Invitations, QR codes and access requests
Let people in with QR codes, invite links, guest PINs and self-signup, and review requests with the right approvers.
Not everybody who needs SCAD Maps at an event has an account you created by hand. Crew arrive in waves, contractors bring their own people, and visitors only need to look at the map. SCAD Maps handles this with printable QR codes and shareable links that you create once and hand out. This page explains the three kinds, how approval works, and how to keep each one under control. All of it is under Users & Access in the dashboard.
Choose the right kind#
| Kind | What the person gets | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Access QR | A form to request an account. Nothing works until an administrator approves it. | Crew and contractors you want to vet. |
| Invite link | An account that works immediately. Sharing the link is the approval. | A trusted team, or a channel you already control, such as a crew group chat. |
| Guest QR | A view-only map session unlocked by a PIN, with no account and no password. | Screens, information desks and visitors who only need to look. |
Access QR codes and invite links are the same underlying tool with one switch different, and are set up with Create access QR and Create invite link. A guest QR has its own button, Create guest QR.
Create an access QR or invite link#
- Open Users & Access and choose QR & Access.
- Choose Create access QR, or Create invite link for instant access.
- Give it a name that tells you where it is used, for example Crew entrance.
- Set the options below, then save.
- Open QR / PIN on its row to see the code, print the poster, or copy the link.
Options#
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Valid until | The code stops working at this date and time, and is switched off automatically. Leave it empty for no cutoff. |
| Assign roles to approved accounts | Everybody who joins is put in these roles, so they land straight in the right team. See Users, roles and access levels. |
| Who approves accounts from this code | People ticked here review the requests that come in through this code, even outside their own groups. For example, a security firm's planner can approve their own team's requests. Full administrators always see every request. Only for codes that need review. |
| Account validity | How long an approved account keeps working, in minutes, hours or days. Blank means unlimited. If Valid until is also set, the account ends at whichever comes first. Good for temporary build crew. |
| Restricted to own groups | Accounts created through the code only see the items of their own roles. |
| Invite link, instant access | Skips review. Anyone who opens the link can create an account that works at once. |
| Max sign-ups | For invite links: the link stops working after this many accounts joined. Blank means unlimited. |
Accounts created through a code are always plain Users. The row on the QR & Access list shows how many people have joined through an invite link, for example 3/10 joined, and marks a link that is used up.
What the person does#
Scanning the code, or opening the link, shows a short sign-up form: a username, an email address, a password (at least eight characters) and, for codes that need review, an optional note about who they are and why they need access.
- With an invite link the account is created straight away and the person is signed in.
- With an access QR the request is filed as pending. The person sees a confirmation and cannot sign in until an administrator approves it.
A code works even when open self-service sign-up is switched off for the instance, because holding the code is what authorises the request. A disabled, expired, archived or used-up code shows only This code is no longer active, and never reveals why.
Review access requests#
Pending requests appear under Users & Access, Access Requests. A red badge on the dashboard navigation shows how many are waiting, and the administrators who can review a request are notified by a live alert and a push notification, so you do not have to keep the view open.
Each row shows the username, email, the roles and restriction the person will get on approval, their note and the date of the request.
- Approve makes the account active with the roles and validity of the code it came through. The person is told straight away, by an in-app alert, a push notification and, where the instance can send email, an email.
- Reject keeps the person out. It is silent, so nothing is sent. The email address stays reserved so it cannot be used to sign up again.
Who can review what#
A full Admin sees every request. A User Admin sees a request only when it came through a code that gives roles they also belong to, or when the code lists them as an approver. A request that came without a code is visible to full Admins only. A User Admin can never approve an account with a higher level than User.
Guest QR codes#
A guest QR gives view-only access to the map without creating an account. Anyone who scans it enters a name and a four-digit PIN. It suits a screen at the entrance, an information stand or a visitor who just needs to find the toilets.
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Visible layers | Which venue plans the guest sees. If none are ticked, guests see all of them. |
| Allow guests to add notes | Guests may drop their own notes. Each guest sees only their own notes and those an administrator shared. Off means view-only. |
| PIN rotation | Under Advanced settings: never, hourly, every 12 hours, daily or weekly. The PIN changes by itself on that schedule. |
| Guest session length | Under Advanced settings: a fixed time from sign-in. If blank, a guest is signed out when the PIN next changes. |
| Valid until | The same absolute cutoff as for the other codes. Sessions never outlast it. |
Guests get a reduced feature set, with no chat, search or location sharing; see Roles and permissions matrix for the full list. The same person on the same device returns to the same identity and sees their earlier notes when they scan again.
Show, share and change the PIN#
Choose QR / PIN on a guest QR row. Under the QR is the current PIN, hidden until you choose Reveal PIN. Use Copy PIN to paste it, or Rotate now to issue a new one at once. Rotating signs out guests who came in on the old PIN. Failed PIN attempts are throttled per code so a PIN cannot be guessed.
Print the poster#
The QR dialog shows a poster-style card: the event name, the code's name, a line saying what scanning does, the QR and the link. Choose Print poster to print it, or Copy link to share the address instead. Set the event name at the top of the QR & Access view and it is printed above each code name.
Keep control#
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Disable / Enable | Stops or resumes a code without deleting it. Disabling a guest QR also signs out every guest who is online. |
| Revoke Access | Shown on guest QR codes with guests online. Signs them out now, but the QR and PIN stay valid, so they can sign back in. |
| Archive | Removes a code from the list and stops it working. Restorable from the archive; a restored guest QR receives a new PIN. |
| Delete permanently | Available only from the archive. For a guest QR you are asked whether the notes its guests wrote should be deleted or kept, detached from their account, with the guest's name preserved. |
| Expired | A code past its Valid until time is shown as Expired and cannot be re-enabled until you edit the cutoff. |