How to Create a 'Preview' Calendar to Check Availability Before Paying for a Paid Booking Appointment

In general, to take paid bookings within ShinePages, you will be combining two separate steps: 

1) a booking event (set up initially in the APPOINTMENTS tab) and

2) a paid product (set up initially in the STORE tab). 

Once these two pieces are set up - you then have the option of Flow  - ie: having your clients 

A) Book their date/time FIRST - then Pay/checkout  OR 

B) Pay/checkout FIRST - then Book their date/time

See THIS ARTICLE for full details on how to set this up: 

However, if you would like your clients to get a "preview" of your calendar BEFORE paying and securing their date and time (ie: BEFORE Option B) this article will show you how. 

STEPS TO SET UP A "PREVIEW" BOOKING WIDGET:

1) Decide where you would like this "preview" copy of your calendar/booking widget to live.  You can add a Booking Widget to a Page, Funnel Step, Community Circle page or to a Popup to display this "preview" calendar.  

2) Drag a "Booking" widget into place on your page or popup of choice.  For this example, we will show adding the Booking widget to a Popup. 

3) From the Booking widget's Drop-down menu - select the Booking Event you'd like to Display as the "preview" calendar.  Choose the SAME Booking Event that you will have them use (on another page) to actually book their date and time after paying.   

(*Note: Booking Events are set up initially in the APPOINTMENTS area - SEE HERE for more instructions on how to set up Booking Events.)

4) Click into the Booking widget again and click Edit to get into the Booking widget's settings screen. You will be making small styling edits on the a) Step Settings, b) Summary Styling and c) Form Styling for this Booking widget:

5a) STEP SETTINGS: First - Click on STEP SETTINGS  - then click the rounded black button that says "EDIT STEP LABELS" to open the "Edit Step Labels" screen.  

-Edit the "Heading on the Time Picking Step" from "Pick a Date and Time" to something like: "PREVIEW MY AVAILABILITY BELOW" (or similar). 

-Edit the "Heading on the Details Step" to something like: "This is a Preview only. Click the Back button to return".  (see below) 

5b) SUMMARY STYLING:  Click on the SUMMARY STYLING button and from the "Summary Styling" screen - UNCHECK the two "Show the Event Location.... " options below the Shadow Settings option. 

5c) FORM STYLING: Click on the FORM STYLING button and from the "Form Styling" screen take the following actions: 

-Change all 4 Color Options to Transparent. 

-Delete out Button Text field

6) Now that you have this styled "Preview" Booking widget set up - you can add a link to it (to the Page or Popup it lives on) from ANY page.  

See below for an example of a button linking to a Booking widget set in a Popup:

And here are some additional ways to display a Preview calendar: 

TO COMPLETE THE FLOW:

After they have previewed your Calendar - they can then continue on to PAY/ CHECKOUT.  

After payment - Send them to your real (hidden) Booking Page to actually pick their date and time, confirming their appointment.

Steps: 

1) Create your actual Booking Page for your paid bookings

2) Drag the Booking Widget to the Page - keep settings as-is on this page (or adjust colors/fonts within booking widget as you wish.) 

3) Make this Page "Hidden" (Info HERE) 

4) Set this new Booking Page as the "Thank You" page after purchase. Set this "custom Thank You page" from: 

-The product set-up page - AND/OR -

-IF using the Freestanding Checkout widget on a page - you can set a custom thank you within the checkout widget's settings. 

Custom Thank You from product set-up page:

Custom Thank You From freestanding Checkout widget: