There are several methods you can use to update your listing's plant list. The method best for you (quickest) depends on how many plants you have to list and if your existing plant list is already pretty much complete and correct except for a few changes to make it current.
Any and all changes to a HelpMeFind listing are limited to the "owner" of the listing. The owner, or owners, are the HMF registered guest accounts which are linked to the listing. If you added your listing to HMF yourself then you are automatically the owner. If we added your listing, then your registration may need to be linked to your listing before you can make any changes or additions. Contact us and well be happy to get you set up to update your listing.
In addition to being an owner of a listing, you must be properly logged in to HelpMeFind to even see your listing's maintenance options. The various maintenance links and buttons are only visible (and accessible) by you.
The first method of updating your plant list works best if your plant list is small or you have just a few changes to make to your existing list. Use any of the plant lookup methods - eg name search, alphabetical list, etc. - to display each plant you need to add or remove from your list. On the GARDENS and AVAILABLE AT (nurseries) tabs you'll find link buttons labeled MY LISTING. Click on these to add or remove the currently displayed plant to your nursery or garden listing. Repeat this process for each plant you wish to add or remove from your listing. Do not use this method for a long list of plant changes, we have faster methods for that.
The Second method of updating your plant list is accessed from the plant list tab of your listing (PLANTS FOR SALE tab, PLANTS GROWN tab, etc). There you'll find a maintenance link labeled "UPDATE MY PLANT LIST". Click this link to open the Plant Selection Search form. Here you can search for plants by name, alphabetized list, class list, or your complete current plant list. Each search displays a list of all plants matching your search criteria and you can add or remove the appropriate ones by clicking on the ADD or REMOVE column of check boxes.
Updating your HelpMeFind plant list using a text file is a 2 step process but quite simple and easily the fastest method if you have a significant number of roses. First you upload a text file of rose names from your computer to HelpMeFind and second, you review and approve the resulting "name matches" list.
Begin by preparing a text file with your rose names. There should be one name per line. You are free to use upper, lower, or mixed case. Save this file on your computer and remember the name and location as you will need to specify it when you upload it.
Once the upload is complete, HelpMeFind will begin processing it. If there is a problem with your text file or you've chosen to upload an advanced rose list (see advanced options below), the system will prompt you with a few question about how to best process your file, otherwise it will begin the matching process.
The matching process reads each of your rose names and attempts to find it in the HelpMeFind database. Usually the system finds an exact match and knows which rose you intend but sometimes, for various reasons, it may find more than one rose matching your name. How is this possible ? Some rose names are not unique and have been used by multiple breeders or maybe the system did not find a rose name with your exact spelling so it will list several close possibilities for you to choose from.
Once the name matching process is complete, it may take a minute of two, you will be presented with a list with two columns. The numbered column on the left includes each of your rose names and the right-hand column lists matching roses found on HelpMeFind. Each rose in the HelpMeFind column includes a radio button to select it as a proper match or a "No Match" option if none of the roses listed match your intended rose.
Usually, most all of the roses will have the appropriate radio button selected but for those roses the system was unsure of, you will need to selected the correct rose from the list shown by clicking its radio button. You may also find some roses without any suggested matches. These are rose names for which the system could not find any reasonable matches and may not be in our database.
Before reading through the matching list please be sure to note the "replace" or "add to" option at the very top of the list. Selecting "replace" (the default) will cause the rose list below to replace any prior ^rose list you have for your HelpMeFind listing. Select "add to" to keep old (current) list intact and add this rose list to it.
Scroll down to review the entire list and making the necessary matching selections and click the CONTINUE button at the bottom of the form to complete your listing update. After a minute of two the system will complete the process by displaying a count of the roses added to your listing and a list of all your rose names which were not added for whatever reason. You'll need to manually search for these or possibly contact us about adding missing roses to our database.
Advanced Options
The rose name text file can include more than just the rose name. The more information provided, the better the system can match your rose against the HelpMeFind database. In addition to the rose name, you can also include:
1. The plant class. This must be the standard abbreviation - e.g. Hybrid Tea = HT, Floribunda = F, etc.
2. The year bred.
3. The breeder name. This must match the HelpMeFind spelling and format (last name, first name) exactly.
4. Your computer system's identification code. HelpMeFind will use this for matching future lists from you and optionally in correspondence to you regarding your roses.
Each of the above must be included on the same line as rose name and each separated by a tab or vertical bar character or if you are exporting from spreadsheet or database software you can use the CSV file format. The order of these fields can be of your choice as the system will prompt you asking what each of the columns contains before processing your file.