iOS App & Database Update

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Edgar

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A new update to the IAP Bushings & Tubes app for iPhone & iPad is now available at the Apple App Store. This should fix the sluggish behavior that some of you have experienced. It also had a few User Interface improvements.

The app database has also been updated. The latest version is dated 9/10/22. It has all the latest pen kits that we are aware of and a number of additional project kits. The "Toys" category is now "Toys & Games" which seems more appropriate - instructions for chess pieces, pool cues, baseball bats, & more are now included.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems, suggestions for improvements, additional kits, or corrections to existing info.

We are working on adding more suppliers.
 
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walshjp17

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I just downloaded the new version on the Apple App Store and when I checked the version date it states 9/1/22 rather than 9/10/22 as stated above.
 

Edgar

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I just downloaded the new version on the Apple App Store and when I checked the version date it states 9/1/22 rather than 9/10/22 as stated above.
That's the date of the internal database that's in the app. It should attempt to download the 9/10/22 update from the IAP server.

You should get a pop-up message letting you know when it starts the download & another when it completes. Depending on your Internet speed, it can take as little as 20 minutes or over an hour.

The downloads occur in the background & don't affect your ability to use the app while it's downloading files, but you do have to keep the app open & on top of all other apps. No problem if you do switch to other apps though, the download will just pause while the app is inactive & pick up where it left off when you do bring it back to the top.

The internal database just has supplier info & is current as of 9/1/22. It does not include any instruction, photo, or bushing files. Those have to be downloaded from our server, along with any updates to the supplier info.

Hope that makes sense.
 

Curly

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Riddle me this.
I opened the app and pulled down to see 9/1/22 for the date. A couple minutes later it opened the little window saying it was updating and did.

The new date of 9/10/22 appeared.

A little while later my App Store showed I had a new update for the Bushing and Tubes app so I allowed it to update. The new date was gone and the 9/1/22 was back.

Now the upload window in the B&T app said it is downloading again.

If the App Store says it has an update I'm going to ignore it. šŸ˜‰
 

Edgar

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How long did that 2nd update take?

Unless you delete the old app before updating, the database should persist through an update. If it doesn't, I will look into it.

However, the update thinks that it's database is whatever date is stored with its set of supplier data when the app is submitted to the App Store. So, the update will check the server & sees that the files on the server are newer. It will download the new version of the supplier files & read all the instruction, photo, & bushing files. That part will only take a few seconds if those files already exist.
 

Curly

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How long did that 2nd update take?

Unless you delete the old app before updating, the database should persist through an update. If it doesn't, I will look into it.

However, the update thinks that it's database is whatever date is stored with its set of supplier data when the app is submitted to the App Store. So, the update will check the server & sees that the files on the server are newer. It will download the new version of the supplier files & read all the instruction, photo, & bushing files. That part will only take a few seconds if those files already exist.
It tried and the case got warm so I shut it off after half an hour or more. When restarting it displayed the old date and tried again and didn't upgrade. I was going to leave if a few days before trying again. Other things to do. Battery is down to 50% where normally it is never this low even at the end of the day.

Pete

Deleted the app and reloaded.
Opened it and it is downloading the PDFs again. On a charging station. I'll check on it for an hour and see where it is at.
 
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Edgar

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A complete database download should only take 20-40 minutes if you have a good Internet connection, and if definitely should not cause battery drain or heating.

I've downloaded the entire database at least 40-50 times over the past week or so on two different devices & several different networks with no issues, but it's impossible to test everything under every circumstance. Let me know if those issues persist & we can look at our ftp logs to see if we can get some clues as to what's going on.
 

Curly

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Okay Edgar. I know it will sort itself out eventually.
I deleted it and it reloaded from the cloud I think.
Took it off the charger and opened the app again and the "Download in Progress, Downloading PDFs, OK" window opened again. Date is still 9/1/22.
Case is warm to the touch. Like sitting in the warm sun for a while. It was only room temp before.
Changed the Autolock after 5 min, to Never, to see if that lets it complete the download.
Internet is through a Rural Service wifi tower a couple miles away. Not the fastest, slow downloading of big pictures on forums for example but runs youtube okay.
I'll leave it for now.
 

BULLWINKLE

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A new update to the IAP Bushings & Tubes app for iPhone & iPad is now available at the Apple App Store. This should fix the sluggish behavior that some of you have experienced. It also had a few User Interface improvements.

The app database has also been updated. The latest version is dated 9/10/22. It has all the latest pen kits that we are aware of and a number of additional project kits. The "Toys" category is now "Toys & Games" which seems more appropriate - instructions for chess pieces, pool cues, baseball bats, & more are now included.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems, suggestions for improvements, additional kits, or corrections to existing info.

We are working on adding more suppliers.
Edgar, already having the app on my iPhone and iPad, will the update download automatically or do I need to get it again at the App Store. Thanks.
 

Edgar

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If you have automatic app updates enabled, your phone will download and install the new version automatically, if not, you will have to go to the App Store to do the update. You do not have to delete the old version.

To check your app download settings, go to Settings->App Store. Under Automatic Downloads, you can enable App Updates

The App switch above that enables auto installation of new purchases (or free) across devices if you have multiple devices on your account.

The Cellular Data switches allow you to limit use of cell data for downloads if you wish.
 

BULLWINKLE

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If you have automatic app updates enabled, your phone will download and install the new version automatically, if not, you will have to go to the App Store to do the update. You do not have to delete the old version.

To check your app download settings, go to Settings->App Store. Under Automatic Downloads, you can enable App Updates

The App switch above that enables auto installation of new purchases (or free) across devices if you have multiple devices on your account.

The Cellular Data switches allow you to limit use of cell data for downloads if you wish.
Thanks for the information ! And PS I think that app is excellent. Every pen maker should get it !
 

Edgar

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Dumb question from a new Ipad user, where do I find the version date? I found a version of 1.10, but can not locate a date.
Pull down on the listing of kit names. The date of your database & the sorting order of your kits are tucked away under the title bar & above the Search bar.

The app has many neat features that aren't intuitively obvious. A right-to-left swipe will bring up a list of sorting options. A left-to-right swipe will show a list of your favorite kits. With over 3,000 kits in the database, that one is real handy - when you click on a kit to go to the detail page, use the green thumbs up button to put it in your favorites. The red down button will remove it from favorites.

There is an extensive user guide in the app & in our IAP library that explains all the cool features of the app.
 

BULLWINKLE

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A new update to the IAP Bushings & Tubes app for iPhone & iPad is now available at the Apple App Store. This should fix the sluggish behavior that some of you have experienced. It also had a few User Interface improvements.

The app database has also been updated. The latest version is dated 9/10/22. It has all the latest pen kits that we are aware of and a number of additional project kits. The "Toys" category is now "Toys & Games" which seems more appropriate - instructions for chess pieces, pool cues, baseball bats, & more are now included.

Please let me know if you have any questions or problems, suggestions for improvements, additional kits, or corrections to existing info.

We are working on adding more suppliers.
Edgar, my phone is hooked up to the charger. This update has been going on for about 16 hours. Pop-up shows updating pdf files. My Wi-Fi test shows avg. of 120 mbps, not fiber optic speed but still very good. Should it be taking that long ? Would it be faster to delete app and reorder it ? Thanks. Dave
 

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Edgar

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Edgar, my phone is hooked up to the charger. This update has been going on for about 16 hours. Pop-up shows updating pdf files. My Wi-Fi test shows avg. of 120 mbps, not fiber optic speed but still very good. Should it be taking that long ? Would it be faster to delete app and reorder it ? Thanks. Dave
Tap ok on that message. Close the app, and restart it. Then do the pull down & check the database date. Also check to see if the kits have instructions & photos available.

It's possible that it completed the download but didn't give you a completion message.
 

Edgar

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Any word on the android version? Really been hoping that would be released soon...
Sorry, none yet. I only do Apple.

If you know an Android developer who is willing to donate their time, please let me know.
 

BULLWINKLE

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Tap ok on that message. Close the app, and restart it. Then do the pull down & check the database date. Also check to see if the kits have instructions & photos available.

It's possible that it completed the download but didn't give you a completion message.
Thanks Edgar ! I'll try that.
 

BULLWINKLE

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Tap ok on that message. Close the app, and restart it. Then do the pull down & check the database date. Also check to see if the kits have instructions & photos available.

It's possible that it completed the download but didn't give you a completion message.
It's showing 9/1. No instructions or photos are there.
 

Edgar

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I may be wrong but if you bought the program before and delete it you get to reload it again for free.
That's correct - once you have paid for any app, you can delete it and download it again as often as you want. Also, if you have multiple devices on the same Apple account, you only have to pay once to use an app on all those devices.
 

BULLWINKLE

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I may be wrong but if you bought the program before and delete it you get to reload it again for free.
Hi Curly. Thanks for replying. You are correct. It didn't ask for repayment. I deleted and reinstalled on my iPhone. It did however, download the older version in seconds. I tried again to update it, but it sits there doing nothing. I deleted it from my iPad as well as the date last updated was July. I reinstalled it there also and the 9/1 version installed. Interesting though it never even had the pop-up to update on the iPad.
I still like the app. Having the new addition of instructions for each pen would definitely be a great convenience. I've accepted that this wasn't going to happen. I think there may be a flaw in the code. One device ok, but issues on two is unlikely. It's still a great app to have. Thanks again.
 

Curly

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Mine took a few kicks at the cat before working. I turned the Auto-Lock to never in the settings. Opened the iPhone and swiped all the other apps in the background off. Opened the B&T app and when the popup with the loading PDFs opened I hit the okay and left it. Took 45 or more minutes to display the turn off the app and reopen message. Did and the newest date is there. I have slow internet and that might have been the issue.
 

BULLWINKLE

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Mine took a few kicks at the cat before working. I turned the Auto-Lock to never in the settings. Opened the iPhone and swiped all the other apps in the background off. Opened the B&T app and when the popup with the loading PDFs opened I hit the okay and left it. Took 45 or more minutes to display the turn off the app and reopen message. Did and the newest date is there. I have slow internet and that might have been the issue.
Thanks Curly. It's the ONLY Thing I have not tried. I'll give it a try. Thanks !
 
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BULLWINKLE

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Mine took a few kicks at the cat before working. I turned the Auto-Lock to never in the settings. Opened the iPhone and swiped all the other apps in the background off. Opened the B&T app and when the popup with the loading PDFs opened I hit the okay and left it. Took 45 or more minutes to display the turn off the app and reopen message. Did and the newest date is there. I have slow internet and that might have been the issue.
Curly, I took your advice and lo and behold it worked ! It's apparently a glitch as a timer to turn off display to save battery should not freeze a download. It never had before. I don't know how or why you thought that was the problem butā€¦.. you were 100% correct ! Many thanks.
 

Edgar

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It's not actually a glitch - the app downloads files in a background thread to allow the app to be used in the main thread while the downloads are going on. However, the app is not set up to actually run as a background app - it has to be the top active app.

When the phone goes into sleep mode, all active apps are suspended & if a download is going on, that also stops until the app is awakened.

Rather than turning off auto lock, you can simply tap the screen or scroll the kit list up or down every few minutes until the download completes. The full download only has to be done once.

I will look into the possibility of setting up the app to run when it's in the background, but it's not a trivial thing to do.

The app does currently delete the existing database when an update is installed. I'll fix that bug in the next update.
 

Curly

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I'm used to turning the auto-lock on and off because when shopping I hate it when my shopping list goes black. With a mask on the facial recognition doesn't work, although I probably could retrain it. Easier for me to keep the phone on until the cart is unloaded into the truck and turn the auto-lock back on. I forget to tap the screen if a download or update is taking a long time.

I hope it goes without saying that we all very much appreciate Wayne, Edgar and others behind the scenes that put in so much effort to create and maintain the database of pen information, making it accessible to us even when there is the odd little glitch. Thank you all.
 

BULLWINKLE

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I'm used to turning the auto-lock on and off because when shopping I hate it when my shopping list goes black. With a mask on the facial recognition doesn't work, although I probably could retrain it. Easier for me to keep the phone on until the cart is unloaded into the truck and turn the auto-lock back on. I forget to tap the screen if a download or update is taking a long time.

I hope it goes without saying that we all very much appreciate Wayne, Edgar and others behind the scenes that put in so much effort to create and maintain the database of pen information, making it accessible to us even when there is the odd little glitch. Thank you all.
Absolutely. I appreciate their efforts to keep a database and creating a great app. Also, I appreciate everyone's willingness to help each other on this site. I've learned a lot, and answered those who I could help. This is a fantastic resource for all pen turners.
 
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