Card checker
/card-checker. Needs module.cardChecker.
Tap a card, see who it belongs to. Use it at the counter to confirm “is this really their card” before handing over a device, resetting a password, or completing a purchase.
Using it
Section titled “Using it”Tap a card on a connected reader, or type the card number. Plugboard looks it up and shows the matching person with a clear verified animation, or tells you the card is not recognised.
Register a card when a new or replacement card is not yet on file. Link it to the person and it works from then on.
The animation is deliberate. At a busy counter, a verification that is easy to misread does not do its job.
Card readers
Section titled “Card readers”Most USB card readers act as keyboards: they type the card number and press Enter. That works with no configuration. Put the cursor in the field and tap.
If your readers are configured to send a prefix or suffix, either configure them not to, or be aware the number shown will include it.
What it is for
Section titled “What it is for”The obvious use is confirming identity before something consequential:
- Handing over a device that is not theirs to take.
- Resetting a password.
- Completing a purchase charged to a family.
The less obvious use is the start of the year, when hundreds of new cards need checking against a roster and the fastest way to find the ones that do not work is to tap them all.
The same logic powers the kiosk
Section titled “The same logic powers the kiosk”The card tap at the service desk kiosk uses the same lookup. Somebody identifying themselves at the kiosk and somebody being verified at the counter are the same operation.
That matters for the kiosk’s password reset flow: the person taps their own card, which is what makes self-verification safe enough to skip staff involvement.
PaperCut
Section titled “PaperCut”If you run PaperCut, registering a card here can write it into PaperCut at the same time, so one card works at the service desk and at the printer.
Plugboard writes the secondary card field by default, leaving any existing primary card alone. See the PaperCut connector.
Where card numbers come from
Section titled “Where card numbers come from”Your student information system, synced with the rest of the person record. Cards registered here are added on top.
If tapping a card that should work says unrecognised, check whether your SIS is actually returning card numbers. It is a field that is easy to leave out of an API response and hard to notice missing until somebody taps.
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”| Permission | Allows |
|---|---|
client.view | Look a card up |
client.manage | Register a card |
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| Card not recognised | Not on file. Register it, or check your SIS is returning card numbers |
| The number includes extra characters | The reader is sending a prefix or suffix. Reconfigure the reader |
| Nothing happens on tap | The cursor is not in the field, or the reader is not in keyboard mode |
| Works here, not at the printer | The PaperCut card field. Check whether your MFDs read primary or secondary |