04 ‐ Application Usage
The VoucherVault web application should be self-explanatory.
Nonetheless, we will handle some key aspects in this wiki.
Since VoucherVault v1.25.0, the web application can be installed as PWA on desktop and mobile clients.
Additionally, a new cache button is available in the left-side menu. Once clicked, the most important data of VoucherVault is cached for 48h and a timer is showing the remaining cache validity. This enables an offline mode, where cached data is served first. It basically allows you to access your items without an Internet connection.
Caution
Caching effectively bypasses authentication/authorization. So your item's data is potentially accessible without protection. Please be aware about this and when enabling caching. Also, if your device is shared with other people, be aware that this can lead to unauthenticated access across users. The offline mode cannot differentiate between users and will just provide the cache available (for 48h).
Note
A manual cache trigger was chosen over automatic caching, as caching bypasses authentication. As VoucherVault potentially holds sensitive vouchers, giftcards and other items with monetary value, automatic caching with unlimited validity would have not been a great choice regarding security and privacy. So you will have to cache manually and it will expire in 48h per default :)
Warning
If a cache is available, VoucherVault will always fetch from cache first. You may want to refresh or purge the local cache in case you add new items. Otherwise, the cache banner will always be shown. Take the cache banner's warning text for granted. You may not see the latest data of your VoucherVault instance.
Note
Data modification or creation of new items is not supported due to complexity. Also, the search bar in the inventory view will not work as it is a server-side search.
VoucherVault supports internationalization since v1.5.3.
Currently, these languages are supported:
- German
- English
- French
- Italian
You can toggle between languages in the web application's sidebar.
In the left side navigation pane of the web application, you will find a Dashboard field.
Click it and you access the VoucherVault dashboard.
In the left side navigation pane of the web application, you will find a Inventory field.
Click it and you will see all items available in VoucherVault.
Futhermore, you can use the search bar to filter and find specific items.
In the left side navigation pane of the web application, you will find a Create New Item field.
Click it and you can create a new item.
Some cool features:
- The redeem code input field can be filled out manually by typing; or by using your webcam/smartphone camera. Just tap the camera icon, wait until it blinks red and scan your code. Once a code is detected, the camera icon stops blinking and the redeem code input field is filled out with the code. Also, if possible, the detected code type is auto-selected.
- With VoucherVault v1.10.0 you can now select the camera device during scanning.
- The upload function allows you to upload an image (jpg, jpeg, png) or PDF (pdf) file into VoucherVault. Therefore, you can make a screenshot of your physical voucher, coupon, loyalty or giftcard and store it securely within VoucherVault.
- If you choose the item type
Coupon, you can toggle theValueinput field from a monetary value to percentage or (since 1.18.0) to multiplier. This is for example helpful, if the coupon itself has no specific monetary value but provides a % discount or a multiplier on payback/reward points. Just click the small button and it will switch the value types. - You can freely chose a tile color. Be smart and choose one that fits your selected theme (dark/light).
Warning
The code scanning by camera does only work if VoucherVault is run behind a reverse proxy with TLS or accessed via 127.0.0.1 or localhost. The browser feature getUserMedia() used by the ZXing JavaScript library requires a secure context (HTTPS). Furthermore, you are tasked to approve camera access for the first time using the camera scan feature.
Whether scanning works, depends on your camera in use. Quality, focus, brightness and code readability are important factors.
Caution
Some mobile browsers are known to have issues with getUserMedia() and selecting a rear camera with auto-focus support (see this). Often, a wide-angle rear camera is selected that cannot autofocus and therefore fails to scan QR/BAR codes. If you use such a device/browser and scanning often fails, please use a different mobile browser like FireFox. This is currently a wont-fix issue. Ensure to select a proper camera device during scanning.
- QR Code (treepoem: qrcode)
- EAN-13 (treepoem: ean13)
- EAN-8 (treepoem: ean8)
- Code 128 (treepoem: code128)
- Code 39 (treepoem: code39)
- UPC-A (treepoem: upca)
- UPC-E (treepoem: upce)
- ISBN-13 (treepoem: isbn13)
- ISBN-10 (treepoem: isbn10)
- ISSN (treepoem: issn)
- PDF417 (treepoem: pdf417)
- Data Matrix (treepoem: datamatrix)
- Aztec (treepoem: aztec)
- MaxiCode (treepoem: maxicode)
Just browse the Inventory application area and click a specific item.
This will redirect you to the detailed item view.
This view will:
- Showcase all item details such as issue date, expiry date, monetary or percentage value and the description. Also the PIN field if one was set. Additionally, a file download button is displayed if you have priorly uploaded a file. Moreover, the redeem code is displayed as QR code or EAN13 barcode. To protect this sensitive code (e.g. against shoulder-surfing), the redeem code is displayed blurred. Just click or tap the blurred image to unblur.
- Allow you to edit and delete the item
- Allow you to mark the item as used. This will define the item's value to 0 and mark it as used.
- Allow you to add a redemption to the transaction history if the item's type is giftcard. Just provide a small description about the redemption and the amount you have redeemed from the giftcard. This will add the new entry to the transaction history and subtract the redeemed value from the remaining item value. Made a mistake during submission? No issue, just delete the individual transaction history entry.
Sharing should be self-explanatory. Basically, you can share your items with other user accounts on VoucherVault.
A shared item will be read-only to the users it was shared to. This was a design decision to maintain security and privacy. Only an item owner posesses full item rights like read/write/delete/mark-as-used etc. Therefore, an item's transaction history is only available to an item's owner too. Otherwise hidden.
Shared items can be found in the sharing center or inventory view. If you have received a shared item, it must be non-used and non-expired to be visible.
If you want to remove sharing of an item, just inspect the item details and remove it. Be aware that other users may have made copies of your shared item, such as screenshots, downloaded belonging files or have manually written down sensitive infos elsewhere etc. Also, in case you shared a redeemable item, it may already be fully redeemed by the other party. Take care when sharing things!
Via the sun icon in the header of the web application, you can toggle between light and dark theme.
The default theme defined is dark.
Your selection will create a new item in your browser's local storage to keep track of your theme choice.
Via the top right profile icon you can access your user-related settings.
This area allows you to:
- Change your current user password to a new one
- Adjust display preferences for the inventory/sharing view
- Configure Apprise URLs for expiry notifications
- Logout from the VoucherVault application and terminate your user session
- If you are a superuser, you will also find a link to the admin panel
The Django admin panel can be access via /admin.
There, you can access Django's database models and entries. Please refraim from manupulating model entries, expect if you know what you are doing.
Finally, you can adjust the periodic task cronjob for expiry checking to your needs.