Collector

Developed originally to easily convert spreadsheets and tabular data to a portable format.

Collector provides easy control of many types of lists and tables.
It is designed for rapid lookup and simple transfer (or copying) of items between lists.
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Main page - each list has its own button to run it.
The menu on this page enables import, export and deletion of files.
It also opens the Settings screen wherein you can change column de-limiters, change empty-field markers, etc..

Drill-down list mode:
Tap an item and its children are displayed on the next page, etc...
Long-press an item to edit it. Long-press the last child to Transfer,Copy or Delete the row.
The menu on these pages lets you change the font size, swap initial columns, toggle to Spreadsheet mode
and add new rows of items.
Lists are sorted automatically on the contents of the initial column.

Spreadsheet mode:
You can select the number of columns on display by tapping the relevant button at the top of the page.
Hidden columns are revealed by swiping left or right.
You can sort on any column by tapping the header of that column.
Long-press an item to Transfer, Copy, Alter or Delete that row of items.
The menu on this page allows you to change the font size, toggle to Drill-down mode and add new rows of items.

Column numbers and widths are auto-sized to suit display.
The number of columns displayed can be over-ridden by tapping one of the buttons at the top of the page.

SIMPLE and EASY TO USE.
Lists of more than 1000 items are easily handled on modern systems (touchscreens enable rapid scrolling of large lists).

Collector enables users to:
a. quickly determine whether they have a particular item or version of an item.
b. easily move an entry from a wanted list to a control list.
c. import lists.
d. export lists.
e. add or delete an item to or from any list.
f. alter items.
g. sort by different columns.

There are numerous uses for it, from book and stamp collectors to stock control, membership and shopping lists - virtually any requirement with multiple lists and/or lists with multiple columns..

Please let us know (in the comments section below) of additional features that might make YOUR work easier.
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SUMMARY OF FUNCTIONS
1. Upload and Download text files from/to the SDCard - applying your own names for them each time.(main menu)
2. Upload or Download the same file multiple times using different names.(menu)
3. Upload multiple files into Collector - 4 or 5 would be a practical limit for many circumstances.(main menu)
4. Delete a file from Collector.(main menu)
5. Alter the text in a column.(long click)
6. Add a row.(button at bottom of list or menu when in list)
7. Delete a row.(long click on last column)
8. Transfer a row from one file to another (if you have more than one file in Collector).(long click on last column)
9. Alter text size
10.Toggle between Drill-down and SpreadSheet
Drill-Down Format:
11. Rows/columns are sorted alphabetically (excluding the header).
12. Rows/columns hide duplicate entries for the column.
13. Headers can be turned on/off.(main menu - Settings)
142. Change column marker.(main menu - Settings)
15. Edit headers.(button at bottom of list or menu when in list)
16. Swap columns (sort on another column).(button at bottom of list or menu when in list)
SpreadSheet Format:
17. Sort on any column. (click the header)
18. Select number of columns to display. (click the numbered button)
19. Swipe to view hidden columns
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INSTRUCTIONS for USE:-

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INITIAL OPERATIONS AND FILE DESCRIPTIONS
Lists for Collector to use must first be loaded (downloaded), as files, onto your system by any of the normal means.

Collector can then open a file browser so you can find the file. Click on it to bring it into Collector at which time you can rename it if you want.

You can bring multiple files or multiple copies of a file into Collector - just give them different names.(e.g. You might label one 'Control..' and another 'Active..').

Files must be either ".txt" type or Excel ".csv" type.

2 demonstration files are pre-loaded into Collector for you. They can be accessed via the menu on the main screen.

If this is your 1st use of Collector
Please read the information below and then load your file (or files) onto your SDCard.
(You can do this by emailing it to yourself, by downloading from a website such as dropbox, by copying from your computer to the card, or by ftp).

Collector will recognise any text file (of any name) providing it has a '.txt' or a '.csv' extension (e.g. anewfile.txt or abc.csv)
If the file is on a removable SDCard, make sure the SDCard is 'mounted'.

Collector is designed to display lists of items with 1 or more columns and to enable transfers between lists.
If the lists have differing numbers of columns, Collector either adds blank columns or combines extra columns into one.

FILE CONSTRUCTION:
Lists are initially LOADED from text files in the SDcard folder of your phone/tablet.
Every 'line' of text is interpreted by Collector as a 'row' (with 1 or more columns).
Every row can be split into columns by inserting a separator symbol where you want a new column to start.
'%' is the default separator symbol, however others are available from your settings menu.
The 1st row is used as a header and determines the number of columns in the rest of the list.
For example:
the following would be 3 rows of raw data:

This could be line one
and this is line 2
And this is line three

To divide these rows into columns, add '%' at the row junctions ('%' is the default column divider).
Hence the following is a list of books with 3 columns of data:

author%title%quantity
Fred Albert%Run for the hills%no dust cover
Joe McTurk%Joe's first flight%mint
Joe McTurk%Joe's last flight%cover torn
Mary Reynolds%Manhattan%library copy

You have access to a selection of column markers in the Settings page. '%' is the default.

HEADER:
Note the 1st row:
author%title%quantity
This is the header. It names each column and is displayed at the top of the page.
The 1st row is ALWAYS a header and is NOT SORTED with the rest of the list.

In Drill-Down mode, displayed columns HIDE DUPLICATE ENTRIES, and are SORTED in ascending ALPHABETICAL order.
So, in Drill-Down mode, column 1 from the above example becomes

Fred Albert
Joe McTurk
Mary Reynolds

and if you click 'Joe McTurk' you will get

Joe's first flight
Joe's last flight

and so on.

There is theoretically no limit to the number of columns, practically 3 or 4 is all most circumstances require.

The number of rows is also limited only by your system and the ability to scroll through.
We use lists of more than 1000 rows.

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THE ORIGINAL FILE IS NEVER CHANGED
Collector makes a copy of the file and stores it internally in the private storage area of your system, using a name that you choose when you load it from the SDCard.
Any changes you make to the file while using Collector are made to the copy.

The copy, including changes made to it, is permanently stored in your system unless you delete it from within Collector or Collector is uninstalled.
At any time you can save the copy back to the SDCard (using another name that you select when saving).

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TERMS USED
1. Line. A line of text (terminated by pressing the 'enter' or 'return' key)
2. Row. The same as a line, but interspersed with column markers ('%')
3. Column. The portion of a row between 2 column markers.
4. Column marker. '%' by default, can be changed from the Settings menu.
5. Header. The 1st row in the original file.
6. Column Header. The relevant column in the header.

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From	Query/Comment	Response
Bob - Jan 31 2012	I downloaded you App Collector yesterday. When I open it I get to the Starting Memo which says I have no files on my SDcard. I have loaded a .txt file at various levels on the card with no results. I can't get to any other menu on the program to see if I can force it to search. What do I do?	Bob, we know it is a bit tricky to get started. Our 'soon to be released' upgrade will make it a lot easier. In the meantime, you need to put your 'txt' file into your '/mnt/sdcard' folder (or '/sdcard/' if '/mnt/sdcard/' is not visible). Saved files are also put in the /mnt/sdcard/ folder so that you can re-load them under another name if you want.
Sara - Jan 15 2013	This looks interesting. Any chance to be able to import/export to or from Google Drive or Evernote? What other settings are available? Also, if I buy it can I easily synchronize it between my Android tablet and my Android phone without doing it manually? (Assume you need a web based service to do this)	Sara, Collector does lot of things, but does not import/export to a foreign source - only to your phone/tablet file system. Neither does it synchronise with other devices that you own. HOWEVER, your devices have built-in ways of doing so. Just copy the file to your phone and Collector can find it. Similarly with export. (We use the Android App FTPServer for much of our device-device transfers) It is really only one extra step. Give it a go. If it doesn't suit you, email us and we will happily refund your money.

Query or Comment