Existing Forms need Relationship Editing

I am going to pick up where I left off. Book number four is at the printers and I am thinking of how to organise the fifth one using Tap Forms. Book number three has been long-listed for the world illustration awards. :)

Since the file I use for keeping track of my participants works – it is a separate file not connected to any client based files – I was wondering if there were any way to link to the client based file?

I’ve been giving this some thought. I only need a project file as long as the project is active. After that I prefer to retire it out of view.

Things that I need for my project file from the client based file would be client, client contact details, client number.

I would also need to add contact details of people that are involved with the project, but who are not the client. This could include city marketing companies or tourism associations, for example.

Would it make more sense to just create a field to link other files, separate from the project, as you would with documents or structure it so that the all the files are linked?

One note here: The participant files are always completely separate documents from the client files.

I need some room to think out loud now and hopefully get some logical feedback, whilst my mind springs from tree to tree

Ideally for the project file I would have three forms:
1. The project detail form

Project name
Project number (which is dependent on the client’s number – which is why I really would like to connect it to the client & acquisition file or visa-versa)
Work hours and details imported from a csv-file (I use Tyme2, which has proven to be very good for me)
Time planning, like as in a Gant-Chart (page 1 needs to be done by this date, page 2 by then, etc)
Project description
Information about repetive characters including a brief description and linked turn-around drawings
An additional contact list of people involved in the project

Client information
Support information (people who are important to talk to, places to draw about)

2. The participant form
This form contains cvs-data imported from my newsletter provider
I might need to add the details (names, ages, addresses if different from the person who organised the participation) to the form. these aren’t contained in the original registration. Germany is very strict about data collection. This would have to be manually added.
I also use this form to provide the press with statistics. Therefore, I do not wish to create separate entries for people in the groups and family type categories. That would skew everything. This time around I duplicated the entry, changed the number of participants to “0” and put in the address of the person/people pre-ordering books.I use the filter to filter out the number of books pre-ordered so that I can send that information to the publisher to process.

3. Book pre-orders
This should populate from the participant form, however as I just experienced this week, people who are in groups pre-order for themselves and aren’t listed personally in the participant form. I can only find them by searching the email registration and the documents submitted. Their addresses are not listed and the books would be billed and delivered to the wrong address otherwise.

Does anyone see any holes in this? I would appreciate any feedback before I set up the next file. Thanks
Regards,
Kimberley

Hi Brendan,
Thank you for the understandable plug. I just ordered her book (on Kindle, so I wouldn’t have to wait). I hope she finds a lot of fans for it.
An aside here: Remember the blog I wrote about you and Tap Forms? It is one of the most visited pages on my website. My guess is that there are a lot of creatives looking for better organisational tools.

Thanks for the tips. I will try them out. So far, for the participants, I just duplicated the file, changing the project number. So I have made separate Tap Forms for each set up book participants.They are unrelated, unlinked and stand-alone, if you prefer.

When I started using Tap Forms, I thought I had to pack everything into one big Form, ie Clients along with Cooking, Sewing, Life Goals, whatever. You can imagine how bloated that file got. (Don’t ask me why I assumed that. Beginner’s mistake, I guess)

Once I realised I didn’t have to do that, I think I tried, with the Participants Files, to make it too lean. They aren’t connected to the client. The file is recognizable because it has the Project Number and Name on it. Perhaps I fear bloating my client/akquisition files. The participant files get loaded with photos. I will have to consider that when I set things up.

Thanks for your help and much success for your wife.

Kind regards,
Kimberley

Hi Sam,
Thanks for your link. I’ll take a look at it today.
One argument for putting the projects in with the client’s page is quick accessibility, but my computer, even with the RAM it has, is slow when saving Tap Form files. At least that is my perception when closing the program. I assume because it backs up before ending.

I think I will try for my next search and find book to create a new client & client acquisition base. I won’t need a participant file, but it would be a good time to experiment with fictional names. I probably could even go crazy and create a scene file, much like an author would for her characters. I am starting work on the book today, so I will also need to set up the new files today, too. Luckily, I know what works and what was missing on my project files. I love designing the different views, but will simplify that, too. I can always add to it.

Regards,
Kimberley