This trial version is always up to date and fully functional*. It comes with sample booking data and configuration for "Gate War II", the gatiest Lochac event you've never heard of.
Here's what to do:
- Download Gatekeeper from this link
(if you'd rather just read the user and configuration manual, it's available here.) - Create a new folder on your Windows computer, e.g GateWar - preferably on an internal drive where you have full access permissions
- Unzip the downloaded file into that folder. Important: you must copy the entire contents of the zipfile into the new folder and run it from there - not just run the Gatekeeper application while viewing the zipfile's contents.
- Skim through at least the first couple of sections of the user manual in Gatekeeper.rtf (no, really, you should - if you stop before page 8 you aren't really trying ;)
- Double-click the Gatekeeper applpication (Gatekeeper.exe) in the new folder to run it. If you get a Windows Defender warning, see this tutorial on configuring Defender to allow Gatekeeper to run.
- Once you have Gatekeeper running, try signing a few people in! (If you have any issues getting started, contact the support team for a quick and helpful response!)
- The sample data includes a few "interesting" cases, such as people who mis-typed their membership number or name when booking, or who are expecting to pay some or all their fees at gate, or who aren't current members, or who are from another SCA incorporation, or who have never been members, or whose indemnity has expired (since Gate War is an Australian event, this matters). You'll find helpful notes about such special cases in Lessons in the Sample Data in the Gate War II.rtf file, which is shown whenever you click the Event Info button in Gatekeeper. Well worth a read!
- You should also make up a few casual/unbooked/walk-up attendees yourself. Some might still be current or former members you can see in the Registry list, in which case there are is a trick to minimise data entry - see Gatekeeper.rtf! Or they might be completely unknown. Either way, the Casual/Walkups button does the data entry work, and calculates what they need to pay.
- When you've signed in a few people, find the hidden Setup tab (see Gatekeeper.rtf!). Go and look at Gate Records to see how these can be edited if need be, and exported after the event is done. Also revisit the Gate Reconciliation and Report section in Gatekeeper.rtf and maybe have a play with the Excel formulae it mentions.
- Happy? If not, contact the support team. But also contact them if you're ready to configure Gatekeeper for your own event, especially if you'd like them to do it.
- Don't forget to consult Frequently Asked Questions and consider checking out Pro Tips.
* Because it's a trial version, this download doesn't have access to real Registry data for Australia and New Zealand - it has dummy data instead. When you're ready to start using Gatekeeper for a real event, contact the support team for a Registry unlock code. It's a good idea to get your Gatekeeper customisation done early, preferably several weeks or months before the event. That way there's plenty of time to configure Gatekeeper for your event and - especially! - for your gate deputy to get the hang of it. There's also an advantage if you study and try to roughly match the format of the sample booking data - open Gate War II.csv in Excel. Preferably do this before you open bookings for your event. But that's not essential, because Gatekeeper's customisation is quite flexible and copes with a wide range of booking spreadsheet formats.