Re: Apothecary Keeper question

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April 6, 2006

> Hi .

> I've put that program on my " check it out " list. Perhaps the company

has a

> support line or FAQ to help you? If they don't I won't purchase it!

>

> Anya

Hi Anya,

I just talked to the guy. He was very friendly and helpful and

suggested a way I can get around my problem. He tells me he is going

to come out with a version 2,that will be able to handle more fields,

not sure when though. Still, I recommend this one for inventory

tracking and automatic calculation of value of inventory, with other

features. You can keep track in mls,ozs, lbs, drams, tbsps,

materials,and many others. I'm happy I bought it.

April 7, 2006

At 11:33 PM 4/6/2006, you wrote:

> > Hi .

> > I've put that program on my " check it out " list. Perhaps the company

>has a

> > support line or FAQ to help you? If they don't I won't purchase it!

> >

> > Anya

>

>Hi Anya,

>

>I just talked to the guy. He was very friendly and helpful and

>suggested a way I can get around my problem. He tells me he is going

>to come out with a version 2,that will be able to handle more fields,

>not sure when though. Still, I recommend this one for inventory

>tracking and automatic calculation of value of inventory, with other

>features. You can keep track in mls,ozs, lbs, drams, tbsps,

>materials,and many others. I'm happy I bought it.

Thanks for keeping us posted, . It will be very exciting if such an

affordable program can be tweaked for our use. I recently got QuickBooks

because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory bit on

there, and I may have to spring for this program, especially if you say you

get up and running quickly.

Anya

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April 7, 2006

.. I recently got QuickBooks

because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory bit on

there, and I may have to spring for this program, especially if you say you

get up and running quickly.

Anya

Hi Anya,

I tried to make QuickBooks work for me. I finally realized that the whole

assumption behind the standard versions of QuickBooks is that you buy a

product (inventory) and then you sell it. Works great for shops, etc. But,

if you buy raw materials and convert them into a manufactured product, it is

just about impossible to make QuickBooks do the inventory tracking and

accounting. I have read, though, that Intuit makes a much more expensive

version of QuickBooks for manufacturers, which does do inventory tracking.

I haven't tried it.

Steve Earl

Glen Custom Perfumery

April 7, 2006

At 10:15 AM 4/7/2006, you wrote:

>

>. I recently got QuickBooks

>because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

>estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory bit on

>there, and I may have to spring for this program, especially if you say you

>get up and running quickly.

>

>Anya

>

>Hi Anya,

>

>I tried to make QuickBooks work for me. I finally realized that the whole

>assumption behind the standard versions of QuickBooks is that you buy a

>product (inventory) and then you sell it. Works great for shops, etc. But,

>if you buy raw materials and convert them into a manufactured product, it is

>just about impossible to make QuickBooks do the inventory tracking and

>accounting. I have read, though, that Intuit makes a much more expensive

>version of QuickBooks for manufacturers, which does do inventory tracking.

>I haven't tried it.

>

>Steve Earl

>

>Glen Custom Perfumery

>

April 7, 2006

At 10:15 AM 4/7/2006, you wrote:

>. I recently got QuickBooks

>because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

>estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory bit on

>there, and I may have to spring for the Apothecary Keeper program,

>especially if you say you

>get up and running quickly.

>

>Anya

>

>Hi Anya,

>

> I tried to make QuickBooks work for me. I finally realized that the whole

>assumption behind the standard versions of QuickBooks is that you buy a

>product (inventory) and then you sell it. Works great for shops, etc. But,

>if you buy raw materials and convert them into a manufactured product, it is

>just about impossible to make QuickBooks do the inventory tracking and

>accounting. I have read, though, that Intuit makes a much more expensive

>version of QuickBooks for manufacturers, which does do inventory tracking.

>I haven't tried it.

Hi Steve;

That " much more expensive version " must be the one my accountant

recommended a few weeks ago, and i brushed it off. Gak. She said it would

allow me to see what each bottle would cost. The SW was $2000k! I'll do it

by hand before I spring for that. I still need the QB I got, so I'll start

using it, which should only take me about five years to learn, at the rate

I'm going.

The Apothecary Keeper SW we've been discussing is looking much more attractive.

Anya

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Join to study natural perfumery

April 7, 2006

>

> I tried to make QuickBooks work for me. I finally realized that

> the whole

> assumption behind the standard versions of QuickBooks is that you

> buy a

> product (inventory) and then you sell it. Works great for shops,

> etc. But,

> if you buy raw materials and convert them into a manufactured

> product, it is

> just about impossible to make QuickBooks do the inventory tracking and

> accounting. I have read, though, that Intuit makes a much more

> expensive

> version of QuickBooks for manufacturers, which does do inventory

> tracking.

> I haven't tried it.

>

> Steve Earl

>

> Glen Custom Perfumery

>

yes, when i last checked they *do* make another version, for quick

books.

but it's $3000 and it is for a PC.

I use MAC computers.

i wish Steve Jobs would get this handled....LOL

it is a problem...

xoxo

L

April 7, 2006

>

> The Apothecary Keeper SW we've been discussing is looking much more

> attractive.

>

i missed this part...what is apothecary software?

thanks....

can you post a URL?

xoxox

L

April 7, 2006

At 09:35 PM 4/4/2006, you wrote:

>Hi Group,

>

>I recently bought the Apothecary Keeper computer program and just

>entered most of my inventory today.

I just called and left a message for them. Only five fields, ? The

links to view screenshots aren't enabled, which won't help sales much, I'm

afraid. Hope they get back to me. Does anyone else have this software?

Anya

The premier site on the Web to discover the beauty of Natural Perfume

Join to study natural perfumery

April 7, 2006

I

> recently got QuickBooks

> because I have so many businesses going (including

> venturing into real

> estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the

> basic inventory bit on

> there, and I may have to spring for this program

Hi Anya

I am basically a manufacturer and have Quickbooks too.

I even bought the expensive upgrade specifically for

manufacturers. It is a very good accounting program,

but I had a lot of difficulty using it to track

inventory. I finally resorted to hiring a Quickbooks

expert who basically told me that it was pretty much

useless for tracking inventory. So don't bother

beating your head against the wall getting it to work

for you. Go with the other deal; it sounds ideal.

-Patty

--- Anya <mccoy@...> wrote:

__________________________________________________

April 7, 2006

At 12:40 PM 4/7/2006, you wrote:

>Hi Anya

>

>I am basically a manufacturer and have Quickbooks too.

>I even bought the expensive upgrade specifically for

>manufacturers. It is a very good accounting program,

>but I had a lot of difficulty using it to track

>inventory. I finally resorted to hiring a Quickbooks

>expert who basically told me that it was pretty much

>useless for tracking inventory. So don't bother

>beating your head against the wall getting it to work

>for you. Go with the other deal; it sounds ideal.

Hi Patty:

Thanks for the info, Patty. So what are you using? ;-)

Anya

The premier site on the Web to discover the beauty of Natural Perfume

Join to study natural perfumery

April 7, 2006

Hi Patty:

>

> Thanks for the info, Patty. So what are you using?

> ;-)

>

> Anya

My situation is very different. I own a lip balm line,

and at a certain point I couldn't keep making it

myself and hired a contract manufacturer. So they

track my inventory there. Ha ha ha. Sorry, that's no

help.

-Patty

--- Anya <mccoy@...> wrote:

__________________________________________________

April 7, 2006

At 07:33 PM 4/7/2006, you wrote:

> >

> > Libby,

> > I spoke with the software guy for Apothecary keeper today and he

> > says the

> > next version, in about six months, will also be for Macs.

> >

>

>that sounds cool, what is their URL? I'd like to get an idea of what

>they are producing already.

www.bluemoondesign.org I spoke with the designer earlier, and he has joined

the group, so he'll be able to answer questions ;-) <always on the lookout

for the good stuff for us NPers!>

Anya

The premier site on the Web to discover the beauty of Natural Perfume

http://www.bluemoondesign.org/software/ak.htm

Join to study natural perfumery

April 7, 2006

>

> www.bluemoondesign.org I spoke with the designer earlier, and he

> has joined

> the group, so he'll be able to answer questions ;-) <always on the

> lookout

> for the good stuff for us NPers!>

>

cool...have you noticed that alot of designers in general, who

*CLAIM* to be all natural, are doing launches this week of honey

scented with peach or tones of that sort?

i find it fascinating how people hookwink the world....

it is simply fascinating.

not sure if i should mention names, but uh.......

xoxoxo

L

it's out there.

April 7, 2006

Libby <libby@...> wrote: > Libby,

> I spoke with the software guy for Apothecary keeper today and he says the

next version, in about six months, will also be for Macs.

that sounds cool, what is their URL? I'd like to get an idea of what

they are producing already.

---------------------------------

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April 7, 2006

> I just called and left a message for them. Only five fields, ?

The

> links to view screenshots aren't enabled, which won't help sales

much, I'm

> afraid. Hope they get back to me. Does anyone else have this software?

Hi Anya!

Ok, so I decided to go back in the message history. The viw

screenshot is working, unfortunately, popup blockers have gotten more

strict in the last few months, and I was caught unawares. The

screenshots display in a popup windos. I will fix that in an hour or

so after I finish browsing.

The Inventory window is in " List View " by default. In the controll

bar, on the right side is a button for " Details View " where all the

available fields show. This allows for entry of other fields like the

Latin Nmae, Folk Names, Notes, various Associations like Gender,

Element, Diety, etc.

Each window has a List View and a Details View associated with it.

Andy on

April 8, 2006

>

> Hi Group,

>

> I recently bought the Apothecary Keeper computer program and just

> entered most of my inventory today. I want to keep my supplies in

> alphabetical order, but in different categories too. A couple times I

> missed an item and had to enter it after the fact, but I cannot figure

> out how to insert a line in between 2 items already typed in. Is there

> a way to do this?

Good Evening ! It was a pleasure speaking with you the other

night. I'm goin to post the help I gave you the other night so

other users (and future users) can benefit. I'm adding some extra

bits as well.

Not haveing an " Inventory Type " field was an oversite in version 1.0,

however there is a workaround. When in the Inventory window, click the

" Details View " button. In Details View, there are a plethora of fields

available for each inventory item, and most likely there will be some

that you will never use. NOTES is one of them, at least for inventory

items anyway. If you plan on using this field, just choose a field

that you will never use and substitute it for this work-around.

Enter your Inventory type for each item in this field; suggestions

are: Herb, Essential Oil, Essence, Bottle, Cap, Label, etc. Word of

caution: You will want to enter it EXACTLY the same way every time you

use that description. Don't enter Herb is some and Herbs in others, or

unexpected results will happen.

Now, once you've entered this for all your items, go back to List

View. Press CTRL+S to enter the " Sort Records " dialog box. On the left

is your available fields to sort by, and on the right is the fields

that you will sort by. Press Clear All, then find the first field to

sort by in the left list. In this case, it would be Notes. Select it

and press the Move button (or double click it) to add it to the Sort

Order list on the right. Next, move over the InventoryIngredientName

field. Then press the Sort button

Viola! Your list is first sorted by the Notes field, then by the

Inventory Name field, keeping your items in groups, and in

AlphaNumeric order within those groups.

Be well!

Andy on

April 8, 2006

>Thanks for keeping us posted, . It will be very exciting if

such an

> affordable program can be tweaked for our use. I recently got

QuickBooks

> because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

> estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory

bit on

> there, and I may have to spring for this program, especially if you

say you

> get up and running quickly.

Actually, Apothecary Keeper was created specifically for this use, for

Apothecarians...soap makers, perfumers, etc. I originally developed it

for use by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs

(http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/welcome.html) based on their

input. They were my number 1 beta tester.

Because of them, Apothecary Keeper has Unit Conversion, allowing you

to have large quantity measurements in your inventory, and small size

measurements in your recipes, and auto converting the measurements

when a recipe is made. It also tells you if you have enough of each

ingredient in your inventory to make your recipe ot not. It also has a

recipe multiplier; if your recipe makes 6 oz, and you want to make

100, then just use the Multiply Recipe button to make it so!

Be Well,

Andy Roberson

April 8, 2006

At 01:42 AM 4/8/2006, you wrote:

>

> > I just called and left a message for them. Only five fields, ?

>The

> > links to view screenshots aren't enabled, which won't help sales

>much, I'm

> > afraid. Hope they get back to me. Does anyone else have this software?

>

>Hi Anya!

>

>Ok, so I decided to go back in the message history. The viw

>screenshot is working, unfortunately, popup blockers have gotten more

>strict in the last few months, and I was caught unawares. The

>screenshots display in a popup windos. I will fix that in an hour or

>so after I finish browsing.

Hi Andy

Thanks so much for joining our group and helping us with the software, both

in concept and development, and ongoing tweaking. I should explain to the

group members that I have been following the posts on the AK software, and

decided that a call to Andy would be in line, since we had some questions,

and his software looks like the only kind on the market targeted for us,

soapers, body care folks, etc. Andy doesn't know we only allow ads on the

first, but there is a big exception being made for him, since the product

is so unique, and he's asking for our feedback in developing the V. 2.0.

The screenshots work now, Andy, but the type is too tiny for me to read

(maybe my browser?) I can give good feedback once I can read it.

>The Inventory window is in " List View " by default. In the controll

>bar, on the right side is a button for " Details View " where all the

>available fields show. This allows for entry of other fields like the

>Latin Nmae, Folk Names, Notes, various Associations like Gender,

>Element, Diety, etc.

Great fields, and I'm sure we'll come up with some more, we're an expansive

bunch!

Anya

The premier site on the Web to discover the beauty of Natural Perfume

http://users.erols.com/sisakson/pages/dilutions/dilutions.htm

Join to study natural perfumery

April 8, 2006

At 02:10 AM 4/8/2006, you wrote:

>

> >Thanks for keeping us posted, . It will be very exciting if

>such an

> > affordable program can be tweaked for our use. I recently got

>QuickBooks

> > because I have so many businesses going (including venturing into real

> > estate (!?!LOL), and I still haven't figured out the basic inventory

>bit on

> > there, and I may have to spring for this program, especially if you

>say you

> > get up and running quickly.

>

>Actually, Apothecary Keeper was created specifically for this use, for

>Apothecarians...soap makers, perfumers, etc. I originally developed it

>for use by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs

>(http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/welcome.html) based on their

>input. They were my number 1 beta tester.

Well, andy, you'll have a bunch more now, well, at least input-givers, from

this group.

>Because of them, Apothecary Keeper has Unit Conversion, allowing you

>to have large quantity measurements in your inventory, and small size

>measurements in your recipes, and auto converting the measurements

>when a recipe is made. It also tells you if you have enough of each

>ingredient in your inventory to make your recipe ot not. It also has a

>recipe multiplier; if your recipe makes 6 oz, and you want to make

>100, then just use the Multiply Recipe button to make it so!

Math help (soft, happy wimper from the computational-challenged). Here's

something else I could use help with, and although I think it might not be

in the main part of the SW, perhaps you could include this:

Let's say I have 53 grams of an absolute or concrete, and I want to make a

30% dilution. Or a 50% dilution. I use this site:

http://www.math.com/everyone/calculators/calc_source/percent.htm It would

be nice if a calculator like that was included in V 2.0

The EU has a lot of restrictions on the percentage of certain restricted

aromatics that can be used in a blend. I used to use Suki's great program,

but now I have Firefox and don't have Excel, so it's useless:

Andy, you can go to www.ifraorg.org and click on the codes and standards

page to see the type of percentages we need to adhere to, both in leave-on

and wash-off products. The first natural that comes up in the list on the

left is angelica root oil, for example.

Well, that's my wishlist for now!

Boy, I'm so glad for your AK!

Anya

The premier site on the Web to discover the beauty of Natural Perfume

Join to study natural perfumery

April 8, 2006

>

> Hi Andy

> Thanks so much for joining our group and helping us with the

> software, both

> in concept and development, and ongoing tweaking. I should explain

> to the

> group members that I have been following the posts on the AK

> software, and

> decided that a call to Andy would be in line, since we had some

> questions,

> and his software looks like the only kind on the market targeted

> for us,

> soapers, body care folks, etc. Andy doesn't know we only allow ads

> on the

> first, but there is a big exception being made for him, since the

> product

> is so unique, and he's asking for our feedback in developing the V.

> 2.0.

>

i'm on mac....like i said before, so please hurry with that version.

it's really sunny and pretty waking up here this morning.

xoxo

L

April 8, 2006

(moderator snipped excessive quoting ;-)

>

> Well, that's my wishlist for now!

>

> Boy, I'm so glad for your AK!

>

wow, this sounds like a dream come true and thank you anya for this

extra extra goodie stuff, here.

xoxoxo

L

April 8, 2006

Anya <mccoy@...> wrote: The screenshots work now, Andy, but the type

is too tiny for me to read

(maybe my browser?) I can give good feedback once I can read it.

No, they were reduced for size limits. I think that today I will re-capture

the screen shots and save them at full size, and re-upload those; so you can

check them tonight ot rommorrow.

Be well,

Andy on

http://users.erols.com/sisakson/pages/dilutions/dilutions.htm

---------------------------------

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April 8, 2006

Anya <mccoy@...> wrote: Math help (soft, happy wimper from the

computational-challenged). Here's

something else I could use help with, and although I think it might not be

in the main part of the SW, perhaps you could include this:

Let's say I have 53 grams of an absolute or concrete, and I want to make a

30% dilution. Or a 50% dilution. I use this site:

http://www.math.com/everyone/calculators/calc_source/percent.htm It would

be nice if a calculator like that was included in V 2.0

The EU has a lot of restrictions on the percentage of certain restricted

aromatics that can be used in a blend. I used to use Suki's great program,

but now I have Firefox and don't have Excel, so it's useless:

Andy, you can go to www.ifraorg.org and click on the codes and standards

page to see the type of percentages we need to adhere to, both in leave-on

and wash-off products. The first natural that comes up in the list on the

left is angelica root oil, for example.

Well, that's my wishlist for now!

Boy, I'm so glad for your AK!

I think I can implement something like that. I'll look into it and see if I

can work it in.

---------------------------------

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April 8, 2006

Libby <libby@...> wrote: i'm on mac....like i said

before, so please hurry with that version.

I'm actually starting on it today. Once it is built, I'll need to go through

a perios of beta testing, and then I''ll announce the release! Should be ready

this Winter...I'll post a list of proposed new features in a month or so.

Be Well,

Andy on