Global Settings for Rentals in Sparkforge

Global Settings sets the rules every new rental listing and booking inherits. Configure operating hours, customer and staff notifications, booking page design, payment behavior, and security deposits in one place. Existing bookings stay untouched.

Where to find Global Settings

Go to Calendars → Calendar Settings → Rentals → Global Settings. The left panel has four tabs: Booking Settings, Notifications, Booking Page, and Payment.

Booking Settings

Business operating hours

• Pick working days and time intervals. Use the + button to add multiple intervals per day.
• Uncheck a day to deactivate it.
• Bookings must start and end inside operating hours, but a rental period can extend past closing time. A booking that starts at 10:30 PM still works if the business closes at 11:00 PM.

Date-specific hours

Click + Add Date Specific Hours for holidays or special events. Date-specific hours override regular operating hours for that day. Consecutive dates group into ranges automatically; non-consecutive dates split into separate ranges.

Other booking controls

• Timezone — applies to the booking page and every booking created.
• Slot Interval — sets how often slots show on the booking page (15, 30, or 60 minutes).
• Auto-confirm Bookings — confirms bookings on creation; off means they land as Unconfirmed.
• Enable Multi-item Cart — lets customers book multiple listings in one checkout.
• Away Mode — pauses new online bookings without affecting existing ones.
• Default Rental Times — used when the time selector is disabled. These override operating hours but business days still apply.

Notifications

Each booking event can send via Email or In-App. Click the pencil icon to edit a template.

• Appointment Booked (Unconfirmed) — fires on booking creation before confirmation.
• Appointment Booked (Confirmed) — fires when a booking is confirmed.
• Cancellation — sent on cancel.
• Reschedule — sent when dates or times change.
• Reminder — sent before the booking starts.
• Follow-up — sent after the booking ends.

Notifications fire on booking-level events, not per individual listing inside a multi-item cart.

Booking Page

Branding

• Upload a company logo and set the company name.
• Set the Account Slug — this becomes your booking URL (/rentals/your-business-name) and the base for all listing URLs.
• Set a default location address.

Page customization

• Theme: light or dark.
• Language and week start day.
• Primary color (buttons, date selection) and background color.
• Layout: card view, list view, or customer-selectable.
• Custom button labels for listing selection and final booking.
• Custom CSS via Insert Custom Code.
• Preview Booking Page to test before publishing.

Forms and consent

• Default Form collects first name, last name, phone, email, and additional info. Replace it with a custom form from Sites → Forms.
• Sticky Contacts remembers customer info via browser cookies. Only enable when one customer fills the form on their own device.
• Consent Checkbox adds a customizable consent message. Default Form only.

Confirmation page

Pick between a Thank You message or a redirect URL after booking. Customize the header and message text. Changes apply immediately on save.

Payment

General payment settings

• Currency — applies to all listings. If you change it, update each listing's price to match.
• Require Payment at Booking — off means no online collection, but the total still shows on the page.
• Enable Security Deposits — toggle deposit handling for all bookings.

Security deposit modes

• Collect Upfront — deposit lands in the initial booking total.
• Card on File Only — saves the card without charging. Charge later from Edit Booking. Card on File requires a credit or debit card; other payment methods are blocked.

If online payments are off, the deposit is owed upfront alongside the rental total at the time of rental.

Payment mode

Run Test Mode for safe sandbox bookings. Switch to Live Mode for real transactions. Connected gateways (Authorize.net, Stripe) appear here. Always test in Test Mode before going live.