Journal "wish list" requests here, please

In utilizing the "Search your journal" feature, I would love to be able to have the ability to choose the sort order in which the list appears. Editing within that list would be super.

Thus if I do a sort of Hosta in "Search your journal" and I want to see all the Hosta I have planted and in what location I could do a sort on "Location" and then I could scroll down to that location and see only those that are planted there. Or by cultivar to be able to see an alphabetized list of all the plants of a particular genus. This would be a huge help when ordering new plants to avoid duplicates. Endless possibilities of good uses. Patti

I love this site. I am a new user but am going wild trying to get everything in my yard in my journal and keeping great records is one of my passions.

I'd love to be able to set up a predefined list of locations of my different gardens and be able to select a location during journal entry.

Choosing which photo will be the thumbnail would also be very nice.
Thanks

Sorting that allows you to sort by Genus then Species then cultivar alphabetically so that the plants are actually in true alphabetical order.

Returning to your prior location in your journal when you do something like make an edit.

Being able to actually make a journal entry completely at one time, currently if you start at PlantFiles add to my journal,
click here to select a category
click on the category
Go to the entry
Edit this item ( required so that one make a meaningful journal entry)
submit
Go back to the " " entry
Add an entry to this item
Submit

Why not give an option to allow upon first entry the ability to edit, add pictures, add milestones all without having to go back and forth? It works now, but it is anything but efficient having to repeatedly go to the mouse and get back where you want to be.

Having the ability to update status on a number of plants in your journal at one time.

Having the ability to work split screen, I now use two computers so that I can use one in PlantFiles while working in other parts of DG. Would be especially useful when you have pictures of your plant but don't know the name and are looking for a similar one.

I love DG but keep on making it better.

Barbara~

You can do mass changes to Status, Cateogory and actually Add an Entry to multiple records. You must click on a category or status which brings up a list of all relevant entries and then you there is a checkbox where you can select which records the mass update applies to. Once you've checked the appropriate ones you can then click on Status Change, Category Change or Add an Entry at the bottom of the list.

Not sure this is what you were looking for or not, but I know most people don't realize that function is there.


Brenda

This would be near the top of my wish list., and mabe we already have it and I don't know..
I would love to have stickys in my Diary as there are things I wish to stay at the top of the categories..
Right now I am changing the dates (which is sort of blows the idea of the dates in my diaries.) so that I can keep the desired info on top...

Rj

When you use the access by status button and click on prepare items for printing it should still print the initial comment. It only prints the initial comment if you print from a category. I have my seeds listed, with the status used as the date I need to start them. This is great because I can click on -view by "8 weeks" status- and the seeds I want to start come up, but when I try to print the list it doesn't include the initial comment, which is where I have the seed starting information. Also it should keep the items in the same order you chose to sort them by, when it prepares for printing. I like my items to be listed by order of Genus. Not the common name, which is the default for printing.

I've noticed this too, Meredith and would love to see this changed when Dave gets to working on the Journal again.

I agree it would be nice to fix that--but in the interim if you really want it printed out in a particular order, you don't have to print from that screen, you can always print the original page where you have everything sorted the way you want it. It'll work better if you set it to print landscape instead of portrait, otherwise some of the columns on the right will get cut off. You don't get exactly the same info as when you prepare things for printing (no comments for example), but maybe that would work for some people as a temporary fix.

ecrane3 - if I understand correctly - the only problem with that way is (like you said) you can't include the initial comment. I was trying to use the journal to make seed starting easy - so I need the initial comment included for sowing info on each seed.
However I think the intention of keeping it without the initial comment or enteries is so you can print a list with room to write under each Item. (It leaves a large space between each Item.)

I ended up adding a new category for printing. It is time consuming - but I went into view by status- clicked the wk I want to start and individually cloned each item- then went back in and moved each clone to the new category. (I am going to do each one as I need it because it was quite time consuming.)

This made a new wish for me - Be able to mass edit with the clone option.- Which I read someone else wish for in another thread.



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This message was edited Jan 27, 2008 12:28 PM

is there a way to add a category to the main sorting by

RID Common name Cultivar Genus Species Location Begin Date Status Entries Actions

I would like to add plant height

Allison

Is there a way to add a search block to locate a plant in your journals, similar to the rid search block? After listing all of my plants by garden beds into my journal, I sometimes forget where my plant is planted. If I had a way of entering the plant name into a search field, I wouldn't have to look through every garden journal to find it.

You already can do that. When you go into your journal, on the top of the main page (and probably all the other pages as well although I didn't check) there are two search boxes at the top of the page, one says jump to RID and the other one says search your journal. I use the search your journal one all the time to search for plants.

Thanks! I didn't know that!!!!!How exciting! Thank you! Now may be I can find some of my Lost entries!

I would love to have a "Source" column added to the journal next to the location column. Thanks, Patti

Ooooo! I would also like that. I keep that info in the text or comments area for each item but would love to have it in a separate column so that I could search and sort on that info. : )

I'd like that too--I always put that in my initial comments, but it would be great if there was a separate field for it.

Good idea Patti....I also keep track of this and a separate field would be nice especially as orders start rolling in this time of year.

I would love the columns to be changed to be more useful when cutting and pasting a plant to a forum or blog. Having it the way it is now is not useful unless the common name and the genus are the same. Thanks, Patti

As it is now.

RID Common name Cultivar Genus Species

Blue Mist Spiraea, Bluebeard Worcester Gold Caryopteris x clandonensis

I would love it to be

RID Genus Species Cultivar Common name

Caryopteris x clandonensis Worcester Gold Blue Mist Spiraea, Bluebeard

Any update in sight? Patti

Would love to see some action on this list. Would love to be able to export the info so I can at least sort and manipulate my data since I'm unable to do that online.

langbr, Love that idea. I could then make a spreadsheet for my much needed cultivar lists that could be sorted in alpha order or bed order, of source order and so on and on. The sorting functions are the weakest part of the Journal IMO. And the second is the lack of user designated columns that can be sorted. I want a column for "source" others want "primary color" or "bloom sequence" and so on.

It is wonderful to be able to go to the feature, "search my journal" for a specific cultivar , but when doing a sort for a genus, like Narcissus, for all that are currently in my journal, the list appears in an un-sortable random order (rid order) which is of little use.

I would love to hear if there are any plans to tweak this marvelous feature. I am a huge fan, but always hoping for improvement. But not being a writer of programs I don't know what is feasible. I have been involved since the 80's in a user group for a tracking system used by bookstores. The Information entry and manipulation is so similar between books and plants that I have great hope for DG's journal feature improving. Demanding such new features for such a small yearly amountis asking a lot. I would be happy to pay more for an expanded and improved Journal feature. Patti

This message was edited Oct 8, 2008 10:48 AM

I second Patti's comment......I too would be willing to pay extra for an expanded Journal tool.

Sorting is a huge issue for me in the existing Journal system. Again, Patti has captured the reason why perfectly. I want to be able to sort on ALL fields (system and user-defined). I'd like the ability to EXCLUDE items I have marked as Finished. When I search my entire journal system I get results from other secondary journals for items I've coded as Finished. This basically means all the plants at my old residence. (I start a new journal for each home and also separate journals for seed starting).

However, even if given all the ability I can dream up for sorting, I still want to be able to EXPORT data to a CSV file at a minimum. That way I can import it into my labeling software. As it is now, to label all my plants I maintain a separate database of the same exact plants in my label software. Information includes genus, species, cultivar, RID #, and added info such as Hybridizer and ploidy or division (in the case of narcissus or liliums). It would be a huge time saver to just export all the data fields I need (selectable upon execution of the export command) and add a couple of new data sets and print my label lickety-split.

I've not been actively maintaining my journal this summer. I usually save that for a fall/winter project. So I'm a little out of date on my wants & wishes. In a couple of months I could have a nice list of suggested improvements. I know there's some room for improvement in the Clone and Mass Edit features. Also printing output is rudimentary at best. (you don't get images or the choice to include/exclude image entries) You get a string of text basically that's not visually laid out in an easy-to-read manner.

I would love, love, love to provide user feedback and beta testing of improvements and changes to the Journal.

Some feedback or acknowledgment by Admin would be nice. This thread has been going since April 2005. 3-1/2 years. It's a long time to wait for a single post from an Admin (other than the initial opening post I don't see any Admin posts....I could be missing someone though). In any event, an acknowledgment that you still want our input on this topic would be comforting and reassuring at this stage that there is still desire or plan to work on the Journal tool. Or is it a lost cause to hope for improvements?

I don't mean to come off in an offensive manner. I've re-written and re-worded the above several times to insure the tone of what I'm saying comes through right without being misunderstood. I am optimistic, enthusiastic and eager to get started on changes and want to help in any way I can. At the same time, I'm a little disillusioned and somewhat jaded about actually seeing anything happen. And so, I'm just at a point where I just want to know. . . .one way or the other. . . . no time table required, just a yes or no and maybe a thanks for being persistent.

When you click on "Access All Items" near the top of the home Journal page you get a listing of ALL the items in the active Journal. However, if you then click on the link at the top of the page to "Prepare all items on this page for printing" you get a text version of ALL journal items for ALL journals, not just the active journal and not just the ones displayed on the page the link is clicked from.

I'm not sure why it happens that way when you access all items, but I tested it in my journal and if you go into your individual categories then it only shows the things that were on that page (at least in the couple categories I tried it in). So unless you feel you absolutely must have everything together, the way around it for now is print your things out category by category instead of doing everything at once.

Yep, I knew that I could do the categories that way, but I was looking for something to archive all entries. I got ALL entries, alright. lol

Is there any way to combine two entries in the same category, saving and combining all photos and entries for that plant?

Sorry--I didn't see your question sooner. I think the only way to combine entries is manually...there isn't any way to "merge" them together.

Thanks ~ that was what I suspected.

I would love to be able export my journal to excel... with the photos

I can copy and paste the print page... but no photos and impossible to sort in the format as it is

Terry, are there any plans to make any changes in the current DG Journal feature? I still love it, mostly but I still have some major hopes.

My most wanted ones are these 3

1 Change the order of the columns so when coping an entry it can be pasted and make sense.

As is now.

Patti, I know Dave is always receptive to ideas, but I also know that right now (and really for most of the next several months) he is up to his neck in 'gators (as the saying goes), with a lot of projects and to-do's. If we haven't revisited this issue by mid-2009, please give us a friendly nudge and ask again, okay?

Terry, Thanks, I will keep my "nudger" at the ready while continuing to keep my ever expanding DG Journal. I will try to list other ideas that pop up as I use the journal noted in my blog. That way when Dave has the time or interest to update the Journal, I will be able to instantly access other possible changes that I think would be nice, too. I love the blog feature. I only have one wish for it. It has become the main place in my life to file all sorts of information. Back now to the winter work of garden planning, ordering and entry work in my Journal of all the new plants that are coming and the seeds that I am about to start. Hope you escaped the ice storm. Patti

I am here to help nudge too!

Love the journal and blog/diary features and continue to explore their uses.

Wish
Garden Calendar in the diary area that you could set up by month, and the entries would stay in their Month order regardless of update entries made.

I'm always in need of ways to help me organize, so the calendar idea as said in other entries would be most valuable. I'm planting many more seeds this year and need a good way to keep track.

And I'd love the option of being able create a visual layout with plantfile pictures.

And load a digital picture of a my planting area, then use plantfile picture to paste ideas so I could get and idea of how different plant combos may look.

The ability to input text as part of the visual layout.

Drop down boxes would be great for notes

I'm a visual person and having such an interactive garden journal would be a priceless tool to have on My favorite website. Thank You
Kristin

In my ideal journal I would be able to set the journal to sort by the names of my plants on a consistent basis, and not have it constantly default to sorting by RID every time I go back to the journal page. This drives me nuts, as I am an English teacher & would rather be able to sort by alphabetical rather than numerical order. (Leave that to the Math teachers!)

There is a long list of wonderful ideas on here. Any plans for an update any time soon. I was suppose to remind you in the summer....Started yesterday, but it feels like a wild fall day here. Branches blowing down with this cool driving rain, a real nor'easter, so I am inside work on my journal. Patti

Terry, "friendly nudge" wink wink.

Another journal 'wish' - to be able to sort by the headers from a results search.Example: when I search 'daylily' - I get all of mine from various categories, which is what I want. But I'd like to be able to sort them by cultivar name.
Thanks.