Importing csv from Excel to iPhone Tap Forms

[Helen Chick]

I can’t seem to track down a quick method for importing a csv file from Excel on my Mac to TapForms on my iPhone. Here’s what I THINK I did in the past (since I seem to have managed it a few weeks ago). I save the Excel file as a csv file on my Mac, then email it to myself as an attachment. I open the email and the attachment on my iPhone, and then, from within Mail, select the “do something with the attachment” option (export, basically), and — in amongst options like Message, Mail, facebook, DocumentsToGo — is “Import with Tap Forms”. So I select this, and Tap Forms opens, and I go into the Form that I am making, select Import Records … but unfortunately nothing has appeared in my Import folder (and yet I know I have managed to get things into there in the past without using the cloud, Dropbox or ftp). Am I using the correct approach? Is there a better approach (without using ftp, Dropbox or other versions of the cloud)? It just seems logical that this method should work, and yet it isn’t.

[Brendan]

Hi Helen,

If you go to the Files area directly, do you see the CSV File that you wanted to import in there? It should be in the Imports folder.

[Helen Chick]

No, it isn’t there. (I presume I get to the Files area directly by going to Tools on the bottom menu bar, where I can see both an Exports folder and an Imports folder. Both folders are currently empty, but I know I’ve been able to get csv files into the Imports folder in the past as I deleted an old file from there this morning.) I just tried the process again, with no success. The fact that Tap Forms opens when I try to export the file from Mail suggests that things are going to work, but then there is no evidence of the file to be found.

[Brendan]

Hi Helen,

Ya, that’s very odd. I’m not sure why it’s not putting the file into the Imports folder for you. It should.

Try with a differently named file. Does that work?

[Helen Chick]

I’ve tried a differently named file, a completely different file (a file that I’ve imported before with fewer and simpler fields), and I’ve tried a hard reset of the phone just in case some gremlin needed kicking out. There’s still nothing appearing in the Imports folder, I’m afraid.

[Brendan]

Hmm… I just tested it myself and it is working properly from my perspective.

Here’s one other thing you can try.

In iTunes File Sharing, go to the Tap Forms Documents area and see if you can see an Inbox folder. Select it and press the Delete key on your Mac.

Then re-launch Tap Forms and try your Import to Tap Forms function again in Mail.

When Mail sends a file to Tap Forms, the first place it goes is into the app’s Inbox folder. Then Tap Forms moves it to the Imports folder when it gets launched by Mail. Maybe there’s something in there preventing it from doing that step.

If that doesn’t work, maybe make a backup file, copy the backup to your computer and then uninstall and re-install Tap Forms.

[Helen Chick]

It now seems to be working. I had to do the uninstall-reinstall thing, and restoring the backup documents was a bit peculiar (it didn’t seem to work the same way twice, but fortunately there were only three to restore). I hope it will hold together now. :-) Thanks for your help. I am aware that document transfer is one of the trickier aspects of the iPhone environment, so I am not immediately angsty when things don’t go smoothly. Thanks again.

[Brendan]

Hi Helen,

Excellent. I’m glad it’s working for you now.

Sorry for the trouble.

Brendan

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