Note: any screens you see in this article might not match your BookingBuilder exactly, but don't worry about that- the differences are just cosmetic and the directions will still work.

BookingBuilder Technical Overview

This article is intended for those new to BookingBuilder, to get a general understanding of just what it does and how it does it, and does not assume you are a travel agent.  

Features/Products

BookingBuilder Desktop assists agents with booking travel.  It moves booking information (about the travelers and air reservations) from the GDS to air and rail web pages, and from web pages into the GDS, using Chrome, or Edge. This behavior is often customized for a given agency or business unit.  

BookingBuilder Desktop is also required to run other BookingBuilder products, like Autofill Dragon, BookingBuilder Genie, Unused Ticket Fetch, NDC Butler and Boost, although the core features of Desktop may not all be enabled. 

Autofill Dragon assists with booking on any web page, using AI to parse and understand the sites- Desktop supports all the major and many smaller carriers, but Dragon is there for everything and anything else, like regional airlines, hotels, car rentals.  Any site that it doesn't manage to quite understand can be corrected by users, and it will remember for the next time. 

Genie Prompts can add significant functionality- anything from a popup advising the agent to do something based on information in the GDS or web site, to database driven interactive popups that power business transactions.  These are often custom built as a part of the service, and some agencies build their own as well.  Genie prompts can dramatically extend the application's behavior.  

BookingBuilder Boost automates the complicated process of determining how to book based on contractual relationships with suppliers.  Travel agencies have contracts with airlines to earn commission on airline tickets sold.  These contracts are complicated, and often overlap to the same destination.  Boost sees what itinerary the agent is searching and offers the airline contracts that fit the route.  It easily shows the priority of one contract over another, driving increased agency revenues.

Unused Ticket Fetch pops up a list of travelers and their credits with various airlines.

NDC Butler gives agents access to NDC content, communicating with the GDS to do so.

History

GDSs (Global Distribution Systems) were some of the first computer systems used commercially, in the form of mainframes with networked terminals.   They have changed over time, but still perform the basic function of allowing airlines and travel agents to book, change, and view reservations.  Each GDS BookingBuilder supports (all the major ones) has an article in this help center with detailed information.

Some airlines and rail companies (often referred to as suppliers) eventually adopted another model, selling direct to consumers over the internet.  That was good for travelers, but the travel agents still needed to maintain records in their GDS.  That meant they had to type everything out twice, because the GDS and websites couldn't communicate.  Aside from the obvious inefficiency there were now twice as many chances to make a mistake, which can cost travel agencies revenue directly.

Enter BookingBuilder, which solves the efficiency and error problems, and helps agencies leverage their expertise to add additional value for travelers.

Dynamic Environment

The GDS systems BookingBuilder works with each have their own communications interfaces, user interfaces, and requirements.  You might run into variations of any of these names from the GDS side of things, and you can find information on each of them in this guide:

• Amadeus Selling Platform, SECO
• Apollo, Galileo
• Sabre 360/Agency Workspace, Sabre Red Web
• Smartpoint/Travelport +
• Travelport (this company name may be used informally to refer to Apollo/Galileo, Worldspan, Smartpoint, or Travelport +)
• Worldspan, Wspan, Gores

These programs are all also being updated on a fairly constant basis.  BookingBuilder developers often work with the GDS developers to coordinate changes and try to solve problems when they do crop up.

The supplier sites each have unique designs as well, also subject to constant updates- in addition to a dedicated team keeping up with those in as close to real time as possible, when they can BookingBuilder developers work in concert with the site developers.  

We monitor and react to changes in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, and changes to Microsoft Windows, as well as the Microsoft .Net Framework.  BookingBuilder is compatible with all current Windows operating systems.

Architecture

BookingBuilder uses locally stored database files to keep track of how to interact with supplier sites, and what Genie prompts and Boost Rules to use.

BookingBuilder contacts our server on startup to determine if there are any settings updates,  and then one per hour after that.  In order to avoid the need for system restarts, it stores updated files in AppData\Local\BookingBuilder, and runs using the files in AppData\Local\BookingBuilder\Bin.  It also (with default settings) stores compressed backups of those files in AppData\Roaming\BookingBuilder\BBUpdater.  It stores user settings in AppData\Roaming\BookingBuilder\Settings.

It also downloads updates to the main BookingBuilder program, unless the agency has requested we exclude them from that process.  BookingBuilder needs access to webservices.bookingbuilder.com on 80/443. All of our calls are to that same subdomain. The IP address is not static.

There are rare occasions when a new MSI installer file is required for a major update.  

BookingBuilder can log its functions, including communications with the GDS.  No PII is stored in the logs.

Browser Extensions

BookingBuilder Desktop, Genie, and Autofill Dragon require browser extensions to operate.

Desktop and Genie

• BookingBuilder installs the BookingBuilder Browser Extension MV3 extension in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, at the user level. 
• The extension is also available here.
• The registration creates a JSON file at \AppData\Local\BookingBuilder\Bin 
  • LMGoogleChromeHost.json
  • LMMSEdgeHost.json 
• The process that handles this for Chrome and Edge is LMGoogleChromehost.exe.
• For Extension Allow Lists,  Force Install Lists, etc the name is 
  febhjlaglgfcfajikodmdaclfmlgdmnh 
• For Native Messaging Allow Lists, the names are 
  com.bookingbuilder.lmgooglechromehost 
  com.bookingbuilder.lmmsedgehost
• When setting a policy in Chrome, it creates a registry key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingAllowlist 
  • The contents of that are string values named by integer. For example, if I want to allow BookingBuilder, I create a string value named 1 and the value is com.bookingbuilder.lmgooglechromehost . The next entry would be named 2, and so on.
• Similarly, Edge gets a key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\NativeMessagingAllowlist
  • The contents of that are string values named by integer. For example, if I want to allow BookingBuilder, I create a string value named 1 and the value is com.bookingbuilder.lmmsedgehost

Autofill Dragon

This tool is used very similarly to Desktop, but is designed to support sites we don't program into Desktop, such as small regional airlines, hotels, and car/limo services. 

It uses AI to identify fields on a given site, and the user can too, which it will remember for next time. They can use it to parse flight confirmations that come in unusual forms (screen shots, emails, etc). It communicates with our server side for several of those functions.  

Autofill Dragon installs Autofill Dragon extensions in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. 

• BookingBuilder installs the Autofill Dragon extension in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, at the user level. 
• The Chrome extension is available here
• The Edge extension is here
• The registration creates a JSON file at \AppData\Local\BookingBuilder\Bin 
  • BB.Client.Autofill.ChromeHost.json
  • BB.Client.Autofill.EdgeHost.json
• The processes that handle these for Chrome and Edge can have multiple instances running
  • BB.Client.Autofill.ChromeHost.exe
  • BB.Client.Autofill.EdgeHost.exe
• For Extension Allow Lists,  Force Install Lists, etc the names are 
  • Chrome: jbkhekenpiohehhlhabmjalckiiohgop 
  • Edge: phdeoppdebobfncjckdfpeefeekkbdjo 
• For Native Messaging Allow Lists, the names are 
  com.bookingbuilder.dragonchromehost
  com.bookingbuilder.dragonedgehost
• The two native messaging apps use named pipes to communicate with bbdesktop.exe.  The pipe names are BB.Client.Autofill_01, BB.Client.Autofill_02, etc.  In most cases there should be fewer than 5 pipes open.  If you block named pipes, please make sure these are whitelisted.
• When setting a policy in Chrome, it creates a registry key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingAllowlist 
  • The contents of that are string values named by integer. For example, if I want to allow BookingBuilder, I create a string value named 1 and the value is com.bookingbuilder.dragonchromehost . The next entry would be named 2, and so on.
• Similarly, Edge gets a key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\NativeMessagingAllowlist
  • The contents of that are string values named by integer. For example, if I want to allow BookingBuilder, I create a string value named 1 and the value is com.bookingbuilder.dragonegehost

Registry Entries

BookingBuilder stores registry entries in 

HKCU\Software\LaunchMagic

and 

HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\LaunchMagic. 

For 32 bit versions of Windows it uses HKLM\Software\LaunchMagic.

LaunchMagic was the original name of BookingBuilder.

Processes

BookingBuilder can run several processes, depending on the version and features.

• BBComm.exe (only one of these will exist, even on a server with multiple BookingBuilder users)
• BBdesktop.exe
• BBUpdater.exe
• BookingBuilder Browser.exe
• LMGoogleChromeHost.exe
• BB.Client.Autofill.ChromeHost.exe
• BB.Client.Autofill.EdgeHost.exe

Resources

BookingBuilder's resource requirements vary depending on how many GDSs are active at once, which products are in use and how they are configured.  These numbers were developed based on a 'heavy' setup, with a lot going on.

• RAM
  • Idle: 75MB
  • Active: 250MB
• Disk
  • Program folder 50MB
  • AppData\Local 300MB
  • AppData\Roaming 2MB

Requirements

To run BookingBuilder, you need:

• Windows 10 or later
• .Net 4 and 3.5
• Google Chrome and /or Microsoft Edge