Best Way to Backup EVERYTHING

[Sebastian Henning]

Dear Users,

I’m new to Tapforms as I am starting my own business and I am really impressed by this app! I would love to get some ideas for the best way to backup everything in my database. It is critically for me to not just backup my forms, records and layouts but also the (to the single records) attached documents. In other words: If I accidentally delete an attached document or an layout of a particular form, I need to have the opportunity to get it back into my database.

For forms I have found it to be useful to lock the form. It prevents 99% of accidents ;-) But what about the attachments field? Is there any way to “lock” the delete function? Is there any way to “lock” the complete function of deleting something for the ios version? Because the swipe accidentally happens sometimes (Yes, and I know it es is very specific haptic problem I’m probably alone with ;-)).

What do you do to backup every single item (layouts, attachments, records, forms, …)?

Thanks for your input!
Sebastian

[Brendan]

Hi Sebastian,

When you use the Backup function, Tap Forms simply zips up the entire .tapforms document. The .tapforms document is actually a folder which contains the database file and all the attachments. So when you use the Backup command, everything is backed up, including attachments.

On the Mac version you can enable the Edit / Save button so that when you want to edit a record, you must click the Edit button first.

On the iOS version there’s a function to disable editing of the records. Go to any record, then tap the action menu button, then tap on Disable Editing. Now you won’t be able to edit any records until you turn off that function again.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Sebastian Henning]

Hi Brendan, thank you for your fast respond! It sounds great! Would it be possible to “extract” an attachment? For example if an attachment was deleted (maybe accidentally some days before) and I have to have it back but I have made some bigger changes of my database … In that case I have to decide if I would like to have the document back and build these changes again or if I would like to not making the changes again and give up this document, right?

The ios “lock” function is great and I already have seen it. But I edit fields on the go with the ios version (eg invoicing details) and it is not the best way for my workflow cause it ends in permanently toggle on and of this function. So I asked myself if there could be another way.

Please, don’t get me wrong. You app is absolutely awesome and there are only tiny parts the does’n’t fit my workflow perfectly. But it is so best app I’ve worked with for a really long while. So thank you for offer me the opportunity to build such an efficient workflow!

I have two additional questions I would like to Alles klar!:

1. I have an customized layout for my A4 pdf Invoice. I’ve used your invoice template to build it up ant there is the field which shows the table of products (which is the linked “one to many” field form products form). In my custom layout there is no option to aut regulate the height of the table. I’ve found that auto height is only possible in the standard layout. Is there any workaround?
I use a similar layout to create letters and for the text I use a note field. Under the note field there is my name and signing. It would be awesome if I would not have to move this fixed field before printing everytime. Do you have any ideas how to improve my layout?

2. I know that this is a little complex but I try to explain. I have a form named “interventions”. To that form are another two forms linked in the way “many-to-many” called “elements” and “effects”. So to any intervention the are 1 or more elements and effects linked. There is no Link between “elements” and “effects”. If I show the “interventions” form I can see two tables, one for elements and one for effect. If I show the elements form I can see the table with the interventions. I would love to see the effects (linked to the interventions ) in the second column of this table. If I activate to show the “effects” field in this table it is blank…
I now it is complex, because of it would be a column with more then one record per row, isn’t it? Do you have any ideas how to get that thing worked? Unfortunately I’m not experienced in coding :-(

Thank you so much for your work and your support! I appreciate it!

Sebastian

[Brendan]

Hi Sebastian,

1. Custom layouts are fixed according to the x, y, height, and width settings you provide for it. There’s no workaround to make them dynamically sizeable. Sorry.

2. The only way to show data from a Link to Form field in a Table or other Link to Form field’s table view is to add a Field Script which loops through all of the child records from the relationship and appends them into a big string to display. But even then there won’t be a whole lot of room because you can’t adjust the height of a row, only the width of the column. The Script Editor has a built-in snippet called Child Records Loop which is a starting point for building that kind of a function.

Thanks,

Brendan

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