Problem 1: Because we want to share our resources and let our branches place holds on any other branch's items, we have Independent Branches turned off. This also makes everyone's patrons searchable, editable and check-out-able to every other branch. Is there a way to make our items sharable but not our Patrons? Problem 2: Before migrating to this version of Koha, we never had a problem in sharing items even while IndependentBranches was on, by using the canreservefromotherbranches preference. Once we migrated, we could still share items, it's just that the automatic transfer back to the owning branch does not take place. We could get the hold, but we had trouble transferring the item home. Because of these transfer problems, we have turned IndependentBranches off. Idea for solution: The idea here would be to adapt the existing Independent Branches system preference to let librarians choose which things they want to share (holds/items/patrons/other objects). When this development is complete, it is still possible to transfer an item back to its home library with both IndependentBranches and canreserverfromotherbranches turned on.
I think hiding items between branches would be a complicated and messy affair. The current version of IndependentBranches allows a library to see other library's items, but not modify them, which I think is fair enough. So the list so far would be: Patrons Holds which is basically what we already have. It seems that in LL Koha, if IndependentBranches is enabled, and canreserverfromotherbranches is also enabled, libraries can place holds and transfer items, but there is a bug where the item cannot be transferred back to the home library. Perhaps we should focus on that first, but also try to expand this list for future development.
Fix bug that prevent items to be returned to home branch, when independentbranch and canreservefromotherbranch sysprefs are both turned ON.
Created attachment 8906 [details] [review] Created the patch and sending it.
Created attachment 9437 [details] [review] Bug 7704 -Fix bug that prevent items to be returned to home branch, when independentbranches and canreservefromotherbranch sysprefs are both turned on. Before this fix, when attempt to checkin the item at the other branch is made, system disallows checkin. Now (with this fix) the item is checked in and an automatic transfer to the home branch is setup. How to test: Case 1 Set independentbranches to "Prevent" and canreservefromotherbranch to "allow". Set up an item in branch A and a member in branch A and another member in branch B. Checkout the item to member in branch A. Place a reserve on the item on behalf of member in branch B. Return the item in branch A. Check if a transfer is setup to branch B. Checkout the item to the member in branch B and check it back in. Checkin should be allowed and at this point an automatic return to branch A (the home library) should be setup. Case 2 Set independentbranches to "Prevent" and canreservefromotherbranch to "not allow". In this case item checkin should not be allowed in branch B. Other cases Set independentbranches to "Not Prevent". Here items should be returned automatically to home branch, the value in canreservefromotherbranch has no impact. Signed-off-by: Kyle M Hall <kyle@bywatersolutions.com>
Simple enough solution... makes sense that if you can reserve from other branches, you can return to other branches, and not if not. I'm sure there could be a quote123 situation here, but I think this is an improvement. Marking Passed QA.
This should not be applied to 3.8 IMO, because that's a behaviour change that can be a trouble for a library not spotting the change during the update !
There have been no further reports of problems so I am marking this bug resolved.