PREFACE

What you can do...

• Introduction

  A useful shopping list app does more than just remind you what to buy. A paper list can do that, or even one of the available memo apps in your Blackberry phone. In fact, the more ways an app can help you prepare for a shopping trip and get your shopping done at the store, the more valuable part of your lifestyle it will be. Thousands of users world-wide have contributed most of the neat ideas which make Grocery Gadget® the smartest shopping list app today. This guide describes the features in the latest version and suggests ways to get the most from the app to meet your individual needs and interests.
  
  

  
  

• A simple checklist of favorites

  On the most basic level you can add items to your list throughout the day as you realize you need particular items. At the store you can remove each item from the list as you get it. If this is all you want to do, then you may skip to the “Adding and deleting items to your shopping list” section of the guide, but you will miss out on many great features.
  
  If you prefer to prepare your shopping list during a single sitting, we recommend reviewing the master list of favorite items in order to select your needed items, and then adding all the selected items at once to your shopping list. We also recommend removing items you will never need from the master list, as well as adding any missing items you use, so your master list ends up being a list of your favorite items. You can even easily add photographs of items with unique features.
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  The above approaches simply add and remove items from a list and work well for small lists, but if you have large lists or want the app to be more helpful as you prepare at home and shop at the store, you should consider reusable shopping lists, described next.

• A systematic approach at home and at the store

  We recommend having a shopping list for each type of store you buy at, for example, supermarket, drugstore, office supplies, home supplies. You can add to each list all the items you ever go to those stores to buy, and you can reuse the list every time you go shopping. You can setup specific stores and indicate what items each one carries. This lets you compare and determine what store to visit on each list, depending on what you need from that list and based on the prices and items carried by the individual stores.
  
  The app offers two modes for working with a shopping list, Prepare mode and Shop mode. Each mode displays the information and offers the functions specific to the task at hand.
  
  

                 
  
  

  
  
  

  After you have created the reusable list, use Prepare mode to arrange the items in any desired order. We recommend arranging the items in the order you keep them throughout your home: pantry, cupboard, refrigerator, freezer, bathrooms, laundry room, etc. This will facilitate a physical inspection of the items as you go down the list, marking the quantity of each item you need to buy.

  
  

  When the same list is viewed at the store in Shop mode, only those items with quantity greater than 0 are shown. If you have selected a specific store, only items carried by that store are shown. We recommend viewing the items in “checkbox” order. This moves each item to the bottom of the list as you get it and check it off. The app also learns and remembers, based on the order you check off items, the sequence in which the store keeps products in its aisles. So after several shopping trips the Shop mode “checkbox” sort order will show all items in the order they are at the store.

  Between shopping trips you reset the quantity and checkmarks of the items in your reusable list by tapping "Shopping done" in preparation for the next trip.

  

  The above process ensures the quickest preparation of a complete shopping list as well as the most efficient way to complete a shopping trip. Additional optional features also help you monitor prices and any special information you want to note about each item. An indispensible feature for families and users who sometimes prefer working with their desktop computers is the Group account, which automatically keeps the shopping lists synchronized in all iPhones, iPods Touch and desktop computers connected to the group.

  The next section of this guide describes in detail the use of each feature in the app. The last section describes other topics of interest related to the app, including how to contact us with your comments, questions, requests, suggestions and other feedback.

Preparing a list

• Reviewing your master favorites list

  The master list of favorites is displayed whenever you are viewing a shopping list (in Prepare or Shop mode) and you press the Menu key and tap the + Add Item button.

  
  

  
  

  The items in the master list of favorites can be reviewed in order to select one or more to add to your shopping list. The items can be viewed in alphabetic order or in category order. To switch sort orders, tap the Sort by ABC button in the Menu selections when in Category order, or tap the Sort by Categories button when in alphabetic order.

  
  

       
  
  

  The alphabetic and category sorted displays appear as follows.
  
  

           
  

  
  

• Searching your favorites list

  You can search for a portion of an item name by tapping on the Search box. This will display the keyboard, and you can type the characters you want to search for.

  All items having in their names the characters you entered will be displayed.

  
  

  
  

• Adding and deleting items to your shopping list

  In order to add items to your shopping list press the Menu key and tap on Add Item in the shopping list page (or press the Menu key and tap on + Add Product). This brings up the master list. Locate a needed item, either by scrolling to it or searching for it, and tap on it to select it. Continue selecting items and when done press the Revert key in order to add all selected items to your shopping list with a quantity of 1.

  
  

  To delete an accidentally added item press the Menu key and tap Delete Item, then tap Yes:

  
  

  
  

• Changing the needed quantity of an item

  In Prepare mode you can change the quantity of an item in a shopping list by tapping the - or + buttons on the sides of the quantity.

  

  If you need to enter a fractional quantity or a large quantity, or if you want to change the quantity of an item in Shop mode, press the Menu key and tap View Details, then tap on the Quantity box to bring up the quantity keyboard:

  

  Enter the desired quantity and press the Revert key.

• Arranging items in a shopping list

  At home, in Prepare mode, you can arrange the items in your shopping list in any order you want, or you can view them sorted alphabetically or by category.
  
  User arrangement sort

  
  

  This sort lets you arrange items in your own preferred order. It displays a handle (3 horizontal lines) at the right of each item that you can use to drag an item up or down the list by using the Scroll key on the phone.

  
  

  Alphabetic sort

  
  

  This sort displays items alphabetically by their name

  
  
  

  Category sort
  
  

  This sort displays items sorted by their category

Shopping with your list

• Resorting your list

  At the store, in Shop mode, you can choose one of 5 possible sort orders in which to view the items in a shopping list. Press the Menu key to select the sort to use.
  
  Checkbox Status sort
  
  

  This sort lets you arrange items in the order in which items are checked-off. It moves checked items to the bottom of the list, and it shows unchecked items in the order they have been checked during previous shopping trips with this list.

  
  
  

  Alphabetic sort
  
  

  This sort shows items sorted alphabetically by name. It is useful if you want to locate an item in a long list.

  
  
  

  Category sort
  
  

  This sort shows items sorted by category. It is useful when the app has not yet learned the sequence in which the store keeps all items because stores typically keep items in groups like the app categories.

  
  
  

  Aisle sort
  
  

  This sort is only available in Shop mode when you have selected a specific store. It shows items sorted by the way you have arranged the aisles for that store.

  
  

  
  

  User-arranged sort
  
  

  This sort shows items in the same order you arranged them in Prepare mode. It is useful if you always want to view items in a list in the same specific order, whether preparing the list at home or shopping at the store.

• Removing purchased items

  To remove an item from a shopping list in Shop mode press on the item until the menu appears and tap the Delete Item button, then tap Yes. Note you should not remove items from a list if you plan to reuse the list.

Reusable lists

• Making multiple lists

  The Shopping Lists page shows you the names of all the shopping lists you have created. At the right of each line is a number inside a grey oval which indicates the number of needed items in that list, in other words, items that have quantity greater than zero and have not been put in the cart and checked-off.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  To create a new shopping list press the Menu key and tap the New Shopping List button. Enter the name of the list and tap Save.

  
  
  

  To rearrange your lists, press the Menu key and tap Preferred. You can then use the handles (the 3 horizontal bars) at the right to drag a list up or down to a desired location.

  
  
  

  To rename a list, press and hold the desired list name and tap Edit List on the pop-up choices.

  
  
  

  To delete a list, press and hold down the desired list name and tap Delete List from the pop-up choices.

• Resetting for a new shopping trip

  In order to reuse a list after a completed shopping trip, you may want to reset some or all of the old quantity and purchase information. Press the Menu key to access the Reset button and display the different options in Prepare and in Shop mode.

  
  

  
  

                 
  
  

  Zero all items – this option sets to 0 the quantity of all items in the list.
  Remove all items – this option deletes all items from the shopping list (but not from the master favorites list).
  Shopping done – this option sets to 0 the quantity of all items marked with a checkmark, then clears all checkmarks and X's from the checkboxes. It does not affect the quantity of X'd items.
  Clear all checkboxes – this option clears all checkmarks and X's from the checkboxes, but does not change the quantity of any items. It is useful when you have a basic group of items you always get every trip.
  Remove all bought items – this option deletes from the shopping list (but not from the master favorites list) all items marked with a checkmark.
  
  We recommend the "Shopping Done" option when planning to reuse a shopping list because needed items which were not bought will remain in the list together with their respective quantities for next time.

• Updating the list

  After you have reset the information from your last shopping trip in your reusable list, you are ready to update it with the items you now need. When you view the list in Prepare mode we recommend using the user Preferred Order sort. This is the order in which you arrange items to correspond with the actual order in which you keep them at home.
  
  

  
  
  

  You can then easily inspect your shelves and storage areas and together go down the list using the quantity buttons to set the quantity of each item you need. The quantity of items not needed is left at 0, and these items will not appear in your list at the store in Shop mode.
  
  

• Using the checkboxes at the store

  At the store you view your list in Shop mode and only items with quantity greater than 0 will be displayed. As you get each item you check it off by tapping the checkbox at the right of the item.
  
  

  

  
  If you are viewing the items in checkbox sort the item will move to the bottom of the list.
  
  You may come to an item you are not going to buy, for example, if the store is out of stock or if the price is unacceptable. In this case tap the checkbox twice to put an X in it. This tells the app where the item is normally found, in relation to the other items you are getting. It also lets you know it is not one of the remaining items to be bought.
  
  

  

Modifying the master favorites list

• Modifying an item and adding your own

  To modify any information about a master favorites list item press down on the item from a shopping list and tap View Details.
  

  
  

           
  
  

  Tap on the information you desire to change: Name, Quantity, Price, Remarks, Coupon, Barcode, Category/Aisle, Brand, Stores, Picture (scroll down), or Taxes.
  
  To change the Extended Quantity parameters (Size, Unit of Measure, or Package) press the Menu key and tap on Extended Quantity. This will let you specify a Size and select (or add your own) Unit of Measure and Packaging Type information.
  
  

           
  
  

  To use the camera to scan a barcode tap the arrow in the Barcode box. You can manually enter a barcode value by tapping on the barcode icon in the box.
  
  Changes to the Price, Remarks and the Category/Aisle information apply to the master favorites list item if you are in Prepare mode or in Shop mode for Unspecified Store. If you are in Shop mode for a specific store then these changes apply to the item at that store only.
  
  To create a new item in the master favorites list, first tap Add Item in from the Menu in a shopping list in order to display the master favorites list. Then tap Create new item from the Menu to display a blank Details page. You can manually enter the information about the new item, or get it by tapping the arrow in the barcode box and scaning a product barcode.
  
  

                    

• Modifying a category and adding your own

  You can set or change the Category of an item when you are viewing a shopping list in Prepare mode or in Shop mode with Unspecific store selected. To do so, tap on the item to display its Details. (Note: if you are in Shop mode with a specific store selected, you can change the store Aisle of an item).
  
  To specify a different Category, tap on the category textbox to display existing Categories (or to add your own). Tap on the checkbox of the desired category for the item.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  To rename a category, tap on the desired category (not on its checkbox) and tap Edit Category from the Menu to edit the name of the category as desired.
  
  

  
  
  

  To create a new category tap Add Category from the Menu. 

  A category is automatically deleted when all items in that category are themselves deleted or re-categorized.

• Deleting items from the master favorites list

  To delete items from the master favorites list, tap Add Item from the Menu in any shopping list in order to view the master favorites list, then select individual items in the master favorites list by tapping on each, then tap Delete selected items from the Menu. 

  
  

  
  
  

  Note if you delete all items in the master favorites list you will have to reinstall the app in order to restore them.

Using stores and prices

• Adding, selecting and modifying stores

  You can create stores in order to maintain information about items which is specific to that store, such as prices and aisles.
  
  When you go into Shop mode, you can select the store you are visiting. This displays items having quantity greater than 0 which are carried by that store, and the information includes the prices and aisles corresponding to that store.
  
  If you select Unspecific store, the display will show all items having quantity greater than 0. The information includes the prices and categories in the master favorites list.
  
  

  
  
  

  To specify what stores offer an item, select the item from a shopping list and tap View Details from the Menu, then tap on the Stores textbox in order to display the Stores page. You can then check-off the appropriate stores:
  
  

  
  
  

  To create a store, tap New Store from the Menu. 
  
  

  
  
  

  You can enter information about store coupons (this will display a coupon icon next to the store name). 

  To delete a store or change its name, press and hold down the name of the desired store then tap Edit Store or Delete Store.
  
  
  

• Adding and changing aisles

  You can set or change the Aisle of an item when you are viewing a shopping list in Shop mode with a specific store selected. To do so, select the item and tap View Details from the Menu . (Note: if you are in Prepare mode or in Shop mode with Unspecific store selected, you can change the Category of an item)
  
  To specify a different aisle, tap on the Aisle textbox to dislay existing aisles or to add your own.
  
  

  
  
  

  To create a new aisle, tap Add Aisle from the Menu. To rename an aisle, tap Edit Aisle.
  
  

  
  
  

  An aisle is automatically deleted when all items in that aisle are themselves deleted or changed to another aisle.

• Adding and changing prices

  You can keep a default price for each item in the master favorites list, and you can also keep the price of that item at each store which carries it.
  
  If you add prices to your items the app will calculate and display the total amount of the items in your list and in your shopping cart. Prices will be color-coded in red if the same item has a lower price in another store, or in green otherwise.
  
  

  
  
  

  To set or change the price of an item in the master favorites list, select the item from Prepare mode or from Shop mode Unspecified store; to set or change the price of an item at a specific store, select the item from Shop mode at the desired store. Then, tap View Details from the Menu and tap the price textbox and use the numeric keyboard to enter the price. 
  
  

  

• Setting taxes

  You can specify up to two tax rates as well designate each item as tax exempt or not. In order to set the tax rates, revert to the Shopping Lists page and press the Menu key to tap Settings.
  
  

  
  
  

  Tap on a tax name to change it and on its corresponding tax rate to set its percent value, and repeat if a second tax applies.
  
  

  
  
  

  In order to designate individual items as tax exempt, select the item in a shopping list, tap View Details from the Menu and scroll down to the Tax switches. Set to 0 the switch(es) which correspond to the tax(es) that the item is exempt from.
  
  

  

Adding more info to your items

• Adding photos

  You can add a picture to each item in the master favorites list. In order to conserve memory and maintain optimum performance, we recommend adding a picture only in cases where it is helpful to clarify among different varieties of a product. To add a picture to an item, select the item in a shopping list, tap View Details from the Menu and tap Take Picture in order to take a new picture, or Choose Existing Photo to select a picture from your photo albums. Tap Delete Image to delete the current photo.

• Adding sizes, measures, packaging, brands

  To change the Extended Quantity parameters (Size, Unit of Measure, or Package) of an item, press down on the item until the Menu appears and tap View Details, then press down on Quantity until the Menu appears and tap Extended Quantity. You can specify a Size as well as scroll down to select (or add your own) Unit of Measure and Packaging Type information.
  
  

           

• Adding notes

  To add a note to an item in a shopping list, press down on the item and tap View Details from the Menu, then tap on the "Remarks" box.
  
  

  
  
  

  Items having remarks are shown with a yellow notepad icon in Prepare mode and Shop mode.
  
  

  

Sharing with friends, family and co-workers

• Emailing a list

  

  You can email a shopping list by... This will open your mail browser so you can enter a recipient and any changes to the content of the message.
  
  

  

• Signing-up for a Group account

  A free Grocery Gadget^® group account has the following benefits:

  1. Lets family members share shopping information by automatically syncing all devices joined to a group.

  2. Lets you use a computer web browser to work with your shopping data.

  3. Keeps a backup copy of your shopping information in the web portal.

  To sign-up for a group account, tap Group in the Shopping Lists menu:
  

  
  

  
  
  

  Tap on Sign Up:
  
  

  
  
  

  Enter the required information:
  
  

  
  
  

  Tap Sign Up. If the group name you selected is already in use by someone else, or if your password or email information does not meet minimum requirements, a message will indicate the necessary corrective action.

  
  After your group is created your information will be uploaded to the web portal:
  
  

  
  
  

  Groups which are inactive for 180 days are automatically deleted. Group members who are inactive for 180 days are automatically disconnected from their group.

• Joining and leaving a Group

  You may share your group name and password with other persons having Android or other supported smart phones with whom you want to synchronize your information. To join an existing group, revert to the Shopping LIsts page and press the Menu key to select Group:
  
  

  
  
  

  Enter the Group Name and Password and tap Join Group:
  
  

  
  
  

   

  When you request to join a group, the following message gives you the option of replacing any data in your mobile app with the data from the group, or merging the data in your app into the group data:
  
  

  
  
  

  The Grocery Gadget^® data of users joined to a group will automatically stay synched to other users joined to the same group. Any changes made by one user will be synched to all other users within seconds.
  
  In order to see the name of the group an app is joined to, or to leave a group, revert to the shopping lists page and press the Menu key to select Group:
  
  

  

• Understanding synchronization

  All data changes made by group members are synchronized to the other members via the Grocery Gadget^® web portal. This requires connectivity to the internet. Android devices can connect via the cellular network or through Wi-Fi access to a wireless router.
  
  The connectivity indicator at the bottom of the Shopping Lists page displays one of the following synchronization conditions:
  
  Not in group - the mobile app is not joined to any group (this is fine if the user does not want to share information with others or to access it using a computer web browser). Red indicates the user must take action (that is, join the group) for any changes to be synced to other members of the group. Note your data is also not being backed-up to the portal server if you are not joined to a group.
  
  

  
  
  

   

  Internet Error! - this indicates either the mobile device cannot access the internet  (this may occur if the user is in a dead zone of network coverage, or out of WiFi range) or the app can access the internet but the web portal servers are not responding (this condition represents an outage of service either because of scheduled maintenance or because of an unexpected failure at our data center -- our monitoring systems will have alerted our technical support team to take corrective action). Users do not need to take any action because the app is fault-tolerant and will sync all pending changes as soon as internet connectivity becomes available again.

  
  

  
  
  

   

  Connected - this indicates the app is communicating properly with the web portal servers. Green indicates users may expect all changes to be syncing in a timely manner.
  
  

  
  
  

  If two mobile devices indicate Connected (to the same group) and changes do not sync from one device to another, a computer web browser can be used to sign-in to the group at the web portal www.grocerygadgets.com in order to determine if the changes are syncing to the portal. If so, the problem device is the one failing to receive; if not, the problem device is the one originating the changes. The problem device can then be reset or restored and diagnosed further.

Sharing with your computer

• The web portal today

  The web portal www.grocerygadgets.com lets you sign-in to your group account. Many users prefer a traditional keyboard and display for working with data-intensive apps. The portal also offers features not available with the mobile app, such as shopping list printing, cloning, merging, export and import of recipe ingredients information.
  
  

  
  
  

  We support the following web browsers:

  • Safari

  • FireFox

  • Internet Explorer

  • Chrome

• The web portal soon

  Improvements are being made and new features are being added to the portal on a frequent basis. Some “coming attractions” include store and product coupon notifications, shopping history and analysis, store price comparisons and per-unit price comparisons.

Installation and configuration options

• App settings

  The update number of the installed app is briefly displayed in the startup screen whenever the app is started:
  
  

  
  
  

  The following items can be configured by reverting to the shopping lists page and pressing the Menu key to select Settings:
  
  

  
  
  

  The following settings can be specified:
  
  

  

  
  

  • Taxes (up to 2 tax rates can be specified with a name and a percent value)

• Data objects

  The diagram below illustrates the relationships between the objects as well as the data kept about each object.
  
  

  

Help and user resources

• The app Information page

  You can view the Information page by reverting to the shopping lists page and pressing the Menu key to select Information:
  
  

  
  
  

  This offers several options for you to link to help resources: an e-mail message to our Customer Support team (with optional diagnostic information attached for troubleshooting purposes), a link to this Quick Guide, and an email message to tell a friend.
  
  

  

• Other user resources

  Our web portal is www.grocerygadgets.com
  
  You can follow us on Twitter @GroceryGadget for the latest updates on topics of interest.