Back up and passwords

[Hugh Babington Smith]

When I quit Tapforms it automatically backs up the open files, which is fine. But one of the files which is password protected then opens automtically when I next re-load Tapforms, without asking for the password. The only way to require the password is to close the file before quitting Tapforms, but then it does not back up.

I could, of course, back up manually, but that seems to be a different location….

Am I missing something?

[Brendan]

Hi Hugh,

Oh that’s odd. It should be asking you for the password even if it’s opening up automatically on relaunch.

In fact, I just tested this scenario with multiple documents opening up upon launch. One encrypted, the other not.

Perhaps it’s opening a version of your document that’s not encrypted? Check to make sure you don’t have multiple documents with the same Document ID floating around somewhere. You can also command-click on a document title window to see where the document is living. Maybe it’s not in the usual place.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Hugh Babington Smith]

Brendan

There are two identical copies of the file, one in Library/Containers/Tap Forms Mac 5/Data/Documents, the other in a sub-folder of iCloud/Documents.
If I close Tapforms, it automatically backs up the file (into the correct Backup folder in Library – this does not seem a problem at all.)
When I next load Tapforms it shows both versions in “Recent”. The one in Library opens without the password, the one on iCloud needs the password. (When I make changes, they appear identically in both files.)
If I open the file directly from either Documents or Library in Finder, I get the same result.
Later:
I have now tried moving the file in Library to Bin then reopened Tapforms; the file immediately appeared in Library even before I tried to open it. This Library version is (now) empty, when I open the one from iCloud it requires the password. But both versions appear in Recent and again, password required for the iCloud one, not for the (new, empty) Library one.
I wish to keep it in iCloud for the off-site back up, how can I prevent it appearing in Library?
There is a setting in Preferences for Scripts which is set to Documents. I don’t use scripts though there is one that I was playing with in the file – could this be muddling things?
Hugh

[Brendan]

Hi Hugh,

You should move the one that’s in iCloud back into the Library folder. You should not open a Tap Forms document that’s sitting on a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or iCloud Drive.

If you want backups to be in iCloud Drive for safe keeping, that’s fine. Set the Backup Folder on the Preferences window to a Tap Forms Backups folder you can make on iCloud Drive.

But if you open and work on the document that’s sitting in iCloud Drive, you risk the embedded SQLite file becoming corrupted due to iCloud syncing things behind Tap Forms’ back.

The reason you are seeing the file appear back in Library, but empty this time is that you probably also have iCloud Sync enabled for that document and Tap Forms is downloading the placeholder document for you from Apple’s CloudKit servers.

Scripts has nothing to do with this issue.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Hugh Babington Smith]

THanks, Brendan, I’ve sorted the locations as you suggest. In the course of doing this I have re-named the files (I was getting very confused with so many versions.) I am now finding that the files do not update on the iPad even though the Sync Setting Database code is identical. I have switched of iCloud Sync in both files and deleted the iCloud versions, but the sync does not happen. Have I really confused things by changing the name? The Sync Setting Database codes did not change when I changed the file name.

Hugh

[Hugh Babington Smith]

I now have the databases syncing macbook to ipad after I disabled the iCloud sync, deleted the file on iCloud, then set it all back up. However, the passworded file opens on the ipad without a password. The macbook version has always been passworded and in Preferences/Security, the button implies that the file is encrypted (it says, “Decrypt Document…”) But on the iPad, in Tools/Security Settings the button reads “Encrypt Database.”

[Brendan]

Hi Hugh,

Encryption is done on a per document basis. Had you used the Send Document function to send a copy of the document from your Mac to your iPad, then your document would have been encrypted. But with iCloud sync, the data is not encrypted separately using the same encryption key as you used for your document locally. So when it syncs across to your iPad, the database over there won’t be encrypted. You just have to encrypt it again. Or send the already encrypted document from the Mac to the iPad using the Send Document function. But you’d want to remove the document from your iPad first before you do that.

iOS 15 and macOS Monterey have a new feature where you can encrypt data separately that’s stored in iCloud. I’ll see about implementing that in a future upgrade.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Paul Wirth]

iOS 15 and macOS Monterey have a new feature where you can encrypt data separately that’s stored in iCloud. I’ll see about implementing that in a future upgrade.

I came here to ask about encryption on iCloud. Very happy to hear that this is a possibility on iOS 15 and macOS Monterey. Please keep us posted!

Paul

[Paul Wirth]

Following up on the iOS 15 and macOS Monterey encryption feature you mentioned, Brendan. Does it look like you’ll be able to incorporate it into the Tap Forms?

[Brendan]

Hi Paul,

That info was just based on a WWDC session I had watched. I haven’t had a chance to actually dig into it just yet to see what’s actually possible. If so, it would be a next year feature.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Paul Wirth]

Ok Brendan, thanks for the reply, looking forward to see what comes of it whenever you get to it.

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