Starting again from scratch re sync

[tonyt]

Hi Brendan

Tap Forms stores your main database locally on each device. When you upload to iCloud the very first time, all the data from your database (without indexes) is copied into an encrypted database file and that file is uploaded to iCloud

The above from another post. Does that mean with encryption key set – if so, mine wasn’t and I assume therefore not encrypted – so……

I hope I’ve got things straight. I want to stop syncing, delete my unencrypted database from the cloud and start syncing from scratch so that my ENTIRE database is encrypted both by iCloud and TForms, not just the update files.

So this is what I intend to do:

Ensure TForms is up to date on my main machine and backed up locally.

Turn off syncing via ‘reset iCloud sync’
Delete the entire sqlite database from my other devices – AirMac an iPod
Delete my iCloud database via ‘Preferences /iCloud / Manage / Tapforms / Delete All’
Ensure the encryption key is set to be the same on all devices
Enable iCloud sync on my main machine and sync – FULL database sent to the cloud
Enable iCloud sync on second device and sync – FULL database sent to new device
Enable iCloud sync on third device and sync – FULL database sent to new device

Outcome expected – all devices up to date and using a fully TForms / iCloud encrypted database

Two problems:

How / where do I delete the database from my AirMac?
How / where do I delete the database from iPod?

One question:

Have I missed anything, got things in the wrong order or got things wrong? I don’t want to proceed until I am sure things will work OK!!!

Many thanks

tony

[Brendan]

Tap Forms will encrypt the sync files regardless if you have the encryption key set or not. The user provided encryption key is for extra security. And it seems that it is just required now. I say “it seems” because originally I intended that to be optional. But it seems that perhaps due to a bug, it requires the encryption key to be set on each device. It’s also just easier to tell people to set the same encryption key on each device.

If you tap on the Reset iCloud Sync button that will delete all the sync files in iCloud. You don’t need to and don’t want to delete the database files on your devices.

Thanks,

Brendan

[tonyt]

Hi Brendan

Last try….

I’m STILL not 100% with this. I know TF encrypts the update files but as I started way back with no encryption set, I guess my main database in the cloud is unencrypted, or only encrypted by iCloud. My worry is what if iCloud is cracked? Adobe were a while ago and I had to change a whole load of stuff! OR…

Having read your reply more carefully, are you saying the first time I synced my main database to the cloud it was auto encrypted by TForms as it was in fact a sync file in itself, even if I had not set encryption key on. iCloud then applied its own encryption to the database = double encryption / security. I thinks that’s it and if so, fine and were done!!!

Cheers

tony

[Brendan]

Hello Tony,

Yes, you are right. When you sync for the very first time, Tap Forms would have encrypted the sync file that was generated. The very first sync file generated is basically a snapshot of the database that you have up to that very moment. Tap Forms did encrypt that file before being transmitted to iCloud, even before I made the most recent change to iCloud encryption. It did not matter if you had your local database file encrypted or not. Tap Forms still encrypted the sync file it sent to iCloud.

But now with the latest update, Tap Forms will use a user supplied key instead of just an algorithmically generated key as it did before. In fact, Tap Forms will now use both a user generated key along with an algorithmically generated key. So even if you tried and provided the correct key, you would not be able to decrypt a sync file unless you knew how I generated the other half of the key. It’s like on those movies or TV shows when the nuclear sub captain and his first officer must insert and turn both keys simultaneously to launch the nukes :-)

iCloud still encrypts the data as it’s being transmitted to Apple’s servers. It also encrypts the data when it’s stored on their servers. So we have a lot of encryption going on here.

Hope that makes a little more sense :-)

However, please note that Tap Forms does not encrypt anything outside of the database. So if you had a form with all your passwords, then you used the “Email Records” command, Tap Forms will generate a CSV file with all the data decrypted and then it will email that file. That file will get synced to iCloud unencrypted by Tap Forms. Again, it will still be encrypted by iCloud during transmission and when it gets stored on Apple’s iCloud servers, but it’s not pre-encrypted by Tap Forms. The same goes for photos, audio recordings, drawings, and any other files you have lying around in the Files area of Tap Forms. It’s ONLY the data you enter into the database that’s got all that encryption.

Thanks!

Brendan

[tonyt]

Hi Brendan

EXCELLENT! ALL SORTED!!

I really think something like your latest reply should go in the user manual and Roo’s instruction db if its still being updated. It took me a LONG time to get my head round exactly what was going on with sync.

Many thanks for your patience and keep up the great work.

Cheers

tony

[Author]

Posts