Getting Started

Welcome to AstralBooking! This guide will help you set up your booking system in just a few minutes.

What is AstralBooking?

AstralBooking is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create professional appointment booking systems for your business. Customers can book services, receive confirmations, and manage their appointments directly from your website.

Key Features

Easy Setup

Get your booking system running in minutes with our intuitive interface and step-by-step guides.

Customizable Forms

Create booking forms tailored to your services with drag-and-drop simplicity.

Customer Management

Keep track of all your customers and their booking history in one place.

Email Notifications

Send confirmations, reminders, and updates automatically to your customers.

Installation

From WordPress.org

  1. Go to your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New
  3. Search for "AstralBooking"
  4. Click Install Now
  5. Click Activate to enable the plugin

Manual Installation via FTP

  1. Download the AstralBooking plugin file
  2. Unzip the file on your computer
  3. Connect via FTP to your website
  4. Upload the folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  5. Go to WordPress admin and activate the plugin

System Requirements

  • WordPress: 5.0 or higher
  • PHP: 7.4 or higher
  • MySQL: 5.6 or higher
  • SSL Certificate: Required for payment features
Note: If you're unsure about your hosting setup, contact your hosting provider to verify your WordPress version, PHP version, and MySQL version.

Initial Setup

Step 1: Access AstralBooking Settings

Once activated, you'll see "AstralBooking" in your WordPress sidebar. Click it to access the main dashboard.

Step 2: Configure Business Information

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Settings
  2. Enter your business name and email
  3. Set your timezone
  4. Configure your business hours (days open, opening/closing times)
  5. Save your settings

Set Payment Currency

Go to Settings → Payments and select your currency from over 150 supported currencies.

Congratulations! Your AstralBooking is now ready. Next, create your first service and booking form.

Services

Services are the appointments you offer. Each service has its own pricing, duration, and description.

Create a Service

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Services
  2. Click Add New Service
  3. Enter the service name (e.g., "30-minute consultation")
  4. Set the service duration in minutes
  5. Set the price
  6. Write a description
  7. Click Save Service

Service Settings

Setting Description
Name The name customers will see
Duration How long the appointment takes (in minutes)
Price Cost of the service
Description Details about what's included
Buffer Time Wait time between appointments (optional)

Booking Forms

Booking forms are what customers use to schedule appointments. You can create multiple forms for different services or pages.

Create a Booking Form

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Forms
  2. Click Add New Form
  3. Give your form a name
  4. Select which service(s) this form offers
  5. Customize the form fields you want to collect
  6. Choose your form style and color scheme
  7. Click Save Form

Available Form Fields

  • Customer Name (required)
  • Customer Email (required)
  • Customer Phone (optional)
  • Date Selection
  • Time Selection
  • Service Selection
  • Custom Fields (Pro)
Tip: You can create different forms for different pages of your website. For example, one form for your services page and another for your homepage.

Shortcodes

Shortcodes allow you to easily embed your booking forms into any page or post.

Main Booking Form Shortcode

Use this shortcode to display your booking form:

[astral_booking_form]

Using Shortcodes

  1. Copy the shortcode: [astral_booking_form]
  2. Go to the page or post where you want the form to appear
  3. Click the "+" icon to add a new block (Gutenberg editor)
  4. Search for and select the "Shortcode" block
  5. Paste the shortcode into the block
  6. Publish or update the page

For Classic Editor Users

  1. Copy the shortcode: [astral_booking_form]
  2. Click into the text editor
  3. Paste the shortcode into the content area
  4. Publish the page
Note: Make sure you've created at least one service and one booking form before using shortcodes. The form won't display if there are no services available.

Calendar

The calendar is where you manage all customer appointments.

Viewing Appointments

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Calendar
  2. Select the date range you want to view
  3. Click on any appointment to view details

Managing Appointments

  • View: Click an appointment to see full details
  • Edit: Click the pencil icon to modify the appointment
  • Delete: Click the trash icon to remove the appointment
  • Reschedule: Drag appointments to different times

Creating Manual Appointments

  1. Click the "Add Appointment" button
  2. Enter customer details
  3. Select the service and date/time
  4. Add any notes
  5. Click "Save Appointment"

Blocking Time

To prevent customers from booking during certain times:

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Unavailable Times
  2. Click Add Block
  3. Select the date(s)
  4. Add a reason (e.g., "Vacation", "Maintenance")
  5. Save the block

Email Templates

AstralBooking automatically sends emails to customers. You can customize all email messages.

Email Types

  • Booking Confirmation: Sent when customer submits a booking
  • Appointment Reminder: Sent X hours before appointment
  • Cancellation Notice: Sent when appointment is cancelled
  • Rescheduling Confirmation: Sent when appointment is rescheduled

Customize Email Templates

  1. Go to AstralBooking → Email Templates
  2. Select the email type you want to customize
  3. Edit the subject and message
  4. Use the variables provided (see list below)
  5. Click Save Template

Available Email Variables

Variable Description Availability
{{appointment_date}} The date of the appointment Free & Pro
{{appointment_time}} The time of the appointment Free & Pro
{{customer_name}} Customer's name Free & Pro
{{customer_email}} Customer's email address Free & Pro
{{customer_phone}} Customer's phone number Free & Pro
{{appointment_notes}} Any notes attached to the appointment Free & Pro
{{payment_amount}} The payment amount Free & Pro
{{payment_status}} Payment status (e.g., "pending", "paid") Free & Pro
{{site_name}} Your website name Free & Pro
{{service_name}} The service name Pro Only
{{staff_name}} The staff member name Pro Only

Test Email Templates

  1. Click the "Send Test Email" button on any template
  2. Enter your email address
  3. Check your inbox for the test email
  4. Review how the email looks and make adjustments if needed
Tip: If you're not receiving emails, check your spam folder first. If emails still aren't coming through, contact your hosting provider—they may have email restrictions in place.

Settings

Configure AstralBooking to work exactly how you need it.

General Settings

  • Business name and email
  • Timezone
  • Date and time format
  • Default booking notification email

Business Hours

Set when your business is open for bookings:

  • Enable/disable each day of the week
  • Set opening and closing times
  • Add breaks (e.g., lunch break)

Booking Settings

  • Minimum booking notice (e.g., 24 hours in advance)
  • Maximum booking window (how far in advance customers can book)
  • Buffer time between appointments
  • Allow customers to reschedule/cancel

Form Settings

  • Default form appearance
  • Success message after booking
  • Redirect URL after booking (optional)

Pro Features

Upgrade to AstralBooking Pro to unlock powerful features for $49/year.

What's Included in Pro?

💳 Payment Processing

Accept Stripe and PayPal payments directly in your booking form.

📱 SMS Notifications

Send appointment reminders via SMS for better no-show reduction.

🗓️ Google Calendar Sync

Sync your bookings automatically to Google Calendar.

📊 Advanced Reporting

Get detailed analytics on bookings, revenue, and customer trends.

👥 Multiple Bookings

Allow multiple customers to book the same time slot automatically.

⭐ Priority Support

Get faster response times from our support team.

Upgrade to Pro for just $49/year and unlock these features today!

Troubleshooting

Forms Not Displaying

Problem: The booking form isn't showing on my page.

Solution:

  • Make sure you've created a booking form (AstralBooking → Forms)
  • Verify you have at least one service created
  • Check that you're using the correct shortcode: [astral_booking_form]
  • Clear your browser cache
  • Try deactivating other plugins to check for conflicts

Emails Not Being Sent

Problem: Customers aren't receiving confirmation emails.

Solution:

  • Go to AstralBooking → Email Templates and click "Send Test Email" to your address
  • Check if you received the test email (including spam/junk folder)
  • If you didn't receive the test, your hosting provider may not have email set up
  • Contact your hosting provider to enable outgoing email
  • Verify email templates are enabled (toggle should be ON)

Plugin Conflicts

Problem: AstralBooking conflicts with my theme/other plugins.

Solution:

  1. Deactivate all other plugins except AstralBooking
  2. Test if the issue goes away
  3. If yes, activate other plugins one by one to find the culprit
  4. Contact the conflicting plugin's support or switch themes temporarily
  5. Switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) to test

Database Errors

Problem: I'm getting database errors.

Solution:

  • Update WordPress to the latest version
  • Update AstralBooking to the latest version
  • Go to AstralBooking → Tools → "Repair Database"
  • Contact your hosting provider to check error logs
  • Ask your hosting provider to increase PHP memory limit
Still need help? Visit our Support page or Community Forum for additional assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AstralBooking on multiple sites?

Yes! With the free version, you can use AstralBooking on as many sites as you want. Pro licenses are per-site, so you'll need separate licenses for each site.

Can customers reschedule or cancel their appointments?

Yes! You can enable this in Settings → Booking Settings. Customers will see options to reschedule or cancel their appointments.

How do I import appointments from another system?

Go to AstralBooking → Tools → "Import Appointments" to upload a CSV file with your existing appointments.

Can I customize the booking form colors?

Yes! Go to Forms → Edit Form → Styling to customize colors, fonts, and layout to match your brand.

What payment methods are supported?

In AstralBooking Pro, you can accept payments via Stripe and PayPal.

Is there a limit to the number of appointments?

No! Both free and Pro versions support unlimited appointments.

Can I see who booked what?

Yes! Go to AstralBooking → Calendar to view all appointments with customer details. You can also view customer profiles individually.

Do you offer refunds?

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on Pro licenses. If you're not satisfied, contact support@webtex-it.com for a refund.

Is my customer data secure?

Yes! We use industry-standard encryption and secure practices to protect customer data. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Can I export my data?

Yes! Go to AstralBooking → Tools → "Export Data" to download all your appointments and customer information as a CSV file.