Online Mooring calculates how much to charge in different situations, and calculates time periods when boaters are allowed to perform certain activities.
These calculations involve programming logic. The Online Mooring staff is responsible for implementing the correct programming logic. (Aren't you glad you don't have to do that??)
BUT, that doesn't mean you have to go to the Online Mooring staff to make simple changes to your fee structure or the dates when you want things to happen. For example, you might want to increase your per-foot charge from $1/foot to $2/foot. These kind of changes, which simply involve the entry of numbers, are ones that you can do completely on your own through the web site (Aren't you glad you have that power??)
Time Periods
On the Fee and Date Variables page, one thing you should notice is that there is a drop-down list of time periods. The idea here is the values we need to use in our calculations might need to change over time. As a result, you can tell us what values to use during different time periods. So, if you increase your rates each calendar year, you can enter the rates to use in 2023 and in 2024 and in 2025, etc. If you have transient dockage and you decide you want to charge higher rates on holiday weekends, you can enter the dates when those higher rates apply, and enter the higher rates just for those dates.
We handle transient and non-transient applications slightly differently:
- For transient applications, the time period is based on the planned arrival date at the transient location.
- For non-transient applications, the time period is based on the application submittal date
You don't HAVE TO define multiple time periods, but there is a possible downside if you don't. Let's say that you have different rates in 2024 and 2025, and that sometime around the end of 2024 you simply update the values for the current period rather than creating a new period and updating the rates for the new period. As your boaters perform activity in 2025 they'll get charged the new rates as you'd expect. But, if you find that you have to enter something that happened before the rates changed (for example, you received a paper application and a check in 2024, but didn't record this in the system until 2025), we would ALSO use the new rates on that old 2024 application because we would think that was the correct rate for that time period. You can always override any of our calculations, so this wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be an extra step for you to remember and to calculate by hand.
When you come to this page for the first time, the drop-down list likely has one entry, covering from "the beginning of time" (1/1/2000) until "the end of time" (12/31/9999).
If you want to define a new time period (with different values):
- Select the current period in the drop down list.
- When you do this, a field will appear to the right where you can enter the date that the new period will start. By default, the new period will start today, but you can change that. The new period needs to start sometime within the current period.
- Click on the "Add Period" button to create the new period.
- The current period will be changed so that it ends at 11:59:59PM on the date before the new effective date.
- The new period will be created to start on the date you specified (at midnight), and ending on the same date that the current period was going to expire.
- We copy all the values from the current period to the period, and show them to you.
You can delete any period that is in the future, by:
- Selecting the future period in the drop-down box
- Clicking the "Delete period" button that will then appears to the right of the drop-down box.
- We will delete that period and all the values associated with that period.
- We will extend the period that was BEFORE the one you deleted, so that it extends to the end date of the deleted period.
- We will show you the values for the current period.
Viewing/Changing Values
You'll see one or more "variables" that our calculations can use. Each variable has a relatively short "name" that should be sufficient to explain what we use that variable for, but if that is insufficient you should also see some help text that should give you guidance you need. You'll also see a "Value" entry field where you can see the current value, and enter a revised value.
If you have rights to make changes to these values, you'll see a Save button at the bottom of the page, which you need to click in order for the values to be used going forward.