Today, we’re going to look at two applications you might find useful: Timesheeter and Tap Forms.  Both are technically databases, but one, Timesheeter, is a specific database application for IOS (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) use.  The free version gives you a chance to play with the app to make sure it meets your needs.  It has limited use, but you’ll know pretty quickly if it meets your needs or not.  What do you use Timesheeter for?

I use it for tracking my writing work (unless I forget…but I’m getting better). I create projects as well as the type of work being completed on each project — research, writing, revision, etc.  I can even enter an hourly rate (I calculated my total net income each month and divided it by 720 (an average number of hours in a month for a 24 hour day) to come up with how much my time is worth. Sleeping is worth money to me.  Grin. It’s an approximate way to determine the “cost” of writing. You could use it for anything you want to track in a similar manner.

Where does Tap Forms come into play?  I had attempted to learn to use Bento, a flat file database application for Mac, but it never worked for me.  I needed something intuitive, easy to use, and compatible with the Mac and the IOS environment.  Tap Forms came to my attention. I downloaded the Mac Demo, and I had it doing exactly what I needed in no time at all.  No hassle.  It just worked. I can import Bento databases.  I had one that worked, and I imported that one. It comes with a Movie Library database already created and ready for you to input your movies. It has over a dozen databases for you to begin using — credit cards, bank accounts, health information, website logins (I use mSecure for this, and a lot of other people recommend 1Password), homework assignments, and more.  Out of the box (or freshly downloaded), this app is functional.  But we wanted to create a lodging database to track specific features of places we stay when traveling. My husband and I had brainstormed the information we wanted to keep track of, and it wasn’t things typically found on most pre-made databases.  Bed comfort, number of outlets, toilet height, quality of breakfast (if available), laundry facilities, lighting, etc. I created this easily and was able to modify on the fly when necessary.

And guess what? This is where the relationship between Timesheeter and Tap Forms comes into play.  Timesheeter can export (or import) to a CSV file.  Tap Forms can import from a CSV file.  I imported my Timesheeter file, and will a couple of tries to figure out which settings to accept, it created just the form I needed.  I did this back in April.  Today, I updated the file from Timesheeter with new information entered since April by exporting the dates in between and importing to Tap Forms.

If either of these applications offer features you’ve been looking for, I can highly recommend either or both.