FAQ about the Tap Forms 5 Upgrade

[Brendan]

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is there upgrade pricing available if I already own a copy for Mac?
A: Yes. If you have the direct download version 3.5.20 already, all you need to do is download and install the Tap Forms Mac Version 5 Free Trial and launch it. You’ll be offered the 50% off upgrade discount at that point. If you purchased via the Mac App Store, please see the next question.

Q: Can I still get the upgrade price if I’ve purchased from the Mac App Store?
A: Yes. You can either use the new Tap Forms 5 Upgrade Bundle now in the Mac App Store by using the “Complete My Bundle” function here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app-bundle/tap-forms-5-upgrade-bundle/id1439301554?mt=12

Or you will have to get the 3.5.20 direct download version first

https://vendors.paddle.com/download/product/498110

Then you’ll need to launch that version. Please note the app name will be “Tap Forms Mac 5” for the direct download version. You should see a notice telling you that you are eligible for a free copy of the direct download 3.5.20 version since you already purchased it from the Mac App Store. Just put your email address in and “buy” the app. The price should say $0.00 at that point.

You will need to activate the 3.5.20 license before you launch the Tap Forms 5 free trial version. You should receive the license key in your email from Paddle.com

Once you’ve done that you can download and install version 5

https://vendors.paddle.com/download/product/503174

Then you’ll be offered the 50% off discounted price. There should be a message telling you that you’re getting a discount since you’re a previous customer.

Note: If you don’t see the discount offer, please quit Tap Forms 3.5.19 and Tap Forms Mac 5. Then re-launch Tap Forms 3.5.20 (the direct download version), then re-launch the Tap Forms 5 Mac free trial. You should see the offer then.

Q: What about a discount for the iOS version?
A: To get the iOS discount, use the “Complete My Bundle” option on one of the Tap Forms Upgrade Bundle packages.

For iPhone, use this link:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app-bundle/tap-forms-5-upgrade-bundle/id1140801867?mt=8

For iPad, use this link:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app-bundle/tap-forms-5-hd-upgrade-bundle/id1140784710?mt=8

Note: You only need to upgrade one license since Tap Forms 5 is universal. Either one will work on your iPhone and iPad. Also, the “Complete My Bundle” option will vary in price depending on what you originally paid for Tap Forms for iOS.

Q: Does Tap Forms support iCloud or Dropbox syncing?
A: Tap Forms 5.1 now supports iCloud syncing, but not Dropbox.

Q: Will IBM charge me a fee for syncing?
A: Creating an account with IBM is free, but they may charge you depending on the service you choose. They have a free tier, but I believe it is limited in how much you can sync. Please see the online user manual for how to setup an IBM/Bluemix account: https://www.tapforms.com/help-mac/5/en/topic/ibm-cloudant-sync

Q: Why can’t I get sync working?
The main thing to know about getting sync working is that you need to have a copy of the same document already loaded onto each device in Tap Forms 5. To do that, you only need to create your document on one device (either from scratch or via migrating your old Tap Forms database). Then use the ‘Send Document’ function to transmit the document to the other device. If you’re sending to an iOS device, first go through the on boarding process, then make sure you don’t have any documents open at the time or you won’t see the alert asking if you want to accept the file transferring from the other device.

Q: How much does the new version cost?
A: Tap Forms 5 for Mac is $49.99 USD. The iOS version is $16.99 USD.

Q: What are the system requirements?
A: Tap Forms 5.2 for Mac requires macOS Sierra (10.12) or newer. The iOS version requires iOS 10 or newer.

Q: Someone sent me a Tap Forms Archive file (.tfarc) but Tap Forms can’t open it, why?
A: It can. You just have to have a document open first before you can use the Import Tap Forms Archive command.

Q: Will all my data automagically transfer over to version 5?
A: No. There is a “Migrate from previous version” button you will click on to migrate your data into the new version. But first you will need to create a backup file using the old version. It’s a completely new app so the old version and new version can co-exist side-by-side and they will not interfere with each other. So you can keep the old version around until you’re comfortable and confident with the new version.

Q: Will there be training videos available for the new features?
A: Yes. I have many new videos which demonstrate many of the new features in Tap Forms 5. Watch the Mac videos here: https://vimeo.com/channels/tapformsmac5 and the iOS videos here: https://vimeo.com/channels/tapformsios

Q: Will there be an updated online user manual available on the web and in PDF downloadable format?
A: Yes. Just like the current version there will be an updated manual. Some of the chapters will be the same, but there will be new chapters covering Tap Forms 5 specific features. See the updated manual here: https://www.tapforms.com/help-mac/5/en/topic/introduction

I’ll update this FAQ as more questions come in.

[ct4]

Love the question Q: Can I have version 5 for free? I have no money. (yes, this was a real question) and the answer!! :-)

[Mike Lapchynski]

Brendan, will I be able to migrate my data from the beta version! Please tell me there is a way!
Mike

[David Butenhof]

Mike’s question is good. I’m assuming that the Cloudant data stays exactly the same, and that when we launch the final version we’ll see no difference at all in our databases and forms from the beta…

But it would be nice to have absolute confirmation!

[David Butenhof]

Love the question Q: Can I have version 5 for free? I have no money. (yes, this was a real question) and the answer!! :-)

… and while you’re at it, can you give me a new iMac for free, too? And a cookie?

[Alexander X]

Ouch! I just bought TapForms Mac and iOS literally five minutes ago only to find out now that I should have waited until tomorrow… :/ I know that it sounds a lot like the question you have already answered above ;), but will there be a sort of “grace period” for last minute buyers of the old version?

(Mac, that is. I am fine with buying the iOS version again, as 9$ is too cheap for this great piece of software, anyways!)

[Walter Johnson]

OK, so the multiple documents sounds nice, but I’m guessing it won’t let me open the same database in two windows? Any two databases I want to see at the same time in different windows will have to be in different documents?

Just trying to understand.

[Walter Johnson]

So version 5 will not be in the Mac App Store? I’m wondering because I have the Mac version running on more than one machine. Will I need to purchase a license for each machine for version 5?

[Brendan]

David,

The production version will read your beta databases. There’s no difference.

Mike,

There’s no need for migrating the beta database to the production version. It will just read it.

Alexander X,

Email me directly to support@tapforms.com

Walter,

You will need separate documents to have separate windows showing different forms. Yes, version 5 is in the Mac App Store now.

[Kelvin Williams]

I have the Mac version so I have downloaded and installed version 3.5.15 as suggested. I open the new version and click Licence where I can continue trial, activate licence (which I don’t have) or buy now, which I click. It then asks me to pay $41.99 (incl. vat), and when I go through this it asks for card or paypal. It does not suggest I already have the Mac version and give a price of $0. I am in the UK if this makes a difference. I have gotten out of bed at 4am to do this as I am off on holiday in 2 hours for 10 days when I will not be able to upgrade during the discount period. How do I get this to work?

[jonathan billings]

I have created a backup of my previous version and gone into TF5 to migrate it, but when I click to choose the file, I can’t see any file or any location or any means of picking a location. Where is TF5 pointing to so I can put the backup there for it to see it.

[timzu]

As a happy user of Tap Forms 3.5 for Mac I have to say I am a bit disappointed in Tap Forms 5 so far. Here’s why…
1. The upgrade process was odd. Especially having to create and import a zip file on my Mac.
2. Tap Forms 5 still asks me to upgrade every time I open the app. I’ve already purchased it and entered my license code. Why is it asking me to upgrade?
3. The removal of Dropbox and use of IBM Cloudant. Tap Forms is supposed to be an easy-to-use database app. Dropbox is an easy-to-use file sharing/hosting service. Cloudant is not. I signed up for Cloudant (yet another online service that I didn’t want or need, but now have to have because Tap Forms requires it for cloud syncing). Hopefully I will never go over my usage. I am already a paid Dropbox customer and really don’t want yet another service to keep track of. This is a very poor decision to only support one sync option, which is an obscure one at that.
So anyway, I got signed up and when I enter my Cloudant info in Tap Forms it says that it cannot connect/sync to the database because it does not exist.

Update: And now it seems Tap Forms will no longer let me open it with the email/license that I paid for.

All in all this is really frustrating.

[pmtsc]

I like the overall visual changes but am very disappointed with the new sync option or should I say lack of options. Until now I hadn’t even heard of Cloudant and as a paid Dropbox and iCloud user don’t want yet another cloud service.
This could become a deal breaker should another database organiser appeal to me.
The migrate option was tricky to use but after two tries I figured it out and got there.
I score the update 3.5 out of 5 (no pun intended) but please bring back iCloud and Dropbox sync options.

[arrowj]

I cannot figure out how to get my data from my iPhone to my Mac if the data is not already on the Mac as the local sync says to select the files on both systems. I accidentally figured out how to migrate from the old iOS version to the new. The entire backup/export/sync system is not intuitive.

I was really hoping for more printing options in the new iOS version, but as I just bought a Mac I figured I would try that. It was my understanding there were more print options on the Mac version. Am I missing something?

Those things are annoying, but expected with new software. The lack of iCloud or Dropbox or both? I really hope you will reconsider that…of course how long would it take to implement now that this “better” solution has been baked in? It may indeed be technically better, but so is Linux and here we are.

[arrowj]

Update: I found the extra print options. As far as I can tell there is no way to adjust the font size and the “width” setting for fields seems to be doing nothing. At any rate, they are there just not very robust.

Tap Forms is the best software in its class that I have found, but the field is not saturated. This software needs work on both platforms to make it more intuitive. I do appreciate the new iOS universal app. I think the separate price points were unreadable (relative to software prices…not the amount of work a developer may or may not do).

Overall, I think I am going to be stuck with an imperfect solution for printing labels from records unless someone knows how to print these tables smaller. While I appreciate the upgrade pricing and half off sale, I may just wait. I would rather pay full price for software that includes iCloud or Dropbox support in the event that the developer changes his mind. Not sure yet.

[Lenny Warren]

Hi there,

I just purchased Tap Forms last week for Mac/IOS/iPad. I purchased all three versions at full price. Now a week later I see there is a new version and I have to purchase all three again?

I realy love the product, best I’ve ever used, but I’m feeling a bit cheated. Normally if you purchased within a recent time there would be a deal, is there in this case?

Kind regards,
Lenny

[arrowj]

Update Again :)

Sorry, I figured out that you can use custom layouts to print as you want it to appear. Good to know. Now if I can figure out how to get my data from my iPhone to the computer without using IBM’s cloud service I will be sold.

[john cooper]

Hi I have just imported my database from 3.5 version.
Now there all in a folder called” johns iphone 6s plus ” on the taps 5 document page

Can I rename this ?

Can I split the contents up ?
As in take out my work forms and put them in its own document.
And personal in its own document

Can the app be set by default load up a document of my choice. ( personal or work)

[Walter Johnson]

My update process was flawless.

Thanks to the 48 hour sale, I just purchased the Mac and iOS versions in their respective stores. No downloading special versions, no fuss.

I made sure all 3 devices were backed up themselves, made sure all 3 were synced (old version synced the old way) so the data was the same across all 3. On my Mac I performed a backup in the old version. Launched the new version and restored from the just created backup. Checked the online documentation on how to get my converted file to the iPhone and iPad, it turned out to be simple. Select and choose share with the app open on all devices.

I decided to try out the local wifi sync first and see how it works. Added the other two devices from all 3 devices. Made changes on one device and watched in amazement as the changes appeared on the other two devices automagically.

[tonyt]

Walter
Can you point me to the ‘online documentation’ as to how to get mac db to ipad?
Cheers
Tony

[Mark Fiske]

I was also disappointed to see the surprise removal of established cloud sync options. I have seen apps that use iCloud efficiently and appropriately. Unfortunately, Tap Forms was never one of them.

Not being thrilled about ANOTHER account at ANOTHER cloud service, I bit the bullet, and I can tell you that, from my experience, Tap Forms now works like it SHOULD have worked with iCloud. Changes on one device propagate on other devices nearly instantly. This is powerful, (so far) painless stuff.

With Cloudant working great, I would like to see restoration and improvement of iCloud sync as an option…if for no other reason than to demonstrate why Brendan made the choice he made.

[Ralph Bergman]

Updated on both Mac and IOS. Was able to do the 3.5 backup and opened the backup file in Tap Forms 5. Unable to open the new (backup) database in IOS. I can select the device on the Mac – Ipad Air while having the new IOS app open select iPad Air and see either a blue background “waiting” button or a greyed out “waiting” button and nothing happens. Both Mac and iPad on a working WiFi network.

Set up a Cloudant account which is not recognized in the sync window cloud option.

I like Tap Forms but why is this so difficult? So far I can’t use the new version of Tapforms since syncing with IOS is a must. Very disappointed.

[john cooper]

Never mind found a work around for splitting the forms in to other document folders. And figures how to rename them

[Ralph Bergman]

It’s now working. In order to get the document onto the iPad you have to make sure that there are no documents open on IOS Tap Forms so you have to be in the “Documents” window where you see all of the documents available. Then when you send the document you selected from Tap Forms Mac a window opens on the iPad asking you whether to accept the document. When you accept the document appears.

Tested out the WiFi syncing and it works. Haven’t gone back to test the Cloudant syncing yet.

I’m now happy.

[Mattapper]

I have the app-store version 3.5.14 of Tap Forms. I downloaded version 3.5.15 from the homepage but have no idea where i could “then get your license for version 3.5.15 from there.”
When i start Version 3.5.15 the first notice i get is, that i have ten days left to evaluate or i can buy the program for 34.99$.
So – what do i have to do?

[Brendan]

Hi Matt,

Try quitting 3.5.15 and launching it again.

You should see a screen like the attached.

However, currently the sale price is the same as the upgrade price. So to make it easy on yourself, you can just get the version from the App Store if you like.

Thanks,

Brendan

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

[Mattapper]

@Brendan: OK, done – bought the new version directly in the App Store ;-)

[James Bunnell]

The migration from 4.07 to 5 worked fine on my iPhone, but didn’t work on my iPad. I’ll try again in the new few days…

[MPS niper]

Just wanted to say that the I watched the promo video and it looks great! I don’t have the latest version installed yet though because I wanted to ask a few questions before I upgraded.

1. If we are still using the previous version of TapForms on our Mac and iPads, the Dropbox sync will still continue to work correct? Or will it stop working for some reason? The Dropbox sync works perfectly for me. If not Dropbox, I’d rather use something like Box or GoogleDrive as a cloud based syncing service.

2. This is HUGE for me and the people I work with. After all these years, will this version 5 FINALLY allow us to print custom templates from our iPads? PLEASE SAY YES!! lol. If not, then I’ll probably just stay on the older version for now :-(

The way we use it now is that we put the data on our iPads and sync it using dropbox. Then open up the Mac version and wait for everything to sync then click over to our custom template to print out a report and stuff. We would rather be able to print/email the custom template while we are out in the field working rather than having to wait to get back to our office to use a Mac.

Thanks for your hard work!

[Brent McInnis]

Brendan,

I’ve purchased version 5 for Mac and iOS, created a Cloudant account, and imported my old database into version 5 on my Mac. So far, so good.

But I have questions about the following statements in your FAQ:

=====================================================================
“Then use the ‘Send Document’ function to transmit the document to the other device. If you’re sending to an iOS device, first go through the on boarding process,”
======================================================================

Where is this “Send Document” function? In Tap Forms? In Cloudant? In iTunes? I don’t know where it is or how to use it, so I don’t know how to get my database to my iOS devices.

Also, what is the “on boarding” process? You mean the process of reading the “welcome” type screens when you start up Tap Forms for the first time on an iOS device?

And finally, aside from setting up an account in Cloudant, do I have to actually DO anything there manually, to read my database in for the first time, or anything? Or does Tap Forms 5 do all that for me, behind the scenes?

Thanks for the new version and I hope you keep generating plenty of income from your labors.

[Gregory]

Brent,

Regarding Cloudant, you’ll need the user name and password. Enter these into the Cloud Sync settings of the document on your Mac before sending a copy to your iPhone.

On the Mac, select the Document in the Documents window. At the bottom of the window is a Send button (an arrow pointing upward?). Click it.

Make sure your iPhone is on the same LAN and launch TF.

The iPhone should now appear in the device window on your Mac. Click it to select it. TF will send a copy of your document to the iPhone complete with Cloudant settings.

I’ve left out a few details. Hope this helps tho.

[Karl Reed]

RE SYNCING.. Seems to be only from iphone to mac..
It’s a little bit tricky to set up since it’s not clear what the “document name” is and exactly how to share it, however, it wasn’t too difficult.

BUT! I spent many hours trying to get icloud to work with tapforms 3.5, and, failed..
However, the sync now seems only to work from mac to iphone . This is good, but, it would be nice if it would also work the other way as well. Probably needs two separate commands at each end. Of course, brute force is possible, the updated “document” can be sent from the iphone to the mac.
Now, all i have to do is get the print layout to work!
Karl Reed

[Karl Reed]

RE SYNCING.. Seems to be only from iphone to mac..
REPOSTED>> (I didn’t report what I found) It’s a little bit tricky to set up since it’s not clear what the “document name” is and exactly how to share it, however, it wasn’t too difficult.

BUT! I spent many hours trying to get icloud to work with tapforms 3.5, and, failed..
However, the sync on V5 now seems only to work from mac to iphone . This is good, but, it would be nice if it would also work the other way as well. Probably needs two separate commands at each end. Of course, brute force is possible, the updated “document” can be sent from the MAC TO THE IPHONE
My print layout problem seems to be related to the filed widths.. I was focused on the layout option in the from, however, this doesn’t seem to impact the printer.
Karl

[Anakowi T]

To be honest I’m pretty annoyed by the whole TapForm experience by now… or is it iOS? It took several email password resets to get past registration on this forum so I can get help.
I got zero use out of the previous version – too hard to follow. I’m hoping the new version will be better. I just spent ages creating a custom form then added a password – text/number combo – now I can’t login because the password screen only allows numbers. NOW WHAT?
How do I access TapForms?

[Gregory]

Karl, you don’t need to know the Document name.

the easiest way to set up syncing using Cloudant:

1. set up a Cloudant account. note the user name and password. don’t worry about anything else on the Cloudant website.
2. launch TF on the device with the most recent version of your Documents (database). delete the document on the other devices.
3. open the Document you want to sync across devices. go to the Tap Forms 5 app menu and choose Preferences. a sheet will drop down from the top of your Document window.
4. click on Sync. click on Cloud. enter your user name and password. judging from what you’ve written, I’d suggest turning on Auto-sync too. click Done.
5. close the Document window. open the *Database Documents* window, the one that lists all of your documents. click on the Document you want to sync.
6. click on the Action button; the square with an arrow pointing upward. a windoid will appear.
7. on your other devices, connect them to the same LAN and launch TF. they will appear in the windoid in a few seconds.
8. in the window, click on the icon of the device you want to move the document to and begin the transfer. on the device, approve the transfer.

that’s pretty much it. the sync settings are transferred with the document to the other device. you don’t have to re-configure it there. syncing should work in both directions.

[kai2020]

It was a big decision for me to purchase Tap Forms and then a few weeks later you came out with a version and I had to re-purchase the iOS. Lucky for me, I didn’t as of yet buy the Mac Version.
Now, had I known you would drop Dropbox and iCloud I wouldn’t have been as hasty to buy because of the discounted price because quite frankly I am annoyed with the shift to Cloudant since it means I have to acquaint myself with the data service and I don’t even know if I will have to pay for it monthly. I have iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive, and you had to go and choose a server where the cost is a huge unknown at this point.
Add to that the annoyance of the new interface which keeps making a new copy of “My Life” every time you open it.
Oh well, I hope this all works out since I already have all my forms up and ready just a day before you decided to shift to Tap Forms 5 and having to start from scratch again with another platform is tiring to think about.
I’m still trying to figure out if signing up with Cloudant will be an added cost in the long run.

[Anakowi T]

@Kai2020
I’d hold off for a bit to see what happens. I believe that you will be entitled to a free upgrade as you’ve just purchased. There are some nice plusses in the new version, which might partly solve your data storage. I think that will depend on the size of your data and if you need to access remotely.
Personally, for my needs, I won’t need cloud storage. I only need synchronisation (device to device/mac), which the new version will allow without the cloud.

Right now my biggest problem was that the new version was crashing (annoying) and then it’s password-locked me out. I didn’t even set a password! Waiting for a response still. Rather annoyed by that because I’m not sure if I need the Mac version and can’t evaluate the new iOS version.

I’m in Australia and the pricing for the Mac version is $38.99 (not sure if that includes the 50% discount or the window has closed here already, being the 6th). Canada is “asleep” now and I guess I will miss the boat either way.

In the meantime I’m giving the old version another shot. Bought it a couple of years ago but never used it because I couldn’t find a manual. I’ve discovered today it was because I had only the iOS version and the support website viewed on an iPad doesn’t display the crucial information needed for accessing support. So I’ve paid twice and no usage yet.

[Yogie]

Hi Brendan,

It might be a good idea to explain, when you have migrated your 3.x DB to Tap Forms 5 and enabled sync. How to get the migrated DB start syncing with your iOS device, so how to get the DB to your iOS device and then how to configure it to keep in sync!

Update: The answer is here… https://www.tapforms.com/help-mac/5/en/topic/sharing-with-another-device

Cheers
Yogie

[Gregory]

Brendan, in the ‘sharing with another document’, you might want to add a note advising people using Cloudant (or another sync method) to configure Cloudant on the source document before sharing it so that the sync settings don’t have to be configured multiple times.

[Brendan]

Gregory, actually the sync settings are stored in the device keychain, so that won’t get sent across anyway.

[Gregory]

ahhh… that means (for the moment) that even if the Document is deleted on the device, the sync settings for that document remain within the keychain.

I assume this because I’ve deleted the documents on my iPhone a couple of times, and after ‘sharing’ the documents from my Mac to the iPhone again, the sync settings were already there.

hope this is true, and hope it doesn’t change… :) although it would be logical to remove the settings from the keychain whenever the document is deleted from the device… unless the keychain is being synchronised by iCloud across multiple devices and one or more of those devices still has the documents in place (it’s never simple…)

[Philip Smith]

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

The syncing never worked that well before. Tap Forms 5 is instantaneous across the 2 Macs and iPad on which I use it.

Definitely an update worth paying for – all power to you.

And I’m not at all worried about IBM fees – $50 transfers a huge amount of data – I can’t see being anywhere near this and I used TapForms for 5 different applications.

[L B]

After a hiccup with Cloudant password (didn’t like charactrs, only alpha/numeric) TF 5 seems to be working well and syncing quickly.

How can I set the OS version so that it opens my primary database automatically rather than having to select it or “Open Recent”? Now when I launch TF5, it doesn’t open any database — I have to select one (and at this point, I only have one, so there are no choices.) This wasn’t an issue with 3.5.

Thanks for the huge effort you put into building TF5. Looking forward to working with it to learn all about it.

[Nigel Parrish]

Wow. That sync is fast…

Just popped out to the car and entered todays miles and all synced up across devices before I even got back into the house.

Great update and an instant purchase.

[Stefano Lupparelli]

Hi,
I tested the 3.5.14 version with which I have created some forms. Then I decided to buy the application and I was delighted that it was updated to version 5. Now I’d like to continue working with the old forms but I can’t create backups to be imported into the new version because the 3.5.14 demo has expired. How can I do?

[Brendan]

Stefano,

You could visit the following folder and make a backup file manually:

~/Library/Containers/com.tapforms.mac/Data/Documents

You just need to select all the files and folders within that folder (not the Documents folder itself) and then make a zip file of the contents. Then use that as the file to migrate to the new version.

[Gregory]

L B, TF remembers the last open Docs.

after opening the Doc, close the Document Databases index window.

now when you close your doc, TF will quit. when you relaunch TF, your doc will open automatically.

[Dean Harris]

I have this same question. I created a backup file in iOS v3.5 and uploaded it to iCloud Drive. But when I go to the migrate option in v5, I can’t select the the backup file I created (it’s not listed) or any other file, for that matter.

[Stefano Lupparelli]

Thank you Brendan, it works!

[Dean Harris]

Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks like I’ll need to use iTunes File Sharing.

Brendan, don’t shoot me, but is there any way you could get the migration tool to recognize iCloud Drive so an iOS user isn’t dependent on needing a desktop computer to create backup files?

Waiting patiently for the bugs to be worked out, but really looking forward to the new version.

Thanks for all your hard work on this!

[L B]

Still cannot get TF5 to remember my preferred database as it did with prior versions. I tried the suggested steps, but TF5.0.1 does not remember my preferred database. I still have to Open the startup screen which lists the databases and select the one I want. (In fact I have deleted the sample databases so I only have one at this point, but it still won’t open my only database without my selecting it.

I looked for a Preference file but didn’t fine one with the TapForms or TapZap name in my Preferences folder.

Suggestions?

[Jamie Todd]

I can’t get TF5 to sync from my Macbook to either of my IOS devices (iPhone & iPad). I have set up Cloudant correctly with one username. I can go in from my Macbook (username.cloudant.com) and see the directory at Cloudant with my database but I’ll be darned if I can get that to sync with my IOS stuff. I tried migrating the old version of TF for IOS to the new one before I deleted that version from my IOS devices and that was successful but they won’t talk to each other through Cloudant :-(. I tried to do what Gregory Rivers suggested above but things don’t line up quite so neatly for me with regards to his steps.

Can you please help or publish a tutorial for those of us with sync issues between devices ?? Thanks !

[pmtsc]

.

[cPOP99]

LB,

In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.

In the Go To Folder dialog box, type: ~/Library/Containers/com.tapzapp.tapforms-mac/Data/Documents

Click Go.

Make an alias to the database file you want to open (i.e: example.tapforms).

Move this new alias to your Desktop.

Double-click the alias to open.

For easy access, you can also put the alias in your Dock (at the end near Downloads).

Hope this help.

[David Dixon]

I’m glad to see others having problems with this. I’ve got Tap Forms working fine on our two iMacs, but the Send To is crazy for iPhones and our iPad. The iOS device always shows up in the Send To window just fine, but the message to Accept the file never shows up on the phone/iPad. After a round of rebooting, deleting/reinstalling, reconfiguring, etc. the software on the iPhones I finally have it working on them, but the same efforts have not yet worked on the iPad.

Any ideas? I guess I’ll reboot the Mac then try trashing and reinstalling the iPad software again. Brendan, you seem like a great guy, and I love the software, but this update has been a nightmare.

[David Dixon]

I just saw the other forum thread where you suggest some fixes. So, for those who are having trouble…

If Sending a file to an iOS device, this only works if the iOS device is showing the Documents screen in Tap Forms. This is not the screen showing what’s in your My Life section, it’s the screen one back from that that shows My Life as an icon. The problem is – when you go back to that Documents screen it won’t stay there but immediately pops back to showing what’s in My Life.

For some reason, on an iPad if you flip to horizontal view, then the Documents screen will stick and the Send works perfectly. I had trouble with my iPhones, but somehow got it to work so I don’t know if they have that same issue or not. But, if you can’t Send to iPhone or iPad, turn it horizontal and make sure you are on the Documents screen, not My Life.

I’m sure Brendan will have this sorted soon. Hope this helps.

[Brent McInnis]

I have successfully set up a Cloudant account, installed version 5 on a Mac, an iPad, and an iPhone, migrated my old data into version 5 on the Mac, sent the document from the Mac to the iPad and iPhone, and updated some Tap Forms data on the Mac and watched the update sync across to the iPad and iPhone.

Then, I noticed that my data was not encrypted. I tried to encrypt it on all three devices, but this somehow caused a situation in which the Tap Forms screen is frozen on all three devices. Rebooting doesn’t help.

The Mac Tap Forms screen shows a spinning beach ball, and says “Sync receiving (9/38)” in the bottom right corner. (Windows other than the Tap Forms windows on the Mac have no beach ball and work fine).

Both of the iOS devices show a spinning whatever-that-is-that-spins to the right of the WiFi icon, and do not respond to any taps.

So in other words, I am dead in the water with version 5. I cannot click or tap to do anything to get a response from Tap Forms on any of the devices.

Brendan, please help!

[Brendan]

Dean Harris,

I’ve added a new Download button to the Choose a Backup file screen on the Migration screen to a new version I’ll be uploading very soon. It will give you access to any files you have in Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Box, etc. whatever cloud file storage services you have access to. Then you’ll easily be able to download the backup files to do the migration from.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Brendan]

Brent,

My suspicions are that perhaps you tried to encrypt the database while it was still busy syncing.

Have you tried restarting?

[Brendan]

David Dixon,

I’ve added some code to popup the Accept or Reject alert even if a document is opened. If you accept, the document will be automatically closed and you’ll start to see the Receiving… message as soon as the source device starts sending the document. I know this confused a lot of people, so hopefully this will solve that problem.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Brent McInnis]

Hi Brendan,

I wasn’t paying any attention to whether the database was syncing when I was setting my encryption key, so yes, perhaps it was syncing when I was doing it. I simply tried to go from one device to the next, setting the encryption key on each, and found that, when I was done, everything was frozen.

Yes, I’ve tried restarting. I can initially scroll through my forms, but as soon as I tap or click any one of them, Tap Forms goes into the “syncing / frozen” state, and never comes out.

I’ve even tried uninstalling version 5 from my Mac, and reinstalling from the Mac app store – but it remembers the document I was using, and the problem persists.

How can I remove the document from all devices and start fresh?

And once I’ve done that, and try to start over from scratch, I guess the recommended technique is to set the encryption key in the document on one device before I send it to my other devices?

Thanks for your help.

[stravedere]

Is possible hide this button in version 5?

look screenshot

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[Brendan]

Brent,

Can you close the document right when it opens up? Then on the Database Documents window, click the (->) button to view the file in the Finder. You can delete it or more it out of the way.

The documents are also stored here:

~/Library/Containers/com.tapzapp.tapforms-mac/Data/Documents

[Brent McInnis]

Brendan,

Thank you for your suggestion.

I was not able to close the document right when it opens up, but I did the following in order to try to start fresh:

– Went to the folder where the document is stored on the Mac and deleted it
– Uninstalled Tap Forms 5 from my iOS devices
– Deleted the Tap Forms database file from Cloudant (at least I think it was the Tap Forms database file – it had a strange name, but was the only file there that was nonzero in size)
– Created a new copy of my database in Tap Forms 4 on the Mac
– Successfully imported this into Tap Forms 5 on the Mac
– Deleted all the sample forms that come with Tap Forms
– Encrypted the database file on the Mac
– Created a local sync password on the Mac
– Configured remote sync on the Mac by entering my Cloudant credentials

And boom – seconds after entering my Cloudant credentials, I was back where I had started, with a spinning beach ball on the Mac, and no way to interact with Tap Forms.

So I am now about to repeat all the above steps on the Mac, except for the last step, since it seems that, as soon as I try to interact with Cloudant, I run into this “spinning beach ball” problem. I will see if I can get at least just get local sync to work.

By the way, the most annoying part of this process is having to delete all the Tap Forms sample forms. Is there a way to not get them – or to delete them en masse instead of one at a time?

Anyway, my question is, do you have any idea why I am getting the beach ball as soon as I enter my Cloudant credentials, and what can I do to mitigate that? Is it possible that Cloudant and Tap Forms 5 just don’t interact properly with an encrypted file?

Thanks!

[Brent McInnis]

Brendan,

Well, this time I figured out how to get rid of the Tap Forms Sample Forms. For me, it was a two-step operation.

First, I needed to delete the “Sample Forms” document when opening the database. This seems obvious now, but I had just overlooked that document before.

But to my surprise, after doing that, I still had the sample forms present, although I think they were unpopulated. Anyway, I found that my category names were not as they used to be, so I went into “Tools => Edit Categories” to rename them, and to my surprise, when I was done, the sample forms were gone.

So please disregard that part of my earlier question.

[Brent McInnis]

Brendan,

I have done all I can do for today, but have only got local syncing about “half working”. Here’s what I’m seeing (by the way, I first set but later removed a sync password from all devices, to try to simplify the situation, but it didn’t seem to make any difference):

I have TF 5 on 3 devices – a Mac, an iPad, and an iPhone. I used “Send Document” to send the database from the Mac first to the iPad, then second to the iPhone. Both transfers worked fine, as far as I could tell.

– Under “Preferences => Sync => Nearby, the Mac reports that it can see the iPhone, BUT NOT THE IPAD. I don’t know why.
– Under “Tools => Sync Settings”, the iPhone reports that it can see both the Mac and the iPad
– Under “Tools => Sync Settings”, the iPad reports that it can see both the Mac and the iPhone

– When I add a record on the Mac, it appears on the iPhone and iPad
– When I add a record on the iPhone, it appears on the Mac and iPad
– When I add a record on the iPad, it appears on the iPhone, BUT NOT ON THE MAC

So where I am overall is that I’m totally afraid to even turn on Cloud syncing, because that’s when I get the beach ball in TF on my Mac, and I can’t quite trust local syncing either. So I’m back to using TF 4 for a while longer…

Any thoughts?

[Brendan]

Hi Brent,

I’ve heard from some other people that when you have your document encrypted and then turn on Cloudant sync, that’s when you get the spinning beachball. I haven’t seen that issue myself so I haven’t been able to diagnose and debug it. So for now, try enabling sync without first encrypting the database document.

Also if you want to take this to email then that will prevent everyone who has subscribed to this thread from receiving the emails about these issues you’re having. Not sure how they feel about all the chatter. Plus it’s kind of off topic in my FAQ post.

[Kari Bourgeois]

I imported a database document, got it syncing with my phone and working fine. After a full shut down of the computer, the document won’t load. When I clock open the main window opens but none of my forms are there???

[Luisa Pereira]

Brendan,

I’m a Microsoft Access Database user. Now I have a MacPro, iPad & iPhone, I researched for a suitable database as there is no Access for Mac. I found Tap Forms amongst others, I have contacted you about the syncing as I was not comfortable with iCloud. You told me that it was in the works.

I bought it in August and I have to say I’m very impressed with your work. It’s amazing how easy is to use, syncing, etc. It’s perfect for my needs.

Thank you Brendan for your good work and all the help you give all os us with issues.

Luisa

[Brendan]

Luisa, you’re very welcome!

[johnmcboston]

First time I’m hearing about the update. Is there some reason registered users weren’t notified by email?

Tried the recommend procedures above and it’s not giving the half price option for the app downloaded from your site – just the $50 price. has it been too long and I’m screwed??

thanks

– J

[Brendan]

@johnmcboston, send me an email with your proof of purchase and I’ll take care of you.

Apple doesn’t give developers a way of notifying past customers of new apps directly so I sent out an email to anyone who had contacted my support@tapforms.com account in the past couple of years plus anyone who had subscribed to my mailing list. If you hadn’t done that, it would explain why you weren’t notified.

[Hamish Haynes]

I have always been a keen user of 4.0.7, and found that after a little tweaking the sync works well. However, having just upgraded to 5 I have to register my complete disappointment.

Firstly the sync simply doesn’t work. I got it to sync a couple of times over the weekend, but today, nothing. I have both my iPad and iPhone right next to each other, both are showing each other as ‘green’, but nothing. The data content on my phone is different to my iPad, and there is nothing happening between them!

Secondly, after a fairly expensive (in iPad terms) upgrade, to find that the search isn’t as powerful as the old version and doesn’t auto complete is again a huge disappointment. I am sure this will get fixed but for the time being it is back to version 4, and hopefully the bugs will get sorted!

[pp]

Hi, I’ve been away and don’t use tapforms much as I was trying to get my head around it. I now see that theres a new version and I want to upgrade.
Tried the process as above to convert my app store purchase to your store version. Downloaded the V5 trial, tried to buy that and it does not show the upgrade price, just the full price….
How do I get this to work?
Thanks…

[pp]

Thanks, all sorted now.
I tried a few times and got quick support via email.
Worked for me once I restarted the computer then relaunched the app.

How on the lookout for a few database templates to play with to get a feel for what the new version will do
Cheers

[vanderpn]

Hello,

I have the original Tap Forms and tried to follow the directions for upgrading the version 5, but I can’t get the discount to show up on the version 5 trial. Is there something I can send you to verify my previous purchase so that I can access the discount?

Thanks

[Brendan]

Hi Vanderpn,

Generally when someone isn’t able to get it working it’s because they haven’t installed the 3.5.19 update from my website first. The unfortunate thing is the Mac App Store and direct download versions have the same version number, but they’re not the same code exactly. The direct download version has the ability to detect and validate the Mac App Store receipt for version 3.5.x. When that happens then you can launch the Tap Forms 5 trial version and be offered the discount. Many people skip the part of the instructions that say to download the direct download version because they think they have it already. So if that was your issue, please try installing and launching the direct download version first from here: https://vendors.paddle.com/download/product/498110

Thanks,

Brendan

[Judith Newman]

I’ve followed your instructions to Vanderpn, I clicked on the link to download and install (reinstall) 3.5.19. Then I redownloaded the 5. trial version – but all I get is the 59.99 price – it says I have 0 days remaining in my trial period. I tried activating the License by entering the license # I have for 3.5.19 but that doesn’t match whatever the license # is for version 5.
Sorry to be so obtuse about this – I’d like to upgrade at the 1/2 price offer but can’t seem to figure out how to get there.

A second question: If I’m successful at making the upgrade on my iMac do I also have to purchase a second upgrade for my iPhone?
Judith

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[Brendan]

Hi Judith,

I would suggest re-launching Tap Forms 3.5.19 (the direct download version), then quit out of it, then re-launch the Tap Forms 5 trial.

If that doesn’t work, try rebooting.

Yes, Tap Forms 5 for iOS is a separate purchase.

Use one of the links at the top of this FAQ to use the “Complete My Bundle” function. You only need to do it on one iOS version since Tap Forms 5 is now a universal app.

[Tosh Brice]

Hello

Abstract: After migrating from v.3.x to v.5.1, I thought that “search” in “Select existing linked records” was broken. Please bring back the old “search as you type” feature.

First of all, thank you for designing and putting out TapForms. I have tried off-and-on for many years with various Windows programs to work out how to build a simple database with many-to-many relationships. Stumbling across TapForms was one of the drivers for my transition to Mac.

I am building a database of CDs and LPs to keep track of who plays on what albums, so that I can play chronological retrospectives of different musicians. (All of the ready-made music databases I have found concentrate on songs, rather than personnel.) I am now enjoying going through my collection, filling in the data and discovering all sorts of cross-links I did not know existed.

Last night, I migrated from v.3.x to v.5.1, and this morning started adding new albums. When checking whether the first musician was already in the database, I thought that the search in “Select existing linked records” was broken. Only after exiting and re-starting the program did I stumble on the fact that the search no longer produces results as I type (which was great because you discover quickly whether the record exists, without prior knowledge of how many letters need to be entered) I now have to hit enter or click search. Please bring back the old “search as you type feature.”

[Brendan]

Hi Tosh,

“Search as you type” is coming back to the iOS version in the next update.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tosh Brice]

I hope to mac OS as well?

[Brendan]

Yes. I’ve fixed that on the Link to Form field’s popup view too. It was always available on the general search.

[Pat P]

Hi, What’s the discount amount for IOS version? I have tap forms IOS Version 4.0.7. When i click the upgrade within the tap form app, it redirect me to the app store bundle app– price $16.99. I thought the regular price for IOS is $16.99, where is the discount then?

[Brendan]

Hi Pat,

The bundle is only available on the iPad version and the regular iPhone version. Unfortunately if you had the in-app purchase with the Tap Forms LT version then the bundle discount doesn’t apply. That’s because Apple didn’t have a way to enable any kind of way for me to offer discounts on the upgrade for when you had purchased the Lite version and used the in-app purchase function.

But if you go to one of the bundles, you should see a “Complete My Bundle” option that will give you a discount. If you paid full price for Tap Forms for iOS before, then the upgrade price will be $8.00 USD. But if by change you got it at a discount when it was on sale at some point, then Apple takes whatever price you paid and subtracts that from the bundle price. So the discount may be lower for you.

[Paula Breger]

Hi Brendan –

I’m having the same problem Judith did back in April. I had purchased via the Mac Store, so I followed the instructions in the FAQs, downloaded the 3.5.19 version, and then re-downloaded Tap Forms 5 trial (I had tried it a while back but hadn’t gotten around to purchasing). It doesn’t offer me the discount, and says I have zero days remaining in my trial. I followed your suggestions to Judith, including rebooting my Mac (MBP running Sierra 10.12.5). It still doesn’t offer the discounted price.

What other steps can I take?

Thanks.
Paula

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[Paula Breger]

Hi Brendan –

Problem solved. I just kept relaunching 3.5.19, closing it, and relaunching TF 5 until it worked. Took about a half dozen tries.

Thanks.
Paula

[Brendan]

Hi Paula,

I’m glad you got it finally to offer the discount. Sorry for the trouble. Thanks for upgrading!

Brendan

[Peter von Walter]

Hi Brendan,
I would like to switch from Bento to TapForms 5.
Is the import of the Bento database fully supported?

But so many people complain about difficulties with synchronisation (“nearby sync”)!? So before purchasing, is it possible to test that combination (Mac & iOS) or would you give a refund if not working?

Thanks
Peter

[Brendan]

Hi Peter,

Tap Forms imports most of the Bento field types. In Tap Forms 5.2 I just added importing of Bento’s Simple List field type.

You can download a 10 day trial for Mac, but not iOS. If you don’t want the iOS version after you purchase it, you would have to contact Apple to get a refund. Developers don’t have access to the systems at Apple would would allow us to issue refund for iOS apps or apps purchased from the Mac App Store. If you purchase directly from me by using the in-app purchase on the Mac version or the green Buy Direct for Mac button, then I can issue refunds for those Mac app purchases. Just not iOS versions.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Peter von Walter]

Hi Brendan,

many thanks for your prompt answer!
I downloaded your trial version and it imported bento files flawlessly.
Great!

I am still a little reluctant about the mobile versions and also a little confused:
– Are there different iOS versions for iPhone and iPad and do i have to pay for both versions?
– Is the “nearby sync” in both directions?
– I guess Tap Forms Lite is not compatible with the version 5? Why don’t you offer a TF 5 Lite version for testing?
– What is the difference ore advantage of buying the bundle vs. the single app?

Greetings
Peter

[Brendan]

Hi Peter,

1. For Tap Forms 5 you purchase the one license and run it on iPhone and iPad. The old version was not universal, so you needed to purchase the iPhone version and the iPad (Tap Forms HD) version. No longer required in Tap Forms 5.

2. Yes. If you want. But it’s optional.

3. Ya, sorry. No Lite version. Conversion from Lite to full was pretty low, so I didn’t continue working on making a lite version for Tap Forms 5.

4. The bundle just includes the older and newer versions of Tap Forms. It’s designed so that a customer who already owned the older version didn’t have to pay full price for Tap Forms 5. But it makes no difference if you’re a new customer which one you purchase. The bundle and just Tap Forms 5 are the same price.

[Peter von Walter]

Thank you Brendan,

that helped a lot!

Greetings
Peter

[Michael Puckett]

I have bought Tap forms 5 for the mac and just spent more money to get it on my iphone (IOS 11). Do I have to buy it again for my iPad? Note itunes 12 does not manage IOS apps anymore.

[Brendan]

Hi Michael,

No you do not.

Tap Forms 5 will run on both your iPhone and iPad for the same purchase.

Just go to the App Store on your iPad and find Tap Forms there. You should see a download button instead of a price. In iOS 11 they seemed to have removed the “Purchased” list. Not sure why. But in any case, as long as you’re logged in with the same Apple ID as the original purchase, you won’t have to pay again for your other iOS devices.

[henrik korslind]

Hi Brendan!
I already own TF on iPhone and iPad and just upgraded my MacOS version.

When I try to upgrade in AppStore on my iPhone I get the same price as buying TF 5 the first time. Doesn’t bundle upgrade work anymore?

// Henrik

[Brendan]

Hi Henrik,

I’m beginning to think that may be the case. Maybe Apple closed that loophole? It’s supposed to reduce the price of the bundle by the amount you already paid for one of the apps within the bundle.

I’m going to have to do some further investigations. If that’s the case, then there’s no point in me even having the bundle.

[Brendan]

Henrik,

From Apple’s documentation for developers regarding App Bundles:

Customers who previously purchased one or more apps in an app bundle can use the Complete My Bundle feature and will see the bundle price adjusted to account for those previous purchases.

So according to their documentation it should work.

I’ve set the bundle price at $16.99 USD, the same price for Tap Forms 5 for iOS alone. Since Tap Forms 4 or Tap Forms 4 HD are in each bundle, if you paid $8.99 already at some point for Tap Forms 4 or Tap Forms 4 HD, then $8.99 should be removed from the price of the bundle. So it would be sold for $8 USD using the “Complete My Bundle” function.

Try the Tap Forms 5 HD Upgrade Bundle instead of the iPhone version and see if that makes a difference. Tap Forms 5 is a universal app anyway, so you can upgrade the iPad version and run it on both your iPhone and iPad.

Let me know if that works for you.

[henrik korslind]

Hi Brendan!

No it doesn’t work.

I’ve tried upgrading with the Tap Forms 4 HD version on my iPad but still get the same price 179 SEK (22 USD) which is the same price listed for Tap Forms 5 in App Store.

Kind of wished I never upgraded my MacOS version in the first place, now that it turns out that I have to buy all the stuff once more to make it work. :(

[Brendan]

Hi Henrik,

Well, the iOS version 5 is universal, so one purchase runs on both iPhone and iPad. So you don’t need to buy separate iPhone and iPad versions like you used to with the old version.

I’m going to have to contact Apple to find out what’s going on with the Complete My Bundle function. I searched Google and I found only one other person mentioning the Complete My Bundle function not working on iOS 11.

Do you have an iOS 10 device you can try it on?

[henrik korslind]

Yes, it worked while using iOS 10!
Seems to be a bug in iOS 11.

Thanks!

// Henrik

[Brendan]

Hi Henrik,

Oh that’s great news!

I was just going to ask you for some information. I contacted Apple about this issue and they requested this information from me:

• Full-window screenshots or video illustrating the issue
• Store country or region
• Affected devices including the model and OS version
• Impacted customer Apple IDs

[henrik korslind]

Okay! I will send the information to you in a email.

[David Richman]

I upgraded via the bundle without any problem. However, when I tried downloading Tap Forms 5 to my wife’s iPhone (which has the same app store ID but a different iCloud ID), I see a button marked ‘purchased’ but no way to download.

We are both using iOS 11

[Brendan]

Hi David,

Sorry I took so long to respond. I didn’t notice your comment until just now.

Did you ever manage to download it to your wife’s iPhone?

That should work to let you download it to your wife’s iPhone. Although this is really an Apple issue as I don’t have any control over the actual distribution of Tap Forms, other than to upload it and set the price.

If you see the Purchased button, did you tap on that? Did you see Tap Forms in the list of apps? If so, just tap on it and then tap on the download button to install it.

If you want to contact me directly at support@tapforms.com I can try to help you further.

Thanks,

Brendan

[David Richman]

Hi Brendan,
The “purchased” button in the App Store is grayed out and nothing happens when I tap it. However I was able to download it from the list of purchased apps, once I figured out how to find that list (it used to be labeled, but is now just an icon which my 66 yr old eyes cannot decipher).

I will play with the program for a while, especially the new sharing feature. If I get stuck, I’ll ask for help.

I’ve used the previous version for many years and always found it easy to use to create forms that held the information I needed, rather than someone else’s idea of what I would need. Thank you for providing such a flexible app at a reasonable price, in an honorable way.
David

[Michael Deibert]

Brendan,

How much longer will the Tap Forms v4.0.7 version be valid for within the OS schemes? Despite having purchased the full app years ago, neither on my iPhone nor on my iPad App Stores am I given the option to “Complete the Bundle” for any discount – it shows the bundle option, but at the full price of $16.99.

The cost, while quite expensive for an IOS app, is not that much in the grand scheme of things – I have other expenses that are more important. Additionally, I should not have to pay full price to upgrade an app that I have already purchased – especially since it seems the bundle upgrade discount is currently an issue with IOS11. (Why should I be penalized and charged full price simply because I keep my IOS systems up-to-date?) Or is there another solution you have to this dilemma.

[Brendan]

Hi Michael,

Well, I’m not in control of the Complete My Bundle function. So if it’s not working in iOS 11, you will need to contact Apple about that. I really only just create the bundle, set the price and then Apple manages it.

On the iPad version, tap on the app itself to go to the details screen. There you may see the Complete My Bundle option.

If you had the full version of Tap Forms and not the Tap Forms LT version, then Apple will deduct the amount that a you paid from the bundle price. The same goes for the iPad version.

I’m not penalizing you for having kept your iOS version up-to-date. I hope you don’t feel like that was caused by me.

Unfortunately Apple does make it difficult to upgrade.

If the Complete My Bundle function is working, then this is how it would look (on the Canadian store at least). (see attachment).

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