Add before

Table of Contents

Welcome to PoochPlanner

PoochPlanner is the quintessential address book, crafted exclusively for dog cafe owners. We understand the unique challenges you face, which is why PoochPlanner comes packed with features designed specifically to simplify contact management for dog cafe owners like yourself.

By seamlessly combining the efficiency of a Command Line Interface (CLI) with an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI), PoochPlanner empowers you to effortlessly complete your contact management tasks twice as fast as traditional GUI applications.

Get started by following the steps in this user guide! Experience the difference today with PoochPlanner — the ultimate solution tailored to your needs.

Introducing PoochPlanner

PoochPlanner is your go-to address book, tailor-made for dog cafe owners like yourself. With four main contact types — person, staff, supplier, maintainer — each equipped with its own set of attributes and functions, managing your contacts has never been easier.

Contact Definition and Examples
Person Any person that does not fall under staff, supplier, or maintainer.
E.g. neighbor, work friend
Staff Any full-time or part-time employee working in your dog cafe.
E.g. waiter, waitress, dishwasher
Supplier Any logistics partner that supplies stock for your dog cafe.
E.g. kibbles supplier, coffee beans supplier
Maintainer Any externally hired specialized personnel that takes care of the dogs.
E.g. dog groomer, veterinarian

But our commitment to improving your contact management experience doesn’t end here. In addition to the essential functionalities such as adding contacts, searching for contacts, editing contacts, deleting contacts, viewing help menus, listing all contacts, clearing all contacts, undoing commands, and redoing commands, PoochPlanner comes loaded with extra features. You can now pin important contacts, jot down notes, set reminders, rate, and even sort your contacts - all to ensure a seamless and efficient workflow tailored to your needs as a busy dog cafe owner.

Feature Purpose
Pin/Unpin Pin/Unpin contacts so that you can easily access your important contacts.
Note Add notes to contacts so that you can keep track of all of your important details.
Remind View reminders of upcoming deadlines so that you will never miss any of your tasks.
Rate Add ratings to your contacts so that you can easily track the performances of your contacts.
Sort View your contacts in a sorted list so that you can easily filter and locate your contacts.

This user guide is designed to help you easily navigate the commands of PoochPlanner and make the most of this tool, whether you are a beginner or an experienced user.

  • If you are eager to get started with PoochPlanner, head over to our Quick Start section for easy-to-follow instructions on downloading PoochPlanner.
  • If you are a new user, explore the following sections to familiarize yourself with the basics:
    1. Navigating the GUI : Learn about the input box and contact cards.
    2. Features : Discover the exciting features waiting for you.
  • If you are an advanced user, dive into our special features to further enhance your experience:
    1. Rate : Add performance ratings to your contacts.
    2. Pin and Unpin : Keep your frequent contacts accessible.
    3. Sort : Organize your contacts based on your preferences.
    4. Note : Add notes to your contacts.
    5. Remind : View your contacts with notes containing incoming deadlines.
  • If you want a quick overview of our commands, check out our Command Summary.
  • If you are encountering issues or have any questions about PoochPlanner, check out our Common Errors and FAQ for helpful troubleshooting tips and answers to the common queries.

Useful Notations and Glossary

While exploring PoochPlanner’s features with this user guide, you can take note of the following symbols and what they represent.

Symbol Meaning
:information_source: Important information
:exclamation: Warning or caution
:bulb: Additional information such as tips or notes

The following glossary table provides clarification on commonly used terminology.

Phrases Meaning
GUI GUI stands for Graphical User Interface and it represents the visual display of PoochPlanner that you see when PoochPlanner is running.
GUI component GUI components are parts that make up a GUI. For more information on specific GUI components, refer to this section.
CLI CLI stands for Command Line Interface and it represents a text-based user interface to interact with PoochPlanner.
Command Command refers to an input from the user that informs PoochPlanner to perform a specified action. View PoochPlanner’s Command Summary.
Prefix Prefixes are fields that come in a specified format (e.g. “; name :”, “; phone :”). View PoochPlanner’s Prefix Summary.
Case-sensitive The casing of the alphabetic characters matters (e.g. “good” is different from “GOOD”).
Case-insensitive The casing of the alphabetic characters does not matter (e.g. “good” is taken to be equivalent to “GOOD”).
Space-sensitive The number of spaces in a command matters (e.g. “happy puppy” is different from “happypuppy”).
Space-insensitive The number of spaces in a command does not matter (e.g. “happy puppy” is taken to be equivalent to “happypuppy”).
Delimiter A separator in the command input that defines the boundaries between different information in a command (e.g. “;” is a delimiter for our commands).
Contact card The box displayed for each contact which contains all of their respective details.

Quick start

  1. Ensure that you have Java 11 installed on your computer.

  2. Download the latest [CS2103T-W10-2][PoochPlanner].jar from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder that you want to use as the home folder for your PoochPlanner.

  4. Open a command terminal and navigate to the folder where you placed the jar file in.

  5. Use the command java -jar [CS2103T-W10-2][PoochPlanner].jar to run PoochPlanner.



Add before A GUI similar to the one above should appear in a few seconds.
Since PoochPlanner does not contain any sample data, an empty contacts list will be shown on first use.


  1. You can try out the sample commands below.

    • /add-person ; name : Pooch ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : iampooch@gmail.com
      The above command adds a general contact named Pooch to your contacts list in PoochPlanner.

    • /delete ; name : Pooch
      The above command deletes a contact named Pooch from your contacts list in PoochPlanner.

    • /exit : Exits PoochPlanner.

  2. Refer to our Features section below for the details of each command.

PoochPlanner has a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that provides you with a pleasant visual experience. Here is a quick look at the different GUI components of PoochPlanner.

Basic Orientation

Quick Orientation

Contact Card

Employee Card

Features

:information_source: Notes about the command format:

  • Words in [parameter] are the parameter values to be keyed in by you.
    For instance, in /add-staff ; name : [name], you will need to key in a value for the [name] parameter.
    For example, the actual command that you may input can be /add-staff ; name : Poochie.

  • Parameters can be in any order.
    For instance, if the command specifies address : [address] ; phone : [phone], phone : [phone] ; address : [address] is also equivalent.

  • You should be careful when copying and pasting commands that span multiple lines as space characters surrounding line-breaks may be omitted when copied over to PoochPlanner.

  • You should take caution when entering the commands as commands are space-sensitive.
    For instance, both ` ; address : ` and ` ; phone : ` are correctly spaced prefixes.
    Make sure that all prefixes that you have keyed in contain the correct spacing format.

Core Features

Adding a contact: add

Adds a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact so that your contacts list can be updated with new contacts.

The table below summarizes the add command, format, and examples for each contact type.

Adds a … Format & Examples
Person Format :
/add-person ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email]

Example:
/add-person ; name : Janna ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : ihelppooches@gmail.com

The above command adds a Person contact. Person’s name is Janna, phone number is 98765435, address is Poochie Street 24, and email is ihelppooches@gmail.com.
Staff Format :
/add-staff ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; salary : [salary/hr] ; employment : [part-time/full-time]

Example:
/add-staff ; name : Poochie ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 21 ; email : ilovecatstoo@gmail.com ; salary : $50/hr ; employment : part-time

The above command adds a Staff contact. Staff’s name is Poochie, phone number is 98765435, address is Poochie Street 21, email is ilovecatstoo@gmail.com, salary is $50/hr, and employment is part-time.
Supplier Format :
/add-supplier ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; product : [product] ; price : [price/(quantity)]

Example:
/add-supplier ; name : PetCo ; phone : 98673098 ; address : Meow Street 24 ; email : ilovewombatstoo@gmail.com ; product : kibble ; price : $98/bag

The above command adds a Supplier contact. Supplier’s name is Petco, phone number is 98673098, address is Meow Street 24, email is ilovewombatstoo@gmail.com, product is kibble, and price of product is $98/bag.
Maintainer Format :
/add-maintainer ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; skill : [skill] ; commission : [commission/hr]

Example:
/add-maintainer ; name : Tom Tan ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : ihelppooches@gmail.com ; skill : trainer ; commission : $60/hr

The above command adds a Maintainer contact. Maintainer’s name is Tom Tan, phone number is 98765435, address is Poochie Street 24, email is ihelppooches@gmail.com, skill is trainer, and commission is $60/hr.



Add before Above is an example of adding a person contact named "Janna".
Input: /add-person ; name : Janna ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : ihelppooches@gmail.com
Output: Adds a contact named "Janna" to your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • Contact type (person / staff / supplier / maintainer) must match the command used. /add-person, /add-staff, /add-supplier and /add-maintainer respectively.

  • The fields salary and employment are only for Staff contact type.

  • The fields product and price are only for Supplier contact type.

  • The fields skill and commission are only for Maintainer contact type.

  • Adding duplicate names will not be allowed.

  • name is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • email must in the format {example}@{domain} or {example}@{domain}.{extension}.

  • phone must be in the format {Number} and at least 3 digits long.

  • Only one phone number is allowed to be inserted per contact.

  • salary and commission must be in the format ${Number}/hr.

  • price must be in the format ${Number}/{quantity}.

  • employment must be either “part-time” or “full-time”.

:bulb: Tip:

  • You can use the /undo command to undo an /add-XYZ command so that you can revert your changes!

Editing a contact : edit

Edits a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact so that you can consistently modify and update your contacts list in PoochPlanner with new details.

The table below summarizes the edit command, format, and examples for each contact type.

Edits a … Format & Examples
Person Format :
/edit-person ; name : [name] ; field : { phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] }

Example:
/edit-person ; name : Mochie ; field : { address : Pooch Street 31}

The above command edits the address field of Mochie to Pooch Street 31.
Staff Format :
/edit-staff ; name : [name] ; field : { phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; salary : [salary] ; employment : [part-time/full-time] }

Example:
/edit-staff ; name : Thomas ; field : { address : Poochie Street 25 ; employment : full-time }

The above command edits the address and employment fields of Thomas to Poochie Street 25 and full-time respectively.
Supplier Format :
/edit-supplier ; name : [name] ; field : { phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; product : [product] ; price : [price] }

Example:
/edit-supplier ; name : Rachel ; field : { product : kibble ; price : $75/bag}

The above command edits the product and price fields of Rachel to kibble and $75/bag respectively.
Maintainer Format :
/edit-maintainer ; name : [name] ; field : { phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; skill : [skill] ; commission : [commission] }

Example:
/edit-maintainer ; name : Alice ; field : { commission : $10/hr}

The above command edits the commission field of Alice to $10/hr.



Add before Above is an example of editing a person contact named "Janna".
Input: /edit-person ; name : Janna ; field : { address : Pooch Street 31 }
Output: Edits the address field of the contact named "Janna" in your contacts list to "Pooch Street 31".


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • Contact type (person / staff / supplier / maintainer), must match the command used. /edit-person, /edit-staff, /edit-supplier, and /edit-maintainer respectively.

  • name is a compulsory field that is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • The fields salary and employment are only for Staff contact type.

  • The fields product and price are only for Supplier contact type.

  • The fields skill and commission are only for Maintainer contact type.

  • At least one field must be provided.

  • phone must be in the format {Number} and at least 3 digits long.

  • email must in the format {example}@{domain} or {example}@{domain}.{extension}.

  • salary and commission must be in the format ${Number}/hr.

  • price must be in the format ${Number}/{quantity}.

  • employment must be either “part-time” or “full-time”.

:bulb: Tip:

  • You can edit multiple fields simultaneously to save time!

Searching a contact : search

Filters a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact in your contacts list in PoochPlanner so that you can locate your contacts easily.

Format:
/search ; [search-field] : [value]

Examples:

  • /search ; phone : 98765432

    The above command searches for all contacts with the phone number 98765432.

  • /search ; salary : $50/hr

    The above command searches for all staff with a salary $50/hr.

  • /search ; name : Poochie ; phone : 98765432

    The above command searches for all contacts with the name Poochie and the phone number 98765432.



Add before Above is an example of searching for a contact named "Tom".
Input: /search ; name : Tom
Output: Finds all contacts that contain "Tom" in their names in your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • Any valid fields, such as name, phone, address, email, salary, employment, price, product, skill, commission, tag or note, can be provided as a search field.

  • Multiple search fields may be provided.

  • Queries are case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • Duplicate entries for the same fields are not allowed. For instance, /search ; name : Janna ; name : Poochie is not allowed.

:bulb: Tips:

  • You can use /list to see your full contacts list again after searching for a contact!

If you would like to search for the exact salary/price/commission, you may follow this format:

  • To search for the exact salary and commission, your input must be in the format ${Number}/hr.

  • To search for the exact price, your input must be in the format ${Number}/{quantity}.

If you would like to search for salaries/prices/commissions within a specified range, you may follow this format:

  • To search for a range of values for salaries/prices/commissions, your input must be in the format ${Number}.

  • For instance, if you would like to search for all salaries within the range $50-59/hr, you may key in /search ; salary : $5, with $5 as the search query. This displays all staff that are paid from $50/hr to $59/hr.

  • Note that this query also searches for staff with salaries of exactly $5/hr, from $500/hr to $599/hr as well, and even in larger ranges.

Deleting a contact : delete

Deletes a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact from your contacts list in PoochPlanner so that you can remove your outdated contacts from PoochPlanner.

Format:
/delete ; name : [value]

Example:

  • /delete ; name : Poochie

    The above command deletes the contact named Poochie, provided Poochie exists in your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of deleting a contact named "Janna".
Input: /delete ; name : Janna
Output: Deletes the contact named "Janna" from your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • name is a compulsory field that is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

Special Features

Rating a Contact : rate

Gives a performance rating to a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact from your contacts list in PoochPlanner so that you can track the performance of your contacts.

Format:
/rate ; name : [name] ; rating : [rating value from 0-5]

Example:

  • /rate ; name : Poochie ; rating : 3

    The above command rates the contact named Poochie with a rating of 3, provided a contact with the name Poochie exists in your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of rating a person contact named "Janna".
Input: /rate ; name : Janna ; rating : 5
Output: Rates the contact named "Janna" with a rating of 5 in your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • rating can only accept whole number values from 0 to 5 inclusive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • name and rating are compulsory fields that are both case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A rating of 0 is equivalent to no rating given and will not display any rating.

:bulb: Tip:

  • You can set a contact’s rating to 0 to reset its rating!

Pinning a contact : pin

Pins a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact so that your important contacts will always appear at the top of your contacts list in PoochPlanner.

Format:
/pin ; name : [name]

Example:

  • /pin ; name : Poochie

    The above command pins the contact named Poochie, provided a contact with the name Poochie exists in your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of pinning a person contact named "Tom".
Input: /pin ; name : Tom
Output: Pins the contact named "Tom" in your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • name is a compulsory field that is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • Using the pin command on a contact that has been pinned does not make any changes to your contacts list and simply repins the same contact successfully.

  • A contact will remain pinned if you use the undo command once on a contact that has been pinned twice or more.

:bulb: Tips:

  • Use the pin command for your frequent contacts!

  • For your convenience, if you have accidentally made a typo in the name value, you may conveniently rectify your mistake by retyping the name prefix and name value in your command as only the latest field will be processed.

Unpinning a contact : unpin

Unpins a person / staff / supplier / maintainer contact so that your less important contacts can be removed from the top of your contacts list in PoochPlanner.

Format:
/unpin ; name : [name]

Example:

  • /unpin ; name : Poochie

    The above command unpins the contact named Poochie, provided a contact named Poochie exists in your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of unpinning a person contact named "Tom".
Input: /unpin ; name : Tom
Output: Unpins the contact named "Tom" in your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • Using the pin command on a contact that has been pinned does not make any changes to your contacts list and simply repins the same contact successfully.

  • name is a compulsory field that is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • Using the unpin command on a contact that is already unpinned does not make any changes to your contacts list and simply unpins the same contact successfully.

  • A contact will remain unpinned if you use the undo command once on a contact that has been unpinned twice or more.

:bulb: Tip:

  • For your convenience, if you have accidentally made a typo in the name value, you may conveniently rectify your mistake by retyping the name prefix and name value in your command as only the latest field will be processed.

Sorting the address book : sort

Sort the address book by a target field in lexicographical order so that you can display all of your contacts neatly and locate them easily.

Format:
/sort ; field : [target-field]

Example:

  • /sort ; field : name

    The above command sorts the contacts by name in lexicographical order.



Add before Above is an example of sorting your contacts list by the name field.
Input: /sort ; field : name
Output: Sorts all of your contacts by name in lexicographical order.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • This command sorts by specifying a valid field, such as name, phone, email, address, salary, employment, price, product, skill, commission, tag or note.

  • All field values are case-insensitive.

  • At least one field must be provided.

:bulb: Tip:

  • For your convenience, if you have accidentally made a typo in the field value, you may conveniently rectify your mistake by retyping the corresponding prefix and field value in your command as only the latest field will be processed.

Adding a note : note

Adds a note to a specified person in your PoochPlanner so that you can keep track of any additional details regarding your contacts. You may also specify an optional deadline for the note.

Formats:
/note ; name : [name] ; note : [note message]
/note ; name : [name] ; note : [note message] ; deadline : [date]

Examples:

Add a note without a deadline:

  • /note ; name : Moochie ; note : get 10kg of matcha from moochie

    The above command adds the note “get 10kg of matcha from moochie” to the contact with name Moochie. Note that this note has no deadline.

Add a note with a deadline:

  • /note ; name : Moochie ; note : get 10kg of matcha from moochie ; deadline : 2020-10-10

    The above command adds the note “get 10kg of matcha from moochie” to the contact with name Moochie. Note that this note has a deadline set to Oct 10 2020.



Add before Above is an example of adding a note to a contact named "Ben".
Input: /note ; name : Ben ; note : pay his salary of $1500 ; deadline : 2024-05-20
Output: Adds a note with a deadline to the contact named "Ben" in your contacts list.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • name and note are compulsory fields.

  • deadline is an optional field.

  • deadline must follow “YYYY-MM-DD” format.

  • name is case-insensitive and space-sensitive.

  • A contact with the specified name must be present in your contacts list.

  • note can take any non-empty string.

:bulb: Tips:

  • Notes added are intended to be short details.

  • To remove a note, specify in the note field No note here. This note is case-sensitive.

  • For your convenience, if you have accidentally made a typo in the field value, you may conveniently rectify your mistake by retyping the corresponding prefix and field value in your command as only the latest field will be processed.

  • Refrain from using ; in your note. The use of ; makes the command difficult to parse as ; is used as a delimiter. This may result in your note not being captured.

Undoing a command : undo

Undoes the most recent action so that you can easily revert the changes that you made in PoochPlanner.

Format:
/undo

Example:

  • /undo

    The above command undoes the most recent command.


Below is an example of undoing an add command:


Add before Input: /add-person ; name : Tom ; phone : 99983932 ; address : Poochie Street 20 ; email : icleanpooches@gmail.com
Output: Add a contact named "Tom" to your contacts list.




Add before Input: /undo
Output: Undoes the add command above for the contact named "Tom".


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • There are no additional fields required for this command.

  • Any unnecessary parameter or value after /undo will simply be ignored.

  • This command can only be executed when at least one change has been made.

:bulb: Tips:

  • /undo works on all commands that have modified your contacts list.

  • /undo will not work on commands that do not modify your contacts list such as /search, /list, and /help commands!

Redoing a command : redo

Redoes the most recent undo action so that you can easily revert any unintentional uses of the undo command that you made in PoochPlanner.

Format:
/redo

Example:

  • /redo

    The above command redoes the most recent undo command.


Below is an example of redoing an add command :


Add before Input: /undo
Output: Undoes the add command for the contact named "Tom".




Add before Input: /redo
Output: Redoes the add command for the contact named "Tom".


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • There are no additional fields required for this command.

  • Any unnecessary parameter or value after /redo will simply be ignored.

  • This command can only be executed when at least one /undo command has been executed.

:bulb: Tips:

  • /redo works on all commands that modify your contacts list.

  • /redo will not work on commands that do not modify your contacts list such as /search, /list, and /help commands!

Viewing help : help

Shows a help message of how to use commands so that you can get help regarding the commands easily.

Format:
/help ; command : [command type]

Examples:

  • /help ; command : delete
    The above command provides help for the delete command.

  • /help ; command : add
    The above command provides help for the add command.



Add before Above is an example of getting help for the add command.
Input: /help ; command : add
Output: Shows a pop-up help window for the add command.


:exclamation: Constraints:

  • command is a compulsory field.

  • Help is given for all valid commands in PoochPlanner. Valid command inputs include general, add, clear, delete, edit, exit, list, note, pin, unpin, undo, redo, rate, remind, search, sort.

:bulb: Tips:

  • If you wish to get help for all commands, enter the command input as general to open the general help window.

  • For your convenience, if you have accidentally made a typo in the field value, you may conveniently rectify your mistake by retyping the corresponding prefix and field value in your command as only the latest field will be processed.

Viewing reminders : remind

Shows all contacts with note deadlines from today onwards so that you can view all your upcoming deadlines easily.

Format:
/remind

Example:

  • /remind
    The above command displays all contacts with note deadlines from today onwards.



Add before Above is an example of getting a reminder of a contact with a specified note deadline after today.
Input: /remind
Output: Shows all contacts with note deadlines from today onwards.


:bulb: Tips:

  • Specifying /remind [any text] is equivalent to /remind.

  • To revert back to your full contacts list, you can use the command /list.

Clearing all contacts : clear

Remove all contacts from your contacts list so that you can reset your contacts list easily.

Format:
/clear

Example:

  • /clear
    The above command clears all contacts from your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of clearing your contacts list.
Input: /clear
Output: Clears all contacts from your contacts list.


:bulb: Tip:

  • To revert to your full contacts list, you can use the command /undo.

Listing all contacts : list

Lists all contacts in your PoochPlanner so that you can view all of your contacts in PoochPlanner at once.

Format:
/list

Example:

  • /list
    The above command lists all contacts in your contacts list.



Add before Above is an example of listing all contacts.
Input: /list
Output: Lists all contacts from your contacts list.


:bulb: Tip:

  • To revert to your full contacts list after using any filtering commands such as /search, you can use the command /list.

Exiting the program : exit

Exits your PoochPlanner application.

Format: /exit

Saving the data

Data in your PoochPlanner is saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that modifies the data. You will not need to save any data manually.

Editing the data file

Data in your PoochPlanner is saved automatically as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/poochplanner.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing their poochplanner.json file.

:exclamation: Caution:

Manually editing the JSON file is not advised and should be taken with extreme caution.
If your changes to the data file make its format invalid, your PoochPlanner may discard all data and start with an empty data file on the next run.
Hence, it is recommended that you make a backup of the file before editing it.
Furthermore, certain manual edits that you make can cause your PoochPlanner to behave in unexpected ways (e.g. if a value entered lies outside its acceptable range).

Common Errors

Unknown Command

If you encounter an unknown command error, please ensure that the command you entered is a valid command mentioned in our Command Summary. Below is an example of an unknown command input and the corresponding error message.


Add before The above image depicts the unknown command error message caused by an unknown command.

Invalid Field

If you encounter an invalid field error, please ensure that the field you entered is a valid field for the command you are using. Refer to our Command Summary for a list of valid fields for each PoochPlanner command.
Below is an example of a command with an invalid field and the corresponding error message.


Add before The above image depicts an invalid field error message caused by a help command with an invalid field.

Missing Field

If you encounter a missing field error, please ensure that the fields listed in the error message are present in your command input. Refer to our Command Summary for a list of fields required for all PoochPlanner commands. Below is an example of a command with a missing field and the corresponding error message.


Add before The above image depicts a missing field error caused by a note command with missing fields for name and note.

FAQ

Launching PoochPlanner

Q: How can I launch PoochPlanner if clicking on the JAR file does not work?
A: There are two possible methods to launch PoochPlanner.

Method 1: Using the Command Line

  1. Open the command line in your operating system’s terminal software.
  2. Navigate to the directory where the JAR file is located.
  3. Enter java -jar [CS2103T-W10-2][PoochPlanner].jar and the PoochPlanner Application should launch.

Method 2: Using .bat/.sh Scripts

  1. Create a new text file and paste the following line into the file: 
    java -jar [JAR file location]/[CS2103T-W10-2][PoochPlanner].jar
  2. Save the file as poochplanner.bat (Windows) or poochplanner.sh (macOS/Linux).
  3. Change the admin settings of the script to allow it to run as a program:
    • Windows: Right-click on the script and select Properties. Under General, check the box that says Allow this file to run as a program.
    • macOS/Linux: Open the Terminal and navigate to the directory where the script is located. Type chmod +x [script name] and press Enter.
      Note: (chmod +x changes permissions of the script to allow it to be executed)
  4. Double-click on the script to launch PoochPlanner.

Checking Java Version

Q: How can I check my Java version?
A: You can open a command line and type java -version. If you do not have Java installed, you can install Java 11 using the Oracle guide here. Alternatively, you can install the OpenJDK version. For macOS users, you may wish to follow the instructions here.

Loading Data from Another Computer

Q: How can I transfer my PoochPlanner contacts to another computer?
A: You can install PoochPlanner in your target computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous PoochPlanner by copying the contents of the poochplanner.json file from your current computer and pasting it inside the poochplanner.json file of your target computer.

Using PoochPlanner

Q: What are the available commands in PoochPlanner?
A: Please refer to our Command Summary for the list of available commands.

Q: Do I need an internet connection to use PoochPlanner?
A: All of PoochPlanner’s functionality can be used offline! No internet connection is required.

Q: How do I save my data?
A: Data is saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.

Q: If I have a lot of contacts, is there a way for me to access my most frequently used contacts easily?
A: Yes! You may wish to keep your most important contacts at the top of your contacts list. With our pin feature, PoochPlanner ensures that you are always able to see them!

The syntax for the pin command is as follows:

/pin ; name : [name]

Q: How can I remove a contact’s rating?
A: In PoochPlanner, a 0 rating corresponds to a non-rating (no rating is provided). Therefore, to remove a contact’s rating, simply give the target contact a rating of 0.

The syntax for the rate command is as follows:

/rate ; name : [name] ; rating : [rating]

Q: Can I append a note to a contact when creating it?
A: Yes you can! You may add a note to a contact at the time of its creation. Simply append the ; note : prefix, and you should be on your way!

Example: Adding a new contact with a note and a rating

/add-person ; name : Pooch ; phone : 98883888 ; address : Pooch Street 32 ; email : impooch@gmail.com ; rating : 3 ; note : Hello my name is Pooch!

:information_source: Note: While adding notes is permitted with the add command, we highly suggest you to make use of our note command if you would like to add a deadline to the note.

Known issues

  1. When using multiple screens, if you move PoochPlanner to a secondary screen, and later switch to using only the primary screen, the GUI will open off-screen. The remedy is to delete the preferences.json file created by your PoochPlanner before running PoochPlanner again.

Prefix Summary

A prefix is an integral construct of PoochPlanner’s commands that allow PoochPlanner to uniquely identify contact fields.

Prefix Field Contact Type
; name : Specifies the name of the contact. All
; phone : Specifies the phone number of the contact. All
; address : Specifies the address of the contact. All
; email : Specifies the email address of the contact. All
; note : Specifies the note appended to the contact. All
; rating : Specifies the rating given to the contact. All
; deadline : Specifies the deadline of the note appended to the contact. All
; command : Specifies the command type to give help for. All
; salary : Specifies the salary of the contact. Staff
; employment : Specifies the employment of the contact. Staff
; product : Specifies the product sold by the contact. Supplier
; price : Specifies the price charged by the contact. Supplier
; skill : Specifies the type of service offered by the contact. Maintainer
; commission : Specifies the commission charged by the contact. Maintainer

Command Summary

Action Format and Example
Add Person Format :
/add-person ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email]

Example :
/add-person ; name : Janna ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : iamjanna@gmail.com
Add Staff Format :
/add-staff ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; salary : [salary] ; employment : [part-time/full-time]

Example :
/add-staff ; name : Poochie ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 21 ; email : ilovecatstoo@gmail.com ; salary : $50/hr ; employment : part-time
Add Supplier Format :
/add-supplier ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; product : [product] ; price : [price]

Example :
/add-supplier ; name : PetCo ; phone : 98673098 ; address : Meow Street 24 ; email : ilovewombatstoo@gmail.com ; product : kibble ; price : $98/bag
Add Maintainer Format :
/add-maintainer ; name : [name] ; phone : [phone] ; address : [address] ; email : [email] ; skill : [skill] ; commission : [commission]

Example :
/add-maintainer ; name : Tom Tan ; phone : 98765435 ; address : Poochie Street 24 ; email : ihelppooches@gmail.com ; skill : trainer ; commission : $60/hr
Edit Person Format :
/edit-person ; name : [name] ; field : { target-field : [value] }

Example :
/edit-person ; name : Poochie ; field : { address : Poochie Street 25 }
Edit Staff Format :
/edit-staff ; name : [name] ; field : { target-field : [value] }

Example :
/edit-staff ; name : Poochie ; field : { salary : $40/hr ; employment : part-time }
Edit Supplier Format :
/edit-supplier ; name : [name] ; field : { target-field : [value] }

Example :
/edit-supplier ; name : Poochie ; field : { product : kibble ; price : $75/bag }
Edit Maintainer Format :
/edit-maintainer ; name : [name] ; field : { target-field : [value] }

Example :
/edit-maintainer ; name : Poochie ; field : { commission : $10/hr }
Delete Format :
/delete ; name : [name]

Example :
/delete ; name : Poochie
Search Format :
/search ; target-field : [value]

Example :
/search ; name : Poochie
List Format :
/list

Example :
/list
Help Format :
/help ; command : [command type]

Example :
/help ; command : delete
Rate Format :
/rate ; name : [name] ; rating : [rating]

Example :
/rate ; name : Poochie ; rating : 5
Undo Format :
/undo

Example :
/undo
Redo Format :
/redo

Example :
/redo
Pin Format :
/pin ; name : [name]

Example :
/pin ; name : Poochie
Unpin Format :
/unpin ; name : [name]

Example :
/unpin ; name : Poochie
Sort Format :
/sort ; field : [target-field]

Example :
/sort ; field : name
Note Format :
/note ; name : [name] ; note : [note]
or
/note ; name : [name] ; note : [note] ; deadline : [deadline]

Example :
/note ; name : Poochie ; note : get dog for groomers ; deadline : 2020-10-10
Remind Format :
/remind

Example :
/remind
Exit Format :
/exit

Example :
/exit