How-To Guide

Getting started

From first launch to your first herb.

1. Open the app. The Herbs page is the front of your book. It starts with one sample herb that you can edit or delete.
2. Tap + to add an herb.
3. Type the name. Suggestions for names and plant families appear as you type; tap one to fill the fields.
4. Fill in only what you want. Any section you leave empty is hidden once the herb is saved, unless you chose to show empty sections.
5. Tap Save.

Herbs

Browse and find.

• Choose By family, A–Z by common name or A–Z by botanical name to organise the page like the chapters of a printed book.
• Tap the magnifying glass to search everything.
• Touch and hold a herb to select it, then tap others to select more. From there you can select all or print the selection.
• Tap an herb to open it. Edit it from the pencil button.

Search

Find anything you have written.

1. Tap the magnifying glass at the top of any tab and start typing. Two letters are enough.
2. Results are grouped by kind (herbs, recipes, batches, remedies, stock and so on). Each shows where the words were found, such as a section name or a journal entry, with the match highlighted.
3. Use the chips under the search box to look in only some places: Herbs, Recipes, Batches, Remedies, Organizer or Glossary. If you switch every chip off, everything is searched.
4. Tap a result to open it.

Sections and tabs

Decide what each herb page holds.

1. Open Settings, then Sections and tabs.
2. Turn sections on or off, drag them into the order you like and rename them.
3. Add section creates a section of your own, for example a journal or a growing log.
4. New tab creates a tab. Choose which tab each section sits in with Move to tab.
5. Show empty sections controls whether blank sections appear on a saved page.

Photos

Pictures on every herb.

1. Open an herb and tap Edit.
2. Add a photo from the camera, your gallery, or Google Drive.
3. Give each photo its own caption. The first photo is the main one; use Make primary to move another photo to the top. You can edit a caption later from the Photos page.
4. Photos are stored inside the app and are included in backups and shared files.

Recipes

Keep your own recipes and link them to herbs.

1. Go to the Recipes page and tap +.
2. Give it a name, write your notes, and pick the herbs it uses. The picker has a search box, so a long list stays quick.
3. Save. The recipe now appears on each linked herb, and the herbs appear on the recipe.

Batches and reminders

Remember what you made and when it is ready.

1. Open a recipe and add a batch, or use the Batches page. Enter the date made and, if you like, a ready date.
2. To be reminded, open Settings, then Batch reminders, turn on Notify me when a batch is ready and choose a time. Android will ask for notification permission.
3. You can also pick an early heads-up. Switch reminders off any time.

Reminders are local notifications on your phone; nothing is sent anywhere. The same Reminders setting also covers batch review dates and best-by dates on the stock you track in the Organizer.

Batch codes, places and checks

• A new batch gets a code made from its date (you can change it or clear it). Add where it is kept, what it is in, and a review date.
• On a batch, add a check whenever you look at it: choose Good, Investigate or Discard and write what you noticed. Looks and smell cannot show whether something is safe, and the app says so.

Remedies

Tie recipes and herbs together.

1. Go to the Remedies page and tap +.
2. Name it, add your notes, and link the recipes and herbs it relates to.

These are your own records. The app does not suggest, check or verify anything you write.

Tags

Your own labels, on anything.

1. When you add or edit a herb, recipe, batch, remedy, glossary term or stock item, use the Tags field. Start typing to pick an existing tag, or choose Create to make a new one.
2. On any list, tap tags in the bar at the top to show only items that have all of the tags you picked.
3. Open Settings, then Tags to rename a tag, give it a colour, merge two tags into one, or delete one. Counts show how often each is used.

Tags are not case-sensitive, so "Calming" and "calming" are the same tag.

Organizer

Keep track of what you have, where it is and what needs attention.

1. Open the Organizer tab. The Needs attention card lists stock marked for discard or inspection, expired or soon-to-expire items, things to reorder, and batches due for review or ready to open.
2. Inventory: add the herbs, preparations, equipment and supplies you keep. Link an item to one of your herbs or batches so its name follows any change you make, and add quantity, form, supplier, lot, dates and where it is kept. Set its status (plenty, reorder, inspect or discard).
3. Tap an item to see its details and a Journal of dated notes, such as "opened it" or "moved to the fridge". You can back-date entries.
4. Storage: create places such as a cabinet and the shelves in it. Places can be nested.
5. Suppliers: record where you buy things, with contact details and notes.
6. From a herb or a batch, choose Add to inventory to start a stock entry that is already filled in.
7. Open the menu on the inventory list and choose Export as CSV to open your stock in a spreadsheet.

References and safety notes

Sources you use, and your own reminders.

• References: log the books, papers, sites or courses you use, with author, link and the date you consulted them. Rate how much you trust each (A to D) and add notes.
• Safety notes: write down anything you want close at hand, for example a first-aid reminder or an emergency number. Mark a note as an emergency to keep it at the top. The app ships with none and shows a fixed reminder that the notes are only yours.

Glossary

Plain-language terms, in your own words if you like.

1. Open the menu and choose Glossary.
2. Search it, filter by tag, or tap + to add your own term.
3. You can edit or delete any term, including the built-in ones. Use the glossary menu to restore the ones you deleted or reset the list to its defaults.

The built-in terms are neutral vocabulary. They are not advice and not guidance on use.

Import from a document

Write your herbs on a computer, then bring them in with their photos.

1. Open Settings, then Import herbs from a document and tap Get the template. Choose Word (.docx) or OpenDocument (.odt) and send it to yourself, or download it here.
2. Open it on your computer in Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs or a similar program. Keep each label (such as Herb Name:) and replace the note after it with your own text. Only Herb Name and Family are required. The template page explains the layout.
3. Save it as .docx or .odt, send it back to your phone, and tap the file (in your email, for example) to open it in Apothecary Suite. Or choose Choose a file on the import screen.
4. Look over the preview. Herbs that are new are ticked. For a herb that is already in the app, choose Skip, Replace, or Add copy (the copy is numbered, for example "Peppermint (2)").
5. Tap Import.

Nothing changes until you confirm. Your document is read on your phone and is not sent anywhere.

Printing and labels

Paper copies, through Android's print screen.

• Open a herb, open its menu and choose Print. To print several, touch and hold one herb on the Herbs page, tap the others, then tap the print button.
• On a batch (menu) or a stock item, choose Print label for a small label showing what you recorded: code, dates, quantity, container and where it is kept.
• Pick a printer, or Save as PDF, on Android's print screen.

Sharing

Send a page or the whole collection.

1. Open an herb, recipe or remedy and use the Share button, or use Share collection for everything.
2. The app makes a file (photos included) and opens Android's share sheet. You choose where it goes.
3. To open a file someone sends you, tap it. Apothecary Suite opens and asks how you want to import it.

Shared files are not encrypted unless you add a passphrase, so only send them to people you trust.

Backup and restore

Keep a copy, or move to a new phone.

1. Open Settings, then Backup and restore, then Create backup.
2. Optionally turn on Protect with a passphrase. The file is then encrypted on your device. If you forget the passphrase nobody can recover the backup, including us.
3. Save or share the file somewhere safe, such as Google Drive.
4. On the new phone choose Restore or import and pick the file. Replace everything swaps in the backup; importing shared herbs adds to what you have.

Themes and PIN

Make it look and lock the way you like.

• Settings, then Appearance: pick one of seven colours and choose Light, Dark or System.
• Require PIN: set a PIN (and biometric unlock if your phone has it) so the app asks before showing your entries. The PIN is stored only on your device and we cannot reset it, so keep a backup.