Getting Started

Welcome to ORVO PrepStation. This guide covers everything you need to know to get started on your first day. The PrepStation is the kitchen display system that shows incoming orders as colour-coded cards. It runs as a full-screen Windows application on a touchscreen in the kitchen.

Starting the PrepStation

When the PrepStation application launches, you will see a startup splash screen with a progress bar while the system loads resources. Once loading is complete, the login window appears automatically. If the application was left running from a previous shift, it may already be on the main screen with a previous user logged in.

Logging In

The login screen shows a SELECT USER heading with a grid of staff name buttons. To log in, simply tap your name. Each button displays a staff member's name in white text on a dark background. If the staff list is longer than the screen, you can scroll down to find your name.

If you do not want to log in (for example, you opened the login screen by mistake), tap the CANCEL button at the bottom of the window to return to the main screen.

The Main Screen

After logging in, you will see the main PrepStation screen. The layout is divided into three areas:

• Toolbar (top) -- A row of buttons across the top of the screen on a black background. From left to right: Login/Logout, Undo, Transfer, Last 10, Printer, and Exit. The shop logo appears on the right side of the toolbar.
• Order display (centre) -- The main area where order cards appear. Orders are arranged in two columns, with the oldest orders filling the left column first, then the right column. If more orders arrive than can fit on screen, they queue up and appear automatically as earlier orders are completed.
• Status bar (bottom) -- A thin bar at the bottom showing your login status (green dot and your name when logged in, red dot and "No user" when logged out), the current time, the active order and item counts, and your station number and mode.

Toolbar Buttons

The toolbar contains six buttons, each 120 pixels wide with white text on a dark background:

• Login / Logout -- Opens the staff selection window to log in, or logs you out if you are already logged in. The button text changes depending on your current state.
• Undo -- Brings back the most recently completed order. See the Completing Orders article for details.
• Transfer -- Enters transfer mode so you can send an order to another station. This button is greyed out if no compatible stations are configured. See the Completing Orders article.
• Last 10 -- Opens a window showing the last 10 completed orders for review.
• Printer -- Short tap toggles the receipt printer on or off. The status shows ON in green or OFF in red beneath the button label. Long press opens a printer selection dialog to choose a different printer.
• Exit -- Closes the PrepStation application. This button has a red background to distinguish it from the other buttons. If you are logged in, the system will log you out automatically before closing.

Understanding the Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the screen provides at-a-glance information:

• Login indicator -- A small coloured circle on the far left. Green when logged in, red when logged out. Your name appears next to it in green, or "No user" in red.
• Current time -- Displayed in 24-hour format (HH:mm) and updates every second.
• Order counts -- The centre of the status bar shows the number of active orders and total items in teal text (e.g. "3 Orders 7 Items").
• Station info -- The right side shows your station number, mode number, and mode description (e.g. "Station 3 Mode 1 - Savoury Crepes, Sweet Crepes, Waffles").

Logging Out

To log out, tap the Logout button in the toolbar. Your name will clear from the status bar, the indicator dot will turn red, and the button text will change back to "Login". You will see a notification confirming you have been logged out. Orders on screen will remain visible -- logging out does not remove active orders.

How Orders Arrive

As a PrepStation user, you do not create orders yourself. Orders are created on the till and sent to your station automatically. This article explains how orders appear on your screen and what the different visual indicators mean.

Order Arrival

When the till sends an order, it creates a .sss file in your station's Orders folder. The PrepStation watches this folder continuously and picks up new orders within about 2 seconds. When a new order is detected, it is parsed and appears on screen as a colour-coded card. You do not need to refresh or check for orders -- they appear automatically.

Order Types and Card Colours

Each order has a type prefix on its order number that determines the card colour:

• Eat-In (E prefix) -- Orders with a number starting with "E" (e.g. E123) appear as green cards. The "E" prefix is hidden on the card -- you will see just the number (e.g. "123").
• Takeaway (T prefix) -- Orders with a number starting with "T" (e.g. T456) appear as blue cards. The "T" prefix is also hidden on screen.

The card colour tells the kitchen at a glance whether to plate the food for dining in or package it for takeaway. This is important for presentation and packaging.

What an Order Card Shows

Each order card displays the following information:

• Order number -- Shown in bold at the top-left of the card header. The E or T prefix is stripped, so you see just the numeric part.
• Item count -- Next to the order number, showing how many items are in the order (e.g. "3 items" or "1 item").
• Elapsed time -- A timer in the top-right corner showing how long since the order was placed, displayed in mm:ss format. This timer counts up continuously from the moment the order was created on the till.
• Item list -- Each item is shown with a bullet point, the quantity (if more than 1), and the item name in bold text.
• Modifications -- Ingredient changes appear below the item name with a bullet prefix in bold text (e.g. "no cheese, extra ham").
• Special instructions -- Preparation notes appear in italic text below the item (e.g. "Make it well done").
• Allergen warnings -- Allergens appear in a highlighted box with a warm brown background, a warning icon prefix, and brown text (e.g. "Contains gluten"). These are visually distinct so they are never missed.

Order Layout on Screen

Orders fill the screen in two columns. The system estimates each card's height based on the number of items, modifications, and allergens, then fills the left column first, followed by the right column. Orders are sorted by time received (oldest first) and then by order number.

If more orders arrive than can fit on screen, they are held in a hidden queue. As you complete orders and cards are removed from the screen, queued orders automatically appear to fill the space. The queue count is shown in the status bar.

Station Modes

Each PrepStation runs in a specific mode (e.g. Mode 1 for food, Mode 2 for drinks). The till routes each order to the correct station based on the items it contains. Your station will only show orders that match your mode. The current mode is displayed in the status bar at the bottom-right of the screen.

About the Till

The ORVO Till application -- where orders are created, items selected, and payments taken -- is currently under development and not yet available. Today, orders are generated by the TillExpediter or by the till operator. This article describes how orders appear on your PrepStation once they have been sent.

Modifiers, Instructions, and Allergens

When a customer customises their order on the till, those changes are sent to the PrepStation as part of the order. This article explains how ingredient modifications, special instructions, and allergen warnings appear on your order cards, and how the recipe popup helps you understand what needs to change.

Ingredient Modifications

Ingredient modifications appear on the order card directly below the item name, shown in bold text with a bullet prefix. These describe changes to the standard recipe. The till sends modification descriptions as free text in the order file. Common formats include:

• "no cheese, extra ham" -- Remove cheese, add extra ham.
• "add bacon" -- Add an ingredient not normally in the recipe.
• "without sauce" -- Remove sauce from the item.

These modifications are displayed beneath the item name on the order card so you can see at a glance what has changed from the standard recipe.

Special Instructions

Special instructions are free-text notes that apply to a specific item. These appear in italic text below the item name and any modifications, also with a bullet prefix. Examples include:

• "Make it well done"
• "Sauce on the side"
• "Cut in half"

Instructions are separate from ingredient modifications. An item can have both modifications (what to change) and instructions (how to prepare it).

Allergen Warnings

Allergen warnings are the most visually prominent element on an order card. They appear in a distinct highlighted box with:

• A light warm background colour
• A subtle border
• A warning icon prefix
• Brown text for high readability

Allergen text is set per item on the till (e.g. "Contains gluten", "Nut allergy"). The box styling makes allergen warnings immediately visible even from a distance, so they are never accidentally overlooked during busy service.

Recipe Popup (Long Press)

If you need to check the full ingredient list for an item -- especially when modifications have been applied -- use the long press gesture. Press and hold on an order card for about half a second. A recipe summary popup will appear showing:

• Product name -- The item being prepared.
• Ingredient list -- Every ingredient in the standard recipe, listed in preparation order. Each ingredient shows its name and a location tag (e.g. "Fridge", "Counter") so you know where to find it.
• Modification indicators -- Ingredients that have been modified are highlighted:
  • Removed ingredients are marked so you know to skip them.
  • Extra ingredients are flagged so you know to add more.
  • Newly added ingredients (not in the standard recipe) appear at their correct position in the ingredient order.

The recipe popup is loaded from JSON recipe files that the system reads at startup. Recipes are organised by category (e.g. Savoury Crepes, Sweet Crepes, Sandwiches). If no recipe is found for a product, the popup will indicate that no recipe data is available.

How Modifications are Interpreted

The PrepStation's recipe service understands common modification patterns when displaying the recipe popup:

• "no [ingredient]" or "without [ingredient]" -- Marks the ingredient as removed in the recipe view.
• "extra [ingredient]" or "add [ingredient]" -- Adds a duplicate of the ingredient marked as extra, or adds a new ingredient if it is not in the standard recipe.

Modifications are matched against ingredient names using partial matching, so "no cheese" will match an ingredient called "Cheddar Cheese" or "Mozzarella Cheese" in the recipe.

Payments

Payment processing is part of the ORVO Till application, which is currently under development. The PrepStation does not handle payments -- it is focused on order display and kitchen preparation.

Current Status

The ORVO Till (the main point-of-sale terminal where staff take customer orders and process payments) is being built as part of Phase 5 of the ORVO development plan. Payment features including cash handling, card payments, split bills, and end-of-day reconciliation will be documented here once the Till is available.

What is Planned

The following payment features are planned for the ORVO Till:

• Cash payments -- Accept cash, calculate change, and record the transaction.
• Card payments -- Integration with card terminals for contactless, chip, and PIN payments.
• Split bills -- Split a bill evenly or by individual items between multiple customers.
• Void and refund -- Reverse incorrect transactions with manager approval.
• End-of-day reconciliation -- Compare expected cash totals with actual drawer contents.

PrepStation Basics

The PrepStation is ORVO's kitchen display system. It runs as a full-screen WPF application on a Windows touchscreen and shows incoming orders as colour-coded cards. This article covers the core concepts you need to understand as a PrepStation user.

Order Cards

Each order appears as a card with rounded corners. The card colour indicates the order type:

• Green (LimeGreen) -- Eat-in order (order number starts with E).
• Blue (LightSkyBlue) -- Takeaway order (order number starts with T).
• Grey -- Paused order (dimmed to 50% opacity, with a solid grey header).

The card header shows the order number on the left, the item count in the middle, and the elapsed timer on the right. The card body lists each item with its modifications, instructions, and allergen flags.

Two-Column Layout

The main display area is divided into two columns of equal width. Orders fill the left column first, then the right column. The system calculates the estimated height of each card based on the number of items, modifications, allergens, and notes, and fills each column until it reaches the available screen height (approximately 680 pixels).

If there are more orders than can fit in both columns, the overflow orders are held in a hidden queue. As you complete orders, queued orders appear automatically. The queue count is visible in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

A faded logo watermark appears in the bottom-right corner of the right column behind the order cards.

Elapsed Time and Urgency Effects

Every order card has a timer that counts up from the moment the order was created on the till. The timer is displayed in mm:ss format in the top-right corner of the card header. This timer never stops -- it always shows the true elapsed time since the order was placed, even for paused orders.

As time passes, the card's appearance changes to signal urgency:

• Normal (under 3 minutes) -- The card appears in its standard colour with no special effects. The elapsed time is shown in black text on a transparent background.
• Warning (3 minutes) -- At the 3-minute mark (configurable via OrderWarningMinutes in setup.json), the card develops an orange glow around its border. The elapsed time text gets an orange background pill. The border colour changes to orange.
• Critical (5 minutes) -- At the 5-minute mark (configurable via OrderCriticalMinutes in setup.json), the glow changes to red. The elapsed time pill turns red with white text. The border colour changes to red.

The glow effect is a drop shadow with a blur radius of 40 pixels and 0.9 opacity, centred on the card (no offset). This makes overdue orders visually "pulse" and stand out from normal cards even at a distance.

Paused Orders

Paused orders remain on screen but are visually distinct. The entire card drops to 50% opacity, the header turns solid grey, and the header text turns white. Status labels like PAUSED appear centred in the header. The urgency glow effect is suppressed for paused orders -- they will not turn orange or red regardless of elapsed time.

Recalled and Split Orders

Orders that have been recalled or split have a darkened header (a semi-transparent black overlay on the normal card colour) with white text. Status labels appear centred in the header:

• RECALL -- This order was previously completed and has been brought back.
• SPLIT -- This order was split from a larger order. Only a portion of the original items are on this card.
• RECALL | SPLIT -- Both labels appear if the order is both recalled and split.

Recalled orders may show items with different visual states: active items appear normally, removed items show with grey strikethrough text, and added items appear with a green border highlight. These visual differences indicate what changed when the order was recalled.

Screen Interaction

The PrepStation is designed for touchscreen use. There are only two gestures you need to know:

• Short tap (under 500ms) -- Completes the order. The card is removed from the screen.
• Long press (500ms or longer) -- Opens the recipe popup showing the full ingredient list for the first item in the order, with modification highlighting.

All other actions (undo, transfer, printer toggle, etc.) are done through the toolbar buttons at the top of the screen.

Completing Orders

When you have finished preparing an order, you need to mark it as complete on the PrepStation. This removes the card from the screen, prints a receipt (if the printer is enabled), and records the completion. ORVO uses a simple tap gesture to make this fast.

Completing an Order

To complete an order, give the order card a short tap (press and release in under 500 milliseconds). The system will:

1. Move the .sss order file from the Orders folder to the Undo folder.
2. Write a completion data JSON file recording the order number, station, staff name, elapsed time, item details, and timestamp.
3. Print a receipt to the configured printer (if printing is enabled).
4. Add the order to the "Last 10" completed orders list.
5. Remove the card from the screen. Remaining orders and any queued orders will reflow to fill the space.

Undo

If you accidentally complete an order, tap the Undo button in the toolbar. This brings back the most recently completed order by moving its file from the Undo folder back to the appropriate status folder (Orders, Paused, Recall, or Split, depending on its original state). The order card will reappear on screen in its correct position.

The Undo folder keeps only the last 10 completed order files. Older files are automatically cleaned up. You can only undo one order at a time -- each tap of Undo restores the single most recent completion.

Like completing, you must be logged in to use Undo. If you are logged out, the login window will appear first.

Last 10 Completed Orders

Tap the Last 10 button in the toolbar to open a window showing the most recently completed orders. This is useful for checking whether a specific order was completed, or reviewing what was in a recent order. The window shows the completed order cards and closes when you tap outside it or dismiss it. If no orders have been completed during the current session, a notification will inform you that there are no completed orders to display.

Transfer Mode

Transfer mode allows you to send an order to another PrepStation on the network. This is used when an order arrives at the wrong station or needs to be moved for load balancing.

To transfer an order:

1. Tap the Transfer button in the toolbar. You must be logged in -- if not, the login window appears first.
2. If there is only one compatible station (same mode) and it is online (someone is logged in), transfer mode activates immediately with that station selected.
3. If there are multiple compatible stations, a station selection window appears showing each station's name, logged-in user, and current item count. Stations that are not logged in are shown but greyed out. Select the target station.
4. An orange indicator bar appears at the bottom of the toolbar to show you are in transfer mode. The Transfer button text changes to "Cancel Transfer" and its background turns orange.
5. Tap the order card you want to transfer. The order file is copied to the target station's Orders folder and deleted from your station. A success notification appears.

To cancel transfer mode without transferring anything, tap the Cancel Transfer button.

Splitting Orders

While in transfer mode, you can split an order -- sending some items to another station while keeping the rest on yours. A Split button appears on each order card when transfer mode is active.

The Split button is only enabled for orders that have not already been split and have a total quantity of at least 2. To split an order:

1. Enter transfer mode and select a target station (as described above).
2. Tap the Split button on the order card you want to split.
3. The Split Order window appears, showing the order number and all active items. For single-quantity items, tap to toggle whether to send or keep. For multi-quantity items (e.g. 3x Crepe), use the + and - buttons to choose how many to send.
4. Tap Send to confirm. You must select at least one item to send AND keep at least one item on your station.

After splitting, the original order file is replaced by two new files with _split1 and _split2 suffixes. Both halves retain the original order number and show a SPLIT label in the header. Split orders cannot be split again.

Pause and Recall

The PrepStation supports paused and recalled orders through a folder-based status system. When the TillExpediter pauses or recalls an order, the PrepStation detects the change automatically and updates the card's appearance. This article explains how these statuses work on the PrepStation side.

How Pause Works

Pausing is managed by the TillExpediter, not directly from the PrepStation. When an order is paused, its .sss file is moved from the Orders folder to the Paused folder. The PrepStation's file watcher detects this change within about 2 seconds and updates the card's appearance.

A paused order card looks distinctly different from active orders:

• The entire card drops to 50% opacity, making it visually faded.
• The header background changes to solid grey (#666666) with white text.
• The word PAUSED appears centred in the header bar.
• The urgency glow effect is suppressed -- paused cards will not turn orange or red regardless of how much time has passed.
• Any added/removed item borders (green or red highlights) are suppressed while paused.

The elapsed timer continues to count up even while paused. This is by design -- it reflects the total time the customer has been waiting, not just the active preparation time.

Unpausing

When an order is unpaused (via the TillExpediter), its file is moved back from the Paused folder to the Orders folder. The PrepStation detects the change, restores the card to full opacity, and removes the PAUSED label. A notification appears saying the order has been unpaused. The urgency glow effect will resume based on the total elapsed time.

How Recall Works

Recalling is also managed by the TillExpediter. When a completed order is recalled, a new .sss file is created in the Recall folder. The PrepStation picks it up and displays it as a recalled order card.

A recalled order card has these visual differences:

• The header has a darkened overlay (semi-transparent black over the normal green or blue card colour) with white text.
• The word RECALL appears centred in the header.
• Items may have different statuses:
  • Active items appear normally with a bullet prefix.
  • Removed items show with grey strikethrough text and a red border highlight (indicating they were removed during the recall modification).
  • Added items show with a green border highlight (indicating they were added during the recall modification).

These item-level visual indicators only appear on recalled orders where the till operator has modified the order before sending it back. They help you see exactly what changed.

Combined Statuses

An order can be both recalled and split, or both paused and split. The PrepStation handles these combinations:

• RECALL | SPLIT -- Both labels appear side by side in the header when an order has been both recalled and split.
• Paused split orders -- Show the PAUSED label and grey styling. The split status is tracked via the file's SplitFrom value but the SPLIT label is suppressed while paused.

Folder-Based Status System

The PrepStation determines each order's status based on which folder its .sss file resides in:

• Orders/ -- Active orders (status "OK")
• Paused/ -- Paused orders
• Recall/ -- Recalled orders
• Split/ -- Split orders
• Undo/ -- Completed orders (available for undo)

The file watcher monitors all four active folders (Orders, Paused, Recall, Split) simultaneously. Moving a file between folders changes its status on screen automatically. This is the core mechanism by which the TillExpediter controls order state across the network.

Undo vs Recall

Undo and recall are related but different:

• Undo -- Performed on the PrepStation via the Undo toolbar button. Brings back the single most recently completed order from the Undo folder. The order returns to its original status folder (Orders, Paused, Recall, or Split depending on what it was before completion).
• Recall -- Performed on the TillExpediter. Can target any completed order, not just the most recent one. The recalled order may have modified items (added or removed). The file goes into the Recall folder.

Receipts and Printing

The PrepStation can print a kitchen receipt each time an order is completed. These are not customer receipts (those will come from the Till, which is under development) -- they are kitchen prep tickets that serve as a physical record of what was prepared and by whom.

Automatic Printing on Completion

When you complete an order by tapping the card, a receipt is automatically sent to the configured printer -- provided printing is enabled. You do not need to press a separate print button. The receipt prints as part of the completion process.

If printing is disabled (the Printer button shows OFF), the order is still completed normally but no receipt is printed.

Toggling the Printer On and Off

The Printer button in the toolbar shows the current state:

• ON (green text) -- Printing is enabled. A receipt will print with every completed order.
• OFF (red text) -- Printing is disabled. Orders complete silently.

Tap the Printer button to toggle between ON and OFF. A notification confirms the change ("The printer is on" or "The printer is off"). The setting is saved to Config/setup.json so it persists across restarts.

Changing the Printer (Long Press)

To select a different printer, long press the Printer button (hold for about 500ms). A printer selection dialog appears listing all printers installed on the machine. Select the printer you want to use. This is useful if you need to switch between printers during service or if a printer has been replaced.

Kitchen Receipt Format

The PrepStation prints kitchen prep tickets, not customer receipts. The receipt includes:

• Order number -- Printed in large text at the top (with the E/T prefix stripped, just the number). If the order is a split, the word "SPLIT" is printed below the number.
• Status -- If the order was not in normal "OK" status (e.g. a recalled order), the status is printed at the top.
• Station and order type -- The station number (e.g. "Station 3") on the left and the order type ("Eat In" or "Takeaway") on the right, on the same line.
• Prepared by -- The name of the logged-in staff member who completed the order.
• Item list -- Each item printed with a bullet prefix and quantity (e.g. "* 2x Classic Savoury Crepe").
• Modifications -- Printed below the item as "MOD: no cheese, extra ham".
• Instructions -- Printed as "INSTRUCTIONS: Make it well done".
• Allergens -- Printed as "ALLERGENS: Contains gluten" (only if present and not "None").
• Times -- The footer shows "ORDERED: HH:mm" on the left and "PRINTED: HH:mm" on the right.

The receipt line width is 40 characters for ESC/POS impact printers (e.g. Epson TM-U220B).

Supported Printer Types

The PrepStation supports two printer types, configured in setup.json:

• Impact (e.g. Epson TM-U220B) -- Uses raw ESC/POS commands sent directly to the printer via the Windows print spooler. Supports bold text, double-height text, centred alignment, and paper cutting. Falls back to direct TCP port (port 9100) if the spooler method fails.
• Thermal -- Uses standard Windows GDI+ printing with configurable font name and size (default: Courier New at 9pt).

Printer Configuration

The printer is configured in Config/setup.json with the following settings:

• PrinterEnabled -- Whether printing is on or off (toggled via the toolbar button).
• PrinterName -- The Windows printer name, or a UNC path for network printers (e.g. \\192.168.1.50\EPSON).
• PrinterModel -- The printer model (default: "Epson TM-U220B").
• PrinterType -- Either "Impact" or "Thermal".
• PrinterCutEnabled -- Whether to send a cut command after printing.
• PrinterEncoding -- Character encoding (default: "ASCII"). Falls back to Windows-1252, IBM437, or IBM850 if the configured encoding is not available.
• PrinterFontName -- Font for thermal printers (default: "Courier New").
• PrinterFontSize -- Font size for thermal printers (default: 9.0).

These settings are typically configured by the Setup Program and should not need to be changed during normal use.

Shift Management

The PrepStation tracks which staff member is logged in at each station. This information is recorded on completed order receipts and shared across the network so other stations can see who is active where. This article covers how login, logout, and shift handovers work.

Logging In for Your Shift

When you start your shift, tap the Login button in the toolbar. The SELECT USER window appears with a grid of staff names loaded from Config/staff.json. Tap your name to log in. A green notification confirms "Logged in as [your name]".

Once logged in:

• The status bar shows a green dot and your name.
• The toolbar button changes from "Login" to "Logout".
• Your login state is saved to Config/status.json, which other stations can read.
• Your name will appear on all receipts printed while you are logged in.

Single Login Enforcement

The system prevents the same person from being logged in on multiple stations simultaneously. When you select your name on the login screen, the PrepStation checks the status.json file of every other station configured in Config/stations.json. If your name is already logged in elsewhere, a warning notification appears (e.g. "Stephen is already logged in on Station 2") and you are returned to the login screen to choose a different name or cancel.

To log in on a different station, you must first log out from your current station.

Logging Out

To log out, tap the Logout button in the toolbar. The system will:

• Clear your name from the status bar (red dot, "No user").
• Update Config/status.json to set LoggedIn to false.
• Change the toolbar button back to "Login".

Logging out does not affect active orders on screen. Order cards remain visible and continue counting elapsed time. However, you will not be able to complete or undo orders until you (or someone else) logs in again.

Shift Handover

When handing over the station to another staff member during a shift change:

1. Tap Logout to end your session.
2. The incoming staff member taps Login and selects their name.
3. Active orders remain on screen -- no orders are lost during the handover.
4. From this point, any orders completed by the new staff member will have their name on the receipt.

Status File

The PrepStation maintains a Config/status.json file that is continuously updated. This file contains:

• StationNumber and StationMode -- Identifying this station.
• LoggedIn -- Whether someone is currently logged in (true/false).
• LoggedInUser -- The name of the logged-in staff member.
• ItemCount -- The current number of active items on this station.
• LastUpdated -- Timestamp of the last update.

Other stations read this file to determine whether your station is online and who is logged in. This is how the transfer feature knows which stations are available and how the single-login check works across the network.

Persistent Login

If the PrepStation application is restarted (e.g. after a power cycle or application update), it reads the last login state from status.json. If a valid user was logged in before the restart, they will be automatically restored as the logged-in user without needing to log in again. If the login state is inconsistent (e.g. LoggedIn is true but no user name is set), the system clears the state and starts with no user logged in.

Future Features

Detailed shift tracking features such as clock-in/clock-out times, break logging, and daily hour summaries are planned as part of the ORVO Till and admin dashboard. These features are not yet available. Currently, the PrepStation only tracks who is logged in at any given moment, not shift start/end times or hours worked.

Troubleshooting

Most PrepStation issues can be resolved quickly without calling support. This guide covers the most common problems you may encounter and how to fix them.

Printer Not Printing

If receipts are not printing when you complete orders, check the following in order:

1. Check the Printer button -- Look at the Printer button in the toolbar. If it shows OFF in red, printing is disabled. Tap the button once to toggle it to ON.
2. Check the printer power -- Make sure the printer is turned on. Most receipt printers have a small LED indicator on the front.
3. Check the paper -- Open the printer cover and check if the paper roll has run out or is jammed. Replace if needed.
4. Check the connection -- Ensure the USB cable or network cable is firmly plugged in at both ends. For network printers (using a UNC path like \\192.168.x.x\PrinterName), check that the network is up.
5. Restart the printer -- Turn the printer off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on.
6. Try a different printer -- Long press the Printer button to open the printer selection dialog and choose a different installed printer.
7. Check the log file -- The PrepStation writes printer activity to printer_log.txt in the application directory. This file shows whether the print command was sent and any error messages.

Orders Not Appearing

If orders sent from the till or TillExpediter are not showing up on your PrepStation:

1. Check the Orders folder -- The PrepStation watches the folder configured as OrdersPath in Config/setup.json (usually ./Orders). Verify that .sss files are being created in this folder. If files are there but not showing, the file watcher may have lost its connection.
2. Check the station mode -- Orders are routed by mode. If your station is Mode 1 (food) but the order contains only Mode 2 (drinks) items, it will not appear on your station. Check the status bar to confirm your station mode.
3. Check the network -- If your PrepStation is on a different machine from the till, orders are delivered via SMB file shares (UNC paths). Check that the network connection is active and the shared folder is accessible.
4. Restart the PrepStation -- Close the application using the Exit button and reopen it. On startup, the application performs a full scan of all status folders (Orders, Paused, Recall, Split) and loads any existing order files.

Transfer Not Working

If you cannot transfer orders to another station:

• Transfer button greyed out -- This means no same-mode stations are configured in Config/stations.json. Your manager needs to add station entries for your station mode.
• "[Station] is not logged in" warning -- The target station has no user logged in. Someone needs to log in on that station before it can receive transfers. The PrepStation checks each station's status.json file to determine if it is online.
• "No compatible stations available" warning -- No other stations with the same mode number exist in the configuration.
• Transfer fails with network error -- The target station's folder is not accessible over the network. Check that the target machine is turned on and the shared folder path in stations.json is correct.

Undo Not Working

If tapping Undo does not bring back an order:

• "No files to undo" -- The Undo folder is empty. This can happen if the order was completed more than 10 orders ago (older files are automatically cleaned up), or if the Undo folder has been manually cleared.
• You are not logged in -- Undo requires a logged-in user. The login screen will appear -- log in and try again.
• Order went to wrong folder -- Undo restores the order to its original status folder based on the Status line in the .sss file. If the original folder no longer exists or is inaccessible, the restore may fail silently.

Recipe Popup Not Showing Ingredients

If the long-press recipe popup appears but shows no ingredients:

• No matching recipe -- The product code in the order does not match any recipe in the JSON files under Recipes/. This can happen if a new menu item has been added to the till but the recipe file has not been updated.
• Recipe files missing -- Check that the recipe JSON files (e.g. savoury_crepes.json, sweet_crepes.json, sandwiches.json) exist in the Recipes/ folder or in the SharedData folder.
• Category configuration -- Recipe categories are defined in Config/category.json. If this file is missing or misconfigured, recipes may not load.

Restarting the PrepStation

If the PrepStation is behaving unexpectedly:

1. Normal exit -- Tap the Exit button (red button in the toolbar). This logs you out, stops all file watchers and timers, and closes the application cleanly.
2. Force close -- If the application is frozen, press Alt + F4. If that does not work, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, open Task Manager, find "PrepStation" in the process list, and end the task.
3. Reopen -- Launch the PrepStation again. The startup screen with progress bar will appear, followed by the login window. All existing order files in the status folders will be loaded automatically.

Screen Display Issues

The PrepStation runs at a fixed resolution of 1024x768 pixels in a borderless window. If the display looks wrong:

• Window appears off-screen -- The application centres itself on startup, accounting for the taskbar. If the monitor resolution has changed, a restart should reposition the window.
• Text or cards look too large/small -- Check the Windows display scaling settings. The PrepStation is designed for 100% scaling on a 1024x768 or higher resolution display.
• Orders overlap or queue unexpectedly -- The two-column layout estimates card heights. If the available height (approximately 680 pixels) is not sufficient, orders will queue. This is normal during high-volume periods.

Getting Further Help

If the steps above do not resolve your issue, contact your manager. They have access to the ORVO Setup Program with additional diagnostic tools. For technical support, your manager can reach the ORVO support team at help@orvopos.com.