PLS-7D: Testing Room Selection

Overview

In this module, you'll test the room selection workflow in your sandbox environment. You'll verify that YOUR room selection configuration works correctly, inventory visibility rules function as expected, pricing displays accurately, and both individual and group room selection workflows operate properly.

What you'll learn:

• How to access room selection as a test student

• How to verify YOUR lottery configuration works (if applicable)

• How to test inventory visibility rules based on YOUR tags

• How to verify room pricing displays from YOUR charge codes

• How to complete room selection as individuals and roommate groups

• How to confirm residency records are created correctly

Time: 15 minutes

What You're Testing

In this module, you're validating that:

• Room selection is accessible during the room selection phase

• YOUR lottery configuration works correctly (if configured)

• Inventory visibility rules control which rooms students see

• Room filtering and search works

• Room details display correctly (photos, amenities, pricing)

• Individual students can select rooms

• Roommate groups can select rooms together (group leader workflow)

• Residency records are created after selection

• Re-selection works if enabled in YOUR cycle

Step 1: Access Room Selection as a Solo Student

Start by testing room selection with a solo student (no roommate group).

Navigating to Room Selection

1. Access the resident portal as a test student without a roommate group (e.g., create a new test student or use one who didn't join a group)

2. Navigate to Application in the navigation bar

3. Click "Manage" on your housing application

4. Click "Room" in the application navigation menu

What to Verify

Before selection period:

• If room selection phase hasn't started, you should see a message like "Room selection opens on [date]"

• You may be able to browse rooms if "Allow room browsing for non-approved" is enabled (PLS-6B setting)

During selection period:

• Room browsing interface loads

• Available rooms display as cards

• "Book this Room" or "Select Room" button is enabled

Step 2: Test Lottery Timing (If Applicable)

If your cycle uses lottery-based room selection (configured in PLS-6D), test the timing mechanism.

Testing Lottery Windows

If you configured lottery with specific selection times:

1. Verify students see their assigned selection time

2. Verify students CANNOT select rooms before their time window

3. Manually assign a selection time to a test student in admin portal

4. Access resident portal as that student

5. Verify they can select during their window

If you configured open selection (no lottery):

1. Verify all approved students can select immediately when phase opens

2. Verify no lottery time assignments appear

Step 3: Browse Available Rooms

Test the room browsing interface and verify YOUR inventory is displaying correctly.

What to Look For

Room Cards Display:

• Building name

• Room number

• Room type (Single, Double, Triple, Suite)

• Available bed count (e.g., "2 of 2 beds available")

• Room pricing (if "Show room costs" is enabled in PLS-6D)

• Special designations or tags (ADA Accessible, Honors Housing, etc.)

• Star icon to favorite rooms

Room Detail Page (click a room card):

• Full room description

• Room photos (if uploaded)

• Floor plan (if configured)

• Amenities list

• Detailed pricing breakdown

• "Book this Room" button

Testing Checklist: Room Browsing

• ☐ Available rooms display as cards

• ☐ Room numbers and building names are correct

• ☐ Bed availability count is accurate

• ☐ Room pricing displays (if enabled in YOUR cycle)

• ☐ Room tags/designations display

• ☐ Clicking a room opens detail page

• ☐ Room photos display (if uploaded to inventory)

• ☐ Amenities list displays

• ☐ "Book this Room" button is visible and enabled

Step 4: Test Room Filtering

Verify that room filtering works correctly based on YOUR inventory tags and room characteristics.

Testing Filters

1. Click "Filter" button on the room browsing page

2. Test available filter options: • Building: Select a specific building, verify only rooms in that building appear • Room Type: Select "Double", verify only double rooms appear • Features/Tags: Select "ADA Accessible", verify only tagged rooms appear • Show Favorited Rooms: Favorite a room, enable this filter, verify it shows only favorited rooms

3. Click "Apply Filters"

4. Verify results update correctly

5. Click "Reset" to clear filters and show all rooms again

Testing Checklist: Filtering

• ☐ Filter button accessible

• ☐ Building filter works correctly

• ☐ Room type filter works correctly

• ☐ Feature/tag filters work correctly

• ☐ Multiple filters can be combined (e.g., "East Hall" + "ADA Accessible")

• ☐ Filter results display accurate count (e.g., "Showing 12 of 45 rooms")

• ☐ Reset button clears all filters

• ☐ Favoriting rooms works

Step 5: Test Inventory Visibility Rules

If your cycle uses tags to control which rooms students can see (configured in your ruleset), verify visibility rules work correctly.

How Visibility Rules Work

Your ruleset (created in PLS-4) may include rules that limit inventory visibility:

• Students with "Female" tag only see rooms tagged "Female Housing"

• Students with "ADA Accommodation" tag only see rooms tagged "ADA Accessible"

• Students with "Honors Program" tag only see rooms tagged "Honors Housing"

Testing Visibility

1. Create a test student with specific tags (e.g., "ADA Accommodation")

2. Apply corresponding tags to some inventory (e.g., tag 3 rooms as "ADA Accessible")

3. Access room selection as that test student

4. Verify they ONLY see the 3 ADA-accessible rooms, not all inventory

5. Switch to a student without the ADA tag

6. Verify they see broader inventory options

Step 6: Select a Room as an Individual

Complete the room selection workflow as a solo student to verify individual selection works.

Selecting a Room

1. As a solo test student, browse rooms

2. Click on a room card to view details

3. Click "Book this Room"

4. A confirmation modal should appear showing: • Room number and building • Bed assignment • Pricing (if enabled) • Start and end dates

5. Click "Confirm" to finalize selection

6. Verify you see a success message

7. Verify the room shows as assigned in your student portal

After Selection

In the student portal:

• Navigate to Residency section

• Verify your room assignment displays: • Building name • Room number • Bed designation • Move-in and move-out dates

Step 7: Select a Room as a Roommate Group

Now test room selection with your roommate group (Johnny + Sarah + Alex).

Group Selection Workflow

1. Access the resident portal as the group leader (Johnny Test)

2. Navigate to Application › Room

3. Browse available rooms

4. Key difference for groups: Room cards should show whether the room has enough beds for your group size • If group has 3 members, system should highlight rooms with 3+ available beds

5. Select a room with sufficient capacity

6. Confirm selection

7. Verify confirmation shows ALL group members will be assigned

Verify All Group Members Are Assigned

1. In admin portal, navigate to Admin › Residents

2. Filter by your cycle

3. Verify ALL group members (Johnny, Sarah, Alex) appear as residents

4. Verify they're all assigned to the SAME room

5. Verify each has a different bed designation (Bed A, Bed B, Bed C)

Step 8: Verify Room Pricing Displays

Test that room costs display correctly from YOUR charge codes (configured in PLS-6H).

What to Verify

1. Browse rooms as a test student

2. If "Show room costs" is enabled in YOUR cycle (PLS-6D): • Room pricing should appear on room cards • Pricing should appear on room detail pages • Pricing should match YOUR charge code configuration

3. If "Show room costs" is disabled: • Verify NO pricing information displays to students • Students select based on features, not cost

4. Verify pricing format is clear (per semester, per year, total, etc.)

Step 9: Test Re-Selection (If Enabled)

If your cycle allows students to change their room selection (configured in PLS-6D), test the re-selection workflow.

Testing Re-Selection

1. As a test student who already selected a room, return to the Room section

2. Verify you see your current room assignment

3. Look for a "Change Room", "Select Different Room", or similar button

4. Click to start re-selection

5. Browse and select a different room

6. Confirm the new selection

7. Verify your assignment updates to the new room

In admin portal, verify:

• Old residency record shows status "Cancelled" or "Transferred"

• New residency record created for new room

• Old room bed is now available again

• New room bed is now occupied

Step 10: Verify Residency Records in Admin Portal

After students select rooms, verify that residency records are created correctly in the admin portal.

Checking Residency Records

1. Navigate to Admin › Residents

2. Filter by YOUR cycle (use the cycle filter dropdown)

3. Verify you see residency records for all students who selected rooms

4. Click on a resident name (e.g., Johnny Test)

5. Verify residency details: • Building: Correct building • Room: Correct room number • Bed: Correct bed designation • Status: "Assigned" (not yet checked in) • Start Date: Matches cycle residence start date from PLS-6A • End Date: Matches cycle residence end date • Cycle: YOUR cycle name

Testing Checklist: Room Selection

Access

• ☐ Room selection accessible during room selection phase

• ☐ Room selection blocked before phase starts (if dates are future)

• ☐ Approved students can access room selection

• ☐ Unapproved students cannot access (if applicable)

Lottery (If Configured)

• ☐ Students see their assigned selection time

• ☐ Students can only select during their time window

• ☐ Selection blocked outside assigned window

• ☐ Lottery time display is clear and understandable

Room Browsing

• ☐ Available rooms display as cards

• ☐ Room details are accurate (building, room number, bed count)

• ☐ Room photos display (if uploaded to inventory)

• ☐ Room amenities/features display

• ☐ Availability status is accurate ("2 of 2 beds available")

Filtering

• ☐ Filter button accessible

• ☐ Building filter works

• ☐ Room type filter works (Single, Double, Triple, Suite)

• ☐ Feature/tag filters work (ADA, A/C, Private Bathroom)

• ☐ Multiple filters can be combined

• ☐ Filter results update correctly

• ☐ Reset button clears filters

Visibility Rules

• ☐ Students only see rooms they're eligible for based on tags/rules

• ☐ Restricted rooms don't appear for ineligible students

• ☐ Visibility explanations display (if configured)

Pricing

• ☐ Room costs display on cards (if enabled)

• ☐ Room costs display on detail pages (if enabled)

• ☐ Pricing matches YOUR charge code configuration

• ☐ Pricing format is clear (per semester, per year, etc.)

• ☐ Different room types show different pricing (if configured)

Individual Selection

• ☐ Solo student can select a room

• ☐ Confirmation modal displays with room details

• ☐ After confirming, success message appears

• ☐ Room shows as assigned in student's Residency section

• ☐ Room shows as occupied in inventory (no longer available to others)

Group Selection

• ☐ Group leader can access room selection for the group

• ☐ System highlights rooms with enough beds for group size

• ☐ Group leader can select room for entire group

• ☐ Confirmation shows all group members will be assigned

• ☐ All group members assigned to same room with different beds

• ☐ Non-leader group members see assignment in their portal

Re-Selection (If Enabled)

• ☐ "Change Room" button appears for students with assignments

• ☐ Students can browse and select a different room

• ☐ Old assignment is cancelled/transferred

• ☐ New assignment created

• ☐ Old room bed becomes available again

Admin Verification

• ☐ Residency records created in Admin › Residents

• ☐ Residencies tied to correct cycle

• ☐ Room and bed assignments accurate

• ☐ Residency status is "Assigned"

• ☐ Residency dates match cycle residence period

• ☐ Group members all assigned to same room

Common Issues & How to Fix Them

Step 11: Test Edge Cases

Test uncommon scenarios to ensure robust workflows:

Edge Case 1: Two Students Select Same Room Simultaneously

1. Open two browser windows side-by-side

2. Access resident portal as two different test students

3. Both students browse to the same room

4. Both click "Book this Room" at nearly the same time

5. Expected result: First student to confirm gets the room; second student sees "Room no longer available" error

Edge Case 2: Group Tries to Select Room Too Small

1. As group leader with 3-person group, try to select a double room (only 2 beds)

2. Expected result: System should block selection or show "Insufficient beds for group size" message

Edge Case 3: Room Features Don't Match Preferences

1. Student with "ADA Accommodation" tag tries to select non-ADA room

2. Expected result: Depends on your ruleset configuration: • Hard rule: Selection blocked entirely • Soft rule: Warning message but selection allowed • No rule: Selection allowed without warning

Testing Complete Checklist

Before moving to PLS-7E (Post-Selection Workflows), verify:

• ☐ Room selection accessible during room selection phase

• ☐ Available rooms display correctly with accurate information

• ☐ Room filtering works for all filter types

• ☐ Inventory visibility rules work correctly (if configured)

• ☐ Room pricing displays correctly (if enabled)

• ☐ Solo student successfully selected a room

• ☐ Roommate group successfully selected a room together

• ☐ All group members assigned to same room with different beds

• ☐ Group size limits enforced correctly

• ☐ Re-selection works (if enabled)

• ☐ Residency records created in Admin › Residents

• ☐ Residencies tied to correct cycle

• ☐ Edge cases tested and handled appropriately

Key Takeaways

• Room selection requires application approval and active room selection phase

• Lottery configuration controls when students can select (if enabled)

• Inventory visibility rules control which rooms students see based on tags

• Room filtering helps students find specific room types or features

• Room pricing displays based on YOUR charge code configuration and cycle settings

• Individual students select one bed; roommate groups select multiple beds in one room

• Group leader selects for entire group; all members assigned to same room

• Residency records are created after room selection with status "Assigned"

• Re-selection workflow allows changes if enabled in YOUR cycle

What's Next: PLS-7E

Now that you've tested room selection and have test students with room assignments (residency records), you're ready to test post-selection workflows.

In PLS-7E: Testing Post-Selection Workflows, you'll:

• Test document signing with YOUR document templates

• Test meal plan selection with YOUR meal plans

• Test additional forms (if configured)

• Test move-in scheduling with YOUR moving groups

• Verify QR code generation

• Explore the complete residency dashboard

Continue to PLS-7E →

Additional Resources

• Selecting a Room, for Students - Student-facing room selection guide

• PLS-6D: Room Selection & Lottery Configuration - Review room selection settings

• PLS-4: Tags & Rulesets - Review how visibility rules work