Aloha POS Table Service Access Punchh from Comp or Promo Screens
Using TSBUTTON.CFG to Launch AlohaPunchh.exe in Table Service From Alternate Screens
TSBUTTON.CFG enables you to launch external applications from the Aloha POS system TableService Front-of-House (FOH) Order Entry and Close Check screens. You can use this to launch the AlohaPunchh.exe GUI from the Aloha COMP or PROMO Close Screens (The Default Punchh installation sets the Punchh GUI button to be launched from the Close Check/TENDER Screen)
Configuration
TSBUTTON.CFG is a text file that resides in the DATA folder and is enabled by its existence. This file would need to be pushed to all location DATA folder, it cannot be pushed via Aloha Configuration Center.
There are not any other switches required to enable it. Configure TSBUTTON.CFG using the following format:
TYPE,ID,INDEX,NAME,COMMAND,CONTEXT
TYPE specifies where the button will appear:
1 - Submenu button on the Order Entry screen
2 - Tender button on the Close Check screen
3 - Promo button on the Close Check screen
4 - Comp button on the Close Check screen
ID is the submenu ID if the button type is 1. Otherwise this is 0.
INDEX is the position on the submenu or payment menu. The buttons are numbered vertically, so if you are using a 3x7 button grid, the buttons are numbered as the following:
| 1 | 8 | 15 |
| 2 | 9 | 16 |
| 3 | 10 | 17 |
| 4 | 11 | 18 |
| 5 | 12 | 19 |
| 6 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | 14 | 21 |
The second page of the submenu or payment menu starts with button 22 and continues to button 42. If you place a button created in TSBUTTON.CFG on the second page of a submenu or payment menu, there must be an existing item or payment button, otherwise the user will not be able to scroll to the second page and access the button created with TSBUTTON.CFG.
NAME is the button label. You can use '\n' to create a line break just as you would with a standard submenu or payment label.
EXAMPLE: REDEEM\nPUNCHH
COMMAND is the command line assigned to the button
EXAMPLE: AlohaPunchh.exe
CONTEXT passes extended command line information to the command line in the form of the following command line variables:
/TermID <terminal ID>
/EmpNumber <current employee number>
/TableId <current table ID>
/CheckId <current check number>
/OPOSMSR <OPOS magnetic stripe reader (MSR) name, if applicable>
This is not needed when setting up AlohaPunchh.exe GUI on Aloha Table Service. The context for Aloha will be 0
Examples for Placing the AlohaPunchh Button
The following TSBUTTON.CFG entry places a the Punchh button in position five on the Close Check/COMP screen:
1,4,5,Redeem\nLoaylty,AlohaPunchh.exe,0
The following TSBUTTON.CFG entry places a the Punchh button in position 22 on the Close Check/Promo screen:
1,3,22,Redeem\nLoaylty,AlohaPunchh.exe,0
Troubleshooting
When you select a button created with TSBUTTON.CFG, the command line issued by the button is recorded in the terminal's debout. Use this information to verify your command lines if they do not function properly.
Test your command lines using either a Windows command prompt or by selecting Start/Run, entering the command line, and clicking OK. If the command lines work in these environments, they should work with TSBUTTON.CFG. If they do not work in these environments, they will not work with TSBUTTON.CFG.
Verify that you did not enable the extended command line variables via the CONTEXT field.