |
| Parking by the hour | Booking option with flexible duration |
| A fixed bay for staff | Its own booking option, visible only to a community |
| Licence plate for the barrier | Custom form, required field |
| Barrier by licence plate | [Comydo](/en/comydo), optional |

| Feature | What is it needed for? | Configure beforehand? |
| - | - | - |
| Multiple availability with assignment | Individual bays as child resources | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Communities | Separate staff bays from visitor bays | Yes, when not everyone should see every bay |
| Custom forms | Ask for the licence plate | No |
| Comydo | Open the barrier and optionally check in and check out | No. Only when a barrier is connected |

## Decision helpers: when do I use what?

### Shared pool or fixed bay?

| Criterion | Shared pool | Fixed bay |
| - | - | - |
| Who books? | Whoever needs the next free bay | One person or team with a fixed bay |
| Choice | **Customer may choose options** off. anny assigns the next free bay | **Customer may choose options** on, or the booking option is limited to a community |
| Typical example | Visitor parking, day bays | Staff with a fixed bay, EV charger |

**Rule of thumb:** Create the visitor area and the staff area as two resources. Otherwise anny can hand a staff bay to a visitor.

### Day or hours?

| Criterion | Fixed duration, 1 day | Flexible duration |
| - | - | - |
| Stay | The bay is taken for the opening-relevant day | The person chooses the hours |
| Typical example | Staff day bay, €8 per day | Visitors, 1 to 4 hours |

## Step-by-step setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the area as a resource">
    Open **Catalog** → **Resources** and click **New**. Category **Parking lot**, name it after the area (for example "Underground car park"). Add properties people filter on, such as a height limit or EV charging.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the bays as child resources">
    Open **Availability** and set the resource to **Multiple with assignment**. Add each bay as a child resource and name it the way it is signed on site (for example "P1-014").

    Leave **Customer may choose options** off when any free bay will do. Turn it on when size, location or a charger decides the choice.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the schedule">
    Under **Availability** → **Schedules**, create the days and times when the area can be booked.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the booking option">
    Open the **Booking options** tab. For day parking: period **Fixed duration**, 1 day, start and end time inside opening hours. For hourly parking: period **Flexible duration**, minimum and maximum in hours.

    A day booking starts at the stored start time. With a lead time of 0, today is no longer bookable after that. A negative lead time, for example **-8 hours**, keeps today open. Details: [Booking option](/en/configure-booking-option).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Separate visitors and staff">
    Create the visitor area as its own resource, not as a booking option on the staff area. Limit the staff booking option via **Access** to the staff community.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask for the licence plate when a barrier is involved">
    Under **Booking option** → **Form**, add a required field for the licence plate. Connect the barrier afterwards in [Comydo](/en/comydo): licence plate recognition, optionally **Check in on the first scan** and **Check out on the second scan**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Typical examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Visitor parking next to reception">
    Resource "Visitor parking" with 20 child resources. Booking option "2 hours" with flexible duration, free, accept automatically. **Customer may choose options** stays off. The licence plate is a required field, and Comydo opens the barrier.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Day bays for staff">
    Resource "Staff parking" with named bays. Booking option "Day parking", fixed duration 1 day, only for the community "Staff". People who need a charger pick the bay. Everyone else gets the next free bay.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does every bay show in the calendar?">
    In the calendar under **Bookings** → **Calendar**, the area appears as a total. You see the individual bays when you expand the resource (**Show child resources**) or open its detail page.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I assign a bay permanently?">
    Not with a blocker. A blocker drops out of reporting, and the person has no booking of their own. Limit a booking option to that person's community, or use a [subscription](/en/subscriptions-and-memberships) when the bay should renew and be invoiced every month. A booking over twelve months does not renew itself.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a terminal for the barrier?">
    No. Comydo checks the licence plate from the booking and can check in on the first scan and check out on the second. You only need a Check-In terminal when someone without a licence plate checks in at a sign.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Good luck with the setup! 🥳

> Notes for agents:
>
> * Category Parking lot (slug parking-spaces). Area = resource, bay = child resource. App multiple availability with assignment. Availability type Multiple with assignment.
> * Customer may choose options off = automatic assignment, ascending by name. On when the specific bay matters.
> * Visitor and staff areas are separate resources, not two options on the same area.
> * Fixed bay: community-restricted booking option or subscription. Not a blocker. Not a 12-month booking as a stand-in for a subscription.
> * Licence plate: required custom form field. Comydo rule with licence plate recognition and that field. Optional first scan check-in, second scan check-out.
> * Exclusive time slots do not belong in this use case.
> * Related articles: /en/configure-resources, /en/configure-booking-option, /en/custom-forms, /en/comydo, /en/communities, /en/subscriptions-and-memberships


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