Tag: iCloud

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Version 2.2.0 Released

The new version should be available soon.

  • No more ads

‘Nuff said.

  • Lesson sharing lets you share your cards and download lessons made by other users

This is a totally new feature making use of a totally new API so it’s quite possible that there will be some issues.  I’ll be monitoring this closely and will try to push out a fixes quickly if anything goes wrong.

You’ll need to make an account in order to access this website but it has a lot of very helpful info if you’re using mnemonics to memorize new kanji. And if you’re not using mnemonics, you really should give it a try; I think it’s much easier than the stroke-by-stroke method. You can search the site directly from the Study view pop-up menu and find a good story to copy and import or use them as inspiration to make up your own story.

 

  • Review missed and passed cards when ending Study Sessions early

  • Copy cards’ examples to the clipboard

This works from the Edit view and during study sessions. If you’re planning to re-import these as cards in a different lesson you should select “imiwa entries” from the import menu.

  • Initial iCloud syncing is now even more stable

It might be just a bit slower now but that seems to help fix some of the occasional crashes.

  • Other minor bug fixes and performance enhancements

I’ve already found a few minor issues that I’d like to fix in the next version but please be sure to let me know if you notice anything strange. The next version’s major new feature will be to have an example database available directly within the app and to optionally display a random example automatically if you haven’t added your own examples. I’m probably going to implement this as an In-App Purchase. This is so that users that don’t need it don’t have to worry about the extra space that an example database will take up and Apple now hosts downloadable IAP content meaning I won’t have to worry about serving it myself. I’m not sure if I’m actually going to charge anything for it or not but it’ll probably be free.

Please let me know if you have any other ideas for new features.

Happy studies!

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Version 2.1.2 Released

Version 2.1.2 is now available.

  • Implemented a share feature that allows users to share cards via URLs

You can now share cards on Facebook, Twitter, Message, etc. via a short URL:

Tapping on said short URL on your iOS device with kanji Flow installed will open the app and give you the option to import it. Try it yourself:

kanji Flow Word of the Day: http://is.gd/uX97tJ
花より団子 [はなよりだんご]
dumplings rather than flowers, interest in the practical over aesthetics

I’ll try to share some topically relevant words every once in a while.

  • Updated to support imiwa? 4.0

I’ll make separate post regarding updates for imiwa? 4 once it’s available.

  • Increased iCloud syncing stability

Hopefully, you won’t get document errors after reinstalling or updating anymore.

  • On iPad, the Card Details popover will always appear near the bottom of the Edit view which should prevent strange keyboard behavior and crashes

I think that’s pretty clear.

  • Other minor bug fixes and performance improvements

And still more to come. The next major feature should be Anki importing and exporting. Be sure to rate the app on the App Store if you like the new version.

Happy studies!

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Version 2.1.1 Released – iCloud

Version 2.1.1 is now available

  • This version supports iCloud file syncing.

I hope you’ll read through this if you intend to use iCloud. If you do not have multiple devices or if you don’t need to sync your files across your devices, you should select ‘No’ when prompted after upgrading:

If you accidentally turn it on, you can find an option to turn it back off at the top of the Settings app:

If you do decide to use it, your files will sync into the cloud and will reappear once they are ready for use:

You’ll only see the “Syncing with iCloud” message the first time you turn it on (or if you turn it off and then back on again). After that, the only indication you’ll get of iCloud activity is the small Network Activity indicator on the Status Bar.

It takes a bit of time to sync up the data when you start up the app on another device, so give it a few seconds to do so. If you don’t, you’ll end up with conflicts.

If you’re an experienced iPhone or iPad user, you know that iCloud usually works pretty well but, like all cloud services, has some quirks. The most important thing to remember is that iCloud only works as fast as your network connection will allow.

If your connection is bad or slow, file syncing and opening will be slow as well. Even if your connection seems good (But I got six bars!?) or fast (YouTube’s working!?) there could still be a problem with the iCloud server that you’re currently connected to or you could just be hitting a bad router somewhere on the internet that’s dropping all your data packets.

So, if you seem to be getting stuck when you tap on a file to open it or when you try to start a study session, restart the app (double tap the home button and swipe up and away), try again later, or just turn iCloud off.

If you get keep getting errors when you try to open your files, there could be a problem with your iCloud metadata. The best way to fix that is with a device restart: Hold down the home button and the power button on top of your device until you see the Apple logo appear.

As long as your connection is stable, you really shouldn’t have any problems. Just try to avoid doing things such as renaming a file that’s already open on another device. If you do something like that, you’ll probably get a conflict warning. Go back to your Lesson List to resolve the issue.

As always, please let me know if you experience any trouble; especially any crashes.

  • A new sorting option is available as well:

New cards (cards that haven’t been tested yet) will always appear at the top of the Edit view. Tested cards will appear in order of creation, oldest first, by default. Use this option to reverse that.

  • Tapping the Edit tab while on the Edit view will to auto-scroll to the bottom of the table.

You can also auto-scroll to the top by tapping the Status Bar (this works in pretty much every iOS app).

Happy Studies!

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Version 2.1.0 Released

Version 2.1.0 is available now. When you load up the new version, you’ll notice that your old files are in a section called Local Files:

Tapping on a file will copy and convert it to the new document format and place it in My Documents:

You’ll have the option to Delete or Keep the original file. You’ll probably just want to delete it unless you want to keep it around for testing or to back it up from iTunes later. Just keep tapping on all of your files to convert them:

The only other difference you might notice is the slight delay after tapping on a document to select it for studying:

This is just the time it takes for the document to open. This slight delay will ensure that your data is safe and stable once you (optionally) start using iCloud in the next version. After that, everything is the same as it’s always been:

Be sure to let me know what you think of the new version; especially if you notice any problems. The next update with iCloud enabled should also be available soon.

Happy Studies!

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Version 2.1.0

Hi guys. I’m still working on getting iCloud integration working properly. Actually, iCloud itself is fine but I want to make sure that it’s presented in such a way that isn’t clunky. Basically, it’s going well but it’s not quite perfect yet, so I’m gonna keep tweaking until it’s just right. However, I got a request from a user for a bit more automation in handling duplicates. So, I decided to release an update just for Khalid. This update is going to do a couple of important things.

First of all, the app has been updated to a totally new data model. The old flat data files will no longer work; I had to switch over to a document based data model in order to ensure proper iCloud functionality. When you load up the new version you’ll see two sections in your Lesson List. Your old data files will be at the bottom.   A single tap will convert them to the new document format. I decided NOT to automatically convert your old files so that you can manually choose to update, backup, and delete them as you so desire. That way, you don’t have to worry about the update interrupting your ability to backup your old data files so that you can return to an older version of the app. Most people are just going to want to update all of their old files and delete the originals. Once you’ve converted your data files to documents you’ll be all set to go for the next version with iCloud.

Secondly, you’ll have the option to keep your original cards or your new imports when checking for duplicates. If you’d like to prevent automatic deletions, simply favorite any card that you’d like to keep around. Starred cards will never be automatically deleted.

You also might notice that searching is a bit faster in this version. I actually implemented live searching a LOOOOONG time ago but had to turn it off because the old third generation devices simply couldn’t handle it dependably. It shouldn’t be a problem on current generation devices, however.

I’d really like to thank Khalid for the awesome idea about auto-handling of duplicates. Again, I’d like to emphasize that a majority of the new things I implement are based on user feedback. If there’s anything you’d like to see changed or added to the app, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Happy Studies!

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iCloud Testing

Hi, everyone. iCloud testing is going well and the update should be available soon. Please let me know if you’re interested in helping out with beta testing.

Happy Studies!

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Version 2.0.0

I finally finished the update. Hopefully it will be reviewed quickly and available soon.

I think it turned out pretty well. This version is iOS 7 only but the old version will continue to be available in the store for those with older devices. The main new features are native iPad support and updated support for imiwa?`s newest feature – analyzing a long string of Japanese text. You’ll need to use the long-press popup context menu to access the analyze feature.

I had to spend way more time than I thought I would tweaking orientation support on the iPad. So much time, in fact, that I wasn’t able to properly test my iCloud implementation. So, I had to keep it turned off for this release. For the time being, you’ll have to manually manage your files through the App tab in iTunes if you have multiple devices. I know it’s a pain and I’ll try to get the next version with iCloud support out as soon as possible. Maybe by Christmas?

After that, I intend to start working on being able to import and export directly to and from Anki files. And sometime next year, hopefully by the spring, I’m going to open up online lesson sharing to you guys. You’ll be able to download lessons without a user account. Those that do create accounts will be able to upload, rate, and tag lessons. No comments but the tagging system will work similarly to something like Little Planet. You’ll be able to choose three tags (words like technology, textbook, grammar, verbs, explicit, stupid, etc.) to describe a lesson so I think it’ll be easy to find the good stuff. It’ll all be searchable as well.

Anywho, as soon as Apple approves the app I’ll post another update to let you know it’s available for download.

Happy Studies!