6.8 KiB
Aether Events — Badges
Last Updated: 2026-06-12
The Badges module manages event attendee records and their physical badge configurations. It supports multi-source imports, field protection for onsite edits, and multi-tier access control for self-service review.
Data Model & Hierarchy
Core Objects
- Event Badge (
event_badge): The attendee record containing name, title, affiliations, and tracking flags. - Badge Template (
event_badge_template): The visual and structural configuration for printing (branding, layout, QR placement).
Relationships
- Badge → Event: Many-to-one.
- Badge → Template: Many-to-one (via
event_badge_template_id). - Badge → Person: Optional link to core Aether Person record for unified profiles.
Critical Design Pattern: Override Fields
Purpose
The *_override fields pattern (established in 2018) protects data from being overwritten during scheduled cron syncs from external systems (iMIS, Novi, etc.). This ensures that staff corrections or attendee self-updates persist across multiple sync cycles.
How It Works
- Import: External systems populate REGULAR fields only.
- Display Logic: The UI displays the
*_overridefield if it has a value; otherwise, it falls back to the regular field. - HTML Rendering: Certain display fields (Name, Title, Affiliations, Location) support HTML markup for rich text formatting (bold, italics, line breaks) on the physical badge.
Standard Override Pairs
| Regular Field | Override Field | Editable By | HTML? |
|---|---|---|---|
full_name |
full_name_override |
Staff, Attendee | ✅ |
professional_title |
professional_title_override |
Staff, Attendee | ✅ |
affiliations |
affiliations_override |
Staff, Attendee | ✅ |
location |
location_override |
Staff, Attendee | ✅ |
email |
email_override |
Staff Only | No |
badge_type |
badge_type_override |
Staff Only | No |
External System Integration
Aether acts as a Pull-Only consumer for registration data. It does not push changes back to external systems, maintaining them as the source of truth for base registration while Aether handles the "Onsite Truth."
Supported Sources
- iMIS, Novi AMS, Impexium (Associations)
- Zoom, Cvent (Registrations)
- Confex (Abstracts/Presenters)
- Custom CSV/Excel
Access Control & Permissions
| Level | Access |
|---|---|
| Public kiosk | View badge and perform the first print; cannot edit fields without authenticated access. |
| Authenticated | Edit fields allowed by the active permission config. |
| Trusted | Search all badges, view all, and correct names; reprint requires global Edit Mode. |
| Administrator | Full CRUD, bulk operations, and override access. |
| Manager | All Administrator capabilities plus Event/Template configuration. |
Attendee Self-Service (/review)
Attendees can access their own record via a passcode-gated link (typically ?passcode=...).
Editable fields come from event.mod_badges_json.edit_permissions, with module defaults as fallback.
Onsite Kiosk (/print)
The print controls update the badge preview live. Authenticated field editing is controlled by the
badge template's cfg_json.controls_cfg (shown and auth_editable). Trusted + global Edit Mode
overrides the template config and exposes all controls. This differs from the review page's
event-level permission source; consolidation is an active follow-up.
Review-Link Email
Email Link actions are placeholders and do not currently send mail. When delivery is implemented,
it must use the imported event_badge.email address, never attendee-editable email_override.
Search & Filter Capabilities
- Fulltext Search: Matches against a consolidated
default_qry_str(Name, email, IDs). - Multi-Word Logic: Queries like "Scott Idem" are split and treated as
LIKE %Scott% AND LIKE %Idem%. - QR Scan Search: Scanning an attendee's QR code (from a confirmation email or old badge) immediately jumps to their record.
- Advanced Filters (Trusted + Edit Mode): Badge Type, Printed Status, Affiliations, Sort Order.
Visibility Filter (Trusted + Edit Mode)
Three-option select controlling which records are shown:
| Option | Who can set it | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Default | Any | Hides hidden and disabled badges |
| Show Hidden | Trusted | Shows hidden badges alongside normal ones |
| Show Disabled + Hidden | Manager only | Shows all records regardless of enable/hide flags |
Result Limit Stepper (Edit Mode)
Controls the maximum number of results returned. Only visible in edit mode.
| Access Level | Range | Step |
|---|---|---|
| Below Trusted | Fixed 25 | — |
| Trusted | 25 – 250 | 25 |
| Manager+ | 25 – 2550 | 25 up to 250, then 100 |
Badge Type Filter — Known Limitation
The badge type dropdown in the search form uses a hardcoded list, not the template's badge_type_list. This means the codes shown in the filter may not match the codes used by the current event's template. This is a known gap — the fix requires passing the template object into the search component. Until resolved, staff can still search by name/email and filter results manually.
Print Rendering and Tracking
- The canonical badge render uses binary-search text fitting for name, title, affiliations, and location.
- Template
show_qr_front/show_qr_backsettings control QR placement. - Template
style_hrefloads event-specific CSS on the print page. - Template
duplex = falsesuppresses the badge back for single-sided stock. - Chromium PDF proofing requires margins set to None; physical printer paper size remains driver-controlled.
Aether tracks the lifecycle of every physical badge to prevent unauthorized reprints and monitor kiosk activity.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
print_count |
Increments on every "Print Badge" action. |
print_first_datetime |
Timestamp of the very first print. |
print_last_datetime |
Timestamp of the most recent print. |
Operational Note: Reprints triggered via the Edit Mode shortcut do not increment the count; only the formal "Print Badge" workflow does.
Route Map (Badges)
| URL | Purpose |
|---|---|
/events/[id]/badges |
Main search and attendee list. |
/events/[id]/badges/templates |
Badge template management. |
/events/[id]/badges/[id]/print |
The actual print-ready render page. |
/events/[id]/badges/[id]/review |
Attendee-facing self-service form. |
Related Documentation
👉 MODULE__AE_Events_Badge_Templates.md (Technical reference for layouts) 👉 GUIDE__AE_Events_Badges_Onsite.md (Hardware & station setup) 👉 GUIDE__AE_Events_Onsite_Runbook.md (Onsite operational checklists)