HealthSync User Guide

HealthSync is a desktop application designed specifically for healthcare administrators in family clinics. It consolidates patients’ personal details and emergency contact information into a unified, easily accessible database, streamlining the management of critical data.

By integrating the speed and efficiency of a Command Line Interface (CLI) with the design of a Graphical User Interface (GUI), HealthSync empowers fast-typing administrators to retrieve vital patient information and reach out to emergency contacts more swiftly than with traditional GUI-only systems.

This hybrid approach supports rapid responses in a healthcare environment where every second counts.

⚠️ Warning: HealthSync is only designed for Singapore-based family clinics. It operates exclusively in English and does not support other languages or international clinic formats.

Using HealthSync with other languages or across multiple countries and timezones may lead to unexpected behaviour.

Table of Contents

  1. How to use this User Guide
  2. Quick Start
  3. Overview of GUI
  4. Features
  5. FAQ
  6. Known Issues
  7. Valid inputs for patient parameters
  8. Command Summary
  9. Glossary

How to use this User Guide

This User Guide is designed to help you understand and use HealthSync effectively. Below are some tips on how to navigate and use this guide:

  1. Table of Contents: Use this to instantly jump to the section you are interested in.
  2. Quick Start: Step-by-step instructions for first-time users.
  3. Overview of GUI: Familiarise yourself with HealthSync's interface.
  4. Features: Detailed explanations of all commands with formats, parameters and examples.
  5. FAQ: Answers to common questions and troubleshooting tips.
  6. Known Issues: Lists existing issues and their solutions.
  7. Command Summary: A quick reference table for command formats.

By referring to these sections, you can quickly find the information you need and fully utilize HealthSync.

Legend

⚠️: The symbol serves as a warning that executing a specific command in a given context may result in unexpected behavior.

: The symbol provides helpful guidance on using the command effectively to meet your needs.

Quick start

  1. Ensure you have Java 17 or above installed in your Computer.

    • You can check your Java version by following the instructions here.
    • If you do not have Java 17 or above installed in your computer, you can download Java from here.
    • Mac users: Ensure you have the precise JDK version prescribed here.

  2. Download the latest release of the HealthSync.jar file from here.

  3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for HealthSync. The home folder will be where all the data files will be saved.

  4. For Windows: Open the home folder and right-click anywhere in the blue box, as shown in the image below. Click "Open in Terminal". A terminal window will pop up, then type in the command java -jar HealthSync.jar to run the application.

    For MacOS: Right-click home folder. Select "New Terminal at folder". A terminal window will pop up, then type in the command java -jar HealthSync.jar to run the application.

  5. Type the command in the command box and press Enter to execute it. e.g. typing help and pressing Enter will open the help window.
    Some example commands you can try:

    • list : Lists all patients.
    • add n/John Doe p/98765432 e/johnd@example.com a/John street, block 123, #01-01 : Adds a patient named John Doe to HealthSync.
    • emergency 1 n/John Smith p/98788692 r/Father : Sets an emergency contact for the 1st patient.
    • delete 3 : Deletes the 3rd patient shown in the current list.
    • clear : Deletes all patients.
    • exit : Exits the app.

  6. Refer to the Features below for details of each command.

Overview of GUI

HealthSync features a clean and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) designed to help users efficiently manage patient records and appointments. The main interface consists of several key components:

  1. Menu Bar - Provide quick access to essential functions:

    • File:

      • Exit: Closes the application safely.

    • Help: Opens a link to the HealthSync User Guide, providing instructions on how to use the application.

  2. Command Box
    • Users can enter text-based commands to interact with the application.
  3. Command Output Box
    • Display messages in response to user commands.
    • Provides feedback such as confirmations, errors, and system notifications.
  4. Patient List Panel
    • Displays a list of all registered patients.
    • Clicking on a patient will show their details in the Patient Detail Panel.
  5. Patient Details Panel
    • Shows detailed information about the selected patient, such as their medical history, emergency contacts, and insurance details.
  6. Tags
    • Used to record Allergies, Conditions and Insurance of a patient.
    • Each type of tag is represented by a different colour for easy identification:
      • Red: Allergy
      • Green: Condition
      • Blue: Insurance

⚠️ Warning: To ensure the UI updates consistently, click on a patient contact after making any changes to refresh the display. This ensures the interface reflects the latest data.

Operating Modes

HealthSync operates using two primary modes, which determine the patient list displayed and the commands available:

  • Normal Mode: Used for managing the main list of active patients. This is the default mode when you start HealthSync.
  • Archive Mode: Used for viewing and managing patients who have been archived from the main list.

You can switch between modes using the following commands:

  • Use the list command to view the active patient list and switch to Normal Mode if you are not.
  • Use the listarchive command to view the archived patient list and switch to Archive Mode.

The current mode significantly impacts which operations you can perform.

Command Availability by Mode

The following table clearly outlines which commands are functional in each mode:

Command Available in Normal Mode? Available in Archive Mode? Notes
add ✅ Yes ❌ No Adds active patients
edit ✅ Yes ❌ No Edits active patients
delete ✅ Yes ❌ No Deletes active patients permanently
schedule ✅ Yes ❌ No Schedules for active patients
emergency ✅ Yes ❌ No Sets emergency contacts for active patients
tag (add/del) ✅ Yes ❌ No Manages tags for active patients
sort ✅ Yes ❌ No Sorts the active patient list
archive ✅ Yes ❌ No Moves an active patient to the archive
clear ✅ Yes ❌ No Clears all active patients (archive is unaffected)
undo ✅ Yes ❌ No Applies mainly to Normal Mode changes
redo ✅ Yes ❌ No Applies mainly to Normal Mode changes
unarchive ❌ No ✅ Yes Moves an archived patient back to the active list
list ✅ Yes ✅ Yes Switches to/Refreshes Normal Mode
listarchive ✅ Yes ✅ Yes Switches to/Refreshes Archive Mode
find ✅ Yes ✅ Yes Finds within the currently displayed list
help ✅ Yes ✅ Yes Available in both modes
exit ✅ Yes ✅ Yes Available in both modes

Note on undo/redo: These commands primarily revert changes made while in Normal Mode. Their effectiveness across mode switches or on actions performed in Archive Mode (like unarchive) might be limited. Refer to the specific command descriptions for details on undo/redo limitations.

Features

Notes about the command format:

  • Words in UPPER_CASE are the parameters to be supplied by the user.
    e.g. in add n/NAME, NAME is a parameter which can be used as add n/John Doe.

  • Parameters can be in any order.
    e.g. if the command specifies n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER, p/PHONE_NUMBER n/NAME is also acceptable.

  • If you are using a PDF version of this document, be careful when copying and pasting commands that span multiple lines as space characters surrounding line-breaks may be omitted when copied over to the application.

  • All names added to HealthSync will have their first letter automatically capitalised. This applies to names entered through the add, edit, and emergency commands.

⚠️ Warning: For commands that require confirmation such as edit, delete, exit or clear, entering anything other than 'Y' or 'N' (in either uppercase or lowercase) will result in the command being cancelled.

Viewing help : help

Shows a message explaining how to access the help page.

Format: help

Adding a patient: add

Adds a patient to HealthSync.

Format: add n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER e/EMAIL a/ADDRESS

: The first letter of a name will be automatically capitalised.

Examples:

  • add n/John Doe p/98765432 e/johnd@example.com a/John street, block 123, #01-01
  • add n/Betsy Crowe e/betsycrowe@example.com a/Newgate Prison p/91234567

⚠️ Warning: An entry is considered a duplicate if it shares the same name and phone number or the same name and email address.

Phone numbers must be exactly 8 digits and begin with 6, 8, or 9.

HealthSync permits entries with identical phone numbers or email addresses, such as in parent-child relationships, but their names must be different to avoid duplication.

Scheduling an appointment: schedule

Schedules an appointment for a patient in HealthSync.

Format: schedule INDEX dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm

  • Scheduling a date in the past is not permitted.
: Ensure the date and time are in the future. Ensure that there is a minimum gap of 15 minutes between scheduled events.

Examples:

  • schedule 1 12-04-2025 14:30
  • schedule 2 05-06-2025 09:00

⚠️ Warning: An appointment is considered a duplicate if it has the same date and time as an existing appointment. HealthSync only allows scheduling up to one upcoming appointment at a time.

Listing all patients : list

Shows a list of all patients in HealthSync.

Format: list

Sorting patients : sort

Sorts the list of patients by a specified field.

Format: sort FIELD

  • Sorts the patient list by the specified FIELD.
  • Available fields: name, appointment
  • The sorting is case-insensitive.

Examples:

  • sort name Sorts patients in ascending alphabetical order by name. In the case of duplicate names, the most recently added patient will be listed first.

  • sort appointment Sorts patients by appointment date in lexicographical order, with the nearest upcoming appointment listed first. For patients with no appointments, the patients with appointments will be sorted first, followed by patients without appointments.

Editing a patient : edit

Edits an existing patient in HealthSync.

Format: edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS]

  • Edits the patient at the specified INDEX. The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed patient list. The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​
  • At least one of the optional fields must be provided.
  • Existing values will be updated to the input values.
: The first letter of a name will be automatically capitalised.

Examples:

  • edit 1 p/91234567 e/johndoe@example.com Edits the phone number and email address of the 1st patient to be 91234567 and johndoe@example.com respectively.
  • edit 2 n/Betsy Crower Edits the name of the 2nd patient to be Betsy Crower.

Setting Emergency Contact : emergency

Sets or updates the emergency contact for a patient in HealthSync.

Format: emergency INDEX n/NAME p/PHONE_NUMBER r/RELATIONSHIP

  • Sets the emergency contact for the patient at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed patient list.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …
  • All fields (name, phone, relationship) are required.
: The first letter of a name will be automatically capitalised.

Examples:

  • emergency 1 n/Alden Tan p/98765432 r/Boyfriend Sets the emergency contact for the 1st patient to be Alden Tan (Boyfriend) with phone number 98765432.
  • emergency 2 n/Mary Goh p/88761432 r/Mother Sets the emergency contact for the 2nd patient to be Mary Goh (Mother) with phone number 88761432.

Locating patients by name: find

Finds patients whose names contain any of the given keywords.

Format: find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]

  • The search is case-insensitive. e.g hans will match Hans
  • The order of the keywords does not matter. e.g. Hans Bo will match Bo Hans
  • Name, Phone number and Email address are searched.
  • Only full words will be matched e.g. Han will not match Hans
  • Patients matching at least one keyword will be returned (i.e. OR search). e.g. Hans Bo will return Hans Gruber, Bo Yang

Examples:

  • find John returns john and John Doe
  • find david roy returns David Li, Roy Balakrishnan
  • find Charles returns Charles and charles
  • The command find 81782349 returns the patient associated with the phone number 81782349.
  • The command itscominghome@gmail.com returns the patient associated with the email itscominghome@gmail.com

Archiving a patient : archive

Archives the patient at the specified INDEX from the main patient list and adds them into the archive list.

Format: archive INDEX

  • Archives the patient at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed patient list after using the list command.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Example:

  • Run list to view patients, then enter archive 2 to archive the 2nd patient in the main HealthSync patient list.

⚠️ Warning: The archive command is not available while viewing the archived patient list.

Listing all patients in archive : listarchive

Shows a list of all patients being archived.

Format: listarchive

Unarchiving a patient : unarchive

Remove the specified patient from archive list and add them back to HealthSync.

Format: unarchive INDEX

  • Unarchive the patient at the specified INDEX from archive list.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed patient list.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Example:

  • listarchive followed by unarchive 2 adds the 2nd patient in archive list back to HealthSync.

⚠️ Warning: The unarchive command is not available while viewing the displayed patient list.

Deleting a patient : delete

Deletes the specified patient from HealthSync.

Format: delete INDEX

  • Deletes the patient at the specified INDEX.
  • The index refers to the index number shown in the displayed patient list.
  • The index must be a positive integer 1, 2, 3, …​

Examples:

  • list followed by delete 2 deletes the 2nd patient in HealthSync.
  • find Betsy followed by delete 1 deletes the 1st patient in the results of the find command.

Clearing all entries : clear

Clears all entries from HealthSync.

Format: clear

Tag Management

Adding a tag: ta/ ti/ tc/

  • Adds a tag to a patient based on their index in the patient list.
  • Tags can be added for allergies (ta/), insurance (ti/), or conditions (tc/).
  • Tags are case-sensitive and need to be alphanumeric. e.g. Peanuts will not match peanuts
  • Tags can be more than 1 word in length. e.g. broken leg
: Multiple tags can be added simultaneously using the format: tag [index] ta/[allergy] tc/[condition] ti/[insurance]. The order of the tags does not matter.

Format: tag <INDEX> ta/ALLERGY tag <INDEX> ti/INSURANCE tag <INDEX> tc/CONDITION

: Add the tags based on their different categories such as allergy (`ta/`), insurance (`ti/`), and condition (`tc/`).

Examples:

  • tag 1 ta/Shellfish assigns an allergy tag 'Shellfish' to the patient at index 1.

  • tag 2 ti/prudential assigns an insurance tag 'prudential' to the patient at index 2.

  • tag 3 tc/diabetes assigns a medical condition tag 'diabetes' to the patient at index 3.

  • tag 4 ta/peanuts tc/headache ti/public assigns an allergy tag 'peanuts', a medical condition tag 'headache' and insurance tag 'public' to the patient at index 4.

⚠️ Warning: If the tag already exists for the patient, it will be treated as a duplicate and not added again.

Deleting a tag: td/

  • Deletes a tag from a patient based on their index in the patient list.
  • Tags are case-sensitive. e.g. Peanut will not match peanut
  • Only full words will be matched e.g. Peanut will not match Peanuts

Format: tag <INDEX> td/TAGNAME

: You can undo the command if the tag was deleted by mistake.

Examples:

  • tag 1 td/Shellfish deletes the tag 'Shellfish' from the patient at index 1.

  • tag 2 td/diabetes deletes the tag 'diabetes' from the patient at index 2.

Undoing a command: undo

Reverts the last command that modified data.

Format: undo

⚠️ Warning:

  • Cannot be used repeatedly to undo multiple actions.
  • Cannot undo undo, redo, help, list, find or exit commands.
  • The undo command can only revert the most recent action and cannot be used repeatedly to undo multiple past actions.
  • The right panel may not automatically update after using the undo command, requiring manual re-selection of the patient or another patient to view the reverted data.

Example:

  • undo (Restores the state before the last action)

Redoing a command: redo

Restores the last undone command.

Format: redo

⚠️ Warning:

  • Can only be used if undo was previously executed.
  • Cannot redo commands that were not undone.
  • Cannot be used repeatedly to redo multiple actions.
  • The right panel may not automatically update after using the undo command, requiring manual re-selection of the patient or another patient to view the reverted data.

Example:

  • redo (Restores the last undone action)

Exiting the program : exit

Exits the program.

Format: exit

Saving the data

HealthSync data are saved in the hard disk automatically after any command that changes the data. There is no need to save manually.

Editing the data file

HealthSync data are saved automatically as a JSON file [JAR file location]/data/addressbook.json. Advanced users are welcome to update data directly by editing that data file.

⚠️ Warning: If your changes to the data file makes its format invalid, HealthSync will discard all data and start with an empty data file at the next run. Hence, it is recommended to take a backup of the file before editing it.
Furthermore, certain edits can cause the HealthSync to behave in unexpected ways (e.g., if a value entered is outside the acceptable range). Therefore, edit the data file only if you are confident that you can update it correctly.

FAQ

Q: How do I transfer my data to another Computer?
A: Install the app in the other computer and overwrite the empty data file it creates with the file that contains the data of your previous HealthSync home folder.

Known issues

  1. When using multiple screens, if you move the application to a secondary screen, and later switch to using only the primary screen, the GUI will open off-screen. The remedy is to delete the preferences.json file created by the application before running the application again.

  2. If you minimise the Help Window and then run the help command (or use the Help menu, or the keyboard shortcut F1) again, the original Help Window will remain minimised, and no new Help Window will appear. The remedy is to manually restore the minimized Help Window.

  3. When the listarchive command is executed with a selected patient, the details panel is not refreshed. To resolve this, click on a patient in the archive list to refresh. If the list is empty, switch back to the main patient list and ensure no patient is selected before running the command again.

  4. Currently, appointments remain visible even after their date/time has passed. Automatic handling or deletion of past appointments is planned for a future release

  5. Currently, when an administrator tries to schedule an appointment for the same patient within a 15-minute window of their previous appointment, the system blocks it—even if there are no conflicting appointments with others. A workaround is to first schedule the appointment at a completely different time, then reschedule it to the desired time.

Valid Inputs for Patient parameters

A patient is uniquely identified by their NAME and PHONE_NUMBER or NAME and EMAIL. Patients with the same NAME and PHONE_NUMBER or NAME and EMAIL will be flagged as duplicates and cannot be added to HealthSync.

This also does not apply to emergency contacts because many patients can have the same emergency contact person.

Parameter Details Example
name/ NAME This parameter accepts alphanumeric characters, the words s/o, d/o, spaces, and the following characters: -, @, /, '. The first character of this parameter needs to be alphanumeric. Mason's James, Soumya d/o Ramesh, Kai Havertz @ Gallagher are examples of names you can provide in an add, edit.

phone/PHONE_NUMBER The phone number must be exactly 8 digits long and can only start with 6, 8, or 9. The field cannot be blank. 91884567 and 88705469 are examples of phone numbers you can provide in an add, edit
email/ EMAIL HealthSync follows the valid email address format detailed here

Emails should be of the format local-part@domain and adhere to the following constraints:
1. local-part should only contain alphanumeric characters and these special characters, excluding the parentheses, (+_.-). The local-part may not start or end with any special characters.
2. This is followed by a @ and then a domain name for domain. The domain name is made up of domain labels separated by periods. The domain name must:
- end with a domain label at least 2 characters long
- have each domain label start and end with alphanumeric characters
- have each domain label consist of alphanumeric characters, separated only by hyphens, if any.		 thomastuchel@yahoo.com.sg and bellechoy@gmail.com are examples of emails you can provide in an add, edit.
address/ ADDRESS Addresses can be any value, but they cannot be blank. 987, Kensington Rd, 123465 and Block 666, Westminster Street 6, #08-111 are examples of addresses you can provide in an add, edit

Command Summary

Action Format, Examples
Add Patient add n/NAME p/PHONE e/EMAIL a/ADDRESS
e.g., add n/John Doe p/98765432 e/johnd@example.com a/123 Street
Edit Patient edit INDEX [n/NAME] [p/PHONE] [e/EMAIL] [a/ADDRESS]​
e.g., edit 2 n/John Smith p/91234567
Delete Patient delete INDEX
e.g., delete 3
Find Patient find KEYWORD [MORE_KEYWORDS]
e.g., find John
List Patients list
Schedule Appointment schedule INDEX [DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM]
e.g, schedule 1 30-03-2026 12:00
Sort Patients sort FIELD
e.g., sort name
Set Emergency Contact emergency INDEX n/NAME p/PHONE r/RELATIONSHIP
e.g., emergency 1 n/Jane Doe p/81234567 r/Mother
Archive Patient archive INDEX
e.g., archive 2
List Archived Patients listarchive
Unarchive Patient unarchive INDEX
e.g., unarchive 2
Clear All Entries clear
Undo Command undo
Redo Command redo
Add Allergy Tag tag INDEX ta/ALLERGY
e.g., tag 1 ta/peanuts
Add Condition Tag tag INDEX tc/CONDITION
e.g., tag 1 tc/asthma
Add Insurance Tag tag INDEX ti/INSURANCE
e.g., tag 1 ti/medishield
Delete Tag tag INDEX td/TAGNAME
e.g., tag 1 td/peanuts
Help help
Exit exit

Glossary

Terminology

Term Details Example
Alphanumeric Characters that are letters or numbers. 1, 2, 3, A, b, c are alphanumeric characters.
Command Instructions for HealthSync to execute. Features are commands that HealthSync can execute. list is one such command.
Command Line Interface (CLI) An interface where users type commands. The command line acts as a CLI in HealthSync.
Fast-typing Users whose average typing speed exceeds 41.4 words per minute A healthcare administrator with a typing speed of 49.4 words per minute
Graphical User Interface (GUI) An interface using buttons, icons and visuals HealthSync acts as a GUI.
JSON JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight format for storing and exchanging data. The data file used by HealthSync is in JSON format.
Keyword The word you want to search for in a find command. Searching for a patient named Eden Lampard could be done by using keywords Eden or Lampard.
Parameter Required input for a command. NAME and EMAIL are examples of parameters you have to provide in an add command.

Terry John and terry@hotmail.com are possible examples to provide to the respective parameters.

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