A few gentle pokes to Dave for an idea for DG enhancement?

Hi, all.

I've not yet quite figured out how to use all of the features of DG, especially the Journals.

What I did note in the Journal pages was that there was no link from the PlantFiles pages to the My Journal pages (such as the link that exists between PlantFiles pages that provides "Add this plant to my trade list" so that most of the info in the trade list can be filled out without manually inputting the data).

I would like to do an inventory in my DG Journal of all my garden plants. I think it would be great if I could just click on a link from the PlantFiles with a photo and info about the plant to add the plant to my Journal, then add my own journal entry as to when and where I acquired the plant, where in my garden I planted it, and keep track of its growth, first flowering, untimely demise, etc.

I've sent this suggestion to the DG Admins and got a response from Terry that this idea may fly and be implemented if we demonstrate to Dave that we would find the added feature of a link from PlantFiles pages to Journal pages to be useful.

Please provide comments HERE to have Dave further consider the idea. No need to send in additional suggestions to Terry. Your comments will be reviewed to see if the notion will be implemented.

Thanks, Jeremy

This message was edited Aug 19, 2005 12:33 PM

It sounds sensible to me - it would be handy not to have to type info into the journal that is already available in PF.

Ummmm, just post your "for/against/alternative ideas" here please! Terry
(who's digging out from under a pile of dusty, old helpdesk messages that she found the other day ;o)

Thanks, Terry, for the reply. Sorry if I misread your personal DG E-mail message to me. If you are suddenly bombarded by messages, I greatly apologize.

I'll go back and edit my posts in other Forums about this suggestion.

Jeremy

Cross-posting the same thread in multiple-forums is very rude and inconsiderate netiquette.

Now you've been flamed by your friendly admin. ;-)

Anyway, I'm going to read your post now.

dave

In fairness, I encouraged Jeremy to post to the PlantFiles and DG Journals forums (Not a license to cross-post willy-nilly!) Yes, even posting to two forums is *technically* cross-posting, but I don't usually get too het up if I see the same message posted to two forums that are both highly appropriate for the topic.

Haven't received a sudden onslaught of messages - I'm just trying to finish closing out some old ones that escaped notice until now.

Terry

(Who's wearing her newest-generation flame retardant suit and handing Jeremy her old one, which she keeps around just in case the first one gets ruined somehow ;o)

chuckling. :-)

I like the idea, she says meekly.
sidney

i think it's a good idea

Dick

Well, my apologies all around for "cross posting." That is a rule of which I was previously unaware, but now have it seered by TERRYble flames into my DG brain (bad pun!). And in my defense, the posts were not exactly "willy-nilly," I chose only those were the topics were generally related to journals or "anything goes" discussion forums or DG suggestions forums, except for a message to the Florida Gardening group -- my allies and abettors in crime for all things gardening related.

So, Dave, now that we got your attention...........

Jeremy

This message was edited Aug 19, 2005 6:09 PM

I have been wanting to ask if it is OK to copy and paste the address of plants I have into my diary. I have been doing that, and have been trying to figure out how to word it. Jeremy I think something like this is what you are speaking of but even easier.

My worry was that I might be messing with 'computer things' by having so many links in my diary. So, if this is what you are talking about I am all for it. I am lazy and it sure is easier to click on the link than to put all that info in my diary.

Joy

Joy, I must be truly psychic, or great minds think alike. This just "dawned" on me about the time you posted this.
I will start doing this too.
sidney

Yes, Ii think it's a great idea. Thanks for thinking of it Jeremy.
Hey- tomorrow I'll bring you my Nomex suit from the cycling list.

Maggie

Hey, Maggie.

I was going to give you a phone call tonight for a couple of reasons -- but maybe I'll catch you online. Here are the things I wanted to call you about:

Do you have a Dave's Garden official T-shirt? If not, I have a new, never worn one left from the roundup I had at my place back in May which I'll bring along tomorrow.

Also, a friend of mine that has become fascinated with the caterpillars and their metamorphoses to butterflies was greatly intriqued by my description of your caterpillar pen. I briefly described what I could remember about how it was constructed. Did you build it from a certain diagram or just invent it to suit the purpose? She would like to build one similar for herself and her cats. I see lots of egg laying behavior by my butterflies, but have not yet observed a single caterpillar. I think my hefty population of chameleons and birds gobble up the caterpillars before they get a chance to get going. If they would only be so industrious in ridding my yard of the darned lubber grasshoppers when they are young, I would be much happier about the deal.

Did you want one of my gloriosa lilies? I'm sort of befuddled at this point as to who has asked for what in plant trades and I need to go back and review E-mails and posts to get it all together. If you (or anyone else coming to our get-together tomorrow) wants a gloriosa lily, I can dig it in the morning and bring it along tomorrow. I know I have one promised to Dogzilla for the Live Oak plant swap in October, but have quite a few more "volunteers" from the original patch where they came up in my yard on their own (remnants of a previous gardener's efforts, I'm sure).

Jeremy

This message was edited Aug 19, 2005 6:39 PM

This is kind 'sort of' in the same vein as linking the PF to the Journal.

I like to print out the info from the plant files, for a quick reference to how to plant. It is not very printer friendly, right now. It prints in a long column and no picture. If it was linked would it be more printer friendly from the journal pages? (No I'm sorry, I don't have any journals) lol

We talk of keeping track of our plants, I just thought It may work to print off a good looking sheet from the PF & at the same time... people may enter the info right off the plant tag furthering the PF expansion.

Does this make sense?
Anyhow, Not to rock the boat....cuz.....DAVE ROCKS!
Abigail

Veeeery good idea!!! I have wanted this feature for a loooong time. Would simplify journal entry. 8-> Janet

While I don't yet use the Journal feature, I do like the capability of adding a PlantFiles entry to my trade list. So here's a vote for those folks actively using Journals!

In addition, I would love to see that PlantFiles hyperlink persist for those entries within either the Journal or trade list features.

That way, if I have photos and/or comments regarding my plants already in the PlantFiles, I don't need to upload them separately. It would also give folks ready access to the information provided there by others besides me. :)

This message was edited Aug 20, 2005 10:58 PM

It would be nice to be able to have the PlantFiles info about a plant in my journal. I'd like to begin at the PlantFiles discription, then use that to begin my journal entry. Presently I carefully label my entry the same as it is in the PlantFiles so that it will create a link to the PlantFiles. That takes extra time because I have to hand write it from the PlantFiles, then type it into my journal, if I make a mistake and it doesn't link, then its back to the PlantFiles.

Dave you spoil us, its not THAT difficult to enter things in the journal, I just want MORE, MORE, MORE. Do you get tired of us asking for MORE, MORE, MORE? :^)

This feature is now complete!

Thankyou, what a neat feature, a real timesaver. It just keeps getting better and better. This gives me real incentive to continue what was a real centerpiece of my use of the site. The changes with the journal and the diary are terrific. Thanks again Dave.

8-) Janet

Kisses for Dave!!! and Hugs too!!!
sidney

Thanks, Dave & Terry, for the very prompt response to this request. I will start cataloguing all my plants now with the Plant Files link to Journals. It will be nice to offer a "virtual" garden tour of my yard that will include all my plant species to anyone that wants to wander through my journal entries. It will also make it easier for me to keep track of what I have planted and keep updates going on the plants progress (or lack thereof!). I think other DGers will find this a useful and interesting addition as well.

Big, green entwining vine hugs to you!

Jeremy

Thank you, thank you, thank you Dave!!

I must not be following instructions, it's not working for me. I click on the button to put it in my journal, it asks which journal, but it doesn't appear or I can't find it. What am I doing wrong?

barbur. . .these are the windows I get after I click on "Add this plant to your journal" in PF:

1. Into which journal do you want to put this?

2. New rid: 74617 The plant has been added!
Click here to select a category for it. (When you 'click here', it will go to a new window
and give you a list of your categories in that journal.)

3. Moving the (74617) to a different category
Click on the category where you want to move this item: (i.e. 'TOMATOES' in this
example.)

TOMATOES (When you click on the category, you then get a message saying it
has been moved to the new category. Otherwise it will be listed in the
chosen journal under Access by Status: Unknown. You can move it
from there to a new category using the edit feature, if you need to later.

Are you getting any of these windows at all? Try it again. Hope it works for you. 8-) Janet

It helps to go to your journal first and put in all the catagories you are going to list in. Mine are 2004 planting, Front beds, Front strip, Triangle, Side strip. Oh and Wish List.
sidney

jcangemi, When I get to 2. It says Importing a plant to your journal. The rid is blank. I've waited thinking it takes some time but nothing happens. I checked my internet connection and nothing is being downloaded.

I have checked Access by Status and I can't find it there.

Thanks for helping me. Any other ideas?

sugarweed, I already have catagories. I've searched my journal and the imported plants don't show up. Thanks for helping.

barbur, do you have any journals besides the default journal? I started off just using the default journal to put my plants in and I was having the same problem as you, but then I made a new journal and now I can import plants just fine.

Thanks ecrane3, that's exactly what happened. I have a journal named "books" that I can download them to, but not to the "default" journal. So I thought I would rename "default" journal, but I can't, only the "books" journal can be renamed.

Dave, Any ideas?

Thanks

barbur, if you can download them to your 'books' journal from PF, if you create a new journal(s) named whatever you want, you can move them there. Open each of the entries from PF in your 'books' journal by clicking on 'View' under the Action column. Down in the list after it opens will be 'Move this entry to another journal'. When you click on it, there will be a dropdown menu and you can move the entry to any journal listed there that you have already created. See if that works for you.

As an side note: You have to set up your 'Status' list in order for it to appear under Status: Unknown, just as you have to set up categories before you can put an entry into them. This is probably as clear as mud, but maybe something will 'click' (no pun intended).

I'm not getting this at all. What is a rid? How do I create a new journal? I seem to be able to add entries to my existing journal and tabs.

thanks,

Maggie

Maggie. . . this might answer some of your questions:

http://davesgarden.com/faq/journal/

As to a RID number, the following thread has some discussion about it that might help. It's sort of like a unique tag number given to each entry in your journal whether its a plant, book, whatever you're entering in your journal. I have customized my home page so that I have a Journal Box on it. It contains two boxes: "Jump to RID" and "Search Your Journal". I can enter the RID number of a particular plant and it will go right to that entry in my journal with no more effort than that required. You just need a record of the RID nos. you're working with regularly and it saves alot of time. Or you can enter the plant name in the other box and get the same result.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/487071/

Thanks for your help. In part I was confusing diaries and journals. Helps to get your terms straight.

Maggie