Importing csv files

[willcook]

Brendan –

Sorry to bother you with this, but it is driving me batty. I am importing a 44-row spreadsheet into TapForms in csv format using Dropbox. When I try to import it, the screen says there are only 7 rows, but when I display the imported spreadsheet all 44 rows are there correctly. However, when I try to add the records to the form, only 7 records show up. I have tried different delimiters to no avail.

Please get me out of this bind – I am dead in the water.

Thanks!

[Brendan]

Hello Will,

It’s no bother. The most likely issue causing this problem is the character encoding of the file that you’re trying to import. If you’re importing from a Windows computer, then try setting the file import settings in Tap Forms to Windows Latin 1.

Thanks!

Brendan

[willcook]

I was in fact using a PC, because I don’t currently have access to my IMac.

Here is another problem: one of the fields has a brief description of the tree species, but after importing, what is displayed in the field is only the first five lines. When I tap the right arrow, all I see are the last few words. I tried using the Note template but nothing got imported into it. Having the full description is very important.

Thanks!

[Brendan]

Hello Will,

You’ll need to use the Notes field type to view more than just a short string of text from your field. The Note field shows you the entire contents of the field in a scrollable view. You can freely switch between Note and Text field types even after you’ve imported your data.

I’m not sure why nothing got imported into that field though. It’s possible that you don’t have all your quotes in order. If you have any carriage returns and/or newlines in your description field, you’ll need to make sure the field is properly quoted. The same goes for any field that has your column delimiter.

For example:

Movie Title, Description

The Terminator, “The Terminator is

a movie with Arnold

Schwarzennegar”

“Hunger Games, The”, “The Hunger Games is a fantastic book and will

now be a movie coming out on March 23, 2012″

Notice how the first movie title doesn’t need to be quoted, but the second title does because the comma delimiter is within the content of the field. And also notice that the description spans more than one line, so the entire description needs to be quoted.

Check your file to make sure it follows this kind of structure for every single row, including the header row that’s used to match up with field names in your form.

Thanks!

Brendan

[willcook]

Great! Windows Latin 1 did the trick. Now I am just left with the space limitation in the field display.

[willcook]

Oops! I missed your post. I will experiment a bit.

[willcook]

Great! The Note format works just fine. I believe I can now go ahead and populate the entire Tree Inventory database and then go out in the field and collect additional data. The only remaing teeny tiny request I would make is for a read-only version, limited to a single category, that we could offer to visitors to the Arboretum. That is, only the smart visitors who have iPhones.

[Brendan]

Hello Will,

I’m not really sure how my revenue model would work for something like a read-only version of Tap Forms.

Thanks,

Brendan

[willcook]

Brendan –

Once I get the Arboretum database up and working, I will focus on a tree inventory for the Tree Board of a small town. The requirements are somewhat different in this case, but both applications would be of interest to communities around the country (or countries). I would be more than happy to give you the templates for each application. They are a bit more interesting than the simple templates you provide, and they do a much better job of demonstrating the full potential of the app. You could make a point of showcasing a number of interesting applications that do a lot more than keep track of someone’s credit card numbers (yawn).

I haven’t been this excited about an application since HyperCard – this will tell you my age. I would be happy to donate my time to helping you put together a set of real-life templates (provided by other enthusiasts) that you could offer for free and would, I believe, stimulate a lot of interest.

I do not, however, want to distract you from your important work of making an outstanding app even better.

Regards,

Will

[willcook]

Regarding revenues from a read-only version: rather than a separate version, let’s think in terms of a user- controlled mode that would let someone protect a form or category from accidental modification – most people would find that useful, and the interface would be a lot cleaner for those forms. Now let’s say that we encourage every visitor to the Arboretum to purchase your app, and in return we will download our data set before they begin walking the trails. Understand that we have no interest in prohibiting them from modifying the data; we just don’t want to confuse them with extraneous buttons that might cause a neophyte to accidentally screw things up.

There are hundreds of arboretums throughout the country that might be interested in this approach, and this is only one application domain. How about zoos, theme parks, state parks, utility companies, etc. Any situation where you want to restrict another person (a guest, employee, co-worker fro from messing up your data.

Just thinking out loud . . .

[willcook]

Ahem . . . One more thing.

Several weeks ago, before I discovered your app, I was talking with the owner of a well drilling company (who happens to have an iPhone) and I told him what I needed for collecting tree data in the field. He said he was looking for a similar capability for recording the locations of pipelines in the field. I believe that small commercial and non-profit enterprises should not be overlooked as a niche market. But perhaps that is stating the obvious.

W

[willcook]

Oh, and Art Museums. That audio guide equipment is a pain in the neck, because I want to explore things at my own pace and in any order I wish. And what if I want to know how many Matisse’s they have and what galleries they are in? And which of their paintings are on display and which are not? There is a small, but excellent, art museum in our town, and I may approach them with this idea. The nice thing about working with non-profits is that since they don’t pay you to do the work, you can just go ahead and do it without getting a lot of approvals. And because Tap Forms is so cheap, there aren’t even any capital expenses.

W

[Brendan]

Hello Will,

Thanks for the very insightful scenarios for possible uses for Tap Forms.

I have been asked before to create the ability to lock editing of a form. This is definitely on my to-do list.

Back in June when I was at WWDC, I visited Alcatraz for the second time. I love that place. So interesting. I used one of their audio tour guide devices to go on the tour. The first time I was there they handed out cassette tape devices to follow the tour. This time it was a digital device which showed you the name of the location where you were supposed to be next. It would be really cool to have an iPhone app which was far more visually appealing and could provide much more information than what was given out at the time on the audio only device.

Tap Forms could be used for something like this. But if it were me, I’d want a custom app built which contains just the information for the tour and was visually branded specifically for the museum. There’s a lot that could go into an app like that besides the audio. There could be video segments and behind the scenes footage from movies that were filmed there, reference material, links to Wikipedia content, Twitter and Facebook integration, photos of inmates who used to “live” there, and perhaps In-App purchases for books about Alcatraz or at the very least, links to the iBooks Store.

So… many many possibilities.

Thanks!

Brendan

[willcook]

Those are all great ideas, but I am sure that most small to medium size non-profits can’t afford to hire a professional for this function and will have to rely on bumbling amateur volunteers like myself.

[Brendan]

Hello Will

Ah, sorry. I didn’t know it was a volunteer type thing. I’d be thrilled to see you using Tap Forms for this kind of purpose.

Thanks!

Brendan

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