Using the colony list

When you click Animals > Colonies, you see a list of all the colonies you've entered. The colony list is a data table, and you can use it in the same way you use the other data tables in your account. For detailed information about data tables, see the chapter How information is organized in your account. 

To change information about the colony, click the Edit icon to the left of the name of the colony (a spreadsheet with a pencil). 

You can select an option from the far right of the list to export the list in the view you've chosen to a spreadsheet format. 

Clicking any of the colony names in the list opens the information form you filled out when you added the colony. By clicking Animals from the top of the form, you can see information about the animals located at this colony. By clicking Caretakers, you can see information about those who care for the colony.

For instance, in the form above, you can see the colony has two animals. Clicking the word Animals opens a list of the animals at that colony.

Clicking an animal's name opens the animal detail page for that animal. You can create an animal page for all of your colony animals, they don't have to be up for adoption. Here is the page for Miller, shown in the colony list above.

Likewise, by clicking the Caretakers link, you open a list of the caretakers at this colony, with the option of clicking the Add a Caretaker to this Colony.

Adding Caretakers to a colony

Every caretaker for a colony must be a Contact. For detailed information about Contacts, see the chapter Contacts, particularly the section Adding, editing, and deleting a contact. when you click the link for Caretakers, the list of the caretakers for that colony opens (see above).

Click the Add a Caretaker to this Colony button and the caretaker form opens. Select caretakers from the drop-down list of your contacts or add a new contact by clicking the green plus sign on the right of the field. 

Clicking the green plus sign opens the form to add a contact. If you are adding a contact as caretaker for the colony, be sure to click the Caretaker/Foster group in selecting groups to add for this contact.

Creating a custom view of your data

You can create custom views of the information about your colonies. Click the icon to the right of the Views field, labeled Add a Datatable view. 

The form to create a custom data table opens. For detailed information about using and creating data table views, see the chapter Using data table views.

To create a custom view for your colonies:

1. Enter a name for the view.
2. Use CTRL-click to select the fields to include in your view.
3. Select the way you want the view sorted. 
4. Determine the sort order (ascending or descending).
5. Click Yes if you want to share this view with others in your organization.
6. Click either Save View or Save View and Add Filters. (You can add filters to further manipulate the data in your view.)

Adding a colony

You can add colonies easily by clicking the Add a Colony button at the top of the colony list.

A form opens that allows you to enter data about each colony. Enter the name of the new colony, and either select a location from one of your listed locations or click the green plus sign to add a new location. 

Enter the specific location of this new colony. For instance, you may manage feral cats in a subdivision, which has three colonies of cats. The location would be the subdivision, and the specific location the exact place where each colony lives.

Add the number of animals, and the date you "register" or add the colony to this list. Use the calendar icons to select a date or type in a date.

Click Save and check Add another if you are entering more than one colony.

Adding animals to a colony

You add animals to a colony on intake, when you add an animal, or when you edit an animal. Scroll down to the administrative information section and select one of your colonies from the drop-down list. If you haven't entered a colony yet for this animal, you can click the green plus sign to add a colony, or you can save the animal's information and come back later when you have added a colony.