HomeBoss User Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the HomeBoss User Guide!

HomeBoss is a powerful desktop application designed specifically for home-based business owners, offering efficient Customer and Delivery management solutions. HomeBoss streamlines your administrative processes and elevate your overall business experience to new heights.

HomeBoss allows you to:

• Keep track of the details of your Customers and Deliveries
• Search for a particular Customer / Delivery easily
• Organise your data in a neat and tidy manner by filtering and sorting to your needs
  and much more!

HomeBoss improves your efficiency and productivity in managing your Customers and Deliveries, all while being incredibly simple to use. HomeBoss is not only tailored for fast typists, leveraging a Command Line Interface (CLI) for swift command execution, but it also features an elegant Graphical User Interface (GUI) that presents your data in a more refined and organized fashion.

HomeBoss ensures that you focus on what matters most: running your business.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Table of Contents
  3. About this User Guide
  4. Navigating the User Guide
  5. Getting Started
       5.1. Prerequisites
       5.2. Installing HomeBoss
       5.3. Understanding our layout
       5.4. HomeBoss Command Format
       5.5. Registering and creating your first Delivery
       5.6. Editing the data files
  6. Feature Summary
       6.1. User features summary
       6.2. Customer features summary
       6.3. Delivery features summary
       6.4. Miscellaneous features summary
  7. Features
       7.1. User
             7.1.1. Register
             7.1.2. Login
             7.1.3. Update Account details
             7.1.4. Logout
             7.1.5. Recover Account
             7.1.6. Delete Account
       7.2. Customer
             7.2.1. Add a Customer
             7.2.2. View details of a Customer
             7.2.3. View a list of Customers
             7.2.4. Find Customers
             7.2.5. Update details of a Customer
             7.2.6. Delete a Customer
       7.3. Delivery
             7.3.1. Add a Delivery
             7.3.2. View details of a Delivery
             7.3.3. View a list of Deliveries
             7.3.4. Find Deliveries
             7.3.5. Update details of a Delivery
             7.3.6. Update status of a Delivery
             7.3.7. Create a note for a Delivery
             7.3.8. Delete a Delivery
       7.4. Miscellaneous
             7.4.1. Help
             7.4.2. Exit
             7.4.3. Clear
  8. FAQ
  9. Command Summary

About this User Guide

This user guide provides in-depth documentation on HomeBoss' installation process, explanation of its graphical components, the structure of the commands and features available to the User. In addition, this guide also provides troubleshooting tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

If you are new to HomeBoss, head over to the Getting Started section for a quick overview on how to get started.

You can find detailed explanations of all the features available in the Features section.

For experienced users, you may refer to the Command Summary section for a quick summary of all the commands available in HomeBoss.

If you would like to learn about the technical aspects of HomeBoss, you may refer to the Developer Guide.

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Navigating the User Guide

Warning Box

Note Box

Tip Box

Parameter Box

Links

• Words in blue are links that you can click on to navigate to the relevant section.

• A ↑ Back to Table of Contents link is available at the end of every section for you to return to the Table of Contents, so that you can access another section from there easily.

Syntax Highlighting

• Words in code COLOUR represent the command format that you should use when entering commands into HomeBoss.

• Words in code NORMAL represent actual words that you can enter into HomeBoss.

Screenshots

• Screenshots are added below each example where it helps enhance the clarity of the expected output from running the command that precedes it.

• Wherever the explanation that follows each command is sufficient to convey the expected output, screenshots are omitted to reduce clutter. The output will be shown in codeblocks instead.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure that you have Java 11 or above installed on your computer. If you are unsure how to do so you may view this helpful guide.

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Installing HomeBoss

1. You may download the latest release of HomeBoss from here. (Please download the file named HomeBoss.jar)

2. Move the downloaded HomeBoss.jar file into the folder that you want to use as the home folder for your application.

3. Run HomeBoss.jar. If you are unsure of how to run a .jar file, you may refer to this helpful guide.

4. If everything went well, you will be greeted by a window similar to the one shown below.

5. If you are a first time user, we highly recommend reading the following sections to familiarise yourself with HomeBoss's layout and commands:

• Understanding our layout

• HomeBoss Command Format

• Registering and creating your first Delivery

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Understanding our layout

Do not worry if the layout looks unfamiliar at first glance. Let's go through a quick run down of HomeBoss's layout so that you can familiarise yourself with our various components.

Command Box

The Command Box is where you will be interacting with HomeBoss, it is the place where all commands will be entered. Try typing the help command and hitting enter!

Command Result / Feedback

The Command Result / Feedback Box is where HomeBoss will provide you the results or feedback about the commands you entered. For example, if you tried typing the help command earlier, you should see the above feedback in your application window, together with a Help window popup. You can use the scroll bar on the right to scroll through a long result or feedback!

Customer / Delivery List

List of Customers	List of Deliveries

The Customer / Delivery List Panel is where you will be able to find the Customers and Deliveries that you have added to HomeBoss. You can use the scroll bar on the right to scroll through your Customers or Deliveries.

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HomeBoss Command Format

Commands are your main form of interaction with HomeBoss, and is the way to carry out various operations in HomeBoss. Don't worry if the commands seem daunting, the HomeBoss team has carefully crafted the commands to be as intuitive and simple as possible. After learning the commands, you'll be faster than ever!

Every command has a Command Phrase and possibly one or more Parameters (inputs to customise the command to your needs) which is typically preceded by a Prefix (special markers for HomeBoss to understand your inputs)

Take the Add a Delivery command for example:

delivery add DELIVERY_NAME --customer CUSTOMER_ID --date EXPECTED_DELIVERY_DATE

• The Command Phrase is delivery add.
• The Parameters are the words in uppercase, for example DELIVERY_NAME or CUSTOMER_ID.
• The Prefixes are special keywords that are preceded by --, such as --customer and
  --date.

However, not all commands have Prefixes. Take the Update status of a Delivery command as example:

delivery status DELIVERY_ID STATUS

• The Command Phrase is delivery status.
• The Parameters are DELIVERY_ID and STATUS.
• It has no Prefixes.

Not all commands have Parameters as well. Take the Logout command as example:

logout

• The Command Phrase is logout.
• It has no Parameters.

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Registering and creating your first Delivery

At this juncture, you should already have a good understanding of the basic mechanisms of HomeBoss. Let's now get you started on HomeBoss by creating your first Delivery.

1. Let's first register for HomeBoss using the register command. Suppose you want to register an account with the following details:

• USERNAME : yourUsername
• PASSWORD : AlexIsGreat
• CONFIRM_PASSWORD : AlexIsGreat
• SECRET_QUESTION : First Pet Name?
• ANSWER : Koko

Type register --user yourUsername --password AlexIsGreat --confirmPass AlexIsGreat --secretQn First Pet Name? --answer Koko into the Command Box and hit enter. More details on the register command can be found here.

2. After registering for an account, you will be greeted by HomeBoss's home page. It's empty at the moment, so let's populate it with some data.

3. Let's now add a new Customer, Gabriel, to HomeBoss' Customer database using the customer add command with the following details:

• NAME : Gabriel
• PHONE : 87654321
• EMAIL : gabrielrocks@gmail.com
• ADDRESS : RVRC Block B

4. Type customer add --name Gabriel --phone 87654321 --email gabrielrocks@gmail.com --address RVRC Block B into the Command Box and hit enter.

5. A new Customer called Gabriel will be added, and you will see the Customer's details reflected in the Customer List panel, similar to the image shown below.

6. Now, let's add a new Delivery for Gabriel into HomeBoss' Delivery database. For this example, Gabriel has just ordered a MacBook Pro from you, and the Delivery date that you expect to deliver to him by is 2023-12-03.

• DELIVERY_NAME : MacBook Pro
• EXPECTED_DELIVERY_DATE : 2023-12-03

7. Type delivery add MacBook Pro --customer CUSTOMER_ID --date 2023-12-03, replacing CUSTOMER_ID with Gabriel's ID, and hit enter.

8. A new Delivery should have been added for Gabriel, you should see a new Delivery in the Delivery List Panel, similar to the image shown below.

Congratulations! You have just successfully added your first Customer and Delivery!

HomeBoss is packed with many more features to help you manage your Customers and Deliveries. Check them out under the Features section to learn more!

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Editing the data files

HomeBoss stores your data in three JSON files, namely

• [JAR file location]/data/authentication.json (containing the authentication data)
• [JAR file location]/data/addressbook.json (containing the Customer database)
• [JAR file location]/data/deliverybook.json (containing the Delivery database).

Advanced users are welcome to update the data by editing the data files directly. However, please note that we do not provide support for any issues that arise from this.

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Feature Summary

Here is a brief introduction to all the features in HomeBoss. For more detailed information, please refer to the Features section.

User features summary

These are features for managing your user account in HomeBoss.

• register - Registers a new user account to use HomeBoss.
• login - Logs in to your user account.
• update - Updates your user account details.
• recover account - Recovers your user account.
• logout - Logs out of your user account.
• delete account - Deletes your user account.

Customer features summary

These are features for managing your Customers in HomeBoss.

• customer add - Adds a Customer to the Customer database.
• customer view - Shows the details of the specified Customer.
• customer list - Lists all Customers in the Customer database.
• customer find - Finds Customers whose names contain words that exactly match any of the given keywords.
• customer edit - Updates the details of an existing Customer in the Customer database.
• customer delete - Deletes the specified Customer from the Customer database.

Delivery features summary

These are features for managing your Deliveries in HomeBoss.

• delivery add - Adds a Delivery to the Delivery database.
• delivery view - Shows the details of the specified Delivery.
• delivery list - Lists Deliveries in the Delivery database according to the specified conditions.
• delivery find - Finds Deliveries with names containing words that exactly match any of the given keywords.
• delivery edit - Updates the details of an existing Delivery in the Delivery database.
• delivery status - Updates the status of a specified Delivery.
• delivery note - Creates a note for a specified Delivery.
• delivery delete - Deletes the specified Delivery from the Delivery database.

Miscellaneous features summary

These are general features in HomeBoss.

• exit - Exits the program.
• help - Shows a list of commands and their usage.
• clear - Clears both Customer and Delivery database.

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Features

User

Register

You can create a new User account by calling this command when you first start using HomeBoss.

Format:

register --user USERNAME --password PASSWORD --confirmPass CONFIRM_PASSWORD --secretQn SECRET_QUESTION --answer ANSWER

Example:

• register --user yourUsername --password GabrielIsGreat --confirmPass GabrielIsGreat --secretQn First Pet Name? --answer Koko
  

Registration successful. Welcome to HomeBoss!

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Login

You can log in to your account to access your Customer and Delivery data by calling this command.

Format:

login --user USERNAME --password PASSWORD

Example:

• login --user yourUsername --password GabrielIsGreat
  

  Explanation

  Logs in to the user account with the username yourUsername and password GabrielIsGreat.

  
  Expected Output

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Update Account details

You can change your account details for more personalisation and greater security with HomeBoss by calling this command.

Format:

update [--user USERNAME] [--password PASSWORD --confirmPass CONFIRM_PASSWORD] [--secretQn SECRET_QUESTION --answer ANSWER]

Example:

• update --user GabrielV2 --password GabrielIsBest --confirmPass GabrielIsBest --secretQn Favourite Pet --answer BoBo
  

  Explanation

  Updates the username to GabrielV2, password to GabrielIsBest, secret question to Favourite Pet and answer to BoBo.

  
  Expected Output

  Update successful.
  

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Logout

You can log out of your account to keep your data secure at the end of the day by calling this command.

Format: logout

Example:

• logout
  

Bye!

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Recover Account

HomeBoss makes it easy for you to recover your account if you forget your password. You only need the answer to the secret question (set during account registration) to reset your password and thus regain access to your account.

Format:

recover account [--answer ANSWER --password NEW_PASSWORD --confirmPass CONFIRM_PASSWORD]

Examples:

• recover account
  

  Explanation

  Displays your account's secret question for account recovery.

  
  Expected Output

• recover account --answer Koko --password NewPassword123 --confirmPass NewPassword123
  

  Explanation

  Recovers the account with the answer Koko and sets the new password to NewPassword123.

  
  Expected Output

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Delete Account

If you want to quickly erase all your data from HomeBoss or start a new account, you can delete your current account by calling this command.

Format: delete account

Example:

• delete account

  Explanation

  This deletes your account and all your data from HomeBoss.

  
  Expected Output

  User deleted successfully.
  

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Customer

Add a Customer

You can add a new Customer's details into HomeBoss with this command to store and manage your Customer data.

Format:

customer add --name NAME --phone PHONE_NUMBER --email EMAIL --address ADDRESS

Example:

• customer add --name Gabriel --phone 87654321 --email gabrielrocks@gmail.com --address RVRC Block B
  

  Explanation

  Adds a Customer with the name Gabriel, phone number 87654321, email Gabrielrocks@gmail.comand address RVRC Block B.

  
  Expected Output

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View details of a Customer

You can see all the information of a Customer by calling this command. The data displayed includes the Customer's name, phone number, email and address which you might need in case you need to contact them.

Format:

customer view CUSTOMER_ID

Example:

• customer view 1
  

  Explanation

  Displays the details of Customer with ID 1.

  
  Expected Output

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View a list of Customers

This command allows you to view a list of all the Customers that you have added to HomeBoss. With this, you will be able to get a neat and organised overview of all your Customers.

Format: customer list

Example:

• customer list

  Explanation

  This lists all the Customers that you have added to HomeBoss.

  
  Expected Output

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Find Customers

If you want to get the details of a Customer, but do not remember the Customer's full name or the Customer's ID, you can find the Customer with this command. It finds Customers whose names has words that exactly match any of the given keywords.

Format:

customer find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS...]

Example:

• customer find Julius Yang
  

  Explanation

  Finds Customers whose names have words that exactly match either Julius or Yang.

  
  Expected Output

  

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Update details of a Customer

This command is useful for changing the particulars of a Customer, such as due to a change in their details or in the event that you keyed in the Customer's details wrongly.

Format:

customer edit CUSTOMER_ID [--name NAME] [--phone PHONE_NUMBER] [--email EMAIL] [--address ADDRESS]

Examples:

• customer edit 1 --name Gabriel --phone 98131051
  

  Explanation

  Edits the name of the Customer, with Customer ID of 1, to Gabriel and his phone to 98131051.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Customer:
  
  [1] Gabriel
  
  Phone: 98131051
  
  Email: johnd@example.com
  
  Address: 311, Clementi Ave 2, #02-25
  

• customer edit 2 --name Joe --email yangyang@gmail.com --address Block 10 Tampines Road
  

  Explanation

  Edits the name of the Customer, with Customer ID of 2, to Joe, his email to yangyang@gmail.com and his address to Block 10 Tampines Road.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Customer:
  
  [2] Joe
  
  Phone: 98765432
  
  Email: yangyang@gmail.com
  
  Address: Block 10 Tampines Road
  

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Delete a Customer

By calling this command, you can delete any Customer and get rid of all their data for good if they no longer require your services.

Format:

customer delete CUSTOMER_ID

Example:

• customer delete 1
  

  Explanation

  Deletes the Customer with ID 1.

  
  Expected Output

  Deleted Customer:
  
  [1] Gabriel
  
  Phone: 98131051
  
  Email: johnd@example.com
  
  Address: 311, Clementi Ave 2, #02-25
  

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Delivery

Add a Delivery

By using this command, you can incorporate Deliveries associated with your Customers into HomeBoss. Adding a Delivery is the initial step that later enables you to monitor the Delivery's status and other relevant details with our suite of Delivery-related commands.

Format:

delivery add DELIVERY_NAME --customer CUSTOMER_ID --date EXPECTED_DELIVERY_DATE

Example:

• delivery add Chocolate Cake --customer 1 --date 2023-12-12
  

  Explanation

  Adds a Delivery with the name Chocolate Cake for the Customer with ID 1. The expected Delivery date is set to 2023-12-12, the order date is automatically set to today's date, the Delivery status is initialised to CREATED, and the Delivery address is the same as the Customer's address.

  
  Expected Output

  

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View details of a Delivery

You can see all the information of a Delivery by calling this command. The data displayed includes the Delivery's name, status, Customer, Customer ID, address, order date, expected Delivery date and notes (if any). This keeps you informed of the details which you might need to help you prepare for the Delivery.

Format:

delivery view DELIVERY_ID

Example:

• delivery view 1
  

  Explanation

  Displays the details of the Delivery with Delivery ID of 1.

  
  Expected Output

  

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View a list of Deliveries

This command allows you to view a list of all the Deliveries that you have added to HomeBoss. On top of that, you are able to get a list of filtered Deliveries or a list of Deliveries that are sorted based on certain criteria that you are interested in. With this, you will be able to pinpoint certain Deliveries that you are looking for in a neat and organised manner.

Format:

delivery list [--status STATUS] [--customer CUSTOMER_ID] [--date EXPECTED_DELIVERY_DATE] [--sort SORT]

Example:

• delivery list --status CREATED --customer 1 --sort DESC
  

  Explanation

  Lists all Deliveries with status CREATED, for the Customer with ID 1, with expected Delivery date in descending order.

  
  Expected Output

  

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Find Deliveries

If you cannot remember the full name of a Delivery, you can find the Delivery with this command. It finds Deliveries whose names has words that exactly match any of the given keywords.

Format:

delivery find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS...]

Example:

• delivery find Gambes Banana
  

  Explanation

  Finds all Deliveries whose name has words that exactly match Gambes or Banana.

  
  Expected Output

  

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Update details of a Delivery

This command is useful for changing the information of a Delivery, such as due to a change in the details of a Delivery or in the event that you keyed in the Delivery's details wrongly.

Format:

delivery edit DELIVERY_ID [--name DELIVERY_NAME] [--customer CUSTOMER_ID] [--date EXPECTED_DELIVERY_DATE][--status STATUS] [--note NOTE]

Examples:

• delivery edit 1 --status CANCELLED --note Sudden overseas business trip to attend to
  

  Explanation

  Edits the Delivery's status of the Delivery, with Delivery ID of 1, to CANCELLED and edits the note of the Delivery to Sudden overseas business trip to attend to. If this Delivery does not already have a note, a note will be created for it.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Delivery:
  
  [1] furniture
  
  Status: CANCELLED
  
  Customer: Joe
  
  Customer ID: 2
  
  Address: Block 10 Tampines Road
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  
  Note: Sudden overseas business trip to attend to
  

• delivery edit 2 --name Vanilla Cake --customer 3
  

  Explanation

  Edits the name of the Delivery, with Delivery ID of 2, to Vanilla Cake and edits the Customer of the Delivery to the Customer with ID of 3.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Delivery:
  
  [2] Vanilla Cake
  
  Status: CREATED
  
  Customer: John Doe
  
  Customer ID: 3
  
  Address: 311, Clementi Ave 2, #02-25
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  

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Update status of a Delivery

An order can have one of the following statuses: CREATED, SHIPPED, COMPLETED or CANCELLED. This command allows you to update the status of a Delivery to any of the aforementioned statuses, according to the progress of the Delivery for your easy tracking.

Format: delivery status DELIVERY_ID STATUS

Examples:

• delivery status 1 CANCELLED
  

  Explanation

  Updates the status of Delivery with ID 1 to CANCELLED.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Delivery:
  
  [1] furniture
  
  Status: CANCELLED
  
  Customer: Joe
  
  Customer ID: 2
  
  Address: Block 10 Tampines Road
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  
  Note: Sudden overseas business trip to attend to
  

• delivery status 2 SHIPPED
  

  Explanation

  Updates the status of Delivery with ID 2 to SHIPPED.

  
  Expected Output

  Edited Delivery:
  
  [2] Vanilla Cake
  
  Status: SHIPPED
  
  Customer: John Doe
  
  Customer ID: 3
  
  Address: 311, Clementi Ave 2, #02-25
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  

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Create a note for a Delivery

If you would like to note down additional information about a specific Delivery, this command allows you to do so. This is also a shortcut, as opposed to using the lengthier delivery edit command found here.

Format:

delivery note DELIVERY_ID --note NOTE

Example:

• delivery note 1 --note By FedEx
  

  Explanation

  Creates a new note By FedEx for the Delivery with ID 1.

  
  Expected Output

  Added Note to Delivery:
  
  [1] furniture
  
  Status: CANCELLED
  
  Customer: Joe
  
  Customer ID: 2
  
  Address: Block 10 Tampines Road
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  
  Note: By FedEx
  

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Delete a Delivery

If you feel that a Delivery is no longer relevant (i.e., CANCELLED or COMPLETED), you can delete it from HomeBoss using this command.

Format:

delivery delete DELIVERY_ID

Example:

• delivery delete 1
  

  Explanation

  Deletes the Delivery with ID of 1 from the Delivery database.

  
  Expected Output

  Deleted Delivery:
  
  [1] furniture
  
  Status: CANCELLED
  
  Customer: Joe
  
  Customer ID: 2
  
  Address: Block 10 Tampines Road
  
  Ordered On: 2023-11-13
  
  Expected Delivery Date: 2023-12-03
  
  Note: By FedEx
  

  
  

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Miscellaneous

Help

This command allows you to view a summary of the commands available, the format of the commands.

Format: help

Example:

• help

  Explanation

  Displays the help page in app.

  
  Expected Output

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Exit

You can exit the program by calling this command.

Format: exit

Example:

• exit

  Explanation

  Exits HomeBoss and logs out of the account if logged in.

  
  Expected Output

  Closes the application window.

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Clear

In the event that you want to perform a complete reset of HomeBoss' Customer and Delivery database, you can easily clear all your Customer and Delivery data by calling this command.

Format: clear

Example:

• clear

  Explanation

  Clears both Customer and Delivery databases.

  
  Expected Output

  Database has been cleared!

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FAQ

Q: Where do I get support for HomeBoss?

A: You can raise an issue on our GitHub repository.

Q: How do I report a bug?

A: You can raise a bug report on our GitHub repository.

Q: How do I import my data from another software?

A: You can import your data by converting your data into .json in the format of the Customer and Delivery data in the data folder.

Q: How do I export my data to another software?

A: It is currently not possible to export your data to another software.

Q: Why is there an error when I input non-English characters?

A: HomeBoss only supports English characters.

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Command Summary

User

Customer

Delivery

Miscellaneous

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