Search Results for 'bento'

[guardajoias]

Hi Brendan,

Your reasoning is well understood. The problem is that we all have different uses of Tap Forms (5 or Pro). Some will have a rather intense and/or professional use, and the $50 annual subscription is fully justified. Others like me use TP5 for a single database, rarely used but important. I use it to track a collection of old books. I use BookBuddy for modern books and it is very convenient and complete, but it does not work well for rare/old books, often in multivolume sets etc. For this I use a database I originally designed in Filemaker, then converted to Bento, and perfected in TP5. I do appreciate the relational features, the reporting, and custom displays. So this database is important to me, but it is the only one use, and I am not adding rare books often. So TP5 is perfect as is for me. $50 annually just to keep it going is hard to justify.

So, maybe a solution could similar to what a software company like Audirvana did. They also chose to move to subscription model when they introduced “Audirvana Studio” to replace the music software Audirvana 3.5, for reasons similar to yours. But after a while they introduced a second option: a single-purchase, “Audirvana Origin” that only works for local music libraries, without the access to streaming services included in the “Studio” version only available by subscription. They now have both kinds of customers.

Maybe for “light users” you could have a version that works with a limited number of records and/or a limited number of databases (2 or 3?). This could be single purchase, or a cheaper subscription price, allowing for upgrade by moving to the higher price. $50 is not far from the old price for a single purchase, and half of the Microsoft Office Suite. Again, I understand, and for heavy/Professional users, it makes perfect sense, but you may actually get more users and revenue by offering a “light” version for more occasional users. You would have to see what are the criteria that make sense.

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by guardajoias.

[Paul Cotton]

I’m a recent convert to Tap Forms Pro for macos. I originally used Bento, then moved to Filemaker when they shut that down, and have spent years setting up systems for various things in that. I’ve been unhappy with Claris as a company for years now, but felt locked in with no hope of finding a workable solution to break away. TFP has provided me with a way to do just that.

I am extremely happy with TFP, but I encountered some issues in setting things up – some feel like bugs, some are no doubt just new user error/ignorance.

1) In layout mode, line doesn’t layer on top of other shapes, text or images

2) cmd c + cmd v page elements screws up editing, example:
add a few fields to layout
add rectangle to layout
layer list: clicking in list selects the correct elements in layout
cmd c + cmd v to duplicate rectangle
note that it doesn’t create a new layer for the duplicate
selecting in the layer list is now out of sync with the elements in the layout
going to form view removes the duplicate rectangle
back to layout view and delete the original rectangle – an entry in layers remains
go to form view and the duplicate rectangle is visible again

3) after making a backup of a password protected file via file>backup, on re-opening, the show/hide forms list, display form/layout inspectors, and advanced search buttons are all disabled (can still use drop down menu for these functions)

4) File size seems massive relative to data size. Importing relatively modest csv’s has ballooned the TPF file-size, eg I have a csv with 17,191 records, 3.7MB total, and each record is ~200 characters long. Importing that increased TFP file size by 72.5MB, even after doing a “rebuild search index”. This is an example record:

“max 5-letter word”,””,””,””,”4 characters”,””,””,”email address”,”email address”,”max 60 character term”,”max 60 character term”,”date”,”USD”,”number”,”date”

A different 1MB excel file increased TFP by 10MB. The filemaker database I used was 65MB, including more data than I imported. The two equivalent TFP files total ~250MB.

5) Notes fields do strange things with their margins. When I type to the very right-side edge of the notes field, all of the text jumps to hard-left, removing the lefthand margin. I have to move my cursor close to the left-side edge of the notes field and drag left to move the text back right. Dragging cursor right near right-side edge also moves the text left.

6) A calculation field using + for multiple number fields sums fields until it hits an empty field, then treats that sum so far as text and concatenates the sum so far with the fields after as if text. Is there any way to either have empty number fields treated as 0, or to bulk change all empty fields to 0?

7) Sorting text fields interprets the whole number portion at the beginning of a field rather as characters eg 1word,2word,10word, rather than 1word, 10word, 2word – is there any way to stop this?

8) In note fields set to plain text and a specific font/size, new text defaults to font family=no value, typeface=””, and size=0, rather than the font set in layout view. Also, it does still recognise and store changes of font/style made in sections of the text.

9) I have a form with a subform. The subform has records with dates, the main form has a calculation field that shows the latest date from the subform. This works fine in macos. I used TFP on an iPad, entering data into the subform direct. On reload to mac, it didn’t update the latest date fields when viewing those records.

10) I have a text field that uses a pick list and a script field that listens for changes to that text field. When I change the value, the script isn’t executed – it only executes when I click on the bottom-left “recalculate formulas” button. I looked at the Books Library template and the Sortable Title script field in that behaves the same way for me.

[Brendan]

Hi James,

The Join Link Type is designed to just join two forms together with a simple matching field from each form. There’s no function for adding additional fields to the join.

One thing you could think about trying is a Table field. It looks and acts just like a Link to Form table in a sense, but it keeps its own copy of the record data. The benefit of a Table field is you can link it to another form, but only in the sense that you could copy records from the other form. And only for those fields with matching names. Plus you can add your own additional fields to the Table which you can fill in with whatever information you like.

I know some people have created an intermediate form and add extra fields to that and then link Form A -> Form B -> Form C, where Form B is kind of like a join table. But it requires you to navigate into 2 levels to get to the target form. So maybe not optimal.

Table fields might be something you’d be interested in trying. If you were ever familiar with Bento, they’re essentially like Bento’s Simple List fields.

The issue with the regular Link to Form fields is they’re true relationships. If you make a change on one form, that change will show up on the records you’ve linked to. If that’s what you want then great. But if you want to be able to link to a record in another form and then be able to change that data without it affecting the source form, then a Table field is the right tool.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Brendan]

The Table field object records don’t have a form itself, so there’s no form to navigate to. The Table field is basically a reproduction of Bento’s Simple List field, which is just a table of values and not a true relationship, unlike the Link to Form field. So that’s why there’s no navigation from a Table field to another screen. But doesn’t mean I couldn’t pop something up at some point to get to a full editor for each record or something at some point.

[Brendan]

I hadn’t heard that Rosetta 2 was being discontinued with OSX 28. That’s news to me and quite the shock. But I did just read about that here and it’s true. Ugh.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/06/10/macos-27-will-be-the-last-operating-system-to-fully-support-rosetta-2

The thing I need to think about is how do I continue to afford to develop Tap Forms Pro if I were to simply remove the 10 record limit from the subscription? Anyone could then just download the app, maybe even just buy the app for 1 month, get all their data into it, then cancel the subscription and continue to use it. Yes, perhaps it would be in a fully read-only state, but I believe even in a read-only state there’s a lot of value with having all your data at your fingertips. I’m sure a bunch of companies would love to pay for just one license of Tap Forms Pro and then distribute copies of a read-only, essentially free version of Tap Forms Pro to an entire sales team without having to pay.

If I were to offer a lifetime option, it would have to be probably a 5x price over the yearly fee. What if someone were paying annually for more than 5 years? Should they then be able to transition to the lifetime license without having to pay the lifetime license fee? How does that work? What’s the point of subscriptions then if I just go back to the one-time payment, free updates, new features, and free support forever then?

I completely understand the concerns you have about losing access to your data if something bad were to happen. But that’s also why I allow you to export ALL your data at any time no matter if you are subscribed or not. No 10 record limit.

That includes CSV as well as full archive files (.tfparc). A .tfparc file is just a .zip file with a .tfparc file extension. You can rename the extension to .zip, double-click to unzip it, then see inside there’s a data.json file which contains all your data, plus a folder containing all the media files. The data.json file could be reverse engineered by another programmer quite easily. Well, it would be quite a bit of work, but that’s par for the course. It’s just not impossible since the data and form structure is all there inside the file. It’s the same idea I used to figure out how to import Bento .bentoTemplate files into Tap Forms. It’s not impossible and it’s not rocket science. Just a bunch of hard work and motivation to make it happen.

Exporting CSV files would allow you to import your data into a number of other apps including Numbers or Excel. So the data wouldn’t be totally lost. It just wouldn’t be displayed in the nice format that it is in Tap Forms.

Lots to think about. But it’s a good conversation to have.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Kimberley Hoffman]

@Cornelius Fischer – Brendan writes that the export records function will still function completely, even if only 10 records are showing. So you can export a full csv file of your data and re-import them into an older version of TapForms.

He just isn’t updating the older versions, so you won’t be able to “pin” an important record on TapForms 5, but if you still have that on your computer, you will be able to read the Tap Form Pro records.

It’s probably a good idea anyway to regularly export full CSV files anyway, just as a back-up. I switched to Tap Forms 3 when I heard that Bento was being dropped by Apple. (It was a good move anyway, as I like Tap Forms better). But, I don’t think that the newest app version, itself, will immediately stop working. And I am pretty sure you will get some kind of App Store warning about securing your data before they remove the app, as they are responsible for collecting subscription fees.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by Kimberley Hoffman.

[Dave]

Does this new TapForms Pro have integration with Apple Contacts? That’s the one feature from Bento that would make me want to pay for this upgrade.

[Dirk Soenen]

Hi Brendan,
I’m a longtime tapforms user, ever since Bento disappeared. so i was anxious to try Pro. One of the things i allways missed out was a report generator.

So i was excited to see this in Pro, however, I see this option is grayed out .

How do I start making a report ?

Thks for your reply (and keep up the great work :-) )

[karen james]

Same here. Used Bento until it was dropped, then started using Tap Forms. I need more insensitive to go subscription based. I really prefer licensed, and would happily pay a reasonable price for the new version.

[Greg Kranawetter]

Same situation. I love the program and have used it since they killed Bento.

I would have quickly paid for an upgrade, but subscriptions are a non-starter for personal use software.

[sean]

I have been a Mac User since 1989. There are a few programs that have been around from the start. Over the years I have accumulated a core of must have programs for my Mac environment. I migrated here from Bento. Tap Forms is a keeper. I have had no problem paying for all the versions I need (iPad, iPhone and desktop, etc.). I say all of that to say I understand the subscription model BUT you will need to develop a perpetual license at some point for the Pro version. I will have no problem paying for whatever versions or licenses I need (at a decent price). Keep up the good work.

• This topic was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by sean.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by sean.

sdg

[Jeff Timp]

I have a bento document that I’m continuing off of and have added a few additional fields, and now I would like to order them to be able to use the “Tab” keyboard key command to go to the next field to the right in the visual layout display (the view with the background). Is this possible? Currently the Tab key does jump to another field, but I cannot figure out how to control which one it goes to next.

p.s. Thank you so much for developing this software! I spent a lot of time building my Bento database so to be able to not loose this data and continue to develop the document is AWESOME!! Thank you so much!!!

• This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Jeff Timp.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Jeff Timp.

[John Martin]

Thanks, Brendan. That worked. I now see all records by default when I select the Movies form.

As a follow-up question, do you have any recommendation for using Documents vs. Forms to contain individual databases? I have 13 separate Forms in a single Document. Is there a material risk that corruption within a single Form could affect the entire Document? Would it be “safer” (although less convenient) to have separate Documents for each individual Form (or perhaps for a small number of related Forms)?

I’ll comment that I have been using Tap Forms for many years (since Bento was discontinued in 2013) and have not encountered any significant issues or bugs with it, so I don’t think there is much risk either way. I’m primarily curious whether I should take this opportunity to reorganize my databases.

Thanks again.

[Jeff Timp]

Hello. Loving Tap Forms as a bento alternative. Thank you so much for making this wonderful program!! Wondering if the following is possible. This is something I use in Apple’s Numbers program all the time, so hopefully it’s possible in Tap Forms as well.

Is it possible to select multiple entries from a numbers type column and have them sum? I know how to sum the entire column which is great, but I’m looking to sum only what I have selected, for example enteries 6-10 only. But then be able to quickly choose another set of entries, for example 1-8 and sum it. I’m hoping I dont need to create calculations for each of these as what I want summed quickly changes often or I’m sorting by a different column etc, but I guess maybe a work around would be some sort of master calculation that I then edit? Any help would be appreciated and thanks again for all you do!!

• This topic was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Jeff Timp.

[Zippidty Doodah]

Thanks!

Have $ in hand to purchase this when released

My internal HDD is small, 250gb

As I continually add Tap Forms documents filled with documents and photos, I see my internal hdd filling up.

May have to try the manually move to external drive for now until you release.

Thanks again for a sensational program. Bento left me in the dust with no alternative, until Tap Forms.