XFDL on iOS!
Yup, someone has beaten me to punch. Sometimes having a job and a bills can be such a drag. However, in this case, its good thing.
This is what a form DA 4856 (detailed info redacted for privacy) looks like on an iPhone 4S. For the most part not to bad, however, there are some hick-ups.
The first issue I ran into was that I couldn't figure how to open a file from DropBox. It took a minute, but I finally did. Basically, open the file in DropBox like you normally would any other file, then when it likes like a large jumble of text, select the "Arrow going into the box" icon, and you will get an option to open the file in the XFDL app.
My next gripe is something very minor. The forms are not "print quality". They are close, as you can see here:
The corners don't quite line up properly. Not that I am looking to print from this app, still it would be nice.
Last thing. It doesn't handle text boxes well. See:
Since I was the one who filled out this form for my soldier to sign, I know there is lot more text were that came from. Basically, all multi line text areas are treated as a single line and just run off the right side of the page. This is perhaps my biggest complaint.
Wait, I do have one more. When trying to edit text on my iPhone 4S, the form auto sets the zoom level and position of the form. This has the result of making viewing what you are typing move completely off of the screen. All you can see is a super zoomed version of the top left corner of the page.
So basically this app is useless right? Wrong!
This is a version one (1) application and I think we should support this developer so it can get better. I am sure with time and support it will get much better. After all, isn't having this work perfectly a few months from now worth $1.99 today?
I don't normally advocate for small application that have so many issues. In this case, since users of XFDL files really do not have many other options, I say do it. Support this independent author. Show him some love, and buy his app.
The author runs a support forum at:
http://www.venturacountylife.com/xfdl/
Until next time ...
