Athough the application feels a bit rough, it has potential to be very nice. With only having one dog, a specialized pet database is not something that I would use heavily, however, with some additional features something like MiPetz could offer some great utility to family of mine who have many different animals, and who often hire sitters.
I did not find developer contact info, so my requested features and notes on the application are below:
Possible bug: arrow keys do not work within text entry fields
Information:
- FAX entry box would be useful
- Allow the addition of other entries (e.g., I have a boarder, a backup vet, a 24 hrs emergency clinic)
- Allow export to vcard format for compatibility with Address Book
- Allow import of vcard
Expenses:
- Allow export as a csv file instead of a text file so that it is possible to import information into spreadsheet or financial software
- Add dollar sign (or currency of choice) and trailing zeroes (.00) to all money entries
Feeding Scheduler:
- Allow user retitling of "Meal 1"; "morning", "evening, or a specific time is more useful than "Meal 1".
Notes/Events:
My initial assumption was that "events" meant a list of upcoming events, such as the next visit to the vet or boarder, but it turned out to be a diary (that forces date/time when note entered). Whereas I would like to see some sort of calendaring in this software (perhaps with export to iCal format?), the term "Journal" I feel more appropriately reflects the current state of this feature.
Print:
- It just prints the MiPetz window. Is there supposed to be more?
- It does not offer a dialogue box (like it does for print elsewhere in the application), but immediately prints to default printer
The lack of printing options is a major deficit of MiPetz. As it is now, the user can only print a page containing the information of what is currently being viewed. I do not think many people will find much utility in one printed page having the feeding schedule, one printed page having the contact information, and one printed page with the notes. Instead, I think it would be more useful to have a way for the user to select exactly what information to print out on a single page.
For example, I want to take a trip next Tuesday. While I am gone, a friend will be taking care of my dog will need a care sheet. On that sheet I will have Vet contact information, 24 hrs emergency clinic information, the feeding schedule, my contact information, and any other additional notes I want him to be aware of. If all this info was already stored in the MiPetz database, having the ability to print it all out together - on a nicely formatted single page - sure would be convenient.
Similarly, I have family who have horses, dogs, cats, fish, and gerbils. When they travel, a care sheet generated for each animal (or each type of animal, or all on one page) would make things easier for whomever cares for the animals.