A few questions and such...

[god of cyanide]

Piotr, and members of the iMtG community...

First off, yes, this is the same user from MTGS...

So, yeah, I've done a lot of work with this app, and have some issues, questions, etc. I'm sure some of them are just simple things, and perhaps some are fixed with the next version. Here goes.

1. How, exactly, do the databases back up in Dropbox? I noticed a LOT of files in the folder, and would like less files, if possible. Are there files I can safely delete?

2. I'm going to compile a list of cards whose images are non-existent (as in, not even a substituted image) - ~edit~ list is below. I think they're all promos. Also, I pointed out on MTGS about the issue with the Planar Chaos cards whose images come up as Planechase 2 cards, and the split cards that are only listed as one name, or don't come up in color searches. (I can repost all that here if necessary.)

3. How can I view a single binder without using the input view? I'd like to see a "collapsed" view, where it's easy to flick through and find a card.

4. I feel there are some issues with the card input screens. I've often added a card and split it multiple times so I can add in different foil and language variants. My actual card binders are sorted by block, rarity, set, collector #... I started making one iMtG binder per actual binder (mostly one block worth). As I wasn't doing one whole binder in one sitting, I would often save and return. What I learned was that, when you split a card, then leave the app and return, 4-5 blank cards would be inserted between each split. (Note I'm back to portrait view for card entry, as looking at the list rather than the card flip seems more efficient for my purposes.) When you later sort the binder, those empty spaces don't go away, making going to the end of the binder a futile exercise. I tried sorting first and then adding, but that involved a lot of back and forth through the binder, being redirected multiple pages away from the card's sorted location, and the fact that card splitting worked backwards (the split-off card appeared to the left, not the right). Also, the pages on the binder screens are really hard to turn; I find I need to make multiple swipes to turn a page (does this have anything to do with image loading?). I had to split my iMtG binders up by set to ease the difficulty... which means I have way too many binders.

5. I hope my request to have the language flag pop up on the binder card input images (similar to the foil and sign marks) hasn't been forgotten. Any way to make the signed mark a non-black color, also? It's hard to see on some colors, and near-impossible on black cards.

6. When you go to the card info screen for a card, instead of/in addition to having those sliding binder/deck lines, could there be a list of the cards you own, with the foil/sign/language marks, and the binder/deck it's in? I know that sounds like micromanaging, but it seems like a natural thing to have on such an app.

Thanks, Piotr, for all your time on this app. You know I love 3.0 very much already, and have been selling my friends on it with all the collection features. As I've said before, I can be a bit nitpicky... This thread will probably turn into "god of cyanide has questions for you..."

Thanks in advance to anyone else who answers any of my questions with possible solutions.

Cards with image issues:
Faerie Conclave and Treetop Village - Summer of Magic
Shield of Kaldra - Prerelease (Note: Its image is the back of a Magic card.)
Urza's Factory - Champs
Spiritmonger - Grand Prix
Garruk's Horde, Ant Queen - Launch Parties
Roar of the Wurm, Flametongue Kavu - FNM
Black Sun's Zenith - Game Day
Damnation, Terror, Zombify - MPR
Wren's Run Packmaster, Malfegor - Prerelease
Oona's Blackguard - Gateway

[Piotr]

0. Welcome!

1. Every backup is a separate file, the higher the number the fresher the backup. I just sort by date.

2. Thanks!

3. I think it's doable via Advanced Predicate and Bookmarks, but I'll see if it can be streamlined.

4. Will be improved in the coming version(s).

5. Thanks for reminding me

6. You need to be able to add a card from card view to any binder it's not in yet. Foil marks is a good idea.

7. Keep your feedback coming please.

[god of cyanide]

As always, thanks for the prompt answers.

1. Just what in the heck is that "Advanced Predicate" screen anyways, and how does it work? (I have a math background, if that helps; I'm guessing it's based on some sort of logic.)

2. I didn't really understand what you were getting at in your response to #6... Please clarify? I understand you want us to be able to enter cards through the card info screen, which is fine. The problem I have is that it seems that, if you do it that way, you cannot add details about language/foil/signed (or at least it seems you can't), which I may need to do from time to time (though I'm not overly concerned about it)... And, more importantly for me, I'd like to be able to see all the copies I own of a card in one place, and to clarify, I was thinking of it like a spreadsheet-ish list view.

3. This may be outside your realm, but I was wondering: As far as the prices go, for cards which exist only in foil (most promos, premium deck series, etc.), does activating the foil flag matter?

4. And just to clarify, I can erase all the backups except the highest numbered one?

5. Re: the split cards, do you want a list of all the cards with problems? From what I can tell, a LOT of the Invasion, Apocalypse, and Planar Chaos ones are not searchable by the first half of the card at all, and the Dissension ones are not searchable by all their colors (I think it comes up as the common color).

[Piotr]

1. It's SQL-like filtering, some help here: http://imtgapp.com/wiki/index.php?title=Advanced_Predicate

2. I mean that it has to stay but may be improved. For now, if the card is somewhat special and need to have additional flags, you can go directly to the card in the binder by pressing the square binder cover (it will scroll properly to the card's page in 3.2) and fix it there. CSV import is also coming in 3.2.

3. Foils are normally not priced by TCGPlayer at all, I'm told. Otherwise, no.

4. If you're sure that the last one is correct (I'd check the size and maybe restore on iPhone to be absolutely sure. iPad is my master copy for syncing) then yes. I don't bother, I have a lot of free space in Dropbox as I only use it for iMtG anyway.

5. Split and flip cards are my weak spot. I feel that fixing them is gonna be a lot of tedious time consuming work and I have no split cards, and only one flipper in my blue EDH deck. In case you didn't notice I make iMtG for myself and developing or fixing stuff which I don't use takes a bit longer We'll get there.

[god of cyanide]

1. Ugh. Funny story, I was intending to learn SQL and haven't. A friend of mine has books for me; maybe I oughta pick them up. That seemed complicated.

2. If pressing the binder in the sliding thing does that and works correctly, I think I can manage.

3&4. OK, I know what must be done, then.

5. Gotcha. If I still had my programming skills, I'd be doing this, too. I've got a pretty hefty collection, plus a 1400-card type 4 stack. As of now, I've entered the stack and my collection from Mirrodin block through Alara block, so I hit a large number of splits and flips. I'd say that the split cards, especially, are important enough, especially as the multicolor ones don't correctly identify as multicolor because of it.

EDIT:
I went to my MTGS post to dig up more of the info I had gathered regarding cards that have search issues. Copypasta'd here. Parentheticals at end are updates on those issues.

Crime/Punishment doesn't register as White. It does as Black; didn't check Green.
Trial/Error doesn't register as White. It does as Blue; didn't check Black.
Rise/Fall doesn't register as Blue. It does as Black; didn't check Red.
Hit/Run doesn't register as Black. It does as Red; didn't check Green.
(Many other split cards are only in the database as their right sides.)

Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas edition of Rise/Fall is not there. (I'm also fairly certain there is a Jace's Ingenuity promo missing - just rechecked, there are two FNM entries for it, but there seems to be information missing from each card's entry. Rise/Fall is there, but, like most split cards, was only searchable as Fall. Some of my searching issues arose before I understood just what was considered "special" rarity.)

a handful of white colorshifted cards from Planar Chaos have the wrong images. (So far, I've only done white in the block...) Calciderm displays as Auratouched Mage from Planechase 2 (I think all the images are from that set), Mana Tithe shows as Celestial Ancient, and Revered Dead shows as Kor Spiritdancer. Sunlance, however, had the correct image. (This problem only occurred with those cards, as far as I've noticed. While I have my odd binder sorting, I don't keep most uncommons or commons in a binder, just the useful ones.)

Cards without casting costs can't be searched by color. (Don't know about Evermind, but none of the Time Spiral block ones worked.)

Some, but not all, of the flip cards cannot be searched by their nonflipped name. I didn't test all of them, as I don't have all of them in the binder, but the ones that I noticed were: Jushi Apprentice, Nezumi Shortfang, Nezumi Graverobber, and Akki Lavarunner. Searching by their flipped name brings them right up.