Gun Log 4.1 is Available

Gun Log 4.1 is available.

I recommend reading the blog post "A Brief Introduction to Gun Log".
Users should follow the development of "Gun Log +P". Gun Log does not and will not export any of your data. I said it wouldn't and it will not do so. However, their are many users that do not like that constraint. Therefore I am making GunLog +P.

What's New in 4.1

I took time to make "custom table cells". The "stock" table cell has two rows of information. I have tried several ways to truncate data and aggregate the text to be meaningful. However the two lines have not been sufficient to convey enough information to facilitate proper navigation.

I have added cells with three and four lines of text and use them in the list of "Firing Sets" in a "Firing Session", in several reports, and in the bullet drop estimation tables.

Because of these new cells I was able to surface more information in the drop table for your external ballistics calculations. Now there is data for velocity and energy. 

Common Request

The most common request is how to synch data to multiple iOS devices.

From the iTunes App Store description of Gun Log:

"Security:
Gun Log does not transfer the data stored in the application. It is not exported via emails or any type of reports. It is not uploaded to any server or tracked in anyway. This is intentional.  Gun information is valuable and private. You, the user, are responsible for making backups and securing those backups" 

I am sorry that some do not notice this disclaimer. Security and protection of this sensitive and critical weapon information is a valid concern. Therefore I intentionally do not use iOS services that are commonly criticized. I contacted Apple to verify there privacy policies.

Here is the response from Apple Developer Support:

I understand that you are getting some responses and concerns about Apple's Privacy policies.  I have provided the two URLs below that your an provide to your customer that will be able address their concerns.  This is available to the general public and they are welcome to contact Apple if they have any concerns.

Privacy Policy:
<http://www.apple.com/privacy/>

iTunes Store Terms and Conditions:
<http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/us/terms.html>

Gun Log does not integrate with nor use the Location Manager, Contacts, or Email. It does not use iCloud services either. The storage of Gun Log data is a custom database of my design using Core Data technology.

So if you have multiple iOS devices do you have to enter the data by hand into both devices? Well, actually, you can take a chance and copy the database to the iOS device. The "chance" part is that if it doesn't work you would need to reinstall Gun Log on that device.

I use the following method to setup my two iPod Touch devices and my iPad for testing. This is a method that might not work and you must understand that I cannot support the outcome and there is no way to recover your data.

Here is what to do:

Since Gun Log (3.6) there is support for iTunes file sharing. This feature allows you to save the data to your computer via iTunes. It is not automatic. You have to do it. Through iTunes you can save the Gun Log's database for personal backups. The Gun Log database is called Shooting_Buddy and you will see it in
iTunes


In iTunes select your device and then select the "Apps" details for that device in the center panel. You will see a section near the bottom for "File Sharing". Select Gun Log and you will see a file called Shooting_Buddy.sqlite. That is the database. Drag the file to the desktop of your computer. You have a backup now of all of your data.




You may copy the database from one device to the other. This is not a merge or sync but a replace operation. I do it for setting up test data. If the iOS versions are different, or Gun Log versions differ it could mess up the app and you would have to uninstall and reinstall.

Realize that this is a Copy and Replace operation. This is not a merge or synch.

Remove your current iOS device, this is so you don't accidentally copy back on to it. Connect your other device. Find Gun Log in the file sharing area and drag the database from your computer to the file sharing area and then sync.

Disconnect the second iOS device, cross your fingers, and launch Gun Log. I hope it worked. Good luck.

I back up my primary device after every range session or ammo inventory session. That way I can replace it if I delete Gun Log or some iTunes sync or upgrade fails.

One Last Thing
  
Please write a review of Gun Log on the App store. I have updated the app so often that the current version rarely has many good reviews. Gun Log 4.1 is going to be the standard for a while and reviews are critical in keeping my interest in making updates.

Extracting Data From Gun Log Database

Warning: Do this at your own risk! Seriously, don't ruin your data!

The Gun Log database can be copied via iTunes file sharing.

Once you have copied the database, do not take the copy and over write the original database by copying it back using iTunes file sharing.

The database is called Shooting_Buddy.sqlite.

Open the database with an SQLite database explorer. SQLManager for the Firefox web browser works just fine.

Use this query to see the weapon entries:

SELECT
W.ZMAKE as Make,
W.ZMODEL as Model,
W.ZCALIBER as Caliber,
W.ZNAME as [Nick Name],
W.ZSERIALNUMBER as [Serial Number],
W.ZNOTES as [Weapon Notes],
datetime(P.ZPURCHASEDATE,'unixepoch', '+31 years', '+1 days') as [Purchase Date],
P.ZPRICE as [Purchase Price],
P.ZSELLER as Seller,
P.ZNOTES as [Purchase Notes],
S.ZBUYER as [Buyer],
S.ZPRICE as [Sale Price],
datetime(S.ZSELLDATE,'unixepoch', '+31 years', '+1 days') as [Sale Date],
S.ZNOTES as [Sale Notes]

FROM ZWEAPON AS W
LEFT OUTER JOIN ZWEAPONPURCHASEINFO AS P
ON W.Z_PK = P.ZWEAPON
LEFT OUTER JOIN ZWEAPONSALEINFO AS S
ON W.Z_PK = S.ZWEAPON

Use this query to see the accessory entries:

SELECT
A.ZDESCRIPTION as Description,
A.ZNOTES as Notes,
A.ZSERIALNUMBER as [Serial Number], 
datetime(P.ZPURCHASEDATE,'unixepoch', '+31 years', '+1 days') as [Purchase Date],
P.ZPRICE as [Purchase Price],
P.ZSELLER as Seller,
P.ZNOTES as [Purchase Notes],
S.ZBUYER as [Buyer],
S.ZPRICE as [Sale Price],
datetime(S.ZSELLDATE,'unixepoch', '+31 years', '+1 days') as [Sale Date],
S.ZNOTES as [Sale Notes]

FROM ZACCESSORY AS A
LEFT OUTER JOIN ZACCESSORYPURCHASEINFO AS P
ON A.Z_PK = P.ZACCESSORY
LEFT OUTER JOIN ZACCESSORYSALEINFO AS S
ON A.Z_PK = S.ZACCESSORY

Through SQLManager you can export the results to a CSV file.

Remember, do not copy the database back! You can easily mess up the database and lose information, corrupt the data, or even crash Gun Log.

Gun Log Security

As stated in the App Store description:

Security:

Gun Log does not transfer the data stored in the application. It is not exported via emails or any type of reports. It is not uploaded to any server or tracked in anyway. This is intentional.  Gun information is valuable and private. You, the user, are responsible for making backups and securing those backups.

Conclusion
There are no means to export the data. This is by design.

Through iTunes file sharing you can backup the Shooting_Buddy.sqlite database.

Gun Log 3.9 is available.

What's new in this version:

Added "sale" information so you can track items that you have sold. Improved table detail strings. Added "delete" for date fields that do not require a date value. Corrected section header in ammo report.

Gun Log in App Store