Overview
Public Space Discovery gives an institution a public, no-login map where community members, external event organizers, vendors, and other people without an account can browse available campus spaces and submit a request. When a visitor selects a space and requests it, that selection carries forward into the institution's External Request Form, so the coordinator reviewing it already knows which space the visitor is interested in.
This article covers turning on and configuring Public Space Discovery for a platform. For what a visitor sees and does, see Discovering and Requesting a Campus Space. For how a submitted space preference shows up for coordinators, see Reviewing a Requester's Space Preference.
This article is for Platform Admins configuring Public Space Discovery for their institution.
Prerequisites
- Feature must be enabled first. Public Space Discovery is off by default and must be provisioned for the platform by Concept3D. If the Public Space Discovery section doesn't appear in Settings, contact a Partner Success Manager or support@concept3d.com.
- Permissions. Only Platform Admins can configure Public Space Discovery.
- An External Request Form should already exist. Public requests are handed off to one of the institution's External Request Forms. See Setting Up the External Request Form if one hasn't been built yet.
Step by Step Instructions
Turn on Public Space Discovery
- Go to Settings and open the Public Space Discovery section.
- Toggle Public Space Discovery on.
- Copy the public URL to share from a website, directory, or external communications. It's the platform's standard address, the same one used to sign in, so signed-in staff visiting it still see the normal Room Reservations experience. Only visitors without a session see the public map.
Choose which space types are publicly visible
- In the Public Space Discovery section, review the list of space types for the platform.
- Check each space type that should appear on the public map. All space types default to unchecked, including newly created ones. Nothing appears publicly until explicitly selected.
Make an individual space visible regardless of its type
- Open the space's edit form.
- Turn on the space's own "publicly visible" setting.
- A space appears publicly if either its space type is checked in Settings or the space's own setting is on. Either one is enough.
Choose the request form for public requests
- In the Public Space Discovery section, select a Public Request Form from the list of the platform's active request forms.
- Until a form is selected, the "Request this space" option won't appear to visitors on the public map.
- If the selected form is later archived or deleted, "Request this space" disappears again and Settings shows a warning until a replacement form is chosen.
Common Variations or Use Cases
- A space type isn't public, but one specific room in it should be. Use the per-space "publicly visible" setting on that space's edit form instead of opening the whole space type.
- The institution has more than one External Request Form. Public Space Discovery always uses whichever one is explicitly selected as the Public Request Form. It's never assumed automatically.
- Turning Public Space Discovery off. Visitors without an account who visit the platform's URL are redirected to the standard login page instead of seeing the map.
Settings and Configuration Options and Definitions
| Setting | Location | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Public Space Discovery entitlement | Concept3D-controlled, per platform | Off |
| Public Space Discovery toggle | Settings > Public Space Discovery | Off |
| Space type visibility | Settings > Public Space Discovery | Unchecked for every space type |
| Per-space visibility override | Space edit form | Off |
| Public Request Form | Settings > Public Space Discovery | None selected |
Troubleshooting
- Public Space Discovery section doesn't appear in Settings. The feature hasn't been provisioned for the platform yet. Contact a Partner Success Manager or support@concept3d.com.
- "Request this space" doesn't appear to visitors. No Public Request Form is selected, or the previously selected form was archived or deleted. Choose (or replace) it in Settings.
- Can't delete an External Request Form. It's currently set as the platform's Public Request Form. Select a different form as the default first, then delete it.
- Visitors are redirected to a login page instead of the map. Public Space Discovery is off for the platform, or hasn't been provisioned by Concept3D yet.
Related Articles
- Discovering and Requesting a Campus Space
- Reviewing a Requester's Space Preference
- Setting Up the External Request Form
- Managing External Requests - The Request Queue