1. Rez a Tip Jar;
2. Edit the configuration notecard in the content of the Tip Jar (read well the included instructions and set the configuration parameters as you prefer);
3. Reset the Tip Jar and grant the permission to handle your money*;
4. Copy your Tip Jar every time you want it and grant the permission to each copy. Done!

* Read below the paragraph “About the request to take money from the owner” for more information.

Read the guide >

The behavior and appearance of the Tip Jar can be customized by using some hidden configuration parameters.
The hidden configuration parameters are not included in the standard configuration notecard because they are rarely used by the common users.

Even if these parameters are not included in the default configuration notecard, you can add them by copying and pasting one or more of them in your configuration notecard

DISPLAY_NAMES: write YES if you want to use the Display Names instead of the Legacy Names. Otherwise, write NO. [Default value = YES]
#DISPLAY_NAMES = YES

WRONG_GROUP_TEXT: this is the text of the IM sent to a person who tries to log in but has not the right active group. Write NONE (capital letters) to disable this notification. [Default value = Sorry, you have to change your active group to be allowed to use this Tip Jar.]
#WRONG_GROUP_TEXT = Sorry, you have to change your active group to be allowed to use this Tip Jar.

TEXT_COLOR: this is the color of the floating text. Write one of the following colors: BLACK, WHITE, RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, MAGENTA, CYAN, or write your custom vector (eg. TEXT_COLOR = <0.4, 0.0, 0.5>). [Default value = WHITE]
#TEXT_COLOR = WHITE

TIP_JAR_ALIAS: If you don’t like calling it “Tip Jar”, you can change its name in all the menus and chat messages of the device. You can name it “Donation box”, “Money box” or whatever you want. [Default value = Tip Jar]
#TIP_JAR_ALIAS = Tip Jar

TIP_ALIAS: If you don’t like calling it “tip”, you can change its name in the floating text above the device and in the menus. You can name it “donation”, “gift” or whatever you want. [Default value = Tip]
#TIP_ALIAS = Tip

TEXT_HEIGHT: write a number between 0 and 5 to raise a little the floating text of your Tip Jar. 0 is the minimum height, 5 is the maximum height. [Default value = 0]
#TEXT_HEIGHT = 0

DISABLED_TEXTURE: Change this value only if you are configuring the “Profile pic.” version of the Tip Jar. Write the UUID key of a picture that will be displayed on the Tip Jar when it is unused. [Default value = 0]
#DISABLED_TEXTURE = 0

PASSEPARTOUT: Change this value only if you are configuring the “Profile pic.” version of the Tip Jar. Write YES if you want to display the white passepartout frame around the profile picture, otherwise write NO. [Default value = YES]
#PASSEPARTOUT = YES

ROTATION: Change this value only if you are configuring the “Floating” version of the Tip Jar. Write X or Y or Z to define the axis of rotation of the device. Write NO to disable the rotation. [Default value = Z]
#ROTATION = Z

HEIGHT: Change this value only if you are configuring the “Floating” version of the Tip Jar. Write a decimal number (also with negative sign) to adjust the floating height of the device. E.g. #HEIGHT = 2.5 rises the Tip Jar 2,5 meters; #HEIGHT = -1.0 lowers the Tip Jar 1 meter. [Default value = 0.0]
#HEIGHT = 0.0

NOTIFICATIONS_TO_USERS: this is the method used by the Tip Jar to notify users about their tips. Write one of the following: IM, POPUP, BOTH, NONE. Write FREE if you want to let users free to choose their payment notification. [Default value = FREE]
#NOTIFICATIONS_TO_USERS = FREE

PLAY_SOUND: write the name of a sound in the content of the Tip Jar (case sensitive). It will be played after each tip; write NONE (capital letters) if you don’t want to play any sound. [Default value = NONE]
#PLAY_SOUND = NONE

SEND_GIFT: write the name of a copy-transfer item (an object, a landmark, a notecard, etc.) in the content of the Tip Jar (case sensitive). It will be sent to the donors after each tip; write NONE (capital letters) if you don’t want to send gifts. [Default value = NONE]
#SEND_GIFT = NONE

All the plugins come with detailed installation and configuration instructions.

The official plugins for ‘The Excellent’ Tip Jar are sold by Seedro Lowey.
The following third-party plug-ins are trusted by LOW Industries:

• OAD Lovense plugin

Attention: Do not drop any unknown scripts into the Tip Jars, since they can be used to steal your money or break the device.

The Data Bank for ‘The Excellent’ Tip Jar is a device that collects data about your Tip Jars, their active sessions and the tips their users receive.

Learn more >

1. ‘The Excellent’ Tip Jar can be connected to ‘The Most Tipped’ Contest Board and to ‘The Best Donor’ Contest Board.
2. Rez the Contest Boards anywhere in the same sim where you rezzed your Tip Jars;
3. Edit the configuration notecard of each Tip Jar and set the parameter ‘MOST_TIPPED_CONTEST = YES’ and/or ‘BEST_DONOR_CONTEST = YES’.

Why does the Tip Jar, during its initialization, ask you to grant the permission to take money from your account?

The alert you get is generated by the viewer and it may be more or less worrying, depending on the software you’re using to connect to Second Life. It is intended to inform you that the device will be able to manage the money in your account and you should grant the permission only if you trust the source.

Due to a basic rule of Second Life, when a Tip Jar is paid money goes to your account because you are the owner of the device. Then the Tip Jar needs to give the money to the user, by taking the donated amount from your account.
Don’t worry: the Tip Jar will not use your own money, it just takes from your balance the money paid by the donors (or just a percentage of it, if you want to keep a commission).

So, when a Tip Jar asks you to grant a request, click “Grant” and it will start to read the configuration notecard; otherwise it will be disabled.

For more info, you can also read this post.

v 4.2

• All the versions of the Tip Jar are now compatible with the OAD Lovense Plug-in.
• The Users can now change the notification method whenever they want during the active session.
• Fixes a bug that prevented the parameter MASTER_TIPJAR to properly work.
• Security and performances improved.

v 4.1

• Fixes a bug that blocked the payments to the Tip Jar and caused the hover text to suddenly disappear or revert to the default state.
• New configuration parameter: HIDE_LOW_TIPS. It allows to hide from the hover text the low tips in order to incourage donors to give higher tips.
• The profile pic. version of the Tip Jar now allows the user to set the pic ratio, to avoid stretched textures.
• Fixes a bug that caused an error while splitting money paid to ‘The Master’ Tip Jar, when using both ‘The Excellent’ Tip Jar [Float.] and the Dispenser.
• Menus improved.
• The script is now faster when sending messages to the user and to the donor.
• Improves the compatibility with the Data Bank.
• Boosted overall performance.

v 4.0.2 (all versions) & 4.0.3 (floating version only)

• Improvement of the compatibility with ‘The Master’ Tip Jar.
• Improvement of the flotation.

v 4.0.1

• Improves the functions used by the script to split the tips with the managers of the Tip Jar.
• Adds compatibility with new plugins that will be released soon.
• Solves a bug that prevented the textures to be loaded by the Profile pic. version of the device.

v 4.0

• Brings the compatibility with the Data Bank for ‘The Excellent’ Tip Jar, the device that collects and organizes data about your tip jars, the tips, and the sessions.
• You can now choose the rotation axis for the Floating version of the Tip Jar.
• Fixes a bug that caused the Floating Tip Jar not to properly work if HEIGHT was set to a decimal number between 0 and -1.
• Fixes a bug that caused the Floating Tip Jar not to properly work with RANGE = 0.
• Global improvements to the scripts of all the versions of the Tip Jar.

v 3.1.4

• Fixes a bug that caused the script to crash when the owner made a mistake in the configuration notecard.
• Now it’s again possible to split the money with the managers of the Tip Jar, even if the user is the owner of the device.
• The parameters OWNER_COMMISSION and OWNER_COMMISSION_GROUP were renamed to COMMISSION and GROUP_COMMISSION.
• GROUP_COMMISSION can be set to always be the same as COMMISSION.
• Also the floating version of the Tip Jar can now be set to never log out its user.

v 3.1.3

• Avoids double transactions when the owner of the Tip Jar is tipped.
• Adds a new hidden configuration parameter to the floating version of the device: now it’s possible to set the floating height.
• Small bugs fixed.

v 3.1.1 and 3.1.2

• Fix a bug that caused a problem with the managers’ menu.

v 3.1

• The Tip Jar can now be reserved for a single avatar and nobody else will be allowed to use it!
• Includes a bug fix in the text sent to the owner of the device when he/she logs out.
• When clicked by a client, the Tip Jar displays a popup that invites to donate and explains how to do it.
• The DETECTION_RANGE parameter is now also used to configure the floating version of the Tip Jar.
• Various improvements and minor bug fixes.

v 3.0.1

• Fixed a bug that caused an unexpected stop of the automatic tips when an auto_tip_limit was set.

v 3.0

• New shape! The tip jar is now 100% mesh.
• The features of the Tip Jar can now be extended by adding plugins! Captcha plugin is now available.
• The detection range can now be set to scan the whole parcel or the whole sim.
• By default, the Tip Jar now uses the display names instead of the usernames.
• Menu engine improved. The donors will not see neither the duration of the current session nor the tips in the menu: they will get a message that invite them to tip.
• A lot of minor bug fixes and improvements.

v 2.5

• New feature: The touch-menu now displays the duration of the current session and the amount of the last tips.
• New feature: The owner can now set the auto tip to be given a limited number of times during the same session.
• Bug fix: solved a bug that caused the floating tip jar to randomly spam its coordinates in the chat of the owner.
• By default, the Tip Jar now uses the Display Names instead of the Usernames.
• Various improvements and minor bug fixes.

v 2.4

• New feature: The owner can set a different commission percentage for the members of his group.
• This version includes great improvements in performances because the ‘Core’ script of the tip jar hasbeen enormously lightened with the introduction of the ‘Notecard reader’ script.

v 2.3

• New feature: Added compatibility with the ‘Tip-o-Meter’, a new tool that allows to set a donation goal and track the progresses.
• New feature: The floating Tip Jar can now follow their user everywhere in the sim, even if the user teleports far away from the Tip Jar.
• Bug fix: It’s no more necessary to place the Tip Jars within a range of 100 meters from the contest boards to let the system work.

v 2.2.1

• Fixed a bug that caused a problem in the floating text when the parameter ‘DETECTION_RANGE’ was set to 0 in the configuration notecard.
• Fixed a bug that caused a problem in the floating text when the automatic tip was enabled and the owner away from the region.
• New feature: The default texture of the “Profile pic.” version can now be customized.

v 2.2

• New function: the managers of the Tip Jar can now log out the users.
• New function: The Tip Jars can now be connected to ‘The Best Donor’ Contest Board.
• Bug fix: solved the problem that affected the menus of the owner.
• Bug fix: If multi_login is enabled, the Floating Tip Jars won’t overlap.
• Minor bugs and mistakes fixed.

v 2.1.3

• Bug fix: Solved a problem that was making invisible the options menu and some chat messages sent by the Tip Jar to its owner.

v 2.1.2

• Bug fix: Solved a problem that was occurring when splitting money when the Tip Jars were linked to ‘The Excellent’ Server.

v 2.1.1

• Bug fix: When the automatic tip is set, the Tip Jars won’t pay the users at the beginning of the set period but at the end.
• Bug fix: Floating Tip Jars and Profile Picture Tip Jars won’t add repeatedly a suffix to their name every time somebody logs in.
• Minor bugs fixed.
• Minor changes to the guides.

v 2.1

• New options available in the store: Now The Excellent Tip Jars come in three different versions: the classic Tip Jar, the picture profile Tip Jar and the Floating Tip Jar.
• New Function: The Tip Jar is now compatible with “The Most Tipped” Contest Board, the panel that displays the profile picture of the most tipped avatar in your club.
• New Function: The owner can now give an automatic tip to the registered users, if they stay logged in the Tip Jar for a set period.
• Removed Function: The config_recapitulation has been removed as it was an unused feature that consumed a lot of script memory.
• Some rarely used parameters (last_donation_alias, total_donation_alias and tip_jar_alias) have been hidden by the configuration notecard, but they can still be added, if required. See the readme file.
• Changed the structure of the Core script, removed the Error Checker script and added the Menu Engine.
• Bug fix: Improved the loading of default configuration when the parameters are deleted from the configuration notecard.
• Minor changes to the configuration file.
• Minor changes to the guides.

v 2.0

• New Function: The Tip Jar is now compatible with “The Excellent Server” by LOW Industries.
• New Function: “Info” button now displays also how much time the registered user is logged. After the log out the Tip Jar says to the registered user how much time he/she has been logged.
• New Function: The owner can now customize the name of the Tip Jar and set an “alias” of the “last donation” field and of the “total donations” field in the floating text.
• New Function: Now it is possible to delete the unused configuration values from the configuration-card in order to make the initialization faster.
• New Function: If renamed, the Tip Jar, won’t change its name to the default one.
• Upgraded Function: The Tip Jars were not able to prevent multiple access if the distance between them was exceeding 100 meters; now there is no maximum distance (but the Tip Jars have to be in the same region).
• Bug fix: If there is more than one error in the configuration-card, the Tip Jar says in chat all the correction it needs and not only the first one it finds.
• Bug fix: The scripts have been cleaned up. Less lag produced.
• New shape for the “Ready to use” Tip Jar.
• Minor bugs corrected.

v 1.1

• Bug fix: The Tip Jars were not able to prevent multiple access if the distance between them was exceeding 20 meters; now the maximum distance is 100 meters.
• New Function: Now the owner can configure the Tip Jar to display the last donor and the total donations independently.

v 1.0

• First version for sale.