Just to clarify the information in your post, are you looking at hosting the cloud sync between devices, and not using the persons personal cloud account (like Google Cloud, Microsoft One drive, iCloud)?
Just trying to get a handle on the direction that you are looking to go
For me, just the ability to import/export a file would work well enough for me. Cloud sync would be nice, but I do not need the real time sync between devices as mostly a single operator.
Thank you for your efforts on this logbook. I really like the clean look and minimal information to log, because there are a lot of things I don’t need from other logbooks
I agree with @KC9CTP’s recommendation. Being able to export/import the entire database of logs would be a very desirable feature.
The advanced cloud sync would be a nice feature for those who need it, but a simple import/export would be (I think) easy to code and would also act as a safeguard for one’s data.
@KC9CTP and @KZ3L I can definitely see an easy route for ‘export all logbooks’ in some fashion that doesn’t involve cloud sync. I’ll think about that one, but from a technical standpoint, pretty easy to do.
The rest of sync will not use all of the various services available, because I don’t really have to time to work with all of the services. My ability to make HAMRS available of multiple platforms comes a lot from my ability to not deep dive into Native OS, and 3rd party services - write once and forget it, rather than write for iCloud Sync, write for One Drive sync, etc.
The database also isn’t a flat-file DB that’s easily copied around - it’s a full NoSQL DB implementation. My plan in is to migrant to a different ‘offline-first’ DB solution that has bulletproof sync abilities. It’s aggregated writes instead of a ‘last write wins’ situation.
That sounds like a great way to go. Recommend exporting the entire database (all logs) at once, treating it as a backup/restore capability.
You could, as part of the import process, allow the entire exported database to either (1) overwrite (replace) the entire database, or (2) merge all imported logs with the ones already on the platform where the backup is being imported. The latter would offer a great way to consolidate logs entered on different devices.
I guess you would also need to deconflict profile settings, too, if you allow import/merge.
My thoughts on the different cloud options, was to have a module that could be turned on/off similar to callsign lookups that you have now. You have a preference section for cloud providers with them defaulted to off. When a user turns it on, then they can supply their credentials to log into that specific cloud provider.
Codewise, you would just have the overhead of a module for each provider, and a couple of lines of code that activate the module. Just my thought, but I do not know what technology you are writing Hamrs with, so I might be totally off base.
As for importing, I think that it is important to be able to import from a different logbook program. This will make it easier for a user to switch to Hamrs.
Just my thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to look at the comments and replying to them, so us users can understand what your roadmap might be, and gives us something to look forward too
Jarrett, you have a great piece of software here! I’m very much looking forward to the cloud integration. I shiver to think of losing a weekend’s worth of rare DX, not to mention a couple hundred POTA contacts vanishing from a glitch and no backup. I’m a portable paper-logger and this is the only fear that keeps me from using your app in the field.
Personally with everything asking for a subscription these days. I most likely would stop using this app if it goes that route. I already pay for cloud storage and many other subscriptions to the point I have subscription fatigue. Just hearing the word makes me want to look for another app. In my opinion, this is a move in the wrong direction. There is zero reason we need to pay to use our own cloud services. You can integrate with Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud. You don’t need to build your own server to support cloud features.
I would not pay for a subscription but would certainly take advantage of an import/export capability (for backup purposes).
Agree, if using an external synch service that integrates natively with the operating system is an option, I would use that. I do this already on Log4OM (my permanent logging software), along with my self-hosted NextCloud server (acts just like Dropbox but hosted on my own Raspberry Pi).
But the top priority should be exporting and importing HAMRS log files for back-up purposes. That would make many users feel a bit better about the long-term preservation of their data.
Maybe put an option in the settings to auto-sync. Otherwise, manual sync by menu click. Also if auto-sync is on, it will sync on connection if there are any log entries offline.
New HAMRS user here, just throwing my hat in the ring for an import feature to enable easier switching from other apps. I recently moved to iOS from Android and would love to export all my logs from VS Logger and import them into HAMRS.
Also, I agree that some sort of built-in cloud backup feature (Google Drive, etc.) for purchasers of your mobile apps would be super sweet. I would love to be able to log seamlessly between my desktop (OS X) and my iPhone/iPad.
Thanks for creating an awesome app! Looking forward to seeing how it evolves and grows.
I agree with others about import, that would be great to offload & upload manually. Syncing to a cloud, I’d prefer where I store them (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc). The whole subscription plan for many is already overboard, especially since many of us already pay for cloud services.
I currently export all my logs to Files (iCloud) on my iPad as soon as I finish the activation. Then later at home I can upload from my mac to POTA and LOTW. I would rather see the ability to import logs (.adi) into HAMRS and just let my iCloud sync the .adi files so I can access them anywhere and import them into HAMRS on other devices. For me this would suffice as I don’t have a need to actively sync my logs while out getting QSOs.
