Customize Quick Pick Lists in PCC

Question: What are quick pick list options? How do I customize the options shown in the quick pick list at the bottom of the Queue screen?

Answer: The quick pick list consists of commands that you can quickly tap and initiate while you're viewing an animal in a hospital list or entering a FRESH event. The list is customizable, so you can see your most frequently used commands first, saving you time and effort:

For example, if you frequently diagnose mastitis in the hospital pen, you have to exit the hospital list and complete multiple steps to add a mastitis event to an animal. With quick pick list options, you can do it directly from the hospital list: simply open an animal's Treatment Info and tap the mastitis event (MAST) option.

Expand the drop-downs to learn how to add quick pick options:

First, create a hospital list command that supports quick pick options:

  1. In DairyComp, enter ALTER\3 in the command line.
  2. Click Add [Ins] on the left side of the screen to add a new command:

  3. Enter the command details:
    • Abbrevation: Enter an abbreviation for your command.
    • Content: Enter the full command for the animals on your hospital list. For example, you can enter SERVER ID PEN ID FOR PEN=99 to create a command that moves animals to the hospital pen.

      • At the end of the command, add \HM1 to assign this command to the first Quick Pick form, where you will configure the quick pick options. DairyComp supports 8 Quick Pick forms, so you can add any switch between \HM1 to \HM8.

  4. Click OK to save the command.

Then, navigate to the first Quick Pick form to add quick pick options:

  1. Enter SERVER\3 in the command line to open the Server Configuration screen.
  2. Open the PCC Entry tab.
  3. Locate the first Quick Pick form, Form1, at the bottom of the screen:

  4. Double-click the first instance of <Available>.
  5. Select the event or expert batch command that should be listed first on the Quick Pick list, then click OK. PCC displays your choices in the order you configure them.
  6. Double-click each subsequent <Available> slot to add an event or expert batch command to the quick pick list.
  7. Click OK in the upper right corner to save your changes.

    8. Now, when you view an animal on that hospital list in PCC, the selected events or expert batch commands are listed at the bottom of the screen. Tap one to quickly initiate the event or command:

Use the steps below to customize a quick pick list of expert batch commands that you can initiate whenever you create a FRESH event: 

Use the following guidelines when assigning expert batch commands as quick pick options to the FRESH event:

  • Start expert batch commands with ENTER\Z.
  • Start command names with a Z_ to easily identify them(e.g. Z_ItemName).
  • Only prompt for one item at a time. Do not use multiple items in your commands (e.g. ENTER \Z ITEM=? ITEM=? ITEM=?).
  • You can use expert batch commands that include:
    • Items separated by semicolons (e.g. item=1;2;3): For example, you may use the command ENTER\Z EASE=1;2;3 to create a pick list to add a birthing score.
    • Alpha characters (e.g. "A;B;C;D"): You must use quotation marks around it. For example, you may use ENTER \Z BFCOD="Y/N" to designate whether an animal is beef or not.
    • item=@: This prompts you to verify or enter a value for an item. For example, you may use ENTER \Z TRANS=@ to quickly check if a transponder ID has been assigned to the animal you're viewing.
    • HTTAG=@DEVICE: This turns on a phone device reader so you can use it to scan and assign NFC tags. See Assign NFC Tags Without a Wand to learn more.
  • You cannot use expert batch commands that include:
    • ENTER \Z HTTAG=@HTTAG
    • Commands that create events (e.g. EC=?)
    • Counting items (e.g. ++ or --)
  1. Enter SERVER\3 in the command line to open the Server Configuration screen.
  2. Open the PCC Entry tab.
  3. Locate the Cow Fresh Form or Calf Fresh Form at the bottom of the screen:

  4. Double-click the first instance of <Available>.
  5. Select the event or expert batch command that should be listed first on the Quick Pick list, then click OK. PCC will display your choices in the order you configure them.
  6. Click OK in the upper right corner to save your choices.

    7. Now, when you create a FRESH event in PCC, the expert batch commands are listed at the bottom of the screen. Tap one to quickly initiate the command.

TIP: Another way to speed up creating FRESH events in PCC is by making sure the Reverse Cow Items Order setting is enabled. When enabled, selected items assigned to a cow are automatically copied to its calf whenever a FRESH event is created. This setting should be enabled by default, but you can check it in PCC under Administration > Settings.
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