Hey There,

A while back I posted an entry with some information a Tap Forms customer had written on his blog about databases on iOS. He had featured different ways of using Tap Forms in his reviews.

Well Thomas from http://inotes4you.com is back at it again with even more information on databases on iOS.

Head on over to his blog and check it all out. There’s tons of information there:

DBMS on iOS devices (1)
DBMS on iOS devices (2)
DBMS on iOS devices (3)
DBMS on iOS devices (4)
DBMS on iOS devices (5)
Importing Data
Form Access To Tap Forms
Databases and Mind Maps

And here are some mind map PDFs of feature descriptions for TapForms, Bento, and Access:

Tap Forms https://www.box.com/s/bukd0wmsa8q67y0lfexm
Bento https://www.box.com/s/hht4m3c4tjea5fo8g2ta
Access https://www.box.com/s/1bcnpm7fg2md1i09y1jx

Thanks for checking it out!

Brendan

If you’re a user of FileMaker’s Bento app, but it’s just not living up to your expectations anymore, then give Tap Forms a try. Tap Forms is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, just like Bento. Tap Forms also does things that Bento doesn’t, such as synchronize all your data, including media attachments using Apple’s iCloud sync service. Tap Forms also comes with 26 different form templates to choose from. You can also very easily make your own forms or customize the built-in ones to make it perfect just for you. Tap Forms for iOS also has integration with Dropbox to make file transfers simple and easy. Dropbox integration makes it easy to use Tap Forms’ powerful import and export function to help you bring your data into Tap Forms and to help you share your data with others.

But don’t just take my word for it, head on over to the Bento User’s website at http://www.bentousers.com/20130510-meet-tap-forms-a-worthy-bento-competitor/ and find out what they think of Tap Forms.

Thanks!

Brendan

Hey All,

The 3.1.3 bug fix release has been approved by Apple and is now available on the App Store. This includes the full iPhone version and Tap Forms HD for the iPad. The Lite version has not gone into review yet.

What’s New:

★ Fixed bug which caused email content to show as null when app brought to foreground.
★ Fixed bug which caused CSV exports to only show header row without content when app brought to foreground.
★ Fixed bug in generation of section index titles for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages. This could cause the wrong record to be displayed when you tapped on the record in the list view.
★ Section Heading field type can now be collapsed or expanded on record detail screen.

Thanks!

Brendan

Hey All,

I submitted version 3.1.3 to Apple last night. It corrects a bug which causes non-roman type languages (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Korean) to mess up the right side index when viewing a list of records. This also caused the wrong record to appear in the details view after you selected it in the list view.

Additionally, I have also added the ability to collapse Section Heading fields in your form. So on the record detail view, next to each section heading is a triangle to tell you if that section has been expanded or is collapsed. Tapping on the row will either expand or collapse the fields beneath it.

Update: I resubmitted version 3.1.3 last night (April 8, 2013) to also correct a problem people were having with empty emails and records not being exported.

Thanks,

Brendan

Update: As of April 3, 2013, Tap Forms for Mac 1.5 has been approved and is now available in the Mac App Store.

I just submitted Tap Forms for Mac 1.5 to Apple last night for review. I thought you’d like to see what’s new.

Tap Forms for Mac version 1.5 has undergone some significant changes that I’m sure you’ll love. Starting with an all new records list view layout. You now have the choice of listing your records in the old single column view with your fields one on top of the other or use the new multi-column layout view. The new multi-column layout view will let you see more of your data at once, allow you to quickly change the sort order of your records, and even edit your data, right inside the list!

On top of the new multi-column list view, the record edit view has been given some cosmetic tender loving care which I’m sure will please you.

And one of the biggest improvements is support for printing multiple records at a time. You can choose between the all new table view layout or the record detail view layout. And that’s not all. When you print you can also choose which fields you would like to appear in your printout.

All this, combined with bug fixes and general improvements makes Tap Forms for Mac 1.5 one of the best upgrades yet!

Multi-Column List View

With the new multi-column list view you can resize and rearrange your columns, resort your fields, and even remove columns you don’t want to view, all independently of the fields order in your form template. Also note that Tap Forms will use the column widths from this view to adjust the column widths for printing a table of records.

Fresh New Look

Along with the new multi-column list view, Tap Forms for Mac also has a fresh new look for the record details screen. You can also see in the above photo the new Note field editor. The Note field editor is completely resizable, displays your word and character count at the bottom, and also allows you to change the font used for editing your notes. You can even have multiple note field editors open at the same time.

When using the multi-column list view, you can now completely collapse the record detail view so you can focus your attention on just your list of records.

The categories and forms on the left can now also be collapsed and expanded so that you can focus your attention on just one form at a time.

New Printing Options

The new printing options gives you greater control over what and how your records are printed. You can choose to print just a set of selected records or all records in your form or just a subset by using Search Rules to filter your records.

Fields can be enabled or disabled. They will be added or removed in real time in the print preview on the left. You can choose between the new Table of Records view where your records will be displayed in a tabular format or the updated Details view where one record will be printed per page. If a record is too big to fit on one page, Tap Forms will split the record into multiple pages ensuring that no content is cut off at the bottom.

You can also choose to incude the form name, page numbers, the date and time, and whether or not you want there to be an alternating background row colour for each field (table view only).

I hope you enjoy the new updates!

Brendan

Hey There,

I was recently informed by a customer about a blog he had written which focuses some attention on Tap Forms and other iOS database apps. I’d like you to go visit his blog and read up. It’s got some good coverage of the latest version of Tap Forms:

http://inotes4you.com/2013/01/03/dbms-on-ios-devices/

and

http://inotes4you.com/2013/01/05/dbms-on-ios-devices-2/

The 2nd article focuses on Tap Forms.

Thanks for the blog post Thomas!

Brendan

… they’re just hiding.

In the latest Tap Forms Mac 1.1 update, when you launch the app after upgrading, it may appear that your forms have disappeared and you’re only left with your categories. That’s not the case. The category headings are just collapsed by default. Just hover over the category names and you should see a Show button to the right of the category name. Click on it to expand the category to reveal your forms as they were. If you don’t see the show/hide link, then simply resize the left panel to the right and you should see them.

Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks,

Brendan

Tap Forms Mac version 1.1 is now available on the Mac App Store.

Here’s what’s new:

★ Refined user interface.

Gone are the icky buttons on the top. Replaced with smaller buttons to reduce the amount of vertical space consumed in the app. Red vertical line now extends into the table “bounce” area.

Toolbar buttons now display content as popovers for iCloud Sync, Pick Lists, and Categories.

★ Record count now displayed at top of list view.
★ Field labels can now be coloured.
★ Search Rules will now give you access to the pick list values if a pick list is associated with the field being searched.
★ Calculation field formula can now accept the keyword “$now”.

This will insert the current date into the formula. The date is automatically updated each time the calculation field is viewed in a record. For example, this feature makes it possible to create a formula which calculates the age of a person based on their birth date.

★ Added Dutch translation

Hey There,

Tap Forms for Mac version 1.0.2 has been approved and released to the Mac App Store by Apple today.

Here’s What’s New:

★ iCloud sync bug fixes and improvements.
★ Export Records will now optionally export linked records.
★ Export Records will now optionally export media (photos, audio recordings, drawings, and file attachments).
★ You can now detach files from File Attachment fields.
★ Added Swedish translations.
★ Added Norwegian translations.
★ Added Russian translations.

Oh… and the new Search Rules feature is in Tap Forms Mac. Just search for some text, then press the + button that appears below the Search field. Then select any field you have in your form and enter some search rules. You can click the Save button to save your search to make it quicker to access them again later. Searches will appear beneath the form you were searching at the time. You can easily rename them by clicking on the name in the left-hand forms list.

Search Rules are coming to iOS soon.

Brendan

Wow, that was fast!

Tap Forms 3.0.3 which fixes the iPhone 5 encryption key bug is now being distributed around the world on the App Store.

Additional features in this release include:

• iPhone 5 screen size support.
• When the First Sort Field is a Date or Date & Time field type, records are now grouped into Month and Year sections.
• Improved sorting of accented characters.
• iCloud sync bug fixes and improvements.
• iCloud sync screen now displays upload and download progress.
• Export Records will now optionally export linked records.
• Export Records will now optionally export media (photos, audio recordings, drawings, and file attachments).
• You can now detach files from File Attachment fields.
• Zip files can now be unzipped on the Files screen.
• Emailing and exporting records will now create a zip file in order to store all associated files.
• Swedish translations.

It is now safe to update to this version. The iPad version has also been updated to include these new features too. The Lite version is still in review, but I suspect it will be available shortly.

Thanks!

Brendan