CAPI Android - Transfer Data Between Tablets in Field

[KASTELIC]

Any suggestions on how we might be able to push data through bluetooth or and adhoc network connection between tablets with CSPro Android? We are planning a CAPI survey in internet constrained areas and looking for a way to transmit data from interviewers tablets to supervisor tablets without the use of internet connectivity.

[htuser]

Dear Castelic,
You can create multiple ftp servers using filezilla by example and synchronize data between tablets via ftp over adhoc wifi network. To activate synchronization, you can use some net detect tools or dos command.
Regards,

[josh]

We are working on a feature to transfer data between tablets without an internet connection. We plan to use a wifi hotspot on one tablet and connect to it from the other tablet. It should be part of our January release.

In the meantime there are some applications that will do file transfer over bluetooth and wifi in the Google Play Store such as https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... nsfer_free

[KASTELIC]

Thanks for the app suggestion. Looking forward to the integrated function in the January release.

Best,

Jon

[KASTELIC]

Hi Josh,

I was wondering if a means in which to locally transfer files between tablets had been integrated into CSPro.

Thanks,

Jon

[josh]

That it didn't make into the beta. We ran into some problems with approach we were taking and have had to try something different. We are working on it now but it probably won't make the next release.

[KASTELIC]

I am attempting to utilize the new bluetooth transfer between tablets but not having much luck. These are the client and server .pnc files that my application are generating;

[SyncFile]
Version=CSPro 6.1
Description=Sending data files...
RootFolder=/
[Server]
Type=Bluetooth
ServerDeviceName=CSEntryBluetoothSync
[Sync]
Put=0001.dat


[SyncFile]
Version=CSPro 6.1
Description=Receiving data files...
DeviceName=CSEntryBluetoothSync
RootFolder=/
[Server]
Type=BluetoothServer

The .pnc is written and run outside of the csentry folder, not sure if that matters. At the moment the data file that I am trying to transfer, "0001.dat" is located in the csentry/DATA folder, though eventually I would like to specify a different folder. At the moment the file says it was transferred, but it does not appear on the receiving tablet.

Any suggestion would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Jon

[josh]

The sync files look ok to me. Having them outside the CSEntry directory is not a problem.

Having the command "RootFolder=/" in the server .pnc file and not having a "ServerPath" command in the client .pnc means that the file is going to put in the top level directory on the receiving tablet. Are you looking for the file in that directory?

[KASTELIC]

Thanks Josh. Yes, I looked everywhere for the file. Did not transfer as far as I could tell. I went back to the basic bluetooth example and gradually built up from a simple transfer to the transfer I was looking for.

Here is the resulting .pnc codes

[SyncFile]
Version=CSPro 6.1
Description=Sending data files...

RootFolder=/storage/emulated/0/SURVEY/CASH
[Connection]
Type=Bluetooth
ServerDeviceName=CSEntryBluetoothSync

[Sync]
Put=0001.dat

[SyncFile]
Version=CSPro 6.1
Description=Receiving data files...

DeviceName=CSEntryBluetoothSync
RootFolder=/storage/emulated/0/SURVEY/CASH
[Connection]
Type=BluetoothServer

Some minor differences from what I got from the "CSEntry File Transfer" and the "Simple BT Example", but its working now.
Do you know if it is possible to transfer using wildcards? i.e. Put=HH*.dat or to take the contents of an entire folder?

Thanks,
Jon

[josh]

Yes, you can use wildcards for both put and get. So you could do:

put=*.dat

or even put=*

So to copy a whole folder you would do:

ClientPath=/foldertocopy
CreateServerPath=/foldertocopy
ServerPath=/foldertocopy
Put=*