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Getting Started |
BadgeManager Plus |
If you don't like reading documentation, this is the place for you. We've condensed the documentation to the essentials you need to get started quickly.
Warning... there are many screen shots on this
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Main Screen
The main screen offers two lists of badges -- your troop, and the master badge list. When you click on a badge the requirements and activities are shown, or optionally a list of the scouts that have completed the badge. Note the drop-down lists for selecting badge groups, troops and program levels. These controls have a major influence on what you see and do in BadgeManager Plus.
Click the screen shot for details about the main badge list screen.
In the screen shot above, note that when the Your Troop tab is selected, the button at the bottom of the screen is labeled DELETE. Check the boxes for one or more badges then click DELETE to remove badges from your troop's list. If you want to copy badges from the Badge Master database, select the Badge Master tab.
Copy Badges
| When the Badge Master tab is selected, you can check the
boxes for one or more badges. Clicking the COPY button at the bottom of the screen causes
the selected badge(s) to be copied into your troop. Badges that have been copied are indicated with << in front of the name. This takes time to figure out, so if you have a slower computer you might want to disable the feature. See the File-Preferences menu choice. TIP: Don't copy large numbers of badges from the master into your troop. Instead, copy only the badges that you need in support of troop and scout efforts. You won't have to wade through so much information when working with your scout's activities. |
Click the screen shot for details about this feature. |
Record Troop Progress
When your troop works together on badge activities, use the Troop Progress screen to quickly and efficiently record what you accomplished. Follow these steps:
- Check the boxes next to the scout names to indicate which scouts participated.
- Select a badge from the list.
- Set the Date Completed in the Badge Activities area to the correct date.
- Check the boxes next to the activities for those completed by the scouts.
- Click the Mark Activities for Selected Scouts button to mark all selected scouts as having performed the activity on the date specified.
- If the badge requirements have been completed, set the Date Completed in the Badge area and click the Mark Selected Scouts as Completed button.
Make a mistake? It happens! All actions can be reversed on this screen via the Remove buttons.
Click the screen shot for details about this feature.
Record Scout Progress
When scouts work on badges individually, or when you want to enter a scout's badge history, the Scout Progress screen is more efficient than the one used for the entire troop.
TIP: Be sure to set the Recording Date before working with this screen. All actions performed on this screen use the date. If you use the wrong date it's not a huge problem, but reports and other features may not be as useful or accurate.
Follow these steps:
- Set the Recording Date as appropriate for the work you're going to record. You can change the date as many times as you need, whenever you need to, while working with this screen.
- Select a scout.
- If the scout is not yet working on the badge, select the badge in the Not Yet Started list and click the right-pointing arrow ( > ) to add the badge to the scout's list.
- Select a badge in the Badges for Scout list.
- If the badge is completed and possibly even already presented,click the C and P buttons. The badge will be marked Completed and Presented, accordingly.
- To record specific activities as being completed, simply check the box next to the activity description.
Click the screen shot for details about this feature.
View Scout Summary
Use the Scout Summary screen to quickly examine what your scouts are up to. Three tabs show badges completed, in-progress and not yet started for the selected scout.
Click the screen shot for details about this feature.
TIP: If you want to allow your scouts to use this screen to see what everyone is up to and verify that you've recorded their badges and activities correctly, you can place BadgeManager Plus in a special Scout Mode where all data entry features are disabled, making BadgeManager Plus a read-only tool. Select File-Scout Mode from the main menu. You must exit and re-start BadgeManager Plus to get out of Scout Mode.
Print Reports
| BadgeManager Plus does not have much in the way of reports. Instead, eight reports have been added to the big list found in TroopManager Plus. To run TroopManager Plus, select it from the Report menu. |
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Over in TroopManager Plus you'll see a checkbox that filters the list of reports so you can quickly identify the ones added by BadgeManager Plus. Keep in mind that TroopManager Plus has numerous badge-related reports of its own. The list below contains only the new reports added by BadgeManager Plus.
Click the screen shot for details about this feature.
TroopManager Plus Features
TroopManager Plus has several features related to badges that are worth mentioning here. Shown below is the Record Event/Trip Outcome screen, which you reach from the Event/Trip Planner. A nearly identical screen is also available in the Meeting Planner.
As you can see above, one or more activities (along with a badge completion record) can be marked as completed for all scouts who attended the event, trip or meeting. This is extremely efficient because you don't have to try and duplicate the attendance information within BadgeManager's Troop Progress screen.
Note: You can revisit the Record Outcomes screen any time you'd like. You don't have to record outcomes right away. You can go back any time and recall a previous event, trip or meeting and record outcomes.
Is that All?
By no means! You're looking at a quick summary of the key features of BadgeManager Plus. See the complete documentation for details on each feature.
