Extension of the Month: Attachments

The Attachment extension is a wonderful way to attach photos or pdf documents to your records. When an animal first comes in to your center you can get a good photo of it and then again in the middle of rehab and then a release shot. You can also use these for Facebook or other publications without having to search through a million photos to figure out who is who. I will use my phone frequently, email the photo to myself and then just drag it to the attachments screen. Depending on your phone, you may also be able to upload the picture directly from the camera.If you send lab work off to a professional laboratory or have necropsies done out of house you may get the results back in a pdf. Those reports can also be attached to the record. Keep in mind there are areas to record all this information into the system itself and you will have better access to that data if you do that as well.Attachments are a great way to record nasty wounds and their healing process. Even better is the ability to attach x-rays/radiographs even if it is just a photo of one. I highly suggest using the attachment section, it is quick, easy and very handy.To activate this extension click on the email address in the top right of the screen and click the “Settings” link. Then click “List all extensions” on the far left. It is the very first extension. Once you activate it, an Attachments link will show up on the top menu bar. (As a reminder... you  have to be an administrator in order to activate extensions.)When you select the Attachments tab you can add attachments by either dragging your files from your computer to the Wildlife Rehabilitation MD screen or by browsing for your files by clicking “Choose a file”. There is a size requirement so you may have to reduce the size of the image before adding it to the database. Depending on the size of your files, the upload time should be only a few seconds.Once your files are uploaded, you can hover over a file to see information about that file. If you want to add or update the information about an attachment click on the circle arrow icon or the attachment. You will be taken to a screen where you can update the attachment's name and date as well as enter the source of the attachment and a description.If you need delete the file, click the trash can icon.