QR Code Punch
This page covers the settings for punching by scanning a QR code posted at each spot. For the participant side, see the Punch Method Guide.
Participants punch a spot by scanning a QR code posted there. This is useful where GPS accuracy is poor, or when you want a reliable record of arrival at a spot. Available on standard events (Score / Score (Free Start and Finish) / Fixed Order).
The "QR code punching" setting appears only on standard events (Score / Score (Free Start and Finish) / Fixed Order). On permanent (no time limit) events and Safety Tracking events, the setting does not appear and QR punch cannot be used (it is always treated as "Don't use QR").
Event QR mode
In the event settings, QR code punching sets the default mode for the whole event.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Don't use QR | QR punching is not used (as before). No scan button for punching and no spot QR codes appear (in events with a Bonus QR, a scan button for reading the Bonus QR appears) |
| QR only | Controls and finishes are not punched by getting close (neither by Auto Punch nor with the button); they are punched only by scanning the QR code. Scanning does not check whether the participant is close to the spot |
| GPS or QR | Can be punched either when the participant gets close to the spot (by Auto Punch or with the button, following the category's punch method) or by scanning the QR code |
| GPS + QR (both required) | Getting close alone does not punch (neither by Auto Punch nor with the button). When a participant gets close, the scan button becomes active and scanning confirms the punch |
A start is always begun with GPS (you do not need to post a QR code at the start). Only controls and finishes are subject to QR punching.
Per-spot override
You can override the QR mode for each spot. The default is Follow event default, and you can set an individual spot to "Don't use QR / QR only / GPS or QR / GPS + QR (both required)". This lets you require QR on a particular spot, or remove it from one.
The setting ("QR punch (this control)") appears only when the event's QR mode is something other than "Don't use QR". On both iOS and Android, you configure it on the edit screen opened from All Spots on the event management screen (dashboard); it is not shown on the spot edit screen inside a course.
How QR mode and punch method relate
The QR mode decides whether spots are punched by QR code, and how that relates to GPS (getting close). The punch method in category settings decides whether a punch is recorded automatically when the participant gets close or with the button, and what happens after the punch (taking a photo, or whether the details screen of a spot with a quiz opens automatically). The two combine independently.
- Example: GPS + QR (both required) × Camera Punch — get close, the scan button activates, scan the QR, and the camera opens for a photo
- Example: QR only × Auto Punch — GPS does not record; scanning the QR confirms the punch (no photo)
- Example: GPS or QR × Manual Punch — get close and the punch button becomes active; the punch can be recorded with the button or by scanning the QR (getting close alone does not record it)
- Example: QR only × course with quizzes — if the punch method is Manual Punch & Photo, the details screen of the spot with the quiz opens after scanning the QR. With other methods the screen does not change, and participants open the details screen from the spot on the map to answer (Punch Method Guide — Quiz Punch)
Showing and printing QR codes
On a QR-enabled event, you can show and print each spot's QR code.
- Show one — from the menu that appears when you select a spot, Show QR code displays that spot's QR code on screen
- Print all — from the Spot Punch QR item (on Android, Spot Punch QR list) in the "Prepare" section of the event dashboard, you can export a PDF that lays out the QR codes for the controls and finishes of each course, one spot per cell (starts are excluded because they are not subject to QR punching). Print it and post each one at its spot
A QR code is unique to its spot and stops working if you recreate the spot. If you delete and recreate a spot, regenerate and repost its QR code.
When "QR code punching" in the event settings is set to "Don't use QR", the "Spot Punch QR" card on the dashboard is greyed out, and tapping it shows "Unavailable because this event does not use QR punch."