Getting Started

[Tom Copeland]

Is there a beginners’ handbook? My difficulties begin with basic terminology: What is meant by “to tap” (as opposed to “to click”)? I have no touch screen. I am told to tap on the “settings button at the bottom of the screen,” but there is no such button on my screen. Just direct me to the self-help manual, and I’ll figure it out.

[Tom Copeland]

Well, I found the movies in the “Support” tab. They’re helpful. I am becoming alarmed, though, about the absence of any sophisticated “Find” function in the program. What if I have 35 fields and want to search for a checkmark in fields 4, 7, 19, and 25 along with the word “Victor” in field 4? I don’t see how this can be accomplished by adjusting the “Sort and Group Settings,” of which there are only three. Will this become clear in later lessons, or is it impossible to do in this program? In that case I guess I’ve wasted my money.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

The advanced search function can be found by first typing something into the Search field at the top-right and then click the + button that appears below the Search field. Then pick from the fields in your form to build your search rules. You can select a comparison and then enter a value to search for for each search rule. You can click the + button to the right of each search rule to add new rules. There’s also a Save button that appears below the Search field which lets you save that search for later quick access. It will appear beneath indented beneath the form.

In version 2.0 I’ve made the advanced search easier to get to by simply clicking a button without having to first enter a search term into the Search field. But for now you just need to do that.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Wonderful! That’s exactly what I need. Will this program handle 7000+ records, each having 35 fields?

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Well, depending on the speed of your computer, that may slow it down a bit when clicking on that form. Searches are very fast though, so if you’re clicking on the Saved Searches it should come back fairly quickly. Unless you’re searching for checkmark fields with the value NO. Those aren’t so fast from the search engine.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Speed is immaterial. The program can accommodate such a leviathan; that’s the important thing. I’m very excited to get to work.

I’ve been fiddling with a somewhat smaller file in the iPad version of the product and have reached some curious dead ends. How can I delete an entire form? How can I delete 544 records at once without deleting the rest?

[Tom Copeland]

Now that I have begun to work on the Mac instead of the iPad, the problem of deletions is gone, but I do still have lots of stuff on the iPad that needs deleting eventually, and I don’t know how to do that.

More pressing, though, is the need to insert images, and I don’t seem to have the same screen as is shown in the YouTube video of how to do this. I have attached an image file showing on the left what my screen looks like and on the right what it ought to look like if I am to select and import a photograph rather than just a reference to the location of a photograph (which doesn’t actually make a picture appear on the screen). I can do that by dragging and dropping, but to make the picture actually become visible, I think I must need the row of icons shown on the right. Where do they come from?

[Tom Copeland]

Forget the previous post. I discovered what was wrong with the field.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

You can delete records in a form without deleting the form by using the Delete All Records function on the iPad version. Also, to delete an entire form on the iPad, go to the Customize Form screen for the form you’re interested in deleting, then tap on the action menu button then tap on “Delete Form”.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Okay, I found the menu for deleting a form, but three problems remain:

1. I don’t want to delete all the records, only half of them, the half that are completely blank. I can do this on the computer by blocking them and choosing “delete,” but blocking seems impossible on the iPad.

2. There are exported and imported records lying about as mere clutter. How can they be deleted? Once they have been imported into a form, aren’t the original ZIP and CSV files unnecessary?

3. The forms I want to delete are no longer visible because I chose “hide form” at some point in the past, and since they hidden, I can’t enter their menus.

You’re very generous to offer all this private assistance. I would gladly purchase a user’s manual, though, if such a thing is available. I hate to trouble you with these questions.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

1. Yes, only the Mac version supports selecting multiple records like you need.

2. You can swipe to delete any file in the Files area.

3. You can still view hidden forms in the Customize Forms list from the Tools area. So you can unhide them or delete them or do whatever you’d like to them.

My apologies, but there’s no user manual. Well, there’s an old iPhone user manual which gives you the basic idea of how Tap Forms works. And there are video tutorials for the Mac version.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

I have had mixed success synching with iCloud. My forms go up there and come down onto my iPad, but the records of one form go while those of the other don’t. The form tells me there are 596 records (actually there are only 594 on my computer), but no records actually appear on the iPad.

I thought I would use the “Beam” function to update the iPad, but I can find no way to send a beam from the computer.

As for Drop Box, I haven’t begun to explore it.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Can you check to see if the First Sort Field is selected on your form? That could explain why the records aren’t displaying. But it doesn’t explain the count difference. Try making a change on the device that has more records to the records that are missing, then re-sync from that device.

Beaming only beams one record at a time. And unfortunately OS X’s implementation of AirDrop is not cross platform compatible with iOS’s AirDrop. So beaming won’t work between the devices.

[Tom Copeland]

Yes, the first sort field is for a picture. And now that I am using Dropbox, the problem file went through to the iPad. I am not out of the woods, though. The 544 records which have transferred flawlessly to the iPad appear as only two records on the iPhone. As an experiment, I exported the records from the iPad, since it was working properly, and then uploaded the exported file to Dropbox, finally importing it from Dropbox to the iPhone, but once more there were only two records. I noticed that the file name was followed on the import screen by the words “251 bytes” and “2 rows.” I wonder if there is an error in my settings for imports and/or exports. A mere 251 bytes seems mighty small and would likely produce naught but two records. (I should mention that 9058 records, each with 45 fields, transferred perfectly to the iPhone by exactly the same procedure as the one that keeps on failing with this much smaller and simpler file.)

Additionally, the pictures are not displaying on the iPad, only a long string of numerals followed by “.jpg.” This no doubt represents the image’s location on the hard drive of my computer. I seem to remember some remarks about making the images actually a part of the files vs. including in the records mere references to the images. The latter seems to be what I have done. Is there an alternative?

[Brendan]

The issue with the counts being wrong has to do with the file encoding setting you have on the Import & Export Settings screen. Check to make sure you’re using the same Import File Encoding on the iPhone that you were using on the iPad. Or at least they should be the same as whatever was the Export File Encoding you used on the Mac.

As for the images, it’s a little more tricky to get them onto the iPhone or iPad. First of all, when you exported your records from the Mac you should make sure you enabled the Field Type Tags option. That will tell Tap Forms how to handle the data during the import process on your other devices. You shouldn’t be seeing the photo file names in your form. If you are it means you probably have the Photo field set to be a Text field.

To get the photos onto your iPhone I would recommend using an FTP program like Cyberduck to FTP them to your iPhone and iPad. Stick all the images you have into the Photos folder after you connect with Cyberduck to Tap Forms on your iPhone or iPad. You can enable the built-in FTP server by first going to the Tools area, tapping on Web & FTP Settings and enabling the FTP server (tap save when you’ve enabled it). Then go to the Files area and tap on the power button to turn on the FTP server. Now use the IP address displayed in Cyberduck and connect with anonymous username and no password. Now you will be able to navigate the folder hierarchy in Tap Forms and find the Photos folder. Just drag all your photos into there. Then you’ll be able to see them in Tap Forms.

All of that can be avoided though if you used iCloud to sync.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Thanks, but please define terms. The “files area” is the records area, isn’t it? There is a button there next to which appears, “ftp://10.0.1.9:8080.” I am guessing that I need to activate this simply to enable Cyberduck to find and shake hands with my iPad.

Then you also mention an “IP address.” In Cyberduck one is prompted to type something beside “server.” Would this be the iPad’s IP address? If so, might it be “10.0.1.9:8080”? I tried that number but got no result. Cyberduck then provided me with “Network diagnostics,” which ascertained that my wireless network is working properly but did not connect me with the iPad. You indicate that Cyberduck will tell me what the IP address is, but in that case, what is to be typed beside “server”?

A senior advisor at Apple disclaims all knowledge of how to FTP to an Apple mobile product, so I am stymied on the threshold of Cyberduck’s procedures, not knowing what to type after “server.”

Once I get past the threshold, I think I can thread my way through the hierarchy and find the “Photos” folder. Before dragging the image files into it, I think it wise to reduce their size. I assume it will be safe to make copies of the files, smaller but having the same names. I can do that while waiting for clarification of the other question.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Sorry for not being clear on what to do with Cyberduck. The IP address you type into the server field in Cyberduck should be the 10.0.1.9 part. The port number field should contain 8080. Normally when an IP address is displayed, the port number comes after the IP address separated by a colon character.

So try that and let me know if you’re able to connect.

By Files area, I don’t mean the records list view. I mean the Files tab on the iPhone and the folder button at the top-right of the screen on the iPad. I just say “Files area” so I don’t have to describe the 2 different ways of getting there depending on what device you’re using. But it sounds like you found it anyway.

Also you need to make sure that the IP address says ftp before it and NOT http. If it says http then the web server is activated and not the FTP server.

I’ve also attached a screenshot of how it looks connecting with Cyberduck. Once you get connected you can navigate into the Photos folder and then copy all your photos into there. As long as you set your field type to be Photo then Tap Forms will recognize your photo files. The file names in the CSV file must also match the files in that folder.

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[Tom Copeland]

Successes: I FTPd three image files into the “Photos” folder on the iPad. This folder appears directly above the “Share” folder, which contains the forms and records. I also FTPd into the “Shared” folder the records file that was consistently giving trouble before, and it now works properly, containing all of the records.

Failures: The uploaded images do not show up in the records. Nor do the numbers which formerly appeared there, but that is evidence of progress, I guess. My fear is that since the photos are in quite a different location on the iPad from where they are on the computer, the program cannot associate the reference in the record with the photo on the device. I could move the file containing the original photos to some closer location on the computer if that would make a difference, but it’s also possible that Tap Forms creates a copy of the original file and stores it in a file of which I am unaware. If so, then copying the original files to the iPad was pointless since the copies that the program actually uses probably have different names.

(I could not connect to the iPhone even though I turned off the FTP connection in it and then turned it on again before retrying. Let’s forget the iPhone for now, though. It’s quite enough to deal with one mobile device.)

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

The Mac and iPhone versions store and reference the photos from the same relative location for the Photos folder.

So as long as you have a match between the file names stored in the Photos folder and the file names in the <photo> field in your CSV file then you should be good to go. If you email me your CSV file I can take a look at it to see if you have the field type tags there and the photo file names correctly matching the files on disk. Oh, I guess I’d need a screenshot of your photo files too showing the file names.

[Tom Copeland]

Okay. I really am grateful. Perhaps this is the moment to mention that a man in Singapore translated the records in the file we are working on, from an ancient DOS program called Professional File. The file I have attached began as his translation of my DOS file. I have followed his lead, and the second set of records you will see in the screen shot is my own importation of over 9000 records, with something like 49 fields. It works flawlessly in Tap Forms, but it contains no images.

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[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Those .tiff files didn’t work on the upload.

However, I think the problem is that your file has no references to the photo file names:

Picture<photo>,Item<text>,Where<text>,Description<text>,Other<text>
,Adding Machine,?,”Mechanical, with buttons and lever”,
,Barrel,Calvin Center,”small, wood, with metal rims”,Calvin

The first comma in your data row tells me that the photo field has no value associated with it. Tap Forms won’t be able to match the photos you copied into the Photo field without the file name being in the CSV file.

Try putting the file names of the photos into your CSV file before importing your CSV file.

For example:

Picture<photo>,Item<text>,Where<text>,Description<text>,Other<text>
Photo-1.jpg,Adding Machine,?,”Mechanical, with buttons and lever”,
Photo-2.jpg,Barrel,Calvin Center,”small, wood, with metal rims”,Calvin

Now that’s assuming your photo file names are “Photo-1.jpg” and “Photo-2.jpg”. You should substitute she the correct file names of course.

Let me know if that works better for you.

[Tom Copeland]

That certainly explains the problem, and it’s undeniably true, too, for I opened the file and saw for myself that there are no photos’ names. Yet the photos appear in the records. So I trashed the file and reconstructed it by exporting the records once more. I imported it via Dropbox, but when I imported it to the form itself, the program crashed. This happened a couple of times, so I again trashed the file and exported the records anew, this time transporting the csv file by FTP instead of Dropbox. Same result. The file now does contain the pictures’ names (although they aren’t the names I gave them), but it must also contain a gremlin that crashed the program. Can you find it?

Here is a puzzle: Every single item in the list is preceded by a string of gobbledygook in the position where an image’s name belongs. Here is the entry for an item whose image is actually in the “Photos” file, for I FTPd it:

D0F52AA5-5D11-4835-AB13-637714EE7849,,Apothecary Bottle,Tom,HCl,Tom’s

However, here are two other entries, for which no pictures exist:

E1ABADFF-25E9-44B5-B4A3-8DA8A210C315,,Wine Rack,Gerri’s Basement,For only a few bottles,Gerri’s
7418164D-BC29-4178-9E4D-035EA3E0ADBF,,Wire Cone,Calvin Center,3-foot wire cone with ferns,

Does this make sense?

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[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

The random string you’re seeing on each row is not the photo file name. It’s the unique record identifier. I’m not sure what’s causing your crash though. One possibility is a mismatch between the export file encoding and the import file encoding.

You’ll notice two commas between the form_record_id and the next field value. That’s due to there being no photo file name. The question is, if you’re exporting this from your device that’s showing photos, I wonder why it’s not including the photo file name?

Do you actually see the photos on the device you’re exporting your records from? I don’t mean just the thumbnail, but the actual photo when you tap to view the full size version.

[Tom Copeland]

I’ll check the encoding preferences. I did do some tinkering with either export or import encoding. That has to be the problem. Thanks. Once the program opens the file, I have hope that the photos will show up. Just to be sure, after matching export and import encoding, I’ll export the records yet again and import them.

First, though, there is the question of whether the photos show up on the computer, where they originated. Well, they DID, but now they do not. I wonder what could have happened. I’ll create a dummy form and add photos to it. Then I’ll go through the whole process and see what happens with this test file.

As for the empty fields, many of the records have as yet no photos to go with them. That may why that field is blank in so many cases.

[Tom Copeland]

The dummy form worked perfectly. The way now is clear for fine tuning. Thanks a lot!

Tom

[Tom Copeland]

A lot has happened. I learned that the records will export fine to my hard drive but not to Drop Box. I must move them to Drop Box after they have been exported from the computer program. This method produces a folder bearing the name of my form, “Stage Properties,” within which are found the csv file (which I have examined and find to contain the proper number of lines) and a folder labeled “Stage Properties-Photos,” within which are the photos.

I also checked the settings for exporting and importing. They are identical on the computer and iPad. Among other things, I checked “Export Record ID,” “Field Type Tags,” and “Export Media,” but not “Export Linked Records,” since there are none.

That’s the end of the good news. Using Drop Box, I can download to the iPad the csv file, but it will not import once it has reached the unit. It may not download successfully, of course; I can’t tell. In any case, trying to import it makes the program crashe. Since Drop Box will let me download each image file individually but not the folder containing them, I will use Cyberduck instead. Still, they aren’t going to show up unless I can get the csv file to download. I will attach it for you to examine if you would be so kind.

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[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Hmm… My apologies that you’re having all this trouble exporting and importing. I have submitted version 2.0 for Mac to Apple today for review. You can read about it on my Blog page. Hopefully it will resolve some of these issues for you.

However, can I ask why you’re not using iCloud to sync your data from your Mac to your iPad?

[Tom Copeland]

The main reason I don’t use iCloud is that there is no future in it, since the people I must share with are going to be using Windows devices, and I wouldn’t want them to have access to my iCloud account in any case.

However, I just now synched my computer for Tap Forms with iCloud (that took a few minutes). Then I synched the iPad (plugged in and asleep) with iCloud (that took about three seconds–uh huh!). When I then went to Files in the iPad and attempted to import the csv file, the program crashed, same as before.

Please read my revised remarks above; I think I was editing my maunderings while you were reading and replying to them. I made a lot of progress and may have clarified the problem now that I have found my way around more easily.

[Tom Copeland]

Another reason I use Drop Box is that when I FTP things to the iPad, I don’t know how to find them. I have at present absolutely nothing in my “Files” area because I deleted them all with Cyberduck in preparation for replacing them all I then did that, and Cyberduck shows me that it’s all there, but I can’t access it within Tap Forms. I can pull stuff into “Files” by Drop Box, but we’ve seen the results of that.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

When you sync on the Mac, you don’t have to sync on the iPad (and vice versa). You just have to wait until iCloud does its thing. I changed the iCloud button on the iOS version to indicate it’s an Upload to iCloud button. So when you tapped on that button on the iPad and it only took 3 seconds, it’s because you were uploading changes you’ve made on the iPad to iCloud. I doubt the data from your Mac had made it to your iPad in time before you did that.

I don’t think it should make a difference if you transfer a CSV file via Dropbox or via email. It’s still a CSV file. So unless there were some issues with mismatched file encoding, I’m not sure why it would crash when importing a file that was downloaded from Dropbox vs. one that was emailed.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

I just imported your file on my iPad mini. It imported fine. I used UTF-8 file encoding because that’s what the file encoding was set to. I first loaded it into TextWrangler just to check the encoding.

After I downloaded the file from your link above, I uploaded it to my Dropbox account so I could download it from there to my iPad. Then I imported it from the Files area. No issues and it import 596 records. I tried it again and again, no issues other than the fact that because it had the form_record_id column, it simply updated records in the existing form from the first import.

[Tom Copeland]

Okay, I’m synching the iMac with iCloud now. The iPad is plugged in and asleep. I will wait till morning to see what happened. I think part of the reason for my aversion to iCloud is that it reminds me of The Invasion of the Body-Snatchers.

[Tom Copeland]

In System Preferences I have located on iCloud the files I’ve uploaded to the cloud in the Tap Forms folder. All are there, including the images. I don’t know if they are up to date, but a lot more appear there than on my iPad. On iCloud.com I learn that the iPad was synched at 4:35 a.m. last night, so those files ought to have been downloaded. Yet no files of any kind exist in the Imports folder on the iPad. I wonder if I have forgotten how files enter that folder. Must I do something to make them appear, or is that where they are placed by Cyberduck and iCloud? I know that once they are there, I can import them to the program, but that is a second level of importation.

Cyberduck assures me that the files have all been transferred, but only the files associated with my other collection are actually on the unit, and these appear only in the working area, not in “Imports.”

[Tom Copeland]

After resetting iCloud, which supposedly updates all mobile devices, I still found no files in the area from which to import things to Tap Forms. So I downloaded the csv file by Drop Box and then tried to import it. The program crashed again.

[Tom Copeland]

I read your blog about the new version, and I am enthusiastic about the new advanced search feature. It sounds as if it will make searching my form with the 45 fields much easier.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

I’m really quite puzzled why you’re having so much difficulties with this. Would you be able to email me a crash log? It might help me figure out why it’s crashing on you during import.

You can find the crash logs here:

~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/<your device's name>/

Just to clarify, the crashing happens on your iPad, is that right? If it’s on your Mac, please select the contents of the crash report that comes up and email it to me.

Also, after you reset iCloud, did you re-enable iCloud Sync on all your devices? And do you see all your devices listed in the list of Registered Devices on each of your devices?

When you have iCloud enabled, Tap Forms looks in a different folder for your files. It doesn’t look in the Share folder that you can access with Cyberduck.

If you want to see on your Mac what files are in iCloud have a look in this folder:

~/Library/Mobile Documents/FXLPHZS84D~com~clickspace~tapforms/Documents

[Tom Copeland]

Yes, the crashes occur only on the iPad and only when I try to import the csv file. I have taken three shots of the crash report from the iPad. To read the entire report would necessitate some 20 more photos.

I have enabled document and data transfer via iCloud to and from my iPad. Previously this was disabled, although it was enabled on the iMac. After this change in settings, the attempted importation lasted a good 20 seconds before the crash occurred, as opposed to three seconds as in the past.

I will add a fourth screen shot to show you that TapForms is shown as enabled in the iCloud settings under “Documents and Data.” The Apple technician I spoke to didn’t know what else you might mean by your question about Registered Devices. We don’t find such a list.

I did not have to re-enable anything.

I will look at the library.

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[Tom Copeland]

No “Mobile Devices” folder exists anywhere on my computer according to Spotlight. I’m attaching a picture of the relevant portion of the Library.

Since iCloud is giving such great difficulty and since my colleagues cannot use it to access the form and records in question, I’m inclined to abandon iCloud altogether. I’d rather use Dropbox since it is available to everybody, but it is only partially working. Therefore, just to get the thing working, might we not adjust Tap Forms so that it can access the Share folder into which Cyberduck dropped everything?

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[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

My apologies for not being clear in my response. The ~ is important in the path so you will want to make sure you have that in there.

Use the Finder’s Go to Folder menu command under the Go menu. Then paste in the path:

~/Library/Mobile Documents/FXLPHZS84D~com~clickspace~tapforms/Documents

Do the same for going to the crash folder then copy any files that have Tap Forms in the name and email it to me.

The crash folder again is here:

~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/

You’ll see all your device names listed. Pick your iPad then email me the crash logs.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Can you zip up all those Tap Forms HD crash files and email them all to me please?

Also, for photos to show up in Tap Forms, they need to be in the Photos folder. See my attached screenshot.

Thanks,

Brendan

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[Tom Copeland]

The Good News: Thanks to Apple help, iCloud is now updating both mobile devices, and the records for the collection we are now working on have been imported successfully to the iPhone.

Bad News: The iPad is still crashing.

Mysteries: Once upon a time, when Cyberduck worked on my iPad, I uploaded a dummy file with a photo, and it showed up perfectly. TapForms had created a “Photos” folder, and it went along with the form and the record, and I then imported all of them somehow or other so that they worked. Now, however, not only does importing the records cause the program to crash, but I do not know how to import the folder of the photos. On the iPad, I can enter the folder and import each photo individually (I have done so with a few), but on the iPhone, I cannot import photos; I am not given that option–only to view, open, email, or “upload to Dropbox.” In any case, once photos are imported to the iPad, they are not grouped in a folder of their own but tumbled into the sock drawer with the records.

If only Cyberduck could once again place everything where TapForms could find it all! It has moved the files, but where on the iPad they may be, who knows? TapForms doesn’t, and Apple claims that no Apple software can locate them (the “search” function doesn’t).

I looked at the screen shot. It doesn’t look like anything I have seen on my computer screen. I’m guessing that you created this folder hierarchy manually. I can do such a thing, of course, but I don’t know where the images with the funny names are that I must put into the folder for photos, and I don’t know where to put all the folders so that they will be associated with the TapForms program. So far, it has created its own files and folders and placed them somewhere beyond my ken.

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[Tom Copeland]

Correction: I am not able to import photos on the iPad either from the cloud. It’s through Dropbox that I can import them. The rest of my story is unchanged.

I downloaded a photo on the iPhone, and it landed of course in the same muddle of files where the records are, and consequently it did not show up in the form when I brought that record to the screen. You’re right: it needs to be in a “Photos” folder.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Just to let you know, I deleted that post with the huge crash report in it. It made scrolling down to the end much longer and more tedious.

I was hoping you would have emailed me all those crash reports as files. It’s difficult for me to handle them pasted into a message. I’m not sure if they come across properly because I was not able to symbolicate the one you posted before. I’m hoping that if you email me the crash reports I’ll be able to tell which line of code in my app it’s crashing on and then I’ll be able to tell you what’s wrong and maybe I can fix it or maybe I’ve already fixed it for the next update. But without those crash report files it will be hard for me to figure this out.

I didn’t manually make up the folder hierarchy in the screenshot. That was generated by using Tap Forms in the iCloud container.

If you go to this folder on your computer you will see the Photos folder:

~/Library/Mobile Documents/FXLPHZS84D~com~clickspace~tapforms/Documents/

That’s assuming you have iCloud turned on which you say now you do and it’s syncing for you.

Attached is another screenshot so you can see how I was able to get to that folder. That dialog comes up when I use the Finder’s Go to Folder command under the Go menu.

If you put photos into that folder which match the file names of the photos in your CSV file then Tap Forms will display the photos when you view your records.

Thanks!

Brendan

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[Tom Copeland]

I will attach to this message the ZIP file of all the crash reports.

I will also attach a picture of what my folder containing the photos looks like on my hard drive. It’s a mess, but it contains all the data.

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[Tom Copeland]

I simplified my folder corresponding to the one whose screen shot you sent me. Its current picture is attached. You will notice that within the Imports folder is a subfolder for Stage Properties, and that contains its own photos folder, with a longer name. The photos are in both locations. I should probably delete one folder or the other.

Now, the iPhone version of the form in question disappeared, of course, and re-importing it produced a null-content form, like the one that used to be on the iPad.

I deleted the entire app from the iPad, assuming it to be corrupt, and reinstalled it from the App Store, and it now contains no data, and the “Imports” folder is empty. I might try downloading via Dropbox, but since we’ve seen what that leads to, I’ll wait for guidance.

I realize that you did not instruct me to do any of this, so I’m not blaming you.

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[Tom Copeland]

Once I enabled iCloud support for the newly installed Tap Forms on the iPad, the Stage Properties form, along with associated pictures, was imported and now shows up properly! The large thumbnails appear in the list on the left, much more visible than on the computer, where they lap over one another.

However, the rest of the data (the other fields following the pictures) is absent, for all of the records in the Stage Properties form.

As for the iPhone, the Stage Properties records were all lost, and reimporting them produced no result, although the importation process churned for a long time and ended after the “Optimizing Form” procedure concluded. I tried this twice, then deleted the form from the iPhone, added it again from the “Select a Form” menu, and attempted to import records into it. Same result. I then deleted the form once more, but this time rather than add it, I decided to import the records directly without having a form to house them, leaving the program free to create the form from information at the top of the csv file. During the “Optimizing Form” process, the phone went to sleep. I tried again, watching carefully and touching the screen periodically to prevent sleep. This time, the process went all the way to “Import Complete,” but there were neither records nor form. (Tried this twice.)

The other form, “78s,” which has the 45 fields and 9027 records but no photos, is on the iPhone from the time before my experiments, but the process of importing it to the iPad (which took 15-20 minutes) met with the same fate that the Stage Properties met with on the iPad. I performed this process twice, increasing the number of putative records from 9027 to 18054, but when I tried to “Delete all records,: the message “No Records: There are no records to delete” appeared.

[Tom Copeland]

An interesting aspect of the iPad’s Stage Properties records is that, even though the words in the various fields do not show up, a search can be done, and the results are correct, whether the word searched for appears in the “Item” field or the “Location field.” I have not tried the “Description” field. But all that one actually sees in these searches is a row of pictures and a good many blank records, the ones lacking pictures.

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Right above your Share folder in your screenshot is a Photos folder. That’s the Photos folder where photos are stored in Tap Forms. But since I can’t see what’s to the left of the Share and Photos folder, it’s hard for me to tell if you’re looking at your Mobile Documents folder or the Containers/com.tapforms.mac/Data/Documents folder.

Thanks for the crash logs.

Can you check to see if your Stage Properties file has a First Sort Field setup? If you can’t see the records that may be the issue. I have a fix for this issue coming soon. It happens that when you don’t have a First Sort Field set on your form, Tap Forms won’t display any records even though they’re there. In the next update it won’t matter if there’s no sort fields set on your form, you’ll still see the records.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

The screenshot was of the folder you sent me to: <~/Library/Mobile Documents/FXLPHZS84D~com~clickspace~tapforms/Documents/>. I attach a new screenshot of it, simplified according to your critique.

The first sort field is labeled thus: <Field: 0x7ffe756af420>. That is the only option other than the names of the non-image fields or “Unspecified.” “Image,” “Photo,” or “Picture” does not appear as an option.

Now that the file structure has been revised, neither mobile unit can see the photo folder since it is not in the “Share” folder. I suppose that this is as it should be. Just for kicks, I tried importing the records for “Stage Properties” again to the iPhone, but without success: Neither form nor records appear. The iPad has not been affected in any way.

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[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

I’ve been examining your crash logs and I think the issue is with the form_record_id being imported where those records already exist in your database. I have modified code recently to handle that situation, so I think Tap Forms for iOS version 3.6 will correct the crashing issue for you during import.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

That sounds great, Brendan. I’m going to take a break from this high-anxiety work, go to the Caribbean for a week, and return refreshed on December 16. I look forward to trying version 3.6 when it becomes ready. Congratulations on getting it onto the Apple approval conveyor belt, and thanks for putting up with my troubles in this the 11th (or is it the 13th?) hour of the current version’s life.

Tom

[Brendan]

Ok great. Enjoy your holiday!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Hi, Brendan, I see that your new version has come out, and it has solved the problem of the photos. I’m making major progress now. However, I am confused about the iCloud updating procedure. I now have three slightly different sets of records: one on my desktop computer, one on my iPhone, and one on my laptop. The differences are trivial: one extra record in one, and a name spelled in different ways in a record found in all three. It has now been 36 hours since these changes were made, and no iCloud updating has occurred. Moreover, which of the three variants of the set of records will be privileged once the updating does start? If it occurs automatically, won’t a conflict like the one I have described create a paradox of some sort? I’m hoping that there is some sort of trigger that will initiate the updating process and that I just have to learn what the trigger is. In other words, does iCloud work just like Dropbox? If not, is using iCloud safe?

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Have you initiated an iCloud sync by tapping on the upload to iCloud button? That’s the way Tap Forms does iCloud sync. You manually initiate it from a device which you’ve made changes to. Then the other devices will auto-sync once iCloud has sent them the data from the device you uploaded your data from.

As for conflict resolution, it’s a last one modified wins. So if you made a change on your iPhone and then made a change on your iPad and then you told your iPhone to upload its changes to iCloud, then your iPad won’t reflect the change from your iPhone because you made a change to the same value on your iPad after you made a change to the same value on your iPhone. But then when you upload your changes from your iPad to iCloud, your iPhone will then reflect the last change to the value that was made on your iPad because the change on the iPad occurred after the change on the iPhone.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Perfect sense, and it allays my doubts. Where is the upload to iCloud button? Can I upload only the particular set of records I have worked on, or will it upload everything in the program?

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

Tap Forms will upload all changes you’ve made to the database since the last time you tapped the upload to iCloud button. You can’t pick and choose.

It’s on the iCloud Sync screen in the Tools area. It looks like a little cloud icon with an arrow pointing upwards.

Please watch the video demonstration of how iCloud Sync works at the bottom of the my manual in the iCloud Sync topic:

http://www.manula.com/manuals/tap-zapp/tap-forms-mac/2.0/en/topic/icloud-sync

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

My three devices all appear on each other’s panels for iCloud synching. All see one another, for all are registered.

I’ve got a great many new records in one form on the iPad, but when I tap on the uploading button in the lower right corner of the screen, I have a great many options, but none involves iCloud, as far as I can see: I can delete the record, beam the record, make a new record, duplicate the record, email the record, print, share, or customize the form. Touching “share” produces no noticeable result. It just removes the backlighting from this word in the list. Nothing else can be done with the program after touching “Share.” It seems stuck. . . . Oh, there, it seems to have relaunched, but the screen contains only the name of the program. It seems to crash and restart, crash and restart. Maybe I’ll have to reinstall it.

The desktop computer is a completely different story. In the lower right corner of that screen appears a cloud with an up arrow, but yesterday I caused that to synch with the other devices, and there has been no change, probably because the new material is not on the desktop computer but rather on the iPad.

Now, just suppose that I inadvertently made some change in one of the records on the desktop computer version of the program. This would be the latest change. If I should happen to synch at this point from the computer, wouldn’t that action wipe out all the new records I had added to the iPad? I’m still unable to upload my iPad changes to the iCloud, so I must be sure not to launch the program on my computer or my iPhone for fear of accidentally losing all my new work.

Well, if I can get the iPad program to work again, maybe I can check out the “pull-down” synching trick that you allude to in your You-tube video. I wonder what that’s all about. Maybe it’s the answer I’ve been looking for.

Tom

[Tom Copeland]

Okay, I deleted the app and reinstalled it. Now I have no records in it, and unless the backup I made recently was made on the iPad, which I doubt, I have lost the data. But maybe it was done from the iPad. Where would it be? How can I recover it? It’s the best I can do.

Tom

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

On your iPad, it’s on the iCloud Sync screen in the Tools area. Pretty much the same place as in the iPhone version which the video in the user manual demonstrates.

If you delete any app from your iPhone or iPad, the data contained within that app gets deleted. If you made a backup I would hope that you have copied that backup to your computer or uploaded it to Dropbox. Otherwise you would have ended up deleting your backups too.

The video shows the pull-down to initiate sync function. I don’t think I alluded to it, but I’m pretty sure I actually demonstrated it. But that’s to send data FROM your iPhone or iPad UP TO iCloud. So if you had data on your iPhone or iPad that you wanted to send to your Mac then you would initiate the sync from your iPhone or iPad, NOT from the Mac.

I would recommend re-watching the video to see if it can help you figure out the way Tap Forms does syncing. Just remember, when you make a change on your iPad, upload those changes to iCloud on the iPad.

As for restoring your data on the iPad? Well, if you didn’t make a backup on the iPad and you didn’t upload your data to iCloud on your iPad, then there’s no way to get the data back. It would have been much better to contact me at support@tapforms.com before you had deleted the app so I could help you through the issue.

Thanks!

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

I watched the movie again. I figured out that you have to be at the right screen before you can upload anything. You can’t be in tools; you have to be at the screen where the forms are listed. Okay, so it whirred and the stuff was uploaded to iCloud, I guess. Now, isn’t it supposed to show up on the iPad sometime soon? I have enabled iCloud synch twice on the iPad, and two separate icons representing the iPad appear in the list of registered devices, but no forms are there except the one I dragged in from Dropbox. I will now try uploading everything from the desktop computer to see if anything appears in the iPad.

Nope. Did it twice, there was a moment of whirring as if it were just going through the motions but, finding that everything that had to be uploaded was already there, it stopped. At least that is what it SEEMED to be doing. Apple says that there is absolutely no way of discovering what third-party software files are in the cloud, so who knows whether anything happened. All that is clear is that nothing has come onto the iPad, from any operations commencing on either the iPhone or the computer.

As I said once before, there is no future in iCloud. Everyone I work with will have to use Dropbox, so since I know more or less how to do what I need to do using Dropbox, I think I’ll just give up on iCloud.

Now the program has seized up again after I tried to access the form I imported via Dropbox. I’ll contact you by email before proceeding.

Tom

[Tom Copeland]

I need a version of TapForms that will run on the Snow Leopard iOS. Where can I find it?

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

I never wrote a version of Tap Forms that was compatible with Snow Leopard.

Sorry.

Brendan

[Tom Copeland]

Is version 2.0 still available?

[Brendan]

Hi Tom,

No I’m sorry. It’s not. I couldn’t even publish it on the App Store to get you a copy of it.

[Author]

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