Hi.
Today I downloaded the Trial Version of Tap Forms and enjoyed the experience, so later downloaded Tap Forms 5.0.9 (Build 805) from the App Store and the partnership App for iPhone/iPad.
My kit comprises Mac Pro early 2008 running El Capitan Version 10.11.6 maxed out RAM and all SSD Storage, plus iPhone and iPad running iOS Version 10.11.
This Mac Pro is not able to upgrade to Mac OSX Sierra, although at present everything except the item mentioned below functions as expected.
Since the last iOS Update, tired old Bento has been reduced to trash on the iPhone/iPad whilst just scraping by on the Mac Pro.
Fortunately Tap Forms has been able to efficiently create a very acceptable version of my most important Database, however the latter needs to be frequently accessed on either of my portable Devices.
Having read and viewed a great deal of information about Tap Forms, Syncing, iTunes File Sharing, Creating and ……….. I have not been able to transfer [possibly not the correct term?] the needed Database onto the iPad.
Given that for some time I will NOT be able to run the ‘latest’ OS Software Versions on all my kit, is there any way to achieve my objective?
Thanks for your time, best wishes,S
By the way; for anyone who wants to pick this up, I’m attaching my Python script. This only does the “easy part” of breaking out the Bento exported simple table columns (which are packed into a single CSV column) to separate CSV files suitable for import as a TapForms related form.
The main manual part after that, that I remember now, was to break into the TapForms DB schema to get the parent form UUID (after importing it), and then going back to edit that into the proper column in the related forms.
The script as presented also has some extra logic to process pick list data, partly to help do some cleanup and translation; but that’s the only part that’s specific to my data.
A lot of this would be much easier to do inside TapForms… but as it didn’t bubble up to the top of Brendan’s priority list a year or two ago when the Bento ship was sinking, and the subject hasn’t really come up a lot since, I doubt it’s going to rate very highly now.
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I am one of the late migrators from Bento to Tapforms, exactly because i can’t get my simple lists over. Is it possible for a lot less IT-skilfull person to do, what you did? Would it be possible to ask you for a guide in simple words?
When I worked out my procedure in the first place I’d considered trying to package it as a “no touch” conversion process. That would have been really complicated because I needed to do it in several stages. It exported the data from Bento, imported the main form into TapForms so that I could look at the private TapForms sqlite DB tables to pull out table ID numbers which I’d then edit into the related table CVS files.
I had a Python script that would separate the Bento simple list columns into separate CSV files; but everything else (and there was a lot) was manual just because for the volume of data I had that was a lot easier than trying to script it. I’m afraid I didn’t even keep as detailed notes on the process as I should have, which means it’d take me a lot of time to work through it again.
And even if I did all that, now that TapForms 5 is out, with very likely a very different DB schema, I’d have to work through all that before it was useful.
And, in case you haven’t already gotten the right impression from all this, explaining it in “simple terms” would prove difficult!
As much as I’d love to be able to help, I just don’t think that’s practical. Sorry.
Hello David Blutenhof!
You wrote:
TapForms can’t import a “raw” Bento database file. You have to Export from Bento and then Import into TapForms.
For very simple isolated forms, you can just export from Bento as a CSV and import that into TapForms. But it’s best to — and for anything complex you need to — export from Bento as a “template”, including all the data, and then use File > Import Bento Template … to import that template into TapForms.
It worked great for most of my Bento data.
The only problem I had was that I’d used Bento Simple Lists for several critical databases to record multiple values; and TapForms can’t import those. After a lot of experimentation and exchanging information on this forum, I worked out a Python script to massage the Bento export into a form that TapForms could handle. It was a messy multi-step process, but it only had to be done once for each of the forms, and then I was blissfully free of Bento.
Welcome to the Light Side, Padawan.
I am one of the late migrators from Bento to Tapforms, exactly because i can’t get my simple lists over. Is it possible for a lot less IT-skilfull person to do, what you did? Would it be possible to ask you for a guide in simple words?
Best regards
I.M. Petersen, DK
Same problem with sending database from iMac to iPad. I can select the database (migrated backup), see and select my iPad but then nothing actually happens.
(No comment about Bento – never used it)
Followed all instructions, including step 10 when i accept the database on the mobile device. After this, nothing is happening, for 10-15 minutes at which point i give up.
WHY Bento, which is not supported for 5 years, is SOOO much easier with sync??? i am pissed with the money and time i invested into you guys, really pissed.
Hi Brendan,
Force quitting does not fix the issue. I am also using an iPad Pro 9.7. No hardware kbd just software in all cases.
It occurs consistently on all my IOS devices.
It only occurs when the Notes field has a number of lines in it (about 9-10+).
This db was imported originally from bento to TapForms 2/3 and then to Tapforms 5. It is only the new records added on an IOS device since Tapforms V5 that seem to be exhibiting this behaviour – and (of course!) not all.
I was wondering if it is a font issue. I have forced my MacOS default font to Helvetica regular 13 for notes fields and have now also selected this for IOS devices.
Can you tell me what default fonts you use for Notes (on IOS and MacOS) so I can test my theory?
FYI, I am struggling to understand the two font adjustments in the IOS (iPad) edit note screen – one at the top right of the page (Aa) and one in the toolbar between the S/W keyboard and the text. Can you explain this as it may help understand this issue.
kind regards
Bruce
Hi. I am having a few issues with inconsistencies in the database file. My database is not huge but approximately 150 records. Sometimes when I shut down and reopen some of my records have ‘glitched’. At times fields will just be blank or sometimes info from one record is in another record. Eg Address field from Record 1 is in Address field from Record 2. I output to excel format every day and at times the output is correct but sometimes it is missing fields or the fields have jumbled across records. I am using TapForms 5 on Mac & iPhone. Sync with cloudant has stopped working but not sure if that is related. Once I opened and all my records where missing so I restored from backup.
Really like the software overall and have come from Bento initially but these issues are making my workflow much more difficult as I cannot trust the output.
Has anyone had any similar issues or able to provide some advice?
“Small font in the Notes field” …
This issue will always be a problem you will encounter all the time …
This should be urgently corrected. (BENTO text area codes was good).
I want a few words, or if you want you need to write a few paragraphs.
Mac and iOS, they should look the same. It must be defined as a text field.
I used bento to create shopping lists. I had a database of items and stores and isles. I would find items and I had a field where i would enter how many I wanted. Then I would print a shopping list of only the ones that were not blank in that field. Is this possible with tap forms? I have the latest version 5 on my Mac.
I am noticing that my linked M2M field is not sorting the same as the form it is linked to. I just moved over some Bento tables into newly purchased TF5. I’m used to clicking on the column headings in the linked field to sort the linked records as needed. I’d be happy if they were sorted as the parent form but I can’t seem to make that happen.
I have EMT-Members and EMT-Events forms/databases/tables (not sure of the lingo in TF). In Members I have a box that links to the Events table that person attended. In the Events table I have a box that links back to the Members showing who attended each event. I was very impressed with how smoothly the import from Bento went and how the relationships between tables were preserved. I figured out how to sort the Events table/form by event date newest to oldest. But the linked M2M field in Members is not sorting at all that I can see. And same for the linked field of members in Events.
Am I missing something?
Just thought I would post this as something I use to log my learning as I work. I e-mail the records into Fourteen Fish appraisal as learning events & reflect on them in there. I used to use 250 credits in Bento and this is similar.
It probably records too much at the moment.
One question I will ask (as I am a fairly new user), can I create an entry then raise a diary entry or get it to appear in iCal as a completion date?
A few GPs have asked me about it & I have advised them to use Tap Forms so hopefully they’ll find this. Hope it helps
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Thanks Brendan for clarifying this with IBM. It is obviously an important issue.
I must say I would be very surprised if IBM did not encrypt the data, or if the user would not have such an option somewhere. As you said in an earlier reply, IBM is an older company than, eg, Apple; one of the statements of Apple is that, afaik, the data is encrypted in such a way, that data on iCloud cannot be decrypted by them even if they wanted to. This day and age IBM should provide a similar option… Anyway.
If the response of IBM is negative, is it a major change in TF to encrypt the record content before sent to Cloudant? Ie, that only encrypted data would be stored on their servers? Or at least offer that as an option for a TF Form? After all, it is perfectly possible for a specific form that one would want to encrypt only 1-2 fields, not the whole thing (a bit like Bento does).
(I did not get the nearby sync working at all, although I followed, with a brand new database, what is in the description. I got, at first setup, a reply on some system error on both my iPhone and my iPad, and none of the sync works. Cloudant is my only option.)
I imported from Bento, and it went extremely well. Thank you! Exactly what I wanted so I can have info on my desk and iPhone. However, the 1000 or so address went into a text field. I’d prefer location field so I can call up a map or directions. Is there a way to change field type? OS 11.11.6 Tap Forms build 731.
Hi,
just got Tapforms and managed to import our old bento template and data, and got it syncing over the office network.
my quick question is.
Is there anyway to merge to text fields?
thanks
nigel
