Release notes – Tagalot Contacts
Tagalot Contacts version 3.5
(Released 8 September 2017)
Free-format address, geocoding and reverse geocoding
An option to enter a user-formatted address has been added to the “additional details” section on the main address entry view, to provide for special address formats. Any text entered in the Free-format address field will override the main address details for labels and envelope printing.
This field can also be optionally populated from a geocoding request as the data returned includes an address formatted according to the country location.
Delete all text in the freeformat field to use the main address for label and envelope printing.
Options to geocode (coordinate from address search) and reverse-geocode (address from coordinates) have been added to the address entry view. A network connection is required to access Apple’s geocoding servers.
The “Geocode & Edit” button opens the geocoding view, then select “Search” to enter part of an address or business category. If the correct details are listed, select to retrieve the data. The address data, formatted address and list of data fields are displayed in the geocode view. Edit as required and select the main and/or formatted address as required. As well as the address, a business name or first line of the address will be returned in the Tagalot local name field. Any existing entry in the Tagalot location name field will not be changed. The map section will be updated with the retrieved coordinates when the main address is selected from the geocoding view.
The “Reverse geocode” button in the map view will initiate a request to obtain an address from the current coordinates in the address data. If the request fails no address will be displayed, otherwise the content and options in the geocoding view are as above for a geocoding request.
Development Team
PD Systems Ltd
8th September 2017
Tagalot Contacts version 3.4
(Released 17 February 2017)
Bug fixes, updated Apple Contacts import and data synchronisation.
Minor bug fixes, small changes to the user interface and update of modules written in Swift to version 3.0.
The import option has been rewritten in Swift and now uses the new Apple Contacts framework released in IOS 9. The old version would sometimes fail on large imports and this version has been tested with imports of 10,000 contacts with no issues.
The app provides an option for synchronisation between devices using Apple’s iCloud. Whilst this has been stable for installations where the user does not change their Apple account, we have found problems where the account is changed, such as on our test devices. If a user has to change their account, please make sure that their device is backed up to a PC or to the ICloud before making the change. More details in our pdf guide.
Also, with IOS version 10, Apple has announced that the functionality for this data synchronisation will be removed in a future release. This is not an immediate issue for users and we are hoping that Apple will be offering an alternative solution in the near future.
The app has been free since April 2016 and goes back to a paid app with this release.
Development Team
PD Systems Ltd
17th February, 2017
Tagalot Contacts version 3.3.1
(Released 12 April 2016)
Bug fix
Export option was opening with incorrect or no data from the Persons & Tags List view.
The address edit view had a print pdf option – now removed as this will be in a future release.
Development Team
PD Systems Ltd
12th April, 2016
Tagalot Contacts version 3.3
(Released April 2016)
Contents
1. Free
2. Settings
3. Setting – Initial View
4. Settings – Data Storage (Data Manager in previous version)
5. Short Form Entry Changes
6. Persons List Navigation
1) FREE
We did not like the ads on a business app either, so now we have gone totally FREE, for a while at least! Tagalot Contacts is our foundation app and we will be adding more functionality with each release, some of which will be available as in-app purchases.
2) SETTINGS
The ‘More’ (three lines icon) menu now has a Settings option – select this to access the data storage and initial view settings. This has replaced the Data Manager function, which is now included in the Settings view. If the Initial View is set as described below, then the first line of the ‘More’ menu will be an option to re-display the view.
3) SETTING – INITIAL VIEW
There is now an option to display your favourite or frequently used contacts on a start-up screen for quick access to the Contact Hub for each contact.
To use this feature, drag & drop your favourite and frequently used contacts, including persons, organisations and tags, in to a collection group. Put the name of the collection group in the Setting – Initial View entry. The entry is case-sensitive and must match the name of the collection group exactly; so keep it simple, such as “Start”.
Not essential, but images added to the contacts (persons and organisations) in the start-up group make it easier to identify them.
On start up the members of the collection group will be displayed – tap any entry to open the contact’s hub view.
Scroll up/down to view all members of the group. Swipe left or right to dismiss the view and access the groups and persons lists.
The start-up view can be redisplayed any time. After defining the collection’s name in Settings there will be a top-row option on the ‘More’ menu to re-display the group.
4) SETTINGS – DATA STORAGE (Data Manager in previous version)
Enable iCloud or enable device (iPad/iPhone) storage. Please see the Tagalot Contacts guide pdf for a detailed description on the use of iCloud storage.
When enabling the iCloud storage for the first time an empty database is created. Previously the ‘Enable’ option automatically loaded your device database; this is now a separate option.
Use the iCloud option 1 to load initial entries from the device’s Tagalot database.
The iCloud options now include:
1 – Copy device store to iCloud. Copies the Tagalot database on the device to the iCloud database. Use this option when an initial load to iCloud is required.
2 – Copy iCloud store to the device store. The Tagalot iCloud database will be copied to and REPLACE the database on the device. Use this option to maintain a copy or backup of the iCloud data on a device, e.g., to reload your Tagalot database when changing or resetting your iCloud account.
3 – Refresh from iCloud. Use this option if the data synchronization appears to be not working correctly.
5) SHORT FORM ENTRY CHANGES
The Short Form Entry view enables entry of a person, or person, organisation and tag from a single view. Address details may also be entered, for a person or organisation.
The context buttons are now at the top of the view for the four types of entry, namely person only, person + family, person + social organisation, person + business.
The person must be a new entry, but the family (formal name) or organisation entry can be new or an existing entry.
When an email address is entered in the organisation tag section and a web address for the organisation is present, the second part of the organisation’s web address is added automatically when the ‘@‘ is typed. The entry can be edited if the email address is different.
6) PERSONS LIST NAVIGATION
Navigation from a person row in the Persons List has been made easier with two buttons on each row, one to display all the tags for a person and a second to access the person & address list.
Also a reminder that the Person Edit view can be accessed directly by a “tap, hold (until label appears), release” action on a person or tag row. An organisation edit view can be accessed in a similar way from an organisation list.
Please see the online guides or download a copy for more details on these and any other features of Tagalot Contacts.
Any feedback is always welcome, to support@tagalot.biz.
Development Team
PD Systems Ltd
29th March, 2016
Tagalot Contacts version 3.2
(Released February 2016)
Contents
1. Database Synchronization Using iCloud
2. New Short Form Entry View
1. Database Synchronization Using iCloud
A Data Management option can now be now accessed from the ‘More’ icon (three horizontal lines) on the Persons & Tags List view. This allows a user with a logged-in iCloud account to activate Tagalot Contacts on Apple’s iCloud host servers. An active iCloud database is indicated by the ‘More’ icon showing vertical lines, and the normal horizontal lines when using local storage.
See the online guide section at www.tagalot.biz, which covers the use of Tagalot Contacts with iCloud in more detail than the following summary.
The new Data Manager view shows the current size of the Tagalot database on your iPhone or iPad, and also on iCloud when the data has been loaded.
If you are currently using Tagalot on more than one device, at this time only one of your Tagalot databases can be used to load a copy to your iCloud storage. Use the device with your preferred Tagalot database to start the migration to iCloud.
Please check available free space on both your device and your iCloud storage. iCloud works by first copying the local database and creating an iCloud version also on your device – so you need free space on your device for iCloud set up, at least the current size of your Tagalot database.
The creation of the initial local copy means the iCloud version of the database will be available in a short time on the set up device.
In a background (hidden) process on your set up device the local iCloud database will be uploaded to the iCloud servers. This can take a long time (hour or more) depending on the size of your Tagalot database and your network upload speed, which typically is much slower than the download speed.
Progress of the upload can be checked by viewing your Tagalot iCloud usage under the IOS Settings -> General -> Storage & iCloud Usage – iCloud/Manage Storage option. An option for a large database is to let the upload process run overnight.
Following completion of the initial upload, Tagalot on any additional iPad or iPhone can be set to use iCloud using the Data Manager option. There will be some delay before the iCloud data becomes available as all the data now has to be initially downloaded, but this should not be as long as the data upload. As with the device used for the initial set up, there must be sufficient free storage to hold the iCloud copy of the Tagalot database.
2. New Short Form Entry View
Tagalot currently has separate entry views for its main subjects, namely persons, organisations, tags and addresses, each of which contains all the possible data fields for the subject. Although comprehensive in scope and content, the large number of fields has made it not so easy to enter just the main information for a simple initial entry.
A short form entry view was in our original design this but got pushed to the back of the implementation queue! We are now providing that option, accessed from the ‘+’ icon on the main menu. The primary details for a person, organisation, tag and address can all be entered from the new short form entry view. An organisation may pre-exist in the database, in which case just a new tag for the person will be created.
The short form entry provides for the creation of person record as a person-only entry, or as a person entry with one of the three organisation contexts, namely family, social or business organisation. The view is initially opened in the person-only format and other entry types are selected from the view’s toolbar. The person detail must be a new entry, and the organisation name or family formal name (e.g., Mr & Mrs …) can be a new or an existing entry. Optional tag details and address can be entered with organisation entries.
Please see the online guides or download a copy for more details on these and any other features of Tagalot Contacts.
Development Team
PD Systems Ltd
4th February, 2016
Tagalot Contacts version 3.1
(Released November 2015)
Contents
1. FREE, with paid option to remove advertisements.
2. Fixes
3. Work in progress
1) FREE, with paid option to remove advertisements.
The app was originally designed for the iPad and made available on the iPhone range with release 3.0 last September. iPhone users have a vast range of apps to choose from and typically look for a ‘lite’ or free with advertisements version.
Tagalot Contacts is now available as a free install with a paid option to remove all advertisements permanently. Existing users who purchased a pre-3.1 version will not have the advertisements displayed.
Small advertisements appear at the bottom of the group list and the person & tags list, and a page advertisement will also appear periodically when adding entries, editing or opening the hub view.
If users are happy to keep the advertisements then we would be grateful if they would click on an advertisement occasionally, just to provide us with some revenue from their use of the app!
2) Fixes
Various small layout issues resolved and a bug which prevented large imports from Apple Contacts has been resolved.
3) Work in progress
We are including work in progress here mainly to give users an opportunity to contribute ideas and suggest improvements before a release. Email our team lead: patrick@tagalot.biz
Synchronisation – With the move to the iPhone we have been working on synchronisation across devices. Additional development is required to manage the migration of large databases to iCloud.
Shortform entry – A quick and easy entry of basic details on a single form, to provide a one-view entry form. The entry form will allow entry of a person, with personal address and/or single workplace, or an organisation and address, or person at an organisation. Organisation context will also be selected.