The FrogPad
 
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Database Sync with multiple devices  (Read 2690 times)

thb2006

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I was wondering if there are any plans to allow sharing of databases between devices? I have an iPad and an iPhone and would love to be able to tweak things in my database from my phone whenever I am away from my iPad.

If that is not possible, then I suppose the next best thing would be the ability to automatically backup to cloud storage such as iCloud, Google Drive, DropBox, or OneDrive...

Trey D

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Seconded!  :D

Edit:  I know there already exists the functionality to export/import the database, but this request, if I understand it correctly, is a slightly different case.

 - Trey
« Last Edit: July 13, 2020, 03:55:40 PM by treyd »

Danny Hall

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Firstly - you can send your database to another device via AirDrop from the homsescreen very easily...4 taps to send, 1 tap to receive. Open the drum door and choose "Utilities > Export Current Database", and choose the device. The receiving device will import it, asking if you want to replace the current database. Also, you can do this manually and send it to a file storage service instead, like iCloud Files, Dropbox, etc. The process is the same as above, just choose the file service you use instead of a nearby device. To load it on the target device, navigate to the file in the file storage app you use, and choose "Copy to Roastmaster". It will import the same as with AirDrop.

Beyond that...yes, I do want to expand this area. But, let me be clear...iCloud sync is NOT currently in my plans. Apple's paradigm here is "One person, multiple devices". In many Roastmaster installations, however, the working paradigm is "Multiple people, multiple devices". These are roasting facilities that employ several roasters, on several iPads...often in multiple shifts. Even ignoring the paradigm conflict, iCloud was never designed to handle situations of this complexity. It seems to choke on anything more than a simple Document-type data store. I fear Roastmaster's complex relational data model would wreak havoc.

That being said, yes...I do want to look into the Dropbox API's surrounding automatic backup. Every time I roast, I backup my own database. I subject it to a lot of abuse during development cycles...upgrades, backtrack, sample data entry, testing, etc., so I'm meticulous about always backing it up to iCloud Files.

I'd love to be able to skip that step...knowing that it was being done for me, and that if I needed it on another device, I could replace it easily.

So, long story short (too late)...yes a more automated approach to this is in my product backlog list.