Online Scout Manager Integration

Introduction

Online Scout Manager (OSM) is a third-party product which helps Scout Groups to manage their sections, programme, members, badges, communication with parents, invoicing and much more.

If you already use OSM, your Scouts Online website can use the data stored inside OSM and in some cases add to it.

This tech-tip explains how to configure your Scouts Online website to communicate with your OSM system and setup the integration features.

To see more information about Online Scout Manager, please click the OSM icon above.

OSM Integration Tutorial Video




Initial Connection

The OSM Integration Settings page by clicking the [OSM Integration Setup] button on the right hand side of Admin/Group Details page.

When opening the page for the first time, you will be presented with a page similar to this:

OSM Initial Connect

Enter your OSM User's Email address and OSM User's Password and click the [Authorise Integration] button.

NB. Your OSM password will not be stored, it is just used to authorise the integration.


If the authorisation is successful, the API access details will show inside OSM (OSM > Account > Account Preferences > External Access).

You will need to set all permissions to "Read and Write" for the integration to operate.

NB. The access permissions need to be set for all of your sections, so you'll need to change the section at the top of the OSM page, re-opening the External Access details and change the permissions for each section one-by-one.

Once you've updated the external access in OSM, return back to your Scouts Online browser session. You may need to refresh the page so that Scouts Online can read your sectional information from OSM. You can then continue to the rest of the OSM Integration settings, as below.




Integration Settings

OSM Integration Settings

The fields shown above control the way the OSM integration operates. The fields are explained below:

The Application Forms field defines what happens when a youth or adult application is filled in on your website. With integration, the application can automatically create a new member in OSM. You can define which OSM section should receive the application. If you have a Waiting List section in OSM, it would be ideal to use that section here. You will still receive an email notification, so that you can contact the parent with your waiting list status, etc.

The Patrol member Privacy field controls when member's surnames are shown for data coming directly from OSM. The first names will still be shown. To control further privacy, you may change the page privacy to hide the whole page from public viewing.

The section mapping table allow you to match the OSM section name to the website section. The OSM Section drop-down-list should be pre-populated with the OSM section names. This controls whether OSM programme and events are transferred to your Scouts Online website.

The Event Privacy Level field defines the default privacy level of programme/events imported from OSM for the first time. E.g. If set to 'Logged in users only', the event will not be visible to public visitors.




Integration Features

OSM Programme & Events --> Scouts Online Website Events

You can import your sectional programmes and events created in OSM, into your Scouts Online website.

Once configured in OSM Integration Settings, you can import events by clicking the [OSM Programme / Event Import] button on the Admin/Event Management page. They will also be imported every day or so, by an automated routine.

OSM Integration Programme

Events will be created with the dates and times, event name, description, location and leaders notes. It will also attach a badge image to your website event for each badge attached to a programme/event in OSM.

These fields will be updated for future events every time the OSM import is run. To make sure no information is lost, these fields cannot be updated on your website from Admin/Event Management for events imported from OSM.

The event will be setup with the privacy level set according to the OSM Integration Settings page. The privacy level may be overridden on your website and will not be updated through the OSM import.

You can enhance your website events further by ticking 'Show in Banners', adding booking forms, other photos/images, etc.



Application Forms --> OSM New Member

If setup in the Application Forms field on the OSM Integration Settings page, youth and adult application made on your Scouts Online website will automatically create a new member in OSM, as well as sending you an email as usual.

Depending on the application form you use on your website, it can populate the member's header details, Primary Contact 1, Primary Contact 2, Emergency Contact, Doctor's Surgery and Members details.

This integration applies to all the application forms in Scouts Online.



Sectional Member Badge Progress Chart

There are new pages available for the Beaver, Cub, Scout and Explorer Scout sections, to show a badge progress chart. The data is pulled in real-time from OSM.

The pages display a chart similar to this:

OSM Integration Badge Progress

You can switch these pages on from the Admin/Page Management page.


The visibility of member names is governed by the Patrol Member Privacy field in the OSM Integration Settings page.



Sectional Patrol Competition Points

It's possible to display your patrol competition points on your website, directly from OSM.

OSM Integration Patrol Points

There are patrol points pages available for the Beaver, Cub and Scout sections. You can switch these pages on from the Admin/Page Management page.

The visibility of member names is governed by the Patrol Member Privacy field in the OSM Integration Settings page.



Sectional Flexi-Record Data Tables

There is a new control, available on sectional user-defined 'Page' pages, allowing you to display a specific OSM flexi-record on your website. This control displays a table similar to this:

OSM Integration Flexi-Record

For more information about this, please see OSM Flexi-Record Control.