Question 1

What is the Share section in MyMalcolm for / how does it work?

Accepted Answer

The Share section of MyMalcolm gives you tools to embed and share content from Malcolm! into your existing websites, applications and social spaces.

You can bring content from Malcolm! directly into your current website via embeds. Choose the content you want to embed and how you want it displayed and we'll give you some code. Inserting that code into your current website will load in your content from Malcolm!

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/N17DhjfW2Z/Screenshot%202021-12-30%20at%2013.57.57.png ("Choose your embed type in MyMalcolm)

You can embed individual FAQs or Workflows, create custom widgets that can pull in things like search results, category listings, all content by a particular author, recent content, tagged content, most popular content and much more.

If you don't have a website or you want to group all your Malcolm! content together you can use our Hosted Hub.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/77KnCbIxOb/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-11_21_58.png (About our Hosted Hub)

We also have a plugin for Wordpress.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/3xBONmPNuf/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2019.11.05-11_06_58.png (The Share section of MyMalcolm)

In addition to the above customers on our Enterprise plans have full access to our API which means they can pull from and push content to Malcolm! in a variety of ways - please speak to your account manager for more details.

Question 2

Can I embed HTML or add iframes to Malcolm! content?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! FAQ supports embedding content via HTML iframes.

Most popular content channels such as YouTube and Vimeo offer an embed sharing option via HTML iframes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/TEt5gCaFXw/Screenshot%202021-01-29%20at%2011.06.24.png (Screenshot 2021-01-29 at 11.06.24 (1).png)

Malcolm! has two buttons on its editor toolbar. One for inserting video or presentation type content and one for other type of content. To use these features simply locate the HTML iframe code on your content channel and copy/paste it into one of these two dialogs.

Question 3

Can I pass secure values into Malcolm! Workflows via the URL?

Accepted Answer

Passing data into a Workflow via the URL is a feature we've had for a while - read more - but what if the data you want to pass is confidential?

Understandably, you wouldn't want to pass that straight in. Luckily Malcolm! understands how important protecting your data is so we've come up with a solution that allows values to travel safe and secure with minimal effort!

A beginners guide to encryption

Suppose you have a value, such as an account number, that you don't want anyone else to read. Encryption provides a way to scramble this value so only you and the people you share the password or secret key with can read it.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/FR8yDloV2d/encryption-diagram.png (encryption-diagram.png)

The sender uses the secret key to scramble the original value and the encrypted value is sent to the receiver. On receipt of the encrypted value the receiver uses the same secret key to unscramble the value back to the original.

And that's encryption in a nutshell!

Step 1: Generate a secret key

The secret key can be any string you like, but Malcolm! recommends using a random string of at least 36 characters. A simple ruby command can quickly generate one for you.

Keep your secret key safe - you'll need it later!

Step 2: Share your secret key with Malcolm!

We do this via the Workflow Builder. Any question field that supports URL query values can now be secured with your secret key - e.g. text fields, hidden fields, number fields, email address fields, etc.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/g6hGpX1dvl/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.43.37.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.43.37.png)

Here's a simple example which starts with a text field renamed to "Account number".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/b4uJV41azB/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.51.53.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.51.53.png)

To enable URL values open up the edit window, scroll to the bottom and turn on "Allow a value to be set in URL query". Malcolm! will automatically generate a query name for you but you can change it to something different if you prefer.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/7OhxX21Mdq/Screenshot%202021-11-10%20at%2013.52.01.png (Screenshot 2021-11-10 at 13.52.01.png)

Next turn on the "Secure the query value" and paste in your secret key.

Hit save and that completes the configuration!

Step 3: Encrypting values

Malcolm! uses OpenSSL and the "aes-128-gcm" cipher to decrypt values.

Passed values need to be encoded and made up of three parts -

The Initialisation Vector used during the encryption
The Authentication Tag resulting from AEAD ciphers
The encrypted string

Initialisation Vectors are generated using the OpenSSL rand function. For our chosen cipher these need to be exactly 12 bytes long. If using PHP you can use the openssl_random_pseudo_bytes function.

Why 12 bytes? This just happens to be the required length for our chosen cipher. In PHP you can verify this by using the openssl_cipher_iv_length function.

This will output -

Next use the OpenSSL enc function to create the encrypted string. Here's an example using the PHP openssl_encrypt function.

This will assign an Authentication Tag to the $tag variable (passed by reference) and an encrypted string to the $ciphertext variable.

Note - in PHP we pass OPENSSL_RAW_DATA to generate binary data.

Complete the process by concatenating $iv, $tag and $cipertext into a single string - Malcolm! needs all three for the decryption process!

As we're passing this value via the URL we need to first encode it. Use a Base 64 encoder followed by a URL encoder to ensure all the characters are sent correctly. In PHP this is the base64_encode function and urlencode functions respectively.

This is the final encoded string!

For simplicity all the steps from above can be put in a single function.

And that's all there is to it ;)

Question 4

What is MyMalcolm?

Accepted Answer

MyMalcolm is comprehensive control panel area of Malcolm! where you can manage your instances. It is accessed at https://my.malcolm.app.

Question 5

What is my Hosted Hub?

Accepted Answer

Every instance of Malcolm! comes with a Hosted Hub. This is a website that we host for you. You can customise it entirely to your requirements. You can change the branding, the colours, the fonts, the layout, the copy, the icons etc etc. You can even configure it to work on one of your own domains or sub domains.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/V93ed8Zu51/brand-facebook%402x.png (Hosted Hub on Malcolm!)

If you don't have a current website your Hosted Hub could be your main website. If you already have your main website at www.domain.com you could set up your fully branded Malcolm! Hosted Hub at a sub domain like support.domain.com or help.domain.com or customers.domain.com

Some customers may not wish to do this and instead may wish to integrate Malcolm! into their current website. No problem! We have a whole section in the MyMalcolm Control Panel dedicated to this and there a variety of ways you can bring content and functionality from Malcolm! into your own website. We've also got a plugin for Wordpress and a variety of widgets and further integration options coming soon. Customers on our Enterprise plans can have full progamatic access to Malcolm! content and functionality via our comprehensive API.

Question 6

How do I pay for Malcolm?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! billing is based on Instances. You can read more about Instances here.

You can see our pricing here.

You can read more about VAT and how we apply it here.

We currently bill in UK Pound Sterling and US Dollars.

At the time of writing we accept Visa and Mastercard. We also accept Paypal through which you can use American Express. We don't currently accept Bitcoin :-)

Plans are paid monthly in advance. When you trial ends (or if you end your trial early and remove the restrictions) we'll ask for your card details and every month we will automatically take payment unless you cancel. If your card expires or the payment fails we will send you a number of automated emails to ask you to update your details. If no action is taken after a grace period we will stop serving your content (ie your FAQ's and Workflows) and after a further grace period we will delete your Instance.

Enterprise plans are more bespoke in nature and are negotiated on a per client basis. These can also be paid by credit or debit card but it's more typical for clients to pay quarterly or annually via invoice and bank transfers.

Question 7

Can I use two-factor (2FA) / multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure my MyMalcolm account?

Accepted Answer

You can secure your MyMalcolm user account using two-factor authentication (2FA). To use this feature you will need a native MyMalcolm user account, that is you are not using Sign In with Google.

To turn 2FA on click the "Enable two-factor authentication" button in the Security tab of your profile. To access your profile click your name at the top of the screen where it says "Logged in as".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/iermJcbNuB/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2023.04.14-15_38_30.png (Enabling two-factor authentication in MyMalcolm)

You will then be shown a QR code you can scan in your choice of authenticator app. Alternatively there is also an option to be given a text code to enter into your authenticator app.

On the next screen, having added Malcolm! to your authenticator app, you will be asked to type in the current code. Once that code is accepted, as the final step of the process, you will be given some recovery codes which you should store safely and can be used to access your Malcolm! account if you are ever unable to use your authenticator app.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/6pXAu1iddP/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2023.04.14-15_54_29.png (Recovery codes in MyMalcolm two-factor authentication setup)

Please note that if you lose access to your authenticator app and your recovery codes we will be unable to restore access to your account!

Question 8

How to integrate with Mews using Workflow integrations

Accepted Answer

At Malcolm! HQ we continue to roll-out our built-in Workflow integrations, our most recent being the Mews Property Managamenet System.

Use a Malcolm! Workflow to capture information or record choices from your guest then have that data added to the guest notes in Mews. All you need from your guest is their Surname and Confirmation Number or a Reservation ID.

Connect to Mews

Get started in MyMalcolm by connecting to your Mews account via Settings > Workflows > Integrations using your Mews Client token and Access token.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/nV6HefCjKn/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2009.59.27.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 09.59.27.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/31zLOc5PSh/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2009.59.46.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 09.59.46.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/W5MGLxYUvx/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.00.51.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.00.51.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/igxpR5jiUq/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.01.04.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.01.04.png)

Build the Workflow

Start a new Malcolm! Workflow and capture the guest Surname and Confirmation Number.

If you prefer a hidden Reservation ID could be passed in via the URL, for example using a link in a direct email to the guest. URL values can also be tokenised to hide their true value. Read more on Setting Workflow values in a URL and Securing Workflow values.

Finish by adding the fields you'd like to capture in guest profile notes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/EzbeRogC4Y/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.05.53.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.05.53.png)

Configure the integration

From the builder head to Configure > Integrations and choose the Mews integration.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/itYnbSd00O/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.06.31.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.06.31.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/l8M5UTXKsH/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.06.45.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.06.45.png)

Choose the "Add notes to a guest profile" action and your Mews booking service.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/fy8HASkjMf/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.03.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.03.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QD16dElxZr/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.09.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.09.png)

Connect up your Malcolm! Workflow fields.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/QPrIZSUn6F/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.39.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.39.png)

Finish by enabling the integration and saving.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/zfnYbaPohW/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.56.56.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.56.56.png)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/vISxJiGvRj/Screenshot%202022-03-28%20at%2010.07.53.png (Screenshot 2022-03-28 at 10.07.53.png)

We hope you enjoy using this new integration. If you have any feedback or questions please get in touch below or via support@malcolm.app.

Question 9

Can I turn off automatic email alerts?

Accepted Answer

Malcolm! will automatically send you email alerts when certain activity happens on your instance, such as a user leaving feedback or a Workflow being completed. Wherever possible we aggregate these alerts so you receive fewer emails but if you'd rather not receive them you can easily turn them off.

To do this, from the MyMalcolm control panel area, click your name at the top of the screen where it says "Logged in as"

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/LgmiVqgthh/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2020.01.16-10_57_39.png (Logged in Navigation in MyMalcolm)

You'll then be taken to your personal preferences. If you select the "Notifications" tab on the left you'll be able to edit the notifications you receive. Remember to hit "Save" once you are done!

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/aez6lFczno/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2020.01.16-11_03_51.png (Manage your notifications in MyMalcolm)

Note that your notificatons are based on an instance. If you are a user on more than one instance you should first switch to the instance you wish to adjust notifications for. You can do this using the drop down selector at the top right of the screen. You can therefore have different notification preferences for different instances. The notificiation preferences you choose are personal to you and will not affect the notifications of other team members on an instance.

If you are the owner of an instance, you can edit the notifications members of your team receive. To do this go to the Team section, click on the name of the team member in question then select notifications. Remember to hit save when done. Also note than you can assign the permission for a team member to be able to edit other team members notifications via the permissions tab.

Question 10

Can I embed YouTube or Vimeo videos in my FAQs and Workflows?

Accepted Answer

You can easily embed YouTube or Vimeo videos into your FAQs and/or Workflows. Within the FAQ compose interface press the video icon. This will bring up an area where you can paste the URL of the video you wish to embed.

Insert video dialog in MyMalcolm

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/oFZ9QoY435/screenshot-my.malcolm.app-2023.04.02-17_56_57.png (Insert video dialog in MyMalcolm)

If you want to use some of the embed customisation options that YouTube and Vimeo offer you should use the full embed code from those platforms (rather than just pasting the URL). Paste their embed code into the lower part of the MyMalcolm insert video dialog.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/HwJyEPPI3q/resources/m6StT5M3j9/Screenshot%202018-11-08%2020.01.41.png (Screenshot 2018-11-08 20.01.41.png)

For Workflows add a content element to your Workflow, then in the Workflow builder click to edit the content element and hit the video icon. This will bring up the same dialog as above.