From iOS yes. From MacOS no I believe. You can copy and paste it with scripts as discussed above.
Thank you for the script examples
To clarify:
User A creates a new record that they want to share with user B via email. User A runs the first script [copy record to clipboard] and then pastes the result in an email to User B. User B then copies the output sent in the email and runs the third script [import record from clipboard]. Is this correct? Not quite sure I understand what the second script [update record from clipboard] is used for [and if user A or B is executing it].
Thanks
Ok, three form scripts: Copy_Record_To_Clipboard, Update_Record_From_Clipboard and Import_Record_From_Clipboard.
Limitations: this will likely only work for plain text note fields (no rich text) and it won’t support attachments.
Copy record to clipboard takes a record and puts it on your clipboard. Simple stuff:
function Copy_Record_To_Clipboard() {
Utils.copyTextToClipboard(JSON.stringify(record.values));
}
Copy_Record_To_Clipboard();
Update record from clipboard attempts to parse the clipboard and set the field values from the clipboard. It won’t reset fields that aren’t set in the source record so you’ll merge those fields into the current record values:
function Update_Record_From_Clipboard() {
record.setFieldValues(JSON.parse(Utils.copyTextFromClipboard()));
document.saveAllChanges();
}
Update_Record_From_Clipboard();
Final form script creates a new record and sets its data to be that of the clipboard:
function Import_Record_From_Clipboard() {
var newRecord = form.addNewRecord();
newRecord.setFieldValues(JSON.parse(Utils.copyTextFromClipboard()));
document.saveAllChanges();
}
Import_Record_From_Clipboard();
Very simple stuff, it’ll copy the JSON fields into your clipboard which you can then paste to someone else and they just run the form script to import or update on the other side. Again, caveats being plain text notes supported only and no attachment/photo stuff/signature. Just plain text.
Give that a spin and see if it sort of works for you.
You should put the files you want to import in the “Script folder access” folder (see preferences for the document) to make sure Tap Forms can get to it otherwise MacOS may block read access. If you imported that CSV via the normal TF import process previously (File > Import) then MacOS will have remembered that you selected the CSV file and give TF access to it. This is part of the security sandboxing that prevents apps from accessing files that you haven’t explicitly granted the application access. There are also some special folders that MacOS also adds extra security to which might require you to give it access via System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
There are two types of scripts: field scripts and form scripts.
When you create a new field via the “Fields” tab and set the type to “script”, then that’s a field script. Field scripts are evaluated when ever a field they reference (via record.getFieldValue) changes and should automatically be re-evaluated. Field scripts are good for this sort of use case where you have related data that you need to store. These results of the scripts are cached with the records so that once they are evaluated, they don’t get re-evaluated unless something they depend on changes, you refresh the record (including all records) or you hit the “update records when saving” in the script editor for the field script. Ideally field scripts refer to information primarily in the record in question.
Form scripts are in the “Scripts” tab and are designed to be executed on demand. These can work on a single record to do an on demand action or can be used to work on multiple records. I use form scripts to do one of imports of data either through web services or parsing fields in a record, to do bulk imports and creation of records from external systems or to do one off data clean up work. The key is that form scripts have to be explicitly executed whilst field scripts will be implicitly updated by Tap Forms for new records or when referenced fields update.
Good to hear it’s finally working for you though and hopefully this explanation makes sense.
I just found the “update records” checkbox. It is in the Field Script Editor – I was working in the script editor under scripts, if you follow me. That checkbox is not in that script editor where I was working, as you can see in the last screenshot.
So now I’m still getting no results, but I wonder which script editor I should be using? Does it matter? I’ve tried it in each one and still getting zero results.
I don’t understand this. Now the same script is giving no results. At first it had the same result (4 names for one record) – now zero (attached). I have tried quitting out, and starting from scratch and still nada.
Is this funkiness of TF? Or maybe I did something but I don’t think so.
Also – I did try refreshing from the bottom of the list when I did have the working script. It said it was going through all the records but nothing changed.
And for the life of me I cannot find the “update records when saving” checkbox in the script editor. Aargh!
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There is probably a record that doesn’t have a string value in it which is causing the split error. Updated the full script to shuffle the parseDate function, add a quick guard to return undefined when the dateString isn’t truthy and fix the expiry/issue mismatch.
// this imports the Papa Parse script
form.runScriptNamed('PapaParse');
// replace with your field ID's
// Passport
var passport_number_id = 'fld-9fe227057cdf44bfa62ad8a97cc6a62a';
var nationality_id = 'fld-0039b290b2054881ac8f004c01903c6f';
var country_id = 'fld-6e861fab76b9457bb625953cece54c96';
var date_of_issue_id = 'fld-0154d8f9ce384e708502fdd775d7bfb1';
var date_of_expiry_id = 'fld-df90736c929549cf8b863666077937fe';
var issuing_authority_id = 'fld-d03c8c1e5fe64e4dada673cb4a6ed322';
var place_passport_seen_id = 'fld-a23576f1e56b48539434de96f5afda23';
function parseDate(dateString) {
if (!dateString) {
return undefined;
}
let pieces = dateString.split("/");
return new Date(pieces[2], pieces[1] - 1, pieces[0]);
}
function Import_Passport() {
let filename = "file:///Users/victor/Desktop/Passport.csv";
let csvFile = Utils.getTextFromUrl(filename);
if (!csvFile) {
console.log("No CSV file?");
return
}
var output = Papa.parse(csvFile);
// abort if there are any errors and log to console.
if (output.errors.length > 0) {
console.log(errors.join("\n"));
return;
}
// read each line
for (let line of output.data) {
//var newRecord = document.getFormNamed("Passport").addNewRecord();
//document.getFormNamed("Other Form").addNewRecord()
let date_of_issue_string = line[3];
let date_of_expiry_string = line[4];
let date_of_issue = parseDate(date_of_issue_string); // using Sam's date parse function
let date_of_expiry = parseDate(date_of_expiry_string); // using Sam's date parse function
var newRecord = document.getFormNamed("Passport").addNewRecord();
newRecord.setFieldValues({
[passport_number_id]: line[0],
[nationality_id]: line[1],
[country_id]: line[2],
[date_of_issue_id]: date_of_issue,
[date_of_expiry_id]: date_of_expiry,
[issuing_authority_id]: line[5],
[place_passport_seen_id]: line[6],
});
document.saveAllChanges();
}
}
Import_Passport();
-
This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by
Sam Moffatt. Reason: forgot to close the backtick
Yup! If you don’t want to override the values then the first script if it’s working for you will do the trick and you don’t need to worry about the other one.
There is a check box in the script editor for “Update records when saving” which will update all records in your form. The reason to keep it deselected is so it doesn’t update all records because you might save during development, it might not be the right result so you don’t want to have to wait for it to update every record before finishing. The other way is to use the refresh button at the bottom of either the record to refresh just the record or at the bottom of the list to refresh all of the records in the form. It’ll recalculate the calculation and script fields for you automatically. Once you’ve done this once, Tap Forms should keep things up to date each time you make a change but if it doesn’t for what ever reason you can just click the record refresh to force an update the to record in question (also Command+R).
Brendan, Sam,
Thank you both for the suggestions. I have incorporated what you have both suggested but I am obviously still doing something wrong. The csv file is imported and:
1. the first date (date_of_issue) is imported and formatted correctly, but
2. not the second (date_of_epxiry), which is ignored; and
3. the first date is used (date_of_issue) in the field for (date_of_epxiry).
The error message is “Date import: TypeError: undefined is not an object (evaluating ‘dateString.split’), line:(null)”
The complete script is:
// this imports the Papa Parse script
form.runScriptNamed('PapaParse');
// replace with your field ID's
// Passport
var passport_number_id = 'fld-9fe227057cdf44bfa62ad8a97cc6a62a';
var nationality_id = 'fld-0039b290b2054881ac8f004c01903c6f';
var country_id = 'fld-6e861fab76b9457bb625953cece54c96';
var date_of_issue_id = 'fld-0154d8f9ce384e708502fdd775d7bfb1';
var date_of_expiry_id = 'fld-df90736c929549cf8b863666077937fe';
var issuing_authority_id = 'fld-d03c8c1e5fe64e4dada673cb4a6ed322';
var place_passport_seen_id = 'fld-a23576f1e56b48539434de96f5afda23';
function Import_Passport() {
let filename = "file:///Users/victor/Desktop/Passport.csv";
let csvFile = Utils.getTextFromUrl(filename);
if (!csvFile) {
console.log("No CSV file?");
return
}
var output = Papa.parse(csvFile);
// abort if there are any errors and log to console.
if (output.errors.length > 0) {
console.log(errors.join("\n"));
return;
}
// read each line
for (let line of output.data) {
//var newRecord = document.getFormNamed("Passport").addNewRecord();
//document.getFormNamed("Other Form").addNewRecord()
let date_of_issue_string = line[3];
let date_of_expiry_string = line[4];
let date_of_issue = parseDate(date_of_issue_string); // using Sam's date parse function
function parseDate(dateString) {
let pieces = dateString.split("/");
return new Date(pieces[2], pieces[1] - 1, pieces[0]);
}
let date_of_expiry = parseDate(date_of_issue_string); // using Sam's date parse function
function parseDate(dateString) {
let pieces = dateString.split("/");
return new Date(pieces[2], pieces[1] - 1, pieces[0]);
}
var newRecord = document.getFormNamed("Passport").addNewRecord();
newRecord.setFieldValues({
[passport_number_id]: line[0],
[nationality_id]: line[1],
[country_id]: line[2],
[date_of_issue_id]: date_of_issue,
[date_of_expiry_id]: date_of_expiry,
[issuing_authority_id]: line[5],
[place_passport_seen_id]: line[6],
});
document.saveAllChanges();
}
}
Import_Passport()
I would very grateful for any further help.
Victor
Sorry – I’m a little dense. Yes – since I don’t think I’ll be overriding the values – just using the synonyms in the Atlas Synonyms file. So in that case I’ll just use the first script (keeping Atlas synonyms as a script field) you suggested that did return 4 values in one record? Is that Correct? Ignore the script for text field that you wrote above?
So, since the first script one is close and does return 4 results in one record – what to change next to update all the records in the entire file? I don’t understand why it only updated the single record.
No this is good! So the box in the left is the result of the field script, if those are what you expect then we’re pretty close. Is you save out, you should see in your record where that field is the values you’re expecting. Again if you don’t need to override the values ever (e.g. it always comes from that other form), then instead of the text field you can just use the script field and it’ll auto-update for you.
For the text field, make sure the one you’re testing the value is empty and if that still doesn’t do the trick, you can disable the guard (/* starts a multi-line comment and */ ends a multi-line comment):
function recordsLoop() {
var atlas_synonyms_id = 'fld-REPLACEME';
/*
if (record.getFieldValue(atlas_synonyms_id)) {
return;
}
*/
var link_to_form_id = 'fld-f835affdf6f34d9890a55d38f985d8cd';
var scientific_name_id = 'fld-7c6e6899c8c2400b8127a82857cd619d';
var link_to_form = record.getFieldValue(link_to_form_id);
var entries = [];
for (var index = 0, count = link_to_form.length; index < count; index++) {
var scientific name = link_to_form[index].getFieldValue(scientific_name_id);
if (scientific_name) {
entries.push(scientific_name);
}
}
var joined = entries.join(', ');
record.setFieldValue(atlas_synonyms_id, joined);
document.saveAllChanges();
return joined;
}
recordsLoop();
By the way, don’t forget to replace fld-REPLACEME with the ID of the field ID of the text field you want to update.
I haven’t seen any issues with what looks like happening, I did a scan of four items the other day into my purchases document without any issues where each record was updated. It’s the same template/script I mailed you (at some point I’ll fix the double encoding for the spaces too). I can shoot you a copy of the template if that helps.
That said in thinking about this a bit, I think you cache the parameters object within the JS interpreter and there was a discussion at some point about removing it but it was pointed out that this makes it easy to re-run and debug scripts without needing the full round trip.
Yes! You’ve done a great job of a bunch of features that I heavily use, scripting being the biggest and CouchDB sync being the other one I asked for back in the day with the innocuous statement of “Cloudant seems like CouchDB” I think :D I think answering a bunch of question is the least I can do :D
I think maybe just modifying the code as follows might work?
let date_of_issue_string = line[3];
let date_of_expiry_string = line[4];
let date_of_issue = parseDate(date_of_issue_string); // using Sam's date parse function
let date_of_expiry = parseDate(date_of_expiry_string); // using Sam's date parse function
newRecord.setFieldValues({
[passport_number_id]: line[0],
[nationality_id]: line[1],
[country_id]: line[2],
[date_of_issue_id]: date_of_issue,
[date_of_expiry_id]: date_of_expiry,
[issuing_authority_id]: line[5],
});
When you call record.setFieldValues({}); Tap Forms just loops through those values calling record.setFieldValue(field_id, value);, which would do the right thing if given a Date value.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m not sure what the need for the extra field would be or even a Field Script. Doesn’t the code read the file, parse, and then set the values on the fields in the record? If so, then it could just transform the date values properly in JavaScript before writing them to the actual Date fields in the record.
