Editing Datafiles

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Field-based Records

A field-based datafile (one that includes one or more fields) might look something like this:



If there is more data than can be shown in the window, just swipe vertically to scroll it.

Each row represents a field.

The left column contains the field names, while the right column contains the field content.

At the far right of each row is a field-view button , which will be explained later.

Below the last field you will see the Notes area.

Freeform Records

A freeform datafile (one that does not have any fields) might look something like this:



Since there are no fields, the entire record is composed of the Notes area.

The Notes area of both freeform and field-based datafiles can contain multiple lines of styled text. It can also have embedded images.

Editing Field Content

Tap in the content area (not the field name, and not the  field-view button) of any field to edit it. The keyboard will come up, the field to be edited will scroll to the top of the screen. The field-view buttons will disappear during editing.

The field that is being edited will scroll to the top of screen.

As shown below, the keyboard for fields has a Done key on the keyboard, since you cannot type returns in fields. When it is tapped, the keyboard will go away. (If you are using a Bluetooth keyboard, the return key functions as a Done key.)



Editing Large Field Content

Since there is limited horizontal room for showing large field content, especially on the iPhone, iData Mobile Plus provides a way to view and edit field content in a larger area. This feature also provides a way to treat field content as Web links, email addresses, and phone numbers.

To view field content in a larger area, tap the  button in a field. This will bring up the Field Content View window.

You can tap in the text area of the Field Content View window and edit the text.

If you make changes and decide not to save them, you can tap the Cancel button in the upper right. Otherwise, tap the OK button to return to the normal record view, which will now display your changes.

Special Actions in the Field Content View

Here is what the field content view might look like if it contained a Web address.



If you tap the button, iData Mobile Plus will attempt to treat the content of the field as a URL and open it in Safari. When you close Safari and reopen iData Mobile Plus, it will return to the record that you were viewing, but not to this window.

Similarly, if you tap the button, iData Mobile Plus will attempt to treat the field content as an email address and send it to Mail.

Finally, if you tap the button, iData Mobile Plus will attempt to treat the field content as a telephone number and will have the iPhone dial it.

Needless to say, if you tap a button that is not appropriate to the field content, the button action will not succeed.

Editing the Notes Area

The following applies to both field-based and freeform datafiles.

Tap in the Notes area to edit it. This will bring up the keyboard.





The keyboard for the Notes area has a return key on the keyboard, and a Done button in the upper right corner of the screen.

When the Done button is tapped, the keyboard will go away.




Dialing a Phone Number in Notes

You can highlight a telephone number in the Notes area and dial it. (This requires an iPhone.)

First, select the number to be dialed.

Once you have a selection, tap it to bring up the Edit Menu.



 Tap the right white triangle on the Edit Menu until you see the Dial menu item.



Tap the Dial menu item, and the following dialog window will come up:



Check that the phone number is correct. Then tap the Call button to initiate the call in the Phone app. If the number is not correct, tap the Cancel button.

Changing Fonts and Text Color

The fonts and colors of text in the Notes area of each record can be changed from the defaults.

First, select the text to be changed.

Once you have a selection, tap it to bring up the Edit Menu.



 Tap the right white triangle on the Edit Menu until you see the Set Font and Insert Photo menu items.



Tap the Set Font menu item to bring up the Font and Font Color window.



In the Font Picker, select the desired font and font size.

To change the color of the selected text, tap Set Font Color. This will bring up the Color Picker window.



In the third (vertical) section, drag the color selector to pick a color, then in the second section, drag the brightness selector until the color in the top section looks like what you want.



The boxes in the bottom part of the window can be tapped to select those sample colors as a starting point.

Once you have the desired color, tap the Done button in the upper left corner. This will return you to the previous screen.



Note that the Set Font Color button label now appears in the color that you selected. If it's not exactly what you want, you can tap it and try again.

When the font, font size, and font color all all what you want, tap the Done button. This will take you back to the datafile, and you will be able to see your change.



Inserting Photos

Photos  can be inserted anywhere in the Notes area. Photos will be resized to fit the width of the datafile window, so the final size will depend in part on the screen size and on the orientation of the iPhone when the photo is inserted. Once inserted, there is no way to resize a photo within iData Mobile Plus.

NOTE: Photos can be quite large. A datafile that contains many photos may load slowly, save slowly, and use up a lot of application memory. So, Be careful not to overdo it.

Tap in the Notes area and get an insertion point (the pale blue vertical line).



Tap there a second time to bring up the Edit menu.



Tap the Insert Photo menu item, and you will be asked whether the photo should come from your photo library, or from the camera.



Choosing a Photo from the Photo Library

Tap the Choose from Photo Library button.

In the next window, tap the OK button.



When your photo library opens, locate the photo you want and tap it. It will appear at the insertion point.



Using the Camera to Take a Photo

When given the option, tap the Use Camera to take photo button.

In the next window, tap the OK button.



Once you have taken a photo that satisfies you, tap the Use Photo button.



The photo will appear at the insertion point in the datafile window.



Locking the Datafile Screen

In situations where you need to guard against making changes to a datafile, but don't want to close it, you can lock the datafile screen.

The navigation bar of a datafile normally looks like this:



To lock the datafile screen, simply do a two-finger swipe across the screen horizonally -- either left to right, or right to left.

The Save button will change to say LOCKED, and the color will change from blue to yellow. So, it will look like this:



While it is locked, you can perform searches, close the datafile or save the datafile. (Even though the right-side button says LOCKED, it still functions as a Save button.) However, you cannot edit text, and the toolbar buttons will not work.

To unlock the datafile screen, just swipe horizontally again. the right side button will change back to a blue Save button.

This function is especially useful in cases where you want to be able to put your iPhone in your pocket or purse with a record showing, but don't want the text to be accidentally changed.

NOTE: The Lock/Unlock functions use a two-finger swipe, while the Next Record/Previous Record functions use a one-finger swipe.

Saving Changes to a Datafile

You can save changes to a datafile at any time by tapping the Save button in the record view.

Also, if you do not have the Auto-Save Changes setting turned on, when you close a datafile to which changes have been made, you will be given options to Save Changes, Discard Changes, or Cancel.
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