TF with Apple Watch

[ArsAstronautica]

First, the captcha/login issue struck again. I had to reset my password to post. It’s not a password issue, since if I intentionally use a wrong password, it will say so. The captcha widget/process is somehow just not logging me in despite the correct password and captcha. Running El Capitan, BTW.

But that aside, the real reason for the post is that I have a spiffy new Apple Watch and to my pleasant surprise, TF appeared. The main page sort of implies that now I can access my TF database through the Apple Watch, which would be really quite useful in certain situations. However, all I see on it are the default clients, expenses, Movie library, and to do list. None of which happen to be in my TF database. Is there a way to access the data on the iPhone via the Watch?

[Brendan]

Hi Ars,

Sorry about the Captcha thing. Really not sure what’s wrong with it. It’s just Google’s provided system for that. It helps to keep the bots off the site, so I don’t really want to turn it off. But a few people have had some troubles with it. One thing I do notice that even after you login, the Forum Login display on the right doesn’t show that you’re logged in, but as soon as you click on a forum, it shows that you are in fact logged in.

Anyway, congrats on the Apple Watch! I really love mine.

If you edit any of the forms on the iPhone version of Tap Forms, there’s a “Show on Watch” function that’ll appear on the Customize Form screen. Turn that on and you’ll see that form instantly appear on the watch. You can turn off the default ones if you want.

Hope that helps!

Thanks,

Brendan

[ArsAstronautica]

Captcha: Yes, I fully appreciate why it is there! The bots really are out to get us!

That said, you are right. The captcha is indeed working. I had assumed that the stale login message meant I had not really logged it. This time I navigated to the the forum tab and then entered this forum and sure enough, I really was logged in. Evidently I need to tickle google’s nose to get it to show I was properly logged in.

Watch: I just got mine so I am very much in the learning and experimenting stage, seeing what is useful/works for me and what isn’t/doesn’t. So far I am pleased.

As to TF, thanks! I turned on the forms I was interested in. Makes sense now. Works nicely.

Next question. The form I’d like to use the most in TF has 419 records. TF Watch seems to load only a handful at a time. I realize memory is super limited, but is there a way to either force a full load or a partial load of selected records? Loading 419 records a dozen at a time is a bit painful. Assuming loading all is too much, I am usually interested in a subset number of records, so some way to focus on just those would be good. Siri search for a subset?

[Brendan]

Hey Ars,

Tap Forms will load 20 at a time.

However, if you force-touch on the records list, you can access your Saved Searches or use Siri to search for your content.

Thanks!

Brendan

[ArsAstronautica]

Perfect!

[Mark McCann]

Hello All,

Been using TF for some time quite happily. I fly helicopters at night for a living, and it’s incredibly handy to just pull out my phone and quickly log engine readings, times, etc.

I’ve been toying with the idea of getting an Apple Watch, since I see that there’s a TF version for it. But can anyone point me to a document somewhere that details what I can & can’t do with it? Specifically, can I just read existing records in a database, or can I enter new records using a form? Do the various form tools (drop down lists, “scrolling-wheel” time entries, default values) carry over to the watch?

Thanks in advance, my apologies if I’ve overlooked something obvious.

Mark

[Brendan]

Hi Mark,

The Apple Watch version of Tap Forms is strictly read-only. You can choose which forms to display on the watch, you can view the records within the forms, you can search either by choosing a Saved Search, or by using voice input to search your records. You can tap on a record to view the record details.

The Apple Watch is too tiny for doing much data input, but it’s great to be able to quickly look up some information without having to pull you your phone.

Thanks!

Brendan

[ArsAstronautica]

Hi Mark,

The Apple Watch is a very nice adjunct to the iPhone and I really like mine. Mine gets a good deal of use. My major uses are messaging, phone calls, calendar alerts, weather, time, health info, maps/directions/GPS and using Siri. In some sense, much like what you see in iOS notification window. I DO use TF to access several important lists that I keep in it. I also have a calculator that I’ve found useful for simple calculations. I use the Watch when the iPhone is not convenient or as easily accessible.

One thing I have found helpful is to remove Watch apps that are simply not useful to me. This keeps the clutter down. I had quite a few Watch apps that were part of iPhone apps that I had already downloaded. I went through them over the course of a few months, removing those I rarely or never would use.

Brendan answered the TF question. I would second what he said that input on the Watch is limited due to screen size. There is no keyboard, so input is via tapping things and Siri. So composing the next great novel on your Watch is not feasible, though there are a number of good voice recorder options, so you could dictate a novella, I suppose.

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