Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Martin Stone]

I've got a new device. How do I transfer my data?

If your new device instructs you to transfer your old data with a cable connection between new and old phones, follow that procedure. This is the simplest and most reliable method. Otherwise...

• Before installing the app on your new device, ensure that your old device has backup enabled. Usually this is the "Back up my data" option under "Backup & reset" in the settings. If this wasn't previously enabled, it is probably a good idea to make an entry in your diet diary, so that the backup process is given a reason to run.
• On your new device, ensure that automatic restores are enabled. Usually this is the "Automatic restore" option under "Backup & reset" in the settings.
• Ensure that you're using the same Google account on both devices.
  
• After checking the above, install the app on your new device. Your data and settings should appear automatically when you first run the app.

Normally the above settings are enabled by default and the data transfer "just works" without any fuss. If it doesn't work automatically you may have to resort to the procedure below.

The automatic data transfer didn't work. How do I transfer my data to my new device manually?

• In the app on your old device, from the menu, go to Manage data / Share diary data, select Full Database as the "report type" and share this in whatever way makes it easiest to transfer to your new phone. (E.g. email, Dropbox, etc.).
  
• In the app on your new device, from the menu, select Manage data, Back up to external storage. Make a note of the file name it tells you. This will create a dummy backup and the SimpleDietDiary folder that you need to copy your real backup file into.
• Transfer the backup file from your old device into the SimpleDietDiary folder on your new device. (How you do this is up to you, and depends what you have available -- e.g. file manager apps, USB connections to a computer, etc.) Overwrite the dummy backup file if the names are the same.
  
• In the app on your new device, from the menu, select Manage data, Restore from external storage and select your backup file.

Can I synchronize data between multiple devices?

No, apart from the manual data transfer approach described above, which is not suitable for maintaining a single diary with multiple devices.

Why is the food database a separate download?

It's a separate download because it's large and optional. In the future I may make multiple databases available (e.g. for different countries and languages). It would make the app very large to have all of those built in.

How do I reduce the number of decimal places in displayed nutrient values?

The displayed precision is determined from the most precise value that you enter. To reduce the precision you need to find the values that have been entered with excessive precision and round them.

In the future, I hope to add a manual override for this.

Can I log the times of my entries?

Yes. Go to Settings, and select the Show Times check box. This displays times in the entry list and lets you enter a time when you add an entry.

On the Manage Items screen, why are items crossed-out when I delete them?

Items that have entries in your diary won't be completely deleted: they preserved so that your diary entries and totals are correct. You can choose whether to see them on the Manage Items screen by tapping the menu button at the top right and toggling the "show deleted items" check box.

Crossed-out items won't be suggested in the auto-complete list.

If you want to replace the entries for these items with another item, you can do that with the procedure below.

Can I replace incorrect or duplicate items with new correct ones?

Yes, although the procedure is a little obscure:

• Go to Manage data / Manage items.
  
• Search for the name of the unwanted item.
  
• Select the unwanted item and tap the edit button. (The pencil icon.)
  
• Edit the name field so that the item you want to use instead is shown in the auto-complete list. (If the items have the same name, you just need to delete a character from the end of the name so that the auto-complete list appears.)
• Select the desired item from the list*.
  
• Tap "Done".

You should get a confirmation message. Selecting "continue" will remove the unwanted items and replace all of its entries with the desired item.

(* This can take some trial and error if the items are identical. If you pick the original item again, nothing will happen. If you got a different one you'll get the confirmation message and end up with one item instead of two.)

Is there an iOS version? Will you make one?

No.