XFDL on iOS Updated

    O.K., this will be a short post to let you guys know that an update is out that fixes many of the issues I had in my last post. So far all seems to be going well. There are still a few minor issues, but nothing that wont be fixed shortly.

Until next time ... 

XFDL on iOS

    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 ... 

XFDL on a Mac ... has finally arrived!

    Yes, its finally here! PureEdge 6.5 is the older MicroSoft Windows software that was used to read and write XFDL files. The updated version is the IBM Lotus Forms Viewer.

Rethinking XFDL

    As many of you know, I not only have a MacBook Pro, I also work with XFDL files. As so many people do, I usually work on these files at work on a MicroSoft Windows based PC. I also have a venerable version of the IBM Forms Viewer for osX, but the last time that was updated was in 2006. Many of the newer forms, and incompatibility issues with newer versions of Apple's operating system, crash the aged program. So, I started working on this problem myself.

Decoding XFDL

    When I first started to work on my own XFDL Viewer for Apple's osX, I knew that it wasn't going to easy. What I didn't know was just how hard it was going to be.

XFDL Viewer for Mac

    If you have read my previous posts on XFDL, then you know that I have been working on an XFDL viewer for the Apple Mac. I have hit, yet again, some snags. Reverse engineering software is not only wrong, but it also illegal. However, reverse engineering a file type isn't, but that doesn't make it easy.

Bloatware inside of documents ...

    In my last post, I had the idea of revisiting an old project. I had forgotten just how bloated an XFDL file really is. I have spent most of the day working on refining my progress so far and making sure the stage is set for parts of the software that are not yet written. Basically, I spent the day planning and digging through the XML file contained within. I had forgotten just how bad it was in there.

XFDL Viewer for Mac

    Today I decided to revisited a project that I had dropped almost a year ago; to write an XFDL viewer for Mac osX. The last time I tried this, it was a disaster. The forms sort of exploded all over the window and being unfamiliar with RealStudio, I was unable to figure out control arrays. Basically, when ever I opened  a second form, it would also write all of that data onto the first one. It as a less than stellar first attempt.