The purpose of this article is to help you understand: 

  • What are query parameters
  • How to create a custom URL with preselected fields
  • Which query parameters are available in BookingKoala
  • How to locate field IDs to build your URL

 

What are query parameters?

Query parameters are any values passed in an URL in "key/value pair format". This means that the link contains a label, an "equal sign" (=), and the value of the parameter you want to be preselected.

For example:

https://www.bookingkoala.com/?service_id=1&frequency_id=1&email=testemail@example.com

Here, "service_id", "frequency_id" and "email" are query parameters with their associated values, "=1", "=1", and  "=testemail@exmaple.com".

The associated values correspond which each option you have selected in the booking form in the case of the service and frequency IDs, while the email is placed in the email box in the booking form.  

You can use this feature to build custom links with pre-selected fields to send to your customers so they can quickly book a service with those parameters already selected.  Query parameters can also be used to direct a client to your booking form from a third-party form or widget.  

 

BookingKoala Query Parameters

The following is the complete list of fields that can be passed to form using URL/query parameters and examples of values.

  • Industry: industry_id=1
  • Form number: form_id=1
  • Location: location=2
  • First Name: f_name=John
  • Last Name: l_name=Doe
  • Email Address: email=johndoe@example.com
  • Phone Number: phone=1122334455
  • Service Category: service_id=1
  • Frequency: frequency_id=1
  • Zip/Postal Code: zipcode=10001
  • Minutes: minutes=180
  • Coupon Code: coupon=OFF20
  • Pricing Parameters (for Form 1): pricing_parameter[10]=15
  • Pricing Parameters (for Form 4): area_parameter[10]=2000 
  • Extras: extras[12]=2
  • Service Date: date=2018-12-13

 

Locating the Field IDs

Some of these parameters can be populated by yourself. 

  • Industry: Enter the industry's number (the first industry you added will be 1, the second will be 2, etc.) 
    • For example, your third industry would be industry_id=3
  • Form number: Enter the form's number. 
    • For example, "Form 1" would be: form_id=1
  • Location: Enter the location's number (the first location in your location list will be 1, the second will be 2, etc.) 
    • For example, the fourth location would be: location=4
  • First Name: Enter the customer's first name. 
    • For example, if a customer's first name is "Rebecca", you would enter f_name=Rebecca
  • Last Name: Enter the customer's last name.
    • For example, if a customer's last name is "Dawson", you would enter l_name=Dawson
  • Email Address: Enter the customer's email address.
    • For example, if a client's email is "johndoe@example.com", you would enter  email=johndoe@example.com
  • Phone Number: Enter the customer's phone number.
    • For example, the phone number "(203) 555-1234" would be phone=2035551234
  • Zip/Postal Code: Enter the customer's zip/postal code. 
    • For example, the zipcode "60626" would be zipcode=60626
  • Minutes: Enter the number of minutes the appointment will take (if hourly).
    • For example, 1 hour and 30 minutes would be minutes=90 
  • Coupon Code: Enter the coupon code (not the coupon name).
    • For example, if the actual coupon code is "FB15", you would enter coupon=FB15
  • Pricing Parameters (for Form 4): Enter the total number of units for your variable.
    • For example, if your variable is "Square Feet", "2000 square feet would be: area_parameter[10]=2000 
  • Service Date: Enter the service date in YEAR-MONTH-DATE format.   
    • For example, if the date is March 1, 2022, you would enter date=2022-03-01

 

Other parameters can be found inside your BookingKoala Account by going to:

Settings > Industries > [Industry Name] > Form [#] > 

  • Service Category: Click on the "Service Category" tab and then click on the ID in the "ID" column to copy it.  
    • To preselect the "Flat Rate Service" category, you would type: service_id=66
    • "66" is the ID of this frequency

  • Frequency: Click on the "Frequency" tab and then click on the ID in the "ID" column to copy it. 
    • To preselect the "As Needed" frequency, you would type: frequency_id=1
    • "1" is the ID of this frequency

  • Pricing Parameters (for Form 1): 
    • To set up query parameters for pricing parameters, there are two different IDs that you will need to collect, the variable category id and the pricing parameter ID.  
      • Click on the orange "Manage Variables" button at the top right corner of the Pricing Parameter section and copy the ID next to the parameter's category. 

         
      • Next, go back to the Pricing Parameter second and then click on the ID in the parameter's "ID" column to copy it. 

    • Using these cases as an example, you would type pricing_parameter[1]=3 to preselect "1 bedroom" on the booking form.  
      • "1" is the variable category's ID (bedrooms)
      • "3" is the specific variable (1 bedroom).  

  • Extras: Click on the "Extras" tab and then click on the ID in the "ID" column to copy it.  
    • To preselect the "Junk Removal" extra, you would type: extras[88]=1
    • "88" is the extra's ID, and "1" is the quantity of this extra

If you were to compile a URL with some of the preselected values in this example, it would look like this:

https://demo2.bookingkoala.com/?industry_id=1&frequency_id=1&pricing_parameter[1]=3&extras[12]=1&coupon=FB15

 

Create A Custom URL with Preselected Values

  1. Type in the full domain beginning with "https://".
  2. Type "?"
  3. Enter your first query parameter, for example, "date="
  4. Enter the parameter's value or ID, for example, "2022-10-23"
  5. Type "&" before entering another query parameter.  
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until your URL is complete, then finish on step 4 with your final parameter.

https://yourbusiness.com/?date=2022-10-23&minutes=60