PlantMinder v1.2.x
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PlantMinder
PlantMinder Has Been Released Under The GNU General Public License (GPL)
1.1 Requirements
1.2 General Overview
1.3 Running Plantminder for the first time
2.1 Views – Tasks
2.1.1 Creating a task / Updating a task
2.1.2 Making a note
2.2 Views – Pictures
2.2.1 Adding a picture or directory of pictures
2.3 Views – Journal
2.4 Views – Settings
2.4.1 Adding a plant
2.4.2 Adding a Room
2.4.3 Adding a Attribute
2.4.4 Deleting a Attribute
2.4.5 Setting Attributes
3.1 Future Plans
1.1 - Requirements
· At least 800*600 screen resolution
· Windows 2000 or XP
· Other versions of Windows “should” work, as long as MDAC 2.5 or greater is installed. I just don’t have any other versions to test.
· A Microsoft Access database is provided, although you can configure PlantMinder to use other database systems by using a DSN. See 2.4 for more.
o Microsoft SQL 7,2000 and Access have been tested via DSN connection.
1.2- General Overview
PlantMinder is a very simple application that acts as a replacement for a couple of the logs that any good indoor gardener keeps. Plantminder allows you to log notes, write in a journal, schedule tasks, and record pictures for plants, plant varieties, and rooms that you create. Plantminder also allows you to define attributes for the plants, plant varieties, and rooms such as “Date germinated” and “Total Wattage”. You can set limits on the attributes, like “Yes/No”, or leave them free text. Any changes in attributes are logged with the date changed. The “Views” that the rest of the manual refer to are selected by clicking the buttons at the top of the window.
1.2 - Running Plantminder for the first time
The first time you run Plantminder, you will have to select a database to use. A blank database is provided with Plantminder. Generally you will want to use the default database. When you start, a series of prompts will pop up. They are listed below.
· “No database setting found. Would you like to use the default?” – Generally, you want to enter “Yes” to this. The only real exception is if you are upgrading, or moving Plantminder. If you enter “Yes” here, you wont see any more prompts.
· “Database not found. Would you like to enter one?” – Click yes to enter a database, no to exit. If you click yes, then you must either select your MSAccess database or click cancel to enter a DSN.
· “Enter DSN Name” – This is your last chance to enter a database. Enter your DSN name (System or User, not File) and click OK.
2.1 - Views – Tasks
The tasks view is where you create new tasks, update tasks with comments or mark them as done, and create notes. You can browse the tasks that are out there by selecting a day on the calendar or selecting a room or plant you have created (see 2.3) from the list. When you click a day, the tasks that are due that day appear on the list, regardless of the room or plant. When you select a item from the list, you will see the tasks for that item that are due on the day that is selected on the calendar.
2.1.1 – Creating a task / Updating a task
· Creating a task – To create a task, click the “Add Task” button in the Tasks view. You must have an item selected to assign a task to, the item can be a room or a plant. When you click the button, a new dialog box will come up. Enter the task name, such as “Transplant to 2 Gallon Pot”, and description, such as “Use 1/2 Soil,1/4 Perlite,1/4 Vermiculite”. Select the due date from the calendar. If you would like to make a reoccurring task, enter the interval and length. For instance: to have a task that Reoccurs every 7 days for a year, enter 7 in the box, and select “one year” from the list. Click “Save” or “Cancel”.
· Updating a task – To update a task, double-click on it in the Tasks list in the Tasks view. The update task window will then come up. It is just like what you saw when you added the task, except that there is a checkbox for when the task is complete, and a comments box for you to enter any comments on the task.
2.1.3 - Making a note
To make a note, click on the “Add Note” button in the Tasks view. Take notice of the “Subject” and “Date” of the note you are entering. Those are determined by the item and date you have selected in the Tasks view. You can select a pre-defined note from the drop down list, type a note in the box, or do both.
2.2 – Views - Pictures
In the Pictures view, you can browse the different pictures you have added for each plant variety, room or plant. You can also view a slide show. Select the room or plant from the item list at the left, or plant variety in the dropdown list and the latest picture for the room or plant will display. Select a day on the calendar, and a picture for that day (or the closet prior day) will display. Click the button(s) to view a slide show of your plant, plant variety, or room. It will automatically pick the oldest picture (based on file modified date) first and progress through time.
2.2.1 – Adding a picture or directory or pictures
· To add an individual picture to an room, plant variety, or plant, right-click on it in any of the lists and select “Add Picture”, or click “Add Picture” in the item editor. Then, browse to the picture on your computer. After selecting it, you will see it almost full-screen size. Take notice of the “Subject” and make sure it is correct. You can enter a “Position” for the picture (or leave “position” blank). Click “Save” or “Cancel”.
· To add a directory of pictures, create an attribute called “PicDir” and assign the value to the directory of your choice. After that, whenever you get new pics, you just have to put them in the directory you selected, and they will be automatically in Plantminder. Note – Don’t add a plant manually, and have it in a PicDir, it will duplicate in slideshows.
2.3 – Views – Journal
The journal is more suited for long notes and general thoughts. Select the day on the calendar, type your entry and click “Save Journal Entry”.
2.3.5 - Setting Attributes
To set an attribute, right click on the item (Room or Plant) on any of the tree-type lists, then click on “Edit Attributes”. You will then see the item editor. You can re-name a plant/room, or change the description this way too. Below the description, you will see a list of the available attributes to set. Click on an attribute to set or change it. If the attribute you select has a restricted list of values (see 2.3.3), you can select the value you want from the drop-down list. Otherwise, enter the value for the attribute in the text area. Click “Save” or “Cancel”. Note – when you change a attribute value, the before and after values are both logged as a note for later reference.
2.4 – Views – Settings
If you change anything, make sure you click “Save”.
· DSN/Access DB Path – Path to current database
· Open or back up database – to open a new database, or save a backup copy of the current one.
· Auto Expand Rooms – This will automatically expand the rooms in the tree-type lists that show the plants and rooms.
2.4.1 - Adding a Plant
To add a plant, click on the “Plants” tab. Select the room and plant type that the plant is in from the drop-down lists. You must have at least one room, and one plant type to add plants. Enter the plant name, and description. Click “Save Plant”. You can also add multiple plants as one entry if you prefer.
2.4.2 - Adding a Room
To add a room, click on the “Rooms” tab. Enter the room name, and description and click “Add Room”.
2.4.3 - Adding a Attribute
To add a attribute, click on the “Attributes” tab. Select the attribute type (Plant, Plant Variety, or Room), and enter the name of the attribute. To restrict possible values (useful for Yes/No, Light Type, other type attributes), click the “Restrict Possible Values” checkbox and enter all the values you would like in the big text area. Hit enter after each value. Click “Save Attribute”
2.4.4 - Deleting a Attribute
To delete a attribute, click on the “Attributes” tab. Select the attribute you would like to delete from the list at the bottom, and click “Delete”.
2.4.5 - Adding/Deleting/Editing Plant Varieties
Click on the “Plant Varieties” tab. To add, enter the name and optionally a description. Edit or delete by selecting and clicking the labeled boxes.
2.4.6 - Setting Attributes
To set an attribute, right click on the item (Room or Plant) on any of the tree-type lists, then click on “Edit Attributes”. You will then see the item editor. You can re-name a plant/room, or change the description this way too. Below the description, you will see a list of the available attributes to set. Click on an attribute to set or change it. If the attribute you select has a restricted list of values (see 2.3.3), you can select the value you want from the drop-down list. Otherwise, enter the value for the attribute in the text area. Click “Save” or “Cancel”. Note – when you change a attribute value, the before and after values are both logged as a note for later reference.
3.1 – Future Plans
· A “Reports” view that will make you nifty MS Word or PDF reports (with pictures of course) that you can review.
· “Task templates” that you could apply when a new plant or created that will schedule multiple sets of tasks for any length of time.
· Support for more database systems
· More user interface tweaks, like resizing support and support for < 800*600
· A better slideshow that does stuff like fade and morph between pics
· A week by week fertilizer schedule manager
· A printable calendar, listing fertilizer schedule and tasks
· Integrated security – database and picture encryption with key storage on removable device (USB Stick) AND/OR encrypted storage of all data/pictures on removable device (HD/CDRW)