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Edgar

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Rather than create a new forum for app discussions at this time, we will use my New Member Advocate forum for that purpose. Feel free to start new threads in this forum for any discussions, questions or commentary regarding our Bushings and Tubes app.

Thanks for all the kind comments about the app so far. I am glad that I was able to create the app, but the app would not have been possible if it had not been for all of Wayne's hard work and dedication in building the bushing & tube charts these past few years.

Edgar
 
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flyitfast

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San Antonio, TX 78247
Any suggestions? I loaded the app from Apple, the icon is displayed, but when I tap on it, I get the opening page and then my phone goes back to the icon screen. I never get to see the listings.
Hope to use it because there are times when I'm out that I need the info for me and others.
Thanks.
Gordon
 
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Edgar

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Any suggestions? I loaded the app from Apple, the icon is displayed, but when I tap on it, I get the opening page and then my phone goes back to the icon screen. I never get to see the listings.
Hope to use it because there are times when I'm out that I need the info for me and others.
Thanks.
Gordon

What version of iPhone & which iOS version are you using?

It should work on anything from iPhone 4 and up and iOS7 and up. I have tested it on most combinations, but it's almost impossible to test every possible combination.

You might try deleting the app & reinstalling it.

Edgar
 

flyitfast

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Edgar,
I'm using an IPhone 5, not sure of the OS but it is standard for that phone and was updated a month or so ago.
I did delete it and reinstall it. Same problem. :mad:
If I tap on the icon it should come up and stay with the tables, right?
Anyway, I'll try to delete it again and see what happens.
Thanks for the response.
Gordon
 

Edgar

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Gordon,
Check your iOS version (Settings -> General) & make sure that you have either 9.1 or 9.2. The app works well with both of those versions on an iPhone 5.

If you do have either 9.1 or 9.2, try rebooting your device -- hold down the sleep/wake button at the top of the phone & the home button at the bottom simultaneously until the phone powers down. Then power it back up with the sleep/wake button & see if it works correctly.

If you still have the problem, you might need to do a device restore via iTunes.

Edgar
 

jeff

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Westlake, OH, USA.
Just as a point of information, I have an ancient 4S running 8.3 and the app seems fine.

I really need a new phone!
 

alphageek

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One more hint.. If an app acts weird, double check your free space. iOS gets a little weird when space is low and doesn't give good warning as to why.
 
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Hadn't heard about an app until now. Great idea. Will it be available on android?

I went to google store and searched IAP and found one with a tag line "The world of wood is now at your fingertips". The logo is VERY similiar to ours here. Downloaded it and it turns out to be Indiana Architectural Plywood.
 

Edgar

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We would very much like to be able to offer an Android version, but it all depends on someone who is capable of developing Android apps stepping up to volunteer for that role.

So far, two people have expressed an interest in working on an Android app and I have sent them enough info to evaluate whether it will be a feasible task for them.

It remains to be seen if either or both of them will be interested in taking on this project. Mobile app development is not trivial programming & we are an all-volunteer organization.

At this stage of my life, after nearly 50 years of software design & development, I have no interest or desire to learn any more programming languages or SDKs. I do hope someone in the community will have that inclination though & I will be glad to assist them.
 

Edgar

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Just to follow up on Gordon's (flyitfast) problem with the app. He has reported to me that the app works fine on his iPhone 5 after he upgraded the iOS to 9.2.

I still don't know exactly what the problem was, but I suspect that he was running 9.0 at the time he was having problems. That iOS version was quite buggy and Apple made lots of corrections between 9.0 and 9.1.

So far, not a single bug has been reported with the app (that's not to say that it is 100% bug free, but at least none have yet been reported).

On the other hand, not a single improvement has yet been suggested either. Does it really do everything you could possibly want from such an app?? No promises, but all suggestions will be considered.

Edgar
 

DigBaddy72

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App runs great on my 5.

Feature suggestions? It would be neat to be able to click on a kit, then have the bushings "clickable" to find out if other kits use the same diameter bushings. I found myself with a couple of seam ripper kits, but didn't have the "official" bushings. I ended up using slightly larger bushings from a different kit.

Thanks for the awesome app though!!
 

Edgar

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App runs great on my 5.

Feature suggestions? It would be neat to be able to click on a kit, then have the bushings "clickable" to find out if other kits use the same diameter bushings. I found myself with a couple of seam ripper kits, but didn't have the "official" bushings. I ended up using slightly larger bushings from a different kit.

Thanks for the awesome app though!!

Thanks Keith,
That's a good suggestion & I will add it to my list of possible enhancements.

One possibility here would be to make the 4 headings on the Detail Page clickable, then if you tapped on Upper/Cap Bushings for example, the app could automatically do a search for all kits that have identical Upper/Cap Bushings parameters.

You can actually do this manually at the present time. For instance, if you look up the Triton bushings, you will see that the Upper/Cap Bushings are 0.567, 0.460 and 0.567. If you simply enter 567 460 567 (or just 567 460 since two dimensions are the same) into the Search field, the app will display all kits that use that bushing size.

I can see where a single tap on the Detail Page would be a lot more convenient though.

You mentioned seam rippers - at the present time, there are no seam ripper kits in the app or the charts. For the most part, Wayne has limited the charts to pen kits thus far. In the case of a couple of suppliers who do not have very large pen kit selections, he has included a few "non-pen" kits (such as the Bracelet Helper in the Hut chart). If you would like to see the charts expanded to include other kits besides pens, please be sure to communicate these types of suggestions to Wayne.

Edgar
 

Edgar

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A Minor Milestone

Exactly 200 copies of the app were downloaded in its first week on the Apple App Store.

I hope you are finding the app to be useful. Don't forget to post reviews if you do.

Keith's (DigBaddy72) suggestion for finding all kits with a particular bushing has been added to the app & will be in the next release - probably about mid-Jan.
 

DigBaddy72

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App runs great on my 5.

Feature suggestions? It would be neat to be able to click on a kit, then have the bushings "clickable" to find out if other kits use the same diameter bushings. I found myself with a couple of seam ripper kits, but didn't have the "official" bushings. I ended up using slightly larger bushings from a different kit.

Thanks for the awesome app though!!

Thanks Keith,
That's a good suggestion & I will add it to my list of possible enhancements.

One possibility here would be to make the 4 headings on the Detail Page clickable, then if you tapped on Upper/Cap Bushings for example, the app could automatically do a search for all kits that have identical Upper/Cap Bushings parameters.

You can actually do this manually at the present time. For instance, if you look up the Triton bushings, you will see that the Upper/Cap Bushings are 0.567, 0.460 and 0.567. If you simply enter 567 460 567 (or just 567 460 since two dimensions are the same) into the Search field, the app will display all kits that use that bushing size.

I can see where a single tap on the Detail Page would be a lot more convenient though.

You mentioned seam rippers - at the present time, there are no seam ripper kits in the app or the charts. For the most part, Wayne has limited the charts to pen kits thus far. In the case of a couple of suppliers who do not have very large pen kit selections, he has included a few "non-pen" kits (such as the Bracelet Helper in the Hut chart). If you would like to see the charts expanded to include other kits besides pens, please be sure to communicate these types of suggestions to Wayne.

Edgar

Thanks a lot! If I had just RTFM I would have learned that search would have helped me, but hey, I'm in IT, we never RTFM untill we've exhausted all other options and wasted half a day searching and trial and error!

I look forward to the next release!
 

TonyL

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What is the best way to submit updated or new information to populate the missing data? I would be happy to supply what info I have.
 

Zulu

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Installed on iPad, IOS 9.1. Works fine.
Bugs (I think): After initial splash screen, if you click on IAP logo (left upper corner), and then you click on a question mark on the right (for the help file) and the PDF opens there is no way to get back to the app, at least not on my iPad.
 

Edgar

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Installed on iPad, IOS 9.1. Works fine.
Bugs (I think): After initial splash screen, if you click on IAP logo (left upper corner), and then you click on a question mark on the right (for the help file) and the PDF opens there is no way to get back to the app, at least not on my iPad.

Right swipe

If you have zoomed the view, double tap anywhere to reset the view to normal size, then do a right swipe.
 

Edgar

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What is the best way to submit updated or new information to populate the missing data? I would be happy to supply what info I have.

Thanks Tony,
Send a pm to Wayne with your info.
If it's just corrections, you can list them in the message.
There is a chart template at the same place as the chart PDFs that can be used to add kits & even new suppliers, then send that to Wayne.
 

LW55

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I just finished reorganizing all of my bushings this past weekend. I had realized that I had several bushings that would work with other kits without having to buy new bushings. I downloaded the app and it is awesome. It works fine on my I Phone 5. Thank you so much for all of your hard work.
 

Edgar

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I just finished reorganizing all of my bushings this past weekend. I had realized that I had several bushings that would work with other kits without having to buy new bushings. I downloaded the app and it is awesome. It works fine on my I Phone 5. Thank you so much for all of your hard work.

Thanks, Jeff. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying the app.

Welcome to the IAP & be sure to post a thread in the Introductions forum & tell us a little about yourself. That will get you entered in our monthly Introduction Prize Drawing for new members & you might win a nice prize.
 

Edgar

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300 Downloads

Our little app reached the 300 download milestone yesterday.

The free introductory offer ends on the 31st - it will become a paid app after that, but at a nominal $0.99 price. All proceeds will go to IAP to help cover the $100 annual Apple App Store fee.
 

Edgar

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A Little Quirk in the App

The app's search bar should always be located below the status bar at the top of screen when the phone is held in portrait mode. However, under certain conditions, it actually overlaps the status bar.

This is caused by a well documented bug in the Apple iOS and there is no programmatic way to compensate for this behavior. In fact, even Apple's Mail app has the same problem.

Fortunately, there is a simple manual workaround for this glitch until Apple decides to fix the bug. Just tap on Cancel to cancel the present search which will restore the proper view geometry, then tap on the search bar again to go back to search mode.

The quirk occurs when you do the following:
1. Tap on the search bar to activate search mode (doesn't matter if you actually enter anything into the search bar)
2. Select one of the kits listed in the table to go to the Detail View
3. Switch the resulting Detail View from portrait to landscape presentation
4. Switch back to portrait presentation
5. Return to the table view screen
-- the search bar will be improperly positioned

Note that steps 4 & 5 can be done in either order to create the problem.

You can avoid the problem entirely if you only use portrait mode or landscape mode.
 

studioE

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Abbreviations used in app ??

Rather than create a new forum for app discussions at this time, we will use my New Member Advocate forum for that purpose.
Edgar

thanks for the app ... just a little unfamiliar with some of the abbr.

what does BTWD or BHWD or is there someplace that explains the abbreviations used.

RB=roller pen?
FP=fountain pen?
BP=ballpoint pen?

are there other abbreviations i should know?
 

Edgar

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Rather than create a new forum for app discussions at this time, we will use my New Member Advocate forum for that purpose.
Edgar

thanks for the app ... just a little unfamiliar with some of the abbr.

what does BTWD or BHWD or is there someplace that explains the abbreviations used.

RB=roller pen?
FP=fountain pen?
BP=ballpoint pen?

are there other abbreviations i should know?

My apologies for the delay in replying to this post - I just now noticed it.

The app uses a 4-character abbreviation for each supplier. We are now up to 18 suppliers for the next release, so it is getting to be a bit difficult to remember them all. The next release of the app will include a list of all the supplier abbreviations in the on-line help files and the App User Guide in the library will also be updated to show these abbreviations.

Here they are (and more will be added in future releases):
AZSL --> Arizona Silhouette
BHWD --> Berea Hardwoods
BTWD --> Bear Tooth Woods
CLNB --> The Classic Nib
CSUS --> Crafts Supplies USA
EXBL --> Exotic Blanks
GPWS --> Gary Pye Woodturning Supplies
HUTP --> HUT Products
LLNZ --> Lazerlinez
LVLY --> Lee Valley
PNST --> Penn State Industries
PKWW --> Packard Woodworks
RKLR --> Rockler
SMPW --> Smitty's Pen Works
WCFT --> Woodcraft
WDWM --> Wood N Whimsies
WDTZ --> Woodturningz
WMWW --> William Wood-Write

You are correct about the RB/FP/BP abbreviations. I will document those as well.
 
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Edgar

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An App Update is Coming Soon

We have submitted an app update to Apple - it usually takes about a week for an app to go through Apple's review process before it will be available for download.

We have added data for several more suppliers and a number of new kits. The app now has over 1,400 kits from 18 suppliers. Yes, there are many duplicates, since most kits are available from mutiple suppliers, but each one has to be individually entered and edited for each supplier's particular info. Updated pdf charts for all 18 suppliers will be posted in the IAP Library when the app is ready for download. An updated App User's Guide will also be posted at that time. Many more kit instructions have been added - the app now has over 500 sets of instructions.

Here's a summary of the new features - let me know if you have any questions.

• Now showing sorting mode & last update at the top of the main table view
• Detail view category headings are now clickable search options
• Tapping on the Bushings & Tubes title will scroll to top of the table view
• Updated the App Settings & on-line help screens
• Pen photos are now zoomable
• Added data for more suppliers and pen kits
• Revised some kit names and data for improved consistency
• Added bushing drawings to a number of pen kits with ability to print and mail the drawings
• Added instructions for many more pen kits
• Added a number of pen photos
• Fractional inches can now use a space as well as an ampersand for the whole/fractional separator
• Corrected some typos
• Adjusted some display presentations and enhanced the resolution of some images
• Implemented some speed optimizations for faster presentation of the pen kit detail view
 
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Edgar

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The Updated App is Now Available

Apple has processed our App update in record time - you can download it from the Apple App Store.

Wayne will be updating the pdf charts & the App User Guide in the library very shortly.

Please let us know if you find any errors or discrepancies in the app or charts. We also welcome your suggestions for improving the app.
 

Edgar

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An Updated Database is Available for Download

An updated app database is now available for download from the IAP server. This database update will make your app info fully consistent with the current version of the Bushings & Tubes Charts in our library.

To update the database on your mobile device, you must have the Auto Update feature enabled (which is the default). The app will automatically check the server at whatever time interval you have set (default is daily) and download the update.

Once the update has been downloaded, you must quit the app & relaunch it in order for the app to start using the new information.

The date of your last update is tucked away under the "Bushings & Tubes" title on the main table view. Simply pull it down about 1/2" to check the database version you are using. The version supplied with the last app update was 1/29/16. The new one that was uploaded to the IAP server today will be dated 2/3/16.

If you quit & relaunch the app, but it still shows a 1/29/16 date, that simply means that it has not yet downloaded the new database.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Edgar
 

Edgar

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Another Milestone & a Database Update

Our app has now topped 400 downloads. We must be getting some good publicity somewhere, because the download rate has increased significantly for the past week or so.

I have uploaded a new Exotic Blanks file to our app database server. We had spelled AERO incorrectly in that file. That is the only update to the database at this time. This new database will show up as 2-29-16 once it is downloaded to your device.

Thanks for all your support and keep those suggestions for improvement coming in.

Edgar
 

Geoff Cradit

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IOS app updates

In the instructions for the app it mentions that you can control if the app auto updates. Where is that control located. When I slide the screen down to see the last update my app says January.
 

Edgar

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To clarify one thing, the auto update feature only applies to loading new databases from the IAP server. It cannot auto update the app itself - new updates to the app can only be downloaded from the Apple App Store. We implemented the auto update feature so any updates to the charts could be made available to the app immediately without having to submit a new version to Apple.

You have to use the Settings app to enable/disable the auto updates. From the main screen of the Settings app, scroll down to the bottom part where the individual apps are listed & select BushNTubes. You will get a page of information & options. In the Database Updates category, you can turn Auto Updates on or off (ON is the default). You can also select the frequency the app should check for updates - Hourly, Daily, Weekly or Monthly.

If Auto Updates are enabled and you have an Internet connection, the app will query the IAP server at the specified interval to check for updates. If an update is available, the app will download it; however, it will not immediately install the update. We didn't want to disrupt a session that might be in progress, so new updates are simply held in reserve at that point. The new update will be installed into the app the next time the app is started.

Now, there is a slight bug in the date reporting for the updates. After a new update has been downloaded, the date of that update should show up in the Settings app and in the little pull-down display area under the App Title Bar. The correct date does show up when the update is initially downloaded, but sometimes the old date shows up. The database will still be correct - that is not affected. The update feature works properly, the bug only affects the date that is displayed, but it can be confusing. This bug has been fixed and will be part of the next app version.

Hope this helps
Edgar
 

Edgar

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A Big Milestone for Our App

Our app has now been downloaded 500 times from the Apple App Store.

Thanks for all your support & let us know if you have any suggestions for improvement. We are working on the next update - no ETA as yet though.
 

Edgar

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Pen Kit Instructions in the IAP App

One of the really neat features of the IAP Bushings & Tubes App (IMHO) is the fact that the instructions for most of the pen kits are available at the touch of an icon and they can be emailed or printed (via AirPrint) right from your mobile device.

The current version of the app includes about 500 instruction files. The next release will have about 600. Granted some kits have multiple sets of instructions. Sometimes suppliers who distribute other's kits generate their own version of instructions for those kits & when they do, we try to include those alternate versions in the app for those suppliers who take the time & effort to produce their own versions.

Up to now, kit instructions and other reference files like bushing drawings & pen photos have been embedded in the app. Starting with the next release, all these files will be stored on the IAP server and the app will download them into its "User Data Space" similar to the way it downloads pen kit info. This will make the distributed app package much smaller & more efficient to install and will also make some features of the app more responsive.
 

Edgar

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Anxiously awaiting the ANDROID version... hopeful!
(And thanks for taking on such an endeavor!!)

Thanks Michael,

We do hope that we will be able to offer an Android version someday, but as I have reported in other threads, there is no timetable nor even a guarantee that it will ever happen.

IAP is completely volunteer organization, so it totally depends on whether someone is able & willing to step up to the task. Two people are currently looking into alternate platforms, but this is not a trivial task by any means, so it is too early to say whether their investigations will turn into an actual project.
 

Edgar

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I know that most of you Android users won't like this suggestion, but it may be a reasonable option for some of you......

Apple will release the iPhone 7 in just a few weeks. When that happens, it should be possible to pick up an older iPhone dirt cheap. The app will work on anything from iPhone 4S & up. It needs at least iOS 8 -- the regular iPhone 4 cannot run iOS 8, but the 4S can.

You don't need cellular service on the phone - just wifi.

Something to think about -- the next release of the app will have over 700 kit instructions.

A bonus is that you would also be able to run my iGotCharfs app & I'll even give you a code for a free download. (FWIW, that app will never be available for anything other than iOS).

Sorry, but that's the best I can offer right now.
Edgar
 
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Edgar

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Another App Milestone

Our IAP Bushings & Tubes app has now been downloaded 600 times from the Apple Store.

iOS 10 will be released in the next few weeks and we will release an update to the app shortly after that. The new version will have over 700 kit instructions.

The new version will have a few relatively minor new features, but one significant change is that instructions and photos will no longer be embedded in the app. Instead they will be automatically downloaded from the IAP server. This will substantially reduce the size of the app, making it faster to download and install. Once the instructions & photos are downloaded, they will be stored in the app's data memory space for immediate access. They won't need to be downloaded again unless you delete and re-install the app.

Wayne will also be posting new Bushing & Tube Charts to the library very soon - possibly before the new app version is released. We have spent a lot of time reviewing the charts and trying to improve their accuracy and consistency. There will also be charts for a couple more suppliers and a number of new kits, bringing our total to over 1600 kits for 20 suppliers.

Stay tuned.

Edgar
 
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