I have two separate but related issues.
Request 1:
Would like to be able to dispatch a clickable (active) link. I've built into some of my apps a location (short text block) to send a link but the link has to be cut and pasted into a browser. I need to send users reference materials such as drawings or sketches so they can see details of the particular item they are inspecting.
A link to a copy of the previous inspection report is another example of a link that could be sent. That way users can review the results of the previous inspection so they know what findings have previously been documented and where to focus their attentions this time around. This could also be used for collaboration on very large items/projects when more than one person is involved.
Request 2:
I also need the inspectors to have the ability to mark up those provided items with the locations of their inspection findings, notes, and/or red line the drawings themselves in case a change has occurred since the last inspection.
It would be really great if a PDF (or a jpeg) could be dispatched along with the app for the users to do this within the app itself and have the marked up PDF (or jpeg) become a part of the final report.
I've experimented doing this with jpegs already but the quality of the photo in the app and the output in the final report are not very good.
I previously heard at last years conference that attachment handling has been discussed and there are a lot of obstacles to overcome and it will be some time before this capability becomes a native function of GoCanvas.
In the mean time, I've been dabbling with 3rd party options in order to do this in conjunction with GoCanvas. However, I haven't found any convenient or reliable alternatives yet that cross all platforms. OneDrive actually seems like my best alternative at the moment but it has stability issues.
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Hi Keith,
I think many people's lives (mine included) would be better if we could dispatch links. Great feature request! For the second one, have you adjusted the compression settings at all to try to get better image quality? I recognize that's not a full solution, but thought it might be worth a try.
We do have attachments for submissions on the current roadmap (as always, roadmap is subject to change), but I'm not sure it would also solve this (though it would probably be a good step in that direction). One of the Evernote products (Evernote, Scannable, or Skitch) might be another third-party option.
Another way to think about this is dispatching to drawing fields and/or reference images.
Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Sara. Yes, I have it on the best photo compression possible that is within my control (Normal - 80%). The quality is still very poor.
There are two sides to this.
I've tried converting PDFs to jpegs and putting them into an app so a user could see it and sketch on the image. Unfortunately, the image is very poor and is not even usable. You can't zoom in or out and a lot of the stuff just looks like blobs.I gave up on this idea very quickly.
For the PDF Designer output of my apps, the compression blurs out all the important details. The larger the photo in the PDF the worse it is. I continually struggle with how to control the size of the picture output in the Designer PDFs. Using a loop (table) is the best option I have found. Also gives the user the capability to take as many pictures as they want.
The picture output is kind of embarrassing actually. When you are trying to show a VIP the capabilities of GoCanvas in order to sell them the idea and the Inspection Report you show them has blurry images. 0% Compression really should be an option for the App Designer. I'm going to submit a ticket to have compression removed from several of my apps.
I don't know if it got added at some point or I was just doing it wrong forever, but I've tested Dispatching links and it appears to work. Keith, can you check (if it's still applicable) if that's the case for you or if we still need this as a request? Thanks!
Yes, it works!!
Umm.. yeah, I feel like this did not work but now it does.
It works either way, as a button or just a link.
It was a long time ago when I first got the notion to try it.
I actually remember being very disappointed that it didn't work. It put me in a conundrum. One of my very first ideas for an app way back when (2013'ish) involved this.
Five years later, I still don't have a finished app for this and it is a major part of what we do. This is still getting done on paper.
This couldn't have always worked, could it?
In the app builder, there has to be a default. If you try to save it blank it always puts www.gocanvas.com back in their but you can definitely dispatch a different link in their from the workflow & dispatch manager. I haven't tried uploading a dispatch but I am sure it would work.
I have to re-visit my other app now and see if I can implement something.
Dynamic attachment handling, mark-up, and integration into the final PDF would still be a great feature. I know this is a very complicated integration and don't expect to see this any time soon without 3rd party app involvement.
Thanks for notifying me. I am sure others will be happy too.
Any updates on dispatching links? I've only been able to find 2 posts from 2 years ago about wanting this feature and it appears you still cannot dispatch links.
Hi Adam.
Did you already see this?
https://help.gocanvas.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020602833-What-does-Default-URL-mean-on-Web-Link-fields-