Contents
Backing up and restoring records.
Adding food and substrate items.
Adding Records
New animal records can be added by selecting 'File | Add New Record'. Also, you can click the new record button on the sidebar.
After adding your new record, remember to save the record by clicking the save button on the record's toolbar. The record will then be added to the sidebar.
Opening Records
Records are opened by clicking the open button on the record item (located on the right center and marked with a '+' character) on the sidebar. To close the record, click the close record button on the record's toolbar.
Editing Records
After making changes to records, always remember to click the save button on the record's toolbar.
Deleting Records
Records can be deleted by clicking the delete button on the record item (located on the left center and marked with a '-' character) on the sidebar. After deletion, the record will be unrecoverable.
Copying Records
Copying records is really easy. Find the record that you would like to copy and click the copy button on the record's toolbar. After copying, the record will have identical entries, including images and complete history.
Filtering Records
For a large number of animals, you can filter your collection by ID. To do this, enter a minimum of 3 characters of the ID in the 'Search ID' textbox. All matching results of your query will then be returned on the sidebar.
To return to the full collection, simply remove the inputted text from the search box.
Sorting Records
Records can be sorted by right clicking a record on the sidebar and selecting the appropriate menu item.
Sorting by the ID and species name, lists the records in ascending order. Making a selection within the status menu, will group the records by status and sort the records by ID or species name in ascending order. The view all list will also reflect the sorting choice.
Backing Up And Restoring Records
Records can be backed up or restored by selecting 'File | Backup' and choosing the appropriate menu option. When backing up records, the records will be placed into the 'MyDocuments' folder Subsequent backups will overwrite the previous one. Restoring records will cause the application to restart and reload the backup, purging the current activity.
Viewing All Records
To view the entire collection, select 'File | View Collection' or click the view collection button on the sidebar. When viewing the collection you are able to open the records in a singular view by clicking the open button on the immediate left hand side of the record.
Protecting Records
To prevent accidental deletion of records, you can protect them by selecting 'File | Protect Records'. With record protection enabled, the delete button will have no effect.
Adding Food And Substrate Items
Food and substrate items must be added by yourself, as there are no default items. To do this, double click the preferred food or substrate box and you will be presented with a window to start adding your own items. Once the items are added, they are made available across your entire collection of records. Single clicking the preferred food or substrate boxes allows for item selection.
Autocomplete Feature
The species name textbox has an autocomplete feature that will predict the animal you are attempting to add. The first two characters you enter will start the autocomplete process, and subsequent characters will then filter the choices even further.
The list of animals is quite comprehensive, but if you find that certain animals are not listed, then you can add animals by manually editing the 'AnimalList.txt' file found in the applications main directory. When editing this file be mindful of preserving the file's structure.
Global Options
You can feed, maintain and hydrate your entire collection by opening the File menu and selecting the appropriate field. Once you have made your selection, the entries in your records are reflected with today's date.
Adding Images
To add images to a record, open a record and click the 'View Images' button on the general page, and then click the add images button in the middle of the window. Multiple files can be selected for addition. After the selection is complete the images can be viewed by clicking an image or double clicking the image for a full screen view. Clicking the 'Remove Image' button will delete the image from the program, and will not affect the original file.
Please note that the images selected are not copied or moved from their original location. Only file paths are saved to the program, so if an image location changes, you will have to reinsert the image into the program.
Adding Breeding Events
When you add a breeding event, the partner ID can either be selected from your own collection or can be typed in as normal. To edit the event at a later date, simply double click the event in the history box and edit the appropriate entries.
Adding Molting Events
When you add a molting event, the new size of the animal determines the size on the general page. Editing or moving the event in the history box also affects the size on the general page. Whatever size comes first in the history box determines the animal's current size.
Animal Status
Setting the animal status gives a visual indication of whether the animal is active, sick, dead, sold, on loan or loaned in. The record item on the sidebar will reflect the status by colour. Also, for example, if the animal is marked dead, you can give reasons why on the comments box underneath.
Viewing Reports
To view reports for the entire animal collection, select 'File | View Reports'. To view a report for a specific animal, open the record of your choice and click the view report button on the record's toolbar.
To edit the details that the report will show, select 'Settings | Report Settings' and check the appropiate boxes.
Reports can be printed by simply clicking the 'Print Report' button at the bottom of the window.
Managing Contacts
To manage contacts, select 'File | Manage Contacts' or select the manage contacts button the sidebar.
When adding a contact, you must provide a name for the contact, and if entering a web address or email address, they must be valid. Contacts can be edited by double clicking a selection in the current contacts box.
Contacts can only be edited through the contact manager.
Controlling Effects
To enable or disable extra graphical features, select 'Settings | Effects'. Restart the program for the changes to take effect.
On slower machines, enabling effects can impact performance. If you experience poor performance on a high end machine, try installing the latest version of DirectX and update your graphics card drivers.
Zoom Feature
To use the zoom feature, position the zoom slider at the desired position. To reset the zoom to the default position, click the magnifying icon next to the slider.